Qui-Gon drew a deep breath as he waited outside the council doors. There has been no time to rest after coming back from Didi's, as the council was already upset with him for not reporting to them immediately. Qui-Gon was never afraid to speak his mind to the council, but it did almost always end in a heated debate, so he couldn't help wishing he had time to rest first. He also really wished that he did not have to take Obi-Wan with him, as he was sure this was going to upset the boy.
The senior padawan standing outside the doors stood straight and looked at Qui-Gon. The padawans were there primarily to see that the council was never disturbed and that important things were always brought to their attention. One of the council members always developed a weak force link with the padawan, just to enough to convey what they wanted. It saved resources that could be better used somewhere else, and also taught the padawans patience, as the job required them to stand silent and watchful for hours at a time.
This particular padawan had been trying for the past few minutes, unsuccessfully, to gain a smile from Obi-Wan, but the small boy kept hiding his face in Qui-Gon's robes whenever she so much as looked at him. Now she gave up and returned to her duty as she gazed at Qui-Gon. "They're ready to see you now, Master Jinn." She informed him quietly.
Qui-Gon nodded his understanding and gently took Obi-Wan's hand as the doors to the council room opened to reveal the senior Jedi within. Qui-Gon could feel Obi-Wan's hand tremble slightly within his own. He squeezed it softly to reassure the child, and was rewarded with a death grip.
As they walked in, all eyes turned instantly to the unusual boy with him. While Obi-Wan may not have been extraordinary looking, he was a very handsome child. He also carried with him the bright presence of a force-perceptive child, a very strong one at that. Most importantly, he had wisdom to him that no one his age should have possessed. Years of torment had given him the world-weary look that no one younger than forty should carry. Perhaps this was made him unusual, what drew all attention to him. Perhaps.
Or perhaps not. Not one of the Jedi who had seen the boy that day could explain it, but it was if they suddenly knew, just looking at him, that he would be instrumental in something vastly beyond their comprehension. Something they would only be able to watch, or maybe never even see, but that would change their lives forever.
Qui-Gon never noticed all this. He had already had that feeling when he first saw the boy whose hand he was holding, something that had drawn him to save the child. Looking at him, he had somehow known then that he would not be able to leave him, and yet, he had not really been able to understand it. Qui-Gon was a Jedi of the living force. He saw things for their present state. He saw the people and the things and the suffering and the joy that was happening now or would happen in the near future. The Jedi surrounding him, on the other hand, were almost all of the unifying force, which was heavily based in seeing things overall, the outcome on the long run. Thus, looking at the boy, the council did not see a small, intriguing boy that needed help and protection. They saw a child that was going to be instrumental in the fates of billions.
Right now, however, all Qui-Gon saw was the council members staring at Obi-Wan, a boy he was determined to look after. As defensive as he was already feeling, he could not help but take it the wrong way. In all the gazes he imagined he saw disapproval, and this, in turn, caused disapproval in him. It was not a good not to start with.
"Complaints, we have received, from the king. Explantion, you have?" Yoda said finally, getting straight to the point. Qui-Gon knew this was due in no small part to his tardiness. Qui-Gon also knew that Yoda was aware of his feelings, and sought to get his mind on other things before discussing the child with him. There was no need to frighten him, and the older Jedi understood this.
"The kind allows, even encourages slavery. He abuses the people. Over half the population of the planet is under-fed and beaten into submission by the other inhabitants. War is brewing everywhere, as the people are tired of the oppression. They were not prepared to enter the republic, nor had they asked for assistance, so I felt my presence was no longer needed." Qui-Gon said calmly, tamping down his emotions in order to give a clear account of the facts. In leaving, he had really done nothing wrong, and he knew that.
Yoda nodded at this, appearing to be deep in thought. It was Master Windu who broke the silence. "The king complained that you promoted dissent and rebellion, as well as stealing something valuable of his." The revered Jedi said slowly, but not without a small amount of disapproval in his tone.
Qui-Gon turned a fierce gaze in his direction. "If you call speaking the plain truth to him in front of his people causing dissent. If you think that saying his rule of terror could not last forever promoting rebellion, then I suppose you're right." He said darkly, then turned and brought Obi-Wan gently in front of him. "As for stealing something valuable of his, I took this child. He was going to kill him anyway, so I do not see his cause for complaint."
A collective sigh seemed to go up from the council. "Another pathetic lifeform." Mace finally breathed, but there was almost a fondness in the way he said pathetic, even if the rest of the sentence sounded weary. He gently massaged his temples before looking up. "Not another of your lost causes, please, Master Jinn." He said simply, and in those words, you could hear the pleading. It was not a secret that the two Jedi were good friends, but in this setting, it hardly mattered. In that voice, however, it was obvious Mace was beseeching Qui-Gon not to put himself in hot water with another of his 'lost causes' as he had put it.
Qui-Gon's face set into a grim expression, and every Jedi there knew that was the face that said Master Jinn was not going to give in, and it seemed almost as though they withheld another sigh. "The boy is force-sensitive, and I believe he will be an asset to us when trained properly. The force led me to save him, and I did not question it's judgment." Qui-Gon stated stubbornly, and the council shifted in their seats, as if knowing they might be here awhile.
"If you are asking for him to be trained…" Mace began wearily.
"I am." Qui-Gon cut him off firmly. As if knowing they were deciding his fate, Obi-Wan trembled. One of the big Jedi's hands settled in his hair as if to comfort him, and the trembling lessened a bit.
"Not possible, is this." Yoda spoke up quickly. 11 heads bobbed in agreement. Qui-Gon stared at the Jedi in front of him in disbelief, his eyes questioning their quick judgment of the child.
"He is already too old." Mace said matter-of-factly. The older Jedi did not flinch under Qui-Gon's dark stare, nor under the scared gaze of the child in front of him.
"Only just!" Qui-Gon cried. "He is strong in the force, you must sense it as well! Why will you not even test him?" He demanded.
Mace sighed, not for the last time that day. "It is not just that. He has obviously been abused most of his life. There is great fear coming from him that will not be lost easily, if at all."
There was a long pause, and finally Yoda broke it. "Instrumental, this boy will be, in the future of many. Good or bad, this is, I do not know." He said sadly, eyeing the child so intensely that Obi-Wan could not help flinching.
Qui-Gon lifted his chin defiantly. "I am not sending him back." He removed his hand from Obi-Wan's hair and gently took his hand, eyeing each council member in turn.
"Stay here, the boy cannot." Yoda said with disapproval. There was another collective nod throughout the room.
Qui-Gon turned slowly to look at each of them, before finally coming back to look at Yoda and Mace again. "Then neither can I." He said tightly, turning to go.
There was a stunned silence for a moment, before Mace leapt to his feet. "Qui-Gon!" He called. Qui-Gon twisted his head to look at him. "Think about this! You're going to give up your entire life for this child you've just met?!" He continued, trying to make the other Jedi see reason.
Obi-Wan could see that the man's anger was directed at him, and did not know that he was more upset than angry. All he saw was the accusing finger pointed at him, the intense gaze focused on him…
Amidst the clatter of the pan and horrified gazes, all Obi-Wan could think to do was kneel as the king turned his enraged gaze to him, pointing a shaking finger covered in pie in his direction. "Who made him a server?" He bellowed, and Obi-Wan buried his face between his hands on the floor. It didn't help.
All eyes focused on the child as he tore his hand from the Jedi's and threw himself to the floor in a kneel. Obi-Wan began trembling violently, and sobbing, though it was obvious by his posture and the muffled sound of his crying that he was desperately trying to hide his fear.
Qui-Gon glared at Mace, who just look bewildered, and bent down to the child, placing his hand on his back. "It's all right, Obi-Wan." He murmured, rubbing the child's back to soothe him. Obi-Wan barely registered the movement and continued to cry.
Finally, Qui-Gon pulled Obi-Wan gently to his feet by his arms. The child remained limp, as if afraid to even stand without being made to. The big Jedi placed his hands under the child's armpits and picked him up. Obi-Wan immediately curled into the man's shoulder, his tears wetting his tunic as he clung to him.
"Yes." Qui-Gon said firmly in answer to Mace's question, and strode out of the room. He was not going to argue with them. He would NOT give Obi-Wan up. The force had ordered him to save the child, and he was going to obey.
The Jedi stared after him, startled, as if unsure what even to say. Qui-Gon was a maverick, but for him to leave the order over something they disagreed on? Only Yoda spoke as it appeared Mace might go after his friend. "Let him go, you will." He said to Mace, who turned to look as Yoda frowned slightly and looked down with a shake of his head.
The doors closed silently behind Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. It would be many years before they would be back again.