I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love-
I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.
—Edgar Allen Poe, 'Annabel Lee'

"There is an Inner Rim planet called Manaan." The Grandmaster said, patting the fresh soil around the newly planted flower. With all her power, it surprised me that she did not simply use the Force to make it bloom and grow quickly so that we could experience its beauty. Still, with all the power she possessed, I was not surprised that she would want to feel mortal by doing something as simple as manual labor

"On this planet," she continued, "I met my greatest friend and companion." Again, she said the word like it was carefully selected. "Our relationship blossomed after we tried to kill each other. I was Sith, and she was a Jedi. Our partnership was forbidden, but it profited both of us."

I looked at Master Thraina and began to grasp just how old she was. Several millennia ago, the Sith had been wiped out to near extinction, and then they only existed in pacts of two or three at most.

But when the ancient being said 'Sith', I had a feeling she was referring to days when both the Republic and the Empire struggled to survive simultaneously. It was not a long period, a little less than a century of tense peace, but it was the last great technological revolution, the last philosophical leap, and the time when the greatest beings in history were being born, bred, and defeated.

It was the fall of the Empire and the beginning of the current Republic.

The end of the Old Republic.

I looked at Grandmaster Thraina was a newfound admiration. I wondered just how much her colorless eyes had seen: the battles, the people, the leaders, the wars. I wondered how many times she had taken a life as a Sith, how many corrupt leaders, Jedi, and fellow Sith she had slain.

I could tell she was a warrior by the way her hands could delicately move across the dirt: strong and firm, but gentle and careful. I tried to fathom how many times she had swung a lightsaber, how many times she had heard the hum of those glorious blades.

And most of all, I wanted to have a count of the number of people she had even glanced at. The galaxy was a large place, and she had probably been acquainted with people who had died so long ago that they were untraceable through history.

I could see that Master Thraina had an idea of what I was thinking. "I try not to think much on the past, but it is necessary that you know our basic history." She sighed heavily, as if the weight of her own consciousness was crashing down on her. "We had many adventures together. Even after the Jedi and Sith Councils found out about our alliance, they allowed up to continue with our endeavors because of its fruitfulness."

I realized with a start that this partner was the one who was supposed to sit in the unoccupied space on the Dark Council. My language barrier somehow becoming nonexistent, I asked, "How did she die?"

Master Thraina's clear eyes seemed to gain a slight blue tint, like the thought of her lost friend brought some human emotion. "I do not wish to get into details, but know that, sometimes, death is the ultimate kindness we can grant those we care for."

"One time," she continued. "We were venturing into deep space. Our coordinates were faulty, and our hyperdrive was failing, a parting gift of some pirates on Bakura. We were hit by a bright light, like the stars we exploding into a gateway. Next thing we knew, we were on a strange, powerful planet. We were greeted by beings of immense power. If I did not know better, I would say they were the universe itself." I could hardly imagine anyone more powerful than Master Thraina, but she seemed positive.

"There was an old, kindly man who explained to us the necessity of balance in the Force. He told us that he would grant us his ability to keep the Force in check as much as possible. He gave us time to find ten other wiling participants who craved only knowledge but not power. To this day, it is us who hold the burden of the Force, making sure it does not snap or unravel all of time and space."

She turned to me and looked directly into my eyes. "This is the job of the Dark Jedi, to protect and maintain the Force, but not to harness it. The twelve of us on the Council are responsible for it as a whole, but we can lay part out loads on our apprentices and padawans."

"You..." I struggled for words. "Hold up the sky?"

Amusement was obvious in her aura. "In a way, yes, though that is a more figurative analogy."

I had endless questions, but one seemed to loom over all the others. "I am to become Dark Jedi?" I immediately recognized my error in the word placement, but Master Thraina understood.

All of the flowers sat in a neat row, each seemingly reaching out to Master Thraina, wanting to touch her glorious power and fill themselves with energy until they could drink no more.

"If that is your wish," she answered. "But I sense you will become great regardless of what path you take."

Noticing that I, like the flowers, had gravitated toward Master Thraina, I stepped back, trying to ignore the enthrallment of her essence. "I want to." I put plainly.

Though she did not physically reflect it, I could feel the surge of the color gray in her aura. "Once you start, there is no going back." She warned. Her expression was deadly serious.

Master Thraina wiped her dirty hands against each other to rid them of soil. "You will be subject to our rules and expectation, and you will be treated as if you have always been part of our culture. I do not know if anyone has told you, but you are older than most."

I nodded acceptingly.

"Then things will begin tomorrow." She stated. "For today, you will be a guest. Tomorrow, you will be Dark Jedi."

The words came with a promise: I would learn more about the culture, the attitudes, and the nature of the Dark Jedi as well as train with them the way I had seen Jedi padawans train.

I thought of my brother. An immediate tug in my chest jolted me back to the reality that I was away from him. I immediately felt guilty, thinking about all the people Master Thraina had not seen again. How could the pain of being away from my family compare to the pain of never seeing the ones you love thousands of years later?

We were back in the lift, presumably to return to the Council chamber. Another question burned in my mind, this one from simply curiosity. "Master," I started. "Your friend, the one you speak of, who was she?"

I knew I had made a verb tense error, but that did not matter.

I regretted asking, feeling the sorrow radiate off the Grandmaster. "To everyone else, she was Shy." I saw the barest trace of a sad smile, as if the memory was painful, but happy. "But to me, so long ago that we may as well have been children, she was my Lee."

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

{A/N:
"I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love-
I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me."

For those who don't know, I love Poe, and 'Annabel Lee' is a particularly sad poem. I purposefully chose it because of the similarity of names, if you didn't notice.

Also, some basic background for you new readers, as well as some new elements for y'all who've been here a while. Don't worry... we'll get to the good stuff soon.

Tbh I've really been thinking about an Old Republic series with Thraina and Shy. I wouldn't do one unless I had enough support behind it, because I know all the stories and I've got lots of ideas of what they went through. My question is if anyone would read it. The Old Republic is probably my favorite SW era and I'd love to explore it more with the Dark Jedi characters.