hadriel | [Video]

Entry tags:

[Video]

[Against all odds, Anakin is trying to keep himself calm and collected. He has had plenty to upset and anger him lately and, really, that isn't good for anyone. His power can damage a lot of things; he could even bring down buildings. So instead of letting his abilities run wild, he is meditating, his eyes closed tightly, his legs crossed and his mouth set in a stubborn line.]

...this never works.

[His eyes open, as blue as the sky, and he lets out a harsh breath.]

Anyone know any techniques? [Behind him, a metal pole begins to warp. He glances back and stretches out a hand, trying to undo the damage.] I guess I'm going to have to sleep outside tonight.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I never said they didn't matter. [Can a machine make choices?] Yeah... For example, there's my mother and then there's me. She...might be sensitive. I think she saw more than she let on when I was a kid. But I'm...a powerhouse, really.

[No, not totally bragging. His tone is rather flat.]

Wherever I choose to go, I will make a difference. [He can be one of the catalysts for all out war.]

Being proven wrong about an opponent makes a battle interesting. [He has never backed down or ran of his own accord.]

You can choose who you love; you can have your own reasons. To hell with whatever your people think.

[Anakin stands and moves to the edge of the roof, staring off into the darkness.]

With each friend... With each confidante...

I put them at risk.

[~~R2D2 is probably very insulted by his doubts~~]

The same goes for the Eldar and the Edain. And for people in general, really. There are times when the most powerful person is not the one who will be most effective. Every moment is full of possibilities, and sometimes it is those who seem less likely to succeed who can best take advantage of them.

I do. And my brother Turgon has reasons to hate many of the same people I care for. Is there a right answer there? I wish I knew- but I can hope that love brings out the best of the people I love.

Many things in life are a risk, Anakin Skywalker and people are not the least among them. That does not mean you can avoid them, or shut yourself away. The people you trust are the ones who tether you to the world outside yourself. Without those ties, what are we?

[~~R2D2 has a lot of grievances.~~]

...I don't know. [Anything anymore.] My new Master... Those I care about would hate him. But I owe him everything. He is the reason I have the power I do now - and he will teach me more.

[Then he will execute him to resolve the conflict. In his head, that will...fix...what he has done. He can go back to being just Anakin Skywalker.

It's all a farce.]

Right now, I can't risk having those I trust - love - near me. Once I'm Emperor, things will be different. I can have a family...friends...allies...

[~~And more all the time~~]

Perhaps you might benefit from seeing the situation through their eyes. Would you trust someone you love to be safe in the care of someone you hate? Or to benefit from their lessons?

[Anakin. NO.]

[Wearily] Where did you get this strange idea that being a monarch can always protect the people you love? Let me assure you: whoever told you that was the case is either a fool or a liar.

He can't hurt me. [Oh so naive.] I'm stronger than he is in almost every way. If I wanted to kill him, I could. They don't need to worry about me.

[Besides, all of this is for them to begin with. Why can't they see that?!]

I will be an Emperor who can turn back death. I will bring peace to the galaxy and strike fear into the hearts of those who oppose or think to oppose.

So this person, who is less powerful than you but has greater knowledge and experience, is willing to take you on as an apprentice. Despite the fact that people who love you and matter to you despise him, and would want to turn you against him.

Anakin, have you asked yourself what this man wants of you? And do you really think that such a man is simply looking to train a successor?

[Fingon is so reminded of Valinor after Morgoth's pardon that he's half-expecting to hear that this teacher's name is Melkor.]

Anakin, have you ever seen a people ruled by fear? I have. Orcs we called them, the twisted descendants of the Enemy's captives. His hand on them is heavy, and it drives them ever onward, to burn our fields and slay our people.

And even when his hold slackens, they often inflict a thousand pettier cruelties of their own devising on each other. They can rarely do any better. Kindness needs freedom to flourish, and even in their minds all they have ever known is tyranny.

Despise is a heavy word. [But, no, Fingon has a good estimate of it.] Siths don't really have successors. Once the apprentice feels they have learned enough, they seek out and end the life of their master.

[A practice that seems pretty damn fulfilling now that he has seen Palpatine's other side.]

He's a stepping stone. [His expression is blank, emotionless.] I won't forget why I am doing this. I'm not some petty, twisted...Orc. I am the one who can bring balance to everything; I can end all wars. But I need to be at the top to do that.

I'm tired of impediments.

They hate him. He wants to teach you, to make you more like him. Why wouldn't they despise him, when he would spread what they hate to one they love?

Would you let a loved one take up the path you describe? Would you want your son to walk it?

[shaking his head] Being the greatest of anything does not mean you cannot fall, Anakin Skywalker. Sometimes, it is the greatest of us who can do the most damage, if they are not careful. Even to the people they love.

[The Noldor certainly have more than enough experience of that. Fingon wonders whether his cousins have ever discussed their father with this volatile young Man.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only