Note 1: This is only my second fanfiction work. Please read and review. I hope you guys enjoy this venture into this Verse.

Note 2: I've always wanted to write about Anakin's journey to the afterlife following the Return of the Jedi. This takes place after Darth Vader dies and Anakin Skywalker is reborn in the Force.

Note 3: Star Wars and its affiliates do not belong to me, only the contents of this Verse.

Note 4: Thank you to my beta reader TACAitsH. Some people are gifted writers, but others are gifted editors! Thank you for all of your support, you are the true reason this verse continues! You are TRULY amazing. =]

Soul's Scars

Chapter 2: Felix

By: WrittinInStone

Anakin had no idea how long he walked. Time seemed to have no hold in this place. He simply moved knowing that there had to be a destination at the end of his journey. After what felt like an eternity, Anakin spied what looked to be a lake in the distance. Excited by some indication of difference, Anakin sped up hoping that this was the end to his journey.

He slowed as he reached the massive body of water; it was a river and it was immense, with the length of it stretching far out of his eyesight. The river was gray, just as was everything in this place and yet it seemed different. It was as though it was calling to him. He hesitated as he neared the embankment, wary of what he would see there. Then he took a breath and peered into its depths.

Anakin's eyes widened at what he saw; it was his reflection. With a shaking hand, he slowly touched his face and watched as his reflection in the water mirrored his actions. He had hair, there were no burns, no cuts, and no bruises; he was as he had been so many years ago during the Clone Wars; young and perfect.

Anakin backed away from the pool, emotions building inside his heart. He looked at his hands and marveled. How had he walked so long and not noticed that there was no pain, no suit? How could he be so oblivious to the obvious, so blind?

"Now that, Master Skywalker, is the question, isn't it?"

Anakin whirled around at the sound of the voice behind him. It seemed out of place in the heavy silence, peculiar almost to the point of sacrilege.

The voice belonged to a boy. He looked to be about twelve years of age. He was slim and wore nothing more than a simple tunic.

"Who…" Anakin begin and then stopped. His voice…it was different. It wasn't supplemented by the heavy breathing that had accompanied the suit, the suit that he had spent the last twenty years of his life wearing. It was the voice of his youth, rich and clear. It was something that he had not heard in a very long time. It was curious that he had missed the sound of his own voice, it was even more curious that the sound of it brought tears to his eyes.

"Who are you?" Anakin asked steadying himself. "How did you get here?"

"I am Felix, the keeper of this place and guardian of the River of Scars." Felix, the young boy, cocked his head at Anakin. "It has been some time since last someone was here, almost a millennium ago."

"A millennium?" The number was more than Anakin could fathom. "Why so long ago, and why am I here?"

"You ask two questions, yet the answer to both are the same. You, Anakin Skywalker, are here because there is no other place for you. This is where you belong." Felix moved to the edge of the river. He sat down with his legs folded onto each other.

Anakin paused a moment to digest Felix's words. "I do not understand. I know that I am dead, and I know that I must be placed somewhere, but I do not know why I am in a place that is filled with nothing."

"You are in a place that is filled with nothing, Anakin Skywalker, because you are filled with so very much," Felix smiled at Anakin and then gestured to the openness. "This place is called the Gray, for reasons that should be obvious to you. This is where people such as yourself are sent."

Felix dipped a finger into the river and slowly began to swirl his finger around in the water. Strangely enough, there were no ripples, the water only moved where his fingers touched. "You are an enigma to the Universe, Master Skywalker. You were an agent for good and did many honorable things in the name of the Force, and then you became an agent of evil and spent nearly the same amount of time causing pain and suffering throughout the galaxy. Yet in the last moments of your life, you reached for the light and rid the world of the great evil you yourself once served."

Felix paused in his swirling and turned to face Anakin. "If a Jedi you had remained, your path would be clear. You would even now be in the Force, reunited with your fellow Jedi, forever to rest as a reward for your loyal and faithful service. But you turned to the Dark Side and there you were supposed to remain, for never in the history of life has a Jedi who has turned to the Dark Side ever returned to the light. So, it is as I said before, Master Jedi, you are an enigma. There have only been three beings such as yourself who have ever entered the Gray. You are now the fourth."

"So, I have come to be in this place because I am a Jedi again?" Anakin asked.

"Yes, but that is too simplistic. You are in this place because you are a Jedi who has done great evil. You are in this place because your soul has been irrevocably scared due to your actions. You are in this place because your life is one big shade of gray." Felix jumped to his feet and began to circle Anakin, staring at him critically.

"You, Anakin Skywalker, have come to the River of Scars for both punishment and reward. Darkness yet remains in your heart but love holds equal place there. You are here because you are the Chosen One and you did exactly what you were supposed to do; you fulfilled the prophecy."

Felix waded into the River. He closed his eyes as though he felt the waters to his very core. "The River of Scars is the embodiment of suffering, the embodiment of pain. The River shows us what we have done, where we have lacked, the pain that our actions have caused. It shows us the scars on our soul and the scars that we have left on the souls of others. It shows us what could have been and what was not because of us. You must travel the River, and face the truth. You must face all those that you have hurt. Only then will there be a place for you in the Force."

Felix paused. He looked over the vastness of the River and stared as though he could see something that Anakin could not. "Retribution must be given, Anakin, for all the pain you have caused. But because you are not evil, you cannot be sent to the Land of Weeping and Sorrow. Yet justice must be done, for this is balance and balance is the way of the Force."

Felix turned in the water to face Anakin. "This is one journey that you cannot avoid, Master Jedi. The water is like fire. It will burn you; it will singe you and cause your soul much pain, adding to the weight that is already there, but at the end there is forgiveness, justice and most of all, true redemption. The gray waters show pure truth, which is so much harder to endure than lies. The truth can set free but it can also break the spirit, for truth is sharper than a double-edged saber."

Felix waded out of the water. "You will start your journey when you so choose. I cannot say how long it will be or what events will occur. I only know that it must be taken soon."

Anakin gazed at Felix and then at the gray waters of the River. Everything that Felix said rang with truth, every word that he spoke struck Anakin to his very soul.

The River of Scars is the embodiment of suffering, the embodiment of pain.

Anakin thought on those words. Suffering and pain…it was indeed what he deserved for all that he had done. Killing the Emperor was not enough to remove the stains from his soul. In truth, he had killed the Emperor for purely selfish reasons. He had lost so much: the Jedi whom he destroyed; Obi-Wan Kenobi, his mentor and best friend whom he eventually killed; and Padmé, his soul mate and the love of his life whom he had killed by destroying her husband. Through his deeds he had lost the things that had meant the most to him. Yet at that moment in his life, as he watched the Force-lightning of the Emperor rip through his son's body, he had made the ultimate decision. He would save Luke's life or die trying because Anakin refused to watch Luke die; he had refused to lose his son too.

Anakin knew that what he had done to the Emperor had been a miracle. Even now, Anakin could not guarantee that the events that occurred would have happened at all if the young Jedi facing Darth Sidious had been anyone other than his own flesh and blood. This was why Felix was right; this was the place he needed to be. He did not belong at the white door where rest and eternal peace radiated and shone. He deserved the river of pain and suffering. He had to make amends.

Anakin turned to Felix, "What must I do?"

Felix stared at Anakin for a moment. Satisfied with what he saw there, Felix turned and pointed toward the Eastern side of the River. "You will begin your journey here. But where the River takes you, I do not know."

With a wave of Felix's hand, a pontoon boat appeared at the edge of the River. "This will be what you will ride in." Anakin nodded climbed into the boat; there was no need to linger in this place.

"Wait!" Felix called.

Anakin turned at his cry. Felix waded into the River and with a deft jump, landed in the boat next to Anakin. "I must go with you. There is something you must see before you start."

Anakin raised his eyebrows, a question on his face. Felix simply smiled a secret smile. His raised a fist forward and with a lurch, the boat began to move. For a while, there was nothing but silence and gray water. The River fascinated Anakin, for it was not one color of gray but many. There was gray water so dark that it appeared black and gray water so light that it appeared white. All shades of gray in between were present in the River of Scars.

He started as the boat hit upon shore, they looked to be at a small island in the center of the River. Felix jumped from the boat and beckoned for Anakin to follow. Curious, he treaded behind Felix until they came upon a small house. From where he stood, Anakin could see what looked like a massive tree, standing tall behind the small cottage. It looked like three different trees; one was a birch tree1, one, a bonsai tree2, and the other a holly tree3. Anakin remembered similar trees on Naboo, many years ago.

"Wait here." Felix said and entered the house. Several moments later he returned, a small smile on his face.

"There," Felix indicated a path on the side of the house, "go around to the back. Someone is waiting for you; they have been waiting for you for a very long time."

Frowning, Anakin did what he was told and walked along the side to enter the backyard of the cottage. There was a flower garden there with the petals of the flowers being various shades of gray akin to the waters of the River. It was lovely in a strange and intense way and unlike anything Anakin had ever seen. It was quite amazing in its uniqueness; he would have never thought that gray flowers could be so exquisite. Anakin turned away from the garden and walked toward the trees, certain that this was where the person waited for him.

It was then that he noticed that although there were three trees, their roots were intertwined as one with the separation occurring at the middle of the tree. Anakin smiled at the uniqueness of it; his wife would have loved something like this. Anakin shook his head, his mind immediately shying away from thoughts of his wife. There promised pain and grief far worse than what had been experienced at the white door. His wife was a train of thought best left alone.

Closer to the tree, Anakin spied a bench. A figure appeared to be sitting there, facing away from him and staring over the River. Anakin's heart began to pound and his pace quickened to the bench. The form that sat there was achingly familiar as though he knew it intimately, as though it was a part of his soul.

Heart in his throat Anakin stopped next the figure. The identity of the person made his heart pound. It was so loud in his ears that he could hear the individual beats of his heart. Anakin could not speak; he could only stare at the one staring at him. The other had no problem speaking. Tears streamed down her face and finally after an eternity she spoke.

"Anakin. My Ani. I knew you would come to me."

Anakin opened his mouth to speak, but sound refused to manifest. He cleared his throat.

"Padmé," he croaked.

End of Chapter 2: I hoped you guys liked this, if you did, please review.

3rd Chapter: The Will of the Force: Anakin is reunited with his wife.

Footnotes:

1. Birch tree meanings include new beginnings and cleansing of the past.

2. Bonsai tree symbolism includes harmony, peace, balance and all that is good.

3. Holly tree symbols include protection, overcoming of anger and spiritual warrior.