Bail Organa shook his head. He pinched the bridge of his nose as a heavy sigh left his lips.
"We were foolish." He said, taking notice of the presence within his office. The Alderaanian senator turned to further acknowledge the hooded man standing just within the entrance.
"So it would seem." The man removed his hood and brushed back silvery auburn hair. "The boy is lost. There is nothing more we can do."
"How can you say that?" Bail asked, apalled. "He may die, or he may become the Emperor's enforcer. He may come after Leia."
"Calm yourself, Bail. Leia is safe."
"She is. Unlike her slave brother. That is what you found isn't it? The boy orphaned again and in chains." Bail shook his head. "You should have told me of this sooner. We could have helped Luke."
"To have rescued him would be to expose not only your true affiliation and my identity, but also Leia." Obi-Wan said calmly. "Be mindful of our priorities. Leia showed her attunement to the Force, she has promise and power. The boy never did."
"It doesn't matter if he was a Force sensitive or not. Don't you understand?" Bail questioned, utterly distraught. "We abandoned Owen Beru, we abandoned him."
"It is what it is." Obi-Wan said with a mild shrug. "I will not dwell on what is already lost. Leia is what matters now more than ever."
Bail shook his finger. "Only because you deemed it so. The Obi-Wan I knew would have never left Luke alone. Not for a single second. Not ever."
The old, former jedi smiled sadly. "We have all changed."
"You have changed for the worse." Bail accused.
Obi-Wan only shrugged again. Because they both knew nothing could be done. That Bail needed Obi-Wan to protect his daughter. Bail could and would live with guilt.
But Obi-Wan found that deep down he simply had no caring for the boy. He could pretend all he wished. He could say pretty words and send sweet prayers... but in the end the boy with no power would die. Obi-Wan had no interest in attaching himself to someone he would not be able to save in the end. Leia would live, she had the strength to survive where her brother did not. She would destroy Vader and the Jedi would rise to follow in her footsteps.
Abandoning Luke for Leia all those years ago had been the right choice. The only choice.