Title: Darkest Before Dawn
Summary: Alternate universe
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Star Wars characters. I just play with them a while.
Author Note: This had not been beta-read. English is not my first language. And also this is not slash. Just parental love between a master and his padawan.
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The hallways are quiet, save for a few insects chirping in the shadows. My footsteps echoed behind me as I strode purposefully towards the Throne Room of the Palace of Naboo, my lightsaber at my hip a comforting and yet painful weight. Bodies lay strewn all over the palaces, faces of guards and maids reflecting the terror and fear that befallen them in this dawn of death. The stench of burning flesh and rotting corpses gives an aura of destruction to the once beautiful palace.
How the mighty had fallen.
Finally, I reached my destination and pushed open the heavy doors. As expected, he was standing there, his back to me.
He turned around to face me upon sensing my approach and his lips twisted in what seemed like a parody of smile. The expression of joy on his face is inexplicitly chilling.
And I stood, silently horrified by what I've seen.
His right hand dripped with blood, blood from the body that lay behind him on the Throne, blood from a person that I knew well. His eyes that once rivaled the glory of the clearest jewels, was now empty and devoid of life.
Perfect emptiness.
Perfect despair.
Perfect imperfection.
I once would have cried at the sight of seeing such emptiness. But now I barely twitched an eyebrow.
Because I am filled with the same emptiness now. And I cannot bring myself to console whatever pain he felt because I felt it too, deep in my heart, my soul and the very marrow of my being.
"You killed her." It was a statement, not a question.
He casually wiped the blood off his hand on his dark-coloured tunic. I marvel how one's life can just be erased away like that.
"Yes." He affirmed. "I squeezed her throat until she died, then I mutilated her body."
I should wept for those words. What remained of the innocent boy that I raised? But I am so empty now. All my grief had been spent. Like a broken vessel, I felt completely numb.
"Why? Too stun for words?" he mocked.
I wanted to reply but there was no more strength remaining in me. Even despair failed to rouse me.
No anger, no hatred, no sorrow, no tears.
All I have left is the Force.
Outside, dark clouds gathered. I could only pray that the rest have made their way through to safety. Heaven knows, this day had seen enough deaths.
I ignited the lightsaber, only a second after he did. We started this dance again, this dance of death that I once often practiced with him so long ago. No longer me, but the Force within me flowing through, dictating my moves. I surrender to it, my will too spent anyway.
Blows. Strikes. Attacks. Parry.
Left. Right. Up. Down. Jump and twist and turn in this crucible of life.
I almost fooled myself that it was like one of those older times, where we joyfully dance.
We dance now too, but not in tribute to life but to appease death.
I knew the ending even before I cam. But still, I want to see him again.
When the final blow came, the pain was more excruciating than I thought. I sank to my knees wearily as the blade withdrew from my mid-section. Ironically it reminded me of a similar duel fifteen years ago. He rushed towards me, even as he did then, and cradled me in his arms with a tenderness I did not dare to hope still exists. Tears, was it of regret or pain, filled my eyes as I struggled to breath and lift up my hand weakly to caress his cheek once more. How did we come to this? I still do not understand how we fallen, from the glory of life to this despair of destruction.
"I forgive you, my padawan. Know that I always love you, sweet Obi-Wan."
As I felt myself slipping, I heard him saying. "Obi-Wan is dead."
I laugh, coughing blood in the process. "And in a few moments, so would I." I retorted.
He looked at me, his eyes filled with an unknown emotion. "I." I silenced him, closing my eyes and surrendered myself to the Force.
Because I do not really dare to hope to hear him say that he still love me, but as I passed on, I prayed that he would someday find it in his heart to forgive me.
The end
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Summary: Alternate universe
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Star Wars characters. I just play with them a while.
Author Note: This had not been beta-read. English is not my first language. And also this is not slash. Just parental love between a master and his padawan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The hallways are quiet, save for a few insects chirping in the shadows. My footsteps echoed behind me as I strode purposefully towards the Throne Room of the Palace of Naboo, my lightsaber at my hip a comforting and yet painful weight. Bodies lay strewn all over the palaces, faces of guards and maids reflecting the terror and fear that befallen them in this dawn of death. The stench of burning flesh and rotting corpses gives an aura of destruction to the once beautiful palace.
How the mighty had fallen.
Finally, I reached my destination and pushed open the heavy doors. As expected, he was standing there, his back to me.
He turned around to face me upon sensing my approach and his lips twisted in what seemed like a parody of smile. The expression of joy on his face is inexplicitly chilling.
And I stood, silently horrified by what I've seen.
His right hand dripped with blood, blood from the body that lay behind him on the Throne, blood from a person that I knew well. His eyes that once rivaled the glory of the clearest jewels, was now empty and devoid of life.
Perfect emptiness.
Perfect despair.
Perfect imperfection.
I once would have cried at the sight of seeing such emptiness. But now I barely twitched an eyebrow.
Because I am filled with the same emptiness now. And I cannot bring myself to console whatever pain he felt because I felt it too, deep in my heart, my soul and the very marrow of my being.
"You killed her." It was a statement, not a question.
He casually wiped the blood off his hand on his dark-coloured tunic. I marvel how one's life can just be erased away like that.
"Yes." He affirmed. "I squeezed her throat until she died, then I mutilated her body."
I should wept for those words. What remained of the innocent boy that I raised? But I am so empty now. All my grief had been spent. Like a broken vessel, I felt completely numb.
"Why? Too stun for words?" he mocked.
I wanted to reply but there was no more strength remaining in me. Even despair failed to rouse me.
No anger, no hatred, no sorrow, no tears.
All I have left is the Force.
Outside, dark clouds gathered. I could only pray that the rest have made their way through to safety. Heaven knows, this day had seen enough deaths.
I ignited the lightsaber, only a second after he did. We started this dance again, this dance of death that I once often practiced with him so long ago. No longer me, but the Force within me flowing through, dictating my moves. I surrender to it, my will too spent anyway.
Blows. Strikes. Attacks. Parry.
Left. Right. Up. Down. Jump and twist and turn in this crucible of life.
I almost fooled myself that it was like one of those older times, where we joyfully dance.
We dance now too, but not in tribute to life but to appease death.
I knew the ending even before I cam. But still, I want to see him again.
When the final blow came, the pain was more excruciating than I thought. I sank to my knees wearily as the blade withdrew from my mid-section. Ironically it reminded me of a similar duel fifteen years ago. He rushed towards me, even as he did then, and cradled me in his arms with a tenderness I did not dare to hope still exists. Tears, was it of regret or pain, filled my eyes as I struggled to breath and lift up my hand weakly to caress his cheek once more. How did we come to this? I still do not understand how we fallen, from the glory of life to this despair of destruction.
"I forgive you, my padawan. Know that I always love you, sweet Obi-Wan."
As I felt myself slipping, I heard him saying. "Obi-Wan is dead."
I laugh, coughing blood in the process. "And in a few moments, so would I." I retorted.
He looked at me, his eyes filled with an unknown emotion. "I." I silenced him, closing my eyes and surrendered myself to the Force.
Because I do not really dare to hope to hear him say that he still love me, but as I passed on, I prayed that he would someday find it in his heart to forgive me.
The end
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