I Want to be Your Knight: Chapter 10

Chapter 9

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After I had fled the Council chambers, I returned to my room. I walked in and pulled up my account on the terminal, and found the message with my new room assignment. It was in a currently unused section of the Temple. I shrugged my shoulders and began packing up the few personnel possessions that I had brought to the Temple. I kept most of my stuff on the Jade's Scion but even still, living in one place for any amount of time things seem to gather around you. I often wondered if that was the real reason the Jedi of the Old Republic eschewed personnel possessions. They just didn't want their 10,000 Knights to have to pack up too much junk every time they got new quarters assigned to them.

I glanced at the chrono and noticed that I only had a few minutes before saber practice. Putting in a call to maintenance to have my boxes moved to my new quarters, I left the room. As the door closed, I stared at it for a few moments, a wistful smile came to my face as I remembered all the pranks that had been played on me here.

And I wondered just what Jysella would do to me now that she had even easier access to me.

Giving my head a quick shake, I ran off to saber practice.

A little over an hour later, I stepped into our new quarters, and looked around. It consisted of a large common room, one big enough for us all to easily gather together for discussions and meals. A food prep area with a table was situated at one end of the room. Along the far wall from the doorway were four additional doors.

I walked to one of the doors, and pushed it open. To find Jysella in the middle of getting changed.

I knew I shouldn't have watched. That I should have closed the door, and went to a different room. But I couldn't help myself. I was transfixed by it. The simple motions she made. The way her body moved. I was staring. Just the way her body looked. Don't get me wrong, there was nothing seductive or teasing about it. She wasn't putting on one of those shows that the guys in my old squad in the Guard would sneak me into. In fact, the only skin I actually saw was her back. She was simply changing from her Jedi robes into her more casual Corellian-style clothing.

Yet there was something alluring and desirable about how she did it, something which those girls who stripped as a performance just couldn't match. Maybe it was she was just being herself, and not trying to perform. Or maybe it was just because she was Jysella, and one of the most beautiful girls I had ever seen. All, I knew was that I couldn't tear my eyes from her.

After a moment, she seemed to sense me, and glanced over her shoulder. When her eyes connected with mine, fire flashed in them, and she screamed and threw out her hand in my direction.

Instinctively, I threw up a Force shield to protect me from a blast of telekinesis, too late remembering her family's famous lack of it. Pain lanced through my head, and my hands grabbed at my forehead, as I snapped my head back. I squeezed my eyes shut as the pain ripped a harsh cry from my lips.

I dropped to my knees, every muscle in my body tightened and stretched from the pain that lanced through me.

Suddenly, Seha's voice rang out, "Jys! Stop it!"

As fast as the pain appeared it disappeared, and I slumped forward, resting my head against the ground. Shivers raced through my form.

Fingers gingerly touched the back of my head, stroking my hair as another shudder wracked my frame.

Seha's voice was soft and close by, "Ben? Ben? Are you all right?"

Jys' came from further away, but surprisingly it contained a hint of sorrow and worry. "Skywalker... I'm sorry, I... You... I was just... you surprised me."

I grunted an acknowledgment and then inhaled deeply. I held that breath for a five count, before slowly exhaling. Then I repeated the process, performing that simple exercise in an effort to get control of my body again. Trying to stop the shakes which would occasionally slice through me.

I felt Seha's fingers run through my hair again, and sighed in relief as the last of the pain faded from my mind. I sat up, a wave of dizziness assailing me.

Once that had passed, I glanced at Seha, and gave her a grin, and said, "Thanks."

She nodded her head once, and just continued to kneel there beside me. I then turned and looked up at Jysella. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Jys. I, I should've knocked before I walked in."

I shouldn't have been staring, I thought to myself.

Seha laid her hand on my shoulder as she spoke up. "This is going to take a bit of getting used to for all of us. We've all gotten used to living alone in our own rooms. It's a bit harder to do this living together."

Jysella nodded her head once, and then turned away, walking back into her room. She pushed the door closed behind her.

Seha stood up, and helped me to my feet. I was still slightly shaky, so I stumbled over to the couch and dropped onto it, leaning my head back, and rubbing at my temples with my hands.

From behind the couch, Seha batted my hands away, and gently rubbed at my temples. I felt the Force flow through her, soothing the jagged, frayed neurons of my brain.

I opened my eyes, to find her staring down at me, intently watching me. I grinned at her. "You're pretty good at this healing stuff."

A slow smile appeared on her face. "My skills tend to lean towards the healing arts. Most of my training before this year had been focused on it actually."

The Force tapered off, and she pushed my head forward, as her hands moved down my head, and began to massage my neck. After a few minutes of the massage, her fingers pulled away from my neck, and she walked around the couch to sit beside me. I watched as she settled herself sideways on the couch facing me, her legs tucked up beneath her, and one arm stretched out on the back of the couch.

I noticed that a blush had cropped up on her cheeks as she noticed my watching her. I looked away, and leaned back again.

Jysella came out of her room, she took one look at me, and blushed. Then she headed for the door. When she reached it, she tossed a wave over her shoulder, and called out, "I'm going out for a bit. I'll be back later."

Then she was gone, and I suddenly realized that I was alone in the room with Seha. I swallowed and looked over at her, noticing that she was staring off into space, chewing on a knuckle. I thought she looked cute like that, innocent and carefree. I leaned back again, and stared at the ceiling, more than happy to just sit in this room quietly.

In truth, before coming back to complete my training, it had been a while since I had spent any time around people even close to my own age. I hadn't realized how much I missed being with people that were almost the same physical age as me. I hoped that it would be a few years before Seha or Jys had to see or do the types of things that would age them to how old I felt mentally and emotionally most of the time.

We sat in that comfortable silence for a short while, until she spoke up. Her voice was soft and hesitant. "I... I never did get to thank you."

I tilted my head on the back of the couch, until I was looking at her. "Thank me? For what?"

"For everything you did for me on Myrkr. You carried me all that way, never complaining, just so we wouldn't fail. And you took care of my wounds. I wouldn't have ever thought to use the vornskr's bones as splints."

I chuckled. "Well, they weren't the best option, but I guess they worked." Without thinking, I reached over and patted her knee. "Besides, I have the feeling that you would have done the same for me."

She looked down at my hand, a blush coming to her cheeks, as she slowly shook her head. "Actually... that's another reason why I have to say thank you. I... I don't think that before our trip that I would have helped you. I kind of thought you were arrogant and... well, mean."

I snorted at her description of me. "You've been listening to Jys too much I think."

She blushed from the base of her neck to the tips of her ears. Something which only made her cuter. "Maybe. But I think I know better now. You can be arrogant, but you're not really mean. At least not on purpose."

I looked at her for a moment, and then shook my head as best I could without lifting it from the couch. "Don't get it wrong, Seha. I am arrogant, and I am perfectly capable of being mean. But what I'm not is cruel. If I'm mean, it's because there's a purpose to it. Jace... he did a lot of things just because, just to be cruel. I don't... I refuse to be that way. Do you understand?"

She smiled and nodded her head slightly. "Yes I do. Now, is there anything I can do as a thank you?"

I smiled at her, and shook my head again. "It's not a problem, Seha. We're teammates, we look out for each other."

She frowned for a moment, and then scooted closer to me, invading deeply into my personal space. I could smell the slight flowery scent of her shampoo. Instinctively, I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, savoring the scent. It took me a second, but I finally placed it. It was Magnolia. A Corellian flower, which Uncle Wedge and Aunt Iella used to grow in the flower gardens of their estate on Corellia. I smiled at the memories from my early childhood. From before Jacen had returned from his self-imposed exile. From before Corellia and the Guard. Just before.

Seha's voice intruded, sounding close by. I opened my eyes, and found her face hovering centimeters from mine, that blush still burning her cheeks. "I still... I... Thank you, Ben. Really."

Then she pressed her lips against mine and was kissing me.

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Chapter 11