The Desolate Jedi | Luke Skywalker

Act I. iii.

Eleri took care of physical training, working out, hand to hand combat. Luke was already pretty fit so he picked it up easily. Her master taught him meditation and Force manipulation, focusing more on the mind where Eleri couldn't go. But when Yoda was too vague or Luke had more questions that Yoda didn't care to answer, Eleri was who he turned to.

"40 more, these seem too easy for you." Eleri crossed her arms as Luke did push ups.

Her foot was on his back, adding pressure when he rose but no matter what, his breathing was even and his push ups were perfect. Eventually Eleri just ended up sitting on top of him, which even then only proved to be a slight nuisance to her pupil.

"Maybe your R2 unit would be heavier." Eleri spoke as she held onto Luke so she wouldn't fall off. She was trying to distract him. "If we could find a way to bind him to you."

It worked, Luke laughed and his arms gave out causing him to fall to the ground. He groaned and Eleri got off of him, waiting for him to get up again. When he finally did he was rolling his shoulder, he had taken off his jacket - which Eleri thought was a smart choice because of how humid Dagobah was - and was only wearing a tank top with his pants.

"Hurt?" Eleri questioned and Luke shook his head. "Good, now vine climbing."

Eleri was quick with this, she always had been. Her trick was while Luke used mostly his arm muscles to pull himself up, Eleri relied on her legs. So by the time Luke got a third of the way up, Eleri was waiting for him at the top. But she never told him how she always beat him, she wanted him to work for it and she wanted him to figure it out by himself.

Then master Yoda took over.

Eleri was fine with Luke while she was training him, but while he was training with Yoda she hated him. She watched as he meditated, lifting rocks and using the Force, and she slowly grew to detest it more and more. Face to face, she couldn't bring herself to dislike Luke, he was a really nice guy - albeit impatient and only focusing on when he would leave Dagobah to help his friends - but while he learned to use the Force, and she watched from the house, she hated him.

The first day of training, Yoda let Luke into the Cave of Evil, a place Eleri would never go. He came back completely flushed of colour, staring hauntingly nowhere as he walked back into the house. Eleri made him some tea and knew right then and there that he would never be seduced by the dark side. Her, on the other hand, she was smart enough to know that her bitterness would consume her if she stepped foot in there, and you don't need the Force to walk out a monster.

And while the training did give her a sense of purpose, it also tore her apart. Watching Luke accomplish what Eleri had spent her entire life training to do but never could.

"Light on your feet, Luke." Eleri reminded him as she took another jab at him all too easily. "And keep your arms up, block your face."

They spared back and forth, Luke coming close to pinning Eleri but she got out every time. He grew frustrated and Eleri took advantage of it, teasing him while he became sloppy. She kept telling him he needed to stay calm if he wanted to win, but he didn't listen. Eventually he grew tired of losing, so when Eleri's feet slipped out from under her, and Luke was able to pin her down, she knew he used the Force. Luke smiled in triumph.

She pushed him off of her roughly.

"Don't you ever do that again." She seethed and Luke's smile fell.

"Why?" He asked. "My training includes using the Force, I can have the advantage."

"No. Not with me." She said. "With master Yoda, fine, he can use the Force too. With me, it's a fair fight, understood?"

Luke looked a little disappointed in himself and Eleri knew that she had been too mean. So she sent him to go get a drink, making sure she calmed down by the time he returned.

It was a smart move to use the Force, in a real fight it is an advantage, but Eleri was trying to better his combat skills, not rely on advantages.

When he came back she had calmed, but she was confused when he handed her a cup. She raised her eyebrow at the smiling boy.

"I brought you some water, Ellie." He said and she just grew more confused.

"Ellie?" She questioned and took the cup.

"Yea, I thought it was a sweet nickname." Luke took a drink from his water in embarrassment. "And you remind me of someone I know."

She didn't mention his blush for his own sake and put the cup to her lips, not taking a sip.

"You know I'm a higher rank than you."

Luke shook his head.

"Actually I thought about it." He said and Eleri raised both her eyebrows this time. "We both have the braids in our hair, which means we're both apprentices. You don't outrank me, you're just more experienced."

Eleri cursed in her mind that he was right. And pretty soon he would surpass her, because she could never truly be a Jedi Knight.

"So you're just going to call me Ellie then?" She looked down at her cup, not having drank anything.

"I mean, if you don't mind." Luke scratched the back of his neck and avoided eye contact.

Eleri couldn't believe this was the first person she'd ever met. Such a nice and shy guy, that she despised from a far. But like she said, face to face she couldn't hate Luke, so she took a long sip of her water, her throat thanking her.

"I like Ellie."