Obi-Wan sighed in utter contentment. The meal had been the best he'd had in a very long time. Roast lamb with new potatoes and carrots and onions was rare fare for a space traveler. He could not even recall his last home-cooked meal. But Queen Arwen and her army of cooks spared nothing for their guest. He leaned back in his chair and waited for the King to initiate conversation.
After Arwen and the servers cleaned the table and left, Elessar wiped his mouth on a fine linen cloth and began. "Tell us of your home and the wars you hinted at."
Obi-Wan bowed his head thoughtfully; this king certainly wasted no time with the hard questions. "My home world is a world made up of one gigantic city. It is called Coruscant. The buildings are so tall that most of the people never see the ground in all their lives. We get around in vehicles that carry us through the air." He noted the skeptical gazes, but chose to continue. "On this world is the Jedi Temple. It is the base of all the Jedi. We receive council and orders from the Temple. We call it home. Not long ago, in fact only a year ago, much of it was destroyed by a rogue Jedi."
Eldarion noted the deepening sadness of the Jedi's brow. "Who was the rogue to you?" He asked as gently as he could.
The clear blue eyes shifted to him, and the sadness increased a bit more. "He was my first Padawan. He was my best friend and a brother to me." He hesitated in the silence, but decided to continue. "He saved my life several times and I had saved his, but in the end he fought me. He had been turned by the Dark Side of the Force and was intent to kill me. I was forced to fight for my life and the life of my friend, for I did not want to kill him. But in the end…" He trailed off, bowing his head in grief. His audience was silent with him, waiting for him to continue when he was ready. It was surprisingly quick. He took a deep breath and lifted his gaze back to the level of the listeners.
"Now we remaining Jedi search. We search for new Jedi to carry on our legacy. And yes," he stared at Aragorn, "yes, to fight in our wars." He glanced back to Eldarion. "Now it is time to honor my promise to the youngling. I will now show you the Jedi weapon of choice. Please to not be overly alarmed, I will not harm anyone." He stood and stepped away from the table. Reaching into his cloak, he pulled the metal rod from his belt and brandished it in front of him.
Eldarion could not suppress a chuckle and even Aragorn grinned at the ridiculous picture in front of them. The Jedi held the rod as if it were the hilt of a sword. A sword without a blade. But their derision vanished when a crack and a bright blue light came from that hilt. Where there had been nothing but air seconds before now shown a dazzling rod of humming light. Now the Jedi looked not humorous, but very formidable indeed.
Aragorn rose hesitantly from his place, hand on Anduril's hilt. "What is this devilry?"
Obi-Wan waved the saber around a few times, testing its balance as one would any sword. Then he retracted it, making it disappear as quickly as it had appeared. "This is a lightsaber. It is a very powerful blade made from a rare crystal. It can cut through nearly anything."
Aragorn relaxed, but kept his eyes on the metal hilt. "May I hold it? Will it hurt me?"
"It will not hurt you. But it is probably best if you do not light it. It takes a great deal of Force to handle it." He passed the rod to the king and watched him closely. Aragorn turned it over in his hands, finding that it weighed despite its small size.
Neither noticed Eldarion gazing in wonder at the weapon. He simply could not take his eyes off it any more than he could clamp his jaw closed. He slowly rose from his chair and walked to his father's side. He reached tentatively toward the cold metal, as if called. Suddenly Obi-Wan noticed him and knelt beside him, staring intently into his face. Eldarion did not seem to notice anything in the room but the saber hilt. His had was extended towards it, but stopped just centimeters away. Aragorn was now aware of his son as well. He gently handed the weapon to the little boy who took it in shrinking palms. He held it in awe, far away from his body and with all the care one would handle a glass ornament. Obi-Wan's eyes never left the boy's face, but he seemed to look with more than just his eyes.
Eldarion finally managed to close his hanging jaw. He turned to face the Jedi. "It is powerful." He stated and handed the hilt back to its owner.
It did not take Obi-Wan days to understand that the boy could manipulate the Force. He could even tell that the King had residual Force powers. Simply the way he took command of situations and merited every smidgen of attention from his subjects. The boy had this ability and more. He seemed to be able to read into any situation or conversation and understand each side. He was able to say the exactly appropriate thing that would dissolve dispute. He also had Jedi reflexes. He had shown Obi-Wan the first day they met, by dodging the cart and leaping on the horse. Which brought up another: he had a way with animals. They all trusted him and obeyed him as they did his father. Obi-Wan had learned that that was a general quality that Jedi possessed.
The Jedi was enticed to a duel with the King Elessar. He of course refrained from using his saber and instead took up the sword of Strider the Dunedain. They fought only briefly, each dazzling the other with unexpected moves and swift counterattacks. After only a short time, the match was called a draw and the two gained new respect for each other.
Obi-Wan continued to observe Eldarion and his family, learning to love the quaint little planet while pretending to search for other hopefuls. He had no idea how he was going to ask the king to relinquish his only son to the Jedi Order, not that he did not have a bit of experience in that area. He had been on Jedi searches before, but in systems that understood the prestige of the Order. As much as he wanted Eldarion to come to the Temple, he distained the idea of breaking up the Royal family of the greatest nation on the planet.
So he stayed, which, in the end, made the problem worse to face.
He was sitting on a high balcony with Aragorn one beautiful evening. The King was smoking a long and ornately carved pipe and puffing the smoke in lacy rings for the breeze to carry off. Obi-Wan had declined a pipe, choosing instead to sip some fruit nectar. The sun was behind them, spreading crimson light across the Pellenor and gleaming off the tower in Osgiliath. It was easy now for the two of them to sit. They had realized over the course of days that they had many things in common. One was their skill with a blade and another was the ability to keep silent company. So they did not speak for nearly half an hour until the day finally lost all light and the stars began to poke through the darkening black sky.
It was Aragorn who spoke first, breaking into the warm, dark silence. "My son will make a good Jedi." It was a simple statement, but for some time Obi-Wan was unable to answer.
"Yes, it is true he would. The Force is strong in him."
"He wants very much to journey with you into the stars. You must simply ask."
"Lord, may I take your son to the Jedi Temple for training?"
Aragorn regarded him with sad eyes. "I will send my heir into the void of space." He paused, looking into the night sky, "But only if he truly wishes to go."
Obi-Wan was simultaneously glad and sad. "I hate to break up families like this." He muttered.
"Will I never see my parents again?" Eldarion asked meekly.
"You will not see them for many years for sure. I must be honest: many Jedi choose never to return to their home world after training." Aragorn placed a consoling hand on his weeping wife's shoulder. Eldarion's eyes welled up as he studied his parents.
"Mother, I will not forget your teaching. I will see you again in the Undying Lands. Quel undume." She smiled through her tears. Once again, he had chosen the exact words needed for the occasion. Good night, he said, using the word to refer to her Elvish name.
"Father, I guess you will just have to live forever, because I don't think I'm going to be able to be king."
Aragorn looked at Obi-Wan and at his small son. "You are leaving my legacy to pick up his."
Eldarion pressed his nose to the window of the space craft, watching his parents and the few others as they dwindled below them. He continued to stare until he could no longer make out the planet of Middle-Earth, until its sun was lost among the myriad other stars.