Prologue

The room was bathed in golden light as a weeping couple kissed the top of their child's head and handed her over. The little green man smiled up at them warmly and bowed. Their daughter was going to become a Jedi one day, and they were proud for her, but would miss her terribly.

This little one lying cradled in Yoda's arms could never dream that she would witness the fall of the Republic and the fall of the Jedi. She simply knew that she was warm and that she was loved.

The parents also never realized that they would someday hear of the destruction of the Jedi Temple where their seven-year-old child lived, and that they would fear for her life.

All of these thoughts and fears were in the future, but for now the two parents turned away from their ten-month-old child and left her in the care of the all-knowing and all-powerful Jedi.

They like so many other inhabitants of the galaxy believed the Jedi to be the saviors and protectors to them all.

Alas, the Jedi knew they were not infallible. Their order had already lost many, but only a few had left willingly, others were killed and others still deserted the Order and that which they had been taught to believe.

At that moment, their were none of the thoughts or fears for the Jedi, within Yoda, their was only the sing of the Force surrounding this young one lying safely in his arms.

(Chapter 1)

WHACK!!

The tiny Jedi issue alarm clock stopped buzzing.

How long could that little alarm clock withstand the daily bashing of its OFF button before it either exploded or simply decided to stop working.

It had been a strange but wonderful dream for five-year-old Youngling Elizabeth. It had been a place with puffy clouds and light and all her favorite sweets, but she could not reach the sweets. They were too far above her to reach them. She had tried to Force leap to them like she had been taught by Master Yoda, but for some reason no matter how high she jumped she could not reach them.

Elizabeth puzzled over that dream. If I jumped higher, shouldn't I have reached the sweets? Why could I never get to them?

She decided that she would ask Master Yoda, he would know, he knew everything. He was in charge of the Jedi, and he was one of her teachers. In fact, he was her favorite teacher, although Jedi weren't supposed to have favorites.

Youngling Elizabeth, as she was called, hurried from the small room she shared with her roommate Youngling Allison. They, like all initiates lived in the Initiates Dormitory at the Jedi Temple. She walked quickly to the cafeteria for breakfast hoping that she would have enough time to eat something before her first class.

Today her class was going to the Garden of Light. She had heard so many wonderful things about the garden and was excited to see it for herself. She thought about all the pretty flowers and the big waterfall as she finished her bowl of oatmeal.

Youngling Elizabeth stood a little over three feet so she sat at the Younglings' table, with the others who were heading to their various classes. Youngling Elizabeth had wavy shoulder-length blonde hair and vivid large blue-green eyes, but her right eye instead of having a black spot in the middle had a white spot. Youngling Elizabeth was a visually impaired Jedi, one of the very few. She had suffered an injury shortly after her birth that was purely accidental.

Elizabeth had been born early, too early for things to develop properly. These included her eyes, her lungs, and her brain, however only her eyes had been affected. She could see nothing out of her right eye, and for one so young she was already beginning to lose her vision in her other eye as well.

This accident had to do with her blood chemistry and the amount of oxygen in her blood. Her retina in her right eye could not handle the pressure and had separated itself from the rest of that eye leaving her blinded. Her retina in her left eye had taken a beating and had almost detached, but it held on. Now after five years of living this way, her retina and her eye were showing their fatigue and were beginning to fail her.

These physical scars also left her with emotional ones. As early as her third birthday she had began to withdraw into herself. Her teachers and Yoda had noticed this and were helping her to cope with the fact that she could not see all that the others could and that she someday would no longer be able to see anything.

As Youngling Elizabeth walked quickly but cautiously to the garden of Light, she was not thinking about one day becoming the first totally blind Jedi, she was looking forward to seeing all the colors and smelling the fragrant smells, and hearing the water and feeling the softness of the grass and the coolness of the stones.

When she reached the door to the garden, she heard footsteps coming from behind her. She instinctively stood against the wall so that she would not be in the way or get stepped on. However, the person stopped rather then going around her.

She looked up at the person unable to tell who they were because they were much taller then her and her vision did not extend to be able to see their face.

"Good morning Young one, are you lost?"

"No, uh I am not lost."

"What is your name?"

"Youngling Elizabeth Veers."

"My name is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, are you going to have a look at the gardens?"

"Yes Master Obi-Wan."

"Then that means that you are with Master Orek today am I right?"

She nodded.

"Master, I don't see so good, could you help me find my class?"

"Sure, take my hand and we'll go and find her together."

Elizabeth saw a giant hand come down from the fog of blurry colors to grasp hers and gently guide her into the gardens. They walked forward toward the fountain that was in the center of the room. The Younglings always started with the fountain. Elizabeth heard the excited chattering of her classmates and the gentle bubbling of the fountain as they approached.

"Ah Master Obi-Wan, thank you for helping her. I was beginning to be concerned, it's such a big place and well…"

Elizabeth dropped her head. They were always saying that she couldn't do things by herself and that she always needed someone to guide her, they would never let her do it by herself.

Obi-Wan looked down at the hurt looking Youngling and said, "Well she made it all the way to the door by herself, there are still Padawans many years older then her that get lost in here, I too have gotten lost once or twice.

"Yes, again thank you Master Obi-Wan. Elizabeth, come sit over hear dear."

She looked up at Obi-Wan with gratitude in her eyes and slowly walked over to her class and sat on the stones next to Master Orek's right knee.

Obi-Wan turned to leave but before he did, he looked back at that lonely Youngling and sighed.