Anakin sat alone at the edge of the training room. His fingers at work tinkering with the training droid. He was adding a Darth maul program he created based off the footage from Naboo. He took the footage and sliced it into a program, and used me, Seris and Deren to help make adjustments.
While other younglings were sparring. Some were watching and talking. A little too loud.
"I heard he hangs out with Cain's group. I wonder who is the real chosen one?"
"Cain is obviously. He has so many great feats. and a number of master's have been looking at him to be their future padawan."
"How can the slave boy be so emotional and so talented at the same time."
"I heard he's dangerous. I heard a master say his midichlorian count was 27,000. While Cains is 24,000. That's why they consider him the chosen one. But the master's thinks he's dangerous so they keep a eye on him"
"I heard some master's asked Cain and Seris to either help guide Skywalker to be a proper Jedi or don't associate with him to much."
Me, Seris, Barriss, and Derren heard the whispers from across the room. Barriss's brow furrowed. Seris face was stoic and poised, but the feeling I felt radiating off her was frustration. Derren had a stoic expression on his face, which was rare. It felt like he wanted to do something but was waiting for the right moment.
"These children truly know nothing. Instead of judging Anakin for being older and gifted. They should just asked for his guidance. they would learn a lot even from failure with his help." I thought.
I suddenly felt Anakin's emotion from the other side of the room. Then I immediately stood rushing to his side.
Anakin's fingers clenched the node until it sparked. He stood suddenly, his blue eyes shining brighter then the usual. As he walked toward the Initiates. His quiet, but furious energy radiating off him.
"I didn't know it was the Jedi way to bad mouth and speak gossip about someone. Especially for being different behind their back.?" he said coldly.
Several of the Initiates flinched. One stepped back.
Anakin raised his hand gesturing to the sparring mat. "Let your skills do the talking. I will take you all on in a duel."
Anakin then asked the instructor Master Tera Sinube. "Master would you be okay if we have a friendly duel?"
The ancient Jedi master paused looking at Anakin. then I came up to the master. "Master I believe this would be a good test for both sides."
"Oh and how do you see that youngling Cain?" Sinube asked.
"It will be a good way to humble the student's, and give Anakin a chance to show restraint and channel his emotion in a productive way. Instead of letting them rule him. And if he get's out of control I will step in personally." I said to the master.
That made the ancient jedi chuckle. "Your saying your willing to take responsibility if youngling Skywalker takes it to far?"
"Yes master I am." I said with a respectful slight bow.
"Hmmm. Ok I will allow it. A friendly spar. One strike on your opponent. Once the strike is given your done. But do not take it to far or the entire group will be disciplined."
"Yes master Sinube." Anakin said with a slight bow.
Seris then came next to me. "Are you sure about this Cain?" She asked.
"Yes I'm sure. I believe in Anakin, and right now that's all he needs. Someone in his corner, and as his friends we should all be."
"Well said oh wise master Cain." Derren said jokingly."
"I agree with Cain." Barriss said.
I looked at Anakin who stared at me, then he nodded at me and, I nodded back.
5 jedi younglings stood in the sparring circle. On one side the four who were gossiping against Anakin. On the other side Anakin. Both side ignited their training sabers.
"You can all come at me when your ready. One at a time or all at once, It doesn't matter to me. The results will be the same." Anakin said getting into a Shii-Cho stance.
That made one of the boys irritated, then he lunged at Anakin. Anakin parried the slash. then flipped over the first boy. Towards the girl behind him. She can in with fast strikes but Anakin blocked all of them. He then noticed the boy behind him coming in for a strike again. Anakin use strike the girl was gonna use on him. Then he blocked and parried the strike she sent his way. The he redirected the girls strike to the boy behind him. It landed center mass knocking the boy back.
That's when Anakin used Ataru to disarm the girl in front of him. Then strike the girl on her side, as he noticed the other two boys were coming in for a strike. Anakin disarmed the girl and took her practice saber. "I will be borrowing this." Anakin said with a stoic face and a sly tone.
Anakin then wielding two blue practice saber's stood his ground. He switched a hybridized version of Makashi and Soresu to deflect and parry both of the boys strikes. In that moment I and the entire class noticed how Anakin's blades flowed. They were a smooth motion of continuous blue blurred motion. I felt like I was watching Seris fight. That's when Anakin went for the finisher. In one smooth motion he disarmed both boy's, and poked them in their chest.
"Match over." Sinube announced. His voice projecting across the room.
Anakin deactivated the saber's and helped up his opponents. "Thank you for the match." Anakin said with a slight bow.
The one girl spoke up. "That wasn't a match. we weren't even close to you."
Anakin smiled. "It was still a nice learning experience. I found a few different ways to beat you all. But I had to figure out the best ones."
One of the boys looked annoyed. "We weren't that easy to beat." He said.
"Hold on. Don't get so emotional. After all that's not the Jedi way." Anakin said with a smirk. "All I was saying was I saw so many openings I had to figure out the best ones to use. Your all not bad, but your problem was mostly between your hesitation and your lack of team work. I used that to my advantage. If you let me I would like to show you how to improve on some of your saber forms. That way when you get into a similar situation you will know what to do."
Three of the younglings looked surprised. "You would really help us out?" One boy said.
Anakin nodded "Of course I will why wouldn't I?"
"Because we said all those things about you." The girl said.
"Yeah that wasn't nice. But a friend of mine told me. Instead of worrying about what other's say. I should focus on how I want to be seen. That way all my actions speak for me." Anakin then looked at me with a smiling nod.
I looked at Seris with a smirk on my face "See not so bad right." Seris with her arms crossed. Her ear's twitched. "I never doubted you Cain."
That's when Derren spoke. "Oh really ice princess cause you doubted Anakin. And if Cain believes in Anakin but you don't. Then your lying." Derren said with a coy smile. Seris breathed calmly. Then closed her eyes. "Derren you dropped something."
As Derren looked down. Seris spun gracefully and swept Derren's feet. Sending him to the floor. Then she placed him in a triangle hold. Derren struggled in pain. While Seris was calm and collected.
Barriss and I ignored them, we were use to this.
Back at Anakin's side one of the student's who still looked upset spoke. "This changes nothing. Your still a slave to your emotions and you have attachments. That's why the council doesn't trust you. They should have left you on the desert planet with your slave mother. I don't care about your midichlorian count. Cain is a better youngling then you an will be a better Jedi then you ever will."
That made the other younglings go quiet. I felt a tremor in the Force. Then I felt a actually tremor in the training room. Three nearby Muntuur stones lifted into the air. Dust rippled beneath it.
Anakin's teeth clenched as his hand gestured in a raising motion. "Don't you talk about my mother or being a slave. You know nothing about either. Can you understand working in the hot sun for hours. Then getting punished for not doing your job well enough. Having sand enter and burn your wounds? Cause I do."
The boy stared, speechless. Even Seris, Derren and Barriss were shocked, at Anakin's display.
Then I moved. I stepped beside Anakin. I remained calm, placing a soft hand on his shoulder.
"Put it down. Your better than this." I said.
Anakin looked at me, Then around at the other's. They were looking at him in a mix of surprise and fear. He then breathed and centered himself. "Your right I shouldn't have ..."
"I know." I said in a calm tone. "But doing this doesn't help you."
Anakin nodded and lowered the Muntuur stones . They landed on the temple floor with a soft thud. I turned to the others. my voice was low and calm. "You mock him for having love for his mother. For caring and being a slave. But what you're really mocking is something you don't understand. And instead of trying to understand him, you choose to stay ignorant."
The one Initiate sneered. "We're not supposed to have attachments."
My golden eyes flared. "No. We're not supposed to let attachments control us. But cutting them off? Pretending we don't feel anything? That's not strength. That's fear and ignorance."
The training hall was silent. Then Master Sinube spoke up. "Well said youngling Cain. I think that is enough dueling for today. Let's take a break, then we shall go into meditations."
I noticed at the entrance of the hall was Obi-wan standing there. Just watching us, or mostly Anakin.
"You should go talk to him." I said to Anakin. He nodded and ran over to Obi-wan and they proceeded to talk.
Later that night, in the lower meditation chamber, Seris approached me, as I sat meditating in the air. I slowly came out of my trance as I felt her approach me.
"Anakin almost lost control today ."she said with her arms crossed.
I opened my eyes. "He got a little emotional, but he did not lose control."
"Why are you protecting him? This is why the council is weary of him."
Sometimes I forget this girl is still so stubborn. She's making progress but her attitude still needs some work.
"We are his friends Seris, we need to stand by him. I don't follow the rules. In fact I break them just like him, in fact we all do. We just make sure not to get caught. Are you saying he's different because he doesn't hide it or because he's not me?"
Seris frowned with her ears twitching. " That's not what I mean. He should let it go. That's what we're taught. Inner peace and detachment. Why is he still clinging to something that hurts him?"
I took a long breath. My voice was soft, and tired.
"Because he still loves her. If you look up the stories of Nomi Sunrider. Her love and attachment to her family helped saved the Universe. Or when Revan used his love help save Bastila Shan from the dark side. His love and attachment to Bastila and their child, also helped keep the Sith Emperor at Bay for three-hundred years."
Seris looked at me with confusion. " We didn't learn about those in classes. How do you know all that stuff happened?"
Oh yeah I forgot. I know more then she does technically about the true Jedi history or I have more context then she does.
I looked up at her with a sad smile. " I sliced the Library records and found the original version of the Jedi's and galaxies history."
"You what? Cain you could get in serious trouble for that." Seris said.
"Then it's a good thing you won't tell on me." I said with a small smile on my face.
Seris only blushed with her ears twitching.