28The Heart of Destiny
Author: Laura Kenobi
Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, I don't own Star Wars. I do, however, own any original characters, planets, etcetera that I created for this story.
Archive: Please contact me first!
Comments/Reviews: You can email me through my profile, and you can always leave a review!
Author's Notes: ((italics)) represents thoughts and / italics / represents communication through the Force.
This story was first published in its original version beginning on June 21, 2001. In July 2005, I decided that since four years had passed and my skills as a writer had undoubtedly improved since this story was first written and posted, it might be refreshing to return to this story and give it a fresh look and an update. For the most part the overall story remains the same - my goal has been to improve on and expand on the original, so I hope the result will prove enjoyable to all of you who are wonderful enough to read and review. The version of this story below is the updated version. Call it the "Special Edition" version of this story.
This is the last chapter! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing – it really does make my day!
Summary: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn start out on a mission, and a lifetime of memories follow.
Chapter Sixteen
- Years Later -
The cry of a sand person echoed into Obi-Wan Kenobi's house. He stood and reached out with the Force. ((Luke! He's in trouble!))
Making his way out into the canyon, he spotted the young man. With the Force, he created a cry similar to that of a kyrat dragon. The sand people scurried away in terror.
He walked over to Luke, who lay motionless on the ground, and placed his hand on the young man's forehead. He would be okay. The soft warbling of a droid caused Obi-Wan to look up.
"Hello there, my little friend. Come on out, don't be afraid."
The droid wheeled out of its hiding place, and whistled in concern. Luke groaned and opened his eyes.
"Rest easy, son. You've had a busy day. You're fortunate to be all in one piece!"
"Ben? Ben Kenobi? Boy am I glad to see you!"
Obi-Wan was surprised. Glad to see him? He asked Luke what brought him out so far from his home.
"This little droid," Luke pointed to the droid, "he seems to be searching for a former master of his. I've never seen such devotion in a droid before. He claims he is the property of an Obi-Wan Kenobi. Do you know him? Is he a relative of yours?"
((Obi-Wan Kenobi...))
"Obi-Wan Kenobi… Obi-Wan. Now that's a name I've not heard in a long time... a long time."
"You know him then?"
Obi-Wan smiled. "Of course I know him – he's me! I haven't gone by the name Obi-Wan since, well, before you were born."
It was almost true. After leaving Padmé and Leia on Alderaan, he had changed his name to Ben. He hadn't heard the name Obi-Wan since Padmé had spoken it that day.
((Your mother called me Obi-Wan when I took you away from her...))
Obi-Wan sighed. After meeting Luke in the canyon things had happened very fast.
Now here they were, on board the Millennium Falcon, on their way to Alderaan.
((The twins will be reunited at last. I wish Padmé could be here now.))
But she was not. He had felt it the moment she died. The Force had told him. That had been years ago.
Suddenly, voices cried out in the Force, and then were silent. Obi-Wan reached out unsteadily. Luke was saying something...
As Obi-Wan told Luke he was okay, he also told him to get on with his exercises. Luke was already quite skilled with the lightsaber. Obi-Wan saw Anakin's skill in his son's movements. What about all those voices? The last time he had felt anything remotely similar was when the Temple had been destroyed...
Han Solo announced that they were going to pull out of hyperspace, and Obi-Wan mentally prepared himself. He had a very bad feeling about this...
"Come here, Hand."
Mara Jade stepped into her Master's field of vision. She had grown into a deadly assassin, with her mother's beauty and her father's skill. The Emperor smiled. He remembered the day he had taken Mara from that pathetic Knight. He had used the Force to make it seem as though he had killed the baby girl, and the woman had believed it. Her screams of horror had been satisfying.
And she had told Obi-Wan Kenobi that their daughter was dead. Nobody knew that she had indeed survived.
"Yes, my Lord?"
"I have a new assignment for you..."
"When I left you, I was but the learner. Now I am the Master."
Obi-Wan's heart clenched. ((Anakin...)) Outwardly he kept himself emotionless.
"Only a master of evil, Darth."
They struck out at each other. No longer did this monster use the techniques that Obi-Wan had taught him. There was no resemblance between the way Anakin Skywalker fought and the way Darth Vader fought.
"Your powers are weak, old man."
(("You're not that old...")) Gwen's cheerful voice echoed through his head. Pain flared through his veins, along with a large amount of guilt. Obi-Wan constructed solid mental shields. He would not let his former apprentice find any weakness in him.
"You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."
With those words, Obi-Wan knew. He knew his time had come. He would join his Master, his wife, and his daughter. The thought was exhilarating and terrifying all at once.
He turned to see Luke Skywalker staring at him in horror. He would have to guide Luke through the Force now.
Raising his lightsaber, Obi-Wan Kenobi let his former apprentice strike him down.
He felt no pain, as his body disappeared before the beam of light even hit him. He could faintly hear Luke screaming in denial, and he reached out into the Force.
"Run, Luke! Run!"
Now he could let go and be with the people he loved the most.
Suddenly, he found himself standing in the Jedi Temple. Glancing at his reflection in a window, he realized he was young again. He looked quickly around. How? How could this be? He had watched as...
"Hello, Padawan."
Qui-Gon Jinn was smiling as Obi-Wan spun around to face him.
"Master!" Obi-Wan felt relief fill his veins, and tears came to his eyes. "How..."
"This is the Force Obi-Wan. The Force can make things and take them away. When you become one with the Force, it takes you to where you want to be the most. It puts you in the form you love the most."
"I..." Obi-Wan had so much to say. He didn't know where to start.
"Save the talk for later, Padawan. There is someone else who has been waiting for you."
Qui-Gon turned and motioned toward the end of the hall. Obi-Wan froze as if trying to convince himself that what he was seeing was really there.
Gwen A'mour walked slowly down the hall toward the two men. She wore the traditional Jedi tunics, but her hair was not tied and it cascaded down her back in flowing waves. Her green eyes were fixed at the floor, and did not see the two men.
Obi-Wan breathed out her name, feeling his knees weaken as though he had just seen her for the first time. Her head came up as though she had heard him, and as she saw him, she began to run down the hall toward him. He was sure his face was going to split in half as a smile spread across it. He opened his arms and caught her in a tight embrace.
"Obi-Wan! Oh, Force how I've missed you! Obi-Wan..." She was crying with joy. Obi-Wan realized with a start that he was crying too.
"I've been waiting for this day ever since... Oh, Gwen! I've missed you so much!"
He pulled her away from him ever so slightly, and kissed her passionately. She responded in kind, and the couple soon had to break the kiss, both gasping for air.
He hadn't smiled like this, not even once, since she had died in his arms. "I love you so much."
"I've been waiting for you for a long time, but now we have all of eternity..."
Obi-Wan couldn't stop smiling. He was here, with Gwen, with Qui-Gon... forever!
"Where's Mara?" The question rang from his lips. Gwen looked at the floor.
"She's not here."
"What?"
"She lives. The Emperor's Hand."
"What?" Obi-Wan was horrified. The Emperor's Hand? He had heard of the deadly assassin. "I want to see her!"
Gwen turned and pointed to a window. "Look here."
Obi-Wan gazed at the window, which had temporarily become a screen. A woman with golden hair and emerald eyes gazed back at him. She was beautiful... his daughter.
"Mara..." He cursed himself mentally. He could have saved her! Now she was the Emperor's Hand? He had allowed himself to think all those years that she was dead...
"Don't blame yourself, love. It was the will of the Force. It will become clearer in time, and she will join us here someday. Until then," her green eyes sparkled, "I guess we'll have to find something to do..."
Obi-Wan reached into the Force for an answer. The feeling of responsibility and purpose surrounding his daughter in the Force convinced him, at least to some extent, that all was as it should be. He nodded slowly, wrapped his arms around his wife, and began to kiss her again. Contentment and peace settled over him as he had never felt before. Now they could be together, without anything trying to tear them apart, for the rest of eternity...
The End.
For the hundredth time, thank you so much to all of you for reading and reviewing! It really does make my day to receive that email telling me I've got a review.
I'm in the process of writing another story, but I'm not sure when it will be completed. I'll try and have it finished and posted as soon as I can.
Thanks again, and may the Force be with you! - Laura