Spoiler: Slightly for the JA books. I just borrowed Xanatos.
Disclaimer: Lucasfilm and George own everything. I don't even
have enough money to get a life, so don't sue me.
It was a beautiful late afternoon on Coruscant. At least,
that's what the weather control system had made of it. The sun
had started to go down and its last rays of light painted the
cloudless, heavy-traveled sky into a breathtaking orange color.
The green grass and the light brown sand in the upper garden of
the Jedi Temple had taken on the color of the wide sky and gave
the ongoing ritual that was performed in the garden an
unnatural touch. The relatively small group of Jedi - it were
only ten - were standing in a circle of stones, in which the
ceremony was executed.
Outer appearances weren't important for the Jedi, tradition
was. So the procedure that would promote an Initiate to the
state of Padawan was a significant one for those directly
involved in it but was a comparably normal incident for the
other residents of the Jedi Temple. But the Athinai - the
ritual that the Initiates mostly called 'Padawaning' - of the
boy Obi-Wan Kenobi was exceptional in several ways. First, it
was attended by two of the most illustrious members of the
Council. Yoda, Head of Council, and Mace Windu, the youngest
Master ever to become a member of the Council, stood at the
places of honor, ready to witness the rituals. Second, the
famed Qui-Gon Jinn had agreed to accept a new apprentice after
several years of seclusion. Rumors had been spread for days.
How was it that an only average talented Initiate would be
given such an honor and opportunity?
Master Yoda stood in the exact center of the circle and was
reading the sacred phrases of the Athinai from an ancient
scroll; although he knew every single line by heart. Master
Yoda had not only performed this service for at least a hundred
times, he had also been the one receiving it more than once.
Master Gayna - the Jedi Master chosen to observe the ceremony -
stood behind Master Yoda and affirmed that every detail of the
strict protocol was followed. She smiled. She had been one of
Obi-Wan's former training Masters and had become fond of the
boy. It was known that it had saddened her when she heard the
kid had been sent to the AgriCorps. In her opinion, Master Jinn
wouldn't regret his choice.
Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice-to-be Obi-Wan
Kenobi stood next to each other before Yoda. Qui-Gon keenly met
his former Master's gaze without a second thought. Not many
Jedi dared to do so but he had been one of Yoda's own
apprentices and so no one took offense in his somewhat arrogant
behavior. The boy on the other hand had his head bowed
respectfully, his eyes on the ground as it should be. His
posture stressed the fact that he was of small and slender
built and the tall figure of his future teacher all but dwarfed
him. Both Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were dressed in simple tunics and
pants, the only ornament their lightsabers, tucked behind their
belts. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had discussed the dressing matter
beforehand and the boy had decided on a plain attire, thereby
following the spirit of the Athinai. Such worldly possessions
as clothing didn't matter in the relationship between Master
and Padawan. Nor did they in the Jedi-Order at all.
Master Yoda finished the first part of the ritual and handed
the scroll to Mace Windu who carefully placed it on the small
table on his other side. He took a small knife from the table
and two white pieces of soft linen. Keeping his silence he gave
everything to Yoda. The old Jedi Master raised knife and linen
above his head to make sure everyone could see them. "Who will
volunteer to execute the Keltora?" The Keltora - otherwise
simply referred to as 'The Cut' - had to be performed by a Jedi
Master. There was always one provided for it by the Council,
normally Master Naruk Carm. However, Yoda's question hadn't
just been a formality. There was the possibility for a friend
to volunteer instead, though it was a very rare occasion. In an
answer to his challenge a women stepped into the stone circle.
She was not much older than Master Qui-Gon and clad in the same
style as the Jedi Master.
"I, Emjay Mon-Ahan, Master of the Jedi, volunteer to execute
the Keltora. And my Padawan, Ruben Götz, will assist me."
Qui-Gon Jinn shot her a quick glance and a small smile crept to
his lips. He could clearly remember how, some five years ago,
he had volunteered to cut hers and Ruben's hands and now she
was returning the favor. Though not forbidden it was at least
quite out of the ordinary that someone other than Master Carm
performed the Keltora, but Qui-Gon and Emjay had never been
known to play by the exact rules. Not even in their time
together when they had only been Padawans.
"So it will be," Master Yoda announced now and offered Emjay
the linen and the knife with a knowing expression in his green
face. Master Mon-Ahan bowed deep before Yoda and her
apprentice, who stood behind her on her left side, followed
suit. Then Emjay accepted the offered items and took her place
besides Master Yoda, facing Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. There was a
small, discrete smile on her face, too, when she waited for
Yoda to continue the ritual.
Somehow the step aside from protocol changed the mood of the
whole congregation. The air seemed to be electrified and the
other people present picked up the new tune according to their
abilities of the Force. Master Windu and Master Gayna were the
first to react. There was no way that they could breach the
unwritten law of silence but still it was obvious by the slight
widening of their eyes and the frown that showed on their
faces. It was a well-known fact that every nuance in the
ceremony meant a danger for the Initiate's concentration. There
had been discussion in the Council if variations should be
strictly ruled out. That faction had had a strong voice in Mace
Windu, but eventually the motion had been settled by Master
Yoda's intervention. His argument, "For the Force to be living,
change there must be," already had become as important as a
rule from the Codex.
And as Master Yoda didn't seem to have objections against the
slight protocol breach, the rite proceeded as planned. His ears
twitched slightly as he turned his attention to his former
apprentice Qui-Gon Jinn and the boy. Whenever possible the
former Master of the Master who was about to take on a new
apprentice performed the Athinai. Athinai - a word the ancient
Jedi Code translated into something like: 'Allocation of
responsibility'. In this case the council allocated the
responsibility for Obi-Wan Kenobi to his new Master Qui-Gon
Jinn.
Through their yet weak Master-Padawan bond, Qui-Gon could feel
a trace of wonder in the boy about the unusual turn of events
and sent a wave of reassurance towards him but wasn't sure the
boy had picked it up. Their bond had to be strengthened
considerably in the next few months. Finally - when the general
amazement had ceased - Master Yoda continued. "Initiate Obi-Wan
Kenobi," as written in the Jedi Code, the student was addressed
first. "By completing the Athinai, the step from Initiate to
Padawan, you pledge that you will from now on, until your
Knighting to a full Jedi, live to the subsequent tenets, which
are strictly to be followed without exception." Yoda was
reciting from the Code again and therefor his grammar was
accurate. "Loyalty," he carried on, "obedience, absolute
willfulness to learn and respect are permanently to be
expressed towards your Master. Initiate Kenobi, do you
understand these terms and are you willing to obey them?"
The nervous Obi-Wan took a deep, unsteady breath, but his voice
was loud and stable when he answered. "Yes, Master Yoda, I do
and I will." Yoda's ears twitched again and he smiled
satisfied. Due to his higher midi-chlorian count he could
probably sense more in the boy than Qui-Gon could yet. Yoda
raised his head to meet Qui-Gon's eyes.
"Master Qui-Gon Jinn, my former Padawan," Yoda smiled again at
his words, "by giving you the rank of Master the Jedi Council
declared its complete trust in your abilities to train and
instruct a Padawan until he or she is ready to face the trials
to knighthood. Now this young Initiate Obi-Wan Kenobi wishes to
be your Padawan and has pledged his loyalty, his obedience, his
willfulness to learn and his respect towards you. Will you
accept him as your apprentice and thereby vow in return that
you will protect him, teach him and guide him in any way
possible to you?"
"Yes, my Master, I will." Qui-Gon smiled as he heard the
relieved breath his new Padawan let out beside him. Obi-Wan
tried not to show his relief but wasn't very successful. So he
had had doubts until now where he had heard Qui-Gon's
confirming vow. Probably no one in the circle missed the wave
of joy that his new Padawan involuntarily sent.
"Very well then. The Council has approved to liaise this bond,
which will be symbolized by the Master's and the Padawan's
mingled blood dropping into the sacred sand in this garden.
Master Mon-Ahan, please perform the Keltora now," Yoda
instructed the small woman next to him and stepped back to give
her some room to carry out her task.
Emjay bowed again and - with a nod to her Padawan - instructed
Ruben to stand by her side. She handed the two pieces of linen
over to him and stepped forward to stand right in front of
Obi-Wan. Her face was serene now as it was appropriate for the
occasion. However, her sparkling eyes told a different story.
This was not only a duty to be performed it was honor and joy
to her. "Obi-Wan Kenobi, to mark this event I will now execute
the Keltora, the Cut of the Ancient Code. Reach out with your
left hand. Palm up." Without hesitation the boy did as he was
told. All nervousness seemed to have left him now and his
expression was calm. Emjay took Obi-Wan's left hand in her left
in order to hold it steady should the boy flinch back. With her
right hand Emjay brought the small knife over his hand. When
she cut into the young man's upturned palm his eyes widened a
little and the muscles in his face worked as he clenched his
teeth. It wasn't a very deep wound, just deep enough to draw
blood. T here was already a small puddle building in his hand.
"Hold your hand like this," the Jedi Master instructed him and
then stepped sideways to face Qui-Gon.
Master Jinn had outstretched his right hand without waiting for
Master Mon-ahan's order. Emjay could see the fading scars from
his two prior Padawans. She raised the knife a second time and
achieved the third and presumably last cut in his right palm.
She cut a little deeper than she had done into Obi-Wan's hand.
After all, the blood was supposed to trickle into the sand. But
Qui-Gon didn't show any visible reaction during the procedure.
When Master Mon-Ahan was finished, she gave the small knife to
Ruben and grabbed both still outstretched hands and laid them
together midways, then turning them so that the blood could
fall to the ground. The sand was nearly white and the drops
clearly visible on it. "I, Emjay Mon-Ahan, Master of the Jedi,
witness that the Keltora has been completed." She raised the
knife, then turned and gave it to Master Gayna. All the time
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan faced each other, their eyes locked.
Emjay stretched out her hand to her own Padawan and Ruben
supplied her with one piece of linen, keeping the other one for
himself. The Master and his Apprentice pressed the cloths on
the wounds of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan who had parted again. "The
Keltora has ended," Yoda intonated and the whole congregation
repeated his words. "The Keltora has ended." Master Mon-Ahan
wrapped the linen around Obi-Wan's still slightly bleeding hand
and made a knot to hold it in place. Ruben did the same with
Qui-Gon's hand. Done that, the pair retook its place in the
circle.
Yoda stepped forward, taking his place in the center of the
circle again. "Master Qui-Gon Jinn, please plait your new
Padawan's first braid, which will illustrate his status as
apprentice from now on until his knighting." Qui-Gon smiled and
took the ribbon Yoda offered him. He turned to Obi-Wan and
began braiding the red-blond streak behind Obi-Wan's right ear
which had been deliberately forgotten when Obi-Wan's hair had
been cut before the Athinai. Different from the Keltora, the
braiding of the apprentice's hair was not a compulsory part of
the ceremony. Actually it was a relatively new tradition. It
had been introduced somewhat 200 years ago and had been
followed by most of the human initiates. On the one hand it was
a means of showing the apprentice's rank. On the other hand it
was a symbol of all the trust the pupil showed the teacher and
the protection the Master owed his Padawan. There existed
written accounts of the Athinai and many writers described the
beauty of that special part of the ceremony. Qui-Gon worked
meticulously on the braid, working the ribbon into it, ignoring
the slight throbbing of his hand that had ceased bleeding by
now. Obi-Wan's hair wasn't very long but the braid would become
longer during his apprenticeship. Those streaks of hair
wouldn't be cut before the day of his knighting. The boy who
had held his head still during the procedure, looked up into
Qui-Gon's face when the Jedi Master was finished . The large
man smiled down at him, trying to ease the nervousness that
again filled the young man. But it wasn't before Yoda's
announcement that Obi-Wan returned that smile. Qui-Gon still
held the braid in his left hand when the old Jedi Master
declared, "Obi-Wan Kenobi, your Athinai is completed. Greet
your Master as it befits the Apprentice. Acknowledge his
guidance."
"Yes, Master Yoda." Obi-Wan bend down and clutched a small bag
that he had placed there at the beginning of the Athinai. With
the brown bag in hand, he moved to stand in front of his new
Master, then lowered himself on one knee. He methodically
opened his bag until it was no more than a cloth on which was
displayed every piece of material possession the boy had
somehow acquired during his years as an Initiate at the temple.
His lightsaber was among them. Most of it consisted of stones
or feathers Obi-Wan had collected on one of the rare excursions
the creche Masters had taken the Initiates on. The temple
didn't supply them with allowance, so nothing except the
lightsaber was of financial worth. He lifted the cloth up with
both hands and presented it to Qui-Gon.
The Jedi Master also got down on his knees and took the cloth
the boy offered him. "Thank you, my Padawan. I will take good
care of it," he said, knowing full well that he would give the
bag back as soon as they had reached his quarters, which he now
shared with his young apprentice.
Obi-Wan nodded. "Thank you, my Master," came his reply.
With these words the official part of the Athinai was over and
Yoda ended it with his next words, addressing all members of
the circle. "You have been witnesses in this Athinai. Remember
what you have seen, remember what you have heard."
And the small gathering answered with one voice. "We will
remember."
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