*spoilers for The Rise of Skywalker*

Playlist:

❶ "Lesson One"—The Last Jedi OST

⊘ Silence

❷ "The Fencing Lesson"—The Mask of Zorro OST

⊘ Silence

❶ "One, two, three, four," Naluma chanted while Leia moved Luke's green lightsaber into the set forms for Shii-Cho.

Luke said from the corner, "Footwork, Leia. Bring your right foot forward there and shift your weight."

Leia grunted. Maybe I should have waited a few more weeks before starting this back up. I'm so tired. She gazed over to her brother holding her son, seemingly lost in the wonder of the boy. Ben. I'm doing this for Ben. Come on. Leia, you can do this. With a big yawn, she reset to the opening position.

"Again. One, two, three, four, fi—"

Luke crossed to the two Padawan. "If you keep doing it wrong, you'll burn it into your muscles wrong. It will leave you wide open for attack."

Leia narrowed her eyes at him and then held her saber in the opening stance once more. When Luke nodded at Naluma, the woman deactivated her saber and moved behind Leia.

Now what are these two planning?

Naluma wrapped her arms around the smaller woman and grabbed her hands.

"Try it again. Naluma will correct you if you do it wrong."

"I can do this on my own." Leia rebuffed the taller woman.

Luke rolled his eyes at her. "No, you can't, or you would have already done it right. Now control yourself. Think it through. We'll take it a little slower this time. One ... two ... three ... four ... five ... six ... seven ... eight. One ... two ... three ... four ..."

After three passes at the languid pace, Leia said, "I think I've got it. Let's speed it up."

"Patience, Padawan, patience. One ... two ... three ... four ... five ... six ... seven ... eight."

Seven more passes transpired before Luke would allow her to speed it up—and allow Naluma to relax her grip. She slid beside Leia and joined her in the form, matching stroke for stroke.

"Yes. Good. Now, let go your conscious self, and let your muscles react to it." Ben squawked a little in his arms. "Faster now with more intensity."

Leia and Naluma, green and violet blades shimmering in the dusk on the private terrace, doubled their speed.

"Now reach out with the Force. Transfer control to it. Let it move through you, around you."

The baby howled.

⊘ Leia lowered the blade and turned to Luke. "He's hungry, Luke. I need to nurse him." I'm about to burst, too. I really need a break.

Luke's look said it all. "I'll grab a bottle. Continue with the exercise."

When he entered the apartment, Naluma shot her a wan smile. "He has no idea what you're going through, Leia. You need to tell him you need to pump at least."

"How do I do that? He'll just think I'm weak, not cut out for this." Leia sighed. "I quit once before, you know."

Naluma nodded her head. "Yeah, but needing a break is not the same as quitting. Cut yourself some slack."

Leia tilted her head at the other Padawan. "Think you can keep him occupied for a few minutes? Let me run to the refresher?"

Naluma flashed her a beaming smile. "Oh, yeah. He's easy to distract." She winked and headed into the kitchen while Leia scurried to her sleeping chamber.

Leia shot a glance at Luke feeding Ben. The infant slurped at the bottle while his mother readied herself for a remote attack.

The Jedi Master looked up from his nephew. "Just relax. Let your muscles take over on this drill. If you hit the form correctly, you won't be stung. Naluma, is it coded?"

She nodded. "Yes, master."

Leia lowered the visor on her training helmet and assumed the ready position.

❷ "Begin."

The training sphere flew into the air above Leia and darted left and right. She swung left and right, up and down, moving her feet and her body in the rhythm she had just practiced. She blocked the first two charges easily. By the third, her rhythm was off by half a second, and she barely blocked it in time.

"Speed it up. You're off rhythm."

Leia grunted and increased her pace. Four, five, six, seven, eight. The beat marched on. The charges increased in frequency, but still at the same rhythm, the same pattern.

"Now, reach out with the Force. Let it guide you." Luke nodded at Naluma who pressed a button on the remote's controller. "Anticipate the next blast."

With focused intensity, Leia met the next charge and the next. A few long seconds passed between the second and third charges, but she pulled up her blade in an ellipse just in time. Naluma ducked to avoid the deflected charge.

The fourth struck home, shocking her arm. Leia grunted and spun at it, rage flaring. After a few defensive swings, she stabbed her saber straight through the sphere, shattering it across the terrace deck.

Ben cried once again.

⊘ "Control your anger, Padawan. It's feeding back on everyone around you, including your son. Is that what you want?"

Leia lifted her blastshield and glared at Luke, the green saber held low and her back tensed. "If you think—"

Luke raised his hand. His saber flew to his hand. "Peace."

Leia fumed for over a minute, her ire not quenched one bit.

He sighed and closed his eyes. "Enough. If you can't control your anger ... Naluma, Ataru course."

"Yes, master." The tall Padawan led the way out of the suite.

"And don't come back, Leia, until you get that anger under control."

Leia nodded, her cheeks flaming. "Yes, master."

Did you know ...

● I had a very big problem with Luke even thinking about striking Ben down in TLJ unprovoked, flashback or not. I had always imagined that Luke had held him as an infant, fed him, diapered him, especially since in canon Luke had no children of his own. I hope that this chapter does credence to his loving nature and fatherly side as well as show Leia's progression in using the Force and a lightsaber.

Tell me what you think ...

● We know that Naluma was initially jealous of Leia's relationship with Luke, even once she discovered they were siblings. How do you think that has changed? Why do you think that has changed?