Hello everyone! Here's the new chapter. It's about 1.2 K words, shorter than the last few. But I don't have as much time this week :-)

Hope you enjoy reading.

Also, part of this chapter was inspired by a scene in 'Hourglass' by BeanieBaby.

/

Chapter 3

I braced my hands on either side of the refresher counter, schooling myself to draw in slow, deep breaths. It all seemed wrong. Wrong.

The face that looked back at me in the mirror was too young. The face that looked back at me in the mirror was just right. It was odd to no longer have my Padawan braid; I hadn't had my Padawan braid in so many years. The fresher was too cold for my warmth-bred sensibilities; the fresher temperature was just right, since I hated anything too warm.

I shut my eyes, turning away and heading into my new room. It was a small but functional space With a kitchenette, a small table and a single chair, and a bed in the corner. My new knight's apartment.

I didn't know if it was the cleaner they'd used before my arrival, but the whole space smelled of spice and pine. Usually, I liked it. Now it made me nauseous. The scent was too sharp, too sterile.

I missed the scents of earth, and sand, and sun; I had never known a combination of scents like that.

'Am I losing my mind?' I wondered, not for the first time in the past few weeks. For what else could explain the strange occurrences which continued to happen? The bizarre dreams, the discovery of skills I never knew I had, and the way I sometimes seemed to just remember something oh so ephemeral before forgetting all over again. Before spending the rest of the day chasing it.

Never to get it back.

At first, I'd tried to tell myself that I was tired. Everything on Naboo had been a lot. I've been on multiple missions afterward. Tired. Yes, that explained it. Didn't it?

But I wasn't sure that I could buy it anymore. The déjà vu, the strange sensations, all of it continued. Got stronger rather than weaker. At what point did I go for an examination?

I shivered. Shut the door to my apartment and headed out. A walk, I thought. A good walk was what I needed. Something to clear my head. Breathing in the brisk fall air ought to revive me. And if that didn't work, I could always meditate. One good thing was that I was lately able to go far deeper than I ever had before.

However, I didn't get very far.

As I approached the edge of the Knights' barracks, I heard a small voice — quaking but determined — ask the guard, "Is Knight Kenobi in?"

"No entrance past this point, Padawan."

"Aw! don't be so mean," a new voice said. Ayla Secura made her way over to the young Anakin, taking his hand. I quickly hid myself behind a pillar. "He's so cute, isn't he?" she asked one of her friends.

"So adorable!"

A group of knights quickly gathered around the young boy, fawning over him. But Anakin remained persistent. "Is knight Kenobi here?"

"Oh, somebody go look for Obi-Wan!"

"Aww. I don't wanna leave."

"I'll go, I'll go."

Footsteps headed off. I remained cloistered in my spot, from which I could see that it was Daven Baz who had set off in hunt of me. Well, tough luck.

Meanwhile, the Knights questioned Anakin. "Why are you looking for Kenobi?"

"My master told me to." This had very clearly been prepared for such a case. "He's Qui-Gon Jinn."

" Ohhh . So you're little Skywalker?" Speculation now laced their voices.

I'd intended to hide until I could ride this all out. But one whiff of their sudden suspicion in the Force and I was striding away from my hiding place, head high, expression even.

"Hello there."

"Obi-Wan!" Anakin skittered over to me, beaming. At least he didn't try to hug me in front of everyone.

Adi Gallia smiled. "Is he yours, Obi-Wan?"

You know very well he isn't . I suppressed a sigh. "I'm sure you've come with a message, Anakin," I said rather more loudly than necessary. "Come along and tell me, then."

When we got free of the hoard, he whispered, "I don't have a message."

"I had realized that, dear one," I deadpanned.

"Oh!"

My lips twitched. I stayed on target. "What can I do for you, Anakin?"

"I just wanted to come and see you! You haven't been by in weeks." He pouted.

"I was on a mission."

"Oh." A pause. Then, "Well—that still doesn't explain why you didn't call!"

Sigh .

…~***~…

"Good day, Master."

"Good day, obi wan." there was a barely contained amusement in his voice.

I yanked a little- more than a little - on the little boy's hand. Anakin came into view with a defiant expression and a guilty gaze. He started off strong. "Hi, Master."

"Why, Anakin! I'd wondered where you went off to."

"I got lost."

" Lost? Oh, no! And you got lost all the way to the Knight's Barracks?"

To the little rascal's credit, he looked quite abashed and very tragic. "Mmmhm. Thankfully, I ran into Obi-Wan and he helped me."

"Yes," I deadpanned. "That's how it went."

"Well, I'm just relieved that Obi-Wan was there to help you, Anakin. Come inside, my former apprentice. After such heroics, you deserve a good cup of tea."

The two of them. What a pair they made. I wondered if I should worry.

After he sent Anakin off to work on his homework, Qui-Gon smiled conspiratorially. "Thank you for bringing him back. He has been quite keen on knowing where you were and what you were doing lately. I think he might be under the impression that you can't handle yourself without his help."

"Where did you get that idea?"

"When he said, I don't think Obi-Wan can handle himself without my help."

The laugh left me before I could stop it. "That would be rather conclusive."

"Rather," he agreed.

"might I recommend that you keep something of a closer eye on him?" I arched an eyebrow.

"Don't tell me how to handle my apprentice, old apprentice." But there was warmth in his voice. "I trusted that the living force would make it all work out."

"Lovely."

"I was proven right, was I not?"

I considered that one."Perhaps, yes," I admitted, somewhat chagrined.

"And so, there we are." He opened his hand. "It is good to see you again, Obi-Wan. I understand that your first few missions solo have gone very well."

"… yes. You might say so."

His brow furrowed. "Is everything all right?"

'No. Nothing is all right. And I don't know how to explain it, or how to tell you about it.' " yes, of course, master. Why?"

He gave me a rather knowing look. I shifted uncomfortably. But he made no comments. "Nothing," he said. "I just want you to know that if anything does come up, I'm still here for you. And so is Anakin."

I rolled my eyes."Yes. I can see that." But in truth, both Anakin and my former master's support warmed me. Some of that icy cold sense inside of me had dimmed, and I no longer felt so certain that I was losing my mind.

If I was, they'd surely help me.

I paused then. Such thoughts… they reeked of attachment. If only I could bring myself to care in that moment. But I was a ship unmoored, being thrown helplessly by the storm, and they were my anchor. The anchor cast deep below.

…~***~…

Notes 1:

Please let me know your thoughts! The next few chapters are going to be time skip ones, though they have lots of important bits to them.

What will be coming for Kenobi, do you think?

Also, really funny sidenote: so you all know, I'm using dictation to write this. Well, the only way that dictation registers Obi-Wan's name is when I pronounce it like Vader from the Kenobi TV show lol. And every time I do it, I keep thinking of the line 'Kenobi is all that matters' and when he yells 'Obi-Wan!' after their duel 😭

Happy Monday.

Notes 2:

If you enjoyed reading then please Comment/and or leave Kudos, because it is very encouraging. Thanks 💕

Updates should hopefully be daily for a bit, though I don't know for 100% sure. Chapters probably will range from 1k-2k words (given that dictation takes so much time lol). So the entire story ought to range from ~38-44k in my estimation.

See you at the next chapter,
Rivkah