#wahth

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With a Hand to Hold | 100k | T

Master Sol is dead, and the Jedi have Mae. Osha has committed to the dark side but is struggling in her training with Qimir, whose past remains a mystery. When a newcomer on the island offers an alternative path, the choice Osha makes could change the fate of the galaxy. Read on ao3.

[flythesail]

100k | Rated: T | 8/8 chapters

Qimir had wanted a pupil. At first, Osha refused, thinking he was ridiculous for asking. She remembered the rare chill in the air that day, the salt from the waves, the vision in the helmet she failed to understand.

After she killed Master Sol, he was her place to turn with nowhere to go, handing back her lightsaber and covering her thumb with his own. Mae had asked what she wanted, and she wanted to train.

“Does that make me your Acolyte?”

He was looking at his lightsaber, but at her question, his eyes found her. They were at their darkest now, under the lantern light. When he spoke, his voice was low, and she felt it the same.

"It does." There was something new in his gaze that made her body run warm. “Do you want to be mine, Osha?”

Read here on ao3: A post-s1 continuation of The Acolyte.

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If this was inevitable, it was an inevitability she chose. — wahth

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“No, you did not.” Her eyes blurred with tears, not from sadness but from anger. “Don't do that again.”

“Me?” Qimir laughed. She let go of his tunic, and his head fell back in the sand. He gazed at her, and even in the dark, she recognized the warmth of it. “Osha, with you...I'm defenseless.”

— wahth

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I'm not afraid to die. | wahth

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Catch up before chapter 7 (edit: now up)

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With a Hand to Hold Chapter 8 Preview

A post-s1 continuation of The Acolyte. Last chapter SOON! 🎉 Catch up here. Note: this preview has spoilers for previous chapters.

Edit: Now posted!

“If it comes to it, I'll do what needs to be done.”

“Osha,” he said softly. 

“I will.” She couldn't take her eyes off of him. “The only way Vernestra walks away from this unblamed is if she kills you.” 

The last time Qimir fought her, he was fifteen. He was older now. Stronger. No longer alone. But their fight against Darth Plagueis told her all she needed to know. Even together, they weren't invincible. 

But if Osha could defeat a Sith—what challenge would a Jedi Master pose? 

She'd made the decision long ago. Knowing Vernestra had Mae was enough, and learning what she did to Qimir only made her more certain in her choice. 

Qimir looked at her, a little in awe, a little like he was already in battle and losing.  

She stared at him, chin held high. 

They were in the dark. Caught in the shadows. Their breath froze in the air.

The rain continued to tap. 

Qimir released a soft breath. “I'm sorry I failed you.” He leaned toward her, his hands squeezing her hips.  

Her brows furrowed. “How did you fail me?”

“Last night. I— I'm proud of you. You need to know that. But there was so much blood. I didn't know whose it was. I didn't know what had happened. Then when you told me—” His voice was hushed, dangerous.  

She had told him this morning about the explosion; the lightning. Snuggled close with their limbs tangled together, she had lied again, saying she was fine. There was no other choice this close to the end. 

“That wasn't your fault,” she said. 

He had been unconscious. If it was anyone's fault, it was her own. She sent Darth Plagueis's saber into the cortosis without a plan for what came next. 

Qimir hesitated for a second, then seemed to make a decision, moving his hands to cup her face. They were warm on her chilled skin. “I promise I will always protect you.”

She held his gaze. “Don't make promises you can't keep.”

“You can’t stop me,” he said lower. The rain tapped. His thumbs pressed into her cheekbones. 

Throughout her training, he had never offered his protection. It was more the opposite. She remembered his frustration after Kuval, when her inaction forced him to jump between her and the Jedi to save her life. 

You need to know how to protect yourself. 

What had changed?

Osha wrapped her hand over his wrist. “Promise you'll fight beside me,” she insisted. 

His gaze flickered over her face, finding her eyes with intent. “My Acolyte, my Osha, I will always fight beside you.” With his hands on her face, she couldn't look away, even if she wanted to. "Anywhere you go, I will follow. Anything you ask for, I will give. I'm yours.”

Her heart pounded in her chest. She felt as if she stood on a precipice. 

The rain fell steadily. 

They both knew she was stronger. She didn't need his protection, but she would take his devotion. 

“Promise you'll love me,” she said.

His eyes were as dark as night. “Osha, I do.” 

“Show me.”

He grinned at her, almost wild. He still held her face, tilting it up. His lips were a breath away from hers. “I have waited a lifetime to show you.”

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The only person Osha could trust in entirety was herself. Even then, she didn't know the extent of the power Qimir and Darth Plagueis both believed she had. 

“You hide your emotions from me,” Osha said. “Why?”

She was certain it was his doing. On Brendok, she had no trouble sensing what Mae felt. Or even Sol, as he struggled for his last breaths at her hand. 

Qimir finished adding the cabbage to the pot. The boil dropped to a simmer, and he stirred the soup with a spoon. His eyes found hers. “You wouldn't want what's inside my head, Osha.” 

— With a Hand to Hold, Chapter 2