DISCLAIMER: Star Wars and all publicly recognisable characters, names and references, etc are the sole property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm Ltd, Lucasarts Inc and 20th Century Fox. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment purposes and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author. Not to be archived without permission of the author(s).
Master Yaniko deliberately slowed her pace as she approached her quarters, tension knotting in her stomach as she thought of the young Padawan within. No matter how hard she tried to connect with the boy, she repeatedly failed, and her frustration was mounting.
The last couple of months since she’d chosen him, she’d done nothing but try to give him what she thought he would want and need as part of his training. Her first two apprentices had been female, so she felt as if she were at a great disadvantage, which wasn’t helping. It also didn’t help that she seemed to have a knack for choosing apprentices who were her complete opposites, and as a result, she had never experienced a close Master-Apprentice bond.
The first Padawan she trained had possessed great Force potential and a strong ability to see possible future paths. However, the young woman had also been extremely active, flighty, and disinclined to study or engage in much deep thought. Meditation was a necessity to be endured, not a pleasure as it was for Yaniko, whose strength lay in her attunement with the living Force. She had tried to teach her first student as she herself had been taught, relying on her own strengths and talents.
They had both been utterly miserable.
As a result, Yaniko had changed to accommodate her apprentice’s needs, which meant she still felt miserable because the new lessons forced her to act more and think less, but at least she no longer felt as if she were failing her Padawan.
And then she managed to make a similar choice the next time: great potential but another personality which clashed with her own. Again, she had to adapt--and she had vowed to stop taking on apprentices. A promise to herself that she had fully intended to keep since it meant she had time to read and meditate in peace without having to wonder how best to occupy a bored and restless Padawan.
But there had been something about this boy...A boy! she thought with a silent groan. Two energetic young girls had been bad enough. At least she understood the female mind, but a boy...She had never shared quarters with a male of any age at any time in her life. Her lovers had been few and far between, and the relationships had never lasted long enough to any sort of permanent arrangement. She had no idea what young boys wanted or needed. All she knew of them was what she had seen at the Temple. The young men there tended to be loud, exuberant, boisterous, spilling over with energy.
Sighing as the doors to her quarters slid open, she glanced around, half-expecting the place to be a shambles; it was the first time she had left him alone there, and she had heard horror stories from other Masters about young men and their typical slovenliness. But everything was just as she had left it, and she thought briefly about his room, how meticulously kept it was, wondering if he were orderly by nature or if he kept his room tidy out of apprehension of her reaction if he did not.
That was another problem, she mused. She always got the feeling he was both tip-toeing around her to keep her happy with him while simultaneously keeping her at a distance. With every day that passed, she could feel the walls between them growing taller and wider.
Just then he stepped out of his room, probably having sensed her presence, a curious look on his face. Was that a flicker of disappointment in his eyes when he saw her? Probably.
Why in the name of all the small gods had she chosen him?
Silly question. She knew why. As with her previous two students, she had sensed great potential within him. Greater, perhaps, even than theirs. For whatever reason, no other Master had wanted to choose him. Probably because of his awkwardness--which he would grow out of but which made early training difficult--and his willful streak. THAT had been very much in evidence when he had dared to stand up and announce he didn’t intend to fight in the Battle Arena because he thought it was unfair.
To some, this was probably seen as evidence that he was rebellious, too independent-minded to adapt to the rules.
To Yaniko, it was a refreshing change.
She knew her idea that rules were sometimes meant to be broken wasn’t a popular one. There were far more staid, conservative minds in the Temple than free-thinking ones. But she couldn’t nurture that independent spirit the boy possessed if she couldn’t connect with him...