Saga A Certain Reverence (young!Luke, Ben)

Title: A Certain Reverence
Author: Rynne
Timeframe: Intertrilogy
Characters: Luke, Ben
Genre: General
Keywords: Luke, stars, dreams, Ben, Tatooine
Summary: "The stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always present, they are inaccessible; but all natural objects make a kindred impression, when the mind is open to their influence." - Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature
Notes: Written for my friend Drakyndra on LJ, who requested young!Luke with a bit of Ben. Luke is eight, or thereabouts.

--

The stars are up there, floating lazily through the sky. So lazily that Luke can't even see them move, even though Aunt Beru told him that stars do.

He doesn't see the stars very often. They're not visible during the day, the light from Tatooine's suns drowning out anything else that might appear, and he's not allowed outside at night.

He sneaks out sometimes, anyway. He tiptoes past the open door of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's room, keeping track of Uncle Owen's snoring--whenever there's a pause, Luke freezes, because that means Owen is between awake and asleep and is listening, both for the soft patter of Tusken feet on sand, and for the little boy who sometimes can't sleep without going outside.

It's cold outside at night, but Luke doesn't bring a blanket. Cold is such a strange, new feeling that he relishes it when he feels it, astonished at the process of shivering, marveling at the patterns of rough goosebumps that pop up from the bare skin of his arms, the sleeves of the shirt rolled up so he could feel night and starlight and chill air. Eventually, the novelty of being cold wears off, and the warmth of his bed feels even better than usual.

He feels the stars calling to him tonight, so he slips out of his room and walks on quiet feet past his uncle's snoring form, moving confidently through the night-touched homestead. He knows where everything is, and has never bumped into anything, even though he can't see very well. He pauses for a moment in the middle of the courtyard and looks up. There are stars there, set in patterns both that he's had pointed out to him and that he's made up himself, but he can't see as many as he'd like; the walls are too high.

He hops up the stairs, dashes through the garage, and stops, once outside. He can't go very far, he knows, not without running into the fence that keeps the Sandpeople away, but he doesn't mind. He doesn't need to go far. He's not surrounded by walls right now, and that's enough for him.

He walks a few meters away from the homestead, then lets himself fall backwards into the sand, uncaring of the tiny grains that caught in his hair and slipped down the collar of his shirt. The best way to look at stars was on his back, where it was natural to look up, and up, and up.

He's always amazed at how many stars there are. "Has anyone ever been to them all?" he'd asked Uncle Owen once.

"No," Owen had replied. "There's too many, and too many undiscovered. No one has the time to go to all of them."

"I want to," Luke had said, wistfully.

And he still wants to, even though Uncle Owen is probably right. But surely one of them isn't too much to hope for...just to visit one, to get off this planet and see the stars...

He feels the goosebumps now, though he's not sure whether they came because of the cold or the idea of leaving. Tatooine's not that bad, not really, but there's so much out there, so much for Luke to see, to explore. He wants that, wants it with an ache deep inside him. Aunt Beru tells him to be content with what he has because so many people have less, but Luke can't help it. He wants more.

He yawns suddenly, and blinks, and starts to feel sleepy. The hypnotizing stars, mesmerizing him with dreams...but he stands, combs the sand out of his hair, brushes it off his shirt and pants, shakes it out of his boots. Though he wants to, he can't leave Tatooine yet. He doesn?t know when he can, but he knows the time is not now.

But

 

What a lovely moment with young Luke!

It's cold outside at night, but Luke doesn't bring a blanket. Cold is such a strange, new feeling that he relishes it when he feels it, astonished at the process of shivering, marveling at the patterns of rough goosebumps that pop up from the bare skin of his arms, the sleeves of the shirt rolled up so he could feel night and starlight and chill air. Eventually, the novelty of being cold wears off, and the warmth of his bed feels even better than usual.

For some reason, that passage especially stood out for me. Beautiful work! As always!

 

I love it! Young Luke and Ben stories are always fun, and I love how Luke is like his father, yet still different.

Great little viggy!

 

That was cool!! Showing Luke's longing for the stars already!

 

VaderLVR64: Thank you! That passage is actually sorta personal experience--I also grew up in a desert, and while mine, unlike Tatooine, has actual seasons, and I wasn't a stranger to shivering and cold, I did like going walking outside in the middle of the night.

ginchy: Thanks! I love little!Luke and Ben, but there's sadly so little of it...

jedisister: Thanks. I don't think he was ever really happy on Tatooine, even as a child--I know first-hand how restless deserts can make you feel, and I'm not as adventurous as Luke. And I couldn't resist making a parallel to Anakin, who also wanted to leave Tatooine for the stars as a child...

 

Awwwww....that was so sweet.

Young Luke has the same yearning to see all the stars as young Anakin did.

Loved the interaction with Ben.

Great job!

 

This was just lovely. Luke and Anakin shared a sense of longing for something different and a desire for adventure, and I loved how you showcased that here.

It's cold outside at night, but Luke doesn't bring a blanket. Cold is such a strange, new feeling that he relishes it when he feels it, astonished at the process of shivering, marveling at the patterns of rough goosebumps that pop up from the bare skin of his arms, the sleeves of the shirt rolled up so he could feel night and starlight and chill air. Eventually, the novelty of being cold wears off, and the warmth of his bed feels even better than usual.

I especially liked this. It seems such a little thing, but it can mean so much to someone who rarely gets to experience it.

Bravo!

 

I love young Luke stories, I think maybe because he's forced to handle so much once he becomes a part of the rebellion. This did an excellent job of capturing the Luke we see in ANH.

I also loved the bit with Ben sweeping Luke's bangs out of his face, and Luke thinking it was weird but Ben always does that and not minding. Not only did it hint of more meetings, it also showed the deep bond those two already have.

Just beautiful
-SE

 

Ah, beautiful. Your prose is just beautiful. Always a joy to read your stuff!

 

Young Luke is just adorable. So like his father, yet different. Already he is building a connection with Ben that will help when he's older.

 

KELIA: Thanks!

Gina: Thank you!

Solo-Evenstar: Thank you. I also love young Luke stories.

Blue_Milkshake: Thanks!

RebelMom: Thank you!