Okay, for all of you that are freaking out over the last chapter.
Shame shame, shame on you.
Y'all are judging Aria too quickly and too harshly. She is NOT, I repeat, NOT blaming Padme for Anakin's fall OR trying to split them up to have Anakin for herself. Let me point out that none of that chapter was from her point of view; we don't know what she's thinking right now, and you're going to have to wait to find out because none of this chapter is from her point of view either. Hold your judgment until you see what the girl is thinking, all right? Her motives aren't bad, and she IS NOT BLAMING PADME FOR ANAKIN'S FALL!
Thank you for listening.
Please bear with me for the truth, and SIMMER people, SIMMER!
Patience Padawan's, Patience!
Still, thank you for the reviews! Don't forget to review this chapter too!
Enjoy!
Obi-Wan heard the now familiar sound of gravel, snow, and ice crunching underneath car tires and looked out the window behind him. The red car came into view and he sat his cup down on the counter, turning back to face Padme, who he'd been having quiet conversation with about Anakin just a few moments earlier.
"It looks like they're back," he said with a small smile.
"It appears so; any idea why Ani left so early?" Padme asked.
"I have a few guesses," Obi-Wan said softly, his mind flickering to his Padawan's increasing frustration and curiosity about the secrets to their lives that Aria held.
Outside there was the sound of a slamming door and voices, drawing Obi-Wan's attention to the curious scene outside. Aria was covered in mud and looked like she was still drying after getting wet, probably because of the snow. There was a dark stain on one of her knees, and she even favored the leg. Still, she was smiling and even laughing a little as Anakin insisted that he carry her multiple books and papers, though she managed to retain her backpack from him.
"Well, something definitely happened," Obi-Wan said with a frown as he watched the two disappear from sight of the window while making their way to the porch.
Padme smiled slightly. "Then I guess we'll have to ask them what."
Obi-Wan heard the jingle of keys in the door before Aria pushed it open, in the lead as the two crossed the threshold, talking lightly. Anakin's eyes wandered over to the other occupants in the room, and something flickered across his gaze that Obi-Wan couldn't quite discern whenever his eyes fell on Padme. It definitely wasn't the infatuated star-struck look he'd been doting her with recently, that much Obi-Wan was sure of.
Aria gestured into the dining room. "Just set my stuff on the table, I can tackle it later; I have more important stuff to do right now," Aria said with a tired edge to her voice. Anakin set the books down before returning to the room and leaning against the doorframe. Aria sighed, rubbing her eyes. "So, who's first?" she suddenly asked.
"Excuse me?" Padme asked.
"I've finally decided some information to impart to everyone, but I kind of want to talk in private considering some of them are very serious…private matters," she said softly, glancing over at Anakin. "I already talked to Anakin before we came home."
"Who do you think will take the longest?" Padme asked diplomatically, her politician mask in place.
"Obi-Wan," Aria replied without missing a beat.
"Then Obi-Wan should go first," Padme said easily.
Aria nodded. "All right then; I guess we can talk on the porch. It's private, and I can bring out a blanket for when it gets cold."
"After you then," Obi-Wan said politely. Aria pointed at Anakin as she walked past him.
"If my mother asks I'm out on the porch having an extremely important and private talk," she said.
"Got it," Anakin said with a small, half smile.
Aria grabbed a large blanket off of the living room couch before the two of them stepped outside. The freezing air was in sharp contrast to the cozy warmth of indoors, and Obi-Wan had to repress a shudder. The sixteen year old crossed the porch before she sat down in the porch swing, wrapping the blanket around herself with a small shudder before pulling a folded up piece of paper and carefully unfolding it.
"What do you know about Shmi Skywalker?" Aria asked abruptly.
Obi-Wan frowned. Why is she asking me about Anakin's mother? "Ah…well, she's Anakin's mother…Qui-Gon said that she was a kind and gentle woman. Anakin still has a very strong attachment for her even though it's been ten years." He considered mentioning the dreams Anakin had been having, but then decided against it; they weren't important.
Aria watched him with a raised eyebrow for a few moments, as if expecting him to go on. When she didn't, she simply shook her head and sighed, turning her attention to the paper in her hand. On it was one decently sized paragraph. "I remember reading something about this, so I looked it up again and copied down the paragraph; did you know about this?"
Obi-Wan frowned and took the proffered paper from her. The familiar names of Shmi, Anakin, Tatooine, and Watto immediately jumped out at him before he started to read.
"Some time after Anakin had left, Shmi purchased a journal for herself with the money from her aeromagnifier work. When Watto caught her recording an entry while she was supposed to be working in the shop, he ordered her to resume her previous work, lest he sell the journal itself. Several days later, Watto made a trip to Mos Eisley, where he learned that Jinn had been killed in a battle on Naboo. Returning to his shop, Watto told Shmi of the development, and lamented Anakin's departure, suggesting that the boy would have been better off staying on Tatooine. Shmi spent 100 credits sending a message to the Jedi Council on Coruscant, a total to which Watto contributed 10%. Shmi was inquiring as to what had happened to Anakin in the wake of the battle on Naboo, but she received no reply, to Watto's chagrin and outrage. The Toydarian grew increasingly melancholy in the wake of Anakin's departure, and Shmi began to suspect that he missed Anakin's presence. Shmi too had become increasingly depressed in the absence of her son, and, fearing that she would try to escape and would kill herself in the process, Watto secretly deactivated her transmitter chip."
Obi-Wan stared at the paper, reading the paragraph over a few times just to make sure he had read it right. Thoughts swirled in his head, and the possibility that seemed all too likely of the Jedi Council ignoring Shmi's inquiries didn't sit well with him.
"No…no I didn't hear anything about a message from Shmi," Obi-Wan said in a low voice, carefully giving the paper back to her. "If I may ask, why are we talking about Anakin's mother?"
Aria folded the paper back up, tucking the paper away carefully before pulling out another paper. Obi-Wan noticed a white-knuckled grip she held on the paper even though she spoke in even tones. "I know that you know he's been having nightmares about her recently."
Once more, Obi-Wan was surprised by Aria. "Yes, but they're just dreams; they'll pass in time."
Wordlessly, Aria offered him the next paper. Suspiciously, Obi-Wan took it, unfolding it himself this time.
He didn't like what he read, and immediately the guilt and worry started to rush through him.
"One morning, Shmi went out to pick vaporator mushrooms from the moisture vaporators, but was captured by a group of Tuskens on her way home. Cliegg assembled a search team in an attempt to locate her, but ended up losing 26 out of the 30 that were sent out and his right leg. After a month, he decided to give up the search, believing Shmi to be dead. In actuality, Shmi was still, just barely, alive—severely beaten and dehydrated, holding on to her memories of Anakin in an effort to stay alive. Shmi's resilience fascinated the Tusken Raiders, prompting them to try other methods of torturing; however, it only strengthened her resolve to live long enough to see her son. During her captivity, Shmi often reached out to Anakin, hoping that he would come and rescue her.
Through their strong bond with one another, Anakin was overcome with nightmares of his mother, in which he had sensed her pain and suffering."
The porch was completely silent other than the creak of the porch swing and the sharp whistle of the freezing wind before Aria spoke in a feather light tone. "They're not just dreams."
"And what am I supposed to do about it?" Obi-Wan asked in a low whisper. He understood the severity of Shmi's situation; his Padawan loved his mother dearly, and if anything should ever happen to her…
"Let him go to her; the sooner he leaves the better chance that Shmi has to survive. If you don't, then by the time he finally can't take the dreams anymore and goes after her anyway it won't end well."
"But he can't leave right now; he's supposed to be protecting Padme, we're knee deep in this case."
"Padme can just as easily go with him; she'd be safe on the moisture farm while Anakin looked for Shmi, I know she would."
Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably. "I don't like it."
"It would be much worse than if you didn't let him go, trust me."
"And what would happen if I didn't let him go? What would happen if I didn't breathe a word of this to him until this ordeal with Padme is over?" Obi-Wan asked her in a very Obi-Wanish way of challenge.
Aria pursed her lips. "Very bad things."
"Like?" Obi-Wan pressed.
"Then he would eventually not be able to handle the dreams anymore, go to Tatooine with Padme anyway, go after his mother, and be too late," Aria said sharply, surprising Obi-Wan with the seriousness and hard edge to her voice. She looked away, her tone softening. "She would die in his arms."
Obi-Wan's own expression softened as several painful memories rose unbidden to the forefront of his mind, including Cerasi and Qui-Gon's deaths. He felt a flicker of something indiscernible from Aria, almost like she was about to say more but decided not to. He frowned. "Anything else?" he asked cautiously.
"He wouldn't…take it well…" she said cautiously. "Let's just leave it at it would end very badly if this still happens…that's why I'm asking you to let him go, and let him go early—like when you all get back; that way Shmi actually has a chance of surviving. The sooner Anakin gets to her, the better chance she'll have."
Obi-Wan sat quietly, staring at the paper in his hands for several minutes, oblivious to the cold wind. Finally, he spoke.
"I'll talk to Anakin," he said gently. Aria sagged in obvious relief.
"Good…good." She huffed gently, looking away. "That was the other thing…Anakin…"
Obi-Wan frowned. "What about him?"
Aria sighed. "Where would you say your relationship with him is?" she asked carefully.
Obi-Wan's frown was deepening. He just couldn't figure this girl out; she was more confusing than Anakin, and that was saying something. "A Master/Padawan relationships," he said automatically.
"And off record?" she asked, an eyebrow cocked.
Obi-Wan stared at her, realizing she wanted something a little deeper and not so Jedi Code censored. He looked away, digging through his feelings to figure out just what kind of relationship had developed between the two. Finally, haltingly, he said, "A father son relationship…or perhaps an older and younger brother relationship by now. He seems to be growing out of that stage of thinking of me that way…"
Aria smiled a little. "Not quite; he did tell you just the other day in the club that you're like a father to him. It's not that the relationship is developing from the father son to a brothers relationship—though it will eventually—but that he's becoming…distant. And not in a good way," she explained cautiously.
Obi-Wan sat a little straighter. "What do you mean?"
Aria sighed. "He trusts you, but he doesn't at the same time…I'm not quite sure how to explain it…he trusts you with his life, but there are some things he's afraid to open up about because he feels like you won't listen or you won't understand…it's causing a rift to develop that will become a problem in the future…" At Obi-Wan's confused and bewildered look, Aria moved to explain. "Oh, how did he put it to Padme…'Obi-Wan's a great mentor; he's wise as Master Yoda, and as powerful as Master Windu…I am truly thankful to be his apprentice,' was what he said in praise…"
"And in criticism?" Obi-Wan asked wearily. He'd always feared that he wasn't a good enough mentor to Anakin; that Qui-Gon would have done better. He knew Qui-Gon would have done better, but to hear his fears confirmed…
Aria looked weary, but he could tell by her tone of voice that she was still quoting Anakin directly by the way she rushed through the words, obviously not wanting to be the one to tell him. "He said 'In some ways…a lot of ways…I'm really ahead of him. I'm ready for the Trials, but he feels that I'm too unpredictable. He won't let me move on…he's overly critical, he never listens, he doesn't understand…' though he did finish with an agreement with Padme's words that 'Our mentors have a way of seeing more of our faults than we would like. It's the only way we grow,' if that helps," she added quietly. "I know you worry that you're not a good enough mentor to him…"
Obi-Wan shook his head, stuck somewhere between hurt and failure. Quickly he started to siphon the feelings away into the Force, gathering himself to respond with a level head. "Well it seems my worries were well-placed," he said gently.
"He just wants you to be more open with him," Aria said, shifting in her seat to face him. "If you would listen to him and see things from his point of view and don't judge him so harshly so quickly, it would help! Maybe instead of reprimanding him immediately and sharply when he makes a mistake, you could gently reprimand him and let him know you understand where he's coming from. If you don't then have him tell you and listen to what he has to say, take it to heart and consider it before you judge him too harshly. He needs to relate to someone, it's how he is, it's in his nature. You have to remember he grew up differently; things that are discouraged in the Jedi Order he grew up seeing as things to be cherished and held at a high value, and they're so deeply ingrained into him that they're not going to be scrubbed away. All the scorn because of those feelings that he used to be able to openly express is really messing with him; hurting him more than helping."
Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes at her just slightly. "You seem to have thought this out quite a bit."
Aria looked at him calmly. "I have thought long and hard for several years now on how to avoid a certain…tragedy…that could take place, and I assure you that this right here is actually a good chunk of the reason that said tragedy happened. Not all of it, but part of it. I've thought long and hard on how this cause of said tragedy could be reversed and this is what I've come up with. Yes, you have a strong bond with Anakin, but if you're not careful, it's going to wither and become too fragile for the upcoming trials that you two are going to face. You need a strong bond with him if you two are going to make it through in one piece."
Aria thought about her words for a minute, grimacing at something she said, though Obi-Wan couldn't fathom why. He understood it was difficult for her to explain these things without giving away this big event that it all seemed to revolve around. Through the Force, Obi-Wan could sense the gravity and seriousness of said event, and he could also tell that calling it a tragedy was an understatement. Part of him didn't want to know what this great tragedy she was trying to keep from revealing to them was.
Instead of questioning her, Obi-Wan filed the information away. "All right…all right I'll see what I can do."
Aria stood, the blanket still wrapped tightly around her. "Thank you Obi-Wan; you have no idea just how much that means."
"Well, if it'll help Anakin, then I guess I can make a few changes," Obi-Wan said gently.
"Yes well, maybe being more open about your past and your own shortcomings would help. It means a lot to him to know that you've gone through similar things and really do understand," Aria said, adding in another tidbit before she ran out of time.
"I'll keep that in mind," Obi-Wan assured her.
"One last thing."
Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to continue. She thought over her words for a few seconds before she cautiously said, "When the Count speaks of the Sith and the Senate, he isn't lying even though it seems impossible. But don't join his cause! That won't end well…just feign disbelief. That will work out fine. Later you'll need to tell the Council though, if they'll even listen with how they've become over the years. Perhaps you should just tell Yoda and Windu. Yoda was right when he said that the Order is becoming arrogant, and in this age, that's deadly. The Jedi need to be wary; every move counts from here on out."
Obi-Wan opened his mouth, hoping to get something else from her. However, she held up a hand. "That's all I'm going to venture to say today. Don't take my words lightly Obi-Wan; there's more at stake here than you know."
With that, Aria slipped past him back into the house, leaving him in a very somber mood as he processed all of the information that had been given to him.
