Chapter Seven – Confessions
Anakin's eyes burned as he opened them to the harsh sunlight that crept into the hut via the open front door. His hand shot up to provide shade for his eyes as they got used to the light. He sat up and stretched his arms upwards and outwards. He noticed that Obi-Wan wasn't inside the hut. With a yawn, he got up off the bed and walked outside.
Obi-Wan was meditating on the floor cross legged. His eyes were closed and his hands were on his knees. Anakin didn't think he would have liked to have been distured and so he turned on his heels and was about to return to the hut when his former master spoke.
"Stay. Meditate with me a while." Anakin turned around once more and walked towards Obi-Wan. He sat down in front of Obi-Wan, about a metre away from him. He crossed his legs and imitated Obi-Wan's pose. He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. It wasn't long before Anakin felt the Force flow through his body, ridding him of his anger, his fear and his conflicting emotions. It felt good. It felt refreshing. Anakin felt at peace for the first time in ages.
"How do you feel?" Obi-Wan asked. Anakin opened his eyes, and they met Obi-Wan's cerulean eyes.
"I feel good. I feel well. My anger and hatred is gone. But I can't help but think that this peace is only temporary."
"It's good that you feel that way now. I assume you'd like to be free of your anger and your hatred?"
"More than anything Obi-Wan."
"Then we shall meditate some more later. And we will continue to meditate twice a day for as long as it takes for you to be truly free of your unwanted emotions. I will meditate with you, and I will be there to help you. Always."
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it. There are other things we will need to do too, if you are to properly return to the Light."
"Such as?" Obi-Wan grinned.
"Kata exercises twice a day and lightsabre sparring once or twice a day. You must learn once more how to fight without anger or hate. There is only one way we can do that, and that is by putting it into practice."
"What if I can't control my emotions? What if I injured you when we spar?"
"I have studied Form III for years now, and some would consider my study of it to be nearly complete. As you know, Soresu is a defensive fighting style. I am quite capable of defending myself, so you need not worry about me. Focus on the here and now. Do not think about what could happen."
"Yes Master." Obi-Wan got up and dusted the sand off his tunic. Anakin followed suit.
"Come Anakin." Obi-Wan motioned towards the hut and they began to walk towards it shoulder to shoulder. "We have much to discuss. You may find some of my questions difficult to answer, and if you don't wish to answer a question, we can have that conversation another time."
When they reached the hut, Anakin sat on the bed and Obi-Wan pulled up a chair and sat opposite him.
"Before we begin Obi-Wan, I'd like to ask you something."
"Of course."
"Why did you come back, and where is Luke?"
"I came back because I had forgotten something very important and I didn't know when I would be able to return. We had only been flying a little while, so it wasn't much trouble to return. I had forgotten your lightsabre, and I couldn't bear the thought of the Tuskens or a thief taking it. As for your second question, Luke is with Bail Organa, and they have gone somewhere in the desert, waiting for my signal to return. We agreed that if I did not make contact within three days, that he would take Luke to Master Yoda. We were on our way to visit him to discuss Luke's situation."
"I see." Anakin took a deep breath. "Shall we begin?"
"Certainly, and remember, you don't have to answer a question you aren't comfortable with. How long had you been in a relationship with Padme?"
"About three and a half years. We got married on Naboo just after the events on Geonosis. We managed to keep it a secret for so long. It got easier over time."
"I had my suspicions but dismissed them, as I thought the idea of a Jedi and a Senator was absurd." Obi-Wan paused a moment. "Had you had any visions in those three years?" Anakin took another deep breath.
"Yes. I dreamt that Padme… died in childbirth." Anakin managed an uneasy smile. "Ironic, isn't it?"
"Quite. Were these images what caused you to turn to the Dark Side?"
"Yes… I didn't want her to die… Palpatine told me the legend of Darth Plageious the Wise. It was said that he could stop the ones he loved from dying. I wanted nothing more than to save Padme, and I was seduced by his story. Then, when Palpatine revealed his Sith ways to me, he told me Plageious was his Master. He said that only through him could I achieve the power and the knowledge to save Padme's life. I reported him to the Council but his words stuck with me. I raced back to the Chancellor's office, and Master Windu was about to strike him down. I thought Palpatine possessed the knowledge to save Padme, and so I helped him defeat Master Windu…"
"Take your time, Anakin."
"He told me I wasn't strong enough to save Padme, and that I would only be strong enough after I had killed the Separatists. He also said that the Jedi would soon hear about what had happened to Master Windu, and would come to kill us, so he sent me and the 501st legion to kill all the Jedi in the Temple. He gave the order to all troops to kill their generals and commanders. Then, I went to kill the Separatists on Mustafar, and shortly after I had done that, we fought."
Obi-Wan felt anger rising in him, but forced himself to remain calm. It hurt him to know that Palpatine had been manipulating Anakin for years, and had planned the Jedi destruction for years. Anakin spoke again.
"It was not long after all this that I realised that Palpatine had put those images in my head. I couldn't see it at the time, but he knew what areas to target. He knew I would do anything for Padme, and he exploited my love for her. I had begun to despise him for that, and we didn't have a good relationship at all when we started training."
"I'm so sorry Anakin. You shouldn't have had to have gone through all of that by yourself… Why didn't you come to me? I could have helped you, comforted you or something."
"I was afraid you'd turn me in to the Jedi Council. Attachment and certainly marriage was frowned upon in the Order. I would have been expelled immediately."
"I… don't know what to say." Obi-Wan was distressed. At this moment he would have given anything to be able to turn back time to help his brother.
"There is nothing to say."
"What happened after the remaining Jedi went into exile?"
"I spent four weeks being treated for my battle wound with bacta. Then, Sidious and I began training. At first I was hungry, eager to succeed, but I kept on failing. Because I kept on failing, I was punished repeatedly. Force lightning was a particular favourite form of punishment of Sidious'."
As Anakin relayed to Obi-Wan his story, he felt the pain of the Force lightning as much as Anakin had done so many times. He felt disheartened that he had not been able to help Anakin. He immediately regretted leaving Anakin's unconscious body on Mustafar after the duel.
"I should have helped you on Mustafar after the duel. It was so stupid of me to leave you there. I could have taken you to a med centre and kept you safe from that, that monster!"
"Don't blame yourself Obi-Wan. I would have killed you had you presented me with the opportunity. You did what you needed to do to survive. I don't blame you for that, I could never blame you for that. In your position, I would have done the same."
"I failed you Anakin. It's my fault that you turned to the Dark Side. I was harsh on you when you were my Padawan. I became unapproachable. I know this, because it's how my master was with me. I should have learned, should have adapted. Had I been easier with you, maybe you would have come to me."
"Obi-Wan you were a wonderful teacher. I am grateful for all that you taught me. You were always there for me when I needed you. I couldn't have asked for any more than that."
"You are too kind, my old Padawan." There was silence in the hut. Several minutes passed before the silence was broken by the sound of a rumbling stomach. Obi-Wan laughed lightly.
"You obviously haven't lost your appetite. Would you like some breakfast?"
"I'm starving." Obi-Wan handed Anakin a plate of Bantha Breakfast Biscuits with some blue sauce on the side. Anakin stared at the plate and studied the biscuits.
"What the Force is this?"
"Bantha Breakfast Biscuits and blue sauce. They're lovely. Try them." Anakin dipped one of the biscuits into the blue sauce and took a bite out of it. He obviously liked what he tasted, for he devoured the rest of the biscuits within minutes. Obi-Wan thought he was so hungry that he would eat the plate.
"Don't forget to breathe Anakin. Choking on a breakfast biscuit that gets jammed in your throat is neither a fitting nor a particularly nice way to die." Anakin grinned. He handed the plate back to Obi-Wan, who placed in on the table carefully. He sat down in the chair once again, and rested his hands in his lap.
"Anakin, I have something I have been meaning to tell you." Anakin looked at Obi-Wan with a disappointed look.
"It's good this time. Don't worry." Anakin let out a sigh of relief and began to relax.
"You don't know anything of the birth, do you?"
"Only that Padme died."
"Yes, that was very unfortunate. I'm sorry that happened. The medical staff did everything they could." Anakin stayed silent. "You didn't know anything about your children before the birth, did you?"
"Whoa, hold up. Did you say 'children'? As in plural, more than one?"
"Yes. Padme gave birth to twins." Anakin's heart skipped a beat.
"T-Twins?!" Anakin almost choked on the word. He was almost gobsmacked by this sudden surprise.
"Yes. Padme gave birth to your babies, Anakin."
"Was it a boy or a girl?"
"A girl, Leia I believe Padme named her."
"Well where is she?!"
"We chose trust worthy parents for her, don't worry. She is currently on Alderaan, as the adopted daughter of Bail Organa and his wife." Anakin was lost for words.
"That's… excellent."
"Quite" Obi-Wan said with a grin. Anakin stayed silent as he absorbed the shock of it all. A few minutes passed before he spoke up.
"Can I see Luke?" Obi-Wan unclipped his commlink from his belt.
"He gave me this on the ship so I could contact him when my business here was finished. I'll get onto it right away."
Authors Note: I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I got to enjoy writing lots of Vader, and now I get to write lots about Anakin. It's fantastic fun to write. If you all enjoy reading this half as much as I enjoyed writing it, then I have written a perfect chapter.
As usual, I must thank everyone who has taken the time to read through Redemption. I must thank everyone who has submitted a review. And I must thank everyone who has added this story to their alert or favourites lists. It really is appreciated.
Please keep the reviews coming in. It really is a great feeling when I open up my inbox in the morning to see that I have lots of reviews, and it really gives me a boost for the day and makes me want to write up the next chapter as soon as possible. A few words from you all would be fantastic.
I hope you all enjoy reading Chapter Seven!
