Chapter Text
The Daughter’s hold on him was not painful, but it was implacable. No application of the Force, let alone show of brute physical strength, would be sufficient to enable Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi to free himself. He was all but helpless, and he knew that young Ahsoka Tano’s plight in the much crueler talons of the Son was identical.
Anakin Skywalker was their only hope. Again.
“The planet is the Force. Use it!” Obi-Wan shouted.
He wasn’t sure what he meant by that, really, but it felt right.
At least, he reflected, his former apprentice had learned to listen to him on occasion, and this was one of those occasions. Obi-Wan could feel it as Anakin extended his senses, testing the bottomless well of Force energy surrounding them in this place. He began to tap into it, and something remarkable happened. He wasn’t just channeling the planet’s power; he and the very planet itself were merging, becoming one.
And when Anakin spoke, a deafening roar, the earth beneath him was his mouth, the sky above them his tongue: “You will let them go!”
The battle had begun. Was it an entire day or the time it took to take a single breath which passed while Anakin fought the Daughter and the Son for control? Obi-Wan did not know, but once the dome of the heavens had spun above the arena and darkened into stormy night, they seemed to have reached a turning point. Anakin struck and won and, as the blackness gave way to morning, freed both his Master and his Padawan and brought two unimaginably potent beings simultaneously to their knees.
“And now you see who you truly are,” the Father said as he approached the center of the arena where Anakin stood, panting from his exertions. “Only the Chosen One could tame both my children.”
Anakin looked nearly as subdued as his opponents. The majesty of the Force was gone, and he was just a young man again. “I’ve taken your test. Now fulfill your promise and let us go,” he said.
So, it had been a test, and Anakin had not failed. Neither of these new revelations surprised Obi-Wan in the slightest.
“Ah but first, you must understand the truth,” the Father said. Of course there would be a catch. There always was, with beings and situations such as these. “Now, all of you, leave us,” he commanded.
The Daughter and the Son stood, bowed in acquiescence, and moved a respectful distance away. Obi-Wan remained rooted to the spot. He noticed that Ahsoka was similarly unwilling to budge.
“I said, leave us,” the Father repeated with a hint of impatience.
“Not on your life,” Ahsoka interjected, taking up a protective stance at her Master’s left side.
“I find myself in full agreement,” Obi-Wan said as he positioned himself to Anakin’s right. His hand drifted close to the lightsaber clipped to his belt. “Anything you have to say can be said to all three of us.”
The Father’s glowing green eyes regarded them each in turn for a long moment. Eventually, he seemed to accept their refusal. As his gaze returned once more to Anakin, he said, “Do you feel your destiny? You must see it now. I am dying, and you must replace me.”
“Replace you? I can’t stay here.” Anakin was incredulous.
“It has been foretold. The Chosen One will keep my children in balance. I cannot force you to stay. But I would ask that you pledge your firstborn child to me, to dedicate to this task, for that child shall inherit the destiny of The Chosen One.”
Anakin was stunned. His mouth opened and closed soundlessly like a fish out of water.
Obi-Wan decided to intercede. “Surely you know that Jedi do not have children. We forswear all familial ties.”
“This is ridiculous,” Ahsoka muttered to no one in particular.
“Nevertheless,” the Father said, arms folded across his chest, awaiting Anakin’s answer with what might as well have been infinite patience.
No one spoke. The silence dragged. Finally, Anakin blinked and seemed to come back into himself. “And if I agree to give you my firstborn child, you will let us go in peace?” he asked.
“You have my word.”
“Okay, it’s a deal.”
“What?!” Ahsoka squealed.
“Anakin—no!” Obi-Wan hissed.
“Why not promise him something I’m never planning to have in the first place?” Anakin shrugged. “You’re more than enough to convince me that I don’t ever want to father kids of my own anyway, Snips.” He tweaked Ahsoka’s nose playfully.
“You misunderstand. The child must be one that you yourself bear.” The Father’s expression was unreadable.
“Me?!” A burst of scornful laughter exploded from Anakin’s mouth. He rolled his eyes in Ahsoka’s direction and then turned toward Obi-Wan. “Would you care to explain the basics of human physiology to our elderly friend, Master? He doesn’t seem to realize that men don’t give birth to children.”
Obi-Wan’s shoulders slumped, and he began shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. Try as he might, he found he couldn’t look Anakin in the face. Never in a million years had he thought that they would need to have this conversation. If only this were a nightmare from which he would soon awaken.
Anakin took note of Obi-Wan’s discomfort. Worried lines creased his forehead.
“Do they? Do they, Master?! Obi-Wan?!”
TO BE CONTINUED