Chapter 13: The Winter Festival II
Despite the late night Obi-Wan got up early the following morning. He had work to do. And he needed to be well on his way with it before his Padawan woke up. He succeeded to some extent, because his ministrations in the kitchen had almost come to an end when a sleepy Padawan shuffled out from his bedroom.
" 'morning, Master," he mumbled. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
"Good morning to you too, Anakin," Obi-Wan answered blithely, "first of all - there are no regular classes during Winter Festival and secondly, I wanted you out of my apron while I was preparing breakfast. Go get a shower and wake properly."
"Mhm, " was Anakin's less than polite reply.
When he reappeared he was considerably more awake.
"Mmmm, do I smell pancakes? But….Master, this is too much food for us?"
"For us, it is, but not when we're joined by Bant, Garen and in particular Reeft," Obi-Wan explained.
"Oh, if Reeft is coming then you should double the recipes," Anakin grinned.
"Don't insult my friends," Obi-Wan admonished with a glimpse in his eye that made Anakin snicker. "Instead you can go out on the balcony and have your first meeting with the snow. You will need it tomorrow."
Anakin opened the door and literally froze. Going out there barefooted had not been the best of ideas.
"Master! It's cold!"
"Told you so."
From inside Obi-Wan could see his Padawan bending down and grabbing a handfull of the white stuff.
"Try to cram it to a ball with your hands," he instructed.
Anakin did (for once) as he was told.
"Wow, it's not like sand. It can be shaped."
"Right. And we will use that tomorrow."
Before Anakin could follow up with a question the doorbell rang and he ran to open it and Garen, Reeft and a slightly more timid Bant entered.
"Breakfast is almost ready," Obi-Wan proclaimed, "please take a seat while Anakin lay the table."
"Me?"
"Yes, you… You do want pancakes. Right?"
"Oh, okay."
The breakfast was a lively gathering with a lot of banter back and forth between the old friends, while Anakin and Reeft practically were fighting each other to get the most pancakes. Bant was the first to give in.
"This was delicious Obi. Thanks so very much for inviting us."
"Oh, he's just intending to make us so stuffed that we won't be worthy opponents tomorrow," Garen proclaimed. "He's sneaky, that one."
"Opponents? For what?" Anakin's confusion shone through the phrasing.
"The snowball tournament of course, what else?"
Anakin turned towards Obi-Wan: "Master, I thought you said that the Gardens were closed for such activities? "
"Oh…that. No, Only the Upper Gardens," Obi-Wan answered with a slight blush.
"Obi," Garen grinned, "haven't you informed your Padawan?"
Obi-Wan shook his head. "I actually forgot. We had other plans yesterday."
"Can anyone inform me about what we're talking about?" Anakin sighed.
Garen chuckled: "It will be an honour, young one, since your old Master seem to forget one of his most important duties. Back in our childhood, when your Master was still young and promising he had an epic snowball fight with his Master upon the Upper Gardens. Little did they know that they were observed by several padawans who had got up to see the first snow fall. The result of this event was that the night after the Epic Battle of the Gardens a bunch of senior and junior padawans entered the garden and an even larger snowball war broke out. Some of the older initiates snook out rom the creche and mingled in. It turned into a veritable chaos and the healers spent the rest of the night mending black eyes, bruised shins and bleeding noses.
So, the following year the Council closed off the Upper Gardens, but…they launched a more organised snowball tournament in the lower level gardens where there is more space and less danger of someone falling over the wall. Everyone who want to participate is teaming up in pairs and fight for 5 minutes. The winning pair of each match is then fighting towards another winning couple and so it goes. The main tournament is for the Masters, Knights and Padawans, while there is a similar tournament for the younglings in the creche taking place in another part of the garden. The tournament takes place the second day of the Winter Festival and is followed by a banquet. "
"Oh," was all Anakin managed to say, "will we participate tomorrow, Master?"
"That was my general idea, yes," Obi-Wan confirmed, "and unless you want to team up with someone else I suggest that we make a team."
"Yes, Master."
…
The following day emerged with a clear blue sky and heaps of white delicious snow. The anticipation in the Kenobi/Skywalker apartment was almost palpable. The evening before had been spent drinking tea and chatting with their guests until Reeft had raided most of the leftovers in the cooling unit, which left them with no other choice than leaving quarters to get their mid-day meal. Obi-Wan and Anakin had ended up down in Coco Town where Anakin kept staring on all the bright colourful lights and the booths where refreshments and various food could be bought. Obi-Wan's abilities in precognition had made him bring credits enough to be able to feed his Padawan.
They were both well prepared for the battle ahead.
The Lower Gardens were covered with deep piles of white snow. A large number of padawans and knights had lined up two and two, and even some masters were present. A larger group of older masters had taken place by the garden walls to watch the fight. Master Tiin opened the tournament: "The fight takes place with snowballs only. Any use of lightsabers is strictly forbidden, as is any attempt of using the Force to throw piles of snow to blind the contestants or using the Force to block incoming snowballs. You should all aim for the vests as any hit in other parts of the body will not be counted."
Obi-Wan and Anakin were numbered as the fifth team, which gave Anakin a possibility of watching the first teams fight. He soon realised that spending the first minute piling up a heap of snowballs would be a good idea.
When their turn came Anakin was almost jumping out into the battlefield before the 'ready' signal was made, and only Obi-Wan's quick intervention prevented a disqualification. The opposing team took a quick lead but after the first two minutes Anakin got the knack of making new snowballs fast. When the five minutes match was over, the number of registered hits were even but as Anakin and Obi-Wan had managed to get more hits on the smaller one in the opposing team, they were granted the victory.
The last match in the first series brought the crowd into wild cheering. On one side were the contestants Mace Windu and Master Yoda, on the other side Kit Fisto had paired up with Even Piell.
"I have never seen Master Yoda participate before," Obi-Wan whispered.
The match turned into an even fight until the last minute when Windu and Yoda had developed a technique where Yoda crammed snowballs at an impressive speed close to the ground as he was, while Windu was throwing them in a machinelike speed making Kit Fisto's head tentacles almost clog by the amounts of snow that was thrown towards him. Even Piell managed to get away less soaked, being a more diminutive target.
"Ach," he complained, "a dri kloak I must get. I am freezing into a snowball myself."
Kit just grinned widely and shook the remaining snow out of his tentacles.
While waiting for the next round serving droids moved around with trays loaded with hot cinna tea. Masters Yoda, Windu, Tiin and Fisto took place in each of the four corners of the arena and the spectators could see the now firmly packed snow being lifted up into the air before it fell softly again. Anakin just glanced in awe.
"They really did that?"
"They did."
Obi-Wan and Anakin won their next fights with improving number of hits, as Anakin became more used to the snow.
In the quarter final they were matching Windu and Yoda.
"Uh-oh," Obi-Wan groaned. "This will be a tough match. Let me pull the attention to myself in the beginning of the match while you make as much snowballs as you can. I have an idea…"
Anakin nodded.
The match began and Obi-Wan acted as a voluntary target drawing the attention to himself. As a padawan he had specialised in Ataru and the acrobatics became very useful now as he ducked, leapt and evaded the hailstorm of snowballs being thrown at him. After the first two minutes he could see Mace becoming increasingly frustrated.
"Now, Anakin, grab as many of the snowballs you can from those you've made and hold on," he shouted and with a well placed Force lift Anakin took off from the ground and flew through the air, landing unsteadily in a tree behind the 'enemy's ' lines.
Mace and Yoda was under double fire.
Obi-Wan grabbed the remaining snowballs and began firing. The double fire made the evasive manoeuvres of Mace ineffective and soon he was powdered with snow. Anakin was about to fire his last three snowballs when the branch under him suddenly moved and again he sailed through the air.
"Oofff," he breathed, landing back first in a soft undisturbed pile of snow. And in that moment Master Tiin's whistle signalised the the match was over.
Mace Windu and Yoda won with two hits.
Obi-Wan had to dig his else unharmed and heavily laughing Padawan out from the snow, while Master Yoda watched them with a huge grin on his face.
"Cheated you did, Knight Kenobi. No Force throwing, the rules said."
"Did not," Obi-Wan protested. "Force throwing snow was forbidden, not Force throwing padawans. Every single hit we made was done by a snowball formed by our own hands and shot from our hands."
"Then allowed myself to…ah….stir the branches a bit, I did," the old troll grinned. "A very equal match it was."
In the end Masters Windu and Yoda won the tournament and they were carried inside the Temple by an enthusiastic group of contestants.
…
The refectory and the Grand Hall was reeking of unusual delicious scents. The participants of the snowball tournament had changed into dry clothes and entered the Grand Hall with their fellow Jedi. Laid tables were placed everywhere and light cubes on each table gave the rooms a warm and inviting glow. Several buffets with food suitable for the various species that inhabited the Temple were set up in the refectory and the seating would be in the Grand Hall. Soft music was playing in the background as they entered.
Obi-Wan and Anakin ended up together with Bant, Reeft and Garen, and with Padawan Tru Veld and his Master Ry-Gaul. The two young padawans were eagerly discussing the tactics implemented in the various matches earlier that day.
"Sit with you I may?" Master Yoda asked politely.
"But of course," Obi-Wan confirmed, and while the old Master carefully let his hoover chair elevate to a height suitable to fit with the table he delivered his congratulations.
"Congratulations, Master. I have never seen you participate in the snowball tournament before. How come you decided to do so this year? "
The old being chuckled.
"When almost nine hundred years old you become, Obi-Wan, fun must be grabbed whenever you can. Assumed I did that a most creative fight you and your Padawan would put up. And you did. Fun it was, and despite my old bones don't like the action, I surely did."
…
It was late at night when the Master/Padawan team returned to quarters. Both tired, both satisfied after an evening with good food and pleasant company.
As Anakin's head hit the pillow Obi-Wan peeked in: "Good night Padawan, and may you sleep well tonight."
"Good night, Master," Anakin mumbled sleepily, "you were right. The Winter Festival is really fun and people are really nice to each other."
And with that a contented silence fell over the small apartment, while the snow kept falling silently outside.