Chapter 37: Dedication in Life
Padmé was walking up the stairs to the hovel, seeing her husband standing outside with their children. Their six-month-old son, Rowan, was bouncing his
arms, gurgling like crazy. She couldn't help but smile as she watched her husband play with their children.
Anakin smiled as he cradled his son in his arms. "What are you looking at Rowan?" he asked.
"Daddy someone coming," Luke told his father, standing up.
Leia stood up, her eyes watching as a cloaked figure walked up as Anakin slowly turned around. The figure seemed to have stopped in his tracks, as if
shocked to see Anakin. "Daddy…" Leia murmured, hugging her father around his leg.
"Leia, why don't you go inside by your mama?" he asked as he placed Rowan
into his hover stroller for the twins to take back with them.
Luke grabbed the hover stroller, taking his brother back while Anakin made sure his lightsaber was still attached to his belt. "Who are you?" he asked
cautiously.
"I am just a stranger passing through," the person answered.
"Passing through the desert of Tatooine without some sort of speeder? I don't believe that," Anakin told him.
The stranger reached up, removing his hood from his face. "Who are you?" Anakin demanded.
"Your friend, Bastila Shan, should know me," he replied as he walked around.
Anakin watched the stranger walk around and was looking at the toys that were scattered around on the ground. "The Chosen One, I have seen your work in the
galaxy during the Clone Was, Anakin or should I say, Justice," he commented.
Reaching to his belt, Anakin detached his lightsaber from his utility belt and activated it. "Revan," he said in a low voice.
"So you have heard of me," Revan commented.
"I have and Obi-Wan warned me. What are you doing on my land?" Anakin demanded.
"I am here to speak with the infamous Justice," Revan replied.
Anakin watched as he continued to walk around him. "As I had seen, you married a politician, not a smart move if I may comment," he added.
"You may not comment, it is none of your business," Anakin answered.
"Not very trustful people," Revan commented.
"You sound just like the Jedi, judging people before knowing them," he
answered.
Revan sighed as continued circling the young man. "I'm not here to fight you boy, I'm here to offer you the chance to become my apprentice," he told Anakin.
"No, I had a great Master. She taught me everything I know, she's the one who saved me from becoming a monster," Anakin replied.
"Yet you have a family that could distract you from your mission," he answered.
"My family are what push me forward to fighting for freedom in this galaxy!" Anakin snapped.
Revan continued to stare at the young man. "You do remind me of someone," he commented. Anakin kept his lightsaber drawn, watching Revan closely. "Someone
familiar," he added.
"What does it matter? You are NOT welcome here!" Anakin snapped.
"Such hostility young Skywalker," Revan commented.
"You verbally attacked Bastila and threatened Obi-Wan, unforgivable," Anakin answered.
Revan stared at him when Luke ran over to his father. "Daddy," he said quietly, wrapping his arms around his father's leg.
"Luke what are you doing out here?" Anakin said softly, resting his hand on the top of his son's head.
Luke glared at Revan. "You won't take daddy away!" he snapped. Anakin looked at his son with a surprised expression.
"Luke, did you hear what he was thinking?" Anakin asked.
The boy nodded his head slowly. Anakin couldn't help but smile as he lifted his son up after deactivating his lightsaber. "Luke this is great," he told his
son smiling, forgetting all about Revan. The boy was smiling from ear to ear to see the pride on his father's face. "You're gaining your Force abilities, this
is great son," he told his son.
"I fight like you?" Luke asked.
"Someday, but your powers are growing," Anakin replied.
Luke smiled brightly. Anakin looked back toward Revan with narrow eyes. "Leave my land, Revan. I won't tell you again," he ordered before going back
inside with his son in his arms.
Walking inside, Anakin sighed as he closed the door. "Do you think he'll leave?" Padmé asked.
"If he doesn't I'll have to force him to leave," he replied as he sat down with Luke in his lap.
"Daddy you won't go away again?" Luke asked.
"Not again son, I promise," Anakin replied.
Anakin was still working on freeing the slaves, but was trying to avoid fighting Demonia at all costs. Even a year later he was still determined not to
kill his sister, even though she was as evil as a Sith could get after having Sidious train her. Smiling, he watched as Rowan was crawling around on the floor with his little wooden toys in his hands. Padmé stood behind her husband with her hands resting on his shoulders. "What are you going to do?" she asked, resting her forehead against the top of his head.
"Bastila and I have had a plan over the last four years of what to do. I'm not about to have some coward destroy it all," he answered.
Padmé sighed as she ran her hands over her husband's chest. "Let's not start another feud," she told him softly.
"Hard not to, from what Bastila told me Revan abandoned her. The woman's been like a second mother to me so I'm just as protective of her as I am of my own
mother," he answered.
"I know," she murmured as he stood up with Luke on his side and Leia with her arms wrapped around his leg.
Rowan was gurgling as he sat on the floor. "Yes, your father looks really funny," Anakin told his son, grinning a little. Padmé laughed, shaking her head
slowly as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"We need to go to Mos Eisley for some things. We're running low on food," she stated.
"Hmm well I guess we should go to Mos Eisley then huh?" he asked smiling.
The couple smiled as they got their children into the speeder.
When they arrived at Mos Eisley, Padmé was holding Luke's hand as they were going to the fruit stands that were lined up. "I don't want pallies," Leia
whined.
"You like pallies," Padmé commented.
"No I don't, not more pallies," Leia told her stubbornly.
Anakin lifted his daughter up into his arms. "Your mama is going to buy what's good for you," he stated firmly. Leia huffed, resting her head on his
shoulder. Anakin kissed his daughter's cheek while hugging her close to him. Leia started playing with the black chord around his neck. Rowan was in his
hover stroller playing with his stuffed bantha when he looked over to see a stranger watching, being five-months-old he didn't understand what was going
on.
Luke looked over to see Revan watching. "Daddy he's following," Luke told his father quietly.
"Just ignore him son," Anakin replied.
Even though Anakin was ignoring Revan as much as he could, it was annoying him quite a bit that he couldn't be with his family without Revan following him
now. Padmé looked over at her husband to see him watching Revan closely. "Ani, don't give him the attention he's wanting," she insisted.
"It's annoying," he muttered as he hugged Leia closer, the little girl beginning to doze on his shoulder.
Shaking her head slowly, she looked down at Rowan. "You daddy acts just much like a child as you do," she quipped. Rowan gurgled in response, throwing his toy bantha on the ground.
"It doesn't matter, the less I watch him, he'll still follow us," he answered.
"Yes, but the more you watch him the more Luke watches him and his anxiousness gets worse," Padmé told him.
Sighing, he nodded his head slowly. "This is true too," he murmured. Looking at Luke, he held his son's hand as they went over to another food stand.
"Good afternoon Ani, Ami," the old woman that owned the stand greeted.
"Good afternoon Trella, how are you today?" Padmé asked as she examined the vegetables in her stand.
"The same old child, same old story," Trella replied.
Padmé smiled a little as she continued to search through the goods. "Oh! Ami, I have a surprise for you, one second," Trella told he as she slowly stood up
from her chair and went behind it. The couple glanced at each other before Trella returned with a small brown sack. "My boy stopped by for a visit today
and during his last visit I told him how you and your little ones just love cloudberries," she said smiling.
Opening the sack, Padmé let out a gasp to see a large amount of cloudberries inside. "Oh Trella you didn't have to do this," she insisted.
"You are a lovely, lovely family, very generous. You save an old woman's stand from being ransacked by a bunch of raiders, may the Maker bless you,"
Trella answered brightly.
"Anyone would've done it," Padmé insisted.
"Not on Tatooine deary, you have been here long enough to know how cruel people are here. The last they'll do is save an old woman from being robbed, but
you two show that there is still goodness in this galaxy," Trella answered.
The old woman smiled at the children. "Well, I must close down for the evening. Enjoy your cloudberries," she told them.
"Thank you very much Trella," Padmé answered.
"Not a problem dear girl, not a problem," Trella insisted as she started closing up her shop, "a sandstorm will be coming so you should get home before
it hits."
"You have a good evening Trella," Anakin told her.
The woman nodded before she hurried into her little home. "I can sense a storm coming myself, we should go home," Anakin agreed. Padmé nodded as she had
a hold of the hover stroller, the five of them going back to their waiting speeder.
When they arrived back home, Anakin watched his family go back into the hovel while he stood outside, staring out into the distance. Seeing the sandstorm
beginning to form, he moved his speeder back into the garage, closing and locking all the doors. There wasn't a lot of time, but enough so they wouldn't
lose everything. Walking over to the power generator, he made sure the emergency power was operational just in case they had lose their main power.
As he walked back to his hovel, he saw Revan watching him still. "Just because you watch me, doesn't mean I'll join you. It's just making me want to
kill you," Anakin told him.
"Well, young one, how about a bet?" Revan asked.
"I'm not a gambler," Anakin replied.
Revan began circling the young man again. "Well…I will leave you alone if you duel," he suggested.
"That is if I win," Anakin commented.
"Yes…but if I win, you will come with me and train under my rules," Revan answered.
Anakin shook his head. "No deal, I don't trust you enough that you wouldn't cheat to get your way," he commented.
"And you wouldn't?" Revan asked.
"Bastila taught me honorability in a fight against my opponent, never would I find a way to cheat to win and I never have," Anakin replied.
"Bastila Shan? Honorable?" Revan asked.
Anakin glared at him. "She's a very honorable woman, how dare you say otherwise?" he snapped. The two of them circled each other and Anakin could see
the sandstorm approaching. "And her name is Bastila Kenobi, has been for the last two years," he added. Suddenly, the young man felt jealousy emanate from
Revan.
"Kenobi…the man is weak," Revan sneered.
Before he could block the attack, Anakin whipped his hand up and Revan was grabbing at his throat. "You will never speak ill of Obi-Wan in font of me! Like
Bastila, he is honorable, brave! My brother, my family, and I will not have the likes of you to drag his name through the dirt," he snapped.
The next thing Anakin knew, his Force grip on Revan broke and he was thrown across his land, hitting the ground hard. Revan was catching his breath, holding
his throat. "You're all foolish! All of you, using love and loyalty as your powers, they are weak," he snapped between breaths.
"Hate and greed are evil powers," Anakin answered as he jumped to his feet.
Revan whipped out his lightsaber as Anakin pulled out his own. "They are weak, tell me Revan what's worth fighting in this galaxy if not for love and
loyalty?" Anakin asked as their lightsabers collided.
"Power in itself is a strength," Revan answered.
"Is that all you care about? Power? I know that's a lie speaking that whenever you are forced to think of the fact Bastila is with Obi-Wan I can feel
the jealousy roll off you like waves," Anakin told him.
"You know nothing," Revan answered.
The two of them began fighting just as the sandstorm began to roll in. Even though the sand was swirling around him, Anakin had his eyes shielded, but was
feeling out in the Force for Revan's next attack. Sensing a blow to his head, he rolled across the ground before holding his hand up, throwing his opponent
backwards.
Revan stumbled a bit, but was able to regain his balance. Reaching out into the Force, he grabbed Anakin by the front of his tunic, throwing him to the
hit the ground, but then he pulled apart his double-sided lightsaber, holding both ends up to block a blow to his chest. Shocked, Revan dodged a blow to his side. "And what if you lose your beloved wife? I know you fear of losing her, that is very evident. What are you to do if something were to happen
to her?" Revan asked into the young man's head.
"I would live as she has made me promise, live for her, live for our children. Our children would need their father if anything were to happen to
their mother. Her love is eternally mine and that is worth fighting for if she was alive or dead," Anakin replied.
Anakin took aim at Revan's middle, but his blow was blocked. "I would die for my family! What would you die for?" he asked. The two of them continued
aiming blows at each other. Having enough, Anakin kicked Revan in the chest, sending him to the ground. Walking over to Revan, he reached into the Force and ripped his lightsaber from his opponent's hand before he could react. Reattaching the sides to his lightsaber, Anakin held Revan's blade in his hand. "Is there nothing in this galaxy you wouldn't die for? No one you would give your life for? Power only gives so much, but then the loneliness is what kills a person slowly. Is there nothing you desire Revan? Nothing at all?" Anakin asked as he stood above him.
"Then kill me, Skywalker," Revan answered, "if power is going to kill me."
Shaking his head slowly, Anakin tossed his lightsaber into the depths of the storm before he pulled his hood up after reattaching his lightsaber to his belt.
Holding his hand up, a blue Force shield appeared around them both as he pulled his cloak around him to protect himself from the eye of the storm. Revan just
sat in the Force shield with wide eyes.
Just like that, the storm passed and Anakin stood up, shaking whatever sand he had from his hair before looking at his defeated opponent. "I had
promised myself long ago that I would never kill out of spite, out of anger, or just because I can. I vowed to never become what I had seen myself become if it
weren't for Bastila's guidance. If I had done what you had asked, I would be going down the wrong path. The path that would make me lose my wife, my
children, and everything I have fought to build," he explained.
Anakin turned on his heel to go back to his hovel, leaving Revan there stunned.
Walking into his hovel, Padmé was suddenly in his arms. "What were you doing? I thought the storm would've killed you," Padmé told him.
"I'm alright," he assured her.
Resting his forehead against her temple, he held her close. Padmé hugged him back, closing her eyes tight before pulling back and hitting him in the chest.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again Anakin Skywalker!" she scolded. Anakin chuckled, kissing his wife's forehead.
"I was just getting rid of Revan," he told her.
Smiling, she rested her head on his chest. Anakin held onto her as he rested his forehead against the top of her head with a smile.