, with the Queen leading them as the two female Jedi watch the back for any sneaky battle droids. Both Jedi had their lightsabers drawn, laser swords of purple and magenta flashing as they kept their guard up.

Layna had reluctantly left with her Master to join Queen Amidala and her troops, as their objective was to locate the Viceroy, who was hiding inside the palace's throne room. She did not wish to leave the man she considered her father and the man she saw as a brother, but she needed to as her Master had pleaded for her to listen.

The group continued to proceed down the hallway, which was cleared of any battle droids or destroyers. The two Jedi found this extremely suspicious, knowing that the throne room was just down the hall and they should have maximum security around this area.

"I have a bad feeling about this," the platinum haired woman muttered under her breath, her piercing green eyes scanning the surroundings as she tried to use the Force to locate any enemies nearby. Her Padawan closed her eyes briefly in an attempt to do the same thing, when an overwhelming feeling washes through her.

Layna's blood went cold as her eyes widened, visions of the man who had found her years ago in the planet of Corellia raced through her mind. Each and every one of her memories with him played inside her head, and ultimately, a vision she did not want to see at all.

It was a vision of her father, her Master Qui-Gon, the man she considered to be the father she has always wanted to have and know, getting stabbed through the midsection by a glowing red lightsaber, which was the exact same one the Sith had used back in Tatooine.

She had felt her world crumble down as the reality began to sink in, her nightmares realized as the moment she had dreaded finally came true. She knew that being a Jedi was a dangerous job, and she wished that all of the people she knew in the Temple would not suffer a tragic death but she was very well aware that this unavoidable as a Jedi. She just never expected to lose Qui-Gon so easily, and so quickly, just as she had finally been reunited with him after almost two years of not being able to see one another.

"No," the young Hale girl fell to her knees, tears pooling in her eyes as the feeling of overwhelming sadness and dread filled her heart until it brimmed over and spilled all the way out. ""

Master Sola had stopped, her green eyes turning to look at her Padawan, who was now a crying mess on the hallway floor. She had also felt the disturbance in the Force, but she knew exactly why her Padawan was even more affected by this disturbance than she was. "Layna..."

"He-he's dead, Master," the young girl voice came out as quiet as a whisper, her chocolate eyes widened as she stared at her Master in disbelief. "I-I felt it, I saw it, he's gone Master, he's !"

The young girl was hysterical by now, her emotions wildly swirling around and overpowering the girl's power to fight back. Her emotions clouded her train of thought, and there was nothing she could see except that moment when the Sith's lightsaber was thrust into Qui-Gon's stomach.

Sola had turned her head to the side, cursing under her breath when she realized that the troops were now surrounded by the Destroyers. She deactivated her lightsaber and placed it back into her utility belt in one swift motion. She knelt down to snap her Padawan out of her state, shaking her by the shoulders and screaming her name. "Layna! Layna, snap out of it!"

"But he's dead--"

"You are a Jedi apprentice, Layna. I know that it is hard for you, seeing as Qui-Gon had just died, but please, control your emotions!" Sola's booming voice echoed through the hallway, catching the attention of two Destroyers.

Padmé turned to them frantically, panic filling her chest as she watched the Destroyers approach the Jedi Master, who was still trying to snap the hysteric girl out of that awful state. "Layna!"

Layna... please stop crying.

Layna's weeping ceased when she heard her mother's voice whisper inside her head, her chocolate brown eyes flickering towards the walls in an attempt to find out where the voice was coming from. "Mother?"

Qui-Gon will always be with you, my child. And I shall, as well.

The young girl finally snapped out of her frantic state as soon as she had registered the fact that she was still in the middle of battle. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she quickly wiped the tears away from her eyes, and her Master sucked in a deep breath upon seeing her Padawan back to her formal self.

May the Force be with you.

"Yes, Mother," Layna whispered, as she pushed herself off the ground and swung her lightsaber at one of the Destroyers who were just a mere feet away from her Master. She let out a grunt as she stabbed her purple sword into the other Destroyer, destroying the droid as she brought the sword upwards, slicing its body in half.

Sola quickly pulled her lightsaber from her utility belt and activated it, rushing towards the troops who were surrounded. She swung her lightsaber at the nearest Destroyer, slicing its head right off and immediately sliced through the one next to it.

Layna raced through the hallways, swinging her lightsaber down to slice various body parts of the attacking Destroyers. The distraction caused by the Jedi and her Padawan allowed the troops to pick up their blasters and use them to shoot the remaining Destroyers, emptying the hallways of these droids soon after.

Queen Amidala quickly entered the throne room, holding her blaster up the moment she caught sight of the Viceroy and the rest of his Council members. The remaining troops do the same as well when they entered the room, followed by the two Jedi whose lightsabers remain activated.

The Viceroy looked around the room, frowning when he realized that the situation now was dire and he could do nothing but surrender.Padmé raised her high, her hazel eyes settling onto the Viceroy as she aimed her blaster at him. "Now, Viceroy, we will discuss a new treaty."

+

It has been a few days since the Naboo had taken back their planet, and peace has been restored in the galaxy once more. The end of the war had been the beginning of many things, such as the beginning of the beautiful friendship between the Naboo and the Gungan, who never saw eye to eye until very recently. Another one was the beginning of Chancellor Palpatine's rule, as the new leader of the Galactic Senate.

But for Layna, the most important beginning would be the start of Obi-Wan Kenobi's days as a Jedi Knight, at the same time, the start of young Anakin Skywalker's training as a Jedi apprentice under his new Master, Obi-Wan.

She had heard from Obi-Wan that this was his Master's dying wish, as he had strongly believed that Anakin was the boy in the Prophecy of the Chosen One. He believed that the boy was the one who was to bring balance to the Force and destroy the Sith once and for all.

Layna did not doubt Master Qui-Gon's words, she too believed that the boy the prophecy spoke of was none other than the boy she met a week ago in the desert planet Tatooine. She believed in her friend, just as much as she believed in the man she considered her father.

An exhale left the young girl's lips as she kept her eyes on the burning corpse lying on the funeral pyre. She watched as the fire flickered, burning through her dead Master's body as it engulfed it with stronger flames.

A tear escaped the young girl's eye as she kept her head down, trying her very best not to let any feelings show when there were so many Jedi around. She hurriedly wiped the tear from her cheek, taking deep breaths as she calmed herself down.

Master Sola had noticed the girl's actions, and she smiled sympathetically, knowing just how hard it is for her Padawan to see the man who became a father figure to her like this. A lifeless corpse who was once full of life, a man who had become such a great Jedi and the man who taught Sola so much when she was but a young Padawan training under the great Master Yoda.

The platinum haired woman placed her hand on her Padawan's shoulder, using her thumb to rub comforting circles on the girl's skin. The young brunette sniffled, as she looked up to see her Master looking down at her with a small smile on her face. "Master?"

Sola's smile grew when she knelt down so she was eye-level with the eight year old girl. She then placed her other hand on Layna's shoulder, rubbing them in an attempt to console the crying girl. "He will always be with you, my young Padawan," the Jedi Knight said softly, pressing her pointer finger onto the girl's chest, right above her heart. "Right here."

Layna sniffed, cracking a smile as she felt her sadness flush out to give way to happiness. She nodded, knowing what her Master had said was right, and the man she had looked up to for two years will always remain with her. Even if it was not physically, the memories of Qui-Gon will always be with her forever, and she will always remember the man by.

"He will, Master," the young girl felt a very familiar presence nearby, and she immediately recognized it as the same one she had felt two years ago in Corellia. She peered over her shoulder, knowing that she would not be able to see him but she could feel him, his presence lurking in a corner. "He always will be."

+

"Layna?"

The brunette girl turned her head towards the door, as she felt an incredibly familiar presence waiting on the other side of that door. She quickly shoved herself off her bed, shuffling as she made her way to the entrance of her room.

Her fingers curled around the door knob, and she opened the door to reveal the Padawan she has been waiting for all morning. She rested her head against the door frame, smiling as she looked over at her fellow Padawan whose bright blue eyes never failed to shine so brightly even in the darkest night. "Hello, Ani."

The blonde boy scratched the back of his neck, his bright blue eyes trailing downwards until they stopped on the floor. Anakin did not know what to say, as he could not find the words to say exactly what he needed to tell his friend. "Hello, Layna," he greeted her back, his eyes shutting as he struggled to find the courage to at least say those dreaded words.

The young Hale girl could sense that something was going on, due to the amount of anxiety the boy was exuding and her friend was almost never nervous, he seemed to be stressing out over something and she had no idea why he was. "Why are you so anxious? Is something wrong?"

Anakin looked like was at a loss for words, and his eyebrows met as he opened his mouth, only to close it soon afterwards. He closed his eyes, his bright blue eyes disappearing for a moment before opening them once again. "I came here to tell you something, Layna," the young boy took a deep breath as he mustered up the courage to give his friend the news.

Layna raised an eyebrow at her friend, folding her arms across her chest as she waited for the whatever news he was about to deliver. She hasn't heard anything new from the Council earlier today, which was why she was curious to hear what the older boy had to say.

"I'm going to leave Coruscant," Anakin breathed out, his eyes searching the brunette's as she blinked in surprise, trying her best to process his words. "Today."

Layna knew that this day was going to come sooner or later. She knew that the day will come when one of them was going to be pulled away from the other due to their individual Padawan training under their Masters.

She knew that as a Padawan, their training was to be done by their Master's side, and wherever their Master goes, they go as well. She knew that her friend was going to embark on his very first mission with Master Kenobi very soon, but she didn't realize that this day was going to come this soon.

The young girl tucked loose strands of hair behind her ear, her eyes narrowing as she took in the sight of her best friend looking quite upset over the news. She knew that Anakin didn't want to leave her behind, and she didn't want him to, either, but it was for the best.

Layna didn't want to be the reason why Anakin's training is put on hold just because he refused to leave the Jedi Temple. She didn't want to hinder her best friend from growing into an absolutely great and powerful Jedi.

The young Padawan girl took a step forward and found herself embracing her best friend, for what might be the last time until they could see each other again. She herself did not have an idea as to when will be the next time they'll see together, as they were both still training inder their Masters and they both would be assigned on missions in various star systems in the galaxy.

Some missions would last months, and maybe even years, and the girl knew that there was always the possibility of dying as danger came with the job of being Jedi. She just hoped and prayed that both of them could survive until the next time they get to see one another once more.

"I'm going to miss you, Ani. So, so much," the brunette girl whispered in her best friend's ear, as Anakin hugged the girl back, squeezing slightly as he shared the same thoughts as the brunette girl. "Take care of yourself, alright?"

Anakin nodded, and reluctantly released his hold on the beautiful girl standing in front of him, his eyes lingering on the wooden carving resting on the girl's chest. It was the pendant he had given her seven months ago, when he was released from his being a slave in Tatooine.

Anakin found himself smiling, warmth rushing through him as he felt happiness fill his chest. Even after all this time, she had kept and worn the present he had made for her back then, and it brought the boy a little bit more happiness to bring along to remember her while she is not by his side. "We'll see each other again soon, Layna, I promise you."

Layna's chocolate eyes twinkled in amusement, and she stuck her pinky out to the boy in order to seal the deal with him. "Come on," she gestured towards her outsretched pinky, and Anakin sent her an amused look before lacing his pinky with hers.

"Do you promise to come back here safe and unharmed, as soon as you possibly could, Anakin Skywalker?" The blonde boy's laugh echoed in the Padawan's bedchamber as the two friends shook on it, promising to fulfill and keep this promise or seallow a thousand needles.

"Yes, yes, I promise," the blue eyed boy rolled his eyes playfully before breaking into a huge grin as he stared at the girl smiling adorably in front of him.

Layna detached her pinky from Anakin, her hand finding the door frame once more as she heard Master Kenobi call for his Padawan from down the hall. "It seems like it's time to leave, Ani."

She began to shut the door, smiling at the boy softly as she took in as much of him as possible before he left for his first mission. "I'll see you later then, Layna."

"Of course you will, Ani. Of course you will."

+++