Video; UN Bridger (back dated to the beginning of the month)

[ezra_of_lothal]

[The first month Ezra arrived in Trench, Madam Generosity gifted him with a crisp white and bronze Jedi style outfit. He’s never felt like there’s been the right occasion for it.

Until today.

His Omni is set down for a wide view, the Sanctuary grounds in the background, and Anakin Solo, in his own robes, at his side.]

Some of you may have heard me talk about, or seen a memory of my master, my first teacher, as a Jedi, Kanan Jarrus. Or even met him, because he was here, briefly.

[Ezra flashes a smile, bittersweet.]

Before he left these shores, we did an impromptu ceremony here at the guardian tree of the Sanctuary. A knighting. [His smile turns sheepish; he’s not here entirely to toot his own horn, honest.]

Back in the galaxy I’m from, Jedi Knights have taken a lot of different variations of oaths, over thousands of years of history. I’ve been thinking for a while about how to express my commitment to being a Jedi of Trench– believing that, for a lot of reasons, something closer to traditional wasn’t in the cards. So, with Knight Solo’s help, I wrote an oath that I think fits...here.

And accountability is important, at least to me, so- [He takes a deep breath, and raises his right hand, palm out.]

Here goes:

I, Ezra Bridger, Jedi Knight, vow to use all my skill and abilities to serve others rather than ruling over them.
To not seek personal power, but knowledge and enlightenment,
To act not out of aggression, but to defend and to protect,
To preserve what grows and lives well in its own way,
To support betterment and ease pain,
To guard justice and peace,
To put ever aside fear for courage, hatred for compassion,
And when it is fitting to do so, death for life
— looking always towards the Force, in which all are one,
Until my final death, or I return to the sea.

[Anakin nods, very solemn for a 17-year-old.]

Oath witnessed and acknowledged, Knight Bridger.

[Then Ezra and Anakin beam at each other with excitement, like the very young men they are, and Anakin claps a hand on Ezra’s shoulder. ]

And now the part I’m sure more of you will care about-

[Anakin rolls his eyes and talks over Ezra.]

We’re having a celebration tonight- [Ezra mouths ‘party’.] at the Sanctuary. Contact me or Sansa if you want to be more involved than showing up.

[Ezra has to get the last word before signing off.]

Everyone’s welcome!

(OOC: Ezra in blue, Anakin in green, obv. Link to party log here)

Comments

[dohaeris]

[it's expensive for a decorative piece, but not nearly as expensive as it would be if the bloodstone were made by a more experienced jeweler. the coldblood and darkblood were sourced from friends in exchange for clothes, food, or more bloodstone. sansa's smile tugs to one side.]

I only make leather armor [she's not a blacksmith]; it's much easier to move around in than mail or plate. I'll make you hunting leathers some other time. [she would be surprised she hasn't already, except this happens all the time; sansa's not used to having so many people she wants to make clothes for.] I just thought for your knighting you should have something that helps you to serve the peace. Sometimes people tell me I should carry a bigger knife, but I think perhaps if you carry a weapon then people will only expect you to use it.

[she tries not to sound too apologetic; it's only a thought she had, and not something she learned from someone with more experience, and she's a little embarrassed to share it.]

[ezra_of_lothal]

[Ezra stares in wonder for a few seconds, unblinking.

Verklempt, the Jewish-American corner of his memories, supplies.

Finally he chokes out-]

...yes. You get it.

[dohaeris]

[now sansa flushes, and a small huff of incredulous laughter escapes her. she wills herself not to look down.]

My brothers used to practice fighting every day in the yard while my sister and I had lessons in needlework and music and courtesies. My sister always wanted to join them, but I just wonder if the boys came to our lessons instead of fighting sometimes, my world wouldn't always always be at war.

[but then she remembers that ezra is a knight who likes swords and things, and she likes knights and doesn't want them gone exactly, and it's not as if she wants everyone to stop sparring with each other, when it makes them happy, and she doesn't want to sound as if she's trying to discourage that sort of thing. quickly:]

I don't mean to say that training to fight makes people want to go to war, of course, only that if people never learn about anything but fighting, they'll only want to fight instead of looking for another way. And I don't mean to say my brothers or Arya or you only think about fighting, I just wanted to make you something that was a reminder of another way.

[ezra_of_lothal]

[He knows he's babbling, but it's ok. He knows that's it like to have to many complicated feelings and thoughts and trying to get them out in a comprehensible manner.]

Balance. Which sounds pat and simple, but can't be, because it ends up being different for everyone -

But teaching people a whole variety of ways of looking at and interacting with the world seems pretty necessary to get there, for me.

There's an Earth saying that if the only tool you have is hammer, all your problems are going to start looking like nails.

[dohaeris]

[sansa smiles at ezra, wistful.]

I don't think it sounds simple. I haven't met many knights like you, Ser Ezra––not in my old world, anyway. I never thought anyone would care how I looked at things, before I came here.

[she brightens a little.]

But tonight isn't about what I think. Everybody here is so excited for you! I don't think anyone's even said anything rude on the net work.

[she pulls out her omni to check. no nasty comments! she's impressed and it shows on her face.]

No one's even being a goblin.

[she means troll.]

[ezra_of_lothal]

[Hey, goblin works, too. And he pretty much always wants to know what Sansa thinks, he's finding.

He tries to make a chagrined face, but he can quite stop smiling.]

Oh, are people going to start calling me that? I don't think Jedi have been called ser or lord or anything like that in millennia.

[dohaeris]

[sansa laughs a little, incredulously.]

You're a knight. And he just called you Knight Bridger.

[speaking of which, the only knights from westeros that even came close to ezra in her esteem were both tyrells.]

What do they say if there are two knights from the same family? Some of the Southron houses were famous for having a lot of knights, in my realm.

[ezra_of_lothal]

Jedi Knights serve. [He shakes his head a little.] It's not easy to culturally translate, and all the chaos back home doesn't help in explaining. I should probably just let people call me what they want to.

And...I don't know about differentiating between knights with the same family name. [He hesitates.]

So here's, the thing. Under the old order, for the last thousand years or so, Jedi were always Force sensitives adopted into the Order. You didn't lose your name, if it was known, if there were records of your birth family you could look them up, visiting your home of birth and deciding what parts of your birth culture to claim was - that was all fine.

But many Jedi were outright orphans, or rescued from slavers, or had been separated from their birth families because of abuse. There are others who gave their children to the Order, for various reasons. They didn't feel equipped to raise a child with strange powers, their communities shunned them, or they were poor and wanted a better life for their child, or they genuinely believed the Force had chosen their child to be a Jedi.

[He tucks his hands, into his tunic sleeves.]

I don't know what my mom and dad would have chosen if the galaxy hadn't changed, and Jedi came to them when I was little, and told them their son could be a Jedi. They raised me just fine until I was seven. I suspect my mom was a little Force touched too, honestly.

But they also never shied away from hard decisions.

[dohaeris]

[sansa recalls something arya told her in the portals nearly a year ago, and her mouth twists.]

All men must serve.

[what he describes sounds more familiar to her than most of the things people say about their homes and all the videos about earth. she listens with a faint, crooked smile.]

We had many orders like that in the Seven Kingdoms, but they were much stricter, and only the Kingsguard had to be knights. Maesters have to give up their family names when they forge a chain and swear themselves to whatever house they're sent to. In the Night's Watch, they can keep their names, but they can't have any ties to the realm, not officially. They can visit their families sometimes, if they come from the North, but that's all. My brother is in the Night's Watch; they made him Lord Commander already, even though he's hardly any older than you.

[she suspects any more about jon or the night's watch will turn into a lesson on the class structure of the seven kingdoms, and will touch on benjen stark's death, which she really doesn't want to talk about right before a party. instead she smiles and adopts a light tone.]

We should finish talking in the hall; I hate to think what might happen if people start arriving with us still out here.

[there are people at the sanctuary that might not appreciate being forced into erstwhile hosting duties in their absence....a softer smile.]

Your parents sound very kind, and wise. I'm sure they would have found a balance, too.

[sansa knows her parents tried their best to protect her from joffrey and everyone. it's not their fault no one was there to protect them from littlefinger.]

[ezra_of_lothal]

Well. Everyone serving at least a little is the only way anything ever gets better, I think.

[He shakes himself out of his contemplation and moves towards the hall.]

I think you're the first person not from home that hasn't recoiled at the idea my parents might have given me to other people to raise. With a purpose.