Will of the Many~ Poe Dameron

Onward

"Meditation is the art of letting yourself completely fall apart, knowing that when it is over you will still be in one piece." Master Luke walked around the intimate circle of Padawans. His crystal blue eyes looked from youngling to youngling, a droplet of wisdom swirled in his irises, reminding Serena of the constellations shining above them. "You have to have trust in yourself, and in your galaxy."

"Why?" Serena asked. "Why must I trust to meditate?"

Murmurs started from the other younglings. They weren't loud enough for her to discern their words, but she could understand by the tone their chastizing nature. 

Master Luke sent them all a warning glare, then softened his gaze as he looked upon her. Her chubby cheeks rosied from the nearby fire, her long silver hair twisted in the chilly wind, her amber eyes flickered like the remnants of coals. 

The wonderment in her eyes created a shadow of a grin on his lips. "Jedi must place their trust in the Force, and the galaxy is made up entirely of the Force. It is... everywhere-" he lifted his hands and looked up to the stars. 

Serena looked up too, admiring the twinkling pebbles of light that she knew to be far away planets. On one of them lived her mother and father and two brothers. She wasn't sure which one, but if what Master Luke said was true, then she and her family were connected by the same Force. 

She liked that thought. 

She looked down at Master Luke to see his eyes still set upward. "What if I can't meditate?" She asked. 

There was a groan from the back of the group. Serena frowned and curved her shoulders inward to make herself smaller, a strong feat for a girl of her size. 

Master Luke bowed to a crouch in front of her. He didn't acknowledge any of the other padawans as his eyes set directly on her. 

"Then you will be just like every other Jedi before you." His words were kind as he told her. She found a comfort in them and clung to his every syllable as she forgot the mean younglings around her. "Meditation is not an art easily learned. It takes practice, patience, and perseverance." His eyes dropped to her bouncing knee. At the sight of it, he grinned. "A youngling like yourself is full of energy. It is hard for you to sit still for so long."

She nodded as he understood her perfectly. 

"In time," he promised as he stood to his feet. "You will enjoy the peace that meditation brings you as you center yourself. You will thrive on the rush of the Force moving through you." His hand moved through the air between them, arching up like a wave before tumbling down and up again. Her amber eyes followed his hand, stuck in a hypnotic state as she thought on his words. "Soon," he promised as he dropped his hand from the air. "Do not fret."

**

Serena let her head fall back. Her thinned cheeks swelled with hot air as she let out a frustrated breath. 

Wind blew off the coastline and brushed her long silver braid over her shoulder. It fell down the length of her spine and ended halfway down her back. The sun shined down on her, casting her porcelain skin in a gentle warmth. 

"It's useless," she told the open air. "Utterly useless."

"Serena!"

She peeled her eyes open as Ben Solo skipped down the temple steps toward her. The wind rushed through his black hair, sending it flying around his shoulders and ears. His large mouth pulled back into a dazzling smile that brightened with the sun.