Beyond - Legends DITL I: Arik's Fury~(AU; canon and OC's) *Author Note~*Fic now on hiatus 10/15*

AUTHOR NOTE

Due to lack of ample time to write three on-going fics at the same time, Arik's Fury is being put on hiatus for the time being. When I have time for it again, I'll be changing many things. All of the same characters will still be in it, but circumstances might be very different. Thanks to those people that have been reading. Your feedback was very much appreciated. If you wish to comment on this fic just PM me.



Title: Darkness In The Light I: Arik's Fury
Summary: They've won the peace for now, but the shadows are looming.

Listed at: http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=8900454&replies=0]The[/URL] Obidala/Sabewan Archive and the http://boards.theforce.net/Fan_Fiction_Resource/b10304/16299266/?96]The[/URL] Original Character Story Database


Disclaimer: George Lucas created Star Wars. Star Wars, LucasFilm Ltd. and all its content are currently owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company. The word Imzadi, which appears in Ch. 8 belongs to Paramount and the people at Star Trek: TNG.

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Prologue

He knew it was wrong to be happy that a man was dead, even if that man had spent twenty years terrorizing the galaxy, and his family. He knew it was wrong to wish that he'd been the one to kill that man. He knew it was wrong to wish he could have been the one to slash his elder brother's hand from his arm. He knew it was wrong to wish that his elder sister had been killed when she was captured by the Empire. He knew it was wrong to wish his younger brother had never been born. He knew it was wrong to wish his siblings away so that he could command all of his parents attention. He knew it was wrong to wish for these things. He knew that wishes were for fools and small children, and he was neither a fool nor a child, but he wished anyway. He ran a hand through his short brown hair and sighed deeply as he wished that the dead man was still alive so that he could stand at his side.


Chapter 1

"What are you still doing here?," a deep, accented voice asked.

Twenty-five year-old Luke Skywalker looked down from his lofty perch atop his X-Wing to catch a glimpse of his twenty-two year-old brother Arik. The younger man had a scowl on his handsome face that seemed to be a permanent fixture as of late.

"I'm working on my ship," Luke replied smoothly. "I would've thought that was obvious."

"Yes, I can see you're working on your ship. What I meant was I thought you'd have left this morning with Leia and Han."

"I'll be leaving shortly, Arik. Mother asked me to stay until Ben returns so that Zak can go with him."

Arik snorted at the mention of Zak. Their nineteen year-old brother was a little too much like Luke, and Ben, for Arik's taste.

"Well, Mother is a bit overprotective. I think that Zak will be fine with me until...," Arik began.

"The last time Zak was left alone with you he ended up with a broken nose," Luke chided his brother.

"The boy is a walking disaster. It's really not my fault...," Arik tried to explain.

"I'll be staying until Ben gets back," Luke cut Arik off sternly, ending the conversation.

Sneering at that response, Arik turned on his booted heals and quickly made his way out of Luke's sight. Watching him go, Luke was well aware of the anger that was quickly growing inside Arik. The young man had spent most of his life struggling with his emotions. The fear of losing his family followed Arik like a dark shadow. His anger at the Empire for robbing him of a chance at a normal and peaceful existence hung over him like a cloak. Luke had felt those things himself, but he'd been able to overcome them. Arik was in a very precarious position. His training was nearly complete and soon he would be a Jedi Knight. Once that moment arrived, it was anyone's guess as to what would become of Arik Kenobi.


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

This looks lovely, already. I do hope you post Chapter One soon.

Sara

 

Great way to start! I look forward to reading more!
I'm newer here myself and these boards are a great way to get started and get into your groove.

Welcome aboard the fanfic express!

 

Oh, looks good. Can't wait to read chapter one!

 

Chapter 1

"What are you still doing here?," a deep, accented voice asked.

Twenty-five year-old Luke Skywalker looked down from his lofty perch atop his X-Wing to catch a glimpse of his twenty-two year-old brother Arik. The younger man had a scowl on his handsome face that seemed to be a permanent fixture as of late.

"I'm working on my ship," Luke replied smoothly. "I would've thought that was obvious."

"Yes, I can see you're working on your ship. What I meant was I thought you'd have left this morning with Leia and Han."

"I'll be leaving shortly, Arik. Mother asked me to stay until Ben returns so that Zak can go with him."

Arik snorted at the mention of Zak. Their nineteen year-old brother was a little too much like Luke, and Ben, for Arik's taste.

"Well, Mother is a bit overprotective. I think that Zak will be fine with me until...," Arik began.

"The last time Zak was left alone with you he ended up with a broken nose," Luke chided his brother.

"The boy is a walking disaster. It's really not my fault...," Arik tried to explain.

"I'll be staying until Ben gets back," Luke cut Arik off sternly, ending the conversation.

Sneering at that response, Arik turned on his booted heals and quickly made his way out of Luke's sight. Watching him go, Luke was well aware of the anger that was quickly growing inside Arik. The young man had spent most of his life struggling with his emotions. The fear of losing his family followed Arik like a dark shadow. His anger at the Empire for robbing him of a chance at a normal and peaceful existence hung over him like a cloak. Luke had felt those things himself, but he'd been able to overcome them. Arik was in a very precarious position. His training was nearly complete and soon he would be a Jedi Knight. Once that moment arrived, it was anyone's guess as to what would become of Arik Kenobi.


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"What is the mission, my Master?," asked the black clad warrior.

"I want you to find the young Jedi that destroyed our base and bring him to me. He is powerful, as I have foreseen. He will join us, or he will die."

The warrior stood and bowed to his Master before turning to leave the room. His steps were confident and sure.

//You will be mine, young Jedi, or you won't live to see another day// thought Darth Orion to himself. //I will not fail.//

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A scream tore from Arik's throat as he awakened from his vision. Drenched in sweat, he climbed from his makeshift bed in one of the small huts the Ewoks had graciously let the Rebel Alliance use during their stay on Endor. Shirtless, and clad only in a thin pair of sleep pants, Arik made his way outside and tried to erase the image of himself as a Sith. He'd had visions before, and figured that most Jedi did at least once during their lives. The only thing bothering him was the fact that Yoda's statement 'the future is always in motion', hadn't really done him any good in the past. Every vision he'd ever had, the most recent being the birth of his nephew Tylas, had all come true, exactly the way he'd seen them.

"It's not possible. It was just a nightmare, Arik, you know that," the young man tried to convince himself.

Then, from somewhere in the distance, Arik heard voices. No, he heard one voice, but it was saying many things.

"I don't sleep well anymore."

"Don't say that Master. You're the closest thing I have to a father."

"Jedi don't have nightmares."

"I will be the most powerful Jedi ever."

"I will even learn to stop people from dying."

"He's jealous!."

"I hate them!."

"Obi-Wan once thought as you do."

"You don't know the power of the Dark Side."

"It is too late for me, Son."

Arik closed his eyes and tried to eradicate the words from his mind, but they kept replaying, over and over again. Tears were streaming down his cheeks as a light rain began to fall.

"It is too late for me, Father," Arik whispered into the night.

 

CHAPTER 2 COMING SOON

 

Oh, that was fantastic, and what a cliffhanger there with Arik! Very well written, Jen.

I love AU's and you've created a great one here with your story.

And I also liked the idea of Arik being related to Luke... I'm interested how that angle will eventually play out..

 

Chapter 2

Ben Kenobi didn't know how long he'd been standing there looking at the charred remains of the funeral pyre for Darth Vader. Anakin Skywalker. He didn't even know what to call his former student anymore. He desperately wanted to believe what Luke had told him about Anakin, that he'd returned to the Light, that he'd come back from the dark abyss that had claimed him twenty years before.

"Did you come back to us, Anakin?," Ben softly asked himself.

"I did, old friend."

Ben whirled around to see a blue shimmering figure approaching him from behind the trees. Once the figure was standing in the clear, Ben recognized the tall form of Anakin Skywalker. He wasn't the man Ben remembered, but a version twenty years older than the last time the two had been face to face. His once blonde hair was now sprinkled with gray and his blue eyes were tinged with affection as he looked at Ben. He realized that this is exactly what Anakin would have looked like had he not turned to the Dark Side and fallen into a pool of acid. He looked like a Jedi.

"You look good, Anakin," Ben told him.

"So do you. I feel good, despite being dead," Anakin replied in a humorous retort.

Ben laughed slightly, having never appreciated Anakin's sharp wit when both were younger, but relishing it now.

"I never truly believed that you could be saved. I'd resigned myself to the fact that you were lost to us forever," Ben confessed.

"I might have been lost forever if not for Luke and Kiya. They saved me, Obi-Wan. You've raised and taught them well. Thank you," Anakin graciously told his former Master.

"It's my fault you needed to be saved at all," Ben reminded him.

Anakin's shimmering figure took the few remaining steps until he stood directly next to his friend. He reached out and placed a glowing hand on the older man?s shoulder.

"That's not true and you know it. My choices and the path I walked were my own. I condemned myself with my actions. You warned me time after time, but I didn't listen. I took those first steps towards the Dark side willingly just moments after my mother died in my arms. I broke the code by marrying Padme. I let Palpatine manipulate me. I became something twisted and evil. It's not your fault, Obi-Wan, it never was your fault. It was mine, all mine. Please don't blame yourself," Anakin begged him.

Ben slowly lifted his head and looked at Anakin. The look on the younger man's face was one of extreme guilt. He could feel Anakin's guilt through the Force, the same as he could fell Anakin's glowing hand resting on his shoulder. His mind and his heart told him how terribly sorry Anakin was for all of the horrible things he had caused.

"Alright my young Padawan Learner, you win," Ben lightly teased Anakin.

"That's more like it, Master. Now, about this Ben Kenobi thing. I want to know why you changed your name," Anakin said seriously.

"Benjamin is my given name," he told Anakin. "My wife...," he started to stay, but stopped when he saw the look on Anakin's face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned her," Ben apologized.

"No, it's alright. I think she loved you all those years ago. I remember the reaction she had when we were on Tatooine and we heard that you'd been captured on Geonosis. Master Windu ordered me to stay there. She reminded me that his exact words were to protect her and that she was going to rescue you," Anakin reminisced.

Both men stood quietly for a few moments, each of them remembering the events that started the Clone Wars. They were terrible times that saw the Jedi reduced in number by nearly a third. It had been the beginning of the end for Anakin.

"Well, don't think for one minute that she didn't love you, because she did," Ben stated.

"Yes, I agree, she did love me, and I loved her. But, she loves you now. Don't feel guilty about that, Obi-Wan," Anakin declared in a strong voice. "I have to go now. Be well, my friend," he said.

"Will I ever see you again, Padawan?," Ben asked quietly.

"Look inside your heart, Master, and you'll always find me there. May the Force be with you, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Ben watched as Anakin's figure faded into nothingness, as if he'd never been there at all. Speaking with Anakin for the first time in so long had been absolutely wonderful, everything he'd ever allowed himself to imagine it would be to have his friend back.

"May the Force be with you as well, Anakin Skywalker," Ben whispered into the cool evening air, knowing that somehow his words had carried to Anakin's ears, wherever he was now.

******************************************************

"Are you alright, Father?," asked nineteen year-old Zak Kenobi.

Ben was startled by the presence of his son. He hadn't felt him approaching. He looked over at the young man and tried to reassure him with a gentle smile and a hand on his shoulder.

Zak trained his blue-green eyes on the sight before him that had so captured his father's attention. The wood had been piled high and he could see where Luke and Kiya had placed the body of Darth Vader atop the pyre. There wasn't much left, just some charred logs that didn't burn completely. Zak didn't fully understand the circumstances that had led Anakin Skywalker down the path that had transformed him into Darth Vader, but he did understand one thing very clearly. Anakin Skywalker or Darth Vader, it didn't matter which name he used, the man had killed Zak's mother. He had murdered her in cold blood just hours after Zak had taken his first breath.

"I'll never forgive him," Zak declared in a painfully honest voice. "He took my mother from me before I even had a chance to know her."

"Yes, he did. But, I promise you that someday you will indeed find a way to forgive him," Ben told his son confidently.

"How is that possible? He murdered my mother!," Zak screamed in anguish, falling to his knees under the weight of his grief.

Ben knelt down in front of his son and rested his hands on the young man's shoulders.

"Time heals all wounds, Zak. Padme forgave Anakin for destroying their marriage, for leaving her alone with three children. Luke, Leia and Kiya forgave him for abandoning them. Believe me, you will find a way to forgive him for taking your mother away, just as I have. Until then, you must not let your anger get the better of you. Giving in to your anger will lead you down a path no different than the one Anakin chose," Ben softly counseled his son.

Zak wiped the tears from his eyes and gave a slight nod of his reddish-blonde head in acknowledgment of his father's words.

"I understand, Father."

Ben stood, pulling Zak up with him and together they turned and walked away from Anakin Skywalker's final resting place. Both father and son knew that they would never return to this place. It was time to put Anakin Skywalker where he belonged, in the past.

 

CHAPTER 3 COMING SOON

 

Thank you to the poeple that replied last week when I first posted this story, I hope you keep reading.

 

Chapter 3, part 1

“Well, if it isn’t my big brother, Luke Skywalker, the hero of the Rebellion,” taunted Arik.

“I’m not going to fight with you, Arik. We’ve come to Naboo to heal. Mother doesn’t need you picking fights and making things worse than they already are,” responded Luke.

Leaving the battlefield of Endor behind for the beauty of Naboo was meant to be the beginning of the healing process. For Luke it had already worked wonders on his psyche. He was feeling better than he had in years after just two weeks on his mother’s home planet. For Arik, the change of scenery had done little to calm the storm that was brewing in his soul. Picking fights with his brother seemed to be the best way he could come up with to relieve the tension he was feeling, but Luke’s unwillingness to fight back wasn’t helping him in his quest.

"Mother barely notices my presence anymore. I highly doubt she cares where I am or what I’m doing. I really don’t figure into the plans she and Leia have for their New Republic. As long as she has you, Leia, Kiya, Zak, Nalisha and Jathan, she’s happy,” stated Arik in an angry voice.

Luke could feel the anger and fear rolling off his brother in waves, but what surprised him was the sharp feeling of resentment he could sense in Arik. Luke had no idea why the younger man would be feeling resentment towards anyone, least of all his siblings and mother.

“You know that’s not true, Arik. Mother loves you just the same as she loves us. She cares about all of us and we all care about you,” Luke tried to explain.

“Caring doesn’t matter, Luke. Pain, anger, hatred, suffering, resentment, all of the things I feel, they’re what matters. I feel all of those things when I’m around the people that supposedly care about me. I can’t take it anymore. My Jedi training won’t allow for these feelings. I can’t stay here, Luke. I have to go,” Arik uttered. The words were said in a voice that sounded so sad they tugged at Luke’s heartstrings.

“Give this to Neela. She’ll know what to do with it,” Arik said as he unclipped his lightsaber from his best and handed it to Luke.

“Arik, don’t do this. You don’t have….”

“Yes, I do!,” screamed Arik, cutting off Luke’s words. The two brothers that had been so close as children now seemed to have a rift between them as deep and wide as Beggar’s Canyon.

“I have to do this Luke. If I stay here bad things are going to happen. Please, just promise me you’ll give the lightsaber to Neela,” Arik pleaded.

“Alright, I promise. At least tell me where you’re going. Mother and Ben will want to know,” Luke informed him.

“I can’t do that, Luke. I’m sorry,” Arik told him, his voice now tinged with nothing but regret.

Luke had run out of words for his brother, so he simply nodded. Standing there holding his brother’s Jedi weapon, he saw tears begin to fall from Arik’s green eyes, and he wanted nothing more than to reach out and pull him into a tight hug. He wasn’t fast enough to grab him as he ran past.

Sadness settled on the heart of Luke Skywalker in that moment. The boy he had grown up with, the boy that had followed him through the swampy underbrush of Dagobah and tracked sand into the house with him on Tatooine and practiced lightsaber dueling with him for hours on end, was gone. Worse than that, the boy he’d done those things with had become a man that he didn’t recognize. Arik Kenobi had become a stranger, and now he was gone.

******************************************************

“Get back here right now, Tylas Solo!,” yelled the three year-old boy’s mother, Leia Skywalker-Solo.

Tylas, a precocious little boy with a mop of brown hair and bright, icy blue eyes was running from his mother after having been given his bath. The small, unclothed child had wiggled from Leia’s grasp and was now making her chase him all through the villa in Naboo’s Lake Country that belonged to the Skywalker family.

“Catch me, Momma,” insisted the boy.

Leia was quickly running out of patience with her son. She knew Tylas was just having fun, but she didn’t want him getting used to doing things like this. If he was going to grow up and be a Jedi he was going to have to learn discipline and obedience. She could sense for herself the strength of the Force that Tylas had within his small body. He would be a powerful Jedi when he grew up. But first, he needed to get dressed.

Just as Leia was about to start running after her son, the little boy reappeared from around a corner, held securely in Luke’s strong arms. Their heads were pressed together and they were whispering softly. Despite the difference in hair color, Luke and Tylas looked remarkably alike. They shared the same blue eyes, the same smile and the same adorable cleft in their chin. Uncle and nephew were extremely close, they’d been that way since the day Tylas was born. Luke had been just the second person, the only one other than herself, to hold the tiny boy just after he was born. Their matching blue eyes had met and an instant connection had formed between the two of them. Leia had known right away that the relationship between uncle and nephew would one day morph into Master and Padawan. Her firstborn son would be in good hands.

“I found this little guy about to escape,” Luke told his sister.

Leia took her son from his uncle and softly kissed his forehead. “You have to stop running away, Ty. Mommy can’t keep up with you,” Leia told the boy as he started to giggle and reach for Luke.

“Want Uncle Luke to dwess me, Momma,” Tylas informed his mother.

“You’ll have to ask Uncle Luke about that. He may not want to dress you.”

Quickly, the little boy shifted his gaze towards his uncle. “You dwess me, Uncle Luke?,” Tylas asked in a serious voice.

Luke smiled at his nephew and his sister. He thought it funny that they both had hopeful looks on their faces.

“Okay, just this once,” Luke agreed.

Tylas gave an excited cry and practically jumped from Leia’s arms in Luke’s direction. He clasped the child to him and immediately headed for the stairs that would take him to Tylas’ bedroom.

 

Chapter 3, part 2

Luke knew that speaking with Neela Tabian was going to be one of the hardest things he’d ever done. She was four years younger than he, and they’d known one another since they were children. Neela had grown up like he had, watching her parents fight against the Empire. Also like him, when she’d been old enough, she took up the fight herself. Along the way, she’d fallen in love with a young pilot named Van Draeger. He’d been young and idealistic, like many of the Rebels had been. He’d also been arrogant and overconfident, and in the end it had been those qualities that had gotten him killed. Neela had been crushed, of course. She’d grown to love Van with her whole being. That was why Luke was dreading this conversation with her. She’d already lost one man she loved, and now he had to tell her that she had lost a second.

Neela Tabian knew that it was her childhood friend Luke Skywalker at the door even before she made her way over to let him into her home. She could sense his presence. She wasn’t all that Force-sensitive, but it was hard to miss his shining presence, even for someone with her latent abilities.

She opened the door and smiled at the blonde-haired man, but immediately knew something was wrong when she saw his expression.

“Tell me,” she commanded in an authoritative voice.

“May I come in?,” Luke asked without even acknowledging her command.

Neela moved aside and let Luke enter her home. His posture, the look in his eyes, the profound sense of pain she could feel emanating from him told her that she wasn’t going to like what he had to say. She followed him into the living room and they took their seats.

“It’s about Arik, isn’t it?,” she asked in a soft voice.

Luke too a deep breath, trying to calm his thoughts before he spoke. “Yes, it’s about Arik,” he finally managed. “He left, and I don’t think he’s coming back.”

“What do you mean he left? Where did he go?,” she asked, sounding exasperated.

“I don’t know, he wouldn’t tell me. Neela, he’s changed. He was so angry the last few times we spoke to each other. Maybe it’s…,” he started to say.

“No, it’s not better. Not for him, not for your family, and certainly not for me. I need him Luke, you have to find him. He has to be here for…,” she suddenly stopped speaking, tears beginning to cascade down her pale cheeks.

At the same time Luke reached over and drew the young woman into his arms, he reached out with the Force as well. He could faintly sense another presence in the room with them. Searching the room with his eyes as well as with the Force, he quickly realized that the presence he was sensing was nestled deep within Neela herself. She was pregnant.

 

Chapter 4

Luke didn’t know what to think. Neela was pregnant, and he was pretty damn sure that his brother Arik was the father of the unborn child. But, he had to be certain.

“Neela, is Arik the father of your child?,” he asked in as gentle a manner as he was capable.

She kept her eyes focused on the floor beneath her feet. She didn’t want to answer him. Then she felt Luke’s hand on her arm.

“Neela, I must know,” he told her.

Luke knew it was a difficult situation to put her in, but he really did need to know if the child she was carrying belonged to his brother.

“Yes, Arik is the father of my child. He doesn’t know, I haven’t told him yet,” she told Luke in a desperate voice.

“This is serious, Neela. As I mentioned earlier, Arik has changed. He’s become distant in recent months, angry and fearful. He’s left Naboo and I suspect that we’ll all end up being grateful for that at some point. You can’t go after him, Neela,” Luke told her firmly.

“I’m carrying his child, Luke, he has a right to know that he’s going to be a father. Please, you have to find him,” she begged.

Luke ran a hand through his spiky blonde hair and tried to think of what he could say to make her understand. An idea came to him when he remembered the lightsaber that Arik had given him. He unclipped the saber from his belt and handed it to Neela. She took it from him and just stared at the silver and black handle.

“Arik gave it to me before he left this afternoon. He wanted you to have it, said you’d know what to do with it,” he told her solemnly.

Neela turned the saber over and over in her hands, a long forgotten discussion with Arik coming to mind.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

”Neela, listen to me. Someday this war will be over and we’ll both be grown up. You’ll have a child, and he’ll be a powerful Jedi Knight. I want you to give him this lightsaber, as a gift from me. I built it a few days ago,” Arik told her, whispering as if he didn’t want anyone else to hear their conversation.

”Arik, we’re just kids, you can’t possibly…,” she was cut off by his hand lightly covering her mouth.

”I do know, Neela. I had a dream, maybe it was a vision of the future, I don’t know. I do know that you will have a child someday. He’ll need this lightsaber,” Arik insisted.

”Alright, when I have this child I’ll give him your saber. But for now I want you to keep it. When he needs it, you can give it to him yourself,” was the proposition she gave her friend. Arik agreed with a small nod of his head, but she could tell that he wasn’t pleased.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Did he ever mention that vision of his to you again?,” Luke asked her seriously.

“No, never again. Luke, he wasn’t even sure if it was a vision. He was thirteen years old, he’d just built this lightsaber a few days earlier when we had that conversation. I was only twelve at the time, I thought he was completely nuts talking about kids at our ages,” Neela informed him, still somewhat amazed that she and Arik had even had that discussion.

“It was a vision, I promise you. Arik has had visions his entire life. The most recent of which, at least I think it’s the most recent, was of the birth of our nephew, three years ago. He’s had hundreds of them over the years. Ben always tried to help him sort through them, to get him to use meditation to try and make some sense of them, but Arik never wanted to learn. He was stubborn, probably too stubborn for his own good,” was Luke’s reply to her.

“Why would he just leave, Luke? Tell me, please, I have to know,” the young woman pleaded with Luke for an answer.

Luke once again pulled Neela into his arms and held her. She felt so fragile and small that he had to wonder what would happen to her now that Arik was gone from her life. He’d watched her grow into a strong and capable adult with a fighting spirit that would not stop, but loss tended to change people in a way that nothing else could.

//”I will be here for you. You won’t be alone, Neela, I swear it.// Luke chanted the words in his mind.

He pulled her closer and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead as her light cries turned into heart-wrenching sobs. Her anguish tore at his heart, just as Arik’s had. At least for Neela, there was something he could do.

 

Very, very good story! I can't wait to read more. Nice work, very nice work. I love your characterizations!

 

Great story! Interesting premise, and very likeable OCs.

You said that this was your first try at fanfic? It's very good, especially for a first.

I especially like the character of Arik, because he's three-dimensional--stuck with a horrible destiny, and struggling somewhat futilely against it.

And he gave her the lightsaber! That's so sweet... But Arik's kid is sounding more and more like he's going to have a childhood simular to Luke's. (In canon.)

Suzi

 

This is really great, Jen. I'm sorry that I haven't replied for a bit. I'm writing a few stories myself, and they keep me busy.

I love this though. I'm a great fan of AU's. This is one of the best I've read in a while.

I feel sorry for Neela. I hope everything will be okay for her.

 

I especially like the character of Arik, because he's three-dimensional--stuck with a horrible destiny, and struggling somewhat futilely against it

That exactly what I wanted when I came up with this character. I wanted to show that while he feels backed into a corner as far as where his life is taking him, he's fighting against it. I want his struggle to mean more than where he ends up.

Arik's kid sounds more and more like he's going to have a childhood similar to Luke's. (in canon)

Well, since it's early in the story, all I can say is don't be so sure. Maybe, maybe not.

Thanks for the replies, from you as well as everyone else. Thank you very much. I really appreciate it.

 

Chapter 5, part 1

Watching her sleep was his favorite pastime. He’d seen her give birth to five children, two of them his own, and he’d seen her fire blaster pistols at the enemy with no fear. He’d watched her stare down Darth Vader and dare him to harm her or the children. He’d seen her do those amazing things and still it was the simple pleasure of watching her sleep that most amazed him. She seemed so peaceful in slumber. Her mind was at ease. She trusted that with him near, she’d never have to afraid to close her eyes and dream. That had been his promise to her, he would protect her so that she could dream.

“There has to be something better for you to do than watch me sleep,” came her sleep-laden voice.

Obi-Wan was startled from his thoughts by her voice. He smiled as he watched her stretch languidly, working out the kinks from the night before. She still reminded him of the young girl he’d first met during the Trade Federation blockade of Naboo so many years ago. There was gray in her long brown hair now, and her eyes held memories of long ago pain and betrayal, but she was still beautiful. The grace and maturity that had allowed her to serve her people as Queen when she was little more than a child still existed within her.

“If I could spend all my days doing nothing more than watching you, my love, that is what I would do. There is simply nothing better,” he told her sweetly.

Padme had to smile at his words. She truly believed that he would do exactly that, watch her every day of his life, because that is how she felt about him. Granted, his hair that had once been a startling combination of red, brown and blonde was now more gray than anything. His eyes, his beautiful eyes filled with blue, green and gray reflected the torment he still felt when thinking about his former student, but he was still handsome. The fearlessness and courage he’d displayed as a Jedi Padawan still existed within him.

Padme climbed from the bed they shared and moved across the room to wrap her slender arms around his waist. Obi-Wan’s arms went around her waist at the same time she rested her head against his chest. For several minutes they stood that way, just enjoying being together. They’d been married for seventeen years, and the moments when they’d been able to be completely alone together during those years had been few and far between. Between running from the Empire, fighting with the Rebellion and raising Force-strong children, they hadn’t had a lot of time to just be wife and husband, just Padme and Obi-Wan.

“Soul, heart, and body, we thus singly name,
Are not in love divisible and distinct,
But each with each inseparably link’d.
One is not honour, and the other shame,
But burn as closely fused as fuel, heat and flame.

They do not love who give the body and keep
The heart ungiven, nor they who yield the soul,
And guard the body. Love doth give the whole;
It’s range being high as heaven, as ocean deep,
Wide as the realms of air or planet’s curving sweep,” were the words gently whispered for only the two of them to hear.

Padme lifted her head from Obi-Wan’s chest and their eyes met. Pain and sorrow, torment and anguish, all were left behind while love took center stage for the two lovers. With hearts, minds and souls joined for all eternity, Obi-Wan swept Padme into his strong arms, their lips meeting in a tender kiss.


**************************************

This was supposed to be chapter with Luke informing the rest of his family about the situation with Arik, but after finding out that my story had been added to Aeryn_Sun's Obidala/Sabewan archive, I felt compelled to write this.

The poem that Obi-Wan recites is called Love's Trinity by Alfred Austin. I found it on a great site called poetry.com. It's in the In Love category under the 100 greatest love poems ever written. The site ended up being a great tool for writing this part of my story.

 

Great post!

Normally, I'm not a huge Obidala fan, but you've proved that it's not the couple, it's the author that writes them. (No offense to any Obidala writers--it's just that when I began reading SW ff, I read anything, and the Obidala was, erm, not great. A first impression is hard to change.)

Is the post with Luke coming soon though?

 

thank you for the compliment. I don't usually like Obidala either, but I'm having fun with it.

Yes, the post with Luke is coming soon.

 

An interesting start, but a little confusing. Will there be an explanation of how Obi-Wan and Padme got together? Will there be a little more explanation on the differences in this universe and cannon.

Another confusing point for me was when Zak said that Darth Vader had killed his mother. If Obi-Wan is his father and Padme is still alive, then who was Zak's mother?

Good start, but needs a little explaining.

 

Yes, there will be explanations for everything, not overt explanations, but contained within the dialogue between characters. It will, hopefully, get less confusing as the story moves along.