Chapter 10 Zak's Revelation

"We can take care of him, Anakin. Do not worry." Mace told him. "He will not escape, I promise you that."

"Oh, I know, Master Windu. I just needed to…"

"I understand. But we will not let him get away; he will never be free again, not if I can help it." Mace said. "But we should be off, and you should get Obi-Wan to bed. The sooner he is comfortable and able to rest, the sooner he will heal. I will see you soon, Anakin."

"May the Force be with you, Master Windu." Anakin said as Mace turned to leave.

"And may the Force be with you, Anakin." Mace answered.

Anakin waited until the cruiser lifted off before climbing into his speeder. Zak stirred next to him.

"Are we there yet?" He asked groggily, and then opening his eyes, realized that they had already landed.

"Oh, how did I get here?"

Anakin laughed lightly.

"You were out cold, Zak; Master Windu carried you out here."

Zak turned around to see Obi-Wan in the back seat; he was sleeping again.

"Is he alright, Master Anakin?" He asked.

"Not yet, Zak, but he will be. He just needs to rest and heal." Anakin assured him. "The important thing is that he is safe now. You were very brave, Obi-Wan will be proud of you."

"What about Mas Amedda? Will he be punished?" Zak asked.

"Oh, yes, Zak. What he did to Obi-Wan will earn him a life sentence in one of the prison colonies."

Anakin carefully pulled the speeder out of the hanger, he kept his speed slow and steady trying to make the journey as smooth as he could. Padme was sitting on the veranda when they arrived, the twins were playing together on the lawn until they saw Anakin's speeder arrive. They both toddled over to meet him.

He bent down and scooped them both up hugging them tightly before placing them back down. Padme came at a run and threw her arms around him.

"Thank the stars," She cried, "I have been so worried."

"I'm fine, Padme, darling." He said soothingly. "But Obi-Wan is badly hurt, I thought it best to bring him here."

Padme pulled away from him.

"How could you, Anakin? I don't want him here." She replied.

"Well, I do, Padme. Don't tell me you're still angry with him over the nightmare nonsense." Anakin said angrily. "I told that was not his fault, you can't hold that against him."

"Lady Padme, we don't mean to cause trouble, I will leave now if that is what you wish, but Master Obi-Wan must stay." Zak interjected.

"No, Zak, you're staying. This is my house too, this is my decision to make." Anakin stated.

"Anakin, I don't want to cause trouble here. Zak and I can go into the city and catch a transport back to Coruscant. I think it would be better if we did." Obi-Wan said wearily.

"No, Obi-Wan, you're still too sick to travel. I brought you here, and I don't want you to go until you're stronger."

"We are not welcome here, Anakin. Padme has made that very clear. I cannot rest if there is tension between you, I can sense it right now. We must go." Obi-Wan insisted.

"I am sorry that we have caused you so much trouble, Lady Padme. What have I done to make you so angry?" Zak asked.

For a moment, Padme could say nothing, Zak's honest openness had touched her heart; what was she thinking? "I'm sorry, Zak. None of this is your fault. I was wrong to be angry with you; it is right that you stay." She said finally.

Anakin was relieved; he had not wanted to fight about it, but he was not about to force Obi-Wan to endure the long trip back to Coruscant before he was fit. He started to help Obi-Wan out of the speeder and Padme joined him. Together they helped him into the house and put him in the spare room. Carefully, Anakin lowered him onto the bed, and Obi-Wan let out a sigh of relieve; just that small trip from the speeder had worn him out. When his injuries were cleaned and dressed, Anakin left him to sleep. He found Padme out on the veranda again, watching Zak playing with the twins.

"They really like him, you know." She said as he sat down. "He's very good with them."

"Yes, I see that. Padme, I'm sorry if I put you in a difficult position earlier…" Anakin began.

"No, Anakin, I put you in that position, I am the one who should be sorry." She interrupted. "Obi-Wan is your friend, our friend. I had no right to turn him away."

"Well, it doesn't matter now. In a few days, he will be ready to go back to Coruscant. I will take him in the yacht, it will be more comfortable for him….and safer." Anakin replied.

"Anakin, what happened out there? Are you ready to talk about it?" She asked.

Anakin sighed deeply. Yes, he wanted to tell her, he needed to.

"It was Mas Amedda, he was behind the whole thing…"

"Mas Amedda! But why?" She exclaimed.

"Revenge; I ruined him, Padme, when I killed Palpatine. He blamed me and he used Obi-Wan to lure me into a trap." Anakin told her.

"And you just walked right into it? Blindly? Anakin, that was foolish, you could have been killed." She said.

"Not blindly, Padme. Amedda contacted Chancellor Organa, when Zak and I got to Coruscant, we were taken straight to his office. Master Yoda and some of the other Council members were already there and had seen the holograph tape. It was clear that Amedda had set a trap for me and Obi-Wan was the bait. I did not go in blindly, and I did not go there alone. Mace and two others were with me, and Zak." Anakin replied.

"Zak? You took a 12-year-old boy into that? Why, Anakin?" Padme exclaimed.

"It was his right to go, Padme. Obi-Wan is his master, it was no different than when I went to Obi-Wan on Geonosis." Anakin answered.

"But you weren't a little boy then, Anakin. Zak is only 12." She argued.

"We all agreed that Zak should go, and he didn't go alone, in any case. We were there the whole time to protect him. He was never in any danger. He needed to go, we did the right thing." Anakin replied.

Padme sighed, "Sometimes, I just don't understand the Jedi." She said. "Anyway, please tell me everything."

Anakin told her everything, including his desire to kill Amedda when he had the chance.

"Poor Obi-Wan. Amedda will get a heavy sentence for this." She said when he had finished. "Would you have killed Mas if Master Windu had not been with you?"

Anakin paused, "I don't know, Padme; I honestly don't know. Master Windu thinks that I would not have, but it was so tempting when I had him there, I could have taken his head as I had done with Dooku. Obi-Wan says it does not matter, the point is, I didn't. but it still troubles me, when I take Obi-Wan and Zak back to Coruscant, I will speak with Master Yoda." He said finally.

They were silent as they watched Zak playing with the children. He was not as big or strong as Obi-Wan, but he was swinging Luke between his legs, to Luke's delight. Leia, obviously envious of this attention, insisted on taking her turn, too. So Zak alternated between the two.

Obi-Wan and Zak stayed several days, and each day, Obi-Wan felt stronger. On the last day, he joined Anakin and Padme outside.

"You look better, my friend." Anakin said.

"Thanks to you." He answered. "Anakin, there is something I have been meaning to tell you."

"I know, I shouldn't have gone to Champala. It was reckless and foolish, you have told me that already." Anakin replied.

"Well, yes, it was that; but that wasn't what I was going to say." Obi-Wan told him. "I just wanted to thank you; for coming to find me, and for letting me stay here."

"You are my friend, Obi-Wan, and my brother. There is no need for thanks." Anakin insisted.

"Well, thank you, anyway. And there is one other thing. I should not have questioned your decision to bring Zak, it was his right to come with you. If I had been in position, I would have wanted to come along too, I would have demanded to come."

"He was very brave, you know. You should be proud of him; he handled himself well." Anakin told him.

"Yes, I am. He is much like you…" Obi-Wan replied.

"Ha! No one could be that bad." He said.

"You were a good apprentice, Anakin. Difficult at times, but you have become a great Jedi. Qui-Gon would be proud of you." Obi-Wan answered.

Anakin blushed, "If I became a great Jedi, it was because of your training, Obi-Wan." He replied.

"Anakin, what about the dreams?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Gone, I haven't had one since we left Coruscant. I dreamt of Qui-Gon last night, though. He told me that I had done well…" Anakin told him.

"And he was right, Anakin. You have done very well." Obi-Wan confirmed.

The following day, Anakin took Zak and Obi-Wan back to the flight-training center. After helping Obi-Wan into the yacht, he parked the speeder and boarded. Again, he let Zak fly the yacht into space.

Once they were in hyperspace, Anakin went back to talk with Obi-Wan.

"Don't touch anything up here while I'm gone, nothing." He ordered.

"Nothing, I promise, Master Anakin." Zak answered.

"Have you talked to Zak about your nightmares, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No, and I don't think I will. It wouldn't be fair to Zak. I have worked through this guilt on my own, there is no need to trouble Zak about it." Anakin replied.

"Alright, as long as you have come to terms with them, we should leave it be." Obi-Wan decided. "What about Amedda, have you come to terms with that?"

"Not quite, but when we get to the Temple I will speak with Master Yoda. He helped me before, he will help me this time, too."

"A wise, decision, my friend." Obi-Wan said.

When they reached Coruscant, Anakin talked Zak through the landing procedures, and Zak proudly landed the yacht on his own. A Jedi speeder was waiting for them at the landing platform and Anakin helped Obi-Wan into the speeder before jumping into the driver's seat.

"Let me drive, Master Anakin." Zak insisted.

"No, Zak, not this time; there's too much traffic here. When you are older, Master Obi-Wan will teach you how to handle a speeder in this heavy traffic." Anakin told him.

Yoda was there ready to meet them when they arrived at the Temple.

"Good it is to see you, Master Obi-Wan. Concerned for your safety, I was." He said, "Proud of you we are, Anakin. Controlled your anger you did."

"With Master Windu's help, Master Yoda. I almost killed Mas Amedda." Anakin answered.

"Troubles you, does it? Speak with you I will." Yoda replied. "Master Obi-Wan, tired you look, time to rest again I think."

"Yes, Master. I am still not quite as strong as I could be." Obi-Wan said. "I will take my leave and return to my quarters. Zak, you should come with me."

"But I'm not tired, Master." Zak protested.

"No, but it is time you ate, and Master Anakin needs to speak with Master Yoda…privately."

Zak seemed to understand this and headed for the kitchens while Obi-Wan went to his quarters. Anakin walked with Yoda listening to Yoda's wisdom concerning his anger and hatred toward Mas Amedda.

"Understandable, your anger is, Anakin. But control your temper you did. Listen to Master Windu you did. Told me he did that stop you he could not." The old master told him, "Learned from this you did, hmmm?"

Anakin stopped, he hadn't thought of that. Yes, he had learned, he knew that he would have regretted his actions if he had killed Amedda when he was helpless. It was wrong when he killed Dooku and it would have been wrong to kill Amedda. Mace had given him time to think about that, and he knew that if he were ever in that position again, he would be able to restrain himself. Once again, Yoda's wisdom had helped him.

When Zak was finished eating, he went straight to Obi-Wan's quarters. He stood in the doorway until Obi-Wan beckoned him to come in.

"What is it, Zak?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I know about Master Anakin's nightmares." He started.

"What do you know?" Obi-Wan asked.

"That I was in them, he killed me in them." Zak stated.

"Did he tell you this?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Not exactly. When we came to the Temple, before we came for you, Anakin…shared his mind with me." Zak answered.

"I don't understand; how did he do that?" Obi-Wan asked curiously.

Zak paused, trying to think of just how to explain what Anakin had done, "He…opened his mind to me, so that I could…sense you; and when he did that, I saw the images of his nightmares and I saw what he did." He said.

"He doesn't know this, Zak; why didn't you tell him?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Because you said he would come to me, that I should be patient." Zak answered.

"Well, he won't come to you, Zak. He is afraid to tell you because it would hurt you." Obi-Wan informed him.

"Then I should go to him, is that what you think?" Zak asked.

"Yes, Zak. I think it would be good for him." Obi-Wan told him firmly.

Without another word, young Zak went searching for Anakin. He went to the place where Anakin had shared his thoughts – the Room of a Thousand Fountains. He found Anakin sitting in the grass near the lake. Anakin sensed his presence just as he had the last time they were there.

"Zak, I have been thinking about you." He said.

"I need to talk, Master Anakin." Zak said.

"Then talk, I'm listening."

Zak sat down next to him, "I know, Master Anakin, I know about your nightmares." He said.

Anakin turned to look at him, "Who told you; Master Obi-Wan, did he tell you?" Anakin demanded defensively. "It was not his place."

"No, Master Anakin, it was you. You told me." Zak countered.

"No, I didn't, Zak. I didn't want you to know." Anakin told him.

"Yes, you did. That morning, before we left for Champala. When you showed me Master Obi-Wan, I saw them. I saw everything." Zak insisted.

"Then I'm sorry, Zak. I should not have exposed you to that." Anakin said regretfully.

"Don't be sorry, Master Anakin. I understand that those terrible things never happened. I do not hold them against you. That's all I wanted to say." Zak told him.

Anakin put his arm around Zak and cried; and as he cried, he could feel the deep wound in his heart healing. Zak did not move away but put his arms around Anakin to comfort him.

"It's alright, Master Anakin." He told him, not knowing what else to say.

"You carry much wisdom for such a little boy, Zak. You will become a great Jedi, just like Master Obi-Wan." Anakin said.

"Just like you, Master Anakin." Zak answered.

Anakin stayed two days at the Temple. Speaking with the Council and assuring himself that Obi-Wan was on the mend. When he left, Obi-Wan and Zak took him to the yacht.

"Good bye, old friend. I will see you soon." Obi-Wan said as he grasped Anakin's shoulder. "May the Force be with you."

Anakin returned this gesture with a firm hug.

"And may the Force be with you, Master, always. And Zak, my little brother, you are a hero, in more ways than one."

"No, Master Anakin, I am a Jedi, I did my duty." Zak said proudly.

Anakin boarded the ship and turned to wave one last time before leaving.

Obi-Wan and Zak watched him go.

"Is he better, Master?" Zak asked.

"Yes, Zak, I think so. Thanks to you, he is much better."