Chapter 6 - Above Dathomir by RepeatOdyssey part 4

Chapter 8: Year 5 Part 3-ChallengerNotes:Happy New Year! Also Happy late birthday to Kitsch_s!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter TextThe new resident Jedi baffled Merrin in many ways. Very little about him matched what she had expected of a Jedi. Over the past few years the young Nightsister had tried imagining what a Jedi warrior would look like, what they would act like, what they would be capable of in combat. Her imagination had envisioned a monstrously tall warrior dressed in armor darker than Dathomirian nights, faceless, terrifying in every sense of the word. The Jedi warrior that had slain her coven, from her brief glance, had been nothing if not terrifying. What Merrin got was a young man a few years younger than her wearing Nightbrother crafted trousers, scars painting his body like tattoos paint a Dathomirian's body. Merrin had expected a Jedi would be colder than death, fearless of pain, cruel beyond measure, thieves and liars that only saw themselves as worth life and power. What she got was a man that was full of emotion, a warm smile not often seen on this vermilion planet, hated seeing pain as much as he hated feeling it, with a kindness not stolen from him by Dathomir, and an honest person who would throw themselves into peril for an enemy.

The only thing that Cal Kestis matched with her imagination of a Jedi was his skill in combat. His prowess was greater than any Nightbrother hunter or warrior she had ever known or seen. She doubted any martial sister could match him blow for blow in a melee. 

Merrin had asked Cal Kestis if all Jedi were as skilled as him in his craft. He had blushed and claimed that most of his skill, though built on a foundation of Jedi teachings, had been honed from his years of survival on Dathomir. The evidence of his words were etched all over his body, permanently there to tell his story of survival on a planet coated in crimson. He had mentioned how he did not like the many scars that covered his body, finding them unsightly. Merrin compared them to Dathomirian tattoos and found them anything but unsightly. When she shared her opinion of his scars, his face grew flush like he was sick or unwell and he had quickly changed the subject of conversation.

Another thing that fascinated her about the Jedi was his use of Jedi magick, or what he called "The Force". Nightsisters called it magick and Jedi called it the force. At first she had thought their powers to be of separate sources, but after Cal had explained in detail how it felt when he used his powers and how he controlled them, it seemed too similar to her magick. Though their powers appeared different on the surface, they were both sourced from the same place, just manifested and used in different ways.

She had shown him some uses of her magick after he had shown Merrin some of his force powers. Cal Kestis was fascinated by them, though it was clear in his eyes that he was fearful of them as well. The hidden look of discomfort in his eyes had hurt her. Was he also afraid of her? If he was, what about her warranted his fear? She was a Nightsister, meant to be feared, why was she bothered with the idea of the Jedi fearing her? Merrin hated the answers the planet had supplied her with; 'Yes he is afraid' 'You tried to kill him with those very powers you had shown to him.' 'It bothers you because you have become attached to your enemy.'

Merrin knew better than to listen to the whispers of Dathomir. The dark planet, always looking for those gifted in magick to be influenced by its words. 

The Jedi, Cal Kestis, had healed up to almost full health rather quickly. Part of it was due to her magick, and part of it was the fact he was human. Dathomirians and Zabraks may be sturdier and built stronger than humans, but they also healed slower and bled faster. 

She half expected him to leave after he was in full working order. He never seemed to be completely at ease around her. To her great relief Cal Kestis decided on staying with her near the peak of the mountain. He mostly hunted and prepared food, never allowing the local wildlife to stray too close to her home. Merrin had used to relay on tribute from the Nightbrother village for her daily meals, but after the Jedi started hunting for her she had put a halt to the hunting tribute of the village. 

The Nightsister had been more than a little surprised when she had found the Jedi roasting the roots of a mushling plant. She had watched him, hiding herself with her magick as to not disturb him and to observe without causing an incident. After boiling the roots Cal Kestis had proceeded to consume the plant roots. Making herself known, startling him, she had asked how he was able to eat a plant. Her question apparently confused him. After further discussion she had gotten her answer. Humans were not carnivores like Dathomirians were. Humans could eat plants as well as meat, but apparently not all planets. What was the deciding factor if a human could consume a particular species of plant? Merrin had always imagined intelligent life to be exclusively carnivores. All the most intelligent creatures on Dathomir were. Rancors a prime example of this with their semi-sentient minds. Cal Kestis had seemed just as surprised as the Nightsister, he hadn't expected her or Dathomirian's in general to be carnivores, but after thinking about it he told her he should have expected it, after all Zabraks are carnivores he had told her. 

Over their short time together the two of them had learned much about each other, their people, and their cultures. Merrin enjoyed his company more than she would ever openly admit. She was heavily conflicted about his presence here on her mountain, on her planet. On one hand, his people had killed her people, her sisters, her Ilyana. They were meant to hate and kill each other without a second thought. On the other hand he was her Light of Dathomir. He had spared her at the temple when he could have easily ended her. He had saved her from Gorgara, the queen of the mountain, an ancient evil of Dathomir. He had been nothing but kind to her since then. Even looking back at their few encounters before the run in with Gorgara, he had always tried for peace, only ever defending himself from her attacks.

The Jedi Cal Kestis was unusual to her to say the least, but she would be lying if she said she did not enjoy the time they spent together. 

[Break]

Cal found some small enjoyment in hunting, especially now that he actually knew the names of the creatures he was hunting. Rather than calling that creature a "green three eyed lizard" he now knew it as a "Sprantal", or he would call a creature "Veeka" rather than "large red bird"; "Bane back spider" instead of "Dathomirian Spider"; "Nydak" not "long limbed creature" or "asshole that took my arm!"; "Vursonk" instead of the more fitting name "absolute nightmare." There was a little satisfaction to actually knowing the names of many of the creatures that Cal has been hunting, fending off, and running from for the past five years. 

The Nightbrothers hunters had stopped hunting him after the Gorgara incident. Cal believed Merrin had something to do with it, but she hadn't confirmed his suspicions. He was grateful nonetheless. He knew she was the one responsible for the endless patrols of Nightbrothers that had hounded him for years, but he couldn't find it in himself to blame her. 

Cal didn't have the courage to ask further on the story of the Nightsisters being destroyed by a Jedi. He feared angering or upsetting the Nightsister, and loathed learning the details of one of his own kind committing genicide. The young Jedi knew Merrin and himself would need to discuss the topic. Cal wished he could believe that Merrin was lying to him about it. But when she had first told him briefly he could see the pain and hurt in her eyes. He could feel the damage deep within the last daughter of Dathomir. But the topic was too volatile to breach for now. So Cal didn't, he shelved the conversation for the future and thought of only the present.

Currently the young Jedi hunter was returning from said hunting activity with two full sized Veeka in hand. Though hard to catch even when relaying on force abilities, the taste of the red-plumed birds meat was worth it. Merrin didn't seem to care what Cal hunted and would eat anything he cooked, but Cal really had a preference for Veeka stew compared to other food options.

As he drew nearer to the Nightsister's residence he could hear the echoes of two voices locked in a shouting match. Recognizing one of the voices, though not the words spoken, Cal started to pick up his pace, Veeka thrown over his shoulder to free up his hand. 

When the origin of the shouting match came into view Cal saw four individuals. Merrin and three Nightbrothers. She was in an intense argument with the largest of the Nightbrothers, a pink skinned Nightbrother with a large two handed sword slung over his shoulder. The sword and pink skin seemed familiar, but the Jedi could hardly tell why. The two other Nightbrothers watched the yelling pair with nervous gazes. They looked back and forth between the Nightsister and the pink Nightbrother, seemingly gaging which one to be more afraid of. Cal couldn't understand a lick of the shouting match as the few lessons of the Dathomirian language Merrin had given him had yet to stick to a usable degree. 

Approaching the group, and stopping a few meters away from them, Cal still hadn't been noticed. "What's going on!"

The shouting ceased and all four pairs of eyes locked onto the one who interrupted them. The pink Nightbrother gave Cal a cocky smirk as his two lackeys glared daggers at him. When Merrin's gaze landed on the red head, her angry gaze softened, but soon morphed into her usual stoic stare. Pinky shouted something at the Jedi in native Dathomrian, probably an insult from what Cal could gather. Merrin's angry gaze returns as her head turns sharply at the Nightbrother. She responds with a few choice words that seem to sting Pinky's ego, biting deep. The cocky smirk shifts to a fury filled glare. His glare was aimed at the Nightsister for only a moment until it was redirected at Cal. He starts approaching Cal, aggression clear in his movements, but before he makes it that far Merrin appears in between the two, having teleported the short distance with her Nightsister magick. The Nightbrother stops, startled by her sudden appearance and use of Magick.

"What's going on." Cal repeats himself.

Merrin turns to Cal, annoyance clear. Cal had an idea as to who was the source of the annoyance and it wasn't him. "Elsal" she motions to Pinky, "is challenging you to a fight in the arena."

"A fight… Why?"

"He wishes to challenge your victory over Gorgara." She says it so matter of factly it almost makes sense to the young Jedi.

Finally getting a closer look at the pink Nightbrother, Elsal, Cal finally realized where he had recognized him. The echo he had felt when he had touched the weapon of the deceased Nightbrother killed by Bane Back Spiders years ago. The vision the echo shared with him had shown a duel between the deceased Nightbrother and another Nightbrother. Elsal was that other Nightbrother in the vision. 

"My victory over Gorgara. Why does he care about that?" It really made no sense to the Jedi. Sure Gorgara was a legendary creature, from what Merrin had told him, but how does that concern this Elsal? And why is it important enough to him to warrant challenging him to a fight?

"He wants you gone. Says you took what was rightfully his by slaying Gorgara." Merrin scofs after saying this, giving a look of disgust at Elsal.

'Rightfully his?' That doesn't make any more sense than before. Looking at the scathing smirk, filled with contempt and hatred that Elsal shot his way, Cal found that he doesn't like this Nightbrother, he really does not like him. First he yells at Merrin, a person Cal is ever grateful for, but he also challenges Cal to a fight for seemingly no reason besides he hates Cal. "Do I get a Choice?"

Merrin shakes her head. "No. Under Dathomirian tradition a challenged cannot be refused."

The young Jedi warrior looks up into the eyes of the arrogant Nightbrother, his face determined. "Well, a fight he will have then."

[Break]

Merrin was unreasonably worried and absolutely furious. She knew that she had no reason to be worried about the fight in the arena. Cal Kestis, the Jedi, was a greater warrior than any Nightbrother, he had proven so when he had escaped unending hunting parties, slain the Alpha Nydak that a dozen of the greatest Nightbrother warriors could face and all fail, and single handedly slain Gogara, the legendary queen of the mountain. Merrin would not be exaggerating if she said that if the whole of the Nightbrother village fought the beast it would not be a successful hunt. Cal Kestis may have been injured from the fight, but he was almost completely healed from the ordeal. There was little chance that the Jedi would lose to any Nightbrother in open combat, even if that Nightbrother was Elsal the greatest warrior of the village. So Merrin had no reason to be worried or concerned.

But the Nightsister had every right to be livid beyond comparison. She was absolutely fuming. No Nightbrother had any right to question the words, choices, or declarations of a Nightsister. Especially not the social leech that was Elsal. He was no respectable hunter, nor was he an honorable warrior that protected the village from the nature of Dathomir encroaching upon their lands. No, Elsal was a gladiator of the arena. He provided nothing but problems for his fellow Nightbrothers. He did not hunt for his own, he bullied other brothers for what he wanted, and if they resisted then he would challenge them to a fight in the arena. Elsal had become the greatest warrior of the village with a combination of his superior weapon, larger build, and a natural born skill. Yet he never used these gifts for the betterment of the village, he only ever took what wasn't his. 

His stupidity and arrogance had made him forget his place, and he no longer looked at the Nightsister as a being to be worshiped and feared. 

Merrin knew she should have seen this coming. If any Nightbrother had been lucky enough to have slain Gorgara, Elsal would have challenged them to a fight in the arena over their right to be hers. So it should have been expected that when she had announced that Gorgara had been slain by the Jedi and that Merrin had declared him the victor to the challenge that Elsal would challenge Cal Kestis' victory. 

Merrin had only told the Nightbrother village as an afterthought. She knew sooner or later the village would be asking questions about Gorgara's death, and would renew their requests for her to either take a mate or declare another challenge. Declaring the Jedi the victor and her chosen fixed all the problems at once. She would have no need to come up with another impossible challenge, nor would she be requested to take a mate if she already had one, at least publicly, and it was the easiest way to explain to the village the Nightsisters change of attitude towards Cal Kestis. She wouldn't even need to actually take Cal Kestis as her actual mate as long as the village just believed him to be. 

It was a rather simple and effective plan. Elsal's challenge was only a small problem that would not matter in the long run. 

The challenge was not the reason Merrin was driven to anger. What had angered the Nightsister so, was the attitude Elsal had shown to Merrin. Nightbrothers were animals to be used by Nightsisters. A Nightbrother was supposed to view a Nightsister as a domesticated animal views it's owner; they must worship, fear, and be submissive. Elsal had insulted her choice, the Jedi, and in doing so insulted the Nightsister. He had the nerve to claim she was rightfully his, just because he was the greatest combatant of the Nightbrothers. Nightbrothers had no right to claim ownership over a Nightsister, even if a Nightbrother was chosen as a mate they could be thrown away or killed if the Nightsister grew bored. Not a rare occurrence. Elsal had even told her that taking an outsider was shameful and a disgrace. 

Merrin would have killed Elsal right then and there for his audacity if Cal Kestis hadn't shown up at that very moment. Once the challenge had been officially given her hands were tied. The Jedi would have to fight Elsal.

The Nightsister really hated how worried she was. Merrin would be lying to herself if she said that the only reason she was worried is because she would be expected to take Elsal as hers if the Jedi lost. There was no reason to be worried about such an outcome. Even if on the off chance that Elsal were to come out as victorious she would still kill him over what he had said. It was her right to do so, the other Nightbrothers would not bat an eye at such actions.

She was unreasonably fearful that her Jedi would be harmed in the bout in the arena. She could not understand and hated that she was sent into an internal panic at the very thought of Cal Kestis getting hurt or worse. Even worse that it was her fault and she could not intercede. 

Up until a moon cycle ago he was the enemy, her object of revenge. She should care less about his well being, revel in the idea of his harm. Merrin wasn't supposed to have feelings for a Jedi, wasn't supposed to fret over his safety like a mother fretting over their daughters wellbeing.

The fact that the Jedi was her Light on Dathomir should have been made a mute point upon her discovery of that fact. All her obsessions should have been dropped, forgotten to the winds of Dathomir. But that is sadly not how the mind works. It had only made her conflicted, and Merrin hated herself for developing such an obsession. As she had grown to know the person that was Cal Kestis the conflicted feelings had only grown. His presence made her feel safe, calm, complete.

The Light on Dathomir was finally hers, safe now with her, her mind would scream, but Merrin's sister's voices would scream back, calling her 'Light' the enemy who's people had destroyed them. Merrin found it hard to view the red headed Jedi as the enemy. Her life has only improved from the short time he has been a part of it. She can sleep soundly when falling asleep in the same room as him, when he's around she can push her traumatizing memories away. 

So Merrin was still worried, and no self reasoning or conflicted feelings would stop that.

[Break]

The Duskblade in Cal's hands was heavy, at least when compared to a lightsaber. Cal had grown to accommodate its weight, even gaining a small amount of comfort from it. Not as much comfort he gained from the gentle blue glow of his former weapon, but it was something. The glow of a lightsaber made the weapon feel more alive, but the weight of this duskblade made it feel more real, more material. Cal still preferred the use of his traditional weapon, but he could hardly imagine a better alternative. 

Looking down at the black metal blade, it really was beautiful to gaze upon. While the lightsaber was a proud weapon used by humble force users, the duskblade was a humble weapon used by proud force users. The differences between the two weapons seemed to highlight the differences between the Jedi Order and the Nightsister Covens. 

Cal had been lucky that Merrin, after she had claimed his weapon as her own, allowed him the use of the Duskblade, the apparently traditional weapon of martial Nightsisters. No other weapon would have been an option, as all the Nightbrother weapons were intended to be used in two hands. Be they the usual large maces and plasma bows, or the rare greatsword that his opponent used. If she hadn't allowed the use of the Duskblade, Cal would have been left weaponless. He wouldn't have been able to hunt, and he would have been left to fight in this arena with a bare hand. Not a fun idea.

Looking up, Cal eyed his soon to be opponent, who was currently sitting on a rock on his own side of the arena, cleaning his weapon. Elsal was a good foot taller than even the largest of the other Nightbrothers, he practically towered over the average sized Jedi, which was not surprising, even Merrin was a little taller than Cal. Elsal's skin was a light shade of red that almost looked like a dull pink, and his tattoos ran across his body like symmetrical black bolts of lightning. Cal considered himself to be in great shape, he was a little on the thinner side, but he no doubt had a well honed musculature. His opponent had broad shoulders, full muscles that were clearly for show as much as they for practicality. Elsal's whole being yelled confidence, but Cal could see past that confidence, and see only stupidity. Elsal was far from the deadliest opponent Cal had faced in his life, maybe if Elsal was lucky he'd make it into the top five.

Elsal, seemingly feeling the Jedi's eyes on him, looked up from his task of cleaning his massive sword. Cal hated the cocky smirk that Elsal shot his way, but soon enough Elsal's gaze shifted away from the Jedi warrior. Following the pink Nightbrothers gaze, Cal spotted Merrin enter the arena. Elsal was watching Merrin. Looking back at Elsal, as he watched the Nightsister. The gaze he saw disgusted the Jedi. The pink Nightbrother was watching Merrin was an animalistic hunger and lust in his eyes. An unknown anger and disgust towards the pink Nightbrother rose inside Cal. Cal had known he disliked this Nightbrother from their brief but eventful first encounter but now he knew he hated the man. How dare he look at Merrin like she was an object. 

Cal hadn't known the amber eyed Nightsister for long, but in that short time he had grown to respect, even care for her. She had saved his life, given Cal a sense of foundation in his life that he had lost long ago. Sure they had/have a few rough patches in their relationship, but Merrin was important to him. And here was this arrogant and brutish Nightbrother that only saw her as an object of lust and nothing else.

Merrin had told Cal that he was not to use his force powers, but besides that anything was fair game. This was a fight to the death after all, or atleast a fight till someone either submitted, could no longer continue or died. Cal had no plans to kill Elsal, but he had every intention to win. 

Finally came the signal from the Nightsister for the gladiatures to stand and ready themselves. Cal stepped forward and took the traditional stance of lightsaber Form I, Shii-cho. Shii-cho was often seen as the most primitive of the seven lightsaber forms, as it was the first form developed when the lightsaber had first been invented, and it was the first form taught to younglings when first learning to use the traditional weapon of the Jedi Order. Among Padawans, Forms V and VI were much more popular. Form V for it's much more flashy moves and aggressive techniques, and Form VI because it was considered the most well balanced lightsaber form. But Cal had always preferred Form I, and had chosen to specialize in said form, becoming quite skilled in its use. The only other form he had any considerable skill in was Form III, mostly because after the start of the Clone Wars, it was expected for all Jedi to train a considerable amount in Form III for it's defensive capabilities against blaster fire that the other forms often lacked. 

Master Tapal had acknowledged Cal's above average skill in form one, and had told the young Cal that though Form I was deliberate and raw, when used by a master of the form it could be both fluid and highly randomized, saying "Simplicity is the strength of Form I. It's the foundation of all the other forms for a reason young padawan. It's simplicity allows for flexibility and unpredictability." Cin Drallig the Battlemaster of the Jedi order, who often leactured younglings on the lightsaber forms, once told him, "When all other forms will not do, or fail you, Form I is an effective fall back option."

Cal was rather glad he had chosen to specialize in Shii-cho. It allowed him the flexibility and adaptability he needed when he had been forced to switch to the use of the Duskblade. Cal doubted that he could have as easily transitioned weapons if he hadn't been so specialized in Form I. He doubted any of the other forms would have been able to effectively transition to the use of a none lightsaber bladed melee weapon.

Elsal chose a much more traditional stance, clearly not based in any lightsaber form. Cal would have been rather confused and maybe a little concerned if he had adopted a lightsaber form stance.

With a simple wave of Merrin's hand the two warriors charged at each other, or more aptly Elsal charged at the readied Jedi.

As Merrin watched the bout, she could not help but notice the change in Cal Kestis' fighting style. When she had watched him fight Gorgara every movement had beauty behind it. All his strikes, defensive perrys, and movements all combined into what looked more like a dance than swordsmanship. It was both beautiful, powerful, and precise, but now it no longer held the beauty. It still held power and precision, but that there was clearly something missing. It did not take long for the Nightsister to deduce what the missing puzzle piece was. Cal Kestis, the Jedi warrior, was not using the traditional weapon of his people. The traditional weapon that currently hangs from Merrin's belt. He had used the lightsaber, she thinks that is what Cal Kestis had called it, when he had fought Gorgara. Now he used a Duskblade, a potent weapon for sure, but it was not what he had been trained in. The Duskblade was clearly holding him back, still effective, but his skill was dulled when he used it.

Despite this Cal Kestis was still metaphorically walking circles around his opponent. Elsal would have been long dead if it were not for the fact that the Jedi had no intention to slay or injure his foe. Elsal had lost his arrogant attitude shortly after the combat started, and he was quickly losing ground. 

The only things Elsal had over the Jedi was his larger, heavier, and longer weapon, as well as greater stamina due to having two hearts.

But Cal Kestis had fought and successfully killed the Alpha Nydak, whose arms were both longer, heavier, and faster than Elsal's greatsword. Making Elsal's first advantage mute. The Jedi had also held the initiative in the fight the whole time, pressing the large Nightbrother to stay on the defence, an exhausting task when using such a massive and unwieldy weapon. Couple that with Cal keeping close to make it difficult for Elsal to use his longer and more cumbersome weapon, and forcing him to retreat constantly. This exhausted the Nightbrother quickly, making his greater stamina a mute point as well. 

Cal took a quick glance at the spectating Nightsister. To most viewers one would see her usual stoic bored gaze, but he could see the swift and rapid movements of her eyes as she watched every move he and his opponent made. He could see the small droplet of sweat that trailed down her face. He could even feel her worry through the force.

Merrin usually took precautions to cover her emotions in the force, it was usual to do so when growing up around other force users. Her precautions seemed to have failed her, either due to the emotions being particularly strong or her being too distracted to notice, probably a mix of the two. 

Merrin was worried about his well being. Cal hadn't felt anothers worry directed towards his sense Master Tapal. The forgotten feeling warmed his heart, forcing a pleasant buzz up his spine.

Looking back at his strained opponent, Cal's hatred returned with greater strength, he felt only fury for the formerly arrengent Nightbrother. Cal could feel Elsal direct only hatred and fear towards him. Elsal had been the one to stupidly challenge the Jedi warrior to a duel to the death. Elsal only had himself to blame if he were to die in this bout. 

Cal recalled the look he had directed at Merrin, the fire in his chest burned hotter. He recalled the words Elsal had yelled at Merrin. While the Jedi couldn't understand, he understood that what Elsal had said had been insults directed at both himself and Merrin. The flame flared again, reaching a critical point. At that very moment Cal hated this pink Nightbrother with every fiber in his body. 

A quiet voice spoke into his ear, "Kill him. He deserves none of your mercy." And Call would do exactly that.

Elsal, in his desperation and exhaustion, went for a wide swing with his weapon, but it was too slow, and before the swing could bring itself to bare, Cal closed the distance between the two. Aiming for a killing downward strike that would bisect the Nightbrother down the middle. 

At the last moment that could change the outcome another voice spoke into his other ear, but unlike the wicked whisper that spoke before, this voice was loud and decisive; "No!"

Cal redirected the killing blow. Instead of splitting Elsal in two equal halves it instead lobed off the Nightbrother dominant arm in the middle of the upper arm. The mono-molecular edge of the Duskblade cut through the muscular limb as easily as it would have cut through air. Elsal's arm, still clutching it's weapon, fell to the ground with a sickening thud and painful clang. Within seconds Elsal was on his knees clutching his new stump. To his credit, the Nightbrother did not scream or cry, nor did he faint. But Cal sure felt like he wanted to do all three.

The fight was over and Cal felt sick. He never wanted to hurt the arrogant Nightbrother, he had set out to just tire the behemoth into submission. Instead he had let his anger overtake him, almost killing Elsal, and crippling him.

After Merrin had declared him the victor, the Jedi walked off to be alone. Merrin watching her upset Jedi as he went.

[Break]

Merrin had decided on not killing Elsal. There were two main reasons for the Nightsister coming to this decision. First, she may not have killed him, but neither did she heal his wound. She had left Elsal's stump to be healed by the crude, painful, and ineffective healing methods of the Nightbrothers. It matters little if she killed him or not, because even if the infection, he would no doubtably get from his wound, didn't kill him his fellow brothers would. Elsal had only been respected and given what he wanted by the village because of his strength and skill in combat. But with those assets lost along with his arm he was no longer safe from the villagers' wrath. Elsal had no means to provide for himself let alone the community. He had wronged too many of his brothers, taken too much of the village's resources. It was no secret that Elsal was hated by the other Nightbrothers, and he no longer had their fear of him as protection. If he was not killed out right, either from an arena challenge or murder, than he would die from starvation.

A fitting death for an animal who had forgotten his place. Elsal had thought himself invincible, equal to or greater than the Nightsisters. Thought he was entitled to be her mate just because he was the best fighter in the Nightbrother village. His arrogance had driven him to believe he could kill the one who had slain Gorgara in open combat. Elsal had probably assumed that the Jedi's victory over the behemoth had been pure luck or a fluck. Now Elsal was nothing but a new and hated burden of the Nightbrother village that would be dealt with on its own.

The second reason Merrin had chosen to spare the pink Nightbrother the mercy of a quick death was that she knew it would upset Cal Kestis if she were to slay his former opponent. The opponent that he had spared. Cal Kestis had given Elsal a mercy, by only taking his arm rather than his life, the Nightbrother did not deserve. But that did not mean the outcome of the fight did not concern her. 

She had not known the young green eyed Jedi long, but even so she could tell the outcome of the bout had not been what Cal Kestis had wanted. He had been nothing but kind, honest and caring since she had known him. Merrin had fully expected the Jedi to beat Elsal without permanently harming the Nightbrother, but that is not what had happened. Her Light of Dathomir had crippled Elsal instead, but that was not all. Even though she was no martial Nightsister, she had seen Ilyana practice her martial skills enough to know the flow of melee combat. Cal's winning strike had at first been aimed to kill, only changing trajectory at the last critical moment.

After being declared the victor, Cal had clearly been shaken by what had transpired, what he had done. Merrin had left the Jedi to himself afterwards, to allow him time to clear his head. Now though, Merrin had grown worried as the hours past and dusk approached. 

Finally as daylight was nearing its end the Nightsister chose to meditate to check up on the resident Jedi. It did not take her long to locate his light, he was not far. He seemed to have taken a liking to Ilyana's cliff and was currently there. The sun would set soon, so going to watch it as well as retrieve Cal Kestis would be covenant.

When she had made it to the cliff the Jedi was sitting, his feet dangling over the edge as he watched the sunset. He had most certainly noticed her presence, yet he made no acknowledgement of it. Nor did he acknowledge the Nightsister as she approached and took the seat next to him. 

"You are upset." It was no question, only a statement of fact. His only answer was a subtle node of his head.

This concerned Merrin, Cal had never been a very talkative person, but nor did he refrain from speaking. "Cal Kestis, please speak to me. I wish to help."

"I didn't mean to cut his arm off." Merrin could tell that Cal Kestis was holding back his emotions from showing on his face, he was not very good at it, and he could not hide his emotions from her magick.

"I know." She places her tattooed hand on his bare shoulder, he flinches at the touch, but Merrin does not remove it. "If you did not mean to disarm him, then what had driven you to do so?"

He did not immediately answer her, but Merrin was a patient person and would allow him his time. After a period of a few minutes the Jedi spoke, "If I tell you, you would think I was crazy."

She released a small chuckle, something that has become more frequent since she had known Cal Kestis. "I already think you are odd, there is not much for you to lose."

That got a small smile from him, as well as a return chuckle, but the smile did not reach his eyes and his laugh was dry and forced. "I guess you are right," his smile left him, the small amount of mirth dissipating. "I-I heard a voice while I was fighting him, whispering in my ear to kill him. I-I almost listened to it. But before I would have killed him I heard another voice, the voice of my dead master, yell at me "No""

Understanding came to the Nightsister. Merrin knew the first voice well, all the Nightsisters had, and even some Nightbrothers were familiar with it. "The whisper was the voice of Dathomir."

"The planet?" He was now looking at her as if she was the crazy one.

"Dathomir has a will of its own. It was not uncommon for Nightsisers to hear its voice."

The young Jedi seemed to be processing this new information that had been given to him, after a short while he spoke again. "Have you ever heard the planet?"

"Yes, a few times, but its voice is not the only way Dathomir enforces or lets known it's will." That was clearly not the answer Cal Kestis was hoping for, but it would hurt him more if Merrin chose to lie to make him feel better. The redhead had probably hoped to learn a way to block out this planetary voice, or at least some technique to ignore it. Sadly Merrin had no such knowledge.

As the sun is lost completely behind the horizon, Merrin speaks again. "I must apologize, Cal Kestis. It was my fault you had to take part in that fight. I am sorry you were put into such a situation because of me."

Cal looked at the Nightsister next to him. Green eyes met brown eyes. That made no sense to the Jedi. Merrin was not at fault for the challenge, that burden rested completely on Elsal. "What do you mean, Elsal chall-"

"I have not been initially truthful with you." The Nightsister interrupted him, Cal could see a slight red flush come to Merrin's stoic face. Cal could hardly imagine Merrin being embarrassed.

"What do you mean?"

"I withheld information as to why you had been challenged. When I said Elsal challenged you because he claimed you took what he saw as rightfully his by slaying Gorgara I was not referring to the glory of slaying the beast." She paused, and looked away from him, her gaze going back to the horizon. "When I became of age as a Nightsister the Nightbrothers wanted me to take a mate to rebuild the coven."

Cal could feel his face heat up as she spoke, though he had no idea where she was going with this.

"I had no desire for a mate so to plakate the Nightbrother village I declared that the warrior that slew Gorgara I would take them as my servant and mate, believing such an accomplishment to be impossible."

Now Cal had an idea of where this was going. He wouldn't be surprised if his face was as red as his hair at this very moment.

"When you defeated Gorgara, I declared you the victor so the Nightbrothers would not cause trouble. Elsal challenged you because he wished to be taken as my mate." Her nose went up in disgust, Cal could not blame her.

"So if I lost you would have had to take him?" Cal asked the question, but he found that really did not want the Nightsister to answer him.

Merrin laughed, not a chuckle, but a full on laugh. A rare occurrence. "No, I would have killed him."

"You can do that!?" Could she really just kill a Nightbrother just like that. Cal had learned that the Nightbrothers were considered lesser than the Nightsisters in Dathomirian culture, and that they acted as servants for the Nightsisters, but he hadn't thought that a Nightsister could just kill a Nightbrother for seemingly no reason. 

Merrin finally looked back at Cal, her blush was gone. "Nightsisters are the rulers of Dathomir, and since I am the last I am the sole ruler of Dathomir. I can do as I wish." She pauses before continuing. "Elsal had insulted a Nightsister, he is lucky to be alive."

"Oh" That was all Cal could say, he had no idea how to process this. After an uncomfortable silence, Merrin stoic stare burning a hole into the side of his head, that was surely as crimson as the planet now. 

"Does that mean I am your…" Cal couldn't finish the sentence or thought.

"My Mate?" She says it so matter of factly Cal thinks he may be going crazy.

"Yes, that…"

"As far as the Nightbrothers are concerned, yes, but that is only for show. As far as I am concerned I am still mateless, you needn't worry.''

"That's… good." Cal releases a breath he didn't know he was holding. He thinks his flush is finally starting to fade. 

Merrin risis from her seat, refusing to look at the Jedi. "Come, it is dark." She moves to leave, Cal is not far behind her. Cal doesn't know why, but he felt a new heavy weight in his chest.

Notes:Next Weeks Chapter: Chapter 9-Year 6 Part 1-Knowing You

I tried looking up what lightsaber form Cal uses in game and the form most people seem to think he uses is Form 1, Shii-cho. Hope everyone had a great New Years!

Chapter 9: Year 6 Part 1-Knowing YouNotes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter TextMerrin and Cal Kestis' daily dynamics seemed to have a comfortable routine for the two, or that's at least how Merrin felt. She had no idea if the Jedi felt the same way, but he seemed happy enough.

Both the young Jedi and the Nightsister were early risers and tend to be awake well before the sun. Merrin had always been an early riser from what the Nightsister told Cal, when he had been curious enough to ask. As for him, he hadn't always been an early riser, nor had he always been a light sleeper. He had begun sleeping light during his time on the Albedo Brave and working with the 13th Clone Battalion, living around soldiers would do that to you he supposed.. Cal had also learned to be an early riser shortly after making planet fall on Dathomir, as it seemed all of Dathomir deadly wildlife woke up at sunrise, and Cal needed to wake before them if he wanted to live long on Dathomir. 

Cal was still confused as to why the silver haired Nightsister insisted he sleep in her room, she had even brought in a second bed for Cal to use. Cal was completely fine, and frankly more comfortable with sleeping somewhere else, But Merrin wouldn't hear of it. At first Cal had thought that the reason was because the Nightsister didn't trust him, and wanted to keep an eye on him at all times. Though Cal had long dropped that theory. Then he thought, maybe it was due to his injuries and she was worried about his well being, wanting to keep him close, but that theory also no longer made sense to Cal, because he was pretty much fully healed. The most recent theory that had also been promptly thrown out as well was that she wanted to keep up appearances, as Cal was, at least publicly, her 'chosen'. That made no sense either, as how would the Nightbrothers know if the two slept in the same room or not. So Cal had no answer that he was satisfied with, and Merrin never gave an answer to that particular question. So the Jedi just chopped it up to being a cultural thing, and left it at that for now.

After the two would wake up, Merrin would head off to the Nightsisters hot springs to clean herself, while Cal would go hunt for the two's meals for the day. Cal would clean himself at the hot springs at night right before going to bed. By the time Cal had finished hunting, Merrin would be finished with the hot Springs, and already be heading down to the Nightbrother village. 

After Cal Kestis' slaying of Gorgara, Merrin had started to make more frequent trips down to the village to make sure the Nightbrothers stayed in order, and to enforce her will as the ruler of Dathomir. The Jedi would either join her or would stay near the peak to practise with the Duskblade, never letting his skills grow rusty. 

On the rare occasion when Merrin would choose to not visit the village she would find herself watching the Jedi as practise.

Around midday the two would prepare the food Cal had hunted that morning for their midday meal. Dathomirian culture called for two meals a day, rather than the three meals a day that Cal had grown up with. The first meal was usually eaten at midday, and the second was eaten before or at sundown. 

After their midday meal, the two would often talk for hours on end. Cal Kestis would often ask questions pertaining to the planet Dathomir, be it history, wildlife, or culture. And Merrin would answer his questions to the best of her ability. As for the Nightsister, she would often ask questions pertaining to the vast galaxy as well as the Jedi order. Cal Kestis would happily supply her with answers when he had them, often prompting more questions from the Nightsister.

Merrin would also use this time to teach Cal Kestis the Dathomirian native language. The Jedi was a faster learner then she had expected. Apparently Cal already knew multiple languages that he had learned during his time as a Jedi. Though Cal was still a long while from fluency in Dathomrian.

A few times their discussions had turned to Merrin asking about the Jedi's time on Dathomir before he had defeated Gorgara. Though such talks rarely got deep or lasted long.

The two had an unspoken rule to avoid certain topics of discussion, namly Cal Kestis would ask about Merrin's past, and she would refrain from asking about Cal's past predating his time on Dathomir. 

After the hours of talking the two separate for meditation. This separation at first had bothered Merrin. In Nightsister culture meditation was viewed as social time to be spent with close ones, and she had wanted to continue this tradition with Cal Kestis. But Cal as well as Jedi culture saw meditation as very personal, an activity to be done alone, or on rare occasions between a master and padawan. So the two meditated separately most days, usually Cal Kestis did so in a spare room while she meditated in their shared room. 

On the few occasions that Merrin would convince or guilt the Jedi to join her for meditation, they would meditate at Ilyana's cliff. Merrin preferred meditating with the Jedi present, as feeling her light's calm presence through her magic while he was so close, calmed the Nightsister greatly. Even though Cal Kestis would not tell her how he felt about their joint meditations, it was plain as day to Merrin that the red head enjoyed them almost as much as she did.

The two would often cease their meditations shortly before sunset to prepare for their second meal and eat. Afterwards the two would make their way to Ilyana's cliff to watch the sunset. The two rarely spoke while watching Dathomir's red sun disappear behind the horizon. 

But not this night.

Tonight Merrin wished to break an unspoken rule, and ask about one of their taboo subjects. The Nightsister had no real reason to ask and break the taboo outside of pure curiosity that had been eating at her for a long time. She was curious to know anything she could about her Jedi companion, no matter how small the detail. 

Merrin had always been the curious type. It was how Merrin had become such a skilled and powerful magick user in her short life. But even her curiosity of magick knowledge pailed in comparison to her wanting to know more about Cal Kestis, the Jedi that had saved her life.

She knew that Dathomir had influenced Cal's short life heavily, but that much she has already learned about. But the parts of Cal's personality that Merrin cared for the most and was most curious about had been imprinted into the Jedi's person long before Dathomir had a chance to sink its claws into the green eyed Jedi. In particular Merrin could tell, with the small snippets Merrin got from the Jedi, that Cal Kestis had been heavily influenced by his deceased master. That was the subject Merrin was going to break the taboo over.

So here Merrin was, sitting next to Cal Kestis as the two watched the descending vermilion sun, and the reds and oranges of the sunset. Or at least Cal was watching the sunset. The Nightsister instead found herself watching the Jedi, finding the red of his hair much more fascinating at that moment. 'Ilyana would surely take issue with me finding hair more interesting than her much beloved sunset.' Merrin wondered what his hair felt like to the touch. 'Would it be hot like a red flame?' Surely not, but the thought was amusing at the very least. Would it feel similar to her own hair texture, or would it be softer? It definitely looked soft. Oh how Merrin wished she had taken the chance to learn it's texture under her fingers when the Jedi had been unconscious after his fight with Gorgara. Sadly she had not, and was left with yet another curiosity. 

Cal Kestis seemed to have picked up on her Gaze, and he looked at Merrin with an unspoken question.

"Cal Kestis, forgive me for what I am about to ask."

"What are you going to ask?"

"May I know more about your master, and your time with him?" She moves to put her hands over Cals hand, that he had been using to lean against as he sat. The gesture was intimate and reckless, but to Merrin it felt right and made her heart beat faster.

Cal Kestis seemed to have been temporarily distracted by the touch, his face gaining a light pink flush, and his eyes taking a nervous glance down at their hands. But the embarrassment he was showing left the Jedi when he registered what Merrin had asked him.

"You want to know about Master Tapal?" His concern to discuss the topic was clear to the Nightsister.

Merrin's only response was to nod, fearful that if she spoke she may retract the question. 

After a small period of hesitancy, Cal began to tell the tale of his time under Jedi Master, General Jaro Tapal. Starting with the day he had been chosen to be Master Tapal's padawan. As Cal Kestis spoke of his time with his master, the nervousness of his words and facial expressions left him, as he remembered fondly his time with the old Jedi master. Merrin listened intently to every word spoken, finally having answers to many of her questions she had concerning this red headed and green eyed Jedi. Why he was so kind, forgiving, and what had made him into the person he was today, made him into her Light on Dathomir. But as he spoke, and she listened, Merrin's mind couldn't help but produce many more questions to be answered. She refrained from asking them though, refrained from disturbing the Jedi as he spoke, they were questions for later. 

The sun had long left past the horizon. The only reason Merrin had noticed this was due to not being able to see Cal's green eyes and expressive face as well in the darkness.

Cal's happy demeanor began to falter and fade as he continued, and soon it became apparent as to why that was. He was approaching the topic of his master's death and his own stranding on Dathomir. When he spoke of his trusted soldiers and friends betraying them without hesitation for a reason unknown, it angered Merrin beyond reason. 'Who would betray one so young and innocent as Cal was, still is to some degree?' As he reached the point where Master Tapal died, Cal Kestis visibly started to break down. When Cal had finished his tale and fell silent Merrin could see the pain in his eyes and soul, and soon a few tears began to escape. Seeing her Jedi, her friend, her Light cry broke something inside the Nightsister that she had thought she had lost long ago. Cal Kestis was the strongest person she knew and seeing him like this hurt her. Acting on impulse she brought the crying warrior into her embrace. Cal did not fight her, and soon he was crying a weak whimper into her shoulder, shaking in her arms.

Silence fell over the dark cliff besides the low cries of the young Jedi mourning his lost master and father figure. After a few minutes, Cal's cries weakened and soon he was breaking the embrace, his face red and damp.

"Thank you. I'm sorry for breaking down like that Merrin." Cal Kestis could not bring himself to look at the Nightsister. The embarrassment and shame evident in his low voice.

"Do not apologize for mourning a loved one." 

The mourning Jedi finally brought his eyes up to meet hers. "Thank you."

All Merrin does is nod before getting up to leave for home. All the while the weight on the side of her belt began to become uncomfortable. The Jedi's lightsaber, Cal Kestis had once told her that it had belonged to his master, and she remembers the words that he had spoken when he had been bed ridden and Merrin had told him that she would be keeping the Jedi weapon, "Please… I-It's all I have left. All that he left me." The dots were not hard for her to connect. The lightsaber had been all that he had left to remember his master besides memories, and she had taken it from him.

[Break]

Merrin the Nightsister wasn't the easiest person for Cal to understand. Not that he was the best at reading others. When he had been an apprentice under Master Tapal, his ability to read others was rather lacking compared to his peers, and that surely hadn't improved from his time on Dathomir. Though Cal liked to think he was getting there, that he was slowly starting to understand the person that was Merrin, the last daughter of Dathomir. With every interaction, every question asked, each word spoken, and ever unneeded movement. 

At first she had seemed almost stoic and lacking in much emotion, cold even. Of course that assumption failed to last long, and Merrin's stoic face revealed itself to a mask of sorts. A way to hide from the world what she was actually feeling, a way to appear as the strong ruler of Dathomir that she was. The mask was not only meant to trick others, but in some way trick Merrin as well. 

If one could convince themselves, then surely they could trick the world, right? Such thoughts rarely stayed strong when put up against a magnifying glass. Sure, her mask had convinced the Nightbrothers, but they spent little time around the Nightsister, were trained from birth to be submissive and fearful of the Nightsisters, and truthfully Cal believed the Nightbrothers to be rather dim when it came to anything other than pure survival skills.

Her stoic cover had even tricked Cal for a time, but as he spent more and more time with the silver haired Nightsister he started to spot when the veil would be lifted for short moments. Cal had even learned to get Merrin to lift the mask herself on a few rare occasions. The Jedi hoped that meant she trusted him to some degree with her true self and emotions.

Cal trusted her with his. How could he not after that afternoon where she had held him as he mourned Master Tapal more than five years after the Lasat's death. He had trusted her then, and he hoped that Merrin would also grow to trust him as well.

From what little he had seen from his brief peaks under Merrin's mask, he had learned of the emotional person she really was. He had felt her worries, fears, and regrets. He has seen her at her most peaceful, and hoped to never see her at her most distraught. He has seen her at the pinnacle of fury, and wished to never be the cause of such anger. Cal has noticed her silently mourning her fallen sisters, as well as her lost love Ilyana. 

Cal saw all this hidden emotion, and wanted nothing else but to learn more, see more, to understand the amazing person that was Merrin.

And of course he was curious about her. She had saved the life of someone that was a member of the order that had ruined her life and bright future. Merrin had saved a Jedi from the brink of death when she had every right to leave Cal to his fate.

He had learned a considerable amount about Merrin, but Cal wasn't satisfied with just that. He wanted to learn more about the last Nightsister, the last daughter of Dathomir. Not just more about her people's culture, or her world, but more about Merrin herself.

[Break]

Merrin had long tried to come to a conclusion on how to deal with her conflicted feelings when concerning the resident Jedi. Really it had been what had been occupying her mind the most since discovering that Cal Kestis, the Jedi, and the Light of Dathomir are one and the same. Her efforts and hours of meditation had yet to prove fruitful.

Her heart and emotions wanted nothing more than to preserve the light that had finally been found. To keep it from the world and those that would wish to harm it. To protect it above all else. To protect the Jedi, Cal Kestis, above all else.

But that was the problem.

Her unhealthy obsession that was the Light of Dathomir, because she would be fooling herself if she claimed it to be anything else but unhealthy, had turned out to be a Jedi of all things. Merrin had already known that fate was just as cruel as Dathomir, and this fate she had been dealt was only a reminder of that fact.

Though her heart and emotions wanted to protect the Light, her sister's voices as well as her own logic wanted to kill this Jedi, Cal Kestis, without mercy. This left Merrin's mind to organize and process it all.

Merrin knew that her fixation on the Light had long been an unhealthy obsession that would lead only to further pain. It had led her to pain, it had almost gotten herself killed at the hands of Gorgara. But it had also led her to temporary peace of mind, it still did. Every time she had, and still does, meditate she is calmed by sensing the presence of Cal Kestis nearby. When she would sleep in the same room as her Light, she would sleep nightmare free. Something that she had not experienced in years, and loathed the idea of giving up.

Perhaps if the Cal Kestis had matched her imagined image of what Merrin had expected from a Jedi warrior, then it would have been easier to forget her obsession and deal with him. But the red headed Jedi had turned out to be the most genuine and kind person that Merrin had ever known alongside Ilyana. Her life had only improved since he had come into her life. Besides, if Cal Kestis had actually matched what she had expected from a Jedi warrior, then Merrin would have been long dead, either by the hands of the Jedi at the temple or to Gorgara. 

Merrin also knew that the voices of her sister's she would often hear deep within her mind were nothing but illusions, tricks of the planet or her own mind. Rationally she should disregard them. That still left her emotions and logic fighting one another. Fight over whether to protect or kill the young Jedi. Emotion had long been winning said fight, that was the only real reason Cal Kestis was still alive. Logic and her sister's illusionary voices would never give up without some way to council them. That was the main issue and Merrin needed some way to do so, and she had yet to come up with a solution to calm them.

And at this moment there was something else occupying her mind that was preventing her from coming up with a solution to her mental and emotional turmoil concerning the Jedi's place in her life. Said problem also concerned the Jedi, and once again it was also entirely Merrin's fault.

After Cal Kestis had told Merrin about his deceased master, the Nightsister could no longer agnor the weight of the Jedi's weapon on her belt, and she could not tolerate seeing the weapons within her line of sight. She rarely even wore it on her person any more, it's subtle weight only further turture to her mind. Merrin no longer viewed it as a trophy, but as a source of guilt and shame. She had stolen something precious from the red headed Jedi, and even though it had clearly broken his heart, he had let her steal it. 

Why? Because that was just the person he was. Not once since she had stolen it from him, had he requested she return it, nor had he directly mentioned the weapon. She knew he still thought of the weapon often. She could feel his eyes linger on the weapon, and see the distress in his eyes whenever he speaks of Jedi weaponry and weapon use. Whenever she would watch him practise his use of the Duskblade, it only reminded the Nightsister of that fight with Gorgara, where he had used the lightsaber. The beauty of that dancing blue blade had been lost to the Jedi, stolen from him. It was all Merrin's doing.

Merrin had damaged Cal Kestis when she had refused him his master's lightsaber, and yet the Jedi did not hate her or blame her. She had wronged him. She must right this wrong. She will right this wrong.

[Break]

Cal always looked forward to his and Merrin's daily routine of talking for hours, after finishing their midday meal. It was one of the few ways Cal could both learn more about Dathomirian culture and the planet Dathomir, but also learn more about Merrin the Nightsister herself. Learning about the wildlife, planets and their various uses. Cal had learned that Merrin preferred the taste of Veeka, the red feathered birds of Dathomir. He was even being taught the Dathomirian native language. He still wasn't fluent, but he was getting there. 

He also enjoyed talking to Merrin about his own Jedi culture and beliefs, she seemed rather interested in the use of the force as well as how the Jedi keep their numbers up despite practising celibacy. But the subject that seemed to interest Merrin had nothing to do with the Jedi order, but rather the galaxy. The look of pure wonder, though subtle, that often graced Merrin's face when Cal spoke of the vastness and diversity of the galaxy would warm the young Jedi's heart, allowing him to forget the pains of his past. Cal hadn't been this happy since his time with Master Tapal. Cal would fight Gorgara a thousand times for the Nightsister that had saved his life.

So when Merrin eats their midday meal in complete silence, it bothers and concerns the Jedi. The Nightsister never was the most talkative, but they still exchanged a few words over every meal. Furthermore, the deep contemplating look that Merrin had as she ate, was almost a concerning as the few quick nervous glances that she would shoot his way when she thought he wasn't paying attention. 

He had first chalked it up to Merrin thinking about something that may have happened when she had visited the village earlier in the day. If she wanted to tell him or not, that was her choice, and he was comfortable with that.

When she started to drag him to Ilyana's cliff right after finishing their meal, his concern for the silver haired Nightsister only grew in magnitude. She silently and swiftly led him to the cliff. 

So here the two were, sitting with their legs draped over the cliffs edge. Much like they would when they would come here to watch the sun of Dathomir set. But the sunset was still hours away and there was a tense awkwardness in the air, or at least Cal felt like there was. 

The two sat there for a few quiet minutes until Merrin spoke up. "Cal Kestsi."

Though Cal had been expecting her to speak at some point, he hadn't really readied himself and was thus startled by her break in the silence. "Yes?"

Cal noticed Merrin's hesitation in speaking further, making his worry for the Nightsister rush itself back to the forefront of his mind.

"I know that telling me about your past and master was difficult and painful for you." That was not what Cal had expected from the Nightsister. "I learned a great deal about you when you chose to entrust me with the memories, emotions, and knowledge. I wish to treat you in kind, to trust you with my memories of Ilyana" Merrin motioned to the burial pod that hung above them, Ilyana's. Cal was surprised he had never been bothered with the idea that every time they had watched a sunset together they had done so while sitting under a literal bagged corpse. Even as he thought about it now, it still was far from bothering him. 

Cal was honored, even excited, that Merrin trusted him enough to want to share such a personal part of her past to him. Then a shred of doubt crept it's way into his mind. 'Maybe she doesn't trust me? She may be feeling obligated or guilty after I had shared my past with Master Tapal with her.' 

"Are you sure? You don't have to. I-I would understand if you didn-"

"Do you not want to… I am sorry. I had hoped you would be curious about me, just as I am curious about you." Though her face did not betray it, Cal could hear in Merrin's words the hurt that she was feeling.

He needed to fix this. Acting on impulse he took both her hands in his, though he had to admit that it looked rather awkward considering he only had one hand to hold her two hands. He only hoped the gesture would reassure the Nightsister. "I'm sorry. I would love to know more about you Merrin. I just wasn't sure if you really wanted me to know. I didn't want you to feel obligated to tell me just because I had told you about my past."

It seems to do the trick, as Merrin's soft brown eyes meet his own green eyes. She gives a confident nod. "Then I will tell you."

So the last Nightsister began to speak of her life before the massacre of her sisters, and speak about her life with Ilyana. Cal listened with enraptured ears, and as he listened two main thoughts came to the forefront of his mind. First, how much Merrin most loved and cared for Ilyana, often referring to her as her "Lost Light". Second, how his people, the Jedi, had taken that light that was Ilyana, away from Merrin; would have killed Merrin as well. 

Merrin's face, which had sported a slight smile, had started to morph back into it's stoic mask as she began to speak of the massacre. Noticeably Merrin refrained from describing the coven's attackers, and Cal was silently grateful to her for that. 

Merrin had long relieved the memories, seeing them every time she had fallen asleep before Cal Kestis had, quite literally, dropped into her life. She had long been broken by the memories to the point of numbing the emotions related to the memory. The only time that she had felt her emotions escape was when she started describing to Cal Kestis how she had found Ilyana's body the morning after. She refrained from describing the state Ilyana's body had been in.

Cal, hearing the trembling in the Nightsister's voice, felt the brokenness of the Nightsister before him. Merrin had been the only survivor of genoicide, and had been left with the aftermath. Seeing the strong person that was Merrin the Nightsister, his friend, in such a state, even without the tears that Merrin still held in, was almost too much for the Jedi to take. He could feel only the surface of her pain through the force, but even that small amount was heartbreaking. Cal had only lost his master, Merrin had lost everyone. 

When Merrin finished her story, she turned to Cal and spoke. "Cal Kestis, I must apologize to you. I have hurt you deeply with a past action of mine."

Merrin had just described the massacre of her people to him and she was apologizing to him? 'Past actions?' Was she referring to the Nightbrother hunting parties?

"Merrin, I don't blame you for attac-"

"That is not of which I speak."

Before Cal could ask about what she meant Merrin reaches behind her and unclips the lightsaber from her belt. Finally understanding begins to dawn on the Jedi. "I am returning what I have stolen from you. I am sorry I took your weapon from you. By taking it I had stolen your last connection to your old life. Please forgive me."

Reaching out slowly to take the weapon, Cal felt whole again when, after spending too long as a broken man. She had returned to Cal his most important treasure. She could have kept it forever, and Cal would have let her, but instead she both gave it back and apologized for wronging him. "Thank you Merrin."

The slight look of guilt, Merrin had, slowly shifted to a repressed smile. Looking down at the weapon that Cal wore on his own belt, Cal replaced the duskblade with the lightsaber. "I'm guessing you would like the Duskblade back, now that I have no need for it?"

As he started to hand over the blade, Merrin pushed it away. Cal looked at her, confused. "Keep it. I am no martial sister, and have little use for such a weapon."

"But-"

"I insist." The Nightsister's tone and expression tell Cal that she would not be budging on the issue.

Looking down at the weapon, Cal took a moment trying to decide what to do or say. Thinking up an idea that he was satisfied with, he looked back into Merrin's eyes. "I'll hold on to it now, but at any time you want it back it's yours. Okay?"

A genuine smile graced the beautiful Nightsister at his words. "If that is what you wish. Now come, we have lost much time, and you have yet to become fluent in my tongue." 

Cal's only thoughts as the two left Ilyana's cliffs were about how he would do almost anything for the last Nightsister, Merrin.

Notes:Next Chapter: Chapter 10-Year 6 Part 2-Dependence

Chapter 10 should be out next Saturday. 

Is it just me or did this week feel like it lasted forever?

Chapter 10: Year 6 Part 2-DependanceNotes:This chapter is a bit on the shorter end, and is mostly a transition chapter to get us to next chapter.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text"Cal Kestis, you must wake up." a gentle voice spoke into the young Jedi's ear. The Nightsisters voice along with the subtle tapping of her finger on his shoulder were the first sensations that Cal felt as he woke up. 

Opening his eyes he was met with Merrin looking down waiting for the Jedi to wake himself. "I'm up." 

Merrin just nodded before turning away from Cal's bed to start her day. 

Being woken up by the Nightsister was not a rare or unusual experience. The two tend to wake up around the same time, and whomever happens to be the first up will usually wake the other up to start the day. Today it just happened to be Merrin that had been the first to wake up.

Removing the thin fabric cover that Cal used as a blanket, he roused himself from his wooden frame and hide made bed. Cal rubbed his blurry eyes as they adjusted to the light of the newly lit oil sconces.

As his eyes adjusted Cal's gaze passed over Merrin's own bed. Unlike Cal's bed, which was of crude Nightbrother make, Merrin's was of Nightsister make, with a beautiful dark metal frame and a soft looking mattress. What kind of metal the frame was made of was the same metal that all Dathomirian weapons were made of. What the mattress or sheets were made of, Cal had no idea. Something to ask Merrin about later perhaps.

A slight glint above Merrin's bed caught the attention of Cal's eyes. Merrin's golden necklace was hanging off one of the bed's posts. That was rather unusual, as the Nightsister seemed to never go anywhere without it. 

'Merrin must have forgotten it.'

Going to retrieve the necklace with planes to return it to the Nightsister. The red headed Jedi was too swift in retrieving the article of jewelry that he failed to notice the echo emanating off it's gold surface. 

Cal's senses were forced into the body of another, a younger Merrin from what he could understand. The young Merrin was sitting atop a large gravethorn, in the middle of a forest of smaller gravethorn trees. She seemed to be watching the sunset while atop the tree.

"Sister Merrin." An unknown voice spoke, right next to the young Nightsister's ear.

Merrin turned her head to view the speaker. Cal, through the young Merrin's eyes, saw another young Nightsister, maybe a year or two older than the young Merrin. This other Nightsister's eyes were a soft red, not unlike the red skies of Dathomir. Her hair, unlike Merrin's silver, was an obsidian black that was fashioned in a similar fashion to how older Merrin wore her hair. Only then did Cal notice that younger Merrin's hair was down, and draped over her right shoulder. 

The other Nightsister had the same ghostly gray skin as Merrin. Her tattoos ran across her face in intricate horizontal lines that seemed to be designed to bring attention to the Nightsister's eyes. 

"Yes sister Ilyana?" The younger Merrin's voice was both familiar yet foreign to the Jedi's ears. It didn't have the same authority, nor age to it, But it was still undoubtedly Merrin. 

Ilyana locked eyes with the young Merrin, giving her a bright smile that almost looked out of place on a dark planet such as Dathomir. "I understand that you have brewed the water of life today, after gathering the ingredients."

Merrin nodded at this, unconsciously bringing her hand up to brush a hidden scar she had gotten while gathering the most difficult ingredient she acquired from a creature known as the Sleeper. The fight for the most important ingredient for the potion had been the most dangerous thing the young Nightsister had ever done. Many Nightsisters had lost their lives attempting to best The Sleeper. 

"I have a gift for you then." Ilyana spoke, reaching a hand behind her, out of sight.

"But why? When you had done the same only a year ago, I had no gift to give you then."

"Because I want to give you a gift, and crafting the Water of Life is just the excuse needed." If Ilyana's smile grew any more, it would split her face in half.

"You do not ne-"

"I want to. Would you refuse the gift that I have crafted for you?" Ilyana's smile was gone, replaced with a playful pout. Cal would not have expected to see such an expression on a Nightsister, considering all Cal has learned about them from Merrin, but he can't deny that it fits Ilyana rather well.

Merrin responds with a tired sigh before shaking her head. 

Clearly pleased, Ilyana retrieves the hand that she had hidden behind her back, held gently within it's grasps was a familiar piece of gold jewelry. As the young Merrin's hand reached out to take the gold necklace the echo faded. Cal's senses were returned to his body.

"What is it that is making you take so long?" Merrin's confused voice sounded from behind, startling the Jedi. Turning, Cal saw Merrin looking at him with a look of confusion that had matched her tone. 

Bringing the Nightsister's gold necklace into view, "This necklace… Ilyana gave it to you."

The Nightsister's confusion quickly morphed into a look of shock or surprise. Though Merrin elected not to speak, either due to the shock the Jedi's statement sent her into, or she was waiting for Cal to continue. 

"Sorry…" Cal paused, scratching the back of his neck nervously, "I have this force ability that lets me see past events of items I come into contact with. I can't really control what items it affects, or what I am shown." Another pause, "I honestly have no control over it."

Merrin's bewilderment was back, though more subtle. "How does this Jedi magick work?"

'How to explain?' "Some things; People, events, or experiences leave an echo in the Force that I can connect to. I feel an object's history, or at least a small portion of it."

"You can read the past? Can all Jedi do this?"

"No, it's rather rare actually. You have to be born with it, or develop the ability naturally. It can't be trained. I know of only one other person that had psychometry, can't remember the name though."

"Such abilities are unheard of with Nightsister magick." 

"Well, invisibility and teleportation are unheard of in Jedi force use." Cal jokes as he hands Merrin her necklace.

Merrin dawns the jewelry before speaking, "What of raising the undead?"

"What!?"

"Should I take that as a no?" Merrin gives a coy smile, clearly amused with the red head's reaction.

"Yes!... I mean no, we can't raise the undead… Can Nightsister magick raise the dead?"

"The undead, yes. Though it is a rare ability, it is indeed possible. I myself I'm capable of such a feat." Merrin confirms, her words laced with pride.

To say Cal was shocked would be an understatement. He was aware that Merrin's magick was sourced from the Force, in particular the dark side of the Force. Cal also knew that what Nightsister magick was capable of differed greatly from what Jedi abilities could accomplish, but he never could have imagined the ability to raise the undead. The concept of the undead was exclusively found in books, holovids, or local superstition that never amounted to anything. Or that's at least what Cal had thought until now.

Merrin could tell Cal Kestis was bothered with this newfound knowledge. His green eyes were unable to meet hers. 

"Does this knowledge bother you?" Though Merrin's face was stoic, the slight tremble in her words betrayed her.

"N-no." Cal panicked, trying to reassure his friend. Though the look Merrin leveled at him showed her doubt in his words. "I'd say it's more culture shock to be honest. Like using your powers raising the undead, how you mummified my hand, or hanging your dead up in burial pods. To a Jedi that would be considered rather odd to say the least. We don't really treat the dead that way."

"Then how does a Jedi treat their dead?"

"We burn the bodies on a pyre. When Master Tapal died, I built him a wood pyre and burned his body, though it was rather difficult to gather the gravethorn wood."

"Well I find that rather odd. Burning the bodies of those that you cared for, seems rather mean spirited."

Cal supposed that when put like that by someone who comes from a completely different culture than his own, it does sound rather odd. His people practised having no attachments, and burning the dead is symbolic of that in a sense. For Nightsisters the whole culture is based off attachments, the whole coven is a community, even sisters long dead are considered as still part of the coven. 

Another one of Merrin's questions pulls Cal's mind back to reality. "If you were to die, would you want me to burn your body?"

For some odd reason, that one simple question gets a laugh out of Cal, he has no idea why though. "Let's hope that doesn't happen, but sure." Cal pauses, not sure if he should ask his question. "If you were to die, how would you want me to…" He stops his question mid sentence once he sees the face his question elicits from the Nightsister. A deep sadness radiates from the Nightsister. 

"I do not know. A fellow sister must be the one to perform the rights of burial. As I am the last, there is no one that can perform such rights." She speaks in almost a whisper. "I buried all my sisters, gave them their rights. I will not have such an honor."

This new knowledge along with clear distress from the Nightsister weighs heavily on the young Jedi. He had learned that death was an important part of Nightsister culture, as Cal had asked about the subject before. He knew that without the proper burial rights, it was believed a Nightsister wouldn't be able to join her fellow sisters in the afterlife. In essence Merrin believed she would be forever separated from her people and loved ones, even after death. The Jedi, his people, had done this to her. Doomed his friend to a lonely existence both in life and afterwards. Yet Merrin still tolerated his presence. Cal wished that, somehow, he could be the person to fix this, to reassure Merrin, to be there for her. But Cal knew that he couldn't do that, he never would be able to. He was a Jedi, among the greatest warriors and peacekeepers in the galaxy, with supernatural powers that could manipulate time and space, but he was useless when it came to helping his friend. 

[Break]

Cal was having conflicted thoughts and feelings concerning the resident Nightsister. Merrin, the last Nightsister, daughter of Dathomir, the ruler of Dathomir. Merrin was a lot of things, but to Cal she was first and foremost his friend, as well as the person that saved his life in more than one way. 

Now the young Jedi wasn't conflicted over the knowledge that Merrin had been the one responsible for the Nightbrother patrols that had hunted him in the past. Cal had known that the Nightsister had been responsible for the Nightbrother activity even before he had fought Gorgara. He never really could find it in himself to blame Merrin, especially not after she had healed his injuries, saving his life. 

Nor did he judge the Nightsister for trying to kill him on two separate occasions. At the time to Merrin he was just an enemy that was trespassing on Dathomir for a reason unknown to her. Merrin's reaction was not that unreasonable in his eyes.

What the young orange headed Jedi was conflicted about were the feelings he was rapidly developing for his friend. Now having friends was not necessarily frowned upon by the Jedi order. Developing friendships was technically against the Order's rule against developing attachments, it was well known that the many Jedi developed friendships with both their fellow Jedi as well as the people or druids they worked with. Only the most staunch traditionalists frowned upon such friendships. The Jedi council never intervene unless your friendships get in the way of Jedi Order duties or noticeably turn said Jedi down the wrong path. Cal was by no means worried about having found a friend in Merrin the Nightsister. He had had many friends, both with clones aboard the Albedo Brave, as well as his fellow younglings at the Jedi temple. Healthy passive friendships were fine.

But what Cal was starting to feel for the silver haired Nightsister was far past simple fellowship or camaraderie. To be honest, he hadn't just started feeling this way either. He had developed the feelings a while ago, but he either had failed to see them for what they were or he had chosen to ignore the developed feelings. Continuing to ignore them would hardly help, so Cal knew he had to be honest with himself. He was falling, had fallen, for his friend Merrin. 

The first signs were during his fight with Elsal. The rage he had felt when the pink Nightbrother had looked at Merrin with indecent eyes. At the time he had told himself the rage was due to Elsal looking at his friend and savior like that. Now Cal knew better, he was jealous and being protective. Another sign was when the spark Cal had felt when he had taken Merrin's hands in his own back at Ilyana's cliff before Merrin had shared with him her past. Yes, he had been trying to comfort and reassure the Nightsister, but he couldn't lie to himself and claim that had been all there was to it. The thing that had triggered his realization had been the thought 'I would do almost anything for Merrin' after she had returned his master's lightsaber. After that thought Cal had finally started to put together the pieces and really understand the emotions he was feeling for the Nightsister.

Cal had fallen for the last daughter of Dathomir, and boy had he fallen hard.

When Cal had first had time to process this revelation he had first blamed his new found feelings for the Nightsister on the fact that he was a young adult that hadn't interacted with anyone of the opposite sex near his age since he was a youngling at the Jedi Temple. That train of thought had quickly been thrown to the side. Thinking in that way, blaming his feelings for the beautiful Nightsister on poor circumstance was an insult to both Merrin and himself. It made it seem like Merrin had no qualities that could warrant feelings under normal circumstances, and it painted Cal as nothing more than a hormonal teenage boy.

Yes, Cal was physically attracted to Merrin, and that was a problem, but physical attraction was only a small mostly insignificant part of the problematic equation. He had fallen for Merrin because she was the best thing to happen in his life since he had been stranded on Dathomir. She had saved his life, and given him a new life to live shortly after; a foundation to support his crumbling life. She understood his grief of losing everything, and felt it further than he ever could. Yes Cal had lost his master, but his people still persisted and he had somewhere to go to if he ever left Dathomir, she didn't. Merrin was kind enough to care for Cal, even after all that the Jedi Order had done to her life. She was quite possibly the most beautiful person Cal had ever known, and she moved with a force given grace. She often spoke with a determination and confidence that Cal wished he could. Merrin was a strong, kind, beautiful, confident, and deep individual. There was little doubt or wonder as to why Cal had fallen in love with her after only knowing the Nightsister for a little under a year.

Sadly, Cal knew it would never be, nor ever could be; a Nightsister and a Jedi. 

Attachments of love were strictly forbidden among the Jedi Order, and for a good reason. Trained Force sensitives that fall in love are at a great risk of relying on their emotions and succumbing to the dark side. Strong, powerful emotions like love and everything that came with it could corrupt even the greatest of Jedi masters, Cal had been taught. The Lightside relied on focus, claerity, and willpower. The dark side was pure raw emotion.

His feelings could never be acted upon for that reason. Not that Merrin would ever accept his feelings in the first place. The Jedi Order had ruined her life by murdering her people, and killing the one person Merrin had actually loved. The only reason Merrin had let Cal live and stay here was out of the kindness of her own heart. Yes the two of them got along and had developed a friendship that Cal cherished, but that was all it could or would ever be; a friendship and nothing more. 

Cal Kestis the Jedi and Merrin the Nightsister. He was a Jedi that was strictly forbidden from falling in love. And she was a Nightsister that could never love a Jedi. He wished the acknowledgement of that didn't break his heart.

[Break]

Merrin knew that she had developed a dependence on the Light of Dathomir almost immediately after it had appeared during meditation years ago. Since then she had become addicted to meditation just for the chance of viewing the Light. The Nightsister was completely aware that such dependency and addiction was entirely unhealthy for her psyche. But what was she supposed to do? She had been a teenager without anyone to support her, comfort her, or understand her. She had lost everything and was left to both bury everything and everyone she had loved and cared for, and then rule a planet of strangers. The Light had been the only thing that could calm and patch back together the broken mind of the Nightsister. 

But after discovering that the Light of Dathomir, her Light, had been the Jedi, and after spending much time with the emerald eyed Jedi the dependence changed; morphed, and took a new form. Or at least it felt different to Merrin. Her previous dependence had been completely devoid of any thoughts of the Jedi. In fact, the Jedi and the Light had been mutually exclusive within her mind and thoughts. When she would think of the Light, the Jedi was forgotten, and when she thought of the Jedi, the Light was forgotten. When the Light would come to her mind she would picture the bright presence that she felt in meditation, the very image in her mind would calm her for a moment.

But all that has changed. 

Now whenever she thought of the Light, the Jedi would come to mind, and any thoughts of the Jedi would bring with it thoughts of the Light. Whenever she imagined the Light, it was no longer the bright light that would be seen, but instead the bright honest smile, friendly green eyes, and warm red hair of the Jedi would be imaged instead. Now instead of the Light bringing her to a calm, it also brought with it a warmth that Merrin had only ever felt for Ilyana. 

It made sense, really. After all, the Jedi and the Light were one and the same, and therefore should be related together in her mind. 

When Merrin had depended on the Light before learning about it's true nature, and getting to know Cal Kestis, she had been content with the Light far from her. As long as she could still feel its presence in meditation she was content. 

That was no longer an option in her eyes. She needed the Light near, needed him near.

The mere thought that Cal Kestis, her Light, leaving terrifies the Nightsister. After living with the Jedi for not insignificant amount of time, she could hardly imagine a life without him. When she slept with him near she would sleep soundly, safe from nightmares; something that had not happened since the death of Ilyana and her coven.

Merrin had insisted that Cal Kestis sleep in the same room as her, despite there being plenty of other unused rooms available. The Jedi was completely unaware of her reason for insisting upon such a sleeping arrangement, and had at first refused. In the end he had budged before she had. Even if he had not, she would have forced the arrangement by either destroying the other available rooms, or teleporting his bed into her room after he would fall asleep. Luckily such drastic measures went unneeded.

With him around, she found herself more driven to actually take to her role as the ruler over the Nightbrothers. She thought less of the nightmarish past, and more of her happy present and possibly promising future. Merrin had lost her dependence for the Light, and gained an even stronger dependence for a Jedi. How mother and her sisters must be swinging in their burial pods right now.

She knew they were, she could hear their voices challenge her choices and state of mind. They were easy enough to ignore and hardly registered within her thoughts anymore. They were not even her sisters' true voices or thoughts. The Nightsister knew the voices for what they were, the twisted will of the planet. Merrin had more pressing matters than playing into the unknown plans of Dathomir. Like figuring out how to insure her Lights continued close presence in her life.

If Cal Kestis decided on leaving, that would rob Merrin of her light and leave her shattered, she was sure. After losing everything she cherished once before, Merrin should have been desensitized to such loss; but instead she had only grown more fragile to it. The loss of her love and coven had broken her like a hammer to a mirror. The only thing keeping the mirror together was it's frame. Somehow the Light had become that frame. If she were to lose what little she had now, then there would be nothing from keeping her from shattering, never to be put back together. 

Merrin had tried coming up with some kind of plan or idea to keep such an outcome from coming to fruition for some time. And come up with a plan she has. If this plan were to work it very much could keep her Light from leaving, stop the pestering of her sisters voices in her head, and could even start something more.

[Break]

Cal had dropped his training with the duskblade after his master's lightsaber had been returned to him by Merrin. Now he once again trained with the traditional weapon of the Jedi Order. The practise with the lightsaber wasn't all that different from what he had done with the duskblade. The only real difference, besides the material limitations of the duskblade, was the actual feeling the weapon gave him. When he held the duskblade, Cal felt like a warrior sure, but when he held a lightsaber he felt like a Jedi warrior. A big difference, just ask any B1 battle droid scrap pile. Having the weapon, practising with the weapon, made Cal feel like a Jedi again.

Cal had just finished up with another morning's weapon practise when he sighted Merrin returning from another visit down to the Nightbrother village. It didn't take the Jedi long to understand something was off, different. As Merrin's usual expression of confident stoicism was replaced by a more determined expression. Also Merrin was directly looking at the Jedi as she approached. Her destination was him, rather than to the house. 

She stopped her approach a few meters short from the sweating Jedi warrior. "Cal Kestis, I believe it is time you become a Dathomirian."

"But I'm human? I can't be made into a Dathomirian." 

She gives him a look that makes Cal feel a little silly about his response, though he doesn't particularly know why.

"You misunderstand. Making you a Dathomirian means to make you a member of the community in a sense. You will not become of Dathomirian blood, but you will be Dathomirian."

"Oh." That makes more sense. "How does one become a member of the Dathomirian community?" Cal wasn't even sure if he wanted to become a 'Dathomirian', but all thoughts of refusing vanishes when he looks into the determined eyes of the Nightsister. 'You'd do almost anything for her.'

"An old tradition when the Dathomirian people were first becoming their own. On rare occasions an outsider would want to become a member of the coven and become a Nightsister. While you are unable to be a Nightsister, we can still follow this tradition to make you a Dathomirian in the eyes of the Nightbrothers, myself, and the ancestors."

"What does this tradition intel?"

Merrin looks pleased with his question for a brief moment before her stoic gaze returns. "First you require a sponsor, that will be me. Next you must hunt a great Dathomirian beast and have an article of clothing or trophy made from the beast's remains. Gorgara or the Alpha Nydak both would have been sufficient, but their remains are lost to use, so another hunt is needed." 

Another beast to kill,'What is the worst that can happen?',"Okay then what am I hunting?" Not to boast, but Cal was rather confident in his monster hunting abilities.

"A herd of Rancor has been sighted near the edge of the eastern swamp, in the flatlands. That will be our quarry for your hunt." 'That's the worst that can happen.'

"C-can we not just hunt a Nydak, or something else?"

The unconcerned Nightsister pauses as if to think before shaking her head. "The average Nydak, though powerful, is not considered a great Dathomirian beast, and you have already slain this generation's Alpha Nydak. Gorgara is also slain, and all the other Chirodactyl had been chased off long ago. We are not close to any of Dathomir's oceans or deserts, meaning slaying a Greater Serpent of the Red Seas, or a Dathomirian Dragon Worm are not ideal options." Cal never wants to know what a 'Great Serpent of the Red Sea' or a 'Dathomirian Dragon Worm' are.

"Is everything on Dathomir terrifying?"

Merrin gives him a smirk. Cal had long told her that Dathomir was much deadlier than the average habitable planet in the galaxy. Surprisingly Merrin had taken such knowledge as a point of pride. "Yes." She replied smoothly before continuing, "Do not worry Cal Kestis. I have complete confidence in your combat ability, and I will be there to assist with your hunt."

'Sigh' He wasn't getting out of this, was he? "Thanks Merrin. When are we leaving?"

Notes:Next Chapter: Chapter 11-Year 6 Part 3-Heat of the Moment

Cal finally realizes, and Merrin kinda realizes.