Playlist:

❶ "Holmes and Elizabeth"—Young Sherlock Holmes OST

❷ "Marion's Theme"—Raiders of the Lost Ark OST

After freshening up and dressing in his formal blacks, Luke ran across the courtyard at 1730. A few Padawan saw him and giggled. "Master's got a date tonight," Geryl said.

Luke smiled as he thought, Yes, I do. The best one of my life. 

He carried in his hand a flat box, about twenty-five centimeters square. A smaller box bulged in his pocket. 

❶ When he reached the study, he turned on the mellow notes of the Modal Tones, lit the candles on the table, and laid the Journal of the Whills on the table in front of the fire.

He stood by the hatch, his legs twitching in anticipation as he waited for Naluma to arrive. Through the Force, he followed her as she left her room and descended the staircase at the other end of the hall.

While Padawan Benae served the meal, Naluma arrived. She wore her formal purple gown with amethyst beading and embroidery. Her hair was braided in an intricate style that let most of her tresses hang down her back like a waterfall. Kallay had helped her prepare earlier, weaving tiny purple flowers into random braids among her flowing locks. Thanks to bacta gel, the scar over her eye and burn on her neck had healed without a trace over the last few weeks.

Luke inhaled her lavender perfume. As she flowed into the room, he met her at the door, knelt before her, and took her hand in a formal greeting. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it.

Naluma laughed and said, "Rise, Sir Knight."

As Luke stood, he brought his other hand from behind her back and presented the flat box with the ribbon on it.

Naluma asked with surprise, "What's this?"

Luke smiled warmly in anticipation. "A surprise. Open it." He held the box while she untied the ribbon.

When Naluma opened the box, her eyes widened and she gasped. Inside lay an amethyst and diamond necklace. Large amethysts hung like feathers, surrounded by lines of tiny diamonds, strung on a platinum chain.

"Don't you like it?"

"No, I love it, but this is way too expensive, Luke. You shouldn't have spent so much."

Luke shushed her with a kiss. "There. The more you argue, the more I will silence you."

Naluma winked at him. "Might just keep arguing then." She leaned forward and returned the kiss.

Luke removed the necklace from the box. "May I?"

Naluma turned around and lifted her hair up as he secured it around her neck. She looked down and touched it again. "I never thought I would ever have anything like this. Thank you, Luke." She kissed him again.

Benae watched the Jedi as they exchanged pleasantries. She cleared her throat before saying, "Master Skywalker, your meal is ready. It's getting cold."

Luke's eyes could have shot daggers at her for the interruption. "Thank you, Benae, for all of your service. I'll call you if I need anything else."

At least the Padawan had enough sense to know a dismissal when she heard it. She scurried out the hatch but looked back one more time at Jedi Fau's necklace.

Naluma followed Luke to the table. He held her chair once more.

"Where did you get this? Kalder left two days ago."

"Chinot's finest. Direct from Hosnian Prime," Luke smiled.

Naluma looked exquisite sitting across the table from him in her formal gown and amethyst necklace. Not a hair was out of place, but she had tears in her eyes. "Don't cry, 'Luma. Tell me what's wrong, and I'll fix it."

"I'm not crying because anything is wrong. I'm crying because it's perfect, Luke." She dabbed the tears from her eyes with her napkin. "Thank you."

Dinner was a blend of scrumptious food and the most pleasant company. The air was magical tonight. Luke couldn't control his giddiness.

"So, what are we celebrating?"

"Nothing yet. Well, I guess we could celebrate that the Senate promoted me to Grand Master," Luke said with nonchalance as he took a bite of the creamy poultry on his plate.

"Well, that's kind of silly. We don't have any other masters."

Luke stared her in the eye and then wiggled his eyebrows at her. "We will soon."

"Really? Who? Kalder? Kallay? Both?"

"You, silly," Luke said with a wink. "Kalder probably in a couple of years. The Senate has ordered that the Jedi Council be reinstated. We have five years to produce at least three masters. You are being promoted at graduation next month."

"How do you feel about it?"

"I realize I've made a mistake. You were due for promotion a couple of years ago. Forgive me?"

"Nothing to forgive. Tell you the truth, I'm not quite sure I'm ready for the burden right now, let alone years ago. I will need to meditate about this," she said in a subdued manner.

After a few quiet moments, she changed the topic. "How's Leia?"

"Doing well, considering everything. She's getting ready to disappear from public life." Luke lowered his voice before saying, "She's pregnant."

"Oh. I take it Han doesn't know."

"Neither does Ben, and it needs to stay that way." Luke looked up from his food. "Naluma, Leia may contact us at any time in the future. If she does and I'm not around, you need to take the call. Ben must never learn that he has a sister, not until we know he's not going to turn to the dark side."

"Understood," Naluma said with a perfunctory nod. "Did you ever find Ben?"

"Yeah, he was hiding in the woodshed. I told him that was his new home and that no one would ever make him clean the place or do a duty detail or work at his studies as long as he stayed there. But if he was interested in a warm bed or tasty food, he was going to have to settle down and do the right thing." Luke snorted as he skewered a piece of meat onto his fork. "I give him three days max."

"It's cold out there, Luke. And what will he eat?"

"He's resourceful, and necessity is the mother of invention. It will do him good to have to hunt his own food down and figure out how to stay warm in a woodshed filled with spiders."

Naluma giggled. "He's scared of his own shadow. I bet he doesn't last the night."

Luke pushed himself away from the table. "Let's have dessert in front of the fire. I have something over here I want to show you."

Naluma followed him and sat in her usual pose, leaning on him on the couch.

He pulled The Journal of the Whills from the table and opened it to the first page.

"What is this?"

"A record of the earliest Jedi, something no one in our lifetime has ever seen before." Luke smoothed the pages down near the spine. "Found it in a crate of junk at Leia's. She gave it to me. There are some very interesting things in here, some that differ from present-day practice."

He opened the book to the first page and read the original Jedi creed:

Emotion, yet Peace
Ignorance, yet Knowledge
Passion, yet Serenity
Chaos, yet Harmony
Death, yet the Force

Naluma examined the ancient code. Her eyes narrowed and her face flushed. "The current creed changed this entirely! How did the Jedi so corrupt the basic creed? No wonder we all thought it was impossible to live by."

Luke laughed at her.

"I'm serious, Luke."

"I know," Luke said with a twinkle in his eye.

"So what's so funny about our original creed being distorted into the entire opposite?"

"Leia had the same reaction." He shook his head. "Women."

Naluma raised a pillow and aimed it at his head. "Yeah, it was probably a man that changed it."

Luke smiled. "There's more that's changed over the years. Look here," he said as he turned to the early history of the Jedi and their wives.

Naluma read the page in question twice. The she looked at Luke with tears in her eyes.

❷ Luke closed the book and returned it to the table before kneeling on one knee in front of her, the fire crackling behind him. 

He took the ring out of his pocket—the clear Kyber crystal whispering even now "Ah-oo-uh." Two rows of tiny amethysts overlaid with two rows of small diamonds enwrapped it on the platinum band.

"Naluma Fau, I love you with all my heart. When you ache, I ache. When you are joyous, I am joyous. When we are apart, the torture is unbearable. Will you marry me?"

Tears fell down her face as she mumbled, "Yes."

After he placed the ring on her finger, the Kyber sparked and blossomed into a brilliant violet. He kissed her with tenderness and ran his hands down her arms. He sat back against his seat, staring at her in wonder.

Naluma traced a heart on Luke's chest with her left hand, allowing the gems on the ring to sparkle in the firelight. "What is this stone? It's talking to me."

"A Kyber crystal."

She closed her eyes. "It's calling my name. Nah-looom-uhh. Can't you hear it?"

Luke nodded. "Since the moment I picked it up I knew it was for you. Don't you see? The Force brought us together. This is its blessing."

She nodded and pressed her lips to his, each touch flickering the Force between them. Then she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair.

When his fingers struggled with her intricate up-do, they pulled apart at last. Luke grabbed her hand. "Not yet. Please. Let's do this the honorable way."

"I wasn't planning on going much farther."

Luke sighed. "But I'm not sure I could control myself much longer." His breathing came heavy now, the blood rushing to his face. He gulped and meditated on the fire in the hearth, counting his breaths, willing his body under control.

Naluma scooched away from him. "So, when?"

"I need to show Lor San Tekka this book and ask him what he thinks."

"Why don't you just give him the book and tell him we're getting married? It would save all the hassle."

"I want to give him the opportunity to disagree. If he won't marry us, we'll head off planet, with book in hand if we have to." Luke kissed her on the forehead and touched his nose to hers.

Benae's knock interrupted them.

They sat up as Luke said, "Come."

"I've brought the dessert, Master Luke. Where would you like it?"

"Here on the small table. Thank you, Benae."

The senior Padawan brought the tray with the two plates and forks. Chinot's had prepared a fancy custard tart with berries on top.

After she finished plating the dessert, she gazed one more time at Jedi Naluma's necklace as it sparkled in the firelight. Then Benae's eye caught another twinkle on Naluma's left hand and gasped.

Naluma nodded at her silent question and then held her finger to her closed lips.

Did you know ...

● Food on Khalkha is relegated to meat, grains, greens, and dairy. Sweets and fancy cooking are only in their dreams, unless they import something.

● The 5th-year (senior) Padawan alternate supervision of the kitchen.

● The 4th-year Padawan alternate supervision of the laundry.

● The 3rd-year Padawan alternate supervision of maintenance.

● The 2nd-year and 1st-year Padawan are the grunts in all areas.

Tell me what you think ...

● Do you agree with Luke's decision to allow Lor San Tekka to approve the policy and code change? Why or why not?

● How do you think Luke and Naluma's relationship will change now that they are engaged?