Saga Hope's Sanctuary - Complete! A note of thanks

Okay. That was heartbreaking, but there is no way to deny that it was a beautiful story. I truly enjoyed reading it, and I look forward to reading more from you.

 

SO sad!!!!!!!!

Someone wants to use the comp, or I'd say more, but I wait for the next post.

 

Okay, I knew it was too good to be true! Padme and Obi-Wan finding love at long last. Poor Obi-Wan, he always get the short end of the stick. Beautifully written, but WAAAAAAA! It's not fair, as Anakin would say!

 

It's so sad Padme's dead, and now Obi-Wan has to suffer. It's even more depressing since they finally declared to each other, they love each other. I kinda feel bad for Vader, too.

~aeryn

 

Aw, you guys are gems! But I already knew that...

Kynstar - You can ask my roommate. The night I wrote Padme dying, I bawled like a three-year-old.

Diane - There will always, I think, be that little candle of light, so to speak, that Vader can't exorcise. It was there in RotJ, and it saved Obi-Wan's life here, though Vader did not know it.

Gina - Thank you very much!

Laine - Yeah, I hated writing this part. Here's more!

VaderLVR - Yeah, they have this one perfect day, then everything goes wrong. "It's like my grandma, Nana Roseannadana said, 'It's always something.'"

Aeryn - I do feel sorry for AniVader, too, but I think it's appropriate, considering the pain he's caused and will continue to cause as Darth Vader.

*

Chapter Twenty-Four - Farewell

Padmé?s body had been turned over to Sola, since Jobal and Ruwee Amidala, their parents, had both died over three years before. While he was still recovering, Sola met with Obi-Wan and Laurae to discuss the children. Though Sola?s new husband had happily accepted her daughters into his life when he?d married their mother, they were simply unable to take Luke and Leia. Obi-Wan nodded, looking into the Palace courtyard, where the twins toddled around after their nine and eleven year-old cousins.

For all practical purposes, Leia and Luke were orphans. Obi-Wan finally chose to take them to Alderaan, until he could decide what the best thing for them was. They can't stay here, Vader could come back. He listened to the Force. He will come back.

*

Queen Jamilla had agreed to keep Padmé?s death under wraps until they were off-planet. But she did insist that they hold a private memorial service before Obi-Wan, Laurae, and the twins left. A more public ceremony, complete with Imperial representatives, would be announced later. Despite the risk, Obi-Wan was using the Force to heal; he was hobbling around his chamber with a cane within six days of the fight.

They met before sundown where the Palace Complex ambled down to the river, about a hundred meters upstream from the massive waterfall in Theed. Word of mouth had spread, and the ranks of mourners swelled to more than fifty. Sabé, her husband and children, three other former handmaidens, Artoo and Threepio, Captains Typho and Panaka, Jar Jar Binks, Boss Nass, and Sio Bibble were all present. Sola was the only one who didn?t hold at least one flower; she instead held a silver vessel in her hands, which glowed gold in the sunlight.

After Chancellor Bibble presented a brief eulogy, the crowd parted for Obi-Wan. He wore a Jedi tunic and tabards, lightsaber dangling from his belt. The knuckles of the hand that gripped his cane were white as he limped forward. Murmurs rose and fell like ocean waves at his boldness; it would only take one person who was more loyal to the Empire than to Naboo to bring a squadron of stormtroopers upon them within minutes. But that surprise was nothing in comparison to the astonishment that his words inspired:

?She was my North, my South, my East and West.
My reason to work and my Tenthday?s rest.
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song,
I thought that love would last forever. I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one.
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun.
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.?

After he had finished his poem and the muttering died down, he repeated the customary Nubian prayer for the dead: ?As she gave light to our lives, so may Tokith light her way to the Endless Domains. Peace to Padmé.?

?So shall it be,? agreed the mourners.

Sola moved forward and knelt at the edge of the river. Her tears splashed into the swirling water as she pried open the silver container she held. ?Peace to Padmé,? she murmured as she shook her sister?s ashes into the river. At Laurae?s prompting, Leia and Luke threw flowers into the water. Their blossoms were followed by dozens more. The flowers d

 

WOW! What more can I say? This last post was incredible. Moving, sad, SAD...just wonderfully written. I can't wait to see what will happen with the twins and Obi-Wan and Vader. Will Vader realize how much he cost himself and his children one day? Only the author knows...JUST WOW!

 

So sad! But I guess this is how the young Obi-Wan turns into the haunted-eyes Obi-Wan of ANH. There's a lot behind those looks he gives Luke, isn't there?

Can't wait for the next update.

 

Juz great! Totally breath taking! the crowd parted for Obi-Wan. He wore a Jedi tunic and tabards, lightsaber dangling from his belt. The knuckles of the hand that gripped his cane were white as he limped forward. Murmurs rose and fell like ocean waves at his boldness; it would only take one person who was more loyal to the Empire than to Naboo to bring a squadron of stormtroopers upon them within minutes. But that surprise was nothing in comparison to the astonishment that his words inspired.

And the poem was sweet! I bet he remembered how she laughed or imagined (since he was on Alderaan when she got the poem) when he wrote the first poem he sent her.

Brave of him to do what he did, and honorable! Great work!!

 

That was a really beautiful and sad post. Funerals are never easy but that was really beautiful and I wanted to run to Obi-Wan and help him feel better, too. Poor Obi.

~aeryn

 

That was quite a tear jerker, but it was beautifully written.

It breaks my heart everytime I think of poor Luke and Leia, missing their mother and too young to probably truly understand.

 

Thanks for reading, I will post individual replies tonight or tomorrow, but I have to get off the computer NOW.

*

Darth Vader once again parked a borrowed speeder in the clearing. He emerged and leaned back against the hull for a moment, wondering why he'd come.

He walked down the main thoroughfare of Theed, Queen Jamilla by his side, preceded by a speeder carriage that bore an elaborate coffin. He sensed tens of thousands of sorrowing minds behind him.

Leave it to his Master to send a murderer to his own wife's funeral.

Just as he had several days before, Vader approached the house, hearing his respirator echo back from the depths of the house. He stepped through the front door.

Under the mask, the Sith arched an eyebrow. Or, at least, where his left brow used to be...

The house was deserted. All personal effects were gone, drawers and cupboards flung open. He looked into the first room off the entryway. Dust covers were draped over the furniture in there. Half hidden by a cover, book was on the floor. Vader picked it up.

Poetry of the Jedi, Volume Seven. It was an antique, the kind of sentimental rubbish Obi-Wan sometimes read. Vader tossed it onto the sofa and stalked further into the house.

To his right was a larger room, the carpet more worn, a family-size table under another cover. Vader noticed a piece of fabric on the floor, and he kicked it aside.

There was a stain there. Brown. Vader's breath overrode his regulated respiration. He immediately regretted looking. The Sith used the Force to move the cloth back into place. He stepped around it while blinking a prickly feeling out of his eyes, and moved into the house.

It happened suddenly. The Force was gone; he couldn't feel it. The sensation made him gasp for breath, and he staggered back. Then, just as suddenly, the Force flooded through Vader's body again. He stood where he was for a moment, wondering at it, then cautiously stepped forward again.

It made him sick to his stomach, but the Sith Lord endured the sensation. He found two small bedchambers, one of which had a one-person bed in it. Why a single bed when they were -

Maybe they weren't.

The other chamber was bare of any furniture. Other chambers were also stripped of effects.

The third bedchamber was the master suite. Vader sneered as he entered. A large, two-person bed dominated the chamber. How long were they together? How long did they wait after Obi-Wan left me to die before they were sleeping with each other? he wondered. But then why was there a bed in that other chamber? They were the only two people...

Vader left the bedchamber and moved to where the Force had left him. He stepped out, and he could sense everything for kilometers in every direction but one. Behind him was a gaping hole in the Force. Anything could hide in there and he'd never know.

Anyone could hide in there and he'd never know. So this is how Obi-Wan managed to hide himself and Padmé for so long.

Vader returned to the empty bedchamber and flung the closet door open. Empty. The large chamber next. Gloved hands ran over a high shelf, and pulled a plast bag down.

Inside was Padmé's wedding gown. The one she wore seven years ago. Vader clutched the bag, knowing he would not let it go, nor open it, until he was able to take his mask off and press the cloth to his face.

*

Once inside his pressurized and purified chamber on board his shuttle, Vader yanked his mask off, then opened the bag.

The ivory lace gown slid into his gloved hands. He only had eyes for it, the dress that she'd been wearing at the happiest moment in his life. But when he let the bag fall, it didn't drift to the deck.

Flump. Vader looked down.

Something else was in there. He reached inside and pulled out one ? no, two ? pieces of white cloth. Frowning, Vader unfolded one.

It was too small to be a lap blanket, the wrong texture to be a towel. What possible use could Padmé have for such a

 

What if...

A baby? They were the perfect size to swaddle a newborn in.

Master is going to kill me.


VaderLVR rubs her hand together in happy anticipation! WOW! Getting so GOOD, even though Padme's gone (hey - someone has to comfort Obi-Wan, right?) I cannot wait for more, so please type fast! REALLY fast...

 

Oh, oh. Not good at all!!!!

Great job. Kenobi better run long and hard!

 

Poor Anakin/Vader! He thinks they slept together and been staying together! Little does he know...

Great suspense here! I thought it was funny when he thought Master is going to kill me. That was sooo funny! hehehe Reminded me of the scene on Geonosis when his lightsaber got chopped in half. hehehehe!

 

What if...

A baby? They were the perfect size to swaddle a newborn in.

Master is going to kill me.

I half expected Vader to also say, through his mask: "Oh crap!" But I know that's not Vader.

~aeryn

 

Oh, no. Please tell me he's not going to go after the children.

 

Responses to your Chapter Twenty-Four comments:

VaderLVR - I can't wait to see what will happen with the twins and Obi-Wan and Vader. Obi-Wan's job now is to get the kids settled, and himself into hiding. As for Vader, well, you've seen the last of him (in this fic) by the time you read this. He'd be crazy to tell the Emperor that Padme did have a baby, as he's hypothesized.

Laine - But I guess this is how the young Obi-Wan turns into the haunted-eyes Obi-Wan of ANH. There's a lot behind those looks he gives Luke, isn't there? In my world, there sure is. Good insight!

Kynstar - Brave of him to do what he did, and honorable! That's our darling Obi.

I thought it was funny when he thought Master is going to kill me. If I were Vader, I certainly wouldn't tell the Emperor about what I found. To do so would be suicide.

Aeryn - I will admit to weeping over Padme's death and funeral scenes from time to time.

But I know that's not Vader. It isn't too far from Ani, though.

Gina - It breaks my heart everytime I think of poor Luke and Leia Not having a mother makes a difference, believe me.

Please tell me he's not going to go after the children. He is not going to go after the children.

Diane - Let's just say that Vader is unsure enough of whether it is a baby blanket, as well as who the father is (he was wondering how long Obi and Padme were 'together'), and that the Emperor would probably kill him for letting the children get away. So he chooses not to pursue them for now. Or at least, not soon enough to make a difference.

*

Chapter Twenty-Five - Leia Finds a Family

After waiting for local midnight, Laurae landed the ship in the Capital Center spaceport on Alderaan. She was very tired, but General Kenobi was in even worse shape. She and Ben, each holding the hand of a sleepy child, exited the hangar and covered the kilometer to the Viceroy?s Residence, the droids hurrying behind. Even though it was very early in the morning, Organa?s Chief of Military Intelligence was admitted past the security gates.

As a servant ushered them into the library, Ben said quietly to her, ?Don?t wake the Viceroy now, but please make sure he knows we?re here as soon as he rises.?

She bowed in response and left the room. Both Ben and Laurae led the children to the sofa, then covered them with a blanket. Kenobi groaned in pain; he was exhausted and nowhere near being fully recovered. For the next five hours, the Jedi succumbed to fatigue and fitful dreams while Laurae paced the floor, weeping in silence.

*

The sky was brightening to pink when Bail Organa opened the library door to find General Kenobi slumped and snoring in one chair, two children sleeping on the sofa, and a young woman he didn?t recognize, standing at attention. Laurae twitched one hand to brush Kenobi?s shoulder. His eyes went from sleep to sharp in less than a second, and he rose to his feet in the next. They bowed as Ben greeted Organa and introduced Laurae.

Organa was about to speak when the blanket moved abruptly. Curious, he walked to the sofa and found himself face-to-face with a huge pair of brown eyes. Leia smiled. As though in a trance, Bail Organa reached down and picked the little girl up. She reached her hands out and touched his face, still smiling. Organa smiled back, then looked at Ben. The Jedi said, ?Her name is Leia.?

It was obvious to Organa whose child this was. Oh, Gods, no. ?Why is she here? Where is Senator Amidala??

Ben didn?t want to say it, that would mean it was actually true, and not some yawning, black, hopeless nightmare. ?She has died.?

Bail looked at Kenobi in shock. He refrained from pressing for details ? Ben looked as though he would shatter at any moment. Bail wasn?t far from that himself; Padmé had been a good friend and a strong ally when they served in the Senate together.

Ben?s voice broke into Organa?s memories. ?Leia needs a

 

Okay, Leia is back with Bail. Luke is going to be somewhere else, Obi-Wan is heartbroken. WAAAA! Beautifully written but also horrendously sad. Could Obi-Wan PLEASE get to be around Luke more? Pretty please? I'll send chocolate! My husband keeps extra on hand because he works with women mostly and has me and our teenage daughter. He knows the value of good chocolate...I'll send some, I really will!

I love it, sad, but so well done that I can't help but love it!

 

*Snrk* Love at first sight for Bail! hehehe I wonder if that's how it's gonna be in Ep III. Makes ya wonder! hehehehehe The comics mentioned that Bail's wife can't have kids... so that's cool that the two will take Leia on. Sad that the rugrats gotta be separated. But it's true about keeping them together. Definitely could prove hazardous to each of their healths.

Great work!

 

That was a bittersweet chapter. I loved Bail and Leia's interaction with each other.

~aeryn

 

VaderLVR - Oh, chocolate! You know one of my two weak spots.

Kynstar - Yeah, Bail adored her from the first moment. I've heard rumors about Episode 3, that he's interested in Padme romantically (No! NOOO! If there's gonna be a triangle, it should be Anakin-Padme-ObiWan), so he would definitely want to take care of her daughter.

Aeryn - Thank you.

*

Chapter Twenty-Six - Exile

They spent a week on Alderaan. Viceroy Organa insisted on keeping Ben and the children in his Residence while Kenobi?s body continued to heal. Obi-Wan supposed he was right, but he fretted the whole time, worried that Darth Vader would descend on them at any moment and finish the job before the children were secure in their new families.

Ben remembered the first discussion with Salae Organa from the week before, when she?d learned that there was a second child. To her credit, she had wanted to adopt Luke, too, but Obi-Wan wouldn?t have it. ?The Force is strong in him, Mistress Organa. If Luke lives with such a prominent family, Darth Vader will become aware of him and slay him before he turns five,? he?d said again. Viceroy Organa had accepted Ben?s resignation with obvious regret. He also accepted a copy of Padmé?s recordings for Leia and promised to follow Ben?s advice that the droids? memories be erased.

Laurae had surprised Obi-Wan when she volunteered to stay with Leia, giving up her military career to become the princess? nanny. One of the reasons he?d chosen the young woman when he?d first come to Alderaan was her persistence and ambition. The military was the life?s work Laurae had desired, and she was abandoning it. But Obi-Wan sensed her determination to stay with Leia, to smooth the little girl?s transition into her new life. When she?d accepted the assignment almost three years before, Laurae couldn?t have known that she?d grow to love the children. Now that they were her priority, her tenacious nature kept her close to the child whom she could serve best. It was with many tears that she bade Luke goodbye.

*

Three days later, the Jedi brought the ship out of hyperspace. Tattooine loomed large in the cockpit window. Obi-Wan breathed a sigh of relief; keeping an eye on the ship while minding the active child was draining his energy. And Tattooine was a long jump from Alderaan. While he was witnessing Leia?s adoption ceremony, Obi-Wan decided that he and Luke would settle on this Force-forsaken world. If there was any planet in the entire galaxy that Vader was unlikely ever to return to, this was it.

For the third time in an hour, Obi-Wan sensed Luke?s curiosity swelling...somewhere else. He eyed the empty chair next to him and thought, That boy is a born escape artist. He put the ship into orbit and limped out of the cockpit, convinced that the child was getting into another service conduit or circuit board. It didn?t help that Luke was as fussy and anxious as he was curious. Obi-Wan supposed that was natural, considering that the boy was separated from his mother and sister for the first time in his life.

After a few inquiries from the traffic controllers in Mos Eisley, he found the Lars homestead. Obi-Wan landed the small ship just outside of the security fences and opened the ramp. The air was scorching; Obi-Wan was perspiring before he set foot on the ground. Force, I hate this planet. I never wanted to come here again. The engine noise had brought a young woman up from the underground dwelling. ?Beru Whitesun?? he called.

She nodded nervously. ?Beru Lars.?

Obi-Wan bowed slightly. ?My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I was a friend of Anakin Skywalker. May we come in??

?Yes, of course,? she said nervously.

Obi-Wan did not speak again until Owen arrived in the courtyard, and he was introduced to Anakin?s stepbrother. Owen took one look at the child holding Obi-Wan?s hand and scowled as they seated themselves around the table. Luke walked into the yard, exploring.

The farmer didn?t waste words. ?You trained Anakin?? Obi

 

WOW! Now I need the chocolate! Intense post, very sad. I understand Owen's fears but it just doesn't seem to fair to destroy Padme's disk. What was he thinking? Stupid!

Poor Obi-Wan, he gets the short end of the stick no matter what, doesn't he?

I loved the descriptions of a young Luke. Those creative, dreamy types are a bit different to raise, and I would know!


For the third time in an hour, Obi-Wan sensed Luke?s curiosity swelling...somewhere else. He eyed the empty chair next to him and thought, That boy is a born escape artist. He put the ship into orbit and limped out of the cockpit, convinced that the child was getting into another service conduit or circuit board. It didn?t help that Luke was as fussy and anxious as he was curious. Obi-Wan supposed that was natural, considering that the boy was separated from his mother and sister for the first time in his life.

Another great post~

 

There are no words to accurately describe how sad the last two posts were. For Luke and Leia to be separated at their age, when they have grown accustomed to each other and have a bond...it tears my heart in two. I could pictue Obi-Wan having to make that journey up the steps, leaving Luke, and therefore the last remaining part of his life with Padme behind him, and I could truly sense the utter despair and grief. And Owen breaking the disc, that had to be like a lightsaber through the heart to Obi-Wan, as if it was a total dismissal of Padme's existence.

Although it was sad, you portrayed it eloquently.

 

Heavy! *Sniff* and typical of Owen... well atleast the one we see in Ep IV. GREAT WORK!! I still shiver over:
Obi-Wan limped up the stairs.
............................................................If only I had...
........................................If only she was...
....................If only I?d been...
If only we...

 

...pant...gasp...wheeze...

I just finished a marathon catch-up session, Kel! I'm not usually a huge romance fan, but you've done a wonderful job with this. You write a brilliant Obi-Wan. Can't wait for more!

Shaindl