Life's Trials, Part 1
Part 1: Distracted
Obi-Wan Kenobi took a few steps down a busy walkway on one of Coruscant’s highest levels. Beings of all species hurried past, and not one paid attention to the light-haired Jedi in flowing brown robes.
His eyes darted in both directions in search of his prodigal apprentice. Frustration exuded from his every pore, making him seem quite un-Jedi-like.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” he muttered. In a slightly louder voice, he called, “Anakin!”
With no response, and no Anakin in sight, he closed his eyes and let the Force’s calming waves rush over him. Then he redirected the Force’s energy and felt Anakin near.
Obi-Wan cupped his chin in his hand, no longer paying attention to the bustling world around him. “I am the Master. He should listen to me. The other padawan learners --”
“-- Master?” Anakin’s cheerful voice called from around the corner behind one of the towering, grey buildings. “I’m over here.”
Obi-Wan picked up his pace. “Don’t move. I’m coming.”
*~~*~~*~~*
Anakin Skywalker grabbed a sheet of shiny metal that had caught his eye. Suddenly, he felt a slight tremor through the Force. “Oh, Master, a Jedi should not feel such anger.” His voice came out a bit louder and more sarcastic than he had intended.
He turned his attention to the metal in his hand, thinking about the rest of the parts he needed. Anakin looked at the bolts in his other hand and tossed the extraneous few down into the junk pile. They made a satisfying, high-pitched click, clack when metal hit metal.
“Speak of the Jedi,” he muttered when Obi-Wan’s bearded face appeared around the corner.
Obi-Wan crossed his arms across his chest and stared at Anakin with his annoying calm, unbothered look. He cocked one eyebrow and said only, “So?”
When Anakin looked up, he forced a smile and made sure to use a sickeningly-sweet voice, “Master, I saw this pile of junk parts and I thought I might find something for my droid.”
“So you did,” Obi-Wan replied with the corners of his lips turned up almost into a smirk. “But, Anakin, that is still no excuse --"
“-- Master!” Anakin rolled his eyes as he stood and shoved the scrap parts into his robe. “Spare me the lecture.”
“Let’s go,” was all Obi-Wan said in return.
“What is the rush? I thought we had a free afternoon.”
“No matter, Anakin. How do you know *I* do not have something to do?”
Anakin turned so that he looked straight into Obi-Wan’s eyes. He folded his arms across his chest and cocked his head to the side. “You’re lying.”
“Am I?”
“Absolutely. I can sense it.” He shrugged and took a few steps towards the Temple. “I have more power than you realize.”
Obi-Wan put an arm around Anakin’s shoulders. “You, my very young apprentice, cannot know what I am really thinking.”
“I can read your thoughts right now, Master.”
Obi-Wan cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, really? What am I thinking at this moment?”
Anakin flashed a teasing smirk. “You’re thinking, ‘I want to punish my padawan, but how? Physical pain?’”
“You are wrong again, Anakin.” The sparkle in his eyes betrayed the amusement behind Obi-Wan’s stoic façade. “I was not thinking that at all.”
“Sure you were. You just don’t want to admit I was right.” With that, Anakin picked up his pace and turned onto the busy street.
Obi-Wan ran a hand across his beard. “Why do I get the feeling you will be the death of me?”
Anakin spun to face Obi-Wan with a grin spread across his face. “I was right! You do want to hurt me.”
“Keep walking.”
“Fine.” Anakin bit his lower lip to keep from laughing; he knew Obi-Wan was doing the same thing.
After a few paces, Obi-Wan touched Anakin’s shoulder and said, “If would like to become a knight, you need --"
“-- Self-discipline, patience, selflessness, humility.”
“You do not need that arrogance.”
“Master, you cannot tell me you aren’t the slightest bit arrogant.”
Obi-Wan took a step back and folded his arms across his chest. He tilted his chin up when he declared, “I’m not, nor have I ever been, arrogant.”
“Liar! You’re . . .” Anakin’s voice trailed off when they passed the Senate building and his gaze fixed on the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She wore a long, dark blue gown with an ornate, light blue robe flowing behind her. Her hair was done up in several long, twisting braids; her eyes were the deepest brown he’d ever seen.
“Close your mouth, Anakin, lest you drool on your tunic.” Obi-Wan stuck his finger under Anakin’s chin and pushed just hard enough so his jaw snapped shut.
Anakin closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to concentrate on Obi-Wan’s voice. “Who is she?”
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, but said, “Senator Amidala of Naboo.”
“Amidala,” he repeated, letting each syllable float off his tongue. Anakin knew Obi-Wan disapproved, but he couldn’t stop staring at the beautiful angel who had stolen his heart.
“Anakin, a Jedi must not let his raging hormones control his actions.”
Anakin stared at Obi-Wan out of the corner of his eye. “Master, are you saying you *never* notice a beautiful woman?”
Obi-Wan’s cheeks reddened somewhat. “I did not say *that* . . . I said I do not drool over a woman in the middle of the city. To be a Jedi, you must --"
“-- I know; I know. Control my emotions.”
“She is too old for you, anyway.” Obi-Wan shrugged, showing no emotion.
Anakin rolled his eyes. “She can’t be too old for me. She doesn’t look a day over eighteen.”
“I believe she is twenty-two,” Obi-Wan deadpanned. He grabbed Anakin’s shoulder and tried to lead him toward the Temple.
Anakin did not budge. “How do you know that?”
Obi-Wan shrugged. “Some of us read the holo-news.”
“I see,” he said with little inflection. He tried to cover the fact that his mind was racing, imagining just what he would do to Senator Amidala if given the chance.
Obi-Wan put his head next to Anakin’s ear and whispered, “Be mindful of your thoughts, young one. They betray you.”
“What?” Anakin jumped at the sound of Obi-Wan’s voice. “Right. I mean, I know.”
“Anakin, what did I just tell you?”
“Uh --" He tried to think of an appropriate lecture for this situation. “-- that I should watch my thoughts, Master.”
Obi-Wan tapped him on the shoulder and marched away, muttering, “He never listens. Why did I get the most headstrong padawan . . .?”
Anakin didn’t hear a word Obi-Wan said. While Obi-Wan moved towards the Temple, Anakin ambled towards the beautiful senator.
The young woman turned her head; her brown eyes locked with his, and he couldn’t think about anything else. It was like the rest of the world dissolved around him and all that remained was the beautiful Senator Amidala.
*~~*~~*~~*
Padmé Amidala looked into the bright, blue Coruscant sky and forced herself to smile. Her current conversation with several of the most shaak-headed opposing senators was driving her crazy.
“Senators,” she said in a strong voice. “We have to consider the impact a standing army will have on our very way of life.”
She closed her eyes as a strange feeling washed over her and made her shiver. It was as if someone -- or something -- was staring at her.
“Senator Amidala,” the large, bald senator said softly, jarring her thoughts back to the matter at hand. “We will consider your request.”
She touched his arm and nodded, keeping her professionalism even though her thoughts were elsewhere. “That is all I ask, Senator. Thank you. I look forward to our cooperation.”
The contingent turned away, and Padmé fought the urge to roll her eyes. She knew the meeting had been pointless. Not one of these shaak-headed senators was going to change his position. At least not yet.
When the group moved into the Senate building, Padmé finally turned and locked eyes with the handsome man who had been boring into her soul.
“Wow,” she whispered.
He looked like he wanted to devour her with passion, and she was shocked to realize that she wouldn’t protest if he tried. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, imagining he had run to her, swept her into his arms and kissed her senseless.
When she opened her eyes, he was the only thing she could see. She took a few steps forward with an unseen force guiding her to him.
“Watch it!” a young woman exclaimed when Padmé banged into her.
Padmé covered her mouth. “Oh, sorry.” She broke eye contact with the man and turned toward the handmaiden she had almost run over.
“What are you looking at?”
“Who is that man over there?”
Several of her handmaidens turned to follow her discrete signal. “Who?”
“Him. The one with the short, light hair, the long, dark robe.” She grabbed the handmaiden’s hand. “The one who’s looking at me with those smoldering blue eyes.”
“Do you mean the Jedi?”
Padmé examined the young man for the first time. The long braid. The flowing robes. The lightsaber attached to his belt. Her hand came up to her chest. “Oh, my. I think he *is* a Jedi.” She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. “Why would a Jedi look at me like that?”
Against her better judgment, she slipped away from her handmaidens and took a few steps towards him. She had to talk to him, had to touch him, had to let him touch her.
“What am I doing?”
“I don’t know,” the young man’s soft, deep voice answered in an accent she didn’t recognize. She jumped, but he flashed a warm, crooked smile. “I keep asking myself the same question.”
Padmé inhaled sharply. *He* could hear her. “Oh!” She covered her mouth with her hand.
“Hi.” He ran a hand through his hair, and a shaky grin spread across his face.
She returned his nervous smile. “Hi.” She looked down at her hands. On the Senate floor, she was renowned as a great orator. Now, faced with a handsome young man, she was so tongue tied, she couldn’t even introduce herself.
He extended his hand. “I’m Anakin.”
“Padmé.” She touched his offered hand.
When she touched him for the first time, it was like a jolt of electricity flowed into her hand, fusing their souls together so she couldn’t pull away. She stared into his eyes and felt something she couldn’t describe, but wanted to last forever.
“Anakin!” an older man with a neatly trimmed, dark blonde beard exclaimed. “How did you get away again?”
Anakin shook his head. “My Master,” he groaned apologetically. “I have to go.” He still clung to her hand.
Padmé smiled. “Goodbye, Anakin.” Without conscious thought, her fingers unclenched. It was as if something not of her own power had made her drop his hand. “Will I see you again?”
“Absolutely,” he breathed.
Then, before she realized what had happened, as quickly as he had appeared in her life, he was gone.
“Senator!” one of her servants called. “What are you doing? The committee is starting without you.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to regain at least some air of professionalism. “Sorry. Coming.” And with that, she turned on her heel and strode through the Senate’s large, metal doors.
*~~*~~*~~*
Obi-Wan put a hand on Anakin’s shoulder and turned him away from Padmé. “Walk. Now,” he said in a harsh staccato.
Anakin knew he was in trouble when Obi-Wan dragged him away from the Senate building. But, right now, being in trouble with Obi-Wan again wasn’t important. He had met the woman he was going to marry.
Taking a final glance at Padmé’s retreating form, he sighed with contentment. As she took the last steps into the Senate building, Anakin marveled at the way her hair swayed in time with her skirt behind her. He would always remember her beauty, her scent, her touch . . . “Wow,” he said under his breath. And then, she was gone.
“Wow is right, Anakin. I thought you were right behind me,” Obi-Wan’s startled voice continued.
The only thing that could wipe the lovesick smile from his face was the sound of his master’s voice. Obi-Wan had this innate ability to kill all of Anakin’s human joy.
Anakin rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the irritated Jedi next to him. “I was. Until I got . . . distracted.”
“Distracted, indeed. It will never happen, Anakin. You’re a Jedi, she is a senator.”
Anakin’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t respond.
Obi-Wan shook his head and muttered, “How did you get away from me again? You were right behind me.”
After a pause, Anakin said, “I’m behind you now.” His eyes twinkled with mischief, knowing Obi-Wan was in no mood for teasing.
“So you are. Let’s go!” Obi-Wan held a piece of Anakin’s sleeve in his hand as he dragged the young man toward the Temple.
“Master, I’m seventeen years old! Do I need to follow you around like a youngling?
“Anakin, you are still my padawan learner. Until you become a knight yourself, you must do as I say.”
Anakin stomped and tried to squirm out of Obi-Wan’s grasp. “But do you really need to drag me? I can walk by myself.”
“I don’t trust you. I have lost you too many times today. I am not letting go until we reach the Temple.” Obi-Wan shook his head, but his lips turned up into a smile.
“But I’m an adult.” Anakin squirmed to get Obi-Wan to let go of his robe.
“My boy, you still have much to learn.”
Anakin narrowed his eyes. “Like what?”
“You know very well.” He paused for a moment, but when Anakin made no move to say anything, Obi-Wan continued, “Preparation for knighthood involves far more than simply skill with a lightsaber --"
“-- I can already beat you at any sparring match. And how many times have I saved your life? Three?”
“Two,” Obi-Wan answered. “Let me finish. You are exceptionally gifted in battle, but you don’t have the maturity, the inner peace a true Jedi needs.”
“Sure I do.” Anakin tilted his head and glared at Obi-Wan.
“Oh, you do?”
“Absolutely.”
Obi-Wan tugged on Anakin’s sleeve. “Anakin, being a Jedi takes a profound commitment and a peaceful mind. And I don’t see that in you yet. You are still too rash, too arrogant, too headstrong.” He laughed. “Too willing to disregard your master’s orders.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Anakin rolled his eyes again. “I listen to the important things you say.” He paused and then said, “Sometimes. I bet I’d pass the Trials right now if you let me try.”
“You think so?” Obi-Wan laughed sardonically. “I don’t think you’d last two seconds with Master Yoda or the rest of the Council.”
“I know I would.” Anakin shrugged. He again tried to use the Force to make Obi-Wan let go of his robes, but to no avail; Obi-Wan was anything but weak minded.
Obi-Wan smiled. “Anakin, being a Jedi Knight is not something to be taken lightly or jumped into heedlessly.”
“I *know*, Master. I don’t know how many times you’ve told me that.”
“Ah, so you do listen.”
Anakin shrugged. “Sometimes.” The two turned around the corner and headed down the last stretch before they reached the Temple. “When you repeat it enough, I’m bound to learn something.”
Obi-Wan groaned. “See, that tells me you are not yet ready to become a knight.” He ran a hand along his beard. “Remember, I was quite a bit older than you are now when I finally became a knight.”
“I know.” Anakin grinned. “But we both know I’m better, so I should get to become a knight far younger than you.”
Obi-Wan glared at him. “You insolent little . . . Why do I put up with you?”
“Because you know you love me.” Anakin flashed a cocky smirk. “I know, I know. Jedi neither love nor hate. Blah, blah, blah.”
“Anakin!”
“I’m just saying. Those are stupid rules! Love and hate are . . .”
Obi-Wan ran his free hand through his hair. “How many times do I have to tell you? Love and hate are passionate emotions. Showing any kind of passion leaves you open to the Dark Side.”
Anakin sighed. “But showing passion also makes me human. Sometimes it seems like these rules were made long before any humans became Jedi. Maybe they were all like Master Yoda. I mean, can you imagine Master Yoda in love?”
“I cannot. And the simple fact that you can scares me.”
“Hmm,” Anakin replied, knowing it was better not to argue.
As Anakin and Obi-Wan strode into the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan dropped Anakin’s sleeve, and the pair went their separate ways, each lost in their private thoughts, waving to fellow Jedi in the halls as they passed.
Once Anakin was free of Obi-Wan’s watchful eye and annoying lectures, he allowed his thoughts to drift back to the beautiful young senator from Naboo.
“Anakin, be careful. Your thoughts betray you.”
“Oh well,” Anakin muttered. He wanted to wallow in daydreams of the woman he would marry someday. Even if Jedi weren’t allowed to have feelings of love nor harbor any attachments, he would do it anyway.
He didn’t have to follow the stupid rules.
Part 2 - Desperate