Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at

http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/8369926.

Rating: Explicit
Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Category: F/M, M/M, Multi
Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars
Original Trilogy
Relationship: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker, Past Anakin Skywalker/Padmé
Amidala, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Darth Vader
Character: Anakin Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader, Obi-Wan
Kenobi, Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Mon Mothma, Bail
Organa, Padmé Amidala, C-3PO, Chewbacca, R2-D2
Additional Tags: Empire!AU, Emperor!Anakin, Sith!Obi-Wan, Established
Relationship, Past Relationship(s), Sith!Luke, Sith!Leia
Stats: Published: 2016-10-24 Updated: 2017-01-15 Chapters: 2/? Words:
6292

The Empire From The Flames

by deadcandance

Summary

The Empire has been ruling the entire galaxy for almost twenty years. An apparent peace
that everybody exalts, but no one can see reigns. The young have no idea of what liberty
is, they are born in a world that they consider right and perfect and they don’t want to
change it. The old look at freedom with melancholy, the memory of it fading in the hearts
of those who no longer have the strength to fight. The empire born from the flames. The
empire that will be ashes.

Notes

As English is not my first language, I apologise for the mistakes you may find. This was a
fic I started to write a while ago and I decided to translate it. I already published the first
three chapters in Italian and all I have to do is translate them, but from the fourth chapter
on, updates may be slower because I still have to write other chapters.
I hope you will like it!

This work was inspiredThe

by Empire From The Flames by deadcandance
 Where Nothing Stays Buried

“See I've come to burn your kingdom down

And no rivers and no lakes can put the fire out
I'm gonna raise the stakes, I'm gonna smoke you out.”
— Seven Devils, Florence + The Machine

Han Solo had never been in the Imperial Gardens before that fateful day nor had he ever received
a medal of valor, if he had to be completely honest.

The Gardens had been set up for the event a short time in advance by order of the Emperor, yet
everything was ready and every single corner of that place that seemed immense, of that little
portion of galaxy that contained plants and flowers from every known planet, was perfect. There
were Imperial Guards in their scarlet uniforms everywhere in order to guarantee the safety of the
Imperial Family who would’ve attended the ceremony as an exception.

To Han, Captain Solo, it didn’t matter how splendid the environment that surrounded him was,
how much richness there was in the decorations of arches and pillars all around, it didn’t even
matter that he would be given his medal by the Emperor himself: all that mattered to him was that
it was going to be his day, he would’ve finally proven to all those scions of important families that
he, a former smuggler without any noble titles, an orphan who raised himself, was no less than
them.

The hum of those present suddenly ceased and the silence made Han shift uncomfortably in his
seat, glancing at the stage where a golden protocol droid just made his entrance. The time had
finally come, then, and Han could almost feel the weight of the eyes on him. This could’ve made
most people feel embarrassed and intimidated, but for Han it was just another occasion to show his
arrogant smile.

The droid introduced himself to the audience, his robotic voice echoing everywhere and he went
on with the procedure provided in the Galactic Empire’s Code of Conduct:

« Loyal men of the Imperial Army and of the Imperial Navy, respectable members of the Galactic
Senate and functionaries of the Crown, humble servants of the immortal Galactic Empire,
welcome! »

There was a huge roar of joy coming from the crowd of people outside the walls of the Imperial
Gardens: their entrance was forbidden due to security reasons, but they could follow the event live
on a big viewscreen. In the same way, the ceremony would’ve been transmitted in every planet of
the galaxy. Only in that instant Han noticed the small holoprojectors that flied around and captured
every single thing.

« We are all here reunited for the awarding of the medal of valor, a reward for the courage and the
efforts shown in the battlefield for the Empire. »
The attendants clapped and other roars from outside the Gardens could be heard.

« Please, kneel as a sign of respect for the Imperial Family. »

Silence. Everyone knelt in the same exact moment, yet there was no sound at all. Outside, the
people fell silent at once. The only sound was that of the marching pace of the Imperial Guards
escorting the family to the stage.

« His Imperial Majesty the Supreme Galactic Emperor Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader, Lord of
the Sith, The Chosen One, General of the Imperial Army and of the Imperial Navy. »

No one dared to move a single muscle or make even the slightest of sounds, only the droid spoke
as he announced the members of the family and their titles. Everybody already knew what the
droid was going to say, yet they listened with attention and reverence as the Protocol demanded.

« His Imperial Highness the Prince Consort Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Fehin, Supreme Commander
of the Imperial Forces.

« Her Imperial Highness the Princess Leia Skywalker, heir to the Imperial Throne.

« His Imperial Highness the Prince Luke Skywalker, future General of the Imperial Army and of
the Imperial Navy. »

The silence was immediately interrupted by the attendants returning to their seats after an order
given by the Emperor with a small gesture of his hand.

Even if he was in the Navy for years, Han had never had the opportunity to see the Imperial
Family in the flesh, except for Prince Luke who took part in some missions of the Navy. In spite
of what one might think of him because of his title, the Prince was a humble and kind boy and
Han had the pleasure — many would’ve said the honor — to spend some time in his company.
He was an extraordinary pilot and he was going to be an amazing general after his father, from
whom they said he inherited his ability to fly anything.

But in that moment, Han only had eyes for the Princess who elegantly sat on her throne next to
her father’s. Despite her young age — she and her brother just turned sixteen — she was the most
beautiful girl Han had ever seen. If the Prince was told to be a great pilot like his father, she was
told to have her dead mother’s, Senator Amidala, passion for politics and looks that were truly
astonishing. She was as beautiful as unreachable, Han knew this perfectly, but he had never been
the kind of person to give up so easily.

She wore a simple white dress which fabric was surely of the best quality and which shaped her
small body perfectly. The belt and necklace were similar to the delicate tiara on her dark hair —
wore in an elaborate hairstyle — with white and blue flower-shaped gems.
Han looked at her as she lightly touched her father’s arm to obtain his attention, then whispered
something in his ear which made them both laugh. Both Prince Kenobi and Prince Luke then
turned to look at them, curious. They almost looked like an ordinary family: if someone looked at
them joking that way, they could never tell that they held the reins of the greatest empire the
galaxy had ever known.

But this detail suddenly became clear as daylight when Emperor Skywalker stood, accompanied
by thunderous applause and the screams of the people, so loud that Han thought they could make
the whole Palace crumble down. Those confused shouts of the people of Coruscant then melted in
one single scream: “Long life our Emperor Skywalker!”

Another gesture of his hand and everyone fell silent again. He smiled, careless of the
holoprojectors all focused on his imposing form. Just like the other members of the family, he
wore the clothes reserved to special occasions which, in his case, consisted of a black uniform
with blood red details. On his tunic many brooches symbolizing his military grades and
achievements were pinned, shining under the sunlight. His dark cloak was held in place by a
heavy golden chain with two sun-shaped brooches at each end, a symbol of the twin suns of
Tatooine, his home planet. As usual, his right forearm was covered by a leather glove that hid his
durasteel mechno-arm replacing the limb he lost in battle when he was younger. He also wore a
belt and his lightsaber’s hilt was attached there.

« Occasions like this one make me proud of my men, without whom the Empire would not be
able to fight the plague represented by the Rebellion, which constantly threatens the peace we
brought to the galaxy! »

Applause again, the crowd cheering: “Glory to the Galactic Empire!”

« It is with immense joy that today I will personally award Captain Solo with the Medal of Valor
that he earned with his ability and courage in guiding his squadron during the last battle in the
Hoth system, allowing the Imperial Navy to gain an important victory against the Rebels. »

Han heard his friends and fellow soldiers congratulating with him and he couldn’t help himself so
he laughed a little bit. Celebrations, however, had to wait because Han stood and made his way
towards the stage, accompanied by the scowls of those who used to make fun of him and then he
stopped a few steps below the Emperor. The golden droid approached them both holding a velvet
cushion in his hands on which lied the medal. The Emperor took it and he surprised Han by
addressing directly to the droid:

« Thank you, C-3PO. »

« It is a pleasure for me to serve you, Majesty! » came the joyful reply as the droid left.

Han bowed his head so the Emperor could put the medal around his neck. He immediately felt its
weight and he couldn’t help but wonder how much he could earn if he sold it.

Skywalker held Han’s shoulders in a firm grip through which he could clearly feel the heat of his
Skywalker held Han’s shoulders in a firm grip through which he could clearly feel the heat of his
flesh hand and the cold of his durasteel one. He then raised his head and met the Emperor’s gaze,
finding it hard to suppress the feeling of uneasiness growing within him.

There was nothing human in those eyes: it was like watching an uncontrollable and fierce fire that
would’ve burned everything standing in its way. It was like they were made of amber, with small
hints of scarlet and orange; the scar on his right eye seemed to make his gaze even more harsh and
no matter how much he smiled in that false condescending way, his eyes would’ve always struck
fear in those who met them.

Only when the Emperor looked away, Han allowed himself to do the same and he met Princess
Leia’s gaze against all odds. He slightly lowered his as a sign of respect and she replied to that
with a smile that Han would’ve always carried in his memories.

He then turned to face the attendants. There were so many people and he only knew something
like ten of them, but as everyone started applauding him, this was no longer a problem. Soon, the
Emperor’s word brought him back to reality.

« We are not here today only to celebrate Captain Solo’s courage. »

And suddenly, as if someone threw a bucket of ice at him, Han understood. The Gardens, the
Imperial Family, the event transmitted across the galaxy, the members of the Senate and of the
Imperial Forces weren’t there for him, they never were. His award was just an excuse to bring the
attention of as many people as possible. And all of a sudden Han was afraid.

Automatically, as if someone else was controlling his body, Han went back to his seat after an
order whispered by the Emperor to his ear.

« Thanks to Captain Solo and his team we were able to capture thirteen Rebels. Today they are
going to be publicly executed for High Treason and Conspiracy against the Galactic Empire. »

The silence that fell after those words made Han’s blood freeze in his veins and he had the feeling
that it fell in the whole galaxy and not just in the Gardens.

It was an unprecedented event and the attendants’ dismay was a strong proof of that. Conspirators,
dissidents and all those sentenced to death were executed privately in the presence of the Emperor
and a few officials of the Empire. In almost twenty years there had never been a public execution.
That was the first time the subjects of the Empire were forced to watch one.

Silently, escorted by a few guards, the thirteen condemned made their entrance on the stage,
wearing their usual orange uniforms and not the grey ones of the Empire’s prison, as if to highlight
their belonging to the Rebellion that dared to challenge the powerful Empire.

They were forced to kneel in front of the Emperor, their backs facing the man and their faces
towards the public. There were five women and eight men, some of them were little more than
children, probably just a few years older than the two kids of the Emperor. Some of them were
scared to death, other were crying, some others were just resigned to their inevitable destiny.

The Emperor ignited his lightsaber, the noise echoing in the entire perimeter of the Gardens. With
one sudden and sharp strike, he cut off the head of the first young rebel.

Han couldn’t take his eyes off the head falling from the girl’s neck, rolling down the steps. He
couldn’t take his eyes off that small body that collapsed onto the ground at Skywalker’s feet.

Behind the Emperor, Princess Leia brought her hands to her mouth in an attempt to muffle a
terrified scream that broke the silence — or perhaps the paralyzing fear — that accompanied the
entire execution. Prince Luke stared at the massacre stunned and disturbed, as pale as a dead man.
Kenobi’s face show no emotion at all, he didn’t make a single move besides taking the hands of
the two siblings, perhaps to comfort them.

One by one, the Rebels were mercilessly killed by the Emperor. Always the same sharp
movement of his arm, always the same silence at each death. One by one, they died without
anyone saying or doing something to avoid it. In the end, Skywalker stepped on the corpses of
those he had just executed, turned his lightsaber off and put it back on his belt. He let his gaze
wander on the attendants, as if he was watching the entire galaxy at his feet. When he finally
spoke, his voice was the one of a true leader, of a man who ruled undisputed for years.

« I turned a blind eye on the crimes of the Rebellion for years! I let them do what they wanted, I
let them believe they could truly destroy the Empire! But now that time is finally over! Today I
killed the hopes of the Rebels! I will wipe every single one of them away, I will hunt them in
every corner of the galaxy!

Today is the day of the end of the Rebellion! »

Han closed his eyes as the present and the people expressed their joy. “Death to the Rebels!”,
“Long life the Emperor!”, “Eternal glory to the Empire!” were just a few of the chants coming
from the outside, from the crowd that seemed to have suddenly waken up, stronger and fiercer
than ever, as if they didn’t witness an execution just a few minutes before.

Han lowered his eyes to look at the medal chained to his neck and he was so disgusted by it that
he wished to rip it off and run away from that place.

That day had never been his.

It had been a declaration of war since the beginning.

While wandering in the great corridors with high ceilings of the Imperial Palace, the guard tried to
make the least possible noise. It almost seemed like the giant structure, with the night, was emptied
by its inhabitants and that no one besides her was inside.

She finally arrived to the private chambers of His Majesty and, as usual, she saw two more guards
watching the entrance. She approached and identified herself, explaining the reason that had
brought her there.
« His Highness the Prince Consort Kenobi requests the presence of the Emperor in his private
room. I have the order to escort him. »

It wasn’t a rare request at all, it happened all the time, actually. The two guards nodded and
opened the door for her, closing it behind her after she was inside. It took her quite a lot to adjust
to the darkness of the room, but the curtains let a small beam of light in that allowed her to find her
way.

She removed the heavy helmet and approached the bed. The Emperor was sound asleep and her
intrusion seemed to not have bothered him. She was happy about it and she would’ve smiled if
she wasn’t so nervous. But she had to act and she had to do it quickly or she wouldn’t have an
occasion like that one ever again.

With a swift movement she jumped on the bed, straddling the man as he jolted awake. Using the
surprise factor, the guard was able to held a knife to his throat and he seemed to abandon any will
to struggle against her. She could feel her heart in her chest beating fast and its frenetic throb
seemed to flow through the arm that was holding the weapon, making her hand shake hard. The
Emperor looked calm and stared at her with his horrible golden eyes.

« Don’t move or I swear I will cut your throat! » she whispered, almost fearing that the other
guards would hear her.

Skywalker smiled. A smile that shouldn’t have been there on his face. He should’ve been
surprised, scared, but that perverted cheerfulness on his face was starting to scare her.

« Padmé. How long has it been? »

The woman took a sharp breath and tightened her grip on the dagger.

It’s now or never.

 Alive And Kicking
Chapter Notes

I am really sorry for updating this late, but translating the chapters was harder than
expected and it required much more work than I thought. Anyway, here's the second
chapter, I hope you will enjoy it! And, as usual, please forgive me for any mistakes.

“See how I leave with every piece of you

Don’t underestimate the things that I will do.
There’s a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch and it’s bringing me out the dark.”
— Rolling In The Deep; Adele

Year 0. Birth of the Galactic Empire.

Polis Massa Medical Facility.

It felt like a simple thing like opening her eyes required all of her strength or what was left of it.
Even when Padmé could finally open them, she was immediately forced to close her eyes again in
order to avoid the burning feeling that the blinding lights caused her. She felt trapped in her own
body which she wasn’t able to properly control yet. She breathed in, but the air in her throat felt
like it was made of a million tiny pieces of shattered glass that hurt her and the memory of the
invisible hold around her neck hit her with violence, making her shiver. The familiar yet
extraneous image of Anakin’s face, indelibly carved in her memory, dominated each one of her
thoughts.

Another attempt. This time she could keep her eyes open, but she struggled to focus on the
environment around her. The strong smell was the typical one of a medical facility, but Padmé
was already perfectly aware to be in such a place .

The children. The mere thought of them was enough to give her the strength to sit and look for her
newborn twins around her. Where were they? Were they safe? When would she hold them again?

In that moment she saw two dark, indistinguishable figures next to her bed, but even if she wasn’t
able to look at their faces yet, their voices allowed her to understand who they were.

« Twins. I still can’t believe it. »

Anakin. He was alright and he was next to her. Padmé had never truly lost her hope, she had
always known that her husband wasn’t evil.

« Anakin, she’s awake. »

Obi-Wan. He was there too. He surely had saved Anakin and convinced him that falling to the
Dark Side was a huge mistake.
Padmé was finally able to look at the both of them. They still had marks on them from their battle,
the burns were more visible on Obi-Wan’s lighter robes. But they were both safe, whatever had
happened, it stayed on that fire planet. Each one of them held a small bundle of white sheets. It
was impossible to tell who was holding Luke and who was holding Leia, though.

She smiled lightly, calmed by the sight of two men she knew she could trust with the twins in their
arms. Time would heal their wounds, she was sure of it, they would be fine after all.

« Ani ... » she murmured, realizing how much her voice was low and hoarse.

Her husband turned to face her and the smile on the woman’s lips fell.

She didn’t met the intense blue of his eyes, in which so many times she had found comfort and
love, next to which she had fallen asleep and woken up a million times. That beautiful color, even
in its cold shade, was gone. In its place there was the same color of the lava of that world which
Anakin would’ve brought inside him self and which would consume all the good that was left in
him, which would kil l Anakin and le ave a man that Padmé didn’t know and never would be able
to love.

She was forced to see those same eyes in Obi-Wan and s he wished she could die. All her
certainties and her hopes were wiped away as she stared at their faces and couldn’t bring herself
to make even the slightest of the movements. Anakin and Obi-Wan didn’t exist anymore , darkness
had swallowed them whole and would nourish their hearts and infect their bodies until it was too
late. They would never come back.

« Obi-Wan … you too ... »

The man didn’t reply and he lowered his gaze on the kid he was holding. An image that one
moment before had warmed her heart for its apparent sweetness, but now just scared her and
provoked a sharp feeling of disgust in her.

« They are beautiful. »

Anakin held one of his children and looked at him like it was the most precious object in the whole
galaxy. Padmé had never had any doubts that it would’ve been like this, yet she couldn’t be happy
and all she desired was to take the babies away from Anakin and Obi-Wan. Then she would ran
away with her kids, she would protect them from those evil people who should’ve protected them
instead.

« It is time. We must leave. » Obi-Wan said .

They stood up. Suddenly Padmé was filled with the most extreme terror, but it wasn’t enough to
stop her from going for Anakin’s coat and try to grab it. She failed, though, and she was left with
the horrible feeling of the fabric slipping away from her fingers.

« You despise me and what I have become. But you see, my love, this is nothing more than a
demonstration of how much I care about you. This is why I allow you to say goodbye to the
children. »

« No … n-no! ANAKIN! »

Each one of her efforts to get out of the bed, reach them and try to stop them was blocked by
nonexistent restraints which kept her from doing any movement. No matter how loud she
screamed, no one seemed to care and no one came to help her babies.

Anakin turned his head before leaving her room, the newborn in his arms crying desperately,
probably upset by his mother’s screams and by something that only he and his father were able to
feel.

« You had a choice, Padmé. Stay by my side or stand against me. Accept the price of your
decision. »

Only when the door closed behind his back, muffling the baby’s cries , Padmé felt released and
free to move again. She ran to the door, but she wasn’t able to open it because someone had
changed the access code. She could do nothing but watch as Anakin walked away through the
illuminated corridor. She vehemently banged her fists on the glass and howled with her whole
voice, she screamed until what came out from her mouth was nothing more than a feeble rattle.
She was left alone with her own helplessness which threatened to crush her under its weight. Not
only did she lose her babies, but she lost her husband and best friend and a man who had been
able to gain her trust since the very first moment. It was as if the two men took with them a piece
of her as well, leaving her wounded and bleeding.

She burst into tears, overwhelmed by her own pain and she sunk to the floor, sliding against the
cold wall. All that could warm her were the tears that streamed down her pale and tired face.

She wasn’t able to tell with certainty how much time had passed when the door slid open again ,
making her wince. Rising her gaze, Padmé recognized the man that came in as Bail Organa. She
stood, helped by him, unable to ignore the troubled look on his face.

« Padmé, how are you? »

The woman didn’t answer. The fact that Bail asked her that precise question instead of wanting to
know what had happened was a clear sign that probably he already knew everything. There was
no need for her to say anything more.

« What happened? » she asked then.

« Palpatine’s dead. »

Padmé lowered her gaze. There was something else, she could tell it from Bail’s voice, by the way
he tightened his grip on her arms. There was something else and she wasn’t ready for it.

« Anakin took his place. »

That simple sentence was enough to start the hell which the former senator would call “life”.

Present day. 16 years After the Birth of the Empire.

Prison of the Imperial Palace. 7 th lower level. Cell K-2187.
Federal District, Coruscant.

Time changes things. The more time passes the more everything is transformed, shaped into
something else. But sometimes time doesn’t touch things and it leaves them the way they’ve
always been. And it really looked like time hadn’t even dared to gently brush the face of the
woman facing him.

The last time Obi-Wan saw Senator Amidala’s face was when he took one of her newborn
children away from her for good, complicit in Anakin’s actions. Yet, as he silently watched her,
he almost had the illusion that a few days had passed from that night instead of sixteen years. She
looked as young and beautiful as she used to be.

Behind the thick transparisteel that surrounded the cell, the woman was sitting on the floor,
holding her legs close to her chest and her chin rested on her knees. She wore a prison uniform too
big for her and with her long hair down she looked remarkably like her daughter. She didn’t seem
upset nor worried by the idea of being imprisoned, but this was hardly surprising for Obi-Wan.

« Maximum security? I’m starting to think that I’m special. » he heard her say through the
speakers that allowed to easily listen and speak to the prisoners.

Obi-Wan raised a faint smile, lightly tilting his head to the side as he joined his hands behind his
back.

« The cells are all the same. No favouritism, just additional precautions. »

« Additional precautions for the one who tried to kill the Emperor? »

« We both know that wasn’t your aim. »

The expression of mocking irony on Padmé’s face faded and in its place there was a stoic
seriousness. But Obi-Wan could feel her emotions behind that mask. He knew he had said words
that left a mark in the woman’s determined soul.

« Was it the first time you saw the twins? » he asked, calmly.

Padmé didn’t say a word, but Obi-Wan saw her hands beginning to tremble in spite of her efforts
to hide it by grabbing the fabric of her uniform.

Both Luke and Leia grew isolated from the rest of the galaxy because of their father’s want. They
had never left the Palace, except for short periods of time and rigorously escorted by an
exceptional convoy. But for sixteen years he had dedicated an almost maniacal and obsessive care
to the calculation of the chances that the mother of his children had to meet them or even see them.
Obviously, the twins had always interpreted that as their father’s over protectiveness, but they
ignored the actual reason behind his actions since Anakin had always told them of his wife’s tragic
death during the Clone Wars. Padmé Amidala had never existed for Luke and Leia and, in the
same exact way, the twins didn’t exist for their mother.

The ceremony that took place that morning, though, showed the Emperor’s children to the whole
galaxy including Padmé and Obi-Wan knew his life partner had predicted even that small detail.
In what had been an open declaration of war against the Rebellion, Anakin thought well of
striking General Amidala’s weak spot. He had made sure that she saw what he had took from her
sixteen years earlier with her own eyes. And judging by the woman’s reckless actions, he had
played it right.

Since he received no answer, Obi-Wan decided to go on speaking:

« I don’t doubt you want to kill him: you hate him for what he did to you. But his death wasn’t
what you wanted, not now. His Majesty’s murder is a crime punished with a faith worse than
death and you want to stay here, in the Palace. You naively hope to see them again, maybe to
speak with them. Do you really think we’re so stupid to indulge your pathetic plan? »

He saw her standing, walk to the transparisteel wall and put a hand on it, as if she wanted to reach
and touch Obi-Wan, a few steps away on the other side of it. Her lips were trembling and the man
had the feeling she wanted to say something, but she couldn’t find the words to express it.
« Neither Luke nor Leia are authorized to enter the prison. And even if, by any chance, they’d
happen to be here, you can be sure that he will do everything to prevent his children from
knowing you. You won’t be staying here for the rest of your life, General. Soon, you won’t be a
problem anymore. »

He didn’t care to see the woman’s reaction, he had other business to attend to. He turned, his back
facing the cell, moving the first steps to reach the exit of the seventh lower level, but he was soon
forced to stop.

« What happened on Mustafar, Obi-Wan? How could you fall so low? »

For a moment, those few words were able to keep him still very close to the cell, his mind
wandering to memories that he partly wished to erase for good. He glanced at Padmé over his
shoulder and the sound of his laugh was monotonous, flat. He saw the tears on her face and only
then he faced her again.

« That is not my name. »

Year 0. Birth of the Galactic Empire.

Mustafar System, Outer Rim.

The man he had called “Master” for his entire life fell to his knees in front of him, his fingers
loosened their grip on his weapon until it fell to the ground, the sound muffled by the loud
explosions of that living planet all around them. In his eyes and in his soul there was nothing but
pain, a pain so great it echoed in the Force in a way that gave Anakin the illusion he could almost
touch it. Pain, loss, heartbreak and a terrible void.

« It’s over, Obi-Wan »

The blue light of Anakin’s lightsaber, in such contrast with the red surrounding them, was very
close to Obi-Wan’ s neck who didn’t move back, but instead held his gaze fixed in Anakin’s. He
squeezed the hilt of his lightsaber as he mentally repeated to himself that one only, simple
movement of his arm was enough to take that man’s life at whose face he couldn’t stop looking.

He had decided to turn against him, he had to die like everybody else did. He had put Padmé
against him as well, convincing her that he was on the wrong side, that she had to let him go for
good because he would’ve never been the same again . And those were the reasons why he had to
kill him. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it, he couldn’t. The hand holding the saber was
motionless.

« FIGHT BACK! » he shouted, desperate more than furious.

There was a bitter smile on the former master’s dry lips, a different smile, but it remembered
Anakin of all the smiles he had seen on that same face, so rare that he could count them on the
fingers of one hand. So rare that each one of them seemed engraved in his memory as if it was in
marble.

« Why should I, Anakin? You said it yourself: it’s over. You won, kill me. »

His voice was calm, as usual, almost as if they were still at the Temple and those words were just
another of the lectures that Obi-Wan had given to him through the years.

Anakin was shaking. He would’ve blamed the cold, if only that damned planet wasn’t so hot it
was hard to breathe and sweat stuck his clothes to his skin. He was shaking because he was
scared, he was shaking because he wasn’t brave enough to take that one last life.

« You want to die like this? Without fighting!? »

« I fought and I lost. I haven’t got much choice. I knew it would end like this since the beginning. I
could never kill you, not even now that I barely recognize you. »

Anakin had earned the upper hand in that fight that had reached its end, but it was Obi-Wan the
one who struck the fatal blow. A blow that wouldn’t le ave any scars, that wouldn’t open any
wounds or le ave him dying on the ground, but not any less lethal. Because it hit his heart, that
small part of him that perhaps the darkness would’ve never conquered, it hit his insecurities, his
hesitancy. Obi-Wan said he couldn’t kill him and Anakin was facing the same exact knowledge in
that moment.

They could fight for the rest of their lives on that waste land, there would never be a winner or a
loser . An infinite fight between two men who didn’t want to take each other’s lives and who had
found themselves wishing to lose that battle multiple times. Anakin was at one step away from
winning, but he didn’t want victory, not if it came with that price. He wouldn’t kill Obi-Wan, ever.

« Don’t you understand?! You’re giving your life for an order and for some ideals that no longer
exist! What did the Jedi give you, Obi-Wan? Only suffering! It was because of them that you lost
Qui-Gon and it was them who sent you here to die! This entire war is the Order’s fault! They
claim to be peacekeepers, but they didn’t hesitate to participate in this conflict. We all are nothing
but pawns in their eyes, our lives are nothing, we are expendable. »

« Even if what you say it’s true, why would it matter now? It’s too late. »

The blue light of the saber between their bodies vanished and the arm that wielded the weapon
went limp at Anakin’s side. The battle with no winner, with only two survivors, two wounded
souls too damaged not to bring that planet and their battle inside them forever ended with that
simple gesture.

Anakin came closer to Obi-Wan who was still kneeling on the dark gravel and he took his head in
his hands, obliging him to raise it so their eyes could meet.

« It’s not too late. Come with me. Leave everything you believe in behind. »

« To become a Sith? »

« To be free. »

He saw a shadow in Obi-Wan’s eyes and he felt the hesitancy in his soul. But it was only for a
brief moment and then the man went back to hiding his thought to Anakin and to his usual calm
which, Anakin was sure of this, was nothing but a mask. Inside, Obi-Wan felt all the feelings that
he was taught to ignore, to pretend they weren’t even there.

« You won’t have to hide anymore. You can have everything you want and be what you want to
be. There will be no one to tell you that you can’t have what you desire, no one will tell you that
what you feel is wrong. Come with me, Obi-Wan. You won’t see the horrors of war anymore
because you and I will bring peace to the galaxy. What is mine will be yours as well and I
promise you, you will forget what suffering tastes like. »

Obi-Wan lowered his head, his knuckles brushing the ground. It was the portrait of a tired man,
of a man who no longer had the strength to fight. It was the portrait of someone who had lost
everything, of someone who doesn’t know what his reason to wake up and face another day will
be, if he would open his eyes again to live another one.

Anakin promised him of realizing all his wishes. Little did he know that the only thing he had
wished for his entire life was standing in front of him. Anakin said he could make him forget the
taste of suffering. He couldn’t know that it had his same exact taste, prohibited and unknown.
“You can have everything you want”, but there was just one thing he had ever wanted.

« Just kill me, Anakin. »

Because dying would’ve been easier than watching him as he destroyed himself with his own
hands, than listening to his mad, delirious words. Dying by the hands of the boy he had raised
and loved was the way he wanted to go, if he had to.

« I can’t kill you. »

« Why? »

Their eyes met one last time. The distance between them was erased and he felt softer lips on his
dry ones, fingers running through his tangled hair. He let go, for the first time in his life, he let a
warmth different than the one surrounding them to fill him so intensely that his head began to spin
and he tasted without fear those lips he had only imagined for so long.

Obi-Wan was a man who had lost everything, who no longer had the strength to fight. He had
lost everything except the only thing his heart had ever desired. And if he had to surrender to the
darkness not to lose his last reason to go on leaving, he would’ve done so.

And he did.

He lost himself in that kiss and in Anakin.

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