Hello there!

Thank you for the reviews, I enjoyed it very much to read them! Here comes the second chapter, the actual Knighting Ceremony. I made up the dialogues and the procedure, I am not sure if George Lucas or anyone else gave descriptions of the Knighting Ceremony so I made everything up. I hope it is believable…

Princess-Aiel: Hehe, it is funny to hear that you think the story could have been a one-post. Because, originally, I wanted to post only this very short chapter. However, I myself got interested in seeing where this story could be going to.
Well, so there are four chapters now... :-) I hope you aren't too disappointed. :-)

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Chapter Two

The Council Chamber was silent and the atmosphere as serene as ever, as the door swished open and Obi-Wan entered. Two steps behind him and one to right walked his apprentice. It dawned on Obi-Wan that it was the last time they would enter the Council Chamber this way. In future, they would step inside beside each other, as equals. Obi-Wan liked the thought of it.

"Assembled the Council is, because of Anakin Skywalker. Raised from the rank of a Padawan to the rank of a Knight he will be," Master Yoda spoke softly when the Master and the Padawan came to a halt in the middle of the room.

Obi-Wan felt nervousness flutter from Anakin along their shared bond. First, he wanted to reach out with the Force and calm his apprentice but the realisation of where they were and what they were about to do made him stop. Anakin did not need his help anymore, he was going to be on his own from now on. He did not need an overprotective teacher to fuss over him at his Knighting Ceremony.

With a mental sigh, Obi-Wan tamped down on his end of the bond so that he would only feel a reduced amount of Anakin's anxiety. This earned him a slightly confused gaze from the corner of his Padawan's eyes.

"Please take two steps forward, Padawan Skywalker," Mace Windu said solemnly. Doing as he was bidden, Anakin came to a halt beside his Master. The two gazed at each other shortly as if they saw each other for the very first time.

The traditional ritual of the Ceremony began when Mace Windu spoke again.

"You learned, in the way of the Jedi and the guidance of this Order, to release your fears and anxieties to the Force. You learned to gain harmony and a calm mind through meditation and connection to the Force."

"There is no emotion. There is peace," Anakin answered traditionally the all too familiar words. But there was a slight waver in his voice that made Obi-Wan cringe. He could sense the effort it took his Padawan to keep the quiver out of his voice and Obi-Wan wondered if the other Masters noticed as well. Out of nowhere there sprang a slight pounding between his temples and the Force seemed to swirl in the Council chamber.

However, Master Windu continued with the ritual.

"You learned, in the way of the Jedi and the guidance of this Order, the basis of the solution to every problem, be it political, religious or of private matter. This basis is the beginning of a wisdom that has been taught throughout many generations. You learned, be it in classes or by the experience of missions, how to apply what you have learned."

"There is no ignorance. There is knowledge," Anakin answered again and this time the words came out more sincerely. Obi-Wan was surprised to find himself holding his breath while awaiting Anakin's answer. The atmosphere in the room seemed to be more relaxed than before.

"You learned, in the way of the Jedi and the guidance of this Order, to keep your feelings under control and not to be guided by them. You learned to make decisions with the help of the Force and with your mind, not under the influence of unstable emotions."

There was a short silence and this time everyone in the room seemed to be holding his or her breath.

"There… is no passion. There is serenity," Anakin answered hoarsely. For once, Obi-Wan wished that his Padawan were a better liar. Every single Master in this room knew of Anakin's tendency to be guided by emotions and his struggle for serenity. The Force swirled all the more and the slight pounding behind Obi-Wan's forehead grew to a fullblown headache. He tried not to grimace with the pain and wished this ritual to be over already.

"You learned," Mace Windu continued, his voice sterner than before, "in the way of the Jedi and the guidance of this Order, to trust the Force, to let the Force guide you and to let the Force fill you. At the end of your life, when your soul leaves the body, it will join the Force and become one with it."

"There is no death. There is the Force," Anakin answered softly and bowed slightly.

As the last part of the Padawan's traditional response to the statements ceased to echo in the chamber, a great energy began to spring from one Master to the other until all of them were connected to each other.

Obi-Wan, already feeling uncomfortable, felt the tension mount and the Force blinded him for a short moment. The Council members and the chamber faded out of his vision. The bundled strength changed into a cloud, a cloud of dust and debris and his surroundings darkened abruptly. Yellow and orange spots danced in front of his eyes and he felt an immense heat on his skin. Tiny burns formed on his arms and he had to bite down hard on his lip to keep from crying out in pain. Suddenly there were tears streaming down his face and he felt out of nowhere a great despair in his heart…

"…Master Kenobi?"

Obi-Wan jerked back brusquely and blinked. The dust, debris and the burns disappeared and only a single tear found its way down his cheek and into his beard.

"Pardon?" Obi-Wan asked, his voice slightly raspy.

Yoda looked at him and it seemed as if the ancient Master looked straight into his soul. There was a compassionate but knowing hint in his eyes and Obi-Wan felt all of a sudden uncomfortable under the intense gaze.

"I asked if you are ready to sever the Master-Padawan bond and to cut Knight Skywalker's Padawan braid," Mace Windu cut in rather sternly.

Even before Master Windu had finished speaking, Obi-Wan suddenly realised that he had missed out the pronouncement of Anakin's knightship. He felt ashamed and oddly disturbed by the flash-like vision he had experienced. It was like a short repetition to the dream he had experienced in the night. Still he managed to nod and say, "Yes, I am ready to sever the Master-Padawan bond and to cut Knight Skywalker's Padawan braid."

Anakin eyed his Master curiously and Obi-Wan realised that his Padawan had tried to catch his gaze for quite a long time. He must have stared into nothingness longer than he had thought. Obi-Wan forced a smile on his lips and tried to send pride and reassurance through their still-existing bond. But it was impossible to conjure up such feelings at the moment and he failed miserably. Whenever he blinked, glints of fire seemed to stick to his eyelids and he could still feel the pain of burns on his arms. He could not tell why he felt this way but all of a sudden he knew with all clarity that it was the wrong thing to don knightship upon Anakin. Perhaps it was only too early. But it felt all the way wrong.

However, it was the most ill-fitting time to realise such a thing.

Obi-Wan was abruptly aware of the fact that everyone else in the chamber had gone silent and that the council looked at him expectantly. Sweat began to gather on his forehead and he felt too hot. He flicked his gaze to Anakin who had pressed his lips to a thin line, a clear sign of impatience or displeasure. Understandable. After all, it was his big day and his Master was on the way to ruin it all.

"Unwell you are, Master Kenobi. Postpone this ceremony, we should?"

Bless Master Yoda! This was the chance Obi-Wan had hoped for. All he needed was a quiet place to sort out his feelings and the hints of the Force. Obi-Wan already wanted to answer it with the positive when his gaze met Anakin's. Disappointment was written all over his youthful face along with disbelief and a trace of anger.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and looked away. He just could not go back now. Anakin had worked hard all those years and he had truly earned this title. This young man had nothing to go back to, no home, no parents, no other family than the Jedi Order. He had laboured, studied and bled for this goal and now, only a tiny step in front of its achievement, his Master wanted to snatch it out of his reach again. Seemingly without a reason, on top of it all. This new disagreement would shatter their tender relationship, there would probably be no second try because he would lose the trust Anakin had in him.

There was also a promise to be kept. A promise Obi-Wan honoured above everything else.

'Master, why did you have to leave me this early and with such a heavy task to fulfil?'

But there was no answer from Qui-Gon or the Force. Typical, there were always hints and warnings but never clear answers. The answers he had to seek for himself. And reaching this point, he had already decided.

Obi-Wan looked with new determination at Master Yoda.

"I thank you for your concern, Master Yoda, but it is only a minor head ache that afflicts me. We can proceed with the ceremony."

The look of relief and joy on Anakin's face was not enough to make the Jedi Master forget that he had decided against his feelings and the hints of the Force. The memories of his dream came back to him and he shuddered involuntarily.

Most of the Council members nodded their approval, only Yoda and Adi Gallia, another long-term member, stayed suspicious. Nevertheless, Obi-Wan and Anakin turned to each other and Anakin bent one leg to kneel in front of his Master. Obi-Wan then laid his hands on his Padawan's head and closed his eyes. Their connection intensified immediately through their physical touch. Reaching deeply into himself, Obi-Wan willed himself to focus on the task at hand. His anxieties, mixed with those of his Padawan, made it difficult to concentrate. He, as the stronger part of their Master-Padawan team, should have been the one to calm and reassure the apprentice.

Obi-Wan felt Anakin tear at their bond to sever it and he physically flinched under the sharp pain it inflicted on his mind and body. He had always known that the removal of the bond was often followed by discomfort, mostly on the Master's part, but he had never thought that he would feel actual pain. The disruption of his bond with Qui-Gon had been highly painful, but it had been a rather unusual removal of a training bond.

Feeling that he needed to help Anakin with the elimination, Obi-Wan reached out to the Force to dampen the pain a bit and to disrupt their bond. Obi-Wan did not tear at their bond as Anakin did but tried to disentangle it, to loosen the single threads one by one. When it got hard to tell where his part ended and Anakin's began he severed the bond closer to himself so it would hurt himself rather than his apprentice. At the same time, he tried to give as much of himself to Anakin. He was not sure if his Padawan noticed at all. His student was so eager to have to bond severed he hardly paid attention to anything else than his tearing.

The procedure was a long and arduous one. Eventually, Anakin cut the last bit of their shared bond with one final blow, tainted with a bit of impatience. Obi-Wan felt the painful tear and the sudden backlash of his end of the bond. He staggered back two steps as if someone had hit him and he saw Anakin flinch, too. Then he was alone. He still felt a kind of connection to his former student, but it was only a tiny thread. It was the sort of bond he had to distant acquaintances. They would need to build up on this connection from now on, to strengthen it. Normally it did not take too long for former Master-Padawan teams to re-establish such a bond because the knowledge of the other person and the shared experiences were still there.

Nevertheless, Obi-Wan felt suddenly alone. The presence he had gotten used to over so many years was absent. The Jedi Master looked at his former student as if to make sure he was still standing in front of him. He saw the same apprehensive confusion in his gaze. But there was also a tentative smile on Anakin's lips.

The sudden pounding of an enormous head ache drowned out everything else of Obi-Wan's world. He felt weak, dizzy and sick at the same time and without a warning, the chamber began to spin out of focus. Blindly, Obi-Wan stretched out a hand to hold on to something and felt a bone deep weariness creep into his body and mind. Suddenly there were hands holding him up and without a doubt he knew that it was Anakin. The shared bond might be severed but he still recognised the strong familiar grip of his former apprentice's hands. Out of nowhere appeared a chair and Obi-Wan was pressed onto it. Taking a deep breath to stave off the nausea that threatened to overwhelm him, Obi-Wan buried his head in his hands. He tenderly massaged his temples and hoped that the splitting head ache would soon back off so he would be able to think clearly again.

"Master, are you alright?" Anakin's concerned voice cut into Obi-Wan's small world of breathing, pain and trying not to vomit. The volume of the question spiked the pain immediately up again. Biting on his lips to prevent any sound from escaping his mouth, Obi-Wan buried his head deeper into his palms.

"Quiet you should be, Knight Skywalker. A bit rusty and ailing your old Master seems to be. Not everyone in this room as young and energetic as the both of us is."

Soothing waves of the Force radiated from Master Yoda and eased a bit of the worst pain while the gentle teasing brought a smile on Anakin's lips.

"Not grin you should, Skywalker. Your fault this is, mistreated you have your Master," said the ancient Master in a stern voice. Anakin immediately wiped the smile off his face but Obi-Wan, who knew Yoda for much a longer time, knew that the other Master was still teasing. Obi-Wan gingerly lifted his head and shot both his former student and Master Yoda a shaky smile.

"Feeling better, are you?" the ancient Master asked and only now Obi-Wan noticed, that most of the council was assembled behind Yoda. Only Plo Koon and Depa Billaba had stayed in their seats, looking as stern as ever.

"Yes," Obi-Wan answered softly. "I do not know what came over me but it has passed. Mostly," he added as he felt Yoda's doubting stare rest on him.

Obi-Wan felt bad about telling half-lies in the Council chamber but he only wanted to get over with the ceremony and to bury himself somewhere quiet, dark and cool. A cemetery seemed like a good idea at the moment. The pounding in his head was still present and sent him into agony with every small movement he made.

"It is not unusual to feel faint during the removal of the Master-Padawan bond," Master Windu cut in usefully. "However, if it gets worse you should visit the healers."

Obi-Wan nodded gingerly but he felt heat rising in his cheeks. It was embarrassing enough to almost pass out in the Council chamber without Mace Windu trying to be helpful.

"Shall we proceed?" Plo Koon asked with a tiny bit of annoyance in his voice.

"Yes, we may proceed," Obi-Wan answered wearily.

Ki-Adi-Mundi, the wise Jedi Master with two brains and two hearts, stepped up to Obi-Wan, who was still sitting, and gave him the ceremonial dagger to cut the Padawan braid.

Obi-Wan took the knife in his hands. It was the very blade Master Yoda had used nearly twelve years before to cut his Padawan braid. The circumstances had been entirely different, the atmosphere sad and depressing, instead of solemn and joyful. Obi-Wan remembered how hard it had been to hold back the sobs that had threatened to overcome him. He had been very grateful it had only been Yoda present and not the whole council. The few wayward tears that had traitorously escaped the corners of his eyes had elicited a compassionate smile from the ancient Master and a pat on his back. Had the whole Council been assembled he would have certainly received a few scornful glances for his emotions.

Obi-Wan heaved a heavy sigh and lifted his gaze to Anakin. His apprentice still looked concerned and the Jedi Master sent him a reassuring smile. Obi-Wan stood, a bit wobbly, and stepped up to Anakin's side. He reached for the still attached braid with one hand and run his thumb over it. The Padawan braid felt smooth and lively under his fingers, while the blade was cold under his touch.

'Make it quick,' a small voice told him and Obi-Wan obeyed. One swift cut and the braid laid outstretched on his palm. Like a dead animal. Obi-Wan felt sickened by its sight.

"The Council congratulates you to your title, Knight Skywalker," Mace Windu concluded with a smile and the air seemed to loosen up immediately.

"Where will be the party, Skywalker?" Adi Gallia asked with a grin.

Obi-Wan did not wait for the answer. He slid the dagger back in its sheath with one quick motion and returned it to Ki-Adi-Mundi, before he turned to Anakin.

"Congratulations, Anakin. I'm very proud."

With this words, he strode out of the Council chamber.

- tbc -

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Two chapter posted, two more to go! I would still like to hear what you think...