12

                                    

                                          
the trek back to the ship was one that marwen paid little attention to. her and anakin shared few words, but rather listened to the crunching of snow beneath their feet. the younglings bounded in excitement at their new crystals. one of them, a little girl, had gotten a purple one. the others were impressed.
                          
marwen couldn't help but think about her own, the light blue hue reflecting the same shade as her eyes. blue was the color of the protector, the guardian of the force. she didn't feel as brave as what this tiny stone expected of her.
                          
when the ship had taken off to return the group to coruscant, the younglings had gathered in the construction room to prepare their hilts. marwen had seated herself across from a twilek girl whose crystal had been green.
                          
the first to construct their hilt had been anakin. the blueprints for previous sabers had all been kept in the ship's archive, he had simply whipped together his previous design with the flick of his wrist. it took the younglings a longer time.
                          
marwen fiddled with her materials, giving them a shakey hover as she turned them over in the air for inspection. it had taken her a couple attempts, but she had been the second to finish her saber. the tip anakin had given her in the cave had a lasting impact, it seemed. and it worked to marwen's benefit.
                          
in order to test her new sword, the girl powered on a training remote. the droid hovered to life, vibrating for a moment before igniting a blast. marwen tilted her blade to reflect it. she smiled, tossing the hilt over in her hand. this will do, she thought.
                          
another blast fired, quickly flung in response with the blue blade. again, she blocked a blast. the younglings watched her, some sucked into the action, others rushing to finish their sabers in order to join her. marwen increased the difficulty to present a challenge, but also partly to provide the children with a bit of entertainment.
                          
her blocks were quick and close to her body, a reflection of the shien technique she had grown to favor. something she had underestimated, however, was the heat of her saber. with a sharp turn, she had nearly singed her calf. the girl winced, only to be shot in the shoulder with one of the blasts--- on a stun setting, thankfully.
                          
marwen gasped, stumbling and cursing under her breath. it was the same shoulder she had been hit with a year prior. anakin took a hesitant step towards her.
                          
"are you okay?" he asked, reaching to help her up. marwen ignored his hand and struggled to her feet on her own. she rolled her shoulder in her hand.
                          
"fine." she said flatly. some of the younglings snickered. anakin eyed her for a moment.
                          
"don't get ahead of yourself with those things. training with a staff is one thing, but lightsabers are a whole other realm." he explained gently. marwen gritted her teeth, letting her arms relax again.
                          
"yes, as i've gathered." the girl closed her saber and hooked the hilt to her belt. "i myself am more of a blaster kind of girl." she said, growing uncomfortable with the eyes on her. anakin gave an amused huff in response.
                          
the group returned to coruscant and exited to the temple, met at the landing pad by master yoda. 
                          
he had come to view the newfound tools created by the next generation of padawan learners. "glad i am, of your safe return, younglings." he nodded respectfully. marwen and anakin stood behind the rest of the children. yoda gave them a nod. "and grateful we are, for your supervision, young skywalker." anakin bowed.
                          
"master yoda! look!" the girl with the purple saber ignited her blade. yoda nodded in approval.
                          
"the violet blade." he commented. "a sign of control and self-discipline, it is proven to be. wield it well, young one." yoda told her. the girl bowed at him, and trotted off.
                          
the children presented their swords, one by one. anakin simply rolled his over in his palm. master yoda gave a chuckle. "why fix something that's not broken?" anakin said, glancing back at marwen.
                          
"definitely not the same reason that one would replace something that is lost." she quipped back. anakin shook his head.
                          
it was marwen's turn to present her lightsaber.
                          
the blade ignited. yoda hummed to himself, and gave a nod. "the blade of the protector, you have created. a path for you, the force has materialized. now is the time, young qun, to hone your training. soon, you must join master obiwan." marwen closed her blade and bowed.
                          
"thank you, master yoda." she said. she was grateful for yoda's words. regardless of whether or not she believed them, they still provided structure. a sense of purpose had been materilized, at least in those few seconds.
                          
"you are dismissed, young padawan." yoda said. marwen returned her gaze to him from the ground and offered a small smile. she nodded and started off. anakin had begun to follow for a moment, until master yoda stopped him. "young skywalker, speak, we must still." he said. his tone had changed slightly. not negative, just---farther. marwen turned back to the two jedi, her brow lower on her eyes. anakin turned from yoda and offered her a nod before he turned away. marwen hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to make of the energy shift. instead of over analyzing, she turned towards the temple and jogged off.