Chapter Text
“Did you see me do the Mou Kei?” Anakin asked, walking alongside Obi-Wan, bouncing with excitement. “Did you? Did you? Did you?”
“Yes, Anakin,” Obi-Wan replied, his voice warm but tired. “I was there. It was very impressive.”
Anakin beamed up at him, walking with more of a swing in his step. “Where to next, Master? More lightsaber training? Oh, please, more lightsaber training! Or maybe flight training?” His eyes widened. “I’m a really good pilot, Master.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” Obi-Wan said. He smiled down at Anakin. “However, it’s nearly bedtime Anakin. The final pursuits of this evening are going to be more reflective in nature.”
Anakin sighed dramatically. “Does that mean meditation?”
Obi-Wan laughed. “Of a sort. But don’t worry, Anakin, this time you’ll have something to do with your hands.” He smiled down at his Padawan, recalling their last meditation session, when Anakin had started drumming his fingers on the floor, and, when asked to stop, rocking back and forth, and, when asked to stop, shaking his leg uncontrollably.
Anakin needed more guided meditation, Obi-Wan had realized, at least at first. He had consulted Masters Windu and Yoda, and they had given him this new idea.
They walked into one of the meditation rooms. A calming rock waterfall splashed continuously in one corner, and a small set of wind chimes hung in another.
Obi-Wan sat cross-legged on the floor, and Anakin joined him. Instead of closing his eyes and instructing his Padawan to do the same, however, Obi-Wan pulled out a brand new blue leather bound notebook. He gave it to Anakin, along with a sharpened pencil.
Anakin looked at the notebook and pencil in his hands, his brow furrowed. When he looked back up at Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan smiled warmly.
“It’s to write down your thoughts,” he said.
“Gee… Master…” Anakin winced, looking down at the notebook like it was a steaming pile of Bantha poodoo. “You shouldn’t have…”
Obi-Wan laughed. “All Padawans are expected to keep a journal, but we’ve held off until now just because of how full your days have been. I think it might help in meditation, however. How does that sound?”
“It doesn’t sound very good,” Anakin admitted. The look on Anakin’s face was pained, but he always looked pained whenever he was asked to meditate. The young Padawan had many skills and was very strong in the Force. Meditation and peace were not his strengths. That was why Obi-Wan had opted for something to guide Anakin, something concrete that he could use in his meditation, even for now.
Obi-Wan chuckled dryly. “You can do this Anakin. I’ll do it with you.” He pulled out his own journal, clicking his pen to turn it on.
“You have a journal too?” Anakin asked, eyes wide.
“Oh, yes,” Obi-Wan said, smiling. “All Jedi are expected to keep a record of their days, their emotions, their successes and setbacks. It’s a very positive outlet.” He paused. “Of course, it’s also required for Padawans to keep a record of such things during their training. Think of it as sort of a nightly homework assignment.”
Anakin frowned.
Obi-Wan gave him a smile that he hoped was warm and encouraging. “It’s not so bad. Here, we’ll do the first entry together.” He opened his notebook, a worn, leather thing, and Anakin did the same. Obi-Wan cleared his throat. “What is something that you are grateful for?”
Anakin picked up the pencil, wrapping all five of his small fingers around it. He hesitated for a moment, tilting his notebook and looking at Obi-Wan over the top of it. “Are you going to read this?”
“Never without your permission,” Obi-Wan said solemnly. “This is your personal journal, Anakin. You have a right to your privacy.”
Anakin nodded, and then he put his pencil to the paper and started scribbling.
Obi-Wan did the same, writing his response in the journal. He continued for a while after Anakin, and then looked up with a calm smile. “Ready for the next prompt?”
Anakin nodded, though his face was stony.
“What is something you did today that you are proud of?”
Again, Anakin put his pencil to the paper, writing back and forth, and again, Obi-Wan did the same. He couldn’t see what Anakin was writing– the boy held it at such an angle that it was completely obscured from Obi-Wan’s vision. If he leaned over or craned his neck, he could’ve gotten a look, but he had no interest in violating his Padawan’s privacy.
They went through a few more prompts (“What is one way in which you struggled today?” “Where did you find the Force today?” “What are you looking forward to tomorrow?”) with the only sounds in the room being the chiming of the hollow windchimes, the constant flow of water from the rock waterfall, and the scratching of ink on paper. When they finished, Obi-Wan closed his notebook, smiling warmly at Anakin. His Padawan also closed his book, but did not return the smile.
“Oh my,” Obi-Wan’s brow furrowed. “Is everything alright, Anakin?”
“Yep,” Anakin said, a little too quickly to be believable, and his smile was a little too wide to be sincere. He yawned hugely.
Obi-Wan gave a small smile. “Bedtime, I think.”
“Aww, please Master, can we do one more lightsaber drill?”
Obi-Wan shook his head. “We’ll have plenty of lightsaber work tomorrow, don’t you worry Anakin.” He stood up, offering Anakin a hand. “Up you get.”
Anakin took it, following Obi-Wan out of the meditation room and through the halls, carrying his notebook with him. When they got to Anakin’s room, Obi-Wan let go of his Padawan’s hand, pausing at the doorframe.
“I don’t have to do more writing tomorrow, do I?” Anakin asked as he brushed his teeth.
Obi-Wan smiled wanly at him. “Actually, the expectation is that Padawans make one journal entry a day.”
Anakin spit into the sink and then looked at his Master, horrified. “That’s cruel and unusual punishment!”
Obi-Wan chuckled. “It’s just writing, Anakin.” He waited until Anakin was curled up in bed before he used the Force to dim the lights. “Good night, Anakin.” He turned to leave, but a call from his Padawan stopped him.
“Wait, Master!”
Obi-Wan turned around.
“Before you go, could you maybe read me a story?”
Obi-Wan smiled. “Of course, Anakin. How could I forget?” As was often the case (though always suggested by Anakin, as Obi-Wan didn’t want to keep him up any later than the boy needed to be, they both needed their sleep), Obi-Wan picked up the book of fables from Anakin’s bedside table, settled into the chair beside Anakin’s bed and cleared his throat.
“A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there were two Tauntauns, walking on either side of an ice bridge on Hoth. Beneath that bridge was a deep chasm through which poured a mighty mountain torrent. The ice bridge formed the only means of crossing the chasm, and it was so narrow that not even two Ice Scrabblers could have passed each other safely. The narrow path would have made the bravest tremble, but not these two Tauntauns. Their pride would not permit either to stand aside for the other.”
“I wouldn’t be scared,” Anakin whispered.
“I’m sure you wouldn’t,” Obi-Wan said with a kind smile, and then he continued the story. “One Tauntaun stepped onto the bridge, the other did likewise. They meet in the middle, head-to-head, and neither would yield for the other to cross. They stayed like that until the ice beneath their feet cracked. They both fell into the chasm and were swept away.”
Anakin’s eyes were wide. He wrinkled his nose. “You always tell such dark stories.”
“I do not,” Obi-Wan replied, drawing a hand to his heart, offended.
“Yes you do. Things are always dying in your stories.”
“These are the same stories my Master told me. They all have a lesson.” Obi-Wan smiled slightly. “Do you know what the lesson in this one might be?”
Anakin thought for a second. “Don’t cross an ice bridge with a tauntaun?”
Obi-Wan chuckled. “Close. The lesson I was taught is that it is better to yield than to come to misfortune through stubbornness.”
Anakin was silent for a moment, thinking. Then, he smiled. “Have you ever been to Hoth, Master?”
“Oh yes, many times. But those are stories for another day,” Obi-Wan said, observing the yawn that Anakin hid behind his sleeve. “Bedtime,” He set the book on the table and stood up, smoothing back Anakin’s hair. “Get some rest, Padawan.”