Count Rugen: Ah. Are you coming down into the pit? Westley's got his

strength back. I'm starting him on the machine tonight.

Chapter 10 Attachment

Masters Yoda and Windu walked the third highest tier in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, each lost in their own thoughts. It was not their usual haunt (they usually preferred less trafficked parts of the Temple) but today both planned to observe a pair that did frequent the Room.

Laughter below signaled that their subjects had arrived on schedule.

Though hidden from the casual glance, Mace and Yoda had a clear line of sight to the clearing where two young Humans had just appeared, the younger one pulling the older along by the wrist. They watched for a long moment as the two conversed, Kenobi apparently trying to convince his widely gesticulating companion of something. The Force flashed in concert with Skywalker's movements, emphasizing them. Obi-Wan responded calmly, clearly amused by his companion.

Mace's eyes darted from the boys to his fellow Jedi master in time to see Yoda's eyes narrow.

"You have noticed it as well, then," he said, a statement not a question.

The Force quivered between Obi-Wan and Skywalker as their semi-argument grew more heated.

"How could I not? Old I am, stupid I am not," Yoda said in a grumpy huff, beating his stick the ground. "And old he is." He shook his head sadly. "Too old for training. Too old, too emotional." He shuddered.

Below, Obi-Wan collapsed onto the ground, despite Skywalker's protestations. Kenobi settled himself against a tree, ignoring the way Anakin was tugging hopelessly at his arm.

Mace tilted his head in acknowledgment. Skywalker was far too old for any kind of proper training, and his clear emotional instability made it an impossibility. It was a pity though—his raw power would have been a great asset for the Jedi if it hadn't already been too late to teach young Skywalker how to harness it. Yet it was the will of the Force that he hadn't been found in time, and, therefore, the will of the Force that he would not be trained.

"Worse, clouded is Skywalker's future," Yoda continued. "His darkness now clouds even the future of young Obi-Wan! Mmmm! Allow that to continue we cannot. Separate the two, we must." He thwapped his stick on the ground for emphasis, shaking his head ominously.

That was grave news. Even from his earliest years in the crèche, Obi-Wan had been full of Light. To hear of that being tainted was something he could not, would not allow. More than that, Qui-Gon had been his friend. If it was within Mace's power, the man's padawan would not Fall.

The Force blazed in sudden laughter. Below, Skywalker waved up into the tree Kenobi was leaning against. A frown crossed Obi-Wan's face and he crossed his arms. After much back and forth, the frown melted in the face of Skywalker's plea. Kenobi shook his head and gestured at a different tree. Skywalker's face lit up at the acquiescence while Obi-Wan levered himself off the ground. With a small dose of the Force, Obi-Wan hefted Skywalker into the tree. Trailing amusement, Obi-Wan followed his companion into their chosen climbing tree.

"The two have become very attached," Mace cautioned, nodding at the two boys' antics. "In light of recent events, separating them will be difficult." The Force twirled in agreement. They had been inseparable since Anakin's arrival, more so since Qui-Gon's death.

It will be a painful, though necessary, separation.

"There lies the problem, does it not?" the green Jedi sighed. "Relying on the Force, he is not, in his grief. Relying on a child instead. Knows better than that, he does!" But the Force around him swirled in sorrow rather than anger.

The silence rested between the two Jedi. They followed the boys' movements in the tree as Obi-Wan taught Skywalker how to climb.

Still, for all his reliance on Skywalker, he is doing much better than he was a few weeks ago. Regardless of the cause, it is good to know Obi-Wan is healing.

"How far is he from his Trials?" Mace asked aloud. If he needs a master, I will take him. He's a good student. And growing to be a good man. Qui-Gon was right to be proud of him.

Yoda shrugged. "Depends, that does, on his recovery. Attachment prone, he is," he said, gesturing at towards the pair below. It was unclear if he was referring to Kenobi, Skywalker, or both. "If allow the death of his master to drag him into fear and hate, then very far indeed. If allow, Obi-Wan does, the death to strengthen him, and to teach him to let go of his attachments, if moves forward he does, then passed his Trials he already has."

"And until we find out? What are we going to do with him until he makes his choice?"

"Wait, we will. Patience we must have, young Master Windu."


Anakin was nervous. Although he had been in the Jedi Temple for a whole month, he hadn't been to the Jedi High Council Room before. Obi-Wan said it was only for Important Business and Not-for-Tours, so really, he should have been excited about being up there. But he wasn't; he was nervous. Most of it was because everyone in the room—except Obi-Wan, of course—was a Master. Anakin didn't care that that word was different for the Jedi, no matter how many times Padme, Obi-Wan, or any of Obi-Wan's friends explained the term, it still made him uncomfortable. The fact remained: there were Masters in the Republic. Masters in the one part of the galaxy that was supposed to be safe.

He'd met one or two of them in person, when they had come to talk to Obi-Wan soon after Mr. Qui-Gon had died. Although they weren't like the old masters on Tatooine, they were stiff and distant and weren't very nice. They looked at Anakin like his mom did—used to—when he was doing something wrong. And that's why he was nervous, standing in a big, shiny room, surrounded by them. They all kept staring through him, and he hated it! It made him feel small and stupid. If it wasn't for Obi-Wan's solid presence right next to him, he'd've run right out the room to get away from it all. His fingers brushed the edge of Obi-Wan's sleeve, gaining confidence from the small contact.

But it wasn't quite enough, 'cause even worse than the staring was the stillness. Everyone was just sitting (or standing) there, perfectly still-even Obi-Wan. Anakin hated being still and he hated the staring, and even though Obi-Wan had warned him to be polite and quiet, he couldn't help but play with the cuffs of his tunic and stare out the windows at the cityscape, anything to escape the stillness himself. And finally, just when he thought he was going to explode 'cause the quiet was so loud, the big guy (Mace something or other) spoke.

"Padawan Kenobi. Anakin Skywalker. The Jedi we dispatched to Naboo have completed their investigation and are on their way back. They report that the planet has been secured and that the Viceroy is in their custody," he nodded in Anakin's direction, though he kept his eyes on Obi-Wan. "There is no sign of the Dark Jedi. They brought word from the Queen of Naboo: she says her planet is safe enough for Anakin to come, per the original agreement."

Anakin's stomach dropped down to the floor. He felt his eyes bug out. He'd forgotten that he was supposed to go to Naboo with Padme. He also completely forgot that Obi-Wan had warned him to be quiet.

"But I don't want to go to Naboo! I want to stay here with Obi-Wan!"

The Council shifted, though not a single one of them moved. Anakin's hands shook, a mix of fear and anger running through him. The air around him crackled.

"I want to stay with Obi-Wan!" he reiterated, trying to sound like a grownup (he wasn't sure how well it was working, though, because his palms had gone sweaty and his mouth was dry and something was stuck in his throat, catching at his words).

"Your stay was always meant to be temporary," intoned a male humanoid. "It is not our fault that you have grown…attached to your caretaker. You have been here for a month; it is now time for you to move forward with your life."

Anakin opened his mouth to object, but another Jedi cut him off, "Although you have been a welcome guest in our home, the Temple is meant for Jedi." Even Anakin could hear the rebuke in the quiet words.

He looked up to Obi-Wan, desperate for a friend, but Obi-Wan seemed to be the only person in the room not looking at Anakin. The young Jedi's face was hard, cold, and pale as he stared out over the heads of the masters. His jaw was clenched, giving his face a gaunt, forbidding look.

Anakin stepped away from Obi-Wan, realizing that his friend wasn't going to defend him. That knowledge burned cold in Anakin's gut. He wanted to throw up.

He was going to be left behind again, and this time, it wasn't going to be with promises to see him later, or even with apologies and hugs like with the Naboo. It wasn't going to be like Mom either, permanent but completely against her will.

"Padawan Kenobi will accompany you to your destination…" Words faded like the hum of traffic below in the city.

Obi-Wan was letting this happen to him without a word. Utterly betrayed, Anakin stopped paying attention to the people around him. The world kind of whited out around him and the same kinds of things he'd felt right when his mom died came rushing back, though not quite as sharp.

He refused to answer anyone's questions, and when it was time to leave, he didn't say goodbye to anyone in the room. It was uncomfortable feeling them stare in disapproval, and worse knowing his mom wouldn't have liked it, but he didn't care. Anakin tried to stomp back to the apartment, but he couldn't remember how to get back there from the top spire. He decided to drag his feet instead, keeping behind Obi-Wan and making faces at the people they passed. It kind of helped, because he had to concentrate so hard on not moving too fast that he almost forgot how much his stomach hurt.

Dinner that night was a silent affair. Utensils clinked loudly against the ceramic plates, echoing in the silence. The sound hurt Anakin's ears, but it was better than trying to speak. If he said anything, he'd start crying and he wouldn't do that in front of stupid Obi-Wan. He wasn't a baby. Besides, how could you possibly explain that it wasn't the fact that he had to leave that hurt the most, it was the fact that Obi-Wan didn't care that he was going?

His eyes darted up from his plate to the man across the table from him. Obi-Wan's face was still that same cold color it was in the Council chamber. It hadn't changed at all. He ate like a machine, taking small polite bites, and staring blankly at some invisible point on the table.

Fine then, Anakin thought, shoving his half-eaten plate of food across the table and standing up fast enough to make his chair crash in the wall behind him. He stormed into the other room and climbed into his fortress of blankets. It wasn't early enough to go to bed yet, but he didn't want to have anything to do with stupid Obi-Wan who was sending him away and who wasn't even sorry about it.

"Anakin?" The voice sounded like it was out of practice talking.

Anakin refused to answer. The silence stretched on. He watched Obi-Wan open and close his mouth a few times, like a fish in one of the Temple aquariums.

"I..." he paused to cough. "I just wanted to remind you to pack everything up. The transport is scheduled to leave at ten o'clock tomorrow morning, but we have to get up early. As we will be someone's guests we need to get to the landing pad on time." The Jedi's voice was hard and brisk. It sounded more like the Masters in the Council room than the Obi-Wan Anakin knew.

Anakin didn't look up, but he could feel Obi-Wan staring at him. There was another long pause, then a sigh, and Obi-Wan shuffled off. The sound of washing dishes clanked loudly through the otherwise silent apartment. Quietly, so that his frie—so that Obi-Wan couldn't hear it over the sound of the running water, he began to cry. He'd though Obi-Wan cared.

Apparently not.


Compliments? Questions? Concerns? Criticisms? Note them below and then click "Post Review." (I really hope ya'll have seen/read Princess Bride, because if you haven't this set-the-scene-quote didn't make any sense at all.)