Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. All rights belong to George Lucas and Disney.

Origins of a Monster

Everyone gives him these names, these expectations. But what they don't think about is the person who chafes under them day and night. Every name that every person had ever given Anakin Skywalker is just a testament to how much no one understands him. Every name is just another cage, another attempt to cage a man who cannot be conformed.

Rex is the first one to call Anakin "General Skywalker". It throws him off at first. Anakin is not quite sure how to respond to being given a military title. Should he scorn it because he is first and foremost a Jedi Knight? Should he be proud that he has earned himself such a patriotic title? It takes him a couple months to learn how to respond and to become accustomed to his new name. As the years go by and the war intensifies instead of slowing down, Anakin decides that of all his titles, of all his names, "General Skywalker" is the only one that he has truly earned.

Anakin will never know it, but Watto is the one who coins the term "Son of Suns". It's not meant to be a title of respect and honor. Instead it is borne out of the confusion and drunkenness of one too many drinks. Watto loses his balance when he thinks of the name, finding the use of homophones hysterical. He doesn't mean for it to leave the bar, if he even puts any thought into it at all. But word spreads quickly on a planet like Tatooine, and before Watto knows it, the "Son of Suns" is bringing fame and fortune to his little-known shop. Watto never even remembers that he came up with the name.

No one actually remembers the name of the man who first called Anakin Skywalker the "Hero With No Fear". Some say that he was a new photographer others that he was a seasoned reporter. Some even that it was not even a "he", but a woman who first created the name. No one really knows, no one really cares. But overnight the "Hero With No Fear" becomes the most recognized title in the galaxy. It's catchy and makes the young Jedi Knight sound important and unstoppable. That's all the HoloNet needs in the end. A dashing hero with a good title. Bow before the Hero With No Fear.

The Jedi Council does their best to avoid calling Anakin Skywalker the Chosen One. They recognize that the young man may have earned or even deserve the title, but they can't let go of their pride enough to admit that everything they hinge their lives on may rest on the shoulders of a man that can't even forget his mother. It's shameful. So, whenever possible, Yoda and Mace Windu deny any claims that Anakin Skywalker may be the Chosen One. But that doesn't mean that they can silence the voices in their minds screaming that he is the one.

C-3PO is the only being to consistently call Anakin "Master Skywalker". Everything the golden droid says reminds Anakin of all of the things he has ever tried to be. He wanted to be the perfect Jedi, to be revered by all and called "master". He wanted to rise above Watto and those who tried to be better than him, to tear them down. And now, over a decade after Anakin set out to become a master, he is only called "Master Skywalker" by C-3PO. Anakin tries not to let it hurt him.

While Obi-Wan isn't the only one who has claim to call Anakin "brother", he's the only one who does. And in all honesty, Anakin couldn't be more grateful that he and his former master have a term that only the two of them use, and only with each other. When Obi-Wan calls Anakin "brother", Anakin knows that everything is all right. That his stupid, reckless mistakes are forgiven. That his missteps and failures are remembered no more. When Obi-Wan calls Anakin "brother", he can't imagine that they could be anything but exactly that.

Ahsoka is the only one with the nerve to call Anakin "Skyguy". Frankly, Ahsoka is the only one with the nerve to call Anakin anything even slightly resembling a nickname. It's the first thing that proves to Anakin that Ahsoka may be able to survive as his padawan. Some nights, after long and particularly grueling missions, Anakin will lay on his bunk and mull the name over in his mind. As nicknames go, its better than most. It fits his personality and rolls off the tongue. It's sarcastic and just a little ornery. Just like Ahsoka.

Padmé has a way of saying "Ani" that breaks Anakin's heart. He doesn't mind the nickname, that's not the problem. It's the way she says it. It sounds exactly like the way his mother would say it. He can still hear her voice when he closes his eyes. He pictures her at the end of the work day, standing in their small substitute for a kitchen, waiting eagerly for him, practically glowing with joy at the sight of her son. He can still feel her warm arms wrapping around his small body, her callused hands running through his sandy hair. He can still hear her as she whispers "Ani", as she fights back tears of relief at the safe return of her son each day.

Anakin is so eternally grateful that he can claim the title of "husband". Especially since the one who can call him that is Padmé Naberrie Amidala Skywalker. Of all the names he has ever been given, of all the ones he knows are to come, Anakin knows he would be lying if he claimed that any were more important to him than "husband". As a young boy on Tatooine, Anakin had always wondered about his father. He had wondered what he had been like. If he had been a slave, if he would have been proud of him. But most of all he wondered if he had married his mother. As Padmé tells him the good news about her pregnancy, Anakin is proud that he will be able to tell his children that he married their mother and can claim that he is her husband.

Anakin Skywalker is the only name that he actually gave himself. It is the only one that he responds to intrinsically. The only one that has stayed with him throughout his life. It is the name that reminds him who he is, that anchors him to his morals, his goals. As a slave, Anakin recognized that every part of his existence was owned by his master. Every part, that is, except his name. Watto may have been able to beat him, to torture him, to sell his skills, to gamble away his life, but at the end of the day, Watto had no power over Anakin's name. It was the one thing that he could say belonged to him. At a young age, Anakin Skywalker swore that he would never forget his name.

"General Skywalker", the "Son of Suns", the "Hero With No Fear", the "Chosen One", "Master Skywalker", "brother", "Skyguy", "Ani", "husband", "Anakin Skywalker", Palpatine muses over his apprentice's countless names, searching his mind for a name to rival them all. When he finally decides upon it, the universe trembles before what it recognizes as the name of its most formidable enemy, all the while sobbing over the loss of its best hero. Darth Vader…

Author's Note: WHEW! Glad that's done. A while ago, I wrote another story called "Names From a Different Point of View" and this is sort of a sequel to that. If you've read that, let me know which one you like better. Which name segment was your favorite. Thank you for reading and reviewing and happy holidays/ merry Christmas!

Someone loves your smile,

-When In Doubt, Smile