Title: The Old Man and The Boy
Author: mavjade
Characters: Luke, Ben, OC's though they don't come into play all that much
Timeline: 70 Years ABY
Genre: Angst, tragedy
Authors Notes: So this came to me when I was very bored at one of my clinicals. Kinda cynical if you think about the fact I was inspired in a hospital where I was taking care of people on ventilators!
A big thanks to my beta (aka the fiance) who said this was "more Dense (thick) than a neutron star"
Jedi Knights in white robes lined the hallway of the top floor of the Jedi Temple, their heads bowed in solemn thought and meditation. It looked as though they were standing guard over the rooms within, though there was nothing to guard against except time itself and even the wise, old Grand Master of the Jedi could not stand against time indefinitely.
Inside the room over which the Knights stood guard was a somber scene. An old man lay on a bed in the middle of the room, his eyes closed and his breathing slow and shallow. Beside the man was a boy, not in age though he would forever remain so in the eyes of the old man, his boy.
The boy wore the traditional Jedi attire: a light brown tunic and a dark brown robe. He sat forward in his chair, his head hanging down and his left hand lightly rested on the old man's hand.
The whole Jedi Temple was at a standstill. Hundreds were kneeling in meditation and even those who were away on missions took what time they could. The old man was well respected and loved throughout the order and his imminent passing would be hard on them all. This man had an enormous legacy and while he had trained all the Masters on the council and passed his knowledge to countless Jedi, the Masters still consulted him on matters long after he had officially stepped down from the council. His place among them could never be filled with another and his absence would leave a void among them with the gravity of a black hole.
The old man opened his eyes, their bright blue color having never dulled and even here as he lay dying there was a sparkle behind them. He looked at the boy and smiled. His son had done--and still would do--great things and the old man was immensely proud. He was the youngest Master to serve on the council, taught younglings and knights with the patience of his father and pushed through life with the fire of his mother.
A woman, the same age as the boy walked into the room and smiled as she looked into the old man's eyes. She loved the old man as a father and he returned her love, she was like the daughter he never had. She was a good match for his son; she pushed him when he needed someone to push him, told him when he needed to be told he was wrong, and most importantly she supported him when he felt everyone was against him. She wore the same brown robes as the boy, her long black hair pinned up on her head with a few tendrils hanging down to frame her face. She had a faint scar that ran along her jaw line and down her neck from an accident early in her life. She was self-conscious about it, but the old man thought it added to her unique beauty.
After having a brief, silent conversation with the old man, Randa placed a hand on the boy's shoulder causing him to look up, first to his wife and then with a nod of her head, to his father.
"Dad?" The boy spoke softly, "Hi."
"Ben," the old man replied with a soft, sad smile. "I think it's almost time."
"No, Dad." Ben knew it was selfish, but he wasn't ready to lose his father. His mother had died when was young and her death still hurt, but his father was his mentor, his confidant, but most importantly his best friend. Before his mother had become one with the Force, their relationship was strained to say the least; to be the son of the great Luke Skywalker, to be related to the Solos was not an easy task. While his parents never put any pressure on him to be anyone or anything he did not want to be, he felt pressure from within himself to live up to his father's legacy, or to be as brave as the cousin he had never met when he was told how much like Anakin Solo he was. All of the pressure he had felt had made him rebel and knowing now, as a father himself, what he had done to his parents still made his heart ache. After his mother's death Ben and his father had become closer and Ben realized that he could be his own man, and while he would still strive to be like his father, he didn't have to ibe/i his father.
"You can't die. We need you, I need you."
Luke gave a small laugh. He remembered a similar conversation he'd had many years ago on a desolate planet in a little hut, at least Ben had room to stand up here. He thought about telling Ben the same thing Master Yoda had told him, but he thought it would lose something in translation; after all, he was far from 900 years old.
"You don't need this old man to hang around anymore, son. You are a fine man, a terrific Jedi and a wonderful father. I couldn't be any more proud of you or those kids of yours." He looked up to the woman standing behind his son and winked, "And your wife isn't too bad either."
They all laughed. This was a running gag that had been between Ben's wife and his father. "But she might be if you keep talking like that, old man."
They lapsed into silence, the short conversation having worn Luke out. Ben's four children, three girls and one boy, all came in one by one to say their goodbyes to their beloved grandfather. The youngest, at only seven years old, climbed into bed with Luke, wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder.
"I don't want you to go, Grand-da. I'll miss you." Tears were freely flowing from her bright blue eyes.
"I'll miss you too, minkin." Luke lifted her chin with his fingers so he could look her in the eyes, "But I'll always be with you, looking after you, alright?"
A tiny nod of her head showed she understood. They had talked before about how he would not really die and that if she truly needed him he would be there.
Randa picked her daughter up and took her into the other room where their other children were waiting and left father and son alone. Ben could tell his father was tiring and that it wouldn't be long now. His breaths had become more shallow and ragged, his chest heaving with the effort to breath.
"It's alright dad. Go be with Mom." Tears flowed freely down Ben's face.
Luke opened his eyes, smiled at his son and then looked past him to something Ben couldn't see. "Sweetheart, Oh I've missed you."
Still holding his son's hand, Luke Skywalker faded into the Force to be with his wife he had waited so long to see again.
After taking a few moments to let his tears out, Ben stood up from his father's bedside and walked into the room where his family awaited. As soon as she saw him, his wife walked over and put her arms around him, followed by his children. The Knights who had been standing guard in the antechamber left the family alone and waited outside with the other Knights.
After a few minutes, the family put themselves together as best they could and exited the Grand Master's chambers. As they walked the hallways, the Knights dressed in their white robes followed, heads bowed. Once they reached the Grand Auditorium, where hundreds of Jedi students, Knights and Masters waited, the family walked to the front, where Randa and her children stopped with the front line of beings. Ben proceeded to walk up onto the stage where the younglings were very patiently sitting. He turned faced the room full of Jedi, prepared to tell them what they already knew.
"Grand Master Luke Skywalker, my father, has become one with the Force. He was very proud of everyone here," Ben first turned to address the Council. "From the most powerful Master..." he then inclined his head to the children seated around him, "...to the smallest youngling." He slowly returned his gaze to the audience before him. "While his passing is difficult, he would not want us to grieve for him. He would want us to remember what he taught and to pass it on..."
Ben paused, bowing his head, trying to rein in his emotions. Before he was able to continue, the youngest of the younglings, one of the ones Ben taught, walked over to him and took his hand.
She spoke in a tiny voice, but so that everyone could hear.
"There is no emotion, there is peace."
Catching on, a few other younglings hesitantly joined in her recitation.
"There is no ignorance, there is knowledge."
Gaining confidence, the rest of the younglings joined in.
"There is no passion, there is serenity."
Joining as one, the entire Jedi host spoke the final line...
"There is no death, there is the Force."
--The End