It had been a miracle. To be out of the temple in a different environment would have been enough but to be somewhere as beautiful as this was incredible. Given the ever present and ever growing work of the Order, there was little downtime to be had and any leisure activities were generally a distant memory for those within the temple.
I had taken a whim that Anakin should be his usual surly and bored self but perhaps with a change of scenery to make it all the more comical. He would find his usual stomping muffled by soft grass and his glares facillitated by the afternoon sun. It had taken some convincing to be allowed to take this trip to the Alfan Gardens with Mace cautioning me directly about what the boy was and was not ready to do. I merely had to point out the sickly palour and cagey anxiety that Anakin had taken on and the trip was authorised with a cheery "You know what's best".
I only wish dear reader that I had known what was best for him. When it came to Anakin's happiness and well being I was almost an expert. I held the highest education in calming his moods and quelling the Force that wrang through his nerve endings. However, when it came to Anakin's future, I was never to know what was best for him.
The gardens stretched before us in many tiers and rivulets of beauty. Upon arriving there we had docked the ship and Anakin groaned at having been made to attend with me. I had convinced him that we were travelling to Ephamie so that vital immunisations could be delivered in the form of shots. To see his impish face return in the form of panic had been quite nostalgic even though I felt quite cruel. He couldn't understand why his little pout made me laugh so.
Stepping out into the sunshine was a welcome feeling and even though my charge thought he was walking towards something less than pleasing, I could feel him perk up through the bond.
"How many do I have to have," he asked as we stepped down from the ship. I smiled to myself and stretched.
"You don't Anakin. I was teasing you. We're here to have fun."
My oh my, was his face a pretty picture! For a moment I thought he might kick me but instead he gave a hollar of joy and excitement and ran ahead of me on the path. He turned to look at me and I swear, I had never seen him look so young and free. I chased after him and he laughed as I lifted him, his now gangly legs dangling beneath him. He squirmed enough for me to drop him and he lay down on the soft blue grass. I knew I would have to wash the dirt from his robes later before it set in. Spreading himself out he rested an arm over his eyes and soaked up as much sun as he could, though it is only half the sun he had always known on Tatooine.
"Are we really here to have fun?"
"Yes, Anakin. We are really here to have fun. I can teach you how to swim if you would like."
He didn't really respond to that one but he did reel off an impressive list of other activities we could partake in. Before I had even caught my breath he had bounded up and taken off running towards the veranda of the cascading buildings brimming with residents. The smell of food was intoxicating as I followed after him. He was already hopped up on a stool at the counter as I weaved my way through tables and as I approached a server placed a dish of soup in front of him with a smile. That little charmer.
I handed over a few credits and the woman looked at me with confusion, watching the boy to see that he did in fact know me. Begrudingly she brought another bowl for me and I struggled to eat through laughing at Anakin's antics.
"You were about to get a free meal, my Padawan," I teased and he shrugged. "Perhaps she thought you were a little streat urchin, begging for a meal. You certainly smell like one," I poked his ribs and he squirmed.
"No I don't! You're the one who looks scruffy with that beard!"
"Careful, little one. Or I might go back to the ship and leave you here," I waggled my eyebrows at him and he stuck his tongue out.
"Fine by me."
Just then a different server brought drinks for us both as well as sweet meats and fruit. When he looked at me something seemed off. A vacant and glassy look had come over him before he wandered off.
"Anakin Skywalker. I hope that you did not use the Force to get that soup," I said slowly. Surely the boy would never do something like that. He wouldn't even know how!
"What," he said between mouthfuls of food. What a cunning little actor he was. He even looked confused.
"What did you say to her, why didn't you have to pay?"
He shrugged and flinched when I grasped his shoulder.
"I said I was hungry," he whined and pulled away from me. We were starting to draw the attention of the other patrons. I calmed myself then. Even if the boy had been using Force persuasion, he didn't fully understand it. It was unintentional, I rationalised. The two servers were whispering to each other now whilst throwing the occasional curious stare in my direction. I bid Anakin to eat quickly and then dragged him with me through the door that led to the open reception area.