MOONDUST ▷ OBI-WAN KENOBI

CHAPTER XXII. let it go

☆ | CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO; LET IT GO.

{"let it hurt. let it bleed. let it heal. and let it go."}

"I want to see her." Since Anakin had woken up in the makeshift cell that Obi-Wan and Ingrid had placed him in, those five words were all that came out of his mouth.

After they had managed to subdue Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ingrid knew they needed to bring Padmé to a medical facility before something could happen to her or the baby. With their status as enemies of the newly-elected Emperor Palpatine, they were limited when it came to medical facilities that wouldn't immediately result in an ambush by clones. By some stroke of luck, Senator Organa managed to find a facility located on Polis Massa where they could safely hide out and get Padmé the medical attention she required.

At first, Ingrid had waited with Obi-Wan outside the examination room, where the medical droid was testing Padmé's vitals, but the very action of standing around helpless while her best friend could possibly be dying in the next room became too much for her to bear. So, she had given herself the task of guarding Anakin- partly to distract herself, but also to spare Obi-Wan from having to bear the sight of Anakin after the confrontation on Mustafar. Obi-Wan was holding himself together the best he could, but Ingrid could see the cracks in his calm facade. She had witnessed the pain in his eyes as he begged Anakin not to continue down the path Palpatine had pushed him towards, she had caught the tear that had cut down his cheek as Anakin nearly choked the life out Padmé, and she had felt his crushing worry for her as he held her in his arms. Obi-Wan was stronger than anyone she had ever met, but no one could hold up that weight forever. Not even him.

Ingrid wanted to hate Anakin for all the pain he had caused. She wanted to look at him and see the man that had slaughtered dozens of women, men, and children- all Jedi that he had once sworn to fight alongside. She wanted to look at him and see the man who had torn out the heart of the man she loved and crushed it in his palm. She wanted to look at him and see the monster who had nearly murdered the woman carrying his children. Instead, all she could see was a broken man.

"Please, I need to see her," Anakin begged. The man had fallen apart in before her very eyes; his hair was a mess from the countless times he had made to tear it out of his head in the realization of what he had done, and tear tracks cut down his grimy cheeks. It was a far cry from the handsome hero that had once been the face of the Republic, but it certainly wasn't Vader, either. This shattered human being was a new man altogether.  "Can you at least tell me if she's alright? If the baby's alright."

Ingrid closed her eyes, hoping to shut out his words. Despite all he had done, she truly wished she could help him- she understood Anakin's situation better than anyone. Not too long ago, she had fallen for the temptation of the dark side, and it had broken the hearts of the people she loved. While she had managed to free herself from the black hole that was the dark side, she had yet to escape the call to the dark side. It was always in the back of her mind, whispering evil thoughts and waiting for her to walk too close to the edge so it could pull her back down into darkness. She would probably never be free of it- instead, she would have to learn to channel the dark energy into something positive. Perhaps it wasn't too late for Anakin either. Perhaps he could do the same.