______The fabric of this illusion was an intricate tapestry, weaving elements of the real and the fantastic into a landscape beguiling in its authenticity.
______This dream had history, the continuity of which both compelled and alarmed her. Just as her hand had recognized the instinct to retrieve the sword when threatened, so she now recognized Agdamaria.
______You seem surprised to see me, the old witch said. She inspected Aeon with a discerning eye. You don't seem yourself today...
______Aeon wasn't sure what she meant by that. Did she know? Was she somehow able to see--? No, she doubted that. Most likely, she had a dumbfounded look on Vail's face that was less than flattering.
______I can not stay long, Agdamaria began. There are those who would not be so pleased to see me as yourself.
______You mean Sahaar, Aeon answered. The old woman nodded.
______He hasn't detected me yet, but it's only a matter of time.
______She paused. What did you want to see me about?
______I need your help, Aeon replied. As with the sword, she wasn't sure if she was responding to the urgency in the old woman's words, or Vail.
______Of course, the old witch assured her. I'm always here for you. Now that you've returned, we can continue your training. Have you been practicing on your own?
______Uh, yes. Of course, Aeon lied. So the King was right: Vail was being trained as a Seer. Interesting. Unfortunately, the old witch would determine soon enough that, while Vail may have studied, Aeon had not.
______Indeed, Agdamaria answered skeptically. Maybe she already knew.
______I'm afraid, Aeon said quietly. I'm afraid for my--
______No, child the old woman reprimanded. Never let fear be your guide. It will always lead you astray. Say what you feel, but be guided by your instinct-what you know to be true.
______The old woman paused again. Trust yourself, she said.
______Aeon nodded, and the true meaning of the words slowly permeated her young soul. All her life she questioned herself, and her decisions.
______The King and Queen, she began. Sahaar says someone is plotting against them. He has foreseen it, but... Aeons voice trailed off as she searched for what her instinct told her to be true.
______But? the old woman pressed. Aeon summoned her courage, and looked Agdamaria in the eye.
______I don't trust him, she said.
______The words seem to hang in the air for a moment, and Aeon wondered if she had made a mistake. How far could she trust this person, really? While Vail may have known her his entire life, Aeon had met her just a few minutes ago.
______That is wise, Agdamaria replied, allaying her fears. Aeon breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Trust your instincts, she reiterated to herself, and she liked how that sounded. She liked how that felt.
______The old woman continued: Your perception has improved. You now see people more clearly.
______She looked off at nothing in particular. The days ahead will be difficult...
______Was she, perhaps, seeing the future? Aeon watched the old woman's face as she tried to divine the unknown. She was a seer, after all.
______Is Sahaar the one plotting against my parents? Aeon asked.
______It's not clear, Agdamaria told her. She met Aeon's gaze: What does your instinct tell you?
______Aeon didn't reply, and that was a statement in itself.
______Why did my father choose Sahaar over you? Aeon asked curiously. Agdamaria hesitated for a moment, choosing her words carefully.
______He wanted to distance himself from his father's regime, and be his own man, she explained. Your grandfather was a great King, beloved by all his people. It's not so easy to follow one such as him.
______Sahaar claimed that I was losing my reason, and convinced your father I would never truly be loyal to him, even though I had protected him and his brother since they were born. Brother? So Vail had an Uncle, as well.
______I don't blame your father. He was a young man, and had no idea how to run a kingdom. To his credit, he has been a fair and just ruler all of his life.
______I'll talk to him, Aeon said. I can convince him to replace Sahaar, and appoint you in his place.
______Don't underestimate Sahaar, the old woman warned. He's been waiting years for the right moment, and he'll be well prepared. You must be cautious.
______A realization struck her: I'm the heir, she said, meeting Agdamaria's eyes. The old woman nodded. So its not just the King and Queen who are in danger...
______No, Agdamaria replied solemnly.
______Is that why Sahaar hates me? she asked. Because I'm the King's son?
______Partly, the old witch began, and partly because he fears you.
______Fears me?
______Agdamaria nodded. Yes. You are not even of the witches caste, and yet your power rivals-if not surpasses-his own.
______Aeon digested these words slowly. Power? But I have no power, she thought to herself. Perhaps Vail had some power that the old woman spoke of, but she didn't, and without it she'd be no match for Sahaar.
______The power you speak of is the Ashla, Agdamaria informed her.
______The Ashla? Aeon asked her. It occurred to her that she might be asking questions that Vail had asked long ago. It might raise the old woman's suspicions if they had the same conversation for a second time.
______Unless she really was addled.
______The Ashla is everywhere. The old woman gestured out to the jungle below them. It is in the trees, and the birds. In the plants, and the insects. It connects all living things.
______Us?
______Yes, of course, Agdamaria smiled. We are all part of this planet, bound together.
______Aeon remembered the feeling, the sensation when she touched the wall, and connected to the life force of the planet. The question lit up in her eyes.
______Agdamaria nodded, seeming to know her thoughts. Yes, my child. That was the Ashla. She poked a finger at Vail's chest. You have that power within you, the old woman smiled, and I sense it's never been stronger.
______Aeon returned the smile, but she didn't know what to make of all this. Suddenly, Agdamaria's eyes shifted side ways, and her brow furrowed.
______We're being watched! she said. She grabbed Aeon by the wrist, and the old woman's bony grip actually hurt. Go!
______With a rush, Aeon's eyes snapped open. She felt the same sensation of snapping back into herself that she had felt at the temple. But she was here now, in her old self.
______And she was standing in front of the crystal.
______What the-- she stammered. Her outstretched arms suddenly felt heavy, and the palms of her hands tingled. The tiny hairs on her arms were standing on end. She was aware of a faint blue glow emanating from the heart of the obelisk that was slowly dissipating.
______She lowered her arms. They dropped heavily to her side, tingling from the lack of circulation. How long have I been here? she wondered.
______She studied the crystal again, and it appeared normal. Finally she asked herself the question for which there was no easily discernable answer: How did I get here?
______She felt something, and her focus centered on the disturbance. There was a presence nearby-watching her!
______Aeon called out with much more confidence than she felt: Who's there? she demanded. Hopefully it wasn't her father.
______A figure stepped out of the shadows, speaking as it emerged. I'm sorry, he began. I didn't mean to scare you. He stepped into the light, and the glow of his torches seemed to sparkle in his blue eyes. Aeon gasped audibly when those two blue eyes met her own.
______It was Luke Skywalker!
______Don't be frightened, Luke said. I'm Luke Skywalker, he said disarmingly.
______I know who you are, Aeon blushed. Everyone does, she added. He smiled, seemingly a bit embarrassed, and Aeon had to avert her eyes for a moment before she fainted. That wouldn't be good. Unless he tried to resuscitate her orally.
______She repressed a smile. He was looking at the crystal, studying it. What are you doing here? she asked.
______I felt something. A disturbance in the Force, I think
______The Force? She remembered hearing her Father and some of the older Commanders mention that to each other before going into battle: May the Force be with you, they'd always say. Aeon had always assumed it was just another way of saying 'good luck'.
______Luke tore his eyes away from the crystal, and looked at her. Aeon summoned her courage. I'm Aeon...Aeon Quatorz.
______He recognized the name. The General's daughter?
______She nodded. You won't tell him you saw me, will you? she pleaded.
______Don't worry, he smiled. It will be our secret. Wow, Aeon thought. They had a secret-just between the two of them. This was quickly becoming one of the best nights of her entire life. Really, when the consequences of disobeying her father led to all this...
______She remembered, however, that she hadn't consciously disobeyed her Father. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in the chamber in the third temple.
______She focused on the Massassi crystal, and thoughts of Luke Skywalker became of secondary importance. The trek from the third temple to the fourth was about three hundred and fifty yards through thick growth. She had no memory of making such a journey, and seems unlikely that she would have sleepwalked the entire way without waking.
______Add to that the fact that she had never sleepwalked in her entire life. She remembered: as she left the med-lab, she felt something tugging at her. At the time, she thought it was simply her restlessness. Could it have been something else-something more?
______I wonder what this is, Luke said aloud of the crystal, snapping her out of her reverie. I think it's the source of the disturbance. He stretched out his hand, reaching out to touch it.
______Aeon's breath caught in her throat. Wait, she wanted to yell out to him. She felt compelled to warn him when she in fact felt no danger. His hand was within inches of the smooth blue surface when she realized she didn't want him to touch it. She started to move toward it, protectively, but stopped herself. Her heart was pounding so loud she could feel it pressing against her eardrums.
______Nothing happened. It's gone, he said, running his hand lightly across the surface, and then removing it. Whatever it was.
______She breathed a sigh of relief, but chided herself at the same time. She had no right to feel so possessive about the obelisk. It certainly wasn't hers.
______But she knew that, as much as she might recognize those feelings for what they were, she had still felt that way. She also knew, somehow, that those feelings were dangerous.
______I was hoping... Luke began. He paused a moment, and she let him find the words. I was hoping to somehow contact my mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi.
______Is he--? Aeon asked.
______Luke nodded. Sometimes I hear him speaking to me, guiding me in the ways of the Force.
______Really? How?
______I don't know, he admitted. And it's not something I seem to have much control over. When I felt the disturbance, I wondered if it might be him.
______I could use his guidance now. I want to train to be a Jedi, but I don't know where to go. Obi Wan was my teacher.
______What happened to him? she asked, and then quickly added the disclaimer: If you don't mind me asking.
______Luke nodded-or seemed to-and continued. He was killed by Darth Vader-the same man who killed my father. Luke's eyes were distant, and it seemed they had lost some of their luster.
______I'll avenge both of them, he said coldly. Aeon didn't say anything, but she could hear the hurt in his voice.
______She couldn't imagine her father dying. She'd be an orphan, just as Luke was. Hero of the Alliance or not, he was alone, and she didn't envy him that. Aeon felt confident that she could always turn to--
______She was thinking that she could turn to Agdamaria as her mentor, just as she would a real person. The lines were blurred, and she couldn't understand why.
______Her thoughts drifted to the Prince, to the King and Queen, and to the old witch. There was a mystery there, waiting to be solved. She was on the cusp of discovery.
______Trust your instincts, she reminded herself. She remembered what she had felt earlier-a nagging feeling that the real mystery lied not within the answer, but with the question:
______Why was she having this dream?
______She heeded her own advice, allowing her instinct to guide her, and stretched out with her mind. She felt, instead of reasoned-guided by the power the old witch claimed she possessed.
______Why was she having this...dream?
______She could sense the answer, like a box waiting to be opened. That's where her conventional reason failed her-this lock could not be opened with analysis.
______Try as she might, she couldn't let go of conscious thought. Her mind went around in circles, trying to sum up what Cammie had told her and what she had experienced tonight into a coherent whole.
______She quieted her mind. Feel, she remembered.
______She realized then that she'd contained the answer within her, and that it had been in her possession since the beginning. It was her very first impulse about the strange vision. The other had been an excuse, and a flimsy one at best-a frame of reference to explain what logic told her was impossible.
______You've known. Somehow you've known the entire time.
______Indeed she had. The answer was obvious, and had been easily within her grasp. Fear had kept her from seeing it-fear of abandoning the known limits of possibility.
______Nothing was impossible, she realized. And in that instant, she transcended her logical reality, and understood the truth:
______It wasn't a dream!
______The answer took her breath away, in part because she had known it all along.
______It was only in hindsight that the answer satisfied the analytical side of her. Whatever she had experienced in these visions hadn't seemed much like a dream, but it was less unlike a dream that it was unlike anything else. Her reason had latched onto that explanation as the most likely and comfortable answer.
______Are you okay? Luke said, startling her a bit. She had forgotten he was there.
______Yes, I'm fine, she smiled, but I'm afraid I have to go. She couldn't begin to explain this to him now.
______I was going to stay here a bit longer, he said, reaching for his comm-link. I'll have one of the guards can walk you back.
______No! she said. They don't know I'm here.
______Then how did you get here?
______I honestly don't know, she smiled calmly. Her reply left him a bit puzzled.
______Bye, she said, waving to him as she left. He waved, and then turned toward the crystal. If it had been any other day, she would have spent every possible moment in Luke Skywalker's presence. But not today...
______Aeon made her way through the temple corridors, her excitement mounting. It wasn't a dream! she said to herself again.
______But then, what was it? She had no idea, but a million theories ran through her mind.
______She had to tell this to someone, but whom? Certainly not her Father, and Tam or Cammie wouldn't understand. They would think it was cool, but wouldn't be able to offer much in the way of insight.
______She knew just who to turn to-her advisor in all matters scientific. He would be fascinated by her story, even if he didn't immediately agree with her conclusion.
______This was the most incredible thing that had ever happened to her. She could hardly contain her excitement. Without ever realizing it, she was sprinting through the temple corridors.
______Nothing was impossible.
______It was dawn as she stepped up to the mouth of the temple...
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