Chapter 5:

No one had ever referred to Anchorhead as a city. Even for Tatooine's low standards, the town was little more than a glorified trading post with a cantina. The only beings that came there were moisture farmers, jawas, and the occasional outlaw.

Despite its small size and lack of entertainment, for children growing up on isolated moisture farms, a supply trip to Anchorhead was always met with excitement. The Skywalker twins were no different.

It was early that morning when the entire family began their two hour journey on speeder to the town. Both Leia and Luke begged their aunt and uncle to let them explore the town on their own. Owen was very resistant to the idea, especially of letting Leia go around alone, but finally Beru convinced him to allow them some freedom. "They are fourteen," she argued.

With strict instructions to not step anywhere outside the tiny town's perimeter, the twins headed off in separate directions eager to find some adventure or excitement. However, after two hours of wandering, Leia still had not found much that interested her.

The only thing in Anchorhead today that was the least bit out of the ordinary was the sight of a Wookie traveling with a human companion. While the Wookie was an oddity, Leia was more interested in the man that was with him. He appeared fairly young, probably about twenty-two or twenty-three, and probably not the most law abiding sort. Her aunt, had she seen him, would have called him a scoundrel. Still, the teenage girl could not help but be mildly smitten.

After the pair went into the cantina, Leia focused her mind on other things. She was about to return to her aunt and uncle to see if they needed help with the supplies, when she heard a voice behind her.

"Hello Leia."

She knew exactly who it was; there was no one else on Tatooine who spoke in such a cultured manner. Leia turned around and smiled, "Ben! What are you doing here?"

"I need supplies as well," he reminded her. "How have you been? What has it been, a year since I last saw you?"

"Yes, sorry about Uncle Owen. He shouldn't have yelled at you like that." Time had not lessened the enmity that her uncle had for the older man. The last time she saw him was the year before in Tosche Station. Owen had accused Ben of following them around. Leia had to admit that he sometime seemed to be at the same places that they were, but he had never given any indication that he was dangerous.

The older man laughed slightly, "I've faced far worse than a Tatooine moisture farmer."

The girl's curiosity was peaked; this was the most that Ben had ever said about his past. "You have? What have you faced?"

His smile disappeared, "That was a lifetime ago."

"You know half of Tatooine thinks that you used to be some kind of assassin or bounty hunter. That's why you had to come here." Speculating about Ben Kenobi's life before Tatooine was a local pastime.

"Assassin or a bounty hunter? That's interesting."

"Is it true?"

"What do you think?"

Leia thought for a moment, "I don't think it's true. You don't seem like a bounty hunter."

"Or an assassin?" He added playfully.

She shook her head, "No."

"Always listen to your instincts young Skywalker." Again, the seriousness returned. "They will never fail you."

"I will," she promised, not entirely certain of what he meant. There was much about Ben that was mysterious.

The two began to walk together down the dusty street. "So, how is Luke?"

"Fine."

"Where is he?"

Leia rolled her eyes, "Probably staring at the ships. He thinks he's a pilot now."

"Does he?"

Leia shrugged, "He's pretty good, I'll give him that. Although he nearly killed himself in Beggar's Canyon a few months back, then Uncle Owen nearly killed him after he found out." Leia shook her head with disapproval, "Ever since he found out our father was a pilot, he's been obsessed with becoming one."

Ben frowned, "Really? Your uncle has told you about your father?"

"Not much, he doesn't like talking about him; I think there was some bad blood between them."

"Hmm."

Leia stopped and turned to the older man, "What do you know?"

"Why do ask that?"

"Well, you just told me to always trust my instincts."

"And your instincts are telling you that I know something about your father." Ben finished with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Yeah, they are.

Ben paused for a moment, to Leia, it appeared as if he was in the middle of an internal struggle. Finally, he answered, "I did know your father."

For some reason, Leia was not surprised by this revelation. She had many questions about her origins, but the same odd sense that told her that Ben was somehow connected to her father also told her that the desert hermit would not answer all of those questions.

Still, Leia could not help but ask the one question that had tormented the girl as long as she could remember. "Ben, did our parents...want us?"

"What do you mean?"

For the first time in her life, Leia had a chance to voice the fear that had been with her since she was a small child. "I always wondered if they sent us to the homestead because they didn't want to take care of us." As her emotional turmoil increased, her voice became frantic. "I know that Uncle Owen said that our father was dead, but he always seemed like he knew much more than he was telling. Maybe he's not really dead, maybe he just doesn't want us around."

Ben placed his hand on her shoulder, "Leia, slow down."

Her tears were now flowing freely, "I don't even know anything about my mother. Did she want us? Were we too much of a burden for her? Did we cramp her style and that's why she abandoned us?"

When she stopped, Ben placed his hands over hers and looked directly into her tear filled eyes. "Listen to me, there is much I cannot tell you. But rest assured, both of your parents loved you and Luke very much. They would have gladly raised you had they been able. You were very much wanted. Don't you ever think otherwise!"

A sense of relief flooded the girl. She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled, "Thank you."

Leia then realized it was getting late, "I have to go, my aunt will be looking for me."

Ben smiled, "Give Luke my best."

"I will, goodbye."

"Until we meet again…very soon."

To Be Continued...