𝕮𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗜𝗩𝗘
━━ 𝙃𝙐𝙉𝙂𝙍𝙔, 𝙀𝘼𝙂𝙀𝙍 𝙃𝘼𝙉𝘿𝙎

𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘥
𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯?

━━ 𝘊𝘙𝘠𝘓𝘓𝘌𝘚
𝟸𝟹 𝙱𝙱𝚈

𝗢𝗡𝗟𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗞𝗬 is her limit as Selyn steps onto the citadel's roof the next morning.

The world is honey-covered, painted in this rare light that only exists in that strange time between night and day; and hazy sunlight dipped in gold is a warm caress on her face. The desert cools down dramatically over the night with only the stone to keep the day's heat and Selyn's breath forms little clouds before her face. The air is clear, so fresh and cold it almost hurts her lungs as she inhales deeply.

Sol city is silent, all the sparkling roofs lie peacefully, as if still slumbering. The world seems to be slower, like a drowsy cat opening one watchful eye, waiting for something to happen. Hesitating to break this magic spell of peace tainting every second. Time is frozen, as if some celestial being takes every moment and stretches it into eternity.

The roof is spacious, big enough for her to practice her moves. At first she had hesitated upon the Queen's offer to use this place for training, after all it is the highest man-made point of the city, closest to Elowyn and used for ceremonies, called the air temple due to its lack of confiding roofs or walls.

"Isn't it disrespectful if we're using this place just to train?" she had asked.

"No, it's not," the Queen had reassured her. "The air temple is sacred, but so are we – after all we're filled with Avaar's breath of life. We honour this place by filling it with that life and giving something back to Avaar."

And so Selyn works, fighting her way through different forms and stances and counterstrikes, all quiet but the gentle tapping of her feet and her controlled breath.

The pale blue sky hangs above her, no clouds, wide and clear and endless.

Block. Attack. Duck.

Selyn aims for each move to be perfect; she carves them thoughtfully with the strength of her muscles and the discipline that has kept her sharp and focused for many years now. Ambition has been her closest companion since she became a padawan, and it has taught her some lessons. The first one being: she chooses her limits herself, and these boundaries of what she can and cannot do can always be pushed a little further. So, let the sky be her limit - she can reach for it.

And she will.

Selyn has always been extraordinarily ambitious, always the first one to show up to classes in order to occupy the first row, always asking questions, yearning for a deeper understanding of the world. She has been the most determined in all the lightsaber classes, has concentrated on every move until she thought her head might explode. Has absorbed the Jedi master's wisdom, had taken what she needed with hungry, eager hands.

Naboo. Chommell sector. Obital period of 312 standard days.

Corellia. Corellia system. Orbital period of 329 standard days.

Selyn has known it all. Has studies every star, every system.

That might have been the reason why she never had many friends, but she has never minded that much – or at least that was what she convinced herself of when she sat alone in the canteen – because she held this unwavering confidence that one day she would be one of the greatest.

And if necessary, she would twist apart starlight forged paths, would carve her way with her bare hands, would give her blood and her tears, drop by drop. She would tear that wisdom out of the library's awaiting hands, would demand the impossible from her body and then a little more, she would work until she is covered in the sweat of her triumphs completely.

Selyn turns around, completing a graceful twist with her saber to find Anakin standing at the edge of the roof.

Neither one of them breaks the silence that envelops them, she just shoots him a questioning glance upon which he nods agreeingly.

And not a word is uttered as they begin to fight, slowly at first, but their movements get faster with every strike. It is like an unspoken agreement, none of them willing to break this peaceful, unstained silence, clear and bright like the morning itself.

The sun gains on intensity, buttery warm light painting the edges of their silhouette golden, and still, it stays quiet, a warm sense of tranquillity tying them together. Gold clashes against blue, the humming of the sabers and their heartbeat is the only melody they follow, talking just with the language of their bodies. The living rings above them are their silent observer, the light grey marks looking as if someone had cut the fabric of the world there.

Cleodys. Her mother. Coming home again.

All those thoughts, all those worries, they arise and then dissolve like mist under the bright sun.

I cannot reach Cleodys. I cannot reach my sister.

Selyn lets go of that thought as well, dismissing it into this golden pool of peace and silence. She lets the beauty of this moment drain out the darkness that has gathered inside her the past few hours, the frustration, the fear, the anger, until she is light and bright again, glass-made. Her mind is at peace, it has returned to that place atop the shore at last; distantly she hears the rumble of the waves against the cliffs, steady like a heartbeat.

Anakin's and her feet beat the ground with a steady rhythm, but now the pace picks up until they turn and twist, the tips of their lightsabers creating blurred lines around them.

He smiles, enjoying the heat of the moment as much as she does. The sweat dripping down their necks as the sun rises even higher. The exhaustion and the adrenaline.

She jumps up, twisting in the air above his head as their sabers crash against each other, and for a moment she is weightless. The force resonates through her body as she lands again in perfect stance.

But now her competitive side is starting to get the better of her. She wanted to win against him before, she always does, but as the fight drags out the need to triumph grows even stronger.

Selyn tries to trick him, but he sees it coming. She ducks and rolls, but his lightsaber is there, blocking a strike towards his legs. She tries some other feints, but just as she expected he is ready each time.

So something unexpected it is then. Something that would really throw him off. His flushed cheeks from the other morning flash before her vision, she thinks of how flustered he gets around her sometimes...but that would be kind of mean, but – on the other hand, she thinks, she really wants to win.

And so, without giving it another thought, she turns and then just smiles at him, brightly, innocently.

He pauses just for a heartbeat, obviously puzzled, lowering his lightsaber slightly. "What-"

For a moment, he returns the smile tentatively, but just as quickly he realizes that her foot is now aiming for his wrist. But it is too late, she hits, and the weapon is clattering to the ground, and now out of balance, Anakin falls backwards.

Selyn triumphantly points her saber at his heart, her chest heaving from the effort. "I win, Skywalker." But he just grins, squinting his eyes against the sun.

"That was not exactly fair what you did there."

"Why not? All I did was smile at you."

"Yes, and it's unsettling," he grumbles. "You never smile at me, unless I'm in serious trouble or danger."

As she raises an eyebrow, lowering the sizzling tip of her weapon even further toward his chest, he adds: "Fine - you win."

Selyn smiles lightly, offering her hand to help him up. "Good fight, Chosen One."

He makes a face, and Selyn feels the mood shift like a sudden drop in temperature. "Please don't call me that."

"Why not?"

"I don't like it." He toys around with his lightsaber, seeming unsettled. "When people call me that, it just reminds me of how much they expect from me... of all the expectations I can't possibly meet. I'm tired of people whispering that name behind my back."

"But...it's a good title, isn't it? Chosen One, bringer of balance?"

"I suppose, in a way it is – but to bring balance to the force – that's not exactly easy, right?" He sits down at the edge of the balcony, feet dangling. "They expect me to be something special, something extraordinary."

"For what its worth, I think you're not too bad, Skywalker." Selyn says, as a peace-offering, as she joins him in a cross-legged position. "And I'm sure you will be extraordinary."

He squints his eyes as he looks over to her, giving her half a grin. "That's nice of you to say."

Selyn shrugs. "I'm a nice person."

When he finally looks down towards the golden city below them again, she shoots him a careful sideway glance. But for the first time ever, she looks at him in a different way – not with envy, not seeing him as a rival.The Chosen One. For the first time she realizes the weight those words carry, the sky-high expectations resting on his shoulders, crushing him since the day he made his first step into the temple.

Selyn is powerful, she knows it. She heard the jedi whisper about it, and even though Nadia has never told her her midi-chlorian count she knows it is quite high – not as high as Anakin's, but still high enough to earn herself the interest of the other masters. But still, Selyn has never been in the spotlight as much as Anakin, and suddenly she is so grateful for it – his steps were observed, his every move monitored and judged by the curious eyes of other Jedi. They expect great from him, after all he is the one to bring balance to the force again, he is the one they all have been waiting for.

She thinks of the dragon, and its cruel fate that is destined just like Anakin's. But unlike the dragon Anakin is destined to be a saviour, to bring the light whilst the dragon only awaits darkness – and still both are held captives by the strings that decide the galaxy's fate.

Selyn wonders if he wasn't held by those strings if he would collapse one day.

But at least he knows he will bring good in the end, and however much pressure this knowledge puts on him, it is a promise that he can rely on. At first, she doesn't recognize the feeling that this thought stirs up in her, she is envious of the assurance it brings for him – and it makes her question her own destiny, her own fate. Is it predestined, too? Was she doomed or destined for greatness the moment she was born?

The first thing Selyn sees a few minutes later as they enter the audience room today's meeting is scheduled in, is the royal couple seated on cushioned thrones at the back wall. Two tall windows left and right let in enough sunlight to brighten the room, the light reflecting off the gleaming marble floor whose echo also announces their arrival.

The heads of a handful of advisors and the two jedi masters standing in a half circle turn as they enter, and they suffle slightly to make room for Selyn and Anakin, granting free view of the king and queen. Nadia to the queen's right radiates vigorous energy whilst Obi-Wan's solemn expression gives away that he is lost deep in thought. Upon spotting the two padawans, Nadia smiles brightly and waves. Obi-Wan interrupts whatever important thought he was debating and acknowledges their arrival with a short, polite nod.

"There you are!" Nadia's voice cuts through the low chatter of the advisors, gesturing them to join their circle.

"We may begin now." She nods gracefully towards the queen and from the annoyed expressions of the advisors Selyn concludes that Nadia must have kept them waiting until she and Anakin were there.

"Welcome, padawans." The others present murmur greetings towards them as well. Padawan Skywalker. Padawan Val'aeon.

Selyn sees Cleodys' lips form the words, too, and pain flares in her chest again. You used to call me Sel instead. Don't you remember?

"I take it you two will search for whoever wishes us unwell." The Queen's eyes narrow at the sight of the two, but there is no animosity in her gaze, only curiosity.

"Yes, my queen." Selyn bows her head. Apparently Nadia has them already informed of her plan to send the padawans on their own separate mission without the jedi councils explicit wish. As she glances to the right, she has to fight the urge to laugh upon the subtle annoyance crossing master Kenobi's eyes as they are disobeying the orders. But Nadia has done a great job convincing him, because the next moment he voices his support to them.

"These two padawans are very capable, you can trust them to handle this well."

And for once Selyn doesn't mind breaking the rules, this is her home after all - and if the council thought she'd sit by idly and watch it dissolve to chaos they were, for once, very wrong.

The Queen's eyes fall upon Selyn once more, warmer this time. "If this is true, we are in your debt. You are Adlysa's little girl, right? Your mother is one of my most entrusted commanders. She must be very proud."

It is then that Selyn spots Cleodys, silently guarding everyone present from the shadows at the side of the room. Her sister stiffens upon the Queen's words and Selyn's gaze.

Selyn turns away, heart jumping and aching.

"It is not surprising to me that it has come this far," the Queen continues. "The attempt to kill us has been concerning, but it did not come out of nowhere. I can feel that for some time now, the galaxy has been at unrest. There is a tension rising, here in our home, too. The clans are behaving differently, I hear of strange happenings, the republic is keen for our resources unlike never before, and they are not the only bidders."

Selyn swallows hard at the Queen's words, and she can see other advisors exchanging concerned looks.

"It is as if the galaxy was preparing itself for something dark, something dangerous. I fear for Crylles and the balance that I've kept on this planet for so long. Something is coming our way, and if we wish to stop it before it settles we need to work more closely together than ever - that's why I am beyond grateful for the Jedi's presence here."

"We will do our very best," Nadia says, bowing her head. Obi-Wan next to her is contemplating the Queen's words, his brows furrowed.

"I suppose you should start your search with the Clan of serpents and bones." The chief of security, presumably, steps forward, his reflection with countless shiny medals mirrored in the stone below. "We have evidence suggesting that they are connected to the attack upon our majesty's life."

The advisors present murmur phrases of condolence, all casting their eyes downwards, and Selyn finds that rather stupid. Acting shocked and scared won't do them any good.

"We found this broken half of a pin at the place of the attack. It shows the emblem of the Clan of Serpents and Bones, and it was near the window as if the attacker lost it during their escape."

"Did you consider the possibility of that item being planted?" Anakin suggests carefully. "To cast the suspicion to this clan in peculiar."

"Yes, we did. But these pins would be hard to get for outsiders since only full-fledged members of the clan earn them," the chief retorts. "I see your point, though, but for now I'm afraid that it's the only lead we have. One way or another it will hopefully bring us to the attacker."

Still not fully satisfied with the response but facing the lack of other options, Anakin steps back again.

"Sadly, this is all we can offer you for your search. We have no place to direct you to since the palace strictly stays out of clan matters, we have no headquarters or starting point. I would suggest though that you start searching in the western quarters, since Serpent's and Bone's activity is the highest there. I trust padawan Val'aeon will know the way around."

Selyn nods curtly. They used to live not far away from there.

"A mission with no clues but a pin, a whole quarter to search through and literally nothing to narrow down our search?" Selyn turns to Anakin as they leave the meeting a few minutes later, raising an eyebrow.

He smiles wryly. "Seems like fun to me."

𝕬𝘜𝘛𝘏𝘖𝘙'𝘚 𝘕𝘖𝘛𝘌

Would you look at that!! 🫣😳💥💥

Not the end is back, and it's better than ever! 🥵Expect frequent updates coming from now on and expect Selyn and Anakin to own you like they own me 😄 I have SO MUCH GOOD STUFF in store ahhh I'm so hyped for you all to read it, honestly. They're even sexcier and more feral and more angsty and more stupid than last time and hngngng im so excited for it all to play out. 😁😁

also it's been like two fucking years or MORE since i last updated i hope y'all are still alive 🫣💀

There have been some tiny changes in the chapters before as well as the prologue, if you want to go back and read it, feel free, its sexcy 🫶

But just the most important stuff: Selyn now has a younger sister as well, Varielle, very cute. Nadia is a blind Jedi, and yeah I think that's it for now (if you want to, go back to chapter one to the passage where nadia is introduced, i think it's a very beautiful description that adds a new layer to hers and selyns relationship)

Alright, we're ready to start and get going again! Next update coming in a few days hehe LETS GOOO ✨

also here's how I picture Selyn and her outfits in act one as well as some ai art! enjoy!

thank you ai ☺️ (yes I want to be a house human when it takes over)

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