Chapter 59
"So you just… talked. With the Emperor," Kanan asked in disbelief as he blocked and dodged attacks from Obi-Wan. In order to continue Kanan's training with some privacy, Obi-Wan had asked Leia to take Ezra to another area and train him. Obi-Wan didn't want any distractions. He nodded and responded, "Yes, it was rather… strange. Some part of me wants to hold out hope that Anakin is still in there, but… even if he is, Vader's strong. I don't know what remains to potentially save of my old friend." He had not originally intended to warn Kanan that Vader was Anakin, but Vader's new (or old) appearance could distract the mind of a Jedi that recognized him if they ever fought. Obi-Wan couldn't allow Vader to gain any more advantage over a Jedi in a battle than he already had.
Obi-Wan began to fight harder, deciding that it was time to begin with the real challenge. Kanan hadn't expected the sudden change of pace and was disarmed within the first few seconds of the duel, and Obi-Wan cut a lash across Kanan's shoulder guard. "What was that for?!" Kanan asked irritably, examining the damage to his armor. "Well, for one, most Jedi decided to stop using armor towards the end of the Clone War. It impedes our movement," Obi-Wan answered in an annoyingly calm voice. "For another, you need to always be ready to fight the unexpected." Kanan argued, "Alright, but you could've at least told me it was coming!" Obi-Wan looked at him in confusion. "But then it wouldn't have been unexpected."
Kanan huffed and turned to retrieve his weapon, but suddenly his senses set off an internal alarm and he ducked just in time to avoid being cut in half by Obi-Wan. "Hey, watch it!" Kanan yelled. "I haven't even gotten my weapon back yet!" Obi-Wan didn't stop attacking, however. He swung repeatedly at Kanan, who continued to dodge. "Your enemy will not wait for you to be ready!" Obi-Wan yelled. "They will not wait for you to retrieve your weapon!" Kanan jumped over another swing of the lightsaber blade and held out a hand between him and Obi-Wan. "Master Kenobi, no offense, but I think you've finally lost your marbles. This is all just training. You're not supposed to be this…" "Stern?" Obi-Wan asked as he continued to attack Kanan without holding back. "Dangerous? Disciplined? Serious? I'm being a lot of things at the moment, Kanan Jarrus, things that you can expect from your enemies. Things you need to use to help you let go."
Obi-Wan finally landed a kick to Kanan's midriff that sent him stumbling back, and then Kanan asked, "Let go? What does that mean?" Obi-Wan rushed him and slashed at his head then legs, causing Kanan to duck and do a backflip to avoid being hit. "You're afraid, Kanan Jarrus. I can sense your fear. You've carried it with you for 16 years." Kanan's eyes narrowed and he used the Force to throw a small stone at Obi-Wan, but Kenobi cut it in half without any effort and continued speaking, "You need to let go of that fear, let go of your pain. A Jedi cannot allow his emotions to rule him." Kanan used the Force to pull sand from the ground and create a thin wall between him and his attacker, yelling, "I don't!" Obi-Wan simply pushed the wall aside and continued approaching and said, "I'm being stern with you because you are holding back. You have great potential in you, as well as a great understanding of the power you hold, but you hold back. You're afraid to use that power, to be the Jedi you always could be. You fear your power, and you've built up a wall to hold back the floods within you. I need to be tough on you now, because that is the only way that I will tear that wall down." Obi-Wan slashed quickly at Kanan's neck, but Kanan leaned back and something inside him snapped. His lightsaber, which had been lying on the ground all this time, flew to his hand and in the next second he saw that he had disarmed Obi-Wan of his own weapon with a single, precise movement of his lightsaber.
Kanan breathed hard as he realized what had just happened, and Obi-Wan smiled as he summoned his own lightsaber back to his hand. "I believe my work here is done. Kneel." Kanan was still too shocked to question why, and immediately knelt down on the ground. Obi-Wan activated his lightsaber and moved the blade over Kanan's shoulders and head, announcing, "By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force. Kanan Jarrus, you may rise." Kanan looked up at him in confusion and asked, "Um, Master Kenobi, what does this mean?" Obi-Wan pulled Kanan to his feet and explained, "It means that you are now one of the few that remain of the Knights of the Jedi Order." Kanan's eyes got wider, if possible, and Obi-Wan put a hand on Kanan's shoulder and pulled him in close to tell him, "I mean what I say, Master Jarrus. There are very few of us left, but I think that you could be an important part of restoring the galaxy to true peace. What say you?" Kanan looked down at Obi-Wan's raised arm and took it, smiling. "Definitely."
A/N: And Kanan becomes a Knight! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Now, before I go, I just want to mention a review I received. This review claimed that I was making Leia like Rey, using plot armor to win every fight, especially against Luke. To the guest user that sent me that, thank you. I haven't had such a good laugh in a while. Please note that your review was read and promptly deleted, not only for being unhelpful, but also untrue. I am proud to say that Leia is nothing like Rey. If anything, I imagine that what I've done with Leia is what Disney wanted to do. Leia doesn't have plot armor, she has skill, talent, and years of training from the only Jedi Master to ever defeat Darth Vader at the height of his power. And even with that, she's never defeated Luke. If you look back, she managed to defend herself and escape. That's it. Please read the story before you criticize it. Thank you!