Star Wars: Into The Dark || A Luke and Anakin Skywalker Story

Twelve || Changing

His father told him the next morning.

Of course he didn't want to hear it; he didn't want to hear anything of the sort. Not after what he had seen. Not after the lava; not after the pain, the lightning and the words, the things the Emperor said to his father that still rung out in Luke's poor mind.

"Luke - the Chancellor wants to speak with you in his office this morning. He told me to tell you, but... it's a private meeting. I wasn't... asked to tag along," Anakin had told Luke the following morning.

Luke didn't want to hear this. He couldn't imagine showing up to the Chancellor's office, all alone, all by himself without his father or his mother or anyone, for that matter. Facing that - demon - all by himself. Could he do it? Could he withstand it? He didn't know.

The Emperor could kill him.

He could barely reply to his father who looked almost rejected for having not been invited to the meeting. Maybe this will help him see that the Emp - Chancellor doesn't trust him as much as he thinks he does.

But Luke had to answer his father.

"Oh," Luke breathes, lowering to the couch beside his father, "I... see. Did - did he by any chance, tell you what he wanted to speak to me about?"

Anakin purses his lips and shakes his head. "No. It might have something to do with fighting in the end of the Clone Wars, I'm not... sure." Anakin tilts his head and looks at the boy, worry in his eyes. "I think he sees suspicion in you. Conflict, like he had said."

At this, Luke begins to raise his voice. He couldn't risk his father thinking there was conflict in his own son when there was none. "There is no conflict in me, Anakin, I assure you!" he told the young man beside him.

Anakin knits his eyebrows. "Luke," he starts, and he exhales slowly, much-needed, "you... be careful. I'm beginning to think the Chancellor doesn't trust us, maybe you... were right."

I am right! Yes, Father, please listen to me, this has to work!

"I... thank you, for trusting me, Anakin. And... would the Chancellor be angered if you were to come along?"

Anakin raises an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

Luke sighs and stares off to Coruscant. It was easy to get lost in; this was easily admitted. "I just - feel safer when in the presence of a higher ranked Jedi. I'm" - Luke could barely lie to his father - "hardly a Jedi Knight."

He remembered Yoda telling him he would only be a Knight once he faced Vader again.

Vader was beside him now, and things were different.

It has to be good. The outcome must be good, it must be what I planned because everything is working so far, I knew it would, it had to!

Anakin chuckles breathlessly. "I see," he says, rising to his feet and lightly brushing his tunic off, "then I suppose I will go with you." He leans a bit and brings his voice to a whisper as Luke stands beside him now, rising to his booted feet as well, "And if the Chancellor tries anything... I would bring your lightsaber, just... in case."

Luke nods. "I will."

"Then we'll be going," Anakin demands, whirling around to face Padmé standing in the entrance of the veranda.

"Anakin?" she asks, her eyebrows pulled together as her dark eyes darted from man to man, "is everything all right?"

"Of course, my love," he answers with assurance, a smile spreading across his thin lips. "We won't be long. The Chancellor wanted to - "