Luke watched the girl for a while after she left; walking away from their conversation out of frustration. Frustration that he caused. It was the new normal for him...causing frustration. He wasn't used to it. He wasn't sure he'd ever get used to it.
As the she disappeared behind one of the domed homes below, Luke exhaled the sadness he felt. Everything was so heavy; his emotions like Ahch-to's swirling ocean, surrounding him on all sides, threatening to drown him. A pained smirk appeared on his face, when he realized the very act of shutting out the Force did absolutely nothing to help erase the emotions that tormented his mind. No matter how hard he tried to go against his life's work and all of his training, he couldn't empty his emotions to the void where he wished they would go. Like life itself: they pushed back. They just wouldn't ease up.
Turning away, Luke made for the spot on the ravine where he liked to sit and think. Here, he could see the binary suns rise and fall in the morning, the moons of Ahch-to shimmering over the ocean waters at night. Here, he didn't seem so lonely, even though he was very much alone. It was the only peace he achieved, be it from the island life he'd grown accustomed to, or the personal heaviness he carried with him.
A light breeze that smelled vaguely of salt and earth fluttered his robes as Luke took a seat. He gathered his legs in at the knees, already feeling the warmth of the new day washing over him. He closed his eyes and inhaled, doing his best to clear his mind - but all he saw was the girl.
Who is she?
Why has she come...and now, of all times?
He'd left a trail, of course. He just...never suspected anyone to find it. Ahh, but Leia was as stubborn as he was. Yes, they were twins and always would be. Nothing he did, not even running away to Ahch-to, could escape that. She never gave up on him, and he loved her for it.
Luke smiled subconsciously at the thought.
He stayed in the moment and allowed his mind to reflect on these things: family, love, loss, history...all of it. It was what he was made of, and it was what he owed himself to remember, even if it hurt his heart to do so.
What do I do about the girl ? he asked silently, though he knew not who he was talking to. There was a time, long ago, where he didn't worry about such things. He always knew one of his beloved were watching over him: Old Ben. Master Yoda. Ever since closing himself off to the Force, though...
With his eyes still closed, Luke lowered his head.
What am I to do now, here at the crossroads?
"What does your heart tell you?"
Luke's eyes snapped open, his breath suspended. He turned to see a silvery apparition standing next to him. Disbelief filled him as he realized who it was that was standing next to him, shocking him to the core. For a second, he wondered if he'd truly gone mad. "Father?"
A calm smile broke across Anakin's face, though his eyes never left the ocean. "You are surprised to see me."
It came out as a statement, filled neither with surprise nor disappointment. His voice - not Vader's artificial and labored speech - but a young, vibrant, strong voice, floated across the sea breeze between him. When he turned his gaze and his eyes met Luke's, they were as bright as his own.
Luke faltered momentarily, but the closeness of his own father standing there with him filled him with a calm he'd not known before. His father - Anakin Skywalker - was with him.
And, as he could see, lifted the eyebrow that bore a single vertical scar as he awaited an answer.
"Y-yes" Luke answered, catching up to himself. "Yes, I'm a bit surprised." He looked at Anakin then, realizing his Force Ghost was now appearing more concrete. No longer a whisper of a shape, but solid and vibrant in color. "Why are you here?"
Anakin turned from the water and, of all things, sat next to him. He mimicked Luke and sat cross-legged, arms resting upon his knees. "I felt you needed me, my son" he answered.
And the truth was: Luke did. He desperately wanted his father to tell him all the things a father would tell their troubled son: it's okay, you're okay, you're doing the right thing, you're doing the best you can, it'll all be okay. Above all, Luke wished he could hug him.
"I felt your energy" Anakin continued, his blue eyes locking onto his. Their color was as clear as the sky above; the same color as his own. "You are unsure of yourself." He smiled again; a handsome smile, full of confidence. "I know my son isn't the type to feel unsure of himself."
Luke chuffed and looked away. "You're wrong, Father."
Anakin studied Luke's expression, feeling his boy's pain as it swirled around him like a storm. "You can't run forever, Luke. If you recall, I tried that once."
Returning his gaze, Luke stared at him with wonderment.
"It didn't work" Anakin admitted with a humble smirk. "That's why I'm here. To ensure you don't make the same mistakes."
It was weird, sitting there with his father. His Force Ghost was as it had been on Endor, all those years ago: a young Jedi in his prime, though now his father was a few decades younger than he currently was. Despite the oddity, it felt right. It felt familiar, somehow. It felt good. It had been too long since Luke felt this way.
"Just being here, like this..." His eyes connected with Anakin's. "It means more than you know."
With a nod, Anakin's smile never faltered. "Tell me what troubles you."
Where to start , Luke thought with a disappointed sigh. "The girl" he said. "She wants to be trained in the ways of the Jedi. I don't know if I have it in me to train another. What if..." He looked down at his hands; the hands that destroyed both Death Stars, created peace in the galaxy, formed a new Order of Jedi, and failed. "What if I can't?"
"And what if you can?" Anakin's tone remained even and steady, not at all combative. "What if you do not fail?"
Luke exhaled a frustrated groan. "But you know what happened with..." He stopped, unable to even repeat his name.
"My grandson. Yes." Anakin's expression dimmed. "His path is still unknown. His future...remains clouded."
And so it was: the mental circle that Luke's mind played over and over since that horrific day. His mistakes, his failings, what he should have done, what he could have changed. Was there hope? His sister would say yes. His old self would say yes. He wanted to believe so, but he was more cautious now. He'd seen things throughout his years, things that made him hesitate. Despite all of this, Luke still felt deep within himself that there might be a chance. A dim one, yes, but still a chance. Perhaps, with the girl, things would be different.
"I feel the conflict in you" Anakin said, interrupting his thoughts. "Look into my eyes, please."
Luke did, unsure of what his father was getting at.
"When you look at me, son - what do you see?"
Luke felt the initial sting of water coming to his aged eyes. "I see love."
Anakin cheeks lifted proudly. "And?"
"And..." Luke's next answer made it clear why his father was making him do this. "...I see hope."
"And that, my boy, is why she deserves a chance."
Now, when Anakin looked at Luke, sadness clouded his features. His expression seemed to hold years of regret and loss in just the shade of color in his eyes. They stared at Luke sightlessly, as though he was visiting some place in his mind Luke was unaware of. It was as haunting as it was beautiful.
"We all deserve a chance to be taught" Anakin spoke. "We all deserve to be given a chance."
Luke watched his father blink exactly once, and then his eyes cleared. They refocused on him, and the calm delight that had been there before returned once more. He and his father shared a moment of silence then; a wordless agreement passing between them through the Force: he would train the girl, and Anakin would watch over him protectively.
"She brought your lightsaber." Luke eyed his father warily.
"I know" Anakin said, the corner of his mouth turning upward. "I watched you toss it over your shoulder."
Luke chuckled softly. "Yeah...Sorry about that."
"It's fine." Anakin lifted a hand to his son's shoulders. Luke didn't feel the weight of it, but knew it was there nonetheless. "Just don't let it happen again."
"Yes, Father."
Their matching eyes met in shared understanding, both their expression's alive with amusement.
"Will I see you again?" Luke feared the answer, but asked anyway. If he was going to rekindle his belief in hope, it may as well begin here.
"Know that I am always with you" Anakin answered. "But if ever you need me, as you have today, I will appear again."
The ghostly hand that had been resting on his shoulder thinned, and Luke watched as the crisp image of his father began to disappear into the landscape.
"Wait, Father!" Luke stood, feeling his old joints cry out at the sudden motion. "How will I know when she is ready?"
"Trust in the Force" Anakin told him. "Trust in the Force."
His words faded into the breeze until nothing more of his father's presence. Luke felt the absence of him almost immediately; the space where he'd been now replaced by nothing more than Ahch-to's salty air.
Trust in the Force.
Luke repeated those words in his mind, hearing his father's voice as his own. Words he hadn't had the courage to face until now. Until the girl.
Trust in the Force.
And he would.
He would trust again.
He would hope again.
Perhaps, through the girl, he could bring hope to those who needed it most.
That was who he was, after all. He was Luke Skywalker, son of Anakin Skywalker: a symbol of hope for those who abandoned it in the face of failure.