A Dream
of a Dream
It wasnt your fault.
I was responsible for training him, he answered, perplexed by the voice that
had no form.
You cant shoulder the responsibility of anothers choice.
It was my actions that led him to choose the path he did.
Let go.
I cant.
He stood in the open doorway of his small hovel, his eyes searching the barren
surroundings. Sand reached as far as the eye could see. Another day on this hot
wretched planet; another day to remember how he had failed.
The suns had risen earlier than usual. The heat from the twin suns bore down
upon the coolness of the nights sand, it didnt take long for the temperature to
spike creating a blurred mirage that danced just above the miniscule grainy
pebbles of the planets surface.
Eighteen years now he had been hidden upon this rock. Eighteen years of
wondering what had gone wrong, where his mistake had been. He had tried to
conjure up alternative routes to the one the boy had taken but they always led
him right back to where he now stood.
His mind wandered back to that fateful day. The boy had refused to listen to
his mentors plea to return with him, or was it he that had refused to listen
to the cries and pleas of a child who wanted nothing more than to know he was
loved by someone other than his mother; a boy who desperately needed to be
reassured that the people he loved most would not abandon him for death, a boy who
wanted desperately to conquer that which could not be, the inevitable, demise.
He raised his arm to block the glare of the second sun as it rose just a slight
bit higher than its mirror image. Backing inside a few steps, he reached for
the door to close it but stopped. Staring into the far reaches of the desert,
he saw a figure coming toward him. Not being able to recognize whether it was
humanoid or another species of this desert world, he waited. He stretched out
with his senses but was quickly rebuffed. Stepping outside his door to gain a
better view, the suns suddenly shifted causing the glare from the sand to be
too much. He shielded his eyes with his arm but it did no good.
He turned so the brightness of the suns was to his back. Taking a deep breath,
he closed his eyes. Its just a mirage, he told himself. Shaking his
head in an attempt to clear an old hermits mind, he took a step to go back in
when he felt something upon his shoulder.
Years of Jedi training was ingrained in every muscle fiber within his frame. He
quickly turned on the intruder and grabbed the being from behind. A muffled umph
was all he heard as he pushed the smaller creature against the outside of his
home.
Who are you? he questioned, his eyes searching around him for any sign of
another.
Master Kenobi? the voice asked.
Im afraid you are mistaken. There is no one by that name here, he answered,
loosening his grip slightly.
Im looking for Obi-Wan Kenobi, former Jedi Knight and Master to Anakin
Skywalker, the being replied, not deterred in the least from the remark the
elder had made.
Stepping back, the hermit released his prey. As the character turned to face
him, he gasped. Involuntarily, his hand reached forward toward the individuals
face.
Anakin? he whispered. Jolted from his musings, he blinked several times and
stepped back. Who are you?
The boy stood silent for a moment studying the man in front of him. He had been
told many stories of this Jedi from his uncle. Offering a hand in friendship,
he introduced himself, Hello, Master Kenobi, Im Anakin Solo.
Ben looked at the youths hand before hesitantly reaching out to take it. Solo?
he asked confused.
Yes. You see, my mother was Leia Organa Solo, daughter of Anakin Skywalker. She
doesnt know her mothers name.
Padme he whispered. Her mother was Padme Amidala.
Ben released the boys hand. He gestured around his small hut silently offering
a seat. I dont understand; how can this be? The Skywalker children are not
yet married.
Another cocky grin. Must be from his father, Ben decided. You are
correct. Ive come back through time, although Im not quite sure how. I was
meditating and when I opened my eyes I found myself in Mos Eisley. Having
realized I was on Tatooine and what year it was and recalling the stories my
uncle Luke told me of you, well, my curiosity got the better of me.
Ben smiled for the first time in a long while. You sound like you
grandfather, he said quietly. He was always getting into one predicament or
another.
I know very little of him. Uncle Luke told me the little he knew from the
information you gave to him, but even that wasnt much.
Why are you here, Ani? Unconsciously using a nickname he hadnt uttered in
many years, Ben waited for a reply.
I think the Force brought me to you, Obi-Wan, was the simple but confident response.
Obi-Wan. Now thats a name I have not heard since before your uncle was born,
he mused.
It is the name of your true self, Anakin replied.
My true self, young one? What would you know of who I was? Your knowledge of
the past is limited, you said so yourself if you recall, Obi-Wan rose from his
seated position.
Anakin ignored the jibe and spoke aloud what the Force had revealed to him,
You were trained by Qui-Gon Jinn, a revered Jedi Master in his own right. When
he died you were bound by your word to train my grandfather, a boy whom you
didnt even know. The Kenobi/Skywalker team was one of the best to come out of
the Jedi Order. The two of you were unmatched and unbeatable. My grandfather
was the Chosen One, Obi-Wan, and by being who he was, he had choices to
make, Anakin paused and shrugged his shoulders, He simply made the
wrong one.
Obi-Wans eyes widened slightly before he schooled his features.
Anakin smiled, The Force is beyond limits, Obi-Wan.
It was my job to guide him, to teach him what he needed in order to make
correct decisions and in that I failed.
NO! You didnt fail, Anakin rose from his position and walked over to stand
before the man who had meant a great deal to his uncle, he failed.
Seeing that his words were not penetrating the armored guilt and grief that
Kenobi had steadily built around himself the past eighteen years, Anakin tried
a different approach, I overheard my mother crying one night. When my father
asked her what was wrong, she replied that she was concerned that maybe they
werent giving us all that we needed, at the word us, Obi-Wans brow
furrowed. I have two older siblings, Master Kenobi, Jaina and Jacen, theyre
twins.
Obi-Wan nodded in understanding and gestured for him to continue, My father
didnt speak for quite some time. But when he did, his answer was one that Ill
never forget. He told her that it was their job to lead us down the right path,
to instill in us the knowledge of how to live outside of the protective shelter
they have given us so that when we step beyond the threshold we will have the
necessary skills to weigh the good and the bad of each alternative and to make
our own choices. You gave my grandfather the skills he needed to live beyond
your tutelage and to become the Jedi Knight he was; however, what you have
overlooked is the period of time, nine years to be exact, where someone else
was instructing the lessons.
This burden you have taken upon yourself doesnt belong on your shoulders,
Master Kenobi, Anakin stepped closer to the former Jedi Master. Placing a hand
upon his shoulder he squeezed gently, Let go.
Let Go.
He heard it whisper in the air around him. What if I dont know how, young
Anakin. I have lived with this for too long. Even if I wanted to, how would I
do it?
Anakin sought the Force for guidance. First, realize that youre not perfect,
Obi-Wan. Second, allow yourself to form attachments beyond your master, and
third, accept that people make mistakes even with the proper upbringing.
And after?
Anakin smiled. His form shifted within the Force and he began to fade, You
wake up.
Obi-Wan jolted from his sleep couch and hit the floor. He cried out in
frustration and confusion. The knock on his door was hard and demanding.
Just a minute, he answered, trying to untangle the covers from around his
feet. Deciding not to make the person wait until he figured out the knotted
blanket, he waved his hand toward the entrance, unlocking it. The door gave way
and a very unkempt Jedi Master barreled through with lightsaber in hand.
Glancing quickly around the room, Qui-Gon found there was no immediate threat
save the cotton monstrosity that held his padawan hostage.
What happened? he asked, bending down to help his apprentice with the
offending material.
Obi-Wan was thankful it was dark as the blush that stained his cheeks would
have showed his embarrassment. I fell out of bed, Master, he said sheepishly.
Qui-Gon pulled apart the last of the cover and helped his padawan back onto his
bed. Obi-Wan reached down and pulled the comforter up, straightening it as he
went.
Qui-Gon watched in silence as Obi-Wan contemplated his dream. You fell out of
bed? Qui-Gon asked, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Nodding in affirmation, Obi-Wan expanded his response, I had a dream, Master.
Qui-Gon sighed as he sat down beside his apprentice. Do you feel it was a
vision?
Im not sure. It felt so real. I was aged and there was this boyI cant
remember the exact details, Obi-Wan replied, purposely keeping part of the
dream from Qui-Gon.
Smiling as he ruffled his padawans hair, Qui-Gon answered, Dreams pass in
time, little one. Get some sleep, he rose from his position and started from
the room, we leave for Naboo in the morning.
Bekah_K