Barriss woke before the palace bells. For a few seconds, she did not move. The ceiling above her was not the smooth, pale stone of the Temple. The walls were not curved in the same way. The air did not carry the clean, steady quiet of Coruscant's upper levels. Serenno's palace felt older than the Temple somehow, even if that made little sense. Her room was larger than she needed. That had been the first thing she noticed the night before. The second had been the balcony doors. Barriss sat up, and her folded robes waited on the chair beside the bed. A small tray sat near the door with warm bitter-root infusion, fruit, and a dish of plain grains prepared almost exactly as Temple kitchens made it. Almost. The grains had been sweetened lightly; maybe the palace kitchens could not resist improving things.
She touched the cup, and it was still warm. Barriss rose, dressed, and tied her sash with careful hands. She checked the small braid behind her ear, then smoothed her sleeves. Her lightsaber hung at her belt after a moment. She had slept with it on the low table beside her bed. Master Luminara had said nothing about that before she left for her own room last night. Barriss stepped into the corridor after finishing her morning meal. A guard stood near the wall, armored in Serenno colors. He bowed his head once.
"Padawan Offee."
"Good morning."
"Master Unduli is waiting in the east passage."
"Thank you." He did not offer to lead her. He simply turned slightly, indicating the direction. The Temple never felt like this. Barriss walked through the corridor, passing tall windows that opened toward a lower garden. Pale morning light fell across the floor in long bars. Outside, gardeners moved between trimmed hedges, their green coats dark with dew. Master Luminara stood where the guard had said she would be. Her master faced the window, hands folded inside her sleeves. She turned before Barriss spoke.
"You slept?"
"Yes, Master."
"Truthfully." Barriss lowered her eyes for half a breath. "Somewhat." Luminara did not scold her. "New places rarely give rest easily." Barriss looked past her toward the garden. "The palace is quieter than I expected." A servant passed at the far end of the hall carrying a tray covered by a silver lid. She bowed as she moved, never slowing. The scent of steamed leaves and sharp spices followed her. "His Majesty has permitted us to observe Princess Liora's morning saber lesson," Luminara said.
Barriss looked at her. "Already?"
"Would you prefer to wait?"
"No, Master." Luminara studied her for a moment. "You expected a delay."
"I expected him to keep us farther away at first." Luminara began walking, and Barriss fell into step at her side. They moved down a long corridor lined with old portraits. Barriss tried not to look too closely at them, but the faces drew the eye. Men and women in dark formal clothing, some armored, some crowned. "Watch carefully today," Luminara said.
"Yes, Master."
"Do not watch only the child."
Barriss glanced toward her. "Dooku as well?"
"How is correction given. How mistakes are treated. How much the girl expects to match a standard." Barriss nodded. "Yes, Master." After a few more steps, Luminara added, "And yourself." Barriss' fingers shifted inside her sleeves. "Myself?"
"This assignment will ask you to form impressions quickly. Be careful that they do not become more than what is needed." Barriss accepted that with a small bow of her head. The training hall stood in the eastern wing, past two guarded arches and a short inner courtyard where rainwater still clung to dark stone. The doors were already open. The sound reached Barriss before the sight did.
A training saber hummed. Barriss stepped into the hall behind her master. The room was wide, with pale floors and high windows along one wall. Practice marks crossed the stone in faint lines. Weapon racks stood near the far side, though most held staves, padded practice rods, and weighted training tools rather than live blades. King Dooku stood near the center of the room. His tunic was dark and formal enough. His cloak had been removed and folded neatly over a bench. His real lightsaber rested at his belt.
In his hand was a training saber. Princess Liora stood across from him with her own. Barriss had only seen the child briefly the day before. In the receiving hall, Liora had looked like a small thing, with a smudge on her cheek and a stare that lasted too long. Here, she looked different, somehow. Her hair was tied back. Her sleeves were fitted close at the wrist. Her training tunic was simple, cream and dark red. Her training saber cast a pale blue-white light across her hands.
Dooku did not spare them a look. "Again," he said. Liora shifted her feet. There were pieces Barriss recognized. But the angle was different, a little more elegant than what younglings were usually taught at first. Barriss saw Dooku's eyes narrow slightly. "Your wrist." And Liora adjusted it. "Yes, Father."
Dooku moved first. His training blade came in slow enough for a child to follow. Liora met it, her blade catching his with a muted crackle. She stepped back, then sideways, trying to keep her balance. Dooku pressed once, and Liora's elbow drifted out. This caused him to stop immediately.
"No." Liora froze, and Dooku lowered his blade and stepped closer. "You opened yourself here." He tapped the air near her ribs with two fingers. Liora glanced down, mouth tightening. "I thought moving aside gave me space."
"It gave you space from my blade," Dooku said. "Not from me." Liora frowned. Dooku lifted his saber again, angled it exactly where hers had been. "If your opponent knows how to follow, you have not escaped, but simply put yourself in danger." Liora stared at the space between them. Barriss could almost see her replaying it in her head.
Then the child nodded once. "Again?" Dooku's expression softened by the smallest amount. "Again." Barriss felt Luminara settle beside her, silent and attentive. Dooku attacked with the same movements. This time, Liora did not take the same step. She shifted, turned her wrist, and let the blades slide rather than clash. Her foot caught near the end, and she had to hop once to stop herself from stumbling. Dooku's blade stopped a handspan from her shoulder, and Liora looked at it.
"That was better," he said. Her face brightened. Then the look vanished quickly, as she focused, but Barriss had seen it. "Again," he said, but his voice was not hard. And thus the lesson continued. At the Temple, younglings trained in groups. Master's corrected movements, forms, spacing, and breath. There was care in it, but it was spread across many students. A child learns by watching others fail and succeed around them. Mistakes became a lesson for others not to copy.
But here, there was only Liora. A single student under one great teacher could become trapped beneath expectation. But that was not quite what she saw. Dooku corrected often, he did not flatter, and he did not laugh when she made a mistake. He did not soften every failure to comfort her. When Liora's grip tightened too much, he told her. When she became too cautious, he told her. When she looked toward Luminara and Barriss for half a second too long, he stopped the drill.
"You should never take your eyes off of your opponent." Liora's face colored slightly as he tapped her head with the saber. "Yes, Father," Liora said. Dooku moved, and Liora barely caught the strike. The training sabers cracked together. She gave ground, then tried to turn his blade aside and came back with a light touch toward his wrist. Dooku stepped around it and tapped the edge of his blade against her shoulder.
The limiter sparked gently, and Liora sucked in a breath. Dooku lowered his saber. "You saw an opening." She rubbed her shoulder once. "I thought your wrist was exposed."
"It was."
She blinked. "Then—"
"It was exposed because I allowed it to be." Liora stared at him for a moment. Then her eyes narrowed. "That is a bit unfair." From the side of the hall, Lady Jenza laughed. Barriss had not noticed her before. Jenza Serenno sat on a bench near the wall with a tablet balanced on one knee. She wore dark blue today, simpler than the previous evening but still unmistakably noble. Her attention had been on the lesson the entire time. Dooku did not look at his sister. "A poor opponent teaches you only by accident. A good opponent teaches by allowing you to learn from your mistakes."
Dooku held Liora's gaze for another moment before resetting his stance. "Again. This time, do not chase what I offer. Always consider it could be a trap." Liora nodded, and they resumed. Barriss found herself leaning into the lesson without meaning to. Liora was not brilliant with the saber, not yet. She was too small. Her arms tired quickly. But she learned fast. That was the part Barriss could not ignore. Dooku corrected her shoulder, and two exchanges later, the shoulder stayed corrected. He showed her how her weight had moved too far over her front foot, and the next time he pressed her, she gave ground without nearly falling. She made new mistakes instead of repeating the old ones.
Barriss had seen Temple younglings do that, but usually not at six. The Force around Liora did not flare wildly as she moved. It did not lash out. That was almost more unsettling. After a longer exchange, Liora failed to turn aside Dooku's blade and got tapped lightly on the upper arm. She hissed and shook the arm once. Dooku lowered his saber. "Enough." Liora looked ready to argue, but only for a second. Her breathing was too quick. A bit of hair had escaped near her cheek. "I can keep going."
"I know."
"Then why—"
"Because you are tired." Dooku gave her a look. Liora lasted almost three seconds before looking away. "I am a little tired."
"A little," Jenza said from the bench, "appears to be doing heroic work in that sentence." Liora shot her aunt a betrayed look. Barriss could not help it this time. A small smile escaped, and Liora saw. For half a moment, embarrassment flashed across the princess's face. Then something else replaced it. Interest. She had noticed Barriss smiling. Dooku shut off his training saber. The blade vanished with a soft hiss. "You improved."
Liora shut hers off, too. "I still got hit."
"Yes."
She waited. Dooku took the saber from her and placed both training weapons on a nearby stand. "Improvement does not mean avoiding every mistake. It means needing fewer corrections before you understand the next one." Liora considered that, then she nodded slowly. Dooku looked toward Luminara at last. "Master Unduli."
Luminara stepped forward slightly. "Your Majesty."
"You have observed. Speak freely." Barriss looked at her master. Luminara's face remained calm. "She is disciplined for her age." Liora's shoulders lifted by a tiny amount. That made Jenza look up from her tablet. Liora made a face before she could stop herself. Jenza pointed one finger at her from the bench. "I saw that."
"I didn't say anything." Liora sighed with the weight of someone twice her age and walked toward the center of the room. Barriss expected stretching. Maybe breathing practice. Maybe a short seated meditation. At the Temple, after saber work, younglings were often guided into stillness. The body learned to release the fight before the next lesson began. Liora stood with her feet shoulder-width apart and closed her eyes.
Her hands rose slowly, and Barriss stilled. The movement was small at first. A slow inhale, Palms lifting as if holding water. Then her hands turned outward and lowered. Her knees bent slightly. Her weight shifted from one foot to the other in a smooth, circular pattern. This wasn't a Temple kata.
Barriss did not know what it was while Liora moved as if pushing against something soft in the air. One hand drifted forward while the other drew back. Her shoulders loosened. Her breathing changed. The tension from the sparring lesson did not vanish at once, but it began to fall away in pieces. The Force around her changed with it. Barriss felt it before she understood what she was feeling.
During the saber lesson, Liora had held herself tightly. A child trying to keep her thoughts, body, and power all in the proper places while adults watched. Now the edges softened. Her movements circled through the air, slow and patient. She stepped, turned, drew her hands inward, then let them float outward again. The motions were plain, almost simple, but there was nothing careless in them.
Barriss glanced at Luminara, Her master was watching closely. Plo Koon had said Liora thought in unusual ways. Barriss remembered that from the briefing. She had expected unusual speech, unusual opinions, perhaps unusual manners, but not this. Liora's hands lifted again, one palm facing the ceiling, the other toward the floor. Her eyes remained closed. Her face, which had been so expressive a moment earlier, smoothed.
The room seemed to settle with her. Even the guards near the doors watched differently now. Barriss could hear faint rain beginning outside, tapping against the upper windows. Luminara finally spoke, voice low. "That is not a Jedi meditation."
"No," Dooku said. His voice was quieter, too. "What is it?"
"Something she made." Luminara looked at him. "Made?" Dooku's gaze remained on his daughter. "Still, meditation frustrated her. Her thoughts grew louder when she was forced to sit too long. So she found movement helped her." Barriss looked back at Liora. The child turned slowly, hands sweeping in a soft arc. Her front foot was placed carefully, heel first, then the rest. "You allowed her to invent her own practice?" Luminara asked.
Dooku's answer came after a beat. "I allowed her to succeed." Barriss looked at him then. He did not sound like someone excusing a child's disobedience. He sounded like someone who had watched a problem fail under one method and permitted another to solve it. Luminara did not answer immediately. Jenza did, from the bench. "It also stopped her from trying to crawl out of her own skin every time someone said the word meditate."
Liora's eyes opened. "Aunt Jenza."
"What, dear?"
"I wasn't that bad."
Dooku looked at her, and Liora's mouth closed. Jenza smiled and returned to her tablet. The moment of quiet shifted, but did not break entirely. Liora continued the movement, though her cheeks had gone a little pink. Barriss watched with more attention now. She had spent years learning that calm came through stillness. Not only sitting, no, but stillness of mind. Stillness of breath. Stillness of wanting. Movement had its place. Saber forms had rhythm. Katas could guide focus. But this was not a kata built around combat. It was simply movement for the sake of finding stillness without stopping.
When Liora finished, she brought both hands slowly down and opened her eyes. For a moment, she looked younger, tired from training and slightly embarrassed by being watched. Then she remembered herself and straightened. Dooku stepped toward her. "Better."
Barriss noticed that Dooku did not praise loudly. He did not need to. One honest sentence seemed to matter more to Liora than three soft ones would have. Luminara stepped forward. "Princess Liora." Liora turned at once. "Master Unduli."
"Would you object if I asked about your meditation?" Liora glanced at her father. Dooku gave no visible command. He simply waited. Liora looked back at Luminara. "No."
"What do you call it?" Liora hesitated. For the first time all morning, she seemed truly unsure. "I don't know," she said. Jenza looked up. "You still haven't named it?"
"It doesn't need a name."
"Everything needs a name eventually." Jenza smiled. Dooku's brow lifted, and Liora suddenly became very interested in the floor. Luminara watched the exchange with calm eyes. "No name, then."
"Not yet," Liora said.
"And why did you create it?" Liora rubbed at one sleeve, right near a faint stain Barriss had not noticed before. Oil, maybe. "Sitting still doesn't always help me. It makes me think about thinking. Then I get annoyed because I'm supposed to be calm, and being annoyed about not being calm makes it worse."
Barriss blinked. She had heard initiates say similar things, but never quite like that. Luminara's mouth softened by the smallest amount. "That is not uncommon."
"It feels uncommon when adults look disappointed about it." Dooku's gaze shifted to her, but he did not correct her. Luminara gave a slow nod. "Yes. I imagine it does." That answer seemed to surprise Liora.
Master Luminara was not warm in the way some people expected. She did not rush to comfort. She did not soften her voice just because she was speaking to a child. But when she listened, she listened fully. Liora studied her for a moment. Then she said, "Moving gives the thoughts somewhere to go." Luminara nodded again. "And the Force?"
Liora looked down at her hands. "It settles easier when my body is not fighting me." Barriss remembered what Master Yoda had said before they left. Watch what is taught. Dooku looked toward the side table where water and towels had been set out. "Drink." Liora obeyed, walking over and taking a cup. She drank half too quickly, then slowed after Dooku looked at her. Barriss followed Luminara as her master moved closer to the center of the hall.
"Your Majesty," Luminara said. "Would you permit me to observe one of her seated meditations another day?"
Liora's face fell, and Dooku saw it. So did Barriss. "One may be arranged," Dooku said. "Briefly." Luminara inclined her head. "That would be enough." Liora looked as if she considered that one word very offensive. Barriss understood that the princess did not hate meditation. Not exactly. She hated failing at the version other people expected. Barriss knew something about that. Not in meditation, perhaps. Liora lowered the cup and looked toward Barriss. She lowered her gaze politely.