Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own star wars or the cover image for this story. The credit for them goes to the original owners. However, the ideas in this story are mine and always will be.

P.S. A heads up to all my fellow British readers, I've used American spelling in this fanfic. I'm not bad at spelling; it's just how Americans spell their words. At least, that's what my Mac seems to think anyway.

Also, note that Giac is pronounced Guy-ak.

The most beautiful stories always start with wreckage.

~ Jack London

Prologue

The planet was burning.

Not literally, of course, but it might as well be. A new kind of evil had risen, rearing its mighty head before it burned the world of the past in scorching flames. It only took one night for the planet to be set on fire.

The blinding silhouettes of the twin moons that hung in the night sky looked down in horror, screams echoing up to them as the chilling bells that signified another loss, another death. The stars above, symbols of hope and beauty, offered no comfort, for hope was lost and fear had been found, spreading like an unstoppable plague.

Smoke billowed and thrashed, rising from the towers of a once great Temple that now stood defeated in the centre of the Capitol City. Fighters, decorated with the royal emblem, were shot down by black ships that blended with the infinite darkness of the sky, the fallen fighters spiraling down to the ground engulfed in flames, crashing into buildings, only succeeding in spreading the carnage. Some even crashed into the lake, the water releasing shudders that shook the surface every time one hit.

As for the palace that stood beyond the lake and the city, it was fighting to survive, even if the attempt was futile. Only the firing of blasters and the sinister hum of darksabers could be heard from its halls, the invaders outnumbering the defenders three to one.

When faced with danger, there is only one out of three things a person will do: freeze, fight or flee. Those who had frozen in fear had been struck down where they stood. Those who had fought had been defeated and succumbed to the same fate as those who had froze. There was only one option left: run.

So they ran - they ran away from the palace, the city and the temple. They ran from it all.

Soon they were running through a forest at break-neck speed, hearts beating so fast that they seemed to leap out of their chests. Trees of varying blue and green hues surrounded them on all sides, vegetation clinging to the trunks while rich green and frosty-blue moss glowed at the contact of their feet, revealing a natural phenomenon that left a green trail of light, the light fading not long after their feet left the ground. The leaves from the trees and undergrowth lit up when their shoulders brushed past them, vibrant colors of greens, blues and purples igniting the forest in bright light. Any other day it would have been an ally, lighting the way. Now it was an enemy, leaving a trail for their pursuers to follow.

The two boys could hear the voices of their pursuers getting closer, the artificial light from search lights sweeping the forest for them. Both of them just kept running, adrenaline and survival instincts kicking in, pushing them to run faster, not daring to look back.

The oldest of the two boys was running in front, his longer legs giving him an advantage to his younger counterpart. His eyes frantically searched ahead for a place to hide, scouring from the forest floor right up to the canopy. Finally, his eyes found a tree up ahead, its branches positioned perfectly so that their pursuers would not see them if they hid there.

Acting quickly, the oldest grabbed the youngest boy's hand, pulling him forwards, heading towards the tree. When they made their way to the base of the tree, the oldest instantly turned round, offering his hands out for the youngest boy to use as a boost into the tree. Not needing anymore persuasion, the youngest boy quickly climbed up the tree, using the bark as hand and foot holes to climb up. The older boy followed after risking a glance at their pursuers behind them, but instead of climbing, he jumped the good fifteen foot height to the high branch, well aware there was no time left.

When both of them were safely in the tree, the oldest pressed the younger boy against the tree trunk, placing a hand over the younger boy's mouth while his other hand pressed a finger to his own lips, indicating that they needed to be quiet. The younger boy nodded in response, tear tracks visible on his cheeks, before both of them turned their eyes down to the ground, where their pursuers ran past below them. While they waited, they could only hear voices and the heavy footsteps of their pursuers, the sounds feeling deafening to their ears. Seconds past by, seconds that felt like hours. Their hearts beat faster, a clear sign of the fear that had consumed their minds. It was only when they were sure their pursuers had moved on, their voices and footsteps far away, did they finally let themselves breathe.

It took a few more minutes for them to gather enough courage to jump back down, the force softening the impacts their feet made against the hard ground. The older boy starting moving almost instantly, keeping his body low as he weaved himself through the forest. The younger boy followed more slowly, walking almost in a daze, before finally falling forward to the ground.

The oldest instantly skidded to a stop, upturning moss and dirt as he did, before turning and jogging over to his younger companion. He glanced around as he knelt down to help the younger boy stand, painfully aware that time was not on their side.

"Come on, we've got to keep going." The eldest softly said, pulling him to his feet, for once not teasing him for his clumsiness or barely concealed tears that had started to fall again, for his red-rimmed eyes were mirrored on the oldest's face.

"I can't Giac! I can't." The younger boy had fallen back to his knees, his voice sounding so broken it made Giac pause. After he gathered his senses, he knelt down in front of him, dark brown eyes locking with crystal blue ones. Even knelt down, Giac was still a head taller than him.

"Hey, I know it's hard but we need to keep going. If we stay here, his men will soon find us. We can't stop, no matter how tired we are."

Giac placed his hands on the younger boy's shoulders, his voice soft as he spoke. He unconsciously brushed away the dirt and grime from the other boy's clothes, a gesture that spoke volumes about how much he cared for him.

"It's going to be okay, right Giac?" The younger boy asked, voice cracking while his eyes stared into the elder boy's dark orbs, searching franticly for some small - even any - sign of hope.

In response, Giac swallowed anxiously, before forcing his usual confident smile onto his face, a confidence that didn't reach his eyes.

"Of course." Giac paused. "We're brothers remember, we stick together. I'll always protect you, Obi. Until the end of the line."

Giac smiled for real this time, a smile that was returned by his younger brother.

"Until the end of the line." Obi-Wan echoed, sealing the promise they had made to each other. In that moment, it was only the two of them - two of them against the world. And with those words, they swore it always would be.

However, distant voices soon ruined the moment, the two brothers now on high alert.

"Come on, we've got to go." Giac whispered, pulling his younger brother to his feet yet again.

They both set off running, soon disappearing into the forest, the threatening distant voices haunting their every step.

Obi-Wan Kenobi's eyes snapped open, instantly sitting up in bed as he panted for breath. It was a while before his erratic breathing calmed down, along with his pounding heartbeat that drowned out every other sound. Even when they eventually did, the feelings of fear and despair from the dream still lingered in his fragile mind. It had been just a dream, just an old memory but it still affected him - even though he knew it shouldn't. He wasn't a child. Not anymore.

Obi-Wan rubbed his hands across his face as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, the cold metal floor making his brain protest as his bare feet touched it. He lost track of how long he sat like that, with his shoulders hunched over and his head hanging forward, bangs of his auburn hair likewise hanging down, creating a disheveled appearance. He eventually shut his eyes again, before taking a deep breath. There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no emotion, there is peace… Obi-Wan chanted the code inside his head like a lifeline, desperately trying to calm the wild emotions that raged inside him. It was a knock on the door that finally drew him away from his thoughts.

"Sir, General Skywalker requests your presence on the bridge." A clone informed from the other side of the door.

"Tell him I'll be there shortly." Obi-Wan almost kicked himself for how his voice sounded so croaky and weak. He hoped the clone didn't notice.

"Are you alright General?" No such luck.

"I'm fine. I'll be there in a minute." Obi-Wan lied, mentally hoping the clone would buy it. Unfortunately, when the clone answered, he didn't sound convinced.

"If you say so sir." The clone replied slowly and then after a pause, Obi-Wan heard his footsteps retreating down the hallway.

Obi-Wan let out a breath that he didn't even know he was holding in, letting his arms drop down at the same time. He didn't dream about his past very often and when he did, it had happened so many times before that he knew how to push it to the furthest reaches of his mind, and lock it away with everything else. It had become as natural as breathing, though he didn't think that was necessarily a good thing.

He wasted no time and got dressed as soon as he had composed himself - being late would definitely not help his case. The clone would most likely tell Anakin about what had happened since lately Obi-Wan had been suffering from the dreams more and more, making him afraid of going to sleep at night, or making him wake up screaming and panting for breath when he did get some sleep. It didn't help he was more anxious than usual, jumping at the slightest noise or sudden movement. Unfortunately, it was causing his exhaustion to show clearly on his worn face and Anakin, being one of the few people who could read Obi-Wan's emotions (half the time anyway), had become increasingly worried as Obi-Wan only got more sleep-deprived and distracted. His old padawan could be annoyingly observant when he wanted to be, especially when he was worried about those close to him. In addition, Ahsoka seemed to be following in his footsteps, which in this situation didn't help him either. He let out a tired sigh, dreading what Anakin and Ahsoka were going to say once he got to the bridge. When he gained enough courage to move, he pressed the console that opened his door and stepped out into the corridor, intending to make his way to the bridge.

When he arrived there, just as he had predicted, a clone seemed to be talking with Anakin, Ahsoka by his side listening too. As soon as the clone saw his arrival, he moved away, apparently needed somewhere else. Obi-Wan pretended not to notice, confidently walking towards his former Padawan.

"Are you alright Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked, calling him by his name and not 'Master', a small detail that showed his concern clearly.

"Of course, now what's the plan?" He forced a cheery smile, one which Anakin frowned in response to, but didn't say anything further.

A wave of relief flooded over him when they didn't prod any further, instead explaining the plan of action too him. He tried to listen to them - he really did - but his mind kept wandering to two boys running in the forest, a once majestic city burning in the distance behind them.