Promise - Anakin Skywalker

.02

Ella and Anakin finally neared a starship as the storm reached its height. As soon as they came within its reach the boarding dock opened. A blast of warm air from inside hit Ella, making her realize how cold she'd been for the entire walk.

"My goodness where have you been?" A man in Jedi robes scolded them as they staggered up the ramp into the warm confines of the ship. Ella immediately felt her body begin to adapt to the warmth which she scarcely ever felt from living on the frozen planet.

Anakin let himself fall into one of the leather seats in the resting area of the ship. The man took a seat across from him while Ella stiffly took a seat a few feet away from them.

"I guess this is the part where I explain myself?" Anakin half asked, half groaned. He slowly sat up to face the man, who had his head buried in his hands. By the look on both of their faces Ella figured this was a common interaction between the two. The man nodded once at Anakin.

"Well," Anakin started out, "I saw Grievous while I was out scouting so obviously I snuck after him. He looked in the cave and then left. Before I chased after him again I wanted to check out the cave he was looking in. Next thing I know, she's got my lightsaber and is fighting some snow monster!"

Without moving his head, the man's eyes drifted to Ella who held up Anakin's lightsaber with an uneasy smile on her face. She had no idea if she was helping or not. Anakin sprawled out across his chair again. "I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi master."

"I...I'm Ella. I'm a scavenger."

There was a silence as Obi Wan simply gave Anakin the look. His face had "disappointment" written all over it. He waited a moment longer before clasping his hands together sharply and standing up. "I think we'd better be off then, thank you for bringing him back, Ella," Obi Wan forced a smile for Ella's sake. His hand rummaged in the inside pocket of his robes.

"As promised." He handed Ella the reward that'd been posted in the morning to find Anakin. Much to her advantage she had known just the perfect place to look and ended up finding him. She eagerly grabbed her money and shook the Jedi's hand, a bright excited smile upon her face.

Ella spun on her heels and walked back toward the ramp. She tried her hardest not to look suspicious -

"Wait a minute." Anakin sat up just as she was about to walk passed him and out the ship. He reached out his hand. "Give it back."

"Give what back?" She squeaked. Ella cocked her head to one side, trying her best to look innocent.

"My lightsaber. I know you have it," he said without any patience. Without giving her time to reach in her cloak pocket and grab it, his weapon flew out of her cloak and directly into Anakin's hand.

Flustered, Ella reached out her hand the same way and tried to feel the lightsaber the same way she could feel the Wampa in the cave. Much to everyone's surprise the lightsaber went flying back into her hand.

Anakin and Obi Wan looked as if they'd seen a ghost. Both were pale white and completely frozen in place. Their eyes bulged out of their heads.

Feeling confused, Ella uncomfortably looked around her. There was nothing around her at all... She couldn't tell what the big deal was. "What?" She asked cautiously.

"Y- you used the-" Anakin stammered.

"Who taught you that?" Obi Wan asked urgently. He looked nervously around the room. With the flick of one of his fingers the boarding ramp began to close, securing them all inside.

"No one, I didn't know I had to be taught..." Ella answered suspiciously, furrowing her brows.

"What do you need the lightsaber for in the first place?" Anakin asked. He now sat up straight with an attentive posture and expression listening closely to Ella's every word.

"Business," Ella said shortly, looking down at her feet. "Jedi aren't the only ones with problems to take care of."

Both of them looked alarmed at her answer. "Business?" Obi Wan asked nervously. "Why don't I talk to your parents, you surely can't be old enough to handle-"

"That's the business I'm talking about. Some droid came here and killed my mom a couple years ago. It had two of these," Ella waved the lightsaber in her hand, "and now I'm going to finally fight back when it comes back again."

"Comes back again?"

"Every few weeks, the droid comes back. I hide in the Wampa cave until it leaves," Ella replied.

Obi Wan and Anakin exchanged looks of unsettlement. "... Could it know you hide in the Wampa cave now?"

"I guess that would make sense, I mean last time I was a little late getting up to the cave from my hut in the village. It could've seen me now that I think of it."

Ella could tell that wasn't what they wanted to hear. They began to whisper frantically right in front her. Little did they know, she could listen in easily with the same method she used to steal Anakin's lightsaber.

"She can't be, Obi Wan."
"We cannot afford to take chances, Anakin. The last thing we need is someone like her on their side of this war."
"She's too old. The council was hard to persuade when I was only a year too old to begin training-"

"I'm fifteen years old to be exact, I'll be sixteen soon actually-" Ella interrupted, forgetting she was supposed to be secretive. Obi Wan and Anakin turned from each other back to Ella.

"You heard that entire conversation?"

Ella nodded.

"Ella, you've got to come with us to Coruscant," Obi Wan suggested calmly.

"No! I told you I've got things to take care of-!" Ella protested loudly. Her eyes narrowed, she began to wonder who these Jedi thought they were.

"The droid you want to fight is named General Grievous. Trust me, every Jedi wants the same thing you do with him," Obi Wan tried to reassure her. He motioned for her to take a seat across from him.

"The only way you'll defeat him is if you are trained," Anakin added as he took a seat next to Obi Wan.

"I am perfectly trained," Ella snapped darkly at them. She glared at them as her temper rose. Her eyes focused on Anakin, she clenched her fist that rested in her lap. Suddenly Anakin clutched his neck and began to choke, he pointed a shaky finger at Ella as the color drained from his face quickly.

Before Obi Wan could do anything Ella relaxed her muscles and ceased her grip on Anakin. Obi Wan took a deep breath, "Ella if you come with us-"

"- and give me back my lightsaber!" Anakin added in the middle of Obi Wan's sentence.

"- we'll train you to control your power and defeat General Grievous."

Ella looked from Obi Wan, to the lightsaber, and then to Anakin. The look she gave Obi Wan said a thousand words.

"- and we'll give you two lightsabers, but only if you give that one back to Anakin."

There was a moment of high tension as Ella studied Anakin's lightsaber. Her eyes followed every crevice, crack, and dent as a million questions ran through her mind at once. Only one rose above them all: Was this the chance she'd been waiting all her life for, or a terrible mistake?

Hesitantly, and still unsure of her decision, Ella tossed the lightsaber back to Anakin- her own way of a peace offering.