Chapter Text
Kit Fisto stepped off the starship, inhaling the fresh air of Alderaan as he did. The planet was indeed beautiful, and he wish he could visit it more often, but the life of a Jedi would simply not allow it. This fact did not bother Kit, it was something he had come to terms with as many other Jedi had, and the older he got the more he accepted the strict rules that had been laid upon him. Though the life of a Jedi was harsh and demanding, it was also very rewarding and he would not give it up for anything. He suppose that on his next meditation retreat he could come back to the beautiful planet, but for now he was here for strictly business.
He had been sent from the Jedi temple to retrieve two younglings to begin their training, though he had a feeling he would only be leaving with one. The younglings in question were the heirs to the Dilhay Clan, an old tribe that resided on Alderaan. Even though Alderaan was a monarch planet the Dilhay Clan had lived there for generations among generations under their own laws, and from what Kit had been told the Alderaanians allowed this. It made sense considering the Alderaanians were a peaceful people. As far as he could tell the Dilahy Clan stayed secluded in the forests of Alderaan and were rather difficult to find; if it hadn’t been for the mother of the children reaching out to the Jedi these younglings would have never been found.
Also from what he had been told, however, the mother was not willing to give up both of her children. In reality she was reluctant to give up even one, and demanded to speak with the Jedi before she sent her child away. Kit imagined it made sense for it to be hard decisions. It was known that once you sent your child to train at the Temple it was likely you would never see them again. Kit supposed it was generous of the woman to even consider it and wanted to make sure she felt as comfortable with her decision as possible.
As he tracked through the thick forest he began to notice signs of civilization and mused he was going the right way. He could smell smoke, most likely from small fires, and hear small chatter in the distance in a language he did not understand. Following the sound he soon found himself in a small village, much to his surprise. The buildings were well crafted, more than he had originally thought they would be, and smoke bellowed out the top of a select few. Kit mused that these were probably butcher and smoke houses, and it was more than likely the people of this Clan were dependent on one another as most Clans were. Kit then noticed that massive building in the foreground, that must have been where his younglings were.
His sudden appearance did not go unnoticed, however, and he found many pairs of human eyes trained on him; he recognized them to be of a human race known as Asian, but he wasn’t sure which one. It was possible he was the first alien they had ever seen since it appeared star travel was not apart of their culture. He did not let this deter him though and put on a smile, speaking loudly enough so those within range could hear him clearly,
“Hello! I am Jedi Master Kit Fisto, I have come at the request Agala Dilhay. Do you know where I may find her?” It appeared that they did not understand his words and murmured among each other, confused and worried about his intent. Kit wondered why the Council did not send a translator droid with him, but then remembered they seemed doubtful Agala would hand her children over to begin with. Just as he was trying to think of another way of communication he noticed a small girl, no older than ten years old, approaching him. From her attire Kit assumed she was a servant girl, perhaps for Agala. She stopped in front of him and tilted her head back to look at him, an action Kit found rather amusing and he squatted down to her level so she would not have to strain her neck.
“You Mr. Fisto?” When she spoke Kit could tell she was not too familiar with the language, it sounded odd and broken, but he understood her nonetheless and gave her a small smile.
“Yes I am. Has your Master sent you?” The girl paused then nodded, though she only understood part of the question.
“I will take you to Her Majesty Dilhay now.” Kit nodded and stood up, allowing the young girl to gently grab his sleeve and lead him through the crowd of people. Honestly, Kit was relieved to have been found by the child. Even though he knew Agala and her children resided at the huge building he was being led towards he also knew that the place was probably guarded. The little girl has referred to her as ‘Majesty’, so even if Agala was not the Queen of this planet, she was definitely the Queen to these people.
As the two reached the wide entry way Kit saw he had been correct, and there were indeed multiple guards posted at the entrance. At first when they saw Kit they tensed up, but immediately relaxed when they saw the little girl as well. She stopped in front of them and bowed as one spoke to her in their strange language. They conversed for a moment before the guards stepped aside and allowed them through. The inside of the apparent palace looked even more lavish than the outside and was constructed as beautifully as the Jedi Temple.
As the girl led him through the main hall he wondered how a Clan who kept to themselves and didn’t travel had the ability and resources to build such an elaborate palace, and had the knowledge to know of Jedi or even speak English. He was broken from these thoughts as the little girl stopped at another large door and let go of his sleeve to point at the door as she looked back at him,
“Her Majesty resides here. Be respectful. Answer her questions. I must go.” Kit nodded and after a small pause patted the child on the head.
“I understand. Thank you for your help, young one.” The girl seemed surprised but then gave him a shy smile and a giggle before running off. Kit smiled as he watched her run down the hall before taking a moment to prepare himself and opening the door. It opened with a loud creaking sound and before Kit could even step in heard the distinctive laughter from children and upon entering he was greeted by the sight of two twin girls playing. They looked to be about four or five years old and were dressed rather nicely. Both wore flowing red dresses with long sleeves that went past their hands; one had her hair neatly cut with the ends of her hair curling up her face, the other one’s hair was long and messy, obstructing a little bit of her face. The most distinctive feature, however, was that both had greenish blue eyes. As far as Kit knew that was not a common color for Asians to have.
The room itself was big, and if Kit had to guess was a tea room considering the table in the middle and the open balcony ahead of him. On the balcony lounged a woman with her back to him, a woman he assumed to Agala Dilhay. Her hair was long and laid all around her and from what he could see she also wore a red dress similar to the younglings. Before he could even announce his presence one of the girls - the messy one - noticed him, and stopped what she was doing to run up to him.
She observed him for a moment before giving him a wide grin and waving, attempting to speak to him in her odd language. From the tone of her voice Kit could tell she was excited, her sister, however, stood back shyly. Hearing her daughter’s voice Agala turned her head to look in their direction and upon seeing Kit she stood up, also speaking in her native language. Kit was about to inform her that he didn’t understand but then realize she was talking to her daughter, who pouted and backed away from the Jedi. Agala approached Kit, motioning for him to sit at the table.
“Welcome Mr. Fisto, I have been waiting for you. Please have a seat, we have much to discuss.” Kit noticed she also had the heavy accent her servant did, but she didn’t seem to have any problem speaking to him. Kit smiled and sat crossed legged on the floor as she requested.
“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long, Ms. Dilhay. Your village is deep within the forest, I had a little trouble finding a place to land.” She sat across from him and Kit noticed that she had brown eyes. That meant the girls must have took after their father.
“I understand and apologize. We like our privacy, obviously, and don’t like to be bothered. My ancestors built this village a long time ago, long before the galaxy was riddled with war and Jedi were actually peacekeepers.” Kit was surprised and Agala did not fail to notice, smirking before continuing. “We may be distance and out of touch with the galaxy but we are not uninformed. We do like our privacy but that does not mean we are cut off. Other than our history logs some of my people do travel into cities from time to time. Not many of us can speak your language, but my father always made sure I was properly educated, as I have done with my children.”
“I see…I must say, Ms. Dilahy, that I am impressed with your village. Your ancestors have done a wonderful job, and I only imagine your leadership has improved it.” Agala laughed and brought her hand to her mouth,
“I see you’re a charmer, Mr. Fisto, but there is no need to flatter me. I simply want to make sure my people remain at peace and happy. Would you like something to drink?” Kit shook his head, a smile on his face. He had to admit he felt way less nervous than he did before. Agala did not seem nearly as tyrannical or cold as the Council had made her out to be. She seemed rather reasonable in his opinion, perhaps he could convince her,
“I thank you, but I think its best to move onto business for now. I can sense your worry and would like to ease your mind. You said your children were Force sensitive, but why wait so long to contact the Temple?” Agala went silent and avoided his eyes for a moment,
“Because as their mother I was concerned; Jedi these days are not like what they use to be. They could be killed before they even finish their training. Not only that but I was also concerned for my people. I have to have an heir, and its no longer possible for me to have another child.” Kit was confused before he sensed her sudden depression and realizing that her husband must have been dead.
“I am sorry, Ms. Dilhay. May I ask how many years?” Agala was silent again for a few moments before answering,
“It happened before they were even born. Our marriage was short but fulfilling. He wasn’t even one of our’s, he was an Alderrian. I won’t go into details about him since there are more pressing issues here. My point, Mr. Fisto, is that if you can convince me I will allow you take one of my daughters to the Jedi Temple, but only one.”
“I understand. I will agree with you that being a Jedi is far more dangerous than it use to be, but with the proper training one can handle themselves very well. I can sense the Force in both of your daughters, just as I can in you, and its strong. I believe either of them would serve well as a Jedi.” Agala smiled a little as she turned her head to look at her children, who had moved their game outside. Kit could still sense her worry but it was far less as strong as it was before. “You were an only child, correct? Is that why your parents never sent you to the Temple?”
“Yes,” She turned back around to face him, “my father did not want anymore children. He believed that I would make a fine leader, so he never contacted the Jedi. Though to be honest I was never very good with the Force anyway.” Kit didn’t believe that statement but decided not to voice it, right now he was more interested in the girls.
“May I test them? I would like to see how they have progressed on their own. Ideally they’re already too old, but if they’re strong enough they will be accepted.” Agala nodded before standing up and calling to her daughters.
“Lunaria! Mei-Zhen! Come here please.” Both girls looked over before walking back in and standing obediently in front of their mother. “This is Master Fisto, from the Jedi Temple we talked about. Introduce yourselves like I taught you.” Both girls nodded and the one with curly hair stepped forward before bowing.
“Hello, Master Fisto, my name is Mei-Zhen. Its nice to meet you.” As she stood back up her sister stepped forward, seemingly a lot more excited, and spoke,
“Hi! Its very nice to meet you! My name is Lunaria! Please consider me to become a Jedi, sir!” She saluted and playfully stuck her tongue out, prompting Agala to scold her in their native language. Kit on the other hand couldn’t help but laugh. He liked her energy and found her to be as adorable as she was amusing.
“Its nice to meet you both as well. If it is ok with you both I’d like to test your ability.” Mei-Zhen shrugged while Lunaria nodded enthusiastically making Kit smile once again. Looking around he spotted a hand sized red ball and stood up to retrieve it. Once he did he walked back to the girls, Agala backing up to create some room for him, and he kneeled down in front of them.
“If possible I would like to see if you can lift this with your special abilities. Mei-Zhen, would you like to go first?” Kit sat the ball on the floor and scooted back and the child nodded and shyly spoke,
“O-ok…” She looked down at the toy before taking a small breath in and closed her eyes, concentrating, and after a moment Kit could see the ball lifting off the ground ever so slightly. She was only able to lift as far as her knees and her hold on it was shaky but Kit was still impressed she was able to hold it for so long for being untrained. After a few more seconds she lost her grip and the ball fell to the ground, bouncing as it did.
“You did well, youngling. Lunaria, would you like to try?”
“Yes sir!” Kit smiled and brought the toy over to her and sat it down before once again moving back. Lunaria closed her eyes and stuck her tongue out in concentration. A few moments passed and it seemed like she wasn’t going to be able to do it, much to Kit’s disappointment, but before he could say anything the toy was lifted off the ground.
Kit expected it to go as far as Mei-Zhen’s did, but to his surprise it kept going up, almost past the youngling’s head. It looked like her grip on it was much more secure as well as it did not shake. She was also able to hold it for much longer and Kit couldn’t help the smile on his face. He could already see so much potential in her. She was the one he wanted. The one the Jedi needed. When she released her grip on the ball it bounced across the floor and Lunaria smiled at him,
“Did I do ok?”
“You most certainly did. I am very impressed.” He looked up Agala, “Both of your daughters are highly skilled. I will respect your decision, but I would like to take one of my choosing back with me for training. I swear to you I will take care of her for you, I will make sure she can take care of herself. I will not let any harm come her away.” Agala took a sharp breath in and closed her eyes, obviously thinking, as her two daughters looked up at her. After taking a moment she looked at Kit,
“I will let her decide. Whichever one you want, ask her. If she chooses to go with you, then I will not argue.” Kit nodded, pleased with her decision, she truly wanted to make sure he daughter would end up where she wanted to be. He stood up and looked at the two girls; while Mei-Zhen was much more level headed her connection to the Force was much weaker than Lunaria’s. She would serve much better as a Queen than a Jedi. Kit approached Lunaria and once again knelt to her eye level.
“Tell me young one, has your mother told you what a Jedi is?” Lunaria grinned and nodded,
“Uh-huh! She told me that Jedi are peacekeepers of the Galaxy that helps people in need and have powers normal people do not.” Kit nodded,
“That is correct. However, sometimes Jedi have to fight other people to keep the peace, and they have to train long before they can really be Jedi. Also, once they begin training they’re not allowed to see their families anymore. Are you sure you could do that?” Lunaria frowned a little and was quiet. Kit knew that it must have sounded scary to such a young girl and could sense doubt within her, but she eventually nodded,
“It sounds really lonely, but I would be ok because I would know that everything I was doing would be protecting them. Right?” Kit smiled and patted her head,
“Yes you would. You would be protecting a lot of people.” Lunaria’s smile returned and Kit went on, “Then would agree to come to the Temple to train?”
“Hm…yes I would.” Kit heard Agala make a small noise, obviously upset, but Lunaria turned around to face her. Though Kit couldn’t understand what the youngling said he saw it made her mother smile and she picked up the young girl to hold her. Mei-Zhen looked at her sister curiously, though she also seemed a little upset herself. Kit understood this and allowed them to have their moment.
After all was said and done and Lunaria had packed a few of her items she and Kit stood at the front gates of the palace. Lunaria gave one final hug to her sister, both holding on tightly, before uttering a few last words to each other. Once they were finished Kit gently took the young girl’s hand and led her away. As they walked through the village the people parted out of the way, and bowed. They seemed to realize that their princess, for whatever reason, was not returning and it was then Kit fully realized how much this child meant to other people.
He looked down and saw that she was waving to the people as she passed them and smiled. He could already tell that by her compassion alone, she was going to make a remarkable Jedi.