The next morning was a little tricky. Anakin, Luke, and Leia had to help each other maneuver out from under the sleepers, replacing their bodies with pillows so Padmé, Sola, and Obi-Wan wouldn't wake up. Quietly, they snuck into their bedrooms and changed into lighter clothes. By the time the sun was fully over the horizon, all three of them were leaving out the back door.

Once it was shut, Anakin turned to his kids. "You haven't let up on your runs since I left last time, have you?"

"No, we just move it a little later in the morning," Leia complained as they lined up and began to stretch. "Why do you always run at the buttcrack of dawn?"

"It's cooler now than it will be in a few hours," he insisted, pulling his shin up behind him. "If you run closer to noon, it's going to be a lot hotter out. Besides, it's a good warmup for training."

"So what about at night?" Luke wondered, reaching down to his ankle. "Same temperature, right?"

Anakin shook his head. "Morning is better. I get too tired once the sun starts to go down."

"Whatever. I'm more awake at night anyway."

"I can't believe I'm raising a pair of night owls," he grumbled, and the twins smirked at each other. "I can't tell if you got that from Obi-Wan or your mother."

When Luke and Leia started getting serious about their training, Anakin started encouraging them to go on morning runs to help strengthen their endurance. For the past few years, they would run the same course, about five kilometers over everything from flat fields to cross-country paths to mountain trails to cliff faces that they had to climb. Anakin joined them whenever he was home, but the twins ran the course by themselves most of the time.

Once they finished stretching, Anakin looked to his kids. "Are you going to keep up this time?"

"Maybe we will," Leia challenged, cocking her head. "Who knows?"

"Let's find out," he decided, breaking off into a run. Luke and Leia took off after him, following in his wake. The last time Anakin had run with them, he only had to stop once to wait for them to catch up. Ever since he started taking them on runs, his goal was for them to keep up for the entire five kilometers. They hadn't been able to meet it yet, but their competitive nature combined with the desire to succeed had driven them to train and get better.

Luke and Leia were natural athletes. Anakin and Obi-Wan taught them it was more important to pace yourself than it was to run fast for long runs like this. This wasn't a sprint, although they were adept at those too. When they first started, they had run very hard through the fields first and were nearly out of steam within a kilometer, and that was before they had to rock climb. Now they knew better.

They kept up easily for the first half of the run, but the rock climb came next, and Anakin didn't let them slow down. They had practiced while he had been away, though, and were able to transition from a steady run to a controlled climb smoothly. Once they got to the top, they didn't go quite as fast, just to make sure they didn't roll their ankle on a rock or something, but Luke and Leia still kept pace with Anakin, who wasn't letting them take a break.

The mountainside tested their agility and reflexes just as much as their endurance. Between the switchbacks and the random obstacles on the trails, each Jedi was one misstep from tumbling down the side of the trail. It had happened a few times when they started running together, mostly because the twins were trying to keep up with their dad and didn't watch where they were stepping. They knew better now.

Descending while keeping up with Anakin wasn't easy, but all the energy they spent coming down was what made the final stretch so difficult. As soon as the ground leveled out into a sparsely populated forest, Anakin turned up the heat and started down a footpath. This was the section where he usually lost Luke and Leia. They would run out of steam in the forest, and that's when Anakin had to pause and wait for them to catch their breath. If they could make it through this time without stopping, that would be a huge milestone for them.

He never made it easy. Anakin knew his kids could take the push, so he ran at the speed he would have run if he didn't know they were behind him. All the same, though, if and when they fell short, he always supported them through it. He knew that he and Obi-Wan were asking a lot of Luke and Leia. Training to be Jedi was difficult enough, but training to be the first Jedi of a new generation while hiding from a totalitarian empire that wanted to destroy them? That was a whole other level of pressure. Though he knew that all this endurance training would one day pay off when the twins started on their journey away from Lake Country, it didn't make the work any less exhausting.

Anakin sometimes felt uneasy about knowing that his kids had no experience in battle, but he always remembered that was a good thing. Kids should never have to be in battle. Just because some like Ezra and Ahsoka do (or did) fight didn't mean they should have to. That's why he took them on runs like these and why Obi-Wan pushed them so far in their training: they were trying to make up for lost field experience. It was also why they were planning to let Luke and Leia fight soon, but that was still a surprise.

He glanced behind them and saw that both twins were there. They were a few paces back, but they hadn't fallen behind. He grinned and turned back to the front. If they could make it home, it would be such a huge win!

The three of them broke out from the forest and back out to an open field. "It's the home stretch, guys!" Anakin called over his shoulder. "Two more minutes!"

Pushing his pace just a little bit, he kept his eye on the Naberrie mansion that was slowly approaching in the distance. Anakin willed the Force to flow through Luke and Leia to give them the determination to push through to the end of the run. They could make it this time. He knew they could.

The closer they got, the faster they ran. Luke and Leia were so close, and they had just enough energy for one last push home. Anakin took off, sprinting to the edge of the property before turning around and waiting at the finish line for them. Leia, who was in front, slowed down just enough so that she and Luke would be side by side when they got to their father. They finished the run at the same time.

As soon as they crossed the property line, they started to collapse, but Anakin was right there to catch them. They were breathing so hard, but the triumphant looks on their faces made it all worth it. Anakin squeezed them tight in a hug. "That's what I'm talking about. That's what I'm talking about."

Neither twin had enough strength to respond, but their faces were practically glowing. Anakin lowered them slowly onto the ground so they could lie down and rest. Luke held up on his hands and knees, but Leia just flopped on her back and closed her eyes, rubbing the sweat off her forehead. Anakin smiled at both of them while trying to catch his breath. "You two have been training hard."

"Yeah," Luke responded, looking up. "Leia said we should focus on the second half of the course. Said if we could make it through the forest without stopping, we could keep up next time."

"Well, look at you," he admired, pointing back to the forest. "Didn't stop once this time."

"My legs are killing me."

"Worth it," Leia called, sitting up just a little bit. "Absolutely worth it."

Anakin chuckled at her before looking at both of his children. "I'm proud of you. You've earned it, both of you. All these years of work have paid off."

They smiled at the praise. Luke and Leia knew their father was proud of them, but it was always nice to hear it whenever he came home. "Thanks, Dad."

He sat there for a moment before crawling to his feet and holding out a hand to pull them up. "Come on, let's go see if Obi-Wan is awake yet."

~

Obi-Wan was, in fact, awake. He was sitting at the bar counter with a mug of coffee, waiting for the other Jedi to get back. When he heard the back door open, he craned his neck to get a look at them. "Good run?"

"Yeah, we made it the whole way this time," Luke reported proudly, making a beeline for the fridge. "No breaks."

He raised his eyebrows, looking at Anakin for confirmation. Nodding, Anakin gestured to both twins. "They kept up the whole time. How's that for sixteen years old?"

Smiling, he looked proudly at his Padawans. "Not bad at all. You should be proud of yourselves."

"I'll be proud once I'm not hungry anymore," Luke assured him, pulling eggs out of their carton. "Breakfast first."

Leia rolled her eyes at her brother and grabbed fruit for a smoothie. "Thank you, master."

"Yeah, thanks."

Obi-Wan laughed, taking another drink of his coffee while the others got their breakfast. "Make sure to keep the noise down; your mother and your aunt are still sleeping."

They acknowledged him and kept the clattering of utensils and plates to a minimum. Waking up Padmé after she got home from a long time at work usually had consequences they would rather not face. Sola deserved a break regardless, so that wasn't a good idea either.

Once breakfasts had been assembled, Luke sat down in front of his father. "So, how is Ezra?"

Shaking his head, Anakin smiled. "Ever since I told you he existed, you two have been relentless."

"Dad, he's another Padawan," Leia insisted, pointing out the window. "Not to mention, he's out there, actually making a difference, while we're here doing nothing."

"That run you just finished for the first time was nothing?"

"Nothing important against the Empire."

Anakin was tempted to give her the 'safety-over-all-else' speech again, but he knew both Luke and Leia already knew it and were getting tired of hearing it. Besides, that was going to change today. "He's doing alright, could be better, though. His confidence took a hit a few days ago."

That wasn't the epic, heroic report the twins had expected. "Is he okay?" Luke asked.

"Physically, he's fine," he assured his son, taking a drink of water before continuing. "His teacher got hurt, though, and he's blaming himself for it."

"Was it his fault?"

"It was everyone's fault. We all could have done more, and maybe things would have ended differently," Anakin predicted, remembering the things he could have done to prevent Maul from blinding Kanan. "Ezra isn't as used to casualties, though. He hasn't had to cope with them for as long as Kanan has, or as I have."

"Not that it's something you ought to be used to," Obi-Wan interjected. "People getting hurt has never been a good thing, nor should anyone be complacent with it."

Anakin could tell he was speaking from his guilt. Ever since the Purge, Obi-Wan had become more and more critical of the Jedi Council's complacency with aspects of the Clone Wars and even the Republic itself. This was his way of trying to atone for decisions he had made as a part of the Council: by teaching Luke and Leia otherwise.

He turned back to his children. "He's going to time to get his confidence back. We'll all need time to recover, but maybe Ezra more than others."

"What about you?"

"That's why I'm here," Anakin explained, smiling a little bit. "This is where I come to heal."

"But what are you healing from?" Luke specified, narrowing down the question. "You said it was Ezra's confidence that needed to recover, but you seem fine, other than your face."

I honestly didn't think my face was that bad, Anakin thought, but he didn't dodge the question. "I was the oldest person on the mission, so I feel responsible for what happened. I was trying to guide and direct our group, but that direction ended up hurting Kanan, and therefore Ezra. That's not what I wanted to happen."

Leia furrowed her brow, and Anakin knew she was thinking. "People... get hurt on missions. Sometimes you just can't avoid it, right?"

"Except when you can," he argued, "so what's the difference? Is it a matter of circumstances or a matter of who was leading them?"

"Both. Sometimes there's something you can do to prevent casualties, and sometimes there's no possible way to save them.

"And what if you could have done something before the mission started that would have prevented the casualty from happening? Is that lack of knowledge and foresight during the planning stage or chance?"

"...I guess it depends."

"On what?"

"On the situation."

"And looking back on the situation, do you know which one it is? In the end, does it matter?"

Her gaze dropped. Anakin and the twins had these hypothetical philosophical conversations often. Ever her father's daughter, Leia had the makings of a good leader, but that meant someone had to teach her how to be one. Luke was his mother's son. Anakin looked at him, knowing exactly how he would respond.

Which he did: "The reason why they got hurt doesn't change that they are hurting."

Anakin nodded. "Whoever led the mission is and should be held accountable and responsible for the casualties suffered by their followers."

"What's the difference?"

"Accountability means taking ownership of the consequences. Responsibility means taking ownership of the decisions themselves. It's a subtle difference, but it's there," he explained, getting back on his original train of thought. "Many people can complete a mission, provided that someone is willing to follow them. People decide who is a good leader and who is a great one not by the success of the mission but by the casualties suffered. If you can make it out with all of your people alive and in one piece, you've planned and executed your plan well enough to protect them without compromising the mission goal. If you achieve the goal but lose your followers, you either didn't plan well enough to protect them or didn't care enough to try. If you protect your followers but don't achieve your goal, you need a new plan or a new planner. If that means stepping down to get more training, then that's what should happen. Doesn't mean it always does, but that's another lesson."

Leia contemplated her father's words for a moment before commenting, "That sounds difficult."

"It is difficult. It's also why good leaders are sometimes hard to come by." He thought for a second longer before asking one more question: "Every military leader, sooner or later, is confronted with the decision to either protect their soldiers or pursue the mission. At least once in your career, those things will come into conflict. If you had to make that decision, right now, with the knowledge and experience you possess, which way would you choose?"

"Save the soldiers," Luke answered without hesitation. "I can deal with not accomplishing a mission."

That didn't surprise Anakin or Obi-Wan one bit. Something Luke had identified as a weakness was his fear of loss, something he likely inherited from Anakin.

Leia wasn't as quick to answer: "I'd avoid that situation in the first place."

Smiling sadly down at his coffee, Obi-Wan assured her, "I don't know anyone sane who would answer otherwise, but people make mistakes. If we were perfect, this galaxy would be a much better and safer place to be." He looked up at her. "You can do everything you know to be in your power and still have to choose."

"Then I won't lead until I'm good enough to avoid that choice," she decided. "Maybe I won't lead at all."

Obi-Wan nodded, but internally, he was smiling. Leia was exactly the type of person he would want to see become a leader: someone who refused to accept failure in either aspect. He appreciated that Luke always and forever would hold life over accomplishment. The world would be a kinder place if more people were like him. Luke was the person who could heal a soul, but Leia was the one who would make sure healing wasn't necessary in the first place. If Luke could fix the brokenness in the galaxy, Leia would make sure it didn't break again. The galaxy needed both of them.

Which meant they needed to get out into the galaxy, not to be confined to a mansion in Lake Country. The first step was to get them out into a fight, which meant the Naberries needed to have their council meeting later that day. Training came first, though.

He stood up and put his mug in the sink. "Well, if you won't lead, the least you can do is learn. If you've had enough to eat, then let's begin training for the day."

Both Padawans immediately stood up and put away their dishes. They took off to switch from their running shorts to the linen slacks their parents had bought for them for training. Obi-Wan looked to Anakin and grinned. "They're going to lead."

"Mortis, I hope so," he agreed, standing up. "I think we might have scared Leia out of it, though."

"Don't worry, she'll find her way," Obi-Wan assured him. "She's going to be handed leadership sooner or later, but she'll make sure she's the best strategist in the galaxy before accepting the offer. Leia may not want that choice, but I'm sure she'd rather make it than leave it up to someone else. If she has to become a general to do it, then she will."

"General Leia Naberrie," Anakin imagined, "working right alongside Master Luke Naberrie. That'll be a sight to see."