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Chapter Sixty One Upon
reaching the entry to the quarters he has been sharing with Master Mussiri,
Jae-Lee Reklaw stops and turns to Meesahran with a terrible look of shame on his
face. Meesahran smiles and places her hand on his shoulder, “Don’t worry
about it… I told them we have a tradition about fighting… Something to the
effect that we usually go hit a tavern or something to celebrate and/or
commiserate. Kinda like licking your wounds or something.” Jae
relaxes a bit, but still feels the need to ask, “And you’re sure they bought
it?” “Do
they have any reason not to?” She says as she winks at him and he finally
smiles in relief. “Thanks
Mees… Again.” And with that they both enter the chambers. Inside,
they find Master’s Mussiri and Rivendi in the common room, but there is also
another man present. Seated near the mantle, the oldest member of the council
sits, his eyes filled with more life and emotion than is found in ten men.
Meesahran is confused at the great man’s presence, as he has never before been
present when someone was welcomed into Sanctuary, as a rule. Meesahran
sends a questioning look to both Master Mussiri and Master Rivendi, but they
simply bow their heads. Jae then looks to Meesahran for reassurance and instead
finds her as confused as he is at this moment. That
is when he notices the old man seated near the mantle. His clothing looks
familiar, resembling that of one of the men seated on the dais from the
ceremony. He decides that this must be the official result of his trial. Jae
finds that his gaze is drawn to the grizzled old man, unable to really look away
from him, but almost afraid to continue to stare as well. Feeling a nearly
magnetic pull towards the man, Jae steps forward and away from Meesahran’s
side. And then it finally dawns on him; his eyes. There is something bordering
on hypnotic about the man’s eyes. They are so alive and clear for such an aged
man, and their color and clarity are sharp and distinctive. THE COLOR! This revelation is what causes the avalanche of realizations to come
crashing down upon Jae’s head. That man has eyes the same color of blue as is
found in the crystals making up Jae’s two sabers. The one saber he made
himself, under the careful supervision of his father’s lessons, and the other
saber, the one he never speaks about. The very saber that was entrusted to him
by his father. The saber he was commanded to return to his mother, when he found
her. The saber, that even now, his left hand is glancing across behind his back
in an absent-minded gesture. Staring
deeply into those eyes, Jae finds that he is staring into the very same piercing
blue eyes that stare back him whenever he sees his own reflection. Hoping to
break the spell, Jae slams his own eyes shut, looking deep within himself and
his memories. Delving deeper and deeper into his own mind, Jae finds himself
being transported by a flowing current of energy, carrying him back to the place
where all is truth and nothing is wrong. And then, in a flash, he opens his eyes
and sees the old man for what he is, and the only thing that Jae
can do is utter a single word question, “Grandfather?” At
the sound of Jae’s voice the crystal blue eyes of the old man begin to fill
with so much joy and pain that tears begin to fall from them and run down the
man’s craggy face. Jae moves closer to the man, and with each step he becomes
more and more certain that his suspicion is correct; seated before him is his
grandfather. Lost for so many years, wandering the galaxy in search of some
sign, some clue as to his family’s whereabouts, and here they are, at the
center. His father’s words begin to echo in his head once more: “Look there, to the center, when you think there is nowhere else to look.” If
he had only known that his father’s words were to be taken at more than face
value, where would his life have taken him. But now, this is not the time to
dwell on the past, not when his present is filled with so many questions and the
person to answer them is sitting right in front of his very eyes. As
Jae gets close enough to the man, he takes the outstretched hand offered to him
and kneels on the floor before this ancient man. “Grandfather… Is it really
you?” Taking
Jae’s hand, the old man begins to weep, and he is barely able to utter the
words, “Yes, child.” With the man’s words, Jae wraps him up in a long
overdue embrace and the two men share in the warmth of each other’s bond while
the other in the room watch in amazement and wonder. Meesahran,
though still confused, finds that a single tear has made its way down her cheek
when Master Rivendi places a hand upon her shoulder. She turns back to face him
and sees the request in his eyes. The two slowly and silently depart the room to
allow this reunion to continue uninterrupted. Once
outside in the corridor, Meesahran chances to ask a question, “How long have
you known, Maji?” He
takes a deep breath before answering, letting Meesahran know that he has been as
moved by the experience as she was, “Only this morning… Just before the
trial, Master Falion confided in me so that I might keep watch on Master
Arankelee.” “I
guess I don’t understand… What happened?” Master
Rivendi puts an arm around Meesahran’s waist as they walk down the corridor,
“The boy was believed dead. When his father’s body was found, there were the
remains of a child with him, but Master Falion was unable to discern any
identity from the boy, as he had never met the child. Young Reklaw was born
while Master Falion was away on a sojourn.” Meesahran
is still confused, “But why would Master Falion have gone looking for Jae’s
father?” “Child…
Young Reklaw’s mother was his grandniece, Master Falion went in search of the
boy’s father when his mother had not heard from them in a while. In her
distress, she asked her uncle to return from his sojourn in order to put her
mind at ease. She was convinced something horrible had happened and she could
not go to her father for help.” Master Rivendi’s eyes grow very sad with his
last words. “Why
couldn’t she? Master Arankelee has always been a fair and conscientious man,
hasn’t he?” Meesahran asks with her brow wrinkled in bewilderment. “Child,
many things shape a person, and the most prominent is to learn from one’s
mistakes… Master Arankelee is no different. He was troubled by his
daughter’s relationship with the idealistic and adventurous Corellian, and he
placed many restrictions to their union. When young Reklaw’s father became
convinced he was being made to suffer these restrictions, he and Mistress Reklaw
secreted the boy away and lived separate lives so that their son would not be
placed under such a heavy hand.” Nodding
her head in understanding, Meesahran has only one more question, “So, where
does Master Falion play into all of this then?” “Child,
your questions may seem simple now, but at the time there were many more
complexities to the situation…” He takes a deep breath before answering her
this time, “For a time, young Reklaw’s father trained under Master Falion,
at the request of his grandniece. And it was also Master Falion who sponsored
their union, against the wishes of his nephew. He also attempted to calm the
waters between the father and daughter, but he was unable to stop the
restrictions being placed upon their union, and so he departed on a sojourn in
order to reconcile his actions and beliefs to that of those ruling Sanctuary at
the time. He had a crisis of faith, one might say.” Meesahran
stops in the middle of the corridor and turns to face Master Rivendi, “Master
Falion?… But how can he have thought he was doing anything wrong?” Master
Rivendi looks into Meesahran’s eyes before he responds, seeing her confusion,
“I do not know what he was thinking at the time, but I do know that he was
concerned that Sanctuary was becoming an end point, instead of the starting
point it was intended to be when he and the others, long gone, began their quest
all those many years ago.” “So
it is true?” Master
Rivendi looks puzzled at her question, “What is that, child?” “He
is the same Master Mussiri as was on the first council?” Rivendi
is shocked, and then he remembers that no one outside of the council and few
select others know this truth, and he chuckles a bit, “Yes, child, it is true.
We do not call him the ‘Good Old Man’ for nothing.”
Creator: PtrsonsZOO (Jennifer)
*SPECIAL NOTE: Due to circumstances beyond our control, the rest of the story will be written by PtrsonsZOO (Jennifer)
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