Saga - PT All the Difference (AU Anakin Skywalker Decathlon for 2021 Summer Olympics)

Title: All the Difference

Author: devilinthedetails

Timeframe: Saga-PT.

Genre: A variety of genres.

Continuity: An AU verse where Anakin decides to leave the Jedi in the ROTS era.

Characters: Anakin Skywalker; Padme Amidala; Obi-Wan Kenobi; Luke Skywalker; Leia Skywalker; Shmi Skywalker.

Summary: A compilation of stories written for my Star Wars Decathlon focusing on Anakin Skywalker.

Mood-Setting Quote and Decathlon Title Inspiration:

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”-Robert Frost

Index of Entries:

The Chosen One of Prophecy. 110 Word Hurdle. Anakin Skywalker; Obi-Wan Kenobi. Post #2.

The Myth of No Marriage. 400 Word Cross Country. Anakin Skywalker; Obi-Wan Kenobi. Post #5.

Unashamed Father. 200 Freestyle. Anakin Skywalker; Obi-Wan Kenobi. Post #7.

Everything but Goodbye. AU Archery. Anakin Skywalker; Obi-Wan Kenobi. Post #10.

Brimful of Promise. Single Sentence Shotput. Anakin Skywalker; Leia Skywalker; Luke Skywalker. Post #13.

Love and Sacrifice. 4x100 Relay. Anakin Skywalker; Shmi Skywalker; Padme Amidala; Obi-Wan Kenobi; Luke Skywalker; Leia Skywalker. Post #16.

A Serious Weapon. 100 Word Sprint. Anakin Skywalker; Luke Skywalker. Post #20.

The Best Days. 1500 Word Dash. Anakin Skywalker; Padme Amidala; Obi-Wan Kenobi; Luke Skywalker; Leia Skywalker. Post #24.

Drifting Bubbles. Water Polo Poetry. Anakin Skywalker; Luke Skywalker; Leia Skywalker; Padme Amidala; Ruwee Naberrie; Jobal Naberrie; Sola Naberrie. Post #31.

All Chosen Ones. Fantastical Fencing. Anakin Skywalker; Obi-Wan Kenobi; Luke Skywalker; Prime Jedi. Post #36.

Decathlon complete on 10/31/2021. Thread always open for comments, of course!

 

Title: The Chosen One of Prophecy

Genre: Drama; General; AU.

Characters: Anakin Skywalker; Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Event: 110 Word Hurdle.

Summary: Anakin forsakes the Jedi Order and the Chosen One prophecy.

The Chosen One of Prophecy (110 Word Hurdle)

“You’re the Chosen One. You can’t forsake the Order.”

“The Chosen One.” A derisive snort. “What does that even mean?”

“That you’re the one destined to bring balance to the Force.” Obi-Wan recited the words of the prophecy with gravity. As if they weren’t nonsense.

“And what does that mean?” The Chosen One of prophecy exploded with all the pent-up frustration in the brimful dam that was his heart.

“I don’t know.” Obi-Wan’s brow beetled. “But I sense you’re supposed to find out.”

“Don’t you see the irony?” A sad, bitter headshake. “Me fulfilling the prophecy is so important to you, but you don’t even know what the prophecy means.”

 

Welp, you had me at your summary. *pulls out a chair and takes out popcorn* I am so here for this.

This was a very interesting way to open your decathlon on such a fascinating debate between two people who love each other dearly, but are at such opposites right now. What does the prophesy even mean? What truly is balance and what is Anakin's role in achieving that balance? How do we know he's not still on that path now? They're questions I suspect we'll find the answer to coming up.

Great tension, great dialogue, and a great start all around! I'm already looking forward to reading more.

 

@JediMaster_Jen Thank you so much for reading and commenting! I'm glad you found this to be a great start to my Anakin Decathlon, and I hope you will enjoy the future entries just as much! I think Anakin definitely has a point about how frustrating and vague the Chosen One prophecy is (like what does bringing balance to the Force even mean?), and I imagine it can also feel like a burden on him that is trying to control his life sometimes. It isn't easy being the Chosen One of prophecy so I wanted to show Anakin wrestling with that prophecy and the burden it seems to place on him and his destiny.

@Mira_Jade Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!I'm so glad to have hooked you with the summary of an AU verse where Anakin chooses to leave the Jedi during the ROTS era. Initially, I was struggling to come up with ideas for this Anakin Decathlon. I knew I wanted to do an Anakin Decathlon because there is so much to explore with his character, but I had a hard time coming up with ideas. Then I thought about doing a story about Anakin leaving the Jedi during ROTS era for the AU Archery. And then that turned into me stroking my chin going, "What's stopping me from doing all the stories in that AU verse?" After I had that thought, the stories just kept flowing for me with this Decathlon. Now I hope that keeps up, and I didn't jinx anything for myself there, haha.

I'm so happy you found this to be an interesting opening to my Decathlon. I definitely picture Anakin and Obi-Wan loving each other and caring about each other deeply (otherwise they wouldn't get so mad at each other) even when they are at odds, so it's nice to know that came through in their dialogue here. I hope to have more examples of how much they do care about each other despite any disagreements they might have and despite Anakin choosing to go a different path than Obi-Wan would want or expect. People we care about can sometimes choose to go down different paths than we want or expect, but that doesn't mean that our love for them automatically has to stop or should stop. So I hope to be able to explore that in this piece. What would happen if Anakin pursued a different path, leaving the Jedi, but did not become an evil Sith Lord? Just a good guy who no longer identified himself as a Jedi. A person who just wanted to be free of the strictures of the Jedi so he can live with his wife and family. A Chosen One who wants to turn into a regular dude off the street in a sense.

The prophecy is definitely very interesting and open-ended to me. The idea of what it means to bring balance to the Force is so very open to interpretation and I think there is a chance that Anakin might still be on a path to finding balance if not for the whole Jedi Order than at the least for himself (which maybe is what balance is all about). I hope to be able to ponder some more of these issues without necessarily giving definitive answers. I like to leave some space for reader interpretation and theorizing. Because sometimes reader interpretations and theorizing is better than anything I could have invented as an author

So glad you liked the dialogue and the tension! Hopefully you enjoy the next installment as much

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Author's Note: Next up, we dive more deeply into Jedi lore, because why not? And, yes, my favorite part of TLJ was the Prime Jedi symbol in the first Jedi Temple so take that as you will...The story of the Prime Jedi is somewhat borrowed from the life of the Buddha because I do like to draw on that history of Eastern spirituality as inspiration for the Jedi where possible...And my head canon for this conversation is it takes place sometime when Anakin is a Padawan, so chronologically before the previous entry because this story is non-linear and jumps all over the place like the scatter-brained author who wrote it...

Title: The Myth of No Marriage

Genre: Drama; General; AU.

Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi; Anakin Skywalker.

Event: 400 Word Cross Country

Summary: As a Padawan, Anakin wonders why Jedi aren't allowed to marry.

The Myth of No Marriage (400 Word Cross Country)

“Why can’t the Jedi marry?” Anakin asked for insight into the incomprehensible.

“I suppose it goes back to the myth of the Prime Jedi.” Obi-Wan stroked the beard he was growing.

“Prime?” Anakin frowned. “What does that mean?”

A fleeting grin flickered across his Master’s face. “In this context, the first and ideal.” Continuing the story, he went on, “The Prime Jedi was born as a prince thousands of years ago on a distant world. As a prince, he wed the woman his parents, the king and queen, arranged for him to marry. With that woman, he had two children--a son and a daughter--”

“So he was married and had children?” Anakin interrupted, baffled. “I thought this was supposed to be a story explaining why Jedi shouldn’t marry, not why they should.”

“Be patient.” Obi-Wan shot him a mildly reproving glance. “The Prime Jedi spent his childhood and early adulthood in a palace with every comfort and luxury as decreed by his parents. Then, one day, he was forced to travel outside of the palace compound. He rode in a grand progress, but still he saw the dirty, the poverty, and the suffering in the city beyond the palace walls. He saw the sick languishing in the gutters and the destitute beggars lining the streets. The suffering he saw was a mystery to him.”

“It wouldn’t have been a mystery to anyone who had suffered,” muttered Anakin, remembering his childhood as a slave.

“The suffering he witnessed in the city streets caused a crisis of faith in the Prime Jedi,” Obi-Wan explained as if the Prime Jedi’s crisis of faith wasn’t itself proof of the Prime Jedi’s unfathomable privilege. “He sought out many holy men, but none of them could explain how to find freedom from suffering. So the Prime Jedi meditated on the question for himself and finally came to the conclusion that attachment caused suffering so the only way to be free of suffering was to relinquish all attachment.”

“Let me guess.” Anakin scowled. “He left his wife and children, calling that selflessness when it was really the ultimate selfishness.”

“Selfishness is a matter of perspective.” Obi-Wan’s answer was evasive and unsatisfactory. “The Prime Jedi’s wife and children were Force-sensitive themselves and became Jedi. I doubt they would’ve done that if they believed he’d been selfish. Anyway, it is a myth not meant to be taken too literally.”

 

@earlybird-obi-wan Thank you so much for commenting! I found the Prime Jedi symbol interesting in TLJ, so I couldn't resist coming up with a bit of backstory about the Prime Jedi, whose story sort of mirrors Anakin's so that he can serve as something of a foil to Anakin, showing the different choices that can be made. I'm so glad that you thought this was a great way to both explain Jedi principles of non-attachment to Anakin and to have Anakin doubting them. I really think Anakin has a unique perspective on suffering among the Jedi because of his childhood in slavery and that it would be really shocking to him that the Jedi who are supposedly free aren't free to choose to marry and have kids. I picture him being like "What?" when he learns that and not being satisfied with any answer about non-attachment that the Jedi could provide. Which feeds into his decision in this AU verse to leave the Jedi Order to live with Padme, Luke, and Leia instead.

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Title: Unashamed Father

Genre: Drama; General; AU.

Characters: Anakin Skywalker; Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Event: 200 Freestyle.

Summary: Anakin is determined to be an unashamed father to his future children.

Unashamed Father (200 Freestyle)

“You don’t have to leave the Jedi just because Padme is pregnant,” Obi-Wan said in a bracing tone, and Anakin had to resist the urge to punch him for the minimizing use of “just” in that sentence.

“I do.” Anakin’s jaw clenched like a fist. “On Tatooine, I grew up not knowing who my father was or if I had a father at all.”

In the slave quarters, it had been whispered (outside his mother’s hearing, but not his) that he’d been conceived by rape, a common enough tragedy among slave women. Once he’d become a Jedi and heard the Chosen One prophecy, though, he’d started to wonder if he was conceived by the Force itself. If the Force was his unknown father.

“Until I was nine, Watto was the closest thing I had to a father.” Anakin laughed without humor. “I won’t have any child of mine growing up not knowing who I am. Thinking I don’t recognize them or care about them. Feeling I’m ashamed of them or they should be ashamed of me. I want them to know that their father loves them and isn’t ashamed of them or himself.”

He would be a proud, unashamed father.

 

@earlybird-obi-wan Thanks so much for commenting!I agree that growing up without a parent or parents can be very difficult, and, when I thought about Anakin's own history in terms of not really having a father early in his life, I got to thinking that would be motivation for Anakin to want to be a good father and to be there for his kids as much as possible. He wouldn't want his kids to feel that he wasn't around or that he was ashamed of them or anything like that. He'd want them to feel acknowledged and loved. So I think Anakin's choice is understandable in that context and the right one for him.

@JediMaster_Jen Thank you so much for commenting!I'm so glad that you found this to be a wonderful telling of how Anakin felt regarding becoming a father. Writing this AU verse has really encouraged me to think about aspects of Anakin's character that I haven't before and really delve into what fatherhood means to him, and that is really awesome and exciting to me as an author. Like I just feel like I am exploring new facets of Anakin's character that I haven't considered as much before writing this fic, and that is so cool to me. I hope you enjoy the next update just as much!

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Title: Everything but Goodbye

Genre: Drama; Friendship; AU; General.

Characters: Anakin Skywalker; Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Event: AU Archery

Summary: When Anakin leaves the Jedi, he and Obi-Wan say everything but goodbye.

Everything but Goodbye (AU Archery)

“I guess we said everything but goodbye.” Anakin bit his lip as he stood by his ship, preparing to take off from the Jedi Temple for the last time. Struggling to find the words to bid farewell to the man who had been his Master and had been his most faithful friend, his most loyal supporter, among the Jedi.

“It’s not goodbye, old friend.” Obi-Wan’s smile was tinged with a sadness he was trying and failing to hide. “I’ll visit you and Padme on Naboo.”

Naboo. The very name conjured a sense of beauty and comfort in the depths of Anakin’s soul. He and Padme would be living in the Lake District there when the Senate wasn’t in session. When politics didn’t steal Padme away from him.

“Are you allowed to visit?” Anakin swallowed a lump that felt the size of a white-crested Lake District mountain in his throat. “Now that I’m not a Jedi? That I’ve left the Jedi?”

“Jedi are allowed to visit friends.” Obi-Wan reached out to clasp Anakin’s shoulders, his highest gesture of affection. “Even ones who have left the Jedi. May the Force be with you.”

“I’m not a Jedi.” Anakin instinctively recoiled from the customary Jedi farewell and benediction, feeling that he wasn’t worthy of hearing or uttering it anymore. It would scald his tongue with guilt and grief if he spoke it, he was sure.

He regretted the abrasive, dagger-edged bluntness of his reply when he saw a lightning flash of pain dart across Obi-Wan’s usually impassive face before his former Master regained his composure. “The Jedi don’t have a monopoly on the Force. You are the Chosen One even if that no longer means anything to you. The Force created you, has been with you since your birth, and will be with you always.”

That sounded like a burden as much as a blessing. Inclining his head in respect for this man who had trained him and tried to be patient with him even when he was at his most temperamental and stubborn. Who had cared for him despite all his many flaws. Who had striven to guide him through all the twists and turns on the rough, winding path of his life. “May the Force be with you too, Master.”

“Obi-Wan.” The correction was gentle but firm. “As you said, you’re a Jedi no longer.”

Plenty of non-Jedi referred to Jedi Council members as Master, but Anakin wasn’t about to argue the point when he understood that Obi-Wan was giving him the right--the honor--to call him by his first name as a last gesture of friendship before he left the Temple for good.

“Obi-Wan.” He grinned even though it hurt like an unhealed, bleeding cut. A scar that would never fade. “Padme and I hope to see you soon.”

“I won’t disappoint you or Padme.” Obi-Wan released Anakin’s shoulders, and Anakin climbed into his ship, ready to fly away from his past life as a Jedi and into his future as a truly free man, a father and husband unfettered by Jedi strictures. A man who could love and marry whom he wanted. A man who could be attached to his children and not ashamed of that attachment.

 

@earlybird-obi-wan As always, thank you so much for reading and commenting!I'm so glad that you thought this was a great piece showing the affection between Obi-Wan and Anakin because I did want this story to be a tribute to the strength of their friendship even when they have disagreements and even when Anakin chooses to leave the Jedi. Anakin leaving the Jedi doesn't have to be the end of their friendship so it was nice to explore that here.

@JediMaster_Jen Thank you so much for reading and commenting!It's awesome to hear that you love the bond between Obi-Wan and Anakin, and there should be more displays of that bond yet to come in this decathlon, which I will very much enjoy writing and hope you will enjoy reading!

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Title: Brimful of Promise

Genre: Family; Fluff; Mush

Characters: Anakin Skywalker; Luke Skywalker; Leia Skywalker.

Event: Single Sentence Shotput.

Summary: Anakin holds his newborn twins for the first time.

Brimful of Promise (Single Sentence Shotput)

Anakin smiled down at the blue and pink blanketed bundles he held in each arm--one a beautiful baby girl; the other a handsome boy, each brimful of promise with all of the brightness of their lives stretched out like the wide open expanses of uncharted space--and knew that the love of a father ran deep as the fathomless oceans of Mon Cala.

 

@JediMaster_Jen As always, thank you so much for commenting! I'm so glad that you thought the sentence was brilliant and could capture so much emotion. I hope to be able to capture even more emotion in this next entry that looks at the different types of love Anakin experiences.

@earlybird-obi-wan Thank you for being such a faithful reader and commenter on this decathlon!I'm happy to hear that you thought this was a great sentence showing Anakin's love as a father. Hopefully Anakin's love as a father will be able to shine through again in the course of this decathlon.

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Title: Love and Sacrifice

Genre: General; Family; Friendship; Romance; Fluff; Drama.

Characters: Anakin Skywalker; Shmi Skywalker; Obi-Wan Kenobi; Padme Amidala; Luke Skywalker; Leia Skywalker.

Event: 4x100 Relay

Summary: The ones he cares about the most teach Anakin about love and sacrifice.

Love and Sacrifice (4X100 Relay)

Star-Bright Dreams

Anakin never knew more affection than when he sat outside with his mother on the wall outside their slave quarters after sunset, watching the golden constellations rise in the blackening sky, because that was the only time it wasn’t so skin-burning hot on Tatooine that breathing itself became a hardship.

Confiding all of his star-bright dreams to her. Dreams of building his own podracer. Of being the first human to win a podrace. Of racing to earn his freedom and hers. Of soaring among the stars as the best pilot in the galaxy. Of seeing every planet in the universe.

Jedi Sacrifice

“I didn’t ask you to sacrifice being a Jedi for me,” Padme whispered to him as she curled against him, the beating of their hearts entwined as their bodies.

“If I didn’t sacrifice being a Jedi for you.” Anakin kissed her bare shoulder-- “You’d have been forced to sacrifice being a politician for me, and that would’ve been the worse sacrifice.”

When she failed to look convinced, he persisted. “Jedi are called to make sacrifices. Let me be a Jedi one last time and sacrifice myself for love of you--”his hand drifted over her pregnant belly-- “and our children.”

Grandfather Kenobi (or Uncle Obi-Wan)

“You’re like a father to me.” Anakin watched his best friend rock his twin babies with the softest expression Anakin had ever seen on his face. “My children can grow up calling you Grandfather Kenobi in the Naboo tradition.”

“I think of myself as your older, wiser brother.” Obi-Wan glanced up at Anakin with a gleam in his eyes. “Your children can call me Uncle Obi-Wan.”

“My much older brother.” Anakin smirked. “Fifteen knee-creaking years older.”

“But not nearly old enough to be your father.” Obi-Wan was determined to seize victory in this matter. “Therefore, Uncle Obi-Wan it must be.”

A Father’s Sacrifice

Love was sacrifice, and so was charity. The ultimate charity of surrendering his son, his Luke, to a life of service with the Jedi, because that was what Luke had asked him to do. To let him train with Obi-Wan. To let him become a Jedi.

“Be careful when you train my little boy.” Anakin’s voice cracked. He wondered if this pain of losing his son was the same as Obi-Wan had felt when Anakin announced he was leaving the Jedi.

There was nobody he’d rather train Luke than Obi-Wan, but it was still so hard to give Luke away.

 

@earlybird-obi-wan Thank you so much for reading and commenting as always! I really did want to give Anakin some chances to be happy in this AU, so it makes me super glad that you enjoyed seeing Anakin happy in this latest entry, and one of the things I wanted to keep for this AU is Obi-Wan still getting to train Luke and Luke still being able to be a Jedi, and it makes me so happy that you appreciate that touch as well!

@JediMaster_Jen As always, thank you so much for your kind words of support! I really wanted this piece to be a tribute to the love Anakin feels for all his family members--his mother, Obi-Wan, his wife, and his children-so it makes me so pleased to hear you found his love for them shone through in this story.

I did get a big chuckle out of writing the Grandfather Kenobi line, but I agree with Obi-Wan that the Uncle Obi-Wan name is more appropriateBut I'm sure Anakin can't resist teasing his older brother Obi-Wan for being older

Even in this AU, I like to imagine Luke as being in awe of the Jedi and wanting to become one like his, and to show, as you say that some things stay the same despite the different circumstances. I've found it really interesting to decide for this AU what will change and what will stay the same. It is fascinating to have that sort of freedom. It is part of why I love fanfic, and AU offers even more of that freedom of choice, which is really cool.

Anyway, I'm super glad you are finding the stories fabulous so far, and I hope you'll enjoy the next one just as much!

@Chyntuck Thank you so much for reading and commenting!I am so flattered that you are loving this glimpse into what could have been. Whenever I watch ROTS, I often start thinking about what could have been at so many different points in the movie when different choices are made, and that's a huge part of the tragedy for me, so in this case, it was interesting to write and explore in more detail one of those "what could have been" scenarios.

The relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan taking center stage as much as it did actually was one of my big surprises as I was writing the stories for this Decathlon. I thought when I originally conceived the AU that it would be Padme, Luke, and Leia taking center stage, and Obi-Wan more on the sidelines. But Obi-Wan has managed to work his way to centerstage too and be a large part of the drama. I guess Anakin's relationship with Obi-Wan is just such a large part of what defines Anakin in my head that I can't help but write about it if I write about Anakin for any length of time

It makes me so happy that you loved the bits of Jedi lore I put in. The Chosen One prophecy has always fascinated me with how vague it is and how open to interpretation it is, but that is because I am an audience member. From Anakin's perspective, I'm sure it would be frustrating to have that vague, open to interpretation prophecy defining so much of who he is and what he is supposed to represent to the Jedi. And I was intrigued by the Prime Jedi symbol ever since I saw it in TLJ, and so it has been really nice to invent some mythology around the Prime Jedi, which makes me super pleased and excited that mythology has interest and appeal to someone besides just myself...

And I hope that you will continue to enjoy this different version of Anakin! Thank you again for the kind words, which are super appreciated

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Title: A Serious Weapon

Genre: General; Family; AU.

Characters: Anakin Skywalker; Luke Skywalker.

Event: 100 Word Sprint.

Summary: Anakin tries to teach his son that a lightsaber is a serious weapon.

A Serious Weapon (100 Word Sprint)

“What are you doing?” Anakin planted his hands on his hips as he entered the bedroom he shared with Padme to see his five-year-old son waving a lightsaber that must’ve been dug out of the chest Anakin kept locked.“That’s a serious, Jedi weapon. Not a toy to be played with, Luke.”

“Is that how you lost your hand?” Luke’s wide eyes fixed on the hand Anakin could never quite forget was artificial. “Playing with your lightsaber?”

“No.” Anakin shook his head grimly. “I lost it in a duel with a Sith. Now, do you understand that lightsabers are dangerous?”

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Thank you so much for reading and commenting!I'm so glad that you adore the AU path that Anakin chose in this story. I really tried to be true to who Anakin is as a character as I wrote this AU and to make his different choices make sense in this AU where he doesn't go to the Dark Side but does choose to leave the Jedi and be a father and husband. And it is warming my heart to be able to write about him having a loving family life and still able to keep a deep, meaningful relationship with Obi-Wan

@earlybird-obi-wan As always, thank you so much for reading and commenting!I really enjoyed writing this little father and son moment of Anakin trying to teach Luke that lightsabers aren't toys so I'm so happy to hear you found it to be a great father-son moment.

@JediMaster_Jen Thank you so much for reading and commenting on this latest installment!One thing I do love about little children is how they are so curious and innocent, asking every question that comes to their mind without any worry about tact or sensitivity. And I'm so glad you found little Luke adorable since that's exactly what I was hoping readers would think! I so enjoyed writing about Luke being a little rascal showing an interest in his father's lightsaber here!

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Title: The Best Days

Genre: General; Family; Friendship; Drama; AU.

Characters: Anakin Skywalker; Padme Amidala; Luke Skywalker; Leia Skywalker.

Event: 1500 Word Dash.

Summary: Anakin is determined that his children will have a choice about becoming Jedi.

The Best Days (1500 Word Dash)

“They’re strong in the Force like you, aren’t they?” Padme’s head rested against Anakin’s chest as they stood together on the balcony of their new home in the Lake District. The new home where they would live with their children when Padme wasn’t busy with her duties in the Senate. Duties in the Senate that she still had because she hadn’t given birth to children outside marriage, after all.

“They are,” Anakin answered Padme’s question, knowing that she was referring to their newborn twins, Luke and Leia. He felt his stomach clench as the Force warned him what her next query would be.

“Should we give them away to the Order?” She was biting her lip, staring out at the starlit lake. “Let them be trained as Jedi? Would it be selfish not to give them away?”

“We’re not giving them away.” Anakin gave a sharp shake of his head. “We’re keeping them and raising them ourselves until they are old enough to choose their own paths. When they’re older, if they choose to become Jedi, I won’t stop them, but when they’re still babies too young to know what they believe, I’m not shipping them off to the Temple to be brainwashed.”

“Brainwashed?” Padme frowned, her expression marring the beauty and the tranquility of the nature around them. “Is that what happened to you?”

“No, it didn’t happen to me because I was too old to be brainwashed when I arrived at the Temple.” Anakin’s lips thinned. “That’s why Yoda and the other Council members never liked me. Never trusted me. Because I couldn’t be brainwashed like the other Jedi. Like Obi-Wan.”

Padme hesitated. Then said, “We’ll do what you want. What you think is best. You were the Jedi, after all. Not me.”

A few weeks after that conversation, Obi-Wan came to visit their family for the first time since the twins were born. He was polite and pleasant to Padme, admired the babies, and didn’t even nag Anakin about returning to the Jedi as Anakin had expected that he would.

In hindsight, he supposed that he should have known things were too good, too easy, to last, but, in the moment, he was reclining on the living room sofa when Padme carried Luke and Leia off for their afternoon nap, and Obi-Wan took advantage of the opportunity to remark, “The children are strong in the Force. Like their father.”

“They are.” Anakin gave a short nod, noting bitterly that Obi-Wan hadn’t even needed to perform a blood test for midichlorians to verify that Luke and Leia were indeed Force-sensitive. It was that obvious that they would be because they were the offspring of the Chosen One. Offspring the Jedi thought never should have existed because attachment was the path to the Dark Side and all that rot.

“They should be trained in the Force,” Obi-Wan persisted, apparently not reading the warning written all over Anakin’s face. “Like you were.”

“Because training me went so well.” Anakin made a scoffing noise.

“It’s”--Obi-Wan paused before continuing delicately-- “easier when children come to the Jedi earlier.”

“Easier for whom?” Anakin scowled, thunder in his voice and eyes. He couldn’t believe that Obi-Wan wanted to steal his children and pretend that was the easier course of action. “For the Jedi?”

“No.” Obi-Wan’s sigh communicated more clearly than words that he thought Anakin was being too prickly. Too unreasonable. Too emotional. “For the children. The sooner they come to the Jedi, the less attachments they develop. That makes it easier for them to walk the Jedi path, and you know how hard it can be to walk the Jedi path, Anakin.”

“Yes.” Anakin folded his arms across his chest. “It can be hard to walk the Jedi path if you aren’t brainwashed into believing that there is no other choice for your life from a young age. Like you were.”

“I wasn’t brainwashed.” Obi-Wan massaged his temples. “I had chances to leave the Jedi, and I chose not to in the end.”

“And did you choose freely?” Anakin couldn’t believe that. Couldn’t imagine Obi-Wan ever seriously considering leaving the Jedi.

“As freely as any choice is ever made.” Obi-Wan sounded weary of the arguments that always seemed to erupt between them. “Am I still welcome to come around your house?”

“As long as you don’t attempt to brainwash my children, you’re welcome here.” Anakin hated how his voice cracked.

As the babies grew into wide-eyed children, Obi-Wan didn’t attempt to brainwash them into becoming Jedi. He was far subtler and conniving than that. Instead, he would gather the twins around him on the carpet and regale them with accounts of the battles Anakin had fought and won in the Clone Wars. Filling their open ears with tales of his piloting exploits. Of how he navigated wings of fire and durasteel up where even the stars had no more secrets to conceal.

Leia looked appropriately skeptical of these wild stories, but Luke drank in every word as if it were water on a desert planet.

That made Anakin roll his eyes one day as he listened to Obi-Wan’s latest version of his Clone Wars heroics. “Don’t exaggerate, Obi-Wan.”

“Exaggerate?” Obi-Wan sounded mildly offended. “I never exaggerate.”

“Oh?” Anakin arched an eyebrow. “I must be confusing you with some other Obi-Wan Kenobi who would always exaggerate about how I was going to die whenever I attempted to pull off any of these maneuvers.”

“I wasn’t exaggerating.” Obi-Wan had an excuse for everything. “I was cautioning you and making entirely rational predictions given the extreme circumstances.”

The stories must have gone to Luke’s head more than Anakin appreciated, because when Luke was nine, the same age Anakin was when he left Tatooine and began Jedi training, he asked to become a Jedi.

The two of them had embarked on a father-son bonding expedition. Hiking to the top of one of the mountains in the Lake District. They sat on the rocky peak, gazing down at the blue water and green, flower-dotted meadows spread like a blanket below them as they munched on the saltnut butter sandwiches they’d packed for a picnic lunch.

“We’re having the best day together, aren’t we, Dad?” Luke spoke through a mouthful of saltnut butter sandwich, and Anakin didn’t chide him as Padme would have. He was a cool dad. Or at least trying to be.

“Yes, we are.” Anakin ruffled his son’s sunny-blonde hair.

“I wanted to ask you”--Luke gazed at him with eyes expansive as lakes-- “if I could train to become a Jedi like Obi-Wan. Like you.”

Anakin was caught by surprise and didn’t know why he was when his son had always been captivated by the stories Obi-Wan spun about Jedi life and adventure.

“Being a Jed is a hard life.” Anakin swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat as he remembered himself at Luke’s age. How eager he had been to train as a Jedi. How idealistic he had been about the Order. How he had seen them as the embodiment of every virtue.

“I know,” Luke said, even though Anakin was sure he didn’t know. That he couldn’t know. Not until he had experienced life as a Jedi. “I can be brave like you.”

“You can train as a Jedi if you’re positive that’s what you want.” Anakin recalled with a pang the promise he had made to Padme about letting his children choose whether they wished to become Jedi.

“It is.” Luke gave an enthusiastic nod.

“Very well,” Anakin agreed even though his heart felt heavy as a boulder. “I’ll talk with Obi-Wan about getting you trained next time he visits.”

“You’re the best dad in the galaxy.” Luke hugged Anakin, who returned the embrace, wishing he could hold his little boy forever.

The next time Obi-Wan visited, Anakin was true to his word. Sitting down with Obi-Wan for a private discussion on a mountaintop similar to the one where Luke had asked for permission to change as a Jed, Anakin began awkwardly, “Leia is like her mother. Obsessed with politics and not interested in becoming a Jedi. Luke is different. He wants to become a Jedi.”

“Oh” was Obi-Wan’s only reply.

“Will you train him?” Anakin didn’t trust any other Jedi to train his little boy because no other Jedi could begin to understand what it was like to leave home and start training so late. Obi-Wan had already lived through training such a pupil and had an inkling what to expect.

“I will.” Obi-Wan met Anakin’s gaze with a rare expression of regret. “I know there were times when I was too strict training you. When I wasn’t as patient or gentle as I should’ve been. I’ll try to be more patient, more gentle when I train Luke than I was training you. I like to think I’m a wiser man than I was when I started training you. That I learned some important things from training you.”