Chapter Text
Obi-Wan looked away, unable to look at his brother. His fallen brother. But Obi-Wan could not block out the screams. He could not block out Anakin’s cries of agony as he burned. So Obi-Wan left, it was far too late to do anything. He could not save Anakin, and now Anakin was dying.
While heading back to the ship he saw his padawan unconscious on the ground. Carefully he picked her up, “I am sorry Grim, you should not have seen that,” Obi-Wan apologized. His heart sank ever lower when he saw where Grim’s left arm should be. Anakin had removed it, and Obi-Wan wasn’t there to stop his padawans from destroying each other. Before he even had gotten the chance to comfort Grim, he and Anakin had begun to fight. “You should not have gone through this,” he amended.
In his arms Grim shifted slightly as if trying to hug him. The tears he was holding back had begun to fall at that, “oh Grim, I am so sorry.”
***
“Obi-Wan?” asked Grim tiredly. “What happened?” Obi-Wan looked at her sadly, and it seemed she remembered. “Oh. Mustafar...so does that mean?”
He bowed his head, “Anakin is dead,” he replied quietly, the guilt still enveloping him. “I killed him.” The words made it feel so much more real, and it hurt. He had killed his brother .
“I’m sorry. I should’ve done more to stop this...I knew it would happen and still I....”
“None of this is your fault, padawan,” Obi-Wan replied, with an attempt of a smile to comfort her. The fact that Grim blamed herself for everything caused his heart to sink even more.
Grim attempted to smile back, but he knew it was just as fake as a way to comfort. They both knew they were forever scarred by Anakin’s betrayal and were just trying to give the other comfort. “What about Padmé? Is she still alive or has she died?”
“I am sorry padawan, but she died after giving birth to twins,” Obi-Wan replied sadly. So many have died today.
“So I missed my chance to say goodbye…” Grim was crying now.
Obi-Wan hugged her, “I am sorry Grim.”
Grim hugged him back, sobbing into his robes. “I am so, so, so, so incredibly sorry I never told you. I was just so….” she trailed off.
“Scared?” he offered. “I understand. You shouldn’t blame yourself for this. It wasn’t as if you were in control of everything no one is.”
“You’re right,” Grim replied.
“There is another thing, Grim,” Obi-Wan told her. He and Master Yoda had discussed it and they had agreed.
“What is it?” Grim asked nervously.
Yoda walked into the room, “a Knight you are ready to be young Grim.”
“What?!” asked Grim sitting up. “No! I’m not! I failed to save everyone! The Jedi are gone, something I could’ve stopped if I wasn’t such, such a….coward.”
“Did the best you could, got far you did, learn you did,” Yoda said. “A coward you are not, just because failed you have.”
“Yoda is right Grim, you learned more than most Jedi in just three years and just because you have failed to save everyone doesn’t mean you are a coward. You never had to do what you did and yet you chose to because you cared. You have shown the traits of a Jedi again and again, and now I believe it’s time that you become a Knight,” explained Obi-Wan. There had of course been times where Grim had struggled, but Obi-Wan had watched her stand up and try again. Never giving up on the light. He had seen her through her worst and her best. He was certain that Grim was ready.
“But,but, I, I don’t understand…..”
“You’re ready Grim,” Obi-Wan repeated.
“I am ready,” decided Grim.
It had been a short ceremony as they couldn’t go through all the rituals. At the end Grim had bowed and said, “thank you, masters.”
“I’m very proud of you Grim,” Obi-Wan had replied. “You’ve gone through many things and raised above those challenges. Challenges you never had to face but chose to face.” It was true, he was proud of Grim, so very proud of his padawan. Despite everything she had never given up.
Perhaps there weren’t that many Jedi left, perhaps for now the darkness had won, but it wouldn’t always roam. As long as there was just one person who held onto the light. Held on to hope. Light would shine on the galaxy again.