Hi All! Thanks again for your wonderful comments. I'm sorry that these
posts aren't as long as the ones I used to do, but Darth Real Life is
taking up much of my time now as I search for a new job. I'll keep posting
as much as I can, though. Thanks for reading! :)
Stars in the Darkness - Part Nineteen
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"Master Kenobi! Look!"
Obi-Wan glanced over to where Ben was standing on his head, his cherubic face split in a wide grin.
"Very good, Ben."
Ben nodded, still grinning, which looked rather funny to Obi-Wan since his face was upside down. The two of them were in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, sitting on a soft swell of grass. Hours had passed since they'd started their tour of the Temple and Obi-Wan, wanting very much to please his son, had taken Ben to just about every place he could imagine that would interest a young boy. But Ben's favorite place, next to the armory, was now this room. As it had been Obi-Wan's when he was a boy.
Ben pulled his legs over his head and rolled to a sitting position, laughing as he did so, his blue-gray eyes shining. Obi-Wan joined him, suddenly aware that he had laughed more in the past few hours than he had in months. But it was impossible not to laugh around Ben, for not only was he a happy, inquisitive child, but his laughter was infectious and it reminded Obi-Wan, with a sharp pang to his heart, of Onara's laugh.
"Are you hungry, Ben?"
"No, sir."
Obi-Wan had asked Ben this same question some time ago and had gotten the same answer, but he found it hard to believe Ben wasn't hungry. It was now late in the afternoon and they'd been touring the Temple since early that morning.
"Are you sure you're not hungry?"
"Yes, sir."
Obi-Wan mulled over this, wondering if he should take Ben at his word or insist that he eat something. Anakin had been nine when Obi-Wan took him as his apprentice, so he had some experience with children, but Anakin had always been very self-sufficient. Obi-Wan had not had to insist he eat three meals a day, or clean his teeth before going to bed, or wash the back of his neck. It was a result, Obi-Wan knew, of Anakin having been raised by his mother. Looking at Ben, Obi-Wan had no doubt Onara was just as loving, but firm, with their son.
"What about Obi-Wan? Do you think, perhaps, that he might be hungry?"
Ben looked over to where his pet was rolling happily over the thick, green grass. The voorpak had taken to the Room of a Thousand Fountains like a fish to water. It probably reminded him of his native Naboo. Ben stared at the voorpak, frowning as he chewed thoughtfully on his lower lip.
"He might be hungry, Master Kenobi. He is very greedy."
"What does he like to eat?"
Ben looked over at Obi-Wan, his face suddenly taking on a devilish expression.
"He's a carnival," he said in a low, scary voice. "Do you know what that is?"
It took all of Obi-Wan's training to keep his face perfectly straight. "I believe so. It means he likes to eat meat, right?"
Ben nodded eagerly. "And that means he's fierce. All carnivals are fierce." He looked approvingly over at Obi-Wan the voorpak who was now, once again, taking a nap and looking anything but fierce to Obi-Wan.
"I see. And what kind of meat does he like to eat?"
"Rats and bugs and lizards. Stuff like that. Mama hates when he eats. She says it's disgusting."
Ben screwed up his face in what Obi-Wan assumed was an imitation of one of Onara's disgusted expressions. Then he giggled, his eyes sparkling. "Mama doesn't eat meat. Did you know that, Master Kenobi?"
Obi-Wan frowned slightly. "No, I didn't know that." Then he suddenly realized there was a lot about Onara he didn't know and yet, at the same time, he felt as if he'd known her all his life. Truth be told, the two of them had spent less than a month together in the four years since he'd first met her.
"Bau-Bau doesn't eat meat either, but Papa does."
"Do you eat meat?"
"Mama doesn't let me, but I like to watch Obi-Wan eat his meat. I don't think it's disgusting at all. I think it's great."
As Obi-Wan wondered where in the Temple he would find bugs or rats or lizards to feed to the voorpak, Ben walked over and sat next to him.
"Master Kenobi?"
"Yes, Ben?"
"Did you really do all those things Mama told me about in her stories?"
Obi-Wan cleared his throat. He wasn't sure how to answer. He didn't want Ben to think Onara had been telling him lies when she'd told him those stories.
"Well, I did cut off the head of that valkon but no, I'm afraid I didn't do most of those things."
Ben nodded. "I didn't think so. I kind of thought Mama was making it up. When I was little I believed her, but...but...well...I'm a big boy now."
Obi-Wan smiled at the idea that Ben no longer looked at himself as little, although he wasn't even four yet. Then, as Obi-Wan thought about the implications of Ben's question, his smile slipped away.
"Are you disappointed?" And he was surprised at how fearful he was of Ben's answer.
Ben cocked his head and pulled at a blade of grass. "No, not really. You want to know why? Because I like you, Master Kenobi. And I like you better this way."
"And what way is that?" Obi-Wan asked warmly.
"Real." Then Ben looked up at him, his eyes serious. "Do you like me?"
"Oh, yes, Ben, I do. Very much so."
Ben smiled widely. "I hoped we could be friends. Did you like my picture? Mama gave it to you, didn't she?"
"It's in my quarters. Would you like to see it?"
"Oh, yes."
"All right. After we eat I'll take you there."
"And we'll get Obi-Wan something to eat too?" Ben asked as Obi-Wan stood and, reaching down, helped him up.
"Yes. I'm sure we'll find something for him to eat."
"It can't be dead, Master Kenobi," Ben said as he picked up the napping voorpak. "It has to be alive. He won't eat anything that's dead. I think that's why Mama says it's so disgusting when he eats."
Ben carefully eased the voorpak into the pocket of his jacket. Then he went over to Obi-Wan and the two left the Room of a Thousand Fountains and made their way to the Temple kitchens.
To be continued....
Stars in the Darkness - Part Nineteen
--------------
"Master Kenobi! Look!"
Obi-Wan glanced over to where Ben was standing on his head, his cherubic face split in a wide grin.
"Very good, Ben."
Ben nodded, still grinning, which looked rather funny to Obi-Wan since his face was upside down. The two of them were in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, sitting on a soft swell of grass. Hours had passed since they'd started their tour of the Temple and Obi-Wan, wanting very much to please his son, had taken Ben to just about every place he could imagine that would interest a young boy. But Ben's favorite place, next to the armory, was now this room. As it had been Obi-Wan's when he was a boy.
Ben pulled his legs over his head and rolled to a sitting position, laughing as he did so, his blue-gray eyes shining. Obi-Wan joined him, suddenly aware that he had laughed more in the past few hours than he had in months. But it was impossible not to laugh around Ben, for not only was he a happy, inquisitive child, but his laughter was infectious and it reminded Obi-Wan, with a sharp pang to his heart, of Onara's laugh.
"Are you hungry, Ben?"
"No, sir."
Obi-Wan had asked Ben this same question some time ago and had gotten the same answer, but he found it hard to believe Ben wasn't hungry. It was now late in the afternoon and they'd been touring the Temple since early that morning.
"Are you sure you're not hungry?"
"Yes, sir."
Obi-Wan mulled over this, wondering if he should take Ben at his word or insist that he eat something. Anakin had been nine when Obi-Wan took him as his apprentice, so he had some experience with children, but Anakin had always been very self-sufficient. Obi-Wan had not had to insist he eat three meals a day, or clean his teeth before going to bed, or wash the back of his neck. It was a result, Obi-Wan knew, of Anakin having been raised by his mother. Looking at Ben, Obi-Wan had no doubt Onara was just as loving, but firm, with their son.
"What about Obi-Wan? Do you think, perhaps, that he might be hungry?"
Ben looked over to where his pet was rolling happily over the thick, green grass. The voorpak had taken to the Room of a Thousand Fountains like a fish to water. It probably reminded him of his native Naboo. Ben stared at the voorpak, frowning as he chewed thoughtfully on his lower lip.
"He might be hungry, Master Kenobi. He is very greedy."
"What does he like to eat?"
Ben looked over at Obi-Wan, his face suddenly taking on a devilish expression.
"He's a carnival," he said in a low, scary voice. "Do you know what that is?"
It took all of Obi-Wan's training to keep his face perfectly straight. "I believe so. It means he likes to eat meat, right?"
Ben nodded eagerly. "And that means he's fierce. All carnivals are fierce." He looked approvingly over at Obi-Wan the voorpak who was now, once again, taking a nap and looking anything but fierce to Obi-Wan.
"I see. And what kind of meat does he like to eat?"
"Rats and bugs and lizards. Stuff like that. Mama hates when he eats. She says it's disgusting."
Ben screwed up his face in what Obi-Wan assumed was an imitation of one of Onara's disgusted expressions. Then he giggled, his eyes sparkling. "Mama doesn't eat meat. Did you know that, Master Kenobi?"
Obi-Wan frowned slightly. "No, I didn't know that." Then he suddenly realized there was a lot about Onara he didn't know and yet, at the same time, he felt as if he'd known her all his life. Truth be told, the two of them had spent less than a month together in the four years since he'd first met her.
"Bau-Bau doesn't eat meat either, but Papa does."
"Do you eat meat?"
"Mama doesn't let me, but I like to watch Obi-Wan eat his meat. I don't think it's disgusting at all. I think it's great."
As Obi-Wan wondered where in the Temple he would find bugs or rats or lizards to feed to the voorpak, Ben walked over and sat next to him.
"Master Kenobi?"
"Yes, Ben?"
"Did you really do all those things Mama told me about in her stories?"
Obi-Wan cleared his throat. He wasn't sure how to answer. He didn't want Ben to think Onara had been telling him lies when she'd told him those stories.
"Well, I did cut off the head of that valkon but no, I'm afraid I didn't do most of those things."
Ben nodded. "I didn't think so. I kind of thought Mama was making it up. When I was little I believed her, but...but...well...I'm a big boy now."
Obi-Wan smiled at the idea that Ben no longer looked at himself as little, although he wasn't even four yet. Then, as Obi-Wan thought about the implications of Ben's question, his smile slipped away.
"Are you disappointed?" And he was surprised at how fearful he was of Ben's answer.
Ben cocked his head and pulled at a blade of grass. "No, not really. You want to know why? Because I like you, Master Kenobi. And I like you better this way."
"And what way is that?" Obi-Wan asked warmly.
"Real." Then Ben looked up at him, his eyes serious. "Do you like me?"
"Oh, yes, Ben, I do. Very much so."
Ben smiled widely. "I hoped we could be friends. Did you like my picture? Mama gave it to you, didn't she?"
"It's in my quarters. Would you like to see it?"
"Oh, yes."
"All right. After we eat I'll take you there."
"And we'll get Obi-Wan something to eat too?" Ben asked as Obi-Wan stood and, reaching down, helped him up.
"Yes. I'm sure we'll find something for him to eat."
"It can't be dead, Master Kenobi," Ben said as he picked up the napping voorpak. "It has to be alive. He won't eat anything that's dead. I think that's why Mama says it's so disgusting when he eats."
Ben carefully eased the voorpak into the pocket of his jacket. Then he went over to Obi-Wan and the two left the Room of a Thousand Fountains and made their way to the Temple kitchens.
To be continued....