I Want To Be Your Knight: Chapter Three

I stood there like a fool, my arms held out on either side of my body, a lop-sided grin on my face.

Of course, Kyp stood there like a fool as well, his mouth hanging open, gaping at me.

The poor padawan had no clue who I was, or what was going on. In hindsight, she looked kind of foolish as well. I guess Masters don't come down from their Ivory Tower that often to talk to kids who just wouldn't leave the front steps.

After a moment or two, I dropped my arms back to my sides, but kept that Solo grin on my face.

Finally, Kyp seemed to regain control of his mouth, and closed it. Then it fell open again, as if he was about to say something. But nothing came out, so he closed it again. He turned away, one hand pinching at the bridge of his nose.

The padawan still was staring at us, while trying to figure out just what was going on, all while trying to not be caught staring.

Kyp slowly swung round until he was facing me again, and I could have sworn that he had aged another decade while his back was turned.

"So, let me get this straight. You want to finish your Jedi training. The training that you said you despised, which you said at the same time that you called the entire Council a bunch of lying, useless pseudo-Sith and told us that we could continue to lick Jacen's boots if we wanted to, and that if you ever saw any of us again, you would shove your 'saber up various orifices of ours, or maybe use our own sabers in that shoving maneuver. That Jedi training."

I was beginning to wonder if he wasn't happy with my being here. Rather than saying that, I nodded my heads a couple times. "Yup."

Kyp grabbed at the bridge of his nose again.

"I might have some pain reliever here, if you've got a headache," I offered helpfully.

He glared at me, glancing quickly down at my blaster before saying, "Was that an offer to shoot yourself?"

I smirked at him and he sighed.

Then he started down the steps, tossing his head in the direction of the walkway below. "C'mon, let's go get a bite to eat."

I shrugged, and tossed a wave to the padawan who still wasn't looking that sure about anything, and followed Kyp down the steps. He walked, hunched slightly, as if there was now some heavy weight pulling at his shoulders. For a moment, I felt bad about doing this to him, but then I remembered that he had accepted my dad's position. That weight is just part and parcel of being Grand Master of the Jedi Order.

Kyp stopped in front of a cantina, and looked up. He then looked down towards a small bistro which I had thought was our destination. Making up his mind, Kyp turned from the bistro and went into the cantina. I followed, that silly grin still on my face. He walked to the bar, leaned against it and asked for an ale.

I frowned and glanced at my chrono, noting that it was only an hour after lunch. I leaned against the bar, and asked for an ale as well, and then turned to Kyp. "I would've thought it a bit early for a drink."

Kyp looked at me. "Kriff, and here I was beginning to hope I was just having a nervous breakdown."

I laughed. "I don't remember you being this funny two years ago. I guess being Grand Master that you've gotten all the humor the position sucked from my dad."

Kyp merely shook his head, and sighed again. "So, tell me why you want to finish your training."

"And if I don't want to?"

"Then, the answer will be 'no.'"

Now it was my turn to sigh, and for the first time since I had stood up in front of Kyp, the grin faded from my face. I took a long pull from my ale, and set the glass back onto the table, looking at the foam which rested on top of the liquid.

"I... well, I guess it's just something I need to do."

Kyp made an annoyed noise around his glass. He set it back onto the bar. "Not good enough."

I sighed. "There's someone that I need to get forgiveness from. To do that, I need to be a Jedi. To do that, I need to complete my training."

"Who? And why now?"

"Kriff," I muttered, I really didn't feel like telling him all the sordid details. I decided to try to deflect him. "You know, all those years of training, everyone kept telling me that I needed to be mindful of the Force, to let it guide me, well for the first time I start trying that and I get the third degree."

Kyp laughed, and I felt a burst of relief that I had managed to deflect his probing.

"It does seem that way sometimes, doesn't it?" Kyp said after his laughter had died down a bit. "And I applaud you listening to the Force. But that doesn't answer my question."

Kriff, I thought as I said. "Fine, you win. I was down-level doing some research for one of my university courses and I saw someone I hadn't seen in years. She was protecting this old man, standing up to four guys. Against my initial instincts, when the goons attacked, I found myself in the midst of them, trying to protect her. Afterwards, she punched me in the nose and stalked off. It was then that the Force prompted me that I needed to get her forgiveness."

"Who?"

"Jysella Horn," I whispered. I didn't really want to tell him, after all, the events of GAG boarding the Pulsar Skate were well known to the Jedi Council. As were the events that happened on the Anakin Solo shortly afterwards. As were the events that happened the next time that Jys saw me. Let's just say that the love tap she had given me earlier would have just been a warm-up for that particular day, and a big reason why I tried my best to forget she ever existed.

"Who?" His voice was slightly louder, and tinged with worry. I glanced over and saw that his cup had paused centimeters from his lips.

In a louder voice, I replied, "Jysella Horn."

He set the glass on the bar, and slid it down slightly. Then he slammed his forehead against the bar top. Lifted his head and did it again.

Then I heard him muttering to himself, "Kriff. Let me guess, Luke, this is payback for all the fodder that I caused you twenty years ago."

He slammed his head against the bar a final time and then lifted it, and turned to face me. "Let me get this right, you're wanting to become a Jedi, just so you can apologize to Jysella Horn."

I shook my head. "No. I'm wanting to become a Jedi so that I can get Jys' forgiveness. I've already apologized, but she's not accepted it yet. I think she's being a bit stubborn."

With one hand, Kyp grabbed at the bridge of his nose again and with the other raised his glass, attracting the attention of the bartender. "Another one please."

Then he drained the remaining ale and set the empty glass down on the bar top, watching the remaining foam slowly side down the side to pool at the bottom.

The bartender dropped off Kyp's new glass, and he quickly drained that one as well. He sighed, as he set it on the bar. "I'll have to take this to the Council. They need to be informed."

I grinned, knowing I had won. Of course, what Kyp said next wiped the grin off of my face.

"But that means you have to listen to the Council. No running off doing whatever you feel like. No special missions without approval. I don't even want to hear that you went to the refresher without permission."

I stopped. My initial thought was to get up and leave right then. To forget this forgiveness kriff and run away once more. I could feel the tension hanging like a taut wire around me in the Force. I felt its prodding at me to accept the terms. It was being unreasonably clear that I needed to do this. Why couldn't you have been this clear to understand back when Jacen was kriffing with my head?

I knew that I had to get her forgiveness, that the Force would harass me until I did so. Even though I was the son, and grandson, of the most powerful Force users in recorded history, it was rare for me to receive such clear guidance from the Force. It usually liked to play with little niggles of intent. If it had been the usual guidance which I received from the Force then I would have happily ignored it, gotten up from the bar, and walked back to my life.

Yet the Force was a clear song in my head, telling me in no uncertain terms that this was something I had to do.

Yet, I didn't want to be constrained the way Kyp was describing. I enjoyed my freedom. I sure wasn't going to give it up, just to get the forgiveness of a girl who hated me.

I didn't want to do this. I realized that. I knew it with everything I was.

You know what, I decided to myself, brushing off the little moral war that had been waging in my head. I can live with the Force nagging me. It'll stop sometime.

I could see the the brief light of hope on Kyp's face as he realized that I was on the verge of just walking away again. I don't think he had realized just how serious this was for me. I hadn't even realized how serious I was.

I opened my mouth to tell him the various ways which he could go kriff himself, a few of them not technically possible for human anatomy.

What came out was, "I understand, Master Durron."

Shavit.