Star Wars Fic and Meta - From All The Spaces Between Times - Chapter 14

[elrhiarhodan]

Title: From All The Spaces Between Times
Chapter: Chapter Fourteen - The Shepherd of the Wind Returns
Author: elrhiarhodan / elrhiarhodan / elrhiarhodan
Fandom: Star Wars, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars - Obi Wan Kenobi (TV), Star Wars - Jedi Apprentice Books
Characters Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Shmi Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, Watto, Quinlan Vos, Padmé Amidala, Sabé, Darth Maul, Yoda, Mace Windu, Adi Gallia, Quinlan Vos, Original Characters, Other Characters To Be Added
Pairings: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Shmi Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Qui-Gon Jinn, eventual Obi-Wan/Qui-Gon Jinn (but not for a long while)
Word Count: ~4500 this chapter
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: Author Chooses Not To Use Warnings/Ratings

Summary: Obi-Wan Kenobi has never known it, but he has always been the Force’s Champion, destined to suffer infinite sadness in defense of the Light. On his last turn on the wheel, responsibility for The Chosen One, the false child of prophecy, had been thrust upon him with no warning, and Darkness held the upper hand.

But this time, the Force has marshaled its power and will protect its Champion until the time is right, no matter how long Obi-Wan has to wait and how much he has to suffer.

Or,

Obi-Wan is reborn as a twelve-year old.

He wakes up on a slavers’ ship, with all of his prior life’s memories intact, and he’s bound for Tatooine with a Force-inhibitor collar around his neck, a bomb implanted in his spine, and no way of knowing what state of the Galaxy is in.

Just another day in the life of the Force’s Champion.

Chapter Summary: Qui-Gon is recalled from Malastare to the Temple by the Master of the Order himself, leaving the energy treaty negotiations in the capable hands (and tentacles) of Knight Fisto and Master Uvain.

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan and his companion, Cyral enjoy the almost decadent comforts of a luxurious pleasure cruiser bound for the Mid-Rim. And Obi-Wan gets a strange and unexpected visit.

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Chapter Fourteen - The Shepherd of the Wind Returns (On AO3)

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Meta - Chapter Fourteen - The Shepherd of the Wind Returns

As always, I am deeply grateful for all the love you’ve given this story, the outpouring of comments on the last chapter - the guessing on where the story is heading - makes me so very happy.

190,685 words
37 completed chapters

357c/569k/173b/11,204h

The whole week was filled with work and adulting and left me with little time and will to write. What energy I did have I put into working on my Smutwars story, which is about 3.5k now and I haven’t even gotten to my recipient’s requested pairing.

As for the meta, which I usually write on Thursdays, I am just exhausted. I had quite a bit of inside baseball to write about, but once again, adulting won out over writing. So you get about seven hundred words of spoiler from Chapter 28, when Anakin and Obi-Wan meet again for the second time in this timeline.

Enjoy!

Anakin is the Best Bro

As Obi-Wan approaches the apartment, he picks up excitement and delight from his master, who shouldn’t even be in their suite this time of day. He reaches out, carefully shielded, and senses a surprisingly familiar presence.

Obi-Wan takes a deep breath and keys in his door code. Inside, he finds his master and his padawan-brother sharing a pot of tea.

"Obi-Wan, look who has come to visit!" His master is practically glowing with happiness.

"I can see." Obi-Wan smiles and offers a tiny bow, "Hello, Anakin. This is a wonderful surprise. Did we know you were coming to Coruscant? You didn’t mention when we talked last week." Either he or Qui-Gon talks with the Skywalker-Naberrie family at least twice a month, so much for letting non-Jedi family connections fade…

Qui-Gon just says, "I thought it would be a nice surprise, so I told him to keep it a secret."

And Anakin, his not-once-padawan, laughs delightedly. "Oh, you sound like you’ve spent far too much time as a Council Padawan, you poor thing." He unfolds himself from the kitchen chair and strides over to give Obi-Wan a hug. "You look amazing, brother-mine."

Obi-Wan can’t help but hug Anakin back, tightly.

"Ooof." When Anakin lets go, they stare at each other, like old friends reunited, although they’d only met once face-to-face. In this timeline. "And so do you."

There’s a gentle glow about Anakin’s face - not just the warmth of good health and living in a temperate climate, but that of living a peaceful, happy, and fulfilling life that can never be transmitted through a holo-projector. Obi-Wan looks into those bright blue eyes and nearly bursts into tears.

He gathers the threads of his emotional control and asks, "What brings you here?"

"To the Temple?"

"No, idiot, to Coruscant?"

Anakin looks over his shoulder at their Master and asks, "Does he talk to you like this?"

"Oh, certainly not, Obi-Wan is the most earnest and respectful padawan a Jedi master could want." Qui-Gon snickers. "Unlike some others in this room."

"Yourself included?"

"Hmm, I’m not answering that question. But next time you see your Grandmaster, you might ask him."

Anakin makes a face.

"Speaking of questions, you haven’t answered mine." Obi-Wan pokes at Anakin, stunning in his sky-blue trousers and over-tunic, such a novel look on him. "Not that it isn’t a delight to see you, but …"

"I’m here with Padmé, or rather, Queen Amidala. She is in her last few months of her term as Queen and she is here to give testimony against the Trade Federation. The trial begins in the Senate. Finally."

Obi-Wan frowns. "It’s only been, what, four years?"

"Three years, seven months, ten days on the official Naboo calendar, since the Trade Federation invaded."

"That’s very precise, Anakin," Qui-Gon says approvingly.

"Well, Padmé and I have been married three years, one month and three days." Anakin looks at his chrono. "And nine hours."

"I guess you’re no longer in love, since you haven’t calculated the hours, minutes and seconds," Obi-Wan teases.

Anakin wads up his napkin and throws it at him.

"Children, please. If you’re going to fight, take it down to the salles." Qui-Gon gets up. "You’ll have to excuse me, I’ve got a Council meeting I can’t get out of."

Anakin shakes his head. "I can’t believe you let them give you a seat on the High Council, Master."

Qui-Gon laughs. "Someone has to keep them on their toes. Obi-Wan, would you rather mind the desk and take notes, or spend time with your brother?"

Obi-Wan’s gaze flicks over to Anakin, who nods eagerly. "Oh, if you think they can do without me for the day?"

"I think we’ll manage." Qui-Gon tugs his braid. "Enjoy yourselves and try not to get into too much trouble." Then his master shakes his head. "Yeah, as if that’s even possible. Obi-Wan, keep an eye on your brother, please. He’s not a knight anymore."

Qui-Gon exits to the sound of ringing laughter.

Anakin leans back in his chair, arms folded across his chest, and Obi-Wan’s heart swells with joy. This is how it should always have been.

"So, I guess I don’t need to ask how you like being at the Temple. You just radiate happiness."

"Yes, well. Master Qui-Gon is - " Obi-Wan smiles, trying to come up with a superlative that doesn’t seem fatuous. But Anakin solves that problem for him.

"The best. Isn’t he?"

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I hope you’re enjoying the story and I look forward to your comments, both here if you’re Dreamwidth members and on AO3.