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After his new young charge calmed down, Plo excused himself for just a moment to send a message out to his fellow Councilors. He insisted that all who could do so meet them in the Room of a Thousand Fountain’s within an hour. To none of his surprise, only a handful were available.
He was grateful for the four that agreed to meet them. Kit, Mace, Shaak and Yoda were without a doubt the best, and most important, to introduce his youngling to in a safe, open environment. He only hoped that this meeting would go significantly better than their first.
Plo knew the best way to assure that would happen was with open communication. So when he returned to Anakin, he knelt down before him and said softly, “Young one, I would like to take you to a place in the Temple called the Room of a Thousand Fountains.
Anakin’s eyes went huge as he gasped. “There are a thousand fountains! ”
“Perhaps. There could even be more. I am not sure if anyone has ever counted them before."
“Can I count them!”
He chuckled at the boy’s enthusiasm. “Someday I’m sure you can. Right now, I would like us to meet with some of my colleagues on the Council."
Anakin’s arms wrapped sound himself and he glanced down to his feet. “But they don’t like me."
“Anakin, no. That isn’t true.”
“Is so! They say I’m too scared and dangerous! You said I didn’t have to go, but what if they make me go!” he lifted his head and whispered, “Please don’t make me go."
“Anakin, little flame, you will not have to go anywhere.” Plo assured him. “Neither I nor my friends will make you go anywhere. You’re one of us, Anakin."
“I, I am?” he blinked wide eyes multiple times before asking, “I thought I wasn’t allowed?”
“You are. I plan on training you myself.”
“You are!” he exclaimed, arms dropping and mouth falling open.
“Yes, young one. I am. And I would like the opportunity to introduce you to my friends. Truly introduce you without any misunderstandings and confusion. Would you please give me the opportunity to do so?"
“They won't make you get rid of me or change your mind?”
“No, little flame. Nothing could get me to change my mind. Nor would any of them try, I assure you.”
Anakin bit his lip and gave a very slow nod. “Okay. I, I can meet them.”
Plo smiled behind his mask and gave a deep nod. “Thank you, Anakin. I assure you, you will not regret it."
He stood then and guided Anakin through the temple to the Room of a Thousand Fountains. When they entered, the apprehension the young one was feeling evaporated into awe and his fire within the Force grew.
“There is so much water !” he gasped. “You aren’t going to run out, right?”
“No, young one. We have more than enough water to go around. There are even water levels of the Temple meant for the more aquatic species of Jedi.”
“There are aquatic species !?”
“Of course there are.”
“Are you one?” he asked with a curious tilt of his head. “Is that why you wear that thing on your face?”
Plo chuckled and shook his head. “No, I am a Kel Dor. We cannot breathe oxygen, only nitrogen, so I must wear this when I am not in my own room.”
“ Wizard .” he breathed out, awe brightening his fire. Though, the brilliant light dimmed significantly when they reached the meeting place where the other four were already standing in a loose circle.
As they approached, each of them gave Plo questioning looks while sending out nothing but open curiosity in the Force. Anakin, though, slowed his steps so he was walking directly behind Plo. He curled behind Plo’s robes to insure that his small form was mostly obscured by Plo’s leg. As if he was afraid to have the other Councilors look at him more than they already had.
Plo hated how afraid his youngling still was of them and reached down to place what he hoped would be a comforting hand on the boy’s head. He then directed his attention to his friends and said softly, “I would like to properly introduce you to my youngling here, Anakin Skywalker. A bright flame in the Force, and a boy who up until about fifty-three minutes ago, believed that he was still enslaved.”
At those words, all four Councilors’ had very obvious, for them if you knew what to look for, reactions of shock. Mace’s eyes went wide. Kit took in a pained hissing breath. Shaak curled her arms around herself and frowned. And worst of all, at least in Plo’s opinion, Yoda’s ears drooped so low they touched his shoulders.
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.” Shaak remarked softly. “You thought you were a slave, young one?”
Anakin tilted his head up to peer imploringly at Plo, who gave him a questioning tilt of his head and furrowed brow.
“Would you like me to explain, little flame?”
He gave a jerky nod, so Plo looked back to the others, sending a sense of grim regret through the Force as he did so. “Anakin is from Tatooine, where he was enslaved by a being named Watto. Jinn won his freedom by betting on Anakin in a pod race, though due to a misunderstanding of him keeping the detonator to Anakin’s slave chip, the youngling here believed that Quin-Gon didn’t win his freedom, but won him .”
Shock, regret and a bit of fury flooded the Force for a brief second before all four of them pulled it back in and sent it away with calming breaths. Mace, the one the fury had come from, gave Anakin a questioning look.
“Young Skywalker, can you tell us in your words what you believed this morning was?” he asked with a pinched brow.
Anakin gripped the back of Plo’s robe and cleared his throat sharply before practically whispering, “An, an auction, sir.”
“An auction!” Kit exclaimed, which caused Anakin to flinch and jerk back behind Plo. The nautolan frowned and continued softer, “I’m sorry I scared you young one, but an auction ?”
He gave a shallow jerky nod and the four of them gave off the same shame and regret that Plo had felt earlier. Yoda looked more distraught than Plo could ever remember seeing him.
“Explain why, could you please, young one?” he asked gently and Anakin frowned.
“Well, I mean, because it was just like one? A group of Masters studied me, asked all these questions, tested what I could do and decided my worth. The only thing that was different was I kept my clothes on."
Shaak actually gasped at that, one of her hands flying up to cover her mouth as her eyes went impossibly wide. She quickly dropped it though and hurried forward to kneel in front of Anakin. “Young one, I am so sorry. We have truly failed you, all over something so easily fixed. Had we known your origins, had we known you still believed yourself enslaved, none of today would have happened."
“Would, would you have wanted me if you had known?"
“It wasn’t a case of us not wanting you,” Mace spoke up gently as he came to sit beside Shaak. “It was that we didn’t believe you wanted to be here.”
“I do!” he exclaimed. “I do, and, and if you need me to forget everything about Tatooine to be good enough, I will! I promise!”
“Young one, no.” Kit said as he too joined them. “That isn’t, we don’t want you to do that. The Order doesn’t make its members forsake their birth cultures.”
“Thought you wanted to be elsewhere, we did.” Yoda pushed past Mace and Shaak to stand right before Anakin. “Feel your fear, we could. Understand it, we did not. Thought longing for your mother, you were.”
“I just worry Watto is gonna sell her to someone bad, that’s all!” he tried to assure them. “I promise I won’t think about her! I’ll let go, Masters, I will!”
“She’s still enslaved?” Mace asked in a tight voice and Anakin nodded.
“Master Jinn couldn’t get enough to buy her too."
“Anakin, you do know you’re free right? Plo told you so?” Shaak asked, glancing up to Plo as she did so.
Plo nodded, as did Anakin. Though his nod was accompanied by uncertainty.
“I know I am.” he admitted softly even as his gaze remained firmly downcast.
“May I ask then, little one, why do you keep saying master like that?” Kit questioned softly.
“Like, like, what Master?”
All five of them winced and Plo replied softly, “As if the word places us far above you. Like we are your betters who have control of your life, your actions. You say it, little flame, as if merely a word from us could end your life.”
“I, but, all of those facts are true?” he stuttered. “I may be free, but you are still Master’s aren’t you?"
“Slavers, the Jedi are not."
“I, I know!” Anakin defended. “But you’re still Masters . You still are my betters, you still are in charge of me. Right?”
“Not like that.” Mace refuted firmly. “Anakin, is Basic the first language you learned?”
He shook his head so Mace asked again, “Second?”
Another head shake and a frown from the Korun. “Anakin, how many languages did you fluently speak before you began to learn Basic?”
“Four.” he replied before his eyes went wide. “I mean three! Three! Huttese, Binary and Ryl.”
The five of them exchanged glances at his misstep, but none wanted to question it. Instead, Mace continued his gentle line of questioning.
“So, Basic is your fourth language?”
“Yes, Master.”
Mace winced at the boy's infliction but continued softly, “So, if I were to ask the meaning of Master and Instructor, how many definitions would you give?”
Anakin frowned. “One. They’re the same word.”
“What about Master and Teacher?”
“Still the same.”
“And if I were to say teaching and guiding? What about then?”
“Well, of course those are different! Teaching is instructing, making sure you learn a lesson. Guiding is helping someone forward, showing them the way and making sure they understand about life.”
“I see.” Mace nodded. “And a Master, they teach you things?”
“Everything. How to behave, how to look, how to act. You learn what is safe and what isn’t from a Master. You learn duties and chores and whatever else they want you to know.”
“If that is what a Master does, who guides you?"
“Your parents, or the Elders.”
“And who are the Elders?”
“Older slaves who have earned their title. They have lived life, faced trials, and are there to guide the younglings through the hardships of life."
“I understand where the confusion is coming from.” Mace gave Anakin a soft smile. “A Jedi Master is not like a slave master, Anakin. It is a title we too have earned through trials, tests and study. We are not here to dictate your life, and while there are of course rules in place they are not to control you. They are to protect you. Every Master in this temple is here to guide the younger generation. We are here to be sure you make it through life. We are not here to control your every action, or to harm you when you do something wrong. No Master would ever think of harming you, young one. All we wish to do is guide you."
“Oh.” he whispered, his eyes once more brimming with tears. “You’re an Elder?"
“By both age, and your definition.” Kit teased, which caused Mace to send him an unimpressed look while Anakin giggled.
“My title is Master Jedi, but yes, Anakin, as you perceive it I am a Jedi Elder. And until you can say Master without meaning the other thing, no one would be opposed to you calling them Elder. Or if you wish, with those on the Council, Councilor. Even just the title of ‘Jedi’ would suffice.”
“So, so no one here is a teacher like that?”
“The way of the Jedi, that is not.” Yoda assured him. “You encounter a teacher as you say, tell us you must. Wrong, they would be.”
“Yes, Elder.” Anakin agreed immediately, the words coming out of his mouth finally sounding like what Plo was accustomed to hearing. Reverence, respect and honor filled Anakin’s voice, not nerve-soaked fear and distrust.
“Anakin, another question.” Mace stated suddenly. “If I were to say attachment and love?”
“You would be saying the same word again, Elder.”
“I thought as much.” Mace sighed. “Anakin, I want to make it very clear that it is perfectly okay for you to love your mother.”
His brow furrowed and confusion swelled. “I was told that was bad. That Jedi aren’t meant to love.”
“Jedi are encouraged to love.” Shaak corrected gently. “Love, compassion, empathy, those are strong tenants of what it means to be a Jedi. What is forbidden, and which no being should ever feel for the pain it would cause, is possessive love .”
“I still don’t understand.” Anakin admitted weakly. “Love is love.”
“Yes, it is.” Kit agreed. “But how you go about loving is what is different.”
“Love your mother, you should. Try to own her, you should not.”
“Of course not!” he exclaimed, jerking away from Yoda with wide eyes. “I would never!”
“Elder Yoda chose the wrong words, Anakin.” Plo assured him. “What he means is you must love your mother selflessly. Love her, honor her, miss her, but never let that love become twisted to possession. Selfless love is doing what is best for the one you love and the world around them, even if it means hurting yourself in the process.”
“Like my mom letting me go even though it made her really, really sad?” he asked and Shaak nodded immediately.
“A parent’s love is the most selfless love there is.” She agreed kindly. “And a Jedi’s is not far behind. We love the whole galaxy, Anakin, and while there may be some beings we love more than others, we cannot let that love guide our actions in a way that could be harmful to others.”
Anakin blinked in confusion, small face lost, and Mace gave a sigh.
“I love my former Padawan, Depa.” He explained. “She is my daughter in everything but blood. She is the most important being in the galaxy to me. Yet, were she to be in danger and my going to her assistance would kill or harm multiple innocent lives, I must let her weather that danger on her own. And, Force forbid, I lose her, I must process the grief I feel and let her join the Force. Revenge and anger would do nothing to honor her memory, and would only hurt myself and others around me.”
“I, I think I understand.” he replied softly. “It's like, if we were sold apart. There is nothing we could do to stop it, and fighting would only hurt us more. I love mom, but I can’t cling to her when it’ll just get myself or another slave hurt.” His eyes dropped down and he whispered, “I’m still scared that Watto is gonna sell her to a brothel."
“No one is selling your mother anywhere, child, because we will be freeing her.” Shaak stated simply and Anakin gasped.
“You will!"
“One of us, you are.” Yoda stated with a nod. “Leave your mother to suffer, we shall not."
“One of you?"
“You still wish to be a Jedi, yes?” Mace asked and Anakin gave a very enthusiastic nod. Mace then smiled and continued with, “Then a Jedi you will be. Though, perhaps not trained under Qui-Gon.”
Plo was certain that the last bit hadn’t meant to be heard by them but it had and he couldn’t help but to give a small grin. He then reached down to squeeze Anakin’s shoulder gently. “That won’t be an issue, Mace. Anakin shall be my Padawan.”
“Yours?” Mace raised an eyebrow. “Are you certain?”
“Mhmm.” he gave a simple nod. “The Force wills it, after all."
“Ah, so you’re calling the Force card!” Kit explained. “Kid, you should come with me. You’re from the desert, right? I can take you to all the best water spots!"
“I don’t know how to be in water and not die.” Anakin admitted softly.
“I can show you!”
“Show him to swim, you can.” Yoda agreed. “Yet, Guide him Plo will. Wills it, as he says, the Force does.”
Kit, and to Plo's surprise Shaak and Mace, deflated slightly. Anakin though, exploded in bright wonder and asked, “You, you all wanted me to learn from you?
“You are very bright in the Force, Anakin.” Shaak replied.
“And very intelligent.” Mace added.
“Any of us would be proud to be the one who guides you.” Kit stated firmly.
“But, but you didn’t want me!?”
“Understand, we did not.” Yoda shook his head with a sad smile. “Know you, we do now. Speak to you, we should have. Ask questions, we should have. Meant to be a Jedi, you are. Blinded by unknown ignorance we were. Forgive us, we ask."
“Elder Plo says the Jedi are family.” Anakin stated softly. “Is that true?"
“It is.” Mace agreed while the others nodded.
“So, that means we’re family?"
“Of course it does, kid.” Kit assured firmly.
“Then of course I forgive you.” he stated with a firm nod. “My mom says lots of important things, and one of those is that you always listen to and forgive family, since you don’t know how long you will have them."
“Wise, your mother sounds. Look forward to meeting her, I do."
Anakin nodded eagerly. “She’s very smart! You’ll like her, I know it!”
Plo smiled behind his mask and nodded to the three seated before him. “Thank you, Councilor’s for meeting with my Padawan and I. If you would excuse us though, I do believe Anakin has a very important meeting to get to.”
Anakin leaned his head back to look into Plo’s face and asked with a furrowed brow, “I do?”
“Of course, little flame. You wish to have that chip out, don’t you."
He turned into a roaring bonfire and nodded. “Yes! Yes, let's go!” he paused then and asked, “What, what about Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Padme? Should I talk to them first?”
Mace pushed himself to his feet and shook his head. “Don’t concern yourself, youngling. We will speak with Qui-Gon, and be sure that your friends know where you are. You just be concerned about getting that chip out and recovering.
“Okay.” he hesitated and then asked, “Elder, will you send someone else with Elder Jinn? The scary zabrak, he was, he wasn’t good and I’m worried he will hurt him if they see each other again. He almost killed us both on Tatooine.”
Plo and his fellow Councilor’s exchanged worried looks and Yoda nodded, “Discuss it more, we will. Worry not, you should.”
Anakin nodded and then reached his hand over to grab a hold of Plo’s. He sent the youngling a hidden smile and strong brush of affection.
“Shall we, then, my Padawan.”
He gave an enthusiastic nod, and with a practiced bow on Plo’s part and a hesitant one on Anakin’s they left the others’ sides.
That had gone as well as Plo had hoped it too. He knew that they would see who Anakin was as soon as they saw him without the veil of misinformation. He knew that they would realize what every other Jedi who got to know the boy did. That Anakin was one of them.
As they made their way towards the Halls of Healing, the Force around them flowed happily. It was lighter and freer than it had been in a long while, certainly lighter than it had been all day. Plo knew without a doubt that taking Anakin as his apprentice was more than just a good idea, it was well and truly what the Force willed. And who were they to argue with the Force?