This was it. This was the moment Obi-Wan feared since the beginning of his apprenticeship: his master, Qui-Gon, was dying. He'd been stabbed and his life force was slowly fading away. Obi-Wan dealt swiftly with Darth Maul, cutting the Sith Lord in half and pushing him down a ventilation shaft. It should have been one of his proudest moments in battle. That is, if his master weren't lying mortally wounded on the floor. He gathered Qui-Gon gently in his arms and laid him in his lap. The touch was barely perceptible, as he didn't want to cause him any more pain, physical or otherwise. Qui-Gon gasped for air and began to speak.
"It is- too late- for me, it is-"
"No!"
"Obi-Wan," he breathed, "Promise- promise me you will train the boy."
"Yes, Master." Obi-Wan would do anything if it meant Qui-Gon would die happy. All he wanted was to make his Master proud.
Qui-Gon strained to reach his hand up and stroked his padawan's cheek, he sent waves of comfort and fondness through their weakening bond. The look in his eyes was one of hope, which greatly confused Obi-Wan.
"He is the chosen one, he will bring balance-," he heaved another labored breath, "Train him…" There was more he wanted to say, but he was too weak to physically speak, so he spoke to his apprentice through what was left of their bond.
I am proud of you, Obi-Wan. You have become a great Jedi; I believe in you.
Master, please, don't leave me! Obi-Wan silently begged. Qui-Gon's eyes were beginning to close. Tears clouded Obi-Wan's vision as he clung tighter to the man who raised him, who taught him everything he knew, who cared for him when no one else would.
I'll be with you, every step you take.
With those final unspoken words, Qui-Gon's life force gave out and he drew his last breath. He went limp in Obi-Wan's arms.
Obi-Wan began to shed silent tears. He felt their bond disappear like a dying candle, sputtering and sparking until it finally gave out. He expected it to hurt. Instead, he felt nothing at all. Emptiness thrummed in the Force where his bond with Qui-Gon should have been. All the sophisticated training and Jedi decorum he learned couldn't stop him from breaking down completely. He brought his forehead to his master's and gently rocked him back and forth, as if soothing the lifeless body would bring him back.
The funeral was a blur. Obi-Wan was in such a state of shock; he barely recognized where he was or what was going on.
I'll be with you, every step you take. His Master's last words echoed in his head. Obi-Wan thought to himself,
How? How can you do that, Master? I don't know what to do. Anakin snapped Obi-Wan out of his trance by tugging on his robe.
"What will happen to me now?" the child asked. Fear and sadness mingled in his eyes.
"The Council has granted me permission to train you. You will be a Jedi, I promise." Anakin gave a nod and turned his gaze back to the funeral pyre. Obi-Wan remembered his promise to his Master and prayed he would be able to fulfill it.
Anakin was a holy terror: the boy had no concept of patience or obedience. While he usually meant no harm, he left a trail of destruction everywhere he went. No matter how many times Obi-Wan told him specifically NOT to bring droid parts and various projects inside their shared quarters, Anakin would inevitably show up with a bag of grimy, dirty spare parts or a half-functioning droid he intended to "fix." He wanted to learn new katas and training techniques now without any regard for proper instruction. Often his impatience led to several minor injuries, which was none too pleasing to Obi-Wan.
And his temper. Force, did the child have a temper. Any kind of confrontation usually ended in a shouting match and Anakin throwing a royal fit. After two months of living together, Obi-Wan and Anakin had their worst fight yet, which concluded with Anakin being harshly punished and sent to his room without dinner. Obi-Wan paced the now deathly silent apartment, pinching the bridge of his nose, as Qui-Gon was apt to do when stressed.
"What should I do, Master? I'm failing miserably, I'm a terrible master to that boy," he muttered aloud. He knew Qui-Gon probably couldn't hear him and he didn't expect a response, but he was at a breaking point. He breathed deeply and felt calm fill his lungs. It settled the storm of emotions clouding him just enough to bring him out of the downward spiral. After a while, he was able to think rationally about what set Anakin off and how he might use that as a training tool instead of a reason to resent him. This newfound clarity seemed to come out of nowhere; it was as if the Force just showed him the right path to follow. Obi-Wan was skeptical, as he'd never experienced anything like this before, but he was more than grateful.
"Thank you," he breathed to no one in particular, but he felt the need to thank something or someone for the much-needed perspective.
As Anakin grew and bonded with Obi-Wan, the rebelliousness and constant bickering ceased almost entirely. Still, whenever a particularly hard challenge would arise for the duo, Obi-Wan found himself thinking, "what would Qui-Gon do?" and coming up with answers that got them through several tight spots. He was done grieving for his master. No longer did he sit up at night feeling the ache of loss beating in his chest, or come close to tears at the sight of something that reminded him of Qui-Gon. Yet, he thought of his master often, especially when Anakin reached a new milestone in his training. The day Anakin trained with the lightsaber he'd built for the first time, Obi-Wan beamed with pride and wished his master could see it. He felt like Qui-Gon was never far away in times like this. He liked to think that maybe his master was watching over him with pride.
Obi-Wan watched helplessly as the Jedi Order crumbled around him. His padawan had forsaken him for the Dark Side, scores of Jedi were murdered in cold blood, and he had a bad feeling that something much worse was about to happen soon. There would be a battle, no one would win.
An elegant ship cruised away from Mustafar, where Obi-Wan had just fought (and gravely wounded) his apprentice. The very thing his master wanted him to do, he ultimately failed at. Obi-Wan rubbed his face as he tried to focus on navigating the ship instead of the nauseating guilt and grief that threatened to consume him.
I have failed. I have failed you, Master. I'm so sorry, he thought to himself, trying to release everything to the Force. His anguish was met by a familiar tendril of the Force that brought him solace. He knew he wasn't alone, he could feel it in the Force.
Anakin was no more. In his place, Darth Vader grew strong in the Dark Side. Yet Obi-Wan knew a part of him would always be with Anakin, no matter what side of the Force he chose or what he called himself. He raised Anakin and watched him grow from a boy to a man. They were brothers. They were a team. But, all of that had vanished overnight. Obi-Wan knew no matter where Anakin was, he would be there too. The opposite was true as well: Obi-Wan would always carry his padawan's memory. He suddenly remembered Qui-Gon's last words and felt them in a way he hadn't before. They took on a whole new meaning, a gravity that ran deep into the Force. Those words were wholly true. Even though he'd never say it out loud, he truly believed Qui-Gon watched over him. Now it was his turn to do that for Anakin.
Tears threatened to fill his eyes as he remembered his Master's promise.
I'll be with you, every step you take.