Star Wars x Reader Inserts

chances | obi-wan kenobi | 1/3

· a/n: based on the request sent in by spooky-mel,  a very patient and dear soul who waited a literal millennium for this. this took so much longer to write than I anticipated, but I love the story. i can't wait to finish part two and share it!

· summary: after the execution of Order 66, you are left with the frayed ends of a severed future. with the greatest loss a Jedi Master can experience and the overwhelming misbalance of the Force, you come across an unlikely path of hope in a galaxy filled with destitution.

· warnings: grief, mild PTSD, mentions of trauma/battles, some gore

· word count: 7.9K

· music: Rain of Bullets by James Newton Howard and Tatooine - Dune Sea (SW ambience) on Youtube

2 Weeks Prior. . .

Obi-Wan Kenobi tightened his robes around his broad frame, warding off the pelting sand as it grew thick on the high winds that tore across the desert plains of Tatooine. His steps were slow and faulted as he carried himself onward, shielding his eyes from the brewing sandstorm. Ahead of him, nearly half a mile in flat distance, the jagged edges of tall canyons pierced the sky. Having nowhere to go and nothing to return to, he found himself drawn to the orange cliffs and obstructed rocks ahead of him.

The incomparable grief that threatened to torment him was kept at bay by his own ability to cling to the Force and its guidance. Despite the heavy darkness he felt siphoning the balance from the Force itself, he knew the Light still surrounded him; he knew it was still faithful to him, just as he was to it.

He knew also that there was a force-sensitive child on the planet he had to look after as the Empire purged the Jedi from the galaxy. He had to stay focused. Anakin's son would need protection from- from... from what his father had become.

When the naturally sculpted magnificence of the canyons loomed above him, he descended into the gorge between them. As the sand pelted his face less and less the deeper he descended, his steps became steadier and his keen senses more alert. Within minutes, he had found a place to shelter himself in a cave carved into the base of the towering walls of mineral. It was shallow and only offered a few yards of space to move about in, but he was grateful for it nonetheless. It was far better than fighting the winds as he tried to reach a destination he didn't have.

He dusted the uneven ground with his boot, flattening a large enough area to make himself comfortable. With a glance at the swirling wall of sand outside, he lowered himself to the ground and shimmied into a comfortable position. Thankfully, the wall hewn with rock that supported his back was smooth. It was even slightly curved, which allowed him to lean back and encourage a little more rest for his sore body. He folded his hands together beneath the sleeves of his robe and gathered the thick cloth around his body.

As his eyes trailed the natural patterns of the walls suspended above him, exhaustion began to wear at his mental barriers, and Obi-Wan began to relive the last few days in his mind.

He closed his eyes and dipped his head back, cradling himself against the wall. Every sound that echoed around and within the cave mouth intensified as he tried to fall asleep; grains of sand that drifted out of the storm and pelted the edge of the walls, the shuffling of his feet as the dry earth sifted beneath him like frail dust, the sound of his own heart pounding heavily in his chest.

Obi-Wan had never felt so vulnerable, so alone.

He was haunted by the events that had taken place in the last few days. The smell of the charred lava still clung to his nose and the heat of the fires of Mustafar still brought sweat to his brow like a ghost trailing up his skin. The salt of his tears had sunk into his cheeks, but his heart still wept for the traumatic loss of his dearest friend – his brother. He would never be able to put from his mind the sight of Anakin's mutilated body, or the flames that had lapped up what remained of him, or especially the blue irises that had turned yellow and alight with such hatred that Obi-Wan had never seen in another creature's eyes before. . .