" and you, my father, there on that sad height,
curse, bless me now with your fierce tears i pray.
do not go gentle into that good night.
rage, rage against the dying of the light "
blood runs thicker than water.
| dying of the light by kona |
|...
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HALO CADASCA, BEN SOLO, AND LUKE SKYWALKER WALKED SLOWLY THROUGH THE STREETS OF JEDHA.
there were so many people. more people than halo had seen in her entire life. their clothes were made of all different colors, their skin all different shades. it was so beautiful.
halo's bright eyes widened at the sight of the kyber temple, rising from the center of the town in a kind of holy grandeur that she could not describe. in the sights all around her, she lost herself. the soft chatter of the townspeople and pilgrims who came to visit the holy place played in her ears, like a gentle song. the feeling of being so close to the force brought inexplicable joy to halo. she had been waiting for this all her life.
when they came to its entrance, luke told them to wait outside. halo was so eager to go inside, but she obeyed without question. there was nothing that could mar this day. nothing at all.
she gazed up at the façade, at the colorful carpets and tapestries that hung about it. she could see the kyber crystals hanging from above. they were all over. around her feet, in the rocks along the paths. this was where her own crystal had come from.
she felt a hand enclose around her own, and she turned to see ben watching her. his pallid face was calm, but it was happy. she could not help but smile. at the gesture.
"can you believe it, ben? after this, we have the trials. and then we'll be knighted. it feels like a dream..."
she could not erase the smile from her lips.
this was what she had worked her entire life for. this was what she thought of late at night, in the loneliest hours of the dawn. this is what got her through all the hardships and trials her training could throw at her. becoming a jedi had been her greatest wish, ever since she was small. and now, here she was. so close, she could taste it.
"you deserve it," ben said, coming closer to halo. he was so close now that her hands were pressed against his chest.
his dark eyes burned down on her. she felt something churning deep inside of her soul, a feeling she got only when ben was around.
"you do too," halo murmured, her blue eyes nearly white in the glowing sun. "we've worked hard for this. we have earned it."
he nodded, brushing a stray strand of burgundy hair from her face.
she felt her cheeks flush. she had been so sure that she could resist these feelings she had for ben, that she could put them aside. it was against the jedi code, against everything she had been taught. but he had become a part of her. his eyes and his skin and his voice had all become an integral part of her soul. a part she was not willing to give up.
she had faith in herself. and she had faith in him.
"i know you'll be a great jedi," ben said, his fingers trailing against her cheek. his eyes seemed to be lost in thought, focused hazily on her face. "you were born to be one."
"if anyone was born to be a jedi, it's you," halo said. "you have skywalker blood in your veins. it is strong. and so are you."
ben shook his head.
halo could feel so much conflict inside of him. but every time this doubt came, he could always beat it down. he had not failed yet, and halo believed he never would. he was stronger than even her. she had not been tempted, and she could not imagine how hard it was to resist the call.
there seemed to be a kind of dilemma in his eyes. something that he was holding back from her. halo wanted so desperately to ask him what it was, to help ease his pain.
"what is it?" she asked, her eyes filled with worry.
but just as soon as the emotions appeared, they were gone, and he shook his head of dark hair as he always did when he didn't want to answer.
"nothing."
he looked at her for an interval, before sucking in a sharp breath of courage, and leaning down to meet her lips.
he kissed her for the first time, with a fierceness that could not be matched, under one of the holiest places in the galaxy.
halo's heart was beating so quickly that she thought she might pass out. her freckled face was flushed a deep red, and her breaths were quick and shallow. she had not expected him to do that, but she was grateful he did.
when at last he pulled away, he leaned his forehead against hers, and whispered to her slowly.
"i love you, halo."
her eyes burned, and her lips tugged into a small smile.
