The Tragic Jedi | Anakin Skywalker

𝓢𝓬𝓮𝓷𝓮 𝟏

Astrid nodded thoughtfully. A blue lightsaber signified an inclination to protect and ensure justice. He was a fighter then. The boy wet his lips before asking, "And you?" 

Astrid's mouth quirked to the side as she replied, "Blue as well." She shrugged her thin shoulders. "Too bad we don't have a say in the matter. The Force determines that." 

The boy smiled thinly. "Too bad." 

Suddenly, their ship gave a lurching shudder, and Astrid braced a hand on the freezing glass window beside her. Her gaze flitted to the view outside to discover that their ship had landed on the ice plain stretching out before the towering ice wall that pierced into the white, snow-filled sky. 

"Arrived, we have," the Jedi Master croaked to the gathered Padawans.

The starship's bay doors slid open, and the frigid, howling wind swept into the ship, a flurry of snow following in its wake. Astrid shivered as she tugged her cloak's fur lined hood over her head. 

 Before her, the Jedi Master grabbed ahold of his wooden staff and limped out of the starship and onto Ilum's ice plain. The Padawans scrambled eagerly to their feet, offering messages of thanks and gratitude to the other Jedi Master, who had piloted the starship, before they emerged onto the ice plain after the short, green colored Jedi Master. 

"Do you think Master Yoda will give us any hints as to how we are to find our kyber crystals?" one of the girls asked Astrid and the sierra haired boy as they followed after the green Jedi Master in the direction of the soaring high, ice wall. 

 Astrid shook her head. "No, Master Yoda will probably tell us to just follow our instincts." 

The girl wrinkled her nose at Astrid, or perhaps at Astrid's words, and tossed her long, blonde hair over her shoulder. "That's no help," she muttered in apparent annoyance. Her face suddenly brightened, and she extended a hand to Astrid as she chirped, "I'm Marilyn by the way." 

Astrid reached across the boy and grasped Marilyn's hand warily as she replied, "Astrid." 

Marilyn smiled brightly, her white teeth practically blending in to the surrounding snow and glittering ice. "Would you be interested in teaming up with me?" 

"Hey!" the other girl protested as she stopped from where she had been walking in front of them, and she whirled around to face their trio. She braided her arms over her chest as she sputtered, "I thought we were going to team up, Marilyn." 

Marilyn gave her a pitying look, and her voice dripped with feigned innocence as she replied sweetly, "Sorry, Ida. I only thought we could expand our team." 

Astrid rolled her eyes and retorted before Ida could reply, "I'll pass, Marilyn, thank you." 

The boy smirked from beside Astrid as he looked at Marilyn and remarked with amusement, "Don't you know that The Gathering doesn't work that way? There is no teaming up. This is an individual battle." 

 Marilyn's face flickered with distaste as she regarded the boy. "Yeah, well, I'll be waving at you through the ice wall as it closes on you before you can make it out of the Crystal Caves--" She eyed him up and down-- "all because you were too proud to want help." 

Before the boy could reply, their group of six-- including Master Yoda-- had stopped before the enormous ice wall. The ice wall reminded Astrid of a large dam, if only there was water on the other side. 

 Astrid held her breath as she watched the Jedi Master wave a languid hand. She felt a flicker in the Force, and a moment later, the sound of splintering ice filled the air as the ice wall cleaved in two, leaving a four foot wide spaced running between the two halves that led into a circular room ahead.