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Today was the day of her wedding. 
 
Rey stood alone in a plush sitting room, gazing out of the towering transparisteel windows across the busy Coruscant landscape in the distance. Her mind was a frantic blur, focused far and away, anywhere but where she was while her nerves threatened to consume her. 
 
She glanced down and slid her palms down the shimmering bodice of her voluminous wedding gown. It had been made of the finest shimmersilk and lace - just for her. With a step and a soft

swish

of the fabric on the dark carpet, Rey turned away from the window and spied her reflection in a mirror across the room and could hardly recognize herself. 
 
The young woman who stared back at her, wide-eyed and unsure, was a vision of royalty. Her hazel eyes were lined with the blackest kohl, accented with a thick streak of glimmering gold beneath her lower lashes, from the inner corner to the tail of her brow. Her mouth had been painted a blood red with a delicate gold line that split the center of her bottom lip. With a sigh, she looked back at the stranger in a mask. It wasn’t the first she’d met since she’d arrived there, but she had never expected when she left home, that the one in the mask would eventually be her.
 
The fabric of the gown hugged the line of her collarbones, sweeping down to the floor in a full skirt that trailed more than a man’s height behind her. She moved her hands up the sheer fabric of the bodice with a nervous shiver and traced her fingers across the sparkling lace that strategically covered her breasts and bare back, giving just a glimpse of her tanned skin through the sheer material. 
 
She’d been made anew, from the tips of her toes with a pair of impossibly high shoes upon her feet, to the opulent headdress that sat atop her head. Elegant arcing circles framed her ornately braided hair that began at the tops of her ears and across her forehead. Each circle was gradually larger in size, until it looked like a gilded halo of gold and lace surrounded her - only adding to the feeling in her bones that she was standing in a stranger’s shoes. 
 
Rey reached up and skimmed the tips of her fingers along the edge of the shimmering veil that cascaded down her back and past the end of her train, tracing the rounded shape of the crimson teardrop jewel that dangled from her ear, causing the enormous stone on her left hand to catch the fading afternoon light - and her eye.
 
The blood-red Cosusca gem on her hand gleamed in the light, flickering like it held a fledgling flame at its center. The stone itself was was worth as much as an entire luxury high rise in the heart of Galactic City, and it was haloed by several, smaller glittering stones of white that formed the band that hugged her fingers. The ring weighed heavy on her hand, and on her mind, as she remembered the promise she made, and the deal she’d struck with the man who’d bestowed it upon her.
 
He’d been unfailingly kind to her from the beginning, taking a chance on a stranger when he could literally have chosen anyone else. The man had been patient with her as she was molded from the scrappy desert scavenger into the elegant stranger who stood before her in the mirror. Who was she to deserve the chance at another life, let alone this one?  She didn’t have any place in that story. She came from nothing. She was nothing. 
 
Rey from Nowhere. 
 
“What the hell am I doing?” Rey exclaimed, her voice trembling as a surge of panic flared in her chest. She paced the wide room the best she could with the substantial amount of fabric that trailed her every step, plopping herself down at a vanity in the corner as gracefully as she could manage. 
 
With the tips of her fingers, Rey swept up a delicate, silver chain from the cool surface of the table and skimmed her thumb over the crystal shard at the end of it. Rolling the stone over and over through her fingers, Rey’s heart ached for a family she’d never know. The necklace was precious to her and was the one souvenir of a past long lost to time and the sands of Jakku. Those who’d help transform her into the stranger in the mirror took it from her and told her that it wasn’t appropriate for someone of her station, insisting that it wouldn’t send the “right message to the right people.”
 
With a sigh, Rey closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath of air as she centered herself with her prized momento tucked into the palm of her hand. In an instant, the distant memory of the darkest nights in the wild desert flooded her mind. Nights with a lonely little girl who was hungry, terrified, and

oh so alone.

On those nights, in the depths of her tears, she would imagine a voice. Soft and kind, with eyes the color of brandy who’d whisper sweet things to her and make her feel a little less alone. 
 Don’t be afraid. I’m here. I’ll always be with you. Even if we’re apart. No matter how far. I’ll follow you across the galaxy, my Stardust. 
Her hazel eyes fluttered open with a heavy sigh. She lifted her gaze to the stately woman in the mirror and gave her a solemn nod. 
 
Even though she was afraid, even though she wanted to run, there was something deep inside her that told her that she needed to stay.
 
It felt like destiny. 
 
*
 
Rey had spent as long as she could remember alone in the scorched badlands of Jakku. It wasn’t a place that many people would willingly choose to live out their lives. Most who ended up there did so because they were running away from outstanding debts and a subsequent bounty hunter, or were dropped like waste from a starship and drifted into the closest atmosphere - never to escape the sands again. 
 
The only thing of consequence that ever happened there was The Battle of Jakku - where Darth Vader famously turned against his master and joined forces with The Rebel Alliance to fight what remained of the Empire.
 
The evidence of that historic battle was scattered on the surface of the planet, dotting the wide expanse of The Goazan Badlands with mammoth skeletons of once fearsome star destroyers, left to rot in a graveyard that served as a reminder of what was.
 
Those starships were Rey’s salvation.
 
What felt like an eternity before she looked upon the face of royalty in the mirror, Rey remembered her first, bleary moments on the planet when she was still a little girl. Lost and alone after Gods knew how many days wandering in the desert, she stumbled into Niima Outpost. Desperately thirsty and with an aching belly, she drank the first water she could find. 
 
The water from the happabore trough was hot, smelly, and disgustingly muddy - but she couldn’t bring herself to care - bringing the muddled liquid to her mouth in quick handfuls as she swallowed it down as quickly as her tired body could manage.
 
Her belly bulged from the frenzy of feeding her thirst, but her stomach still twisted in hunger. She wandered aimlessly around the market, begging each passerby for help - but her pleas were ignored at every turn. While she drifted through the dusty outpost, Rey noticed a line of grubby-looking people hauling bundles of junk through the sand to a fish-like person behind a caged window in a small, metal blockhouse. With all of her other obvious choices doused in bitter disappointment, it seemed like the next best choice, so Rey joined the line to see if the blobfish would be able to help her. 
 
The time ticked by, so long that the light eventually began to bend in different directions through the cloth that flapped in the wind over her head. When it was finally her turn, Rey stepped up to the counter, stretching on her toes as far as she could, and yet was barely able to brush it with her fingertips.
 
“Who’s next?” a gravelly voice bellowed out, patience wearing thin.
 
“I....um…” Rey tested out her trembling voice, sounding impossibly small in the shadow of this new place and how utterly displaced she felt, “Can you help me, sir?”
 
“What?” The alien behind the counter barked out, “WHo’s there? Stand so I can see you!”
 
“

Please…

” Rey whimpered as precious water began to slip from her lashes with her tears, “I am so hungry…”
 
The Crolute came closer to the window and sneered down at her through a wire grate.
 
“That’s not how things work here, girl. You must bring me something of value, then I will give you portions.”
 
“H-how? I don’t have any money,” Rey whispered, wringing her hands as her hazel eyes darted across this flat face.
 
“Scavenge for it the same way everyone else here does. What makes you so special that you shouldn’t have to work for it? Now, get out of my sight before I change my mind about trading with you at all!” he spat with a snicker, slamming the window down in her face. 
 
Filled with defeat, Rey’s heart anxiously thumped as she trudged away from the outpost. She had no idea where she was going, but a feeling inside of told her that the direction she was headed was the right way to go - something was waiting for her over the horizon.
 
Hours passed by, and the time spent walking through the ever-shifting, scorching sands burned and blistered the bottoms of her bare feet, getting worse with each labored step she took. The twin moons of Jakku began to rise as the sun sank behind the horizon, and with her arms wrapped around her slight body to help keep out the coming cold, the wind began to pick up. 
 
It whipped and twisted around her, carrying the hair around her faces in sharp slices against her soft skin. With a glance over her shoulder to where the brutal winds were rising from, Rey’s eyes widened when she spied a terrifying wall of sand amassing in the distance.

This can’t be good.

Her stomach churned in fear, hunger momentarily forgotten as the mysterious feeling in her bones told her that it was time to run.
 
Sprinting as fast as her broken feet would carry her, Rey stumbled with each step, struggling to stay on her feet as the onslaught of sand tore at her freckled cheeks. The waves came in more brutally with each gust, blocking out any last bits of light as the sand blocked her vision.
 
Rey shielded her eyes from the blast, squinting into the distance when she swore she saw a solid...

something

just a few steps away. 
 
Bolstered with a bright surge of hope, Rey battled against the gale and pushed step by step until the object in the distance began to take shape. A rectangular vessel materialized like magic before her eyes, half-buried in the blowing sand. She quickly found a hole in the belly, throwing herself inside and away from the punishing gusts outside. 
 
The world became abruptly still. 
 
Rey brushed the bits of sand from her face and her hair, squinting in the muted light to get a better look at her surroundings. Cautiously stepping inside, she brushed her fingers across the durasteel wall and thought that, maybe, someone had used the structure as a shelter a long time ago, but had long since been abandoned. 
 
A handful of blue barrels were tucked away behind a tattered corner, a small stand that looked like it could be used to cook something sat in the center of the oddly shaped space, and a small box that held a collection of thin, flimspat packages with green patties and a white, speckled powder.
 
Rey investigated the blue barrels first, using her small hands to smear off the layer of built-up sand on the lid before using all the strength she could muster to pry the lid open with a

pop

. Her hazel eyes grew wide when she looked upon the blessed sight of a clear liquid inside.

Stars! Water!

She dipped her hands into the barrel with fervor and lifted the liquid into her mouth as rapidly as she could, sucking up mouthfuls of water in great gulps.
 
With her thirst sufficiently quenched, Rey tore open one of the thin parcels and took a cautious sniff. Her tiny nose wrinkled and she let out a sigh. It didn’t smell the best, but whatever it was - she was sure it was food. Rifling through the mishmash of junk, Rey found a small dish, scooped up a bit of water and mixed the powder in it with the tip of her finger - watching in wild wonder as the powder soaked up the water and puff up into a delicious-looking bread.
 
She enthusiastically snatched it up and took the biggest bite she could muster. Chewing quickly, Rey tore off another bite, then another until it was gone. Ravenous from her arduous journey and unsure of the last time she’d eaten, she was desperate to have more, but her judgment - so much wiser than a girl her age would normally have - told her that she needed to save the packets until she could do as the fishblob told her to: scavenge.
 
With her belly full to the brim, Rey let out a sigh as she took a closer look around. There was a smattering of rusted parts and a few tools scattered around on the floor. On a makeshift shelf, she discovered a short, metal rod. Running her fingers over the cool metal, she let out a quiet gasp when the sharp tip pricked the end of her finger.
 
Seized with an idea, Rey grabbed one of the loose crates and dragged it noisily across the floor to a large, bare wall. She hoisted herself up on her makeshift stool, stretched up on her tiptoes, and notched a short line into the metal.
 
“Day one,” she whispered to no one while her stomach churned with a heavy sense of dread for what was to come. Her mind swirled with all the unknown questions, desperate to have the answers that felt like they’d been so suddenly ripped from her memory. She knew she had to have a family. It felt like she did, but where were they? How did she end up there? 
 
Rey’s chin trembled when she squeezed her eyes shut and wracked her brain for a sense of

anything

that had happened to her, but no matter how much she tried, everything prior to being on Jakku was completely blank. All she had to show for it was a collection of scrapes and bruises, a bump on the head, and a crystal shard hanging from a silver chain around her neck - and the faintest picture in her mind of kind, brown eyes and a tender voice whispering in her ear.
 
A stuttering cry tumbled from her mouth in an instant, suddenly seized with an overwhelming feeling of loneliness and despair. Tearing down one of the tattered pieces of cloth from the wall, Rey wrapped herself in it like a second skin to shield herself from the rapidly cooling air. She wandered to a little nook and arranged herself into a little ball, tucking her knees to her chin to make herself as small as possible. 
 
With her cheek pressed against the cold of the durasteel, Rey sucked in a quivering breath as the tears came. Sobs quaked her tiny body as her grief overwhelmed her and, as her tears slipped down her cheek into the sand, she heard a voice whisper in her ear.

It’s okay. I’m here. I’ll always be with you, even if we’re apart. No matter how far. I will follow you across the galaxy, my Stardust.

*
 
The memories of the broken little girl who cried herself to sleep for countless nights in the belly of a fallen AT-AT felt like a lifetime ago - and so many lessons were learned quickly while being alone in such an unforgiving place as the desert.

Don’t stay out past dark.

That was when the nightwatcher worms would come. Native to the planet, they were massive, worm-like creatures that were the size of a small shuttle, burrowing deep into the Jakku sands to emerge when the twin suns would rise. They preyed upon

everything

- from the junk that littered the starship graveyard, to droids, and even a human or two.  
 
Rey had witnessed one of the terrifying sandborers snatch up a fellow scavenger right before her eyes one day when the sun had become too low and after that day, she vowed to always be safely tucked away in her AT-AT before dark.

Stay out of the way of the Teedo -

a sentient reptilian species that was native to Jakku who prowled the barren wastelands. They were fiercely territorial and would fight other scavengers for a find if they found the scrap to be valuable enough.

Beware of the wrath of R’iia,

the goddess the Teedo worshipped. They believed that the vicious sandstorms that would come sweeping in from time to time, stripping paint from the hulls of the fallen star destroyers, were her breath - X’us’R’iia. The Teedo thought that the goddess was wrathful and hostile, and according to them, she was wholly responsible for The Battle of Jakku and would likely be the case of any future famine and drought.

Stretch your water and portions.

When trading for food was the only thing that came close to an income, meals weren’t always guaranteed depending on the haul each day. If Unkar Plutt didn’t see value in what you brought him, it was simple - you didn’t eat.
 
Through everything she’d gone through, there was one lesson Rey found the most valuable-

Never depend on anyone except for yourself.

Rey had spent thirteen years of her life fighting each day to survive, battling through impossible conditions, through the sand and the sun, climbing to precarious heights, and every evening, she’d scratch a new mark into the wall of her humble AT-AT home.
 
The first few years were the most difficult. There were many nights that Rey went to sleep with the rumbles of hunger in her belly, and many days learning what parts held value with Unkar Plutt, and which did not. She survived the first weeks on the portions she discovered in her AT-AT, but quickly found work for a few sympathetic scavengers who would give her a share of their portions for payment from gathering bits of scrap in hard to reach places. A talented climber, Rey’s small size made it easy for her to slip into tight spots where other scavengers couldn’t fit, making her a valuable asset to ambitious scrappers.
 
When she first found her home in the abandoned Imperial walker, Rey wasn’t sure how she’d be able to make a home in the barren wilderness of the desert planet - not when in her heart, she longed for things she’d only ever dreamed about. Someplace green, warm, and full of life. There were days that she was convinced that she would fail, that it was only a matter of time before the desert claimed her for good - until she stumbled upon a lonely green spinebarrel flower growing out of a smattering of sand that had drifted into her walker.
 
The tiny flower, something of no consequence to anyone else, filled Rey with a boundless sense of hope. If something as small and fragile as that flower could survive on Jakku - so could she.
 
Rey felt strong in her newfound determination, but the loneliness was never far away, especially at night. The howling winds of the X’us’R’iia haunted her sleep. It was in those terrifyingly lonely moments that the voice would visit her, and the promise was always the same.

Don’t be afraid. I’m here. I’ll always be with you, even if we’re apart. No matter how far. I’ll follow you across the galaxy, my Stardust.

Every time her fear and loneliness would start to consume her, stealing her breath and replacing it with tears, the voice would come, and she’d wrap the treasured feeling it gave her around her heart like a warm blanket. It happened often enough during the first few months that Rey came to depend on the voice to soothe her into a fitful sleep. So much so, that she began to blindly hope that one day, the keeper of that voice would come and whisk her away from her grim life in the desert.
 
The days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. The voice visited less frequently as time passed by, and eventually, grew silent altogether. 
 
No longer a little girl, Rey had become a talented mechanic, pilot, and was even able to hold her own in a fair fight with a quarterstaff - which gained her quite the reputation in Niima Outpost.   
 
She developed a knack for languages and even built her own speeder out of parts she found buried in the wreckage of the starship graveyard.
 
Over the years, some of the other scavengers were kind to her, but most others were not - and even thought of her as their property. Rey came to realize that, while some of her fellow scavengers needed her help, she didn’t need any of them. No one took the lonely little girl seriously and, fueled by her stubbornness, she refused to fail.
 
By the time she was a teenager, she was Unkar Plutt’s best scavenger. With a mysterious sixth sense, she knew where the best parts were tucked away, and she had the skills and the tenacity to get to them.  She had earned a slight amount of respect from the Crolute because she always brought him the very finest parts. By being Unkar’s favorite, along with the reputation she gained with her quarterstaff, most of the other scavengers left her alone. Still, the odd few, usually new scavengers who didn’t know her, or those who were particularly desperate, would try to steal from her - and would learn a hard lesson at the end of a blunt staff.

It had been a good day. Rey had spent many hours combing through the skeleton of the behemoth star destroyer,

Ravager.

She was able to pry away a gravatic sensor, a few power flux connectors, and some valuable power coils. She knew that Plutt would be able to make a fair amount of credits off of unsuspecting passersby to Niima Outpost, and he would reward her with so many portions, she could very well eat for a month. And on her walk back to her speeder, she’d even stumbled upon a fragile nightbloomer.

Surely a sign of good things to come.

At first light the next day, Rey loaded her speeder with her valuable finds and began the long ride to Niima Outpost, rocketing past the ghosts of the Empire while the sun climbed into the sky.  She arrived by midmorning and hopped down from her seat to start unloading her cargo, releasing the side net with a turn of her wrist and a loud swear.
 
“Kriffing hell,” she grimaced as she took stock of her haul and found a noticeably absent quarterstaff that had been left behind in her AT-AT. With an exasperated sigh, Rey shook her head as she bent down to gather up her finds to take them to a washing station, hoping that the forgotten staff wasn’t a sign of how her day was going to go.
 
As she hauled her net of parts across the sand to clean them, creating a trail behind her with each step, Rey caught sight of the distinct vertical black wings of an Upsilon-class command shuttle looming over the rooftop of the outpost, making her brows scrunch together in a puzzled stare as a shiver passed over her.

If the First Order is here, that can’t mean anything good…

Rey knew that it was for the best to keep to herself, so she shrugged off the sight of the shuttle and the feeling it gave her, and sat down at a table to continue her day the way she’d originally planned to.

With the palm of her hand, Rey wiped a stripe across the worn surface, brushing it clean of the layer of sand that had built up on it overnight. She settled onto a bench and tugged on a pair of leather gloves that were made for hands much larger than hers, but like so many other things in the life of a scavenger - she’d make the best of what she had.
 
Rey scrubbed furiously at a power coil, determined to make it shine and ensure that Plutt saw it for the value it truly held. While she cleaned, she shuddered with the eerie feeling that she was being watched. She lifted her gaze and instantly locked eyes with someone she didn’t recognize. More than likely someone new to the planet - a freshly minted scavenger, perhaps - he averted his gaze the split second she met it and walked away. 
 
With a small shrug of her shoulders, Rey shifted her attention back to the task at hand, going about her business until the parts gleamed and she was able to load up her net and take it to Unkar Plutt. Her stomach twisted in a thrilling sense of anticipation of how many portions she’d receive, hoping that she’d be able to replenish stores to last her through the slow days.
 
Out of nowhere, as she trudged through the loose sand beneath her boots, a simultaneously strange and exhilarating sensation crept into her mind, sending an electric shiver across her entire body. A pull, captivating and magnetic, drew her attention to a figure standing across the outpost. 
 
Tall and imposing, he cast a shadow longer than the one at his feet, clothed entirely in black from head to toe. He wore a surcoat that swept the toes of his black boots, with ribbed armbands that hugged every curve of his muscular arms. A tattered cowl was slung across his broad shoulders, with a dark hood drawn over his head. On top of the entire ensemble - be it some sort of armor or for some other purpose, Rey wasn’t sure - was a striking black helm, with a delicate set of silver bands that wrapped around the narrow visor.
 
The dark stranger strode with a purpose through the market with a long, loping gait with his gloved hands clenched into fists at his sides. The second Rey laid eyes on him, he stopped dead in his tracks and turned his head in her direction. She swallowed a lump in her throat with a shiver, swearing that if it weren’t for his mask, that their eyes would have met. And, somehow, even with his face obscured, Rey could feel his burning gaze upon her skin.
 
A strange fire burst to life in her chest, flaring so brightly, she thought she might go blind from the overwhelming sensation of it all. Her mind reeled with a thousand questions, swimming through each one as the time stopped.

What was this? Who was this dark stranger who was making her feel that way? Was it fear? Curiosity? ...Or something else.

Rey’s attention was so wrapped up in the mysterious, faceless stranger when, without warning, a pair of strong arms grabbed her from behind.
 
She reacted quickly, thrashing her legs out in front of her as hard as she could muster to try and gain the leverage to get out of his grip. The arms gripped her tighter still, so Rey did the only thing she could think of at the moment. She opened her mouth and tore into her attacker’s arm with her teeth. The offending individual yelped in pain, releasing their hold in an instant. 
 
Rey spun on her heel, swinging her fist at her target. Her knuckles collided with his mouth with a

thump,

and her hand instantly throbbed from the force of her blow. She pressed her mouth to her aching hand, shaking it loose as she looked up to see the face of her attacker. 
 
The new scavenger who’d been staring at her earlier chuckled darkly and spat a glob of blood onto the sand with a tilt of his head in her direction.
 
“You’re a feisty one, aren’t you?” He sneered with a blood-smeared smile as he stuck a pair of grimy fingers in his mouth to let out a loud whistle, “I’ve got some friends who are interested in that haul of yours. Maybe they’d be interested in something else of yours, as well.” His eyes shifted slowly down her body in a way that only fueled her rage.
 
“I’d like to see you try,” Rey gloated with a huff of laughter, spreading her feet as she readied herself for what was coming, but

oh,

what a day to leave her prized quarterstaff behind.
 
Rey knew she could have taken on that scum on her own without her staff, had it just been she against him, and he wouldn’t have known what hit him - but they weren’t alone. With the sound of his whistle, four of his comrades strode over through the sand, hungry for a fight. 
 
The first grimy piece of trash swung at Rey’s face, which she quickly ducked and responded with a swift kick to his ribs with a

crack.

She turned to lay another swift kick to her next assailant, when a set of calloused knuckles collided painfully with her brow, sending her to the sand in a heap. Blinded by her pain, she tried to push through the ringing in her ears and pick herself up when a foot connected with her ribs, again and again. She gasped for breath between each one, counting each new fracture as the onslaught continued. Rolling her face into the sand, she closed her eyes, held her breath, and awaited the next blow.
 
It never came.
 
Looking up from behind her bloodied lashes, Rey saw the dark knight standing over her like a rabid dog. His massive, gloved fist collided with the jaw of the first goon, who in turn hit the ground, motionless. The next attacker came towards him, and the mysterious stranger responded by throwing out his hand, tossing the scum into the air invisibly and violently - as if they’d been ripped backwards by an invisible rope. 
 
The thug landed with a sickening

thunk

on the sand, his limps twisted and contorted from his abrupt flight. With a single look, the dark knight stopped the final two dead in their tracks with his hand outstretched.
 
“

You will turn around, walk into the desert, and never return to this place,”

a deep, modulated voice reverberated through the mask as the pair of men suddenly straightened up with a glossy look in their eyes.
 
“We’re leaving now and won’t be coming back,” they murmured, turning slowly on their heels to amble out of the outpost towards the horizon. 
 
Rey pressed her palms against the hot hand with a groan and lifted herself to sit while she caught her breath as she watched in a dazed puzzlement as their figures shrank into the distance. Her stomach churned and her mind was still filled with questions as she smeared blood from her mouth with the back of her hand.
 
“What did you just do?” she questioned through labored breaths as each one sent a ricochet of pain through her lithe body.
 
The dark knight stayed silent beside her, clenching his fists at his side as the steady rise and fall of his broad shoulders slowed to a normal pace. Rey reached around her torso and gingerly pressed her fingertips to her ribs with a hiss of pain, knowing in an instant that she’d more than likely broken a couple of ribs. It wasn’t the first time and wouldn’t be the last, but it was still a frustrating and painful setback to her normal routine. 
 
She glanced up curiously at the man beside her, who still had his back turned to her, and somehow seemed to take up all the space in the entire outpost with his presence. Her questions rattled around in her mind as she watched him slowly turn his head to the side to cast her a brief glance before speaking. 
 
“Do you make a habit out of getting your ass kicked?” he growled and Rey couldn’t help but feel that she had somehow angered the man.
 
“Are you serious?” Rey balked with an exasperated laugh that echoed with an ache in her tender ribs, “I was completely outnumbered

and

unarmed. Had I been prepared, I would have been able to handle myself, thank you very much.”
 
“I’m sure you can, Sweetheart,” he drawled as he slowly turned to step back towards his ship with his ambling strides.
 
“Listen here, Bucketbrain,” Rey snapped with an acidic glare, appalled that a perfect stranger had the gall to talk to her in such a manner, but the dark knight held up a gloved hand to silence her as he came to an abrupt halt - listening to something or someone from inside his mask.
 
“You’re coming with me,” he muttered in a clipped tone, somehow more surly than he’d been only seconds before, “There’s someone who wants to speak with you.
 
“I...what? You’re a kriffing nerfherder if you think I’m going anywhere with you. I’ve plenty of strangers today, but thanks.”
 
The knight’s fists clenched and unclenched in frustration as he let out a groan through the mask.
 
“Look, I’m just as pleased about this as you are. You’re coming with me, and I’ll carry you if I have to.”
 
“You wouldn’t dare,” Rey snapped.
 
“You’d be surprised, Highness,” he drawled with a quick look around the outpost, “Listen, I don’t have time for this and I can see how things work around here. Trading, right? I need to give you something valuable and you’ll do what you’re told?”
 
“That’s debatable.”
 
“How about,” he ignored her and Rey grinned inwardly at the thought of annoying him further, curious what he was able to offer her, “A blaster and a holopad for ten minutes. It certainly seems like a blaster would come in handy with the types of...habits you seem to have. I won’t be here to save your skin next time.”
 
“You couldn’t pay me with all the blasters in the galaxy to come with you,

e chu ta.”

Rey spat.
 
“My, what a potty mouth you have on you, Your Worship. You know what?

Fine

, since you can protect yourself so well - no blaster. Will asking nicely get me anywhere?”
 
Rey could feel it, the way they were effortlessly goading each other in such a way that was simultaneously infuriating and intoxicating, but she knew that it wasn’t going to last forever - no matter the strange pull she felt. 
 
She couldn’t help but want to tell him to kriff-off and leave her alone, but the pull gave her a tug in the back of her mind and told her that it was so much more than just a feeling. 
 
With a slow lick of her lips, she decided to be the first one to give him and narrowed her eyes up at him from her seat in the sand.
 
“Five minutes. Blaster. Holopad. And two energy cells.” she nodded with a sigh.
 
He regarded her with a slow tilt of his head as he considered her terms to their bargain.
 
“Agreed.”
 
Rey sucked in a trembling breath when the dark knight held out a gloved hand and patiently waited until she slid her hand into his, pulling her up from the sand and sealing their agreement.
 
She followed him towards the looming upsilon-class command shuttle, trying hard to calm the rapid beating of her heart as they stepped up the ramp and into the belly of the ship. 
 
Her eyes instantly were drawn to a man sitting on a plush bench in the main hold. Young, thin, and elegant with bright, auburn hair, he sat with one leg crossed over the other as he remained casually focused on a datapad in his lap.
 
As they approached, the man looked up and flashed her a brilliant smile and his well-defined brow raised in interest as he stood to greet them. 
 
“Ah, Lord Ren, who is this stunning desert flower you have brought me?” He asked, with an impeccably posh accent.  He stood nearly as tall as the dark knight behind her, dressed in a neatly pressed black uniform. He was flawlessly clean-shaven, with a sharp, square jaw and pronounced cheekbones.  His red hair was neatly combed, with long sideburns framing his ears, but Rey was instantly drawn in by the icy blue eyes that glittered as he smiled down at her.

“I’m Rey,” she murmured with an odd twinge in her heart, completely unsure of the newest stranger before her.  She inwardly cursed to herself. Her nightbloom had lied. She thought that it was a sign of good things to come, but it had turned out to be something more strange than she could have ever imagined.

“Ah, Rey. Such a pleasure to make the acquaintance of such a captivating beauty, hidden away here in the desert. My name is Armie,” he gave her a kind smile as he reached out with his bare hands, capturing hers and brushing a delicate kiss across the knuckles.

A breathlessly confused giggle tumbled from her lips as a baffled smile spread across her face.

“I’m sorry, but what am I doing here?” She motioned back towards the open gangplank with her free hand, “I really should be getting back to my speeder before it walks off in a hundred different pieces.”

The new stranger, Armie, clapped his hands together cheerfully.

“Ah, yes! Let’s get down to business, shall we?  Please, sit here with me, Rey,” he kept her hand in his, and guided her to the long, black seat he was sitting on only moments ago. The dark knight, “Lord Ren”, as his associate called him, stood like a sentinel at the top of the ramp.

Rey sat the bag with her promised loot down next to her feet as  Armie arranged himself so that he was angled towards her, her hand still held firmly in his.

“I understand this situation is a little odd, but please bear with me. I am in a position of...

power

within The First Order. I have certain, shall we say,

advisors

that dispense advice to me every so often. While I am a young man, I am not getting any younger, and I have been advised that it is time for me to get married,” he chuckled.

“Um...well...congratulations?” Rey said, her lovely freckled face contorted with confusion, “But what does this have to do with me?”

“As it happens, I was on my way to meet some prospective suitors when our warp vortex stabilizer suffered some damage. That’s how we ended up here, a fortuitous chance, to be sure. Jakku was the closest inhabited planet where we might find the right parts to repair my shuttle. We arrived here, and that’s when I saw you, my dear. I saw you, and knew I didn’t have any more need to see any of those other girls.”
 
“Me?” She let out an uncomfortable laugh, the questions in her mind mounting higher with each second, “What’s so special about me?”

“You, Rey, are a

real

girl. All the other prospects I have lined up for me are impossibly stuffy, and know nothing about what the galaxy is like outside the luxurious comforts of the core worlds. I need someone authentic. Someone who understands what it is like to be one of the people. Someone they’ll

love.

”

“You don’t know a thing about me,” she shook her head with a deep sense of skepticism, “How could you want to marry me if you’ve only just met me?”

“Give me a chance to prove to you that this is the right choice. Come with me to my ship and spend a few days. Let’s get to know each other. Let someone else take care of you for a change. No scavenging, no sand, no worrying about someone hurting you,” he reached up and gently brushed the deepening bruise along her brow bone, “Please, let me help you.”

“I can’t...I can’t just leave. I’ve built a life here. This is all I have ever known,” she shrugged with a sigh, standing to leave, “I don’t know how to live any other way.”

Armie caught her hand and stood, pulling her closer to him. Mere inches away from each other, she looked up into his pleading blue eyes as her breath hitched sharply in her throat - realizing she had never been this close to a man before.

“Take a day to think about it. Here, take this,” he reached into his pocket and slipped a small comlink into her hands, “We will stay in orbit for the next few days. Please, just consider my offer of coming to stay. Let me get you away from this place - even if it’s just for a little while,” he pleaded, his eyes soft as he skimmed the pad of his thumb over the tender flesh on the back of her hand.

“I will,” Rey murmured, still looking into his eyes. He flashed her a dashing smile and ghosted another kiss across her knuckles.

She accepted the comlink from Armie, along with the loot she was promised by Lord Ren. Striding past the dark knight at the top of the ramp, Rey hesitated for a moment.

“Thank you,” she whispered softly, “Thank you for helping me out there.”

He turned towards her, fists clenched at his sides, and gave her a terse nod. His expression was completely unreadable because of the mask, and Rey couldn’t help but wish for a split second that she could see who he was hiding underneath it.

“I will see you soon, Desert Flower, I’m sure of it,” Armie called to her as she stepped into the bright, desert sunlight, “Can you feel that? It feels like destiny.”

Rey offered an unsure smile and a nod before she turned to walk down the ramp of the shuttle. She strode through Niima Outpost, mulling the conversation in her mind - both of them - until she made her way back to where the fight occurred, discovering that the unconscious assailants were gone - and so were her scavenged parts.

Kriffing hell.

Disappointed, she headed back to her speeder, stashing the comlink on her belt before jetting off towards home.
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
*

Rey didn’t make it far before the moons began to rise, and the X’us’R’iia blew in.  The storm, with relentless winds and voracious walls of sand, was one of the most brutal she had seen in ages. The biting sand stung her skin and burned in the wound on her brow as Rey gunned the twin-turbojet engines of her speeder to try and outrun the relentless, whipping sand.  
 
The engines roared, jolting forward momentarily before the speeder sputtered to a stop. Swearing loudly, she banged her fist on the damned thing out of frustration. The conditions were too poor for her to try and repair it then, so she would have to try and make it the rest of the way on foot and pray that her speeder was still there in the morning.

Hauling the loot given to her by Lord Ren with her and using her hand to shield her eyes, Rey trudged through the drifting sand towards her AT-AT.

It felt like hours had passed before Rey stumbled into the belly of her walker, collapsing on the floor in a heap as soon as she stepped inside. Painful coughs racked her body as she struggled to take a sand-less breath with her aching ribs. She pulled out what remained of the trio of buns that she’d been tying in her hair every day for as long as she could remember. Rey tried to shake the sand out of her hair - to no avail. What she wouldn’t give for a real ‘fresher with water, not like the sonic ‘freshers in Niima Outpost that you had to trade portions to use. Eat, or be clean. The choice was simple for her.

Rey busied herself with grilling up some vegmeat, and mixed up a polystarch roll to satiate her growling stomach. Thankful that she was home and not lost out in the sands, she ate her portion and then went to the wide, metal wall to scratch in the day’s mark next to all the others - the same monotonous routine she’d done for as long as she could remember. 
 
She’d lost count of how many there were over the years, and sometimes wondered why she bothered with it anymore. Rey let out a wistful sigh as she imagined what it would be like to leave the dusty planet behind and start fresh. What would it be like to live a life away from here? Armie’s offer was tempting, to be sure, but it didn’t change the fact that the man was a stranger to her.

He said she would come to know him. He wouldn’t be a stranger then, would he? He was so kind to her, and she’d never had a man be that close to her before. It was thrilling, to say the least, and it took her breath away in the most unexpected way. Is that what being attracted to someone felt like? Rey couldn’t be sure, having no experience in the matter, but part of her wanted to find out.

In the secluded world of her walker, as she sat with her back against the wall of a lifetime's worth of notches in the durasteel wall, Rey couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to not be alone anymore. It was ever so tempting - to have

someone

to call home.

Rey shook her head to try and snap out of the daydream. She’d had them before -  and they’d only led to a broken little girl who cried herself to sleep when a voice she’d made up in her head stopped talking to her. None of it was real, it never had been. She was grown now. She knew better.

Don’t depend on anyone but yourself.

Rey crashed down from her delusion of a different life with a shake of her head and a sigh. She stood up and wistfully pressed her palm to the markings on the wall before turning to climb into her hammock to drift into a fitful sleep.

*

Everything is chaos. Blaster fire echoes in and around the great temple’s pyramid.  Screams fill the air, and fire spreads through the jungle. She is a child again. She is terrified and wailing into someone’s shoulder as strong arms hold her tightly. A desperate voice pleads,

“BEN. You must leave. You aren’t safe here. They are here for our family, please, you have to go!’

“I can’t leave her. I can’t do it!”

“Here, give her to me, I will take her with me. I swear she will be safe.”

“No, I can’t. I promised her that I would protect her.”

“She will be in more danger if she stays with you, and you know it.”

“My son, please, you have my word. I swear I will make sure she leaves this planet safely.”

Something is horribly, terribly wrong. A voice murmurs frantically in her ear.

“Don’t be afraid, sweet girl. I will find you, I swear! I don’t care how long it takes. Just remember, I will always be with you no matter if we are apart. No matter how far. I would cross the galaxy for you, my Stardust,” he kisses her hair, wipes away her tears, and smiles at her with tear-filled, honey-brown eyes.

Without warning, she is ripped from his arms. She reaches out for him as he is pulled further away. Their grief-stricken screams echo amongst the blaster fire. He is pushed into a shuttle as an explosion rocks the space between them, turning the world white.

“Stardust!”

Rey woke with a start, covered in sweat. She reached up to her face, wiping hot tears from her eyes. That voice was so achingly familiar. The dream felt so achingly real, like an echo of a distant life.

*

As daylight began to break outside the walker,  Rey tried to shake herself free from the heartbreak and fear she felt from her dream. There were real things to do and to worry about -  not a memory of an old echo of a voice. She pulled on her boots and trudged outside into the bright morning sun.

It wasn’t long before she found what was left of her prized speeder, and Rey had to stifle a heartbroken sob. It had taken years of scavenging to find the right parts, but she had built the speeder with her own two hands. Now it sat in the Jakku desert, torn to shreds by the competing scavengers.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she made an impulsive decision.

Enough with this kriffing sand bucket.  I need a change of scenery.

Rey pulled the comlink off her belt and pressed the call button. A cool, appealing voice answered.

“Ah, it is my desert flower! Are you ready to be whisked away, my dear?”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Today was the day of his wedding.
 
Today was the day where his fate would be sealed. He’d marry the girl, and the people of the galaxy would finally love him.
 
 Him.
 
Armitage Hux. Emperor of the First Order. 
 
He stood proudly in front of a mirror in his quarters, adjusting the gold laurel wreath that hovered over his auburn hair. He dusted off his white suit, and straightened the long white cowl that was draped over his shoulders and slung over his arm. Pinned to his chest was a shining gold First Order emblem.   
 
Today, he was gaining an empress. A girl of the people - one that they absolutely adored. She had only been known to them for a few months, and yet she was entirely beloved. This girl wasn’t even his wife, and the people of the galaxy already referred to her as “The People’s Empress”.
 
He rolled his eyes with a sneer and a snide brush of his gloved hand on his shoulder. If only it had been that easy for him.  
 
He was fond of the girl, he could maybe even love her one day - if he was capable of such a thing. When he brought her to the palace, she was wide-eyed with wonderment. The poor thing had grown up all alone in the remnants of an old AT-AT, leftover from the disappointing last days of The Empire. He enjoyed doting on her, and showing her all the comforts that his world had to offer her. She was practically feral when he found her on Jakku - but those dirty scavenger qualities were quickly ironed out of her. Armitage was rather impressed by how quickly she turned into someone worthy of the title of Empress.
 
Armitage was sure it had to have been destiny to find her that day. The last time he had been on Jakku was when he was a small child. He could hardly believe that he stumbled upon this desert flower in this desolate place that was full of so many grim memories for him. Very few people around him knew the whole truth of his upbringing, and just how far he went to become the man looking back at him from the mirror. 
 
*
 
Armitage Hux was a bastard. His father, Brendol Hux, had an illicit affair with a kitchen maid and gained an unwanted son for his efforts. As a child, he knew his father didn’t like him. Armitage had always been thin, even more so as a boy. Brendol thought that he was weak, like a piece of paper, and just as useless as one - easy to crumple up and leave behind in the wind.  His father never allowed Armitage to forget his disappointment in his son. Not until after he was dead.
 
When he was only a few years old, the Rebel Alliance led an attack on his birth planet, Arkanis.  The planet was home to The Imperial Academy that his father led. During the attack, Armitage was left on the planet’s surface. He probably would have died there, if it weren’t for the orders of a leader within the Empire’s fleet that made sure that he made it off the planet. Afterwards, Armitage and his father fled to Jakku. The remaining pieces of the Empire amassed themselves there to bide their time until they would have the final showdown with the Rebel Alliance.  
 
Many months went by waiting for the Rebels. Armitage spent most of the time avoiding his father. Brendol spent a majority of his time on Jakku conditioning some of the orphaned children of Jakku natives into miniature killing machines. Any time that his father wasn’t torturing the children of the desolate planet, he’d torture his son. Armitage was no stranger to random beatings and emotional floggings by Brendol. His father insisted that one day he would thank him, that all this would bring out his potential.  
 
The Rebels came. Along with them came The Traitor: Darth Vader.The Empire fell.  
 
While fleeing their temporary home on Jakku, a commander in the newly fallen Empire gave young Armitage command of the group of child soldiers. He was told that he needed to learn how to lead now, that it would be instrumental to the destiny that awaited him. The Empire needed him.  
 
Armitage could make these orphans do whatever he liked. He tested the theory one day by making one of the young boys beat one of his comrades, only because he told him to. His first taste of power was intoxicating. He needed more. 
 
Following the Empire’s defeat on Jakku, the remnants fled to the Unknown Regions, where they would bide their time before rising to power again. The endless physical punishment from his father finally came to an end when he was an adolescent.  Vice Admiral Sloane, an important leader in the ranks of the Empire, threatened Brendol after he tried to strangle her. In return, as an experienced martial artist, Sloane beat him to a bloody pulp. She informed him that from that day, he’d leave Armitage alone and teach him everything he knew about the Empire. A blithering Brendol agreed.  
 
Armitage spent the rest of his youth training under his father and the other remaining leadership of the Empire. He slowly rose in the ranks, eager to prove himself to the ever cruel Brendol.  While his physical torment had ended, his father never ceased to tell him on a constant basis how useless he was. He told him that he would be a failure, and would never live up to the greatness that was the Empire. Despite his father telling him otherwise, Armitage was vigilant in his service to the Imperial Remnant. He helped his father form a new stormtrooper program that took the wayward children of the galaxy and trained them to become elite killing machines, loyal to the Imperials. Someday soon, Hux and his soldiers would lead the Imperial remnant to rise again - to topple the pathetic rule of the Skywalker-Organas. All they needed was the proper leader.
 
Armitage didn’t have to wait long for such a person. He was still a young man when a mysterious humanoid alien arrived in the Unknown Regions, declaring himself Supreme Leader of the First Order. Supreme Leader Snoke brought the First Order to power quickly. He was a powerful force user who was incredibly strong with the dark side.  He was obsessed with the Jedi, and cleansing the galaxy of their presence. Snoke believed that so long as any Jedi lived, that there would be room for hope in the galaxy. If hope remained, then the people of the galaxy would have the ability to overpower the First Order. Part of the Supreme Leader’s plan to get rid of the Jedi was to obtain an apprentice. When he was questioned about this apprentice, Snoke merely stated:
 
“The boy isn’t ready to join us. I have been grooming his mind since he was a babe, and it won’t be much longer until my successor will join us, and then the galaxy will feel the might and power of the First Order.”
 
*
 
Armitage was twenty years old when the Supreme Leader came to power within the First Order.  By this time, his stormtrooper training program proved to be very fruitful in churning out soldiers loyal to him and the First Order. This gained him the respect of Snoke, and he was soon promoted to General. It should have been something to celebrate, but good things were never good things for Armitage Hux.  After a lifetime of being told he was useless, and wouldn’t amount to anything by his father, he had been hopeful that he may have finally made Brendol proud. Hope wasn’t for people like him.
 
His father laughed.
 
“A general?” Brendol guffawed, “You won’t last five years, boy.  Leadership is for the strong, and you, much to my dismay, will never be that. I had hoped my entire life that I would have a son to whom I could pass down what I know. So that he may, one day, become the mightiest of leaders that the galaxy has ever known. What a pity that the galaxy gave me you.”
 
His father was wrong. He wasn’t weak. He was a powerful leader, he had proven it to the Supreme Leader. Why couldn’t Brendol see that?  Armitage had more power now then his father had known his entire military career. He knew that it was time to use his newfound power to make Brendol pay for the torture he had inflicted on him since he was a child.  
 
Armitage quickly found someone who shared the same disdain for Brendol as he did. A captain in the imperial stormtrooper unit: Phasma.  
 
She was a fierce warrior that he and his father had discovered on the remote planet of Parnassos.  Eager to seize her opportunity to get off planet, Phasma followed the Huxes back to the Unknown Regions, and quickly proved that she was far beyond the ordinary stormtrooper.  She was completely loyal to the First Order, and believed that her loyalty belonged there - above any one person. 
 
On the day General Hux came to Phasma with the plan to kill his father, they knew it would be for the betterment of the Order. Phasma agreed to help him, and Armitage left the actual killing up to her.  His only request was that it would be untraceable. She soon acquired a beetle from her home planet - the Parnassos beetle - that had a devastatingly toxic bite.

Just a few days later, Brendol complained of an itchy wound on his neck.  It wasn’t long before the man became bedridden, when the wound swelled with a fever for which there was no cure.  Within days, he was no longer able to move, and started to ooze liquid that belonged inside his body out of his skin. Armitage visited his father then, wanting to pay his respects to the man before his time came.The general stood over his father and gave him a cool smile.
 
“What a shame. After all your years with the Empire, and your self-declared might and power, and here you lay.  I should have known you’d end up here. Leadership is for the

strong

. You called yourself a leader - but look how weak you are,” Armitage shook his head, feigning the same, cold disappointment Brendol had always shown him.

“I had always hoped that I would have a father that would teach me everything that he knew about the Empire, so I could grow into one of the mightiest leaders the First Order has ever seen. It’s a pity that the galaxy gave me you.”
 
Brendol’s eyes widened with rage when he realized that his son was the reason for his collapse. 
 
“You!” He started to cough as blood erupted out of his nose and mouth, spraying the room around him. As Brendol finished liquifying inside his body and letting out his last wet breath, Armitage coolly used a gloved hand to smear the spray of his father’s blood from his face, turning on his heel to walk away.  He felt powerful, having liberated himself from his prison.  
 
It wouldn’t be the last time.

*

It was only a year later that the might of the First Order was felt by the entire galaxy. Snoke had decided that it was time to move forward, that his successor was finally ready.  
 
A carefully planned scheme to assassinate Empress Organa-Solo was swiftly carried out in the night. The First Order acted in tandem, also burning the fledgling Jedi Temple on Yavin 4.  They collected Snoke’s apprentice from what was left of the temple, as well as a handful of other teenagers that the Supreme Leader thought may become useful to him.  
 
After the successful coup, they had officially cleansed the galaxy of the Skywalker filth, and had finally come to their rightful seat of power in the galaxy once more.
 
Armitage Hux had briefly met the sullen teenager that was to be the Supreme Leader’s successor. The boy was just that:

a boy

. He couldn’t have been much younger than Hux, himself. 
 
Snoke kept the boy isolated and out of sight from all others for quite some time, insisting that it was vital to his training. As the months went by, the remaining amount of Jedi padawans slowly dwindled until four years later, none remained at all.  Hux wasn’t sure what had happened to the students, but he was sure that Snoke and his apprentice had something to do with it.  
 
*

Four years after the rise of the First Order, the galaxy was finally introduced to the Supreme Leader’s apprentice: Kylo Ren.  
 
Hux was summoned to the audience chambers within the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. As he strode down the long room, he saw a dark figure already standing like a dark shadow at the base of Snoke’s feet. It took a few moments for Armitage to walk to the throne looming at the far end of the massive room. He could hear his footfalls reverberate up the enormous columns lining the space to dance around the lofty ceiling. The Supreme Leader awaited him at the end of the room, on a massive, black stone throne backed by a substantial circular window.  
 
“General Hux, what a pleasure for you to finally grace us with your presence,” the Supreme Leader sneered down at him.  
 
“Apologies, Supreme Leader. There were matters that needed my immediate attention aboard The Finalizer.” Snoke waved a withered hand at him.
 
“I am not interested in your excuses, General. You have kept your new associate waiting. What a poor first impression you have made. Lord Ren has completed his training, and is finally ready to join you in command of my Order.”

Lord Ren?

Armitage thought to himself incredulously. Who was this child - and who decided that he deserved such a title? He had fought tooth and nail his entire life to get to his current position, and yet this stranger spent a few years in isolation - and suddenly he’s “Lord Ren” and will be his equal in commanding his First Order?  He wanted to open his mouth to dispute this preposterous news, but knew better. Disagreeing with the Supreme Leader wasn’t advised. It would earn you a dish of painful force-lightning that left you feeling echoes of agony for days.

“Yes, Supreme Leader,” he agreed, bowing his head in feigned respect. The sooner he could get out of here and back to his star destroyer, the better. On his ship, he was the man in charge, and didn’t have to answer to anyone. It was his personal seat of power - one that he had worked so hard to achieve. He didn’t like the fact that now, he would have to share the power that was so incredibly dear to him.  
 
Armitage turned on his heel and strode out of the extravagant room to the turbolift that would haul him back to his command shuttle. It only took a few steps for Kylo Ren to catch up to him, matching him stride for stride like a looming sentinel. He heaved a great, exasperated sigh and was met with a faceless stare from the mask of “Lord Ren”.
 
“Don’t worry, cupcake.This will be harder on me than it will be for you,” a deep, modulated voice chuckled as Ren reached up and ruffled his hair. Rooted to the ground with a look of disgusted disbelief, Hux stood gobsmacked as the turbolift doors opened and Ren strode out onto the platform that held the waiting command shuttle.

*

Kylo Ren emerged from his isolation like a malevolent shadow. He swept across the galaxy with his battalion of stormtroopers like a plague, forcing those who would dare impede the First Order to pay dearly for their insolence. The biggest betrayers answered directly to the shrieking crimson blade of Ren’s lightsaber.
 
Over the years, Armitage and Ren formed an uneasy alliance. While Snoke had insisted that they had dual leadership of the military might of the entire First Order, Ren didn’t care about the amount of power he was given. The only thing he asked for was that Hux trust his judgment and not get in his way, and he, in turn, would be the dark enforcer for him and the First Order. They weren’t exactly friends - but definitely not enemies - more like reluctant allies.  While they weren’t completely alike, both were young men in a place surrounded by older Imperialists. They’d both had a difficult adolescence at the hands of their mentors, and had overcome their oppressive childhoods to gain power. Power that came with a price. 
 
Snoke was never kind. The Supreme Leader was a cruel man, often trying to pit Hux and Kylo against each other. After nearly ten years under yet another oppressor, Armitage decided he had had enough of trying to prove that he was worthy of a leader’s respect. He had fought tooth and nail to get where he was, now it was time to take what he wanted.
 
*
 
Once a month, the Supreme Leader summoned his two highest leaders to the Imperial Palace for a formal dinner. Snoke dished out fine wine, foods, and criticism for them both. Armitage brought his personal aide with him planetside, as he was usually prone to do. 
 
Captain Tritt Opan was a mousy man who didn’t look like he’d ever been much trouble. He had served under Brendol Hux, before rightly switching his loyalties to the younger Hux. Opan had been a useful addition to Hux’s team. Other people had a habit of underestimating Opan, the same way they had done to Hux. This made Opan completely imperceptible to Hux’s enemies when he would send Captain Tritt to eliminate them.  
 
The three of them sat at their dinner, Armitage and Kylo silent, poking at their food while the Supreme Leader regaled them with the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise. Hux didn’t know how many times he had listened to the ancient alien tell the tale of the old master of the past Emperor, Darth Sidious. Apparently, the man was powerful enough that he was able to prevent the death of those who he loved. Armitage made an annoyed face discreetly across the table at Ren, who pursed his lips and looked down at his food. 
 
“After Darth Plagueis taught his apprentice everything he knew, Sidious murdered the Dark Lord in his sleep. What a pity, he was able to save many others from death, but not-“ the Supreme Leader suddenly went wide-eyed, clutching at his chest as he started gasping for breath.  
 
Ren jumped to his feet, but it was too late. The Supreme Leader slumped over in his chair, completely lifeless. 
 
Both men jumped to their feet and stared at each other in shock. 
 
Faced with this unexpected freedom, Kylo was unsure of what to do next. Snoke had told him, since he had completed his training, that he was supposed to be his successor. Kylo didn’t have any interest in leading the First Order - that ship had sailed a long time ago. So, Ren lifted his glass and glanced across the table at an alarmed Hux.
 
“Long live the Supreme Leader.”
 
*
 
“Your Imperial Majesty,” a voice prompted impatiently, drawing Armitage away from the reveries of his past.
 
“Mmm? My apologies,” he mused insincerely, “please continue, Ms. Flast.” He was aboard his personal star destroyer, the

Supremacy

, on his way to the Western Reaches for a meeting with an envoy on the planet Samovar. Vania Flast, an elegant, older woman, stood before him with a datapad in her hand. She had silver hair, a long nose, and a

very

stern expression.
 
“Your potential suitors, Majesty? The council has compiled this list of suitable candidates. I believe that the daughter of Senator Cass of Kuat and the girl from the Hapes Consortium are both exceptional prospects.”
 
“Excellent,” he glanced at the profiles that she handed him. The Kuati girl seemed pretty enough, but then again, he didn’t necessarily look forward to having to marry a stuffy Core-World girl, who’d no doubt cast a snotty gaze upon his own birthright - or lack thereof. Armitage wasn’t of a proper pedigree to be the Emperor. After an entire life of having to prove himself to snobbish highborns, it baffled him that he still had to do the same thing as Emperor.  What he wouldn’t give to have a way to prove that you did not have to be from an elite Core world to have the respect and love of the people. It was because of the people of the galaxy that he was even taking a wife in the first place.  
 
His ascension to the throne was relatively problem-free. Snoke obviously didn’t have any plans to die at any moment close to when he landed face-first in his dinner, and hadn’t made any set plans as to who his successor was supposed to be. The only remote direction he ever gave was a small verbal suggestion that Kylo Ren was his supposed heir. It was just his luck that Ren was adamantly opposed to becoming the Supreme Leader. This meant he didn’t have to dispose of his comrade as well. Public opinion wasn’t sure of this “bastard king” at first, and Armitage had a hell of a time convincing them that he was deserving of his new title. 
 
Eventually, his history of military prowess and loyalty to the First Order come to be evidence enough to sway the galaxy for the time being. Any world that had anything to say otherwise would answer to the Emperor and his fleet of Imperial star destroyers.  
 
His counselors felt that public opinion of him would increase if he brought back different facets of the Old Republic from the days before The Clone War. They suggested holding regular court functions at the Imperial Palace, and then find an Empress. The people of the First Order might finally love him if he was able to show that a woman could do the same.  
 
“Have the coordinates input into my shuttle, and I will visit Kuat on my way back to Coruscant,” he directed to Ms. Flast, “We will keep it relatively informal that way. I’ll take Lord Ren with me to have the proper safety precautions.”
 
“As you wish, your Imperial Majesty,” she gave a bow and turned out of his office. He was only offered a moment’s peace before his holopad dinged, and the image of General Peavy emerged.
 
“Sir, we are about to come out of hyperspace above Samovar.”

*

The meeting with the envoy on Samovar went well. They were able to negotiate a trade deal for the precious minerals that the First Order needed to manufacture certain weapons. Armitage was now nestled in his Upsilon-Class command shuttle while they navigated their way to Kuat, without any available hyperspace lanes nearby. Ren was an accomplished pilot, and Hux had complete faith that he’d get them there without any unseen circumstances.
 
It was a relief to get a moment relatively alone. The Emperor’s work was never done. There was always some crisis on the other side of the galaxy that would need attending to, an advisor whispering in his ear, or some poor soul trying to worm their way into his good graces. He didn’t know when he would have the time to dedicate to a wife, not to mention he didn’t know how he could ever be a proper husband - if he was able to find himself a good, obedient woman. His only example of a husband was his father, Brendol, who was unfaithful to his wife with a kitchen woman, Armitage’s mother. He hadn’t experienced love as a child either, so he wasn’t sure if he would be capable of such a thing. 
 
He was losing himself in thought amongst the blue-white lines out of his viewport when the ship gave a jolt and they slammed out of hyperspace.
 
He jumped up into the cockpit and demanded, “What the hell happened, Ren?”
 
“We’ve blown our warp cortex stabilizer. Hyperdrive won’t work without it,” the dark knight muttered, “We’ll have to land on the closest inhabited planet to find a replacement part.  I’ve already commed the

Supremacy

, they’re halfway back to Coruscant by now, so it will take them a day or so before they can come to pick us up.”
 
The Emperor sighed, “Where are we headed to, then?”
 
“Jakku. There’s an outpost near the Goazon Badlands, Niima. It’s mid-day there, so we shouldn’t have to stay for long.”
 
“Good,” Armitage shuddered. He hadn’t been on that disgusting dust-bowl of a planet since he was a child. They had barely escaped with their lives back then, and he had no desire to ever return. 
 
Within the hour, the shuttle cruised down to the sandy surface of the planet, and Ren set the shuttle down in a shipyard near a remote marketplace.  
 
“I’ll stay here, Ren. You go find what we need,” the helmed knight gave a nod, and strode down the ramp and into the dry heat.  
 
Armitage settled into the plush bench and took a curious look out the viewport and into Niima Outpost. When he lived here as a boy, they were hidden away in an old Imperial fortress. He never had the opportunity to observe the people who had lived here. There were many people milling around the market, hauling around varying degrees of what seemed like random ship parts. He had heard rumblings that the social structure on Jakku was made up of scavengers.  He shuddered. What an awful existence for someone to have to endure.  
 
Unexpectedly, his eyes were drawn to a young woman standing in the marketplace. She was nothing short of beautiful. The girl stood proudly, brows furrowed in confusion. What was she staring at? Did she need help?  What on earth was someone like her doing in a place like this? He was suddenly overwhelmed with the need to whisk this desert flower away from this desolate place, and show her the world that she truly belonged in. 
 
He released the breath he didn’t realize he was holding when he saw a man come up behind the girl and snatch her with both arms. The girl reacted quickly after having been caught by surprise. She tried kicking and then bit the man before he finally let her go. She gave a great swing and her fist collided with her attacker’s mouth.
 
Armitage felt a surge of pride for this girl he didn’t know. He’d never find a girl with guts like that in the Core.  
 
She sneered at the man as he summoned a handful of other men. The Emperor’s eyes widened as she was quickly surrounded. An attacker swung at her, she dodged and gave a forceful kick in return. She turned, looking to bestow another kick when another one of the men hit her in the brow, sending her to the ground.
 
Hux felt panicked. He called the only person who was close enough to help the girl.
 
“Ren. There’s a girl in the marketplace, she needs-“
 
“I’m already on my way,” the knight’s real voice answered back from the comm inside his helm.  
 
Armitage saw his comrade stride over to the brawl as the girl was taking blow after blow to her ribs.  Ren stepped over her and clobbered the closest of the attackers. He summoned his dark power and threw a pair of them across the sand. Before he knew it, the scuffle was over, and the girl was scowling at the knight.  
 
“Ren, bring the girl to me. I’d like to meet her.”
 
He saw her frown continue for a few moments before she reached up a hand, and Ren pulled her to her feet. 
 
Armitage took a deep breath, and smoothed the front of his crisp, black uniform, and then his hair. He paced back and forth a few times before deciding to seat himself casually on the bench, so he’d look somewhat composed when she arrived.  
 
It was mere seconds before Kylo Ren strode up the ramp of the shuttle, and a wide-eyed desert flower followed behind him like a reluctant shadow. When she had fully boarded the ship, he glanced up from his datapad and gave her his most charming smile.
 
“Ah, Lord Ren, who is this stunning desert flower you have brought me?
 
She looked up at him, clearly hesitant. 
 
“I’m Rey.” What a simple name for such a beautiful creature. 
 
“Ah, Rey,” he murmured, “Such a pleasure to make the acquaintance of such a captivating beauty hidden away here in the desert. My name is Armie.”  He decided not to give his full name to her yet. She was apprehensive of him already, and he didn’t need to saddle her with the knowledge that she was face to face with the Emperor.  He swept up her bare hand and pressed a gentlemanly kiss against her knuckles, causing her to laugh nervously.
 
“I’m sorry, but what am I doing here? I really should be getting back to my speeder before it walks off in a hundred different pieces.”
 
What an awful place to be, where she must have to constantly worry about her safety. He knew this dusty rock was a garbage place. He needed to get her away from here as soon as possible.
 
He sat her down, and delicately explained how he was in a place of power and was told that he needed to get married.
 
“Um, well, congratulations?” This was not going as well as he had hoped. He needed to get this right if he was to have the faint chance of this girl returning to the

Supremacy

with him. He went on to explain how he and Ren had been on their way to meet a prospective suitor, but when their ship had malfunctioned, he realized that Fate had brought him to her - and he didn’t have any further need to meet anyone else but her.  He thought he had spun a convincing tale, but this girl was ever the skeptic.
 
“You don’t know a thing about me, how could you want to marry me if you’ve only just met me?”
 
He couldn’t believe he was doing this, but he felt so strong, bringing this girl with him to become his Empress was the right thing to do. He was prepared to beg her if he had to.
 
“Give me a chance to prove to you that this is the right choice. Come with me to my ship and spend a few days. Let’s get to know each other. Let someone else take care of you for a change. No scavenging, no sand, no worrying about some thieves hurting you,” he reached up and stroked the blossoming bruise along her brow. She would be under constant security as the Empress. She would be safe, and this would never happen to her again. “Please, let me help you.”
 
*
 
He knew it. He knew she was going to say no. Though, he still had hope. He sent her off with a commlink, and had a feeling that he would be hearing from his desert flower before he knew it.
 
The command shuttle had been repaired a few hours later, just in time for the

Supremacy

to arrive in Jakku’s orbit.  He arrived back on his destroyer with a flurry of activity awaiting him in his office. They had missed their meeting on Kuat, and the Senator wasn’t happy about it. He’d have to promise some favor to him down the road to make amends.
 
He sat down at his desk and summoned Vania Flast to take down a message to send off to his advisors on Coruscant.  Moments later, she arrived in a flurry,
 
“Your Imperial Majesty! Are we dictating a response to Senator Cass regarding your meeting today?”
 
“No,” he smiled, “I’d like you to inform the council that I have chosen my own bride, a girl of the people, from here on Jakku.”
 
Vania was hilariously flabbergasted. She grew up on Coruscant during the rise of the Empire, and didn’t have any idea what life was really like outside of a luxury high rise in the Palace District.  
 
“You can’t be serious, you’d bring a desert rat into our Imperial Palace?” She stated, her voice full of acid.
 
Armitage rose to his feet, fuming.
 
“That is the future Empress that you are talking about. You’d do well to show her the respect that she deserves, or suffer the consequences.” This seemed to make Vania remember her place.
 
“My deepest apologies, your Imperial Majesty. When would I be able to meet your future bride?” She questioned suspiciously.
 
The Emperor strode to the viewport and gazed down at the planet’s surface below.
 
“She’s not here yet, but don’t fret. You’ll meet her soon.”
 
“She’ll never come,” Vania murmured, “Desert rats don’t know how to do anything other than pick through the trash they were born in.”

Armitage rose a hand and struck the vain woman across her cheek. The feeling surged through his hand, curling up his arm in the most delicious way that only made him itch to do it again.
 
“How dare you question

me

, your

Emperor

?” He raged, “She will come to me, you’ll see. You’ll all see. Together, we will be the greatest rulers that this galaxy has ever had.” 
 
As if on cue, his commlink buzzed and he answered with a knowing smile,
 
“Ah, it is my desert flower!  Are you ready to be whisked away, my dear?”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Today was the day of the wedding.
 
Not his. 
 
The Emperor was marrying an infuriating scavenger girl that they stumbled upon on the dust trap planet of Jakku. The troublesome creature had gotten herself into a heap of trouble when he happened to stumble upon her and jumped in just in time to save her skin. What did he get as a thank you? A slew of expletives in Huttese. The future Empress was an irritating, bullheaded, maddening, exasperating creature, that was for sure. She was all those things, and yet, she was none of them at the same time.  
 
Kylo Ren sat in his chambers, rolling his obsidian helm over in his hands absentmindedly, thoughts of her running through his mind. Catching himself performing this nervous gesture, he slammed it down on a table and ran his bare hands through his hair frustratedly. He had kept himself closed off for so long, what were these feelings that were beginning to surface inside him? It had been such a long time since he had felt anything. Snoke had made sure to put an end to the boy who had felt everything so deeply. The only feeling he had room for now was rage. That’s what he was trained for, so why was he suddenly feeling something new?
 
He blamed the Force.  
 
It had a history of meddling in the lives of his family, so why should he expect that he would be spared?
 
He’d felt it the moment he laid eyes on her. 
 
The pull to the light. 
 
He hadn’t experienced that feeling in many years, but somehow, with just the sight of her, she had awakened something deep inside of him.  
 
The instant he looked at her, he knew that the Force had something planned for them. He felt an inexplicable, urgent need to protect her. This girl had an importance to him that he couldn’t quite place. Not yet, anyway.  
 
She felt like a memory.

She felt like home.

*

Ben Solo was born on the day that his grandfather, the man who used to be known across the galaxy as Darth Vader, became Emperor of the Imperial Republic.    
 
Born to heroes of the Rebel Alliance, and named after a legendary hero of the Clone Wars, he was saddled with a heavy legacy to uphold from the moment he arrived in the galaxy.
 
When he was still a child, his grandfather passed into the Force, leaving his mother, Princess Leia Organa-Solo, to take on the mantle of Empress. The Skywalker Organa-Solo rule was a peaceful time, for the galaxy, at least.  
 
Ben exhibited an extreme force sensitivity from a very early age. His nannies and the household droids that cared for him didn’t know how to handle the Force-fueled temper tantrums of a three-year-old, and his parents weren’t around much to help guide him.
 
His mother was always busy attending to the needs of the galaxy as the empress. His father, Han Solo, had been a smuggler in his days before becoming a general with the Rebel Alliance. He wasn’t used to staying in one place for long, and often gave in to his wanderlust. He’d usually be gone for weeks at a time. This led to a lonely life for little Ben. He often turned to a voice he would hear murmuring in the back of his mind.
 
The voice would always whisper dark things in his ear, forcing him to question everything around him constantly.

Your parents say they love you, but you know it’s not true. If they loved you, they’d be here. They aren’t here, but I am, my boy.

They are afraid of your power. Look at the way they look at you. Can you sense their fear?

You’ll never know love the way that your parents do. No one will ever accept you for who you are. I am the only one who truly understands who you are.

His only moments of pure joy as a child were when he and his family would visit his uncle, his mother’s twin brother, Luke, at his Jedi training temple on Yavin IV. Ben felt more at home in this place than anywhere on Coruscant. Here, there were other children like him. His uncle had a soft spot for Ben, teaching him how to gain some control over his powers by the time he was a few years old. 
 
Ben made friends early on with the son of old friends of his parents. Shara Bey and Kes Dameron had settled in the colony on Yavin 4 shortly after the Empire fell and had a young son who was only a couple years older than Ben. They had been instant playmates whenever Leia and Han would leave the palace behind to revisit their old lives in the Rebellion. 
 
There were a few other families that lived in the colony, including a couple who helped take care of the grounds of the Great Temple. Varik Farani was born on Yavin IV and had joined the Rebel cause as a young man. After the war, he had traveled to Coruscant and, by pure happenstance, viewed a performance at the Galactic Opera House. It was there that he heard the most angelic voice that came from the most stunning beauty he had ever laid eyes on. After hearing her voice, he knew he had to meet her. 
 
Varik stuck around Coruscant for much longer than he had initially anticipated. He romantically courted Elara for weeks, attending every performance, sending handwritten letters (a rare commodity in the galaxy then as it was now), and flowers from his home planet. As time wore on, Elara found herself falling for him. They married quickly, and he swept her away from the city to his jungle home - where they continued to live as their family grew.

Ben remembered the first time that he had heard Elara sing. He was ten years old and visiting the Great Temple with his father. He was wandering around the jungle when he heard a lilting melody filter through the canopy. Ben followed the angelic sound to a house nestled in between the trees and peeked his head in the doorframe to listen.
 
Sitting inside was the lovely Elara, with ribbons of wavy auburn hair cascading down her back, a layer of freckles dusted across her nose and hazel eyes that twinkled as she sang. She was tenderly holding a tiny little bundle in her arms and slowly rocking back and forth as she sang to it. Elara noticed Ben almost right away, and gave him a brilliant smile,
 
“Hello, dear Ben. Would you like to come in and meet our sweetheart?” He gave a curious shrug - that all ten-year-old boys were prone to do - and ambled over to Elara. Already tall for his age, he came up past her shoulder and was easily able to gaze down upon the bundle in her arms. Inside was the wrinkled face of a tiny baby.
 
“Would you like to hold her?” Elara smiled down at him.
 
“I-uhm-ah-sure. I guess,” he shrugged, suddenly nervous. He’d never been around a baby before and with all the ways he’d struggled with his powers, he was terrified he’d hurt her.
 
The feelings of fear and doubt started to swirl dangerously around him until Elara placed the tiny, wiggling bundle into his arms. As soon as she was nestled into his arms, his restless mind was suddenly still. He reached out with a finger and gently stroked the soft skin of her cheek, unable to keep the soft smile from his face when the baby opened her eyes and looked right at him. She had the most beautiful hazel eyes already, something he didn’t expect with such a little baby, with flecks of green and gold scattered through them like stardust. 
 
The sudden silencing of his mind left him buzzing and unsure of himself so, with a forced smile at the Elara, he carefully handed the baby back to her mother.
 
“Here, you can have her back,” he muttered and walked towards the door. Before stepping outside, he turned back to Elara, “Can I come to visit her again soon?”

*

By the time he was thirteen, Ben was an official student at his uncle’s Jedi academy. As he grew into adolescence, he developed a temper that was fueled by his Force sensitivity. Ben could feel everything. He could feel the energy of every living thing in Galactic City. He could feel the otherwise secret feelings of perfect strangers. He could hear the snickers of passersby whenever he visited his mother in the Senate Building.

What a pity, his mother is so beautiful.

What an odd-looking child. Are they supposed to be that tall?

Look at those ears!

He could hear every venom-filled word coming from his parents whenever they argued. Both Leia and Han were of a stubborn, hot-headed nature and clashed frequently. He could feel his father’s resentment towards their family for keeping him grounded. He could feel his father’s guilt when he’d tell a broken-hearted Ben that he needed to stay behind on Coruscant. He could feel his mother’s pain when Han would jet off to Gods knew where, to come back who knew when. He felt her terror when he took his anger out on a household droid, crumpling it into a smoking heap with his mind. 
 
Leia knew it was time for Ben to join her brother, Luke, on Yavin IV to train as a Jedi. She saw similarities between her son and her father when he had been consumed by the Dark Side, and hoped that her brother’s training could help save Ben from a similar fate. While he loved being on Yavin 4 with his uncle, Ben was utterly devastated by this news. He wanted nothing more in the whole galaxy than to learn to be a gifted pilot like his father and spend his days exploring the galaxy, not learn how to become a Jedi. When the day arrived to deliver Ben to the Great Temple, he clung to his mother, begging for her to not leave him there alone.
 
“It won’t be forever, sweet boy. I’ll be back to see you before you know it,” his mother whispered into his hair, tenderly placing a kiss there. She pulled away and held her hands on either side of his face, wiping away his tears and pressing her forehead to his, radiating waves of love towards him. Han reached out and ruffled Ben’s dark hair,

“I’ll see ya around, kid,” he gave him a lopsided half-smile. Luke placed a warm hand on his shoulder and guided him towards the temple,
 
“Come on, Ben, let me show you your new room.”
 
*

Under his uncle’s tutelage, Ben quickly learned control of his raw power. He advanced through the curriculum quickly, proving to be an incredibly gifted student. This didn’t make life much easier in the dormitories with the other students. As Ben grew, he became even more gangly and awkward and never seemed to catch up to the size of his ears. This made him an easy target for bullies to tease whenever Master Luke wasn’t around.  
 
During the night, the voice would come to him, the source of frequent nightmares.

You don’t fit here, boy. They don’t understand you.

You are far more powerful than any of these other children. Someday you will be their end.

Your parents sent you here because they were afraid of you. They’re never coming back.

Soon, you will come to me, and I will teach you the meaning of true power.

Ben’s only solace came when he was able to get away from the temple and sit in the jungles of Yavin 4 to meditate and quiet his mind. He settled himself at the base of a Massassi tree, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He centered himself inside the warm embrace of the Force. He could feel the life of everything in the jungle around him, from the massassi tree he leaned against, to the Whisper birds that nested far above him, and something else,
 
 “I can hear you, little mouth-breather,” Ben muttered, raising an eyebrow and glancing into the tree above him. He heard a rustle in the leaves above before a tiny creature landed clumsily on her feet beside him. 
 
 “Poodoo. I thought I got you, Ben!” the little girl said, disappointed.  
 
“Hey, watch that pottymouth,” he laughed, “you’re a little young to be swearing in Huttese, don’t you think?”
 
“Poe says that if I’m gonna be a pilot, then I should know all the good words,” she shrugged, “Plus, I’m four now, I am definitely old enough to say those words if I want.”
 
“That may well be, little one, but I’m the one who’s going to get in trouble if your mother hears you talk like that,” he reasoned. She gave an adorable pout and looked up at him through her lashes,
 
“Ben, can you teach me some more, please?”
 
He gave an exasperated grin as she stared him down with a wide-eyed look. She had started to show that she was tremendously Force-sensitive from an early age, just like him. He had a soft spot for the little thing and decided to teach her a few things here and there. They had recently started working on Force-levitation, but after a few hours of practice, she hadn’t quite got it yet.
 
“Come on over here, kid,” he tapped his knee with his hand. She gave him a toothy grin and ambled up into his lap. He leaned his head down to her shoulder, so they’d be at the same eye-level. They stared at the same rock on the ground in front of them, “Close your eyes, reach out with your feelings. Now, just like last time, bend the Force around the stone,” she screwed up her face and reached out her tiny hand. Her face started to turn red underneath the dusting of freckles across her currently scrunched up nose from the effort.
 
“No, you’re still holding on. Let go. Take a breath. Calm your mind. Reach out again.”
 
Her face instantly relaxed as she followed his directions. He watched the stone as it wobbled and then seamlessly lifted off the ground. She moved the rock smoothly and carefully balanced it on top of another stone. Ben tried to keep himself composed, but her excitement was contagious. She flew out of his lap and jumped up and down with glee,
 
“I did it! Did you see it? Ben, did you see?” she exclaimed with pure joy. He grinned from ear to ear out of pride for his tiny friend. He stood, scooped her up, and tossed her into the air. When he caught her safely in his arms, he crushed her with a hug. She leaned back in his arms and smiled, her hazel eyes twinkling with green and gold. The very same sparkling stardust from when Ben met her as a baby,
 
“I am so proud of you, Stardust,” he beamed, “Just wait until you’re big enough to be one of Master Luke’s students. You’re going to make one hell of a Jedi,” he set her down and held out his hand to her,
 
“Come on, let’s go home.”

Upon their arrival back at the Great Temple, Ben saw the familiar saucer-like shape of a Corellian YT-1300 light freighter docked in the hanger bay. His tiny companion’s hand was suddenly ripped from his grip as she hurtled herself at a tall man standing at the bottom of the boarding ramp,
 
“Han!”
 
“Hey, kid!” the aging smuggler flashed a genuine smile at the girl as he scooped her up in a bone-crushing hug. Han and Leia were old friends with the girl’s father, Varik, since the days of the Rebellion and had cherished their daughter since the day she was born.
 
 “Hey, Ben,” Han’s smile faltered slightly at the angry frown that covered his son’s features.
 
“Is Mother with you?” Ben asked, already knowing the answer. Han looked at the beaming girl in his arms as he wistfully smiled,
 
“You know Leia, there’s always some emergency that needs attending to,”
 
“I must have forgotten, the galaxy always holds a higher priority than her only child,” Ben looked livid as he stormed off into the jungle.
 
The hazel-eyed little girl wriggled down from Han’s arms and chased after him as fast as her little legs could carry her.
 
Ben thundered through the thick green jungle as quickly as he could, desperate to put some distance between him and the hurt caused by his family. Maybe the voice was right, she doesn’t love him…
 
He threw himself down in a thicket of ferns, tucked his knees up to his chin, and let his hot tears fall free. He wasn’t sure how much time went by before he heard a tiny little voice,

“Ben?”

He looked up into her concerned eyes, so much older than her four years,
 
“Hey, Stardust,” he sniffed, brushing away the wetness from his cheeks, “I’m sorry for leaving you, it won’t happen again.”
 
“Do you promise?” her little, freckled face was serious, “Do you promise that we will always be together, Ben? You’re my best friend in the whole galaxy.” 
 
He gave a chuckle and bumped her chin with his knuckle,
 
“I promise. And I’ll tell you what, if we are ever apart, I’ll find you so that we can be together again,” he smiled, enjoying making silly promises to a little girl, especially since it wasn’t likely that she’d remember the conversation in a couple years anyway.
 
“But what if someone takes you away from me?” she said fearfully, “I had a dream that you were bigger and you were dark. I was big, too, and I didn’t know you.”
 
“Then I promise that if someone ever takes me away, I would cross the galaxy to find you. No matter how far,” he winked, flashing her a goofy grin.
 
“For forever?”
 
“For forever, Stardust.”
 
*

Two years passed and Ben still couldn’t believe that he was best friends with a six-year-old.  
 
Ben had continued her “Force lessons” with her for some time before Luke caught on to her talent and decided to bring her on as a Padawan. Ben enjoyed having her in the Great Temple more than anyone expected. She was never far away, constantly following him like a second shadow.  
 
He’d learned many new things over the years at the academy and was only a few years away from becoming a Jedi Knight. His Uncle Luke even said that at the rate he had been advancing through the program that he may even be able to attempt the trials and become a knight sooner than he expected. Learning to harness and manipulate the Force was easy. Practicing lightsaber combat had been fun. Building his first lightsaber was an experience that he’d never forget.
 
He kept his struggle with his darkness a secret while the voice continued to whisper to him in the night.

Your time is coming soon. Come to me, and you will finally feel like you belong.

“Hey! Ben! You awake over there?” a voice pulled him from his nightmarish reverie. Ben blinked a few times and shook the dark thoughts from his mind. 
 
“Yeah, sorry Poe, what’d you need again?”
 
“Toss me that Gauss wrench, would ya?” his friend raised a dark eyebrow at him with a curious cock of his head. They were fiddling with an old RZ-1 A-wing that had belonged to Poe’s mother, leftover from the days of the Rebellion. 
 
Poe, who was already 19, had been a talented pilot and mechanic since he was a kid. His mother, Shara Bey, had died when he was a little boy. She had been a legendary pilot for the Rebel Alliance and had passed down her passion for flying to her son. They were modifying the ship so that it could hold an additional seat in the cockpit and be used for training.
 
“The Tollo-wrench would be a better choice for the components that you’re working on now,” a small voice interrupted from the cockpit.
 
 “Actually, your little girlfriend is probably right, toss me a Tollo instead,” Poe’s face split into a wide grin as he barked out a laugh.
 
“Ew, gross. Ben is NOT my boyfriend,” the girl stuck her head up out of the cockpit and made a face at Ben, who scowled deeply over her at his peer.
 
“Poe,” he warned, “you’ve taught this girl enough bad habits, maybe it's time that you shut up for once in your kriffing life,” he paused, listening intently to something in the distance, “Stardust, Elara is looking for you, you’d better run.” 
 
The girl’s hazel eyes widened as she hopped down from the A-wing and dashed off towards her home, leaving the two young men alone.
 
“You think I’m joking, Ben, but I’d bet ten thousand credits that you’re going to marry that girl one day,” Poe laughed hysterically, ducking to avoid the wrench being hurled at his head. 
 
“Poe, you won’t have ten thousand credits to bet. I think I’ve had enough Dameron for the day, fix this yourself,” Ben rolled his eyes and strode away from the cheeky bastard. Poe thought he was so clever, but he didn’t understand their bond. 
 
From the very first time they’d met, he’d always felt a pull in the Force whenever she was near. He knew whenever she was scared or lonely. He could feel her laughter when she was on the other side of the temple. He felt her joy when she mastered a new trick of the Force. He felt an overpowering need to protect her, and he knew he’d follow her anywhere just to make sure that she was safe.
 
Ben ambled through a courtyard of the temple and spotted his Uncle Luke waving him towards him.

“Ben! I’m glad you’re here, Leia is comm-ing you on the holopad in my office, you’d better take it,” his uncle anxiously scrubbed at his greying beard with a gloved hand as Ben approached with a frown.. He knew without asking

exactly

what the comm was about, souring his mood even further than the damage Dameron had already done.  
 
“She’s not coming, is she?”
 
“You ought to speak to her directly, Ben. I’m sure she wouldn’t cancel on you unless it were of the utmost importance,” Luke sounded pained. 
 
“It always is, isn’t it?” Ben shouldered past the Jedi Master to make his way to the office. He’d better get this over and done with.
 
He strode into his Uncle’s office and spotted the muted-blue hologram of Leia in an instant.
 
“Mother,” he muttered, lifting his eyes to the far side of the room to avoid making eye contact with her. 
 
“Ben. I’m so sorry I won’t be coming with your father tomorrow. There’s a problem on Arkanis, I need to make an emergency visit as soon as I can,” Leia’s brown eyes, colored like his own, were filled with a deep sense of grief and regret.
 
“It’s always an emergency, isn’t it, Mother? There’s always going to be some system in the galaxy that needs you. But what about me?” he choked back a sob as the timber of his voice began to climb, “What if I need you, Mother? What if I have needed you this whole time, but you’ve always had something or somewhere more important to deal with that wasn’t your son.” 
 
“Ben, I’m so sorry. I know I haven’t been there for you like I should have been,” Leia’s eyes were filled with tears as they jerked to something outside his view. She wiped her tears away and straightened in her seat, becoming the Empress once more, “I have to go. Your father is already on his way and should be there within a few hours. I will talk to you tomorrow, sweet boy.” Ben stood up straight, eager to look like a man to her and not like a sad little boy who desperately needed his mother. He nodded respectfully at the flickering blue hologram of his mother before turning on his heel to walk away,

“Ben?” she murmured, barely a whisper,
 
 “Mmm?” he paused in the doorframe and barely glanced back at her,
 
 “I love you,” she sighed sadly.
 
 “I know,” he uttered, pressing his lips into a line, trying to contain his churning emotions.
 
He barreled out into the warm jungle air and made his way into his favorite quiet spot amongst the massassi trees. He found a hollowed-out trunk to squeeze his tall frame into, leaning his head into the cool shadows he was hiding in. The darkness was soothing to his chaotic mind. He had finally slowed his breathing when he heard a small voice,
 
“Scoot over.”
 
He cracked an eyelid and peeked at the speaker with a deep sigh.
 
“Go away, Stardust. I don’t want to talk right now.”
 
“Well, good, because I’m not here to talk you nerfherder. So, scoot!” Ben rolled his eyes with a quiet chuff of laughter at the little girl’s choice of language. Poe had been teaching her far too many colorful words. He leaned to the side and lifted his arm so there was just enough room for her to nestle in under his bicep, “I could feel that you weren’t okay. I’m sorry, Ben.”
 
“I thought you said you weren’t here to talk,” he chuckled, knowing that there was no way that this girl could go more than two minutes in silence, but her presence was comforting to him all the same. His darkness was starting to subside once more, her light all but washing it away.  
 
“Ben, what’s going to happen when we’re grown up?”
 
“Well, when I become a Jedi Knight, I’ll likely be sent on assignments away from here to help maintain peace in the galaxy,” he smiled into her hair, pressing his cheek to the top of her head with a quiet sigh.
 
“No, I mean when we are both grownups. You promised we’d always be together. What if someone takes you away from me?”
 
“Stardust, you know I could never be away from you for long. I will always find you, remember?”
 
“Do you promise?” she murmured with an unsure whisper.
 
“Yes, of course I do. I’ve promised you before, Stardust. I’ll be here, and I’ll keep you safe. For forever. Why do you sound so worried?” he asked with a gentle brush of his fingertips on her arm.
 
“I just keep dreaming of us when we are big. You are different. You’re not Ben. Someone takes you from me, and I am sad.”

Your time is coming soon. Come to me, and you will finally feel like you belong.

He tried to shake off the bad feeling that her visions were giving him, but the memories of the voice continued to echo in his mind.
 
“I’m sure everything will be fine, Stardust. We will always be together, and someday when we are old, we’ll get married just like Poe said we would,” he snickered, hoping to get a reaction out of her.  
 
It worked. 
 
She let out a squeal and hit him in the chest with her small hands and wriggled away from him as fast as she could,
 
“Gross! Ben, no!” she gave him a disgusted look, “In your dreams!”
 
He smiled, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a delicate chain that was twined around his long fingers, scattering the rays of light as it slowly swayed from side-to-side.
 
“I’ve got something for you to remember me by if we ever aren’t together. Turn around,” she looked at him quizzically before doing as he said. Ben reached around her and fastened the chain around her neck. She looked down and gingerly lifted the pendant closer to her eyes,
 
“What is it?” she inquired with a curious glance at the stone.
 
“When I built my lightsaber, my kyber crystal cracked. This little piece came apart from the main stone, and since they say that the kyber crystal is like the heart of the Jedi that the lightsaber belongs to, I wanted you to have this piece. So now, part of my heart is always with you,” he shrugged, slightly anxious as he tried to gauge her reaction, “I know it’s a little big for you now, but you’ll grow into it someday.”  
 
She gazed at the crystal shard at the end of the chain for a moment more before flashing him a toothy grin. Beaming, she threw her arms around his neck and squeezed with all her might,
 
“Oh, Ben! I love it! I’m going to keep it forever and ever!”
 
Just then, there was a thundering sound over the jungle of a starship breaking into the atmosphere. Ben looked up and saw the distinct shape of the Millennium Falcon flying overhead. With a sigh, he heaved himself to his feet and trudged after the girl who was already flying through the undergrowth. 
 
Ben ambled through the edge of the forest and up to the Falcon. Stardust was already climbing all over the hull, inspecting all the new “upgrades” that Han had made since the last time he had visited. 
 
“Hey, kid,” Han nodded at Ben. He was his father’s height now, too tall and too old to have his hair ruffled, “You’ve definitely grown since the last time I saw you.” 
 
“Yeah, well, that tends to happen over eight months, Dad,” Ben rolled his eyes. He glanced up at the setting sun, “It’s getting late, I think I’m going to go read a book in my quarters.” He knew he should want to spend time with his father, but he was desperate to have this exhausting day finally be over. Han looked disappointed but didn’t say otherwise. He gave a tense wave as Ben turned his back and strode towards the temple.  
 
He settled into his bunk and pulled up a copy of the history of the Clone Wars on his datapad. It wasn’t long before his exhaustion claimed him in sleep.
 
*

Fear.

Pain.

A starship.

Fire.

His mother’s face.

“I love you.”

“I know.”

*
 
Ben woke with a start, overwhelmed with a blinding sense of panic and grief.  
 
A disturbance in the Force. His mother.

Leia

.
 
He jumped out of his bed, ran down the stairs and out to the hanger bay as quickly as he could. He breathlessly ran to the Falcon, up the boarding ramp and collided with his father’s chest.
 
“Mother…she’s….” a painful sob escaped his throat as his chest began to seize in grief with each gasp of breath. His mother.

Leia

.  
 
“I felt it too, Ben. I felt her go.” Han stifled his cries as he pressed his son’s head to his chest with his hand. Ben grabbed a fistful of Han’s leather jacket as he sobbed into his shirt, the stubborn, surly teenager gone in an instant - suddenly a little boy again.
 
They were barely afforded a moment to grieve when they heard the telltale whine of TIE fighters on the breeze as they hurtled towards the temple. Han lifted his face towards the night sky with a deep crease between his worn brows as he gripped Ben by the roughspun fabric of his shirt.  
 
“Ben. GO. Get your lightsaber as fast as you can. You’re gonna need it,” his father shouted at him, urgently, giving his boy a shove towards The Great Temple, “Wake everyone you can.” Ben didn’t wait for any more instructions, he bolted into the temple and into his room to retrieve his lightsaber, pounding on the doors as he frantically zigzagged back down the halls.
 
“We are under attack! Wake up!”
 
When he emerged from the temple, Ben gave a wide-eyed look around at the flurry of blaster fire that rained down around him. Stormtroopers combed the area, pressing towards the heart of  the Praxeum, shooting anyone who got in their way. The grounds were already littered with the bodies of his fellow padawans and Ben was suddenly struck with a moment of conflicted panic. He needed to stay and defend his home, protect his brothers and sisters, but as he frantically looked around - he couldn’t see Stardust anywhere. He closed his eyes for a second, centered himself within the steady thrum of the Force, and tried to focus on her signature.  
 
There she was. Alone, in her family home. Alone and afraid.  
 
Ben felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He instantly spun on his heel, igniting the blue blade of his saber like it was second nature, and came face to face with his uncle. The older man gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
 
“Go, Ben. Find her.

Help her.

I’ve got your back.” Ben gave a silent, grateful nod. He ignited his lightsaber and purposefully strode towards the luminescent speck of light that was her. Fueled by his fear, Ben let his darkness envelop him and fuel him. It curled deliciously around his arms and down to his fingertips, setting his body ablaze with the intoxicating feeling as he cut through each stormtrooper he came across with the sizzle of melted plastoid. With each bend and swirl of his lightsaber, Ben deflected every bolt of blaster fire that hurtled his way, painting the world with a sea of red and pale blue as he parried each shot, and shoved his blade into the chest of any trooper that came too close.
 
With a lift of his palm, Ben sent the door of the Farani house flinging off its hinges with a crash, and his dark eyes were drawn to stardusted hazel in an instant. He sank to his knees and immediately swept the terrified girl into his arms, murmuring with an urgent whisper in her ear.
 
“It’s okay, Stardust, I’m here. I’ve got you.”
 
“It’s not okay, Ben. My Papa…” she sobbed, “My Papa went out to help. I felt his light go out, Ben. I don’t know where my Mama is.”
 
He stifled a sob and held her closer still, eager to rid her of the pain she was feeling, like circling his arms tighter would keep the terrible things at bay a little while longer.
 
“Sweetheart, we have to go. We need to get on a ship and get out of here, okay?” his voice a rushed whisper as he wiped away her tears, “Hold on to me, I’ve got you, remember?” She gave the tiniest of nods before curling into his shoulder, and together they went back out into the fray.
 
The temple and the surrounding jungle were ablaze, lighting the inky black night sky with an eerie glow above them as their entire world fell apart. Everything was chaos around them. The ground was littered with bodies of stormtroopers and students alike, and Ben could see the lifeless body of Varik Farani laying only steps away. 
 
“Close your eyes, Stardust. Please don’t look,” he choked out a sob, holding her more firmly would keep the truth from getting to her.
 
He cut a path through the remaining stormtroopers that ran his way, holding onto the girl for dear life with each precious spin of his blue lightsaber. As they neared the hangar bay, a feeling of relief washed over him when he saw Han and Elara there firing their blasters off at the few lingering troopers. As the last trooper fell to the ground with a clatter of plastoid against ancient stone, they were left with a deadly quiet with only the sounds of the fire crackling fire to fill their ears. The jungle put up a fight as the flames roared, but it wasn’t loud enough to drown out the echoes of the screams that rattled around in Ben’s memory. With a wild look in his eyes, Han rushed to his son’s side.
 
“

Ben

. You must leave. You aren’t safe here. They’re here for our family, please, you have to go before the TIEs come around for another pass.”
 
“Dad...I can’t...I can’t leave her,” he hugged the girl closer to him with each ragged breath, unwilling to release her, even to his own father. “I can’t do it!”
 
“Here, give her to me, I will take her with me and I swear she will be safe,” his father begged with a wild desperation he’d never seen before. Ben shook his head in a panic as tears brimmed on the edge of his dark eyelashes.
 
“No...

I can’t

. I promised her that I would protect her.”
 
“Protect her by separating yourself from her. You’ll be together again. Search your feelings, you know it’s true, dear one. But, she’ll be in more danger if she stays with you, and you know it,” Elara implored him as she reached out with trembling hands for her daughter.
 
“My son,

please

, you have my word. I swear I will make sure she will leave this planet safely,” Han begged with a tremble of his gruff voice. Ben’s mind reeled. All he wanted to do was keep her safe, but he couldn’t shake the horrible feeling in the back of his mind that, if he let her go, he’d never see her again. The mere thought of it shook him to his very core and left him feeling more distraught than before. More than his mother. More than the attack. Something wasn’t right. He was desperate to keep her, but Elara was right - she was in more danger with him. 
 
Ben sucked in a trembling breath - realizing with the distant hum of TIEs over the constant rumble of the burning jungle that they were out of time.

“Don’t be afraid, sweet girl. I will find you, I swear! I don’t care how long it takes. Just remember that I will always be with you no matter if we are apart. No matter how far. I would cross the galaxy for you, my Stardust

,” he hurriedly pressed a tender kiss on her hair and uses his hand to cradle her freckled cheek so he could look into her star-dusted eyes and wipe away her tears with the pad of his thumb. He reluctantly tore his gaze away, gave a quick nod to Han before he could change his mind, and she was abruptly ripped from his arms. 
 
Panic-stricken, she cried out for him, stretching her small hands over Han’s shoulder as the distance between them grew and his sobs mingled amongst the echoes of new blaster fire. 
 
A pair of strong arms grabbed him from behind and gave him a firm shove towards the nearest shuttle. 
 
“Solo! Come on, man, we need to get out of here!” Poe shouted against the din, pushing his friend little by little towards the open ramp of a shuttle in the hangar, but Ben couldn’t tear his eyes away from her crying face, knowing that he’d never be able to get the sound of her screams out of his mind. He didn’t have time to linger on the thought as the telltale whine of TIE fighters turned into a dull roar as they flew overhead. His eyes met hers in a flash of panic, before an explosion of plasma-fire filled the space between them, blanketing the world in bright white.
 
“Stardust!”

*
 
Han ducked from the explosion, shielding the little girl in his arms with his body until the blast died down. As his vision cleared, he took a deep breath, the panic in him subsiding into a cold feeling of absolute clarity. He knew what he needed to do.
 
“Elara, take her. Get on this shuttle and get out of here. There are more troopers coming, I’ll hold them off as long as I can so you two can get away,” he said urgently, passing the little girl over to her mother.
 
“Han, no,” tears filling her eyes with a panicked shake of her head, “I couldn’t possibly, what about you? What about Ben?”
 
“Yes, you can.

You will

. Ben can take care of himself, and he would never forgive me if something happened to her. They're gonna need each other. We need to protect her,” he grazed a kiss on the head of the grief-stricken girl as she continued to whisper Ben’s name into her mother's shoulder, “I wish I could see you grow up, kid. Take care of him. Now, GO,” he gave Elara a gentle shove up the ramp of the shuttle and reached in to close the hatch behind her.  
 
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” he murmured as the stormtroopers closed in, drawing his blaster from his belt as the shuttle behind him took to flight towards the black swirls of smoke in the night sky.
 
*
 
Ben ripped himself away from Poe’s grasp and ignited his lightsaber with a guttural roar. His rage clouded his vision as he tore through each white-armored soldier within striking distance and, eventually, Ben wasn’t sure how much time went by, or how many he killed. 
 
He awakened from his fever dream, shaking, with piles of armor-clad bodies at his feet. His breath was ragged as he saw all the bloodshed he was responsible for laying on the ground around him. His eyes roamed the burning battlefield as he caught his breath and, near the edge of the still-burning jungle, he caught sight of a strikingly familiar brown leather jacket.  
 
Running as fast as his legs could carry him, Ben bolted across the stone courtyard and felt his knees buckle to the limp body of his father.
 
“Dad, no,” he sobbed, gripping the worn bantha leather in his fingers to roll Han over into his lap. His hands trembled as they blindly searched for the hurt, desperate to ease his pain, but ceased his actions when Han’s fingertips brushed his, holding them firmly to  place a hand on his greying face. Han’s eyes weakly opened with a quiet groan to gaze upon his son.
 
“She’s okay, Ben. She’s safe, just like I promised,” a weak smile faltered and fell on Han’s face as he reached up and set his hand along his son’s cheek, tracing a bloody wound he had sustained during the fight with a quiet huff of air, “It looks like this will scar.”
 
“Dad,” Ben murmured with a tremble of his chin, sucking in a shaky sigh to help keep his emotions at bay a little longer, “Please don’t go. Don’t leave me here alone.”
 
“Be good to her, Ben. Be better than I was, please,” Han’s breath grew shallower as glazed-over eyes peered up at more approaching troop transports.
 
“Dad,” Ben let out a tragic sob, setting his blood and tear-soaked face onto his father’s chest to feel the stuttering beat of his father’s heart on his cheek as it faded away.
 
“I know,” Han whispered. Ben took a desperate gasp of air as he heard his father’s heart stop beating.  
 
“

No

. Please, Gods, no. Don’t you leave me here alone, you bastard!” he desperately sobbed, fisting the worn leather in his hands while his lanky body shook with grief as he held onto his father for dear life.

Your time has come, boy. Join me. There is nothing left for you here.

*

He didn’t know how much time had passed as he laid there, weeping into his father’s lifeless body. He was numb. The world continued to burn around him, and it could burn into nothing and he still wouldn’t care. Hands pulled him away from Han, and he didn’t fight it. Ben was in such a daze while he was guided to the boarding ramp of a shuttle, he couldn’t hear someone shouting his name. 
 
Ben woke from his daze as he was shoved off the shuttle into a gargantuan hanger aboard a star destroyer, his hands locked together in a pair of binders. His grief-fueled rage was palpable as he glared at his surroundings. The hangar was filled to the brim with TIE fighters and AT-AT walkers. He gasped sharply as the realization hit him like a bucket of cold water.

The Empire.

It hadn’t been a random act of a few defunct Imperialists.

It was an uprising

.
 
As he was shoved down a long hallway, with binders on his hands, and into a turbolift, Ben briefly locked eyes with a severe-looking ginger.
 
“The Supreme Leader wishes to see you, Jedi scum,” the stormtrooper guiding him spat, as he pushed him into the lift. When the doors opened, Ben came face to face with his lifelong tormenter. Snoke.
 
“Ah, young Solo,” the ancient alien purred with a flex on his long fingers towards the teenager, “at last you are able to join me. I have been waiting for this moment for a long time.

Welcome

,” the so-called “Supreme Leader” was perched at the end of a large chamber whose walls were lined with massive red banners sporting a symbol that looked eerily similar to that of the Empire. He wore long, golden robes that concealed most of his body. His skin was beyond pale, he had no hair to speak of, and a grotesque scar nearly split the alien’s skull in two. He was a terrifying sight to behold, but Ben wasn’t afraid of him. Not yet.
 
“Murderer!” he screamed with a sneer at this tormentor - the man who’d orphaned him.
 
The pain came quickly.
 
Snoke threw a shock of Force lightning directly at him with a flick of his fingers, surrounding him with a current of electric fire. Ben dropped to his knees with a scream, blinded by white-hot agony as it coursed through his entire body. He was still reeling from it when the Supreme Leader provided him with another round.
 
“You’d do well to remember your place from now on, my boy. The Jedi are finished. Luke Skywalker is dead. I have rid the galaxy of the Skywalkers and their pathetic light. Now I have

you

, a child of the darkness and the light, with a terrible, raw power that all masters hope they live to see. Today, we will begin your training. I will stoke the dark fire burning inside of you and snuff out the light. When you are ready, you will be a scourge upon the galaxy. Anyone who dares defy me and the might of my Order will answer to my enforcer. I hope you’re ready,” he sneered, “your training begins

now

.”
 
Ben thought that the Force lightning was painful, but he was not prepared for the agony that came when Snoke began the assault on his mind. He ripped his invisible claws through every happy memory he had of his family. Dancing with his mother. Bedtime stories and loving embraces. Flying the Falcon for the first time. Ben tried to push him out, but it only spurred Snoke to dig even further. He was going to take any ounce of happiness and light away from him and replace it with pain and rage. Ben needed to protect his light.

Stardust

.
 
In a panic, he tucked the memories of her away into the far recesses of his mind and built a wall around her. He had realized Snoke’s plans for him, and he couldn’t let him find out about her. She was made of the purest light. If Snoke Discovered her, he would surely destroy her in his ploy to cleanse the galaxy of its hope. So, Ben did the only thing he could to protect her - he hid her away.

*

Ben Solo was dead. Snoke had made sure of it.
 
The barrage of torture, both mental and physical, continued for months. When Snoke was finished tearing through his mind or having him hone his lightsaber skills against vicious training droids, he’d lock him away in a dark room, alone, for days on end.  
 
During the first few months, Ben could still feel himself, and the light that barely flickered deep inside his heart. He tried to focus on that light during those quiet moments, aching for it to continue burning as the darkness swarmed around it and tried to snuff it out.  
 
Sometimes, at night when he was desperate for sleep, he could feel her.  
 
He felt her fear and loneliness - something so potent, it tore him up inside.  
 
Where was she? Was she safe? What had happened to her after she got away from Yavin 4? Where was her mother, Elara? If he had stayed with her, would she be safe? 
 
Consumed with grief and guilt, he did the only thing he could to help her from his prison. Through their bond, he murmured their promise to her.

It’s okay, I’m here. I will always be with you, even if we are apart. No matter how far. I will follow you across the galaxy, forever, my Stardust.

He continued his reverie until Snoke found a way to completely drown out the light that was still alive deep inside him. Ben wasn’t the only student that the First Order had captured. A handful of other pupils had fought back inside the temple and paid for it with their capture at the hands of the First Order. Snoke wanted to keep them, knowing that they’d someday be of use to him.  
 
Ben was barely seventeen when he was forced to kill his first fellow padawan.
 
Snoke used Sith poison on his fellow students - his brothers,  multiplying the rage they felt inside like a disease, it made them extremely powerful. His first duel, Ben tried his hardest to defend himself without hurting his old classmate, but it quickly became kill or be killed. Fueled by his anger at the situation, Ben slaughtered his foe without trying. Snoke continued this “technique” of his training for some time, each kill Ben performed dimmed his light more and more. By the fourth, his light had been completely snuffed out.

He couldn’t reach her anymore after that.

Years went by of Snoke’s constant torture of him. Each day, Ben Solo faded further away until one day, he was gone entirely, and Kylo Ren was there in his place.

*
 
Kylo Ren had been with the First Order for nearly half his life before he felt it again.

The pull to the light.

He had witnessed the demise of his tormentor and the rise of a new master. Kylo didn’t know who was responsible for the death of the Supreme Leader or if the ancient alien had finally fallen to old age. He had been briefly concerned that the remaining First Order leaders would look to him to take up the mantle after Snoke’s death, but any possibility of him ruling the galaxy disappeared when Ben Solo was destroyed. 
 
Thankfully, Hux was more than eager to take up the job. The two of them had a mutual understanding of their relationship. Kylo acted as a silent sentinel and guard dog to help Hux command the respect he so desperately craved, and in return, Kylo was allowed some amount of freedom in his choices. They’d spent the better part of their lives tolerating each other, and it had worked well enough so far.
 
On the day the spark reignited in him, Kylo had been piloting Hux’s command shuttle to Kuat for the Emperor to meet a potential bride when a problem arose with the ship. As a result, Kylo navigated the shuttle to the nearest inhabited planet to find the parts to repair the issue.
 
Jakku was a filthy junkyard of a planet that he’d never stepped foot on before and had no wish to ever again after his initial visit there.   
 
He strode down the boarding ramp of the shuttle and was immediately blasted by the intense heat of the desert planet, realizing in an instant that his black surcoat and arm guards were definitely not the proper attire for the climate. He hastened his pace towards the market, wanting to be out of the heat as quickly as possible. 
 
Kylo’s steps slowed when he felt an odd sensation tug at the back of his mind, pulling his attention away from the task at hand. He closed his eyes inside his helmet and cocked his head to the side, trying to decode what it was the Force was trying to tell him. Then he felt her.
 
He jerked his eyes up in the direction where it was originating from, and from the moment he clapped eyes on her, Kylo was blinded by her light. He was thankful for his mask as he swallowed thickly, his heart pounding in his ears as he took in the sight of her. The girl was the most breathtaking creature he had ever seen. Her tanned skin glowed against the sand, like the sunlight spun around her, a smattering of freckles dusted across her cheeks and her nose, and her eyes glittered in the midday sun. 
 
Those eyes looked straight at him as if she felt him too, beyond the mask, like she could see into his dark, twisted soul. The dark knight was unaware of long he stood like a statue, gazing at the indescribable, enchanting beauty until his reverie was cut short when a man grabbed the girl from behind.
 
In an instant, his blood boiled with fury and foreign sense of possessiveness. How dare another man touch her? He watched in amused curiosity as the girl rabidly fought back against her aggressor. Kylo’s curiosity turned to horror as her attacker called forth a handful of his comrades. She held her own for a moment, landing a good punch and a kick, but she was quickly overpowered by the lot of them, landing hard in the sand after one of her attacker’s fists collided with her temple.  
 
His fury couldn’t be contained any longer as he watched one of the men begin to kick her hard in the ribs over and over as she laid powerlessly on the ground.
 
“Ren, there’s a girl in the marketplace. She needs-“ he heard Hux’s voice speak urgently in his ear.
 
“I’m already on my way,” he snapped, striding forward purposefully, eager to protect this girl of the light.
 
He stepped over her crumpled form on the sand and gave a powerful swing of his fist, connecting his knuckles with the face of her assailant.

It was only the start of his troubles with the captivating, scavenger girl.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rey paced back and forth within the small confines of her AT-AT. Feeling some sort of combination between excitement and anxiety, she had nearly worn a hole in the floor. It had only been a few hours since she had discovered the disseminated remains of her speeder scattered across the sands. She had decided right then and there to take the mysterious Armie up on his offer to be whisked away from the wastelands of Jakku. While the idea of not having to scavenge anymore was appealing, Rey couldn’t help but feel like his offer was too good to be true. Her doubt, however, was vastly overshadowed by the overwhelming feeling that was telling her that the decision to leave was the right one. She sat herself down in her hammock to survey her surroundings. In a typical home, she would have packed a bag, but the life of scavenger left her with little more than the clothes on her back. She had never grown emotionally attached to anything she had acquired during her time there, so there wasn’t anything she felt the need to take with her when she left. Better to go everything as it was for another wayward girl like her, to provide her with the same salvation she needed when she stumbled upon it so long ago. The only thing she needed with her was her crystal necklace, the same one that she had arrived with when she was small. Rey heard it as it broke through into the atmosphere - her ticket to another life. She turned back at the door to give her home for the last thirteen years one final look. Walking over to the wall with the thousands of hashes permanently adorning it, Rey lifted her hand to trace the very first mark she had ever made. Giving the wall a solemn smile in the way of goodbye, she turned on her heel and stepped out of the belly of the AT-AT and into the blinding Jakku sunlight. Positioning herself in the sand in front of the walker, Rey stood defiantly with her feet apart - one hand on her hip and the other holding her quarterstaff that was planted in the sand beside her. She didn’t want him to forget the scavenger that she was before she was transported away and transformed into someone else. She wasn’t sure who she might become once she was away from Jakku, but it was important to her that she not forget that scavenger girl either. The Upsilon-Class command shuttle came swooping into view, retracting its massive wings as it settled in for a smooth landing. Rey’s heart hammered in her chest in anticipation of coming face-to-face with the man who was her savior. She had dreamed her whole life of being taken away from Jakku and Armie was finally making her wish come true - Rey would be forever grateful to him for it. The ebony ship, set itself down, at last, blowing sand out from underneath it as it settled onto the ground. As Rey shielded her eyes from the dusty debris, she didn’t see the boarding ramp begin to lower down to the ground. She tried to brush the sand from her eyes as she saw black boots stride down the ramp, beaming nervously. Then she saw him, and her smile faltered.
Kriffing hell.
The dark knight, Lord Ren, approached her in his long, loping stride,“Where is Armie?” Rey demanded harshly.“Excuse me, your Worshipfullness, but your boy toy is an important man and had places to be. So you’ll just have to deal with me in the meantime,” he bowed low, sweeping his arms towards the ramp, “After you, Majesty.”Suddenly faced with the reality that the time had finally come to leave, Rey hesitated, taking one last look at the fallen AT-AT that had been her home for the previous thirteen years. The place she grew up.“Don’t tell me that you’ve suddenly changed your mind,” he muttered dryly from inside his mask, “then this pit stop will certainly have been for nothing.”“It’s not that, I’m just…” “Saying goodbye, I understand,” he nodded, and for the first time, his voice wasn’t laced with a cutting edge, “Let’s go, we’ve got a long journey ahead to Corusant.” Lord Ren ambled up the ramp onto the shuttle, and Rey quickly followed behind him and onto the ship. “There’s a passenger compartment through there, it will likely be more comfortable for you than the benches in the main cabin,” he muttered, pointing to a door to her right. Rey followed his directions as he headed towards the cockpit, assuming that he was speaking to the crew. The passenger compartment was cozy with a few comfortable-looking chairs, and a chaise lounge set closest to the viewport. The thunderous duel-ion engines began to vibrate the floor beneath her feet, so Rey settled onto one of the plush black loungers closest to a window and leaned her head against the cool transparasteel. She felt a gentle tilt as the sight of her dusty AT-AT began to shrink as they rose into the air. She took a deep breath to calm her hammering heart and tried to will the tears that were starting to sting her eyes to keep from falling. “You alright?” The voice of Kylo Ren interrupted her silent farewell to her home. She instantly balked, dashing the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.“Yes, fine. I’m fine. How are you?” She sputtered. He seemed to offer her a slight chuckle before settling into a massive chair across from her,“The crew has everything under control, I thought you could use some company. I know it isn’t easy leaving your home.” She slowly sighed and closed her eyes, leaning her head up against the back of the lounger. She could hardly believe that this man knew anything about what it was like being left behind by your family. He probably grew up with every luxury and without a care in the world. Lacking the emotional energy to offer up the proper amount of snark to him, especially when it seemed like he was actually kind, she focused her attention on the rapidly shrinking view of Jakku. Her heart started to race. She had never been off-planet before. Her breathing rapidly increased as they entered into the cold darkness of space. The tears were about to come again when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.“Don’t worry, Princess. There will be other homes. Better homes than this one ever was to you, I’m sure. Now you get to go to a home that you deserve,” Ren stood behind her, offering her these surprising words of comfort. She should have shunned away from his touch. Instead of recoiling in disgust as she’d imagined she would after he’d spoken those infuriating words to her, she felt a sudden rush of calm wash over her. She unconsciously leaned into his touch and gave a wistful smile. She was finally getting her freedom.Feeling relaxed by the sudden peace she felt in her heart, she settled further into the lounger and began to drift to sleep.*
She was small again, clinging to a beautiful woman with her hazel eyes. They were in a shuttle. She didn’t know where they were going. The woman said it would be somewhere safe. The woman was crying as she held her close and traced the outline of a constellation of freckles on the inside of her wrist. Her heart hammered in her chest. She was feeling so many things.

Fear.

Sorrow.

Confusion.

She hiccuped from her tears, nestling herself closer into the arms of the woman who held her. The shuttle jolted violently. Alarms began to blare. The woman pressed her face to her chest and began to sing into her hair with arms wrapped around her like armor,

“However far you feel from me, you are not alone. I will always be waiting, and I’ll always be watching you.”

She was enveloped in a warm, bright light as their shuttle made impact on the surface of a dusty planet. Then everything was dark.
She woke up alone, the sound of fire in her ears. *Once the girl fell asleep, Kylo felt the sudden urge to look upon her sleeping form without a visor. He gingerly reached up and pressed the release on his helmet. It opened with a hiss, and he lifted it off of his head, giving his obsidian hair a gentle shake. What a feeling, to finally see this frustrating, yet captivating woman with his own two eyes. He basked in her light. There was such an abundance of it, he felt like he would drown as he drank in the sight of her. He still wasn’t sure of the reasons that the Force had pulled him to her, but he was determined to find out.He licked his lips, and his face cracked into a smile as he watched her brows scrunch together in reaction to her dreams. He couldn’t help but notice how much calmer she became when he had laid his hand on her shoulder. He had been grateful for his mask at that moment, so she couldn’t have seen the flush rise in his fair cheeks when she leaned into his touch. Was she feeling the same type of emotions that he was? He shook himself out of the thought. Of course, she wasn’t. She clearly found him abhorrent. He saw it in the way she spoke to him after he saved her at Niima Outpost. He saw it reflected in her face when he emerged from the command shuttle instead of her handsome emperor. Her reaction towards him was an obvious indicator that Snoke was right. He’d never know love the way his parents did.Her brows furrowed again, forming a deeper crease between them. She began to shake, her face showing that whatever she was dreaming about was causing her distress. Overwhelmed by that same need he had felt before to protect her, Kylo stripped the glove from his hand and reached out to brush the chestnut hair from her beautiful, freckled face. His heart stuttered at this intimate gesture as the Force soared. Sudden, vivid images flashed through his mind. An island. Music. Him kissing the inside of a gloved wrist. Her glorious smile. Somewhere green. Wandering kisses and a flicker of flushed skin. Flashes of red and blue. His panic-stricken face. Rey crumpling to the ground in a heap. He jerked his hand away from her skin in alarm, quickly depositing his glove back onto his hand. He stood and started to pace inside the small compartment. Never mind everything else the Force had shown him, something terrible was going to happen to this girl. He knew now without a doubt that he needed to protect her. He needed to prevent that final image from his vision from coming true. Kylo knew in his heart that he was prepared to go any length to protect her. She had seemed to calm down from her dream when their skin met, but she had started to shiver. Space was certainly a lot colder than what she was used to growing up in the desert. He acquired a blanket from a storage closet and laid it across her slight form. He’d do what he could to help her, even if it was merely keeping her warm. Eager to calm his mind and contain his emotions, he deposited his helm back atop his head. He leaned back into his chair, vowing to keep watch for the remainder of the voyage to Corusant and beyond. *“Rey.”Surrounded in a cocoon of complete comfort and calm, she refused to leave her slumber,“Rey, we’re arriving shortly, it’s time to wake up,” the warm voice continued to try and stir her from her sweet sleep. Never had she slept so soundly. Curling her hands into the supple softness of the blanket that covered her, she pulled it up to her chin and rolled herself into it even tighter. “Sweetheart, wake up,” a hand gave her shoulder a gentle shake. The shuttle abruptly gave a heavy shudder, and Rey’s eyes flew open to see the masked figure of Kylo Ren standing over her,“Kriffing hell! You know, you really shouldn’t stand over sleeping people like that,” she sighed, completely exasperated, running a hand over her face and into her hair. Her eyes widened. Her trio buns had partially come undone while she slept, she must look an absolute fright. Yanking the ties out of her hair, it fell in chestnut waves past her shoulders as she smoothed it with her hands, “What happened?”Kylo cleared his throat, thankful once again for his mask doing so well at concealing his emotions. Watching her hair tumble down from how she had it tied had made his mouth go dry,“We just came out of hyperspace above Coruscant. You’ve brought yourself back from the dead just in time for us make to make planetfall,” he said dryly, not at all amused by her attitude after what he had experienced while she had been peacefully asleep.Rey’s heart jumped into her throat with the sudden nervous excitement of her brand-new future being so close. She leaned her head up against the transparisteel viewport and watched a glimmering planet come into view. The ship thundered into the atmosphere, and Rey’s breath fell away in an instant. Rising below them was a glittering cityscape. Towering buildings rose around them, the dimming light from Corusant Prime sparkling off of the windows. More speeders than she could possibly count flew in a grid between each massive skyscraper, “H-how high?” She stammered in awe. “Over five-thousand levels,” Kylo answered, joining her to look out upon the thriving metropolis, “We aren’t going to any of these. We’re headed that way,” he pointed over her shoulder into the distance. The ship cruised past the highest buildings until they started to fall away as they approached a strangely isolated part of the city. Rising at the center of the area was an immense ziggurat with square edges, tall sloping sides, and a flat roof. Rising from the crown of the building were four soaring spires that adorned each corner with an even larger tower ascending into the sky from the heart of the structure. Rey felt like the shuttle began to slow down as they started to descend.“We’re going here? It looks like a place fit for a king,” she murmured, still in awe of everything she had seen.“Fit for an emperor, actually. This is the Imperial Palace.”“Armie lives here?” She breathed, “He works for the Emperor?”“In a way, I suppose,” Kylo stood and swept out of the passenger compartment. Rey tentatively followed him out into the main cabin. As the ship touched down, Kylo pressed the release to lower the boarding ramp. Rey moved to head down the ramp but was met with Ren’s large frame blocking her way,“I’ve been instructed to keep you here until you’ve been properly prepared,” he muttered, seemingly annoyed at having to provide her with such strange instructions. At that moment, a group of sharply dressed individuals trotted up the ramp. There were two women, one who was older and distinguished looking with a severe silver bob. The other woman seemed to be around the same age as Rey, petite with a broad smile and dimples framing her mouth. The third member of the party was an older gentleman who was about Rey’s height. He had bold, dark brows, a silver scruff shadowing his jaw with no other hair to speak of on his head. He beamed at her through his thick, black glasses, “My dear Lady Rey! What a pleasure to finally meet the infamous Desert Rose!” He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a quick kiss to each side of her baffled face, “I am Kai Malo. This is Vania Flast and Rose Tico. We’ve been instructed by the Emperor to dress you before your official welcome to the Imperial Palace,” he motioned towards a droid that was ambling up the ramp with a rack full of clothing. “Uhm, just Rey is fine, I’m certainly not a lady,” she stammered, “The Emperor wants this? I’m not sure if I understand.” Kai smiled at her sympathetically, “Oh my darling girl, sweet desert flower. There’s so much for you to learn.”Still perplexed regarding his meaning, Rey quietly followed him back into the passenger compartment as he showed her the variety of designs that had been made just for her from the very most beautiful fabrics in the entire galaxy. There weren’t many colors for her to choose from. There seemed to be a pattern favoring the colors of the First Order. Deep reds and the blackest blacks with the smallest amount of grey. Rey settled on a design that felt the most like herself: a black sleeveless tunic with a leather belt at the waist; leather trousers that clung to her legs, and practical black boots that hovered above her ankles. The feature that called her to this design, in particular, were the slim leather armbands that went from her knuckles to her bicep. They showed her what her future was made of but still had echos of that lonely scavenger girl.Kai styled her ruined hair into a sleek bun at the nape of her neck and layered a pink gloss on her lips and silver framing her eyes. Her audience excused themselves as Rey dressed in her new finery. When she emerged, Kai looked satisfied at his job well done until his eyes hovered around her neck. Sensing his distaste at her simple bauble, she looked at him with pleading eyes.“Please, this is the one thing that I have left from my past.”Kai considered this carefully before he acquiesced in her request.“We will see you outside shortly my lady, he is waiting to accept you,” he winked at her as he turned to prance back down the ramp with Vania and Rose in tow behind him. Kylo ambled up the ramp past the group in his signature long strides.“Are you ready?”Suddenly terrified, she looked up at his faceless mask and shivered with tear-filled eyes,“I’m not sure that I am.”Kylo fought the urge to reach out and touch her. He wanted to provide her some comfort but didn’t want to risk another episode like the one he had earlier when he dared to touch her skin with his bare hand. She looked hauntingly beautiful as she looked up at him with silver-framed eyes that sparkled like they had been shaped from the very stars themselves. Her sudden fear was palpable. Kylo did the only right thing he could think of amongst the sea of wanton wickedness within his mind,“You look cold. I imagine that you’ll need some time to adjust from the heat you’re used to in the desert,” he reached up and unwrapped the cowl from around his neck. Rey’s breath caught in her throat as he stepped closer to her and draped the fabric around her shoulders. He was inches away, and she could feel the heat radiating off of his body as her heart beat furiously in her chest. Ren leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her, brushing her shoulders with the taut muscle of his arms to pull the hood up over her head. Rey placed a hand on his sturdy chest and leaned her forehead against him. She breathed him in deeply and smelled a combination of sweet spices, faint smokiness, and the earthiness of the soil where the rarest of flowers would bloom on Jakku.“Thank you,” she whispered into the black fabric on his chest. She glanced up at the inhuman mask that was looking down at her. Desperate to see the face of the man who’s heart beat beneath her fingers, she reached up and placed her hands on either side of the cold mask. Taking a shaky breath, she reached for the helmet’s release when Kylo’s gloved hands clenched around her wrists, guiding her hands away from his powerful frame. Released from the spell, he withdrew from her grasp and muttered,“Time to go, Your Worship. We mustn’t keep your public waiting.”Jerked from her feverish delusion, Rey struggled to control her reeling emotions.“Yes, I shall follow momentarily,” she coughed, still trying to compose her breath. Kylo swept down the ramp and left her alone with her churning ruminations. What was that? When he got close to her, it was like she completely lost her senses. When she touched him, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. She took a steadying breath and decided that it was for the best to keep her distance from him. She didn’t actually like the man, anyway, so it wouldn’t be too difficult, right? Her focus should remain entirely on the reason she was here. Her liberator, Armie. She’d barely had a taste of what a life with him would offer, and it was already light years beyond what her dreary life on Jakku was like. She owed him her gratitude and respect, and canoodling with his crony was doing the opposite. Whatever this magnetic charge was between her and Kylo needed to be put under control, or she was sure she’d end up in over her head. Rey squared her shoulders and stepped down the boarding ramp to greet her new life.The Imperial Palace rose above her, the structure even more majestic up close. The bottom of the ramp was flanked by a pair of menacing guards dressed from head to toe in red with faceless masks. The shuttle was stationed at the base of a wide-sweeping staircase that was split up into sections by multiple landings situated every couple dozen steps. A small party awaited her at the first landing. Among them was a tall red-headed figure draped in extravagant black robes adorned with shining gold details on the shoulders and the cuffs of his sleeves.Rey lifted her chin and began her ascent up the grand staircase, the red guards following behind her. Her breath was shaking in anticipation as she came face to face with Armie’s smiling face. He was accompanied by her dressing party, along with a handful of stony-faced elderly men. Kylo Ren hovered behind the group, standing stoically, like a dark sentinel watching over them,“Hello, Armie,” Rey murmured shyly under the grim stares from the older members of the party. “Pardon me, but you shall address the emperor as ‘Your Imperial Highness,’ and you will bow when you enter his presence,” one of the stern, older gentleman glowered at her.“Now, now, Alsmock,” Armie tutted, stepping forward to place a hand on each of her shoulders, “I have high hopes that this woman will become my empress. You will show her the same respect as you show me,” he lifted one of his hands to gently trace the edge of her jaw with a twinkle in his eye.“E-Emperor?” Rey murmured weakly, “You’re Armitage Hux?” Her head was spinning, how did she not connect the dots? She had only ever heard the emperor’s name and knew he was relatively young but had never seen a picture of him before.“I’m sorry for not telling you, my darling girl. I didn’t want my position to influence your decision. I knew that if you knew who I was, you wouldn’t have come. I need you to trust me,” he gazed down at her as he made his passionate plea, “I know in my bones that your place is here with me,” Dazed, Rey gave him a small nod,“I trust you,”Armitage’s face split into a wide smile.“Excellent. Let’s show you your new home,” he held out his elbow for her to take. She wound her arm through his and held on for dear life as he guided her up the foreboding staircase towards the palace. When they reached the top, they strode together through a gargantuan set of arches and into a great hall. The sight rendered Rey completely speechless. Rows upon rows of grand pillars towered over them so high that she could barely make out the sparkling ceiling. After they made it through the entrance, the hall opened to reveal a grandiose chamber that could fit three of Niima Outpost inside of it. The room seemed to go on forever, but she didn’t get the chance to find out. Armitage steered her around a corner down a slightly smaller passageway with a series of doors on each side. Further down the long hall, Rey noticed a set of double doors that looked different than the rest. She slowed her steps and studied the door curiously. Something inside her told her that the room was unique,“What’s in there?” Rey queried,“Nothing of consequence, my darling,” the Emperor declared as he navigated her past the door to a waiting turbo lift. The party had separated early into their stroll through the palace, leaving the couple properly alone for the first time. Rey let go of his arm to step into the lift first at his behest. Armitage stepped in beside her as the lift doors hissed shut. They were suddenly, truly alone. Rey timidly looked up at him and was met by a quizzical gaze. Hazel met blue before they both hastily looked away, her at her boots and him at the ceiling, neither one uttering a word. The uneasiness between the strangers was palpable. How was she going to manage to live here with this man who could scarcely look at her? Finally, the blessed doors opened, and the emperor cleared his throat loudly.“This way,” he offered out a courteous arm once more, guiding her down the hall. They stopped at an arched door, “Here we are, my Flower. I had this prepared especially for you,” he smiled proudly. The door slides open, and she immediately forgets the awkwardness they’d endured in the lift. The room she sees is far beyond one she could have conjured in her dreams. It is gigantic, the far wall made entirely of glass, looking out on the twinkling lights of Galactic City in the distance. She wanders in to explore her new home, completely lost for words. A colossal bed is situated against the wall to her right and a plush seating area to her left. Through the windows in front of her is a balcony with an incredible view of the city. Suddenly feeling overwhelmed, she tries to take a steadying breath. “This is too much,” she murmured.Armitage sauntered over to her and placed a cool hand on her shoulder.“You are my guest, and I will hope that you will decide to stay here with me. As my empress, these are all things that you deserve, my darling.”Empress. Anxiety rolled over her in waves. Breathing became more difficult, and tears flooded her eyes. Armie stiffly wrapped his arms around Rey in a weak attempt to provide her with some comfort.“There, there,” he said stiffly, “I know that is a lot for someone with your background. Just rest assured that this is all for you, and I wouldn’t have brought you here if you’d didn’t deserve every bit.” He uncomfortably patted her on the head a few times.“I will leave you to it then. The members of your staff will be here in two hours. Relax, please make yourself at home,” he stated curtly before turning on his heel and marching out of the room, leaving Rey alone with all her roiling emotions.Her anxiety starts to overwhelm her. She feels stifled. The massive room is suddenly too small, her clothes are too tight. She tears the black cowl off of her shoulders, throwing it onto the bed. She rips off the leather armbands and deposits them on the floor. She paces the room, nothing has helped ease her fear.As she paces, her eyes are drawn to the black pile lying on the bed. She walks over to it and sits, gingerly lifting the fabric in her hands. She didn’t have a chance to appreciate the softness of the material before or notice the subtle gleam in the weave. Rey thoughtfully ran her fingers over the pattern of the soft fibers. Before she knew what she was doing, she lifted the cowl to her face and inhaled deeply. It’s faint, but it’s there. It is almost as intoxicating as it was before. Rey’s eyes flutter shut, and a sense of calm washes over her.Spices. Smoke. Earth. She wraps herself up in the comfort of the smell and curls herself up on the end of the bed, drifting into a peaceful sleep.*“My lady!”A pleasant voice drew her from her slumber. “Nnngh,” she moaned, wrapping herself up tighter in the fabric she was snuggling. She’d never been this comfortable before in her life and wasn’t going to give it up without a fight. “It would appear that the Lady Rey does not wish to be awakened,” a female mechanical voice stated.“I can see that Beedee, thank you.”“It is my pleasure to be of service to you, Ms. Tico.”“Why don’t you make yourself even more useful and go fetch Lady Rey some caf, would you?”“Right away, Ms. Tico. I shall return shortly.”“Yeah, thanks, Beedee. Try and wake her when you’re back. We still have some time before we need to get her ready for dinner, so she can sleep a little while longer. I’ll be waiting downstairs when she’s ready.”Rey heard the door slide open and then closed again, then all at once, it was quiet in her room once more. She nuzzled into the softness of that fabric that enveloped her as she began to doze again. She isn’t sure how much time had passed when the mechanical voice drew her from her dreamless sleep.“Pardon me, madame, but I have been instructed to wake you upon my arrival with your beverage. I do believe it is nearly dinner time, and my lady is expected to dress.”Rey opened an eye and squinted at the owner of the voice. A shining humanoid-looking droid looked down at her. She had remarkable female humanoid features, from a rigid bob “hairstyle” to a tiny waist and full hips. She even included a massive set of breasts that Rey couldn’t help but roll her eyes at. This droid had more feminine features than she ever did with her coltish figure. Growing up hungry on Jakku hadn’t done Rey any favors in the “womanly curves” department. She had a feeling that the droid wasn’t going to leave her be and that her lovely nap was finally over.“And you are?” Rey sat up, yawning widely.“I am BD-3000, your luxury attendant. The emperor has assigned me to be of assistance to you,”“Right,” Rey begrudgingly accepted. It seemed that there would be no use in fighting the benefits of her station anymore, “Okay, Beedee, you said something about a beverage?”*Rey was directed by Beedee to the terrace where a hot cup of caf was waiting for her next to a sumptuous chair. She wrapped the cowl firmly around herself as she sunk into the chair and brought the hot drink up to her lips. Rey pulled her knees up to her chest and watched the traffic whiz by in organized grids overhead. She knew she came here to get to know Armitage. He had hoped that she would eventually agree to stay and become his wife. While the idea of leaving Jakku to be taken care of by a handsome man was a tempting one, it turned out to be quite a bit different than she had anticipated. She wouldn’t just be his wife. She’d be the empress. What would that mean for her exactly? She was only a scavenger. She didn’t have any right to be anyone’s ruler. Would she be expected to provide an heir?Rey wrapped both hands around the mug and restlessly laid her cheek on against the warm ceramic. She closed her eyes and took a centering breath, inhaling the slightly sweet, bitter smell. Perhaps she’d be able to take advantage of the position to help people in need. There had to be many other hopeless children like she was, wandering the galaxy alone. If she could have a positive impact, perhaps being the empress wouldn’t be too terrible. Being here in the palace left her feeling a sense of obligation towards Armitage for taking her away from Jakku in the first place, even if it only ended up being for a few days. All things considered, though, she did say she would try. Rey was a girl of her word, so she was going to give it her best shot. Feeling entirely composed, Rey unfolded herself from her perch on the terrace and wandered back into her room, exploring it with the purpose of what exactly “downstairs” meant. She traveled through the door past the bed and lost her breath when she walked into the most luxurious refresher she’d ever seen. That really wasn’t saying much, considering the only one she’d ever seen before was a sonic shower at Niima Outpost that you had to trade scrap be able to use it. This ‘fresher was blazing white with a wide sink, a massive glass shower that had a bench inside it and four showerheads, and a large egg-shaped basin. She let out a deep sigh. A bathtub? Her eyes nearly filled with tears at the thought of being able to emerge herself into a tub of hot, soothing water. She’d been desperate to know what that would feel like her entire life. Rey ran her hand along the cool, smooth edge of the basin, daydreaming about what her first bath would feel like when a voice interrupted her reverie, “Lady Rey! I was just coming to check on you!”Startled, Rey looked up from the tub and into the dimpled face of Rose Tico.  “Oh no! I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just, we don’t have much time before dinner starts, so we really should be getting you ready. You’ll have plenty of time to relax later this evening!”Dinner. Food. Real food. Rey’s stomach growled in anticipation.She followed Rose through another door on the opposite side of the fresher that led into a room with white shelves filled to the brim with shoes. So many shoes. There was a seating area to one side and a staircase leading down in the center of the room. Rey curiously continued to follow Rose down the spiral stairs and into an expansive room with rows upon rows of clothing hanging in a color-coded pattern. Color was a strong choice of words since most everything before her was a variety of reds, black, and the occasional shade of grey. Clearly, whoever had made these selections was faithful to the First Order colors. Rose and Beedee get Rey zipped into the first dress she’s worn in her life. It is a sleek bright red with a single shoulder and sleeve that sweeps down past her hand to the hem of the dress that came to just below her knees. She nearly drew the line at the shoes that Beedee presented her with, a simple white shoe with a towering heel. Rey laughed in the droid’s face at first, but there didn’t seem to be any other “proper” options. Food being her primary motivator, Rey reluctantly agreed to give the death traps a try. Her first steps are slightly unsteady, but she finds her balance quickly, thankful that the ridiculous shoes turned out to not be as awful as she first imagined. Beedee collects her black tunic and leggings that she had been wearing since her arrival and Kylo Ren’s black cowl,“I shall have these laundered for you, my lady.”“No!” Rey panicked, snatching the cowl from the droid’s grasp, “I’ll keep this one, thank you. I’d rather it not be laundered today, but thank you,” she breathed, relieved to have caught her before it had disappeared. She gingerly folded it and placed it in a drawer, praying that the smell hadn’t faded away. Rose changes Rey’s makeup to a smoldering black with flecks of gold layered on the corners before she declares that she is finally ready to head to the dining hall. “It’s down in one of the lower levels, I believe someone is waiting to take you down,” Rose smiled at her, “Did you want me to be here when you get back?”“I think I’ll manage, thank you, Rose,” Rey said gratefully. She gingerly made her way back up the stairs and through her room to the door to meet her escort. *She needed him. He had felt her fear. His quarters weren’t far from hers. He ran down the halls and skidded to a halt in front of her door. He held his hand out to open the door and stopped short.No. There was no way he could fly into her room without any type of explanation. He wouldn’t even be able to begin to explain to her about the way the Force had pulled him to her when he’d barely understood it himself. But the way she touched you on the shuttle…No. She needed comfort, and he was the only one there to provide it to her. There was no way that she would ever be able to reciprocate the bewildering feelings he had towards her. How could she? She had never seen his face, and why would she ever want to? She had the Emperor of the Galaxy offering himself up to her, what could she ever see in a monster like him? Snoke had been right. You’ll never know love the way that your parents do. No one will ever accept you for who you are. I am the only one who truly understands who you are. He’d never have that kind of love. He vowed to do the one thing he could in the absence of something that powerful. He’d protect her. Be her sentry. Her guardian. She was bound to need one if she became the empress, and he’d undoubtedly keep her safer than the fleet of Praetorian guard that Hux employed to protect himself. So he waited.As he stood watch outside her door, her fear subsided, and he felt a wave of comfort wash over her. Sometime later, a small woman and a droid came to the door. “You are?” He questioned them callously. “Um, I’m Rose Tico, this is BD-3000. We are the attendants for Lady Rey. We’re just here to get her ready for dinner,” the small woman glared at him quizzically, “And YOU are?” She retorted.“I’m here to escort her down for dinner.” “Well, aren’t you punctual?” Rose chuckled. Kylo, feeling satisfied regarding the scavenger’s safety, he let them pass with a stern nod. After a while, the door slid open, and Kylo let out an inaudible gasp. Thankful for his mask yet again, he was grateful that she couldn’t see the awe on his face.The scavenger girl was gone and in her place was an enchantress in red. Her eyes were draped in black and gold, making the green in her hazel eyes sparkle. The scarlet dress she was wearing hugged every curve of her body. A single shoulder was exposed, revealing a layer of freckles dusting all the way to the curve of her neck. Oh, how he longed to run his hands over her skin and explore the softness of her skin with his lips as he trailed kisses across each mark. “Oh,” she stopped short in front of him, surprise and embarrassment flickering across her face. He knew it. How could he have expected anything different? Of course, what happened between them on the shuttle hadn’t been real. “Don’t worry, your worshipfulness, I’m only here to escort you to dinner. You won’t have to deal with me for long,” he muttered bitterly. His foolish longing for her had been thoroughly diminished by her reaction, he purposefully strode down the hall to the turbo lift.  *His disappointment from her reaction faded while he inadvertently watched her during dinner. He stood in the corner of the dining room and couldn’t help it when his eyes flickered to her as she marveled at the sight of all the food in front of her. He had to hold back an amused chuckle as she ferociously dug into the meal as if someone was waiting in the wings to snatch it from her. His amusement soured into sickening guilt when he wondered how often she must have been deprived of food during her time on Jakku. He had never gone hungry a single day in his life and never once thought that there may be someone out in the galaxy who didn’t have that same fundamental right. He balled his hands into tight fists with a seething anger at whoever had abandoned her in that wasteland alone to fend for herself. He promised himself that he’d never let her go hungry ever again. When dinner was finished, he watched as Hux put his hands on her waist and left a ghost of a goodbye kiss on her forehead. The sight made Kylo’s blood boil with a strange sense of possessiveness. As Emperor, Hux likely had some other, more pressing matters to attend to than walking his possible-betrothed back to her room. Kylo was thankful for that. He was desperate for one last moment with her before the day was through. They walked side by side down the hall, their footsteps perfectly in sync. They approached the lift, and he strode to the back as soon as the doors opened. She stopped a few inches in front of him, facing the door. He couldn’t help but let his gaze rake over her body wantonly, his heart beating hard in his chest. She was close enough to him that he could practically smell her. All spices and sweet flowers. It was intoxicating.
Screw it.
He reached up and pressed the release on his mask and pulled it from his head, shaking his dark hair loose. He stepped forward and snaked his free hand around her waist, splaying his fingers over her abdomen and pulling her closer to him. “Rey,” he breathed as he nuzzled the soft skin behind her ear. He dragged his mouth from her ear and down her throat towards her shoulder, peppering sweet kisses across each freckle on her smooth skin. Desperate for more contact, he dropped his mask with a heavy clunk on the turbo lift floor. He reached his hand up to his mouth and pulled his gloves off with his teeth, discarding them on the floor beside his helm. He cradled her jaw in his large hand, tilting her neck up to meet his hot mouth. He wanted to taste every inch of her. He kissed every inch of her neck, tracing the curve with his tongue and grazing his teeth along her throat. Rey let out a whimper and leaned her body back into him.“Ben,” she keened, her voice pleading to be closer. For more.He gripped his hands on her hips and spun her around, their mouths meeting hungrily. He pressed his mouth to her soft lips, running his tongue along the edge of her bottom lip. He could feel her warm body flush against his, but it still wasn’t close enough. Kylo wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her, pressing her back against the back wall of the lift. Rey wrapped her legs around his middle and clung to his shoulders as he cradled her close to him. He moved his free hand under the hem of her dress and caressed the bare skin of her thigh, intoxicated by the feeling of her skin against his. Their kiss continued, each exploring each other’s mouths with their tongues, memorizing the taste of the other. Kylo tore his mouth away from hers and ran his nose from her bare shoulder to her ear and growled ravenously,“Rey, I need you,”“What?”Kylo was suddenly ripped from his feverish hallucination from his place at the back of the lift, mask, and gloves still intact. Rey was looking back at him quizzically. “What?” He echoed after her.“You said you needed me. You need me to do what, exactly?”
I need you to let me kiss you.
“I need you to get off the lift, this is our stop,” he muttered, relived at the impeccable timing of the turbo lift arriving at their level at precisely the right time, “Goodnight, Your Highness,” he stated sourly as he shouldered past her and out of the lift.*Rey leaned with her back against the door inside her room, sighing deeply. She was perplexed at whatever had happened in the lift between her and Kylo. They had both been silent the entire ride until the air suddenly became charged with an unexplainable heat as he murmured those words under his breath.
Rey, I need you.
His foul attitude as they left the turbolift would have suggested that she had done something to upset him. She bit her thumb and ran it along the edge of her bottom lip as she recalled the way he rumbled those words and sent tremors shivering down her spine. She had to ask him what he had said to assure herself that it hadn’t been her mind playing tricks on her. She hated being right. Kylo Ren's callousness towards her made it abundantly clear that she had been wrong for thinking that he shared any of the bewildering emotions she had for him. His distaste for her was abundant. She felt it in the way he removed her hands from his mask in the shuttle. It was unmistakable as he pushed past her to remove himself from her presence in the lift. It was apparent to her that it was time to let this foolish infatuation die and center her focus on the kind-hearted man who had gifted her with this glorious second-chance of a life. She wandered through her suite to the ‘fresher and basked in the glow of the pure, white porcelain. She ran her hands along the smooth edge of the tub. Her emotions were tumultuous - a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Her whole life, water had been a precious commodity. It felt bizarre to want to fill this basin with water when she had taught herself to hoard it. Lightly pressing her fingertips into the grooves on the knob, she twisted her wrist to initiate the flow of the water. Reaching up behind her, she undoes her dress and lets it fall to the floor. She steps out of the fallen garment and out of her impossibly high shoes. Rey balances her hand on the edge of the porcelain and gently eases her toes over the side and into the steaming liquid. Slowly sinking her bare skin into the water, she gasped at the foreign feeling. Rey sank into the warm embrace of the water. All of her troubling thoughts washed away, leaving behind only this moment. Taking a deep breath, she fully submerged herself in the basin.Sweeping the water from her face when she came back up for air, she let out a girlish giggle at the absurdity of it all. Only the night before, she had been sleeping in the sand blown remains of an AT-AT. She was in a constant state of hunger and thirst, neither of them ever being fully satiated. Now, it felt like she was in a waking dream. Rey was living the life that didn’t belong to her. Surrounded by luxury, clean, and with a full belly. Rey had eaten so much at dinner that she thought that she may burst. It was a strange thing, having so much food laid out before her like it had been at dinner. She was sure that she had offended everyone at the table when she devoured her food with a fervor. Vania Flast looked like she was about to suffer an aneurysm out of shock. Armitage hadn’t looked amused. Rey chuckled, thinking that they’d probably require her to learn how to eat like a proper lady if she was going to become empress.
Empress of the First Order.
The title was a daunting one, but at that moment, Rey was willing to do anything if it meant she’d continue being able to enjoy these types of moments. No more hunger. No more thirst. No more constant danger. Baths.The price may be worth it in the end. *After her bath, Rey wrapped herself in a satiny robe and wandered down the spiral staircase into the large dressing room. She ran her hands along the luxurious fabrics, marveling at the softness of each garment. She opened every drawer until she found what she was searching for. She pulled the cowl from the safe place she had left it in and pressed it to her nose. Spices. Smoke. Earth. Rey knew that she should probably return it to its proper owner, but she couldn’t deny the comfort that it had provided her with earlier in the day. She slipped a delicate nightgown she had discovered during her search over her head. The fabric slid down her skin lusciously, sending tingles across her body. She layered the cowl over her shoulders and wandered back up the stairs to her bed. Rey pulled back the supple covers and clambered onto the achingly soft mattress. She nestled her head into the luxurious pillow and snuggled her nose into the edge of the cowl that was nestled around her. Sighing contentedly, she wistfully drifted away into a peaceful sleep.*
She was on a ship again.

She walked down a curved hall and came up behind a tall, broad figure standing in the doorway of the ship’s cockpit. Bright sunlight streamed in through the circular grid of the transparisteel viewport. Rey could feel his heartache reverberating around him.

She snaked her arms around his middle, pressing her nose into his back, inhaling deeply. After all this time, his smell still intoxicated her.

He turned himself around in her arms and placed his large hands on the sides of her face, his thumbs tracing a path back and forth across her skin.

“I love you,” he murmured, his warm brown eyes boring down into hers. Before she had the chance to say anything, he pressed his mouth to hers. His lips moved against hers slowly, laying the softest kisses. He gently traced the seam of her mouth with his tongue, asking her permission for entry. She wrapped her fingers in his long, dark hair, pulling him closer and meeting his tongue with hers. Their kiss deepened, each pass of their entwined mouths becoming full of heat and hunger. She felt the warmth pooling deep in her belly. She needed to be closer. She needed more of him.

Feeling her desire, he entwined his arms around her waist and easily hoisted her into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his middle, breaking their heated kiss.

“I know,” she smiled facetiously.

His face split into a broad smile, his eyes sparkling.

“You know, you really are impossible,” he growled, his mouth crashing into hers once more.
*Rey’s eyes fluttered open.She sat up, surveying her surroundings. She’d expected to be back in her hammock in her AT-AT, the previous day a delirious dream. Much to her surprise, she was in her stunning bedroom inside the Imperial Palace. The morning light was streaming in the wide, transparisteel window, the flow of the busy speeder traffic unchanged from the previous night. She’d slept more soundly than ever in her entire life. Sleep, like everything else on Jakku, wasn’t easy to come by. Whenever she was able to succumb to her exhaustion, her dreams were plagued with nightmares of a crashing ship and a burning jungle. This change was beyond welcome. She felt like she had been asleep only a moment before she was awakened by her dream. In the past, she’d wake up in a panic, drenched in sweat, tears, or both. This morning she felt…different. This dream had been good. Delicious, even. Rey bit her lip as the memory of the dream echoed through her mind. She’d never been kissed before and wondered how accurate her dream would be when it came to the real-life possibility. She’d more than likely never find out if she went back to Jakku. Rey knew now that she’d never be able to bring herself to return to the desert. Not after a taste of what life was like away from there.Armitage had been right. She had enjoyed being taken care of. Rey had known enough hardship throughout her life that she’d trade almost anything for the opportunity to escape. She’d marry him if that meant that she could keep her freedom from the life of a scavenger. She realized that she didn’t know him well, yet, but she was willing to try. He was kind to her, and she liked him well enough. Friendship would surely come and if she was lucky, maybe even love. A love like she had witnessed in her dream.Moments later, Beedee shuffled in with a breakfast cart. Rey ambled out of bed to explore the cart’s contents. She filled her plate up with everything. Exotic fruits, elegant pastries, and piping hot sausage. Wrapping herself in the warm cocoon of Kylo’s cowl, she wandered out onto the terrace and settled into one of the plush chairs to eat her breakfast.Beedee shuffled out to join her, handing her a cup of hot caf. Rey hugged the steaming mug to her chest and admired the glittering city spread out before her. She could definitely get used to this. She’d made her decision. She knew without a single shred of doubt that this was the place she was meant to be. Taking a shaky breath, she summoned the droid, “Beedee, please send a com to the Emperor. Inform him that I have decided to stay.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rey sat on the terrace in her quarters, admiring the first light of Coruscant Prime as it began to shine warmly in between the sparkling skyscrapers of Galactic City. She nuzzled into the black cowl that was draped around her shoulders, taking a sip of the hot caf that was nestled between her hands. It had been six weeks since she had left Jakku, but she still wasn’t used to the air not being scorching hot. The garment had been invaluable to her, especially during her first few days on the temperate city-planet, when she would feel overwhelmed with the gravity of her decision. She swathed herself in it like a protective cocoon, and as soon as she put it on, a feeling of comfort would encompass her like a warm blanket. She didn’t have any intention of returning it to its rightful owner, and he had never come to reclaim it.Over a few weeks, she had honored the promise she made with herself. She avoided Kylo Ren as much as she was able to and gave all of her attention to the Emperor. It was for the best as it seemed to be their close proximity that triggered her sudden confounding need for him as it had in the past. He wasn’t around much lately, probably off galavanting across the galaxy doing Gods know what for the First Order. Still, from time to time, Rey would spot his dark form from across the hanger bay or down the Great Hall. In those moments, she’d instantly feel the electric pull to him, and he’d lift the gaze of his visor to meet hers. She’d tear her eyes away in a flash to busy herself with some sort of distraction, and when she would look up again, he would be gone. It had taken some time to get used to all the splendor, but the Imperial Palace was finally starting to feel like a home...as much of a home as a sprawling series of luxuriously gilded rooms could be to a scavenger like her. Rey had grown fond of the people who surrounded her. Her empress lessons with Vania Flast had been daunting at first. The older woman wasn’t one you’d associate with the word “kindness.” She was a brutal teacher, continually reminding her to stand up straight and keep her shoulders back. Over time, combined with Vania’s never-ending berating, the visual signs of the scavenger girl began to peel away, revealing the makings of an elegant woman underneath. As Rey progressed in her lessons, the stern older woman’s attitude around her began to soften. She could almost see a sense of pride in Vania’s eyes when the transformation from desert orphan to an elegant lady had entirely been successful. The expansive amount of glamorous clothing in her vast wardrobe helped this immensely. Rey couldn’t help but feel like an empress in the stunning gowns that had been provided for her. Kai Mahlo, it turned out, was an incredibly talented man. He weaved Rey’s hair in impossible ways and painted her eyes in the most beautiful shades of black, silver, and gold. Her favorite companion, by far, was the girl, Rose Tico. She was never short of a smile, and having a girl close to her own age around helped fill a lonely void in Rey’s heart that she didn’t know she had: the need for a friend. After mastering her empress lessons, Rey would spend most of her days wandering the palace and exploring its vast halls and many rooms. She’d meander down the vast corridors, testing doorways to see if they’d open for her. During her explorations, she’d stumbled into an elegant long room with lofty arches and towering shelves that may have served as a library in its past life. Most of the shelves were empty, and the volumes that still resided there contained the magnificent history of The Empire, and it’s ruler: Palpatine. She’d discovered many rooms during her daily wandering, everything from wide-open chambers, to cozy apartments. Rey had even found her way up to the top of the tallest spire on the ziggurat and marveled at the majesty that was Galactic City for so long that she’d witness the sun sink down below the horizon, revealing the glittering metropolis sprawled out as far as the eye could see. As she explored the palace, she couldn’t help but feel the presence of many lives that had been lived and lost around her. It felt like the palace served a different, more important purpose long before it was the home to the Emperor. No matter where she wandered, Rey always found herself back in front of the enchanting set of double doors that Armitage insisted housed nothing of consequence. She couldn’t help but doubt what the Emperor had told her as she swept up to it one day, her black gown trailing behind her, and ran her hand gingerly down the seam between the set of ornate doors. They pulled her in, like a magnet, and she was instantly entranced by the pattern inlaid within the durasteel. Fine lines burst outwards from the center like a starburst, cascading outwards from elaborately carved handles that swirled upwards in fascinating spirals. She leaned her head against the cold metal, closing her eyes for a moment to imagine what could possibly be inside that always drew her here. Taking a deep breath, she shivered as she felt the color green, the rush of water, and sunlight streaming in delicate, sparkling beams. She breathed in the feeling, desperate for entrance when a mechanical voice interrupted her meditative state.“My Lady Rey, I do believe that your free time has come to an end. You should come with me so you will not be late for your dinner with the Emperor.”Rey let out a soft sigh before lifting her head from the door, letting her fingers linger for a moment longer.“Thanks, Beedee, I’ll be right up.”Rey wound her way back through the halls, thinking to herself about the sensations she had just experienced. She wondered how she was able to imagine the contents of the room, and if what she felt could possibly be true. What was the force that kept pulling her towards it? It wasn’t dissimilar to what she felt whenever she and Lord Ren were in close vicinity to each other. That pull. It was like an electric current, buzzing to life in the air around her, charging everything with an intoxicating hum. She made her way into the turbolift, and absentmindedly played with the hem of her sleeve as she contemplated that exhilarating feeling. This power, whatever it was, kept pulling her in different directions and invaded her dreams. Dreams that were pleasant for once, not like the nightmares she’d experience during her time on Jakku where fire and screams would flash through her mind. She had dreamt over and over since that first night about the dark-haired man. She ran her hands down the bodice of her gown, biting her red lip as she remembered with a thrill the vivid details of the last time he had entered in her mind while she slept. His face hovered close to hers, beauty marks scattered across his face like the constellations in the sky, as his honey-colored eyes bored into hers, the words “I love you” tumbling across his full lips before he pressed them to hers. She let out a soft moan as she felt the ghost of his large hands wander down her body as he curled his strong arms around her, pressing her body to his broad chest as she wound her fingers through his long, inky hair. His mouth claimed every inch of her exposed skin, exploring down her body as she shivered beneath his touch.
Who are you?
Her eyes flashed open as the turbolift came to a halt, and she let out a stuttering breath as an electric feeling enveloped her, setting her skin aflame. There it was again. That pull.Kylo Ren stood before her in the hall, his dark form as imposing as ever with his black mask gazing emotionlessly at her while she stood shellshocked in the lift.“Lord Ren,” his named tumbled effortlessly over her lips as her breath caught in her throat, resisting the urge to be nearer to him, to answer the call of this strange pull, but she remained rooted to the spot. “Hello, your worship,” his deep voice reverberated through the modulator in his mask. She wondered what his natural voice sounded like, would it be similar to what she heard now?“I thought you’d be off policing the Galaxy, what brings you back to the palace?”“I go wherever the Emperor needs me, highness,” he answered blandly, cocking his head to the side as he seemed to inspect her appearance, “You’re certainly looking the part, aren’t you? It looks like they stamped out every bit of that scrappy scavenger girl I found on Jakku.”“She’s still here!” Rey stated defiantly, lifting her chin proudly, trying desperately to hang onto the part of the scavenger that remained inside her. “Not from what I see.”“Maybe you need to lift that visor once in a while and look with your actual eyes,” Rey stated defiantly. Kylo stood a heavy step forward, effectively boxing her in against the back wall of the lift. She looked up into the expressionless mask through her lashes, seeing only her reflection in the visor looking back at her.“You have no idea how badly I want to,” he murmured through the modulator, inching ever closer to her. Her eyelashes fluttered as that familiar, comforting scent washed over her.
Spices. Smoke. Earth.
Breathless from his closeness to her, the magnetizing pull sang as the distance between them closed. She reached up and laid her hand against the cold metal of his mask, tracing the delicate silver bands with the tip of her finger and breathed,“Then why don’t you?”Kylo slowly reached his gloved hand up and cupped the curve of her face. Rey quietly sighed, closing her eyes as she melted into his touch as his leather-clad thumb traced a small circle across her skin. “Lady Rey, there you are. I have been attempting to locate you for some time,” a female mechanical voice rang out into the lift, and Kylo jerked his hand away in a flash. Rey quickly side-stepped around the dark knight and out of the lift.“Yes, Beedee, thank you for your efforts,” Rey’s heart thundered in her chest as she glanced back momentarily at Kylo, his faceless mask staring back at her as the turbolift doors slid to a close. She took a steadying breath and followed the droid down the hall to her rooms.*“Stars, my lady, you look beautiful,” Rose breathed with a sigh as Rey emerged from her dressing room, finally ready for her evening with the Emperor. She turned to look in the full-length mirror, running her hands down the bodice with a smile. Kai had worked wonders with her yet again. She wore a simple black gown that hugged the curve of her hips before sweeping down gracefully to the floor in soft waves. The deep neckline settled below her shoulders and softly framed the slope of her breasts, leading to sleeves that traveled down to her wrists. A simple gold belt adorned her waist with a matching choker around her throat. Kai had weaved a section of her hair with glittering gold and slicked it back into a sleek knot at the base of her neck. Her eyes were painted with flecks of gold, and her lips a vibrant red. She felt beautiful and romantic, perfect for the surprise special evening that Armitage had planned for her. Since her arrival at the palace, Rey had dined with the Emperor every evening. It had been an excellent way for the pair to get to know each other, which was Armitage’s wish back on Jakku, and Rey was determined to honor her side of the bargain. He had been patient with her from the beginning when her manners were most certainly not up to snuff for the lady she was bound to turn into. As time wore on and Rey became used to the proper etiquette for dining in a palace, the walls between them began to break down. He would regale her with tales of the glory of the Empire and his time of watching the end unfold from the shadows as a child. She was surprised to learn that he lived part of his childhood on Jakku and was on the planet for the infamous battle that tore the Empire down. He told tales of the rise of the First Order in an animated fashion and described how he rose through the ranks as a young man, working hard for every promotion. He listened in fascination as she described her trials growing up alone on the desert planet, and his eyes glistened as she told him about the voice that would lull her to sleep as she wished that that voice would come and whisk her away someday.“Then I found you and made your dreams come true, didn’t I, my desert flower?”She would duck her head with flushed cheeks and smile. No, it wasn’t how she imagined it, but she did get her wish. Rey swept her way down the plush hallway to the turbolift to make her way down to the Great Hall to meet with the Emperor for dinner. Striding into the lift, she leaned her head softly against the back wall and closed her eyes, thinking back to just moments ago when she was up against this same wall with Kylo looming down over her, summoning a delicious heat that pooled deep in her belly. What was about him that made her feel that way? She knew nothing about the man and had never seen his face or felt the touch of his skin on her own. And yet, just being close to him set her afire. At times, it felt that he may feel the same way towards her, but they were always yanked from those moments by one or the other saying something snarky to spoil the moment. Now that she thought about it, it seemed to her that the two of them could never be in the other’s presence without arguing.The lift came to a stop, and Rey strode out of it as soon as the doors began to separate, eager to get away from the lingering presence of Kylo that remained inside. She made her way down the towering great hall to the man who waited for her at the end of it. The Emperor stood proudly in front of her, dressed in his usual all black. He swept into a graceful bow upon her arrival, snatching her hand up to place a soft kiss to her knuckles. This was a familiar gesture, one that Armitage repeated every time he saw her and would ghost a kiss on her forehead when they would say farewell. As usual, he took her hand in his, wrapped it around his arm, and led her out into the cold night air. The pair of them gracefully strolled down the long, sweeping staircase to a waiting speeder. A waiting man bowed low at their arrival and opened the door, allowing them to sit in the roomy interior of the sleek vehicle. They sat in relative silence as the doors slid shut, and the speeder was lifted effortlessly into the air by the driver. Rey stared in wonder out the transparasteel windows as they seamlessly whizzed away from the palace and up to the higher levels of traffic. It was her first time out of the palace since her arrival, and she breathlessly stared as her eyes tried hard to take in every single bit of the city surrounding her as Armitage reached out across the seat and laced his fingers with hers.“Do you miss it, Flower?” “What, Jakku?” The Emperor kindly smiled down at her and nodded, “No, your majesty, I don’t. You have given me so many beautiful things and taken away every care or worry I ever had. I feel safe at the palace, and everyone has been so kind…”“You deserve it, my darling. I told you that I wanted to take care of you, didn’t I?” Armitage raised her hand to his mouth, his cool blue eyes sparkling into hers as he pressed a heated kiss to her knuckles. He raised his eyes from hers after a beat and looked out the window with glee, “Ah! We have arrived at our first destination!”The speeder softly landed on an impossibly high landing pad at the top of one of the towering skyscrapers. Armitage murmured something to the driver before stepping out of the vehicle, making his way around to Rey’s door and holding out a hand for her to step out. They walked up to a set of gilded doors surround by soft lights. He held the door open for her and led her into the building by her hand. Inside was a massive room with towering floor-to-ceiling windows swathed in yards of deep purple fabric. Dozens of tables lined the room, each adorned with flickering light and a golden flower. Armitage led her to a table and pulled out a gleaming gold chair out from the table for her to sit. They sat together and enjoyed delicacy after delicacy as Armitage regaled her with what the restaurant was like at the height of the Empire. The establishment was called The Pinnacle, and it was situated at the highest level of the tallest building in the Federal District of Galactic City. After their dinner, Armitage led Rey to the windows to show her the awe-inspiring view of the city below. Laid out before them, nestled in the twinkling lights was the towering ziggurat of the Imperial Palace that they called home, shining like a beacon in the dark. Rey’s eye began to glisten at the beautiful sight when Armitage wound his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him, leaning down and murmuring in her ear as soft music filtered around them.“Dance with me.”Without waiting for her reply, the Emperor pulled her against him. His arm was wrapped around her waist as his other wrapped around her hand in a cool embrace. They gently swayed back and forth to the music as Rey softly laid her head against his shoulder. Rey closed her eyes and tried to center herself at this moment with the man who was her salvation, her patron of a better life, and perhaps someday, her husband. She needed to focus on this man here in front of her and keep her mind from wandering towards the non-existent one in her mind and the dark knight she always seemed to find herself inexplicably drawn to. The dark-haired man was never far from her thoughts as he always seemed to show up in her dreams night after night since she came to the palace.Kylo Ren was a confusing enigma, a man who was a literal mystery, and she craved to know what lay beneath the dark persona he wore so well. Rey shoved the thoughts of those other men deep down and nestled her head into Armitage’s shoulder as the music floated through the air around them and focused on the feeling of his cool hand that was resting on her waist. She felt his heartbeat softly beneath her cheek as she quietly inhaled, curious to know if the Emperor’s smell would make her feel the same sort of comfort that her borrow black cowl would.
Spices. Smoke. Earth.
She tucked away her instant disappointment when she found that the Emperor’s scent lacked anything truly noticeable or remarkable besides clean. At least there was that. She couldn’t help but enjoy the new intimate closeness that their dance provided. Their life at the palace was very formal, and the two of them were hardly ever truly alone. She was thankful for this moment to feel close to her possible intended, to have this closeness with the man who was here, who was real and who wanted her. Armitage leaned his head against her hair as their gentle sway came to a stop.“Rey,” the Emperor murmured into her hair. She lifted her cheek from his shoulder and looked up into his cool, blue eyes, their noses almost touching. Her breath hitched as his eyes flickered down to her mouth for a brief moment as he slowly leaned forward. She closed her eyes and tilted her face towards him, expecting his lips to find hers for the first time, but they found her ear instead, “There’s something else I’d like to show you if you’d let me.” She let out a soft sigh of disappointment, meeting his eyes again with a small smile.“Yes, of course. I’d be honored.”Moments later, they stepped out of the speeder once more into an empty, bowl-shaped arena. Numerous spires and buildings surrounded them in a circle, towering overhead. Huge statues stood guard over the perimeter of the square, and colorful banners floated in the cool evening breeze. Rey looked around in amazement as Armitage led her to the center of the plaza with his hand intertwined in hers. They walked up to a large stone that was protruding from the epicenter of the mammoth square. “This is Umate. It is the highest and last remaining exposed peak of the Manarai Mountains that covered the planet. I...I thought that since you had such a relationship with the land where you come from, that you’d appreciate being able to see what is left of the land here on your new home...that is...if you choose to continue to stay here with me,” Armitage spoke almost nervously, “This peak was considered sacred and used to be guarded by monks of the Flames of Umate who patrolled here to prevent tourists from chipping away at the stone. They used to meditate while touching the stone to try and connect with the inner spirit of the planet.”He stood anxiously, watching her, trying to gauge her reaction. She wordlessly gazed at the stone, pulling her hand away from Armitage’s as she took a step towards the exposed peak. Rey reached out and brushed her fingers against the sacred peak, gasping as a slew of images flooded her mind.
She is on a jagged rocky island swathed in green. There is a flash of red. A large hand softly grazes the seam of her mouth as rain begins to fall. She is transported to a room dripping in every shade of green with delicate beams of light streaming in from above, and the soft sound of rushing water envelopes her. Ahead of her is the silhouette of a tall, broad-shouldered man, cloaked in black. She reaches out for him, and he slowly turns. She sees the inky waves of his hair and a glimpse of a face scattered with a mesmerizing constellation of beauty marks and honey-colored eyes.
Rey yanked her hand back suddenly from the stone, reeling from what the stone had shown her. “Flower, are you alright?” Armitage asked, pulling her into his arms.“Yes, yes, I’m fine. I just got a very odd feeling when I touched the stone,” she gave the concerned man a sympathetic smile, trying to brush off the sense of alarm she was feeling, “Thank you for taking me here, I’ll remember it always.”“I hope you will,” he smiled down at her as he took both of her hands in his, taking a deep breath, “There was actually another reason I brought you to this special place. I feel that over the last few weeks, you, and I have gotten to know each other well as we had set out to do when I discovered you on Jakku. It feels like ages ago and I am proud of how far you have come from that scavenger girl I found fighting for her life in the sand. Rey, I believe that you are ready for me to show you to my world, and if you’d let me, I’d like to introduce you as my future empress.” Armitage released her hand and reached into his pocket, producing a small box. He lifted the lid and revealed a dizzyingly large ring.This was it. The moment they had first discussed to her shock and confusion back on that fateful day on Jakku. Her heart thudded in her chest as she stood at the precipice with this man. If she went any further, there would undoubtedly be no turning back. If she would decide not to move forward with him, then where would she go - back to the Goazan Badlands of Jakku? He wouldn’t want to keep her around if she didn’t agree to be his wife, and she desperately wanted to stay as far away from the desert as she could. This was the bargain. She couldn’t deny that she enjoyed her life with him, and the thought of having something more was exciting to her. With the two distinct paths laid out before her, that same feeling that told her to leave Jakku was pushing her towards one side. Stay. “Yes, Armitage, I will.”The Emperor breathed a heavy sigh of relief and cracked a broad smile across his pale face.“Excellent.”He pulled the ring from its box and slid the heavy red stone onto her waiting hand. He pulled her closer to him and caressed her cheek with his cool hand, firmly taking hold of the curve of her chin and pulled her towards him. Her eyes fluttered shut as he pressed a soft kiss to her lips, sealing their agreement. Rey wrapped her hands over his slight arms, eager to explore the kiss further, but Armitage resisted under her touch. The kiss wasn’t at all like she had imagined in her dreams with the dark-haired man. No fireworks like she had wished for. It was like two strangers meeting, formal and mechanical. He pulled away from her and pressed a kiss against her forehead before leading her back towards the speeder. Rey’s eyes flittered back and forth as she watched the flurry of speeders and sparkling windows whiz by her window. Every moment from now on would be different as they barreled towards their future together, and it was nothing like what she envisioned it would be. *A few days later, Rey swept down the Great Hall with a flurry of attendants trailing after her every step. Ever since the staff had been notified of her new official status, everyone had instantly become more attentive. She barely was allowed a moment’s peace as there was always someone accompanying her. “It is important to protect the future empress, Flower,” Armitage had insisted. Kai fussed over her hair and gently made sure that her silver-starred headpiece was straight before doing a once-over down her crimson gown. He had outdone himself once more, making sure that she was equipped with the proper attire to give the galaxy the best first impression of their future empress. Her gown hugged the base of her shoulders and swept straight down to the floors leaving a billowing train that trailed behind her every step. The dreamsilk bodice followed every curve of her body that flared out at the waist stopping at the toes of her shoes. Kai had left the hair falling down her back in soft waves and painted her eyes black with flecks of silver. Rey glanced across the hall at her future husband as his own attendants dusted off his clean, pressed lapels and straightened the golden laurel wreath that was resting on his auburn hair. Armitage brushed the attendants away with disdain and strode outside to the distant roar of a crowd.“There’s a lot of excited people out there to see you, my lady,” Kai smiled at her, giving her one last look. His eyes stopping on the crystal shard hanging around her neck, and his smile faltered, “Rey, my darling, I think it is time to let this trinket go.” Her hand flew up to her memento in alarm, desperate for him not to take her one precious possession from her as hot tears began to prick at her eyes.“Please,” she whispered.Kai gazed at her sympathetically, giving her a sad smile. “I’ll give it to Rose to put in your rooms. You can wear it there, but it shouldn’t be worn to any official functions, do you understand? It would send the wrong message to certain people. As the empress, you’re expected to be…more.”Rey sniffed as she reached behind her and delicately removed the cherished item and carefully set it in Kai’s waiting palm.“There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Kai smiled, “Now, you’re perfect, my darling.”She watched the group walk away to a viewing area within the palace, leaving her momentarily alone to listen to the Emperor’s speech before it was her turn to emerge from the palace doors.“People of the First Order, I stand before you today, not only as your Emperor but as a man in love. As I’m sure you’ve already heard whispers of, I am here today to introduce you to my future wife. I had scoured the galaxy for a woman who was fit to be your empress. Had my advisors had their way, I would be marrying a girl from a core world who knew nothing of the real world. I am happy to say that fate had other plans. It wasn’t long ago that I found myself stranded on the desert planet of Jakku. It was there that I found her. She was a creature of the desert, almost feral when I found her fighting for her life in the unforgiving sands. I saved her life that day, and when we met, I immediately saw her potential. I whisked her away to a better life and shaped her into the woman that she is today,” the Emperor continued his declamation, eating up the attention from the crowd. It was strange to hear him speak of saving her life and of love when neither was true. Rey’s stomach twinged when she heard him call her feral and said that he was the one who had shaped who into who she had become when it was her own hard work that had earned the respect of the people around her. She took a step forward as it became time for her to join Armitage on the steps. Rey paused for a moment as she saw the silhouette of a dark figure from the corner of her eye. Lifting her eyes, she found the emotionless visor of Kylo Ren’s mask. There it was again, that pull. She held his gaze for a few moments, resisting that urge to close the gap as the voice of her future husband echoed throughout the hall around them. Kylo took a step towards her and silently held out a gloved hand. Her eyes flickered to his proffered hand and back up to his visor. His wordless offer hung heavily in the air between them. Leave now and never look back. Taking a shaky breath, she silently shook her head and turned towards her future that was laid out before her as Armitage’s voice rang out, “I present to you, Lady Rey of Jakku. She is one of your own and will soon be Empress of the First Order.”She steadied herself and plastered on a wide smile as she strode out onto the step into a sea of holocams and flashes of light as cameras took picture after picture. Rey accepted Armitage’s outstretched hand, and the two of them stood proudly in front of the crowd, the image of royalty. The Emperor smiled down at her, his cool blue eyes twinkling. He reached his gloved hand to hug her chin with his thumb and pulled her in for a chaste kiss, making the crowd go wild. Her heart thudded in her chest as Armitage pulled away with a smile. “Isn’t this wonderful, my darling?”“Yes, quite wonderful,” she murmured wistfully, glancing over her shoulder to meet the black gaze of the silver-framed visor that she felt burning into her.On the surface, they were a vision of majesty, a couple in love. Rey knew she should be happy at this moment, her future of safety and comfort forever sealed, but that still small voice in the back of her mind told her that this wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Today was the day of the wedding.Today was the day that the Emperor would wed the maddening scavenger girl he stumbled upon on the dusty waste of a planet, Jakku. He had saved her skin that day, and his life had never been the same since. The future Empress was an impossibly stubborn, maddening creature and a kriffing potty mouth to boot. She was all of those things, but he couldn’t deny that she was also charming, unfailingly kind, and always tried to see the best in the people around her, even him. From the moment he saw her, he felt it. The pull to the light. It was like a fire had burst to life in his soul. It burned intensely, unbinding him from the darkness that had held on with vicious claws for as long as he could remember. He closed his eyes as he tried to recall a time before the pain, before the rage in him furled out into the monster who was Kylo Ren. The feeling of that blinding light was foreign to him after keeping himself closed off for so long. His darkness surrounded everything, devouring everything, never giving any mercy as it devoured everything in its wake. It was still a mystery why the Force had pushed them together but he knew it that it had a plan for them. He had seen glimpses of it when he touched his bare skin against hers, flashes of the future that may or may not come true.
Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future.
The reminder he was taught echoed through his mind as he thought of the vision he had received. The Force had shown him a series of images, and not all were ones he would want to come to pass. The flashes of red and blue and the memory of Rey crumpling to the ground in a heap made his stomach churn as waves of protective anger rolled over him. What he wouldn’t give, what he wouldn’t do to protect her from that fate. The vision also offered him a taste of joy on top of the sorrow. Wandering kisses and her glorious smile hovered just out of his reach, getting further and further away with each passing day. Today was the day that their fate was sealed, and it seemed like none of those visions would ever come to pass after the moment she became his. This was the road she was on, the one she was meant to take. It addled his mind to think of why they were continuously pulled towards each other when she was never meant to be his in the first place. It wasn’t for lack of trying on the part of The Force. Any moment he was near her, the air became charged with a delicious frisson of electricity that sang when they helplessly answered its call.He felt it in the shuttle in the moments before he delivered her to her future husband, when she laid her hands breathlessly upon his mask, silently begging to release the latch and reveal him. If he had let her have her way, she would have exposed his true face and his emotions that he tried so hard to keep hidden. Emotions that were unbecoming of an officer of the Emperor with his future bride. Before that moment, he had felt her fear coming off of her in furious waves and did what he could to try and help her. He didn’t expect to never see his cowl again but smiled to himself as he thought that it may have brought her some amount of comfort. That exhilarating pull surfaced again that night when he suffered from a delicious daydream, imagining his mouth on hers and his bare hands skimming across her gleaming, golden skin. And again, when she whispered those words as she delicately traced the lines of his mask with her finger.
Then why don’t you?
It took every ounce of self-control he had learned in his training to not throw off his mask, press her up against the turbolift wall and devour her mouth right then and there. Mere moments before she was announced as the future Empress of the First Order, the fire between them ignited again. She stood alone, waiting for her moment on the steps of the Imperial Palace with the Emperor, a breathtaking vision of royalty. He could feel the disappointment radiate off of her when Hux claimed that she had been feral when he found her. Kylo squeezed his hands into tight fists at the thought of anyone saying that she was anything she was not. Potty mouth? Yes. Feral? No. He silently seethed as the Emperor claimed to be her rescuer and salvation when the slimy cur hid in the shuttle the entire time they were planetside on Jakku. The anger rolled off of him as Hux claimed to be responsible for turning her into an Empress when it was the girl’s own, pure stubbornness that got her to where she was. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to whisk her away and jet off to the far reaches of the Outer Rim to save her from being anchored to this wretch of a man.His breath stopped short when she lifted her eyes to meet the blank gaze of his visor, her stardust-speckled hazel eyes wide with doubt. Eyes so beautiful, he couldn’t help but be held prisoner by them, stuck forever in the shining gleam of her light. Like a fool, he held his gloved out to her in a silent plea, begging her to leave with him there at that moment. Disappointment seeped through his veins when she unhappily shook her head no and stepped out onto the sunlit platform. What did he expect? What would they do, spend their lives running from the First Order, forever waiting for it to all come crashing down on their heads? He knew Hux would be relentless in a search to recover his stolen property, using every available resource he had his disposal to reclaim his bride. He tried to shake the feeling away, but it burned even brighter when she turned her gaze to meet his once more.This was wrong. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be, Kylo could feel it in his bones. The Palace had been a flurry of activity since the announcement of the engagement. Before her becoming the betrothed of the Emperor officially, Rey was confined to the Imperial Palace to keep her existence a secret from the press. Once everything became official, it seemed like Hux couldn’t wait to show off his new toy to the entire galaxy. The Empress to be was whisked across all of Galactic City, making appearance after appearance with the Emperor. Kylo was oddly proud of her while he watched her blossom in her new world, far away from the dust trap of Jakku. She graciously shook hands of senators and dignitaries from every corner of the galaxy, never for a moment showing pause in any situation she was thrust into. She dazzled everyone she came into contact with, instantly charming them with her glorious smile and the endless amount of compassion she held for others. The Empress to be appeared to be fully in her element when she visited Hospital Plaza. On their first visit, the royal couple entered the building together, and Rey walked quietly behind the Emperor as they toured the facility with the building’s officials. The holocams followed her back the next day, and the galaxy watched in awe as the scavenger girl spent the whole day spending time with the patients within. She’d perch herself next to their beds, holding their hands as she intently listened for hours to their stories with an easy smile. Rey spent much of her time in the weeks before the wedding visiting the sick at Hospital Plaza and winning the hearts of the galaxy as she openly embraced its people with her entire being. It wasn’t long until her compassion earned her a new name that was spoken across all the constellations in the Courscant sky: The People’s Empress.Kylo had tried his best to avoid her, but it was made next to impossible when the Emperor assigned him to be her personal bodyguard.“You are the only one I trust to look over my Flower when I cannot have my own eyes on her. Make sure she behaves herself and see to it that she remains civilized. We can’t have her behaving like a wild beast now, can we?”Ever thankful for his mask, he seethed darkly, grinding his teeth and clenching his gloved fists as he resisted the urge to commit treason by slugging the Emperor in the jaw for inferring that Rey was anything less than the lady she had worked so hard to become. Rising to his feet, he squared his shoulders with a deep breath and deposited his helm over his raven hair. This was wrong. He wanted desperately to take her away to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, but there wasn’t anything he could do to prevent this from the moment she stepped foot on the Upsilon-class shuttle and left her home behind on Jakku. It was from that moment that she belonged to Hux and the First Order, and interference on his part would bring all of it crashing down on their heads. He vowed he would protect her, and taking her away would only put her in danger. The resources the Emperor had at his fingertips were vast, and no matter how powerful Kylo was, he couldn’t take it all on alone. He would do his duty and honor his vow any way he could. He would keep her safe. Kylo left his quarters and traveled the relatively short distance to the scavenger girl’s chambers, standing guard outside her door until she emerged for him to escort her down to the great hall where the ceremony was to take place. Even with her being on the other side of the door, the connection between them buzzed to life. He centered himself and focused in on her signature inside and let out a deep sigh when he felt the clouds of uncertainty that rolled over her. He reached his hand out to brush his gloved fingers against the durasteel door, wishing he could go inside to comfort her, to take her in his arms and assure her in soft murmurs that she wasn’t alone. He snatched his hand back in a flash as the door suddenly slid open with a hiss, stumbling back a step when the door revealed her - glimmering in the doorway like a radiant star burning brightly from the far corner of the galaxy. The Empress to be was a vision in white, a striking change from her usual red or black. It suited her so well, and her light burned that much brighter in a color that made everything about her glow like one of the Angels on the moons of Iego. “I’d rather not do this now,” she groused, giving him a frustrated scowl as the air sizzled with that electric pull once more. She swept her full, glimmering skirt through the doorway and marched down the hall past him towards the turbolift.“Yeah, me too,” he murmured before trailing after her. Miraculously, they were able to resist the intoxicating call while they traveled down to the main level in the turbolift and made their way towards the great hall where the ceremony was going to take place. The scavenger stopped short at the end of the hall to wait until she was summoned to go down the aisle. A lilting melody filtered into the air around them, accompanied by the hushed din of the voices belonging to the multitude of guests inside. Kylo observed her as a moment of doubt flittered across her delicate features. Unable to resist the call any longer, he stood a steady step towards her.“Rey,” he murmured through his mask. She lifted her gaze to him in a flash, her eyes glimmering with something he couldn’t quite place. Hope? Hunger? Fear?“Kylo, don’t,” she whispered as he slowly pulled one of his handsfree from his black glove. Her eyes fluttered closed as he reached up to touch the golden, freckled skin on her cheek. His heart thundered in his chest as he hesitated for a moment, wondering what would happen when he pressed his bare flesh against hers. The last time, his mind was flooded with those series of images that had been burned into his memory. Would the Force show him something again, or would the feeling of her satin skin against his fingers make him do something he’d regret? Kylo pushed those seeds of doubt aside, determined to feel her flesh alongside his own when a voice rang out from the end of the hall, making him snatch his hand away with a grimace.“Your Royal Highness!” Vania Flast strode towards them, plastering a stiff smile on her stern face, “It is time. Lord Ren, thank you for escorting our Empress from her quarters. Your dedication to her safety is admirable, but I will take it from here,” she stated curtly before turning her attention to Rey, “There’s no need to be nervous, my dear. You’ve accomplished so much, you’re ready. The Emperor is an easy man to please, just remember to love, honor, and obey him, and you will have a good life here, I swear to it.”Rey silently nodded, tearing her eyes away from his gaze and turning towards the great hall with Vania. Kylo stood silently as he watched her approach the aisle, his breath catching in his throat when she turned her head back towards him for a fleeting moment before making her way down the aisle towards her future husband. *She was the Empress of the First Order now. Kylo paced darkly along the edge of the massive hall filled to the brim with guests, his eyes never leaving the Empress. Following the ceremony, she had been changed from her glittering white gown into a blood-red version that was nearly as dazzling. Her headdress had been removed, replaced with a shining gold laurel wreath that matched the Emperor’s, fit for the queen that she was. He watched as Hux paraded her around the floor with her hand in his, listening to the crowd ooh and ahh as he held her chin in his hand and placed a kiss on her lips. A flash of foreign possessiveness came over Kylo that he struggled to push away as the Emperor caged his slimy hand around her waist and began to move her around the floor in an elegant dance. The pair of them circled around in the center of the crowd. Rey was the picture of grace, elegantly sweeping across the floor in her heavy gown as if it was made of air. She moved with a dazzling grace, her entire being moved with purposeful clarity, making it painfully obvious how much of herself she had put into learning her new role. Rey twirled around in graceful wonder and momentarily flittered her eyes away from her husband’s, briefly settling upon Kylo at the back of the crowd.This was wrong. The music swelled as their ceremonial first dance came to an end. Hux slowed their movements and gripped her chin once more for another chaste kiss, leaning down to murmur something in her ear before striding away. Kylo seethed as he watched her desperately search the crowd for a friendly face, looking lost in the center of the overcrowded room. The music picked up again in another dance, and Rey looked frantic as the people around her began to swirl in circles around her. Kylo couldn’t stand back and leave her helpless in the middle of the dance floor, pushing his way through the guests, not caring who he bumped in the process. He swept up to her and gathered her in his arms without warning, and she gave him a wild look when he startled her. He pulled her to his chest and started to guide her around the floor in an effortless breeze, Rey breathlessly looking up into his mask as the music spun around them. The connection between them sang as they made graceful circles across the floor, her crimson gown billowing out behind her in elegant, glittering waves. Kylo flexed his fingers against her warm back, eager to memorize the feeling of her body against his. Dancing with her felt meant to be, like the gravity lifted away beneath their feet. He watched as the soft hairs that framed her face bounced with each step as her eyelashes fluttered in breathless anticipation of their next move.“You’re a lot better at this than I expected,” she murmured as she gazed up at his black visor, “do they teach dancing at Dark Lord school?”“No,” he growled, holding her a little more firmly, “It’s an unfortunate talented I inherited in another life. I couldn’t leave you looking all pitiful and alone at your own wedding. Did your husband abandon you already?”“He had important people to see, I assume.”“I see. More important than his wife?” Kylo’s jaw clenched, and he tightened his hold on her waist.“That’s not any of your business, is it?” Rey snapped, her eyes flashing out into the crowd and away from his faceless gaze.“Apologies, your majesty,” he groused in hopeless frustration. Kylo inwardly cringed. Why was it that he always had to open his idiotic mouth around her? It was like being around her made him lose all sense, all control. He pressed his mouth together in a grimace, shifting his focus back to their dance. None of it mattered. Not the Emperor, not the buzz of the crowd churning around them. Just she and him, lost to the music. Rey lifted her eyes back to him as her face softened.“Kylo, this whatever this is between us…” “Don’t be afraid, I feel it too,” he murmured through the modulator.“That’s it though, that’s what I’m afraid of. We should forget. You have to forget.”“What if I can’t?” he stated as he slowed their movements when the music came to a close. “You have to. It isn’t acceptable for a man of honor, I have a husband,” she breathed. Kylo leaned forward and brought his mask to her ear.“What about you, Rey? Will you forget?” He pulled his head away to look into her eyes as she wordlessly stared back at him, her eyes wide with remorse. He hummed with deep satisfaction, knowing that she felt so conflicted, “That’s what I thought.”The Empress let out a shaky breath and pulled herself from his grasp, turning on her heel to walk away from him, her crimson gown furling out behind her. Kylo curled his gloved fingers towards his palm, desperate to hold onto the feeling of his hand pressed up against her back.Resisting the urge to go after the maddening beauty, he strode his way back to the shadows where he belonged. He kept watch of her from there, watching as she milled her way through the crowd, speaking to senators and visiting dignitaries from other worlds, flashing a beautiful smile here, nodding there. Somehow, even after such a short time, the scrappy scavenger girl he found in the sands of Jakku fit here in this world. He marveled at her bravery and tenacity, thinking back to her fearfulness before she walked up the steps of the Imperial Palace for the first time. He couldn’t help but think of what his life would be like if he knew her at another time, in another life. Would they have found each other then? The connection between them told him that the Force had a greater plan for them, some grand celestial design that wasn’t for them to know but to discover together. They were like two halves of a whole, tied together over distance and time by a thread. It was truly tangled now, but Kylo couldn’t shake the feeling that it had brought them together here, now, at this moment.The time wore on, and eventually, the Emperor came back from the important business he was attending to fetch his bride. The ginger-haired weasel took her hand in his and gave her a twirl, remarking to the crowd about how beautiful his Empress was. How lucky were they all, to have her. He grasped her jaw possessively, making a show to kiss her deeply in front of all of their guests. The unwarranted possessiveness Kylo felt boiled beneath his skin as he watched Hux assault her mouth as she remained stiff in his arms. He held her in front of him with a wicked grin, disgustingly eyeing her from top to bottom like he was appraising a piece of art, attempting to assess her value to him now that she was his wife. He swept her hand up in his once again, pressing a kiss to her knuckles and guided her out of the hall with a smug smile on his face. Kylo paced in his chambers afterward, rolling his head from side to side, making his neck crack loudly as he tried to calm his nerves.This was wrong.Fury rolled over him in sharp waves, festering deep inside like an oozing wound as he imagined what Hux would be doing to her now on their wedding night. He pulled his mask off, it’s closed visor making him begin to feel suffocated as his anger simmered beneath the surface, threatening to boil over at any moment. He stripped the black gloves from his hands, strangling them with his fingers before tossing them onto his bed. Lifting his datapad from his desk, he threw himself down on the mattress and started to flip through the Holonet to try and distract himself from the thoughts of her that continued to flash through his mind. He pressed his mouth into a thin grimace when he was met with image after image of her face. Closing his eyes, he tried to clear his head, to center himself away from the rage he felt when he imagined what she was doing now. His stomach turned as the thoughts drowned him, the sight of Hux running his hands across her gleaming golden skin, making his flesh crawl. Kylo’s fingers curled tightly around the holopad, his knuckles turning white from the heavy weight of the pressure. He gritted his teeth as he fought the darkness that dragged him down in a vicious spiral, burning like acid in his veins- scalding, slicing, and potent. He flipped to the next image on the screen, and his rage began to boil over. The royal couple graced his screen: Rey and her glorious smile with her husband’s nose pressed against her cheek, the vision of newlywed bliss. It was the final crack in his seething soul as the objects in his room began to vibrate while his darkness began to flow out of him, the holopad crumpling like a piece of paper in his hands.*From the next morning on, Kylo continued his new duties as her personal guard to honor his vow to protect the girl at any cost, the cost of his heartache knowing that she was now out of his reach. It ate at him like a Loth-wolf, threatening to devour him, eat him whole and leave nothing but scraps behind. He would rebuild himself and fight off the wolves, to ignore them while he faithfully served his Empress. The weeks went by and he accompanied her wherever she went, watching from the shadows as she made her regular visits to the patients at Hospital Plaza. He respected her plea for him to forget and keep his distance, never giving in to that electric pull when it called, but it was no use. The way her incandescent light blinded him when he first laid eyes on her on Jakku would be burned into his mind forever. She had been different since the day of the wedding. She didn’t fight him in conversation like usual, no push and pull between them and no wayward glances. Kylo couldn’t put his finger on what caused her to change so abruptly, all he knew was that her light burned a little dimmer than it had before, like a shard of it had been brutally chipped away. The day that he finally understood her shift started like any other. He stood, as usual, in the background while the Emperor and Empress attended an official dinner at the Senate Building. The conversation had shifted to politics, as it was prone to do, and the Empress sat quietly next to her husband, poking at her food solemnly with a fork. Kylo sensed tension growing in the air as the senator from Chandrila brought up what he thought were flaws in the Stormtrooper program that Hux’s father had created after the fall of the Empire. The Emperor bristled, as those around him began to criticize his methods.“My men are exceptionally trained, programmed from birth. I’d have you not insult me by suggesting otherwise,” he sneered, piquing Rey’s attention. She lifted her head with a steely gaze at Hux, her brows knitted together in an uneasy stare.“What do you mean, programmed from birth?”“Well, my darling, we are helping them, you see?” Hux crooned with a cold smile, “Our scouts find children without parents, and we give them a home and a purpose. We’re doing a service to the galaxy so there aren’t little rats skittering around, digging through our trash to fend for themselves.” Rey went quiet, the hurt flickering over her delicate features. “You mean, like me?” The Emperor let out a strangled chuckle, reaching out to stiffly squeeze her hand as the attention of the entire party focused on him.“Of course not, Flower. That’s different.”“How? I was one of those little rats, and I thought you chose me because of the life I had lived before...because I knew what real life was life and could bring that influence here. My life growing up alone on Jakku is the core of who I am. I would have given anything for someone to give me a real home,” she unhappily chewed on her lip as her eyes began to shine with unshed tears, “Not turn me into an unwilling soldier for your army. Armitage, surely there has to be a better way to help the lost children of the galaxy. Let me make a home for them here, to help them and guide them to become members of your society?”The Emperor pursed his lips as he scowled down at her, a warning flashing in his cold blue eyes. He leaned down and coldly murmured into her ear, sending a bone-chilling shiver down her spine,“Careful, Flower, that your personal interest not interfere with the vows you made to me. Love, honor, and obey, remember?” He lifted his gaze to those around them and let out a clearly manufactured laugh, “Let’s move on, shall we? We are distressing my wife, it seems. I will leave her behind to her duties at the Palace next time we meet. After all, politics and star destroyers are no place for a woman.” The party left the moment behind like it had never happened, but Kylo felt the tension remain between the royal couple throughout the rest of the dinner. When the Emperor rose to his feet to make his way out to the landing platform, he summoned Kylo to him with a stiff wave.“The Empress and I will go on ahead, stick around to keep an eye on the Chandrilan senator, I don’t trust him. I want to know if he says anything else against me after I’ve gone, understand?”He gave Hux a curt nod and watched as he swept Rey’s hand into his own, leading her out of the room. Kylo remained in the shadows, watching the group of senators solemnly, listening for any sign of nonconformity when a jolt of pain ricocheted through his body, sending him staggering back towards the wall.
Rey.
He went bounding out of the room in a flash and out to his waiting speeder, taking off into the Coruscant sky as quickly as he could, zigzagging dangerously through the traffic to make it back to the Palace in time. He haphazardly landed his speeder on the landing pad and flung himself out of the cockpit as soon as he touched solid ground. The fury he felt towards himself was palpable as he thundered down the great hall to the turbolift, silently urging it to move faster. He squared his shoulders as the turbolift slowed, ready to bolt out of the lift as soon as it stopped, but his boots were anchored firmly to the floor when the doors slid open to reveal the Emperor. Kylo stood flabbergasted as Hux pulled a handkerchief from inside his jacket and leisurely wiped a smear of dark blood from the corner of his lips.“Ah, Lord Ren,” the Emperor cooed in a bone-chillingly satisfied tone, “I had some business to take care of on this level, I’m glad I caught you. Any news regarding the Chandrilan senator? I’m hoping we can catch him in a slip-up,” his mouth curled up into a haughty smile.“Nothing to report,” Kylo bristled.“Excellent. It’s about time that those who still hold ties to the Imperial Republic learn that there’s no point in trying to disobey me. I am the Emperor, and I will do what I please.” Kylo allowed Hux to slide by into the lift and stepped out into the hall, silently begging for the doors to shut once again. It took everything in his power to resist the urge tingling at the tips of his fingers to ignite his lightsaber and end him, knowing from the moment the doors opened that he was responsible for her pain. Hux was like a wolf hiding amongst the sheep who had been pretending to be one of them, misleading all the good people of “his” galaxy. He’d always craved power, this much was clear to Kylo now, and he would continue to take it any way he could while others around him suffered. He stood, silently seething as the doors slid shut with a hiss, humming to life as the lift began to travel to the upper floors of the Palace. In the grip of his silent panic, Kylo cantered down the hall, his feet pounding the soft carpeted floor with all the grace of a sack of stone, any sense of nobility or decorum long forgotten as soon as he was no longer face-to-face with Hux. He bolted around the corner, quickening his pace to an all-out sprint, the sound of his pulse thundering in his ears with a clanging echo that matched his heart throbbing in his chest with the thick grief and fear he felt as he ran. He slid to an abrupt halt in front of her chambers, lifting his fist to pound on the shining durasteel door and shouted her name until his voice was raw from the effort.After a beat, the door slid open with a hiss, revealing Rey’s stern-faced lady-in-waiting, Rose Tico. She glowered up at him from her small height.“Let me see her,” he pleaded, his voice breaking as his desperation bubbled to the surface, unable to conceal the emotion in his voice, “Please.”“Her Majesty doesn’t wish to be disturbed at the moment, Lord Ren,” she sneered, drawing herself up to her full height. She clearly was unintimidated by his presence. He could tell that she was angry but angry at him? He was puzzled but pressed on.“I only want to help her.”“The Emperor has done enough. We don’t need help from his guard dog. The Empress doesn’t want to be seen, and I will stop every single individual from entering until she decides she’s ready,” Rose pulled a small tool from her pocket and pointed it up at his mask, “If you try to come in here again, I will zap you with this electro-shock prod, I swear to you. You don’t scare me, Kylo Ren. My loyalty is to my Empress, and I will defend her until my last breath.”Kylo drew in a long, shaky breath and took a step back from the fearless wisp of a girl, reluctantly giving in to her demands, “I’ll wait.”She grimaced and shook her head in frustration, her eyes never leaving his as she reached up to close the door with a stiff press of a button.With a deep sigh, Kylo turned to stand with his broad back against the wall. He would stand here and wait, a silent gatekeeper, until Rey emerged from her chambers. He was used to waiting; he had done it most of his life. Waiting for the pain to end, for his darkness to ebb, waiting for his freedom from this life. None of it was like this. He paced the floor in front of her door as the time ticked by, any sense of hunger or exhaustion long forgotten once he had stood outside her door for a day. His guilt for breaking his vow to protect her, to keep her safe at all costs, sat heavy on his chest. What had happened, he couldn’t undo, no matter how badly he wanted to. It was festering like fuel in his guts, his insides dying slowly from the toxicity, needing no more than a spark to set it ablaze. The fire burnt him so severely that there was only a shell, an outline of a man. He needed her. He needed her light, but he allowed Hux to dampen it, let him diffuse her brilliant glow. He vowed that he would do whatever he could to try and build her bright, flickering flame back to life, to fill the void between the two of them and build their world anew. The time began to dissolve into itself, as shapeless as the rain, and he had nearly worn a hole in the floor by the time the door finally opened, and she emerged. Red. Everything went red. His vision blurred like the angry, crackling blade of his lightsaber. He stood, silently seething in his quarters, his mind going into overdrive as it picked over every detail from the moment he first laid eyes on her since it happened. The fiery scavenger was just an echo in the eyes of this lost, broken girl. The memory of the faraway look in her eyes weighed down on him, fueling the darkness within him. He had felt their bond when she emerged, but it was only a faint, flickering ghost of what it once was, her light had been diminished so immensely. The flames inside his stomach rose to his chest and began to crawl through his veins as he saw a flash of an image: the ghost of a bruise trailing from her mouth to her brow. Bacta could only do so much. Kylo’s fury took over his body, and his fingers coiled into fists, squeezing forcefully around the hilt of his heavy lightsaber. He felt the metal press sharply into his skin, but he could barely feel it, all he had was his rage. Waves of fury rolled off of him as the blood rose to his cheeks, anger barely touching the tip of the boiling pool of festering darkness that he was at that moment. Any sense of peace was long forgotten, the flames roared in his eyes as the dam burst. He ignited the saber with a viciously carnal scream, ready to incinerate anything it came into contact with.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

************TRIGGER WARNING STARTS HERE******************The first slap crackled sharply through the room, like a sudden flash of lightning in the darkened sky. His hand struck her bare cheek, and she fell to the ground in a heap from the sheer force of it. Rey hadn’t expected him to be so strong, but there was enough weight and strength behind it that was enough to stun her. She brought herself to her feet on quaking legs, holding her burning flesh with her hand. He glared at her with a look laced with contempt, his breathing eerily calm as he sneered down at her.“Love, honor, and obey. Those were the vows you made to me, girl. You are my wife, and I expect you to honor me the way a wife ought to honor her husband.”Rey’s thoughts took a dangerous turn as the scrappy scavenger girl inside the Empress tore her way up to the surface. “You,” she challenged as her eyes narrowed, brows coming together in a fuming grimace, “You don’t scare me. You are a disgrace to your position, twisting others for your own needs. I see who you are now, you’re as much of a no one as I am, you dastardly fool. You slimy e chu ta. I will honor those who deserve it, not those who try to draw it from me by force.” The scavenger savagely took over her body, all sense of the gentile Empress left behind in her wake as Rey boldly lifted her arm, her balled fist colliding with his cheekbone, flaying his neck backward like a willow caught in the wind. Hux stumbled back from the force of her strike, cradling his palm to his cheek. He stood eerily quiet for a moment, the picture of sophisticated calm. The Emperor took a slow breath, reaching down to unbutton his jacket leisurely, stretching his neck out with a crack. She eyed him carefully as he gingerly folded the black jacket, laying in in a neat pile on her bedspread. He placidly began to roll his sleeves one by one before lifting his cold blue eyes to meet her gaze, his face melting into an unsettling grin.“Right,” he sniffed as he took a slow step towards her, her blood beginning to run cold, “Well, then you leave me no choice, Flower.”A sudden gush of pain jolted throughout Rey’s body. Her stomach ached, her arms lost their tension, and her legs weakened as she dropped to the ground like a stone, her tongue steeped in the taste of her own blood. She shakily dragged herself to a sitting position, letting out a strangled laugh as she met his cold gaze.“I’ve had worse,” she sneered, breathlessly pulling herself to stand, spitting a sticky glob of blood at his feet. With silent fury, he lashed out at her, beating his fist into her skin. His true self gave way, proving that he held no remorse as he delivered blow after blow with a cold zing of delight, watching her crumple to the ground in a heap of red shimmersilk. She desperately tried to drag herself away from him and was met immediately by the swift kick of his boot to her ribs, leaving her gasping for breath. Bruised and winded, her ribs aching with each excruciating breath and her head pounding in her ears, she cried out against the blood seeping from her mouth, the scavenger in her finally too broken to fight back. Spurred on by her attempt to create space between them, he strode over to her in seconds, winding his fingers into her hair, pulling her across the carpeted floor to the long mirror across the room. He coiled his hands around her throat, lifting her face to the mirror, shoving her close to her beaten and bloodied reflection. Her breath caught raggedly in her throat, sending a painful shock reverberating in her injured ribs as she saw the barbaric evidence of his cruelty across her once-delicate features. One of her eyes had swollen over, blood seeping from her eyelashes, and a mottled purple bruise was blooming down the entire side of her face. Armitage brought his face level with hers in the mirror, cooly inspecting his handiwork in their shared reflection.“Look what you made me do, Flower,” he breathed a heavy sigh like she had given him no choice, pulling his face to hers. She blinked up at him, fearfully through her blood-stained lashes as he forcefully brought her mouth to his for a bruising kiss. He pulled himself away, leisurely licking his lips, “I trust you have learned your lesson and won’t dishonor me again.” He tossed her away and stood to collect his jacket and stride out of the room, leaving her alone in a heap on the floor. ************TRIGGER WARNING ENDS HERE****************** She laid there trembling for what felt like hours but were mere moments, blood seeping beneath her skin, ribs surely fractured. She tried to bring herself to sit, but the movement sent an excruciating tremor quaking through her body. She had taken her fair share of beatings back on Jakku, but nothing compared to the punishment her husband just bestowed upon her. In the past, she healed from a stubborn willfulness, a determination to survive no matter what. As the seconds wore on, she tried to imagine her future and found nothing there but stardust. When the soul is shattered, can there be a cure? There would be no medibay, no evidence, and she was sure that Armitage would appear to be her faithful, loving husband until she disobeyed him all over again. “Oh, Maker...Empress!”Rey lifted her head and slowly blinked at the fuzzy image of a figure in the doorway, straining against the light seeping in through the bloodied lashes of her injured eye. Rose Tico flew to her side in a flash, landing on her knees to cradle Rey’s face gingerly in her small hands.“Stars, what did he do to you?” Rose cried as hot tears began to run shining tracks down her round cheeks, “Here, come on, let’s get you fixed up.”Rey firmly gripped Rose’s proffered hand, gingerly pulling herself to stand on her unsteady legs. Wobbling slightly as she shuffled her feet against the plush carpet, she immeasurably grateful for the guiding hands that lead her to sit on the edge of the bed. She sat with her eyes frozen over like the surface of a winter puddle as Rose dabbed at her cheek with a damp cloth, flashing suddenly awake in a wide-eyed panic when a pounding on the durasteel door reverberated through the room followed by the desperate cry of her name.“Kylo,” she murmured, his name tumbling effortlessly across her mottled lips, lifting her eyes to Rose with a desperate plea, “I don’t want anyone to see me like this, especially him. Rose…”. Her lady lifted her chin with a grim determination, giving her a confident nod,“Don’t worry, Rey. I can handle this.”She could feel their bond, flickering faintly in the back of her mind. Taking a shuddering breath, tears welled up in her eyes, stinging as they tumbled over her lashes and down her marbled cheek. He couldn’t see her like this, beaten and broken. Kylo would surely tear the Emperor’s arms off as viciously as an angry Wookiee and then take her away in a shuttle to the furthest reaches of the Galaxy, but what then? He’d tell her that he was right, that she should have taken his hand so many weeks ago and left before any of this had ever happened, but in any scenario she imagined, the might of the First Order would come screaming down on their heads. Painful sobs quaked her splintered body as she listened to Kylo plead with Rose from the doorway. What she wouldn’t give to have known him in another life, met him another time. What a world that would be, if the two of them were able to answer that thrilling call, that magnetic pull. Fate was as cruel as death, something Rey knew first hand. It gave her a hard life alone in the brutal sands of Jakku and then tempted her with her next step, dangling the tantalizing carrot of a beautiful life, only to have it come with the steep price of having someone so near that her soul craved like she craved water as a child, but only just out of reach. Yes, their bond was powerful, but fate was a viciously unstoppable force. She heard the door slide closed with a soft hiss and looked up as Rose strode back into the room with her nose wrinkled in annoyance,“I was able to keep him out, Empress, but he’s not leaving. I think Lord Ren has a soft spot for you.” Rey released a half-hearted chuckle, her ribs protesting painfully in the process, reaching up for Rose’s hand to make her way into the ‘fresher.*After a steaming hot bath and a plethora of bacta gingerly dabbed over her bruised cheek and bandages applied to her aching ribs, Rose lovingly tucked Rey into her soft bed. She laid in the dark, staring at the ceiling, the pain seeping into her lungs as she tried to steady her breath. Her agony had been diminished, but even after the bacta healed her wounds, the scars she bore on her soul would last forever. Her body ached, and her eyes were heavy from exhaustion, but nothing compared to the ache in her heart as she realized how alone she was. She reached up under her pillow and pulled the bundle of soft black fabric to her chest, tucking her chin down to nestle her nose into the gentle folds of Kylo’s cowl and inhaled as deeply as her burning chest would allow. It was faint, but the smell of him was still there after all this time.
Spices. Smoke. Earth.
Her eyes fluttered shut as the scent washed over her, enveloping her in a protective cloud, and she drifted off into a heavy slumber, the memory of a gentle voice echoing in her mind.* She had reluctantly let him pass after hearing his desperate “please” call out from the doorway. Excruciating sobs wracked her body as he bounded into the room in a flurry of black. He wordlessly loomed over her, his broad chest quaking as his shoulders rose and fell with his strenuous breathing. How fast had he run to get to her?She averted her eyes from his gaze, ashamed by what a gruesome mess she undoubtedly was. Her hot tears trailed down her cheeks, landing in soft splotches on her blood-splattered gown. She heard a faint hiss and a heavy thump as something metal fell on the carpeted floor at her feet. The bed jostled underneath her as she felt his weight press down next to her, releasing a soft gasp as he cautiously wrapped his strong arms around her broken body. He pulled her close, gently tracing a wide path up and down her arm with his bare fingers. Despite the heaviness of her stomach, it fluttered at the feeling of his massive form pressed against her. She melted into the warmth of his chest, lifting her heavy arms to wind her hands around his broad shoulders. His loving embrace made the room seem warmer somehow, her future within its walls looking a little less bleak with him by her side.“Rey,” her name tumbled from his lips naturally in his own voice, without the gravelly filter of the modulator in his obsidian mask. She lifted her gaze to his and for once wasn’t met by a faceless mask but instead came face to face with honey-brown eyes filled with concern, “let me help you,” he rumbled from his full lips. She gave him an anxious nod and stayed frozen while he brought his hand to the mottled purple bruise on her cheek, the flickering flame of their connection bursting to life. Rey watched as he closed his eyes and furrowed his brow, and a tingling sensation began to bloom across her cheek as the pain melted away. She held herself with bated breath as he concentrated on healing her wounds, trailing his deft fingers down her flesh inch by inch. When the pain had dispersed, he pressed a trail of feather-light kisses where the evidence of her beating once was, his long face melting into a lopsided smile as he met her hazel eyes.Rey chewed on her lip thoughtfully, anxiously reaching her hand up to draw a ribbon of his black hair through her fingers and tracing a line down the pronounced scar that decorated his cheek. She knew this face, she’d seen it, but only in fevered dreams. He caught her hand in his as she trailed her way across the constellation of beauty marks that were scattered across his face, pressing a soft kiss to her palm, pulling a breathless hum from her lips,“Ben.” *After the ache of the pain had faded away, her anger began to bloom. The darkness furled out inside her like a thick blanket, filling her with a wild hunger to push the limits of what she could get away with under his nose. It started with small things, sprinklings of white amongst the crimson and ebony of her wardrobe, and grew to her wandering further outside the walls of the Palace. She trailed her fingers against the wall as she strode down the halls, exploring every nook and cranny until her feet led her to a doorway leading out into the bright light of Coruscant Prime outside of the walls of her gilded cage. With a thrill, she stepped outside the foundation of the ziggurat and wandered out to explore the maze of outbuildings surrounding her. She lifted her face to the light, feeling it’s warm rays hug the curves of her face like an elixir after so many blackened hours. The air around her became instantly sweeter amongst the echoes of the contestant hum of the Coruscant speeder traffic high above her head, breathing more deeply as if the warm light released a cold vice on her lungs. Her attention was piqued when her ears picked up the faraway sound of someone singing. She curiously followed the sound around the corner and into a wide hanger bay. The sound of a man’s voice reverberated around the high ceiling of the room, smooth and clear, and quiet yet powerful. Rey wandered inside, her footfalls adding a gentle beat to accompany the soft crooning of the mystery man. She strode up to the sleek and imposing Upsilon-Class command shuttle, reaching up to drag her fingers across the cool durasteel of the hull, recalling with an ache in her heart of the first time she’d laid eyes on one so long ago back on Jakku. Back when her life was simple. Scavenge to eat and then scavenge some more. She closed her eyes and let the sound of the man’s voice transport her away, imaging herself boarding this very shuttle and jetting off to the stars and escaping from the prison of thick brambles and deadly thorns which she planted for herself by agreeing to come here. She had thought she was getting her freedom from Jakku but now found that she was more trapped than ever before. The thought ignited a fire within her, a flame so magnificent that, at that moment, it blinded the darkness she felt lurking in her heart. Breathing a shaky sigh, she wistfully smiled up at the towering wings of the ship and thought to herself: Someday. A loud cough rang out, drawing the Empress from her fantasy as she looked up and met the eyes of the singer. A handsome young man in his thirties stood before her wearing a black flight suit with the sleeves cuffed to his bronzed elbows. His mop of black curly hair was slightly mussed, and his dark eyes twinkled with a curious smile as he wiped grease from his hands with a dark cloth.“Hi.”Rey couldn’t help but let out a confused laugh at his informality. Ever since she had arrived at the Palace, the people who surrounded her spoke to her so formally. No one would ever dare to talk to the Empress of the First Order in any way that would not reflect her newfound station, least of all an individual who was part of the Imperial Navy, and Rey found it to be a refreshing change. Her brows knitted together in amused curiosity as she held out a hand in greeting.“I’m Rey.”The man in front of her melted into a dazzling smile and a laugh before sweeping her hand up in his own,“I know,” his dark brown eyes crinkled in delight as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze and tossed her a sly wink, “I’m Poe, Poe Dameron. What brings the Empress of the First Order to our neck of the woods, are you looking for trouble?”“No,” she sighed deeply, “I was just having a walk, and I heard your singing, and my feet just carried me here with a mind of their own, I suppose. That song you were singing, it was lovely. What is it?”Poe beamed as he told her a moving story about learning the song from a woman on his home planet of Yavin IV, spinning an expressive tale of the jungles that covered the planet in infinite shades of the most brilliant greens. Rey smiled as the vivid picture he painted with his words enveloped her mind. She could picture herself there, running wildly through the thick undergrowth beneath trees as tall as cathedrals towering overhead, and a strange green light shimmered through the vast canopy of leaves above her head. “That sounds lovely,” she wistfully smiled, “I’ve never been anywhere that green before, I’d love to visit it one day.” She turned her attention back towards the ship, ducking her head underneath the hull to the open panel where Poe had been tinkering, “What are you working on?”The pair of them animatedly talked about the ship’s dual-ion engines and the warp vortex stabilizer, Poe’s strong black brows raising into his hair as the Empress buoyantly spoke about building her once-prized speeder from pieces of junk she had scavenged from the Imperial Graveyard back on Jakku. “You know, I was about to tinker around with the hyper wave comm scanner if you wanted to give me a hand.”Rey sighed and smiled down at her long-sleeved white gown. It tapered in a sharp line across her shoulders and hugged her lithe curves before flaring out at her hips and falling to the floor, brushing the toes of her towering crimson shoes. While all her gowns were beautiful, they left a little more to be desired in the practicality department. She reached up and nervously tangled her fingers in her chestnut hair, tracing the line of the golden disc that adorned the back of her head.“I’m not exactly dressed for the occasion, but thank you. I should really be getting back, I’ve been gone far too long already.” Poe’s eye twinkled as he nodded in understanding,“Come back any time you want, Empress. The shop is always open for a fellow tinkerer.”She reached out and shook his warm hand once more, offering him a small smile and a wave before stepping back out into the warm light of Coruscant Prime. Rey followed her feet in and amongst the other outbuilding softly smiling to herself as her gentle footfalls reverberated up into the constant sound of the speeder traffic. The hum was ever-present in her life, never fading in the slightest as the hours of the day passed her by. It had taken some getting used to after growing up in the soundlessness of the open desert. Now it stayed with her like an old friend, keeping her company in her resplendent prison, lulling her to sleep in the darkest hours of the night. She wrapped her arms around herself as the wind picked up, sweeping through the narrow paths between buildings in blustery waves. It snaked through her hair and took hold of it, flicking it about in gossamer chestnut waves about her face. With it, the wind brought the faraway echo of a pair of voices to her ears, catching her attention and giving her feet a mind of their own as she followed the sounds. “I don’t care what it costs,” the voice rang out, and Rey silently wondered while she listened if she should get closer or run away while she still could. She placed her hands against the cool durasteel of the building and pressed herself to the wall as she listened further, “I’ve done what they said to do, but none of it’s mattered. I need this taken care of, I can’t deal with that filthy rat much longer. Meet me tonight on 1313, and we will discuss the matter further.”Rey ducked her head back around a corner to conceal herself as she saw her husband stride out from the building where she had heard the voices come from, her heart beating wildly in her chest as his words sunk in. She didn’t know who he was speaking of, but she couldn’t help but think it was about her. She felt the soft panic ebb and flow in her belly of what to do next. All the reasons not to follow him came flooding in, as his her body sent them a mass invitation, but her curiosity won out. Waiting until the coast was clear, she dashed back to her chambers to wait until nightfall.  Rey breezed out of the Palace into the cool night air, the adrenaline flooding her system, right into her blood at a lightning-quick pace as she silently ran to a parked speeder, glancing over her shoulder to make sure she wasn’t followed. She tried to quell the hammering of her heart as she flipped the ignition switch, but no way that was going to happen now that she was on her way. Squeezing her black-gloved fingers around the steering column, she took a steadying breath and lifted the vehicle into the air, merging seamlessly into the busy traffic above. Down, down, down, she flew as the level numbers ticked by with the minutes as she traveled into the underbelly of Coruscant. Level 1313 was so deep in the city planet’s underground that it had nearly been forgotten by those who dwelled in the upper levels. Not knowing much about it, Rey used the time while she waited in her chambers to dig up as much information about it that she could. From what she read, she discovered that it was a hive of crime and home to the planet’s most dangerous gangs. What could Armitage want all the way down there? Rey set the speeder down in a secluded corner, away from the crowd, and pulled Kylo’s black cowl down over her head to try and conceal her now well-known face. She strode down the dark, dank alleyway, her black boots making quiet smacks as she strode across the damp pavement. Holding the edge of the hood, she peered upwards at the walls of the buildings that were almost too high for her to bother seeking the nearly black sky, kicking garbage with each stride. She turned the corner into the swirling crowd of strangers with no idea where she was going but a slight feeling in her mind’s eye of where he’d be. Following her feet, she pushed through the throng of drunken drifters, some smelling intensely of Spice, she found herself in the doorway of a darkly lit bar. She rested her hand on the wall, guiding herself alongside it as she strode through the swirling cloud of smoke and the stagnant stench of drink and sick. Across the room, she saw him, his slicked-back auburn hair unmistakable to her eyes, sitting at the back of the room with his back towards her, speaking to a mousy man with short-cropped hair and black leather armor. Straining her ears to hear, she caught only a name: Bala-Tik.Closer, she had to get closer. Rey lifted the toe of her boot to take an uneasy step forward when a firm hand clamped around her hand and yanked her outside of the confines of the noisy establishment. Stumbling over her feet through the churning crowd outside, she blindly followed where Kylo Ren led her, her heart hammering in her chest at the unexpectedly wild thrill of being caught in the planet’s underbelly. She struggled to find her breath as he pulled her into a dark alleyway and pressed her up against the cold wall with his faceless mask hovering just inches from her face. Her cheeks suddenly bloomed against her freckled skin at their sudden closeness, the quieted hum of their connection flickering to life as she fought back the smile that threatened to break out on her face. Rey stood breathlessly as she gazed up at him, her chest quietly quaking with the quickened rise and fall of her breath.“So, who talks first? You talk first, or I talk first?”Kylo balled his gloved fist tightly and let out a frustrated growl, pulling himself away from her to pace in a tight circle, connecting his knuckles to the durasteel wall across from her.“Gods, Rey, what were you thinking?”“I was thinking that I was exploring the less popular destinations of the planet, have a taste of what real life has to offer,” she shrugged nonchalantly.“Kriffing hell, that is a lie, and you know it,” he closed the space between them again, pressing his hands against the wall above her head and hovered his mask just inches away from her nose, “I was so scared, Rey. What if I wasn’t here, what if he had caught you? I couldn’t’ live with myself if…if he…” Rey stubbornly squared her shoulders, her brows knitting together as she gave him a hardened stare.“I can handle myself, Kylo, and I certainly don’t need you to rescue me,” she sniffed, lifting her chin to meet the gaze of his silver-framed visor. Kylo stiffly pulled away and gathered her hand up in his gloved fingers once more, giving her arm a slight tug.“Clearly. Come on, I’m taking you home.”They sat in a tension-filled silence as he careened up the thousands of levels to the Palace District, her arms crossed stubbornly over her chest and his hands tightly gripping the yoke of the steering column. When they arrived back at the palace landing pad, Rey dashed out of the speeder and willfully stormed up the hundreds of steps with Kylo darkly following behind her. The days dragged by, and with them, Rey dipped further into her loneliness. As time rolled by, her regular visits to the Hospital Plaza that had brought her so much joy were snatched away, and she was confined within the Palace walls yet again. She tried to reason with her husband to allow her some amount of freedom but was met with his answer from the back of his hand. From the outside, it was a perfect marriage, the vision of majesty, and yet Rey hid purple ribs beneath layers of beautiful fabric. The bruises were hidden from view, and yet she felt the pain with each breath. The Palace was a cage for her body, and in her emptiness, her body came to feel like a cage for her soul.Spurred by the thrill she received when she was caught by Kylo her first night wandering down to Level 1313, she continued to spend her nights sneaking outside of the palace walls to try and find out more about this Bala-Tik. Amongst the churning throng of strangers, concealed in her black hood and trousers, her heart beat wildly like it needed freeing from its cage in her chest, her senses on high alert as she scanned the crowd for the face of the mousy man. Every color was brighter, every noise louder, every stranger meeting her gaze a reason to make her heart beat more fiercely, and she lived for every second of the exhilarating spike of adrenaline to her senses, leaving her hungry for more. Rey paced in slow circles around the highest room of the tallest spire at the epicenter of the ziggurat, absentmindedly trailing soft ribbons of her chestnut hair through her fingers. She had visited the top of the tower a few times before, led by the sounds of the mysteriously soft whispers that pulled her there. Looking out over the horizon, she shivered through the chill in the air as she watched raindrops trail their way down the tranparasteel windows in steady streams. She could feel it in the stillness of the air and couldn’t shake the feeling of the past lives that had been lived in the Palace and that these rooms held something incredibly sacred. Lifting her fingers to the clear glass between her and the rain, she ached to be able to feel the droplets splash against her flesh. Growing up on Jakku, she had never experienced rain before. This was her first rainstorm since she had left the dust trap, and her fingers twitched with the need to feel it for themselves. She followed her feet along one of the three softly curved walls of the triangularly shaped room, trailing her fingers as she went until her curiosity stopped at a solid, softly metallic panel. Rey lifted her fingers to the cool durasteel and followed her gut, pressed slightly, and let out a girlish giggle when a panel bounced open at her touch, revealing a hidden ladder. Kicking off her black heeled shoes, she gathered her gossamer black skirt in her hand and began to climb. Heart pumping, head spinning, lungs bursting and her body screaming for more, she pulled herself up rung by rung, recalling with a thrill her life of not so long ago when she would spend her days climbing through the skeletons of massive star-destroyers, not tethered to the ground with beautiful clothes and fancy dwellings. It may not have been much, but her life as a scavenger was an exhilarating adventure compared to the prison she was trapped in now. As she reached the top of the ladder, she pressed her hand to a small door above her head, quickly flipping it open to the open air. Pulling herself through the opening, she let out a heavy sigh as the cold raindrops gently pelted her flesh,She cautiously strode to the roofline and aligned her bare toes with the ledge, curling them over the damp metal with a slight smile at the new sensation. Suddenly, with the world spread out below her as far as her eyes could see, she felt more awake than she had ever been before. Her fingers trembled with the electric exhilaration as she took in the city around her. No rope to guide her down and nothing but air between her and the ground. Nothing to prevent her from taking a gravity propelled ride to the ground with the pouring rain. Up here, it was like looking down at the world, the icy grey sky grumbling with the faint echo of thunder standing out amongst the constant hum of the speeder traffic that whizzed past her eyes in a blur. The rain poured down over her, the icy cold soaking through her gown and into her skin, filling her emptiness with the chill, her mouth curving into the most delicious smile. Rey raised her hands and tilted her face to the sky, watching the speeders intently as they zipped by, her eyes drawn to a slower, midnight blue, craft. With a heavy sigh, she couldn’t help but think of herself, moving at a different pace within her life that was hurtling along without her, leaving her behind in the process. The wind lashed around her, and the softness of the rain picked up, and instead of the tender kiss it left on her flesh when it collided with her body, it now tore into her skin, sharp staggering pain, and each raindrop felt like his fingers, his fists. She recalled how her body jarred with each blow, how the pain seared through her skin, and took away the false sense of safety he had promised her when he tempted her away from the desert. He had claimed to be her hero but ended up being the worst kind of monster. The memories were like tiny shards of glass, biting into her skin. She couldn’t fight or scream, she just had to wait for the pain to pass as the picture of his sneering face echoed through her mind like the rumble of thunder surrounding her. Reaching out in front of her, she grasped at the rain with a silent sob as each stinging drop slipped through her fingers, like the unforgiving sands of Jakku and the facets of her life. Lightning came, a brilliant shock of pure white through the gloomy sky, forking with a violent crack to the top of the unsuspecting South tower of the ziggurat beside her. The flash was enough to nearly blind her, her body reacting like she had a blaster to her head. Rey opened her eyes wide in shock, and suddenly she was falling as her feet slipped out from beneath her. Time became distorted, everything slowed down until there was nothing but her and the black sky above her that made to swallow her whole. She lashed out her hand, brushing her fingers towards the sky, grasping at nothing within the fathomless expanse of inky blue. Slowed by time, everything around her blurred as she hung weightlessly in midair, closing her eyes to surrender herself into the immeasurable sky above her. The hand appeared out of the oblivion and tightened on her wrist, white-knuckled and steady, pulling her back up towards salvation. The faceless mask of Kylo Ren stared down at her, his bare hand clenched around the damp fabric on her wrist, his panicked breathing rasping through the modulator of the visor,“Don’t even think about letting go,” he growled, giving her arm a hard squeeze, his panic radiating out of him in thick waves. Hazel eyes wide with fear, she breathlessly murmured,“I won’t.”Kylo pulled her with a swift grunt back up to the roof, falling unceremoniously backward as Rey finally came up over the edge towards safety. He instantly gathered her in his arms, pulling her to his broad chest. The hug was a simple enough gesture, affection, and perhaps the unsure beginnings of the hopeless possibility of more. The arms that held her were impossibly strong, yet gentle, the feeling of his body against hers calmed her frazzled nerves more than she had expected. In the blink of an eye, he pulled away and abruptly pulled her to her feet by her aching wrist, trudging across the rain-soaked rooftop and depositing her down the ladder into the chamber below. She landed with a thump on her feet, looking more like a soaked Loth-cat than an empress as she paced the room, waiting for Lord Ren to join her from above. She flinched as the rooftop door closed with a soft slam, and Kylo stepped down the last couple rungs to the stone floor. His cold fury burned with dangerous intensity, and he paced in circles around the room, the slowly simmering rage threatening to ignite the room around them. Rey watched him carefully as he moved back and forth in front of her eyes. Unlike the other man in her life, she wasn’t afraid of what he would do next. He wouldn’t ever hurt her and had taken every possible action to prove it so. The Emperor and her were married, yes, but she and Kylo were an unexplainable version of more.“What,” he slowly growled, savoring each syllable as they snaked their way through his gritted teeth to increase their impact, “in the kriffing hell were you thinking, Rey?” he stepped over to her in a handful of long strides, cupping her chin in his gloved hand, tracing small circles with the leather against her cheek, “I made a promise that I would protect you and you’re making it incredibly difficult for me to do that, Sweetheart.” This poor girl, she was drowning in her darkness, and Kylo wanted nothing more than to draw her out of it like he pulled her from the precipice of the spire, desperate to be blinded by her light once again.Rey’s eyes narrowed, and she jerked away from his touch, taking a couple quick steps back to separate them,“A promise to who, my husband?” she sneered, her brows coming together in a hard stare, “I swear to you, my husband doesn’t need any help from his guard dog, he does enough on his own,” Kylo let out a frustrated huff, how could she think that he was anything less to her than what he always tried to prove to be?“No, Rey…I…I...” she glared up at him from across the room, watching closely as he swallowed thickly, “You are…important…to me.” Rey lifted her chin defiantly, leaning closer to his silver-framed visor and uttered just three words that she knew would sear directly into his soul,“I don’t care.” Then, with a barely concealed smirk, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving him alone in stunned silence. Spurned on by her unrelenting stubbornness, Rey changed out of her wet clothes quickly and donned the outfit that felt the most like her, the black tunic she wore on the day she first arrived on Coruscant. The leather armbands echoing of the scavenger they tried so hard to stamp out with protocol and propriety and the leather belt accentuating her lithe curves. She carefully draped the soothing soft fabric of Kylo’s cowl around her shoulders and pulled it up over her hair with a deep feeling of regret rotting in her gut. At that moment, her flash of anger and her cruel words protected her from her fear, the fear of the unknown, not knowing what was to come and what they were amidst the tattered chaos of her life. She let out a long sigh and vowed to make it up to him another day, tucking her hair into the hood and making her way out into the quiet hallway and into the night. Over time, the adrenaline became like an aphrodisiac to her, filling the empty void deep inside her with something, anything that she could hold onto even if it was just for a fleeting moment. The search for Bala-Tik and what Hux wanted with him became more than an investigation, it became a need, a thrill to fill the hollowness deep within. She made her way down the dark and dank streets of Level 1313 once more, the flow of the crowd down the musty avenue was the same as a river running along the banks. The expressions of those around her swirled in unseen currents beneath the gloomy surface of their faces. Rey moved her way through, pushing past stranger after stranger as she made her way deeper into the hive, searching for that face and listening for the name. Feeling like she had mentally scanned every face she had come across, suddenly she saw him…and he saw her. Their eyes met across the churning crowd, and a flicker of recognition flickered across the mousy man’s features. Rey felt her dread in an instant, building like an unstoppable snowball in the pit of her stomach, the beginnings of a cold sweat prickling across her body, all telling her one thing: Run.Rey’s feet slipped outwards on the wet pavement as she dashed through the crowd as quick as her feet could carry her, unceremoniously shoving unsuspecting individuals out of her way as she serpentined her way through the throng. Each step sent a shock through her body that had started to go soft after months locked away in the Palace, her breath coming in ragged waves and a jarring pain shooting up from her ankle to her knee with each footfall. She kept running but knew her time was almost up as she saw a pair of red-masked gang members sweep in towards her from either side and suddenly spied something sharp and long coming towards her. Rey tried to jump out of the way, but it was too late, she let out a scream and collapsed to the ground in a heap. The last thing she heard as her vision clouded over was the sound of someone frantically crying out her name amongst the crowd and the whisper of a distant memory echoing in her mind.
I’ll follow you across the Galaxy, forever.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kylo anxiously tapped his fingers on the screen of his Tie Silencer's navicomputer, impatiently watching the parsecs tick by as he hurtled through the blurred blue lines of hyperspace. He silently urged the ship to go faster, to get him to where she was as soon as he could. He had already lost valuable time getting back to the palace from the grimy Level 1313 to retrieve his prized ship - the fastest in the Order's fleet. Feeling trapped in the enclosed cockpit, he squeezed his gloved hands into tights fists until his knuckles cracked under the pressure, kicking himself for not keeping a closer eye on her. This was his fault. He was the one who stayed in the shadows, keeping his unmasked face hidden from view as he watched her wander through the dark throng of people...helplessly screaming her name as the red armored Guavian Death Gang circled her, knocked her unconscious, and carried her limp body into the belly of a small shuttle. He had hurtled himself into his speeder as quickly as he could, careening hastily through the ever-constant flow of traffic to get him to the landing pad at the palace as soon as possible, desperate to not let an ounce of precious time slip away from him. Every moment that passed, she was further away, and he, unable to help her. As he zipped through the line of speeders, he racked his brain to figure out just how to find her. The galaxy was a vast place, full of thousands of systems…she could be anywhere. Their connection only worked over so far, and it wasn't nearly as reliable as a navigation system. If only he could track her somehow.He flipped through the databanks of the First Order until he found it. Of course, it was there, Hux was precisely the kind of sleemo that would put a tracker in the ring of his beloved Empress. Kylo should have expected that the weasel would want to keep track of his property any time that it would suit him to know where she was. Kylo followed her coordinates now, growing more desperate with each passing hour as he rapidly approached the Unknown Regions. Breathing a heavy sigh, he tried to close his eyes for a moment to center himself. He would need full control of his emotions once he arrived on Ahch-to. His eyes flashed open with a start when the navicomputer began to loudly ping a shrill alarm. Kriffing hell, he must have fallen asleep. He hadn't been resting well in the last few weeks since the wedding, ever on alert for the scavenger girl. She continued to test his limits over and over, making it beyond difficult for him to be able to honor the silent vow to protect her that he'd made on the day he took her from Jakku. Kylo ran his gloved fingers over his long face feverishly before depositing his helmet over his dark hair with a hiss.Reaching up to flip a handful of switches, he grasped the joystick firmly as the Silencer jolted out of hyperspace above the water-covered planet. Breaking through the atmosphere with a thunderous roar, he followed the ping that was Rey on the map to a jagged island in the middle of the vast, open sea. He barreled over the water, the bristling low squall of the twin ion engines reverberating across the surface in sharp waves, rapidly circling the island to detect Rey's location. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief as he spied their shuttle perched on a wide stretch of grass on the rocky island, tiny dots of red scattered amongst the green. His fury reignited by the sight of them, he resisted the temptation to fire the powerful laser cannons on them to rid the galaxy of the filth that was the Guavian Death Gang once and for all. Centering himself once again, he cleared his thoughts and turned his focus back to the only reason he had flown halfway across the galaxy.
Her. Rey.
Making a tight spiral above the rocky face of the island, he aggressively brought the starfighter down to the surface, flipping the top hatch and thrusting himself out of the cockpit as fast as his oversized body would allow. Kylo slid down the sharp, angled wing, and his boots landed on the stony ground with a thump, striding around the hull of the ship to face the cluster of aggressors. His hand twitched against the firm hilt of his lightsaber as he came face to face with the gang. Four Guavian security soldiers stood scattered in front of him, their crimson cybernetic armor buzzing with a mechanical hum as they took defensive stances with their blasters trained straight on him. Bala-Tik stood at the center with a wide-eyed Rey who struggled against the man's firm grip across her shoulders with a blaster aimed at her head."Kylo Ren. You're a dead man," the smaller man spat, tightening his hold on the scavenger girl as she continued to pull against him, her eyes filled with venom, and her teeth bared ferociously. Quickly unhooking his saber from his belt, Kylo flipped the shrieking crimson blade to life with a stomp as his fury rolled over him in sharp waves. He lifted the blade and stared down the jagged beam at his adversaries, giving the hilt a slight turn as he snidely answered back."We'll see."In the frozen seconds between the standoff and the fighting, Kylo saw Bala-Tik's eyes flicker from him to the circular broadcasting dishes of the security soldier's masks. In an instant, the blaster bolts began to fly in a flurry of green and red, Kylo effortlessly deflecting each one away from him with a swift flick of his wrist.Reaching out with the Force, he yanked the blaster from the hands of one of the cybernetic soldiers and simultaneously flung him across the rocky surface like a rag doll, landing in a heap of limbs with a sickening crunch. A pair of the soldiers menacingly charged him at him with reckless abandon. Kylo let his rage guide him as he dodged a red-gloved fist of the first and pushed his broad shoulder into the other, driving his blade through the armor and ripping it upwards and out the soldier's head with a sparking sizzle, sending pieces of him flying in different directions. In a single fluid motion, he threw out a hand and ripped the remaining security soldier to his waiting grip with the Force, driving the piercing plasma blade of the lightsaber through his chest with a guttural roar, and throwing the limp fighter to the ground like a stone.Kylo took a solid step over the lifeless body lying at his boots, lifting the razor-sharp gaze of his visor to the Guavian leader who still held a blaster to the Empress's temple. He squeezed his fist around the galvanized hilt of his saber, carefully watching the eyes of his adversary as he prowled towards him like a ravenous dog. Rey's eyes flashed dangerously as she pulled against her captor, baring her teeth as she brought her elbow swiftly to Bala-Tik's torso, catching the man by surprise with a ragged gasp. He recoiled from the unexpected blow but quickly clamped her arms to her side, glaring down at her with a poisonous sneer.The distraction she provided was all that Kylo needed. Reaching out with his dark power, he viciously dragged the gang leader to his outstretched hand, throttling the man beneath the deft grip of his strong fingers. Kylo had caught Bala-Tik off guard, and at the same moment he drew him to his grasp, the sound of a blaster bolt crackled through the air as loud as thunder. Shifting his focus from the ever-mottled face of his victim, he let out a breathless gasp as he fixed his eyes on the scavenger girl. Rey laid in a heap on the ground, her eyes wide as she clutched her side - her fingers soaked with the blood radiating out from the wound beneath her hand. Forcefully throwing Bala-Tik to the ground, Kylo hurtled himself to her side in an instant, his heart thundering loudly as he reached out to cup the wound with his gloved hand as the grating, loud hum of a shuttle echoed in his ears with the thumping in his chest."Kylo, he's getting away," Rey breathlessly groaned as the bronze glow of her freckled face began to pale. Ren pulled himself to his feet in a flurry, his fear feeding into his rage with a burning hot sensation that coursed relentlessly through his veins. He lifted his palms towards the shuttle that was rushing away from the island and took a steadying breath as he summoned the power of the Force within him. Kylo watched, eyes open, and posture square to the flames inside his soul as he made the ship slow down as it struggled to break free of his dark grasp. The durasteel of the hull began to crinkle under his invisible grip as Kylo pulled the airborne craft further down until, with a brutal roar, he threw it down into the water with a shattering crack. Kylo watched the undulating waves of the sea, lost in the rhythmic percussion of the movement as he aligned his breathing with each one, letting the fire inside die down to glowing embers before tearing his attention back to Rey. He was at her side in a flash, reaching for her hand to help her as she pulled herself to stand, but she recoiled from his grasp. Lifting her eyes to his visor, she furiously chewed on her lip with a crease between her brows as she held her injured side."My husband sent his guard dog after me again, did he?" Rey seethed through gritted teeth, "You know, I got along just fine before you came along, and since that day, I have had nothing but trouble, and you are there. You're always there, Kylo. This creature in a mask who follows me in all this chaos."Hurt coursed through him as her harsh words sunk in, pressing his lips into a mashed line as he breathed a heavy sigh, taking a solid step towards her."You think I want this? The torture of the helplessness I feel as you constantly put yourself in harm's way? All I've ever done, all I ever want to do is to protect you. To keep you safe. That weasel has nothing to do with this…this thing between us. It's always been for you," Kylo's heart hammered relentlessly in his chest as his thoughts swirled dangerously towards what he wanted to do next. All the reasons not to do it flooded through his mind in a feverish flurry, feeling the soft panic growing in his gut as he made his decision. He had tried for so long, hid behind his mask for years to hide his true emotions, tried to hide his true self from her. It had been so much easier to hide behind the mask and leave a physical barrier between them. Exposing himself to her was dangerous for both of them, but the moment he had pushed away for weeks was finally here, and he couldn't halt the urge any longer, no matter the consequences. Once it was done, it could never be undone, but it was time.Rey's eyes widened as Kylo gingerly reached his shaking gloved hands to the latch on his mask, pressing the release as it gave a sharp hiss. He gripped the smooth metal and slowly pulled it from his head, giving his obsidian hair a slight shake before dropping it to the ground with a heavy thump. Lifting his eyes to meet hers, his breath caught in his throat as his lips curling up into the slight semblance of a smile. He didn't anticipate the joy he'd feel by looking into her stardust-speckled eyes with his own for the first time. Kylo moved closer to her as their connection faintly buzzed between them, reaching to shuck the dark gloves from his hands and discard them on the ground with his mask.Rey stood rooted to the spot, her brows furrowed in mild confusion, letting out a shuddering breath as she gaped at him."I know…I know your face," she breathlessly gasped as he inched ever closer, "I've seen it in my dreams. Kylo…how?" He inclined his chin, lifting his burning gaze to her bewildered face as he closed the space between them with purposeful strides."Don't be afraid, I feel it too."Kylo lifted his long fingers to a blossoming bruise along her cheek, drawing his hand hastily away as she flinched away from his touch."Let me help you…please," he murmured, Rey's eyes widening as she hesitantly gave the tiniest of nods. Slowly bringing his hand to meet hers, they both let out a trembling gasp as the electric connection between them flared to life in a burning blaze like never before. Caught in the heady trance they had been pulled into, Kylo blinked slowly as he centered himself in the balanced harmony they created, letting the Force flow through him to his fingertips as he restored the bruised skin of her tender flesh. Rey's eyes fluttered, and her breath hitched, diverting her eyes from his face, pretending as though the jagged landscape of the island truly held her attention, but Kylo could read her like a book - boldly watching the quick rise and fall of her chest and the soft pink flush of her cheeks. With the gentle pull of his finger, he reorientated her face to hold his gaze that she was so desperately trying to avoid, stealing the burning fire in her eyes in a way that only intensified the smoldering spark between them. There was no smile on his face, just the scorching intensity of his eyes that they both knew was the just the beginning of the inferno to come.Rey lifted her eyes to the clouds, blinking up at the rapidly darkening sky as the gentle pitter-patter of rain began to surround them, breaking them away from their shared trance. She let out a heavy sigh as the delicate drops caressed her face, bursting into a wistful smile as the rain turned into a downpour. At that moment, with their connection and the sweet smell of wet soil, the rain gave life to the island and to Rey herself, washing away her darkness to let her light shine through. Kylo twined his fingers through hers and gave her a gentle tug, pulling her towards a set of stony steps away from the limp bodies that littered the ground around them."Come with me, there's shelter this way," he rumbled as he led her down the stairs to a collection of small, stacked huts on a steep bluff, ferrying her through the curved archway.Inside the cozy hut were a few scattered large crocks and the evidence of a fire that had burned in the center long ago. Searching the cold, dark hut, Kylo gathered bits of firewood left from a lifetime ago, building a small nest within the quaint fire pit. Within moments, the shelter was alight with the flickering dance of the flames, glowing embers leaping and twirling up and into the sky from a small chimney hole in the ceiling. Kylo tore off his long, black cloak and furled it out over the ground and gingerly tugged her closer to him, nervously mashing his mouth into a thin line, "I…your…uh, your tunic. I need to see your wound so I can mend it. Would you…can I?" he awkwardly motioned towards the blood-soaked fabric of her black tunic before anxiously scrubbing his long fingers through his raven hair. Rey offered a slight nod of understanding, turning her back towards him and gingerly reaching up to pull her chestnut waves from her neck. With a trembling hand, Kylo brought his fingers to the fastenings along her back, unhooking them one by one with a flick of his thumb. He ever so softly brought his large hands to her shoulders, slowly pushing the ebony fabric down over her leather armbands and letting the garment fall to the floor in a puddle at her feet.Kylo let out a strangled growl when his eyes were immediately drawn to a collection of colorful bruises and welts were scattered across the finely toned lines of her back, ranging from faded yellow to a mottled purple peeking out from under her breast band. Kylo tried to quell his growing rage that simmered in his blood at the sight of the insurmountable evidence of her mistreatment at the hands of her husband, diverting his eyes to the fresh wound on her side from the blaster bolt. The gash was small and ragged around the edges, barely bleeding any longer. He called upon the Force once again, tracing his deft fingers around it as he knitted her flesh back together again. "What is it? What are you doing?" Rey murmured quizzically as she felt her pain melt away to a faint echo before it disappeared altogether. Kylo repositioned his hands to one of the many bruises that covered her back."Healing you.""How? I don't understand…""I'm calling upon the Force. It's an energy field that connects all living things within the universe with a tension and balance between light and dark. Some believe that it is the spirit of the galaxy. Every living thing creates its own energy field within the Force and some are born with the ability to manipulate it," Kylo spoke plainly from his training, trying to explain it to her in the simplest of terms while he watched the bruises under his fingers fade like the last petals of summer as the true golden hue of her skin returned."Can you…can you manipulate it?" Rey said breathlessly, anxiously chewing her lip as Kylo continued his ministrations, each brush of his fingers leaving a trails of electrifying goosebumps in their wake."Yes. For thousands of years, Force-sensitives like me were trained to hone their skills. The Jedi were responsible for teaching those like me, making them into protectors of the Light.""I've heard stories of the Jedi before, are you one of them?" Rey whispered into the firelight filled darkness of the stone hut."No, I'm no Jedi."Rey slowly turned around in Kylo's grasp, bringing her stardust speckled hazel eyes to meet his golden-brown gaze. He traced his fingers across the fresh tear in the tender flesh of her lip, mending it effortlessly as he inspected the soft rosebud tinted curve of her mouth. Kylo tried to quiet the overwhelming intoxication building inside him from the feeling of her lips beneath his touch, but the magnetizing pull became harder to resist with each passing second. Taking a tentative step closer to her, the dark knight could hear Rey's breathing tremble as he drew the pad of his thumb across her bottom lip. His eyes flickered from her mouth to her eyes and back again, and in a split second, he couldn't fight against the astronomical pull any longer. Slowly leaning down, Kylo softly brushed his lips against hers, and their connection erupted into a fiery flood of passion. Rey whimpered softly against his mouth as the world around them fell away into a blur, reaching up to tangle her fingers in his inky waves. His kiss was soft and slow, comforting in ways words could never describe, and it lit a burning flame within her that craved more and more. Kylo snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her body flush with his until there was no space left between them, and he could feel the hammering of her heart against his chest. He tentatively traced the seam of her lips with his tongue, and she wholeheartedly granted him access as his thumb caressed soft circles against the smooth, freckled flesh of her cheek. Spurred on by her grant of access, he delved inside her mouth with a fever, a clash of tongues and teeth in between the intermingling of their billowing breaths. Her kiss was his found salvation and his torment as he couldn't help but think of what chance they had to do this again once they returned to the palace under the watchful eye of the Emperor and the entire galaxy, hungry to linger in their shared euphoria as long as he could at this moment. He had dedicated his life to her from the first moment he had laid his own eyes on her, and Kylo knew that from this second on, if he lost her, he would surely lose himself. She was the half that made him whole, and he would do anything to stay in this thrilling spell of perfection with her forever. Rey pressed her hand to the hard planes of his chest, hesitantly pulling away to look up at him through her full lashes, the swirls of emotion she saw in his eyes, making her gasp. Lust, desire, and something else, something warmer and more profound than she could even begin to describe, but could only hope that he could see the same reflected back in her own heated gaze. Before she could ponder about it any further, Kylo yanked her to him and covered her mouth with a hungry kiss. It was electrifying, the way his lips connected with hers, his mouth so warm and the caress of his lips softer than she could have possibly begun to have imagined. She opened her mouth with a low moan as the breathtaking connection between them sang. Their kiss obliterated every dark thought, every black memory, leaving their minds locked together in the flickering firelight of the hut with no wish for the kiss to ever end. Kylo moved his hands across the velvety expanse of her exposed flesh, tightening his hold as he leisurely lowered them onto his cloak on the ground. In seconds, his soft caresses became more firm as he savored the taste of her lips on his and the accelerated breath that blended with his own. It felt like the moment had barely begun when Rey sharply pulled away, her eyes wide with fear and unshed tears,"Kylo, we can't. We shouldn't. If he finds out, he will kill us both.""I'd like to see that smarmy ginger try," he growled, hungrily bending down to place another kiss upon her lips, only to be pushed away by Rey's hand on his broad chest."I want nothing more than to fly off with you to Gods know where and kiss you for the rest of forever, but you know we can't. He'd find us, and we'd always be in danger of the First Order coming down on our heads. We'd be permanently looking over our shoulders. What kind of life would that be?" Rey sniffed as her tears began to fall, making hot tracks down her golden freckled flesh, "I made a vow, and while he may not honor his, I will honor mine the best that I can. There are people I can help, who I want to help, and I can't do that if I leave."Kylo pushed himself off to sit beside her with a grimace, chewing on his lips that were freshly bruised from the heat of their kiss. His heart felt as if his blood became thick as tar as it struggled to keep a steady beat. He ran his hands up his long face, scrubbing his fingers in his dark hair in frustration."I'll find a way. We have to."Rey sat up and snagged her tunic from the floor, meeting his eyes with a mournful smile as she pulled the dark fabric over her head."I don't want to go back, but I have to. I don't have a choice," her chin trembled as she gave a downcast look to the floor, "But not yet. Can we just stay here for the night? I feel so much safer when I am with you."Kylo mashed his lips together and reached out to tuck a stray strand of her chestnut hair behind her ear, his thumb lingering on her cheek as he traced soft circles across her supple flesh, perpetually lost in the stardust speckles of her tear-filled hazel eyes. Breathing a heavy sigh, he knew she was right, and his soul was eternally bound to hers, ever willing to do her bidding. Wherever she would go, he would follow, and together, they would ride through the oncoming storm, waiting to see when the new dawn would come and what it would bring."As you wish."Rey stifled a wide yawn as she laid down and stretched her lithe body out across his dark cloak, rolling to her side, smiling softly as the flickering of the fire warmed her from the outside in. Kylo lined his body up with hers and circled his arm around her waist, tucking a soft kiss against the skin on the back of her neck, trailing his nose in the sweet fragrance of her hair. Their eyes grew heavy in the dimming light of the twin suns and the comfort they felt in each other's arms. The stone hut was filled with the echos of their breathing in tandem as the wind swooped up off of the bluff and over the rocky heights of the island, gradually ebbing away through the crags into silence. The dark feeling of tomorrow pierced Kylo's heart like a lance, and he was gripped by the bone-deep desire to hold onto this moment and never let go, the memory of their kiss flickering through his mind. Their kiss was a beginning, a promise of so much more to come. He didn't know how, but he felt so sure of the feeling's validity, and he would do anything to make it come true. Enveloped by the soft warmth of his scavenger girl lying in his arms, Kylo's eyes flickered closed as the waves of sleep washed over him. *
Your time is coming soon. Come to me, and you will finally feel like you belong.

Those dark words echoed through his mind as he trudged his long, gangly limbs through the undergrowth of the Yavin IV jungle, letting out an amused chuckle as he heard the footfalls of small feet trailing behind him, thundering through the brush as fast as her little legs would carry her.

"Ben! Hey Ben! Wait for me!!" Glancing over his shoulder to toss a toothy grin at the freckled-faced little girl, he guffawed happily as he watched her signature three buns bounce with her every step.

"You'd better hurry up, Stardust!"

He broke into a slow jog, his long legs carrying him swiftly to the banks of a river that cut its way through the land, setting himself down into the soft grass on the bank with a huff. Silently counting down the seconds, he didn't have to wait long for a pair of small arms to circle around his neck, knocking the wind out him with the Force of the impact her tiny body made as she threw herself at him.

Looping his arms around her small frame, he tickled her mercilessly until she squealed, before pulling her to sit between his knobby knees. They sat quietly together, watching the churning water of the river, flowing like time, always onwards towards its destiny. Someday soon, like all of them hoped to do, the river would flow to join the sea, a small but vital part of a much bigger picture. He stifled a sigh as he thought of how this jungle was so far from the home he knew, the home he left behind, but at that moment, it didn't matter at all. He contentedly nuzzled her top bun that was tickling the tip of his long nose, thinking with a smile that right now, he felt more at home than he ever had before.

"What's the matter?" he murmured into her chestnut hair, his brows bending into a slight grimace.

"Nothing."

"We both know that's not true. You're thinking so loudly that I can feel it from here, Stardust," The little girl wiggled in his embrace, pulling her little knees to her chest and resting her chin on her crossed arms with a tiny frown flickering across her freckle flecked face.

"I had the dream again. The one where we are both grownups, but I don't know you, and you're so dark, and I am so, so sad. Ben, I'm scared, what if it comes true?" He reached around and wrapped his already large hand for his age around her small fingers, pulling her hand to his mouth to press a sweet kiss to her palm. He traced his thumb across the tiny constellation of freckles on the inside of her wrist, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

"Remember what Master Luke always tells us. The future is always in motion, and it is difficult for us to see what's really going to happen. Plus, I promised I'd always find you, no matter how far, and I meant it. Or you'll find me, look here," he held her wrist out for her to see as she reached up to connect the space between each mark with her finger, "Look, you have a map of the stars right here, proof that you'll always have a way to find me, Stardust."

He gave her tiny frame another comforting squeeze and pressed a quick kiss into her hair as she giggled and squirmed, fanning her hands out in front of her eyes as she exclaimed excitedly,

"Just you wait, before you know it, we will both be Jedi Knights traipsing around the galaxy. Ben and Stardust, Guardians of the Light!"

He smiled wistfully, looking out over the rolling waves of the river as his thoughts flickered back to the voice that came to him in the dark of the night. He knew in his bones that her idea of their future as champions of the Light would never come true. He'd known for as long as he could remember, and his heart sank as he wondered just how much time he'd have left in his happy home here with her.

Your time is coming soon.

His mind dwelled on the weight of the crystal shard in his pocket. He desperately wanted to do something with the piece of his kyber crystal, a piece of him, to give to her. To leave her with a part of him that could be with her when his time finally came. His heart ached at the thought of being apart from her, the darkness swirling dangerously inside. Pressing the feeling deep down, he gave her a gentle nudge and picked up a flat, round stone from the soil,

"Let's get some practice in while we're here, Stardust. I bet you can't skip a rock across the water without using your hands."
*Kylo woke with a start, his mind a racing blur as he blinked in the early morning light that seeped in through the cracks of the stone hut. In the soft beams that filtered through the darkness, his face split into a blissful smile as he took stock of how his body had become intertwined with Rey's while they had slept. He wished that he would turn back the hours to give them more time just so he could stay close to her for a little longer, prolonging the content feeling of her body aligned perfectly with his. Her arms were tucked between them with a small fist tucked underneath her chin, and her delicate fingers splayed across his chest. The heat of her touch and his arms wrapped around her brought him a euphoric peace he hadn't felt in so long, not since another life long passed. Flashes from his dream darted through his mind, and his heart ached at the memory of that boy who struggled so much against the darkness, holding on to the light for dear life as Snoke's voice constantly hummed venomous words to him during the night. Memories of a time that had brought him so much joy, but all of it had been brutally torn away from him. His entire life and everyone he had ever loved had been destroyed for the sake of cultivating the churning darkness within him. The dreams had been coming more and more often as of late, and Kylo was perpetually haunted by the past and a future that might have been. Kylo smiled down at his scavenger girl and traced his finger across her brow, tucking a stray hair behind the soft flesh of her ear. He let out the softest chuckle as the corners of her mouth curved up with the faint flicker of a smile as she dreamed, and he couldn't help with a small smile to hope it was about him. He gathered her closer to her chest and basked in the warm glow of her light as it calmed the storms in his heart. The feeling of her so close to him gave him hope for a future that was so far out of reach, an impossible dream for them to achieve. She was the light to his darkness, a balance. A glimmer of stardust in an otherwise empty night sky. Kylo leaned his forehead against hers, breathing the sweet smell of her in deeply with regret, knowing that they would have to leave this small pocket of paradise soon. Reaching down to lift her hand from his chest, Rey let out a content hum as he slowly pulled the mammoth crimson gem from her slender finger to tuck into his wide palm. There were a few things he needed to do before they returned to Coruscant, and the first task to take care of was this ring and the tracker that was hidden inside. He reluctantly pulled his arms from around her lean body, tucking his ebony cloak around her and pressing the ghost of a kiss on her forehead before stepping out into the morning light. He trudged up the stone steps to the green hill above the bluff where the stone hut was nestled into the mountain and surveyed the evidence of the brutal skirmish from the day before. He held out his palm and inspected the massive Corusca gem that gleamed in the light of the binary sun's rays. He let out a long sigh as he tried to quell the rise of his burning rage, rolling the trinket around in his hand. This thing should represent a marriage and a promise, but all Kylo saw was Hux's possessiveness of her and how the ring was truly a leash to keep her tethered to, a poisonous version of what it should really mean. The darkness churned deeply within him as he summoned the Force to his palm, squeezing his fingers around the ring, his knuckles cracking with the pressure until he heard the satisfying sound of disintegrating metal and stone beneath his grasp. He splayed out his fingers and smiled smugly at the sight of the dust scattered across his flesh with only the blood-red gem and the shattered remains of the tracker left behind. Kylo worked quickly as he pulled the limp bodies of the Guavian security soldiers into a pile and vigorously set to building a fire around them to dispose of their remains. There was no need for Rey to see the mess that he had left behind from her trauma the day before. He stood vigilantly, watching the bodies burn as the flames flickered in the wind, sending a swirling plume of ash and smoke up into the clear, blue sky. He lifted his gaze from the churning flames as the breeze caressed his face, sending his obsidian hair fluttering across his sharp features, carrying with it the soft sound of whispers on the wind. Answering their call, Kylo navigated his way up the stone steps. In the serene silence of the island, he could hear the whispers sweeping around the jagged rocks spiking out of the ground as the gusts of wind spun around him in sharp waves.  He followed the whispers up the endless flight of stairs until he turned a corner and found himself at the mouth of a vast cave. He wandered inside, and the only sound that met his straining ears were his own echoing footsteps reverberating around the towering ceiling inside. The morning light seeped into the massive room from an oblong opening on the opposite side. High above the surrounding sea, he could see that whatever this place was had been worn away by wind and time, but he could feel that it had held an incredible purpose. He curiously peered around the cave as his toes kicked the odd loose stones under his boots. The noise of the disturbed rocks echoed off the dense stone walls and drew his gaze to the center of the room when one of the pebbles flicked its way into a vast reflecting pool at the center of the space. Kylo let out a soft gasp as he took in the intricate mosaic that was seated in the shallow reflecting pool. He had seen it before in another life, and he had no doubt now that the Jedi had built this place - this ancient temple. The Prime Jedi sat before him, shaped carefully from bits of white and black stone. He sat in a calm, meditative stance, a saber splitting the image to form the epitome of light and dark. Of balance. Kylo shivered as the Force surrounded him in warms waves, enveloping him in the fountain of energy that found it's home on the island. Deep inside his chest, through every cell of his being, the warmth of the light welcomed him like an old friend. The feeling was foreign and strange after the years he had been lost to the shadows. Everything he had ever loved was ripped from him, tearing a gaping hole for the darkness to fill. Suddenly enveloped in the light of the ancient temple, the darkness reared it's ugly head and pushed back fiercely, leaving him breathlessly reeling."Hello, Ben."Kylo spun around frantically towards the sudden sound of the voice echoing through the chamber and let out a strangled gasp at the softly glowing figure before him. His uncle stood at the mouth of the cave, solemnly peering at him from his sharp blue eyes, surrounded in a faint blue glow that he had only ever read about but never witnessed."Luke.""I failed you, Ben, I'm sorry. I let Snoke sink his claws into you...if I had known…""I'm sure you are Uncle, but it's too late. Ben Solo is dead. He was weak and foolish, so I destroyed him," Kylo sneered, his darkness furling out as his anger at the future that was ripped from him so long ago simmered through his veins."No, Ben Solo is alive. It's time for you to come home, come back to the light, it isn't too late," his uncle stated earnestly, taking a tentative step towards his wayward nephew. Kylo choked out a sob as the darkness threatened to pull him deeper."He's gone. There's no going back. The things I've done…" he mashed his mouth together into a thin line as the memories of his former life tore their way through to the surface, smothering a painful sob, "I'm being torn apart. I want to be free of this pain.""Oh, Ben. No one's ever really gone. I know you've felt it, the pull to the light," Luke wistfully smiled at him as he continued, "She's the key, Ben. I know you've been struggling, we've all been watching. But ever since she came into your life, you've opened yourself to the Light. You just need to embrace it. The darkness has caged you in, left you isolated and alone, falling victim to its tempting poison over and over again, but you're strong enough to bend the bars, Ben. Follow her, follow the light and you will find your own again, I swear it."A single tear trailed its way down the jagged scar on his cheek as he watched Luke fade away into the morning light, leaving him feeling painfully breathless and more alone than ever before. The anguish and rage he had carried for so long had drowned his old memories in the darkness. It had lived at the back of his mind like a pulse, tearing itself forward and demanding attention when his dark power needed to be fueled. Luke was right. It was time to press against the iron bars of his darkness, unlock the cage, and let the light in. The darkness had taken its stranglehold for long enough, squeezing the happy memories of his past life and consuming them, turning them into agonizing and forgotten lost dreams. He closed his eyes and centered himself in the light, the image of her face resonating in his mind. She was the key. Her light was intoxicating and all-consuming, and he hadn't realized it until now, but she had reignited his own deep down inside his soul. The dreams, the memories that haunted him were the sign that Ben Solo wasn't gone. He was still inside him, tearing his way through the black tar of his soul, begging to be freed from the dark shadows within him.She was so whole and pure, she made his missing pieces reappear. Her blinding light made what was once scarred become soft once more, the festering wounds in his soul beginning to finally heal. She was a gift from the universe, his twin soul born from the same flame as he. Together, they were able to bathe one another in the Light as easy as breathing, oblivious to the darkness within him. Kylo took a stuttering breath as he felt his own light within burst into a flickering fledgling flame, softening the cold claws of the darkness on his heart. At that moment, he saw her face and knew.Ben Solo was alive.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“You have got to be kidding me,” Rey stood with her arms crossed stubbornly over her chest, brows furrowed as she planted her feet firmly on the ground next to where the Silencer was set, “Absolutely not.”“It won’t be as bad as you think…”“As bad as I think?? Kylo, it is a single passenger starfighter. Where in Maker’s name am I supposed to sit?” Rey scoffed, completely unyielding to the idea of traveling the many parsecs back to Corusant crammed into the cockpit with the single person she needed to avoid physical contact within the entire galaxy. Kylo grinned facetiously down at her from the hatch in the ship.“You’ll have the best seat in the house, Empress.”Rey frowned up at him, narrowing her eyes in annoyance before throwing her hands up in the air.“That’s it. I’m not going. I’ll stay here and become one with the wildlife,” she spat, turning on the heel of her black boots and storming off down the hill.“Hey Princess, come back. I’m sorry, okay? I can be a real nerfherder sometimes!” Kylo called after her to no avail as she kept striding purposefully away from him across the rocky stretch of the island. He growled in frustration as he watch his scavenger turn a corner and head down the stairs and out of his sight, pulling himself out of the cockpit to slide down the wing to jog after her, “So help me, Rey, if you do not come back here, I will throw you over my shoulder and put you in that cockpit myself!!” Kylo glowered darkly as he caught up with her. Rey spun on her heel and glared darkly at him.“You wouldn’t dare,” she hissed.“Watch me,” Kylo bent down and scooped her up effortlessly in his strong arms, throwing her over his shoulder in one swift motion. She shrieked loudly and beat on his back with her fists, letting loose a slew of Huttese obscenities that echoed along the sharp breeze coming up the bluff, “My, my, your Majesty, that kind of language isn’t very becoming of an Empress, now is it?” Kylo grinned himself as he tightened his grip across the backs of her thighs, pleased by the sound of the scavenger girl from Jakku emerging from the elegant trappings that the Imperial Palace has swathed her in. This was the girl who first enchanted him so long ago, long before she had captured the hearts of the galaxy as The People’s Empress. Kylo trudged up the hill towards the Silencer with Rey slumped over his broad shoulder, her chin resting in her hand like she had become bored with trying to fight her way out of his grip. Striding up to the dark, angular wing of the fighter, Kylo slid her body down his own to set her down firmly on her feet, bending his gaze down to her level, narrowing his eyes as he looked into hers.“Stay. I have to get up first, and then I’ll pull you up,” Rey pressed her lips together in a firm line and gave a stubborn nod. Kylo had barely turned away from her when she darted away once more. The dark knight caught up with her in a flash, wrapping his arms around her waist in a firm grip, “What in the kriffing hell are you trying to do, Highness? Do you really not want to be around me that badly?”Rey looked down at her feet and toed a divot into the rocky soil with her boot.“It’s not that…it’s just…I can’t trust myself around you. This…this thing between us is too strong,” she murmured under her breath. Kylo hummed thoughtfully and reached to cup his bare hand under her chin, lifting her hazel eyes to meet his.“I swear I will be a gentleman, I won’t let us cross that line again until you ask me to,” he traced small circles against her freckled flesh, offering her a small, comforting smile in reassurance. She returned his smile with the slight upturn of the corner of her mouth and gave him a nod.“Okay, I won’t run again. I swear.”“Good, I don’t know how many more times I can climb up those stairs with you on my back, your Highnessness,” Kylo guffawed loudly as Rey reached out to punch him in the chest with a laugh of her own. What a strange feeling, the lightness she brought to him, the heavy cloak of his darkness parted here at this moment alone with her. He took a steadying breath to center himself in the delicious feeling before placing his hand against the durasteel hull of the ship, “You ready?“No, but let’s go.”Kylo climbed up the wing in sure-footed steps, kneeling down on the edge of the hatch before turning to hold out a hand for the Empress but smiled to himself when he saw that the ever-resourceful scavenger girl was hot on his heels. She looked at him curiously as she pulled herself up next to him, cocking her head to the side with her brows creased together in puzzlement.“What is it?”“Nothing. I’m going to climb in first, and then you. I’ll help get you positioned properly. It’s going to be a long ride, might as well get comfortable.” Rey let out a heavy sigh with a whoosh as the air pressed out of her cheeks and past her lips.
Great. Close quarters with Kylo Ren for the next few hours, what could go wrong?
The Empress waited a moment for Kylo to get settled in the pilot’s seat before seating her palms along either side of the hatch and lowering herself down into the cockpit. She stifled a soft gasp when Kylo grasped her hips with his long fingers, guiding her down into his waiting lap. Kylo choked out a strangled cough as she settled her hips against his thighs, trying to carefully reposition herself without forcing any unnecessary contact between them. Growling in frustration, the dark knight caged her waist in his long fingers, firmly planting her upside his thighs. She pulled at his fingers, but he held her firmly, pulling her flush with his chest and nestling his chin over the top of her shoulder.“Let go of me!”“Don’t get excited, Princess.”“Lord Ren, being held by you isn’t quite enough to get me excited.”“That’s not the impression I was getting last night,” he purred deliciously in her ear, his hot breath sending an electric shiver down her spine, “Would you relax? Unbeknownst to you, I actually need to be able to see out the kriffing transparisteel to pilot this ship properly. Just lean back and relax, we’ve got a long ride ahead of us.”A heavy silence settled over them, thicker than the unspoken tension in the air between them as Kylo reached above her head and flipped a series of switches, bringing the dual-ion engines to life with a roar. He framed his arms around her and took hold of the joysticks, lifting the craft off the ground and into the blue Ahch-to sky in a single seamless motion, leaving only the charred remains of the Guavian Death Gang and his ebony mask behind.Perched with her feet dangling between his calves, Rey tried to divert her thoughts away from the feeling of the steady rise and fall of his broad chest against her back towards the darkening horizon as they broke through the atmosphere. She watched as he deftly punched in the coordinates for Coruscant into the navicomputer and trained her ears into the steady hum of the electronic systems buzzing around them in the cockpit. The scavenger girl wished that she could see his face to try and discern what was going through his mind, to see if it was anything like what was going through her own. Observing him discreetly, she counted the scars and freckles that flecked the rough and worn skin of his hands and how he tensely squeezed his fingers into a fist with a crack of his knuckles. She let out a soft sigh. This was going to be a long journey if they both didn’t relax. She settled into him with a small wiggle, leaning her head back against his chest, gazing out the rectangular grid of the transparisteel viewport with a thrill as the stars around them stretched into thin lines as they throttled into hyperspace, desperately trying to ignore the smell of him that wafted over her. Why did he have to smell this way, all spices, smoke, and earth? It clouded her senses, instantly transporting her back to the night before in the hut. Her eyes fluttered shut, her breathing shifted as she felt the ghost of his touch on her bare skin as he knitted her flesh back together, aching to feel his soft lips graze against hers. Rey was resolute in her decision last night for them to halt their actions before they went too far, but his lingering scent and the memories of her body pressed against his pulled her in with fervor, leaving her breathless and panting as her mind wandered further than where the night before left them. Chewing on her lip, she tried to contain a soft hum as she imagined his long fingers exploring under her breast band to cover the soft mounds of pliable flesh underneath, his hands running up her thighs, the heat of his skin leaving an electrifying trail of warmth behind them. The soft heat of his mouth as his languorously explored the expanse of her throat with his tongue, nipping the skin softly in his wake.“Stop.”Rey jolted out of her delicious vision, her cheeks flushing a soft pink as Kylo’s breath skirted across the heated skin of her neck,“You’re thinking so loudly, I can feel it from here,” he growled hungrily in her ear, “If you want me to keep being a gentleman, you need to get yourself under control first. You aren’t making it easy, Princess. Clear your mind. Rest. Sleep. We have a long way to go.”Rey choked out a strangled laugh, chewing on her lip anxiously as she settled into his arms, trying desperately to clear her mind as he had instructed. Reaching out to touch his sleeve, she found comfort in tracing the seams of the ridged armbands that hugged the firm muscle of his forearm. The motion and the feeling of the soft fabric under the pad of her finger relaxed her mind, drawing her away from the delicious trap her imagination kept trying to set for her, falling slowly into a peaceful sleep. *
She thundered through the dense, green overgrowth of the jungle in a flurry, the balmy air filling her lungs as she traipsed past each broad leaf, shoving vines out of her way, making her way to a towering Massassi tree and clambering her way up the branches as if she was made of air. She tucked her body against the warm bark, stifling a giggle as the dark-haired boy tumbled between the dense vegetation, calling out for her as he searched around him.

“Stardust!”

Her face split into a wide grin as a titter of light-hearted laughter escaped her without thinking. She slapped her hands over her mouth to smother the sound of her facetious glee as the boy spun around to find where the sound came from.

“Stardust! Where are you? I can hear you, little mouth-breather.”

She muffled her giggles, pressing her little body further against the tree, grinning from ear to ear as he continued to call for her,

“Stardust!”

“Stardust!”
*Rey hummed softly to herself and nuzzled into the soft fabric against her cheek, smiling as she felt a soft kiss being pressed into her hair and the comforting feeling of strong arms circled around her,“Have a good dream?”Slowly and reluctantly, she drew her face from its resting place, blinking slowly as she took in the blue-white glow of hyperspace beyond the transparisteel window. “Hmm?”“You were laughing,” Kylo rumbled into her hair, the sound of a smile in his voice, “I hate to wake you, but we are almost there.”As if on cue, the ship gave a sharp jolt as they thundered out of hyperspace above the glittering surface of Coruscant. Dread suddenly crept over her with an icy chill. They were here, there was no avoiding it. Rey’s stomach was full of lead, and all she could think of was running. Running away, back to their island bubble when it was just the two of them. Rey reached her hand out and grasped his fingers as they reached for the joystick to guide them down the planet’s surface.“Wait.”Turning her body to face him, she reached up her hand and gently pulled a ribbon of his inky hair through her fingers. His eyes flickered with a burning hunger as she traced her fingers over the seam of his mouth.“Rey…I…not unless you ask me to…”Her eyes raked hungrily across his face, flickering back and forth between his smoldering gaze, the mere inches between their faces too far apart.“Kiss me. Please. One last time,” she murmured breathlessly, bringing her lips feverishly close to his. One brush of her skin against his and it was over, their connection flaring to life with an intoxicating electric hum. Kylo devoured her mouth with a wild hunger, the kiss full of raw intensity, knowing that it could be, should be their last. Their frenzied breaths mingled together, hearts beating faster as their tongues intertwined in a heated clash of flesh and teeth. Rey knew that she shouldn’t crave his mouth on hers in this way, but she didn’t care, and neither did he. Tomorrow, this memory would be what would get her through her duties as Empress, and their secret would be the reason behind her smile. Their lips fit perfectly together-as if they were puzzle pieces made by the Maker. Moving against each other, filling each other with a desperate passion, neither of them willing to be the first to let go. Kylo wrapped his large hand around the back of her neck, growling in pleasure as she nipped at his lower lip with her teeth and a let out a breathless whimper. Kylo was the first to break their kiss as Rey hungrily tried to dive in for more, a fire flickering in her stardust-speckled hazel eyes,“We have to go, they’ll know that we are here,” he rumbled mournfully, cupping her cheek in his hand. Rey closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, a single tear escaping her lashes and coursing a shining path down to her chin.“So, what now, Kylo? Are you going to stick around, be there when I need rescuing? Make everything alright?”“No.”Rey pulled away from him, her brows furrowed in confusion,“What…are…are you leaving?”“I’m not going anywhere, Highness. You don’t strike me as a girl who wants rescuing, so I’m going to teach you, make you as strong as you’re meant to be,” he hummed, pulling her towards him and drawing a line against her cheek with his nose, “Are you ready?”“No,” she breathed, her dread coldly washing over her once more, “but let’s go.”Rey settled back against his chest as Kylo took hold of the controls, breaking them into the bustling atmosphere with a thundering crack. Forlornly watching the towering skyscrapers as they flew by, her stomach churned nervously as they came closer to the Palace District. Kylo slowly brought the craft around the mammoth ziggurat of the Imperial Palace, setting the Silencer down gently at the foot of the grand staircase. He offered her a sad smile, reaching up to trace soft circles across her freckled cheek.“You’re not alone.”Rey gave a dismal nod and pulled herself up towards the hatch above them, pushing it up towards the bright Coruscant sky. Pulling herself out of the ship, she was met with a flurry of flashes as a cloud of holocams surrounded her, taking picture after picture of the recovered Empress. Rey shielded her eyes from the multitude of glaring lights, looking down at Kylo’s scowl as he emerged from the Silencer behind her. Sliding down the wing first, he held out his hand to her to help her down to the ground. She pressed her hands onto his shoulders, grateful for his steady grip on her waist as she shakily found her footing, their eyes lingering on each other for a fleeting moment before he released her. With a heavy sigh, she lifted her head towards the palace and took a sure-footed step towards the waiting party on the steps. To her surprise, the Emperor rushed to her side, caging his thin arms around her in a bruising grip, showering her stunned face in featherlight kisses.“Oh my stars, Flower, I was so worried! Thank the Maker, you’re alright!”Rey stood stiffly as her husband embraced her, her stomach souring at the unwelcome feeling of his body pressed against hers. She knew in her heart that this was all an act, a carefully calculated show of a caring husband put on only for the cameras that surrounded them. Loving husband in public, monster in private.
Find that happy thought. Hold onto it. Never let it go.
As her mind wandered back to their kiss goodbye, Rey’s face melted into a wistful smile, reaching up to wipe the tears that began to make heavy tracks down her cheeks.“I’m alright,” she murmured against Hux’s sleeve. He grasped his spindly fingers around her arms, holding her at arm’s length to look her over with a smug smile.“Thank goodness for Lord Ren’s quick thinking,” the Emperor lifted his eyes to the dark knight that stood like a sentinel behind the Empress, “How can I ever repay you for recovering my lost treasure?”“Just doing my duty, sir,” Kylo gave a curt nod, his face unreadable.Hux let out a quick sigh, circling Rey’s hand around his arm to lead her up the grand staircase towards the palace. Her home. Her gilded cage. Her heart hammered in her chest as she was seized by the overwhelming feeling to run. To leave and go back to that fleeting moment when she was alone and free with him. She stifled a soft sob as they ascended the staircase, turning her gaze to meet his for a brief look. His eyes burned into hers, and they, like his kiss, would be branded into her soul for the rest of eternity. She longed to stand by him instead of where she was headed, but this was her path, her destiny. There was no way out of this glimmering prison she was trapped in, but she was happy for the momentary escape that their short-lived spell on Ahch-to had brought them, and for that, she would be forever grateful. The Emperor and his bride walked in silence through the great hall, the picture of royal elegance as they strode their way to the turbolift to take Rey to her chambers. Hux brushed his fingers over hers on his arm as she silently tried to quell her trepidation. Ever since the first time he had laid hands on her, she had tried to avoid being alone with the man as much as she could, but her duties as his wife kept bringing him back to her over and over. Her heart thudded dully in her chest as the lift’s door slid open with a hiss, and her husband pulled her from inside and down the hall to her rooms. She stood at the center of her bedroom, nervously picking at the smooth fabric of her black armband as she watched him slowly undo the clasps on his black First Order uniform. He tugged at the sleeve from the wrist, pulling the fabric from his person, revealing a thin, grey undershirt underneath. Folding the fabric gingerly with his thin fingers, he gently laid the garment over the back of the chair at her vanity and coolly regarded her as she stood waiting for whatever would come next. Hux strode towards her and twined his fingers with hers, pulling her hand to his mouth to press the ghost of a kiss across her knuckles before reaching a hand up to softly graze his cool flesh against her cheek.“You look well, better than I expected. What a relief,” Armitage murmured coolly as he inspected her face with his icy sapphire eyes. Rey balked at his touch, smashing her eyes closed with a nervous grimace, waiting for the first blow, expecting the worst after being snatched from Level 1313, a place she had no business to be, “Ah, don’t be afraid my darling, I’m not going to hurt you today. I’ll admit, I was less than pleased to find out where you had been when they took you, but that is an issue we will deal with another time. There is a…situation, if you will, that needs my attention on Chandrila, so I will be leaving tonight on the Supremacy for some time.”He pressed a hand to her hip and gently turned her to face away from him, drawing his touch up to cage the curve of her shoulders in his firm grasp. Leaning down to pepper kisses along the smooth expanse of flesh at her throat, Rey stood as still as a statue as she felt the heat from his fingers seep into her consciousness, desperate to pull away but knew in the back of her mind that it would only be worse for her if she did. The invasion of unwanted intimacy continued as he undid each clasp down her tunic with a flick of his thumb, pushing the black fabric over her shoulders and down into a soft pool at her feet. Grazing his stubble across the smooth skin where her neck met her shoulder, a cold shiver ran down her spine as the feeling lingered as he pressed cold trail of kisses down her back.“Before I go,” he murmured between kisses, “we must meet our obligation to provide our people with an heir. We must continue to try until we succeed, Flower.” Armitage’s hand traveled the distance from her shoulder to her buttocks, trailing his fingers at the waistband of her trousers. Her breath came in shivers as her thoughts glazed over, the dread sinking deep in her stomach. Gritting her teeth until her jaw ached, she wished she could turn back time and drag the suns from the sky so she could return to a time before…this. Her eyes fluttered shut as she tried to pull her mind away from her body to protect her soul as her blood chilled in her veins, bringing a cold stillness to her thoughts until his face echoed through her mind.
Find that happy thought. Hold onto it. Never let go.

You’re not alone.
*“My Lady Rey, it is time to awaken.”A mechanical voice echoed through her dreams, pulling her back towards the present. Rey tucked her chin into her blankets, curling into the soft warmth of the fabric, desperate to get back to where her subconscious had taken her in her dreams. She could almost hear the wind whistling through the stones and feel the warmth of the flickering fire against her skin and the firmness of his arms wrapped around her. “Your Majesty, I have your breakfast and caf as you have requested,” the droid continued to pester her. Rey groaned loudly and tried in vain to rub the sleep from her bleary eyes that strained in the bright morning light that was streaming in the wide windows, pulling herself to sit up against the fluffy pillows in her bed.“Okay, fine, I’m up, I’m up. Thank you, Beedee.”“It is my pleasure to serve you, Empress,” the droid gave a small bow and shuffled out of her chambers, leaving the breakfast cart behind. Rey reached for her silken robe, sliding her arms through the achingly soft sleeves before rising from the bed to tie it at her waist. Striding over to the breakfast cart, she lifted the steaming cup of caf with both hands, hugging the warmth with her fingers and deeply inhaling the delicious scent. Breathing a heavy sigh, her face broke into a soft smile as she remembered that her husband had left her chambers the night before to immediately board his star destroyer for Maker knows how long. Relief at the thought of being free from him washed over her, melting away the icy, empty feeling that the night before had seeped into her soul. Settling herself into a cozy chair, Rey tucked her feet under her and inspected what kind of delicacies the palace chefs had made for her this morning. Her marriage had brought so much strife to her life, but the hungry little girl inside her would be forever delighted by the plethora of foods at her fingertips. Armitage had lied about many things, but her never going hungry again wasn’t one of them. Rey picked at the selection of fruits, catching them in her mouth and breaking the delicate skin with her teeth, the sweet tartness exploding over her tongue as she let out a soft hum of pleasure. She continued to devour her plate, tearing into the piping hot meats and crisp slices of bread, relishing in every taste that filled her mouth. When her appetite was sated, she leaned back in her chair, hugging the mug of caf to her chest happily, soaking up the warm rays of light of Coruscant Prime that streamed in through the windows. After a few relaxing moments, Rey pulled herself from her comfortable perch in her chair, reaching out to set her empty cup on the tray beside her when her gaze was caught by a small, folded piece of parchment tucked under one of the plates with her name written on it in an elegant scroll. Grasped by her curiosity, she gently pulled the note out from under the ceramic dish and gingerly unfolded the paper.
It’s time for your first lesson. Meet me upstairs in an hour. Wear something you can move in.

-KR
Chewing anxiously on her lip, Rey’s pulse suddenly sped up in anticipation at the thought of seeing him again, throwing herself down the stairs to her wardrobe at a breakneck pace. Wear something you can move in, he said. She dug around through the drawers, searching for something that would fit the description. Most of her gowns weren’t built for anything but looking elegant, she definitely wouldn’t be able to climb or move like she would have been able to in the worn rags she wore during her time on Jakku. Humming to herself excitedly, she rifled through the neat stacks of fabric until she found exactly what she was looking for.She stripped her silken robe and dropped her nightgown onto the floor in a heap, pulling the snug, black leggings up and over her hips with a smile as the soft fabric hugged her every curve. Rey pulled a black breast band over her head, admiring in the mirror the way it framed the soft mounds on her chest, pleased at the way it enhanced her coltish figure. Turning to the side to see her back reflected back at her in the mirror, she smiled at the attention to detail in every garment, delicate strands of black crisscrossing across the lean muscle of her shoulders. She drew a lightweight jacket over her head to settle across her hips and pulled a pair of flexible boots onto her feet. Standing in front of her reflection, her brows creased in puzzlement. She was pleased with how she looked, she felt like the balance between scavenger and empress looked back at her from the mirror, but something was missing. Her face split into a wide grin when it hit her, and she quickly went to work, twining her fingers in her hair, pulling the strands back in sections until her three distinct buns dotted the back of her head.
There she is.
Bouncing on the balls of her feet, Rey bounded out of her chambers and into the hall, striding down the hall in featherlight steps to the turbolift. She was practically buzzing with nervous anticipation as she waited for the lift to carry her to the upper levels of the ziggurat. When the doors slid open with a hiss, Rey breathed a calming sigh, smoothed her hair, and stepped out of the lift. She heard him before she saw him as she rounded a corner down the hall. Peering inside the partially open door, Rey’s mouth went dry at the sight before her. Kylo stood in the center of the training room, the floors covered in soft padding and the walls lined with wooden staffs and swords of various shapes and sizes. The dark knight was stripped of the black tunic that she was used to seeing him in that kept him covered from neck to wrist, trading it in for a sleeveless, fitted black shirt that strained against the hard planes of his chest. The curve of his biceps bent and moved as he practiced his forms with elegant swings of a training saber, letting out sharp grunts with each exaggerated movement. His thick, lustrous dark hair was slightly damp from sweat and deliciously tousled as he majestically shifted his weight back and forth between his feet, not letting his large frame weigh him down as he moved from form to form. His mesmerizing golden-brown eyes were ever focused on the task at hand, zeroed in as he spun the hilt of the saber in his palm. Dark brows, sloping downwards in a serious expression, and his plush lips were drawn into a hard line across his face as he steadily continued his mesmerizing reverie, leaving Rey breathless and enchanted as she watched him hungrily from the door. His strong hands gripped the metal hilt, crossing the blade across his body with a flick of his wrist. Rey couldn’t help but imagine those fingers tangled in her hair and roving down the curve of her back, tracing an electrifying trail in their wake. Without a doubt, Kylo was skilled in his craft, and it showed as he continued to elegantly parry and dodge an invisible foe, pivoting on the tips of his toes as he brought the saber’s blade down in a brutal, final strike. He stood still, and Rey licked her lips while she watched the rapid rise and fall of his chest as fine beads of sweat trailed down his massive bicep.“Are you going to come in, Highness, or are you just going to watch me from the doorway?” Kylo peered at her from over his shoulder, the serious look that was etched into his features melting away into a crooked half-smile, “Shoes off. Stand here when you’re ready and put yourself in a fighting stance,” he rumbled, padding across the floor to reach for a towel to wipe the sweat from his sharp features. Rey did as he instructed, swiftly pulling the boots from her feet and placing them side by side along the edge of the wall. Treading over the springy cushion of the mat, she strode to the center of the training room and stood with her feet apart like she had always done when she’d come face to face with a less than friendly scavenger on Jakku. Kylo slowly circled around her like a hungry animal, his eyes roving over her body, taking in every inch of her lithe body and analyzing her stance. Rey anxiously waited in feverish anticipation as he continued to circle her, wondering what his next move would be. Her breath caught in her throat as Kylo sidled up behind her, so close that she could feel the heat from his body radiating off of him, sending an electrifying shiver down her spine. Pulling her against his chest, Kylo reached around and splayed his fingers out over her torso, his lips softly grazing the curve of her ear as he growled,“Hold it here, this is the core of your strength. You get strong here, everywhere else will follow.”Rey’s cheeks flushed as the vibrations of his deep voice tickled the sensitive flesh of her ear, and the ghost of his fingers pressed against her burned deep into her core. There it was…that electrifying static of their connection, crackling through the air the way it did whenever they helplessly answered its call. It flared to life as Kylo ran his deft fingers down her thigh, giving it a slight squeeze as he repositioned her foot, sending a quiet whimper from Rey. He caged her ribs in his warm hands, moving his head to her other ear, “Take a breath, Empress. We won’t get very far if you’re dead. Just breathe.”Breathe. Just breathe. Rey drew her breath in slowly. In. Out. Focus. But within a split second, there it was again, burning brighter than ever before. His body was pressed against her, and she was ready to surrender herself to him completely, willing to be the best student, pliable to whatever he would be able to teach her. She had wanted this for so long now, craved him, dreamed of his tongue tasting her breath, and painting her flesh. Kylo pulled away, leaving her breathless and reeling, circling around her once more to stop ahead of her. He bowed his head slightly, bending his gaze to meet hers and held out his hands.“Show me what you’ve got, Scavenger.”Rey regarded him like a crazy person, letting out a confused chuckle, “Ha, I thought I was here for you to teach me?”“I am, but I need to see what I have to work with. I saw a little bit of what you were capable of on Jakku, but things got a little…out of hand, pretty quickly. Now it’s just us. No other scavengers. No quarterstaff. Just me and you.”The empress took a deep breath and bounced on the balls of her feet, summoning the fierce confidence she used to possess so long ago. Her eyes hardened, taking a wild swing as she charged him, but Kylo easily dodged her with a single sidestep. Caging his hand around her forearms, he swept her feet out from under her in a single fluid motion, dropping to the ground in a flash. He pulled her with him, flipping her over his head onto the mat while simultaneously rolling with her, landing with his hands on either side of her, both of them panting heatedly. Kylo’s face hovered just a breath away from her own, a curtain of his dark hair brushing softly across her cheek, framing his face in a dark halo and highlighting the heated, dark look in his eye.“Is that all you’ve got?” Kylo pushed himself to stand and held out his hand to pull her back to her feet, “That may have worked on Jakku against the other scavengers, but it’s not enough. Try again.”He squared his shoulders, his eyes sparkling as she came at him again with a roar, shooting her leg out to plant a kick to his chest but Kylo was quicker than her again, circling his fingers around her ankle and hugging the inner curve of her thigh with his palm, using his body weight to flip her over onto the floor once again. Rey’s lungs ached as she tried to catch her breath after it was knocked out of her, her eyes fluttering as the ghost of his hand on her thigh burned into her flesh and pooled deep in her belly. She pulled herself to her feet, small beads of sweat beginning to form on her brow. The room was getting stuffy, fast, and she knew it had nothing to do with their physical activity. Twining her fingers into the hem of her sweater, she pulled it up and over her head, discarding it to the floor with a flick of her wrist. Rey stretched her neck from side to side, casually peeking through her lashes with the tiniest smile at the dumbfounded look on the dark knight’s face. She let out a small giggle, rubbing the back of her neck with a soft sigh before drawing her hands down the length of her bare torso to her hips as she slowly closed the space between them. Trailing her flickering gaze to meet the burning look in Kylo’s eye, she took advantage of his vulnerability, hooking her arm around the back of his neck and in a single fluid motion, used her weight against him to take him by surprise and flip him down to the mat, leaving her breathless between his knees.“Pinned you,” she grinned facetiously as her fingers ached to explore the hard planes of his chest. Kylo let out a strangled chuckle reaching up to cup her cheek with his warm hand with a lopsided smile. Rey learned into his touch, her eyes fluttering shut as the connection between them sang before Kylo hooked his toes around her calves, flipping her back to the mat in a single, elegant motion.“I could do this all day, Princess,” he growled, curling his arm around her ribs to pull her to her feet, “Now I’ve got a pretty good idea of how your fighting style is, now we just need to hone your skills. Your time in the Palace has made you soft, so we will just start with the basics and then expand with those as we move along. We will meet twice a week, clear?”“Perfectly.”Kylo was a surprisingly patient teacher, adjusting her form here and there as she needed, providing gentle guidance as Rey learned her footing. His compassion towards her was evident as he carefully watched her every motion, firmly correcting her and illustrating the moves to her as slowly as she needed until she had a handful of basic forms mastered. Rey’s heart sang as the time ticked by while they remained in the training room together, finding simple joy in each other’s company. In a life where both of them had truly known what it meant to be alone, suddenly, they had each other, making their hearts burn brighter and igniting something deep within their souls. Hours had passed by, and the pair of them were beginning to feel breathlessly fatigued, Rey didn’t know how much longer she would be able to withstand the feeling of Kylo’s body pressed against her own.
Damn your honor and damn your pride. You know you want this. You want him.

Yes, but think of the trouble it will bring you both.
Rey breathed a deep sigh as Kylo stepped up close behind her, pressing the sculpted planes of his broad chest against her shoulders, slowly circling his arm around her shoulders, gently pressing his tree-like muscle around her throat.“I swear, if you bite me, Maker help you.”“Admit it, you’d probably enjoy it,” she giggled as she circled her fingers around his forearm.“That’s not the point, are you ready?”“Let’s do it.”Kylo exerted a firm pressure across her throat, gripping her opposite shoulder firmly with his fingers. Rey quickly reached up behind his neck and fluidly pulled him up and over her shoulder, throwing him on the ground with a heavy thump. Kylo burst into wild peals of laughter, the sight and sound were utterly foreign to her after being always surrounded by his dark demeanor. He reached up for her wrist and pulled her onto his chest in a heap, and Rey was helpless as she joined him in his joyous chorus. Their combined glee was the sound of their souls intertwined together, something that came when they joy of being together overflowed from their smiles into the air. Rey’s laughter died down as she focused her gaze on his honeyed-brown eyes that were burning intensely into hers. Settling her chin against her hands that were gently resting on his broad chest, she smiled softly as she felt her body rise and fall with his steady breathing.She knew that his laughter was a precious gift just for her and a sign of their growing bond. Kylo snaked his arms around her waist, slowly rolling her beneath him. His eyes flickered darkly into hers, tangling his fingers in her hair as he slowly brought his face closer to hers and brushed the tip of his nose against hers.Rey wanted nothing more to kiss him again, over and over again until the stars rose over Galactic City, but she knew in her gut that it wasn’t their time yet. Her heart ached as the temptation washed over her with his body pressed deliciously against hers, knowing that acting on their shared desires would only bring trouble for them both. Breathlessly fluttering her lashes, Rey’s brows pressed into a crease as she reached up to touch her fingers to his achingly soft lips. Kylo blinked rapidly, pulling himself away from her in a flash and rising to pace tense circle around the room, flexing his fingers into a tight fist with a dull crack, the joy of their fleeting moment evaporating in a flash as his shame consumed him. Rey stood swiftly, striding to Kylo’s side in an instant, gently reaching out her fingers to touch his bare forearm as he paced like a wounded animal.“Kylo, stop.”He melted into her touch, slowing his pace to a standstill and closing his eyes to breathe the heaviest sigh, slowly lifting his eyes to look into hers,“I’m sorry, Rey. I feel so ashamed. Apparently, I can’t be trusted around you either,” he shrugged as he grimly pressed his lips into a thin line. Rey brought herself a step closer to him, running her hands up his chest to cup his cheek in her hand, and Kylo leaned into her touch with a soft sigh.“I had fun today, and I’m really looking forward to next time,” she smiled, slowly pulling her fingers from her cheek and striding to pick up her sweater from the floor. Cocking her head to the side to smile at him once more, Rey pulled the garment over her trio of buns, settling it at her hips before making her way to the door. She paused in the doorframe to turn her gaze back to him, offering a small smile and a wave before turning the corner and striding down the hall. *After a much needed hot shower in the ‘fresher, Rey wrapped herself in the fluffiest towel and threw herself on to the best with an exasperated huff. It had taken every ounce of self-control not to give in to the piping hot water that coursed down her bare skin, setting her flesh afire, stoking the embers that her sparring match with Kylo had lit. The thoughts lingered in her mind of his heavy body pressed flush against hers, his delicious smell wafting over her as their breaths mingled together, every part of their bodies whispering for them to push harder, go further, to cross that line. They were both helpless when it came to the tantalizing pull between them, and it seemed like the more they gave in, the stronger the force was that pulled them towards each other like a magnet. They would have to be careful, or they would quickly find themselves in an impossible predicament with nowhere to turn but towards each other.
Would it really be so bad?
Rey sighed and ran a rope of her chestnut hair through her fingers anxiously, biting her lip as she tried to quell the hunger deep inside her. Yes, it would be so bad. They were trapped in the prison that the First Order built, and no matter how strong Kylo was with the Force, as he called it, he was only one man against an army, and Rey refused to spend her life running.
Find that happy thought. Hold onto it. Never let it go.
They’d always have Ahch-to.Rey reluctantly pulled herself from the delectable softness of her bed and ambled her way through the bright white ‘fresher, winding her way down the stairs to her wardrobe. She smiled when she saw the Kai and Rose were already waiting for her to help get her ready for that evening’s gala. The Emperor had decided that they needed to celebrate the return of his lost treasure with an extravagant party with the highest of Corusanti society in attendance. Rey was reluctant to go and mingle with a gaggle of snobs, knowing the whole time that she’d rather be back up in the training room, sparring with her favorite dark knight. She smiled softly to herself as she stepped out of her towel and into the glittering ball gown she had carefully selected for that evening’s festivities. Rose helped pull the yards of fabric up over her waist to her shoulders, carefully fastening the plunging back closed around her ribs. Smiling at herself in the mirror, the Empress ran her hands down the bright, glittering sapphire bodice, tracing her fingers along the sheer black fabric that hugged the curve of her shoulders in an elegant, asymmetrical line. The sweetheart neckline softly followed the curve of her breasts, and the bright blue melted into black at her waist, flaring out into a full skirt that was as light as air with a towering slit up to her thigh. She twisted her hips back and forth, admiring the sparkle that cast a glittering sparkle across the walls around them. This was her favorite gown that she had ever worn, making her feel like she was practically wearing the stars themselves. Kai expertly wove her hair into a thick braid down the center of her head that echoed her signature trio of buns she had worn every day on Jakku and placed a silvered halo of crystal shards on the crown of her head. Rey’s heart swelled as she looked at the final product in the mirror, her eyes swathed in soft silver with a soft pink on her lips. For the first time since she had arrived at the Palace, she felt like she looked like both herself as the scavenger and her role as Empress. A beautiful balance of the two. The Empress wound her way back up the stairs and out the door of her chambers to make her way towards the turbolift. Her brows furrowed in confusion at the bizarre absence of Kylo, who would typically meet her at her door to walk her down to the Great Hall. A sharp pang of dread sunk to the pit of her stomach, thinking of the shame he felt for toeing the line she had set. What if he left to stay away from her? Her heart ached as the idea of being here at the palace alone crossed her mind. She was only just starting to feel like herself again, she couldn’t bear it if he wasn’t here. She fiddled with the small crystal shard that hung in it’s home around her neck, tracing the cool edges of the stone with her finger, relishing the comfort that her prized trinket brought her. Shaking away the feeling, her sense of duty took hold as she lifted her chin proudly, and the veil of the Empress settled over her entire being. The lift slowed with a soft hum, the doors slid open a hiss and Rey stepped out into the hall and made her way elegantly towards the lilting music that called to her from the Great Hall.Rey wound her way through the throng of stately guests as she mingled with senators and dignitaries, regaling them with the tale of how she was snatched by the brutal Guavian Death Gang. The attendees hung on her every word as she told them how Lord Ren swooped in to rescue her just in time, stoking the flames of the stories of his fierceness that were told across the far reaches of the galaxy. Her embarrassment of being in the wrong place at the wrong time lingered in the back of her mind, knowing full well that it was her fault that she was put in the situation in the first place. She quickly began to grow bored as she told the story over and over, skipping the parts of how Kylo tenderly healed her wounds and how they spent the night by the fire in each other’s arms. The crowd around her began to swirl around her as the dancing started, and Rey was once again seized by the same lonely feeling she had felt on the day of her wedding. Her breath became shorter as she looked around the crowd, desperately searching for a single friendly face. She felt her panic building like an unstoppable snowball in the pit of her stomach, her head beginning to spin as the couples spun elegant circles around her. The empress was pulled suddenly from her mind when a throat cleared loudly behind her. She turned on her heel and came face to face with her dark knight as a warm feeling of relief spread from her chest to the tips of her toes. Surprising her, yet again, her gaze raked over him in awe of the dark prince who stood before her. Still dressed from head to toe in black, his clothing was more regal than she’d ever seen him wear before. A velvet jacket hugged the sharp corners of his broad shoulders, framing his dark shirt that had a deep v cut into it, revealing the curve of his collar bones that she suddenly felt the need to trace her fingers across. He gave a deep bow that she returned with an exquisite curtsy, her face splitting into a glorious smile. He was here, and suddenly everything in the world felt right.“My dear Empress, may I have the honor of this dance?”Rey tilted her head to the side to regard him with a small smile and a twinkle in her eye.“Are you sure we should? Remember what happened when we danced earlier?” Rey giggled softly and tossed him the quickest wink, “Yes, I’d love to.”Kylo snaked his arm around her waist, pressing his warm fingers against her bare back, sending a delightful shiver down to her toes. Rey reached up to place her hand on his arm, smiling to herself as her fingers traced the black pleats that lined his sleeves, echoing his daily worn tunic. It seemed that both of them were more elegant versions of themselves tonight. The dark prince pulled her to his chest with a soft growl and began to move them effortlessly across the floor. The slow music twirled around them like a thread, weaving in and out in a lilting melody as they regally circled the floor. She let him spin her in circles, laughing together as her gown billowed out behind her in twinkling, gossamer waves, sending beams of glittering light bouncing across the walls of the great hall. Rey lost herself to the music, entranced in the warm feeling of his hand against her back, lost in his eyes as gravity melted away. At that moment, her life felt like perfection, and she could stay there, nestled firmly in his arms for the rest of forever if she could. She blinked up at him as he beamed down at her. Breathing a happy sigh, she glanced around the room and stifled a gasp as she saw the hundreds of eyes trained on them.“They’re all looking at you,” she murmured softly, looking back up to his aristocratic features, the picture of royalty. She could stay lost in his eyes and amongst the constellation of beauty marks that scattered his face. Kylo smiled down at her and leaned down rumble in her ear, his hot breath warming her flesh in the most heavenly way,“Believe me, they’re looking at you. Rey, you look so beautiful tonight, I could hardly breathe when I laid eyes on you,” he pulled his mouth away from her to bring his gaze back to her face but couldn’t help but let his eyes rove over the resplendent woman that he held in his arms. He would count every freckle if he had the time and smiled as he saw that her attendants had painted them gold for the evening’s festivities. Kylo dragged his gaze across her golden freckled skin along her shoulders, wishing that he could bury his face there to plant a trail of hot kisses across every sun-kissed mark that graced her fair skin. His eye drew further down to the center of her throat and let out a strangled gasp as he saw a trinket that felt eerily familiar to him.“Where did you get that charm?”“I don’t know where it came from. I’ve had it for as long as I can remember. It’s the only piece of my past that I have left,” Rey’s face melted into a wistful smile with a soft sigh as Kylo was seized with a flash of panic, memories of a little girl echoing through his mind in sharp bursts. He stopped their dance abruptly, scrubbing his large hands through his hair, painfully murmuring his apologizes as he tore himself away and into the shadows.Rey stood shellshocked and alone in the center of the crowd that continued to spin around her, confused and hurt by his sudden departure. Things had been going so well, what had happened to make him change his mind so suddenly? She milled her way around the edge of the room, desperately trying to avoid any more contact with her guests, not in the mood to tell the story of her kidnapping to any more strangers. Inhaling sharply, Rey curled her fingers into tight fists as she frustratedly tried to think of what caused Kylo to leave. Was it something she did? Was it something she said?Rey let out a squeak as a hand reached out from behind a dark curtain, pulled her in, and pressed her against a wall in the shadows. Kylo hovered over her, a wild hunger burning in his eyes. His gaze darted over her face before furiously devouring her mouth with his own, kissing her with a smoldering ferociousness that consumed her, igniting a burning flame that pooled deep in her belly. She tangled her fingers in his soft hair as their shared passion consumed them, unable to resist the call of their connection any longer. They were going to feed the beast and would pay whatever price it would cost them. Kylo pressed his body against hers, reaching down to draw his hot hands up the silken flesh of her thigh, lifting her easily off the ground and slamming her lasciviously into the dark wall. They devoured each other with a fury, lost in the entanglement of their intermingled breaths, and a delicious clash of tongues and teeth. Kylo’s mouth began to wander, laying a trail of smoldering kisses along the edge of her throat. Rey’s fingers dug into the softness of his jacket, overwhelmed by the need to be closer to him. She let out a soft moan, and his tongue languorously paved across the expanse of her collar bones and up to her opposite ear. He circled the tip of his tongue across the soft lobe, tracing the soft flesh of her ear with the tip of his tongue with a hungry growl, “Stardust.”Rey pulled away abruptly, seized by a sudden panic that ripped her from their heated tryst, gasping desperately for air as she struggled to catch her breath.“W-w-what? How?” Kylo set her back down of her feet as she pressed her fingers to her temple in panicked confusion. Her eyes darted over his face and into the shadows around them as her ambiguous fear consumed her,“I…I’m sorry…I can’t…”In a flurry of inky blue fabric, Rey turned on her heel and darted away, leaving Kylo befuddled and alone in the darkness. *Rey awoke the next morning with a fuzzy head and a heavy pit in her stomach. Her mind was a cloud of swirling thoughts as she tried to wrap her head around the events from the evening before. She had found herself lost in the moment with Kylo so easily, she could have stayed in his arms forever, but when he had murmured that name, a distressing jolt rattled through her mind, leaving her breathlessly reeling. The dark knight was bewildered when she pushed him away as if he didn’t even realize the word had come out of his mouth. Rey couldn’t wrap her mind around it, but it had felt eerily familiar - like she had known the name in another life but just couldn’t quite place it. It had only been faint echoes in her dreams before, and hearing it tumble effortlessly from Kylo’s lips left her feeling lightheaded and fuzzy. Her heart ached as she ran away from him, but she was desperate to feel the cool night air caress her face to clear her mind.After she darted away from the gala, the Empress tore her way down the hall, her inky blue gown billowing behind her in gently floating gossamer waves as she made her way to the lift. Struggling to steady her breath as the turbolift inched its way up the many levels of the Palace, Rey stumbled out as the doors slid open on her floor, running down the length of the hall as fast as her feet would carry her. Dashing inside the door of her chambers, she haphazardly tore at the glittering bodice with her fingers, pulling the gown from her body to leave it in a sparkling heap on the floor. Rey strode to her bed and heaved the plush comforter from the surface, wrapping it around her like a cocoon. Breathing a heavy sigh, the Empress wandered out onto her balcony, tossing herself into the lavish armchair and tucking her feet under her hips. She deeply inhaled the cold night air, letting the frigid breeze caress her face. It slowly calmed her nerves and brought her back down to the surface from where she had spent a better part of the evening floating about in Kylo’s arms. Feeling infinitely more relaxed, Rey enjoyed a warm bath before tucking herself into bed, curling up in the luxurious covers to drift to sleep as her emotional exhaustion overwhelmed her. The heavy feeling plagued her once more when she woke, and she decided that what she needed was a heavy dose of fresh air to clear her head. She bounded down the stairs to her wardrobe, quickly selecting a golden yellow gown from her the new colorful collection of dresses she had handpicked herself. Rey lifted the gown up and over her hips, pulling the gossamer sleeves to rest below her shoulders and trail down in sheers ribbons to the floor. Running her hands carefully over the delicate beadwork, she admired each line that the dressmaker had made, the beading elegantly framing the edge of her shoulders, curving down her hips and splaying out gracefully down past her hips in glittering flourishes. Rifling through the multitude of drawers, Rey pulled a pair of starburst cuffs to hug her wrists, tying in perfectly with her new favorite gown. She dusted her eyelids with the palest gold, swiped a soft pink across her lips, and twisted her chestnut hair into a delicate knot at the nape of her neck, smiling at the girl in the reflection with a thrill as she inspected her handiwork. She strode up the stairs, twisting the long, silky sheer fabric of her sleeve anxiously in her hands as she made her way out into the hall and down to the turbolift. Staring down at her toes, she was overwhelmed by a jittery feeling as her thoughts continued to linger on the distressing moment from the night before - when Kylo had murmured that name under his breath, but it melted away as soon as the doors opened. She felt him before she saw him, lifting her eyes in a flash to meet his. Kylo’s face was guarded with a quiet uneasiness before he lifted his eyes to meet hers, and it split into the sweetest smile with just a touch of shyness that sent an unexpected warmth rushing straight through her heart that she couldn’t help but meet it with her own. Every bad feeling from the night before melted away, leaving only she and him alone in the quiet hallway. Kylo lifted his palm and stretched his hand out to her.“Going up or down, Empress?”“Down, please. I was going to take in some air,” Rey grinned happily at him, sliding her fingers into his waiting hand and striding into the lift, “Would you like to join me?”“I doubt that fresh air would do me any good this late in the game, but I would gladly keep you company, I’d just like to make an unplanned stop first if that’s alright with you?”Rey cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes, suspiciously, “An unplanned stop? And where might that be? I’m not dressed for another sparring session…”Kylo grinned down at her facetiously and tossed her a quick wink, spurring on her curiosity.“It’s a surprise, Highness.”“Hmph. Well, you certainly have my attention, Lord Ren,” she playfully sniffed, lifting her nose into the air haughtily and snaking her hand through the crook of his arm, pulling him flush against her side, “I shall accompany you wherever you deem worthy to show your Empress.”Kylo stiffened under her coy touch, pulling away from her to hold her at arm’s length.“Rey, listen,” he nervously scrubbed his hands down his face, “About last night…I crossed that line I promised you that I’d help keep us from going over. I’m sorry.”Rey took a solid step forward, pressing her palm against the hard planes of his chest and peering up at him through her thick lashes,“Kylo, stop. You didn’t do anything that I wasn’t thinking of myself, and it was bound to happen eventually. Now that we know what triggers it, maybe we can work together to keep a little bit of extra distance between us? …not that I want any distance between us…it’s just…it’s not safe for us. I think that if we had known each other in another time, or another life, that things could be different. We both have a duty and promises to keep, maybe it would be best for us to just be…I don’t know…friends? I don’t want to be away from you, but I also…you know…like you enough that I want to keep you…safe.”“Friends,” Kylo stretched the word as if he was regarding every single letter carefully as it rolled off his tongue, pressing his lips into a thin line as he looked down at her thoughtfully, “I think I can handle that. We will have to dial down the sparring a little and definitely no more dancing.”He cupped his hand against her cheek and traced soft circles against her golden skin, his eyes softening as he gazed into hers, “You know, the feeling is mutual…wanting to keep you safe. I promise you that as long as I am able to, I will try my hardest to honor that.” Rey circled her fingers around his, pulling his hand from her flesh to press a soft kiss into his palm. She turned his large hand over in her gentle grasp, tracing her fingers softly over the scars that marred his calloused skin. Lifting her gaze to him, she smiled softly when she found that his had never left hers for a single moment.“I know.”The turbolift came to a halt with a soft hum, and the pair of them strode out, the steps effortlessly synchronized together as they made their way down the hall. Rey’s heart hummed happily as she smiled up at her dark knight, her friend, happy to know that she wasn’t alone. Kylo looked down at her quizzically with a concealed smiled, tugging her abruptly to a sudden stop. “What are you smiling about?” Rey shrugged nonchalantly, giving him a coy smile as she chewed on her lip in joyous anticipation, “No one’s ever given me a surprise before.”“Never?”“Mm-mmm…”Kylo smiled fondly down at her, the serious, brooding knight momentarily vanishing before her eyes as she felt his nervous excitement radiate off of him.“I’m pleased that you’re excited because we're here,” he flicked his eyes to the doorway that they had stopped in front of. Rey’s eyes widened excitedly, kicking herself that she had been so distracted by his presence that she hadn’t noticed where they were going.Gleaming before them was the ornately carved door of the mystery room that had intrigued Rey from the moment that she had stepped foot in the palace. She had yearned to find out what was inside but was continuously dismissed by those around her, especially her husband, who informed her that the room contained nothing of consequence. That didn’t stop Rey from returning to the elegantly carved door, tracing her fingers across the cool durasteel, imaging what was inside. The Empress’s breath caught in her throat as her heart rate accelerated in excitement, her eyes darting up to Kylo in a flash, “Really??”The corners of his eyes crinkled happily as he gave her a soft nod, “Close your eyes.”Rey looked at him quizzically, softly biting her lip as she breathed a soft sigh, slowly fluttering her eyes closed as he had instructed. She smiled to herself as she felt Kylo twine his fingers with hers and heard the exhilarating click of a lock and the soft creak of a door. Putting her trust in him, she allowed Kylo to lead her blindly into the mysterious room in small, sure steps. Turning her head towards the sound, the door creaked again and latched behind her as Kylo continued to lead her down a passageway. Rey felt the ground beneath her feet transform from the smooth floors that matched those around the rest of the palace to something coarser that crunched and shifted with her every step. Kylo slowed their steps, moving his grasp to her waist as they came to a stop. Suddenly, Rey was flooded with an overwhelming sensation like her senses had come alive. “Are you ready?”“Mmmm…”“Okay…open your eyes.”Rey let out a soft gasp and shiver went coursing down her entire body as she lifted her eyes to the glorious sight around her. Blanketed in more shades of green than whiskers on a Loth-cat, the cavernous room was filled to the brim with thousands of species of plants and trees that covered every surface. She craned her eyes to the ceiling that towered at least seven stories above their heads, taking her breath away as her eyes were drawn to a magnificent waterfall at the epicenter of the space. They stood hand in hand on a dirt-covered platform at the center of the room where a handful of dirt paths jotted out in different directions, leading to darkened corners filled with exotic flowers and plants from other worlds. Above them, a breathtaking night sky showered them in brilliant starlight, even in the height of the Coruscant morning hours.Eyes wide, Rey tried to take in every detail, from the creek that ran under their feet to the bridge that crossed in front of the glorious stream of water that flowed from Maker knew where. It would take her ages to explore every corner, and she couldn’t wait to do it. Kylo gave her a gentle squeeze as he watched Rey become overwhelmed with emotion.“W…what is this place? I didn’t know there was this much green in the whole galaxy,” she breathlessly murmured as her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “This is The Room of a Thousand Fountains. It was built thousands of years ago when the ancient Jedi built this temple. This place was home to Jedi Masters and Padawans alike, this is where they lived and trained long before the rise of the Empire. It was only then that it was converted into a Palace. It had been destroyed after The Clone Wars by the Emperor, but after the Galactic Civil War, Anakin Skywalker had it rebuilt. It’s flourished since then, hidden away after the Skywalkers died out many years ago,” he murmured, his voice tinged with sadness, “I’ve wanted to show it to you for so long. I…I thought that if anyone could appreciate it properly, it would be the girl from the desert.”“Kylo…I….I don’t know what to say. This is the most beautiful thing I’ve seen… ever.”Kylo gazed down at her with a warm, content feeling in his heart, blinking softly in the artificial starlight,“Yes, the most beautiful thing…”He stood in awe of her as she practically glowed from within, blinding him with her light that stoked his own fledgling flame,“The Jedi used this room to meditate and to train. I….I figured it could be a place for you to come to feel like yourself. We….we could meet here if you wanted and it would be ours…a secret, I suppose. A place just for you...for us…if that’s what you wanted.”Rey turned to face him, pulling herself closer in the majestic sea of green, the shimmer of unshed tears in her eyes. Reaching up, she pulled a ribbon of his inky hair through her fingers and softly traced her finger down the length of the scar that bisected his cheek.“Yes. A place for us. I would like that very much,” she smiled softly, her emotions overflowing as her tears began to fall, tracing a delicate path down her cheek. Leaning into him, she snaked her arms around his torso, pulling them together and nestled her cheek against the broad planes of his chest. They held each other as the time ticked by into infinity. Kylo pressed his nose into her hair as she cried in his arms. He didn’t mean to cause her tears, but he was glad to know that they were tears of overwhelming joy. In the magical light that reflected off the water, she felt soft and warm in his embrace, and Kylo wished he could stretch out time so that he could hold her that much longer. With his arms wrapped around her, a peace he had never known before washed over him, dampening the darkness within him that he tried so hard to fight. Ever since he came face to face with his uncle in the temple on Ahch-to, his soul felt like it was splitting apart as his former self clawed his way to the surface and Rey was the anchor to his conflicted soul, the light to his darkness, a splendid blaze of stardust in his otherwise darkened night sky. Together they were light and dark…a balance.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rey anxiously peered out the transparisteel window of the speeder as it barreled through the flurry of late-night Coruscant speeder traffic. She fiddled with the black lace ribbon that covered her eyes to conceal her identity, praying to the Gods that this would work.Her husband was still away on the Supremacy for Maker only knew how much longer, and the Empress was determined to take advantage of her time without him. She had spent the last few weeks happily sparring with Kylo in the training room twice a week like he had instructed. Quickly grasping the basics of hand to hand combat, they quickly moved on to the use of practice weapons. It was a smart move on their part, the weapons providing a bit of distance between the pair to help quell the hunger that burned equally within both of them. Since their first lesson, they’d both tried desperately to cling to the line that Rey had set forth. She had spent much of her free time wandering the endless sea of green in The Room of a Thousand Fountains, finding fresh corners to explore and new species of plants to discover each time she ventured inside. The room provided a tranquil escape from her day to day duties as empress. It was a perfect place to think or to be alone, or to have quiet conversations with her friend, the Dark Knight. He had suggested that they try and escape the palace for a short time. She was apprehensive of the idea at first, insisting that Vania Flast would never allow her to leave on her own without an entire battalion to accompany her. An official outing was bound to gain her a mob of significant figures to mingle with that were desperate to gain favor with the Emperor. Being Empress was her life now, and she knew she’d never be able to show her face in the Upper Levels without someone recognizing her face.“Why should we go as ourselves, then? Let’s pretend to be one of these stuffy well-to-do people and blend in with the crowd? I’ll be there, so you’ll be safe, and I’m no stranger to wearing a mask…”She had given him a small laugh and a shrug, thinking that the plan wouldn’t ever come to fruition. To her surprise, she found herself in the speeder that night, jetting off towards their secret adventure. As the speeder flew to her destination, Rey fiddled with the buttons on the wrist of her black gloves that rose elegantly past her elbows. Anxiously smoothing the silken emerald fabric of her gown that clung to her thighs, she nervously bounced her knees in anticipation of reaching their rendezvous. The craft began to slow, and she watched out the viewport as the driver gingerly brought the ship down onto a long, sweeping landing pad. Throngs of handsomely dressed people milled about on the lavish red carpet that led into the dome-shaped building of The Galaxies opera house. The bright lights of the Coruscant skylines twinkled and glimmered as she stepped out of the speeder, placing her gloved hand into the waiting palm of her companion. Letting out a soft gasp, she beheld the regal man in front of her. Her eyes drifted from his toes up to his eyes that were burning into her. He wore his usual black, his shoulders shaped by a finely tailored black jacket that framed a black undershirt that was cut into a deep v, revealing the hard planes of his muscular chest that suddenly made her mouth run dry. She drew her eyes up to his face, taking in the simple detail of his black mask. It had sculpted, strong brows, not unlike his own, framed with delicate bands of silver that echoed the helm that he was so well known for. Soft wisps of his raven hair swept past his ears and caressed the skin of his neck and jaw, framing his beautiful, soft brown eyes. Those honeyed eyes that were framed by his dark lashes that always seemed to bore into hers. Every time she looked into them, she nearly lost herself. Those eyes that made her feel beautiful, strong, and weak all at once, leaving her longing to push past the line in the sand that she had drawn in order to protect them. The embers in his eyes smoldered, his emotions dancing like fire as he returned her longing gaze.That night, she had tried to expand outside of the realms of her usual wardrobe to find something that was neither herself nor the Empress persona she wore so well. Rey had finally settled on the green gown whose creamy fabric melted down her every curve like she had been poured into it. Thin straps hugged her shoulders, crossing over her collar bones in delicate lines to form the sensuous bands of fabric that covered her from the top of her ribs to her waist, leaving a deep v down the center. The gown accentuated every slight curve of her coltish body, flaring out gracefully from the base of her hips to the floor. She had been worried that the dress would leave too much of her exposed, with the alluring design of the bodice, to her completely exposed back. Rey gave him a weak smile and anxiously ran her black gloves down her shimmering emerald gown, chewing on her red-painted lip, reaching out to snake her arm through the crook of his elbow. They walked arm and arm, making their way through the magnificent open arches that made up the entrance to the great hall. Striding across the plush, crimson carpet, they followed the flow of the crowd up a sweeping staircase. Kylo leaned down to brush the nose of his black mask against her ear.“You are breathtaking tonight, Empress.”“Shh, someone will hear you. Call me Kira.”“Ha, if you say so, Kira,” the name rolled effortlessly off his tongue as he savored the flavor of it as each letter passed his lips, “If you’re Kira, then you call me...”“Kylo Ren?”The pair stopped dead in their tracks, turning slowly to meet the gaze of the portly, mustachioed Besalisk who was waving two his four arms to catch their attention. The creature’s greenish skin of his bloated wattle jiggled with excitement as he waved them over. Rey’s heart was threatening to burst as it hammered in her chest, feeling Kylo instantly stiffen underneath her grasp. He brushed his hand over her knuckles to give her hand a soft squeeze as she felt a warm surge of comfort wash over her,“Excuse me?”“Your mask, you modeled it after Kylo Ren, didn’t you? Wise choice, my boy, it goes well with your companion’s choice of dress, although you aren’t nearly tall enough to pass as him, I’m sorry to say.”Kylo let out a sharp guffaw, and an instant sense of relief spread down to her toes,“Oh, I am deeply sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you,” the humanoid ran his four-fingered hand over his bony head crest in embarrassment, trailing his hand down his broad, pudgy lips as he thought hopelessly for a way to recover from his accidental insult, “I hope you both have a lovely evening. I heard that Yesdian Hoolov is the most enchanting songstress that they’ve hosted at the Galaxies since Elara Dinsne was here so many years ago. What a loss to us all, to have her leave during her prime.”“No offense taken, I appreciate the compliment. I would hate to be mistaken for Lord Ren, so I will take care to select my costume more carefully next time. You have a pleasant evening as well, kind sir,” Kylo gave him a diplomatic smile and a nod before steering Rey away and towards the hall leading towards their private box. Kylo twined his bare fingers with Rey’s black-gloved ones as he guided them into the darkness of their secluded viewing area, tucked far enough away from the rest of the audience. He gently lea her to a wide, dark love seat for them to share. They settled themselves at either end of the plush cushions, Rey’s eyes glittering in excitement as her gaze darted towards his, reaching across the space between them to tangle her fingers in his.“I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’ve brought me here. I feel this…this pull towards music and to have the chance to hear it here…I…I can’t tell you how much it means to me. Thank you.”Kylo opened his mouth to speak, to tell her that it was and always would be for her. Part of him felt selfish, knowing how badly he wanted to experience the joy he felt in his heart to see her smile. He would take her to every magical place across the entire galaxy if it meant seeing her face light up the way it did now as the lights dimmed. The mingling voices of the audience members slowly died down to a quiet din. Softly smiling to himself, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her as she scooted to the edge of her seat, eyes wide in anticipation as a single spotlight shone onto the stage as it lifted to the center of the auditorium. Music filled the air without effort, drawing their attention the singer who took center stage, dressed in a molten silver gown that sent beams of light radiating around the massive hall. She appeared to be part Theelin, with fair soft purple tones that shone against the bright lights of the stage. Her skin accentuated the colorful spots that covered her neck and shoulders and incandescent pink hair that was twisted into an elaborate updo that framed the trio of narrow horns that protruded from each of her temples. Kylo had heard stories of the Theelin Divas and how they were renowned for being of the most exceptional musical talent in the entire galaxy. What an honor it was for them to behold an individual from such a storied background. The melody rushed in, and around every audience member, each individual equally entranced as the woman began to sing. Her voice soared through the air effortlessly, taking with it the very souls of the listening audience. They ascended together in a bewitching flight to the stars above as the Diva serenaded them with a lilting harmony and melody intertwined together in orchestral grandeur. Together on a shared journey that held them spellbound, every note flittered around them, but Kylo couldn’t take his eyes off of his resplendent scavenger girl. He stared at her in awe, wondering how one single person could have such an effect on him. Rey leaned forward in her seat, her eyes wide in open-mouthed wonder. The rise and fall of her chest quickened with every note that gracefully erupted from the Diva. Curious of what she was feeling, Kylo reached out gently through the Force to brush up against her beamingly bright signature. It took only a moment for the feeling to sink in, even though it was all over her face, right before his eyes. She blinked back shining tears as the music overwhelmed her completely, reaching out to squeeze Kylo’s hand in a bruising grip as she was flooded with a sudden wave of panicked confusion. Lifting her tear-filled eyes, she let out a soft sob,“The music…oh Gods, my head. What’s happening to me?”In a single fluid motion, Kylo encircled his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap, tracing his fingers through her hair as the dam within her burst, and she cried softly into his shoulder.“Kylo, the music feels so…so familiar to me…l-like I had heard a voice like that in a dream. I…I don’t understand what’s happening to me… it felt like a flood, first joy, and then I suddenly felt so much pain and sadness. It’s like I’m mourning someone I never knew,” she gripped the velvety fabric of his jacket, mournful sobs racking her body as the lilting melody continued to wash over them in delicate waves. Kylo nuzzled the soft skin behind her ear, deeply breathing in the sweet, floral scent of her chestnut hair. She sunk into him and his heart aching to fix the pain she was in. It wasn’t an enemy to be vanquished, or a wound that could be healed and Kylo felt helpless as he held her firmly in his arms,“C’mon, let’s get you home.”Cradling her gently, Kylo tucked an arm under her knees and circled the other under her shoulders. He pulled her close to his chest as he stood, quickly sweeping out of their private box. He carefully strode down the red velvet steps of the opera house, making his way to the landing platform to their waiting speeder. Ducking inside the open door, he settled himself against the seat, holding Rey ever closer to his chest as her sobs slowed.The speeder gently lifted them into the air as Kylo hugged her body close, tracing soft lines against the bare skin on the small of her back with his fingers and whispering quiet affirmations in her ear.“You’re not alone.” Rey’s breathing began to calm, snaking her hand under the deep neckline of his shirt, warm and soft against the hard planes of his chest. Their bodies molded together in the darkness of the back of the speeder. Their body heat intertwined together like the beating of their hearts. She sniffed sorrowfully into his chest and let out a deep sigh.“Better?” Kylo rumbled into her hair.Rey gave a soft nod, her eyes slowly slipping closed in the close comfort of his arms. Kylo smiled softly into her hair and continued his ministrations with his fingers, tracing delicate lines across her golden skin until the speeder touched down at the foot of the Palace.He held her close to his heart, and he lifted them together out onto the landing pad, striding slowly up the grand staircase. Rey remained peacefully asleep in his arms as he walked through the silent halls to the turbolift. Kylo silently thanked the Gods that it was a late enough hour that there wasn’t any extra staff milling about to see them and raise unwanted suspicions.Once they had reached her floor, Kylo shouldered his way through the doorframe and into her chambers, his heart rate suddenly increasing as he realized he had never been inside her room. He lovingly laid her sleeping form atop the satin covers and made quick work of removing her shoes, placing them side by side on the floor next to her bed. Grasping one of the fingers of her black glove between his own, Kylo cautiously drew it from her hand. He leisurely planted a trail of soft kisses over every inch of her newly exposed skin as Rey released a quiet hum into the air around them. He carried his breathless adoration to her other arm, gently tugging her remaining glove down her arm, laying the same path of featherlight kisses along her flesh until a curious mark on her wrist drew his attention away. He cocked his head to the side with a soft smile as he inspected the shape of the freckles that adorned the golden flesh inside her arm, tracing his finger across the constellation he found there. The dark knight’s brows pressed together as his smile melted away as his mind surged with a startling realization.
A map of the stars. Proof that she’d always have a way to find him.
Kylo dropped her wrist to the bed as he stumbled away from her with a jolt. Could it be? No. She was gone with the rest of them, lost forever ago in another life. His eyes wild, he stood bewildered before her sleeping, unknowing form as his brain scrambled to make sense of it all. The memories of her came flooding back in savage flashes. The sound of her infectious laughter. The smell of the jungle as the damp air seeped into their skin. Her star dusted hazel eyes wide with wonderment as she harnessed the Force with her fingertips outstretched for the first time. Him squeezing her tiny form to his chest as he overflowed with enormous pride.
Fear. Pain. Fire. His mother’s face.

I will find you, I swear.

I don’t care how long it takes.

No matter how far.

For forever.

Your time is coming soon. Come to me, and you will finally feel like you belong.
The pain of the rush of memories ran through him like a scorching flood, and he was left reeling. She was here. His Stardust. Kylo breathlessly sat next to her on the bed, the mattress bending under his weight. With trembling hands, he reached up and pulled the lace ribbon from her eyes. He pressed his mouth into a thin line as his chin shook with unshed tears. It was her. There was no doubt about it. He saw it in the curve of her face and the soft upturn of her mouth. Kylo gingerly laced his fingers around her arm, lifting the constellation of freckles on her wrist to his mouth to press a soft kiss against her flesh. Reluctantly tearing himself from her side, he knew she was safe for the time being. There was someplace he desperately had to see and answers he needed to find. *Squinting against the shadow his hand cast upon his face, Kylo took in the worn shape of the fallen AT-AT from the foot of the ramp of his Upsilon-Class command shuttle. The last time he was here, he never wanted or expected to return back to Jakku. His skin prickled unpleasantly under his black armbands and tunic, already feeling the unwanted effects of the blistering heat. Heart aching, he plodded through the sand that shifted under his heavy boots, wondering if a new scavenger had taken up residence inside since he had been here last. Closing the final steps between him and the walker, Kylo braced his palms against the fabric-covered hatch in the belly, taking a steadying, deep breath. He ducked down into the low entry, pausing to let his brown eyes adjust to the murky light inside. He hadn’t ventured inside the walker when he had come to fetch his scavenger girl so long ago. He’d assumed that as soon as she left, another scavenger would have made use of the space, but the sand-covered surfaces inside led him to believe that it had remained empty since her departure. Touches of her were everywhere. From the way she had cleverly made good use of any piece of junk she had come across, fiddling with the parts until it made something new, to the tiny, homemade starfighter pilot doll that was tucked lovingly onto a shelf. Tracing his fingers through the sand that had blown in through the belly of the walker for the last year, Kylo took in every corner as his mind drifted back to her face, guilt swarming over him with each second he lingered inside.He followed his feet to a large wall, lifting his eyes with a strangled gasp. Nearly every inch of the durasteel hull was covered with short hash marks. Raising his hand to trace his fingers across the scores, he was racked with a breathless sob as he realized that every line was a day that she had been here, alone. His eyes began to blur as he tried to count them all, not sure if it was because of his tears or the sheer number of them that caused his sight to strain. Why didn’t he see it was her from the start? How could he not tell? Suddenly, the intoxicating pull between them became inescapably clear. The Force had been tugging at them from the very moment he set foot on the same planet as her, drawing them to each other even then. It had known, so why hadn’t he?Kylo’s eyes flickered closed, releasing a stream of searing tears down the length of his scar that smattered softly in the sand at his feet. His mind was instantly drawn back to their life together as children, so long ago in the shadow of the Great Temple that was hidden deep in the jungles of Yavin IV. The little girl’s softly freckled face and wide grin came back to him in an instant, as clear as if he was a young boy again, traipsing after her as she tumbled through the endless green of the jungle floor.His chin trembled, and his legs felt weak as his fingertips lingered on the marks she had left behind as guilt and grief consumed him. He had promised that he would protect her, that he would find her and cross the galaxy to do so. Snoke had brutally pried his claws into Kylo’s mind, ripping apart every happy memory he had ever had, replacing them with rage to tear away his light to fuel the dark. Kylo reached out for something, anything around him to hang onto as his body began to shake. His sobs were soft at first as he tried to quell the anguish coursing through him before he was overcome. Turning his back to scars of her lonely childhood, he slid down the wall to cradle his head in his palms. Kylo recalled how his body jarred with each blow, how the pain from Snoke’s assault on his mind seared through to the tips of his fingers, taking away every feeling of happiness and joy he ever had. He still felt the faint echos of the memories that had been ripped away, poisoned, and tarnished by Snoke’s twisted plan. Amidst the blur of his past, the memory of her was breathtakingly vivid in his mind as he remembered how he had tucked her safely away in the furthest reaches of his mind. He had locked the thought of her up so securely to keep her from Snoke that as the darkness overtook him, there came a day when she was lost to him too. He had failed her. He had failed her, and he had failed himself. He should have tried harder, fought more valiantly to combat the voice that had lived inside his mind from when he was a little boy. Maybe all this could have been avoided, and he could have been with her like he had promised - but he didn’t.Somehow, through everything that had happened, Rey had grown up without him into a fierce young woman. Kylo’s heart swelled with pride as he remembered the moment he was pulled to her so long ago at Niima Outpost. She had fought with everything she had against the those who attacked her without warning, throwing solid punches and kicks until only the sheer number of them overwhelmed her. Since then, in their weekly sparring lessons, he had proudly watched her blossom under his tutelage, effortlessly honing her skills. Kylo knew that if the same scavengers met her today, they didn’t stand a chance against her. He pressed his lips into a thin line with a soft laugh, fondly thinking back to how she verbally sparred with him after he had saved her skin. Looking back now with the full knowledge of who she was, there was no doubt that she was still the same feisty, stubborn, pain in the neck little girl that she had been when he had known her in that other life. Despite his absence and her lost memories, she never stopped being who she was at her core. After all this time, she never gave up. She found a way to survive when all the odds were stacked against her.Kylo let out a soft gasp as he recalled the reoccurring dream she had told him about over and over again. In her vision, they were both grown, he was dark, and the pair of them didn’t know who they were to each other. She had known, in her own way, what was going to happen. So much time had gone by, the heavy remorse he felt stewing in his thoughts pummeled through him as he brought his shaking hand into a tight fist.What had been done couldn’t be undone. He couldn’t take back the things he had done or bring back the brothers that he had killed. All in the name of Snoke and his never-ending quest to fill the galaxy with darkness. Bowing his head between his knees, he centered himself within the Force and focused his thoughts on the dim flicker of his own light deep inside. It had all been extinguished so long ago, and she had rekindled it. Kylo wistfully smiled to himself as he pictured the freckle-faced little girl sitting between his knees, fanning her small hands out in front of their eyes to declare,
“Ben and Stardust, Guardians of the Light!”
Perhaps she had been the guardian of his all this time, even if neither of them was aware of it. He had known from the first time he saw her here on Jakku that the Force had a plan for them even if he didn’t know what it was yet. Kylo could feel the ghost of his former self tearing his way up through the darkness, but he couldn’t believe that he would ever be free of it. Snoke had wanted him because he was a child of both the Light and the Darkness. Shadows that followed him as he grew up until Snoke had stoked them into such a blinding fury that everything else had been snuffed out. It was a part of him, he just needed to find balance.Kylo lifted his eyes suddenly as he was struck by the thought. Balance. Perhaps that’s what the Force wanted from them, to be guardians of both the light and the dark, to harness the space between. There was no dark or light, there was the two of them with the potential to achieve it. Bringing himself to his feet, he turned to solemnly brush his fingers over the markings on the wall once more, whispering a silent goodbye to the little girl who had stretched on her toes to scratch a line into the wall for each day she remained on the dusty planet. It was time for him to go, he had already been gone from her for too long, and he had years of lost time to make up for. Now that he had found her, he wouldn’t stop until she was safe. Safe from Hux and the Order.He would trust in the Force, and the Force would set them free. *Rey had woken the morning after their visit to the Galaxies opera house alone in her bed, still dressed in her peridot colored gown. After going about her normal routine, washing, and dressing like usual, she found a note on her breakfast tray. She had snatched it up with a smile, holding it to her heart. The secret notes had become a pattern of his that Rey cherished, her face splitting into a dazzling smile as her eyes roved over the delicately swirling script.
I’ll be back soon.
Disappointed by his sudden disappearance, probably called away for an important task for The Order, Rey spent her time wistfully wandering around the Palace. She traced her footsteps down hallways that she had roamed a thousand times before, tracing her fingers along the gilded walls until she found herself in their training room. Her fingers danced across the training weapons hung along the wall, stopping to circle them firmly around the center of a quarterstaff. Lifting it from its post, she looked up the length of the staff with a soft smile that crinkled in the corners of her eyes. Rey toed off her ridiculously high shoes, leaving them in a heap by the edge of the wall and strode to the center of the training room. Capturing the edge of her steel blue gown, she flung the skirt out to her side with a flick of her wrist, the fabric fluttering in gossamer waves down the floor. She hadn’t planned on training today and hoped that she’d be able to move in her dress. The fabric was light, and the cut of the garment left her a fair amount of freedom of movement. Sheer ribbons crisscrossed across her collar bones and behind her neck, connecting to the bodice on the front in an elegant X on her chest. Delicate beadwork graced the panels of her torso down past her hips on the skirt, framing the open panel on her abdomen where her golden flesh peeked through from her bust down to her waist. The airy fabric of her dress draped down to her feet in graceful waves with a deep slit that traveled the length of her upper thigh down to the floor. Rey lunged forward, thankful the slit in her in gown provided her some more flexibility, thrusting the staff towards an invisible foe in front of her. With a smile, she gave the staff a wide swing and another thrust before pulling it back to her chest. She lowered it, bringing it to rest behind her back, taking a deep breath before her next move. Crossing her body, Rey brought the quarterstaff up over her head with a twirl, spinning her body in the process and surging forward as she came back around. Rey continued to twirl and spin the staff around until her skin began to take on a glossy shine, and her chestnut curls began to stick to her face, her body beginning to ache from the extra work. Lifting her face to the mirror, she admired the soft pink flush of her cheeks. It brought a smile to her face as she gave the staff one more spin before bringing it to rest in between her toes, feeling her body automatically remember what to do once she had the staff in her hands. It had been her only weapon on Jakku, besides her fists, and had earned her quite a reputation in Niima Outpost. She had fatefully left it behind in her walker on that auspicious day when she came face-to-mask for the first time with Kylo Ren. Rey had taken a beating that day. It hadn’t been her first or her last. While in the moment, it wasn’t the most pleasant experience, her ribs still aching from time to time as she recalled the scavenger’s boot in her ribs, it had brought him to her. From that moment, as turbulent as their first meeting may have been, she had felt an unexplainable attraction towards him. It was an electrifying force that tugged them towards each other and rejoiced when they gave in to its intoxicating call. He had been so respectful to the line she had drawn in the hypothetical sand to keep the pair of them safe from the Order. Kylo had kept his distance from her during their sparring sessions, reducing the temptation they were both bound to feel when one’s heated flesh was pressed against the others. Rey had been happily receptive to his teaching, smiling softly to herself as she recalled how he was far more patient with her than she had expected. She knew full well how the galaxy spoke of the legendary fury of Kylo Ren, destroying anything that got in his way. It wasn’t a secret how Kylo covered the galaxy with his shadow, bringing pain and destruction to their enemies. She had seen it herself on Ahch-to when he singlehandedly took on the Guavian Death Gang. He had furiously decimated the members of the gang, brutally bringing justice down on those who would harm her, just as he did on Jakku. Rey took a shaky breath as her mind flittered to her currently absent husband. She had no doubt that if Kylo knew the full extent of what Armitage had done to her, he would tear the Emperor to shreds with his bare hands. Rey wasn’t a stranger to a painful life, where suffering was the cruel cost of survival. Hux was merely a different, richer, more handsome version of Unkar Plutt, demanding services from her in return for what she needed to survive and disciplining her when she disobeyed him. At first, it was a bitter pill to swallow when Hux’s true character had been revealed to Rey once it was already too late for her to turn back. He had thoroughly convinced her that he was genuinely fond of her and would love her as she had dreamed about with the dark-haired man, but now Rey wondered if he’d be capable of love at all. At first, she felt sorry for him, her eyes straining with tears when he regaled her with the tale of his difficult childhood under his father, Brendol. She had tried to make him happy for a time but quickly discovered it wasn’t her that he wanted in the first place. It was only her story and how it would benefit him and his reputation with the people that mattered. Rey gave a half-hearted chuckled as she realized that his sham of affection began to wane when she became more popular with millions of individuals, and his approval continued to decline in the shadow of her light. Clearly, it hadn’t had the effect he had desired upon first meeting her. He was so much stronger than she ever imagined him to be with his scrawny frame. Rey thought that maybe he was like her and had to learn to fight from a young age to have the proper tools to survive. What a pity that he hadn’t coped with his painful childhood the way she had, turning his pain into something dark and twisted when Rey turned hers into strength and hope. She had been working hard under Kylo’s tutelage and wondered if she would be able to challenge Armitage the next time he raised a hand to her. It had been quite some time since the last time he had raised a hand to her, seemingly focused on the production of an heir. Rey hadn’t had any experience with those pursuits, the only example she saw was the transactional way that some individuals took others in their tents. She didn’t have any expectations on their wedding night but still somehow found herself disappointed. Was that all there was?It wasn’t anything compared to how she felt when she had dreamt of the dark-haired man. The vivid images of him in her mind filled her with a hunger she didn’t understand, leaving her reeling when she woke. Rey hadn’t experienced anything like that before and was convinced it was only her mind playing tricks on her until the pull between Kylo and her intensified. She found his constant presence confusing and frustrating at first, unsure what it was that made the air between them buzz with delicious electricity. He stayed close by almost always, there for her in some of her most desperate moments. Eventually, it started to feel better when he was around. Rey remembered the dream she had that melded both the dark-haired man and Kylo together. The vision made her already addled mind become more chaotic, nearly thinking that Hux had hit her harder than she thought. But to her amazement on Ahch-to, Kylo finally revealed himself to her. Seeing the face of the man in her dreams left her stunned, desperate to figure out how she knew his face before she ever laid eyes on it with her own eyes. Rey breathlessly leaned her head against the staff, using it as something sturdy to lean on as her knees went weak, thinking back to the way his fingers brushed her bare skin. His touch set her afire with a feeling she had never known before. The way his mouth claimed hers filled her with a wanton hunger that she tried to push away. She had been claimed already and made a vow to love, honor, and obey. No matter how badly she wanted to run away with him, it would only cause trouble. He had respected the line she set, and they both tried to resist the pull that became that much stronger since they came together in that fleeting moment in the hut on Ahch-to…and then again in the Silencer…but their connection was persistent, and it took every ounce of self-control she possessed to keep herself under control. It was for the best…for both of them. Her thoughts drifted to him as she leaned against the quarterstaff in the training room, missing him in a way she never knew she could miss another person. He had been gone for only a few hours, and already the ache of longing to be with him echoed through the very marrow of her bones. Rey had gotten good at being alone in the palace after growing up so isolated on Jakku, but she found it difficult to keep herself busy without her friend to keep her company. The hours without him ticked by slowly as such a leisurely pace that it seemed cruel, wringing out the seconds so that they felt like hours. A loner by trade, she didn’t have any idea that missing someone could take over every fiber of her being and wring her out like a wet sponge. It was a pure misery that Rey was utterly unprepared for. Tucking the quarterstaff back into its home along the wall, Rey leaned against the firm surface to slip her shoes back on and ran the tips of her fingers through her hair to tame the sweat-fueled curls that had sprung up along her temples. She strode to the door, lingering with her hand on the frame to give the room one last look. With a wistful smile, her heart skipped a beat when her thoughts drifted to the idea of being here with him once more.Rey tried to keep herself as busy as she could during his absence. On the second day without him, she woke late in the day and dressed in a pair of simple black trousers and sleeveless red top, hoping that the subdued ensemble would allow her the freedom to do what she planned that day. She wandered down into the outbuildings that surrounded the palace and smiled to herself as she heard a familiar singing voice. Peeking around the corner into the hanger, the sound grew louder as she approached him. Poe Dameron lifted his head from under the speeder he was working on, his face splitting into a dashing smile.“Well, hey there, Majesty. What can I do for you?”“Hey,” Rey couldn’t help but return his grin, still finding his relaxed demeanor a pleasant and welcome surprise, “Is the shop still open for a fellow tinkerer?”It wasn’t long before Rey found herself perched on the wing of the speeder, her eyes keenly focused on the components tucked inside. The conversation flowed effortlessly with Poe, making the time go by quickly. She found it odd that it was so easy to make a connection with him so quickly, but there was something, a familiarity to him, that told her she could trust him. It could have been the warmth of his smile, genuineness, and a softness to his spirit that made their interaction uncomplicated and straightforward. He told her more of his home on Yavin IV, and she listened intently, quickly enraptured in the way he described life on the jungle moon. Poe told her more about the woman who had taught him the songs she’d heard him singing only minutes before,“Elara had the most beautiful voice. She actually grew up here on Coruscant and sang at the Galaxies opera house, can you believe it? How Varik convinced her to leave and go to Yavin IV, I’ll never know.”“Elara…I’ve heard that name before…we…I visited the opera house just a couple days ago. I swear I heard someone talk about her. She wouldn’t be Elara Dinsne?”“I think so…she had so many wonderful stories and the most beautiful songs to sing. I’ll never forget the things she taught me when I was a kid. My own mother died when I was little, and she…she was sort of like a second mother to me, I suppose,” Poe smiled wistfully as he fiddled with a delicate gold ring on a silver chain around his neck before tucking it back into his shirt, “She really was the kindest soul.”“What ever happened to her? Does she still live on Yavin IV?”Poe’s face fell as he let out a deep sigh.“There…there was an attack. So many good people were lost that day…we thought maybe she got away, but she’s gone, like all the rest.”Rey reached out and brushed her fingers along his arm, offering him a warm smile as she gave his shoulder a squeeze,“You’re not alone anymore, Poe. You’ve got me, and I am so grateful that I could come tinker with you today.”“I’m glad you’re here too, Empress. Now, let’s take a look at the ion drive and see if we can push this bad boy a little further in those skylanes and I wanna hear more about how scavenging works, you said you built your own speeder from spare parts?” He listened to her like he was absorbing her words as she told him about her scavenging days on Jakku. The more time she spent with him that afternoon, the more her spirit lifted. She would be forever thankful for the friend she didn’t know she needed, bringing her a lightness from the heavy feeling that missing Kylo filled her with. *Rey stirred from her deep slumber, burrowing herself deep into the warm, soft sheets. It was her third day without him. As she roused from her heavy slumber, rubbing the remnants of sleep from her eyes, the Empress became aware of the arm snaked around her waist. Her eyes fluttering shut, she let out a soft hum as she circled her fingers around his flesh.“You’re back,” she sighed, smiling into her pillow. The arm gave her a squeeze as he pulled her closer, nuzzling his nose into her hair.“I’ve missed you, Flower.”Rey’s breath stuttered in her chest, pulling her hand away from him in a flash as she stiffened in his arms. She swallowed the thick knot of bile in her throat, her body freezing and mind glazing over as his hands roved down the silken fabric of her nightgown. Find that happy thought. *
Parry. Dodge. Parry. Strike.
Rigid with burning fury, Rey surged from foot to foot as she clenched her fist around the hilt of a practice saber. She felt sick to her stomach as her mind flickered back to that morning, stupidly falling for his tender touches and foolishly imagining that those hands belonged to Kylo.Parrying and thrusting the saber out with a lunge, Rey channeled her anger into every feverish movement. She had offered up her love, and Armitage had taken it as a possession, tossing it to the side without a second thought to anything but himself. Every moment and every piece of her that the Emperor took left her feeling bitter, and she was furious with herself that she had allowed him to take more. In her mind, Rey fought back, striking him over and over until she sent him bruised and bleeding from her bed. She wanted so badly to use what she had learned to make him answer for what he had done, but the voice in her head told her that it wasn’t time yet. He’d pay but not yet. She wasn’t ready.Lunging with a snarl, Rey brought the blade over her head with a sizzling hum. Here, she felt powerful and free. She felt more like herself with the weapon in her hand, spinning the hilt effortlessly in the palm of her hand with a smile.
Slash. Parry. Swing. Spin.
Rey lost herself in the movements like a trance, moving her body with each motion, imagining the Emperor’s face as she sliced her blade through the air. Absorbed in her meditation with the blade in her hand, she didn’t hear the hiss of the door sliding open behind her until a familiar voice echoed out like soft rolling thunder billowing across a dark sky on a stormy night,“Hey.”Spinning on her heel, he saw the shock on her face before she could hide it. A small smile played on his lips, his eyes softer than she’d ever seen them before. Rey was briefly mesmerized by the deep swirls of brown before snapping back into her sour mood.“You’re back.”Kylo lifted his broad shoulder from the frame of the door, striding towards her in his signature long, loping strides. He lifted his large hand to her flushed cheek, brushing a stray strand of her chestnut hair behind her ear. Rey tried to resist the instant urge to melt into his touch, pulling herself away as her frown deepened. Brows creasing together, the dark knight lowered his gaze to meet hers.“Are you okay? What is it?”“I’m fine,” she sniffed, “let’s get to work, shall we?”“As you wish, your worshipfulness.”Kylo pulled a second practice saber from the wall of weapons, bringing it to life with a flick of his thumb and circling the blade with an elegant twirl. Rey barely gave him a moment to ready himself before she swung her blade down from her head. Kylo effortlessly blocked it, pushing her back as the two sabers met with a sizzle. He held his blade up, level with his nose, and pointed the tip at her as she prowled around him.“You’re in a mood. I thought you’d be glad to see me.”Rey whipped her saber around in a swirl over her shoulder, bringing it down for another parry. Kylo brushed it away with a flick of his wrist, surging forward with a deep step forward and a parry of his own.“I’m not in a mood. I just want to get to work. You’ve been going too easy on me, I need to learn this faster. I need to be better…be stronger.”Rey pulled her body under their interlocked blades, causing Kylo to briefly lose his balance as she skittered away from him. His lightsaber dragged across the ground with a sizzle before swinging it over his shoulder in an elegant twirl. He tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes.“You want me to be harder on you?”“Yes. Treat me like you would anyone else.”“As you wish, Princess. You won’t like it.”“I can handle myself.”“Clearly.”Kylo squared his shoulders, his face instantly darkening as his massive body seemed to fill every inch of the room with his energy. She wanted her to treat her like anyone else? Fine. The dark knight stalked towards her in long steps, swinging his saber in a graceful circular beam of light. Rey gave her blade a wide swing over her head with a lunge that Kylo dexterously sidestepped, sending her to the floor in a heap. She scrambled to her feet, frustrated that he made it look so easy, she parried over and over to push him back, but Kylo blocked each one, his eyes burning as he forced her back with a whirling parry of his own. “Is that the best you’ve got, Majesty?”Rey thrust her saber forward only to be met by Kylo’s. The blades met in the air with an electrifying hum. Kylo was a master in lightsaber combat who wasn’t letting Rey have it easy. She was starting to tire, he could tell but knew she was capable of more,“Life in the palace has made you soft…weak….come on, give me more!”Their blades gleamed in the soft afternoon light that was seeping through the windows, buzzing together in an odd symphony of sound as Kylo pushed Rey further back with strike after strike. The empress struggled to regain her footing as he sent her stumbling towards the windows with each powerful blow. She tried to push against him, but his strength and experience overwhelmed her as she found herself wishing she hadn’t asked for him to treat her like anyone else. Rey cried out as their blades locked together, and Kylo pressed against her furiously, his face aglow with the flickering light of the sabers.“I thought you’d want this more. I thought you’d try harder. Where’s the girl who worked so hard for everything she had?””“She’s still here!”Rey blinked up at him as she struggled to drive him back from their locked blades, trying desperately to center her breathing as his face loomed above hers,“No. I left her back on Jakku. Hux made sure you left her behind. He doesn’t think you have a place in this story. To him, you come from nothing, you’re nothing. But not to me.”Rey closed her eyes for a fraction of a moment, and Kylo watched her in puzzlement. Had he been too harsh? She wanted him to push her, but perhaps he had gone too far. Her furrowed brow melted into a serene relaxation before Rey fluttered her lashes open, her eyes intensely burning with silent fury. She slipped her blade out from under his, swiveling her body away from her position between Kylo and the wall. Kylo stumbled from the sudden loss of pressure under his saber, struggling for a moment to find his balance. Her eyes were menacing as she drew her saber down on top of him over and over with a strength that she had never shown before. It was like she was lost within her own power, drawn into a mesmerizing trance as a different part of her took over. Rey pushed the dark knight further back with blow after blow, sending him stumbling over his large feet. Kylo pulled himself up, squaring his shoulders as he brought his blade down in a brutal swing.Without thinking, Rey lifted her hand and pushed at the air in front of her, ripping Kylo off his feet like he had been yanked back by an invisible set of ropes. He was sent flying into the far wall with a thud, landing on the floor in a dark heap. Rey disengaged her saber and threw it to the floor. She struggled to catch her breath as she lifted her palms to her eyes, her mind in chaotic disarray about her actions. Lifting her eyes suddenly to Kylo’s unmoving form, she darted to him in a flash, sinking to her knees by his side. She traced her fingers across his broad, muscular back as her eyes flitted over him anxiously. What had she done? What was that?Rey circled her fingers around his shoulder and heaved him to his back. Kylo’s face was serene and still as he laid beneath her hands, unmoving. Seized by panic, she hugged his face with her palms and desperately searched his exquisite face,“Oh, Gods, Kylo!! Kylo, please wake up. I don’t know what happened, I am so sorry!!”She pressed her hands against the hard planes of his chest and gave him a gentle shake, silently begging for him to do something, anything.Kylo’s face abruptly split into a wide grin as he burst into wild peals of laughter. His laugh was deep and rumbling, echoing around the room as Rey sunk back onto the floor, watching him with a muddled look on her face. His breath came in quick gasps between his unstoppable giggles. Tears began to gather in the corners of his eyes as he sat up from the floor,“What is it?”Kylo’s laughed died, but his smile remained as he wiped at the corners of his eyes. His smiled melted as he reached out for her to gather her in his arms, lifting her easily into his lap. The dark knight nuzzled the soft skin behind her ear with his nose, smiling softly,“It’s….it’s exactly what we needed. Don’t worry Star…Rey….I’m going to teach you everything you need to know.”“Know about what?”“You’ll see,” Kylo stood quickly with Rey wrapped up in his arms, gently setting her back onto her feet with a smile, “Pack a bag, Empress, we’re getting the hell out of here.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kylo carefully watched the emperor as he rolled the words over in his mind. The emperor’s mouth was pursed but slightly open and loose as he blinked blankly at him. The look of confusion on the ginger’s face wasn’t lost on the dark knight as the pasty-faced man’s eyebrows rose high into his slicked-back hairline,“A new plot.”“Yes.”“To assassinate the Empress.”“Shall I go over the intelligence collected once more in detail, or would you like a summary?”Kylo stood, silently bemused, as he watched Hux gape at him open-mouthed as he waited to make the next move. He knew full well that there wasn’t any plot that he knew of to hurt his scavenger girl, but they needed a reason to take her off-planet and away from the watchful eyes of her husband. The only threat was the smarmy ginger, himself. Knowing right away that he would need to appeal to the emperor’s want for popularity, Kylo waited for the opportune moment when Hux would be surrounded by senators from Core Worlds that the ginger was desperate to hang onto their good favor. Any answer but the obvious that any caring husband would give in the event of a threat against their wife would shine a poor light on the emperor. His vanity was beyond measure, and with his popularity teetering on edge, Hux couldn’t afford to slip up. The galaxy was fond of their empress and wouldn’t look kindly on Armitage if they knew how he treated her behind closed doors.“And your plan is…””Take her to an undisclosed location for her safety until the threats have been neutralized.”“Threats?”“Three of them, majesty, actually. Apparently, some aren’t as fond of ‘The People’s Empress’ as the rest of the galaxy.”“And when do you plan on departing Coruscant with my queen?”Kylo bristled at Hux’s blatant possessiveness. He knew that it would be the one challenge that would be difficult to make their way past. Hux didn’t want anything happening with Rey that he wasn’t aware of. Squaring his shoulders, Kylo tried to keep his facial expressions passive, a task that he now found a chore once he disposed of his mask back on Ahch-To.“I recommend that we leave as soon as possible, we don’t have enough information to guarantee the Empress’s safety within the walls of the palace.”“Ren, I can hardly give my consent for my wife to be removed from her public duties for an undisclosed amount of time…”The Emperor shuffled on his feet and uncomfortably tugged at the cuffs at his wrist as the room full of senators quietly murmured behind him. Kylo regarded him silently as he watched the wheels turn in Hux’s mind. For a moment, he saw the crisp, calm exterior of Armitage Hux begin to crack under the imperious gaze of the politicians that compassed the room. A finely robed older gentleman strode up smoothly behind the emperor and murmured quietly to him.“What if it is related to the trouble we’ve been having in the mid and outer rims? We wouldn’t want that to get out. Let her go so we can keep our focus where it matters.”
Say yes. Say yes. Say yes. Let me get her out of this gilded cage.
Hux pressed his thin lips together and sniffed haughtily,“Very well. I leave it to you, I have far more important things to tend to at the moment.”The tense knot that had been building in Kylo’s core loosened as he let out a soft breath while he walked away. The first step was finished, all they needed now would be to change out their ship and throw the First Order off their scent, and he couldn’t wait to tell Stardust that they would soon be on their way.*Rey paced anxiously back and forth across the soft carpet in her rooms, desperately trying to quell the noise in her mind. Her head had been a buzzing blur since the moment she had inadvertently and violently thrown Kylo across the training room only a few days prior. This thing, whatever it was, both terrified her and exhilarated her, and she couldn’t wait to discover more about this new part of herself.Kylo put the plan into motion right away but kept the details mum. He didn’t want to risk the walls of the palace from hearing and upending the whole thing before they had the chance to start. She tried to busy herself in the time since her husband had given permission to leave, thrilled at the idea of being truly away from her shining prison for the first time. Today was the day when they’d finally leave Coruscant, and the empress could barely contain her anxious excitement. She had tried in vain to eat breakfast, but for once, didn’t have the appetite to eat. She had absentmindedly pushed her breakfast around on her plate for what felt like forever in what was only the span of a few minutes. With the butterflies in her stomach and her head buzzing with possibilities, there was no way in the galaxy she could swallow a bite, let alone a plateful of food.Gingerly trapping the piece of parchment that was tucked under the now cold cup of caf between her fingers, she tugged it out from under the ceramic mug. Rey gently unfolded the note and raked her eyes across the elegant script.
Soon. Make sure to not look too excited to leave, keep up with his show. Keep it formal. We don’t want to draw any suspicion.
Rey pressed the crisp paper to her lips and closed her eyes with a sigh. Soon. Soon she would be away from the emperor and his cold cruelty. Soon, she would be able to be herself without the pressure of this crown. Soon, she would have the tools to be able to break free of her gilded binders and be free of him forever. Her eyes shifted to the stacks of crates full of her things as they were removed by household droids to be taken down to the landing platform outside. “It’s almost time…are you ready?”Rey’s anxious mood melted away as she looked down at the wistful smile of her friend, but the butterflies in her stomach lingered.“I think so. You’ve outdone yourself by making sure I’m well packed…. maybe a little too well,” Rey laughed. Rose’s eyes crinkled as she met the empress with her own giggle before her dimpled grin melted into a tearful frown. Rose dashed her tears from her cheeks with a shake of her head and a deep breath.“I’m sorry…I…I just worry that….I just want you to be safe, and I won’t be able to help you if I’m not with you.”Rey circled her arms around her friend and tucked her chin against her dark hair, giving her a reassuring squeeze. Holding Rose at arm's length so she could look down into her eyes, Rey smiled brightly.“I’ll be okay. More than okay. I’m sure it won’t be long.”“I’ll miss you while you’re away, I am so grateful to have you as my friend. I hope that it can stay that way after…”“After…after what?” Rey’s brows creased in puzzlement as a warm pink rose to warm Rose’s cheeks while she blundered over her words.“Oh, uh, if things ever change around here or…I…if things are different when you get back? I’m sorry, I’m nervous about you leaving is all, it makes the ‘doing-talking’ not my forte.”Rey fondly chuckled as she gave Rose another, lingering squeeze before a deep cough rang out from the doorway. Lifting her eyes to the dark figure that took up nearly the entire frame, she tried to keep her expression regal, yet cool while her body thrummed unexplainably from his nearness. Their connection had been ever-present since that day in the training room, a constant hum in the back of her mind that told her he was near.“Empress, your transport off-planet is ready.”Rey pressed her mouth together to quell the smile that threatened to break free across her face as she saw the twinkle that shined through his serious expression that she knew was just for her. “Right,” she breathed, “Give me a moment, and I’ll be right out. Thank you, Lord Ren.”“Happy to be of service to you, Majesty,” the dark knight slightly inclined his head in a small bow and tossed her the briefest of winks. Rey couldn’t help it when the corners of her mouth softly upturned into a small smile as she turned away and gathered a waiting white garment from the bedspread. Lifting it over her head, Rey slid her arms through the achingly soft, shimmersilk sleeves of the white jacket. The smooth fabric fell to the floor in waves and pooled gracefully at her feet. Rey pulled her long ponytail out from under the collar and reached up to make sure the haloed tiara of moon and stars atop her head was straight. Running her hands down the strapless semi-sheer bodice, she tucked her hands into the silken pockets of her slim-cut trousers. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her eyes to meet the burning gaze of the dark knight as he watched her from the doorway. Giving a small wave to her friend, Rey smiled and strode towards the door.She lifted her eyes to his for a brief moment while she breezed past him in the doorframe, brushing her shoulder against his ever so softly as she stepped out into the wide hallway. The pair fell into a natural cadence as they made their way to the turbolift, Kylo stepping to the side to allow her to enter the lift first. The silence between them was filled only by the quiet whirr of the turbolift engines and the electrifying potency of their connection that made Rey’s head spin with their close proximity. Kylo’s face remained largely impassive as he stared ahead at the durasteel doors. The playful smile that was reserved for her was well hidden away behind a hard line drawn across his face. Rey’s eyes lingered on his perfect lips that were so ripe for kissing that should couldn’t help it when she captured her bottom lip between her teeth before tearing her eyes away.“Stop it. Keep it formal, remember?”“Right. Sorry.”Rey sniffed in a long breath and squared her shoulders. How was he so calm? Her heart quaked as the lift neared their level while her stomach turned in knots. They were so close, they couldn’t afford any part of the next moment to go wrong. Wringing her hands, Rey nervously fiddled with the delicate golden rings that hugged her fingers until she felt his large hand encompass hers to still her anxiety. His smile etched itself ever so slightly back onto his face for the briefest of moments as the lift came to a halt, and the doors slid open.“Follow my lead.”Rey’s fingers lingered against his for a moment as she lifted her chin, the guise of the elegant empress coming to the forefront as she stepped out the doors. The silken white jacket billowed out behind her as she strode down the vast great hall towards the main steps of the palace. Pausing only for a moment, Rey took a deep breath before stepping out into the warm light of Coruscant Prime. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the small party waiting at the bottom of the grand staircase in the shadow of the dark Upsilon-class command shuttle. The emperor was dressed in his usual, clean pressed First Order uniform with a pair of golden epaulets glinting in the sunlight. He lifted his cold gaze to her as she descended the stairs, reaching his hand out to her as the corners of his mouth were drawn up into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Rey slid her hand into his waiting palm, her jaw instantly clenching at the feeling of his cool skin against hers.
Keep up with his charade. Keep up with his charade.
Armitage pulled her in a full circle to his front as they stood together at the bottom of the loading ramp, the entire party observing as the royal couple made their goodbyes. Kylo strode coolly past them and into the ship without giving any pause. Her husband lifted his cool and cupped her cheek in his palm, the feeling of his flesh pressed against hers made Rey’s skin crawl. It took every ounce of willpower to lean into his touch convincingly and flutter her eyelashes closed. Keeping up the charade of a dutiful wife, Rey looked up at him through her lashes and offered a soft smile. “Don’t worry. We will find those responsible for the threat so we can have you returned safely home as soon as possible, Flower.”“Thank you, Armie,” Rey leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her husband’s narrow shoulders and breathed softly into his ear, “Sleep well knowing that I won’t be worried in the slightest since I know that anywhere is safe as long as you’re not there. And when I return, you’ll never touch me again,” she pulled away and lifted his clammy hands to her lips to press a firm kiss to his knuckles as the dual-ion engines thundered to life with a roar. Rey smiled triumphantly, shocked at her boldness, as she boarded the ramp with her white coat fluttering elegantly behind her. She pressed the ‘close’ switch as soon as she reached the top, leaving a stunned emperor in her wake. The ramp sealed with a quiet hiss as the empress shucked the shimmersilk from her shoulders, tossing the garment to the black bench that sat at the top of the ramp. Shimmying into the co-pilot’s seat, she was met by a quizzical, sidelong look from Kylo as she reached to help flip switches on the control panel to prepare them for their departure. Rey met his eyes with a smirk and couldn’t help but let out an amused giggle.“Where to first, Captain?”Kylo shook his head with a lopsided grin and pulled back on the yolk, sending the shuttle thundering into the bright Coruscant sunlight,“First thing’s first, we’ve got to stop and see an old friend.”  Kylo absentmindedly ran his knuckles along the soft edge of his jaw as the Upsilon-class command shuttle hurtled through hyperspace. They’d been traveling through the Corellian Trade Spine for the last few hours and had been making good time. He watched the parsecs tick by, waiting for their entry into the Mid Rim to move to the next hyper-point that would take them to their destination. The journey had been quiet, the pair of them settling into a relaxed, comfortable silence. As soon as they had watched the stars stretch as they slingshotted into hyperspace, Rey pulled the ridiculous silver shoes from her feet and tucked herself into the wide co-pilot’s seat at the control panel. Kylo watched her with a smile as she leaned against the durasteel panel to lookout the red-tinged viewport to the swirling blue-white glow of the hyperspace lane. Feeling his gaze, Rey lifted her eyes to his with a quizzical grin.“What is it?”Kylo hummed softly to himself, wanting nothing more than to tell her every detail of every memory that rolled through his mind, but he knew that, like him, it would have to be something for her to discover herself. “It’s nothing.”The dark knight lifted his large frame from his seat and ducked into the back of the crew compartment. Lifting the heavy door of a storage panel, Kylo grasped his long fingers around the soft, yet firm object. He strode back into the cockpit and set the object in her lap and sat back in the captain’s seat with a smile as he watched her face move through a flurry of expressions. First, her brows creased together with mild confusion before melting into a stunned smile. Rolling the object in her hands, she traced her fingers over the emerald green cover before holding it to her chest, her hazel eyes twinkling with tears.“A book? Where did you find this?”Kylo shrugged with a lazy smile, “Oh, you know. I found it lying around.”
What you mean is I scoured the galaxy for it…found it in the back of a tiny stall in a marketplace on Dantooine.
He didn’t need to tell her how hard books were to come by and what a rarity it was to find one that didn’t only contain the history of the Empire. She didn’t need to know that he’d scoured the galaxy for it and found in tucked away in the back of a tiny stall in an obscure market on Dantooine. He said no matter how far, and he meant it.Kylo watched her now, her face luminous with the ethereal lavender glow of the blue-white haze of hyperspace filtering through the red transparasteel window with her feet tucked up against the control panel with the book open against her knees. The slight semblance of a smile hovered at the corner of her mouth, just enough to show that she was enjoying her thoughts, whatever they may be, as she read about plant-life from every corner the galaxy. Kylo wished he could have more of these quiet moments with her, to have more time to allow him to stay lost in the moment and bask in her glow a little longer. He still couldn’t believe that she was here in front of him, after all this time. Stardust had been everything to him when he was still a kid that when he thought he’d lost her, it was like being lost in a storm without an anchor until the only thing he had to hold on to was the darkness that only pulled him further down into the abyss. Finding the scavenger had awakened something inside him that had always been there. It baffled him at first, their connection, but now that he was aware, it all made sense. The Force had connected them from the moment they met. While the string of Fate that joined them had become tangled and stretched while they were apart, they had been steadily pulled back towards each other. The storm inside him raged ever on, and she was the center, the calm in the eye. She was every reason that was pure and right. She was safety and love, an anchor to hold and tether himself to. Kylo couldn’t help but smile as he watched her, lost in the soft upturn of her mouth…mesmerized by the way her star dusted hazel eyes flicked over each word as they held her enraptured and how her rosy pink lips silently made the shape of each word. He was mesmerized by her, it was true. Mesmerized by her tenaciousness and her fire. Bewitched by her strength and her stubbornness, no matter how vexing Kylo could find it to be. Their lives had been brutally turned upside down, and never once did she sink into the darkness. His precious Stardust clung to her light, an orb of the brightest fire, and fought for every scrap for her life. She wouldn’t let the darkness break her like he did to himself. She’d never let it take her true self from her. No, she’d cling to the light with a fight and a passion that only added to her beauty. An alarm coming from the control panel blared out and rattled Kylo from the captivating contemplation that seeing his scavenger girl so content had put him in. Focusing on the flips and switches, Kylo took control of the ship and guided it effortlessly as they shot out of hyperspace above an emerald jewel of a planet. The sound of the dual-ion engines rumbled as the sleek shuttle glided through the thick layer of clouds. The dark knight glanced at Rey with a smile as he witnessed the moment her attention was drawn from her book to the planet’s atmosphere outside the viewport.The empress slowly pulled her feet from the control panel and brought herself closer to the transparasteel. Bright rays of light filtered through the viewport, casting an exquisite gleam across her golden, freckled flesh. The ship thundered over a lush, viridescent forest that carpeted the landscape of the planet’s surface. Enchanted by the sight before her, Rey’s eyes widened, and her lips parted as she breathlessly sighed,“I didn’t know there was this much green in the entire galaxy.”Kylo smiled to himself as he watched the desert girl’s eyes dart over the vast forest, wholly enraptured by the sight of it. If only she knew how green her real home was.The forests of Takodana were ancient with trees that were so thick and old that the roots were twisted amongst the rocky hills of the landscape. The Upsilon class shuttle cruised low over the surface of an aquamarine lake, sending a shimmer over the water as the ship glided to the shore. With a flick of his wrist and a pull on the yolk, Kylo retracted the long angular wings into their upright position as the ship came to rest on the soft soil.Kylo stood from the captain’s seat and strode to the back of the ship, pressing the release, sending the loading ramp down to the ground with a hiss. Rey stood and followed him expectantly, snagging her white jacket from the bench and sliding her arms through the sleeves with a smile.“So…what are we doing here?”The dark knight paused at the top of the ramp and mashed his lips together into a line and watch as Rey’s face instantly fell,“I’m staying on the ship…aren’t I?”“Rey…I…uh…yeah, you are. Not for long, I hope. It’s just…I…this place…” Kylo blundered, anxiously scrubbing his gloved hands through his hair, “It can be…dangerous.”“Dangerous?” Rey’s brows rose high into her hair as she openly scoffed, “Kylo, it can hardly be more dangerous than any other moment of my life. I think I've made it pretty clear that I can handle myself.”“You’ve barely begun to test your powers, and this isn’t the place to find out what you’re capable of. Kanata Castle is a haven for all sorts of characters, and you’re….well, you’re you. You don’t exactly scream inconspicuous in that outfit.”“And you’re conspicuous in yours? All…black…and brooding…and Kylo-y!”“But no one knows my face…Listen, I knew the person who runs this place but…it’s been a long time. A really long time,” Kylo reached out to brush his thumb across Rey’s cheek, but she shirked him away with a sigh, “Rey…I’ve got to talk to her and see if we can find you a safe way in. I’m hoping she’s got a clean ship for us too.”The empress lifted her chin and gave him the smallest smile.“Fine. But don’t think for a second that I’m staying on this kriffing ship all day!”With a lopsided grin, Kylo swept up her hand and pressed a kiss to the constellation of freckles inside her wrist, closing his eyes as he lingered on the sign that had pointed him home. She was here, and he still couldn’t quite believe it. Lifting his eyes to meet hers, his heart gave a jolt as he watched her capture her lip in her teeth with a worried smile.“Don’t be long.”“I won’t,” he rumbled, pressing another kiss against her star map before sweeping down the ramp in his long-loping gait. Kylo strode through the trees, ducking his tall frame under stray branches and around stone formations. It had been nearly a lifetime since he had set foot on this planet, and he wondered if the proprietor at the castle would even remember his face. The looming structure rose up before him as he lumbered through the thick forest floor, looking up to see the light brown stone emerge high above through the filter of the green canopy. As he walked past a towering red droid that shuffled past him, Kylo lifted his eyes to the vast collection of banners and flags that hung high above. The colorful pennants bore symbols of all those who hailed from every corner of the galaxy to find a safe haven at the castle. As he stepped up the stairs leading to a sizeable durasteel door, Kylo heard the echo of a memory of the first time he ever came here.
“She’s run this watering hole for a thousand years. Maz is a bit of an acquired taste, so let me do the talking. And whatever you do, Ben, don’t stare….”
Taking a deep breath, Kylo pressed the switch to activate the door and stepped inside.The tavern was a hive of activity with patrons of every species imaginable tucked at every surface. The smell of roasted meat wafted through the air from a spit that slowly turned over a fire pit, and a small band of musicians played a relaxed melody from the corner. Handfuls of guests were piled around gaming tables around the crowded tavern noisily absorbed in their match. Kylo swore he spotted the same ancient protocol droid he remembered seeing as a kid when he’d visited the old castle with his father. The noise level was high, and the smoke level too. The dark knight felt instantly out of place and yet part of the crowd at the same time. He’d barely had enough time to look around when a voice hollered above the chatter of the cantina,“BEN SOLO!”The noisy din of the dining hall came to a sudden halt as all the patrons turned to lay their eyes directly on him. Kylo froze and lifted his eyes to the short-statured figure at the far side of the tavern who’s goggle-framed eyes bore into him.“Hey, Maz…” he raised his gloved hand and gave a small wave and a lopsided smile.Maz Kanata’s guests quickly went back to their various activities while the tiny proprietor wound her way through the dining room to stand at Kylo’s feet. She stood with her thin arms across her grey vest and turquoise shirt, the many bracelets on her wrists clinking as she brought her arms together. Looking up at him through the massive lenses that magnified her brown eyes to large orbs, the wrinkles in her burnt orange skin pressed together as she scowled up at him.“It’s been a long time. I expect you need something…desperately…”With the Pirate Queen standing in front of him, Kylo suddenly felt small. The feeling was foreign to himself and but not unexpected coming from a being who had seen as much as Maz had in her millennia-long life.“I…uh…yeah…yeah, I do.”Maz cocked her head to the side and gave him a reluctant smile with a roll of her eyes and a wave of her ring bedazzled hand.“Come on, kiddo, let’s get to it.”She led him to the back of the dining hall and slid her small form into a chair at a small table, patting the chair next to her. Kylo slid into the wooden seat and nervously rubbed the back of his neck with his fingers, pressing his mouth into a thin line as Maz regarded him from across the table.“How did you know it was me?”“Oh, kiddo, I don’t need these goggles to recognize a Solo from across my cantina. The others here may not know who you are, but I know who you really are.”“I’m not him anymore. He’s been gone a long time.”“Ben, U ap-xmasi stupa je. It’s not too late. Go home.”“I don’t have a home….not anymore.”The pirate queen rolled her eyes and sighed.“I don’t think that’s true. Who’s the girl?”Kylo tried to keep his face impassive.“What girl?”Maz gave him a knowing look. He should have known better than to try and fool her. She had seen everything from the very beginnings of the conflict between the Sith and the Jedi to the rise and fall of the Empire. Force-sensitive, Maz could pull the truth from any being or object without trying.“She’s no one…” he lied. The small woman leaned foreword in her seat and placed her small hand on his forearm.“You know, they say that the emperor must be the only man in the galaxy not in love with his wife. I’m sure you have your reasons for taking her where you’re going. The only question is…does she know her importance to you?”“No,” he breathed, “Maz, I can’t tell her.”“Yes, that seems wise. Better for the Force to reveal it to her when she’s ready, I suppose. But you’re pointing her in the right direction, that’s what’s important. I’ll help you keep hidden if that’s what you need.”“I need a ship.”“I’ve got one. It’s tucked away to the southeast. You’ll know it when you see it. It’s been waiting for you.”“Thank you,” Kylo smiled, “How’s your boyfriend?”Maz laughed, the creases around her eyes bending as she grinned.“Chewie? He’s back on Kashyyyk. He stayed for a while, but it was just too much…after…” the old woman’s eyes drifted off to a faraway place. With a slow blink, she brought herself back from the painful memories and gave his arm a squeeze, “Come on, let’s get her off that ship. I’ve got a back way in, and some clothes I’m sure will suit her.”*
How did she know?
Rey looked down at the new clothes that had been set out for her on the small bed in the room Maz had brought her to. The legendary pirate queen had been exceptionally kind to her, and Rey was sure that behind her wise eyes, Maz knew much more than what she was letting on. Smiling to herself as she pulled the thick fabric of the grey gauntlets over her wrapped arms to her elbow, she felt more like herself than she had in so long. The collar on her grey vest rose high on her neck, and the blaster belt hugged the curves on her waist over the ivory cream tunic just so. She pulled the soft-sided boots over her feet and straightened the chain of her necklace so that the crystal hung perfectly in the center of her chest. Running her hands up to her hair, there was only one thing missing.The empress pulled the moon and stars headpiece from her hair and tossed it onto the pile of white shimmersilk on the small bed frame. Working quickly with her hands, she breathed a happy sigh when the familiar three buns dotted the back of her head, finally feeling complete. Rey knew that they didn’t have much time, so she gathered up the discarded garments and stepped out the door into the stone hall and tumbled over something orange and white.“Oi!” A series of beeps and whistles echoed out as Rey dusted herself off. She looked down at the small Astromech and couldn’t help but smile and the adorable cylindrical droid.“You know, you should really watch where you’re going. Come here, your antenna’s bent,” she bent down and pulled the small antenna from the top of his domed head, “What’s your big hurry, anyway?”The little droid answered her with another series of chirps and whistles,“Classified, really? Me too, big secret,” she grinned with a giggle, “Can you tell me your name at least?”He looked at her through his black photoreceptor on his domed head, tilting it to the side curiously as if he were judging her trustworthiness before answering her with a handful of beeps and a whistle.“Nice to meet you BB-8. I’m Rey,” she replaced the antenna in it’s home and patted the little droid on his head, “Good luck on your big, secret mission.”Rey turned the corner as she watched the Astromech roll away in the opposite, crying out when she collided with a wider, warmer object. Grasping the full, muscular arms of the person she knocked heads with, she rubbed her forehead and grumbled,“Maker, I think I need a bell…”“Oh no, I’m sorry, I should have watched where I was going…”“No, really, it’s my fault,” Rey smiled as she looked up into the face of the poor soul she nearly knocked over. She was met by the broad smile of a handsome man with skin the color of warm umber. She watched his eyes melt from a twinkling smile to one of shock and awe in an instant as recognition came over his features,“Your majesty,” he breathed, “I…I’m sorry…wha? What are you doing here??”Rey’s stomach dropped to her feet as she grabbed his hand and squeezed.“Please,” she begged, “No one can no I’m here…”“Oh, don’t worry, I agree. No one can know you’re here. But this is good. This. Is. GREAT. Come on, Empress, let’s get you back downstairs.”Rey followed him down the curving stones steps back to the main hall of the tavern, settling herself in a comfortable chair tucked into a corner. The stranger she had run into settled into the seat next to her and couldn’t hide his grin. Rey looked at him quizzically.“What is it?”His pressed his full lips together to try and hide it for a moment but couldn’t hold it back for long,“It’s…I shouldn’t say…”“You can trust me.”“That’s exactly it. I know I can, but at this point…the less who know…the better. We’ve been after something for a long time, building it piece by piece and seeing you here? You’re the spark that is gonna light the fire, I just know it…”Rey’s brows creased together as she mulled over his words.“Who are you?”“I was no one. Taken by the First Order from a family that I’ll never know and raised to do one thing. During my first battle, I made a choice. I wasn’t going to kill for them, so I ran. I ran right into…well, it doesn’t matter who he is, but he looked at me like no one ever did. I was ashamed of what I was, but he helped me find myself and find me a way out. We are all doing what we can to break the cycle,” he laughed sadly, and shook his head, “I didn’t even have a name and he gave me one…I was FN-2187 my entire life, but with him, I became Finn.”Rey’s stomach churned as she listened to his story, sitting back in her seat as her heart ached in her chest. Armitage’s stormtrooper program…he had insisted that he was rounding up orphans, which was bad enough, but learning that he was snatching children from their homes made her skin crawl. She desperately wanted to undo the damage that the emperor had done to the children of the galaxy and would pay whatever price she had to prevent younglings from having to live a life like that.“Finn, I’m so so sorry. If there’s anything I can do…”“Actually, now that you say that…I may need a favor from you…but, first, we’ve gotta get you out of here…if I recognized you, there’s a chance that someone less savory has as well. I’m going to help get things moved to the clean ship Maz had for you so we can get you off-planet as soon as we can,” Finn reached out his hand with a smile. Rey graciously returned it and slid her fingers into his waiting palm, giving his hand a slight squeeze.“It was nice to meet you, Finn.”Finn nodded with a smile and turned to walk towards the back of the castle, pausing for a moment to state,“We are with you, Empress.”Rey sat back in the chair and absentmindedly pressed her knuckles against her cheek, her thoughts returning to the image in her mind of small children being taken from their homes by the First Order. She was their empress and had been allowing it to happen by doing nothing…the hatred she held for her husband had started small but now burned like a bright flame in the night. She wasn’t sure she could go back to pretending after learning the truth. Why did the children of the galaxy have to pay the price of his evil deeds? If he was abducting children, what other abhorrent things had he been up to?Rey’s attention was pulled suddenly away by the sound of a crying child filtering through the air around her. Pulling herself from her seat, Rey slowly followed the sound, drawn in by the painful wails. It was the kind of sound that bypassed any sense of logical thinking and went straight to her heart, pulling her like a weight to investigate where it was coming from.She followed her feet down the curve of a stone stairwell, going down slowly step by step while the sound cries continued to reverberate across the castle’s stone walls. Stepping off the bottom stair to the floor, Rey lifted her eyes to the end of the long room. The catacombs of the castle were dark and damp, naturally more chill than the rest of the ancient structure from the natural coolant of the soil behind the dense stone walls. Lamps dotted the walls every few feet, filling the dim room with small sections of light. The sound of the child crying continued to echo out from the end of the hall, and Rey was caught in the trance, wondering how and why a child would be down there. Perhaps they belonged to one of the wayward travelers passing through and had been separated from their family. Rey’s heart ached as she came to the end of the hall and was faced with a narrow durasteel door. Without warning, the door slid open, instantly silencing the sound of the child’s cries.Rey looked around the room and raked her eyes over the piles of junk that had been tucked away inside, her attention pulled quickly to a small chest sitting just steps away. It was unremarkable in its appearance, made from a block of dark wood with metal bands bent around it and a latch that was beginning to rust around the edges.She knelt down to her knees in front of it, lifting the latch and slowly pushing up the lid with a loud creak. Rey peered inside the box and inspected the contents, pressing her brows together into an addled crease. Inside were sections of fabric, bits of jewelry…nothing out of the ordinary except for what laid in the center of the chest. A shining lightsaber gleamed from the inside, built with a smooth silver finish with vertical black lines circling the pommel, instantly drawing her in. Caught in whatever trance she had been pulled into, Rey lifted her hand and circled her fingers around the hilt.Suddenly, everything in the room went dark. The lights flashed, and suddenly, Rey found herself in a long, dark hall with sharp, angular walls. Rey was rattled by her confusion, and in her panic, she began to run down the long corridor until the walls started to bend around her while voices began to filter into the air.
Its energy…surrounds us…and binds us…
Rey landed with a thud in the dirt and lifted her eyes with a gasp. She was in the shadow of a great pyramid that was entirely consumed by flames. The sounds of blaster fire echoed through her mind while the embers flittered and floated around her like falling snow. She felt a pull at her waist, realizing that she was being moved to another place, another vision. Before she was yanked away, her eyes were drawn away for an instant to a figure in the distance wielding a lightsaber with a blinding, blue fury.Another flash, but red this time. The dissonant ripple of Kylo Ren’s lightsaber flickered in the dark. He loomed over her as she laid on the ground, looking up into his faceless mask and couldn’t help but feel afraid…The Force will be…Rey stood with her boots in the sand, overlooking the burning fireball of a crashed ship. Her ears rang from the sound of the cries coming from the child standing in front of her. Tears coursed down her cheeks as she recognized the telltale trio of buns on the small girl as she cried out at the wreckage while it was consumed by flames.
“Mama! Mama, no! Come back! Come back!!”
Every atom of her screamed out in unison as she watched herself cry out for a mother she couldn’t remember. Who was this little girl before this day? What kind of life had she known? Wracking sobs coursed through her body as she fell to her knees, and she cried out desolately with the little girl she couldn’t reach…
Rey? These are your first steps…
Emotional pain flowed through her as she sat, crumpled in the sand. Crying out in grief for the child in front of her and the life that had been torn from her for herself and the life she couldn’t remember. Lifting her eyes to the little girl, Rey tumbled backward when the little girl turned towards her, and she met her own gaze.She landed with a thud on the stone floor of the catacombs, shaken by what she had seen. Hurried footsteps approached her from the end of the room. Rey lifted her eyes and met the worried gaze of Maz Kanata.“What was that?’ she sobbed, “I shouldn’t have gone in there…”Maz stepped up to her, her bracelets jangling as she pointed to the room Rey had just tumbled out of.“That lightsaber was Luke Skywalker’s. And his father’s before him. And now….” Maz’s eyes shone as her ancient, wrinkled face broke into an all-knowing smile, “Now it calls to you.”“I…I don’t understand….”Maz gingerly lifted her goggles from her eyes and placed them on her head.“I know…” Maz stepped closer and held her small hand out to Rey. The empress pulled herself from the floor to her knees so she would be eye to eye with the short-statured pirate queen and placed her fingers in her waiting palm, “Dear child. I see your eyes. You already know the truth. It will reveal itself to you when it’s time. Whoever you were waiting for on Jakku was never coming back. But…there’s someone who still could.”“Kylo.”“The belonging you seek is not behind you…it is ahead. Now, I am no Jedi, but I know the Force. It moves through us and surrounds every single living thing. Close your eyes, dear. Feel it. The light…it has always been there. It will guide you. The saber. Take it. It will be of great use to you on your journey.”“Maz, I can’t...”“You can, and you will. Now come on…no matter how much I’d like to keep you, you can’t stay here any longer than you have to.”*
You’ll know it when you see it. It’s been waiting for you.
Kylo ambled in the direction Maz told him to go, twisting and turning around the trees of the ancient forest. He raked his eyes over the horizon but saw nothing but trees and more trees. The forest was seemingly endless, and he began to wonder if he had gone the wrong way, or perhaps he was merely distracted by the noise in his own head. The thoughts and memories of his father had begun to swirl around him as soon as they broke through the atmosphere. Kylo could still feel his presence here, like a beacon in the night, tethered to this place he loved to frequent so often on his travels. He could feel him still as he wandered somewhat aimlessly through the forest. The trees were tightly-knit, a single thread in the tapestry of life, and the Force weaved through every sunlit strand. The balmy scent of soil and water lingered in the air, painting a portrait of serenity that had endured through an endless ebb and flow of conflict and peace through the many millennia.Ahead of the dark knight, the forest’s thick blanket of trees began to thin, allowing more of the sunlight to seep through in bright rays. Kylo lifted his gloved hand to block the light from his eyes when he saw it emerge before him through the foliage, and suddenly it was like he had seen a ghost. The distinct shape of the convex saucers was unmistakable, with her front-facing mandibles, side-mounted cockpit, and it’s rectangular sensor rectenna dish…there was no mistaking it. Kylo stood in the shadow of his father’s prized ship: The Millennium Falcon.Kylo stood in the ship’s shadow, his eyes grazing over the worn paint and scuffed edges dubiously. Would this old hunk of junk even run?
She may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts, kid.
He should have known that this would be the ship Maz would give them. True, it would keep them undercover with the ship’s superior cloaking tech. Yes, it did have the best navigation system of any ship in the galaxy, but Kylo knew that the ancient pirate queen had ulterior motives for giving him this ship.Kylo had loved the ship when he was a little boy, always desperate to go up the boarding ramp with his father and jet off on whatever adventure Han and Chewie were going on. The first time his father let him fly it, had been a dream, and a day that, as a child, he considered one of the best days of his life.Over time, Kylo couldn’t help but feel a sense of resentment towards it. As he got older and the crushing hold Snoke held on him became more burdensome, he began to hate the damned thing and what it represented…The golden years that his father seemed far too keen to re-live, but to Kylo’s eyes, it was a picture of how many times he had been tearfully left behind. Striding up to the ship, Kylo sighed deeply, feeling completely unprepared for what he’d find inside.
Let’s keep a little optimism here.
His father’s words continued to echo in his mind with each passing second and the feeling of his presence stronger than ever before. Reaching up above his head, Kylo’s hand found the release for the hatch, like he’d done his whole life. The ramp came down with a hiss and a thunk as the heavy durasteel landed hard on the forest floor. Kylo's breath caught in his chest as he felt his fear of the pain rising inside him, fueling the darkness he was trying so hard to quell. Taking a shallow breath, he tried to release the tension as he lifted his heavy black boot onto the ramp, stopping to brace himself against the frame as he suddenly was overcome by the pain of the grief he had held back for so long. The last time he had stood on this ramp, he had been a teenager clutching the leather of his father’s jacket in his palm, sobbing into his shirt like a little boy in the moments after he felt the death of his mother.
Fear.

Pain.

A starship.

Fire.

His mother’s face.

“I love you.”

“I know.”
The memories of that night came crashing down on him in an instant, leaving him feel dizzy in the shadow of that painful day. That day when every single thing he held dear was ripped away from him in an instant. He’d been forced to push everything down and bury it where it could add fuel to the dark and make him into a sharper tool for Snoke’s use. It had been all-consuming as the pain turned his mind into an icy wasteland where the wind wailed through him and twined bitter coils around his heart so tightly that it had almost stopped beating altogether. Ben Solo had died then, put to rest by the trials Snoke put him through - at least Kylo thought he had. Being with Rey and basking in her blinding light ignited something deep within him, and since that day, he could feel his true self clawing at the darkness, chipping it away bit by bit, and Rey was the one taking away the pieces. Kylo took a steadying breath and wiped the hot tears from his cheeks with the back of his leather-clad hand and stepped up the ramp. This was his father’s ship. His ship. He would take the lesson Maz was teaching him and use it to forgive his father and to forgive himself. Kylo would do it for her to help honor the vow he made so long ago. The dark knight ambled down the curved hall and stopped to hover in the doorway to the cockpit. This was the place he dreamed of being as a kid, a fearless crusader along for the ride as the Falcon slingshotted across the galaxy in impossible ways. The ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs. Curious if the old girl would still work, Kylo reached up and flipped a switch on the inside wall of the cockpit. A wide smile broke out onto his face, and the control panels switched on in flashes of white, blue, and red as the navicomputer turned over with a glorious hum. Kylo ran his gloved hands along the curved backs of the pilot seats, remembering the first time his father let him sit on his knee to hold the controls as they made planetfall on Coruscant. The sunlight filtering through the trees streamed in through the Falcon’s signature circular viewport shined down onto the control panel in shimmering waves. The light glinted off a small, but glimmering surface, capturing the dark knight’s attention. He pulled the black glove from his hand to reach out and remove the object that was hanging from the center of the transparasteel window.He rolled the smooth metal in his palm and gave it a squeeze with a sad laugh. After everything, Kylo thought that these would have been lost, for sure. Unfolding his fingers, he looked down at a pair of golden dice with a sigh. They had been his father’s lucky charm growing up on Corellia and had won him the Falcon in a heated game of sabaac. Kylo had heard the stories of how Uncle Chewie hung them in the cockpit of the Falcon as a joke, and they’d remained there ever since until he had discovered them as a kid. He used to play with the dice while he sat on Han’s knee and would tell anyone who would listen that someday, he’d be a pilot just like his dad. Kylo hung the dice back up in their home, letting his fingertips linger on the smooth metal before turning to make his way down the curving hall to the back of the ship. Reaching up to his collar, he undid the fasteners to free his heated skin underneath as he ducked into the crew’s quarters. Back in his father’s day, adjustments and “improvements” were made to the ship constantly. So much so that Kylo often had a hard time keeping up with all the new things coming and going on the freighter. He knew that when his parents met during the Galactic Civil War, that the crew’s quarters held a trio of separate bunks, but that changed after his parents were married, and the space was converted to keep a double bed and a smaller bunk for little Ben. To his eyes, it was bittersweet to see that not much had changed. Things were just…tidier….than when the ship had been in Han’s possession. He was relieved that the ship hadn’t been left to rot on Yavin IV after the attack. He’d have to thank Uncle Chewie for bringing it back here…one day…Kylo found himself rummaging through old crates and coming to all sorts of old treasures as he heard the sound of footsteps coming up the ramp and a voice holler out,“Where do you want these crates?”Maz. She knew exactly what would happen and that he would have no other choice than to want to take his father’s ship on this adventure.Kylo shook his head with a smile and rolled his eyes with a soft chuckle.“Hold on, I’ll open up the loading doors for you in a minute!” Kylo replied, unsure of how he truly felt in this unexpected new role of Captain of the Millennium Falcon. He was so used to pushing back against the pain, but today he’d listen to Maz and listen to the Force. Kylo would welcome it like an old friend and accept the lessons it had to teach him. It would be unbearable, and he knew he’d feel weak in the moment but would be stronger for it in the end. He’d push through the darkness to find the light, even if each memory was like a saber to the heart. This was his war. This was the battle where he would earn back his name. With a sigh and a silent tear coursing down the scar that bisected his cheek, Kylo fisted a dark blue fabric against his palm. He pulled the black coat and armbands down the smooth muscle of his arms, tossing the dense, dark material onto the bed at his knees. Kylo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He could do this. He’d hold on to the spark. Han’s son was alive.Lifting his father’s pocket jacket over his dark hair, Ben slid his arms through the sleeves and settled the shoulders of the garment over his own as his face melted into a lopsided grin.Ben Solo was alive.The momentary lift Ben felt was short-lived as the telltale whine of TIE fighters echoed through the ancient Takodana forests outside.“Kriffing hell, this is not how I thought this day was gonna go…”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rey followed the ancient pirate queen up the curved stone staircase from the castle’s catacombs when suddenly the stones surrounding them shook violently. Rey braced herself against the smooth stone, looking up to meet Maz’s eye. At first, neither of them moved as they tried to make sense of what was happening. The walls shuddered again, sending fine grains of dust raining down on them. The noise of the quaking castle reverberated like thunder only louder as they both came to a realization of what was happening. “Those beasts. They’re here.”The tiny woman fumed, waving Rey to speed up as they ran the rest of the way up the stairs. Finn ran around the corner, nearly colliding them. Sweat glistened across his dark brow as he struggled to catch his breath,“Maz. The First Order. They found us.”“I know. Rey and BB-8, get them out of here,” the ancient one commanded, reaching up to grasp Rey’s shoulder, “They can’t find you here. Go now.”Rey reached down to wrap her arms around the wise woman, giving her a firm squeeze,“Thank you. Thank you for helping us.”Maz patted her on the back and gently pushed her away,“I would do anything for that boy, he’s like family to me. Good luck, Rey. Now GO,” the pirate queen pulled a blaster from her hip and took off running towards the front of the tavern as the castle lurched above them again. Unexpected, Rey felt a warm hand clamp around her own. She looked down at her fingers surrounded by Finn’s and back up at him incredulously,“What are you doing?”He gave her a tug and took off down the back hall at the rear of the tavern, pulling Rey behind him,“Come on, we gotta move before this thing comes down on top of us!”“I know how to run without you holding my hand!” Rey wrenched her fingers out of his grip and took off ahead of him, bending and ducking the debris that was beginning to fall from the cracks forming in the castle’s walls. The pair of them cantered down a set of stairs leading out to the sun-warmed soil outside when a sudden blast sent them both careening into the dirt with a hard thud. The wind sufficiently knocked out of her, Rey coughed as she lifted her cheek from the ground to see a pair of TIE fighters make a wide track around the circumference of the turquoise lake. It would only be a matter of time before they came back around for another strike. Rey saw a motionless Finn laying in the dirt a few feet from her. Fueled by her adrenaline, she skirted towards him and shook his chest,“Hey. Hey. Finn, wake up!”He blinked his eyes rapidly with a cough and sat up with a grimace before quickly turning his gaze to her with a worried look in his eye,“Are you okay?”Rey’s brows creased together skeptically as she frowned,“Um. Yeah,” she stood and held out her hand to the former stormtrooper. He looked down at her proffered hand for a split second before grasping her wrist, letting the empress pull him from the dirt.“The ship’s that way,” the pair of them exclaimed at the same time. Finn tilted his head to the side and regarded her with a baffled look on his face.“I thought you hadn’t been on it yet.”“I haven’t.”“Then how do you-““I just know, okay?”Finn threw his hands up in the air in a playful surrender,“Okay, majesty…I got it.”“Good,” the corners of Rey’s mouth tilted up into a mischievous smile, “Let’s go, shall we? Before the First Order brings the castle down on our heads,” she took off at a breakneck pace, zigzagging her way through the trees as the TIEs approached the castle for another firing round. The green bolts from the laser cannons thundered through the air and pummeled the castle, leading into the forest where Rey and Finn were trying to make their escape,“They’re shooting at us!”“They probably saw you with me, now you’re marked.”“Why would the First Order care about you?”“I…uh…have been dabbling in things that they aren’t exactly pleased about…I’m sorry I got you mixed up in it, empress.”“Well, thanks for that!” Rey shouted out at him as she easily vaulted her way up a rocky hill in her path. The hill gave her an extra advantage, drawing her eye to the ship tucked away in a distant clearing. She smiled as she felt Kylo’s presence inside the ship, anxiously pacing about while he awaited her arrival. Rey wasn’t sure of what other sorts of things she’d be able to do with this newfound power of hers, but it had its perks already.Sliding down the rocky surface using her free hand to balance her decent, Rey hurtled over a fallen tree while the bracken and brambles scratched and cut her bare calves. She couldn’t be bothered with the sting, she was so caught up in the exhilaration of the chase with her adrenaline pumping deliciously through her veins. Her feet threatened to slide out from under her as she pushed herself up into the open clearing where the ship sat waiting. She took stock of the exterior of the ship, scrutinizing the beaten and worn exterior of the convex-saucer ship. It looked to her like a YT-1300 light freighter, nothing special, with all sorts of odd adjustments made in every spot she looked,“This is our ship? What a piece of junk!”Kylo thundered down the open loading ramp, pulling a rag through his grease-stained fingers. The corners of his mouth curved up as he took in her bedraggled appearance, surely covered in dirt from the wallop they’d taken during the rush to get away from the castle. The whine of the TIEs still lingered in the air above them, and Rey knew they wouldn’t have much time,“She’ll make it point-five past light speed. The original owner of this did a lot of special modifications himself, it’ll outrun anything.Rey pursed her lips as she scanned the ship once more with a sigh. She could feel his sincerity and a cavalcade of other emotions that mystified her. Lifting her eyes to meet his expectant gaze and exasperated smile, she squinted up at the heap of junk and shrugged,“The garbage will do, I suppose.”“Listen, Cupcake, we’re a little rushed on time…so if you could just get on board, we’ll get outta here…” she grazed her eyes over him with a smile, taking stock of the missing black overcoat and armbands that had been replaced by a dark blue pocket jacket that hugged the swell of his arms deliciously. The jacket hung open and allowed her a glimpse of his fair skin under his black undershirt,“Rey! My eyes are up here, sweetheart. Ditch the spare, let’s get off this rock!” Kylo bellowed, suddenly pulling a blaster from his belt to fire at something behind their heads. Rey and Finn turned behind them in time to spot the pair of armed stormtroopers as they fell to the ground. The Empress turned to her new companion, her eyes wild from the exhilarating turn their day had taken.“Finn, come with us. We can help you…”The former stormtrooper smiled and shook his head.“I appreciate the offer, but there are a few things I’ve got to take care of first. Take BB-8 with you back to the palace. Get him to Poe Dameron, he’ll know what to do.”“I know him, I promise I’ll get him safely delivered. Take care of yourself, Finn,” she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a squeeze.“We’ll see each other again, I’m sure of it,” Finn smiled as he returned her embrace, “You’re the spark, I know it. Get going empress, we’ll try and buy you some time!” Rey gave him a stern nod, turning to run up the ramp with BB-8 hot on her heels. Kylo stood at the top of the ramp, leaning against the rounded central passage at the entrance of the ship with a deep frown etched into his sharp features.“What’s with all the hugging?” Rey lifted an eyebrow and looked up at him with a confused look in her eye. The corner of his mouth lifted with a twitch, and suddenly, Rey was sure that Kylo was fighting back a smile. He took a solid step forward and circled his arm around her waist, pulling her sharply against his chest and pressing a swift, but warm, kiss to her lips. Rey’s eyes fluttered closed in an instant, her body sent into a humming spiral at the sudden, delicious contact.“Cockpit is up there, she’s all ready to go. I’m going to take the gunner position, think you can get us out of here while I give you some cover?” his face lifted into a lopsided smile as she looked up at him with a glint in her eye.“You want me to pilot this hunk of junk?”“Ah, well, you always loved this thing more than I did, it feels like the right thing to do,” he shrugged, turning her by her shoulders to push her down in the direction of the cockpit, “Come on, time’s wasting, let’s get a move on!” Rey pulled herself from the slight daze Kylo had put her in and sprinted up the short hall to the side-mounted cockpit. Throwing herself into the pilot’s chair, she began to flip switches and pull toggles like it was muscle memory. She lifted a headset from her left and nestled it over her head with a deep breath.“I can do this. I can do this.”“Don’t worry. Just fly her like you’ve been doing it since you were a kid,” Kylo voice rumbled into her ear from the headset, instantly helping to calm her overexcited nerves. Pressing the throttle forward, Rey pulled back on the yoke, lifting the ship in a slow, horizontal circle from the clearing it had been nestled in. As soon as they were clear of the trees, Rey saw the group of five TIEs rapidly making their approach. The TIEs instantly set their targets on the freighter, firing their laser cannons at them repeatedly. Rey pressed the throttle to full tilt, sending her flying back in her seat at the ship shot ahead in a thundering blur. From the half-moon transparasteel viewport, Rey saw Maz Kanata’s castle crumble as the TIEs pelted it with relentless cannon fire. She knew that they had their own fighters on their tail, but she was desperate to spare any more casualties at Maz’s castle. The ship lurched and quaked as they took fire from the trio of TIEs that were following close behind.“Are you ever going to fire back??” Rey shot out into her headset.“I’m working on it! Have you got the shields up?”
Kriff. The shields.
Rey searched across the control panel, looking for the right switch when she saw it just out of reach from her position. She stretched her long fingers out as she could with a grunt, barely able to reach the metal toggle,“Not so easy without a co-pilot!”“Yeah, try sitting in this thing…”She’d have to find out what he meant another time, but right now, they needed to do what they could to help Maz.“Kylo, we need to draw the fighters away from the castle, get ready!”“Get ready? Get ready for what? Rey??”This had better work….Rey twisted the yolk hard to starboard, sending them careening back towards the castle. The freighter pitched and rolled as they made a low pass over the castle, and Kylo fired off a handful of shots from the quad laser cannons, picking off one of the fighters in the process.“Stay low, it confuses their tracking!” Kylo bellowed into her ear. Rey took a deep breath, centering herself deeply into focus,“BB-8, hold on! We’re going low!” The little droid, who had been haphazardly rolling around in the main cabin, answered back with a panicked series of whoops and whistles as the scavenger slingshotted back around over the lake, careening over the water on the edge of the port side. The sublight engines roared as they went barreling over the surface, sending sheets of the turquoise waters blasting up around them in waves. Rey pulled back on the yolk as they shot over the tree-carpeted hills, shooting them up and over the large hills rising from the planet’s surface. The TIEs followed close behind, dodging the blaster-cannon bolts that Kylo continued to fire back at them.“Rey, I can’t pick them off, you gotta lose ‘em!”Rey scanned her eyes over the horizon, searching for a way to shake the fighters from their tail, finding their path in an instant. Pulling hard on the yolk, she sent the ship hurtling up into the sky before bending their path back down to the surface. The empress tilted the ship hard onto its side, taking them into a narrow ravine. This ought to lose them…eventually…I hope…“Are we really doing this?”Rey ignored the rumbling voice in her ear, pulling the veering the ship from side to side around rock formations as the TIEs tried in vain to pelt them with their laser-cannon fire. The sides of the ravine began to close in, getting too tight for the YT freighter to fit any longer. Reluctantly, Rey sharply veered out of the narrow canyon and into the sky, sending one of the remaining TIEs into the stone façade in a ball of fire.Kylo successfully picked off one more fighter, but two remained on their tail, relentless in their pursuit.“Rey, watch the thrust, we need to get out of here, and we’re going to do it at light speed.”“Are you serious? Is that even possible?”“You’re not supposed to ask that question until after we’ve done it. Angle the shield, let’s get out of here. These guys aren’t getting off my tail. Wait…what?”“What, what? Kylo??”“You’re never going to believe this…” the dark knight murmured incredulously.“Never believe what?”“Coming up on you now, look right.”Rey lifted her eyes out of the tranparasteel viewport and came face to face with a TIE coming straight at her. She briefly spied the pilot from inside the cockpit, giving a salute to the corner of their black flight helmet before careening over the top of the ship in a flash.“What was that?” Rey murmured, completely mystified, waiting for Kylo’s voice to answer in her headset.“He took out the last TIE. Who knew that rogue fighter pilots were a thing in the First Order,” a voice rumbled out from behind her, startling her and making her jump. He gave her a short chuckle as he leaned against the doorframe to the cockpit, “It looks like your husband has more to worry about than he thinks he does…”“I’d rather not talk about him if that’s alright with you…”“We might have to now that we’ve got this thing tagging along with us. I hope your friend is okay with delayed delivery,” the dark knight lifted an eyebrow and pressed his mouth together with a nod towards BB-8 who wobbled back and forth at his black boots, “Move, ball.”“Finn said that he needed to get back to Poe Dameron, he didn’t say when. I assume he knew that we wouldn’t be going back to the palace right away.”An odd looked flittered across Kylo’s features for a split second, sending his prominent brows together in a tight crease.“Poe Dameron? …he’s at the palace?”“Do you know him?”“The name sounds vaguely familiar…the question is…how…how do you know him?”The empress nonchalantly shrugged as she reached up to flip a handful of toggles and prime the hyperdrive as she steered them out of the atmosphere.“It isn’t that exciting of a story, really. I met him by chance, and we got to talking.”Kylo swallowed thickly, his stomach turning sour with the apprehension of the possibility of what she may have heard or learned. Had Poe recognized her? Surely not, it took Kylo long enough to figure it out…there was no way that Dameron would have realized it.“Talking? Talking about what?”“Jakku, mostly. Tinkering. And the world he’s from…Yavin, I think? He describes it so beautifully, Kylo, I swear it makes me feel like I’ve been there before.”
That’s because you have.
“Yavin IV, actually.”“Yes, right. Yavin IV. Speaking of planets,” she swiveled in her seat, resting her elbows on the durasteel panel separating them, “Where to next?”From his seat, Kylo plugged in the coordinates of their destination with a smile.“You’ve been there before. I promise things will be less…chaotic this time.”“Hmmm, I’m beginning to think that the chaos follows us around, Kylo…”He gave a deep, rumbling chuckle, reaching to the panel to prime the hyperdrive,“You might be right. You ready?”“I’ve never been more ready.”“Punch it!”The pair placed their hands side-by-side on the throttle levels, pushing them forward simultaneously and lifted their eyes to watch the stars stretch out as they throttled into hyperspace. 
With the Falcon at their disposal, only a few hours had gone by before Rey and Kylo made planet-fall at Ahch-to. While Takodana was a green jewel shining amongst the stars, Ahch-to was a deep blue. From their vantage point outside of the atmosphere, it appeared to be a world of nothing but cerulean oceans orbiting twin stars. As they thundered through the thin layer of clouds, Rey was taken aback by the moonlight glittering off the surface of an endless sea with only a handful of rocky islands freckling the planet’s watery surface.The bright beams of moonlight lit their way as the Falcon throttled over the water with a low grumble. Rey brought the ship to land on a flat surface near the base of the island. Kylo offered her a small smile before pushing his large frame out of the co-pilot’s seat. Rey sat back in her chair with a soft hum, taking a deep breath to quiet the excited hum in her heart. What a thrill it was to be back here, back to the place when so many things changed for them. Lifting herself from her seat, Rey ducked out of the doorframe and into the main hold to gather some supplies. She tucked a small bedroll and a blanket under her arm and ventured back down to the loading ramp and out into the cool, nighttime air.The pale moonlight was a fathomless abyss above them, diminishing the inky blackness of the night, but not so bright that it dulled the shining stars that speckled and glimmered in the heavens above them. The light shone like a searchlight for Rey, illuminating the endless stone steps as she climbed to the bluff where their stone hut sat. Standing in the doorway of the hut, Rey could feel the memories linger in the space, instantly transporting her back to the moment when Kylo skillfully knitted her bare flesh back together and then to the thrilling moments afterward when their lips met for the first time in a fiery kiss that Rey thought could only exist in her dreams.She couldn’t help but wonder as she captured her bottom lip between her teeth, what would have happened if she hadn’t pushed him away and tearfully drawn the line in the sand that had, at least, for the most part, kept them apart. If it wasn’t for her damn skewed sense of honor to the vows she made to her bastard of a husband, who knows what her life may have been like the last few weeks? It seemed unfair that no matter how much she strived to be good, to be the woman her conscious demand her to be, fate was ceaseless in taunting her with the undeniable temptation that Kylo continued to be. Rey had tried to push it down, wanted to keep it at bay, but like an unforgiving specter, the feeling would be back again tomorrow to haunt her all over again.Rey ambled down the stony steps back to the Falcon, where Kylo had started a roaring fire. She watched him with amusement as he tried to set down a large crate to use as a seat, struggling with some of the local wildlife as they continuously got underfoot. The little stout, feathered creatures burbled and squeaked around Kylo’s shiny, dark boots, hyper-curious of the new individual who had come to their island.“Get out of my way, you kriffing fluffy pieces of poodoo…” the dark knight became increasingly frustrated as they flocked to him, tapping the toes of his boots with their orangey, webbed feet. He lifted his gaze to hers in a silent plea for help that only caused Rey to giggle mercilessly into her hand. Kylo’s eye twitched as he pressed his mouth into a thin line as his frustrations began to overflow while the tiny little creatures continued to flock to him. The poor man couldn’t take much more, releasing a loud roar into the night air, sending the tiny winged creatures skittering away.Kylo silently seethed when he finally was able to set the crate down onto the damp stone ground when he slowly lifted his eyes to meet the wide-eyed gaze of the brazen avian who seemed to be immune to the dark knight’s outburst,“Go. Move, bird.”The fluffy little creature continued to stare up at Kylo, letting out a chorus of chirps and whistles. Kylo took a deep breath and pursed his lips, swinging his foot to connect with the little creature, vaulting it into the air with a wail,“Oi! Don’t do that!” Rey exclaimed, lifting her hands into the air to catch the poor creature in her arms. The feathered thing chirped in thanks and nestled itself into the crook of her arm as she gently stroked its soft feathers,“We are eating that thing for dinner,” Kylo groused.“We will do no such thing! It’s precious…”“It’s annoying.”“The same could be said for you sometimes…”“We aren’t keeping it.”“Who said anything about ‘we’? I am keeping him. I read about these in the book you gave me…they’re Porgs! Don’t you worry… Porgkins and I will be very happy together, thank you very much.”Rey sat down in front of the fire and settled her back against the crate, running her fingers down the little porg’s belly as it crooned adorably,“It’s so peaceful here, so quiet after getting used to the sounds of the speeders on Coruscant.”Kylo slid down to the ground beside her and nestled his broad shoulder against hers,“It’s a nice change of scenery,” he hummed.“It was quiet like this on Jakku, but different. We didn’t have porgs or the sea, but it was nice all the same.”Kylo leaned forward and lifted a questioning brow,“You’re saying that sand-trap was nice?”Rey presses her lips together thoughtfully with a sigh,“Well…no. I’m not saying I’d want to go back there or anything. It was a hard life, but it had some moments of peace scattered amongst all the hardship. I still remember my first night there…I can barely remember how I got there but finding that walker…it saved my life. I was so scared, so alone…there was a terrifying sandstorm, but when it stopped, it was quiet like this,” Rey hesitated for a moment while she sniffed back her growing tears as she remembered that lost, lonely little girl, “I heard…I heard a voice. It whispered to me on those quiet nights when I was at my most scared…my most lonely…it told me that it would always be with me and that it would find me one day. I believed it for a long time until one day, it stopped. That’s when I truly felt alone.”Kylo stiffened beside her as she continued her story. She’d never spoken about it to him before, and now that the dam was broken, she couldn’t stop herself from letting it spill over,“I didn’t understand it then, but now that I know I have this…this ability…what if the voice…this person…what if they’re the key to my past? I can’t help but wonder if they were important to me, somehow…Kylo, I’ve been so desperate to understand who I am and where I came from. I can’t help but wonder who they are…”The dark knight sat silently beside her, his gaze trapped in the flickering dance of the flames at their feet. Rey gave him a sidelong glance, addled by the way his face had darkened so abruptly. She gently nudged his shoulder with her own, effectively pulling his attention back to her,“Kylo, what is it?”He mashed his mouth together in a thin line as he let out a shaky breath,“It’s nothing,” he swiftly pulled himself to his feet and looked out to the darkened horizon, “Your first lesson is tomorrow at dawn. Get some rest, majesty.” Dawn came swiftly the next morning, sending glimmering beams of light over the dark churning waters surrounding the island, covering the land in a warm golden hue. The early morning rays streamed in through the cracks of the stone hut, drawing Rey from her uneasy sleep. She raised her fingers to her face to rub the sleep from her eyes, disturbing the still-peacefully sleeping porg that was tucked against her side. Carefully rising to her feet as to not disturb the adorably sleepy avian, Rey slipped her grey vest over her shoulders and stepped out the door into the light of the twin suns.Kylo was already waiting for her, standing still on the edge of the bluff with his feet apart and hands clasped behind his back. Rey blinked in the suns’ bright rays that illuminated the dark knight like a halo, letting the moment sink in and soothe her to her core. She still didn’t understand why he had left her side so abruptly the night before, but at her core, she trusted him implicitly…she was sure he has his reasons.The beams of light touched her skin and filled her with a dazzling warmth down to her toes, giving her the feeling that a new beginning was on the horizon. Her world was now full of so many possibilities…so much hope and today was just the start,“You’re late.”“I…uh…you said dawn.”“That your lesson was at dawn, yes. I’ve been waiting here for you for some time. Let’s go, we’ve got quite a climb ahead of us,” Kylo turned on his heel, barely making eye contact with her, and began to march up the seemingly endless flight of stairs.Rey lost count as they continued to climb until they came to the base of the rocky peak of the island. She followed Kylo through a deep crag in the stone façade and nearly lost her breath when they found themselves in a cavernous room. Streams of sunlight fell through another gap in the stone, filling the space with a warm, inviting light.Kylo stopped abruptly in the center of the enormous room, turning on his heel to face her,“Push me.”Rey’s eyes narrowed as she mulled his words over in her head. Glancing up at him with a raised brow, she lifted her hands and pushed on his broad chest. The hard planes of muscle underneath the black undershirt were firm and unyielding as Kylo looked down at her like she was as vexing to him as the porg horde,“No. Push me.”Her confidence in the new beginnings and possibilities began to dwindle as Rey was sucked down into a vat of self-doubt. Kylo had said that other force-sensitives like them were trained from an early age…she was a grown woman. How could she possibly begin to catch up to his level?“I can’t. I don’t know how I did it the first time.”“Try.”Rey paced the stone room, her footfalls echoing up to the top of the chamber, desperately trying to center herself and pull from the font of power that was somewhere deep inside her. Lifting her eyes to her target, she raised her palm towards him and pushed at the air forcefully.Nothing.She tried to hide her disappointment as Kylo ambled over to her in his long-loping gait. He lowered his head to meet her eyes, lifting his hand to point directly to the center of her forehead,“You’re using too much of this,” he raised his touch from her face and lowered his hand to place his oversized palm to the bare flesh over her heart, “and not enough of this. Come on, let’s try something else.”He walked to the far opening in the cavern, motioning for her to join him,“Sit here, legs crossed,” he directed her to a large stone sitting on a wide-open ledge. Rey did as he instructed, settling herself in the center of the rock and tucking her feet under her knees with her palms facing the sky.“Now what?”“Close your eyes. Reach out. What do you feel?”Rey took a slow, steady deep breath, drawing the warmth of the sunlight into her center as she tried to do what he asked of her,“Nothing.”“Rey, you’re still holding on. Let go,” he took her hand from her knee and pressed her fingers to the stone beside her, “Breathe. Just breathe. Reach out with your feelings.”Rey settled herself down into the stone a squared her shoulders. Taking in a long, slow deep breath, she set her focus on the hum of the power inside her, clearing her mind of everything else. This was the moment when she needed to let everything go…Kylo, Armitage…her past. They were distractions that were preventing her from reaching her full potential. Suddenly, the weight of her emotions lifted, making her body thrum from her toes down to the ends of her hair. The corner of her mouth lifted as every ounce of her being buzzed with the feeling. It felt like her senses liquified and furled out to cover the island like a blanket.Rey felt awake like she had never been before, completely present in this moment and every moment happening simultaneously around her. She could feel the energy moving around her, through her, connecting every living thing with delicate ribbons of light.“What do you see?”“The island,” she breathlessly murmured, “Life.”The feeling passing between every living thing was electric, humming around her like a melody that only her heart could hear. Rey could feel each blade of grass bending and moving in the wind, and she with them. The bonds were unbreakable, only curving and moving to sing the song of life in a different key.The song swirled around her, showing her flashes of images as she explored the island with her mind. Flowers blooming in the bright sunlight, the rotting remains of life that had lived on the island once before, giving the soil valued nutrients for everything else to grow.“Death and decay…that feeds new life.”The twin suns filled her and the island with a life-giving radiance, feeding the delicious thrum coursing through her body. It was balanced by the cold churning waters crashing over the jagged edge of the ancient island.“Warmth. Cold….Peace. Violence.” She could feel Kylo too amongst the buzz of life around her, brimming with what felt like pride, hunger, and what felt like an endless pit of guilt. His presence came closer as she felt his hum rumble deep within his chest,“Between it all?”“Balance. And energy. A Force.”“And inside you?” Kylo breathed into her ear. Rey couldn’t help but smile as she finally understood.“That same force.”“Mmm, excellent. I think that is enough for now.” Rey’s brows creased together as she was drawn to something else, calling her with a tempting set of metaphorical vines that wrapped themselves around her wrists, inviting her closer.“Wait. There’s something else beneath the island. A place. A dark place.”“Balance. Powerful light, powerful dark.”“Kylo, it’s so cold. It’s calling me…” she felt the darkness encompass her, kissing her skin seductively as it whispered thrilling temptations in her ear. She followed it down down down to a dark pit, drawing her further in and offering her tempting answers to her silent pleas.The ground beneath their feet began to tremble as it pulled her further in, and Kylo was powerless to stop it. He didn’t have any idea that she encompassed this much raw power inside her, and the thought of her blinding light being drowned by the darkness terrified him.“Resist it. Rey? Rey!”Kylo knelt in front of her, grasping her shoulders with his long fingers and giving her a hard shake, but it was no use. She had been dragged down by the temptation of the darkness while it tried to make her its pawn. He continued his desperate cries to her, trying over and over to pull her from her spell. Rey’s golden freckled skin went white like she had been painted…even the rosy hue of her lips faded to nothing. Kylo watched with alarm as her body wavered before she fell forward like a puppet that was suddenly cut free from its strings.With a grunt, Kylo caught her unexpected toppling form in his arms and fell to the ground to cushion her fall. He held her limp body close to his chest, reaching up his bare hand to gently push a loose ribbon of her chestnut hair from her face. His heart ached while he gazed down at her, his guilt eating at him as he couldn’t help but think of all the time lost to them and his broken promise to her as a little girl. It soured his stomach the night before when Rey so casually spoke of her first memories on Jakku and the voice that called out to her at night. His voice.No matter how badly he wanted to, he couldn’t undo what had happened. He couldn’t take away the loneliness she felt when he had abandoned her as Kylo took over where Ben used to be.Kylo pressed her limp form against his chest, cradling her to him as he nuzzled his long nose into her hair. He hoped that one day he would be able to make it up to her, to make up for the time that was taken from them, but he’d never be cleansed of the guilt he wrestled with. It would stay with him forever, like an ugly scar, a stain on his soul.Rey shifted in his arms with a soft whine. Kylo pulled her away from him ever so slightly, so he could look upon her face as she woke. His nose nearly brushing hers, his face melted into a smile as her stardust-flecked eyes fluttered open beneath her dark lashes. Her face melted into a natural smile as recognition dawned over her with a hum.“Hi.”“Hey.”“Wass, wha? What happened?” Rey mumbled, appearing to be still caught in a thick fog.“You dove a little too deep, Stardust. You had me worried there for a second,” he murmured, reaching up to trace soft circles on her cheek with his thumb.“ ‘m okay,” she grinned lazily, bending her head back to get a better look at him with a crease in her brow. She slowly reached up and traced a line down the scar bisecting his cheek with her fingertip with a sigh, sending a shiver down his spine, “What a terrible burden…to carry a mark of your darkest day...”Kylo’s stomach dropped abruptly, her words leaving him reeling. She had already drifted back into her state of unconsciousness, none the wiser of the weight of her words. He stood with her cradled against his chest, making his way back through the ancient Jedi temple to the stairs leading down below. *Ben woke suddenly, sitting up so quickly that he hit his head on the top of the low bunk in the Falcon. He swore darkly and rubbed the sore spot in his hair as he gathered his thoughts. Taking in the light seeping in from the hall, he knew without a doubt that he had already slept for too long. He could already feel that Rey was already awake and begun her day.He dressed in a fraction of the time it usually would take him, pausing to run his fingers haphazardly through his long dark waves in the ‘fresher and rub his palm against the growing facial hair on his face. Being away from the formalities of the palace had been an exciting change of pace without the pomp and circumstance of that life tethering them down.Ben ambled down the long ramp of the Falcon, pushing the stray porg out of the way with his toe. The blasted little creatures still hadn’t given up their fascination with his boots and couldn’t care less about his dark demeanor. The little one Rey had adopted, Porgkins, was the worst of them all, utterly relentless in his pursuit to always be underfoot.The dark knight climbed the never-ending set of stairs to the bluff where the handful of huts sat nestled in the ledge, turning down a different path to the other side of the island where he heard the telltale hum of a lightsaber filtering over the rocky landscape with the wind. Ben came over the peak and marched partway down the stairs, pausing to stand with his arms crossed over his chest while he watched her.Rey moved with a grace akin to dancing, slicing the glowing blue saber through the air. She switched easily between wielding the blade with one hand or two, moving elegantly with each thrust and parry. Ben had been stunned when the empress had pulled his family’s legacy lightsaber from her bag, having only heard stories of the blue blade from when he was a child and how it had been lost on Bespin, along with his uncle’s hand at the hand of his grandfather before he turned back to the light.He should have been more surprised how well the kyber crystal inside adapted to her, how easily the saber became an extension of her. A Jedi’s blade was something special, something personal, and he knew that Rey’s blinding light and raw power made it easier for her to align herself with his uncle's lightsaber.He watched her now, moving with an absurd amount of skill for someone who had barely held a lightsaber before. It was like she was in a natural state of being, completely in-tune with the Force, channeling it through her as a conduit between her and the elegant weapon.A smile crept onto his face, and his heart grew thick with a tenderness that he couldn’t help but make him breathe a little more measured, a little deeper, a little more contentedly. Ben could feel the flickering flame of light inside him grow more and more with each passing day, and it was all because of her. It was true that the darkness still leeched the light away, a constant battle as the past continued to claw at him. Darkness that fed on his remorse of leaving her behind…his guilt for loving her when he continuously felt at odds with it.He’d always loved her in a way, his best friend and anchor to the light from the first moment he held her in his arms when he was still a small boy. The darkness called to him, even then, and his love for her helped him to push it back and hold onto the light a little longer.Things were…different now. Different than the relationship he had with her when they were still children. They built things anew when he found her on Jakku, back when her significance and their electrifying connection was still a perplexing mystery. His discovery that she was his light only added fuel to the flames. Ben battled with the idea of this new kind of love for the person who was the little girl at the center of his memories. He couldn’t help but want to be with her after everything they’d gone through together since their first meeting in Niima Outpost…but should he?Ben thought she had been an exemplary student in the short time since they had arrived on the island, learning to channel her raw power at a dizzying pace. They’d been so busy training, trying to fit in as much as they could before they were forced to return to the palace, that they hadn’t had time to explore or discuss anything else. There was no room in their days to even think about crossing that line again.Yet here he was, watching her lithe body as she moved, golden skin gleaming like a polished stone with sheens of sweat as she worked through each form. Ben tilted his head to the side as she suddenly stilled as if she were listening to something on the wind. Rey gave the saber a slow spin in the palm of her hand before retracting the blade with a sharp hiss and turning to look past his head on the horizon.The empress breezed past him up the stairs with her brows creased, deep in thought. Befuddled by her behavior, Ben jogged after her.“Rey, what is-““Shh!” Rey held up her hand to silence him, closing her eyes as the wind swept over the island, causing the loose strands of chestnut hair to caress her face in the breeze as it kissed her skin. She diverted her direction, heading down into a dark valley on the far side of the island. The wind ruffled Ben’s hair, and suddenly, he was able to hear it too.Shadowy voices whispered as the cold breeze spiraled around the jagged surface, drawing them in and pulling them like a boat drifting towards its mooring. As they were pulled ever closer to the source, the landscape of the island became bathed in a thick mist, covering the world around them in a thick veil. As Ben’s eye traveled to the center of the dark valley they’d come to, he saw an enormous tree rising from the center. It’s gnarled branches reached up towards the heavens as if its very presence was enough to beat back the darkness and command the daylight to fall at its roots.Ben could feel the Force emanating from the tree. It washed over them in waves and made his senses buzz. Wide-eyed with wonder, Rey took a step forward. Ben flung his arm out to barricade her from going any further.“Rey, stop. You don’t know what’s in there.”“I know. That’s why I’m going to go find out.”“No, if either of us goes, it should be me.”The empress shrugged his arm away and pressed on. Ben dashed ahead of her to block her once more.“Why should it be you? Because you’re a man?”“No, halfwit. Because I’ve had more training. And…and if it’s something dark…I’ve already fallen. I can take it.”“All the more reason for me to go instead! I can handle myself, Kylo…”Ben breathed a heavy sigh,“I know you can. It’s just…I…I want to protect your light.”“Enough.” Rey pushed, “Enough protecting me. Help me. Be my partner. You don’t have to do all this alone, you know…”She lifted her hands and placed them gently on his arms, looking up at him through her lashes imploringly,“Let me help you.”Ben pursed his lips and gave a small nod. He turned slowly to face the tree, twined his fingers through hers, and together, they stepped inside.*Rey sat at the Dejarik table inside the Falcon, scouring the sacred Jedi texts for what felt like the millionth time. Three weeks had gone by since she and Kylo had found the ancient books and scrolls inside the library of the Uneti tree. She had gone over them page by page into the early morning hours, slowly translating the venerable texts until her eyes had blurred or she’d fallen asleep on top of them.Rey had learned what she could from Kylo, quickly becoming more than proficient in harnessing her powers and wielding a lightsaber faster than she ever thought possible. After everything he’d taught her, Rey was still hungry for more. She hadn’t brought up her temptation to the dark on that first day since it happened. Rey could barely remember the aftermath, but Kylo had appeared shaken by the experience, spouting off how he needed to protect her light. She wished that she could instill the confidence in her to be able to seek the dark without falling to its seductive ways. Trying to keep her distance from what appeared to be a sore subject for the protective dark knight, she kept quiet about it, but the things that whispered to her in her vision kept eating at her.Rey pressed her cheek against her knuckles as her elbow rested on the table, silently studying the dark knight as he read over the texts himself across from her. The weeks they had been there showed the most on his face with the dark patches of facial hair that had grown in along his top lip and under his chin. The corners of her mouth curved up as she watched him absentmindedly trace the tips of his fingers through his thick, dark hair at his temple while he read. Sensing her gaze, he lifted his eyes with a lopsided smile of his own.“What?”Rey pursed her lips for a moment, glancing down at the text on the open page in front of her. Her eyes roved over the glyphs, silently mouthing each word as she read it once more. She let out a heavy sigh, knowing from the start that this wasn’t going to go the way she thought,“I have to find it.”Kylo’s smiling face instantly melted into a hard frown,“Absolutely not. No.”“No? Kylo, I don’t think you understand…that place was trying to show me something!”“I understand perfectly. It offered you something you needed, and you didn’t even try to stop yourself. How could you be so stupid? Why would you risk your light? Let me tell you, it isn’t worth it. Not for a second.”Rey roved her eyes over the text in front of her once more, taking a deep breath, willing herself to stay resolute in her decision to go, whether he gave his support to her or not,“It says right here…something about a Grey Jedi…”“The Grey Jedi are a myth. It was the Sith and the Jedi. Dark versus Light. There wasn’t any in-between.”“Kylo…listen to this…There is no light without the dark. Through passion, I gain focus. Through knowledge, I gain power. Through serenity, I gain strength. Through victory, I gain harmony. There is only the Force. That doesn’t sound like the dark side to me. It sounds…balanced. Would that really be a bad thing.”Kylo slammed his book shut with a loud thud, rising to stand, his frustration with her filling the space as his darkness simmered,“Rey, you are talking about things that you don’t understand. I know it promised you answers, but there’s nothing down there for you…only grief.”
“I am trying to understand, but you aren’t letting me. You keep treating me like I’m a kriffing child!”“You are a child to me, Star- Rey….Gods. GO. Go if you must, but I am not going to be there to save your skin this time,” he fumed, pulling himself to his full height as his lips mashed together in a thin line before storming off to the captain’s quarters with a huff.“Fine. I will go. You scruffy-looking e chu ta!” Rey hollered at his broad back as she turned on her heel to march off the ship. She’d barely made it partway down the ramp when she heard him bellow,“Who’s scruffy-looking??” Rey stormed away, plodding off into the starlit night air of the island. She wasn’t exactly sure where she was headed, she just needed to be…away…Kylo’s protectiveness that smoldered beneath his stony expression seemed pointless to her, it was only a matter of time before she finally had to say something and push back. This was different than her standing on rooftops or venturing down into the grimy Coruscant underworld. This was just her and him alone on an island. She was convinced that the cave was merely trying to show her something, not drag her down to the depths, never to return to her old self. Rey continued to follow her feet, lost to her thoughts when she suddenly found herself where she had so desired to go. A wide-open pit covered in twisted black vices lay at her feet at the edge of the water, waves crashing thunderously over the side of the rocky surface. The cavernous hole was a dark abyss, with nothing visible from where she stood at its perimeter. Rey lowered herself to her knees to try and get a better look inside, and all at once, the world around her began to blur as her head became tilted to the floor of the bottomless chasm. She expected to land with a thump but kept falling into the utter blackness until she crashed hard into a deep pool of freezing water.Rey’s arms flailed as she tried to right herself under the icy surface that stole the heat from every part of her skin. Sinking lower into the darkness, she silently begged her body for one last push to the light. With a swift kick of her legs, Rey’s head broke the frigid surface, leaving her breathless as she gasped for air against the tight grip of the cold in her bones.Moving her arms under the water, she reorientated her body to take in the wide-open cave she landed herself in. Every inch of it was swathed in darkness except for the starlight seeping in from the cave’s mouth far above her and a single beam of light illuminating a reflective surface on the far edge of the cave. Within a few strokes of her shaking fingers, Rey pulled herself up onto the smooth ledge, her body quaking from the numbing water.Shaking the water from her fingertips as she stood, Rey focused her attention on the smooth wall of the cave. She slowly stepped her way up to the reflective surface and curiously lifted her fingers to the mirror.Abruptly, the room stretched out into infinity, carrying her reflection with it. Thousands of copies of her baffled face were looking back at her, extending past where her eyes could see. A whisper murmured her name behind her, sending her spinning to find where it came from only to see more of her reflection in an endless line. She turned her gaze back to the mirror with her brows creased together, completely perplexed. She lifted her hand and flexed her fingers into her palm and back out, watching in wonderment as her infinite reflections followed suit in a wave of time. Her curiosity called her again, making her snap her fingers. The copies of her imitated the action in a continuous cycle until the snap came back around to her in a flash.While her reflection seemed to stretch on for endlessly, it didn’t go on forever. It was leading somewhere, and she knew that, in the end, it would show her what she came to see.Rey stood a step closer to the mirror, silently begging for it to reveal the truth of who she was and everything she’d forgotten to her. Lifting her fingers to the mirror once more, she pleaded,“Show me, my parents…please.”Touching a single tip of her finger to the smooth surface, she watched in breathless anticipation as the mirror fogged over. Two shadowy figures slowly ambled closer to her as her heart beat out of her chest. This was it. The moment she had been waiting for her whole life. Finally, an answer.The mirror didn’t do what she expected. The two figures merged into one, taking the shape of someone oddly familiar, but it was still a faceless shadow to her. Rey’s body shook as the lone figure lifted its hand up against hers, and she could have sworn that she felt the warmth of their fingertips bleeding through the mirror against hers.
Show me. Please.
As if in slow motion, the fog melted away, and Rey was left reeling when the mirror showed her her own baffled face. Tears of disappointment trailed down her cheeks as Rey sunk to her knees in defeat.Kylo was right. She had foolishly thought she’d find answers here, but she was wrong.Rey’s grief from the lack of answers passed through her like the whipping winds of the X’us’R’iia, everything she had hoped and pleaded for laying in ruins. She ran along the edge of the island, her feet growing heavier with each step and the lingering pain she felt burned into her soul. She stopped on the rocky bluff overlooking the Falcon, dimly lit in the flickering firelight. There was one person she needed now, one person who she knew she could bear her soul to…even if he did turn out to be right.She dragged her feet up the loading ramp of the freighter, dread seeping into her at the thought of what he’d say to her on the other side of these walls. At that moment, she didn’t care. All she knew was she needed him. Turning the corner at the top of the ramp, she followed the curve of the hall to the main hold, coming to an abrupt halt when the dark knight stepped out of the ‘fresher in a cloud of swirling steam.Kylo’s usually lustrous dark hair was slicked back away from his face, curling up at the tips with water dripping down his bare torso from the ends. His face was relaxed as he absentmindedly wiped his freshly clean-shaven face dry with a small towel. Rey’s mouth went dry at the sight of his as her eyes roved over the smooth muscle of his chest, marred with a collection of jagged scars that decorated his fair skin. She knew he was strong, a warrior, but the sight of the twining cords of muscle that shaped his entire body from his strong arms, sculpted chest and abdomen confirmed it. This wasn’t like anything she’d ever seen before.Consumed by her bafflement at the sight of him, Rey’s heart beat erratically in her chest so hard that she thought it might fly out, her grief from what she’d seen in the cave momentarily forgotten. She let out a shaky sigh, drawing his attention to her in a flash, his relaxed features instantly furrowing into a deep frown,“Back so soon, Princess?” Kylo rumbled, pitching the towel back through the ‘fresher door, “Was it everything you hoped for? Did the darkness deliver on its promise?” he belittled her, rising to his full height as he squared his shoulders. Rey chewed on her lip as her chin began to quiver under his arrogant gaze. This isn’t what she wanted. If she’d known that her search for answers would have put them so at odds, she never would have gone,“Well? Go on. Say it. Say it.” Kylo growled darkly, crossing his arms over his chest. Rey felt the muscles of her chin tremble like a little girl as she looked at anything in the cargo hold but his face. Static began to rise in her head as her disappointment from earlier bled back into her subconscious. A single tear coursed its way down her cheek as she lifted her hazel eyes to his darkened amber.“It’s nothing.”Rey bolted out of the hold and into the cold night air, running her way up to her stone, hut two steps at a time. Safe inside the small confines of the structure, the tears burst forth from her like water from a dam, tumbling down her cheeks. She inelegantly plopped herself down by the fire, hugging her knees to her chest as she cried. The mirror in the cave, with all its promises, had taken something out of her she didn’t know she had to give. Her hope. The darkness had taken a sliver of it, and it was like a theft of her soul…leaving her injured in a way that no one would be able to see. No one except for him.“Rey?”She heard his voice now, the gentler version of him murmuring in from the doorway, “Rey, are you alright?”Rey dashed the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand, adjusting her posture to look a little less pitiful.“I’m fine.”Kylo stuck his head through the leather strips hanging from the doorframe, his warm brown eyes meeting hers in an instant.“You’re not,” he stated simply, ducking his head through the door and stepping to her side. He sunk down to his knees beside her in the firelight, lifting his dark brows with his eyes wide, “It’s my fault.”“No, it’s mine,” she sniffed, “I should have listened to you. I shouldn’t have gone in there. You were right….there was nothing down there for me but grief.”Rey kept her knees tucked to her chest and softly laid her head down atop them as she looked up into his face, his eyes flitting over her with concern,“Rey,” he rumbled, his deep voice reverberating through his chest, “I should have gone in there with you instead of trying to hold you back. I could have helped you through what you saw.”“I only saw myself…” she whispered into the flames as they made the shadows and light dance together in an elegant dance on the walls, “I asked to see my family…and it gave me nothing.”Kylo breathed a heavy sigh and reached to place his large hand on her shoulder, but Rey rolled it away from him, closing her eyes as a single tear rolled down her freckled cheek,“The Force is a tricky thing. We think it will tell us what we want us to know, but more often than not, it just shows us what it wants us to see. I should have been there…I am so sorry.”Kylo lifted his hand towards her slowly, waiting for her to decide to take his hand for herself. Rey looked from his proffered hand to his face and couldn’t help but melt into the smallest smile as she took in his freshly clean-shaven face. His eyes flittered back and forth between hers, silently imploring her to reach out, to forgive him and accept his hand. Rey remembered with a wistful smile all the times that she wished she could see his true face and look at the man beneath it. After all the time that had been gone since he had revealed himself to her, she finally understood why he had kept it on for so long.Kylo Ren’s face betrayed him when he was in front of her. She could read his eyes as easily as a book, and there was so much to see. Lined in the edges were worry, guilt, and grief that she didn’t quite understand. Burning in the center was…something else Rey couldn’t put into words, but she knew one thing…she felt it too.Rey pulled her hand from its firm perch on her knee and outstretched her fingers towards him. The instant her flesh touched his, Rey inhaled sharply as she was transported instantly away from the hut.A mystical green light flittered through a thick canopy of trees that towered over her. The world felt larger somehow, and her smaller within it. She looked down at her feet as she moved through a dense carpet of overgrowth on the jungle floor as her skin prickled in the dank, damp heat. She felt a hand give her a gentle squeeze and shifted her gaze to see a child’s hand dwarfed by the mysterious person’s own. Her hand. Rey looked up at the figure she walked alongside, but the image was blurred by the bright beams of light shining down upon them.
I don’t want you to leave, Ben. Not ever.

Don’t you worry, Stardust. We’ll always be together, remember? And if we’re ever apart, what will I do?

Find me.

I would cross the galaxy for you. No matter how far I had to go.

I love you, Ben.

Me too, Stardust. And don’t you ever forget it.
Rey tried to see past the glare to see who it was that was talking to…the voice was oddly familiar, but she never got the chance to see his face as the world around her shifted. She lifted her hand to shield her eyes from the oncoming onslaught as a terrifying sandstorm circled around her. A bright and brilliant red lightning cut chaotic zigzags into the sand as the storm coiled around her. Another blinding flash forked through the air when she saw him.Kylo, at the center of the cyclone, his face contorted in anguish as he held something close to his chest. The wind whipped his hair around his face, and she could feel his scream as it forced its way from his mouth. It tore through her like a shard of glass, draining the blood from her face as the streaks of crimson electricity crackled out against the stormy background of the sandy sky. It was at that moment that she knew the storm was coming from him.She emerged from the vision dazed, shaking her head violently as she tried to unsee what the Force had shown her. She pounded it down again and again, but the thought wouldn’t budge. She felt Kylo trying to pull her from her disorientation, shaking her by her shoulders and shouting her name. Rey slowly blinked as his face came into focus, his distress evident on his features. She let out a strangled cry as the dam within her broke and fresh tears coursed down her cheeks.Kylo pulled her to him, whispering gentle affirmations into her hair as he traced his fingers up and down her back. She sobbed into his chest unceasingly, hands fisted tightly into his dark shirt. He held her firmly in the quiet of the hut, rocking her slowly as her tears soaked the fabric at his chest. Kylo’s warmth seeped into her, penetrating her skin and comforting her from deep within without ever having to say a word. The feeling of his arms around her told her with everything that he was with her, and in his arms, Rey suddenly felt more awake, somehow. More alive than she had been in so long. It restored her hope and filled her with a renewed sense of possibilities that lay before her.“I still don’t understand…I just want to know,” she whispered into his shirt, still clutching at the fabric, “All this time, after everything. I still feel like nothing.”Kylo reached between them and tucked his long fingers under her chin, forcing her gaze to meet his with a firm, but gentle touch. His eyes were so different than she thought they would be in moments like these. Gone is the dark and brooding knight, and if it had been anyone else who looked at her in this way, Rey would drop her gaze. It was different with him, it drew her in closer, leaving her wanting more. Then Kylo murmured the words she needed to hear, rumbling softly into the firelight,“Not to me.”His warm hand drifted to her waist, letting it settle there and pulled her closer to him. Rey breathlessly sighed as she felt her chest pressed up against the hard planes of his chest. She reached up between them and splayed her fingers out against him, intending to push him away but found that her hand refused to budge. Rey could feel their hearts hammering in unison as their quickened rise and fall of their breathing intertwined.Kylo began to nuzzle the soft skin behind her ear with featherlight kisses, so soft that they were barely a whisper. She knew that they were about to cross that line…again…that line that she had set for their own protection from the First Order. But being here, so far away in the warmth of Kylo’s arms, Rey couldn’t bring herself to push him away. A shiver traveled down the length of her spine as Kylo’s soft mouth roved her face from side to side, getting closer and closer to her lips with each pass. The dark knight brought his long nose to circle the tip of her own with a lopsided grin. With their breaths intermingled and his lips so ripe for the kissing, Rey couldn’t help but find her own parting.
His arms circled around her tighter, bringing her into his lap. Rey’s heart thundered loudly, threatening to beat outside of her chest. If they crossed the line again, she knew there would be no turning back. Tangling her fingers in his obsidian hair, Rey’s face melted into a smile as she began to close the space between them.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Ben’s heart thudded in his chest as his precious scavenger snaked her fingers through his hair, comfortably nestled astride him in the firelight of the stone hut. He relished the feeling of his hands perched on her waist, wishing for her to never leave the circumference of his arms. Here they were, again, about to cross the line Rey had stubbornly drawn in the sand. It had been for the best at the time while they were under the emperor’s nose, but out here…so close and so delightfully alone…Ben was ready to demolish the line and draw a ring around them instead, with the two of them tucked safely together inside. Being with her, here and now, was a temptation worth exploring and would give them a chance for their bodies to communicate where words failed.The guilt continued to eat at him as he looked up into her tear-strewn face, made even worse with the knowledge that he had been partially responsible for some of her pain. Her eyes, freckled by stardust like the day he’d first met her, crinkled at the edges as she ran her fingers across the thick dark hair at his temples, her lips slowly parting as she began to close the distance between them with a smile.Rey’s mouth was just a breath away when a series of whoops and whistles erupted from the door, brutally yanking them from their delicious fantasy. The empress pulled away from him in a flash, pressing herself to stand with her palms against his chest.Ben silently fumed as Rey knelt down in front of the infuriating little droid, listening intently to whatever the hell it was saying in binary. He tucked his knee to his chest and used it as a firm stand to hold his elbow as he scrubbed his hands into his hair in frustration,“What does the ball want?” he jibed, rolling his eyes when BB-8 tilted his dome head to the side to look at him past Rey’s shoulder,“It’s not good news.”“What could it possibly be? What, is the First Order lurking around looking for that little hunk of junk?”The little droid swiveled its lens from Ben to Rey and back again incredulously,“Did I offend him?”Rey stood, dusting off her knees before turning to face him with her brows creased with concern,“The chaos, Kylo. I’m telling you…it’s following us.”Ben’s stomach dropped as the realization of the possibility of Ahch-to being orbited by a star destroyer at this very moment,“If that’s true, then we’ve gotta get off this rock and throw them off our scent…fast.”He stood abruptly, gathering the collection of blankets and bedroll from the floors and stomping out the smoldering fire with his boot. Swiftly sweeping past Rey, Ben ducked through the door frame and ran down the stone staircase as quickly as the light from the waning moon would allow him to.Coming to an abrupt halt in the shadow of his father’s ship, Ben haphazardly stuffed the armful of fabric into one of the crates around the fire, closing the lid with a slam as he lifted his gaze to see Rey coming down the stairs behind him. She didn’t appear to have the same sense of urgency as he did as she traipsed down each step with their obnoxious stowaway lumbering down each step with a metallic thunk behind her.“We’re kind of on a ticking clock here, highness. Do you mind if we move a little faster?”“I had to find Porgkins…” she shrugged with a half-smile, looking down to nuzzle the little bird’s feathered belly with her fingertips as it let out a tiny croon.“No.”“Please? He won’t be much trouble…”“You say that now,” he groused, stubbornly trying to hold his ground as the Empress looked up at him imploringly. She stepped up against him, gazing at him through her lashes, “He likes you. You should give him a chance.”Ben pressed his lips together, exhaling through his nose sharply as he raised a single eyebrow.“If I say yes, will you hurry up and get on the kriffing ship?”Rey’s face melted into a dazzling smile, capturing her bottom lip in her teeth. She gave a small nod and bounded up the ramp in a flash.Ben tossed the crates up the ramp, thundering up behind them to press the switch to close the ship’s door with a loud hiss and made his way down the bending hall to the cockpit,“It’s my turn, Princess. Scoot,” he nodded at Rey, who was already settled in the captain’s seat. She lifted herself from the seat, hopping over the center panel with a smile.“I do love it when you take control,” she mused, her grin widening as she reached over her head to start the ignition process,“Are you flirting with me, Majesty?” Ben laughed while he flipped a series of switches,“I might be inclined to do so from time to time, Lord Ren. Is that alright?”Ben’s face melted into a wide smile as he reached for the throttle, pulling the ship elegantly from the island’s face and into the ocean breeze,“Fine by me,” he said as they peeled away from the island and out of the atmosphere.He settled back into his seat, feeling more at home than he should have been allowed to in the place where his father spent his happiest moments. Ben hummed happily while they watched the stars stretch out through the transparasteel viewport as they slingshotted into hyperspace.“So,” Rey sighed as she leaned back in the co-pilot’s seat, “where to? We’re not going back to the palace, are we?”“Not yet,” Ben hummed as the symphony of sound emanating from the ship surrounded him like a thick blanket, each ping and beep a harmony of memories to his ears, “there’s a system nearby where we can lay low for a little while until the First Order is out of the Western Reaches.”“Which one? I’ve never gone so many places before,” she gushed, leaning her elbows on the panel separating their seats in the cockpit.Ben thought about it for a moment as he looked down at her smiling, freckled face, her star dusted eyes lit up with excitement. He suddenly realized that she had never seen all the wonderful things that the galaxy had to offer, and he had the privilege of being the one to show her. What a joy it would be to see her face light up once more as it had done when she took in the green landscape on Takodana,“Hm, I don’t think I’m going to tell you,” he teased with a lopsided grin, “in fact…I think you need to get the hell out of the cockpit. Now.”Rey balked at him, her smiling face instantly melting into an adorable frown,“What?”“You heard me. Get out.”“You can’t talk to me like that, I’m the Empress of the First Order,” she declared playfully, crossing her arms over her chest as a show that she was stubbornly staying put.“Yeah, yeah. And I’m the rightful heir. Go,” Ben stood with a grin and sidled up behind her, scooping her out of her seat with his strong arms. He ducked out of the opening into the hall and deposited her in a heap in the main hold. Rey frowned up at him as he lifted his hand to point at her mischievously.“Stay.”Ben strode back into the cockpit, planting himself comfortably in his father’s seat. Watching the parsecs tick by, he chuckled as he felt Rey’s pout emanating from the main hold. She may be disappointed now, but he knew that it would be worth it in the end.With a pull on a level, the Falcon snapped out of hyperspace above a glimmering bright diamond of a planet, painted white across every surface. Ben took control of the yolk, bringing them into the atmosphere in a blue-white blur. They thundered over the icy terrain while he scanned the horizon, looking for a safe place to dock the ship that was out of the elements. He spotted a wide-mouth cave on the horizon and tilted the ship in that direction. He skillfully piloted the ship into the mouth, bringing the Falcon to rest on the snowy surface.He pressed his palms against the seat, lifting his large from the seat and ambling into the main hold. Rey sat at the Dejarik table, arms crossed with a frown on her face.“Am I allowed to look now?”Ben gave her an amused, sidelong glance as he began to rummage through some of the crates in the hold, pulling out bits of clothing here and there. Rey watched him curiously as he strode up to her with a focused look,“Arms out.”Ben slid her arms through the sleeves of a thick coat, pulled a pair of gloves onto her hands one by one, and tugged a hat and a pair of goggles onto her head. He stepped back to inspect his handiwork, drawing his knuckles under his chin with a smile.“I think you’re ready,” he hummed.“Ready for what? I’ve never worn so many clothes in my life, and that’s saying something considered some of the gowns I’ve worn…”Ben quickly dressed in his own gear, striding towards his scavenger as he gazed down into her befuddled eyes with a half-smile. He lifted his hand to her face, gently tracing soft circles across her velvet skin before reaching behind her to pull the fur-lined hood up over her head. Rey sighed at the deliciously close contact, fluttering her lashes up at him as he contentedly looked into her eyes.“There’s…something I want to show you. You’re going to be glad you had all the extra layers.”Ben’s heart fluttered nervously as Rey looked at him with amused curiosity, relishing the moments before they left their happy bubble on the Falcon. He reached down to twine his gloved hands with hers, wishing that he could feel her warm skin against his own, pulling her to the main hatch with a smile. He pressed the release, his eyes never leaving hers as the frigid air from outside instantly filled the space in the ship. Rey’s eyes went wide with shock as the coldness washed over them, biting at their skin.The pair of them emerged from the mouth of the cave into the blinding daylight, the sun reflecting sharply off the surface of the ice world.“W-where are we?” Rey murmured breathlessly. Ben smiled, his eyes soft as he watched her eyes rove over the glacier-covered world with childlike wonderment. His heart swelled as she jogged forward, bending down to gingerly scoop up a handful of pure white snow with her gloved hand.“Hoth. We don’t have much time here, but as long as it’s daylight, the conditions are mostly tolerable.” Ben trudged through the snow and reached his palm out to her, “This isn’t actually what we came here to see. There’s something close by that I’ve wanted to show you for a while. It’s right up your alley.”With a dazzlingly wide smile, Rey slipped her hand into his waiting one, letting him pull her to stand and lead her into the snowy, white abyss.They marched through the blinding white terrain, Rey blindly following Ben as he followed wherever internal compass was telling him to go. They stopped at an icy wall, a collection of speeder sized chunks of a broken glacier stacked haphazardly on top of the other.“This looks like it was destroyed a long time ago,” Rey breathed, lifting her eyes to look to the top of the frozen barrier.“There was something here…before I was born. The Empire attacked it, so the Rebels destroyed it before they could use it against them. We could find another way in…”“Oh, Kylo…getting into tight spaces was what I was made for. Come on, follow me,” Rey laughed, pulling herself up between the cracks and disappearing into the icy wall. Ben couldn’t help but notice the enticing way she shimmied her body to squeeze easily into the enclosed space. He swallowed thickly, slightly apprehensive of following her, the idea of getting his larger than average frame trapped between the massive chunks of the broken glacier.Placing his hands on the frigid surface, he pushed himself up and tumbled inside after her. Ben landed with a hard thump on the frozen floor and was instantly in awe of the eerie blue glow that blanketed the tiny space. Ice surrounded him on all sides, and if he didn’t feel like he was on another world then, he surely did now.“Aren’t you coming?” Rey popped her head out from a crevice in front of him, her face lit up with her brilliant smile. This. This is why he brought her here. To see her joy and make her feel like herself again and remind her she wasn’t nothing.“I’m right behind you, sweetheart,” he beamed, helpless in the daze her blinding light and happiness pulled him into. She grinned all the wider and disappeared once more, her laughter echoing through the cracks and crevices all around them into infinity.They continued to climb and tumble through the gargantuan lumps of the obliterated ice, Ben falling behind more and more as each moment passed until he fell out into a vast open cavern at her feet.The space around them was mostly dark except the faint blue glow that that broken wall behind them provided. Rey bounded to a far wall where a durasteel panel filled with various knobs and switches sat, fiddling with each button until she swore loudly,“Kriffing Hell. Come on, you damned thing, work!”Ben sauntered over to her, gently pressing his wide chest against her back. Rey inhaled sharply at the sudden heat behind her, relishing in the feeling of Ben’s hot breath against her skin,“Let’s try a trick I learned a long time ago,” he rumbled into her ear. He raised a massive fist and brought it down onto the metal wall with a bang and let out a surprised guffaw when a series of overhead lights began to flicker and hum above them, “Stars. I didn’t think that would actually work.”Rey was silent beside him, enraptured by the sight sprawled out before them. A massive hanger sat sprawled out in front of their eyes, seemingly never-ending as the lines of lights continued to flick on.A collection of broken and battered a-wing speeders sat scattered every few yards, miles of thick wires lined the ceiling, and the subtle purr of a motor kicked on.“That would be the heat,” Ben mused, pulling the hat from his thick, dark hair, “Welcome to Echo Base, Princess.”“Echo Base?” Rey murmured, her eyes wide as she lowered her hood and pulled the gloves from her hands.“Mm…it was the headquarters for the Rebel Alliance for a time during the Galactic Civil War.”“I’d heard whispers of the Rebellion before, only slivers back on Jakku. Most people talked about the fall of the Empire, not what came before.”Rey wandered between the speeders, reaching down into an open cockpit to pull a yellowed flight helmet from the seat. She placed it on her head and grinned up at Ben,“How do I look?”Ben sighed happily, entranced as ever by that smile…a smile he’d never be able to get enough of. He reached up and hugged the flesh of her jaw with his fingertips with a smile,“Like rebel royalty.”He ambled behind her, happily watching her as she bounded from ship to ship, ducking under each one to investigate the machinery inside,“It wasn’t an easy time for the Rebellion. The battle that took place here took a lot out of them and scattered them to the wind. Things changed soon after as soon as my gran…uh, as soon as Darth Vader turned away from the Empire and joined his son, Luke Skywalker.”“Luke Skywalker was here?” Rey breathed, wide-eyed as she reached to the saber hanging at her waist, “the saber…”“Was his, yes. He still had it when he was here. And he lost it not long after this base was ransacked. I’m surprised there’s anything left.”“It was bad, huh?”“My parents made it out by the skin of their teeth,” he murmured. Rey’s eyes grew wide, and Ben could feel her shock since he’d never mentioned his past before.“Your parents were part of the Rebellion?”“They had a hand in it, yeah,” he said, running his hand down the smooth frame of one of the A-wings, “They were there for the destruction of the first Death Star…both of them, actually. They ran here after the Empire targeted their base on Yavin IV.”“Yavin IV? That’s where Poe is from! Maybe that could be how you’ve heard his name before?”“Yeah, maybe…”“Stars, the Galaxy is smaller than I thought.”
Like you wouldn’t believe…
Rey tucked her bottom lip between her teeth, gazing up at Ben imploringly as she took a step closer to him. He looked down his long nose into her star-dusted eyes, his heart full. There was no way in the whole galaxy how he would be able to adequately put into words what those eyes meant to him and how they made him feel. She could ask him anything, and he would be helpless in her gaze, always more than willing to answer to their call.“Kylo…”“Rey.”“This place…it has everything…the value of it all. Could I…could we…take some of it with us?”Ben raised a dark eyebrow as he looked down at her, half-amused.“You want to go scavenging, don’t you?”Her eyes glimmered in the artificial light, nodding enthusiastically as she placed her palms on his chest and stretched up onto her toes to press a kiss to his cheek. The skin where her lips touched burned delightfully. It took everything in him not to snatch her up right there and finish what they’d barely begun back in the hut on Ahch-to.Ben watched her bound from craft to craft, squeezing her lithe frame into the slimmest of spaces to emerge victorious with a part that was more than a treasure to her in her previous life. He was helplessly amazed by her, privileged to see her in her element…the most herself and the most like that sprightly little girl he knew on Yavin IV. The smile on his face while he watched her excitement grow like a small child who’d been offered a sweet couldn’t quite reflect what he was feeling in his heart. It was like every fiber that made up his very soul was buzzing in every direction, leaving him in the best kind of paralysis.Rey tucked part after part in his arms, leaving Ben wondering how on earth they would be able to squeeze all these trinkets out the way they came when the first whisper flittered through the air around him. The voices poured in slowly, like the tide coming in to shore, surrounding him like a lone island in the middle of a sea of painful memories.
Well, princess, it looks like you managed to keep me here a while longer.

I had nothing to do with it.

That’s a good story, I think you just can’t bear to let a gorgeous guy like me out of your sight.
The ghost of the memory of his parents bombarded Ben unexpectedly, leaving him reeling as their voices rang in his ears.
Han, we need you.

Afraid I was going to leave without giving you a goodbye kiss?I’d just as soon kiss a Wookiee.

I can arrange that. You could use a good kiss!
With the voices of his parents swirling around him, Ben suddenly became intensely aware of time. Time that slowed around him as the ghosts of his past continued to haunt his every step. Time lost to his family that they could never get back…things they should have said or should have done. Any moment to make up for that lost time had been obliterated when the First Order took them from him. He should have been better. Done better. Fought against Snoke’s claws harder.If he had, what would his life look like now? Would Rey’s picture of them she held in her mind as a little girl come to fruition?
Ben and Stardust. Guardians of the Light.
It would be a lie to say that he didn’t miss them. His life certainly wasn’t the easiest, with his parents always at odds, Han giving in to his wanderlust, and top of it all…there was Ben. Shrouded in darkness even as a small boy. It was too much, far too much for any family to endure, let alone to a pair of Rebellion heroes who had already given so much of themselves and lost so much at the hands of the Empire.If it weren’t for his darkness, what kind of family would they have been? Happy? Together? Would he have found his wings and received his wish to be a pilot, just like his dad, and jet off together across the galaxy as father and son?Ben had pressed the grief of the loss of his parents, of all that time taken from them…from him. He shoved it down to fuel the growing darkness in his soul that ate at his light until there wasn’t anything left. Since the moment when the spark of Ben Solo reignited, triggered by Rey and her blinding light, he had begun to feel it again. He was finally given a chance to grieve his family, and it continued to pour out of him at the most unexpected times.He didn’t expect that hearing these flashes of his parent’s memories would trigger him. It was so long ago, far before his own birth, that his parents had even been present in the passageway.Trying to desperately hold on to the feelings of joy that radiates from Rey as he ambled after her while she continued to stack pieces of junk in his arms, Ben tried to push back the voices and keep them at bay. Now was not the time, nor the place to be drowning in the ghosts of the past.Ben’s vision of Rey happily exploring the back passages of Echo Base began to blur at the edges, and he knew that it wouldn’t be able to keep the whispers at bay much longer. They started to swarm him, causing him to stagger under the weight of it all, pushing his shoulder against the carved out glacial walls to bring himself upright.The voices had started gradually, and then all at once, washing over him in a vicious tidal wave and sending him careening down to his knees. Rey’s trinkets fell to the ground with a crash as his grief surged through him with every staggering breath he took, reaching a higher peak as each second wore on. Tears began to spring from his unresistant eyes with a pitter-patter onto the metal parts that had spilled out of his arms. Quiet sobs racked his broad shoulders as he released every ounce of his grief that had been suppressed for so many years. There was nothing he could do to fill the hole in his heart that took the shape of Han and Leia. He had forcefully shoved it down for so long that there was nothing he could do now but get out from under it. It came in sharp waves, threatening to consume him as the tears flowed from his eyes unchecked.Through the cacophony of voices murmuring to him through his tears, suddenly, he heard her voice, ringing out like a bell through his fog to pull him to shore. Rey hugged her palms against his tear-strewn face and pulled him to her, resting his head in the soft space against her heart. The sound of its steady beat drew him out of his dark cloud, slowly lifting the dark veil that he had been blanketed in.His body drooped in her arms with his arms lying limp against his knees, sinking further to the floor as the tears continued to stream down his face,“I can hear them,” he lamented as she gently ran her fingers through his hair,“Who, Kylo? Who do you hear?”“My parents. I can feel their memories from this place. It’s like they’re still here. Oh, Gods, I’ve so alone for so long. So alone…”Ben moaned into her coat, fresh tears staining the dark fabric as she held him tenderly in her arms.Rey laid her hands gently upon his cheeks, lifting his tear-strewn gaze to meet hers. She thoughtfully looked over him, pulling a ribbon of his dark hair through her fingers and traced the curve of his ear. Bringing her eyes back to his, she leaned forward to press a featherlight kiss on the jagged scar that bisected his cheek. Rey continued to scatter tender kisses against each dark beauty mark across his features, murmuring to him softly over and over,“You’re not alone.”Rey gazed down at his forlorn face, desperate to make him understand, to make him feel what she felt for him inside. To help him to see that, although their lives before had been hopelessly lonely, they had each other, and not even the might of the First Order would be able to tear them apart now. She leaned her forehead against his and closed her eyes, and ever so softly brought her lips to his. The kiss was gentle and slow, everything they needed at that moment. Rey summoned the Force from deep inside her and poured every thought, every feeling, and every ounce of togetherness she felt for him into the kiss. The ever-burning ember of their connection burst to life like never before, fed by the intensity of the power Rey fed into it. It burned brighter than ever, a blinding flame that could only find its equal in the heart of a newborn star.Ben pulled back suddenly with a sharp intake of breath, completely taken aback by what she had just done. Ben blinked up at her in the dim light of the passageway, ready to surrender to her every whim. He was hers completely, and if it weren’t for her, he would still be lost in the darkness.“W-what did you just do? I could feel…everything.”Rey offered him a coy smile and a shrugged, nuzzling the tip of his long nose with her own.“I wanted to show you that I meant what I said. That…you have me. And as long as you do, you’ll never be alone,” she lifted her eyes, running ribbons of his dark hair through her fingertips once more, “I’ll always be with you, Kylo. No matter how far, I know I would find you.”A single tear trailed down his cheek as he leaned into her soft touch, his heart threatening to burst as she said those words to him. His words. His promise he had made to her so long ago. How long would it be until the Force fully revealed her true self to her? Would she ever remember?Rey leaned down and pressed another soft kiss to his lips. She lingered for a moment, deliciously trapped in the feeling of his mouth against hers, running her hand down his arm to tangle her fingers through his. Pulling him to his feet, Rey tucked her arm through his and led them through the icy hanger back the way they came. *Rey couldn’t bear it any longer. The blinding white landscape of Hoth had been pure magic to her desert-dweller eyes when they’d first arrived, and she had been more than thrilled to have the chance to play to her heart’s content inside Echo Base, but as Kylo and her trudged their way through the pure white haze, they were pummeled by a snowstorm that had blown in after they’d left the base. Had they known that the weather would’ve taken such a turn, Rey would have insisted that they hunker down inside the old Rebel base to keep warm.It was for the best for Kylo, who had clearly been overwhelmed by the memories that washed over him. Rey had been surprised to hear him speak of his family, something he had never done before. To think of Kylo Ren as someone with a family, someone with people he loved, would be a surprising thought to most people in the galaxy. To them, he was merely a shadow…a force to be reckoned with who was at the beck and call of the First Order.Rey had always had a feeling that he understood her loneliness better than anyone, and his breakdown in the south passageway of Echo Base had confirmed it. He must have kept it locked away, hiding it behind the mask along with everything else. Rey knew it in her heart when she saw the pain in his eyes that inside, they were the same. Twin souls born from the same fledgling flame, bound to find each other through all the pain and grief that Fate brought to them.She’d comforted him the best that she could before insisting that her scavenging was over, and she wanted to get back to the ship. Kylo argued that they could stay if she wished to, and the truth was, she probably could have, but the grief she felt coursing through him kept pushing her to go.The wind cut through her coat and into her skin, slashing through her with constant harsh blows like daggers, moaning in the delight that was her pain with every gust. The snow beneath their feet jumped up, licking the exposed skin on her face and nipping at her nose. It was only a matter of time before Rey started to shiver. No, Hoth was certainly no place for a scavenger from the desert, no matter how beautiful and pure the snow had felt to the touch.Kylo grasped her hand tightly, pulling her through the deepening snow against the wind. Rey could feel the warmth of his fingers seeping through the fabric of his glove, and she was left wondering how on earth he was still so warm.“There it is!” Kylo hollered against the howling wind, “Hold on, Princess, we’re almost there!”Rey squinted through the swirling snow, her heart lurching at the sight of the wide-mouth cave they had hidden the Falcon in. She followed the dark knight blindly up a short hill and into an icy chamber. The world was suddenly still in the shelter that the cave provided. Rey released a sigh as she pulled the hat from her head and gave her chestnut hair a shake as it fell in loose waves past her shoulders.She circled around to the base of the loading ramp, putting her back away from the mouth of the cave and leaned against the frame of the ship with a smile as Kylo took a step towards her. The corner of his mouth tilted up as he tore the hat from his dark hair, carding his fingers through the thick curls. Kylo pulled his hand from his hair and lifted it to his mouth, leisurely pulled the glove from his fingers with his teeth. His molten brown eyes burned into hers as he reached out to cup the curve of her cheek. Rey melted into the warmth of his touch, fluttering her lashes closed as he bent down to close the space between them but was left waiting.Eyes opening in a flash as she felt Kylo’s body stiffen against her, Rey looked up to meet his gaze that was staring intensely over her shoulder. He took a slow breath and leaned closer to her ear,“Get on the ship. Now,” he rumbled quietly, his hot breath and a quiet sense of urgency sending a shiver down her spine,“What is it?”“I can handle it. Go.”Rey rolled her eyes and slowly turned her head to look in the direction that held Kylo’s rapt attention, inhaling sharply when she saw a mammoth furry creature tearing bloody flesh from bone in the corner of the cavern,“What in the kriffing hell is that?”“A Wampa. I’ve got this. Get. On. The. Ship,” Kylo growled through gritted teeth as he reached to his hip for his lightsaber.“Like hell I am,” Rey laughed, tugging the silver hilt from her waist, flipping the blue blade to life with a flick of her thumb. With a roar, Rey took off towards the creature but was quickly brought to a halt by a pair of strong arms around her waist.“Oi!” she lashed out with her feet, tearing at the dark knight’s fingers to let her go.“Don’t be stupid Rey, you don’t know what you’re dealing with here.”She stubbornly pushed her way free and found herself breathless as the creature diverted its attention towards them, slowly rising to its full height, dropping a chunk of bloody taun taun to the cave floor with a thump. The mammoth thing was nearly twice as tall as Rey and three times more massive, towering over them with fresh bloodstains on its white fur. Rey took a step backward in the shadow of the enormous wampa, colliding with Kylo’s broad chest.“You just couldn’t get on the ship, could you. You started this, Sweetheart…now we’ve gotta finish it,” Kylo growled, his breath fluttering her hair against her ear and eyes narrowed towards the beast.The wampa let out a thundering roar, and Rey lifted her eyes to Kylo’s with a smile, giving the saber an easy twirl in her palm as he ignited his own shrieking blade with a stomp and an amused half-smile. Together in effortless synchronicity, they charged the beast. Kylo slashed at the creature with a fury, singeing the white fur as Rey slid on her knees between the wampa’s legs, tearing at its flesh before bringing herself to stand.With a wild grunt, the wampa swung relentlessly back towards Rey, knocking her off her feet and into an icy wall with its enormous claws. She coughed as she struggled to catch her breath from getting the wind brutally knocked out of her from the force of the blow, pulling herself to her feet as quickly as she could. Ribs aching, Rey lifted her eyes as gasped at the look of blinding fury on Kylo’s face as he swung the crackling crimson blade wildly at the beast.The wampa lurched forward, taking a wide swing at the dark knight, who quickly dodged it, plummeting the blade into the creature’s arm with a roar, ripping the limb from its owner as he drew his blade down. The monster let out a loud squall, pressing forward towards Kylo, who quickly found himself cornered.Thinking quickly, Rey jumped to her feet and blasted forward, leaping onto the wampa’s shaggy back. She used the creature’s long fur to her advantage, fisting it in her fingers to help her keep her position steady when the beast bucked and roared underneath her. Her nostrils burned, protesting at the rancid smell of rotting flesh that was even more repulsive now that she was on the back of it. Rey fought the urge to gag from the nauseating stink, pulling herself up to rest her knees on the back of the wampa’s shoulders. Her eyes met Kylo’s briefly, lit up in amazement as she gave the humming blue saber an elegant twirl in her palm before sending the blade plunging into the base of the wampa’s head.The beast staggered, wavering for a moment before plummeting to the floor of the cave. Rey held on firmly as it fell, elegantly leaping from its back before the wampa hit the ground. She sidled over to Kylo and held out her hand with a smile to his baffled face. He placed his palm to hers, circling his long fingers over her hand and let her pull him to his feet. Rey looked up at him, puzzled as she dusted the stray wampa hairs from her coat. Amazement didn’t entirely cover the look on the dark knight’s face, a shadowed mixture of astonishment and perplexity like he was taking time for the new information of what had occurred to sink into his brain even though it happened right before his eyes, larger than life. His plush lips slowly stretched into a gaping, lopsided grin as he silently marveled at her.“What is it?” Rey challenged, her brows furrowed in mock confusion. Kylo shook his head as his grin grew even wider.“You’ve done well, young padawan,” he laughed, looking down at the dead wampa in disbelief. Rey chuckled and lifted an eyebrow.“And you said you could handle yourself alone….” she giggled, leaving Kylo still stunned at the foot of the fallen creature as she sashayed her way up the ramp of the Falcon.Rey strode down the curved hall past the cockpit and into the main hold. She slowly stripped the black, downy coat from her shoulders, eager to be rid of the rancid smell of wampa and taun taun entrails. She tossed the garment into an open crate and threw in her hat, gloves, and goggles on top of it. She bent down at the waist to remove her boots now that she was in the warmth of the ship, halting her actions when she rose back up and saw Kylo’s eyes burning into her from the doorway. The corners of her mouth lifted in a half-smile as her hands went back to work, untying the laces on the other boot. Rey toed it off her foot, flinging it into the far crate with the other cold-weather gear.“That was great. Amazing, even. I didn’t think that that would have been so exciting, but Kylo…it was…” Rey grinned, lifting her gaze to meet his, her breath instantly catching in her throat. The look in his eyes seared her down to her soul, leaving her breathless as he took a steady step towards her. His scorching gaze was unwavering as he lifted his hands to slowly pull the remaining black leather glove from his oversized palm. Kylo let it fall to the floor with a soft smack, taking another big step closer to her, raising his long fingers to the golden freckled skin at her cheek.The rise and fall of her chest quickened in the split seconds before his flesh grazed hers, electrifying every single ion in her body. It was the pure anticipation of what came next…the intoxicating exhilaration of finally and willingly crossing that line that thrilled her in ways that words would never be able to describe.Rey’s body thrummed, and she let out a shuddering breath as his hot flesh made contact with hers. She leaned into the touch, slowly closing her eyes and capturing her lip with her teeth as she sighed.“I’d love to bite that lip,” he growled, tracing the seam of her mouth with his thumb, pulling at her lip to release it from the trap she’d caught it in. Rey’s eyelashes fluttered as she let out a trembling sigh as she felt the heat of him ever so close to her, “Rey,” Kylo growled darkly, “look at me.”She slowly lifted her eyes, taking in a slow breath, reveling in the intoxicating smell of him as he stepped ever closer.Spice. Smoke. Earth.That same comforting smell that accompanied her and gave her comfort on those hard nights alone in the palace was palpable as Kylo snaked his strong arms around her waist. With a sharp tug, he closed the space between their bodies. She felt his heart beating against hers and held her breath as he tangled his long fingers in her chestnut hair. Rey could see how he loved the softness of it in the slight crinkle around his eyes and the way the corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly. Kylo’s hand drifted from the soft waves of her hair back to the gleaming golden skin on her face, softly running his thumb alongside the bottom edge of her lip.“Rey, I know I promised I would be a gentleman and wait until you asked me, but I would very much like to kiss you now.”All the reasons why they shouldn’t flittered through her mind as her eyes searched his as he gazed down at her imploringly, flickering back and forth between her own. They’d had plenty to stay safely settled where they’d been the last few weeks, dangerously toeing the boundary Rey had set but here and now, with him looking at her that way, all the care and weight she carried…all the reasons to say no, to stay safe within the confines of her agreement…it all melted away at once in the warmth of his gaze and the way that it made her feel.Rey raised her hand and ever so softly traced the jagged scar that bisected his cheek, trailing her finger from each beauty mark to exquisite beauty mark. He let out a low hum as she pulled a slip of his dark hair between her fingers, curling them around the edge of one of his ears he always kept tucked away. With a shy smile, she drew her gaze back to his eyes, eyes that had never left her for a moment, and gave him a small nod as she caged her lip between her teeth once more.“I want you to. Kiss me, Kylo. Please.”Rey stood breathless as Kylo slowly lowered his head and bypassed her mouth and instead began to leave a series of scorching kisses along the base of her throat. Her head began to spin as she panted with each featherlight kiss that he placed to her skin, setting her completely aflame from the ends of her hair to the tips of her toes. With each time Kylo’s sinfully plush mouth made contact with her flesh, a piece of her resolve crumbled further into nothing. After a few of his delicate touches, any sense of doubt evaporated away as her head began to swim as all previous hesitations she had were stopped dead in their tracks. There was only wish, just a single desire left in her mind, and she knew it was only a matter of time before it finally happened. “Kylo,” Rey whimpered, leaning into every torturously slow kiss, silently begging for more. He was making her wait, and she could barely stand it any longer.“Patience,” the dark knight growled, dragging his teeth languorously across the soft flesh of her ear, the heady combination with his scorching breath sent a white-hot lance of desire blooming deep within her core.“Nnngh,” Rey answered, completely powerless beneath his touch. Her eyes closed as the unknown, yet delicious way he made her feel built up inside her. She let out a soft gasp as Kylo’s long fingers caged her face in his hands, pulling her in to give her what he knew she wanted.Their kiss began soft, gentle even until all sense of decorum fell away, and Rey’s desire for him firmly took root. She tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled her firmly against her, tracing her tongue along the seam of his impossibly plush lips, begging for entrance. Desperate for more, Rey was willing to take it. Kylo let out a low groan as Rey tugged him closer-still, and she devoured the sound, hungry for more of it…more of him.Their connection sang, bursting to life as they finally came together with the way that the Force had been pushing them to do since the moment he’d first laid eyes on her. Kylo deepened the kiss, savoring the sweet taste of her on his lips as laved his tongue against hers. It was the promise of their irrefutable connection, of the primal desire that they both held for the other, bursting forth like a caged bird that had finally been set free. With his kiss, Rey could feel that he was awake…he was sure. He was sure of everything, but especially of her.Rey pulled away for an instant, taking a shallow, shaky breath. She inspected Kylo’s eyes as they searched hers, looking for any ounce of remorse. It wouldn’t matter how hard he looked, Rey was resolute, she along with him, was sure. There were so many things in her life that she didn’t know, that had remained a mystery to her for years, and no matter how she searched, they remained hidden. There were so many things that appealed to her trusting heart, taking advantage of her before rearing its ugly head and trying to destroy her…not unlike her bastard husband.Unlike so many other facets of her life, Kylo had remained the one constant, the one thing that she never questioned. She knew in her heart, even though she still couldn’t place the source of it, that Kylo held an importance to her that she didn’t understand yet. She didn’t understand it but trusted it more than she had of anything her entire life. She searched his eyes now, and it was apparent as ever before. He was her constant, a moon caught in her orbit, helplessly drawn to the other for the rest of eternity.Rey lifted her elegant fingers and traced his undeniably kissable lips with a content hum, her thoughts flickering back to the deliciously potent dreams she’d have of him as the dark-haired man, long before she ever laid eyes on his true face. Here, now, at this moment, she couldn’t help but want them to come true.“Kylo, I want you to touch me.”With a growl, Kylo caged his long fingers in her hair, devouring her mouth in a searing and salacious kiss. Rey’s hands began to wander, working their way across the smooth expanse of Kylo’s chest, exploring each valley, and each line of hard, corded muscle along his perfect body underneath his coat.Desperate for more of him, her fingers blindly fiddled with the dark fabric at his chest as Kylo deepened their kiss, nipping at her lip. Rey could feel his smile against her mouth while she clawed at the zipper on his thick jacket, pulling it down in a flash and forcing it over the curve of his broad shoulders. It landed in a heap at their feet, and Kylo kicked it away, taking his hands away from her body for only a moment as he tore his dark undershirt over his head and pitched it to the side to land only Maker knew where.Rey’s continued their exploration, trailing over his porcelain skin, connecting the constellation of beauty marks that were scattered across the hard planes of muscles, slowing only to press her palms against one of the many scars that marred his immaculate flesh. She pulled away for a moment, lifting her gaze to look up at him hesitantly. Instantly drawn in by the soft swirls of gold in the warm amber of his eyes, the depth of emotion she found there made her gasp. Lust. Desire. And something else…something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.Kylo caged his long fingers over her hip, slowly turning her around and pulled her back flush against his bare chest. The intoxicating smell of him washed over her as he bent his head down to gently nibble at the soft flesh at the base of her neck. Rey breathed a soft whimper as his large hands trailed down her torso, his long fingers curling under the soft hem of her shirt. Kylo trailed his teeth across her ear, sending a frisson of electricity shooting down to her toes as his husky baritone whispered in her ear,“May I?”Rey gave the tiniest of breathless nods. She couldn’t have moved even if she tried, Kylo’s touch having short-circuited her mind in the best possible way. He grasped the edge of the fabric, slowly tugging it over her head and discarding it with his own somewhere in the main hold. In the artificial light of the Falcon, Kylo delicately caressed her gleaming golden skin as if he were afraid that any heavier of a touch would break the rapturous magic and bring them crashing back down to reality.The feeling of Kylo’s long fingertips brushing over her skin was electrifying, leaving Rey’s skin tingling in a frenzy of charged energy burning at every point his touch lingered. As his hands continued to rove over her golden, freckled flesh, Rey’s body buzzed, her mind unable to process the frissons of pleasure as quickly as the traces of his fingers overloaded her senses with over and over again. Kylo’s head moved to her other ear, softly whispering what was coming next.His deft fingers slowly began to pull at the trappings of her breast band, gently unwinding the fabric layer by layer until she was completely bare from the waist up. Kylo let out a strangled groan, pressing his hand against her torso, splaying his long fingers out to pull flesh against flesh. Rey’s hands shook with anticipation, reaching behind her to coil her fingers in his dark curls as Kylo continued his ministrations with his mouth along the peaks and valleys of her neck. His dexterous hands continued to wander down down down, leaving Rey gasping when they came to a halt at the top of her trousers,“Please,” she breathlessly murmured, tangling her fingers tighter in his hair and bringing him ever closer,“I want you to be sure,” he mumbled, withdrawing his fingers ever so slightly. Rey pulled one of her hands from his curls and laid it gently over her own, leading him further down towards her center. She pulled her head back to meet his baffled mouth with a kiss and poured every thought and every feeling she had for him into the bond, obliterating any sense of doubt that lingered in his mind,“Kylo,” she breathed, pressing another soft kiss to his lips, “In all of this chaos that has been my life…you’re the only thing I’m sure about.”Rey’s breath hitched with a shiver as Kylo’s fingers drifted further down, easing their way through the soft nest of dark curls. Her knees felt weak while Kylo held her firmly around the waist with his free arm as his fingers delved further down, slowly gliding over the tiny bundle of nerves. Rey could barely contain the mournful keen that tumbled over her lips while his fingers swirled over the oversensitive bud, carrying a scorching frisson of pleasure across every part of her.She hadn’t much experience with the unbidden sensations that Kylo was supplying her, only reaching between her thighs on those lonely nights in the palace. She’d awaken in the middle of the night, fresh from a tantalizing dream of the dark-haired man after spending the day swathed in the then-mysterious connection she shared with Kylo Ren. Meeting him and dreaming of his face before she knew it with her own eyes awakened something deep within her…a hungry with only one solution. Having him here, now…with the way his fingers moved against her center, no longer a dream…it filled her an unbidden desire for more, a pang of insatiable hunger that would never be fully satiated.A white-hot lance of desire shot through her when Kylo snaked his large fingers over her clit, exerting just enough pressure with each pass he made to send her spiraling towards the precipice. She held onto Kylo’s hair for dear life while he continued to propel her towards the edge, trailing his hot mouth along the edge of her jaw as she whimpered beneath his touch,“You’re holding on,” Kylo growled, dragging his teeth across the soft, pliable flesh at her ear, his hot breath sending an additional shiver down her spine, “Let go.”His words in her ear were all Rey needed to send her rocketing over the peak, spasming underneath his touch while he drove her further into the delicious depths of her climax. As Rey tumbled back down from the high, her knees threatened to give out from underneath her, making her waver. Kylo didn’t hesitate a moment, sweeping her up against his bare chest to devour the whimpers that tumbled from her lips.Kylo’s lips didn’t leave hers for a single moment as he carried her trembling form down the short, curving hall to the captain’s quarters. He led them into the spacious cabin and ever so gently laid her down onto the bed. He hovered over her, his strong arms on either side of her head, gazing down at her with an unspeakable glimmer in the golden swirls tucked within the deep amber of his eyes, his dark curls hanging like a dark halo around his scarred face.Kylo pressed his mouth…that kriffing mouth…into a thin line and chewed on his ever-so-kissable bottom lip as his eyes darted over her face. He leaned down to sweep a wanton kiss to her lips, devouring the airy moan that escaped Rey as he darted his tongue against hers. Pulling away abruptly, Rey was breathless and reaching for more before fluttering her eyelashes open to bring her gaze back to Kylo.“I want to taste you…all of you,” he growled, his eyes burning into hers as he waited for permission to venture where he longed to. Rey bobbed her head in agreement, finding her mouth suddenly incapable of the ability to accurately form coherent words any longer. The corner of Kylo’s mouth curved upwards into a wicked, lopsided grin with a jubilant gleam in his eye.Drawing his mouth…that mouth…down to explore all the peaks and valleys of Rey’s collar bones, Kylo pressed a trail of hot kisses across the expanse of gleaming flesh, making her breathlessly squirm beneath him. His face broke into a smile between sumptuous kisses against her skin, relishing in the sweet sounds emanating from the empress’ mouth as he swept across her freckles with his own.Kylo carried his exploration further down, skimming the edge of her black trousers with the hook of his long finger. He edged his hands beneath the fabric, following the soft curve of her ass to leisurely peel the dark material from her legs. He let out a deep growl that rumbled within his chest as he sat back on his knees, caught in the rapturous glow of the resplendent woman laid out bare before him. Rey gazed up at him, her head still buzzing from the thrilling sensations Kylo had filled her with until they spilled over, leaving her hungry and willing for more…more of whatever he had to give to her.Sex had been merely transactional to her before. Rey had always wished for more, something that more closely mimicked the images in her dreams but was left more than a little disappointed when her hopes had soured with Armitage so abruptly. Before the lies, the bruises, and the blood. Before he came to her over and over for her to meet her physical obligations as his Empress. Back when he was merely Armitage, a wolf in sheep’s clothing who lured her in with so many things she’d only ever dreamed of but couldn’t help but leave her thinking…is that all there is?Rey didn’t have any idea it could feel…like this. Just the mere touch of Kylo’s hands on her skin filled her with unexplainable sensations that she never thought possible, and they’d barely just begun. A breathless gasp tumbled from her lips as her dark knight grazed his long nose against her center, the sound of the strangled growl emanating from his plush mouth, causing a frisson of heat to bloom deep within her core. She was helpless beneath him, rolling her body up to meet him without thinking.Kylo coiled the dark fabric of her undergarments around his fingers, drawing the material from her legs to discard them on the floor of the captain’s quarters. Rey shivered as her entire body thrummed with anticipation, looking up at Kylo through her lashes. He kneeled at her feet, his eyes burning into her as his raked his gaze over her naked body. Chewing on his kissably full lip, he let out a long sigh.“Gods, you are so beautiful. Forget all those gowns and trapping they keep you in at the palace. This. This is what beauty is, Empress,”Kylo leaned over her lithe body, delivering a trail of scorching kisses across each freckle as he connected them up the length of her leg. Rey writhed and whimper each time his mouth made contact with her flesh, only spurring Kylo further on in his pursuits. He hovered for a moment over her sex, inhaling the heady scent of her arousal before diving down to drag his mouth up the seam of her. Rey felt him smile against her, slowly circling the sensitive bundle of nerves with the tip of his nose.“Maker, Rey. I knew you’d be sweet, but I never imagined you’d taste like this,” Kylo purred, delving down with his mouth once more to devour her with his mouth, enthusiastically alternating between swirling around her clit with his tongue and gently sucking on his with his plush lips. Rey’s breath hitched while she trembled beneath him, reaching down to coil his dark curls around her fingers to pull him closer.Kylo hugged the soft curve of her hips, bringing him closer to her core as he languorously laved his tongue against her. He pulled back for a moment, reaching his hand up to sweep a finger across her slick folds. Letting out a hum of deep satisfaction, Kylo dipped inside her slowly, the corner of his mouth curving up into a lopsided smile with Rey released an airy moan.Rey felt like her mind was hovering somewhere above them, sent skyrocketing upon the waves of intense pleasure that washed over her with each time Kylo sunk his fingers into her over and over again. She felt herself spiraling back towards the precipice at breakneck speed with nothing to stop her as she plummeted towards the edge. Kylo continued his ministrations with his hands and meeting her sex with his mouth as he joyfully pulled each unbidden wail from her lips. His face melted into a wicked grin as Rey went rigid, and her walls quaked around his long fingers. Her face was trapped in a breathless “oh” for a moment before she tumbled down, becoming entirely boneless in her afterglow.Kylo reached up and wiped her arousal from his plush lips, leisurely sucking the taste of her from each finger as he drew his body flush with hers in the bunk. He wound his arm beneath her to tuck her against his broad chest, lifting her chin with his free arm to press a featherlight kiss to her lips.Rey tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer to devouring his mouth in a hungry and demanding kiss, trailing her tongue along the seam of his impossibly kissable lips. Kylo hummed against her, slowly her unrelenting kiss to pull away and pull a ribbon of her chestnut hair between his fingers.Rey looked up at him imploringly, her disappointment plain as her star-dusted hazel eyes searched his.“Kylo…please.”Her heart hammered in her chest as Kylo regarded her, pressing his mouth together in a thoughtful line as he took in her pout.“Mmmm, no. I think that’s enough for now, Empress. Two is enough for the first time…I don’t want to push you too far after….after everything…”Rey sat up on her elbows, her brows creased in a deep frown.“Wouldn’t that be for me to decide? Aren’t I the one who’s gone through it all?“ she scoffed, pulling a stray blanket up to cover her bare flesh and tucked her knees to her chest, “I am stronger than you know, Kylo.” She gathered up the blanket, tucking it around her as she placed her bare feet to the cool floor of the ship, striding out into the hall of the ship to the crew quarters. Throwing herself down on the narrow bunk, Rey fumed as she glared up at the dingy padding above her.Rey couldn’t help but feel her disappointment consume her. The morning had broken over the glittering white snow of the ice-world, Hoth. The feeling of the two of them together as a unit had never felt so strong as they set off towards the horizon, the day full of promise and so many new things to come. She didn’t expect for them to feel overwhelmed by the day they had, but she was elated to have been given the gift of what Kylo made her feel. Such unbidden desire, a pleasure she never thought possible as she emotionally trudged through her daily life, trapped in her gilded cage.She couldn’t help but want more…more of him…more of those tantalizing kisses that sent electrifying shivers through her that filled her with the desire to play. To see where else that road past the line she’d drawn would take them.Each of those kisses was steeped in an endless font of passion that ignited within their bond, dangling the promise of something irrefutable between them. They had something unmistakable…an illustrious ache to be joined together, a reality that the Force had been pushing them towards since the first moment they laid eyes on each other at Niima Outpost.With him, Rey felt awake, more-so than she had ever been. It wasn’t just the awakening of the power that had been hidden away within her, that was just her unto herself…something that had always been there but was now awake. With Kylo and their bond, it was so much more. They were awake, connected from within as themselves and not the masks that the First Order made them wear. She couldn’t help but want more of it after being handed the intoxicating temptation that Kylo had given her.The Falcon had grown quiet in the moments since she left his side, and darkness was falling outside the cave where the ship was hidden. Rey tucked the blanket under her chin and struggled to get comfortable in the narrow bunk as her mind continued to drift back to the dark knight and the way he had made her feel.No matter the mild disappointment she had felt, that pull was still there, ever-present as always…drawing them together like a moon caught in orbit.Rey sat up and gingerly placed her feet upon the frigid floor and quietly padded down to the captain’s quarters. She shivered a little as her bare toes traced along the smooth surface, never entirely used to the cold away from Jakku. Peeking around the door, Rey’s eyes flittered across the space, taking in the soft rise and fall of his chest from the wide bunk he was sprawled out in.She tiptoed across the room, past a powered down BB-8, and quietly slipped into the bunk and under the covers beside him. Kylo hummed softly in his sleep as Rey curled up against him, laying her head on the firm expanse of corded muscle that covered his chest. With her fingers, Rey slowly connected the dark beauty marks that were freckled across his porcelain skin, lingering for a moment on each scar that marred his flesh.With a sigh, she nuzzled her cheek against the beating of his heart with a smile. Being with him, sharing moments like this, made her feel like she finally had a home. His smile made her feel safe. When his eyes were locked onto hers, it was like she could see the entire galaxy in the soft swirls of amber. Being with him made her feel strong like she was capable of anything...like anything was possible.Rey knew that they’d have to go back to Coruscant soon, the little orange and white droid a constant reminder that there was a more important task at hand than the two of them galavanting across the galaxy. She had promises to keep and a duty to fulfill to her people. It was only a matter of time before the ruse of a feigned assassination threat would sputter out and lead the First Order straight to them.They needed to keep up the charade…for how much longer, Rey wasn’t sure. All she knew was that in her weeks away from her husband, never once did she feel the need to return to him.During the first time she’d been on Jakku and Kylo revealed himself to her for the first time, they’d helplessly answered the call of their intense connection, adding fuel to the fire after they returned to the palace in darkened corners and training rooms. Rey continuously tried to put up a boundary for the protection of them both, but as time wore on, the more indifferent she began to feel about her vow to love, honor, and obey the monster who was Armitage Hux.She’d meant what she said when she crooned that he’d never touch her again in his ear upon their departure so many weeks ago. Part of her told her she should be afraid of how he’d retaliate…how he’d punish her for her words…but she wasn’t afraid. Not anymore.She knew who she was…sort of…Her past may still have been a mystery, but Rey knew that now she’d honed her skills that there would never come a moment ever again that Armitage Hux would ever lay a hand on her again. He hadn’t the faintest idea of what she was capable of, and Rey couldn’t wait to see the look on his smarmy face when he found out.Rey drew herself back to the present, tucked cozily against Kylo Ren as he peacefully slept beneath her cheek. She knew that perhaps she should feel some sense of guilt about feeling the way she did about someone who wasn’t the one she’d made vows to but couldn’t bring herself to feel anything of the sort.There was something…more between her and Kylo. The sound of his voice, his words, his touch…they were all things that felt eerily familiar in a way she couldn’t place…not yet. The Force had a plan for them. A plan that she was determined to discover if she could.She nuzzled her nose against his soft skin, drawing a low hum from his lips. He sleepily lifted his large and tucked it beneath her chin, drawing her mouth up to meet his in a featherlight kiss. Rey smiled against his soft lips with a happy hum as he murmured,“I love you, Stardust.”With a soft gasp, Rey lifted her head away, her brows creased together in confusion as Kylo drifted back to sleep. There it was again…that name…Rey laid back and lifted her crystal shard from her neck, absentmindedly tracing the smooth edges of the small stone against her lips, silently sending a wish to the heavens above them.
Show me something. Anything….please.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rey stood in the passenger compartment of the Upsilon-class command shuttle, watching the blue-white lines stretched out beyond the transparasteel viewport as she and Kylo hurtled through hyperspace. She tried to quell the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach as the dual ion engines quietly hummed beneath her feet. They’ve been in the Corellian Run for some time, and it wouldn’t be much longer before they arrived.*When Rey woke the next morning after their monumental day on Hoth, still curled up in the soft blankets of the bunk she shared with Kylo in the captain’s quarters, the Falcon had already been barreling through the hyperlanes for some time before she even realized that had gone underway. She wrapped the surprisingly soft fabric around her shoulders and quietly padded around the curved passageway to the cockpit. She hovered in the doorway, leaning her shoulder against the frame while she captured her lip between her teeth at the sight before her.Kylo sat with his ridiculously long legs stretched out, boots perched on the wide control panel with Porgkins tucked in the crook of his muscular arm. The dark knight gently ran his long fingers through the soft feathers of the tiny porg with a smile as the little avian quietly crooned at his touch.“You better not get used to this, fuzzball. And if you tell Rey that I was nice to you, then consider yourself dinner,” Kylo drawled, drawing his hand back through the downy softness with a crooked smile.“Tell me what?”Kylo flinched with a jolt, sending poor Porgkins flying into the half-moon viewport and bouncing back at Rey. She caught the tiny, howling thing with a giggle, drawing herself away from the door with a smile at Kylo’s baffled face.“That wasn’t what it looked like.”“Mmm…I’m sure it wasn’t,” she hummed, drawing the blanket above her knees to perch herself in Kylo’s lap. Rey nestled herself against the hard planes of his chest, nuzzling her cheek against the soft fabric of his dark undershirt, “Where are we going?”Kylo snaked his strong arms around her and pressed his nose into her chestnut waves, deeply inhaling the floral fragrance that wafted over him. Rey could feel his disappointment and sagged in his embrace, her good mood instantly deflated.“We’re going back to Coruscant, aren’t we?” she hummed quietly, tucking her knees closer to her chest. Kylo pulled her closer, tucking his chin against the top of her head with a low hum as he watched the blurred blue lines of hyperspace fly by.“We’ve been gone a long time, Empress. Someone is bound to start to question things if you’re not back soon,” he nuzzled the soft line of her ear, gently tugging at the lobe with his teeth, “Plus, your friend probably needs his droid sooner rather than later, and it’s been weeks…”Rey sighed with a shiver from a dazzling combination of general apprehension of returning “home” to her husband and her duties and the way Kylo’s hot mouth filled her with an insatiable hunger for more. She swiveled in his lap to face him, closing the distance to hover her lips over his.“Turn on the autopilot…” she breathlessly hummed, trailing her mouth to pepper featherlight kisses across each one of the sublime beauty marks that were scattered across his face. Kylo blindly reached around her to the control panel with a deep groan as her mouth wandered down his jaw to the valleys of his collar bones that peeked out from under his shirt, flipping a switch to set the alarm on the autopilot that would notify them when the Falcon would be approaching their next stop. He tucked his large hands under the soft curve of her ass, pulling her flush against him as he rose to stand with her fit snugly in his arms. Rey let out a squeal as he shouldered his way through the door frame, and Kylo devoured the sound from her lips with a hungry kiss while he carried her to the captain’s quarters.*Rey stood at the viewport in the passenger compartment of the Upsilon-class shuttle they’d retrieved back on Takodana after they’d safely hidden the Falcon away. She recalled with an ache in her heart the unexplainable crestfallen feeling she had as they’d walked away from the freighter. There was something that she couldn’t quite put her finger on that made the ship feel special to her. Perhaps it had been the things she’d seen and done when they had it, or maybe the way she and Kylo had come together inside.They’d spent another salacious afternoon inside the captain’s quarters, Kylo gifting wave after wave of exhilarating pleasure to her but always hesitating with her when she wanted to go further…to have all of him. She wondered silently to herself what would become of them…of this new facet of their relationship now that they’d crossed, no, hurtled over the line she’d drawn in the sand. What would be different once they returned to the palace under the watchful eye of the emperor?Rey caged her red lip between her teeth with a deep, disappointing sigh as it dawned on her that the freedom she’d enjoyed the last few weeks was coming to an end. She drew her hands up the bodice of silver gown she wore, trailing her fingers over the delicate beadwork that dripped across the gown like molten silver from the edge of her shoulders, dipping down low over her bust. The waist nipped in low just under her rib cage before flaring out in gossamer waves to the floor. She looked into a long mirror that was tucked into a corner, marveling at how such simple changes, like a glittering gown, a radiant headpiece, and a bit of makeup, transformed her from the scavenger girl to Empress of the First Order in an instant.She heard the door behind her open with a hiss, fluttering her eyes closed when she felt Kylo’s presence behind her, close enough that she felt the heat of him radiating against the skin on her back. Her breath hitched in her throat when the dark knight leisurely drew her chestnut hair from her neck with his hand, leaning down to press a soft kiss at the apex of her shoulders. He carded the dark waves through his fingers, lifting the silken strands against his nose. Inhaling deeply, Kylo let out a low hum,“May I?”Rey’s brows rose high into her hair in surprise.“Do my hair?”“Mmm…I know a couple of things that my mother taught me when I was young, a tradition from her world.”Rey nodded quietly, the corners of her mouth melting upwards as she imagined a young Kylo sitting between the knees of a beautiful woman as she taught him how to braid as his ancestors had done for thousands of years. He quickly went to work, using his dexterously long fingers to weave her hair in impossible ways. The feeling of his fingers pulling ribbons of her hair through them gave her an indescribable feeling, so intoxicating that she nearly stopped him in his tracks to fall into bed with him over and over again. Maybe this time she’d be able to convince him to let her have more. But they didn’t have time for that, merely a handful of parsecs from arriving at the base of the imperial palace to face the horde of holocams and her cold-hearted husband after so much exhilarating time away.Kylo tucked the last stray strand of her dark hair into the intricate braid, leaning down to press a featherlight kiss to her bare shoulder.“You shouldn’t cover these up, they’re one of my favorite parts of you…to see the way the sun on Jakku kissed your skin,” he growled hungrily, tracing his long nose across the soft curve of flesh between her neck and shoulder, sending a faint tingle down to the tips of her fingers, “the way I like to kiss your skin,” Kylo hummed deeply, scattering a series of searing kisses down to the nape of her neck beneath the braid he masterfully created for her. Rey turned around in his arms and splayed her fingers out across the dark, quilted fabric of his tunic, her senses buzzing sublimely with their close proximity. Tracing her fingers across the golden threads on his chest, she longed for the Kylo she’d been with the last few, glorious weeks. It felt like being away from the elegant, and formal trappings of the Imperial Palace had lifted a heavy weight from both of them. It would be a lie to say she wouldn’t miss having him close by to her without the literal and metaphorical armor he wore. She lifted her gaze to meet his, capturing her red lip once more in her teeth with a sigh.“Do you…do you ever wish you could leave this…this version of you behind and just always be who we were the last few weeks?”Kylo lifted his large hand and softly traced the edge of her jaw, pressing his mouth into a thin line as he mulled over her inquiry.“More than you could ever know, Empress,” he murmured, the low rumble of his voice buzzing beneath her fingers. Kylo lifted her chin and leaned down ever so slowly to close the space between them. Rey’s eyelashes fluttered closed as their breaths lingered together, waiting for that intoxicating moment when his lips met hers.An alarm blared loudly from the cockpit, and Kylo let out a heavy sigh, laying his forehead against hers. Rey looked up at him, her eyes beginning to shine with unshed tears. She wasn’t ready…not in the slightest. Not prepared to return to this life and give up the freedom and the carefree joy she felt with this man standing before her.“We’re here, aren’t we?” Rey breathed as a single tear slipped past her silver-lined lashes, coursing a shining line down her cheek. Kylo brushed it away with the tip of his thumb, pressing a soft kiss against the trail her tear had created.“Don’t worry, Sweetheart. I’ll always be with you, even if we are apart. No matter how far,” he snaked his arms around her, pulling her to his chest. Rey couldn’t help but mirror him, winding her hands to his back, pressing herself as close as she could before they were separated. His words filled her with a sense of comfort…of trust…that helped to quell the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach. Kylo pulled away suddenly, striding out of the cabin to answer the shrill call of the alarm from the cockpit, leaving Rey feeling empty without the feeling of his arms around her. She remained haunted by it while she gazed out the transparasteel viewport to witness them hurtle out of hyperspace above the glittering jewel that was Coruscant.Home.The upsilon-class command shuttle thundered through the atmosphere, elegantly flying over the ever-constant speeder traffic in the geometric lanes between the towering skyscrapers in Galactic City. The imposing ship made a slow circle over the enormous ziggurat that was the Imperial Palace, drawing its wings up from the flight position as Kylo lowered them to land softly at the base of the Palace steps.Rey strode from the passenger compartment, coming together with Kylo at the top of the ramp for one last fervent look between them before they reluctantly dove back into the opulence of Corusanti society. Rey’s heart thudded loudly, threatening to burst from her chest as Kylo gently caged his fingers around her hand, lifting it to press a kiss to her palm. He curled her fingers in to hold onto the feeling, raising her fist to place it against her heart.The pair of them were solemn and without words while Kylo pulled on his dark leather gloves, drawing himself up to his full height before reaching to press the release on the ramp. With a low hiss and a cloud of billowing steam, the durasteel hit the ground with a thunk, and suddenly, the harsh reality of the world she was about to re-enter to was more daunting than the day she had first arrived from Jakku so long ago.Rey lifted her chin, bringing forth the veil of the elegant Empress to wash over her as she gathered her glimmering skirts to stride down into the bright light of Coruscant Prime. What was waiting for her at the foot of the ramp surprised her. The previous times that Rey had arrived at the palace, she was met by a welcome party and a flurry of holocams after her kidnapping by the Guavian Death Gang. Much to her relief and surprise, a single pair of people stood waiting for her…neither of them was her husband.A slight breeze fluttered the soft hairs around her face, and Rey couldn’t help but smile a little when she strode up to give a stately nod at Vania Flast and Kai Mahlo. It was a pleasant surprise to be sure to see two somewhat friendly faces belonging to those she’d known the longest at the palace. Kai, who had been the master of transforming her from dusty scavenger to elegant empress, was always more than welcoming, made her first few weeks in this strange, new place a little easier. Vania had taken longer to come around, only cracking a smile once Rey started to show that she was transforming on the inside to what was expected of her new station.The stately pair nodded in return, and Vania lifted her hand up the stairs to the main doors of the palace that towered above them,“Welcome home, majesty. The Emperor is currently away attending to official First Order business. We thought that without him here, you may have appreciated a more….inconspicuous welcome,” the older woman sniffed, still the epitome of snobbish core world etiquette. Rey knew that she’d never been able to get Vania to crack and show any ounce of informality. At least, not when Rey was around.“Thank you, Ms. Flast. I value it more than you know,” Rey nodded with a smile, curling her fingers in the molten silver fabric of her skirt to take her first step up the mammoth staircase. She climbed step by step, glancing back fleetingly to meet Kylo’s eye below her. His face was unreadable, but in his eyes, it was there…every thought, every feeling, and every ounce of whatever they shared reflected back at her amongst the swirls of amber.
I’ll always be with you, even when we’re apart. No matter how far.
The warm feeling that her words…the words of that voice she heard so, so long ago on those cold nights on Jakku…washed over her as she recalled them tumbling from his lips only moments before like he had said them to her a thousand times. It filled her heart and lifted her up, knowing deep down that, as long as they had each other, no obstacle was too big.Fate had brought them together, connected over time and space by a single thread that bent and stretched but never broke. They were truly tangled now, but the distance was beginning to finally close, and it was only a matter of time before they were interlaced as one.Rey traipsed down the cavernous main hall, her steps ringing out to echo high above her around the top of the massive columns that flanked her either side. She turned down one of the endless hallways, raising her hand to trail her fingers across the molten doorframe to the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Lifting her gaze behind her for a split second, Rey silently gave Kylo a look that was filled with more than words. She’d loved being away but was more than anxious to get back to the place was theirs and theirs alone. Rey chewed on her tongue to try and douse the fire that burned deep within her, ignited by the thought of Kylo’s hands wandering across her gleaming, golden skin and the feeling of his hot mouth leaving a trail of ardent kisses over every part of her, scorching her to her core and leaving the most intoxicating scars behind on her soul.The group separated at the turbolift with only Kylo and Rey striding inside. The dark knight stood at the back wall like a sentinel, silent and brooding as the doors slid closed with a hiss. Rey stared quietly ahead of her as the levels slowly ticked by, the lift filled only by the quiet hum of the motors and the sound of her beating heart.She could feel him, his signature a dark shadow with a gleaming glow in the center. Rey took a slow breath, reaching out to him through the Force, brushing her senses ever so gently against his. She bathed in the feeling as it washed over her…every ounce of hunger, rage, guilt….and love. Her breath hitched in her throat as Kylo stood a heavy step towards her, pressing his wide chest against the exposed flesh at her back. He bent down, the curtain of his dark hair brushing along her bare shoulders as he trailed the tip of his long nose across the sun-kissed skin he found there, inhaling deeply like he was desperate to hold onto that part of her once they were apart.“Be careful, Princess. You might not like what you find in there,” he growled, pressing a single, molten kiss against the nape of her neck before stepping away from her, just as the lift slowly came to a halt at her level. With a shiver, Rey stepped out of the enclosed space, thoroughly flushed from the mere moments alone with her dark knight, and strode down the hall to her rooms.Rey smiled up at Kylo as they reached the gleaming durasteel door to her quarters, unable to hold in the happy feeling that being alone with him provided. She pressed the release, sliding the door open as she grinned up at him, caging her fingers around his forearm to pull him inside,“Come here, you. I’ve got something I need you to do for me…”“Is it anything I can be assistance with, Empress?” a foreign voice rang out from the center of her room, instantly melting the joyous feeling and replacing it with dread in the pit of Rey’s stomach. She lifted her eyes to the owner of the voice, drawing the mask of the stately empress back over her face. A sprightly woman stood before her, dressed in a refined black and red gown with a cluster of bright white-blonde curls amassed on top of her head and cold blue eyes gazing back at her expectantly. Rey blinked at the stranger before shifting her eyes back to Kylo at her back.“Lord Ren, please go back down to the ship to make sure that the cargo is properly sorted,” Rey stated, her face unreadable as she sent her true intentions through their bond. BB-8 needed to get into Poe’s hands before someone else found him, “I think we have things in hand here at the moment with Ms….?” Rey questioned, lifting her brows into her hair as she looked expectantly at the outsider in the center of her quarters.“Cass. Callista Cass. I am here to serve you at the emperor’s pleasure, majesty,” the woman gave a small bow and a dip of her head, the same artificial smile plastered across her delicate features. Kylo gave a deep nod, sending a wave of comfort and concern across the bond. Rey could tell he wasn’t happy with leaving her alone with someone they didn’t know…someone who was there at the “emperor’s pleasure.” She stood with her lips pursed as Kylo hovered in the doorframe for a moment before turning on his heel to stride darkly back down the hall. Rey waited for the durasteel door to slide shut behind him before turning her attention back to Callista.“Where’s Rose?” Rey stated, trying to keep her emotions contained in the face of this stranger. The curly-haired blonde batted her blue eyes and innocently picked at an invisible piece of fluff on her sleeve.“Mmm, Miss Tico was found to be part of a….less than desirable organization in the eyes of our Emperor and was removed from her station.”“Removed?” Rey seethed, taking a slow breath before continuing, “What do you mean?”“During the search for whoever was at the center of the threats against you, naturally they turned into the palace to see what sort of evidence they could find. There was too much against her to ignore, so I do believe she was arrested. The Emperor owed my father a favor, and now here I am,” she breathed, holding out her palms towards Rey. The Empress’ mind whirled as she tried to wrap her head around how Rose…sweet Rose Tico, who defended her and took care of her at every turn, could have been accused of such a thing.“I don’t understand…are they sure they have the right person? Rose is…was…not capable of such a thing, I swear to it.”Callista shrugged, casually picking at her nails with a shrug.“She was picked off by whatever Resistance she was a part of soon after her arrest. They don’t know where she is now, but you didn’t hear that from me. It’s good that you’ve got your shadow so close-by all the time,” she sniveled, “You and Lord Ren seem quite….close.”“Kylo….Lord Ren is my bodyguard. His close proximity is part of his duty.”“I’m certain it is, Empress,” Callista gave a small bow and a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, “It has been lovely to finally meet the girl from…where was the trash heap you came from called?”“Jakku.”“Oh, yes. Jakku. My, my…they really have done wonders with you, haven’t they? You’d think that Emperor Hux would have chosen a girl from a different sort of world more...befitting of the station.”Rey pulled herself to her full height, her jaw clenched so tight that it began to ache. She couldn’t do anything to this girl, no matter how nasty her words. If Callista were here at her husband’s request, Rey would need to be careful as anything had the potential to be passed on to him.“I think that will be more than enough for today, Ms. Cass.”The blonde girl offered a simpering smile and extended her hand that Rey coolly stared down until, with a lift of her brow, Callista retracted.“If you need me, Empress, I’ll never be far away.”Rey silently seethed as the smirking, snooty girl walked out the door with a wave of her fingers, letting out a frustrated growl as soon as the door hissed shut. She took a settling breath to quell the panic that was rising in her chest at the thought of her dear friend being forcibly removed from the palace. But Callista said that the Resistance had taken her….maybe that meant Rose was safe. Perhaps everything Finn had talked about had more connections to the palace than she realized.Rey strode to the towering, wall-to-wall windows of her quarters, quietly watching the speeders as they zipped by in the endless stream of traffic, her thought woefully drifting towards her friend. Maybe Poe would know something, and Rey was determined to find out. *Ben strode back down the grand staircase of the Imperial Palace back down the Upsilon-Class command shuttle that he and Rey had arrived in mere moments before she had sent him away. His mind buzzed, searching for her signature while he tried to focus on the task at hand. She was safe for the moment, but Ben could feel her anger and panic bleeding into her light. He would need to hurry up and get this over with so he could get back to her.He began to become overwhelmed by a nervous feeling as he strode up the ramp of the shuttle. The last time he had laid eyes on Poe Dameron was when his childhood friend was pulling him away from the body of his dead father on Yavin IV. Starting the dual-ion engines up with a thunderous roar, Ben pulled back on the controls to lift the ship into the air.The distance to travel was short, touching the dark down mere moments later in the cluster of outbuildings surrounding the enormous ziggurat. Ben lifted his oversized frame from the pilot’s seat, striding into the main cabin to power up the little orange and white droid that had been tucked away in a storage compartment for their journey. BB-8 hummed awake, letting out a series of shrill whistles and hoots.“Hey, listen. Don’t be getting all upset with me, I’m not the one who locked you in here. It was your buddy, the stormtrooper boy that saddled us with you in the first place.”The little droid swiveled his dome-shaped head to the side to gaze at him through the dark photoreceptor and let out another set of whoops and beeps. Ben couldn’t help but chuckle as he started to realize the profound effect that Rey seemed to have on so many others, shining her blinding Light on all those who came in contact with her.“She’s upstairs doing…other things. I’m sure she would have loved to have said goodbye,” Ben mused, giving the droid an awkward pat on the dome, “Come on, ball. Let’s get you delivered.”Stretching his long legs from his crouched position, Ben strode down the ramp with the droid hot on his heels. They walked between the buildings until Ben found the one that Rey said she’d found Poe in previously. He lifted his eyes to the top of the spacious hanger when suddenly, the droid barreled forward, nearly knocking Ben off his feet. He swore loudly as the blasted thing surged forwards, a blur of orange and white as it wobbled towards a man standing at the back of the hanger.“BB-8?? My buddy!” the man exclaimed, falling to his knees to rub the little droid on the proverbial belly like he was a pet and not a piece of hardware. BB-8 let out a series of whistles and hoots while Poe listened intently. Ben watched them from the shadow of the hanger’s doorway, still apprehensive about seeing this ghost from his past. Poe’s face fell as he focused on whatever the droid was saying in binary.“Mhmm, yeah…then what happened? The empress brought you here?” Poe’s eyes lit up as he lifted his gaze to the general vicinity where Ben stood. The pilot pressed his palm against his knee to stand, his dark brow creased as he stepped forward to get a better look. Ben took a tentative step forward, a lump forming in his throat as he came fully into view.A flicker of recognition passed over Poe’s face and seconds passed, his brain taking a moment to fully consider the sight of him, struggling to comprehend that it wasn’t a figment of his imagination. Ben stood rooted to the spot, eye to eye with his childhood for the first time in years.The creases in Poe’s face evened out as he slowly released a heavy sigh,“So. Who talks first?”Ben lifted a hand and offered an awkward wave, pressing his mouth together into a thin line to try and contain the rush of emotions that threatened to break loose.“Dameron.”The two men took an uneasy step towards each other, regarding the other and silently counting the ways each of them had changed.“I…I thought you were gone with the rest of them…”“Yeah, me too. I mean…I was…kind of,” Ben shrugged, not ready to tell the tale of how Snoke had torn his happy memories to shreds and drowned out his light. He especially wasn’t prepared to openly admit how he did it, especially not to Poe. He nodded towards a ship at the back of the hanger, “TIE pilot?”Poe answered him with a shrug of his own, “I was a kid who wasn’t ready to die, so I chose to fly. Those things really move, I won’t lie. But Maker knows I would rather be flying for someone else.”“Are you?”“Am I what?”“Flying for someone else,” Ben pressed forward, almost certain that with the small amount of information he and Rey had received from Finn, it was more than likely that he was standing in front of the pilot who had saved their skins on Takodana.“I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about,” Poe half-smiled with a shake of his head.“Thank you,” Ben murmured, “You helped us more than you know that day.”Poe scrubbed the back of his neck feverishly with his hand, looking to the floor.“I was happy to…I….I’m fond of our Empress. She reminds me of Stardust,” Poe murmured with a quiet sniff.Ben’s heart dropped, landing somewhere at his dark boots. He felt selfish, keeping his newfound existence of her a secret, knowing that no one would have been more relieved, other than Ben, to hear that she had survived more than Poe. She had to find out on her own, and Ben wasn’t willing to take the risk of her finding out in a way that wasn’t what the Force had planned for her. Only Maker knew how she would receive the news. Poe shuffled his feet in the silence he was met with, taking another step closer.“Ben, listen…” The dark knight reflexively pulled back, not at all ready for whatever Poe was about to say. Ever the stubborn one, Poe stepped closer, reaching out to place his hand on Ben’s shoulder, “We all lost so much that day. So many good people are gone…but no one lost as much as you,” Poe took a deep breath, the glimmer of tears forming in the corners of his dark eyes as he gave Ben’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, “I am so sorry, Ben. I’m sorry about Han…about Leia…I’m sorry about Stardust. I know how much she meant to you. She was too young…too blameless in this whole kriffing, useless war.”Ben pressed his mouth into a grimace as he felt the sting of her loss all over again, instantly transported to the years of thinking that she had been gone with all the others. His chin began to quiver while he mulled over Poe’s words about blame, wishing all over again that he could’ve just been a pilot, like his dad, and never been a part of this whole mess in the first place. Never been a target of Snoke’s, never fallen to drown in his own darkness, never on the path of the kriffing Jedi.But, he thought grimly, the Force worked in ways that they didn’t understand. If it hadn’t been for all this…Snoke. The Jedi training. The attack. Without any of it, he wouldn’t be where he was, thinking of the resplendent woman waiting for him upstairs. His path always had and would always lead to her. All of this…this pain, these seemingly impossible circumstances…they’d brought them together.Poe, smart enough to read the moment and the internal anguish Ben was feeling, clapped his hand on the dark knight’s shoulder.“Damn, it’s good to see you, Solo. I’m glad you’re not dead.”“Yeah, me too,” Ben chuffed, offering his broad palm to his childhood friend. Poe clapped his hand into Ben’s waiting one, giving him a squeeze and pulling him into a wooden embrace. Ben stood stiffly, awkwardly reaching up to thump the shorter man’s back with his hand. He wasn’t ever a hugger, not truly…except for one person.“You’re more…shouldery…then I remember,” Poe laughed, giving the dark knight a final squeeze before letting his old friend go. He held him at arm’s length and gave him a once-over with his naturally glimmering dark eyes, “You’re different. I know it would be crazy to think that you weren’t, but…I need you to know that it’s all going to be different, and soon.”Ben released his hand abruptly as his face creased in puzzlement.“What do you mean?”Poe’s grin widened, splitting his face with his gleaming smile that would’ve given Rey’s a run for her money.“Well…I shouldn’t say anything, but…there’s something coming. We have BB-8. We have our spark. And now….we have you. Oh man, this changes everything,” the cocky pilot grinned as he looked Ben up and down, “Who knew that you had been here the whole time…as Kylo Ren? Just wait until they find out…”Ben drew himself to his full height, his face darkening with the telltale shadow that belonged to Kylo,“No one is finding out anything. Do you understand me?” Ben glowered darkly, lowering his gaze to meet Poe’s, “I’m not him anymore.”Poe’s face shifted, entirely unintimidated by Ben’s darkened presence.“Yeah, about that…that may have been the case before, but I don’t believe that now…not for a second, Buddy. This is great. This will be the beginning of what we only imagined….it’ll start a fire that will burn the First Order down, I just know it.”Ben was unconvinced. He recalled how long things lasted with the Galactic Republic after the Empire fell…there was always someone waiting in the wings to take hold of the power. He scowled, lifting his finger to point it at Poe’s smug smile,“This isn’t going to go the way you think…and whatever you do…you keep her out of it, do you hear me?”Poe lifted his palms in feigned surrender, dark brows raised as he took a step back, away from the dark knight who towered over him.“You got it, majesty!”Ben seethed, letting out a deep growl of frustration,“DO not.”“Okay, okay! I won’t bring her into it unless she asks…fair?”Ben sniffed, completely unsatisfied with his answer. He knew that if Rey had a choice, she would join them in a heartbeat, and Ben didn’t know what he would do to see her needlessly become a part of another war. He glared in Poe’s direction for a moment before turning on his heel to storm darkly away.“Same old Solo! I’m telling you!” Ben heard Poe holler after him, and he couldn’t help but let a low chuckle break its way through the darkened veil of his frustration.
Same old Dameron. Some things never change, even after a lifetime away….
*A few days had gone by since Rey had arrived back at the palace with Kylo, and the pair of them settled quickly back into their routine. She had called for him through the bond as soon as her interaction with Callista Cass ended, in desperate need to tell anyone about Rose and see if she could find out some information about where her friend had gone to.Kylo told her that he was sure she was okay, that if this…Rebellion, Resistance, or whatever it was…was doing the good that Finn and Poe claimed they were, then it was more than likely that Rose was in good hands. Rey knew that he was trying to comfort her, but she couldn’t shake the bad feeling in the back of her mind. The feeling that there was something…more…The presence of her newly appointed attendant, Callista Cass, soured her stomach deeply. It turned for hours after her first interaction with her, putting Rey into a mood that could only be cured by one thing.Any normal person would probably surmise that Rey and her dark knight spent far too much time in the training room, sparring together for hours on end. The pair of them never seemed to tire, spurred on by the closeness that their training provided. Rey wouldn’t be telling the truth if she said she didn’t purposefully pin Kylo in a way that allowed her to feel as much of his hard, corded muscle under her own. She’d be a hypocrite if she said that she would never let Kylo flip her in a way that made her heart do somersaults and fill her belly with a slow, unfurling heat. Oh, how she battled with herself, pushing down the primal urge to roll her core against him, to feel the heat of him against her core. It would be a lie if she said that the feeling of their bodies filled her with a lascivious need to tear the dark clothes from his body to feel his exquisitely scarred flesh against her own, desperate to fill the insatiable need she felt to have all of him…to have more.Rey tried to quash those thoughts from her mind as she wandered through the long hallways of the Imperial Palace the next day. She ran her hands down the silken bodice of her gown as it melted from black to red, trailing her fingers across the wide cutouts of fabric on either side of her waist that stretched from above her ribs her hip with only a thin black belt covering the golden gleam of her once bronzed flesh. The fabric moved fluidly with her every step, trailing behind her in ethereal waves as she strode across the plush carpet. Her mind continued to linger more and more on the feeling of Kylo’s massive form pressed against hers, filling her with a fervent thirst that needed to be quenched.She found a momentary lapse from her enthralling fever, slowing her steps at the sight of the familiar intricate carvings on the door to the Room of a Thousand Fountains….their place. Grasping her fingers around the swirling door handle, Rey focused her mind and pulled it open, stepping into the darkness inside.Striding down the darkened hall, Rey let her senses guide her to the room that was brimming with life just steps away. Rey closed her eyes as the smooth floor beneath her feet gave way to a loosely compacted dirt and let the feeling wash over her like a warm tidal wave, making her body thrum as the energy surrounded her.Rey lifted her eyes to the artificial starlight the seeped in through the lofty ceiling, softly illuminating the waterfall at the center of the room and filling the space around in her in a serene, green glow. She would never get over the beauty of this room, the storied histories of the Jedi who trained here, and how full her heartfelt when Kylo brought her here for the first time, offering it to her like a gift….a place for them.Quietly treading across the loose dirt of the floor, Rey lost herself in the Force signatures that cocooned her like a warm blanket, so full of life was the wondrous room around her. So lost, in fact, that she never noticed the familiar, dark signature behind her until he snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against his chest. Rey let out a content hum as Kylo bent down to nuzzle the velvet expanse of skin beneath her ear,“Are you aware of how little of you your dress is actually covering, Empress?” Kylo growled darkly in her ear, sending an electrifying shiver down her spine and a breathless gasp tumbling from her lips,“Mmmm….no, I had no idea,” she purred coquettishly, leaning her head back to trail the tip of her nose against the jagged scar that bisected his cheek, “it looked like so much…more…when it was still on the hanger.”Kylo pushed her forward ever so slightly, creating a small gap between his broad chest and her bare back, lifting the curve of his knuckle to trace a long line from the exposed base of her spine up to the nape of her neck. The sensation sent a flurry of enticing jolts ricocheting from the tips of her fingers to the ends of her hair.“What am I going to do with you? This is most unbecoming of someone of your station…”Rey slowly turned around in his arms and splayed her fingers out across the broad planes of his chest, peering up at him through her lashes.“You should take me back to my quarters to help put me in a new dress…” Rey smiled to herself, knowing full well what she was doing to the dark knight as he quietly caged his fingers around her bare waist before pulling her to him with a deep growl. He devoured her mouth with a scorching kiss, filling it to the bring with everything he wanted to say where words failed, praying that she would hear him.It was only moments before Kylo and Rey were pulled from their heated embrace in the mesmerizing, yet fabricated starlight as the dark knight grasped her hand and dragged her to the nearest turbolift. They managed to keep their hands off each other until the door to her rooms hissed shut behind them.Rey’s hands moved in a flurry, recklessly undoing the fastenings of his dark tunic as quickly as she could while Kylo’s large fingers struggled with the tiny buttons at the base of her spine. He swore loudly, knotting his fingers in the fabric to shred it into nothing in his hands. It pooled fluidly at her feet as Kylo let out a strangled groan at the sight of her nearly bare before him. He curled his long fingers around her narrow waist, lifting her effortlessly to toss her onto the bed.Rey let out a peal of giggles, looking up at him through her lashes as she leisurely traced her tongue over her bottom, burrowing herself deeper into the satin fabric on the bed. Kylo shook the dark, quilted fabric from his broad shoulders, letting it fall to the floor in a heap as he fell down around her, bracing himself on his thick, muscled arms. He gazed down at her earnestly, his eyes full of so many things that he wanted to say if only he could find the words.“Rey…”She lifted her hands to twine her fingers in his silky, dark hair, tracing a soft circle against his skin as her eyes searched his. There was so much there, so much that she knew he was struggling to say, but she knew in her heart that she felt it too.“I know.”Rey slowly pulled him to her, closing her eyes to meet his mouth with a kiss. The moment was abruptly interrupted when a shrill beep rang out from the control panel next to the door.“Kriffing hell! You can’t be in here!” Rey panicked, shoving Kylo’s heavy body off of her with her hands, flying to her feet behind him. She swept up his dark tunic from the floor and shoved it into his baffled arms as she pushed him past her bed and into the ‘fresher. Opening the frosted glass panel of the shower, she forced his broad shoulders through the door frame, offering him a sympathetic smile while she shut the frosted glass panel in his bewildered face.She pulled her silken robe from a hook next to the door and slid her arms through the sleeves, tying it quickly at the waist. Rey took a moment to take a deep breath to calm herself and bring the guise of the stately Empress over her features before stepping out into her bedroom.Rey rolled her eyes in relief when she came face to face with BD-3000, her luxury droid attendant who shuffled in small circles at the center of the room.“I really need to get the codes on the door changed,” she murmured to herself.The droid shuffled around to face her, raising her mechanical arms above her head in feigned surprise.“Ah, Empress, there you are! I have been searching for you for quite some time.”Rey impatiently folded her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow at the mechanical female, silently chuckling at the protocol droid’s womanly figure.“Here I am, Beedee. What do you need? Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”“Yes, Empress, I am here to see if you will be taking your dinner in your room or in the dining hall.”“Since my husband is away, I’ll take it in here, like usual, Beedee. There really was no need….”“Yes, Empress, I do understand. Ms. Cass thought it would be best if I enquired with you over the matter in the possibility that you had changed your mind,” the droid shuffled her feet, slowly making her way to the door. Rey pursed her lips as she let out a sigh of frustration. Of course, kriffing Callista Cass had something to do with this. It seemed like the woman was just waiting for Rey to slip up in some way so she could report it back to Armitage, Rey was sure of it. She’d at least be thankful that it hadn’t been Callista herself who had burst into her room unannounced.“Please inform Ms. Cass…and yourself…that if there are any further changes or needs I may have, that I will call for you. Is that understood, Beedee?”“Yes, perfectly, Empress. I do apologize for interrupting your…nap? You’re wearing your sleep robe…”“Mmmhmmm, yes, a nap,” Rey forced a loud yawn, stretching her arms above her head, “I am so tired, Beedee, I think I shall lay down. Please, no more disturbances.”“As you wish, Empress.”Rey watched the protocol droid shuffle her way out of the door and waited on bated breath for the door to hiss shut behind her. As soon as it closed, Rey tore back into the ‘fresher, a fit of wild laughter threatening to burst out of her in any second. She slowly opened the frosted glass of the shower and took in the pitiful sight of a mournful-eyed Kylo shivering inside.Rey couldn’t hold the giggles in any longer. They tumbled out of her, lifting a heavy weight from her heart as she stripped the silken robe from her shoulders.“Oh, you poor man. I am so, so sorry,” she murmured between her laughs, stepping into the shower with him. She caged her fingers around the dark fabric of his tunic he still had clutched to his chest, tossing it onto the ‘fresher floor before closing the glass door with a soft slam. Pressing her body against his to warm him, Rey nuzzled her cheek against the sound of his wildly beating heart, “that was an adventure, wasn’t it?”When Kylo didn’t answer, Rey lifted her cheek to gaze into his eyes and was met with a flood of apprehension. She lifted her hands to caress the sides of his face, sending serenity and peace through their bond.“What is it?” Rey murmured, tracing a soft line against his skin, “What are you thinking?”Kylo pressed his lips together as he mournfully mulled over his answer.“Rey….we have to be more careful….we can’t. If he found out…we’re only two people against the First Order.” Kylo spluttered, overcome with his worry for her.The Empress let out a soft sigh, her confidence in them unwavering. She reached behind them to the faucet and blindly turned the knob, causing a stream of hot water to pour over them. Rey smiled as the wetness washed over the pair of them, cleansing them of every bad thought, any shred of doubt or any bit of fear,“Kylo…I don’t care. As long as we are together, I’m not afraid of anything,” Rey lifted herself on her tiptoes and pressed a slow kiss against his lips, sending every shred of hope and love through the bond to wash over him together with the water.The dark knight groaned long and low, encircling his long fingers around her waist, pulling her bare flesh that bloomed under the hot water against him. Rey melted against him, their bodies fluid…fit together like puzzle pieces from the Maker’s clay, twins stars in the night sky that were born from the same eternal flame. She let out a soft whimper, and Kylo devoured the sound, tracing the seam of her mouth with his tongue, silently begging for entrance. Rey’s lips parted in an instant, tangling hers with his in a breathtaking dance of tongues and teeth.Rey lost herself in the kiss, happy to stay wrapped up in his arms for the rest of forever. She felt like she had lived long enough to know that she and Kylo had something special…something that could never be replicated with another person. After everything, it seemed like the Force willed it so, and Rey was more than willing to follow its lead if it meant that Kylo would be there too. Rey would travel the galaxy, no matter how far and knew that somehow, it would always come back to him.*Rey meandered through the collection of outbuilding scattered at the base of the towering ziggurat the next day, surrendering helplessly to her thoughts as she wound a section of her crimson velveteen gown through her fingers. She hadn’t dared to say it out loud for fear of what would happen when the two of them acknowledged what they were to each other, no matter the tangled mess that Fate had made of her life. There was love there, she was sure, simmering beneath the surface and shining from their eyes.All her life, Rey had felt an emptiness deep inside from all her years spent alone in the desert. Others may cherish the freedom she had, but at what cost? The feeling never went away, even when she had become surrounded by people in the palace when she became Empress. If anything, she felt more alone than ever before. It left her hollow with an empty void that was desperate to be filled….until Kylo.The moments she had with him, unexplainable as they were in the beginning before she understood anything about the Force and the way it pulled them to each other like a tether, gave her a sense of liberation from her hollow shell. Her body thrummed at every moment she got caught up in their divine and electrifying connection, filling her heart with so many indescribable things.When Kylo had finally revealed his face to her on Ahch-to, and Rey saw the feelings of her heart reflected back at her from the golden swirls of amber in his dark eyes, they became connected like never before…their bond ignited into an intensely burning flame that would never be snuffed out as long as they lived.It was true; his touch left her hungry in ways that the Emperor never did. Kylo was compassionate and unselfish, so generous in the ways that he gifted her with wave after wave of pleasure. Sex had been illustrated to her as a transactional thing on Jakku when she watched as women who were proficient enough to scavenge for parts traded the one thing they had to eat. Rey had hoped for so much more when she met Armitage but was left with disappointment that soured over time, evolving along with their marriage, causing her soul to feel splintered and fragile. After how hard she fought in the desert to keep working and living so she would never have to be like that, Armitage dangled the illustrious carrot of a better life, and Rey fell for it, becoming instantly trapped in the same cycle of those women at Niima Outpost.She didn’t expect it, but Kylo had healed her in so many ways that merely knitting the flesh that had been broken by her husband’s hand back together in the stone hut on Ahch-to. He was there for her at her worst, at her most broken when she sought any sort of feeling to remind her that she was alive. Kylo mended her heart, lovingly placing the pieces of her broken, mangled soul back together again. With each molten kiss, he sealed another part of her back to her, each touch filled with a special kind of magic, a gift from the universe.Rey knew that Kylo came with his own scars, they were hard to miss as they marred his porcelain skin…a collection of injuries that he had gained over the years as the First Orders guard dog. She wasn’t a stranger to the darkness in him that followed him like an ominous cloud, but there were moments when he felt lighter…moments when a glimmer of light would shine through, and she’d be gifted with another facet of him.When she first met him, he struck her as a man who could take whatever he wanted and after all this time, Rey would be more than willing to give it to him. She’d tried to convince him that she was ready and eager to have him, to bind them together where their bodies could communicate beyond words and bathe in each other’s warmth and light as easily as breathing, beyond the clever reach of the darkness.Kylo stubbornly refused every time Rey hungrily tried to push them further, to propel them past the new line that the dark knight had drawn. She could tell that he was waiting for something….but what?She trailed her fingers along the smooth wall of one of the hangers as the cool breeze fluttered the fine baby hairs around her face. The familiar tenor that belonged to Poe Dameron filtered across the breeze, and Rey couldn’t help but smile as his voice was carried with the wind. Her footsteps rang out high above around the ceiling of the mammoth hanger, pulling the pilot’s attention to her in an instant. His face lit up as soon as he saw her, splitting into a wide smile that crinkled around his eyes.“Hey, Sunshine!” Poe grinned as he ducked out from under the control panel of the speeder he was working on, leisurely wiping the grease from his hands with a dark rag, “Come to tinker with me again, Empress?”Rey helplessly smiled back at him, shaking her head as she looked down at her gown. The gossamer fabric hugged the curve of her shoulders, elegantly hugging the natural swell of her breasts with long sleeves that tapered down to her wrists. She wistfully sighed, holding up a section of her skirt.“I didn’t come prepared to tinker, but I’d love to chat for a little while if that’s alright with you,” she offered a sympathetic smile and a shrug.“More than alright. You’ve been gone for a while…it’s been awful quiet around here.”Rey pulled herself up onto the broad wing of the speeder, casually leaning down on her elbow and stretching her legs out with her skirt hanging over the edge of the wing, like a crimson curtain.“Yeah…we…I was, that’s true. I hope you got your little friend back safe and sound,” she nodded to the far corner of the hanger where BB-8 cautiously peeked out from behind a crate.“It’s great to have my buddy back, you have no idea. I know some people would consider it strange, but he’s more than just a droid to me and really important to….us. He’s one of a kind…I inherited him a while back, and he’s been the closest thing I’ve had to family since Yavin before…before Finn.” Poe sighed, looking momentarily downcast before shaking the feeling away, “Ya know, before BB-8, Ben was my best friend and the closest thing I had to a brother.”Rey leaned forward, setting her chin on her palm as she listened intently. She adored hearing stories of Poe’s jungle home, painting such a vivid picture with his words that she almost felt like the grew up there with him.“His parents, too. Everyone. We were all so close,” Poe’s eyes shone as he wistfully smiled, “You know…you remind me of this little girl who was always at his heels. Little Stardust…boy…she was a handful. Smart as a whip. We’d tinker together just like you and I do, and I’d teach her all sorts of words no six-year-old had any business knowing and it would always land Ben in trouble…it was great. I never thought I would see him again, but then he walked right in here the other day with BB-8, and it was like seeing a ghost…”Rey sat up slowly, her brows creased with a confused smile, “Ben?”Poe nodded with a content smile.“I know you two are…close…he doesn’t get protective that way over most people. I just gotta say that I’m happy he has you. Solo lost more than most of us that day, I’m glad he isn’t alone. I just wish that I had known sooner that he had been here this whole time. He may be Kylo Ren now, but I know that Ben is still in there someplace.”Rey’s heart thudded in her chest as her mind swirled in sharp waves around her. That name, she swore she’d heard it before…in a dream? A vision? Her body thrummed as she felt the Force cradle her like a blanket, flashing a series of images through her mind.A freckled-face little girl beaming at a gangly, dark-haired boy with a crystal shard tucked into her small hand. Rey let out a strangled gasp as her own fingers reached up to hug the trinket at her heart. The images flashed around her again, leaving her reeling by the side of a river.The little girl was there again…her….tucked between the long legs of the older boy with an oh so familiar trio of buns dotting the back of her head. Rey’s chin shook as the boy pressed a gentle kiss to the inside of her wrist.
Look here, you’ve got a map of the stars right here…proof that you’ll always have a way to find me, Stardust.
The voice. It rang out with such familiarity, aching in Rey's heart as she grappled with the flood of memories as they crashed over her. She lifted her arm and pulled the crimson sleeve from her wrist, tracing a soft line between the constellation of freckles she had had since before she could remember.
A map of the stars. No matter how far.

Stardust.
Another flash flickered through her mind, and Rey saw the little girl…herself from a life that she couldn’t remember…she ran with a face-splitting grin into the open arms of an older man in the shadow of a ship she knew by heart…the Millennium Falcon. The graying man squeezed her to his chest in a breathtaking hug that the grownup her could feel in her bones, causing an agonizing sting to her soul. She was loved. She wasn’t alone. She had a family…once.Another flash as the child version of her sat in the cockpit of a battered A-wing fighter with a faded flight helmet wobbling on her small head emblazoned with the Rebellion firebird.Stardust, toss me that Tollo wrench, would ya? The echo of a young Poe Dameron came into view, his smile unchanged after all these years. How? How in Maker’s name did all this happen, and why did it all disappear without a thought?Rey turned her gaze in her vision and let out a strangled gasp when she saw him. There was no doubt in her mind…not any longer. There he was, clear as day. His face was younger than she knew, with fewer worries creased around his eyes and a happy smile hovering on his lips as he leaned against the hull of the speeder. Behind his smile was the familiar shadow of darkness that he must have struggled with his entire life. Rey’s heart felt like it was being torn to pieces…what tragedy had caused this boy to fall so far? She breathlessly watched the scene unfold before her eyes, her breath coming in short, uneven spurts as the little her jumped from the cockpit of the speeder to traipse through the thick undergrowth into the jungle. The boy’s dark eyes watched the girl wistfully as she ran away, her trio of buns bouncing with every step until his gaze shifted and unexpectedly met hers.
Stardust.
Rey wavered as her mind reeled, trying to put the pieces together and make sense of it all. The edges of her vision began to grow fuzzy before the light was leeched away, and everything went dark.
She opened her eyes to the sound of blaster-fire and screams. Curling into her small bed, she tucked the blankets to her chin to hide from the horrific cacophony happening outside their home. She heard the voices of her parents murmuring frantically from the other room,

“I’m going to go find help. Those kids…they’re all alone. Han can help.”

“Elara, no. Stay in here where it’s safe, I’ll go.”

“Stay here with her. Keep her safe. I’ll be back before you know it, my love.”

She spied their shadows from the hall, coming together in a frantic kiss, her mother leaving a lingering hand on her father’s cheek before running out the door.

The house shook with the sound of an explosion. Tears streamed down her round cheeks as she covered her ears, trying in vain to keep the noise out. She squeezed her eyes shut; maybe if she couldn’t hear it or see it, then it would all go away.

A pair of strong arms lifted her from her soft bed, tucking her against the beat of his heart.

“Papa…” she cried, clutching the fabric under her cheek, “I don’t understand…”

He pressed a swift kiss to her head and wiped her tears from her cheeks.

“I know, sweetheart. We all thought we were safe here, but we were wrong,” he pulled her away from his chest and clutched her small face between his hands. She looked up into his piercing blue eyes that had always stood out against his bronzed skin, reflecting back the eyes of a hungry young man who served the Rebellion faithfully against the Empire. He scrubbed a hand through his graying hair and down to his beard as he mulled over the difficult decision he was coming to. Varik took a deep breath and sighed deeply, “I have to go help your Mama now. Do you understand?” he pressed as his eyes shone with tears.

She nodded as a fresh batch of tears streamed down her face, reaching up her little arms to wrap herself around his neck.

“I know, Papa.”

He pressed a swift kiss to her cheek, his eyes crinkling with a soft smile as he murmured,

“I’ll come back for you, Sweetheart. I promise.”

He pulled away in an instant, leaving her tiny arms achingly empty as he charged out the door. The minutes ticked by like hours as her fear consumed her. The house shook with another explosion, the never-ending blaster fire ringing in her ears when a mournful cry tumbled over her lips.

“Papa….”

She tucked her knees to her chin, rocking back and forth as the tears streamed down her cheeks. Her Papa was gone…his light was there one minute and gone the next, like a candle that had been snuffed out in the wind.

It felt like the blaster fire was getting ever closer, but she stayed rooted to the spot, waiting for whatever was going to come next.

The door burst in, flinging off its hinges with a bang when she was suddenly bathed in a cool blue light. She lifted her tear-strewn face to his, flinging up her arms as he swept her up into his own, murmuring gently into her hair,

“It’s okay, Stardust, I’m here. I’ve got you.”

She tucked her head against his shoulder, fisting the scratchy tan fabric of his Jedi padawan tunic, as jagged cries racked her tiny frame,

“It’s not okay, Ben. My Papa…” she sobbed, pulling herself closer, more snugly in his arms, “My Papa went out to help…I felt his light go out, Ben. I…I don’t know where my Mama is….”

She felt him stifle his own sob as he squeezed her even tighter.

“Sweetheart, we have to go. We need to get on a ship and get out of here, okay?” he murmured urgently into her hair, reaching down to wipe away her tears, “Hold on to me. I’ve got you, remember?” he peered down at her with his dark eyes, searching her face as he waited for her reply. She gave a tiny nod, curled herself into his shoulder, and together, they went back out into the fray.

She couldn’t help but peek out from Ben’s shoulder as he carried her from her home, her eyes widening at the sight of her jungle home engulfed in flames. The Great Temple was completely ablaze as chaos reigned around them. Bodies of stormtroopers littered the ground, nearly all of them with a smoking hole that had been made by a lightsaber. She trembled and held onto him tighter as her eyes drifted towards a familiar form laying lifeless only steps away, his piercing blue eyes staring blankly into the void.

“Papa…” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Close your eyes, Stardust,” Ben cried, squeezing her tiny form, “Please don’t look…”

She crammed her eyes shut, wishing the gruesome sounds would fade away as the hum of his lightsaber cut through the air, met from time to time with a sizzle as her body jerked back and forth with his movements.

Suddenly, the violent sounds ceased, leaving them only with the eerie sound of the flames as they consumed everything around them. She kept her eyes shut, the never-ending stream of tears pooling under her cheeks as she heard a pair of familiar voices ringing out into the night,

“Ben. You have to leave, you’re not safe here…they came for us….Please, you have to go before the TIEs come around for another pass.”

“Dad, I can’t leave her,” he hugged her tighter, circling both his arms around her small frame as she tucked her face against the fabric on his chest, “I can’t do it.”

“Here, give her to me, I will take her with me. I swear she will be safe,” Han begged, desperate to make his son listen.

“No, I can’t. I promised her that I would protect her.”

“She will be in more danger if she stays with you, and you know it,” another voice chimed in. It was her Mama, safe and sound like she had prayed to the Maker for. She felt her warm hands against her back, but Ben instinctively pulled her away,

“My son, please, you have my word. I swear I will make sure that she leaves this planet safely,” Han pleaded. Rey’s heart thudded in her tiny chest, unable to shake the terrible feeling that something worse….something darker was coming. They’d have to decide soon, time was beginning to run out.

Ben pressed his lips into her hair and breathlessly murmured,

“Don’t be afraid, sweet girl. I will find you, I swear. I don’t care how long it takes. Just remember that I will always be with you, no matter if we are apart. No matter how far. I would cross the galaxy for you, my Stardust,” he lifted her face to meet his as he searched her eyes in a silent farewell. He looked over her shoulder and gave a quick nod, and suddenly, she was pulled from his arms and left more terrified than ever as her heartbroken cries for him echoed out into the night until a blast of plasma fire lit up the night in a flash of bright white.

Han held her tightly as he ducked from the explosion, and she swore she could still hear Ben calling her name. The older man pulled her from his arms and passed her frantically to her Mama.

“Elara, take her. GO, get on the shuttle and get outta here. More troopers are coming, I’ll hold them off for as long as I can to give you enough time to make a clean getaway.”

“Han, no. I couldn’t possibly…what about you? What about Ben?”

“Yes, you can. You will. Ben can take care of himself, and he would never forgive me if something happened to her. She is his light, and we need to protect her,” he grazed a scruffy kiss atop her head, “I wish I could see you grow up, kid. Take care of him. Now GO,” he urged them up the ramp, reaching in to press the switch to close the ramp before her Mama could change her mind.

Elara tried to hold her close as the shuttle shakily took flight, but she tore herself away to press her nose against the transparasteel viewport. Her eyes flittered over the horrific scene, drawn to the flurry of blue light as it bent and twirled in the darkness against the flicker of red blaster bolts.

“Ben!” she cried, pounding her tiny fists against the glass as the shuttle rose higher into the atmosphere. Her agonizing wails filled the cabin while she cried out his name over and over again, long after they’d left the jungle moon and watched the stars stretch as they thundered into hyperspace.
Rey woke suddenly, her shoulders being frantically shaken as someone called out her name. She opened her eyes, blinking rapidly as her vision came slowly into focus. Poe’s worried face hovered just above hers that melted into exhausted relief as she slowly sat up. She rubbed her temple as she closed her eyes with a soft sigh, lifting her hand away to rub the sticky glob of blood on the tips of her fingers,“You fell pretty good there, Sunshine,” Poe knelt down next to her, placing his warm hand on her bare shoulder. Rey lifted her gaze to him and let out a soft gasp.“Poe.”His face melted into an easy smile while Rey went reeling back to her thoughts and the flood of memories that had coursed over her like a tidal wave. She placed her hand on his shoulder, pressing down to pull herself to stand. Wobbling for a moment, Rey drew her fingers to her head as it ached.She remembered everything.Every moment. Every leaf of the jungle moon.Her parents. Her home.Ben.Her eyes flashed up to Poe’s face in an instant, overcome with a desperate sense of urgency.“I’m borrowing a ship.”Poe’s dark brows raised high into his hair, reaching for her as she wavered on her feet, “I….I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to fly, Rey….”“You don’t understand…I have to go home. I have to see…” Rey shoved him aside, trailing her fingers across the ebony hull of the Upsilon-class command shuttle. It felt like a lifetime ago when she stood in this hanger for the first time, dreaming of leaving her gilded cage.Resolute in her decision, Rey stepped away from a flabbergasted Poe and marched up the ramp, quickly closing it behind her. She strode into the cockpit and flipped a series of switches to bring the dual-ion engines to life with a low rumble. Pulling back on the controls, she effortlessly guided the ship out of the hanger and into the Coruscant sky. She knew exactly where she was going.
Home.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Ben stepped off of the shuttle after bringing it to a halt in the Palace District, having just returned from retrieving his father’s prized ship from Takodana to tuck away safely on Coruscant in case he was ever in need of the fastest ship in the galaxy. He stretched his broad shoulders that remained stiff after his long trip when he felt it shudder through him like a shock to his system. A momentous shift in the Force rattled through him, shaking him to his very core as his eyes widened with a jolting realization.
Rey.
Ben closed his eyes for a moment to center himself and quiet his mind so he could pluck her beamingly bright signature out from the millions of lifeforms in the surrounding block. He let out a shuddering breath when he found her…but she was leaving, her presence getting further and further away as the seconds wore on.He bolted between the building, running as quickly as he could in his heavy boots and cloak to get to where she was before it was too late. Sliding into the wide-open door of the all too familiar hanger, Ben looked around wildly for her face, to no avail. His attention shifted abruptly when Poe Dameron jogged into view, breathless with panic as he took in the bedraggled appearance of the dark knight.“I…I don’t know what happened, Ben. We were talking one minute, and she sort of just…drifted off…I don’t know where she went, she just was blank and then toppled over,” Poe prattled on, trying to quickly sum up his understanding of what had happened in his mind, “I got her to wake up, I think she may have hit her head a little hard because she just…she hopped in a shuttle and left.”Ben scrubbed his long fingers through his dark curls in frustration, letting out a deep growl,“You let her leave?” he fumed, pacing the floor like a wild animal, his ever-present darkness simmering beneath the surface as control slipped through his fingers, “Gods…you just couldn’t keep your kriffing mouth shut, could you? I knew it was a bad idea to come here and see you again.”Poe squared his shoulders, pulling himself up to try and bring himself closer to the dark knight’s considerable height.“A bad idea? Ben, you can’t pretend that I understand in the slightest what’s happening here between the two of you…”Scrubbing his hands furiously through his hair, Ben closed his eyes and let out a sigh, pressing his lips together in a firm line. He opened them slowly, his broad shoulders sagging under the weight of everything that had happened and the guilt he felt by not being there for her like he’d promised….again.“It’s her, Poe.”The pilot stood frozen, his brows creased together as he stared back at the dark knight. Ben’s gaze was mournful and unwavering as he looked back at him, desperate to not say more than he had to. He wasn’t ready to acknowledge it out in the open…not yet.Poe’s face softened ever so slightly, letting out a shaky breath,“You mean…”“She’s been here, all this time…with no idea about…about any of it,” Ben let out a dry sob, his chest still aching from the astronomical disturbance he had felt in the Force. It was like all time had stood still for a moment while his mind moved at light speed, leaving him reeling as it all snapped back together forcefully like a rubber band.Poe’s mouth hung open in a silent “oh” while his mind struggled to make sense of it all. His shoulders slumped over as he reached out to brace himself on the wing of the speeder.“I…I’ve been tinkering this whole time with Stardust? I…I thought she was gone…stars…how didn’t I see? It’s been like…like it was back on Yavin this whole time…”“We all thought she was gone…even I didn’t see, not at first. Gods, the Force tried so hard to show me, but I didn’t listen…I should have been paying attention. I could-I could have…” Poe stepped forward and placed his hand on his friend’s arm, giving him a reassuring squeeze, “I’m not like you, I know, but I do know that the Force works in ways that we don’t understand…I’m sure it had to be this way…”“At the expense of everything I love?” Ben fumed, yanking his arm away as if the touch burned him from the inside. His mind raced, silently begging the Force to show him something, give him some sort of idea of where she’d be. Her signature was faint in the back of his mind, a quiet hum blinking amongst the vast canvas of stars in the sky.“I know this may sound crazy, but…do you think she may have gone to the simplest place?” Poe shrugged, offering a sympathetic smile, “I mean…where would you go if you suddenly remembered your entire family?”Ben’s mouth dropped open with a small gasp. Why didn’t he think of it right away? It made complete sense. She went home.*It only took a few anxious hours for Rey to reach the jungle moon in the stolen Upsilon-class command shuttle, setting it down in the shadow of the Great Temple as soon as she arrived in the shadow of the red gas giant, Yavin Prime. Her heart pounded furiously in her ears as the ramp lowered to the jungle floor with a huss and a soft billow of steam. She was instantly blanketed in the balmy air, prickling at her skin in an instant as she stepped down the ramp and into the sun.Rey shielded her eyes against the bright beams of sunlight and lifted her gaze to take in the flame-scarred remains of the Great Temple. Black marks where the flames viciously licked the ancient stone were striking against the grey surface, hidden in places by the climbing ferns that had overtaken the structure over the lifetime it’d been since the attack.Rey flinched, blinking rapidly as the echoes of screams and blaster fire rang in her ears.ore vivid in her mind now that she was in the place that held those painful memories that had been lost to her for so long. She stepped away from the shell of her padawan home, eager to be further away from the ghosts that lingered in its shadow.The hem of her crimson gown trailed behind her, dragging along the overgrown grounds that used to belong to the Jedi Academy. There weren’t any bodies left behind, presumably cleared out by any survivors that hadn't been snatched away by the First Order, but their signatures lingered, heavily weighing down Rey’s heart as she wandered amongst them.Stepping into the dense jungle, her gown snagged on the stray branches, tearing tiny holes in the fine shimmer silk, but Rey couldn’t care less. A new feeling tied itself to her like a thread, and she was helpless as it pulled her in, drawing her deeper into the jungle. Stray brambles scratched at her bare shoulder, marring the surface of her golden, freckled skin, yet Rey remained enraptured as she stepped through the thick overgrowth.A small wooden house peeked out from the thick jungle floor, and Rey let out a strangled sob as she stepped closer, knowing the structure in an instant. Her chest grew tighter, and her breathing more difficult as she strode up to the lopsided door that hung from its hinges.Pressing her hands softly against the warmth of the wood, Rey closed her eyes and pushed it open.She felt it wash over her as she stepped over the threshold…the spirit of the house. It had retreated into the walls and away from the dust when its occupants vanished from inside, leaving only memories and objects behind. Her chin quivered when she looked around and saw a different piece of herself in every corner…a part of this lost girl who wasn’t lost anymore. She’d come home.This house held everything that was once dear to her. Every memory was precious, from the hugs and the laughter that rang out like gleeful music, to her mother’s voice as she sang her to sleep.She reached out and ran the tips of her fingers against the peeling paint in the narrow hall, wandering room by room to take in what was left of her broken childhood. The floors were bare, and the walls were faded, but the memories burned brighter than ever, threatening to suffocate her as she swam helplessly through the depths of them all.Rey’s brow creased as she spied a glint of gold gleaming from the thick layer of dust and leaves at her feet. She reached down and curled her fingers around it, dusting off the years of grime from the smooth surface to reveal the beauty below.She held it in her palm, tracing her thumb around the small ring as a single tear slipped down her cheek. There wasn’t any doubt in her mind…this had belonged to her mother. Elara Dinsne, the once-famed singer of the Galaxies opera house in the heart of Galactic City on Coruscant, who lost her heart to a Rebellion hero from the jungle moon and left her life behind - all for the sake of love. Rey tucked it to her chest as she wandered further into the room, anxiously lifting a small holopad from a wooden desk.With a shaky breath, Rey blew the dust from the metal surface, wiping away the grime and praying it would still work. She pressed the button and sank to her knees in a heap of crimson shimmer silk as the faint blue image of a happy family shone from the disc. Rey struggled to take a breath while the tears streamed down her face, feeling like all of the wind had been knocked from her lungs as memory after vivid memory flashed before her eyes.Her Papa striding down the narrow hallway with her small arms wrapped around his shoulders, his blue eyes twinkling as she begged him to tell the story of the Battle of Yavin just one more time before she went to sleep.Elara, softly singing her to sleep at night while her fingers gently carded through her hair with a loving touch only a mother could provide.The dual embrace of both her parents, swathing her in love when she first showed signs of being Force-sensitive.
We are so proud of you, Sweetheart. You’re going to do such great things.
After what felt like forever, Rey pulled herself to stand and dusted the dried leaves that clung to her skirt. Her legs shook from the exhaustive toll the day had taken on her body and mind. Legs that once used to dangle from the furniture scattered around her that now stood firmly against the floor. Suspended in the moments of her irretrievable childhood.Having seen more than enough, Rey strode from the skeletal remains of her home, pausing at the lopsided doorframe to give it one last, forlorn look in a silent farewell as she slipped her mother’s ring on her finger.Rey emerged from the tattered remains of her childhood home, still reeling from the wave of memories that had washed over her in sharp waves as soon as she had set foot inside. She had been so wrapped up in the visions of the past that she didn’t hear the dull roar of the sublight engines thunder into the atmosphere.Rey fiddled with Elara’s ring on her finger as she ducked out of the scarred doorframe, lifting her hand to shield her eyes from the bright beams of sunlight that filtered through the trees. She wandered between the trees, lost in the serene green glow that the jungle’s canopy provided while she blindly followed her feet until she found herself back in the wide-open space at the foot of the Great Temple.Her gaze darted upwards towards a noise coming from in front of her when she saw him burst through the tree line. He thundered through the overgrowth, his eyes wild with fear, frantically scanning the area for any sign of her. Stopping abruptly when their eyes met from across the clearing, Ben slowly steadied his breath, his face softening at the sight of her as relief washed over him.They stood staring at each other for was felt like hours, the seconds passing slowly as Rey took stock of the sight of him like she was trying to convince herself that this wasn’t another dream before she took a tentative step forward.Rey had a wild look in her eyes, somewhere between heart-wrenching grief and limitless joy. Ben took a slow step forward, regarding her like a wild runyip that he was desperate not to spook.“Hey, Stardust,” he murmured softly, not sure of what to expect from her. He knew she’d more than likely be hurt he’d kept this from her, possibly angry, but he didn’t expect what came next,“Ben,” Rey gasped in a strangled sob, surging forward, stumbling through the brush towards him, the ground between them vanishing as they careened towards each other. Hot tears began to fall freely as she struggled to stay on her feet, her emotional exhaustion finally catching up with her. Ben caught her effortlessly, folding her close to her chest and pressed his nose into her hair as they sunk to the ground together. Before she could draw in a shaky breath to get the air her body so desperately needed, Rey felt her body melt into his arms.He held her firmly as she wept, his own tears blending with hers before she pulled her head back and allowed him to wipe the wet tracks from her cheeks with his thumbs, the tender touch bringing her more sweet relief than her aching heart could begin to hold. Her eyes flittered back and forth between his, devouring the sight of him and reaching up to card her fingers through his hair like she couldn’t quite believe that he wasn’t just part of a long-forgotten dream.“It was all real, wasn’t it? I thought I dreamed you, I thought I was all alone…” Rey cried into his dark tunic, fisting the fabric in her fingers as her body shook with sharp sobs. Crying out for the time that was stolen from them that they would never get back. “…I was so alone…”“You’re not alone,” Ben’s mouth curved into a soft smile before folding her to his chest once more.“Please,” she murmured, her voice a ragged whisper, “Please don’t leave me again…I don’t think I could take it.”“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere…I don’t want to be anywhere you’re not, Stardust. I’m here. I always will be,” he caged his arms around her and gently ran soft tracks down her exposed back and across her chestnut hair. With each touch, more tears fell to join the others that had smattered on the warm soil of the jungle floor, tears that neither Ben or Rey brushed away.They held each other as the time ticked by, desperate to hold onto one another until the sun began to set in the sky. After so many years that had been ripped away from them, the pair of them longed to stay in the peace of being themselves and the time that dragged by was nowhere near their minds.The sun began to dip behind the towering façade of the Great Temple, and with it, the sky became ablaze with a fiery hue that beckoned the stars to shine brilliantly over the whispers of the jungle floor.Rey lifted herself from where she’d nestled herself against Ben’s chest, slowly dusting over the tattered bits of her shimmer silk gown and offering her hand to Ben, who still sat where they’d landed together on the warm soil.“My ship or yours?”The corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly as he quietly regarded her, slipping his long fingers into her waiting palm. He rose above her, and she followed his gaze with a tilt of her chin, his eyes narrowing slightly as he tipped his head to the side.“Yours is stolen.”Rey shrugged, the beginnings of a facetious smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.“So is yours. Besides, it’s a First Order ship, and I’m the Empress…so is it really stealing?”Ben let out a soft laugh and reached out to tangle his hand with her fingers, his heart feeling lighter than it truly had in ages now that she…his Stardust…was here with him, no matter the scars.They quietly walked hand-in-hand, the only sounds were the quiet buzz of the jungle, brimming with life and the muffled tread of their feet against the forest floor. Even her signature was quiet, her light dimmed ever so lightly in the darkness that the day had washed over her, taking a toll on every part of her soul. Rey held the hem of her gown firmly in her other hand as the pair of them stepped through the overgrown brambles, finally emerging into another clearing that held the telltale hull and side-mounted cockpit of the Millennium Falcon. Rey stopped suddenly in the shadow of the ship, pulling Ben’s gaze to her as her eyes darkened at the sight of it. His heart skipped a beat when she murmured something softly to herself with her eyes locked on the ship. Ben took a step towards her, but she stepped away like a reflex, dropping his hand in a flash. His brows creased together while his senses buzzed with darkness growing at the edge of his vision, extending his hand back out to her.“What is it….what’s wrong?”Rey regarded his proffered hand, slowly lifting her own to look down upon her palm and gently stretching her fingers in and out. She let out a deep, shuddering sigh while her eyes fluttered closed as she whispered into the wind,“How long?” Rey’s fingers curled into her palm, and she tucked her fist to her beating heart as if she was trying to hold in it and prevent it from leaping forth from her rib cage. Ben blinked at her silently with his hand still extended, and Rey couldn’t help but think of that moment…that kriffing moment when he silently pleaded for her to leave with him, long before she went past the point of no return with Armitage.She was so stupid, so blind not to see. There were so many signs, so many ways that the Force tried to point her in the right direction. He’d kept his face hidden from her for so long, it suddenly became abundantly clear why,“How long what, Stardust?” Ben pressed, his brows lifting into his hairline as he reached for her again. She kept her hand tucked to her chest and glanced down to his open hand before flitting back up to his bewildered face,“How long have you known? This whole time? Is that why you kept yourself hidden from me?”Ben stepped forward, ducking his head down to bring his gaze to meet hers, his eyes filling with guilt and regret.“I couldn’t.”“And why kriffing not? How…how much of this bantha fodder could I have avoided? Gods….” Rey turned away from him, her fingers curling firmly into her palm with a crack. She took a shuddering breath, knowing she’d never argue with her fists…not with him, but her words were about to pack a powerful punch. Lifting her gaze to meet his, she took a breath and carefully uttered, “You promised.”Ben’s eyes flickered between hers as he stood in bewildered silence before her when Rey started again.“You promised….you promised me only a stone’s throw away from here that you would protect me. Gods…the things that have happened…the things that have been taken from me…by him,” she shuddered, her skin prickling at the memory of the Armitage’s breath on her flesh, “You haven’t the faintest idea of the pain I’ve been in this whole time. You knew and still did nothing.”“Rey…I…I’ve tried. I know you’ve been hurting. I’ve felt it…”“Have you?” Rey fumed darkly with every single blackened memory simmering beneath the surface, “You have no idea just how much.”The anger from her eyes let a glimpse of the scared little girl who was desperately alone on Jakku. The same girl who was forced to learn how to scavenge and fight to survive, the child who grew up starving and alone…left in a constant, dangerous state of hunger as her belly remained mostly empty and starved of the one thing she needed more than anything…the love she so desperately craved. Was it any wonder that’s after all the pain she’d suffered that she would be tired of drowning in the exhausted and angry persona she’d carved for herself deep within the Goazan Badlands and would willingly go with a handsome stranger who promised to end it all?Waves of fury smoldered in her eyes, her thoughts returning to all the broken promises and every atrocious act by her husband, relentless in her decision as she sent wave after brutal wave of every ounce of pain she’d suffered through the bond. She felt the darkness lick at the edges of her Light, converting her fury into something more potent than she’d ever felt before.Ben shook with the weight of it, wavering slightly as he tried to breathe through it all. Every lonely night, each day she thought she might finally die of starvation, the pain she felt for days when she fell from a laser cannon in the starship graveyard. Rey sent wave after wave, giving him a taste of the fifteen years she’d suffered…filling the bond with each brutal blow her husband delivered and the cold emptiness that ached in her heart after he’d visit her bed.Ben’s balance began to waver, dropping to his knee with a shuddering grunt, wheezing slightly as he shakily rose his gaze to meet hers. Rey released her grip on their bond, taking a step back as Ben’s eyes darkened with a look that was pure Kylo Ren. He lifted a quaking hand to his knee and pressed himself to stand, his dark eyes nearly black as they bored into her,“What about what I lost, huh Rey? I told you that you weren’t alone. Not in this. Not ever,” Ben seethed, drawing himself up to his full height and curling his fingers into his palm with a loud crack, “My parents. My life. My entire existence was taken from me. They turned me into a slave. Gods…you. I lost you too. I didn’t have the luxury of being able to forget.”He vehemently returned the favor tenfold, sending his own torturous experience through the bond. Every ounce of grief that Snoke fanned the flames of, every happy memory poisoned, each of his padawan brothers he was forced to kill.Rey blinked rapidly as each searing memory came through the bond, making her knees quake, but she remained stubbornly resolute while he sent wave after brutal wave. His own loneliness came through, sending a stray tear coursing down her cheek. Rey could see him in her mind’s eye, still a boy, tucked into a darkened cell alone as he whispered out into the night,
Don’t be afraid. I’m here. I will always be with you, even though we’re apart. I’ll follow you across the galaxy, Stardust. I swear.
She felt his anguish when the smoldering flame of the darkness that Snoke continued to stoke as the time wore on finally consumed the last bit of light left in him, destroying Ben Solo and cutting him off from his old life entirely.It was then that she was finally lost to him, along with everyone else he’d ever held dear, leaving only Kylo Ren in his place.His pain didn’t end there.Her vision shifted, and her body trembled as she stood behind Ben…no…Kylo in the shadow of a menacing humanoid who sneered down at the still-young man, long before he’d earned so many of his scars…a lost boy who only wanted to go to a home that no longer existed. The fire given to him by his parents burned in his eyes…a flicker of Ben Solo that still remained, but not for long.“You’ve done well in your training, with any luck, you’ll soon be able to join the ranks of my Order to be a scourge upon the galaxy.”“I won’t be your tool,” Ben growled, sneering up at the golden-robed creature who towered over him.“Mmmm, it would seem you still have too much of your father’s heart in you, Young Solo, and so much more to learn…”The pain came quickly, jolting through her in a swift current of electric fire as the vision of Supreme Leader Snoke threw a shock of Force lighting careening through the vision of Ben.Both Rey and the memory of Ben crumbled to the ground as the pain overtook them, screaming as the white-hot agony coursed through her entire being. She tried to push back, to push him away and out of her mind, but he was still so much stronger and more experienced.The ground beneath them began to vibrate from the blinding amounts of energy emanating from the pair of them as their internal battle raged on.Suddenly, Ben came to his senses, letting the shadow of Kylo Ren fall away as they both laid merely steps from the other, completely spent on the jungle floor.They gasped for breath, exhaustion leeching every spare ounce of energy that may have remained. Ben lifted his head from the soil, aching to meet her gaze and plead with her, to tell her he was sorry, that he’d never meant to hurt her…not like….not like him.“Rey…”She slowly lifted her tear-strewn face, smattered with damp curls and dirt that blended in with the freckles, blinking away the echoes of pain that still continued to ricochet to the ends of her fingertips.“Look at us…look at this mess we’ve made…” she whimpered with fresh tears making smooth tracks down her cheeks.“No. Not us. This wasn’t you or me. This was them. Snoke. Hux. The First Order,” Ben murmured, his dark gaze unwavering as he continued to reason with her, “We can beat them. We have to. For all of the ones we lost…for us. Together.”She blinked at him as he slowly reached out his bare hand, stretching his fingers towards her, a silent plea not dissimilar from the moment before her wedding when they both ached to leave and never go back. How she wished that she had known everything she knew now and made a different decision that could have saved them so much more heartache.No matter the pain that had happened in-between, Rey was starting to realize that it had all happened for a reason, and sprinkled between the horrific moments were blinding pieces of joy. Sparring with him in the training room until they were both breathless and laughing. Standing in the artificial starlight of their secret place. Echo Base. Flying the Millennium Falcon for the first time…. The ship that she only dreamed of flying when she was a little girl stood in front of her, and she had her dream come true alongside her greatest friend and confidant…Ben.Suddenly, now that the veil of her past had been lifted, everything was clear and held so much more meaning than it had only hours before. Life had been simpler then, it was true, but the only way they’d make it through was if they stayed together. Rey lifted her hand and reached out to slowly touch her fingertips to his, her chin trembling as their connection flooded with warmth, relief, and love…everything that they needed to feel from the other at that moment.Ben circled his long fingers around her wrist, pulling her from the dirt in a cloud of dust and crimson silk into his lap, folding her into his arms as he tucked his long nose into her hair. Rey curled her fingers into the fabric at his chest and breathed a heavy sigh.“I didn’t mean to leave so quickly…stars, poor Poe…”“You shook him up pretty good, Stardust…he knows now too, and I bet he’s anxious to see you again and probably find out how much more of a potty mouth you’ve become since he taught you the basics,” Ben softly chucked. Rey was silent for a moment, slowly lifting her chin to meet his burning gaze.“You followed me…you got here so quickly…how did you know?” she breathed, her voice barely a whisper. The corners of his mouth curled up ever so slightly, inclining his head down to bring himself that much closer to her,“I said no matter how far, and I meant it.”“For forever?”Ben sighed, his heart aching while her words mirrored a conversation they’d had a lifetime ago when things were far simpler, and still, Rey had an inkling of what was to befall them just a short time later. After everything and the hell they’d been put through together and the plans of others on the horizon, Ben was starting to see a way out for them. Through it all, he knew his promise would forever remain the same.“For forever, Stardust.”He took her wrist in his hand, pressing a soft kiss to the freckled map of the stars imprinted on the soft flesh inside and slowly pulled the pair of them to their feet. Rey gave him an unsure smile as she followed him towards the Falcon, he heart skipping a beat when the echo of a memory echoed back through her mind,
“Elara, take her. GO, get on the shuttle and get outta here. More troopers are coming, I’ll hold them off for as long as I can to give you enough time to make a clean getaway.”

“Han, no. I couldn’t possibly…what about you? What about Ben?”

“Yes, you can. You will. Ben can take care of himself, and he would never forgive me if something happened to her. She is his light, and we need to protect her…I wish I could see you grow up, kid. Take care of him. Now GO,”
“Han,” Rey breathed, her mind suddenly reeling all over again with this new realization. She knew he was gone, but had spent all this time without knowing.
Standing in the shadow of his beloved ship and seeing the face of his son made it all so heartbreakingly clear.
Ben paused at the foot of the ramp, turning his gaze to her. Rey looked up at him with her eyes shining in the jungle sunlight, “He’s gone because of me…”Ben’s face melted into a mixture of acceptance and lingering grief, tucking his large hand under her chin to lift her eyes to meet his.“No. Don’t do that. He loved you. He did it to help us, and we will honor his sacrifice, do you understand me?” his tone was firm, clearly letting her know that this wasn’t something he wanted to hear about again. He’d come to terms with the fact that his relationship with his father had been strained, but in the end, he’d truly given them his all so that they could stay together. It may have taken time, but here they were, their roads come back together after the years that had been stolen from them, and Ben was determined to make the most of whatever time they had left.The ride back to Coruscant was quiet, Rey only murmuring a handful of words as she sat perched with her tattered crimson gown hanging in sheets from her knees in the co-pilot’s seat. She kept her knees tucked to her chest with her chin resting on her hands on top of them, her gaze soft and despondent as she looked out the half-moon transparasteel viewport. Every once in a while, the Empress would close her eyes with a sigh, and Ben could feel the ache in her heart ripple out into the air around them.He knew that things were bound to be different and burdensome to her now that all of her memories were fresh in her mind and she was free to fully grieve those that had been taken from her, and he knew that he did nothing but help fuel it by adding his own pain to her own. The instantaneous guilt Ben felt threatened to consume him, licking at the edges of his light that still struggled to burn brighter as the days wore on, but he pushed it back. Rey needed him. Him. Not Kylo.Ben was sure that at some point, that part of him would be needed when it came to whatever fight was coming against the First Order. He was more than willing to sacrifice a bit of his Light and of Ben Solo if it meant helping his scavenger girl. No matter the cost, she would be free.After securely tucking the Falcon away, the pair of them quietly made their way back to the foot of the Imperial Palace as the light of Coruscant Prime began to dime behind the glittering landscape of Galactic City. Rey remained silent, so much more than her usual self, as they slowly walked down the seemingly endless hallways.Ben’s heart ached when she stood so far away from him in the lift, wishing that he could take back every ounce of hurt he’d foolishly caused her on her homeworld. He would have to think of something to make it up to her.They ambled side by side down the hall leading towards her quarters, as silent as ever and the air between them heavy with guilt and despair. Ben mashed his lips together as they came to a halt in front of her door, and Rey turned to look up at him.“I…uh…I’ll be nearby if you need me…” he swallowed thickly.Rey looked down at her feet, anxiously picking at a loose thread hanging from what was left of her gown.“I’ll keep that in mind…”She lifted her chin and met his forlorn gaze, his fingers twitching with the need to touch her and hold her so that they could both feel something that would tell them that everything would be alright. Ben slowly lifted his hand to brush the edge of his thumb across her cheek, but Rey quickly turned away, offering him only a sympathetic smile as she ducked inside the door and closed it with a hiss.He stood at her door for a few moments, hoping and praying that she’d change her mind and let him come in…let him show her how much it truly meant to him to have her back and how much he cared about, no…loved her.This was the day he’d been waiting for, for the Force to lift the dark curtain of her memories and finally put the dizzying confusion she’d been feeling aside. His feelings had been there from the beginning, whether he realized it or not.He loved her back on Yavin, it was true, but it was different now. They were both different people now, shaped and groomed by the lives they been forced to live separately. Worlds apart, at different corners of the galaxy, each of them suffering their own trials but feeling the same kind of loneliness.True, their confrontation on the jungle moon wasn’t what Ben had pictured when he imagined her remembering their childhood spent together…it was a disappointing and somewhat worrisome beginning to what was after all this time…their destiny.He was determined to make up for it, to bring her back to the strong and confident girl she had developed into under his tutelage. The stubborn, beautiful, and powerful woman he adored who was his beamingly bright light in an otherwise darkened sky.Ben turned on his heel, the hint of the Solo smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth as he strode down the hall to his own quarters. He knew what he had to do.* Rey pressed her back against the cold gleam of the durasteel door, closing her eyes with a deep sigh. She could feel his presence on the other side of the door, lingering for moments before he finally walked away. Her heart ached with the guilt of making him leave and give her a moment’s peace to grapple with everything that had transpired in such a short time.
Her parents. Her home. Him.
She let out a deep, shuddering breath, closing her eyes as her thoughts drifted back to every delicious shared moment with Kylo and all the ways he made her feel. There had always been a sense of familiarity between them, and she couldn’t help but feel hurt when the initial overwhelming relief she'd felt had faded with the setting sun.Both of them had overreacted in the face of the resentment that burned like liquid fire in her veins. In her mind, there were so many, many things that could have been avoided or stopped altogether if he had just come to her in the first place.After the time and the parsecs ticked by on their return trip on the Falcon, Rey had shuffled through all of her thoughts, going over and over every detail of the time she had known Kylo, trying to pinpoint when things had been different. Perhaps, he had been suffering trying to figure out their connection in a similar way that she was…Rey stepped forward towards the wall of windows in her quarters, pulling the crimson sleeves of her gown down past her wrists to finally rid herself of the ruined fabric. She curled her fingers around the ever so soft fabric that hung across the back of her lounge chair and wrapped the dark fabric around her bare flesh. Padding over the plush carpet with her bare feet, Rey tucked her toes under the silken sheet and curled the dark knit around her shoulders to snuggle into the softness of her bed and the comforting feeling the holy combination it provided.His smell washed over her, miraculously lingering in the fabric’s weave after all this time. She nestled herself further into it as the overhead lights flicked off, leaving the room in hushed darkness with only the glimmering lights of Galactic City filtering in through the transparasteel wall.Rey buried herself in the smell, letting the calming ease it provided seep into her and quell her frazzled nerves from the day. The effect the fabric had on her…the impact his smell had on her…had been a mystery for her in the instantaneousness of it. But now, it suddenly was clear. She closed her eyes and pressed the fabric to her nose, inhaling deeply.
Spices. Smoke. Earth.
The delectable combination wafted over her, sending a sweet shiver down her spine. There wasn’t any question about how Kylo had made her feel…should anything be different now that she knew it was Ben? Should she feel more because of their history, or something different because of what they’d gone through together?It was all a bewildering blur, and Rey knew she wouldn’t have the answers now, not by herself, anyway. She silently cursed Fate and the Force for doing this to them, for separating them when they needed each other most. Their love was strong, maybe strong enough to survive it, but they’d need to rebuild what was broken. Rey thought that, at some point, Fate would eventually tired of suffocating them in its clutches, finally going numb and losing its grip on those it held onto so fiercely. Love was a powerful thing, but fate was an unstoppable fiend that wouldn’t let anything get in its way - no matter what it cost.Her eyes quickly grew heavy in the uncomplicated comfort that being wrapped in Ben…no, Kylo’s cowl provided her, freely falling into a peaceful sleep.When Rey woke the next morning, the early morning sunlight streamed in like a canopy of gold, glinting off the tranparasteel windows of the speeders that blazed by in the cool air of the early hours. The darkness of the night surrendered in the vibrancy of the rising sun. Every color between the towering sky rises shifting from tinges of grey to vibrant hues of gleaming golds and blues. She stretched her arms over her head to rid her limbs of the ache caused by her sound sleep with a wide yawn.Passing the same movement down to the tips of her toes, Rey swung her feet out of bed and tucked her bare toes of the plush carpet, letting the bright beams of morning light warm her from the outside in.What a wonderful feeling, to touch the light. She knew she had her own burning brightly inside her, but the light that the Maker gave to all other beings and gave life to everything else around the galaxy was a miraculous gift. Rey felt like that warmth that caressed her skin was a part of her, and perhaps inside, she was gleaming and golden like the sun…an incandescent flame that burned for not only herself but for others around her. Perhaps…she could give the gift of her light to Ben to feed his own and make it grow and battle the darkness he’d struggled with for so long. The thought of him achieving balance unto himself warmed her heart more than the sunlight that cascaded in from the transparasteel.Rey reluctantly drew the dark fabric of Kylo’s cowl…Ben’s cowl…from her bare skin, delighting in the delicious way it brushed against her freckled flesh, wishing it was him who was giving her that feeling instead. She lifted her eyes to the table next to her favorite chair and smiled to herself when she saw that her favorite breakfast had already been delivered with a steaming cup of caf. The starving little scavenger inside her beamed with effervescent excitement as Rey slid her arms through the silken fabric of her robe, tying it at her waist as she strode over and tucked herself snugly against the back of the chair.She tucked her hands against the wonderfully warm porcelain, lifting the mug to her nose to glory in the way the steam rose from the piping hot liquid to tickle her nose. Slowly tipping it upwards, Rey slowly sipped the caf and let out a quiet hum as the and slightly bitter with a hint of sweet flavor coated her tongue as she marveled how she ever existed without caf in her life before now.Ever the hungry little girl, Rey dove into her breakfast, devouring the scrumptious meats and delectable fruits that were piled on the tray. When her hunger was beyond satiated, the Empress tucked her feet under her hips with a smile when she saw the telltale piece of parchment tucked under one of the now empty plates. She tugged it out from under the heavy ceramic and slowly unfolded it to let her eyes linger over the elegantly swirling script,
Stardust,
I know that words won’t fix the pain I caused you yesterday, only adding to the heartbreak and agony you had already felt. I wish I could say sorry and make it easy for you to forgive me…you always were one who favored actions rather than words. Meet me tonight and let me show you. Let’s be together without any other commitments or duties.
No Empress.
No Kylo.
Just you and me.
Let’s find out who we are now, together, after all this time.

-Ben
After reading a second page full of instructions and a location she’d never heard of, Rey tucked the paper to her chest with a small smile, the corners of her eyes crinkling at the contents of the note. She knew things weren’t going to be easy between them, they never had been. They’d always been complicated, drawn to each other from the beginning, but still separated through pure circumstance. As time wore on, it seemed that the pair of them cared less and less about the consequences of it all. The Force kept pushing them towards each other, so why shouldn’t they answer the call?The realization of their shared history changed things in ways that she didn’t expect. Rey had her version of Ben and the memories they’d shared together on Yavin IV, but without knowing any of them upon meeting Kylo Ren, she held a different idea of him entirely. This…not entirely new, yet new all the same….information addled her mind. How could she set aside her concept of the man she’d gotten to know and care for…maybe even love…to make room for the boy in her memories? Would she be able to find the balance between the dark knight and the boy who held her heart as a little girl? Pressing the paper to her lips with a soft hum, she wondered if tonight she may be able to find out for herself.Rey tried to bide her time as the day wore on, pacing the halls of the palace and hiding in the Room of a Thousand Fountains with the book he had given her, easily enraptured with the description of different plants from the far reaches of the galaxy.When the light of Coruscant Prime finally started to dim, it sent blazing flares of orange and gold ricocheting between the gleaming transparasteel surfaces of the towering buildings that stretched as far as the eye could see. With the sky set ablaze, a silent promise hung in the air…a promise of tomorrow and everything that the new rising sun would bring with it once the land had its nightly rest.Rey’s feet excitedly carried her down the swirling staircase to her expansive wardrobe, where she walked the length of garments, trailing her fingers over each one until she found one befitting of what the evening ahead of her promised to give.She slipped the creamy white fabric over her hips and up and over a single shoulder. It hugged her body deliciously, rising from her knees and kissing the slight curves of her coltish frame in all the right places, coming across the curve of her breasts to draw an asymmetrical strap from her chest around the outside of her shoulder. Like the way Kylo’s kisses felt when he peppered her gleaming, golden skin, the dress ignited her senses and conveyed just how desirable he made her feel.Trying to emulate Kylo’s skilled fingers, Rey twisted her chestnut hair into a braid that followed the curve of her hair like a crown, the way she always remembered his mother wearing her own hair.She lined her lips with a deep, dusty pink, a color she’d become fond of wearing since she arrived at the palace, accentuating the natural hue of her own pout, and slipped a pair of impossibly high silver shoes on her feet before slipping back up the stairs.Mere moments later, with Kylo’s cowl wrapped around her shoulder, Rey slipped out one of the back entrances of the palace to get into the inconspicuous speeder Poe had left out just for her. With a grin, she flipped off her shoes and climbed behind the yolk, jetting off into the Coruscant night sky.Following the coordinates that her old friend, the pilot, had plugged into the Navicomputer, Rey rocketed between the towering skyscrapers of the upper levels, gradually coming to a halt on a landing pad outside of a high rise hotel: The Karelia Queen.Rey slipped her gleaming silver shoes back on her feet and slid her toes down to the platform, thankful for the deep slit that traveled up her thigh that made it easy to climb in and out of the speeder. Stepping along the landing platform, Rey walked through a glittering doorframe and into a crowded room.There were enough people inside that she could meld into the crowd and just be another one of the faces, moving easily past each stranger, like the sweet-smelling smoke that wafted through the air. The lights were dimmed, with glowing orbs set in glorious technicolor, casting a playful glow across the throng of people milling happily about in the cavernous hall. To the far right against a row of windows was a long bar, softly backlit from the floor up with a series of bright purple stools lining the base. Rey’s eyes widened as the music playing in the background overtook her, completely taken in by the muted colors of the bottles that lined the shelves behind the bar and multicolored glassware glittering from the hands of the patrons. There were hundreds of conversations being told in loud voices, competing with the music that emanated from a droid in the corner. Rey breathed a sigh of relief, a smile splitting her face as she realized the genius of Ben’s choice in bringing her here. They were far enough away from the Palace District, tucked into the fold of the crowd that she was sure that no one would recognize the face of their Empress amongst them.She wandered her way through the throng of warm bodies, striding up to the bar to order a drink…any drink, when she felt someone melting their body into hers from behind, leaning their head down to growl deeply in her ear,“You should get the Wyren’s Reserve, I’ve heard they’ve got an excellent batch on hand.”Rey lifted her eyes to the resplendent man standing behind her, a smile tugging at her lips as she took in his appearance. Ben looked happy and relaxed with the signature Solo smirk on full display as he leaned a single elbow on the bar and cross one foot over the other oh-so-casually. He looked impeccably sharp in a finely tailored black velvet jacket that shimmered in the colorful lights and a dark undershirt that hung slightly open, revealing just enough of his firm chest to make her fingers ache to touch it.Ben motioned for the bartender, ordering a double of the famed Corellian whiskey before looking down at her expectantly. Rey shrugged and captured her bottom lip between her teeth.“I’ll have what he’s having.”Colorful glasses in hand, the pair of them wandered to an open pair of seats at the far end of the bar. Rey pulled herself up onto the stool, whereas Ben sat easily from his higher vantage point. Finally, face to face after everything that had happened the day before, the events still hanging heavy in the air between them.Rey crossed one leg over the other, exposing a vast expanse of her leg with the help of the slit, and she couldn’t help but notice Ben swallow thickly with a lick of his plush lips before quickly darting his eyes away. She swirled the amber around her glass in slow circles, listening intently to the sound of the ice as it clinked against the walls of the glass, slowly inhaling the peppery scent of the whiskey inside. Maybe if she sat staring at the bottom of the glass for long enough, she’d start to find the answers there. There was one way to find out.Growing up with water as such a precious commodity, Rey wasn’t one for drinking any sort of alcohol and had only dabbled in a sip or two of Daruvvian champagne at Palace functions. She raised the glass to her pink lips and took a tentative sip, letting the crisp, woody taste wash over her tongue. She closed her eyes and dwelled on the flavor, before fluttering them open with a lick of her lips.“That was much better than I expected,” she laughed, suddenly so much lighter, even after just a sip.Ben quickly returned the smile and raised his own glass to her.“To the old times. The new times. And everything in-between and beyond.”Rey took a shallow breath before meeting his glass with a musical clink before bringing the drink back to her lips.The time ticked by, and the crowd began to dwindle as the stack of empty glasses in front of them grew. They talked about everything and anything….anything except what actually needed to be said. It was a different change of pace for them, just being Ben and Rey without the added weight of the entire galaxy resting on their shoulders. No Emperor. No First Order or Resistance. No family legacy to uphold.Rey could feel her body buzzing from the effects of the legendary Corellian whiskey. She moved more fluidly, always a little further than she intended, laughing a little louder and smiling a little wider with each sip that passed her lips. Ben, while still affected, was less so with his added size and experience. He stood still and steady like a pillar, unwavering as he polished off another glass.“Y’know, my father used to drink this. It’s made on the world where he was born. Corellia,” he prattled, blinking slowly like the lights began to shift around him.Rey let out a loud laugh that echoed above the steady din of the music, letting out a tiny hiccup in the process,“Ben, I know….I used to hang on his every word…remember?” she wobbled forward, sliding off her stool straight into him.The air between them was suddenly sobering, with her palms pressed against his chest, and around his arms that were wrapped firmly in the hard, corded muscle. Rey blinked up at Ben as he caged his long fingers around her waist, easily lifting her feet from the floor to place her back onto her seat.Rey was breathless, the fuzz clearing from her head as she reached up to splay her fingers out against the bare skin of his chest. Looking up at him through her lashes, she curled her hands around the fabric and pulled him between her legs and against her stool.“Ben…” she whispered, tilting her face towards him with her lips parted.He looked down at her, chewing on his lips as he took a deep breath through his nose,“I want to…I’ve been waiting for this…for you…I wanted you to know me.”“I have known you. I do know you. I want to know more,” Rey pressed in, placing a featherlight kiss against his the scar the bisected his cheek.Ben let out a strangled growl, pulling away to drag his fingers through his hair,“Rey, listen. I want to. But not like this. This isn’t what I had planned when I brought you here…”“What did you have planned, then?”He let out a soft chuckle with a shake of his head and a sheepish smile.“It’s stupid…”“Not to me,” Rey looked up at him expectantly, her fingers still curled around the dark fabric of his shirt.“I kept thinking about that first night on Ahch-to…after…after the Guavian Death Gang, when I healed you and…Rey, I’ve never slept so well in…ever. I’ve never slept so well as I did when you were in my arms. All I wanted tonight was to spend time with you. Away from the palace, without anyone watching. Just me and you.”Rey blinked up at him, any disappointment evaporating instantly in the warmth of his pleading look and sweet request. Deep down in her heart, she knew she wanted the same thing. To feel at home and safe like they used to be for each other oh so long ago.“Okay.”Ben’s face lifted into a wide, lopsided smile as he curled his fingers around her wrist to press a kiss to her map of the stars inside before tangling his fingers with hers and leading her to the far end of the room.They waited hand-in-hand at the closed doors of a turbolift, quietly waiting for it to arrive to take them upstairs to a waiting room. Rey looked up at him with a broad smile before anxiously capturing her lip between her teeth. It had always been written in their gaze, that unexplainable pull that was there from the beginning…this seed of love. Ben looked down at her, still in disbelief that after all this time, they found each other once more. He reached up to brush a stray curl from her face, letting his gaze linger on the braided crown atop her head.“I like this…” he smiled, his eyes twinkling with a fond sort of sadness before bringing his attention back to her, instantly getting lost in the stardust swirled amongst the green in her eyes, the palpable silence between them full of so much more than what mere words would ever begin to say.The doors hissed open, and Ben pulled her inside in a flash and pressed her against the wall inside, grazing his mouth against the expanse of golden freckled skin along her shoulder. Rey let out a whimper, melting beneath his hot mouth as she snaked her arms around his shoulders. Ben heard her silent plea to be closer and happily obliged, lifting her into his arms. Rey circled her legs around his waist as he pressed her further into the wall, devouring her soft moans with his mouth.So lost in the other’s embrace, neither Ben or Rey noticed the curly-haired blonde watching from a quiet table in the corner, the beginnings of a slow grin melting onto her face as the lift doors finally slid to a close.*When Callista Cass walked into the Imperial Palace for the first time, as the daughter of a Kuati senator, she knew that she belonged there. It was a natural fit for the Core World girl, blending seamlessly with Coruscanti society when she had been born and bred with the same set of expectations of any who lived inside the towering ziggurat.She strode down those same halls now, a smug, self-satisfied smile plastered on her face. She finally had what she needed in her hands…something to finally earn her place here…permanently. Now that she had the perfect tool, it was only a matter of time when all this became hers.It had been over a year since the day she sat waiting expectantly for Emperor Hux to arrive on Kuat to meet with her father and make the arrangements for their wedding…the wedding that would make her Empress of the First Order. Her father had always been a loyal supporter of the Empire and patiently bided his time until the First Order came to power. He’d earned his place of power, so it was the logical choice for Callista to ascend to her rightful place next to Armitage.The hours ticked by, and the Emperor never came. Her father insisted that something significant must have come up and that he was promised a favor for their trouble. When it turned out that the vital thing that held up her marriage negotiations turned out to be a disgusting desert rat who was taking her rightful place on the throne, Callista’s abhorrence and heartbreak were palpable.Callista patiently waited for her turn, knowing from the very beginning that there was no way that this “People’s Empress” would ever come anywhere close to the caliber of a high bred woman like her.When the emperor finally called upon her father to honor his promised favor, Callista knew it was time.She wasn’t stupid, she could tell right away that there was something between the desert rat and her so-called bodyguard. They were careful, but Callista knew if she just waited long enough…eventually they’d slip up and she’d get what she needed.Striding down the hall, Callista confidently held her chin high when she stepped up to the door that was flanked by a pair of faceless guards in red.“I have an important message, he’s expecting me,” she sniffed with a snide smile.The guards lifted their weapons from in front of the door that proceeded to slide open with a soft hiss. She stepped inside, completely sure that what she had tucked into her palm would be the gateway to everything she ever dreamed of having.Standing at the far side of the room was a man with his back turned to her. His hands were clasped behind his back as he gazed out the transparasteel windows to the glittering cityscape outside,“Well?”Callista took a steady step forward and took a deep breath with a smile,“I have what you wanted.”He silently reached out his palm expectantly without turning his gaze to meet hers. Callista quickly placed the round holopad into his waiting hand and took a respectful step back.With a press of his thumb, the blue-hued image flickered to life in all it’s condemning glory. Callista couldn’t help but let out a triumphant giggle when she looked at the image she’d captured only minutes before.“My my, the Empress certainly has been busy while I’ve been away, hasn’t she?” Armitage Hux slowly turned to face her, his pale face lit up with the eerie blue glow provided by the image of his wife wrapped up in the arms of Kylo Ren.Callista waited patiently as the Emperor remained cool and calm before he lifted his icy blue eyes to meet hers.“Ms. Cass, you’ve done well, I do believe that you’ve earned yourself a reward…”Her face melted into a smile as she stepped closer to him, lifting her hands to place them upon his cleanly pressed black lapels,“There’s only one thing in this world that I want,” she purred, looking up at him through her lashes, “You.”Armitage let out a low hum as his eyes darkened, capturing her hand with his own to press a featherlight kiss to her knuckles.“I do believe that can be arranged.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rey could feel the morning light streaming in from the transparasteel windows of the high rise but was reluctant to accept any of the warmth that the dazzling light had to offer. Not when she was folded so deliciously against a warm expanse of granite whose steady rise and fall begged to lull her back to sleep with each breath he took. She snuggled herself further against Ben’s chest, tucking her arm more snugly across the firm cords of muscle next to her.Their bodies fit seamlessly together, melding as one, flesh against burning flesh, becoming one as they drifted off into a peaceful slumber, encompassed in each other’s arms.All her life, by herself in her fallen walker, Rey had slept alone with only the shrill howls of the desert wind to keep her company. She’d been beaten, broken, and lonelier than any little girl should have been. Her life didn’t change much as she grew, especially not after she married into the Imperial Palace. If anything, she became more of an empty shell of herself, just in a more comfortable bed.At that moment, folded against Ben Solo’s chest, she didn’t feel alone anymore. She finally felt whole, like a part of something she somehow knew she belonged to, a matching puzzle piece, a twin flame born in the heart of the same star. Rey knew in her heart, just by the sound of his heartbeat beneath her cheek, that they’d forever defend the other and keep them safe, no matter what it cost them.They’d fallen into each other’s arms in a breathless flurry of limb and lips, fueled by the famed Corellian whiskey they’d both been partaking in in the high rise hotel’s bar. Tumbling into the luxurious room that Ben had acquired, they’d barely had time to admire the view from the four-thousandth level when he pressed her body against the transparasteel and curled her legs around his middle. She breathlessly whimpered as he left a trail of blazing kisses across her shoulders to her throat, digging her fingers into the fabric of his velvet jacket to tear it from his broad shoulders.Things only escalated from there, their clothing unceremoniously finding its way to the floor in a heap as they drunkenly weaved their way to the massive bed, a messy tangle of hands and feet yet somehow, their mouths never faltered from each other.Rey could have been disappointed that Ben so gallantly honored his word about not taking advantage of her in this state, but he filled the void where any of her frustrations lingered with an endless parade of…gifts that he gave over and over with his dexterous fingers and possessive mouth that barely let her have a moment’s rest between the feverish waves of molten pleasure that left her practically boneless beneath him as the time ticked by.She could stay here in this moment forever with him if she could, but there were so many foreboding conflicts that hung precariously ahead of them that she knew they wouldn’t be able to avoid forever. Rey didn’t know what lay ahead for them and what it meant for any sort of future they may have if they were lucky enough to get one. With her cheek pressed contentedly against his porcelain skin, Rey knew only one thing for sure. If in the whole, cold expanse of the galaxy, if love was enough, Rey and Ben had it all. They hadn’t dared say it out loud, but she saw it when she looked at him…her heart’s truth reflected back in the warm amber swirls of his eyes. Ben was the spark to her flame, the dark to her light…her balance. He was the one who kept the beamingly bright light inside her burning as incandescently when all logic said it should have been extinguished long ago.Rey lifted her eyes to his face. Ben’s features were so much softer in sleep. The hard lines that creased his perpetually stern face were replaced by the youthful look of the boy she knew on Yavin IV. The way he was at that moment, none of the troubles or darkness he held were shown in his expressive features. Rey understood more than ever why he had kept his face covered for so long…Ben Solo’s face was like a book, with every thought easily perceptible in every crease.That morning, he looked peaceful, resting well now that they were together. He may as well have gone these fifteen years without a proper night’s rest with all the horrors he’d witnessed or been a part of during his young life.She wanted nothing more than to stay with him and meld into his body further still. Tucking her cheek back against his steady, beating heart, Rey splayed her fingers out against his skin, smiling as her head swayed with the rhythmic rise and fall of his slow breathing. She couldn’t help but trail her fingers in gentle streams across his chest, slowly connecting the spaces between his beauty marks and the scars that marred his alabaster skin.Rey couldn’t resist when her hand trailed up to the long scar the began on his collar bone and journeyed up his cheek, running her fingers along the jagged mark before wandering to his mouth, holding her breath as her fingertips lingered against his impossibly plush lips. Ben began to stir, letting out a deep rumbling groan as he circled his arms around her and pulled her with him to burrow deeper into the covers. Rey let out an effervescent giggle as she laid chest to cheek with him under the plush blankets, the desert girl inside her more than happy to stay tucked into the delicious warmth for as long as she could...but the hungry little scavenger won out when her stomach grumbled loudly.Her fingers crawled up his chest to trace a small line across his mouth, pulling on his taught lip before pressing a small kiss against them.“Ben,” she whispered, circling the tip of her nose around the end of his, she placed another kiss on top of the first, “Food. Please.”He let out a deep grumble, reaching up to cover his eyes with his impossibly taut arms, his bemoaning incoherent as Rey giggled from her perch alongside him.“Ben…” Grousing loudly once more, he scrunched his brows together as he cracked a single eyelid to peek at her.“Is that all you think about?”“I grew up starving and alone in the desert…so yes. I always think about food…and other things too, from time to time,” she hummed, trailing her fingers against his alabaster chest. Ben opened both his eyes, suddenly more alert as she pressed her body closer against him, relishing in the feeling of her warm thighs pressed against his rapidly growing erection. Her hands drifted lower and lower until she dipped her fingers below his waistband, gently circling around his girth, sending a strangled groan tumbling from his lips as she leisurely gave him a slow pump with a smile curling across her face, “Actually, I think about…other things quite frequently….”“Rey,” he croaked as she moved her grip along the velvety flesh, eliciting more explicit sounds from his mouth one right after the other as he tipped his head back into the pillow, “You…you don’t have to…”“I want to,” she purred, continuing her delicious ministrations, her lips parting as she watched his face, entranced by the flicker of reactions that swept across his expressive features, “I want to say thank you for how you’ve made me feel…”Rey pulled herself up to his mouth, eager to devour the mouthwatering sounds that escaped his impossibly kissable lips over and over again. Her hand was unceasing in its playful exploration until, with a deep, shuddering groan, Ben tumbled over his peak, palming the back of her head to pull her to him and lay a languorous kiss on her mouth.Ben was nearly incoherent as he breathlessly growled something about water. He wrapped her up in his strong arms, yanked her from the downy blankets, and threw her over his shoulder with a surprised squeal.After letting a delicious stream of nearly scalding hot water kiss her electrified skin for what felt like ages, Rey’s stomach began to call her relentlessly - now that her other hunger had been momentarily satiated as Kylo worshiped her body with his mouth over and over under the spray. She beamed as she stepped out of the ‘fresher, wrapping herself in a silken, peridot robe as her gaze was drawn to a magnificent spread of food that was waiting for them.Tucking her feet under her in a full, impossibly plush chair, Rey tore into the feast, snatching a deep purple piece of fruit to bring to her lips. Her teeth broke the skin with a snap. An icy sweetness filled her mouth as she let out a content hum, leaning her head back with her eyes closed as she leisurely licked her lips clean.“Make any more of those noises, and I’m going to start getting a little jealous, Princess,” a deep rumble rang out from the doorway beside her. Rey’s eyes flashed open and nearly dropped the fruit in her lap at the sight before her.Ben stepped out of the ‘fresher in a cloud of billowing steam, barely covered by the laughably small towel he casually held at his waist. Rey’s lips parted softly in a quiet gasp as her eyes roved over him. True, she’d seem him…mostly…but now, with his alabaster skin damp from the water, and his dark hair slicked back over his head, Rey suddenly couldn’t think about breakfast any longer.Gawking couldn’t entirely cover her new state of being as she slowly put the fruit back onto the tray while she slowly captured her lip between her teeth. Ben was a living work of art, made up of endless hard sections of muscle carved from the purest marble, every inch of him a temptation to touch.Ben could see the ravenous look in her eye as he pressed forward, leaning down to press a lingering kiss against her mouth.“I thought you were hungry, but you’ve barely eaten a thing…” he nodded at the mostly untouched breakfast feast.“Well…I was…I am…but not for food. Not anymore,” a slow smile curled up from the corners of Rey’s mouth as she reached up to curl her fingers around the edge of the towel. Ben captured her hand with his own and pulled her breathlessly to him, devouring her mouth in a searing kiss that was over as quickly as it began.He pressed his forehead against hers with a sigh and softly growled,“Tonight.”Rey pulled away, tugging her lip between her teeth once more as a delirious grin threatened to break free across her face.“Are you sure?”Ben gave her a lopsided grin as he silenced her with another kiss.“More than anything. I wish I could stay, but there’s something I need to do…look for my note, would you?”Rey was breathless with wild anticipation as she quietly nodded, curling up into the armchair, watching in awe as Ben slowly dressed. She let out a quiet sigh as his deft fingers worked their way up his chest with each tiny button, and the thick, corded muscle of his arms slipped through the sleeves of his velvet dinner jacket from the night before.Ben’s hand hesitated for a single moment on the doorframe, lifting the warm amber of his gaze to meet hers, letting out a deep breath as the corner of his mouth melted up into a tiny, lopsided smile.“I love you, Stardust.” Rey’s heart swelled as an exhilarating shiver made its way down to the tips of her fingers, and a trembling gasp tumbled from her lips. The sound of his declaration was musical, like poetry to her ears. She wasn’t shocked…part of her always knew it was there, woven deep in the thread that had connected them over space and time. A playful smile spread across her face as she tucked her knees to her chest.“I know.”Ben let out a soft chuckle, a melodic, yet unusual sound coming from the dark knight, a sound that Rey knew was reserved just for her. He shook his dark hair with a grin and a wink before stepping out of sight and down the hall. Rey let out a contented hum as she leaned back in the chair, snuggling into the softness as she looked out at the gleaming high rises that glittered in the morning light of Coruscant Prime. Absentmindedly tracing the line of her lip with the edge of her thumb with a smile, she happily let her mind drift to the extraordinary events that were going to unfold in just a few short hours, and all the new sensations she was going to experience.*Just a few hours later, Rey paced the halls of the Palace, anxiously waiting for some sort of sign from Ben about the evening to come, her thoughts drifting helplessly to all the things they’d done the night before and that morning. Her body practically buzzed with excitement as her mind thrummed with the infinite possibilities, more than she could be conscious of in any one moment, yet still she tried…swimming in a delicious frisson of electricity as her hands wandered down the glittering white bodice of her gown that sparkled like the freshly fallen snow over Echo Base.Elegant, as ever, and still somehow reflective of herself - Rey wanted to look beautiful. They’d toed the line for so long, she couldn’t help but want everything to be perfection on the night that would be remembered for the rest of their lives. The glimmering fabric started at a fine point at the center of her delicate collarbones, with wide sections crisscrossing over her chest to drape elegantly on the outside curve of her shoulders. It hugged her body in the best ways, flaring out ever so slightly at her hips to float down to her feet in gossamer waves. With just a hint of makeup and her hair swept up into an elegant series of twists along the back of her head, Rey was feeling like the balance of who she’d become…someone between the scavenger girl and the elegant empress.The time had ticked by into the late afternoon, and Rey had nearly enough of wandering aimlessly around while she waited, so she gave up for the moment to travel back to her quarters. Her was aflutter in breathless anticipation of the night to come, but as the doors slid open with a hiss, was overtaken by a sour pit in her stomach that grew in the sniveling smile of Callista Cass.“I thought I told you that if I needed you, I would call?” Rey bristled, lifting her chin with a stony look in her eye.“Empress,” the curly-haired blonde dipped her head, friendlier than she’d ever seen her before, “I have something for you…Beedee was bringing it for you, but I was close by, so I offered…” she held out a slim object in her hand with a tentative smile.Rey raised a single eyebrow as her gaze traveled up and down the snobby, Core World girl. This girl wouldn’t go out of her way to do something, just because. Something surely wasn’t right. Her eyes were drawn to the object, thin, small, and square around the edges.Her curiosity piqued, Rey held out her hand expectantly and stayed silent as her handmaid handed over the object and her arm bent under the weight of it. She tucked it under her arm and brought her gaze cooly back to Callista.“Thank you for delivering it safely. That will be all, Ms. Cass.”The blonde dipped her head once more with a simpering smile that Rey saw straight through, sashaying past the Empress and out the door.Rey waited until the door slid closed with a hiss before animatedly running her hands over the deep blue cover of her new book. She knew without a doubt who it was from and instantly cracked open the pages to find what he said to look for - flipping through the book frantically until it fell out at her feet.Her heart instantly felt lighter as her eyes flittered over the elegant script written in swirling scrolls on the parchment,
No time like the present, Princess. Meet me in our place, I’ll be waiting.

-Ben
Rey pressed the note to her lips with a smile, her eyes fluttering closed as her heart rate accelerated, and a frisson of goosebumps trembled down her entire body. She didn’t waste any time, quickly flying down the hall to the turbolift where she anxiously waited for the doors to open and take her to the floors below. She bounced on the balls of her feet once she was inside, her anticipation palpable as the hum of the lift brought her closer to what awaited her in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. The moment she’d been anticipating, spellbound by every feeling that came before it, was so close she could almost taste it…the feeling of their bodies finally coming together to declare themselves to each other in ways where mere words and other actions hopelessly failed.She tried to keep her steps under control while striding the rest of the way to the intricately carved doors to their special place but couldn’t contain the lightness of her tread.Rey slowed when she reached the door, anxiously peering around her to make sure she wasn’t followed before pressing it forward on its hinges and disappearing into the darkened hall on the other side. Her senses were instantly taken over by the room that brimmed with life, unable to contain her excitement any longer. Her feet swiftly carried her to the center of the walkway at the base of the waterfall that was the room’s heart.Her eyes darted around the space as she waited, the minutes ticking by like hours and still…no Ben. She took a deep breath to try and center herself…he would come…she was sure of it.*Ben ambled down one of the endless hallways of the Imperial Palace with the deep blue book tucked against his chest, hoping that his face wouldn’t give away the anxious anticipation that his thundering heartbeat was sure to convey.He scanned the halls for Rey’s droid, BD-3000, in hopes that the oblivious thing would be able to deliver his gift to her as soon as she could. Pressing his lips together in a firm line, Ben tried to quell the burning fire in his belly as his thoughts drifted to that morning…and the night before…and all the times before that, where he and his scavenger girl so precariously toed the line between something and everything.She finally knew…he got what he wanted…and now, all she had to do was say the word, and he would be hers completely.Ben couldn’t help but feel the corner of his mouth bend up into a semblance of a smile when he nearly collided with a breathless blonde who careened around the corner. He righted her with his hands on her shoulders, creasing his brows together in confusion when a flicker of recognition passed over her features.“OH, Lord Ren, thank the Maker!” she breathed out of breath like she’d been running to find him, “You must hurry, it’s the empress, something’s happened!”The uncontrollable protective nature he had over Rey kicked into high gear as the blonde spun on her heel when he nodded, cantering down the hallway as he followed her dizzying pace. She tumbled into a darkened room ahead of him, and Ben slid in after her, coming to an abrupt halt in the pitch black in front of his eyes.“Where is she?” Ben thundered, his fury filling the room as the darkness started to simmer beneath the surface.“That’s not for you to know…” a female voice called out from the dark before he heard a sharp clang and a sudden piercing pain on the back of his head.*Rey knew all about waiting. She’d done it all her life. Her trust in Ben was absolute…if he said he was going to be there…he would be.Wringing her hands nervously, Rey tried to quell the uneasy feeling that grew in the pit of her stomach by losing herself in the center of the bright burning beams of life that emanated from each plant, flower, and fern around her. She tried to empty her mind and enjoy the peace that the room provided while she bided her time until he arrived.Her patience paid off only moments later when she heard steady footsteps approach from behind, each step sending the sound of the coarse soil out to blend into the ambiance of the room. Rey let out a content sigh, snagging her lip between her teeth as he slowly snaked his arms around her waist.“You’re late,” she breathed as a single, solitary shiver ricocheting down to her toes. The corners of her mouth curved up, and her eyelashes fluttered closed when she felt his warm breath on her ear.“I’m sorry I’ve kept you waiting, Flower.”Rey’s eyes shot open in a flash, barely afforded a moment to react when a pair of heavy binders were snapped onto her wrists, sending her reeling as a completely foreign feeling of nothingness settled over her like an icy cloud. She wavered for a moment, slowly turning on her heel to meet the cold gaze of her husband before stumbling to her knees.Landing hard in the soil, Rey struggled to mentally find her footing. The energy of the room around her had evaporated in a flash like a rug had been yanked out from under her. The fine hairs on her arms stood on end as her body floundered to find the Force, leaving her gasping for air as she tried to catch up to whatever Armitage had done to her.The ginger crouched down next to her, reaching up to smooth a stray hair from her face. Rey’s initial reaction was to flinch away from his touch, but her body reacted slowly, her head pounding as every cell in her body begging for oxygen.“Do you like my new toy?” Hux crooned, a smug smile melting on to his face that didn’t reach his cold, blue eyes, “I’ve had a little bird watching you for some time, Flower. She tells me that you’ve…developed…some new tricks. Lucky for me, the First Order has kept these on hand in case I needed a leash for my guard dog, but it seems you’ve kept him on one for me…”Rey could feel the cold, slimy fingers of her fear worm its way up her spine, squeezing her neck with every ounce of strength it held over her as she struggled to catch her breath. The walls of her mind were closing in, the vast openness the Force gave her collapsing in on itself, overwhelming her from the inside out as her world grew dark now that she could no longer tap into the iridescent and interwoven beams of energy that connected all life together.Rey clawed at the soil beneath her, trying to reach out for him, to feel their connection that had been ever-present nearly their entire lives. She let out a shuddering gasp when she felt nothing - just the black void that covered her like a blanket. The nothingness was heavy and oppressive, burying everything in its path, leaving no room for light. It bit into her skin but didn’t leave any marks, tearing away at her flesh and leaving her feeling an emptiness she never imagined.“Ben,” Rey rasped as tears began to spill from her eyes.“Ahh, yes. Ben. You know, here I was, thinking we’d rid the galaxy of the Skywalker and Jedi scum so long ago, but to find out that our long-departed Supreme Leader Snoke had one tucked away all this time is rather…disappointing…I’ve been feeling a lot of that lately, Flower, can you tell me why?” the Emperor made slow circles around her with his hands clasped behind his back, staring down at her expectantly as she caught her breath at his feet. When she didn’t answer, he continued,“On top of that glorious realization, seeing that my wife has been galavanting around with him for Maker knows how long,” he bent down to her level and firmly caged her jaw in his cold hand, yanking her gaze to meet his, “Oh, Flower…you have no idea how disappointed I am.”Adrenaline flooded her system, beating furiously through her bloodstream as her husband gazed at her unblinkingly, still hovering in her field of vision. She blinked back at him, barely able to do anything else as her body only began to catch up to what the trauma of being cut off from the Force had done to her. Slowly stretching her fingers, Rey drew in a shuddering breath as she pulled her knees to her chest, pressing upon the soil to try to stand. Armitage took that has his cue, grasping his fingers around her bicep to yank her to her feet. He hooked his fingers under her jaw, pulling her face so close to his that she could feel his breath upon her skin as a slow, diabolical smile spread out onto his otherwise handsome face.“I think it’s time we went on that proper honeymoon, don’t you wife?”Rey tumbled after him as he towed her out into the hall, with only a short walk ahead of them to the landing platform at the base of the towering ziggurat. Her entire being wanted to run away, to take herself as far in the opposite direction than wherever he was taking her. With the sudden weakness that overwhelmed her, Rey wasn’t sure what she’d be capable of against him.Her mind whirred as he pulled her through the towering columns at the front of the palace, deciding as they emerged onto the stairs that it was fight or flight, and she chose to fight, even if she’d lose…Rey dug her heels into the floor, pulling back on him with her bound hands as hard as she could, letting out a slew of huttese expletives in the process. The scavenger girl inside her beamed as the empress began to ensnare the attention of random bystanders. He wouldn’t want to have this show for the entire galaxy to witness, she was sure his narcissistic pride wouldn’t allow it and certainly wouldn’t let her shine a light onto his true self…so she was bound and determined to draw out the monster for all to see.Rey yanked her arm from his grip while her heart thundered in her chest, keeping her face impassive as she drew herself to her full height, feet in the attack position Ben had taught her. She still wasn’t sure what she’d be able to manage, but Gods, she had to try. Her body moved slower than she was used to, her senses still hopelessly murky with the binders holding the barrier firmly between her and the Force. She stared unblinkingly at the Emperor, who stood as arrogant as ever, silently daring her to try anything.Swinging her leg out to connect with his narrow chest, Rey wavered immediately as the dizzying disconnect she felt took over, her body automatically righting itself by instinct. Rey paid for her attempt dearly when the back of his hand connected swiftly with her cheek, sending her to her knees in a heap of glimmering, white silk.Rey clutched her stinging cheek with her bound hands, the pain radiating out from where his blow had struck while her eyes helplessly watered beneath her fingers. Gasping for breath, Rey stubbornly pulled herself back to her feet, fighting the blurred static at the edge of her vision as her head swam. She blinked it away, giving her head a slight shake to try and expel the piercing ring from her ears. Lifting her chin, Rey mustered the first full breath since the moment before Armitage had slapped the debilitating binders on her wrists. She gazed unblinkingly at her husband, helpless when breezy titter tumbled over her lips,“Oh, Armie… You aren’t the only one who’s been disappointed. Is that the best you’ve got? You’ve done so much worse before.”The emperor fumed, his silent fury flickering behind his icy blue eyes as cracks began to appear in the terrifyingly detached mask of indifference he usually wore. This was it. This was the moment that he was going to remove the guise of the man who declared himself her savior…who claimed and kept up a deceptive charade that he was a kind and loving husband, a fallacious lie that she was forced to play along with. All the pain, all the hurt, all the times he tried to break her…and nearly did…Rey had enough of playing his game. Her insides simmered. Her face was unmoved and reticent as she watched him come apart, bracing herself for whatever came next…no matter what.Rey knew that unseating him from his throne would be worth it and prayed that whatever spark Finn had spoken of so long ago on Takodana, that this would be it, igniting a searing flame that would burn Armitage Hux and his First Order down.His next blow came quickly, glancing across her jaw and making her head spin as a screen of fuzzy stars were painted over her vision. She wavered for only a moment but stubbornly stood her ground, which only seemed to drive him further over the edge as she continued to goad him. Reaching up to drag her thumb against the base of her lip, Rey inspected the blood she drew away from it with a slow smile.“You try so hard, and still, you can’t get what you want. Your father. Your mentor…and now you can’t even hurt me the way that you want to.”Hux surged forward, caging his hands around her shoulders so firmly, the imprint of his spindly fingers would likely be left behind.“I wanted…I could have given you everything. All you had to do was honor and obey. But instead…you took it from me. You took their love, and they gave it so easily, so freely. I have bled and scraped and done everything for this, I killed for this, and I am prepared to do it again.”Rey’s blood ran cold as his breath fluttered the hair around her face, his blue eyes burning with a bone-chilling fury. The unflappable Emperor Hux was gone, leaving a disarrayed and manic version of him in his place.“That’s not how marriage works. All I ever was to you was a prize…a trophy of a deceptive version of events that you weren’t even part of. I want things to work, I tried…I was hopeful for what we could have had…who you promised to be. I was willing to have a husband…what a pity it turned out to be you…” she watched as a twinge of anguish passed over his face for a split second, as her words struck a nerve.He lashed out, connecting his fist against her flesh, and all at once; the sight of the towering ziggurat, and the speeders hurtling by overhead began to blur as her head became tilted down towards the landing platform at the base of the staircase. She tumbled head over feet, unable to find her footing as the world blew by in a dizzying muddle of images. Rey let out a split yelp as her body collided with each stair while she took a gravity propelled ride down, down, down when the darkness started to cloud the edges of her hazy vision, welcoming her into its devious arms as she fell down into the abyss.*Ben woke with a start, returning to the world with a deep groan. He pulled himself to his feet as quickly as he could, swaying until he caught a wall inside the darkened room with his shoulder with a hiss. Blinking rapidly to help his eyes adjust to the lack of light, a series of colorful spots contoured the edges of his vision as he let out a deep groan from the ache in his head. He pressed his palm against the wall to catch his breath and center himself to try and urge his mind into remembering what in Maker’s name had transpired.Ben smothered a strangled gasp, his heart dropping like a lead weight when the realization dawned on him.“Rey.”He burst forth from the room he’d been trapped in, blinking in the sudden, bright light and cursing himself for allowing his judgment to be clouded. Taking a moment to center himself within the Force, Ben took a deep breath and furled his senses out like a blanket to find her. He reached out with the tendrils of his mind, but the heavy pit in his stomach grew, and his darkness simmered when he saw no sign of her.Nothing.Like she had been completely erased from existence.Ben’s mind reeled, instantly traveling to the very darkest places of his soul, his hands shaking as instinct took over. In the grip of his immediate panic, his heart racing and brain wildly on fire, he took off down the endless hallway. Cantering down the corridor, the sound of his boots resonated off the walls with a frantic rhythm matched only by his heart. Ben couldn’t keep the sting of tears from his eyes as his lungs burned, screaming her name into oblivion until she could hear him wherever she had gone.He emerged in a flurry of black into the bright light of Coruscant Prime just in time to see the dark Upsilon-class shuttle vanish into hyperspace with a thundering crack that pierced him directly in his heart, sending him to his knees in the shadow of the ancient ziggurat. He was too late. He failed her…again. This promise he made so long ago to protect her that he could never seem to keep the way he wanted to, always had something intervene that prevented him from doing so.Ben slumped over at the top of the grand staircase, silent sobs wracking his body as he stretched his senses as far as they could reach, praying that he was wrong….that he would find even just the darkest glimmer of her light. That’s all he needed…just a tiny flicker of hope that he hadn’t lost her all over again.He sat, utterly numb as the world moved in a blur around him, helplessly reaching out over and over to try and find her somewhere amongst the stars. Rey couldn’t be gone, not really. If something that momentous happened, it would send a devastating ricochet careening through the galaxy like a tidal wave, drowning him from the inside out. She was a part of him, connected through space and time by the invisible thread their cruel mistress, Fate, weaved for them.Like ink on his skin, she was a bright spot on his dark soul, making his entire existence go from black and grey to dazzling technicolor with a single smile. She was the air he breathed, each taste of her reviving the parts of him that had been suffocating in the dark cloud of his darkness. She was his faith, holding every ounce of trust and belief in her hands, and he’d worship at her alter for the rest of his life. That kind of love didn’t vanish into thin air, it burned like a scorching ember, even if it was the fainted flicker. He held onto it, the hope that she was still there, just out of reach like his life depended on it. All he had to do was find her.
I’ll always be with you, no matter if we are apart. No matter how far. I would cross the galaxy for you.
Ben blinked slowly in the sunlight as his promise to her lingered in his memories, with a voice speaking from the distance, pulling him away from his daze,“Solo! Come on, man, we need to get you out of here,” a pair of hands shook his shoulders, pulling him to his feet and shoving him to the nearest speeder on the landing pad. Ben blinked down at his childhood friend, blinking his mind back into focus with a strange feeling of déjà vu like Poe had said those exact words to him before….He became more aware of what was happening around him as the speeder took off in a flash, careening into the speeder traffic to carry the pair of them deep into Galactic City. They wound their way through the towering high rises until Poe pulled back on the controls and brought them down onto a nondescript landing pad near the Senate District.“What are we doing here? I have to find Rey…”“Listen, buddy, she’s gone-““She’s not gone,” Ben seethed, the reality of what was happening brought front and center, his hackles raised as his desperation to get himself to wherever she was as soon as possible grew to new heights.“I pray she isn’t, but the fact of the matter is - we don’t know. I may have a way to help, but…buddy, it’s time for you to help us too…” the cocky pilot swung his feet onto the landing platform and waited expectantly for Ben to follow him. With a heavy sigh, the dark knight pulled his oversized frame from the speeder and reluctantly followed his childhood friend, the cold wind whipping ribbons of his dark hair around his face in waves.The pair of them ducked inside, and Ben was instantly transported to the times he’d visited here as a little boy, so long ago when his own mother was still Empress of the Imperial Republic. His stomach twisted as he remembered all the awful whispers he’d hear from passers-by who’s thoughts were about him and how strange he appeared to them…how sad it was for their beautiful leader to have a child who looked like him….The hallways twisted and turned as they tread over what felt like miles of plush, burgundy carpet until they strode through a pair of double doors into a wide-open room filled to the brim with people buzzing.“Admiral, this is who I told you about….Ben Solo is here.”A woman, who was seemingly at the center of the buzzing room turned on her heel to greet them. She was tall, elegantly so, dressed in a formal, grey gown befitting someone of a high political station. Her hair was a vibrant purple, framing her long face in soft waves as a slow smile of recognition passed over her face and glimmered in her bright blue eyes.Poe came and stood between them as Ben stood with his signature scowl that was reserved for all others that weren’t Rey.“Ben, this is Vice-Admiral Amilyn Holdo, she’s been leading our resistance against the First Order. Admiral, this is-““I know who he is, Commander,” she mused, extending a bracelet adorned hand for Ben to meet. He remained with his hands hanging at his sides, anxiously tucking his fingers into his palm to glance down at her proffered hand and back up at her face, his scowl deepening as his patience began to run out.“Battle of Chyron Belt, Amilyn Holdo?”“I was known to dabble in Rebellions in my younger years,” she smiled, bringing her hand back.“Mmm, not what I expected,” Ben groused.“Neither are you, and yet, here we are,” the refined Admiral seemed unfazed by his furious despondency, tilting her head to the side to regard him with an amused smile on her face, “I remember you, hanging around this place. You were just a little boy then, tagging along after your mother.”A brief shadow hung between the pair, and Ben’s heart dropped even further. He’d barely been able to bring himself to think about her and all the things he should have said before they were out of time, let alone speak of her out loud…Ben mashed his mouth together into a firm line as he exhaled a shaky breath through his nose.“That was a long time ago…”She motioned to him to follow her away from the quiet din of the room to a quiet corner with full, transparasteel windows overlooking the Senate building. Holdo turned to him and quietly reached out to place her hand on his forearm, but Ben shirked away from the touch, tucking his long arms over his chest, scowl deeper than ever. The resistance leader was still unruffled, looking out over the glittering cityscape with a sigh.“I knew her, you know. Leia. It was a long time ago, during a time that isn’t so different than what’s happening now. She was Leia Organa, then, long before Anakin Skywalker rose from the darkness…she was already knee-deep in helping the Rebellion, even as a teenager. It’s our turn, Ben, to finish what she started. To become who you were meant to be instead of what they made you into…it’s time to see another Skywalker rise from the darkness, as Anakin did.”“This isn’t what I wanted.”“Sometimes, the things that we are meant to do don’t ever start that way. The hardest things never do. I’m sure this all seems…impossible to you. We’ve been working hard, rebuilding what the First Order tried to break, waiting for our spark…we have her, but imagine our joy when the Skywalker heir has been under our noses this whole time…”Ben had enough. He drew himself to his full height, glowering darkly down at Holdo, who still seemed utterly unaffected by him.“I don’t have time for this, I need to get off this rock and find-““The Empress. I know. You know you won’t do her any good by scouring the galaxy by yourself. Ben…” she breathed, a ghost of a nostalgic smile breezing across her face, “You don’t have to decide anything now…at least let us help you.”All Ben had to do was give the smallest nod for the Vice-Admiral to send the room into a flurry, teams of people buckling down, sending messages out on comms to get the word out about what Hux had done and try to bring their Empress back to them in one piece.The world quickly slid back into the blurred state it was in the first moments Rey was cut off from him in the Force. As the time ticked by, hours turning into days that turned into weeks, reconnaissance missions that the Resistance sent out came back empty-handed more times than Ben could even bear to count. The only thing he could manage to do to prevent himself from throttling some poor soul who got in his way was to stay tucked in the back of his mind…In his mind, Ben could be with the memory of her, easing the ache in his heart that her absence had created. He could stay forever in that morning before it all went to hell, with her wrapped in his arms, eternally ensconced together in the soft morning light. He would do anything to go back to any one of the moments they’d spent together, just to have a little more of that precious time that never ceased to slide through his fingers. There was so much time that had been stolen from them their whole lives. So much time, he'd watched it dry up like water in the desert. So much time that he stood still as it flew across the empty night sky. So much time, Ben couldn’t help but feel that they’d wasted what they had been given. He never would have if he had known that that day would have been their last.Weeks had gone by since that cataclysmic day when Hux had finally revealed his true colors to the galaxy, and Rey had been brutally snatched away at his hands. Ben’s heart burned as he tried to keep the darkness at bay, refusing to let Kylo Ren fully take hold of him. He needed something, some sort of answer, something to do…an outlet for the black tar that was threatening to consume his soul.Ben stood at a large window overlooking the Senate District, feet spread apart, and large hands tucked behind his back…waiting. Waiting like he’d been doing for days on end with only the beating of his heart to show the passage of time.Ben heard him before he saw him, thundering down the hallway, momentarily piquing his interest as he slowly turned around to see him barrel through the doorway.“Dameron.”His childhood friend was breathless, his eyes wild with a sheen of sweat brimming on his dark brow, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.“Ben, they-they think they have something….”The blur that had been Ben’s world shifted on its axis, rapidly speeding up to a roar in his ears. He wasted no time in peeling down the passageway from where Poe had run from to the room the Resistance had set up their control center.Vice Admiral Holdo lifted her eyes to Ben with the ghost of a victorious smile hovering on her lips. She stood with a handful of others around a vast display board with a star map projected in the center.“It’s not much,” she breathed, “But we think we have something…she may be somewhere in the Western Reaches.”Ben raked his dark eyes over the blue-green glow of the map, taking a mental checklist as he looked from system to system. Suddenly, his stomach gave a great lurch, and he stepped away from the table, silently fuming. He raked his hands through his hair, mentally kicking himself for the time he’d wasted. Of course, he’d take her there. The one place she never wanted to return to.“Jakku.”“You can’t know that for sure,” Holdo pressed, her brows creasing in concern, “We need to send another mission out…gather more information. We need to be sure.”“I can, and I am. She never wanted to go back there…he wanted to punish her. It’s the only place they would’ve gone, I’m sure of it. And I’m going,” Ben turned on his heel, thundering down to the nearest landing platform to snag a speeder. He needed to get to the Falcon, and fast. He had wasted so much precious time already, only Maker knew what Hux could have done to her in the weeks that had gone by.“Ben wait,” Poe jogged to catch up with his long strides, grabbing his arm to pull him to a reluctant stop, “You can’t just go in there guns blazing…we need a plan…”The corner of his mouth curled up into the semblance of a smile.“You clearly don’t remember how we Solos operate…I’m going to go get my girl, and none of you can do a kriffing thing to stop me.”*It was dark. It was so impossibly dark.Rey’s head pounded, and her body ached as she tried to clear the fuzz from her vision, scrubbing at her eyes, her hands still bound by the force-dampening binders, to try and coax them to let the light in. A few moments passed as her sight adjusted to the darkness, and Rey let out a strangled sob when she recognized the tiny space she’d been imprisoned in.Thin beams of light filtered in from the durasteel seams of the structure, shining down in minuscule rays, shedding just enough light for her to see the mounds of stagnant sand on every surface…turned over empty crates…broken petals of a fragile nightbloom…a worn and faded star-fighter pilot doll. Rey groaned, her head throbbing as she tilted it up to look at the wall behind her. Her mouth opened in a silent scream when her eye roved over a wall with thousands upon thousands of hash marks that had been scratched into the hard metal….by her.Rey’s heart began to pound erratically as the walls of her childhood home and prison, the one place she never wanted to return to, started to close in. Her head swam, throbbing from every angle as she clawed at her throat, begging her body to allow her to scream…why couldn’t she scream?She stumbled as the memories came back in flashes, her head screaming with every frantic beat of her heart.Everything had gone dark for a moment after she’d tumbled down the stairs of the Imperial Palace. Rey could hear the hum of the dual-ion engines as they throttled through hyperspace and the sound of her beating heart when she tried to think of where he would possibly be taking her. Her head swam from both her injury and the binders, leaving her breathless and disorientated as she repeatedly tried to reach out to Ben…to tell him she was alright….only to be met with a searing pain with every blink of her hazel eyes.Hours or minutes went by…Rey wasn’t sure which…when Armitage cooly ambled into the crew compartment and pulled her to her feet and pressed her against a wall. He clenched his long fingers around her jaw, his eyes glittering with a possessiveness that made Rey’s stomach sour.Hux viciously pressed his lips against hers, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. Rey, reacted immediately, lashing out with her feet and teeth, tearing the flesh of his lip as he pulled away from her with a shrill yelp. She couldn’t help but smile as he drew his fingers to his bleeding mouth.“You’re going to be sorry you did that, Flower. You’re going to give me what I want…don't make me punish you again.”“I’m not giving you anything, I’d rather die than be a vessel for you to plant your seed,” she spat, a heavy glob of his blood landing at his feet. Glancing down at the imperfection on his shiny, First Order boots, Hux’s face darkened instantly.“That can be arranged.”Things went dark again after that, for how long she wasn’t sure. There were flashes of his face sneering down at her as she felt her body being dragged across an uneven surface. She tumbled down a short distance, there was the slam of a metallic door, and then darkness all over again.
Time. Waiting.
Those were things that Rey was familiar with. Time that was stolen from her. Her family and Ben’s had been robbed of it entirely. She waited on that dusty rock for years…waiting for the day when she could get away.The waiting was easier then, she thought. She could spend her days in the brilliant and scorching Jakku sun, keeping her hands busy as the time ticked by. Now, all Rey had was the dark.When she first woke up and realized she was inside the belly of her fallen walker, Rey stumbled around in the dark to find something…anything that was left from when she’d left so long ago, but all of it was gone…empty with not even a drop of water she so carefully hoarded away left in the barrels.There wasn’t a person alive who wouldn’t fear being trapped in the blackness where the real thing that caged you was the fear of what you couldn’t see. Every person had a fire burning inside them that longed for the sunlight…the open air…for freedom. The only thing that made the fear different was the degree of which they felt it. Rey wasn’t sure how long she would be trapped there, but she refused to succumb to her fear of being back in that place. She leaned her head against the marks she’d made in the wall, closed her eyes, and waited for it to all go away.The gnawing hunger came first, pulling her from her quiet meditation that was keeping the darkness at bay. Her stomach grumbled loudly, ringing out into the dimly lit walker. She tried to swallow, but her mouth was impossibly dry and gave her no comfort against the light-headedness that the half-starved feeling had given her.Her dehydration came quickly after, the dry air rapidly making her skin itch and lips crack. The days went by, and while the aching throb from the bruise on her head began to fade, a new pain from her thirst arrived swiftly. She licked her lips, trying to wet her mouth, but it was no use.From time to time, the metal door would creak open, and her husband would stride in, red hair slicked back, as arrogant as ever and looking entirely out of place amongst her dusty old trinkets. Each time, he’d drag a crate next to where she sat with the toe of his boot and gingerly sit as not to muss himself. Every time, he’d slowly reach into his breast pocket and pull out a small canteen, leisurely curling his long, spindly fingers around the lids to pull it open with an agonizing coil. And, like clockwork, the smarmy ginger would lock his eyes on hers and bring it to his lips to take a slow drink.The seconds would tick by, and by sheer instinct, Rey’s mouth would hang open as she watched him torture her…every time, Hux would blink back feigned shock and surprise.“Oh my, are you thirsty, Flower? This place is so dry, I don’t know how you can stand it! Would you like me to water you?”He slowly stood from his perch on the crate next to her and lifted the canteen and deliberately tipped it to send the precious liquid falling to the sand at her knees. Rey’s thirst would take over, and she’d scramble for it on her knees, lifting her face skyward to catch it in her mouth. The few drops she was able to catch on her tongue felt like a luxury, moistening her desperately parched lips as she reveled in the cool feeling of it sliding down her throat and her chin. If she wasn’t so thirsty, she might have cared about the humiliation he was trying to cause her by making her clamber for it on her knees like she was begging the water Gods for a blessing…if she didn’t care about living to see Ben one last time, she wouldn’t allow Hux to bait her and just succumb to her thirst, fall asleep, and let it all be over.But she wasn’t ready. Not yet.The days continued to tick by…eventually, her hunger became a dull pang in the back of her mind. Even her thirst started to fade as she drifted further into the oblivion that was her prison. The silence was deafening, broken up from time to time at night when the hard winds that the Teedo’s goddess, R’iia swept over the land, rattling the loose bits of durasteel in the brutal sandstorms she’d bring.In the silence that stretched by, connecting the blur of the weeks that passed, Rey’s body lost its strength almost entirely as she started to succumb to her malnutrition. Her mind was shattered while she remained lost, drowning in the empty sea that was her mind without the Force…without Ben. The rest of her started to drift away, but one part remained strong, growing stronger and brighter with each passing day.Without her hatred, Rey knew that she would have died in that walker a long time ago. There wasn’t any part of her that felt anything but the burning venom that festered in her belly…why eat? Why sleep? It was her only companion and the power that kept her heart beating, her thoughts swirling. She would get out of there, and revenge would come swiftly after.At night, desperate to sleep, she’d dream of the island. She could see it in her mind’s eye, the black abyss pulling her down until everything was dark…the darkness would pull her in, offering itself as a set of protective arms that would hold her close until the dawn of this nightmare would come on the horizon. It kissed her skin in ways that grew more seductive with every passing night…what would there be to fear if she was the fear?It would send seductive whispers in her ears as she hovered in its grasp, each tantalizing murmur telling her to give in.
You don’t fit here. They don’t understand you.

You are far more powerful than they are. Someday, you will be their end.

Your parents sent you here because they are afraid of you. They’re never coming back. Soon, you will come to me, and I will teach you the meaning of true power.

Your time is coming soon. Come to me, and you will finally feel like you belong.
Her body hummed with the enthralling feeling that the darkness gave her. She centered herself in it, letting it caress her skin and fill her with its limitless power. The walker around her began to shake, every part of the broken and battered vehicle shuddering as Rey reveled in it, feeling more alive than she had felt…ever. A slow smile curled up on the edges of her mouth as her eyes darkened and her fingers curled with a crackle of electricity.Rey woke suddenly, her body ablaze from the sheer ferocity of the dreams that kept happening in the rare moments she’d finally drift off. She tried to shake the terrifying feeling the eerie voice gave her and focus on something instead, lifting her eyes to the door…wishing that just one of these days, it would blow open.Unexpectedly, it did just that, letting the bright beams of sunlight come flooding in, momentarily blinding her from the corner where she perched. Her stomach turned when the snide face of her husband turned inside, a lingering sneer pulling at the corners of his mouth.“Ah, good morning, Flower.”Rey looked up at him unblinkingly as he cooly strode towards her, hooking the same crate he used to sit on with the toe of his boot. He sat and regarded her silently, the simpering smile still glued to his face. What she wouldn’t give to knock the look away, to let him feel some semblance of pain that only remotely echoed what he’d done to her. Rey averted her eyes, looking anywhere but in the cold face of her tormentor. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.“Have you had enough?” Armitage crooned as he crouched down into her field of vision, tucking his cold fingers under her jaw to lift her eyes to meet his, “Are you ready to do what I’ve asked of you, or will you continue to disappoint me?”Rey barely had a moment to think as her eyes flickered past his ear and saw the hatch in the belly of the walker was still wide open. This was it. This was her shot. She brought her gaze back to his and slowly smiled up at him through her lashes with a soft sigh,“No, I’m not. You slimy, halfwitted, stuck up, scruffy-looking e chu ta!” Rey brought her head back and forcefully pummeled the center of his face, sending him careening to the floor with a gush of blood spurting instantly from his nose.Fed by her adrenaline, Rey slid to her feet, only momentarily tangling her legs in the grimy and tattered white silk, bolting out the belly of the walker as fast as she could to make her escape into the long-awaited sunlight.*Ben lurched out of hyperspace with a hard jolt ricocheting through the body of the old ship, his anxiety drowning out his fury. His mind whirled like an endless storm, leaving him in a sort of silent panic with nowhere to go.He shook his dark hair and squeezed his gloved hands over the yolk with a crack of his knuckles. He didn’t have time for any of that. Rey was here, he was sure of it. Guiding the Falcon through the layer of atmosphere with a crack, Ben tilted the ship to head straight for the first place she’d be - deep in the heart of the Goazan Badlands. The ship thundered through the blinding sunlight, sending a sheet of sand hurtling up around the edges of the hull as he hurtled towards the faint flicker of her on the horizon that he would have guessed belonged to her fallen AT-AT that she had lived in for all those long years. The object likely held onto a part of her, shining it out like a beacon in the night.Rey’s signature had been absent the last few weeks, nearly driving the dark knight insane as he waited and waited…and waited for an inkling that they’d found her. The holovid of the footage of Hux losing his shit on the steps of the Imperial Palace had traveled far and wide since the Emperor had disappeared.Ben seethed when he saw it, grinding his teeth when he watched the smarmy ginger’s fist connect with her face and a surge of pride when she kept trying to fight back, even with the Force dampening binders that bound her wrists, and he was sure…her strength.Part of him thought that Rey must have known what she was doing with the whole galaxy watching, taking advantage of him so the visage would break and expose the true man underneath.Ben silently fumed as he pealed through the graveyard of fallen Imperial star destroyers, zig-zagging his way through the defunct giants with a low squall reverberating off the layers of aging durasteel, his gaze instantly being drawn to a dark plume of smoke rising from the horizon.“No…” he breathed, pressing the throttle harder and faster with a desperate need to get there quicker than he planned.The Falcon hurtled over a sandy ridge, and his stomach soured instantly at the sight of the smoldering AT-AT walker in the sand ahead of him.He brought the ship down as quickly as he could, dashing out of the side-mounted cockpit as fast as his legs could carry him, brazenly striding out into the scorching sand.The wind whipped around his face as he furiously scoured the ground around him and the surrounding horizon, searching for something…anything…any piece of evidence that would tell him that she was alive.Ben’s heart lurched when he heard the telltale sound of dual-ion engines booming out against the flames, looking to the sky in time to see an Upsilon-class command shuttle swoop into view.“Hux.”He was barely afforded the time to think but didn’t need it, as the ginger always seemed to underestimate him at every turn. A bright beam of green shot out from one of the laser cannons, hurting towards Ben in the blink of an eye.Without thinking, Ben threw up a gloved hand with a sly smile, stopping the bolt in its tracks, only feet away from where he stood. Closing his dark eyes for an instant, he welcomed the feeling of the darkness like an old friend, letting it fuel him as he reshaped the energy beam. The corners of his mouth bent up slightly as he slowly opened his eyes and hurled the bolt back at the ship with his mind. The green beam ricocheted off the edge of the wing, making the ship waver from it’s hovering position, faltering downwards until it landed clumsily in the sand some two hundred paces away.
Whoever that was was no kriffing pilot.
Ben strode purposely towards the fallen ship, holding his breath as the loading ramp landed with a hard thump on the sand. Silently begging for it to be her that walked out, he already knew the answer before he saw the shiny black boots descend down the durasteel.“Ahhh, Lord Solo, is it?” Hux sneered, casually tossing a silver canteen from hand to hand, his typically haughty face marred by black eyes and a purple nose.“You know who I’m here for. Where is she?”“What…no time to chat, Cupcake?” The emperor laughed haughtily, harking back to the day when the pair of them had just met. Ben silently fumed, trying desperately to keep his face impassive as his soul swarmed with regret for ever playing Hux’s game. They wouldn’t be here if it wouldn’t be for him shrugging off Snoke’s wishes for him to succeed him…wether it was his birthright or not.“Where….is….she….”Hux casually tutted behind the façade of his smile, looking into the ship behind his shoulder.“Come on out, Flower. We have a guest.”Ben was breathless as he watched her bare feet slowly shuffle down the dark ramp, his stomach twisting in his gut as his eyes raked over her emaciated figure. Her tattered gown hung loosely from her shoulders, her face was gaunt, and her lips were cracked and dry. Standing nearly lifeless in front of him was merely a hollow shell of his Stardust.Rey’s eyes flittered to meet his for a split second, her lips parting as she sucked in a quick breath. Ben’s heart lurched when he saw her…Rey, reflected back at him in those same star-dusted eyes, as luminous as they ever were.“Gods,” Ben groaned, “I beg you….can’t you see you’re killing her??” Ben howled, his fury burning ever brighter at the sight of how she’d been treated at his hands in the weeks since Hux had taken her, “You have enough blood on your hands already. If you murder her, you’ll never win back their favor.”He knew it was an outright lie, the people were through as soon as he laid a hand on The People’s Empress on the front steps of the palace, but Ben was prepared to say anything if it meant that it would help her.Hux gave him a simpering smile and opened the canteen in his hand ever so slowly. He brought it to his lips and feigned like he was going to drink before giving it a second thought.“Maybe a little water, are you thirsty, Flower?”Rey was wordless, standing in the sand next to her husband, looking blankly at the ground before he haphazardly tossed the full canteen to her feet. The liquid sloshed messily, seeping into the sand before she bent down to sweep up the canister between her bound hands, guzzling down the water she was so desperately thirsty for as quickly as her body would allow her.“Not like it would do me any good to keep her as an empress, she’s been tainted for me now…I hope you don’t have any hope for sons Solo, this rat-whore is barren like the desert she came from.”Without a second thought, Ben snapped, throwing his gloved hand out with a blinding fury. Before Hux realized what happened, his boots were making a thick line in the sand as Ben dragged the conceited ginger to his waiting palm, eager to throttle him with his own hands. The blinding frenzy of his anger boiled over inside his darkened soul, baring his teeth as he raised Hux’s boots off the ground.“You dare speak of her that way….Haven’t you done enough to her already?”Unexpectedly, the man under Ben’s fingertips began to smile and laugh as his face purpled beneath the relentless grip he had on his throat,“Oh, Lord Ren…I’ve barely just begun…can’t you see I’m drowning a flower?”Ben’s brows creased together as he tried to piece together the man’s meaning, wading his way through the thick vat of darkness that threatened to spill over entirely. Hux’s eyes shifted to the side, drawing the dark knight’s gaze with them.Rey stood motionless, the empty canteen held out in her palm as her golden, gleaming skin faded. Her eyes glazed over, wavering for only a moment before falling to the sand in a heap of tattered, white shimmer silk.Without thinking, Ben hurled the ginger away from him, striding through the loose sand as quickly as his boots would carry him, gingerly gathering Rey’s limp form in his long arms, his heart thudding with a terrible panic as he struggled with where he could touch her without breaking her.“Ben…” she croaked, her blood lining the inside of her mouth, a vivid crimson against the ghostly pallor of her skin.“Shh, no, don’t talk. I can fix this…” Ben’s hands shook as he closed his eyes, blind to the sound of the dual-ion engines thundering to life with a roar and taking off into the distance. He hovered his palm over her torso, completely unsure where to start.His darkness licked at the edges of him, coming ever closer to drowning out the light all over again, sweeping in and out like the sea coming into high tide. Summoning the Force within him, Ben brought it to the forefront as he had with her bruises, trying and failing over and over again, never once bringing a single speck of her back to the way it had been.Rey took a shuddering breath in his arms, her body quaking from her agony as it passed through her in wave after brutal wave. She weakly lifted her fingers and placed them over his own, stuttering through the blood that continued to seep into her mouth,“It’s okay. You’ve done enough,” she blinked back her invisible tears, reviving her strength to give him one of her beamingly bright smiles, even though it was tainted with the poison Hux had given her, “I got to have you…be with you one last time. I’ll be forever grateful for that,” Rey let out a groan, arching with the jolt of pain that shot through her. Ben sniffed back his hardened tears that slowly rolled down his marred cheek, one silvery streak at a time that landed in tiny splashes against her ashen face.“I can’t. I can’t do this without you, Stardust,” he gasped, taking a great big, shuddering breath. He couldn’t do it….the process of watching her die after just getting her back was crueler than Fate keeping them at such a distance their whole lives. He should have fought harder, loved her more openly and without boundaries. He should have found her from the start of this whole kriffing mess.Rey took a series of slow and shallow, ragged breaths, gasping between them against the building layer of blood that she couldn’t swallow down.“P-please. You can. Be good,” she mustered enough strength in her broken body to lift her hand, resting it gently against Ben’s tear-strewn cheek. She closed her eyes with a grimace, her body tightening as another wave of pain washed over her.Rey laggardly opened her eyes with a slow flutter of her lashes as her gaze went out of focus for a moment before looking out over his shoulder with the ghost of a smile hovering on her lips.“They’re here,” she croaked, a solitary tear slipping its way from her lashes and down her cheek.“Who’s here, Stardust?” Ben murmured, glancing over his shoulder for a split second, but only saw the wind whipping the sands in swirls around them.“They’re all here. Our parents,” her smiled faltered for a moment as she reached out into the nothingness that waited behind him, “My mother….and yours.”Rey’s words splintered through his heart, sending a fresh jolt of pain through his chest as he held her closer, tighter in his arms…like having a firmer hold on her body would keep her longer in this world.“Rey, please. Please don’t go. Don’t leave me here alone, not again. I can’t…not again…I won’t survive it.”She brought her star-dusted gaze to meet his, blinking slowly like she was looking straight into the heavens. Hugging his scarred cheek with her hand, she slowly whispered between ragged breaths,“Don’t be afraid. I’ll always be with you. Even if we are apart. No matter how far. I’ll always love you.”Ben helplessly watched as her breath seized in her chest, making her go rigid in his arms for a moment before she slipped away, and her eyes slowly closed. He furiously tore the binders from her wrists, bound and determined to feel for himself that she was truly gone.With tears streaming down his face, Ben focused his energy to feel something…anything….and found nothing at all.An agonizing scream tore it’s way from deep inside his soul forced its way from his mouth like releasing a demon from the depths. There was something in the mournful wail that echoed out into the rapidly darkening sky….a deep, unexplainable pain that began to manifest itself around them as the darkness took hold and blinded Ben Solo completely.The wind began to howl, shifting the sand in a slow, swirling circle around them and up into the sky until the light of the desert sun had been blotted out by the darkness-triggered sandstorm. He kept his eyes focused on her angelic face, his fury palpable as he searched endlessly inside her for a single glimmer of her. He tried to stay calm, to remain centered here with her, but his violent delirium blacked out every other thought as the storm continued to churn in circles, and the pair of them the eye.The rapid infusion of adrenaline and grief coursed through him as Ben….Kylo…he wasn’t sure who he was anymore, especially without her….looked around in a blinding rage to see the new ways his darkness manifested.His dark hair whipped violently around his face that he could barely see as the tiny bits of sand pummeled his skin raw. Clutching Rey to his chest, he let out another gruesome cry when his fingers brushed her cold, lifeless skin, sending a sudden crack of lightning sizzled out from his fingertips into the raging wall of sand that seethed in slow circles around them. It ripped straight though his soul, tearing him further into tiny pieces as he released his anguish with flash after flash of a brilliant red.Ben clutched Rey’s lifeless body to his broad chest, dry sobs wracking his chest as the storm raged on, slowly stroking her chestnut hair when he felt it. Just the shape of it, but solid and clear.The smallest glimmer of her flickered. A tiny pearl of her light was still there, just waiting for a catalyst to make it flare into the brilliantly bright gleam it was before.
Balance, she said.
Ben was too far in the deep, and only tried to shove the darkness down to help his light grow, but had it been the right choice?He centered his energy on the minuscule halo calling out from within her, taking a deep breath as he channeled himself and funneled every bit of him into her as he focused on the lesson she tried so desperately to get him to listen to on Ahch-to.
There is no light without the dark.
Rey. Him. Light and dark. Together.
Through passion, I gain focus.
His passion for her was boundless. She made him want to be better, try harder, do more.
Through knowledge, I gain power.
Ben and Kylo had both gained an infinite amount…both masters believed that they were right. There had to be a balance between the two.
Through serenity, I gain strength.
The peace Ben had felt every moment he spent with her, basking in her light and stoking the fire of his own had made him feel more in control than ever.
Through victory, I gain harmony.

There is only the Force.
Ben channeled everything he had through their bond, a soft smile curling at the corners of his mouth as he felt her light grow with each passing moment. He shook with the effort, draining his energy as the edges of his vision began to grow fuzzy, and his body began to waver.The storm around them finally began to settle, the remnant of the lightning that had intermingled with the sand glimmered in the air around them like softly falling snow on Hoth….Ben’s heart slowed as he laggardly blinked in the glittering sheen that surrounded him, not entirely sure of what was real and what wasn’t as he drifted away into nothing.
There was only the Force.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

If she closed her eyes and thought hard enough about it, Leia could almost feel the warmth of the Jakku sun as the dark, looming swirls of sand began to settle, letting the bright beams of the desert light stream through the dark. The aftermath of the upheaval Ben had unintentionally triggered with his grief still lingered in the air, and the glittering consequences of force lightning combined with the sand created an incandescent halo around them.She wanted to help as she watched things unfold, but was helpless on the sidelines as her son tearfully begged for his Light to stay. Ben clutched Rey’s limp body to his chest as tendrils of red Force lightning began to erupt from his fingertips, curling up his arms and into the vicious, churning barrage of sand that revolved around them like a hurricane. The once-princess of Alderaan let out a soft sigh as she looked over them now, still lifeless in the Jakku sand moments after the lightning had faded, and her son along with it. Her hands ached to reach out and touch them, to lay a comforting hand upon her boy until help arrived.His face was relaxed, the hard lines that had been worn into his features after a lifetime of darkness softened as he laid in the sand. To any passers-by, the pair of them would only look to be sleeping…ensconced in the other’s arms as the sky radiated a gauzy luminescence over the breathless couple. Leia’s heart twinged while she bent down to brush the phantom of her touch across the face of her boy, who was now a man.What she wouldn’t give to have seen him grow into the man before her, a man who was willing to give every part of him to save the woman he loved. To have done something differently, been there in the way that he so clearly needed her to be…to have their last moments together consist of more than an agonizingly bitter exchange of words over a holopad.The regret inside her burdened soul burned brightly, beaming out against the plethora of good she’d done in her life. Leia closed her eyes and imagined the last, fleeting look of heartbreak in his dark eyes before he reluctantly murmured a quiet,“I know.”She hadn’t been there the way he needed, so she would stay with him now, silently standing guard over them until help arrived.Leia drew her attention to the willowy girl tucked into the crook of Ben’s arm, just a husk of the breathtaking woman she was, and the brilliantly beaming light she possessed. Her memories drifted with a sad smile to seeing this woman as a little girl so long ago, trailing after Ben on Yavin IV…seemingly the only being who was able to put a crack in his stony façade.Leia knew that Rey had been shining her incandescently radiant aura upon him their whole lives, illuminating the immeasurable depths of his darkness while he was pulled further down with each passing day. Rey was his tether, a guiding glimmer, a beamingly bright star in the darkest night sky.The sand at her feet began to shift and blow around, while the sound of a shuttle breaking into the dusty atmosphere echoed through the eerie silence. The ship slowly descended to the surface, and Leia silently watched as a flurry of activity surrounded the still-unmoving couple in the sand.She followed them as the hands of many gingerly lifted both Ben and Rey onto separate gravstretchers, gently shuttling them to the open mouth of the waiting ship. The crew secured the gurneys as the hum of the engines buzzed beneath their feet. A GH-7 med droid hovered frantically over the bodies, performing simultaneous scans as the craft lifted off from the sand and throttled into the sky above.Leia instantly recognized the troubled face of the man who stood over them, anxiously swaying from side to side with his arms closed tight to his chest and his mouth pressed against his fist. She would have known the features of the son of her old friend, Shara Bey, in a split second.“What’s the prognosis?” Poe Dameron murmured quietly as he softly laid his hand against the shoulder of his oldest friend.“They’re alive. He is weak, but with a little rest, he’ll wake up soon. The girl, on the other hand, her condition is critical. My scans say that the poison she was exposed to should have killed her in a matter of moments,” the med droid answered, “For reasons I can’t explain, she’s still holding on.”“Ben,” Poe whispered, shaking his head, “You kriffing nerfherder. I don’t know what you did, but you kept her alive.”Leia stood wordlessly as the time ticked by, quietly observing as Poe paced back and forth next to the gurneys, pausing from time to time to pick Rey’s hand up in his own, silent tears streaming down his tanned face as he whispered a silent prayer to the gods.Leia wished she could give Poe some comfort in his moment of need, to pass on some sort of warmth or reassurance to let him know that it would all be alright. This was the will of the Force.There was a split moment in time when Rey’s eyes had met hers at the moment she had started to succumb to the poison that ripped through her veins. In Rey’s mind, she was ready and willing to go Home. She’d had her moment in the sun, brought Ben back from the dark, and finally remembered who she really was. But Leia knew that Rey’s journey was far from over. She had a long life to live and so many beautiful things ahead that she wouldn’t even begin to dream of. At that moment, when their eyes met, and Rey reached out to her, Leia offered her a quiet smile and a shake of her head.
Not yet, sweet girl. You have so much left to do.
The parsecs ticked by as they hurtled through the blue-white blur of hyperspace until suddenly, the ship lurched, and they emerged above a blue-green jewel of a planet. Leia’s heart swelled when she looked out the viewport and instantly recognized where they were. It was one of the only places that felt like home after Alderaan was destroyed and offered her a tie to her past and the mother she never had the chance to know. Naboo.Leia lovingly reached out and brushed her signature against Ben’s tranquil face, smiling to herself when the corners of his mouth softly lifted. She had wanted so much more than this for him…peace instead of war, love instead of heartache.Looking over the face of her son, her truest love, she prayed that he would find peace and balance amongst the obstacles that awaited them. * Ben woke suddenly with a yell, every fleeting thought rushing in a luminous flurry as he relived the moments after the lightning had faded away, and he had been drawn to the infinitesimal flicker of Rey’s light. It was the same, going through the flood of searing grief over and over each time he succumbed to sleep. Each time, he’d jolt awake at the memory of her heart ceasing to beat beneath his fingertips. Every time, he had to pull himself from the waking nightmare, paralyzed by his anguish until his bleary eyes focused on the slumbering beauty who’s hand he clasped tightly with his own.Ben had tirelessly waited for….he couldn’t remember how long now, for Rey to wake up from the poison-induced lifelessness she was ensnared in. Lifting her limp hand to his lips, he pressed a soft kiss to the map of the stars imprinted on the smooth skin inside and placed her hand against his cheek with a sigh. If only it were as simple as a kiss to wake her, to make her eyes open and bring about the glorious smile that he would give anything at this moment to see.At least he could hold her, Gods knew it wasn’t that simple too long ago.Ben remembered with a rub to his eyes of the first moment he came-to, laying on a gravstretecher in a medi-bay. He shook his head with a grimace, thinking to himself that one of these days, he’d have to go back and apologize to the poor soul who suffered his wrath as he flew into a dizzying rage…demanding to know where Rey was as soon as he opened his eyes.The first few days were agonizing with Rey trapped behind the bubble of a medical cocoon, her vitals blinking in a faint green on the clear surface that kept Ben painfully separated from her. The time ticked by and Ben lingered by her bedside night after sleepless night, persistent in his mission to not miss a single moment.Slowly, with a constant influx of fluids and nutrition, Rey’s gaunt cheeks began to fill out, and the color returned to her freckled flesh. Eventually, she was stable enough to be moved from the medibay entirely and was placed lovingly in a stately bedroom in a quiet corner of the Theed Royal Palace. The Resistance had set up a home base at the palace with the permission of the Nabooian queen, and the central hallways and palace hanger had been a flurry of activity as the members of the new Rebellion gathered their forces and support all in one place. Ben knew he should want to help…he knew he should feel the pull to follow in his parents’ footsteps and help break away from the tyranny of the First Order, especially in the place where his own grandmother had lived as the planet’s queen so long ago, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Not now, not when he knew his place was by Rey’s side.In the first days after their arrival on Naboo, Poe came to sit next to him as he stoically kept watch over Rey’s still form, listening intently to the steady beeps of her heartbeat on the monitor. His old friend was quiet for a long time, but Ben could feel him simmering beneath the surface. The dark knight slowly turned his head with a grimace.“What?”Poe nonchalantly shrugged and crossed his arms firmly across his chest, feigning innocence, but the jittery bounce of his knees continued to give him away. Ben didn’t need to be Force-sensitive to see that there was something he wanted to say. He leaned closer as his look darkened.“What. Is it?”“It’s nothing.”“Say it, or get out.”Poe inhaled a deep breath as his dark eyes slid closed, letting out a long sigh before opening his black eyelashes.“You stupid moon-jockey.”Ben balked, letting out a shocked guffaw and squaring his shoulders to pull himself to his full height, even from where he was sitting.“Excuse me?”“You heard me,” Poe reached out and stabbed him in the chest with his finger, “You couldn’t just kriffing wait. We would have been able to help…to prevent this,” he lifted his palms out in front of the pair of them to gesture at Rey’s motionless body in the isolation of her medical cocoon, “But no. NO. You just had to go full Solo, like a kriffing nerfherder, and nearly get yourself killed in the process. Did it occur to you that, I don’t know, there might be more people who’d care that she’d gone than just you? What about me? You’re all I’ve got left…she’s all I’ve got left…and you nearly took all of it away.” Ben opened his mouth to try and blast out a retort, to push and tell Poe that it wasn’t any of his business how he went about trying to help her…but he was right, and Ben’s thoughts drifted back immediately to the profound effect that Rey had on any life she touched.The time ticked by, and Ben continued to keep vigil at her side, silently praying to the Gods to bring her back to him. More than once, he’d sink into the depths of his exhaustion, waking suddenly at any stray sound that echoed in the gleaming bedchamber.Ben sat perched by her bedside, the ever-vigilant guardian to her light, with her cool hand pressed against his cheek, his eyes growing heavier by the second as he counted every single heartbeat when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It jolted him from his trance, silently seething as he rolled the touch from his jacket. He took a deep breath to steady that slow, simmering rage, thinking to himself that there was no use in letting it boil over in the faces of those who were only trying to help.It had become increasingly frustrating each time Dameron…sometimes even the Admiral had been annoyingly persistent in squeezing their way into his blessed isolation, insisting over and over that he should take a break and get some rest. Each time, Ben was obstinate in his steadfastness to stay by Rey’s side, completely unwilling to move, even for a moment. He was where he needed to be. Nothing else mattered more than being with her.The individual nudged his shoulder, a little harder than the initial gentleness of the hand he had so stubbornly shirked away from. Ben grimaced darkly and held tighter to Rey’s hand pressed against his cheek. Another swipe to his shoulder sent his elbow falling from the edge of the bed where he was perched, sending him to his feet with a loud swear,“Enough! What do you want?”He glared down at the person responsible for harassing him so and met the equally stubborn glare of Rose Tico. She stood with her arms crossed over her chest, frowning up at him from below his sternum,“Ms. Tico,” he growled, sinking back down into his chair by Rey’s bed.“Can I sit?” she asked plainly.“By all means. The more, the merrier, really,” Ben grumbled dryly, motioning to the seat beside him. Rose sat slowly, remaining stiff next to the dark knight. Her eyes darted back and forth between Rey’s still form and Ben.“So, it is Kylo Ren, still? Or…”“Ben. That’s who I am…to her, at least…”“If you are to her, then you will be for everyone else. You’ll see,” Rose murmured, observing his eyes as she reached out to cautiously peel Rey’s hand from his long fingers, “Here, let me.”Rose tucked her friend’s cold hand between her own, the gleam of tears shining from the corners of her eyes. She looked up at Ben with a mournful smile.“You go. I’ve got this. I’ve got her.”Ben turned his gaze back to Rey and lifted his hand to card her chestnut hair between his fingers. He had been braiding her hair since they had arrived, but had decided to leave her hair as it was meant to be, cascading in long waves across her shoulders.Mashing his mouth together in a somber line, Ben breathed a shaky sigh and shook his head.“No.”Rose lifted a single eyebrow and offered a playful smile.“You look terrible.”“I’m fine.”“Mmmhmmm, I sincerely doubt that. Go rest. Get some sleep.”Ben’s eyes stayed on the freckles that were ghosted across Rey’s golden skin, trailing his fingers lovingly across her cheek. He couldn’t leave. Not ever. Not for anyone. He’d been asleep for half his life, unaware of far too long of the memories and the time that had been stolen from them. Ben had only just got her back, there was no way he would miss a single kriffing second they had left.“I’ve slept long enough.”Rose leaned towards him and pulled his hand to meet Rey’s that was resting in her palm.“Do it for her. This isn’t what she’d want for you. She’d want you to live, to fight. Not exhaust yourself to death by her bedside,” she lifted her hand to his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze, “Help her, Ben. Help her save the thing she loves by doing this one, small thing. I’ve got this.. She won’t be alone, I swear. Now, go, or I’ll make you.”Maybe this infuriating, tiny person had a point. He needed to be here for her if…no, when she woke up and have the strength to be with her. Ben crossed his arms over his chest as let out a heavy sigh.“You don’t have that little electro poker thing with you, do you?” Ben chuckled dryly.“I won’t say, and you’ll never know…not until it’s already too late.”Ben brushed his hand across Rey’s brow, trailing his thumb against her cheek in soft circles with a hum. He could feel the exhaustion deep into his bones. He knew that he needed rest, but he couldn’t help but think that this weariness he felt was more than what could be cured by a good night’s sleep. It would require a remedy that was so much more. His grief over having lost her on Jakku and the uncertainty if he would ever get her back wore heavy on his shoulders like a weighty coat, burdensome in its ceaseless companionship. It grew heavier and heavier with each passing day that Rey laid motionless in the bed beside him.She was what he needed. His shelter in the storm, the calm eye of the storm of his ever-present darkness. Rey loved without him without measure and without conditions, regardless of the monster they had made him into.He craved the warm light of her smile like the jungle needed sunlight, knowing that as soon as he would lay eyes on it, that the whole world would be righted once more. Closing his eyes to imagine the moment when she’d finally awaken, his heart ached when he imagined their eyes meeting, star dusted golds and greens to his dark amber. The world in his mind slowed to a warm blur, like everything around them would pause, if only for a moment and suddenly…everything would be in its place.Ben was helpless to her for so long, falling harder and faster than he ever thought he could, after everything that had happened. But here he was, a hopeless man, fallen hard like stars that would rain down from the sky in the brilliantly dark night.He would do as the plucky Resistance girl instructed him to. He’d rest for a time. Take care of himself so that he could be with her when she woke. Rey was in good hands with Rose, he was more than sure…especially with everything she’d done to help his Stardust after the bastard Emperor had been through with her.Slowly standing from his seat, he bent down over the Empress, his dark hair hanging like a curtain around his face and brushed the ghost of a kiss upon her lips. With a deep sigh, he stepped away from her bedside and drew his eyes to Rose.“Thank you.”*Ben woke the next morning to the quiet and steady patter of rain on the towering window of his new quarters that weren’t far from Rey’s in the Theed Royal Palace. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes like a child, watching the droplets of rain slide down the gleaming window pane that sent the first beams of morning light ricocheting around the room like a kaleidoscope.The sound of the rain against the transparasteel brought a calmness washing over him as he let his mind drift to a happy moment he shared with Rey on Ahch-to. He had watched her react in wild wonder during a rainstorm, holding her palms and face skyward to let each heavy droplet caress her face while she laughed. It was such a carefree, quietly beautiful moment in the tangled mess of their lives that Ben knew he would cherish forever.He let the feeling carry him on a calming sea as the symphony of the rain enveloped him in a blessed moment of solitude.After spending a while under the steaming spray of the ‘fresher, Ben dressed and strode down the marbled hallway to Rey’s room. He leaned his shoulder against the gilded doorframe and quietly smiled to himself as he took in the sight of the inside.It was opulent, like everything else in Theed, with its elegant sandstone building and green-domed roofs. An interwoven blend of white and gold, the room practically gleamed from floor to ceiling. It was beautiful, to be sure, far beyond that stark blacks and reds that Ben had ever stayed in during his time on the First Order star destroyers, with a large bed and a blanket of the purest white that looked like newly fallen snow. A golden writer’s desk was tucked into a corner by the floor to ceiling window that overlooked the neighboring towers of the Theed Royal Palace and the great Nubian plains beyond the city’s towering cliffside home.The greatest part of the room was the far wall opposite of the bed where his ever-slumbering beauty laid. An enormous mural covered nearly every inch, lovingly hand-painted by a gifted artist who clearly knew the planet by heart. Crystal clear, blue-green waters, reflecting the light from the painted sun and the deep green trees that dotted the shore. It was a sight that was familiar to Ben’s eyes, a place that he’d heard stories of and visited once when he was a small child.He vowed that he’d take her there when she woke, and let Rey experience the truly stunning beauty of the Nabooiann lake country for herself. What he wouldn’t give to see her dip her toes in the warm water and watch the dazzling smile spread across her face in wild wonderment at every new thing the desert girl experienced. The sunlight streamed in the lofty windows, woven streams of golden, glimmering light that danced with tiny bits of dust that floated and fluttered along each beam. What a marvel that, like Rey, the light had a way of filling what should be the darkest moments with something so blindingly beautiful.Ben’s smile stretched further as he watched the slow rise and fall of Rey’s chest and Rose, who was still by her side. She chatted happily with the Empress’s hand tucked lovingly between her own as if Rey wasn’t perpetually asleep beside her.“I can’t wait for you to see it, Rey. We’re all together. Poe, who you know…Finn too! Even my sister. Stars, it’s so amazing. It’s all happening, and it’s all because of you. You started this whole thing. Finn was right, you were the spark that we needed. The fire is started, we just need you back, and we can finally burn the First Order down. It would help so much if you can help us convince your boyfriend…no, that doesn’t sound right…man? Man-friend? I don’t know. But we need him, Empress. We need him more than he knows. With the two of you by our sides, Hux won’t know what hit him.”“Man-friend, huh?” Ben mused dryly, making Rose jump out of her seat. She clasped her small hand to her chest, taking a deep breath as she glared up at him.“Stars! You really shouldn’t sneak up on people, you know.”“How are things in here?” Ben nodded at Rey’s still form, alone in the bed, “Hatching all sorts of plans and filling her head with rebel nonsense? She does enough of that all on her own, you know. I don’t think she needs any help from you,”“I just…I want to keep her filled in.”“I wouldn’t get your hopes up, Ms. Tico.”Rose crossed her arms over her chest, a stubborn frown etching it’s way onto her round, dimpled face.“And why not?”“This might be a fight that you can’t win. Look what happened after the Empire.”“The Rebel Alliance won! With your family’s help!”Ben shrugged darkly.“It was with my family’s help that the Empire rose up in the first place. It didn’t last long, did it? The First Order swooped in not long after and took it all back.”“That’s a sad way to look at it. Don’t you think that we have good on our side and that we can finally put an end to all this, once and for all?” Rose pressed, her eyes pleading with him, “We finally have hope. Because of her. And you.”“Me?” Ben scoffed, “Lady, you’ve got your wires crossed. No one should be putting their hope in me.”“She did,” Rose turned her head and looked at Rey, peaceful in her repose, “I have to hope, otherwise, what else is there? Rebellions are-““-built on hope. Yeah…I’ve heard it before,” he drawled.“Yeah,” Rose sighed, settling herself back into her chair by Rey’s bedside, lifting her limp hand between her fingers, “Listen, I’ve got everything handled around here. You go, I don’t know, explore a little. Stop in and see what Poe is up to. No one has seen you around, you may as well have died…”“Yeah, may as well…” Ben muttered, anxiously rolling his long fingers together at his side as he watched Rey’s steady breathing.“Someone from your family was from here, right?”“My grandmother. She was the queen, once.”“Wow…” Rose breathed, “Maybe have a look around…I bet you may be surprised that there’s more light in you than you realize?”“Yeah, maybe,” Ben shook his head, carding his long fingers through his dark waves. He was surprised at how blunt Rose was with him…it was an experience that he hadn’t had in such a long time from anyone. Most people he met cowered before the mask, or his height…or his general demeanor. But not her. No wonder Rey was so fond of her. Rose’s no-bantha fodder message got him thinking as he roved his eyes to the gilded ceiling…maybe she was right. Maybe there was something more for him to find here than only the constant waiting. He wasn’t convinced of anything and certainly wasn’t about to join the rebel cause, but he would try to open his mind. After all, it was what Rey would want.Ben wandered down the cavernous corridors of the Theed Royal Palace, marveling at the towering pillars and gleaming marble floors. The steady sound of his boots against the smooth stone echoed far above his head around the curves of the gilded ceiling. He remembered hearing stories from his mother when he was a child of the place her own birth mother had called her home for a time.Padme Amidala Naberrie had been elected Queen of Naboo at the tender age of fourteen, and her rule had been tested early when the Trade Federation seized control of the planet. What a thought, to think of his grandmother being so young and walking these hallways with such a heavy burden on such a young girl…a child, even. It took him a fair amount of time to find his way towards the sweeping grand staircase at the front of the palace as the building was a mind-addling complex of expansions that was added onto with each new monarch. It had been built on the edge of the towering cliff along the banks of the might Solleu River, along with the rest of the sprawling city of Theed.When he emerged into the faint beams of sunlight, Ben saw that more dark clouds weren’t far behind. He paused for only a moment to regard the incoming inclement weather, wondering to himself if he should go back inside, or continue out into the open and face whatever came his way. With a deep breath, Ben stepped out into the wide-open Palace Plaza, ready for anything. After all, it’s what Rey would want him to do, and if she had been here, she would have clasped his hand in hers and pulled him out into the streets, rain or shine.As he wound his way through the twists and turns of the sandstone buildings that seemingly blended into one another, Ben felt that he could have easily lost his way amongst the green-domed roofs and flower-covered terraces, but there was something…a feeling or a pull…some sort of invisible thread that continued to lead him through the cobblestone streets.Ben lost himself to the sound of his footsteps against the stone, drawing his eyes over the cityscape as he passed it by and made his way over a narrow bridge and found himself in the shadow of a towering dome situated on the edge of the river.The thread continued to tug him towards it until he reached a stone door emblazoned with an almost flower-like carving of the Naboo royal crest nestled inside the circular emblem of the Galactic Roundel. Ben had seen the Nubian symbol scattered all around Theed and the Royal Palace, but the eight-spoked wheel triggered his memory and the history lessons he had with his mother before he left for the Jedi Academy with his uncle. His curiosity piqued, Ben lifted his palm against the stone and closed his eyes.Centering himself in the gentle, omnipresent hum of the Force, Ben focused into the feeling of whatever was inside, withdrawing his fingers in a flash when he saw the serene face of a beautiful woman with white flowers in her hair accompanied by the sound of an eerie respirator echoing through his mind’s eye.Ben flexed his fingers like the tips had been scalded against the cold stone surface, flexing them inward before reaching out to the door again. He pressed with both hands and let out a surprised chuckle when the door slowly gave way with a shudder.It took only moments for Ben’s dark eyes to adjust to the darkness inside the stone building, the only fragile beams of colored light streaming in through a single stained-glass window. It featured the likeness of an elegant lady, hands clasped in front of her with a kind smile hovering at the corners of amber-brown eyes that were all too familiar to him.On either side of the colored glass were a pair of stone pillars filled with the frail remains of red bouquets that had been long-since forgotten. By whom? Ben couldn’t help but think with a sour stomach that they’d been neglected by him…His footsteps were muted along the dust-covered floor as he stepped further into what appeared to be a mausoleum. A pair of sarcophaguses laid side by side at the center of the domed building with the soft beams of colorful light illuminating the symbols that had been inlaid into the lid of each one.Ben traced his fingers through the thick layer of dust, uncovering the Naboo royal crest on the first before reaching over to brush the grime from the other to reveal a symbol that Ben was all too familiar with…the far-reaching wings and shining light at the center of the Jedi Order. Suddenly, he was eerily sure of where he was…and who he was with.A sigh escaped his plush mouth as he laid his palms against the final resting place of his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker. The sigh was more like a signal…not of the resolve he held deep in his heart to stay as far away from this rising conflict, but instead, it beckoned the new heights of his tension…the precarious balancing act between the light and the dark that he continued to struggle with as each day passed. Ben was like an old fashioned kettle, somehow still full to the brim, even though some of the steam had forced its way out of him.Ben closed his eyes and centered himself in the endless woven tapestry of the Force, letting it guide him like a shimmering ribbon leading him down a darkened hallway. It bent and moved around him, pulling him further into the refracting beams of light and energy that connected every being on the planet. He tried to lose himself inside the warmth of it but was pulled down by the sharp claws of his darkness, ever-present and patiently waiting for the next moment to sink its venomous hooks into him.The darkness pulled him deeper, licking at the edges of his light, leeching it away bit by bit as Ben struggled to stay afloat. How did they get here, good men who became pawns of their oppressors, turning them into frightening monsters that made people cower at their feet? And how did Anakin get out? Ben staggered under the weight of it, unsure if he’d ever truly be free.A cacophony of voices blanketed over him as Ben anchored his palms against the cold granite of his grandfather’s sarcophagus, swirling around him in a dizzying blur. He heard some more clearly than others, and they surrounded him like they were beside him in the room.
I’m a pilot, you know, and someday, I’m going to fly away from this place.

You’re not all-powerful, Ani.

I should be.
Ben felt the voices circulate right through his heart while the whispers grew louder in his mind, whispers tearing at his consciousness, all of them wanting to be heard all at once like there was a story of an entire lifetime to be told.
Why do I get the feeling you’re going to be the death of me?

Don’t say that, master. You’re the closest thing I have to a father.
A heavy surge of grief washed over Ben, like ice crawling over his skin, sending a jarring shiver down his chest. He stuttered out a soft breath as the sorrow shifted on its axis, igniting into a slow, scorching rage. The darkness clawed at him, intoxicating in its potency as the whispers pulled him further down with every painful lance of anger.It was darker and more powerful than anything he had experienced under Snoke’s tutelage. The overwhelming temptation of the dark side and the electrifying power that curled at the tips of his fingers. Ben knew that with it…by fully embracing that part of himself like Snoke wanted him to…he’d be able to crush his enemies in a single blow and release Rey from her gilded cage. But, at what cost?
Stay in the Light, Ben…don’t let it do to you what it did to me…I didn’t realize until it was too late and I paid such a high cost…
A deep, metallic voice not unlike his own from behind his obsidian mask, reverberated out, intertwining itself in the beams of energy and light around him as the desperate pleas of a beautiful woman sent an agonizing lance of heartbreaking grief directly into his heart,
Anakin, all I want is your love.

Love won’t save you, Padme. Only my new powers can.

At what cost? You’re a good person…don’t do this…

The Jedi turned against me, don’t you turn against me!
Ben could feel how she mourned for him, the tiny seed of hope she held that had flickered dangerously like a candle in a cold wind until finally, it evaporated into thin air as the darkness consumed him entirely.
I don’t know you anymore…Anakin, you’re breaking my heart. You’re going down a path I can’t follow.

Because of what you’ve done, what you plan to do. Stop…stop now and come back…I love you!
Ben dropped to his knees under the heavy weight of it all, falling into the deep depths of the darkness and the grief that fueled it as the image of a serene young woman with white flowers in her hair flashed behind his eyes. The softness of her still features as she laid in a bed of dark shimmer silk and delicate pink flowers weren’t dissimilar to how the memory of Rey held fast in his mind from just the night before. The quiet beauty of their slumber was breathtaking in a way, hovering between sleep and death…perhaps both.
Don’t lose yourself to the dark. It takes what it wants, and it has taken so much already from you, Grandson. Don’t let it take any more… Cling to your light and follow it to the stars. Claim what’s yours and free more than just her. Free yourself. Free the galaxy. Do what I couldn’t and bring peace to the galaxy. It’s time to rise.
All at once, the voices in his mind began to quiet, settling down onto the dust at his feet. Ben let out a shaky sigh while he reverently ran his palm over the name emblazoned into the stone.Is this truly what it would take? It would be a lie to say that Ben hadn’t thought about his birthright other than the fact that he never wanted it, but never if he should. He remembered with the smallest of smiles something his mother had told him.He might have been twelve or thirteen at the time and sullen beyond belief, griping about how little he saw either of his parents and how, if they loved him at all, they’d give up the duties that kept them away and be with him.Leia had sighed softly and reached up with the tips of her fingers to pull a ribbon of his dark hair between her fingers with a distant smile.
You know I love you, and if love were enough for the entire galaxy, I’d be here in a heartbeat. You’re strong. You don’t need me, you never really have,” she murmured, cupping his cheek with the soft skin of her palm, “I love you more than anyone has loved a living thing, Ben. I am so proud of you…of how strong you are. Sometimes I wish you needed me as much as they do. That’s the problem between love and duty…it’s the difference between doing what is easy and what is right. I hope that you can figure out how to have both…create a balance between the two. I’m sure that, with the right kind of love in your life, it will be easier than you think.
Balance.Ben rolled the word over in his mind as he pulled himself to stand from his knees. Rey had pleaded with him for the pair of them to pursue finding balance together within the force. His mother said it. Luke. It was a bright thread woven into the tapestry of his life, finding its way back to him over and over.Was it even possible? Something he could achieve? How did he know which way was the right way to go about it. His destiny was standing right in front of him…an unwanted birthright and necessary duty that had been waiting for him. All this time, and all Ben did was stand around and wait, extending the cold grip that was the might of the First Order.He wouldn’t have been ready then, still a lost boy in his heart. Ben rarely felt that way any longer, tethered to the safety of her light even now as she peacefully slumbered into infinity.Stepping out into the fragile beams of sunlight that began to shine their way through the clouds, Ben couldn’t help but compare them to the sky…Ben was the dark and the gloom, and Rey the beamingly bright rays of sunshine that broke through the darkness to reveal what was hiding behind the dark façade.He lingered for a moment with his palm against the cool stone door, letting his flesh rest against the combined crests beneath his hand. Maybe he was right. It was time to rise and accept what his entire life had been leading up to. He’d help her by helping everyone…it would be what she wanted. Of that, Ben was sure. He wouldn’t let her down, and he’d make them proud.Ben made his way back through the elegantly cobblestoned streets, passing by friendly vendors with colorful flowers and trinkets and children who’d stepped past their thresholds to play in the blossoming sunshine.When the dark prince made his way back to the Theed Royal Palace, he felt resolute in his decision, his heart as steady as his footsteps as he climbed up the grand staircase. He wasn’t going to allow the First Order to keep their hooks in the galaxy.He stepped through the towering stone arches into the main palace foyer, lifting his eyes to marvel at the pair of grand, marble staircases in front of him. There were no doors throughout the main chambers of the palace, designed to bring a sense of openness and peace for the Queen and all her political advisors.Stepping up onto the brilliantly white stone steps, Ben made his way up into the largest domed chamber of the palace, imagining what this place would have looked like when his grandmother had ruled here. The golden dome towered overhead, held aloft by massive stone pillars that were intricately carved from stem to stern. Elegantly arching windows circled the rounded room, letting brilliant beams of sunlight stream through in delicate bands onto the artfully designed floor. A blend of muted grey, brilliant reds, and gleaming golds made up a grand circular design.At the center of it all was a wide, half-moon-shaped throne set behind a desk with a handful of smaller, gold chairs perched around the perimeter.Ben stepped into the circle and up to the throne that belonged to the Queen of Naboo. With a quiet smile, he trailed his fingers across the golden arms, tracing a small rectangle of what must have been a secret compartment that held weapons in case of an emergency. It warmed his heart to think that the young monarchs of this world, not unlike his own mother, were far more than their ornate costumes and grandiose palaces. They were tenacious, strong women, ready to fight for their people at a moment’s notice without a care for anything else, least of all themselves.That was the way his mother lived her life…duty before anything else, right up until her end.The sounds of footsteps echoing out and around the gilded ceiling drew Ben’s attention away as he lifted his eyes to an oncoming group of people.There were some he recognized, like the Vice-Admiral and Poe, along with a few other Resistance members that all trailed behind the figure that lead the party up a small set of stairs and into the grandiose throne room.She was shorter than he would have imagined, nearly petite, but the Queen of Naboo carried herself with a great height that commanded respect as soon as her presence entered the chamber. Dressed from head to toe in the traditional garb of the Royal House of Naboo, Queen Korme Trualla practically gleamed as she stepped into the bright beams of sunlight that flooded into the room.The hem of her heavy gown grazed across the stone floor, rising to her waist in thick bends and folds of the dark swirls of glittering gold and red. Her hands, clasped in front of her waist, were covered by crimson sleeves the covered her past her knuckles.The craftsmanship of the dressmakers who expertly created the costume for her was outstanding, constructing dark, billowing sleeves around her shoulders that was delicately accented with more of the crimson and gold. Her face was painted a sheer white with only a set of red dots on either cheek with a ribbon of ruby red across her top lip and bisecting the bottom.The party elegantly swept into the throne room, practically paying no mind to Ben as he stood in the center of the domed hall. Ben dipped his head and stepped aside so Queen Korme could easily breeze past him. When he lifted his eyes, Ben met her impassive face, practically stony in her regal appearance, but he detected a subtle flicker of amusement behind her green eyes.“Stand. Please,” she lifted her palm to encourage Ben to lift his head, the bright beams of light glinting off the gleaming gold headdress atop her head. It started at the center point between her brows and followed the curve of her head before flaring out around her like a golden halo. The queen motioned for him to follow her, turning on her heel to stride towards the throne. Ben quietly inspected the thick knot of white-blonde braids, smiling to himself as he remembered carding his long fingers through Stardust’s hair to weave an Alderaanian braid into her chestnut waves.The Queen stepped in front of her throne and elegantly sank to her seat, “Welcome to Naboo, Lord Solo. You’ve been here for some time, but I haven’t seen you before now…why?”“I’ve…been preoccupied…uh, your majesty,” Ben winced. The word felt odd coming out of his mouth when he was addressing anyone who wasn’t Rey.“I see,” the queen pressed on, “I’ve heard that you, yourself are of The Naboo?”“My grandmother was Padme Amidala Naberrie.”“Ah, our beloved queen and senator. I thought you might be. I remember hearing stories of your mother and the Alderaanians she brought here for refuge,” the regal queen mused, “What a beautiful thing for her to bring her two worlds together.”Ben let out a quiet sigh when the memory of his mother came up again, sending a dull ache spreading across his chest. There she was, showing him another sign of Fate’s will to push him towards his duty over and over again. He quietly nodded and retreated to a circle just outside of the collection of chairs and leaned his shoulder against one of the towering pillars that held the gleaming dome aloft.The Resistance members joined the Nabooian Royal Council and began quietly discussing the standing situation with the First Order.“The last reports we have from the Inner Rim suggest that he’s taken refuge on Arkanis in the old Imperial Academy,” Poe stated.“And his forces?” Admiral Holdo pressed, “We need to know what kind of numbers we’re facing.”“He has four destroyers and the Supremacy at his disposable. All of them fully staffed with those, we assume, are still loyal to the dirtbag,” Poe sniffed.“We have remained in contact with our senator on Coruscant,” Queen Trualla interjected from her throne, “The senate is running smoothly…maybe even better than it did under Hux. Perhaps they could be of some help in the fight?”“I’m not sure if they’d want to get involved,” Holdo said with a small shake of her purple hair, “How much time do we have until we can make this happen?”Poe leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, weaving his fingers together before lifting his eyes up to meet the gaze of those around him.“It’s hard to say. Things are quiet on Arkanis…for now. But…we’ve also had accounts of whole battalions of stormtroopers raiding small villages on the surrounding worlds. He’s up to something, Admiral. We’re going to need all the firepower we can get. No offense, Majesty,” Poe lifted his dark eyes to meet the queen’s, “but I don’t think we’ll be getting much support by way of private donation…”“What about the rest of them?” Ben pressed, pushing his shoulder from the cool, stone of the pillar he’d been leaning on. All eyes in the room shifted to him, waiting expectantly for him to continue, “The rest of the Imperial Fleet. There has to be a reason they’d been left behind. I would bet all the credits I had to say that not all of the troops under his command were exactly what you called loyal…not to him, anyway.”“How are we going to get them to help us? The only piece that could get the fleet to help us is comatose down the hall,” Poe questioned,“They love her, it’s true. But if love were enough, they would have fought back against him from the first time he had her snatched by the Guavian Death Gang. It’s simple, really…they’re still bound to duty. They need someone…a figurehead. Someone they trust. Someone who understands what it means to be under the thumb of the First Order.”Poe’s eyes slowly widened as he brought himself to his feet, flicking his gaze momentarily to his side to meet Holdo’s in breathless anticipation.“You mean…someone like you?” the pilot said quietly, testing the waters and waiting for Ben’s reply,“I was thinking of Finn, actually,” Ben nodded past Poe’s shoulder to the face of the, now stunned, man he’d briefly met on Takodana, “But yeah. I’ll be there too.”“You mean…”“I’m here. And I’m ready to take back what’s mine.”The room erupted into a sudden cacophony of whoops and yells, and Ben was suddenly surrounded by dozens of excited arms that reached to pat his back or shake his hand. He couldn't help but smile back at the gleeful faces that were wrapped around him until it quickly became too much, and he found himself overwhelmed by it all.Poe hooked his arm around his gargantuan childhood friend, tugging him down the hall with an apologetic wave.“Okay, okay, let’s give the poor guy some air. He just found out he’s going to be Emperor. Don’t overwhelm him or he might change his mind and go back to sulking in whatever hole he pulled himself from,” the pilot pulled Ben away, waiting until they were just out of earshot to clap his palm against his shoulder, “Are you sure? You haven’t ever felt ready before…why now?”“For her,” Ben murmured, “It’s what she would have wanted, and it’s the best way for me to help her now. If I help the galaxy in the process, even better.”Poe’s brow lifted with a skeptical gaze.“Oh, so you’re just going to bring about peace and balance in the galaxy for a girl, huh? Han would’ve loved that.”Ben loosed a soft chuckle, giving a gentle shake of his dark hair.“Yeah, he would, but no more of doing things that way. We plan…we train. We make sure we’re ready. I guarantee Hux is doing the same thing as we speak.”“Are you feeling okay? I swear I just heard a Solo say that he wanted to have a plan…”“I love her, and I’m prepared to protect her…in any way that I can. My ways before were a little more-““Brash? Hard-headed?”“More Solo than Organa, I’ll admit it. The best way for me to help her is to help you…I’m ready to step forward and do whatever it takes to bring him down.”The pair of them strode down the hall a few strides, their boot steps echoing in unison far above their heads in the resplendently arched stone ceiling. Poe stopped for a moment, reaching out to bring his hand to Ben’s arm. For the first time in a long time, Ben didn’t flinch and only looked down at his old friend.The smaller man hesitated for a moment. The weight of the unspoken words abruptly tinged the air with a feeling that leeched away the brilliance of the sunshine that cascaded through the lofty window they stood next to.“Ben,” Poe paused again to let out a heavy sigh, “I need you to open your eyes and see what’s coming…I…I think we need to be prepared that she might never come back. I know you want to save her…we all do, but it’s been so long. I’m not saying we need to give up hope…just that maybe it’s time to move on and move forward onto the task at hand.”Ben blinked slowly down at Poe and let his eyes drift out past the jade and sandstone colored city of Theed outside the window. His broad shoulders lifted and fell as he breathed a wearisome sigh that floated off like smoke in cold air, softly deflating him like a weight had been lifted but had left behind a grim melancholy instead of relief.He had imagined it a thousand times…the moment when she’d open her eyes and murmur his name, and he’d take her in his arms. Ben thought of holding her once again so many times that, lately, it felt like a far-off dream, and the future that he had begun to picture of the life that was left for him was a broken, empty shell. No matter how badly he wanted to, he couldn’t control the ending of their story…Fate had brought them this far and, unfailingly cruel as always, it had brought it to a startling end.No. He couldn’t think like that any longer. Ben closed his eyes for a moment and steeled himself against the dark seed of doubt inside him. He opened his eyes and brought them back to Poe.“I can’t. I have to have hope. She’ll come back…I have to believe that and you should too. You said she was the spark of the Resistance…so where’s your hope?”“I-It’s…I don’t know, Ben. There’s so much at stake, I just…l…”“Hope is like the sun,” Ben implored his old friend, letting the words of his mother lift them in the way they all needed the most, “If you only believe in it when you can see it…”“You’ll never make it through the night…I know,” Poe sighed, “I’m trying…”“We…I just need more time. Give her more time…we can’t give up hope yet.”Poe patted his arm with a distant smile.“Go on, Romeo. Be with her. I know where to find you when we need you.”Ben turned away from the window and made his way down the long hallway to where Rey was peacefully tucked away, far from the political hum at the center of the palace. From the doorway, the lavish bedroom practically glowed from the candescent rays of daylight glimmered across every glittering surface. It was quieter than it was before. Ben stepped softly with his boots across the marble floor, drawing his eyes over the pair of figures at the center of the room.Rey laid, resplendently serene in the soft light of day, her hands gently folded together over her heart. Ben felt the corners of his mouth lift against his will, helpless against the ache that bloomed in his heart when he saw her. He let out a soft chuckle when he saw Rose, determined and loyal to her Empress in her every moment…even now as she laid, asleep, with her head beside Rey and her arms serving as a pillow.Ben softly prodded her shoulder with a sliver of unease as he tried not to startle her.“Hey…Rose…” he hissed. The small woman wrinkled her nose and shifted the weight of her head. Ben let a frustrated whoosh past his lips as he lifted his hand to give her a firmer shake, “Please don’t shock me with that thing…Rose. Wake up…”Rose lifted her head suddenly, blinking back the bright white light as Ben jumped back.“What is it?” she rubbed her eyes with a wide yawn, “Stars, I didn’t mean to fall asleep…I’m so sorry!”Ben stepped forward with his palms in the air.“It’s okay…I think I’ve got it from here, why don’t you go get some rest?”She stretched her arms over her head with another, even wider yawn that threatened to involuntarily pull one from Ben.“Mmm, okay. I think that’s probably smart,” she sleepily stood from her chair and patted Ben’s shoulder, “You take care of her, big guy.”Ben let out an amused chuckle and watched Rose trudge her way through the door, pausing to give him a small wave before disappearing around the corner.He settled himself into the chair beside her bed and reached out to lift one of her hands into his. Turning it over, Ben trailed the fingers of his free hand between each of the freckles that made up the map of the stars on her supple skin before leaving a lingering kiss against it.There was no other way than to keep the faith and hold onto the hope that she’d come back. It was in the memory of her smile, the touch of her hand, and the way the golden flecks of stardust amongst the green in her eyes glittered when he looked at her.He tucked her hand against the jagged scar that bisected his cheek with a crestfallen smile and waited. They’d waited for fifteen years to find each other after the First Order had torn them apart when they were both children, and he’d wait longer than that now if he had to. She was worth every second.Blinking lazily in the warm light that had shifted in the moments since he’d sat down, Ben’s eyes grew heavier as his gaze lingered on her, intently watching the steady rise and fall of her chest. His mind began to drift, getting caught in a carousel of thoughts and memories as every moment they’d spent together replayed in his head. Every fleeting thought and wayward glance…every possibility of a future…Ben reached for it with every fiber of his being, slowly closing his eyes as the light began to fade away.He could have sworn that he had merely closed his eyes for a second, but when Ben open them again, the light in the room had changed, covering every surface in a fiery blend of orange and gold. Letting out a low hum, Ben shifted his head against the dark sleeves of his jacket, leaning into the touch of the fingertips that slowly carded through his dark hair.Each lingering motion filled him with an unexplainable sense of peace and comfort that calmed the storms in his heart. He let out a slow sigh past his lips as he tried to blink the sleep from his eyes while he centered himself in the luxurious and warm feeling of the hands in his hair. Drifting slowly away, he swore he heard a feathery voice murmur his name into the dimming light. He let out a low hum as he was sent adrift on the soothing feeling when the dulcet voice rang out again, but this time, it didn’t’ sound like a dream…“Ben.”The whisper lingered in the air like a snowflake on the wind. His heart lurched in his chest, suddenly beating frantically as he slowly lifted his broad shoulders from the ivory bedspread. Ben mashed his mouth together into a thin line, his chin shaking while a single tear slipped down his cheek when honeyed-amber met stardust.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

As her dreams lingered, slowly flickering away in the way dreams do, Rey hummed softly as a warm breeze danced through the air, kissing her flesh and fluttering the soft hair around her face. She reached her arms over her head, stretching lazily from the tips of her fingers down to her toes. Letting out a soft groan, Rey burrowed herself down into the supple softness of the sheets and rolled to her side. She shifted her head to snuggle deeper into the downy covers, tucking her hand beneath her cheek.Blinking away the remnants of her sleep, Rey’s eyes slowly adjusted to the morning light. She gazed out the open doors of the balcony, looking out towards the horizon. The vivid shards of light extended out, across the blooming pink and blue sky, scattering across the surface of the lake just outside her window. Bending and moving in a perfect dance, the water carried the light across its surface, shattering every beam into a million dazzling pieces through her window.The soft wind carried the dulcet sounds of water splashing against pebbles warmed by the sun, and the melodious aria of the birds concealed in the thick foliage of the trees. It brought with it the perfume of the blossoms that climbed the trellis to her window in a myriad of vibrant color.Rey slowly sat up in the wide bed, holding a tuft of the blankets to her chin with a soft smile as she watched the early morning light dance on the breeze. Taking a deep breath, Rey centered herself in the brilliant tapestry of energy that the Force covered her in, swathing her like a comforting blanket - one that transported her on the breeze to dance with the light and energy of every living thing that surrounded them.Rey had been draped in a profound sleep for weeks on end, and spent more than enough time in repose, that she longed to go out and let the sun caress her skin. As she slid her legs over the side of the bed, placing her bare feet on the cool, marble floor, her heart leapt at the delicious sensation that seeped up to her toes. For the first time in months, Rey felt more like herself…she felt awake, perhaps more fully awake than she’d ever been.Wobbling just a hair as she pushed herself to her feet, Rey silently reminded herself just how long it had been since she’d been at her full strength…it had been months since her public beating and capture at the hands of her husband, the Emperor,.weeks since she’d stumbled down the black, transparisteel ramp of an Upsilon-class command shuttle into the sand…and countless hours since Ben held her in his arms, and the vision of dark, amber-flecked eyes shining against a tumultuous wall of sand was the last thing she remembered.
Don’t be afraid. I’ll always be with you. No matter how far…
Only moments after Rey saw the blue-white figures of their families, waiting in the sand to take her beyond, eyes like Ben’s looked back at her with a heavyhearted smile. She didn’t understand until later that, even though she felt at peace within that moment, she wasn’t finished yet. They weren’t finished. There was so much more to do, far beyond when their war against Hux and the First Order would end.So, she would wait.Rey was good at waiting, she’d done it all her life. What were a few more weeks in the grand scheme of their whole lives?Somewhere between the tangled tapestry of life and the endless abyss of death, Rey waited, tucked into a glimmering, far-off corner of the Force. Most of the memory was fuzzy, at best, and went by in a series of flashes in her mind.There were voices she recognized, echoing softly through the veil as the muted glow of the light surrounded her. Some of them were odd memories, the plans of the Resistance, and minuscule details of day-to-day life. Others were a symphony of imagery, telling stories of a little girl on a far-off jungle moon, but there had been one voice that stood out from the rest. It was quiet, for the most part…more of a presence than a conversation, but it was the fragile, heartbreaking “please” that tore her to shreds.There was nothing more Rey wanted than to reach out and card her fingers through his dark hair, providing him with some semblance of comfort, to let him know that she was there - only just out of reach.It went on and on in a vicious cycle, leaving her inside, like she was watching her life go by without her through a window.The time was fuzzy from behind her resilient veil, and she was never able to push through, no matter how hard she tried, until one day, things felt a little different. The invisible barrier was clearer somehow, and Ben was there…asleep just beyond the tips of her fingers, so close that she could almost reach out and touch his silken raven waves.Rey lifted her fingers to trail them against the unseen wall that separated them, and let out a quiet gasp when she felt the softness of his hair beneath her hand. Carding her way through the silken strands, she let her hands linger while she soaked up the feeling that she had been longing for all these long weeks. He was real. He was here. She was awake, and the waiting was finally over.A soft gasp slipped past her lips as Ben sleepily shifted his head beneath her palm, letting out a quiet groan as he leaned into her touch. Rey couldn’t help but let a smile creep across her face as she looked over the lines of his face that were smoothed out by his peaceful slumber. She brushed a stray strand of his dark hair from his forehead, letting her eyes linger on the worried crease between his sloping brows - lines that seemed to have been chiseled there permanently – not even sleep could erase it from his features.
“Ben.”
His name tumbled over her lips in a coarse and quiet whisper as she tested the limits of her voice after being silenced for so long. Rey watched his eyebrows bend together while he sleepily blinked, the orange glow of the Nubian evening light streaming in through towering windows creating soft shadows on his face. If Rey knew any better, she was sure that Ben thought he was dreaming, and she wanted nothing more than to pull him from it so that they could be together at long last.“Ben,” she murmured again, still carding his hair through her fingers as she tried to rouse him from his sleepy perch next to her. He finally began to wake, and a wave of realization passed over his face like the sun breaking through the clouds on a rainy day. Lifting his chest from the bed beside her, his chin shook as a single tear slipped past his dark lashes.Rey suddenly found herself just as breathless as he was, as she lifted her fingers to caress the jagged scar that bisected his cheek, sighing heavily when he leaned into her touch and placed his wide palm over hers. In a single fluid motion, Ben pulled his wide frame from his chair and sat closer to her, enclosing her face between his hands – stealing her breath and the heat from her skin.All at once, every thought and every feeling that had gone unspoken over the last few weeks came spilling out, any pretense crumbling like bits of loose stone – stone that was quickly being washed away in waves of the salty tears that fell past her lashes. Before she could take in a shaky breath that she so desperately needed, Rey found herself melting into him as he enveloped her in his strong arms.Rey could feel Ben’s heart beating wildly beneath her cheek, and his wide palms pressed against her back as he drew her in closer, nuzzling the top of her head with his long nose as their bodies shook with the tears they cried.Tears of relief. Tears for the time that had been stolen from them. Tears of what nearly happened, knowing that they had nearly been robbed of the rest of their lives together.Ben pulled away and caged her face between his hands, lifting her gaze to meet his and smearing away the hot tracks of tears from her freckled flesh with this calloused thumb. His touch brought more relief than her heart could possibly begin to hold. His dark eyes flickered over every one of her features, like he was committing her to memory all over again, carding his long fingers through her chestnut hair as if he couldn’t quite believe that she wasn’t part of an almost forgotten dream.Rey lifted her chin to bring her lips to meet his in a delicate kiss that was gentle, sweet and tasted of their shared tears of desperate relief. When he pulled away, Ben pressed his forehead against hers. There was so much that both wanted to say, but all he managed to croak out was a desperate plea.“Don’t go. Not again.”Rey’s mouth curved into a small smile as she nodded quietly before being folded into his arms once more.Word that the Empress had finally awakened from her sleep - that no one was sure she’d ever recover from - spread quickly, sending all of the Theed Royal Palace into a tizzy. Ben quickly had more than enough of the flurry of well-meaning visitors that kept trying to pry their way into her room day after day, furiously barring one after the other at the door.Before Rey knew it, she found herself tucked into the cushy passenger compartment of a gleaming J-type Nubian Royal Starship with only she and Ben aboard, bound for someplace quiet where she could peacefully convalesce without any unwanted attention.Quiet it was. Ben, most of all.Rey had understood when he had been absent while they remained in Theed - as he was busy wrapping up loose ends and making plans for their departure. He piloted the cruiser to the Lake Country, and was insistent that she rest in the passenger compartment while she got her strength back. But as the days wore on in the stately coastal villa she found herself in, Rey felt like she saw less and less of Ben. He was attentive, of course, but he felt distant from her in a way that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She was well taken care of, Ben was constantly worrying over her and making sure she could want for nothing while she was still confined to a bed…but he wasn’t there in any of the ways that she truly needed him to be.More than anything, Rey longed to be ensconced in his arms when the stars rose in the inky blue Nubian sky. She wanted him to whisper to her all the ways he loved her, and her to murmur her own love back to him - since the only time she’d said it to him thus far was as she lay dying in his arms. She wanted to watch the sun come up on the horizon, and let the glittering shards of delicate morning light shimmer over their bodies as they picked up where she so desperately wanted to from the last happy moments they had shared back on Coruscant, before everything was blown to hell so many months ago.So long ago - when they’d spent hours worshiping each other’s bodies and had dangerously flirted with the line they’d drawn in the figurative sand…waiting and painfully holding themselves back from the point that they knew they wouldn’t be able to turn back from.Not like they ever could.From the time they were children, the world had been trying to tear them apart, but Fate had brought them back together, repeatedly pushing them together in impossible ways. The Force clearly had a plan for them.It was true that Rey was good at waiting. She’d done it all her life, but as the days wore on and Ben kept the distance between them - a distance that may as well have been twelve parsecs, when she so desperately wanted it to be less than twelve inches. The thing about waiting all your life was, eventually, a girl would have enough.Once she started to finally feel like her normal self, although not as strong as she was -but well enough -Rey decided it was time. Time to set out on a venture to get what she wanted, like she was that scrappy scavenger again, hungry for a rare find.Early that morning, Rey wobbled on her feet for a moment before she centered herself in the warm feeling that the Force wrapped her up in, letting it guide her and keep herself steady. She stepped lightly across the marble floors to where a deep green, velvet robe hung on the wall.Sliding her arms through the gossamer sleeves, Rey let the luxuriously soft fabric cascade to the floor in emerald waves as she tied it at her waist. It trailed after her every step as she slowly wound her way down the long, spiraling marble staircase, where the dulcet sound of the water lapping at the sandy shore shoreline came closer to her with each step she took.As she reached the bottom, Rey stepped into an open-air common area, letting a quiet sigh breeze past her lips as a supple shift in the wind kissed her skin, fluttering the long ribbons of chestnut hair that hung down her back.The morning light glittered off the surface of the lake just outside the boundaries of the elegant, lakeside manor, sending a prim bombardment of colors ricocheting across every surface around her. The radiant glow scintillated and beamed off every facet of the water, spreading the legacy of the sun and the warm feeling of the Light.The bright beams felt like they shone in from every angle in the room, illuminating every surface…especially one.Ben…Kylo…it didn’t matter who he was to others, to her he was merely hers, stood still and silent on the wide-open terrace that overlooked the lake, glittering in the morning light. His broad shoulders were square, his feet apart, and his large hands were clasped behind him. He was bare from the waist up, and Rey hungrily watched as the hard cords of muscle in his back bent and moved with every single breath he took.She quietly stepped up behind him, slowly snaking her arms around his waist, pressing a slow kiss to the space between his sculpted shoulders as her fingers traced a line down the firm planes of the muscle in his chest. Splaying her fingers out over his porcelain skin, Rey leaned her cheek against him, smiling softly as the steady rise and fall of his shoulders took her on their journey.Their bond flared to life, burning brighter than ever before, igniting the air around them into an electrifying blaze that was only for them. Rey could practically swim in the delicious feeling of it, caught in the divine spell that his signature cast over her. She let out a quiet sigh and gave him the gentlest squeeze.“I’ve missed you,” she hummed, running her palms over his chest, “Why didn’t you stay with me?”“I didn’t want to disturb you,” he rumbled quietly, and Rey could feel the sound of his voice beneath her cheek.“Your presence is soothing. I’ve missed you while I’ve been stuck in bed. It would have been so much better had you been there with me,” she murmured, trailing her fingers further down to brush over the soft path of hair beneath his navel.Ben loosed a low growl and placed his hands over hers, lifting them further up his chest.“You should be back in bed.”“I’m so tired of being in bed, but I’ll go if you come with me…” Rey curled her body around him, ducking under his thick arm to press herself against his chest and meet his gaze. Her heart sank when he looked down at her with a distant and heavy-hearted stare. Ben curled his long fingers around her hands, practically peeling her flesh from his before stepping away with a crestfallen smile. She watched as he picked up a thin, black tunic and slipped it over his raven hair, silently taking note of every minuscule twitch of his jaw and the curve of his mouth.Rey wanted nothing more than to lose herself in the depth of his eyes, and in the sound of his words, and feel more at home than she did on any world she’d been to. It didn’t - and wouldn’t - ever matter…her home was with him, but she couldn’t help but feel that since she’d come back from the profound sleep she had been trapped in, Ben had been dancing around her. He had been keeping an emotional distance from her, for reasons that she couldn’t quite pinpoint. Rey could feel the conflict in him - like she was the only water in the desert - but all he could do was stand still and only watch…tempted but paralyzed.“You need to rest.”“I’ve rested long enough. I want to be with you, in whatever way I can. I want to see this place. I want to touch the water. I want to stay out past dark and watch the moons rise with you...won’t you do that with me, Ben?” Rey stepped towards him to close the space he had created between them. When she was mere inches away, she stopped and gazed up at him, soaking in the warmth of his amber-flecked eyes.This is what she had been dreaming of for so long. Long before they flew away for those glorious few weeks on the Falcon, back when they’d only shared fleeting moments in passing at the palace, and a pair of searing kisses that would be burned into her memory forever. She’d dreamt of this…just the two of them, finally and truly alone. Without any of the pressures of returning to her tormented life as the Empress and their duties to the First Order. Just she and him – together.She wouldn’t give up hope. After everything they had been through, hope was the one thing she knew she could count on. The Force had a plan for them, and Rey wouldn’t let whatever this was holding them back from whatever was in store from them. Her hope was a bright star in a hopelessly dark galaxy. Through an infinite number of parsecs, the brightness filled her up with the promise that the life they craved was just around the corner.
Stardust and Ben, guardians of the Light.
The “bright star” told her to look beyond the dark fog she found them in, and to see the bright light of hope.Ben breathed a heavy, regretful sigh as Rey stepped closer still, winding her arms over his shoulders while she lifted herself onto her toes to brush the tip of her nose against his.“Rey…” he pressed, curling his long fingers around her waist.She refused to give up, and began to slowly pepper his beauty marked features with featherlight kisses, whispering a quiet please with each one.“Come with me, Ben. Let’s go play. Let’s explore. Can’t we just take advantage of the time we have and just be? Please.”It didn’t take much more convincing on Rey’s part to get Ben to give in, and only moments later, she found herself walking along a serene path that wound down a Millaflower dotted hillside. The warm breeze whispered like a lover, placing salty kisses perfumed with the sweet scent of the bright crimson and sapphire blooms on her cheek, and playfully tousling her hair as they made their way down to the property’s secluded beach.With one hand tucked into Ben’s against his chest, Rey held the silken fabric of her white dress as it floated around her bare feet in the wind, memorizing the feeling of the cool, golden sand beneath her toes.All her memories of the sand she’d had before only told the stories of painfully lonely nights, when the sandstorms of Jakku would blow it into her walker by the bucketload. But here and now, standing in the sun with him, the sand, and the breeze as her companion, it told only of the sweetness and joy she felt at being by his side - where she belonged.The beach stretched out alongside the water - old friends enveloped in a constant song and dance as the water steadily reached in to paint the shore with each passing wave. With each unfaltering flourish of the water on the shore, it filled her with precious reassurance. The briny waves came like priceless rain to the desert, a gift that could never be repaid.As she stepped across the muted gold of the shore, Rey felt a childlike wonder being so close to something that she’d grown up knowing was the rarest and most valuable of commodities. All she wanted to do was reach out and touch it - and let it envelope her.The water on Ahch-to had been bitterly cold, something Rey had been keen to avoid during their time on the island. But this. This place was something beyond what she ever could have imagined.Rey let go of Ben’s hand as the edge of the water drew her in. Tucking the gossamer fabric of her skirt over her forearm, she stepped closer to the edge and crouched down to brush her fingers against the surface. The water across the deeper parts of the lake was a milky turquoise, but this close, Rey could see through the jeweled water and the glittering, tiny purple fish that swam in the tepid shallows. Rey wondered if she hadn’t grown up in the desert - where water was so scarce - if she would ever notice it and appreciate it in the way she did now. With youthful anticipation, she stepped closer to the edge and let the frothy water lap at her toes, letting out a girlish giggle as the water rushed over the tops of her feet and covered her with a soft blanket of sand.Glancing over her shoulder, Rey’s eyes met Ben’s, and he gave her an amused smile with a gentle shake of his head as she bounced on the balls of her feet with glee. Eager to touch the water further, Rey gathered her dress in her arms and stepped into the oncoming aquamarine waves.As the water danced around her calves, Rey reached down again and dipped her hand below the surface. The water moved softly around her outstretched fingers, the warmth of the sun-warmed liquid caressing every inch of her flesh. She pulled her hand out and watched the drops as they fell from the tips of her fingers, somehow both transparent and opaque at the same time, taking a gravity-propelled trip back down to their home in the lake. Each drip of the lake water was quickly haloed, the growing series of rings distorting the view of her toes as they tucked further into the bed of the massive body of water.The warm breeze rolling in across the hills on the opposite shore cooled her damp hand, but the rest of her was delightfully warmed by the climbing midday sun.As the waves called to her venture further in, Rey heard Ben call out a low Be careful from behind her, but she paid no mind, lifting her fingers to untie the blue ribbon at her waist and letting her dress fall open to the summer wind.Gathering the silken fabric into her hands, Rey playfully glanced over her shoulder to mischievously meet Ben’s gaze, tossing the balled up remains of her dress into his baffled hands. His dark eyes grew wide as he looked over her completely bare form, swallowing thickly as she turned away and stepped forward into the water.Moving deeper and deeper into the water, Rey let out an almost silent gasp when she stepped into a cold patch with her feet, as the surface rose further up past her bare torso. It enveloped her as closely as her own skin, hugging every bend and curve of her lithe body. As she went deeper still, bringing the warm water to her shoulders, Rey bounced on the balls of her feet, gleefully enjoying her newfound weightlessness.The turquoise waters lightly rippled with Rey’s every movement, lapping over her shoulders as she fearlessly held her breath and dipped her head beneath the surface. When she emerged back into the bright, Nubian daylight, Rey felt a sense of delight come over her as she brushed her hands over her wet hair. There was only one thing that could make this better - and he was standing only a few yards away.Spinning around on the sandy lake floor, Rey turned to meet his gaze from the shore. She couldn’t help but let her joy shine through, practically beaming as she called out,“What are you waiting for, Solo? Lose the tunic and get your kriffing ass in here!”Ben’s long face curved up into the unmistakable, lopsided Solo smile. He gave a slight shake of his dark hair, letting a deep chuckle out into the summer breeze. Rey couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of satisfaction when the man in front of her began to shrug the dark jacket from his broad shoulders, letting it, and the balled-up fabric of her dress, fall to his feet in a heap.Rey watched Ben in wild wonderment as he reached to the hem of his shirt to peel it from the hard curves of muscle, feeling herself be pulled further out into the water with the waves. The first time her head dipped beneath the waves, Rey wasn’t worried. She could stay afloat. Swimming was an instinct…right? She wasn’t afraid of a little water over her head.A few seconds more and another wave, Rey found herself sinking again, begging her weakened body to help her as she flailed her feet out beneath her, to bring her back to the sun-speckled surface of the lake. As she sank further down, the light began to fade and her hair slowly floated upwards like seagrass reaching for the sun.Rey gave a hard kick against the sandy floor with everything she had left, breaking through the surface and gulping at the warm summer air - when she rapidly found herself sinking once more. Ben wasn’t there on the shore when she came up for that last desperate breath. He wasn’t there looking…what if he hadn’t seen?As the moments flickered by in a flash, Rey’s head began to pound as the cells in her body begged for oxygen, and even the bright light of the Force began to fade as she sunk further down into the darkness that threatened to swallow her whole. With the last bit of energy Rey could muster, she reached out to the shimmering orb above her, hoping that somehow, some way, she’d be able to pull herself to the surface once more.With a great gulp of air, Rey’s eyes fluttered open and she squinted against the brightly burning ribbons of fading daylight that streamed in through the window. She lifted her hands from the soft blankets and lazily rubbed the sleep from her eyes before shifting her body beneath the blankets.A window. Blankets.Blinking rapidly in the orange-gold hues that filled the room, Rey was suddenly and painfully aware that she was no longer anywhere near the lakeshore, where she could have sworn she was only moments before.Tucked into the wide bedframe of the gilded lake house bedroom, Rey quietly wondered to herself what in Maker’s name had happened. One moment, she was joyfully experiencing the water of Naboo, and the next she was sinking, falling further into the depths as each second passed on.Pulling herself up to sit, her eyes went instantly to him. Ben was there, sitting in a wide armchair beside the bed. His dark eyes were red-rimmed and heavy, and his mouth was hidden behind his fingers where he rested his chin. Rey’s gaze instantly met his, and she couldn’t quite decipher what he was thinking.Saying nothing, she reached out with the Force to brush against his signature, and instantly recoiled like she had been burned. His darkness swirled around him like a summer storm, closing in and threatening the beamingly bright light that he had worked so hard to reignite.Ben looked at her unblinkingly from his seat, silently fuming as his shoulders heaved with each breath he took. Rey tucked her knees to her chest, grateful for the emerald robe she had been wrapped in. She tested her voice, clearing it softly as she took a deep breath.“W-what happened?”The dark knight shifted in his seat and carded his long fingers through his dark hair. As he changed position, Rey could see that his chest was bare beneath his dark jacket, like he had haphazardly thrown it on before leaving the lakeshore in what she was sure was a hurry. Mashing his mouth together into as thin of a line as he could manage with his plush lips, Ben’s jaw shifted back and forth as he chewed on his words.“What...in the…kriffing hell?” He growled, dragging his wide palm across his aristocratic features, like he was trying to scrape away whatever it was that ailed him, “I thought you could swim.”“I…I guess not,” she whispered into her knees, tucking her chin against them.“Gods, Rey. Didn’t you learn back home on Yavin IV?”“That was a long time ago, Ben. There aren’t many rivers to wade in on Jakku.”He tore his eyes away from her pleading gaze, as she silently begged for things to go back to normal between them.“Kriff. Had I known…I don’t know, I would have shown you.”“You still could.” Rey murmured into the flash of skin of her legs that peeked out from beneath the luxurious robe she had been swathed in, “I need a teacher.”Ben choked out a quick exhale, capturing his full lip between his teeth while Rey watched for his reaction to change…for the darkness to release its hold on him.“No.” he groused, pushing his palms against the arms of the chair to bring him to his feet. His dark eyes looked over her from her perch in the center of the bed, flickering from her head down to her toes, “I should have known better then to take you down there. You weren’t ready, and it’s my fault. I let you go in alone. If I hadn’t…if you had stayed here, this wouldn’t have happened and I…I wouldn’t be….kriff”Rey’s brows pressed together as she swung her feet over the edge of the bed to face him better.“Are you…are you angry with me?” She pressed, bringing her bare feet to rest against the marble floor. Rey waited patiently for Ben to meet her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest while he refused to tear his dark eyes from his boots. When he finally lifted them up to meet her gaze, the veil of his anger was gone, and had been replaced with a mournful bend to his dark brows, and a feast of emotions dancing across his every feature.It was no wonder why he wore the mask for so long, Kylo Ren…Ben Solo…no matter who he was, he was a man who wore his emotions all over his face…especially for her.“No,” Ben breathed, “I’m not angry with you…”Rey watched his eyes as she took a step towards him, and he immediately backed away from her, his eyes flashing with a silent warning.“Ben,” Rey pressed forward, moving slowly like he was a bantha she didn’t want to spook, “Would you just…please let me in? I don’t understand why you’re keeping me away.” He stood frozen in front of her, his chest heaving as she carefully tread over the stone to where he stood. Rey’s eyes never met his as she lifted her palms to softly lay them against his chest.When flesh met flesh, Ben let out a shuddering gasp, like the feeling of her touch sent a shock straight through him, and he blinked back a new wave of fear.“I can feel it, Ben.” Rey whispered into the dimming daylight, “What are you so afraid of?”His heart hammered beneath her fingers as a stuttering sigh slipped past his full lips. Closing his eyes, Ben reached up and laced his long fingers over hers.“You.”Rey balked at his words, the crease between her brows becoming deeper with each passing second.“You’re afraid of…me?”“No,” he breathed, pressing her palm to his bare chest with his hand, “I’m terrified…of hurting you…of losing you. I….I can’t do that again.”Rey lifted her fingers to card them through the dark waves of his hair, and smiled softly as he leaned into her touch.“You didn’t lose me. I’m here.”“No, I did. Rey…you died. I held you in my arms, and no matter how I tried to heal you…I…I felt your light go out. You were gone. And the things that I did…the things I saw,” Ben swallowed thickly with a shuddering breath, “I don’t ever want to do that again. Then there was today…you were there, and then all of a sudden, you weren’t. I was so kriffing scared. I had to hold your lifeless body in my arms all over again and I just…”Ben’s words grew silent as he blinked back the shine of fresh tears. He pressed his mouth together to try and keep them at bay, dashing them away with the heel of his hand.Rey pulled his hand away and curled her fingers over either side of his face, bringing his gaze down to meet hers. His dark eyes, filled to the brim with everything from anger at himself, fear of losing her -and through it all…she could see his love, shining brighter than anything else. Ben bit his lip as he tore his gaze away, looking anywhere but at Rey.Refusing to give up and let him drown in the pit of his own darkness, Rey moved in closer and let her eyes bore into his, until he had no choice but to let her look deeply into his.“Hey…I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Don’t you see? The Force has a plan for us.” She ran her thumbs over his beauty marked skin, connecting the spaces between them like stars in the sky, “Don’t you see that there’s so much more left for us? I’m not finished. You’re not finished. WE, Ben Solo, are not finished.”Rey’s face curled up into a semblance of a smile as she felt him relax beneath her touch, and his breathing became softer. The dark veil over his face lifted, and the corners of his mouth curled up into the beginnings of the lopsided, signature Solo smirk - as soft as the morning light.
There he was.
She instantly felt better once she saw a glimmer of her oldest friend - and her truest love - in the tortured man who stood in front of her. As his eyes softened, there was something about that gaze of his that she knew she’d never find in another man, nor would she ever want to. Every time he looked at her that way, it was like their souls had made a bridge.Ben lowered his head closer to hers, reaching up with his long fingers to pull a ribbon of her long, chestnut hair between them. She could already feel that he was more himself as she led him back into the warm, welcoming glow of the light. He came close enough that their breaths mingled together, and Rey was practically vibrating in the electrifying buzz their connection created with their increasing lack of distance.Rey let out a breathy sigh when Ben pressed his forehead against hers and rumbled into the quiet room.“Thank you.”“For what?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.“For being you. For being my light in the darkness…for bringing me back to life.” Ben’s dark eyes flickered down to her mouth and back up again as he leaned ever closer.“There’s light in you, Ben…don't discount your own goodness. It’s there. I know it.”He chuckled softly and rolled his eyes, shrugging away her statement.“I’m not sure there’s as much as you think there is, Stardust, but thank you for caring for me in spite of it.”Rey pulled away ever so slightly, and a painfully stubborn look flickered across her delicate features.“Care for you? I love you, you idiot.” She reached up on the tips of her toes and began to pepper the constellation of marks across his face, expressing a different affirmation of her feelings with each featherlight kiss of her lips, “Because of your darkness…Because of your light…and because of the way you’ve somehow been able to balance the both of them. I love both of you. All of you. Both the boy I knew, and the man I came to know. Kylo and Ben.”Ben couldn’t hide the doubt behind his dark eyes, but there was still that ghost of that Solo smirk hovering at the corners of his mouth.“You love me, huh?” His smile began to grow, reaching his dark eyes and crinkling them at the corners as he snaked his arms around her waist.“More than I should.” Rey whispered as she reached between them and ran the tip of her finger along the seam of his lips, “Maker help me, but yes, I do. I always have.”“No matter how far,” Ben murmured, bending his head down to press his lips against hers, and through his kiss, Rey could feel every ounce of her love returned ten-fold.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

As the three moons of Naboo sank beneath the infinite edge of the lake, and the delicate morning light began to seep in through the tall panes of glass, Rey let out a deep sigh while she nestled deeper into the serene feeling she found herself wrapped up in. The corners of her mouth lifted just a hair when her breathing became seamlessly intertwined with the rise and fall of the broad, bare chest she was curled against.

Ben’s breathing was steady like a slow drumbeat, ever constant and sure with the sensation of his heartbeat beneath her cheek. Rey was sure she could lose herself in the heady splendor that their ever-constant connection weaved around them, sending every inch of her flesh buzzing with anticipation of his next breath, his next movement…his next anything at all.

Reaching up with the tips of her fingers, Rey gingerly traced a delicate path along his alabaster skin, connecting the smattering of marks across his chest like constellations in the night sky. The stars themselves were different no matter where she went in the galaxy, but Rey knew Ben’s by heart. She marveled at the way his flesh against hers sent her synapses tingling as she trailed her hand across his collarbone and up to his serene face.

Capturing her lip between her teeth, her heart ached at the sight of the permanent creases between his brows that the last few months had caused him, thinking back to the night before when Ben had finally acknowledged what had been holding him back from her since she had finally awakened in the Theed Royal Palace – His fear of losing her.

If she was honest with herself, Rey knew that his fear wasn’t completely unfounded. It was only by some miracle of the Force that she was alive after what had happened with Hux on Jakku. No one had been able to determine exactly what had kept her with him – as far away from him as she was, for what felt like weeks on end – after <i>

everything</i>

, she was still alive, and they were together.

Part of Rey wanted to imagine what their life would have been like had the First Order never come to power and destroyed the peaceful lives they had known on Yavin IV at The Great Temple. If she tried hard enough, she could see the outline of the two of them on the bank of a great river coursing through the jungle. She’d be nestled between his knees with her head tucked against his chest, and Ben would have his long nose nestled in her hair with his wide palms resting against her swelling belly as they talked about their adventures - of all the times they’d traipsed across the galaxy, protecting the Light just as they planned when they were children.

With a single blink of her eyelashes, it all faded away like sand in the winds of the X’us’R’iia on Jakku. None of that would come to pass…maybe it would in its own way, but things were different now than they were when they were children. Gone were the days of being sure that they’d be the Jedi they had been training to be, and Rey’s heart ached as she reached down to press a hand to her belly that would never know the feeling of a life growing inside it.

I hope you don’t have any hope for sons, Solo. This rat-whore is barren like the desert she came from.

Her husband’s acidic words stung even now as the memory flooded her mind. Rey would be forever grateful that she would never be bonded to Armitage in that way, but her heart felt like it would rip to shreds every time she thought of her future with Ben and the things it would lack…

Tears blurred the edge of her vision as she mourned the future that would never be when a hand encircled hers. Lifting her gaze to Ben’s still sleeping face, the smallest of smiles curled up at the edges of her wide mouth as his fingers instinctually squeezed hers. It was soft, warm, and reassuring in a way that made her feel like he had sensed the heavyhearted feeling that had washed over her.

Try as she may, Rey knew that every single moment…everything they had suffered and endured, had all been for a reason. Every decision had led them to the place they were now, with her nestled comfortably between Ben’s chest and his arm – right where she belonged. Had something been different…if she had refused Hux and remained on Jakku, her fate might have been written in a different colored ink. She and Ben may have found each other at some point, but how much further into the darkness would he have fallen by then? Would she still have been able to help set him free?

Rey knew that if she had made any other choice, there was a chance she would be sitting in her AT-AT without Ben by her side, without any memory of her past – forever incomplete without him.

Reaching up to brush away a piece of Ben’s dark hair that had fallen into his eyes, Rey let the silken strands slide through her fingers like a ribbon, laughing softly to herself as Ben sleepily worked his jaw with a low groan.

Ben’s brows scrunched together as Rey slid the tip of her finger down the length of his aquiline nose, letting out a quiet squeal when he unexpectedly wrapped his thick arms around her and pulled her onto his chest.

Breathless from the feeling of his flesh pressed against hers, Rey was filled with a contagious joy as she looked upon Ben’s sleepy face.

“Hi,” Ben growled, reaching up to card ribbons of her chestnut hair through his long fingers, “Sleep well?”

Rey laced their fingers together and rested her chin on them from her perch on top of him.

“So much better since you were here with me.”

“Me too.”

Rey hummed softly to herself as she thought back to the night before, when she had pulled him into bed after her declaration of love – one that wasn’t mumbled from her dying lips – and nestled herself against him so that they both could bathe in the warm sense of comfort that they provided so easily to the other.

There was still so much healing for them both to do.

“Did you mean it?”

Rey lifted her eyes to meet Ben’s, and her brows instantly creased together when she found the seeds of doubt hidden behind the glimmering swirls of amber.

“Did I mean what?”

“That you love me.”

“Ben…” Rey’s heart sank when she felt him being swarmed by his own uncertainty, “

Of course

I love you. I meant what I said. I love you, I will always love you, and there will never come a day when I change my mind about that.”

Ben let a deep sigh

whoosh

past his plush lips, diverting his gaze from hers for a moment before looking back at her.

“It’s just…Snoke poisoned every happy thought, every memory of love that I had of my parents…sometimes I get these…flickers - and it’s hard to know what’s real. I wished for this so much that every moment I’ve had with you feels like a dream that I’m bound to wake up from.”

Rey reached up and slowly trailed her finger down the jagged scar that bisected his cheek, breathing a quiet sigh as she curled her fingers on either side of his face. His dark eyes darted back and forth between her hazel eyes as her gaze burned into his. Her brows creased together with the flicker of unshed tears when the thought of his torture at the hands of Snoke crossed her mind.

With a deep breath, Rey bent down and slowly pressed a kiss to his mark, deeply inhaling the smell of his skin as she lingered. The heady scent was just as powerful as the first time, all spices, smoke and earth that covered her in a warm blanket of calm that only he could provide her with.

Rey began to cover his face with a series of kisses, pressing them against each scar and each beauty mark as she mapped every inch of his flesh with her lips. When she pulled away, Ben looked back at her with a mix of awe and disbelief that weighed her heart down when she realized just how much of Snoke’s poison remained inside his heart, and how badly she wanted to be the cure.

“This is real. I’m here. We are together, and there isn’t

anything

that would dare tear us apart now. This isn’t a dream…this is real. I’m real.

My love is real.

I’d be happy to show you just how real it is…”

Rey shifted her body and smiled to herself as Ben groaned out her name as she let her hands, and her mouth, wander down his alabaster skin, roving over the stubble on his jaw and down the column of his throat.

She couldn’t help the facetious smile that spread across her face as Ben let out a frustrated sigh when she pressed her palms against the wide planes of muscle in his chest and pushed herself up on top of him. Settling her knees on either side of his waist, Rey slowly moved her hips against him with a quiet hum when Ben’s eyes closed from the sensation of her body against his.

“Rey…” he growled, somewhere between lust and impossibly stubborn reluctance as she lifted her fingers to the ribbon holding her robe closed at her waist, gingerly pulling the loop until the front fell open. His dark eyes burned into hers as she slipped the silken fabric from her shoulders and casually tossed it across the gilded room.

“I won’t break,” Rey crooned as she ground against him with another swirl of her pelvis, bending down to circle the tip of his long nose with hers, “I think it’s been enough time…don’t you think we should pick up where we left off?”

“I don’t want to hurt you…”

“

I trust you.”

Ben pressed his lips together for a moment, working his jaw back and forth as he mulled over what she was asking - and Rey could see just how badly he wanted to carry them across that line they’d flirted with for so long…and how afraid he was to do it. The fire won out as he curled his strong arm around her waist and flipped her to her back on the bed.

Rey was practically breathless with dizzying anticipation as her dark knight looked down at her, his silhouette illuminated with a halo that was painted by the early Nabooian light. She reached up to leisurely card her fingers through the shock of black hair, the way she imagined doing when he was still the faceless dark knight.

Ben closed his eyes with a sigh as he leaned into her touch, finally giving in as she pulled him down to her lips.

Rey’s eyes shot open when the buzz of a commlink across the room - and the sound of Poe Dameron’s voice - echoed into the chamber.

“

Ben, you there?”

“No…” Rey pleaded as Ben instantly stiffened in her arms, “Can’t it wait? Just for a little while?”

Ben groaned as he lifted his heavy frame from hers, and Rey practically wanted to cry from the sudden loss of his warmth on her skin. She watched him as he padded slowly across the room, his sleep pants hanging just so around his hips as he made his way to the small writing desk that was tucked in the corner.

“Could be important, Stardust.”

“You say that like it could be the fate of the entire Galaxy he’s comming about….”

Ben gave her a knowing look as he lifted the small device in his hand, “Dameron,” he snapped, eliciting a giggle from Rey from where she laid, sprawled out and naked on the bed.

“Hey, we need you to come in. There’s some new information that we need to share right away,”

Poe’s distorted voice answered.

“Tell him to sod off and come back to bed so we can finish what we started…”

Ben made a face and waved her off, turning his back to her as he stepped out into the hallway.

Rey reached out and wrapped the silken sheet around her chest as she swung her bare feet off the bed to touch the cool marble floors. The fabric trailed behind her just like so many of the elegant gowns she’d come accustomed to wearing at the Imperial Palace, following her every step as she quietly padded across the gleaming floors after him. His hushed voice echoed up the spiral staircase, the deep baritone rumbling over every step like the thunder of a summer storm simmering on the horizon.

Holding a section of the long, draping fabric to her bust, Rey curled her fingers over the ornately carved bannister and peered down to the floor below. Ben slowly walked back and forth at the bottom of the rotunda, keeping his voice low. She closed her eyes and centered herself in the warm, luminescent tapestry of life that had been weaved around her by the Force signatures of a planet that was positively teeming with life.

Ensconced in the light, Rey reached out with her feelings to brush up against Ben’s signature…just enough that he may not have been able to notice.

The darkness still swirled there, ever present, as always, but seemingly kept at bay for the time being. Remnants of the dark knight that Snoke and the Dark Side had created…and part of the man she loved. She pushed in to try and listen, but found herself distracted by the uneasy feeling she sensed around Ben.

“…she doesn’t know. No, I haven’t told her…I didn’t see the reason…I don’t recall asking for your opinion, Dameron…the queen said what?...kriffing hell…isn’t my opinion supposed to hold some sort of weight at some point, or does that not take effect until the deed is done?”

Rey pursed her lips with a deep breath as her heart thudded in her chest…what else could there be that he hadn’t told her already? She knew what had happened to Han…she had known what he’d done as Kylo Ren…she even knew about their fellow padawans that died at his hand…what else could there be?

“I can hear you, you know - little mouth breather.”

Rey couldn’t help but let out a laugh, hearing the echo of their childhood together come from him. It awakened the fond memory deep in her heart and filled her with a warmth that helped to ease her uncertainty. Her face broke into a smile as Ben came into view at the foot of the stairs with the ghost of an annoyed smile hovering at the corner of his plush mouth, “Put on your best, Majesty. We’re headed to Theed…the queen wants to see you.”

A short while later, Rey stood in front of a gilded, floor length mirror, looking over the reflection of the woman she’d been shaped into after she left the desert and her scavenger self behind. While Armitage had her shaped into the empress, Ben helped shape her back to the person she was before their time had been stolen from them, and into the person she was meant to become with him by her side.

Queen Korme had generously provided her with what she considered was a modest-sized wardrobe to suit her needs while she stayed in the Lake Country. From the perspective of the desert-girl who once was…Rey knew that it was far beyond modest for any normal, non-royalty, citizen, but she felt grateful nonetheless.

Along with a plethora of stunning, gossamer gowns that were beyond whisper soft and perfect for spending days in the grass…if Ben ever allowed her the chance…the monarch of Naboo had also made sure that Rey had a few choices of more…official…attire.

From those, Rey had selected a crimson gown that had the most subtle nods to the Nabooian culture and still felt like her as the Empress of the Imperial Republic…and whatever that practically defunct title meant for her now.

The fine shimmersilk trailed behind her on the marble floor in waves of deep red, tucking in at her narrow waist, which was accented with a wide, gold belt. A finely tailored, structured shoulder tapered out from the line of her own with subtle draping that sank down past her elbow. While the gown was regal enough, it also allowed her a great sense of movement…and sex appeal…with a deep slit that ran up the length of her muscled leg to her hip, and left one of her sun-kissed shoulders exposed.

Rey ran her hands down the silken bodice, capturing her crimson bottom lip between her teeth as she looked over her reflection, silently hoping that she looked as desirable as she felt.

Any seeds of doubt of that fact were instantly erased when Ben walked through the door and stopped dead in his tracks, swallowing a strangled cough as his dark eyes roved over every inch of her.

“Stars…” he breathed as he hovered in the doorway, “There’s just one thing missing…”

He took a heavy step forwards and curled his long fingers around hers, lifting her hand as he turned it over in his palm to press a soft kiss against the constellation of freckles on the inside of her wrist, “Come here…”

He pulled her in a slow circle, running his wide palms up the bare skin of her arm, sending an electrifying shiver down to the tips of her toes. His fingers continued to wander upwards until they reached her hair, slowly pulling the ribbons of her chestnut hair through his hands.

Rey let out a contented sigh as Ben began to slowly and masterfully braid her hair in the Alderaanian traditions his mother had taught him when he was still a boy. The feeling of his broad hands working so deftly with each strand filled her with a sense of awe at the odd hidden talent he had, and a need for him to touch her in other places.

When he was finished tucking the last strand away at the nape of her neck, Ben stepped away and came back with a delicate halo of gilded leaves. He tucked it into the collection of braids at the back of her head, leaning down to press a featherlight kiss to her freckled shoulder.

“I think you’re ready, Stardust. Shall we?”

Rey frowned at his facetious smile in the mirror, pressing her lips together with a sigh, “You know where I’d rather be…”

Ben’s grin melted away when he met her eyes in their shared reflection, and he slowly let his fingers drift down the curve of her shoulder to curl around her waist, “All in due time…be patient.”

Rey pursed her lips and spun around in his arms, lifting her hand to lay it against the scar on his cheek, “Don’t you think we’ve waited long enough?”

Ben caught her hand with his own and pulled it to his lips, laying a molten kiss into her palm that was filled with everything she wanted that he was too scared to give…

“They’re expecting us.”

Her mood sufficiently soured from the interruption of their delicious moment that morning, Rey followed Ben down the spiral staircase of the villa, to the landing pad at the back of the house where their borrowed J-type 327 Nubian royal starship sat gleaming in the bright, midday sunlight.

Rey gathered the crimson shimmersilk of her gown in her hands as she climbed the boarding ramp into the belly of the royal chromium-plated ship. Ben was already waiting for her in the cockpit once she was on board, looking over his shoulder with a smile from the co-pilot’s seat.

Her face lit up like a small child on Life Day when her eyes darted from his to the empty pilot’s seat next to him.

“She’s all yours, Sweetheart.”

Rey breathed an excited sigh as she tucked the long skirt behind her and slid into the seat, practically vibrating with anticipation as she brushed her fingers over the controls. With the flip of a few switches and the press of a button, the sublight engine roared to life. She shifted her gaze to meet his as he reached across the control panel to assist her with the ghost of the signature Solo smirk hovering at the corners of his mouth.

“I know what you’re trying to do, Solo.”

“What’s that, your Highnessness?”

“You’re placating me.”

“

Placating you?

I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about.”

“Mmmhmm…distract me with shiny ships all you want. It won’t work…for long…” Rey grinned, helpless to the thrill of the powerful ship whose controls belonged to her for the moment. She curled her fingers around the joystick, pulling back to lift the vessel effortlessly into the air before sending them hurtling over the Nabooian Lake Country.

It wasn’t long before the lake-dotted countryside blended into the green-domed cityscape of the planet’s capital, Theed. Rey brought the ship over the city, pulling back on the thrust as they circled around the Theed Royal Palace to the hanger entrance that sat along the cliff’s edge.

Rey brought the lustrous starship down to softly land inside the hanger, and practically burst out of her seat when she saw who waited for them in the welcome party.

All pomp and circumstance of the station of Empress quickly forgotten, Rey flew from her seat - the waves of crimson fabric billowing out behind her - as she bolted out of the belly of the ship and down the ramp, instantly colliding with her friend, Rose Tico.
 
Rey instinctually wrapped her arms around the small, young woman, squeezing her until she practically pulled all the air from her. Holding her out at arm’s length, Rose was beaming from ear to ear as she looked over her Empress.

“Stars! Oh, my lady, I am so happy to see you! You look incredible…so much better than when….” Silent, joyful tears brimmed on Rose’s dark lashes as she tucked her bottom lip between her teeth with a smile, “I’m sorry…you were just in the most terrible shape when you got here, and I hadn’t seen you in so long before then…I’m just…I’m so happy, my lady.”

Rey grinned down at her friend before ensconcing her in her arms all over again, her heart feeling so incredibly full being back with her friend - who had been her guide and her rock since the very beginning of her journey as Empress.

“Rey.

Please.

I think that you and I have been through enough in our time together to be on a first name basis, don’t you think so? Plus…if we’re going to overthrow the Emperor…it’s not like I’ll be Empress of the First Order if there isn’t one, right?” Rey smiled, looking over Rose’s shoulder to the group of people waiting behind her.

Rose turned to face where Rey’s gaze was directed, lifting her palm out to bring the Empress’ attention to a beautiful, black haired girl with dark, almond-shaped eyes standing just steps away, “

Rey,

this is my sister, Paige.”

Rey extended her hand to meet hers with one of her dazzling smiles, grinning from ear to ear as she came face-to-face with her companion’s favorite person, “Pleasure to meet you at last, Rey.”

“Paige, I have heard so much about you. The pleasure is mine, truly.”

Rey’s face ached by the time she’d said hello to the people who had been there waiting for her when they landed…the same people who tirelessly searched for her when Hux had snatched her away to Jakku, and those who were there waiting for her when she woke up.

They led her down a corridor, and Ben quickly caught up to their party, silently slipping his hand into hers as their footsteps echoed high up into the towering, sandstone ceilings.

Rey quickly lost count of the twists and turns they took as they made their way away from the hanger and up a sweeping, marbled staircase into an exquisitely prodigious rotunda. At the center of the sprawling, window-lined room was a stately, half-moon throne with a collection of gilded chairs surrounding it.

Only moments after they’d arrived in the throne room and the sound of their combined footsteps evaporated into nothing somewhere at the top of the towering columns, the sound of new footsteps echoed out from an adjoining hallway.

The party surrounding them sank back to their backs, leaving Ben and Rey alone, but united together as the Queen of Naboo approached them.

Dressed from head to toe in a structured, white gown with billowing sleeves that stretched towards the floor, Queen Korme Trualla’s face remained stoic beneath the traditional red and white makeup of the Nabooian monarch.

The Queen’s white-blonde hair was twisted into a series of intricate braids at the back of her head, with an elaborate headdress perched precariously on the crown of her head. Glittering stones laid on her forehead in a convex shape, lining the gold and white beaded panel that provided a foundation for the collection of gold and white loops that fanned out around her head like a grandiose halo. Fine, handcrafted beads hung like delicate curtains on either side of her face - that Korme was miraculously keeping nearly perfectly still with every step she took.

Her green eyes glittered as she stepped towards Rey with her hands clasped in front of her white gown, bowing her head ever slightly as the two queens in their own right stood face-to-face for the first time.

“Empress, what an honor to have you here with us in Theed.”

Rey inclined her head with an awed smile, “Oh, the honor is surely all mine, Highness. I appreciate all that you’ve done for me…” Rey reached out and tangled her fingers with Ben’s, “…for us. I’ll be forever grateful.”

The ghost of a smile appeared on the petite queen’s face, hovering under the surface of her ceremonial makeup, “I take it that you and Lord Solo have been enjoying your time at Varykino?”

Rey felt puzzled for a moment, looking up at Ben for the answer.

“It has been pleasant staying at my family’s ancestral home, thank you Highness,” Ben remarked from beside her.

“Excellent,” Korme murmured, her face regaining her stately composure as her gaze remained with Ben, “I do believe that the Resistance leaders are eager to speak with you, Your Grace. If you would follow me.”

Rey’s eyes met Ben’s for a split second, tilting her head as she silently fidgeted with the rings on her finger, “Before…before you go…could I have a word?”

Ben rubbed his palms together, like they were itching to be nervously shoved into a set of pockets as they stepped to the side, under the gaze of the entire party who’d followed them from the hanger. Standing in the golden light that streamed in from a towering window, Rey looked up at the dark knight, caging her crimson lip between her teeth as she sucked in an anxious breath, “What’s going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ve been staying at your family’s

ancestral

home…

Your Grace?

What is she talking about? Why do the Resistance leaders need to speak with you?”

Ben gazed down at her, slowly working his jaw back and forth like he was carefully selecting the words to say to her as he scrubbed the back of his neck with his palm, “They, uh…Rey, listen…”

Rey backed away like she had been scalded, preparing for bad news when Ben quickly tried to catch up and reel her back in, “They need to talk to me because my grandmother was Queen of Naboo.”

“And?”

“…and my grandfather was Anakin Skywalker…err, Darth Vader…”

“As in…

Luke Skywalker?”

“Before Snoke, my mother, Leia Organa Skywalker, was the Empress of the Imperial Republic, which makes me…”

“…the true Emperor…” Rey breathed, practically reeling from the news.

“While…while you were asleep…they needed my help, and…something told me that it was time.”

Rey couldn’t help the feelings of frustration that bubbled beneath the surface, in spite of the anxiety that was rolling off of him in waves, “When was that

something

going to tell you that it was time to tell…I don’t know…me?”

“Rey…” Ben pleaded, glancing darkly over his shoulder to the many pairs of eyes that were glued to them, scattering them as soon as his dark eyes looked their way.

“I don’t understand,” Rey whispered, with tears pooling on the edge of her lashes, “Why keep it a secret?”

“It wasn’t a secret. It was just part of me that I wasn’t interested in sharing. It wasn’t important then,” Ben leaned down to bring his gaze down to her level, the molten amber of his eyes silently beseeching her to understand, “

It is now.

”

“Ben! Come on, buddy, we gotta get a move on!” a voice called out across the cavernous rotunda. Ben reluctantly pulled his gaze from hers with a grimace, and looked across the marbled floor to Poe’s expectant face.

He turned back to Rey and curled his long fingers around hers, giving her hand a tug, “You can come too, you know. I don’t have any secrets from you…not anymore.”

Rey closed her eyes for a moment and let a steadying breath

whoosh

past her red lips, before giving Ben a small nod and a subtle squeeze of his hand to say,

I trust you.

They walked side-by-side down the adjoining hallway, and Rey turned for only a moment to blow a kiss to her friend that she was leaving behind in the throne room.

Near the end of the lofty corridor, their party turned into what appeared to be a briefing room of sorts, that looked to be the center of operations for the The Resistance. Some familiar faces stood around a round table with a large, blue hologram of a planet floating above the center.

A statuesque woman dressed in an elegant, grey gown with stacks of wavy purple hair strode over with an outstretched hand, ensconcing Rey’s with her own, “A pleasure to finally meet you, Rey. We’ve heard so much about you for a very long time,” the woman beamed as her blue eyes glittered with excitement.

“Rey, this is Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo,” Ben nodded, “She’s the leader of The Resistance and….she’s the reason we were able to find you on Jakku…and the reason we both got out of there alive…”

Rey let out a slow breath as her mind flickered back to the memory of seeing Ben’s face when she slowly trudged down the ramp of an Upsilon Class command shuttle - beaten, broken, and starved. There were nights when she’d wake up, wondering how much longer she would have made it there if Ben hadn’t arrived when he did…

“Thank you,” her voice was barely above a whisper as the admiral’s fingers lingered around hers. Holdo gave her a knowing smile before looking up to Ben and stepping away towards the hologram, flipping a switch that led to a fuzzy, blue holovid of Rey’s face glowering up at her husband. The image of her memory - told from the perspective of what the rest of the galaxy saw - sent a chill down Rey’s spine along with an instinctual flinch when the image showed the moment Armitage had brutally knocked her head over feet down the sprawling staircase. Rey lifted her hands to her face, where the ghost of his touch was still burned into her skin from time to time, “When Emperor Hux publicly admitted to his actions, and struck you on the steps of the Imperial Palace, he showed his true colors to

everyone.

It ignited something within the people…and within the senate. They didn’t take kindly to the murdering usurper who’d do what he did to their beloved Empress.”

“That was only a fraction of the hell I lived in,” Rey murmured, reaching out to curl her fingers around Ben’s arm, who had instantly gone stiff at the sight of what Hux had done. She sent waves of her love and calm through their connection, whispering in her mind over and over as his seething anger fed the darkness that licked at the edges of his light.

It’s okay. I’m here. I’m okay. We’re okay.

Rey looked up at him, taking a step closer when she jaw the twitch of his jaw, and the tense way his lips were pursed, pressing her body against his as Holdo continued on, “We’ve made some progress at keeping things under control in the Senate without him there…but it’s a hard situation to control without a present leader. The Resistance has been building its forces for some time, but we need more.”

“How much more?” Rey pressed.

“Hux has

The Supremacy,

and half a fleet of star destroyers at his disposal. He’s been holed up on Arkanis for weeks…and the reports aren’t good.”

“What reports?” Ben questioned, his voice a menacing growl.

“He…it appears that he has reignited some sort of training program that was active under the Empire, we just aren’t sure of what it is yet,” Poe chimed in, switching the holo at the center of the room back to an image of the old Imperial-sympathetic planet.

“What can we do?” Rey looked to her old friend with a stubborn hint of a smile.

“That’s where our boy Ben comes in.”

“We’d like you to keep conversing with Finn about spreading the word through the remaining stormtrooper squadrons and star destroyers that remain in the control of the Imperial Republic, and, when the time is right, you’ll step forward,” Holdo reached out and pressed another button on the control board, making the fuzzy image disappear.

“Why not now?” Poe questioned from his perch on the other side of the room.

“We need to garner as much support within the Imperial Republic as we can…spread the word. Make sure we have enough people on our side before we risk sending Ben into the thick of it.”

“Lady, the thick of it is where we live,” Poe argued, “Why don’t we just barrel in there with guns blazing…where’s your positive attitude? I’ve been there with those guys…they aren’t just some droids in a helmet…they’re men who loved her as much as the rest of you.”

“Me?” Rey inquired from where she stood, quietly soaking in as much information as she could while they remained at the palace.

“You and Leia. The people were fond of their Empresses…I’ll give them that,” Holdo sighed as she reached down below the projection table, “She was one of the best…and, speaking of Leia. I have something for you, Ben…there’s another reason we called you here.”

The admiral stepped around the circular table to where they stood together, holding out a small, circular object. She reached out and captured Ben’s hand, placing whatever it was in his palm, “We…we found this in what was left of her quarters. She left very specific instructions not to give it to you until you were ready…”

Rey looked down at Ben’s hand as he slowly rolled the metal object over in his broad palm, as a cacophony of emotions swirled around him like a storm at sea. Holdo stepped around them with a respectful nod and a smile at Rey, and was quickly followed by Poe and the rest who had been hovering at the edges of the projection table. Poe paused by their side and reached up to clap a hand on Ben’s shoulder, “We’re gonna leave you guys alone for a bit so you can see what she’s left for you…”

“Thanks,” Ben murmured, his gravelly voice barely a whisper while his dark eyes stayed glued to whatever it was Holdo had given to him.

Ben took a solid step away from Rey, wandering to the outskirts of the darkened room to settle himself onto a narrow bench. Rey followed behind him, watching every twitch of his eye and shallow, shaky breath he took. He lifted the item in question and pressed a small, circular button on the edge. Rey let out a soft gasp when a familiar face with dark eyes…eyes like Ben’s…erupted from the center of the holo in Ben’s palm.

She felt him practically seize up beside her as the voice of Leia Organa, his mother, rang out into the room. Rey’s eyes darted from Ben’s to the image emitting from the holo and back, waiting for some sort of reaction to surface from his impassive face.

His emotions rolled off of him in dizzying waves…everything from heartbreaking grief to blistering anger, but the only thing that emerged on his face was the occasional twinge in his clenched jaw, and the subtle press of his lips that parted when she said his name.

Ben. My darling. My little Starfighter. If you’re watching this, then I’m not around anymore. I know that this isn’t something you want…at least not now…you’re a seventeen-year-old nerfherder with an attitude. I don’t blame you. This wasn’t my first choice, either. Not like this, anyway.

I thought I could manage it…I thought I could do both: be a mother to both you and the galaxy. But I couldn’t…and you suffered for that. I’m so sorry.

I saw you today, like this…through a holo, and I want you to know that, more than anything, I wish I could have been a better mother to you. I wish I could have been the mother you deserved. And while I regret it in moments, there’s other times I don’t.

Ben, I hear so many stories of your life at the Great Temple from Luke…and the one thing there that truly makes you happy…she fills your heart and brings you balance.

My brother tells me that you call her Stardust.

Rey’s breath caught in her throat at the mention of her childhood nickname, and her heart thudded against her rib cage as she looked up at Ben - who still stared back at his mother - who paused for a moment to offer a forlorn smile from the hazy blue of the holo.

I realize that you’re seventeen and she’s…she’s just a little girl now, but it won’t be that way for long. You are two of a kind. Force-bonded, from what Luke says. I hope that you’ll have enough time together to be able to explore what that means.

But…leave it to me to get off topic in my own death note…that’s only one of the things I wanted to tell you. If I’m gone, that means that you’ll be the Emperor. I can only hope of when that will happen…if you’ll be ready…but whenever you decide that the time is right, I’m sure there will be some obstacles in your way.

We have evidence of growing factions of what was left of the Empire scattered in the Unknown Regions. There’s been more attacks as of late, and a blooming training program on Arkanis that has us concerned that they are raising a new generation of Stormtroopers from children stolen from their beds.

“Finn,” Rey whispered into the dark as a chill ricocheted down her spine.

The Empire is returning, and they feel smarter, somehow. Whoever they’ve got on their side is clever, and is keeping all of us on our toes. I pray that it doesn’t get too far before we can take control again.

The point is…what was my point? Oh, right.

Ben. Learn from me, I beg you. I only knew a life of politics, and didn’t know how to step away and achieve the balance that I so desperately craved. I wanted to be with you and be together as a family more than you will ever know. I miss you every day. And there isn’t a day that I don’t wish I could go back and have just a little more time with you, my boy. Do better than me. I’m sure it can be done. Work at it. Love your family. Love her…and then be a leader. Lead together. But most importantly…find the balance. DO what I couldn’t.

I miss you more than you know…

Leia’s fuzzy, tear-strewn image reached out towards her son as silver, pearl-shaped tears of her own trailed hot tracks down Rey’s cheeks.

I love you, Ben.

“I know,” he murmured from beside her, as still as a statue as the image disappeared and left them alone in the dark. Rey tentatively reached out to brush her fingers, and the soft tendrils of her signature, up against him. Ben reacted quickly, and not at all how Rey expected, flinching at her touch and quickly bringing himself to stand. He took a shaky breath as he looked down at the holo in his palm, setting it down on the table before turning on his heel to stride purposefully out the door.

By the time Rey got to her feet and dashed out into the corridor after him, Ben was nearly out of sight. She lifted her heavy, crimson skirt and ran after him as quickly as she could. Her gown billowed out behind her in cloud-like waves as she slid around a corner and nearly collided with Poe.

“Whoa! Hey Stardust! You don’t happen to be chasing after that dark cloud that just passed by, are you?” he grinned. Rey gave him a small shove with a frustrated smile as she slipped past him and called over her shoulder, “Be serious for once in your life, Dameron!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Empress!”

Rey followed the trail of shaken Resistance and Naboo people, alike…each one looking a little more offended than the last as she made her way into the hanger and finally caught a glimpse of Ben, as he purposefully strode towards their borrowed ship. As she caught up to him, they passed by a bewildered looking Admiral Holdo. Ben barked out a gruff, “We’re leaving. Thanks for the invite, Admiral.”

Rey paused for only a moment to shake Holdo’s hand and offer a sympathetic smile as she chased him up the ramp - just in time for the sublight engine to roar to life. She felt the ship shift beneath her feet as she bound into the cockpit, breathless from chasing him through the winding hallways of what felt like was the entire palace.

“Were…were you planning on waiting for me?”

Rey glared at him as she stepped over to the co-pilot’s seat and plopped down into the supple leather to catch her breath. Ben stared straight ahead as he pulled the ship through the wide-open door of the hanger and out into the bright, Nabooian afternoon light. When Rey’s gaze didn’t falter, Ben merely shrugged as he pushed the throttle forward, “You’re here, aren’t you?”

“That’s not the point, Solo.”

“What is the point, your Majesty?”

“…do you want to talk about it?”

Ben let out a groan, scrubbing his palm over his face in frustration as he refused to look at her, “Do I look like I want to talk about it?”

“That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t. I mean, maybe at some point…she did have some interesting things to say…we’re…

Force-bonded

? What does that mean?”

“Fairytales spun by a delusional old man.”

“

Ben.

You of all people…”

“I of all people, what, Rey? What was I supposed to do with that holo? What was everyone expecting that I would do? I didn’t need to hear from her that she wasn’t enough of a mother to me…I lived it. I felt it. At least you had yours for a little while.”

Rey let out a soft sob at his callous reminder of Elara, and the painful memory it elicited in her mind.

“That’s not fair. We both lost more than anyone on that day…I just thought…I thought that there might be an explanation for

this

thing between us,” Rey pointed back and forth between the two of them in the snug cockpit, “Didn’t you ever wonder what it was that pulled us together this whole time?”

“I didn’t need an answer for what you were…what you

are

to me, Rey,” Ben’s voice was suddenly a little softer, while his dark eyes remained hard and hyper focused out the front of the ship, “You were the only thing that ever felt right to me. I just…I wish that the middle wasn’t left out…”

Rey settled back in her seat as she watched him slowly work his jaw back and forth with the subtle shine of tears in his eyes. His emotions were still wreaking havoc on him as their ship hurtled across the lush, wide-open plains that were leading them back to the Lake Country.

She longed to be there now, back in their secluded bubble, where they could pick up where they had left off that morning…but that was all the more than likely gone, evaporated like water in the desert as soon as Leia Organa delivered the first words of her message to Ben.

The pair of them remained silent for the remainder of the relatively short voyage. Ben continued to stare straight ahead while Rey absentmindedly fiddled with a stray lock of hair that had snuck out of her braid, centering herself in the warmth of the Force that washed over her with each breath she took.

The minutes ticked by like hours in silence, with only the thunderous sound of the engines to keep them company, so it was a relief when the Millaflower dotted hillsides surrounding Varykino came into view.

Ben pulled back on the throttle and brought the chromium-plated starship around to the landing pad at the back of the villa, darkly rising to his feet the instant he disengaged the engines.

With a sigh, Rey slowly rose to her feet and trailed after him, taking her time as she made her way down the loading ramp and into the pristine quiet that the secluded Lake Country provided. She lifted her face to the sun, letting the delicate beams of light kiss her face and fill her up from the outside in with its warmth.

When she opened her eyes again to head into the villa, Rey reached down and tore the golden shoes from her feet, smiling to herself at the feeling of comfort the sun-warmed stone gave to her bare feet that were still aching from running after Ben in the palace.

She was stiff and soft, desperately out of practice from where she and her dark knight had left off during their training sessions on Ahch-to and at the Imperial Palace. Her muscles ached for something to do, and Rey had just the ticket.

With her shoes in hand, Rey strode into the sprawling mansion and climbed the swirling staircase to her bedroom, shearing the gown from her body as soon as she crossed the threshold. She strode into the closet Queen Korme had arranged for her, smiling to herself as she saw bits of Rose’s influence everywhere.

Rey plucked a pair of black leggings from a drawer, and a feminine breast band that would lend proper support, but leave just enough to the imagination. As she pulled on the dark fabric, she instantly felt more free without the exquisite, yet sometimes claustrophobic cage that her gowns gave her.

Stretching her arms over her head, Rey stepped back down the staircase and wandered through the foyer to the wide, flower-lined terrace. She pulled a long, dry branch from the ground and gave it a tentative spin in her palm to test the feel of it.

It responded perfectly in her hands, so Rey reached out and spun it in a wide circle in the opposite direction, bringing her left hand in to rotate it over her head, bringing it down with a swift

whoosh.

Rey lost herself to the movements as she went through her paces one after the other, letting it come back to her like muscle memory.

Parry. Dodge. Thrust. Parry. Dodge again.

She kept her eyes focused on the silvery ripples on the lake at her front, timing her movements effortlessly with the waves as they washed on shore in a steady beat over and over again.

Dodge. Parry. Thrust. Parry.

Caught in the trance-like web her movements weaved around her, Rey practically jumped out of her skin when a deep voice rang out behind her.

“What are you up to, Stardust?”

She set the base of her makeshift staff onto the stone surface of the terrace and peered over her shoulder to meet Ben’s eye, “Why don’t you come over here and find out?”

She could see the hint of the lopsided, signature Solo smirk from the corner of her eye, and it filled her with a desperate need to play…that need spurred on further by his answer.

“I don’t know if I’m in the mood to spar…”

“What, afraid you’ll lose again?” Rey turned on her heel to grin facetiously as Ben looked at her thoughtfully, but wordlessly, “Come on…loth-cat got your tongue?”

Ben merely smiled and shook his head as he pushed off from the pillar he had been leaning against and turned around to walk back inside.

Ever the quick thinker, Rey broke off a piece of the branch and hurled it straight at him. He stopped in his tracks when the bit of wood nailed him square in the back of the head, turning slowly to face her with a newfound fire in his eyes.

“Oh, you’re going to regret that, Sweetheart.”

Rey let out a soft gasp as he stepped forward, simultaneously stripping the navy pocket jacket from his wide, muscled shoulders, flinging it behind him as he kept his dark eyes trained on her.

“Oh, I certainly hope so, Solo. Come and do your worst…” Rey purred, bending into a crouch as Ben surged forward.

Fueled by pure instinct, Rey bounded over the top of him, using her palms against the thick ropes of corded muscle of his back to catapult to her feet behind him. Rey reached out with her finger and tapped him on the shoulder with a coy smile that only grew as he spun on his feet to face her with a look of pure amazement on his long face, “How did you…?”

“Is that all you’ve got? Don’t go easy on me, Ben. I told you…<i>

I won’t break.</i>

” Rey retorted as she stretched her long arms over her head, smiling to herself when Ben’s gaze instantly flickered down to the bare expanse of finely toned abdomen. She bent back down to a crouch, her Cheshire grin only growing with the fire in her eyes and in her belly as he pounced.

Rey moved with him as he reached for her legs to throw her over his back, rolling along his shoulders to land back on her feet with a feline-like grace. Before Ben had a chance to react, Rey shifted to the ground and swung her leg out to sweep him off his feet.

He landed on his back with a groan and a strangled laugh, with a hint of that signature Solo smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth as Rey stood over him with a frown, her hands on her hips, “As fun as this is…could you try, just a little?”

Rey held out a hand expectantly, that Ben looked down at for a moment before grasping ahold of her hand to let her pull him to his feet. He didn’t act as expected, though, coiling his long fingers around her forearm and

pulled,

wrapping his long, muscular legs around her torso as he flipped her to her back.

Rey reacted quickly, using their shared momentum to keep them turning, breathlessly landing on top of him. She ran her tongue over the seam of her mouth hungrily as she captured her bottom lip between her teeth, her body practically thrumming with the feeling of his chest beneath her palms and his hips between her thighs.

Rey smiled down at him as she slowly rolled her pelvis, leaning down against his chest close enough that she could nearly steal his breath with a kiss. Ben groaned from beneath her as his palms grazed the supple curve of her ass to her waist, pulling her closer to his chest as he murmured in a gravelly whisper, “I don’t give up that easy, scavenger.”

With a grunt, Ben curled his arm around her waist and flipped her to her back, his gaze positively smoldering in a way that made that same delicious heat curl up, deep in her belly. Rey reached up with a quiet hum and cupped the line of his jaw, slowly running the tip of her thumb across his plush lips - lips that were oh so ripe for kissing.

Rey wrapped her arms around his neck while she blinked up at him, filled with a desperate need for more…but not yet. Now was the time to play, and it felt so good and so right to feel his body pressed against hers in the late afternoon sun. It summoned the memories of the first time they’d sparred together in the Imperial Palace, when their connection flickered to life in a wild fury, burning just as brightly as it was today.

Rey understood it better now than she did then, back when her entire life was a mystery to her. Now, with her understanding of the Force and all the things Kylo…Ben…taught her, she was stronger and smarter than she had been before.

“One point for you,” Rey breathed as she quickly hooked her toes around his calves, flipping him over her head to the stone with a roar in a single, fluid motion. She pressed her knee to his chest with a breathless grin, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she caught her breath, “Kriffing hell, you’re heavy.”

“Getting tired already?” Ben growled with a lopsided smile as he tried to pull himself up from the stone. Rey pushed down with all her weight to keep him pinned beneath her, biting her bottom lip when his hands wandered as far as they could up her thighs. She swallowed the moan that threatened to escape her lips as his fingers trailed ever higher, looking down at him with a playful glimmer in her eyes.

“I could do this all day,” Rey taunted him, lingering for a moment with a smile before releasing him from the delectable trap she had caught him in.

Ben slowly brought himself to his full height, the molten amber of his eyes burning into hers as he slowly strode towards her. He bent his gaze to meet hers as he closed the space between them, and their connection thrummed deliciously.

Rey sucked in a stuttering breath as he reached out to cup her freckled cheek in his palm.

“We-we’re not finished yet, Solo. I won’t accept your surrender.”

“Stardust,” he murmured, the deep baritone of his voice rumbling deep in his chest…so close that Rey could feel the sound of his voice on her skin. Rey sighed as she helplessly leaned into his touch, letting it simultaneously satiate her craving to feel him against her, and light a brighter fire that burned fervently around them.

“Yes?” she breathed, looking up through her lashes to meet his gaze.

“I haven’t surrendered shit.”

Before Rey had a chance to react, Ben reached behind her neck and across her shoulders, flipping her over his back, but Rey countered quickly, throwing her weight with her legs to throw him off balance.

The pair of them happily sparred until the sun started to dip closer to the horizon as the afternoon began to blend into evening, effortlessly shifting the power balance from one to the other as the heat of the day grew with each passing minute. The molding of their bodies was uncomplicated and easy, like pure intuition as they breathed heavily, but synchronized perfectly together, anticipating the other’s next move before they moved a muscle.

The sweat began to bead up on their brows, and Rey’s lungs ached as Ben pulled her to her feet from the last impossibly acrobatic way he molded her body around his to throw her to the ground. She stood with her hands on her waist, an exhausted, yet content grin hovering on her lips.

Rey’s skin had been set aflame by the contact they’d shared over and over…each movement with their bodies intertwined only added more fuel to the relentless fire that burned inside her. She ran her tongue across her lips as she caught her breath, and gazed hungrily across the terrace towards Ben, who had long discarded his shirt.

His broad chest steadily rose and fell, catching the delicate beams of the afternoon light in the sheen of sweat that hugged every sinewy line of hard muscle. Her fingertips twitched at her sides, as they longed to reach out and follow the curves of his chest and beyond.

For the first time in a long time…since they’d last been alone on Coruscant, Rey finally felt like they were experiencing true joy together…the special camaraderie she had with him, and only him. He was the one who spoke the same language as her soul, and was fluent in the prose of her body, knowing instinctively which string to pluck to make it sing.

The Empress took a solid step forward with a challenging stare and a smile hovering on her lips as a shaky breath blew past her lips, “So…have you had enough?”

Ben took a heavy step closer with a scorching look in his eye, his chest heaving as they drew closer together. Rey began to think that her breathlessness had less to do with their sparring and more to do with the thrilling anticipation of what was coming next…

The dark knight closed the space between them, reaching up to pull the braids in the back of her hair free, undoing his expert handiwork from earlier as her chestnut hair fell free, past her shoulders. He mashed his plush lips together, his dark eyes never leaving hers for a second as he ever so slowly bent down and growled, “Not even close…”

Ben ducked down and curled his arms around her knees, easily tossing her over his bare shoulder, letting out a loud, booming laugh when a girlish squeal escaped her. He swiftly carried her inside and up the sprawling staircase, not letting up on his quick pace for a split second as he rounded the corner into the cavernous bedroom.

Rey’s heart thudded wildly in her chest when the bed came into view, thinking hungrily to herself that now was the moment…now was the time that they were finally,

finally

going to cross that line…but Ben bypassed it completely and instead took her into the ‘fresher and unceremoniously dumped her into the colossal bathtub.

The signature, lopsided Solo smirk was on full display as she gaped up at him in confusion. A boyish laugh rang out into the marbled lined space, echoing out as his smile grew, “Take a bath, Highness. We’re going out.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rose Tico let out a long sigh as she watched the never-ending stream of speeder traffic whiz by in their mesmerizing grid across the Coruscant sky. She couldn’t say that she missed the steady buzz and wail of the millions of vehicles, and the other notes to the cacophony of sound that the ecumenopolis painted around her in the bright light of day. Being on Naboo since Hux’s thugs tried to have her jailed for being a part of the so-called plot to assassinate the Empress was filling her with a quiet peace that Rose welcomed. There were times when she missed the day-to-day with the Galaxy’s queen...her friend, Rey...but she was more than grateful that she wasn’t stuck in that gilded cage any longer - that none of them were. 
 
She had been assigned to a secret detail at the Palace by Vice-Admiral Holdo months before the Emperor even set foot on Jakku to fetch the girl who would become his bride. Her mission was to be a fly on the wall, to learn the ins and outs of the daily life, and report back any interesting details of the Emperor’s goings-on that would be of interest to the Resistance. 
 
While Rose was reluctant to leave her sister, Paige, behind, Rose was thrilled to be able to support the cause - their cause - in a way that only she could.
 
It was a happy accident when she had been assigned, by an ignorant Vania Flast, to the new Empress’s detail. No one knew when she first arrived what kind of impact that Rey would end up having on the Resistance.
 
At first, the Emperor had been kind, and in turn, kinder to everyone else around the Imperial Palace. He was still maintaining the charade of a good king for as long as he possibly could, but as time went by after the wedding, the cracks began to show.
 
Rose’s heart had ached when she’d lovingly tucked a bruised and beaten Rey into her bed after she met the cold and calculated fury of her husband. She’d patched her up as best as she could - but there was only so much that bacta could do - and then she had snuck away to relay a message to the Resistance of what had transpired, but they insisted it wasn’t enough. They needed concrete proof. Something big. Something that would make the public turn their loyalty away from the bastard emperor and his cold-hearted ways. 
 
There were times that Rose wondered if she should have listened to the little voice in her head that wanted to let Kylo Ren pass through the Empress’ door after he’d clearly come bolting down the corridors of the Imperial Palace to be by her side. She could tell, even then, that there was something special between the two of them...something that she could barely understand at the time. Maybe if she had let him in, against Rey’s wishes for her not to be seen in her state, maybe he could have taken her away before things got so much worse.
 
When the dark knight had discovered a series of new plots to eliminate the Empress after her kidnapping and subsequent rescue at the hands of the Guavian Death Gang - something Rose knew now was something that had been ordered by her own husband - and took her away for her own safety, she was anxious to watch her friend leave. At first, she wondered if it was because, deep down, Rose was afraid for Rey...when really, her own journey was about to accelerate at a blindingly furious pace that she wasn’t prepared for.
 
After the very public departure of his wife, and the whispers about him that followed, Emperor Hux set about finding the true culprit of these malicious plots. Rose knew it was all bantha fodder to help him bide the time until the people of the galaxy saw him for who he truly was - a monster. 
 
On the day her time at the palace was declared over, Rose could feel the Imperial guards closing in. They’d cornered her in the Empress’ apartments and slapped a pair of binders on her, to publicly march her out the corridors of the Imperial Palace. Lucky for Rose, she had friends in the right places, and instead of a labor camp, she was dropped off in the safe hands of her sister, Paige, and the rest of the growing Resistance on Coruscant.
 
The time went by quickly after that, once she was at the center of the Resistance, and even more so after the Emperor publicly and foolishly declared his crimes for the entire galaxy to hear. They finally had the proof they needed to bring him down, but it came at a steep cost.
 
Rose was terrified when a stony-faced Poe stepped off the back of a shuttle with not one, but two grav-stretchers in tow. Between her and Poe, neither Ben or Rey was alone while the Resistance breathlessly waited for them to wake up.
 
When it came to Kylo Ren...or the man who he was beneath the dark exterior, Ben Solo...Rose might have been one of the only people in the galaxy who wasn’t intimidated by him. He’d tried once or twice, and failed miserably, in her opinion. It didn’t take long for Rose to start to see the cracks in the dark, metaphorical armor he wore...and who put them there.
 
The dark knight’s fondness for the Empress wasn’t something that Rose understood right away. As time wore on, and Rey started to come out of the dark cloud she’d succumbed to because of the limitless mistreatment at the hands of her husband, Rose’s gratitude for the mysterious, masked man grew stronger.
 
She couldn’t claim to understand how the Force worked. Growing up on Hays Minor with only whispers and legends of a man named Luke Skywalker, the Force was something more akin to a fairytale than something tangible and real. As a little girl on the impoverished mining colony, Rose dreamed of what life was like in the time before the First Order...before the New Republic...before the Empire, in a time where fairytales were real and families weren’t torn apart to turn stolen children into soldiers.
 
Rose could see it, now. She still didn’t understand, but being close to Rey and seeing what she could do...what Ben Solo could do, and the way the pair of them were so impossibly connected and intertwined mystified her in a way she couldn’t describe. 
 
Things were changing - and fast. The Resistance was growing, the false Emperor had run, and the son of their beloved Empress-long passed, Leia Organa-Solo, had stepped forward to take what was rightfully his and begin to make things right. 
 
Ben Solo had insisted, with the encouragement of Poe Dameron, that Rey be allowed as much time as possible to recover from what Hux had done. Coming back from the dead wasn’t something that needed to be rushed, apparently. 
 
Rose wouldn’t dare argue...she could see just how much Rey needed the rest, even after weeks convalescing in the Theed Royal Palace. Her Empress needed time, and the Resistance needed to find a way to give it to her.
 
They knew that Hux had been up to something...causing problems in small mining systems and settlements on worlds in the Outer Rim with his remaining fleet, but they had yet to find out what. Snap Wexley had come back from a mission with something they desperately needed - a contact close enough to the fallen Emperor that they could extract some sort of information from without giving themselves away.  
 
Now, in the brilliantly bright light of Coruscant Prime, Rose lifted her hand to shield her eyes from the shards of sunlight that bounced off the colossal skyscrapers that pierced the radiantly blue sky. She had been waiting not-so-patiently for hours for Poe and Finn to return from their secret rendezvous with their contact and, hopefully, have some new information along with it.

Rose tried not to pace back and forth on the landing platform, and instead tugged anxiously at the long, black sleeves of the angular coat she wore. The straight collar brushed the bottom curve of her jaw, cutting down into a deep v at her throat and cinching in at her waist...giving her just enough of an edge to stand out and blend in with the Coruscanti and not give herself away. 
 
She lifted her eyes out across Galactic City with a sigh, taking in the stark sight of the mammoth ziggurat that rose up on the horizon. There was so much history...so much that had happened in the nearly two years since Rey had arrived on the thriving ecumenopolis - where she would become the galaxy’s queen. The last time she’d seen her friend was the brief visit that she and Ben had made to the Theed Royal Palace at Vice-Admiral Holdo’s request. It wasn’t nearly enough time, but Rose was more than grateful to have seen her treasured friend one last time before they made way on their journey to the Capitol.  
 
The thunderous sound of a speeder approaching the landing bay drew her attention away from the Imperial Palace in the distance. The sleek navy and silver XJ-6 airspeeder circled overhead before coming into a slow landing on the durasteel landing platform. 
 
Rose shielded her eyes from the rush of cool air as the speeder settled down on the tarmac, and watched as Poe hopped over the side of the hull and strode over to her with a hardened expression. Finn walked around the far side, catching up to Poe quickly, murmuring something into the wind to the ex-pilot that she couldn’t hear.
 
“What is it? Did he tell you anything?” Rose pressed, her heart skipping a beat in anticipation of hearing the news.
 
“It isn’t good, Rose,” Poe frowned, “Good ‘ole Emperor Hugs, he’s...Ben is going to be furious.”
 
“If you think Solo is going to react badly, I hate to think what the Empress is going to say…” Finn’s face was grim, “It’s...worse than we thought.”
 
“What could be worse than raising an army?” Rose’s stomach dropped to her feet as she looked back and forth between both men.
 
“We need to get back,” Poe stated, reaching for Finn with a sad smile before striding up the ramp of the Upsilon class command shuttle.
 
Rose looked out towards the Imperial Palace, letting out a heavy sigh out when her thoughts went back to Rey and all that had happened to her. She could only hope that the Empress would be ready for what was to come...she’d need all her strength...and anything else that made her feel like herself. 
 
She let out a soft gasp into the wind and the constant sound of the speeder traffic overhead, turning on her heel to dash for the waiting XJ-6 speeder. Settling into the seat and flipping a switch to bring the engines to life with a roar, she hollered into the commlink tucked into her palm.
 
“Keep the engines running, boys, there’s something I’ve gotta get before we go.”
 
“Rose, wait!” Poe’s voice called through the communicator, “Where are you going?”
 
She pulled hard on the yoke as the blue airspeeder rose into the air, her face spreading into a fiercely determined smile while she careened towards the Imperial Palace, “I’ve got a droid to see about a necklace.”
 
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this, Rose. Be careful, okay? We tried to keep a low profile, but you can’t be sure that we haven’t attracted the wrong sort of attention.”
 
“I’m always careful, Poe. Besides, I know that palace like the back of my hand. I won’t be more than a minute...what could happen in a minute?”

***
 
Rey let out a deep sigh as she strode through the multitude of intricate gowns hanging side-by-side in the closet of her sprawling bedroom in the Nabooian lakeside villa. Each one had been meticulously selected by Queen Korme’s handmaidens specifically for her, and each one was more exquisite than the last. They all suit the most formal part of her position, perfection for dinners and public appearances, but as she wandered down the line, Rey struggled to find one that was just right for an evening that was as special as what was waiting for her and Ben.

Her fingers brushed across the long lines of impeccably beautiful fabric, looking over each one until her eyes fell upon one in particular. She reached up and removed the garment from where it hung and let out a soft breath as she looked over the delicately woven fabric of the palest, dusty rose. 
 
“Thank you, Rose,” Rey murmured into the quiet with a smile, thinking fondly of her good friend - who had clearly made sure that there were still bits of herself amongst the elegant trappings that belonged to the Empress of the First Order.
 
She strode out of the sprawling bedroom, into the warmth of the early evening sun, taking a moment to appreciate the way the golden beams of light reflected through the wide panes of glass onto the gleaming marble floor, shattering into a million, brilliant shards that filled every corner of the space with an ethereal glow.  
 
Rey unwrapped the fluffy towel she’d had securely wrapped around her fall to her feet, feeling refreshed, relaxed, and excited after the bath that Ben insisted that she take. She couldn’t lie that their heated sparring matched had crossed her mind more than once as she dipped her body in the deliciously warm water, thinking about the heated feeling of his bare chest pressed against hers, and the way their connection flared into something dazzling and brilliant, so fierce that Rey was almost afraid of what would happen if they held themselves back any longer. 
 
Her body begged for them to cross that line, become one being, intertwined together as Fate and the Force had done. The string of their separate lives was so tangled that there were times when Rey hopelessly wondered if they’d ever begin to unsnarl the knots that Fate had weaved into it. But, as time went by and with more time spent away from her gilded cage, her bleak prison where the dark knight was the only shred of light that held her own together...the further away that seemed, the happier Rey felt.
 
As time went on, she started to feel more like that little girl on Yavin IV. Happy…and free. Surrounded by the people she loved...and those who loved her. 
 
Rey slipped the gossamer fabric over her naked body, letting out a quiet sigh as the delicately embroidered fabric settled on her hips and fell to the floor in soft waves. LIke so many of the others, the gown was an example of the finest craftsmanship, following the long lines of her coltish frame with a deep v down the center of her chest, and delicate embroidery that wound subtle vines and flowers across the dreamsilk. 
 
Reaching down, Rey curled her fingers inside the seam of the towering slit in the elegant skirt, giving the fabric a gentle and playful wave as she stepped forward to test the mobility of the gown.    
 
Rey looked over her reflection in the mirror, happy with how far she’d come in the last few weeks since everything fell apart. There weren’t any mirrors in her old home on Jakku, where Armitage had kept her prisoner for weeks, but she knew what that time without food would do to a person - she’d seen it more times than she could count. 
 
The woman looking back at her was resplendent, glowing from the inside out. Is this what it meant to be happy? To feel joy? 
 
She breathed out a quiet sigh, reaching up to card her fingers through her chestnut hair. It had grown long in the time she’d been away from her scavenger life, as she imagined just how much she could feel after the nightmare was completely over and the Galaxy was in balance once again. 
 
Pressing a palm into her lips, Rey glanced into the closet at the bounty of beautiful shoes and let out a quiet laugh, with a wiggle of her toes on the cold marble before turning on her heel with a swish of her gown to stride into the hall.
 
Rey brushed her fingers along the smooth metal of the golden bannister, tugging on her bottom lip as her heart swelled at the sight of him waiting for her at the bottom of the swirling staircase, and suddenly, it was inescapably clear what her happiness meant.
 
It was the feeling in her heart at that moment. It was the way the connection flared when they were near each other. It was knowing that he was hers, and she his...and after everything they’d gone through, they wouldn’t let anything separate them again. Just being near him filled her with a serenity that felt so impossibly far away when they had been apart - that missing piece, her other half, twin souls born in the heart of the same fledgling star.   
 
Her steps were light as she glided down each stair, practically breathless from the way the air between them was charged like a livewire, waiting to be plucked just right in order for it to sing. 
 
Ben slowly turned around and tugged at the sleeves of the navy pocket jacket that hugged the curves of sinewy muscle in his arms.  Rey couldn’t help but grin when he first caught a glimpse of her, and his long face melted from that signature Solo-smile to one of awe as she descended down the stairs.
 
The tips of her fingers twitched when she raked her gaze over his broad chest and the thin fabric that was stretched across the planes of chest, wishing that they could forego the semi-formality of the night and skip ahead to the waiting bed up the stairs. 
 
“Stars…” Ben breathed, “You look….”
 
“Thanks,” Rey smiled up at him.
 
“I mean...there isn’t a moment that I don’t believe that you’re not at least a descendant of the Angels on Iego, but...there’s something about right now. You feel...I don’t know how to put it, Stardust...you aren’t the Empress. You aren’t the scavenger...you’re you.”
 
“You don’t clean up too bad yourself, Solo,” Rey mused, tugging on her bottom lip with a sigh and a flutter of her heart as Ben reached up and carded his long fingers through her hair.
 
“May I?”
 
Rey gave him a nod and followed his guidance as he slowly turned her around. A delicious shiver ran down her spine, like a hot bolt of electricity as Ben quickly went to work, effortlessly weaving her hair in the Alderaanian braids his mother had taught him when he was still a boy. She swore she could feel his smirk when her shoulders trembled as he trailed the tips of his fingers along the curve of her ear, and his chuckle was unmistakable when she let out a quiet groan as he dragged his thumb down the center of her spine from her neck to below her shoulders. 
 
She leaned into his touch when he leaned down and pressed a kiss onto the tender flesh along the curve of her shoulder to declare her finished.
 
“Be careful, or I’m going to spoil your plans and take you upstairs right now…” she murmured hungrily, turning slowly in his hands to bring her own up to settle against his chest. Looking up through her lashes, Rey reached up and trailed her fingertips down the length of the jagged scar that bisected his cheek, and along the curve of his lips that were oh-so-ripe for kissing, “Unless that’s something you want to do as well…:
 
Ben curled his long fingers around her hand and brought it to his mouth, pressing a featherlight kiss against the constellation of freckles on the inside of her wrist.
 
“Patience, Stardust. There’s something I want to show you first.”
 
He intertwined his fingers with hers and gave her a gentle tug towards the door and out into the muted titian, Nabooian sunlight.    
 
Moments later, after a quick speeder ride over the turquoise lakes that dotted the countryside, Rey followed after Ben up a grassy hill. The ground was smooth beneath her bare feet, and Rey swore that she could feel the signature of the entire planet with every step she took.  
 
The light of day had shifted around them as they traveled to their destination. The sun began to set beyond the horizon, spreading the warm rays of fading light up into the deep blues of the early evening sky as the Nabooian moons began to rise around them. 
 
Rey’s heart soared at the sight of the Lake Country sprawled out below them for as far as the eye could sea. A warm wind shifted over the crest of the hill where they stood, fluttering the gossamer fabric of her gown in glittering waves. The surface of the lakes had transformed right before her eyes from the brilliant turquoise she’d grown used to, to one of a brilliantly bright gold, lit up like a mirror in firelight. 
 
Ben set a basket he’d been carrying down on the grass, lifted the lid and pulled a thick blanket from inside. With a snap of his wrists, he unfurled it over the grass and sat in the center, holding a hand out towards Rey for her to join him. 
 
Taking the gossamer skirt of her gown in one hand and sliding the fingers of her other into Ben’s proffered hand, Rey stepped forward with her bare feet and settled herself on the soft fabric next to him. 
 
Rey was surprised and thrilled when she watched Ben pull food after delectable food from the basket, handing her small tastes with a smile as she wholeheartedly accepted each one with a childlike wonder.   
 
They sat together, remembering their shared past bit-by-bit, sewing together the details together until there was a complete picture of what had long passed. Her heart wanted to ache over the years they’d lost, but instead she found herself wrapped up in the effervescent memory of the past..of that little girl and moody teenager whose smile was reserved for her. Tinkering on old speeders with Poe from the time of the Rebellion, learning about the Force outside of the restrictive classrooms of the Great Temple, listening to her mother sing, and dreaming about what the future would bring. 
 
It wasn’t how they’d imagined it. They didn’t go galavanting across the galaxy as guardians of the Light like she’d always dreamed they’d do, but somehow, through everything, this alternative was more than she’d hoped on the darkest nights alone on Jakku.
 
The remaining beams of light from the setting sun disappeared beyond the horizon, and the copper hues that remained in the night sky gave way to an inky purple scattered with the endless glimmer of the faraway stars at the center of thousands of systems.
 
The lakes that dotted the countryside before them were alight from the silvery light of the trio of moons, silhouetted by the dark curves of the surrounding hills that were enveloped by the twilight. 
 
When they found an easy lull in the conversation, Rey looked over at Ben from where she sat on the blanket and quickly found herself overwhelmed.
 
“How did we do it?” she whispered into the quiet of the early evening air.
 
Ben turned his gaze from the stars and looked down at her with a soft smile.
 
“How’d we do what, Stardust?”
 
“This,” she held her hands out between the two of them, “In a galaxy full of thousands of systems...so many years and...and all the pain..everything we lost. How did we find our way back to each other? It...it feels impossible. Like a dream...and...I’m afraid that I’m going to wake up at any moment and be right back where I started on Jakku. Away from you. Away from all of this.”
 
A single tear slipped down her cheek, and as Rey reached to dash it away, she felt Ben’s arms circle around her and shift her into his lap. She let out a stuttering sigh as Ben whispered into her ear.
 
“It’s okay, Stardust. I’m here. I said I would find you, didn’t I?

No matter how far.

We can’t change what’s happened, no matter how much we want to. All I know is, I’m glad I’m here with you.”
 
Rey closed her eyes against the starlight and centered herself in the feeling of his voice against her back and his breath on her ear. She centered herself in the contact hum of their connection, letting out a quiet sigh and a whisper. 
 
“Were there...did you? Was there anyone else, before me?”
 
“You mean, have I been with any other women besides you?” Ben paused, waiting for her to answer, but Rey anxiously stayed silent. She didn’t have any room to feel jealous if there had been any others...it wasn’t like she wasn’t spoiled goods, what was the harm if Ben had loved someone else? Her heart lurched at the idea, and she let out a quiet hum when Ben’s arms circled more firmly around her in response, “It...it’s been a long time, and it was lonely. So...gods, I’m going to fuck this up somehow...yes, there were others from time-to-time..”
 
Rey stiffened in his arms as she tried hard to quell the furls of jealousy that curled deep in her belly, reaching up to anxiously chew on the side of her thumb as Ben continued on.
 
“There was this girl...this girl I loved...I met her a long time ago,” he murmured into her hair, “I knew the moment I laid eyes on her that she was special, that she was going to have this effect on my life that I would never begin to describe. Her eyes...they were like they’d been taken from the stars themselves…”
 
“She sounds beautiful,” Rey whispered, her heart falling further with every word he said.
 
“She is...she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen...and because of her eyes, I gave her a name…”
 
Rey swallowed the growing lump in her throat, turning her gaze to the blanket of stars above him while she stayed nestled in his arms.
 
“W-what was that?”
 
“I call her Stardust...and she’s the only girl I’ve ever loved.”  
 
Rey leaned her head against Ben’s shoulder as her heart did a wild somersault. He was talking about her. He loved her. She couldn’t help the tiniest flicker of a smile as she leaned her head to meet his lopsided-smile.
 
“Ben, you old smoothie…” she teased with a quiet laugh.
 
“I’m sure...I’m sure I sound like my dad...but I swear to you I’m not trying to be a smooth-talker, Stardust,” he reached down and cupped the curve of her jaw to tilt her mouth up to meet his for a soft kiss. He lingered for only a moment before pulling away to gaze into her eyes with a flicker of something tucked into the flecks of amber, “I mean every word. I love you. You’re...you’re the foundation of all that is good in my life...you’re my light...my everything, Stardust.” 
 
Rey turned around in Ben’s arms, pressing her chest to his as she took his long face in her hands. She let out a soft sigh as she skirted the pad of her thumb against his cheek with tears of love shimmering in her eyes.
 
“That’s where you’re wrong,” her star-dusted hazel eyes flickered over his face as she reached up and twined her fingers through his raven hair. Ben circled his arms around her waist and leaned into her touch as she continued on, “I’m not your light, Ben. You had it all along...you just needed to find it for yourself.”
 
Rey absentmindedly twined a ribbon of his raven hair around her finger, trailing her fingers along his temples with an easy smile as her heart swelled with an overwhelming feeling of love for him...this man who was so much more than he appeared to be. More than the dark knight, Kylo Ren, and more than the boy she knew. He was her safe haven in a storm. The person she was born to love - to see who he was to his core - regardless of the darkness that twisted him up from the inside. She saw the beauty within his damaged soul, and loved him all the more because of it.  
 
She studied his features with her hands, tracing every line, every scar, every freckle - mapping every inch of him with a reverent grace while Ben attentively watched every subtle upturn of her mouth and every glimmer in her eye. 
 
Ben closed his eyes with a long sigh as Rey’s touch dawdled over his cupid’s bow, drawing her finger down until the pliable flesh parted beneath her gentle caress. Rey drew her bottom lip between her teeth and slowly closed the space between them for a kiss. She leaned into it with a sigh as his arms tightened around her waist, and centered herself in the beamingly bright tapestry of their connection - sending every feeling she couldn’t possibly begin to describe across the wire, filling it to the brim with her love until it overflowed.

I love you, Ben.

I love you too, Stardust

.

Rey pulled away as soon as it happened, her face alight with with a sense of wonderment as she brushed her fingertips across her lips. Her gaze shifted to meet Ben’s, who was equally as stunned as she was, centering herself in the feeling as she tried to replicate it.

You’re my favorite person in this entire Galaxy.

“You’re mine too, Stardust,” Ben murmured, his dark eyes wide as he swallowed thickly, “What...what is this?”
 
“I don’t know, but I like it…” Rey smiled softly, leaning in to brush her nose against his before kissing him again.

Say something.

Be quiet and let me kiss you.

Rey let out a soft sigh when Ben caged his arms around her waist and shifted her in his lap, gathering up a section of her gossamer skirt in one hand to let her leg free of the slit, so she could swing a leg over him and bring them closer together. He let out a deep groan as Rey tangled her finger in his hair and deepened the kiss, hungrily skirting her tongue over the seam of his plush mouth.
 
With each passing moment, their bond flared ever brighter, nearly blinding them as they sat, perfectly ensconced in each other’s arms. The kisses were mostly chaste at first, like they were discovering each other for the first time all over again, but taking their time this time around. Ben’s kisses were soft and gentle, slower and more drawn out as they committed every thought and every feeling to precious memory. 
 
There were no dazzling fireworks or sparks from the sudden burst from their connection. It was steady and sure, sending waves of warmth coursing down Rey’s body. The feeling radiated out from her lips in waves that ricocheted to her toes, her fingers, and the tips of her hair - saturating every inch of her in his love.        
 
Rey exhaled through her nose as she drew herself up on her knees, winding her fingers through his hair with a sigh, desperate to not let go. Kissing him filled her with that need that refused to be silenced since the first moment he’d ever touched her in a dream. Her heart thundered away in quiet anticipation of his next move, the next sweep of his hand, the next press of his lips against hers.

Come closer.

A shiver coursed down Rey’s spine when Ben’s deep voice rumbled in her head as he pulled her closer to his chest, adding pressure to their lips, deepening the kiss and eliciting a quiet whimper from Rey. 
 
His hands began to wander, trailing up and down her spine until his long fingers found her hair, where he gently wound his fingers through the braid he’d expertly woven with the same hands only hours before. With a soft tug, her hair fell free, cascading in soft waves down her back. 
 
With her hair woven between his long fingers, Ben softly tilted her head, allowing his mouth the space to leisurely wander to her ear, where he slowly circled the edge of it with his nose, trailing molten kisses down the column of her throat, mapping out every freckle with each tender press of his lips to her flesh.
 
Rey found her hands impossible to keep still as Ben roved his mouth from her throat to her collarbone, untangling her fingers from his raven locks to meander to his shoulders. She tucked her hands under the worn fabric of the navy pocket jacket, pushing it down the curve of his arms with a tug on her bottom lip when Ben gently nipped at her throat with a growl.
 
He found his way back to her mouth in a second, devouring the quiet moan that tumbled past her lips while he drew his palms up her bare arms to her shoulders. Rey let out a soft gasp with a smile as Ben, with one hand curled around her waist, dragged his mouth down her throat and peppered the golden, freckled flesh of her shoulder. He trailed a single finger across her collarbone with a small smile as he found the small strip of ribbon that held her gown in place and nudged it down her arm. 
 
She pulled away for a moment, her cheeks stained a silvery pink in the moonlight as her coy smile faded away, her stardust-speckled eyes burning into his.
 
Rey slowly lifted her hand and grasped the thin piece of fabric that hugged the outer curve of her shoulder.

Is this what you wanted?

Ben pressed his lips together in a thin line, working his jaw back and forth with a small nod as he watched Rey slowly slip the straps down her arms to let the gown fall free - leaving her skin bare for the light of the three Nabooian moons to kiss every inch of her.
 
With a smile, Rey reached down and curled her fingers around the hem of his fitted, black undershirt, giving it a slow tug to pull it up and over his head. She couldn’t help the way her heart fluttered at the way he looked at her through the curtain of dark hair that hung in his eyes, or the way she shivered when he circled his arm around her waist - lifting her effortlessly from his lap to lay her on the velvety blanket. 
 
Rey blinked slowly in the shards of moonlight, sucking in a breath of air as Ben pressed his body against hers and began to mark her golden flesh with searing kisses. His hands followed close behind, sending her every nerve completely aflame as he plucked the strings of her body just right to make her respond to his every touch. 
 
With a breezy sigh that floated away on the warm, evening wind, Rey brushed her tongue over her bottom lip as Ben continued his reverent exploration of her body, devouring every peak and valley of her collarbone, around the supple curve of her breasts, to brush the bud of her rosy nipple beneath the tip of his long nose. 
 
Every touch sent an electrifying shiver through her as he moved his body down the length of hers, slowly tugging her gown along with him as he curled his hands around her leg and methodically traversed the flesh there, too.  
 
Rey knew what Ben was doing - taking his sweet time...and making her wait. Drawing out each painstaking moment until the feeling of his lips against the lean curves of her legs made her want to burst from the sheer anticipation of it all. 
 
She knew what she wanted...she had been starving for it for months - since she’d had the very first taste of his lips in the stone hut on Ahch-to. Their connection had still been a mystery to her then, and every moment was a dizzying blur of what could, but wouldn’t be. So much had happened in that time...masks torn away, and memories that had been long-forgotten were remembered. 
 
Rey understood why he wanted to wait, even though she’d been more than ready to cross that line with him after they’d slayed a Wampa together on the ice moon, Hoth. Moment after delectable moment left her ravenous for more of his touch, for more of the taste of him on her lips. A taste that she could carry with her until the next time her hunger for him could be satiated. 
 
The fact that Ben loved her enough to wait for the Force to reveal the details of her past...their past, made Rey’s heart ache. She was sure that she loved him, even then...even as Kylo Ren, but why Ben wanted her to know him...the true him...made her heart swell with love for him that she couldn’t have imagined then. 
 
Ben trailed his tantalizing kisses back up her legs, taking the time to tease each place that made her squirm with another press of his lips. Rey lifted her arms and tangled her fingers in the silky tendrils of her chestnut hair as the dark knight drew closer and closer to the place she so desperately craved him to explore.

I want to taste you.

Rey could only answer his gravelly voice in her head with a quiet mewl and a nod, sucking in a breath of cool air as Ben dove down with a growl.
 
He took his time there too, brushing his lips so tantalizingly slow across the inside of her thigh, leaving her a quaking mess of unrestrained pleasure...and they’d barely just begun.
 
Without any more hesitation, Ben leaned in and devoured her sex with his mouth, langorously circling the tip of his tongue around her bud. He let his hands rove across her moonlit body, blindly exploring every curve that he’d already had committed to memory.
 
Rey’s breath hitched with a shudder, and her body arched towards him like it was second nature, reaching down to twine her fingers in his hair and hold him more firmly against her core. The sound of her breathing accelerated with each frantic beat of her heart, and Ben fervidly pushed her towards the precipice, increasing his pace to one of enthusiastic appetites with each savory taste of her essence on his tongue.        
 
She could feel it coming, powerful and intense as she hurtled towards her climax like the Millennium Falcon sped into hyperspace at a blindingly fast pace.

It’s okay...let go, Rey.

The sound of her lover’s voice in her head as he laved his tongue hungrily over her sex was the last push she needed to tumble past the edge and fall apart completely. Rey’s breath was ragged as she came down from the exhilarating high of the salacious feelings. 
 
Ben hardly left her a single moment to catch her breath before, with a scorching kiss against her sex, he slipped a single finger inside her. A breathless coo tumbled past her lips as he rolled the heel of his hand against her, stretching her with each gentle movement.   
 
Cradling her hip in his palm, Ben slowly pressed another finger inside, releasing a low groan when Rey responded with a dulcet gasp. She tethered herself to him with a whine, clutching her fingers around his forearm that held fastidiously to her waist, holding on for dear life as he continued with his ministrations. 
 
As he rocked his hand against her, Ben hungrily watched as the Empress threatened to come apart beneath him all over again. She was so hungry, so wet and ready for him, that he had a hard time resisting the urge to take her right then and there. 
 
He had to be patient. Rey deserved his love, and he needed to show it to her. She’d had so much less than that before..something darker...something twisted, where she was merely a vessel instead of the resplendent woman whose pleasure was being painted in the silvery moonlight before him.
 
It would be a lie to say that Ben didn’t want to embrace his darkness and tear the infernal ginger limb from limb like an angry Wookiee for what he’d done to Rey...and for how he’d used her. His anger over it simmered with the deep-seated rage that still twisted around in his guts over the time they’d lost, and how they’d suffered in-between finding each other again.    
 
With his scorching gaze trained on her delicate features, Ben pressed on, pumping his hand in gentle waves, swallowing the growing knot in his throat as the hot coils of his own arousal wound tighter and tighter, deep in his belly with each passing second he spent with her sex hugging the length of his fingers.
 
Her face contorted, brows knit together with a breathless keen, and Ben knew she was getting close. Spurred on by the delicious sounds she was making, he pressed on, increasing his pace until, with a honeyed cry, the Empress exquisitely came apart all over again.  
 
In a single, fluid motion, Ben settled himself over her and brought his lips to hers for a bruising kiss, hungrily devouring the moan that fell from her lips as he tangled his tongue with hers. He knew what she wanted...what he wanted....and he so desperately wanted to give it to her. As his Empress had said - they’d waited long enough. 
 
Unwilling to break their kiss, Ben reached down with a single hand and blindly fumbled with the clasp on his trousers, letting out a frustrated growl as he tried and failed to push the damned things away.

You don’t have to do this. I’ll help you.

Ben let out a choked groan as Rey purred through the newfound part of their bond and wound her fingers down his bare chest to palm the firm bulge in his pants. She trailed her hands to the waistband and pulled it open with a swift tug, keeping her lips firmly pressed to his as she pushed them down and let his erection spring free against her belly.
 
Rey wound her arms around his broad shoulders as Ben pushed his feet free from their trappings in the snug, black fabric, sliding the tips of her toes up the long line of his bare leg. She pulled away from their kiss, breathless and hungry, and looked up at him with a look that was resolute and sure. 
 
They didn’t have to say anything, their shared breathing and the beating of their hearts in tandem did the talking as Rey whispered a single word into their bond.

Yes.

She didn’t know anything else beyond how much she loved him. How badly she craved his touch. How, as soon as his lips were pressed against hers, she lost all sense of rational thought as she was consumed entirely by her need, and fascinated by the thought of how one single touch could steal her breath and fill her with a tantalizing feeling that she so desperately wanted to understand.
 
Ben broke their kiss for a moment, breathing a heavy sigh as his broad chest heaved with every rapturous breath.
 
“Rey...are you...are you sure? We could...you could get…” he fumbled, drawing his hand up to anxiously run his fingers through his hair.   
 
She reached up and stilled his hand with a distant smile, bringing it to her mouth to press a kiss to his fingertips.
 
“I can’t. I never…” she paused as the light in her eyes shifted to a distant look of disappointment and sadness, “I never did...I couldn’t with...with him.” 
 
Ben reached out and curled his long fingers around her jaw, slowly tilting her gaze back to meet his. 
 
“I know what you’re thinking...there are other ways, Stardust. Let’s not worry about that now. Just know...we have a future now, and the only thing that matters in that is you and me.”
 
He bent down and pressed his lips to hers, filling the bond with every ounce of love he held for her in his heart. Rey swore she could swim in the heady feeling of it all as it nearly overwhelmed her completely. She reached up and pulled him towards her, bringing flesh against heated flesh as she deepened their kiss. 
 
With a quiet groan, Rey lifted her knees and rolled her hips against him, silently telling him with her body instead of her voice that she was ready...she was sure...more sure than she’d ever been about anything. 
 
Ben shifted his weight and pulled away from their heated kiss to lean his forehead against hers as he reached between them and lined his arousal with hers. He hovered on the edge, slowly teasing her with slow, small circles against her sensitive bud before ever so slowly slipping inside. 
 
He lingered for a moment with a broken grunt, allowing her body a moment to stretch to accommodate his size. With a shallow breath, Ben leaned down and dragged his mouth along the edge of her jaw as he started to move, sending a flood of his love through the bond.
 
Rey breathed a quiet whimper, and returned his love with the reassurance that she was okay as Ben rolled his hips forward and seated himself firmly inside her aching core. The feeling of him was indescribable, like nothing she’d ever known or ever expected - stealing her breath with each gentle thrust. He was being gentle with her, she was sure of it, and she was grateful as her body wrapped around the exquisite feeling of them finally bound together in every way they could be. 
 
Maybe there was part of her that wanted it to be more, and have the same level of intensity as their...inspiring...sparring match earlier in the day, but all Rey could think of was her joy and her love as he slowly made love to her in the starlight. 
 
She lifted her eyes to the heavens then, knotting her fingers in Ben’s raven hair as they moved together as one in the beautiful Nabooian countryside. The remains of copper that had hovered over the edge of the horizon had long since disappeared, leaving only the vast blanket of inky blue, and pinpricks of light that painted every inch of it. 
 
Rey brushed her fingers across his temples, cradling the curve of his long face with her hands to lift his eyes to meet hers. Her mouth curved into a small smile as she tenderly skimmed her fingertips over the constellation of beauty marks that dusted his alabaster skin before leaning up to press a languorous kiss to his plush lips. 
 
Ben growled as Rey pulled him more firmly against the bare skin of her breasts, surging forward to wrap a strong arm around her waist and lift her from the soft warmth of the blanket. Without breaking their salacious kiss, Ben settled back onto his haunches and settled her knees on either side of his hips. 
 
Rey couldn’t help the smile from growing across her freckled face when the feeling of his throbbing length inside her was suddenly

more

because of the new position. She tested the new sensations, slowly leaning into him with a gentle roll of her hips.
 
“

Oh…”

she breathlessly whimpered as a brand new surge of deliciously intense pleasure washed over her entire body. Only encouraged by the feeling of it, Rey rocked her hips again...and again...and again with a quiet moan. Ben wrapped his long fingers around the supple curve of her ass and guided her every lavacious movement.
 
Rey whimpered into the quiet night air as Ben took full advantage of their new bearings, letting his hands wander free over her golden flesh as his luscious mouth mapped every inch of her - from her shoulders to the tender expanse of her budded breasts.
 
It didn’t take long for Rey to get ahold of what these newfound sensations meant for the rest of her body, anchoring her toes in the tender grass beneath them as she surged forward with their bodies intertwined together. With each stir of her pelvis against his, Rey lolled her head with a hushed whimper that only grew louder with each deliberate circling of her hips. 
 
She clutched the long line of his broad shoulders, thinking for a moment of the story behind each scar that marred his skin as her hands swept over them. Rey clung to him, burying her face in the smooth crook of his shoulder with each tantalizing tremor that coursed down to the tips of her toes. 
 
Rey was distantly aware of the ardent journey that Ben had set out upon to chart the freckles that dusted her golden skin like they were stars in the sky, and he the first explorer to study them. His hands and mouth worked in tandem, leaving a titillating trail of molten kisses and electrifying touches in their wake - pulling desperate keens from her lips that echoed out into the night air.
 
As their pleasure began to crest, growing more potent with each passing moment, their bond flared brighter than ever before, and Rey swore that she could feel the web of life that the Force wove around them more acutely than she’d ever dreamed she’d be able to do. 
 
An incandescent tapestry of coruscate life danced around them, setting the world aflame in a radiating glimmer of life, each strand was connected to something special, something pure, and at the center of it - was them. 
 
In the soft hymn of the evening breeze, bound together with the distant rush of waves upon a rocky shore, and the far-off rumble of a starship, Rey and Ben were the light that sang into infinity on the delicate beams of balanced energy. Darkness rose up, and light was there to meet it - and their love burned all the brighter because of it. 
 
Wrapped up in the euphoric spell that had been cast around them, over them,

through them,

Rey wrapped her arms around Ben’s shoulders and held on to him for dear life as each movement took her closer and closer to a state of pure delirium. 
 
Her pulse thudded wildly in her ears, intertwined with the steady

ba dum, ba dum

of Ben’s, and, with a quiet mewl that grew in intensity, Rey moved her aching core with him faster and faster, again and again, fearful of what would happen if she’d let herself lose control - until she stilled suddenly and, with the long line of her lips parted in a soft

OH,

breathed a trembling whimper that was instantly carried away on the breeze. 
 
A deep groan reverberated through Ben’s broad chest as he held her fastidiously against his chest, gently bucking into her with a final jolt as he met his own release with a sigh. 
 
Rey clung to him, desperate to keep the iridescent web of their shared energy intact for a moment longer. Ben was as equally unwilling to let go, grasping onto her like he was afraid of what would happen should he let go. 
 
She nuzzled the thicket of raven curls on his head, reaching up to smooth it away from his face with a smile as she centered herself in his intoxicating smell.

Spices. Smoke. Earth.

Rey still remembered the first time that his comforting aroma had washed over her, bringing her comfort in a time she so desperately needed, even though she didn’t understand it at the time. From that day on, she craved it, and wrapped herself up in it every moment she could and let it carry her away to her dreams - where she saw the man who she held so dearly in her arms that moment in the bright, Nabooian moonlight. 
 
Ben reached up and tucked a stray ribbon of her chestnut hair behind her ear, and swept the tips of his fingers across her gleaming, freckled flesh that was washed a milky pink in the soft, evening light. He pulled her to him with a hint of that signature, lopsided Solo smile and pressed a series of tender kisses on every bend and ridge of her delicate features. 
 
Rey’s heart swelled with each one, practically bursting as he murmured that all-too-familiar promise in-between.
 
“I’ll always be with you.”
 
 Her eyes fluttered closed as the dark knight’s plush mouth roved from the tender flesh below her ear to the other.
 
“Even if we are apart.”
 
A whisper of a thrill tumbled down her spine as he trailed his fingertips down the long lines of her back as he continued.
 
“No matter how far.”
 
Ben brought his mouth to hers for a lingering kiss, letting out a soft hum as he pulled away to gaze into her stardust-speckled eyes.
 
“I would cross the galaxy for you, Stardust.”
 
Rey breathed out a quiet sigh, that danced on the warm wind rushing over the grassy knoll where they had been so blissfully and exhilaratingly unaware of the world around them. With a gossamer touch, she brushed the curtain of dark hair that fell in front of his honeyed-bourbon eyes as her bottom lip trembled. She studied him for a moment as her eyes swam with tears, and her mouth curved into a loving smile.
 
“You already have, Ben,” Rey whispered, trailing her finger down the jagged scar that bisected his cheek - a reminder of the day it all changed, “It..it all came true. All of it...but look where we are now. Look where we came from. I’m not going anywhere...there’s nothing in this galaxy that I’ll do without you by my side.”    
 
“You won’t have to,” Ben grasped her face in his large hands, skirting the pad of his thumb against her cheek for a moment before bringing his mouth to hers for another searing kiss. Their bond flared brightly, all over again, as the Nabooian lake country faded into nothing around them, along with everything else. The past. The future. The First Order. The Resistance.
 
In that moment, as their mouths moved in perfect synchronicity, the only thing remaining, and the only thing that mattered was the two of them - interlocked in the blinding spell that Fate and the Force had woven around them. 
 
Rey could feel as Ben’s hands drifted down her bare back, hugging her tighter. A smile grew on her face, and her heart swelled as she realized her wish as a lonely child on Jakku had finally been fulfilled, even if it wasn’t in the way she expected.

Take me home, Ben.

She had a family. She had a home. And he was right there in her arms.   
 
The next morning, as the early beams of light streamed through the wide windows of the lakeside villa, and the sun bloomed on the distant horizon, Rey hummed in the evidence that suggested the dawn, turning beneath the irresistibly soft comforter and tucking herself closer to the man who lay beside her.    
 
Her lips gently parted as she lifted her eyes to search his peacefully sleeping face. She released an appreciative smile as she looked over every line, every scar, and every dazzling beauty mark. Skimming her fingers down the soft line of his jaw, Rey couldn’t help but notice how much of the boy she knew was still there in the corners of his mouth and the sweep of his brow. 
 
She inched closer to him, twining her foot around the warmth of his leg with a content hum as she settled her cheek against the alabaster skin of his broad chest. Her body was filled with a delicious ache from the night’s lengthy studies of each other’s bodies. First, they made love on the hill overlooking the Nabooian lake country beneath the stars. It only took seconds of them stepping foot back in the villa to fall into each other's arms all over again...and again after that.
 
They were left nearly inarticulate, with their energy well-spent as they happily ensconced themselves in their shared embrace and let the sweet waves of sleep carry them away together...and, so peaceful was her sleep that, for the first time in a long time, Rey didn’t dream at all. 
 
Rey lazily drew her arm over his torso and leisurely trailed her fingers in small, slow circles when she was overcome by an idea.
 
Tugging her bottom lip between her teeth, she kept her eyes trained on his undisturbed features and centered herself in the constant, quiet thrum of their bond.

Ben.

She held her breath for a moment, feeling her heart give a joyful flutter when her lover sucked in a deep breath and took her on a fleeting journey with the rise and fall of his chest. Eager to test the limits of what they could do with this newfound facet of their connection, Rey tried again.

Ben…

Her heart swelled with a rush of pride, and her face melted into a knowing smile when Ben’s dark brows pressed together and he sleepily reached up and rubbed the back of his hand against the tip of his nose with a groan.
 
Rey let out a soft squeal when he suddenly shifted beneath her, simultaneously rolling towards her as he wrapped his thick, muscular arms around her. She couldn’t help the elated smile from stretching across her features when Ben groggily nuzzled the top of her head with his cheek, pulling her closer with every movement. With an excited tug on her bottom lip with a smile, Rey felt Ben release a long breath of air, and his muscles grow slack from where they were wrapped around her. Afraid he’d drifted off again, she pressed on.

Ben.

Hush, Stardust. You’re thinking so loudly, I can hear you from here.

An effervescent laugh tumbled from her lips as Ben’s eyes slowly opened to the early morning light with a quick intake of air as he recalled the newest, puzzling facet to their connection.
 
“I…” he mumbled sleepily, cramming his eyes shut against the bright light as he motioned towards his head, “...and you?”
 
“Yeah…” Rey nodded into his chest, “Apparently, we can do that now. I was just...testing it. The good news is...it works.”
 
“Kriff...I’d forgotten about that for a second,” he groaned with a wide yawn. Rey drew her fingers up the warmth of his skin, lingering for a moment to trace the peaks and valleys of his collarbone before leaning to press a kiss at the base of the column of his throat.
 
“I hope you didn’t forget about...everything else,” she hummed against his skin, desperate for some more of their...other...kind of connection.
 
“Never,” Ben growled, wrapping his arms more firmly around her as he lifted her from the bed and flipped her to her back in a single, fluid motion. He didn’t allow her a moment to think, breathe, or speak, devouring her welcome moan with his mouth in a searing kiss.

You mean...this?

Rey wound her arms around his shoulders and pulled him firmly against her as she wound her feet around his torso, rolling her hips against him, hoping that it would lead exactly where she hoped it would.
 
With a soft hum, Rey moved her mouth with his, her heart giving a great flutter as he reached up and gently twined his long fingers through her hair, when an electronic crackle emitted from his bedside table.

”Solo, you there? Pick up, it’s urgent.”

Ben pulled away from her with a sigh, eliciting a disappointed whimper from Rey at the sudden loss of his warmth. She tucked the plush blanket up to her chin, sitting up with an expectant look as Ben reached for the silver commlink. 
 
“This better be good, Poe. I was busy doing some important work…” Ben’s disgruntled look melted into a lopsided smile at Rey as he waited for the Resistance member’s response.

”We...we need you to come in right away. You’ve got to get to Coruscant as quick as you can...something…”

Rey’s stomach lurched as Poe’s voice cracked on the communicator. She sat forward, and her smile melted away as Ben pressed for more information.
 
“Did you get anything from our contact? I was hopeful we could find out exactly what Hux is up to.”

”Oh, he’s up to something. I...I’d rather not discuss it now. Get here. Quickly.”

Only hours later, Rey sat in the pilot’s seat of the Millennium Falcon with her knees tucked tightly against her chest as the ship hurtled through the eerie blue-white glow of hyperspace. She’d been quiet since Poe had comm’d them early that morning, chewing the inside of her cheek as she anxiously tried over and over to tap into the Force and have it reveal something…anything.
 
The time and the parsecs ticked by slowly as Rey anxiously fiddled with the hem of her floor-length, white over coat. The leaders of the Resistance had been insistent that, if she were to go, she would need to look like herself...or how the Galaxy knew her to be. A visual reminder of what they’d believed to have lost and who had taken it from them.
 
She had been reluctant at first to wear any of the exquisite gowns that she’d left behind at Varykino, but settled on something that still felt like the real her, and allow her room to breathe and to move - no matter what was in store for them once they reached the capitol.
 
The pointed trousers were comfortable enough to allow her to sit however she pleased in the cockpit, and the daring sweetheart neckline with a belt cinching her waist added a subtle sophistication that the people expected of their Empress. 
 
When they’d reached Theed in their Nubian J-327, Rey dashed down the ramp and immediately darted towards the familiar convex saucer shape of the YT-1300 Corellian freighter. She knew the ship by heart, bolting up the ramp with the long hem of her dreamsilk overcoat fluttering behind her in waves as she rounded the corner at the top of the ramp to run to the cockpit.
 
She immediately went to work, flipping the series of switches and toggles at a blinding pace, keeping her focus sharp as the old ship hummed to life. As soon as she could feel Ben on board, Rey pulled on the throttle and lifted the ship out of the palace hanger and into the endless expanse of bright blue.
 
“Were you planning on waiting for me?” the dark knight muttered dryly from where he leaned in the cockpit’s doorway.
 
“You’re here now, aren’t you?” she answered back with a quick look back at him, wishing to herself that they could rewind the clock and go back to the night before - when they were so blissfully unaware that anything had happened, instead of sitting in the tortuous in-between where all they knew was that it was something...just not what, “Let’s get a move on, Solo. I don’t want to fly this old girl by myself, but I will if I have to.”
 
Ben gave her a half-smile and a nod, stretching his broad shoulders in his father’s navy pocket jacket before stepping into the co-pilot’s seat. He met her gaze from across the control panel and waited for her order.
 
“Punch it.”
 
With their hands side-by-side, they slid the throttle forward and instantly felt a hard push as the stars around them stretched into infinity and they slingshotted into hyperspace.
 
Rey wished the time would go by quicker, but they were already in the fastest ship in the galaxy...there was no other way they could get there any faster. She chewed on the edge of her thumb as she watched the parsecs tick by on the navicomputer.

That won’t make it go any faster.

Ben’s comforting baritone echoed through her mind, pulling her away from her anxious reverie for a moment before she went back to tugging at the edge of her sleeve.
 
“It might,” she shrugged, lifting her hazel eyes to meet his.
 
“Why don’t you let her take it from here...she’ll ping us when we’re nearly there. Come play a round of Dejarik. I’m terrible at it, but Uncle Chewie always let me win when I was a kid.”
 
Rey’s face melted into a wistful smile at the mention of such a precious part of him...back before any of this...when he still had a family of his own.
 
“I’m...I’m good right here,” she murmured, looking out the half-moon transparisteel viewport, “Besides, it won’t be long now.”

Just be here with me.

Ben pressed his lips together with a sigh and stepped forward to let his hand rest on her shoulder. She leaned into his touch, enveloping herself in the comforting feeling it provided her for the time they had left. 
 
He stood fastidiously by her side, guarding her like the sentinel he had been before, until the navicomputer pinged loudly and they both knew they had arrived. 
 
Sliding into the seat beside her, Ben reached up and flipped a series of switches to silence the blaring alarm, just in time for the ship to lurch out of hyperspace with a crack, and their shared gaze shifted down to the glittering surface of the planet below them.
 
Rey didn’t waste any time taking over the controls to ease the freighter to planetfall, hurtling past the long lines of traffic moving to and fro from the planet’s surface. The light shifted as they followed the curve of the bustling ecumenopolis, and the inky black expanse of space melded into the faded blue of the Coruscant afternoon. 
 
They thundered through the gargantuan buildings, bypassing the long lines of busy speeder traffic as Rey pushed the ship harder towards the Imperial District in the heart of Galactic City. 
 
Her heart sank when she saw it on the horizon. 
 
The landscape of towering skyscrapers melted away, glittering in the fading light of day...but all Rey could see was the columns of thick, black smoke twisting up towards the heavens from where the Imperial Palace stood.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rey jumped up from the captain’s seat in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon as soon as the landing gear made contact with the planet’s surface, her dreamsilk coat billowing out behind her as she dashed down the curve of the main passageway to the gangplank. 
 
Ben followed close behind, reaching for her at the top of the ramp to fold her into his arms, silently sending a surge of comfort and love through the bond.

Whatever it is, Stardust, we can handle it.

Rey tucked her head against his chest, closing her eyes with a soft sigh, squeezing her arms around his middle as she centered herself in the warm thrum of their connection.

I don’t know...I’ve got a bad feeling about this.

“Isn’t it my job to be the pessimistic one?” Ben muttered dryly into her hair, softly nuzzling the top of her head with the end of his long nose.
 
Rey pulled her arms free from his torso and reached up on the tips of her toes to press a lingering kiss on his lips. Ben caught her hand in his with an intense gaze and trailed the pad of his thumb across the constellation of freckles on the inside of her wrist. With a soft sigh and the hint of a smile at the corner of his plush mouth, the dark knight leaned down and left a tender kiss on the map that had brought him back to her.

Look, you have a map of the stars right here, proof that you'll always have a way to find me, Stardust.

“I love you,” he murmured, releasing her hand to square his shoulders and give her a reassuring nod as they stepped down the ramp and into the light of Coruscant Prime.
 
The smoke swirled in a thick column into the sky from the smoldering section of the Imperial Palace that had been decimated in the blast. Rey’s heart lurched in her chest as she stepped out of the shadow of the Falcon, lifting her hand to shield her eyes from the glare of the deceptively happy sunshine. 
 
She shifted her gaze to the waiting party and reached out her arms to accept a comforting hug from Poe. When she pulled away, his dark eyes were despondent. Rey shifted anxiously on her feet, any hint of her smile fading away as she looked from Poe’s face to Finn’s, just behind him.
 
Rey looked over her shoulder to Ben, where she saw the distant sight of holocams heading in their direction. Apparently, word had gotten out that the Empress had returned. She let out a stuttering breath and turned back to Poe, her brows creased together in an addled stare.
 
“Where’s Rose?”

Finn looked to his feet and Poe nervously scrubbed the back of his neck.
 
“We were only here to collect information from our contact. We didn’t think that bringing the shuttle…

your shuttle...

would...I...I think that someone may have thought that you were here. And they...I’m sorry, Stardust.”
 
Rey felt Ben’s warm hand on her shoulder - that she instantly shirked away with a roll of her shoulders - as the subtle flames of her anger began to curl at her senses.
 
“Where...” she uttered, curling her fingers into her palms as she stared back at her old friend, “...is Rose?”
 
When Poe’s only answer was a look of despair, Rey didn’t waste any time in charging forward, elegant trappings of the Empress of the First Order be damned, and began to climb through the rubble. 
 
Most of the gargantuan ziggurat still stood, but it bore the scar of the attack like a blemish on the sandstone-colored surface of its smooth walls - a dark hole blown out the side from what appeared to be a catastrophic explosion that happened from the inside. 
 
Rey paid the holocams that hovered behind her no mind, focusing instead on her climb through the broken pieces of stone and durasteel. The smoke that curled up from the gaping wound in the building filled the air above her and cast an eerie, bloody glow.

How fitting.

Rey thought to herself as she gripped her fingers on a jagged rock and pushed herself further up to the top of the heap.
 
She reached out through the steady hum of the Force, desperate to feel some part of her friend, to have some reassurance that she was still there - but found nothing but death. 
 
Rey stood up and didn’t bother to dust the dirt and grime from her white bodice, turning slowly on her heel to take stock of where she was in relation to where things used to stand within the walls of the Imperial Palace.
 
Just as she spied the muted green cover of a book - a true rarity in the galaxy - Rey heard the sound of bits of rubble tumbling down beneath large boots and knew that Ben had followed close behind her.

You’re faster than you look, Stardust.

It was for me. All of this....look there.

Ben’s gaze shifted to the book and his face contorted into a deep frown as he leaned down to pick it up.

The one I got for you.

I told you. The chaos follows us.

Rey was unsure of a great many things, but one thing was for certain. They stood in the crumbled remains of her quarters.
 
Her stomach felt like it was filled to the brim with the rubble she stepped over, sinking ever lower with each passing moment and every item she took stock of in her mind. 
 
As her eyes lingered over the tattered remains of what Rey was sure used to be her wardrobe, she spied the faint glimmer in the delicate weave of a black garment she knew by heart.
 
Stepping over the stone, Rey leaned down and pulled it from beneath the crumbled stone and lifted it to her nose, closing her eyes to the faint smell that somehow still lingered in each strand.

Spices. Smoke. Earth.

She clutched it against her chest as she wandered further into the disintegrated remains of her apartments, looking from stone to stone, like one of them would give her the answer she so desperately sought...until she found it.
 
It only took a split second for her to realize the scope of the entire situation with one glimpse of the small hand that was barely perceptible from beneath the crumbled bits of stone. 
 
Rey curled her fingers into her palms, nearly digging into the skin as she slowly inched forward, terrified of what she may find beneath the wreckage. Behind her, she thought she could hear Ben speaking to her, but all she could hear was the faint ringing in her ears as she slowly sank to her knees, reaching out with trembling fingers towards the hand.
 
A wave of nausea pummeled her as her skin brushed up against the soft flesh, and she tucked her hand inside and gingerly pulled an object from the still grasp of whoever lay in front of her. 
 
Rey let out a soft moan as tears instantaneously sprung forth to slide silver tracks through the dirt on her freckled face. She squeezed the trinket into her palm, wincing as she tried to keep another desperate cry from tumbling from her lips. 
 
Her hands shook as she slowly fanned open her long fingers and gave the object in her hand a painful stare, running her thumb over the smooth edges of the kyber crystal Ben had given her when she was still a little girl. Before all this, back when everything was simpler, back when they still had a whole world of possibilities ahead of them.
 
She ran her tongue over her bottom lip, her mouth suddenly so painfully dry as she reached up and numbly secured her most prized possession around her neck.
 
This was her fault. She came back for it. For her. 
 
Rey’s shoulders curled over as she pressed her palms against the rubbled-dusted carpet, taking a deep breath as she stubbornly made the decision not to give up. Not yet. 
 
Renewed by a new flash of fury, Rey lunged forward and began to tear at the stone, tossing each one away like it was nothing, paying no mind to the tiny cuts that formed on her hands, and the hovering holocams that had come to capture the Empress’ return. 
 
Nearly manic in her movements as she wrenched each piece away, it was only moments before Rey had uncovered the body completely, and found herself rooted to the spot in a dizzying wave of disbelief. 
 
Her chin trembled as she reached forward and gingerly brushed the curtain of black hair from her face, letting out a mournful sob when she was met with Rose Tico’s peaceful face. 
 
With a shiver, Rey reached out and gathered her friend in her arms, smoothing away the sticky globs of blood from her temple, softly hushing her motionless body as she maniacally took stock of Rose’s injuries. 
 
Rey held Rose as firmly as she could, sinking back onto her haunches as her gaze darted behind her, landing on Ben in an instant.
 
His face was serious and nearly unreadable as he stood still as a stone, his mouth hung open with a quiet sense of shock.
 
“Ben, what are you doing? Can’t you see she needs us?” Rey sobbed, her hot tears falling freely to land in wet patches on her garment, leaving white smatters on the dreamsilk amongst the ash, dirt, and blood. Anger cut through her grief when Ben didn’t move, didn’t rush forward to lend a hand to her friend, who was so desperately in need of something Rey was so sure he could provide, “Gods, Ben, what are you waiting for? Rose needs your help! Heal her, please! I beg you...do something….”

I can’t, Stardust. She’s gone.

Rey looked down at her fallen friend’s face, reaching up with shaking hands to smear the evidence of her tears from the bruises on her face, letting her touch linger as she gingerly reached out with the Force to do what Ben refused to do.
 
She couldn’t help but remember all the times when Rose had so lovingly put her back together the only way she could. Applying bacta to her wounds that she had collected at the diabolical hands of her husband, the Emperor. They’d returned to the same place where Rose found her that night, bruised and broken in a cloud of crimson shimmersilk.

Look what you made me do, Flower. I just hope you have learned your lesson and won’t dishonor me again.

Rey had to try and return the favor, try to repay Rose’s kindness and never-ending loyalty to her, in the face of so much adversity. 
 
She centered herself within the warmth of the Force, closing her eyes and letting it swirl around her in delicate shards of light, resting her hand over Rose’s heart as she tried with all her might to imbue her friend with the energy...and fill her with life again. 
 
When she opened them again in the blood-soaked sunshine, Rey’s heart sank when she saw that she had failed. 
 
“Rose, please…” she whimpered, stroking her fingers across her friend’s cheek as she begged for something...anything that would make it all be untrue, “Rose, wake up. Please.”
 
As the young woman continued to lay motionless in Rey’s arms, her grief gave way to something else, something more sinister. She’d only felt glimmers of it before, but welcomed it now as the furious swirls of her pain became more powerful. The storm inside her blazed on, more vicious than the worst sandstorms on the darkest nights on Jakku. 
 
Rey felt like she was at the center of it all, crying with more violence that she was sure ricocheted out from her body in sharp waves. Every atom of her screamed in unison, traumatized by the thought of what had happened here...and by whose hand. 
 
It had been there for a while - her anger. 
 
From the moments as a child, alone in the desert, when her loneliness would give way to the simmering shards of anger that even a little girl could feel - angry at herself for forgetting. Angry at the desert for starving her. Angry at whoever had left her there alone. 
 
Her fury bent and shifted as she grew older, becoming more potent and powerful as she hid it away, tucked beneath the fine layers of exquisite fabric, huddled together in the strands of broken muscle and bruised flesh.
 
It manifested in other ways, making her feel numb as she so desperately sought a way, any way to feel

something

- leading her to the depths of the Coruscant underbelly and the highest point of the Imperial Palace. The danger didn’t matter to her, not then, and it might never.
 
Now, her anger viciously bared its teeth like a rancor, ready and hungry to hunt for its prey. 
 
Enough was enough. It was time to make him pay.
 
With another loving caress of Rose’s face, Rey slowly brought herself to her feet, lifting her chin defiantly towards the holocams that surrounded her. She squared her shoulders and centered herself in the intoxicating pull of the darkness that swirled around her, welcoming the way the power tingled at the tips of her fingers as she slowly lifted Rose’s body from the ashes with a wave of her hand.
 
The bits of debris fell from her limp form as she rose into the air, trailing through the air like a spectral ragdoll as Rey complacently strode forward. She coldly marched over the bits of wreckage as her tears silently fell down her face to her feet. 
 
Ben reached out for her as she passed him, but any words were silenced by the dark look Rey cast at him. 
 
Rey was sure she looked a fright, her gleaming white attire now bloodstained and filthy, but all she could think about was the beat of her heart in her ears, and the way her grief cut her to the bone, leaving only a trail of agonizing anger in its wake. 
 
As she made her way to Poe and Finn, who had stayed behind in the shadow of the Millennium Falcon when she haphazardly bounded over the mountain of rubble, her body tensed as she met their grief-stricken gaze. 
 
“We’ll meet you back in Theed,” she stated, her eyes vacant and cold, barely pausing a second before striding up the gangplank of the Falcon. 
 
Once on-board, Rey turned and cradled Rose in her arms with an assist from the Force, tucking her into the alcoved bunk in the main hold. Her blank facade broke for a moment, letting out a soft sob as she reached into a drawer and pulled a blanket - covering her fallen friend as the last of her tears slipped down her freckled cheeks. 
 
Rey slid down the durasteel wall to the floor, balancing a forearm on her knee as she reached out and curled her fingers around Rose’s hand. She felt empty, catatonic almost, as she sat in a deep pit of denial and rage that she’d built for herself in the seconds since she’d found her body beneath the rubble.
 
Lifting her eyes to the doorway, Rey saw Ben burst through the entrance onto the ship and stop abruptly when his gaze fell to her. He cautiously stepped forward, like she was a wild kaadu that he was trying to tame, and desperate not to spook.
 
“We are going to make-way here in a minute...did you...did you want to pilot the old girl, or should I?” Ben spoke more to the air than to her, and Rey knew that he was trying his hardest to give her the choice of what she needed from him at that moment. 
 
Rey leaned her cheek against Rose’s limp, cold hand, and closed her eyes with a sigh.
 
“I’m good right here. I don’t want her to be alone.”
 
“Okay,” he murmured, scrubbing the back of his neck with his long fingers as he shuffled his black boots on the durasteel grates, “If you change your mind, you know where I’ll be.” 
 
She tipped her head, so heavy with her swirling spiral of grief and bitterness that begged to be unleashed, against the metal at her back, closing her eyes with a soft sigh when the Falcon’s engines gave a great roar and she knew that they were finally leaving what was left of her life in the Imperial Palace behind. 
 
*
 
Hours later, when their party arrived back in Theed at the Royal Palace Hanger, Rey pulled herself from the floor and watched with a grim twist of her mouth when a med-crew boarded the Falcon and proceeded to examine Rose’s body with a collection of beeping instruments.
 
“Don’t bother,” she muttered, her expression smooth and emotionless, “There isn’t anything to be done. She’s gone.”
 
Her eyes flickered, with a grim twist to her mouth, to Ben, who stood silently at the other side of the hold. She couldn’t help but think back to the moment, mere hours prior, when she had tearfully begged for him to do something to help her friend, when he’d so easily knit her flesh back together on Ahch-to those many months ago. 
 
Rey didn’t want to be angry with him, the man she loved and willingly gave her entire self to, but she couldn’t help but simmer in her anger at what had happened, and the young life that had been lost in the process.
 
She remained mostly wordless and somber as she followed the grav-stretcher down the gangplank. They walked along through the gilded, marble hallways of the royal palace, making their way through the labyrinth of hallways before entering the elegant rotunda where Rey had first met the Queen of Naboo.
 
The medi-crew and medical droids carried Rose out of the stately hall, down one of the seemingly endless hallways of the palace. Rey winced when she heard a piercing cry ring out, like a spectre in the night - one that Rey was sure belonged to Rose’s sister, Paige. 
 
The party in the domed throne room stayed silent and still as her mournful keen settled around them, bringing the devastating weight of their shared loss to sit heavy on their shoulders. 
 
Rey silently fumed, squeezing her fingers into her palms as she looked from face to face until she settled on Poe and Finn.
 
“What did you find out from your contact?” the Empress barked, her voice low and bristling with the simmering flames of her anger. Poe looked to Finn, giving his partner an easy look before turning back to her without a ready answer. Rey narrowed her eyes and  pressed on once more, “I asked you a question, Commander Dameron. Information. Now.”
 
“Rey…uh...it’s…” Poe’s eyes shifted around the room, and Rey was sure that he was looking at Ben, who stood behind her.
 
“Don’t look at him. He’s not your Emperor yet. I want an answer,” Rey seethed, instantly rolling away Ben’s hand that had reached out for her shoulder, stepping forward with a crease in her brow and a flicker of fury in her hazel eyes. The pilot let out a long sigh, scrubbing the shadow of a beard on his face before disobeying her again. 
 
 “I think maybe we should wait for the dust to settle for a bit before we talk about what’s next.”
 
Rey barked out a laugh, looking incredulously around the room as she set her hands on her hips in frustration. She couldn’t help the disbelieving smile that came to her face when she answered him back with a chilling ferocity.
 
“You want to…

let the dust settle?

Are you mad, or daft?” Rey made a tight circle around the room, the tips of her fingers twitching with the need to release her rage, to let some of the darkness fly free before it overtook her completely. The tatters of her white dreamsilk overcoat trailed behind her, smattered with bits of ash, dirt, and the blood of her fallen friend. She met Ben’s eyes, holding them for a brief moment, and welcomed the comfort he sent through the bond - until Poe spoke again. 
 
“Rey, trust me. I know you...and this won’t be easy for you to hear with everything you’ve been through.”
 
The Empress turned on her heel, her star-dusted hazel eyes burning with a new, raw intensity as Poe stepped forward with his hands outstretched. She threw her hand up and, in an instant, he was frozen in place - unable to move except for the look of alarm in his dark eyes.
 
“Don’t think

for a kriffing second

that just because you knew me then means that you have

any

idea of what I’ve been through since then. You don’t have a clue, Poe. You don’t know what’s happened...what else he’s done. That bastard has gotten away with far too much...and I’ve had enough,” Rey released him with a flourish of her fingers, and the pilot fell to his knees with a cough as she pressed on, “There’s a storm coming. There’s a gathering of clouds over his head, so thick that he’ll never be ready for the torrent I will bring upon him and his Order. I can’t get back what he’s taken from me...but we can do that for the people of the galaxy...and we can do that for him,” Rey took a deep breath and lifted her gaze back to Ben, who stood with a somber look behind her. 
 
She strode forward and held a hand out to their old friend, who was still on his knees. He clapped his palm into her proffered grasp, and she tugged him from the marble with a serious look.
 
“No more dancing around this. The time is now. For them. Now, tell me, or I will extract it from you.”
 
Poe sniffed and pressed his mouth into a grimace as he looked down at his boots.
 
“He’s...he’s started up an old Inquisitorius Imperial operation...I don’t know how he’s doing it...but he’s brought Project Harvester back to life.”
 
The cold smolder of Rey’s anger faded away, blinking slowly at him as her rage grew in the deepest, darkest parts of her she wasn’t sure existed until that moment.
 
“You mean…” she murmured, lifting her scorching gaze to meet Ben’s, who was seething darkly all on his own.
 
“...he’s kidnapping Force-sensitive kids to torture them into becoming dark siders...yeah. That’s the one.”
 
Rey watched Ben bristle with a shudder of his chin, baring his teeth as he stepped forward and the mask of Kylo Ren began to surface. She reached out and splayed her fingers over his chest, stilling him for a moment as she silently wound the furious beating of their hearts together.
 
“Then we can’t afford to waste anymore time. Finn,” Rey looked towards the Resistance Captain, “What’s the status on securing troops loyal to the true Emperor...or to me?”
 
“Better than we thought, Majesty. I...I think we’ve got a fair chance with what the Resistance has, and...I think there’s a good chance that we could get the

Vengeance

on our side…”
 
“

Excellent.

How long do we need to prepare?”

Finn smiled with a shrug of his broad shoulders.
 
“A fortnight, maybe?”
 
“Make it a week.”
 
“You’ve got it, Empress. Anything for you.”
 
Rey lifted her chin, giving the room one more once-over before turning on her heel and striding out of the Nabooian throne room.
 
She heard the murmuring of voices as soon as she stepped into the lengthy hallway, followed soon after by the sound of boots that she was sure belonged to Ben. His thoughts were a swirling mess of worry, unease, and fear.

Rey let out a soft sigh when he fell into step beside her.
 
“Don’t.”
 
“I wasn’t doing anything.”
 
“You’re thinking so loudly, I can hear you. I’m fine.”
 
“You’re not.”
 
Rey came to an abrupt halt and glared up at him.
 
“And who do you think you are to decide that for me?”
 
Ben stood tall, gazing down at her with a glint in his eye before they softened ever so slightly and he slowly reached out for her hand - sending waves of comfort and love through the bond.

I’m so sorry, Stardust. I know how much she meant to you.

Rey let out a quiet sob as she continued to glare up at him with a razor-sharp edge, stepping out of his grasp as the unbreakable walls she’d built around herself with her rage began to crumble away.
 
“I...I’m fine,” she whispered, backing herself into the stone wall with a soft gasp. 
 
“You’re not,” Ben answered, his low voice quiet as he took a tentative step towards her.
 
“Don’t…” Rey warned, her hazel eyes alight with her anguish of the loss of her friend. She shook her head as her chin trembled, keeping her gaze trained on the dark knight as he closed in on the space she thought she needed. With a stuttering gasp, she raised her hands as Ben reached out for her again, firmly standing his ground when her emotions began to finally break free. 
 
With each pound of her small fists against his chest, Rey began to crumble, crying out for everything she’d lost...but especially for Rose.      
 
The Empress quickly tired under the enormity of it all, collapsing into Ben’s arms when her knees gave way. Her anguish consumed her completely. It was more than merely weeping. Her lithe body was wracked with the kind of desolate sobs that only came from a person drained of all faith, and each one of her desolate cries hit Ben like an icy bolt to the heart.
 
She sank to her knees and he followed, tucking her closer to his chest as her body shook with each sob. Her pain would have been palpable for anyone, not just to someone who was as in tune with her emotions as Ben was - he didn’t have to be bonded with her to know the depth of her heartbreak.
 
They had been through so much, the pair of them, too much for any person to bear, and Ben wasn’t sure how much more they could take. He tucked his long nose into her hair, rubbing soft circles on her back as he sent wave after wave of love and comfort through their bond to ease her pain. 
 
It would be a lie to say that Rey had begun to scare the shit out of him that d
ay. From the moment she stepped down the Falcon’s gangplank on Coruscant, and scaled the rubble of the section of the Imperial Palace that had been destroyed in the blast, Ben could feel the darkness surge inside her. 
 
Ben had always been protective of her light, maybe a little too protective at times. He’d pushed her away on Ahch-to, furiously insisting that she stay away from the dark pit that called her when she so desperately wanted to explore what the ancient Jedi texts had led her to - Balance.
 
To see her embrace the darkness inside her made him feel afraid, and he was determined to make sure that she didn’t fall, like him, when it was such a far climb to get back to the light.  
 
Ben circled his arms tighter around Rey, tucking her firmly against his chest as he stood with a quiet grunt. She quietly wept into his shoulder, and he could feel her replaying every memory of Rose inside her mind - and everything she wished she could have done to prevent it. 
 
His heart ached as he nuzzled her cheek, holding her tighter as he silently prayed to whatever god would listen to keep her from falling into the darkness that would surely tempt her - with empty promises to bring her fallen friend back.

Don’t do that...it isn’t your fault, Stardust.

Rey clung to him with her arms wound tightly around his neck as he gallantly carried her the rest of the way down the corridor to the palace’s hanger, where the Falcon sat waiting for them. He was eager to get her back to the peace and quiet of the Lake Country, back to their happy bubble at Varykino. It was foolish to hope that they could pick up where they left off now that their shared joy had been tarnished by tragedy, but Ben was hopeful that it would help to ease the gravity of what she felt. 
 
He set her back on her feet when they reached the top of the ramp, and he let out a slow breath as she slowly wandered to the Dejarik table and slid into the curved seat to silently pick at her fingernails. 
 
Ben shuffled his feet for a moment, struggling with finding the right words to say. She seemed calmer than she was before, but he couldn’t help but notice the way her beamingly bright signature had dimmed. He’d witnessed it before...after Hux cruelly made her answer for “dishonoring” him. She’d swam in the shallows of her darkness, and Ben had watched her struggle to find her footing against the black current to tried to drag her down. 
 
Their eyes met for a split second before Rey shifted her gaze downwards again. Ben took it as a sign that she needed to be left alone, and he was more than happy to give it to her...for a time, anyways. 
 
Not long after, once they’d reached the stately villa perched on the shores of a milky turquoise lake, Ben strode out of the cockpit and found no Rey.
 
His heart lurched in his chest for a moment as he scanned the main hold for her, shifting his attention in a flash when he heard her footsteps echo on the gravel outside. 
 
Ben jogged down the gangplank after her, calling out her name a
s she quickly made her way into the house.
 
“Rey, wait!”
 
She cast him a look over her shoulder, her grief once again replaced by her fury. Ben increased his pace and curled his fingers around the dirtied sleeve of her ruined ivory jacket. Rey yanked her hand away from his grip and cast him an icy stare.
 
“There’s nothing to talk about. I have things to do. I need to prepare.”
 
Ben reached out through the bond and brushed up against her signature, balking when he felt that she had built a mental shield around herself - to keep him out. It was too late...it was already tempting her...just as he feared.
 
“Don’t do this, Rey...please don’t go this way.”
 
Rey glared at him with a furious glint in her eye, and reached up to curl her fingers around the precious shard of his kyber crystal that hung around her neck. It had been the only sliver left of her past life that she ever carried with her through the years. Ben knew that it was beyond precious to her from the first moment he gave it to her when they were still children on Yavin IV...before any of this mess.
 
With a yank of her hand, she tore the stone from around her neck, turned on her heel, and stormed up the stairs. 
 
She sta
yed locked away for the rest of the day...then the next...and the next after that. 
 
Ben paced outside her door until he was sure that he would wear a hole in the floor. He could hear the cling of metal and the occasional Huttese expletive on her part. Every time he reached out to her through the bond, it was silent on her end...all he knew was that she was there, and it hurt his heart to know that she was keeping him out. 
 
He made it his purpose to wait...to wait for the girl who had waited for so long, all alone in the Jakku desert, for her family to be restored to her. A lifetime before, Ben had made a promise to a freckle-faced little girl, deep in the jungles that surrounded The Great Temple.

I’ll always be with you, even when we’re apart. No matter how far.

So, even with Rey keeping him out and up to Gods knew what, Ben would wait...and he knew in the deepest part of his twisted heart that she was worth every second. She had been worth it through their fifteen year long separation, when the First Order forced them apart as children. She’d been worth it when he so anxiously waited for the Force to reveal her memories so she could know him again. She was worth it even when Fate tried to separate them by death, and the dark knight had resolutely declared that he would wait then, too.
 
They knew all about waiting. They’d done it all their lives.  Ben didn’t see how a couple days in the grand scheme of their entire life together would make much difference. 
 
On the third day, Ben’s heart began to ache at the eerie familiarity of the position he found himself in - waiting outside Rey’s door, hoping and praying that she would let him in. Only then, there was Rose Tico to bar the door. 
 
He couldn’t keep the wistful smile from spreading across his face at the thought of the petite, spitfire of a girl...one of the few people in the entire galaxy besides Rey who had been utterly unphased and unintimidated by the mask and persona he wore as Kylo Ren. 
 
Unexpectedly, his heart gave a great lurch and a s
tuttering gasp tumbled from his lip when the feeling of Rey’s signature came flooding back in all at once. He wanted to dance in the sumptuous feeling of it, letting his eyes close for a split second before he felt something else - something darker and more sinister.
 
It lingered with her light in an unexpected way, twined together in an effortless way that almost made her seem like so much more than she was before. A balance between the light and the dark that created a Force so powerful, Ben’s hands shook from the sheer magnitude of it all. 
 
He pulled himself to his feet in a flash and rammed his broad shoulder into the door, letting out a loud grunt when he tumbled through to the other side. 
 
Ben’s breath caught in his throat when he saw her, standing in front of an open window, feet apart and shoulders square as she looked out over the shimmering milky blue of the lake sprawled out around them.
 
Rey had changed out of the grimy, blood-stained remains of the white dreamsilk clothing he’d last seen her in, opting for a sleek jumpsuit that hugged the supple, muscular curve of her legs to her ankles, and left a delicious amount of her golden, freckled skin on display with the exposed back.
 
She was always beautiful in Ben’s eyes, but at that moment, she was something else, something new that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
 
“It’s black, I know. Not my usual color choice,” Rey’s voice rang out with an amused, bell-like jingle. She slowly turned on her heel, flipping her long, simple braid over her shoulder as her beautiful face curved up into a smile, “I’ve been feeling a little…

darker

lately.”
 
“I noticed,” Ben murmured, taking a tentative step towards her, “What have you been up to in here, Stardust? You feel...different.”
 
“I am different...and it feels…

good,

” she grinned at him, a truly genuine smile that made his loving heart skip a beat, “I made something…”
 
“Oh?”
 
“I....took some liberties...I hope you don’t mind...it just...felt right,” Rey held out the gleaming hilt of Ben’s family legacy saber in the palm of her hand, but it was different, somehow. Longer, leaner...like it had become something new, “I figured it out, Ben.

Balance.

I could feel that I needed it...I knew that this...this darkness that I was feeling needed a home...so I gave it one.”
 
Ben’s heart thundered in his chest as he cocked his head to the side, brows furrowed in confusion as he looked from her eyes to the lightsaber in her hand.
 
“What did you do?”
 
Wordlessly, Rey smiled again and curled her fingers around the shining hilt. She gave it a twist of her wrist and brought the humming blue blade that had been built by his grandfather to life. Ben could feel the breathless rush of her excitement thrum through the bond as she gave it a spin and brought a second -

red

- blade shooting out the other end.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The Empress of the First Order kept her chin held high, back straight and shoulders square as she looked out across the bow of the Resurgent-Class star destroyer

Vengeance.

Rey centered herself in the steady, quiet hum of the III-a1a primary hypermatter annihilation reactor, and the rhythm of the beeps and ticks of the thousands of interfaces all working in unison with the help of the First Order officers that sat vigilantly at their stations below her black boots.

After a week of preparations, they’d finally made way with their hodgepodge fleet of revolutionaries. Rey looked out across the bow from the port to the starboard side, letting out a confident, yet anxious sigh as she mentally took stock of the MC-85 Star Cruiser,

Raddus,

the Free Virgillia-class Bunkerbuster,

Ninka -

that was under command of Vice-Admiral Holdo - and a handful of cargo and medical frigates they had at their disposal, on top of the fully staffed and stocked star destroyer she stood on the bridge of at that moment.

She couldn’t help but think how Armitage had so haughtily sneered to his peers about how politics and a star destroyer were no place for a woman. Yet, here she was, in command of what he insisted was a place she wouldn’t - and couldn’t - belong, about to rain hell down upon him and his Order.

A ping rang out from her wristcomm, drawing Rey’s attention away from the incessant beeps of the MSE-6 droid that buzzed around her ankles. She lifted it to her mouth as she pushed the little mouse-droid towards the end of the bridge with the tip of her toe.

“Yes?”

”They’re ready for you in the conference room, Empress.”

The tinny sound of the Resistance Captain, Finn, rang out through the quiet hum aboard the bridge, lifting the eyes of a handful of junior officers from their stations. Rey turned her attention to the stony-faced pair of senior officers who stood vigilantly behind her.

“Captain Peavey, Lieutenant Mitaka - I leave the bridge to you. Inform me of any changes or updates to our estimated time of arrival in the Arkanis System.”

The men nodded and stepped back to let her pass, murmuring a firm, “Yes, Empress,” as she passed. With the long hem of the black cowl that was wrapped around her shoulders fluttering behind her, Rey strode down the platform that bisected the heart of the star destroyer -

Her

star destroyer.

She had been thrilled when Finn told her of his progress with the stormtrooper legions that had been left behind when Hux’s loyal squadrons went running to the wayward Emperor’s side. The remaining troops took some convincing, but more of them were won over with help from the former trooper, Finn, who quietly passed along the information about the Skywalker heir who had come along to retake the throne. Even then, there were still the odd few who wanted to see the smarmy ginger come crashing down from his throne for what he’d done to their Empress. Rey had been flattered...honored, really, when she heard her name whispered through the ranks when she and Ben had disembarked the Falcon upon their arrival on the

Vengeance.

With all the manpower they’d acquired, Rey was confident that they stood a chance against Armitage and his fleet.

Her boot steps reverberated off the gleaming, permasteel floors as she walked down the long corridor to the turbolift. The doors slid open with a hiss when she stepped up to them, and Rey dutifully smiled and gave a nod to the group of Stormtroopers that were waiting inside.

The small space, lined with a muted, white glow from behind the patterned panels of the walls, was charged with a breathless sense of anticipation. Rey couldn’t help but smile when one of the armored men at her back cleared his throat at the silent urging of his comrades and spoke out to the Empress.

“We...we are ready to serve you, Empress. Whatever you need, we are on your side.”

Rey turned around as the lift slowed to a halt and tried to keep her beaming smile somewhat Empress-like as she nodded at the group.

“There’s a whole new world waiting for us all when we’re finished. I appreciate your loyalty and I promise you...it will be rewarded,” she reached up with the tips of her fingers and smiled, trailing her touch against the trio of blue, vertical stripes that emblazoned their plastoid helmets from above the brow to the cheek, “I like this. It reminds me of someone else I know who bears a similar mark.”

“I...uh...thank you, Empress. We thought we’d go along with the color changes that have been happening with the TIEs and walkers...give a show of solidarity and let our enemy know that we are one unit.”

“Thank you,” Rey gave him a kind smile, “That means more to us than you know.”

She gave the men one last, stoic nod and stepped out of the lift, striding down another long corridor. When she rounded a corner near the end of the hallway, Rey could hear a group of hushed voices that instantly went quiet when she stepped into the room.

“Don’t stop on my account,” Rey mused, walking around the wide holotable at the center to stand beside Ben, who gave her the ghost of a smile as she reached up to let her hand linger upon his shoulder, “Give us some good news...please.”

The Empress and her dark knight turned their attention to Vice-Admiral Holdo and Poe Dameron, who stood together on the far side of the circular table, their faces softly lit up by the blue-white hologram that was beamed up in the center. The entire party lifted their eyes to the holo of the planet they were headed for - Arkanis.

“What we know so far, Empress, is Hux has himself holed up in the old Imperial Academy. Apparently his old man, Brendol, had a real foothold there under the Emperor...and had a big hand in Project Harvester.”

“It sounds like the fucker has something to prove,” Ben muttered under his breath.

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Finn chimed in, pressing a button that zoomed into the planet’s surface, “It’s inside an ancient structure that was built by the original inhabitants of the planet...and it’s going to be a bitch to get into. Black Squadron and the fleet will try to keep them busy up here, and I’ll be on-world to try and push through. Our best hope is to get you inside. I can’t say for certain what you’ll meet there...but we do know that’s where he’s keeping the kids.”

“How many are there?” Rey murmured, her hazel eyes alight with a slow, simmering rage.

“It’s hard to say, Empress. At least ten...and it’ll be a lot harder to get back out then it will be to get in. We’ll likely have our hands full, so that will be up to you two.”

Rey lifted her chin and fixed her gaze upon Ben, letting out a slow breath with the subtle rise and fall of her shoulders. They were wordless, both with their mouths and their bond, letting their eyes do the talking for a moment before Ben gave her the tiniest nods that said nearly everything she needed to know.

The Empress turned back to Poe, her shoulders square and their decision absolute.

“How long do we have?”

“Twelve hours, give or take,” Finn answered, pressing a switch on the holotable that showed the fleet’s progress within the hyperlane they traveled through.

“Stars. Is that all?” Rey breathed as her eyes roved over the handful of ships above their heads.

“It’s a long way to the Outer Rim, that’s true, but we’re making good time. Everything is ready and accounted for. You get some rest. Tomorrow...tomorrow is going to change our lives in a real big way, and we need you ready for it,” Poe stepped closer to his partner with a soft smile, letting his fingers linger on Finn’s sleeve.

Once the meeting had been convened, Rey stepped away from the chatter, following Ben into the hallway where he ran to as soon as the holotable had been switched off. They fell into an easy cadence together, their steps effortlessly synchronized as they made their way to the turbolift.

Her lover remained silent and brooding - in a way that threatened to infuriate her with each passing moment he let go by - with him saying nothing in a way that spoke volumes.

Rey’s frustration reached a peak as the lift traveled beyond the barracks to the floor where their neighboring quarters were in the Officer’s wing. She reached out and mashed a red button on the control panel, bringing the lift to a sudden, screeching halt.

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing.”

Rey put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at the dark knight, who refused to meet her eyes for longer than a moment.

“You think louder than you breathe, Solo. Out with it. You should know by now that you can’t keep things from me. You

shouldn’t

keep things from me.”

“I…” Ben reached up to scrub his face with a sigh, closing his dark eyes in a way that made him seem to deflate from the inside out, “We...we haven’t talked about what happened. I know you said you found balance, but...the whole thing freaks me out, like your light has been tainted by darkness and…

kriff

...that is the last thing that I ever wanted for you.”

Rey stepped towards him as he reached up to anxiously rub the back of his neck, wearily watching her as she closed the space between them.

“I understand, but I’m still me, Ben...and I’d like to help you understand that...I want to

show you

how much of me there still is...how much of me that is

yours

in every way.”

Rey felt Ben stiffen as she reached for him, letting her fingers trail across the quilted pattern of his black tunic. She felt the most delicious parts of the darkness curl up deep in her soul, urging her on, to fill herself with a passion that would only make them more powerful in the end. It sang to her, encouraging her to fill the balance between them with their light, their love, and their shared desire.

There is no light without the dark. Through passion, I gain focus. Through knowledge, I gain power. Through serenity, I gain strength. Through victory, I gain harmony.

It had been since that fated night in the light of the three Nabooian moons that they had last come together, when her grief and the coming war served as a distraction that had kept them busy and well enough apart to keep their shared appetites at bay...but there, in the muted light of the turbolift, and the softness of Ben’s gaze as he looked down upon her, Rey couldn’t help but feel her hunger flare in a way that made both the light and the darkness inside her smile with glee.

Rey stepped closer, capturing her bottom lip between her teeth when she felt the heat of him radiate and warm her skin in the most delicious way.

“Let me ease your worry. Let me show you what I’ve seen…

I’ll help you.

”

Rey pushed herself against Ben’s broad chest and tucked the tips of her fingers into his hair, smiling to herself when his dark eyes closed with a quiet groan. She couldn’t help but think back to the countless times when they had found themselves in a similar position in the confines of the Imperial Palace - trapped in the narrow confines of a turbolift.

By the book, a lift wasn’t something inherently sexy. It wasn’t the first thing that anyone would think about when it came to locations that instantly filled a person with a fiery need that could only be satiated one way.

Her mind instantly drifted back to the memory of the first charged elevator ride they’d taken on her first day in the palace when Ben - a masked mystery to her then -  had hungrily murmured her name in a way that made her shiver - and filled her dreams from then on with the sight of the dark-haired man. She dreamt of him night after night, and found herself filled with a desperate need and heat, like a scorching, coiled spring deep in her belly.

It happened again, more obvious the next time, when she so boldly challenged Kylo Ren to remove his mask and look upon her with his own eyes. She knew now that Ben wanted to throw his mask down, right then, and take her mouth with his own - but the pomp and circumstance of their stations kept them from acting on the delicious pull of their unexplainable connection.

They hadn’t exactly been friends then, but they were some unexplainable version of

more

that Rey began to understand more and more as time went on. She had voraciously reached up and traced her fingers across the gleaming silver bands and whispered,

Then why don’t you?

She mirrored her own actions, then, moving her hands to trail her touch across his brow to hug his long face in her gasp, quietly imploring him, “You’re still holding on, Ben…

let go.”

The dark knight let out a shaky sigh before opening his eyes again. Rey was barely allowed a moment to take a breath when Ben brought his lips crashing into hers, hungrily devouring the delectable moan that tumbled from hers. He curled his strong arms around her waist, holding her firmly as they went crashing into the wall.

Ben curled his long fingers around the gossamer waffle-weave of the black cowl that was draped around her shoulders, uncoiling it in a painfully slow way as Rey watched his every move. He fisted it in his hand and held it between them with a dark gleam in his eye.

“This is

mine,

” he growled.

“So? So am I,” Rey answered fearlessly with a coquettish grin, “So, if you’re in the mood to take what’s yours, I suggest you hurry before someone notices that the lift has stopped.”

“You’re not mine, Rey. You never have been,” Ben leaned down when her eyes widened and pressed a series of molten kisses between his words, “My soulmate...my partner...my best friend...my lover, sure. But you’ve never belonged to me. You’ll never

belong

to anyone ever again.”

Rey’s cheeks flushed a rosy pink beneath her smile as she reached up to wind her fingers in his hair and bring his lips - that were oh so ripe for the kissing - to hers, sending every thought, every precious feeling of love, every bit of desire through the charged thread of their bond.

With every touch of his hands against her skin, her body came to life, thrumming with the possibilities of what was about to happen.

Ben’s mouth moved over hers in a dance that was special to only them, twining his tongue with hers as he reached down to run his palms up the smooth flesh of her thigh. With a quiet grunt, he cupped the curve of her ass and hoisted her into his arms, pressing her against the illuminated walls of the lift while he continued his ministrations with his dexterous mouth.

Rey’s head rocked against the wall at her back, and she let out a quiet moan as his hands traveled higher up her bare skin, leaving a trail of electrifying goosebumps in their wake. Ben took advantage of the exposed expanse of the tender flesh, leaning down to nip and suck at the map of freckles dusted between her throat and shoulder.

Ben pulled his mouth from her shoulder with a wolfish grin, meeting her gaze with an unblinking, heated stare as he fisted the snug fabric at her hips. Rey ran her tongue over her lips with a soft gasp as, in a single, fluid motion, Ben tore open the seams. The act instantly bought them easier access to each other, and she found herself delightfully breathless at the feeling of the heat from his body radiating out against her core.

Spurred on by his actions, the Empress dipped her hands between them, unfailing in her trust that Ben would never let her fall, and tore at the fastenings of his trousers, hungry and determined to have more - have all of him be one with all of her.

With one touch of her fingers against his heated flesh, every ounce of patience, every thread of them that had held them apart for so long, melted away completely. It was instantaneously replaced with a voracious need to be together in their shared passion in a way they never had before. Quick, heated, and everything they needed at that moment.

Every kiss, every moment of skin against skin was filled with an unbridled fervency. Their shared breaths intertwined, hearts beating ferociously, as their desperation to be one pushed all other needs aside.

Rey felt Ben’s hand between them as their tongues danced together in a heated kiss, and suddenly he was inside her. Together, they groaned in harmony, as Ben changed the speed of her breathing and the rhythm of the quiet whimpers that tumbled from her lips with every thrust.

Ben kept her back firmly pressed against the turbolift wall, hugging the supple curve of her ass as he relentlessly sank into her, spurred on by each delectable sound that escaped her with each lascivious movement.

They knew they didn’t have long, and choosing to fuck in the very public confines of a turbolift was a risky move that the two of them were very faintly aware of.

The dark knight languorously roved his mouth over her exposed shoulder, possessive and feverish with each molten kiss, mapping every inch of her freckled flesh as their bodies continued to move together in an effortless dance.

With a honeyed whine, Rey rolled her hips, perfectly timed with him as they followed their shared release, hurtling towards that line they’d toed for so long. Now it was theirs, as often as they wanted, for the rest of the time they had left together.

Ben increased his pace, rocking into her with a new, desperate fury as their connection flared, and suddenly, he felt her pleasure, and she his.

It was a new, unbidden sensation that neither of them had ever experienced, leaving both of them breathless with a wild wonderment that they were eager to explore.

Ben pulled away, trailing his nose along the edge of her jaw to press his forehead against hers, timing the roll of his hips to the beat of their hearts.

With a shuddering breath, Rey reached up and twined her fingers in his hair, slowly bringing her lips to his for a lingering kiss.

Let go, Ben.

She hugged her heels around him, pulling him closer as they rode their wave of shared pleasure, breathlessly chasing the wave as it lifted them ever higher and practically made the walls of the lift buzz as Ben suddenly stilled himself with a choked groan.

He rested his head in the crook of her shoulder, his broad shoulders heaving while he struggled to catch his breath. Rey drew her hands over his raven hair, and sent a surge of her love and adoration through their bond.

I love you, Stardust.

I know.

She couldn’t help the coquettish smile that curled across her face, capturing his mouth with another kiss - one that lingered and let her relentlessly hold onto the glimmering band of energy the Force had wrapped around them.

Rey let out a quiet sigh when the subtle hum of the turbolift resumed and their heated tryst was declared over by the engineering crew of the

Vengeance

.

“Kriff,” she muttered.

“My, my,” Ben tutted against the softness of her mouth with a smile, “That isn’t language that’s very becoming of an Empress.”

Rey pressed her palms against his shoulders and lowered her feet to the floor with a facetious frown at her lover as she adjusted the remains of her dress around her hips, and scooped his cowl up from where it had haphazardly landed in a heap at their feet.

“Well, with any luck, I won’t be the Empress of the First Order much longer...hard to be the queen when there’s no kingdom…”

“Who says you have to stop? There will still be an Emperor...and he...he wouldn’t be opposed to keeping you around...for forever.”

Rey barked out a laugh as she wrapped the soft, black fabric of his cowl around her shoulders, stepping backward out of the lift as the doors slid open with a hiss.

“Ben Solo, was that a proposal?”

“It...do you want it to be?”

Rey gave him a look and a small shake of her head before stepping out of view. 
 
Ben scrambled to fasten his trousers, now that the turbolift doors were wide-open, and slide out into the hallway to follow the sound of her effervescent laughter.

He barely caught a glimpse of her as she stepped into her quarters, her freckled face still alight with the gleam of her dazzling smile.

With a swipe of his hand, the door slid open and Ben’s eyes instantly widened to see the Empress shimmying out of her black and red dress, letting it fall to the floor in a heap - and leaving her completely bare.

She looked simultaneously out of place, but like she belonged in a way that Ben couldn’t quite describe. Her signature, as tightly coiled to the darkness as it now was, still gleamed against the neverending black and grey that lined every inch of the Resurgent-class star destroyer.

He had spent nearly his entire life aboard a ship like the one they were on now, silently brooding behind his mask while he muddled through his day-to-day as the First Order’s enforcer. Every day was centered in the deepest pits of his darkness - something he wasn’t sure if he could, or even deserved to, ever escape.

It all changed on that first day when he saw her on Jakku, and found himself nearly blinded by her light. To have it tainted now by darkness was something Ben couldn’t begin to know how to comprehend. He only knew how scared it made him feel that she was bound to fall, like him.

The idea of her, someone who he’d seen as his light - his tether in the broken shards of his darkness, being tempted by it herself was something that he’d never fathomed. He understood

why

it was happening, the girl had been through more things in her life that would make any good man feel the pull, but Ben had held out hope that she’d be able to resist it.

His eyes burned into her as she sashayed towards the bed tucked against the wall and picked up a silken black robe from the sheets. Rey had to have known that he was watching her as she slowly slid her arms into the gossamer sleeves with a coy smile. He’d like to think that was merely her shining through, and not the seductive tendrils of the darkness that pulled her towards the pursuit of passion for power.

Ben stepped forward and cleared his throat, anxiously carding his fingers through his hair while Rey stepped towards the wide, transparisteel viewport.

“Are we going to talk about this?”

“Talk about what? Us fucking in a turbolift just now, or your poorly timed proposal?” Rey giggled, turning on her heel as she loosely tied the red ribbon around her narrow waist.

“Rey, you know exactly what I’m talking about,” Ben warned, taking another step towards her.

You’ve avoided this for long enough, Stardust.

“I’m not avoiding anything, Ben. There’s nothing to talk about. I told you...I figured it out.”

“You said that...I promise I heard you...but that doesn’t mean that I understand.”

“How?” she countered, her brows creasing in building frustration, “How do you not understand when you’ve done the same exact kriffing thing?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Rey.” Ben answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Don’t you?” Rey’s chest heaved as her face flushed, “

Balance,

Ben. I’ve felt it. I’ve felt it in you ever since I came back...since you brought me…

kriff

, you brought me back to life, Ben. There’s a reason why you were able to.”

Ben’s dark eyes were wary as the Empress strode forward and gingerly placed her palms against the steady rise and fall of his broad chest.

“Can’t you feel it...here, inside you...now in me, too. It feels different. Powerful, but at peace.”

“Rey,” Ben whispered her name like a prayer, “I never...I never wanted you to be like me...to feel tempted by the dark. It lies...I should know...it told me you were dead for

years

. It erased the memory of you...how can you stand to put your trust in something that did that? It...it

broke me

to lose you,” his voice faltered as the painful memory of her loss bubbled to the surface. The dark knight turned away from her and scrubbed his long face with his hands, letting out a quiet growl as he cursed the tears that had begun to pool behind his lashes.

His dark eyes were wild with grief when he turned back to meet her gaze.

“You don’t have any idea what it was like for me...to have that poison in your veins. To feel it boil over, even when I thought that I started to

finally

push it away. It took you from me,

again.

I knew it would break me...I told you that I wouldn’t survive...and...fuck…” he paced the room, scrubbing his hands through his hair as he desperately tried to keep his emotions at bay, “First, it told me you were dead...and then….then you

did,

Stardust.

You died.

I...I was so angry...and I lost control. I don’t know what would have happened to me if you didn’t come back...I’d never want that for you. I never wanted you to have

any

of this fucking darkness,” Ben’s eyes shone, and his chin trembled as he slowly sank to his knees, hiding his face from her as his broad shoulders quaked with his silent sobs.

Rey slowly stepped up beside him and gingerly reached out to rub her palm along his spine, silently sending a surge of comfort through their bond.

Ben melted beneath her touch, letting his tears fall free as he reached up and coiled his arms around her waist. His body shook while he held onto her, tethering himself to her as he always believed she was.

Rey leaned down and cupped his long face in her hands, lifting his tear-strewn face towards hers as she sank to meet him on the floor. With her thumbs, she wiped his tears away and pressed series of featherlight kisses across the constellation of beauty marks that speckled his alabaster skin, whispering to him between each one.

“We’ll always be together...even if we’re apart...and if we are...we’ll find each other...no matter how far…”

Rey pulled away and used her hands to guide his gaze to meet hers, “I’m not going anywhere. I think we’ve proven to Fate over and over that we refuse to be separated any longer...I won’t let it happen again, I swear it. For forever, Ben. Are you with me?”

Ben let out a shaky sigh as he reached up to curl his fingers into her hair, pulling her mouth to his for a lingering kiss. It was soft, slow, and filled to the brim with everything he wanted to say to her, but couldn’t find the words.

In their silence, every secret of the past was laid bare - leaving only the spark of their love that twined them together in the luminescent strands of light and dark. A balance. At that moment, they were stronger together than they would ever be apart. More than anything that ever was or ever would be again.

Ben pulled his lips away and let his forehead linger against hers, gently running his fingers up and down her spine as he whispered, “For forever.”

He skimmed his touch against her freckled skin, letting his gaze linger in her eyes that glimmered like starlight. In the deepest part of his heart, through any fear and worry, Ben was the most grateful to Fate, the Force, or whatever Gods he needed to thank that they had been given each other. That, through whatever twists and turns that the Universe had in store for them...the gift of love - and hers in return - was something that filled him with the deepest sense of gratitude. It was because of that...of their magnetic bond, the sense of unexplainable togetherness they had, that Ben knew that, even if they lost, they would still be together in a way that was beyond life or death.

With a slow lick of his lips, Ben leaned down and captured Rey’s mouth again, deepening the kiss as he held her firmly against his chest. The action sent a sheet of goosebumps down to her toes and coaxed the most delicious whimper from her as her body arched to meet his.

Like the weight of what had happened, and the uncertainty of what was to come the next day, their passion ignited in a furious way as Ben reached down and curled his strong arm around her waist and lifted her from the floor. He blindly stumbled for a moment, never letting up on his oral ministrations for a moment, even as his knees banged into the frame of the permasteel bed.

Ben let out a muffled curse against Rey’s lips with a grin as they fell back onto the mattress, feeling so much lighter than he was only moments before. There was something remarkable in the way her touch, hell, even her presence soothed him in a way he couldn’t quite put a finger on. All the young Master Solo cared about at that moment was the way his scavenger girl made him feel, and how he could give her ten-fold of that in return.

Rey let her fingers linger in his hair, gently twining her fingers in the soft, raven ribbons as Ben carried his scorching kisses down from her mouth. He languorously mapped each freckle with his plush lips from her jaw to the peaks and valleys of her collar bones, pulling the softest whimpers from her mouth with each one.

Her body responded to his every touch. Every caress of his tongue across her flesh sparked a euphoric tingle down to the tips of her fingers. Every delicate nip of his teeth made her shudder, flooding the very core of her with the intoxicating swirls of her pleasure.

The heat of it coiled tightly deep in her belly, the fire of it already smoldering from their heated tryst in the turbolift only moments before. With each passing moment, and each inch of her Ben explored with his dexterous mouth, Rey writhed and squirmed, inadvertently tugging at his dark hair.

Ben groaned against her, somewhere between her breasts, where he was leisurely coaxing open the front of the silken black robe she wore.

“Not so hard, Stardust.”

Rey panted from the feeling of his deep, rumbling voice reverberating against her tender flesh, pressing her thighs together with a trembling sigh, “I...I’m going to come, Ben.”

“

Good.

Then I have you right where I want you, Sweetheart,” he answered, hooking his finger beneath the gossamer fabric to pull it open ever so slowly.

The dark knight let out a low growl, pressing his mouth together into a thin line as his heated gaze roved over the soft curves of her breasts and the way her rose-tinted nipples budded in reaction to his dutiful attention to every bit of her.

With a newfound fervor, Ben devoured the supple flesh with his mouth, flicking the sensitive tip with his tongue. He smiled against her with each muffled cry, as they only encouraged him to strum the tension-filled lines of her body and make her purr.
Rey’s fingers tightened in his hair, tearing an animalistic groan from his mouth as he rolled her nipple between his teeth. He let his hand wander down towards her center, delving his long fingers between her soaked folds.
With a single touch, the Empress’s body went rigid beneath him, her lovely face contorted into a look of pure ecstasy that only made Ben want to give her this sensation over, and over, and over again.

Ben eased his lover over her peak with a gentle swirl of his fingers, pressing a series of featherlight kisses from the soft mounds of her breasts down her toned abdomen. Rey hummed softly to herself, nearly incoherent as she lingered somewhere around the ceiling on the intense tidal wave of her orgasm. She lifted her arms lazily above her head, absentmindedly twirling her chestnut hair around her fingers with her eyes closed to the rest of the world. There was only him and her - and the way he made her feel.

“Nnnngh,

Ben.

How...how did you do that?”

“I know your body,” he growled, nipping gently at the taut flesh on her stomach, “I know what makes you tick, Princess,” the dark knight circled the tiny bundle of nerves at her center, “I know your body by heart,” his fingers slowly dipped inside, and Rey swore she could feel his grin in the sound of his voice as he hooked them up inside her - pulling an instant whimper from her lips when he hit her sweetest spot over and over again. He went slowly, taking his time to draw out each moment and each delicious moan,  “I know which string...to pluck...to make...you sing.”

He rocked his hand into her at an achingly slow rhythm, keeping his dark eyes trained on her lovely face as she thundered towards another oncoming orgasm, smiling to himself as her lithe body arched off the gossamer, black sheets and she let out a mournful keen.

Rey blindly reached out for him, clawing at his shoulders to tug him up towards her mouth. She laid a heated kiss upon his lips, hungrily delving her tongue into his mouth to dance with his, breathless and reeling as she came floating down again. She lost herself to the ferocity of the kiss, tugging at the soft quilted fabric of his tunic as she mumbled between kisses. Something about, “need you naked” and “not fair.”

Ben drew himself to his knees, arching the long, corded planes of hard muscle up as he lingered in their kiss. He kept his eyes trained on hers as he slowly undid each fastening, watching her from the place he’d always wished to be - on his knees, worshiping her in every way she deserved.

Rey peered up at him through her lashes and tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth as she coquettishly reached up with her toes and pulled at the waistband of his trousers.

“These too. Fair’s fair, Lord Ren.”

A deep growl reverberated in Ben’s chest at the playful mention of his old name, the dark persona he wore for so long, giving her a heated look as he shrugged his tunic over the pleated armbands that followed the muscled curve of his arm from shoulder to wrist.

“That’s not my name, Sweetheart.”

Rey let out a breathy sigh, sitting up on her elbows as she gave him a pointed stare.

“I loved him too, you know. I love all of you. The light. The dark. Truly…

all of it.

”

Spurred on by her words, Ben made quick work of his boots and trousers, tossing them haphazardly behind him to the floor. He settled himself back down over her lithe body, relishing every second of his bare flesh pressed against hers.

He carried on his task of lovingly mapping every inch of her, moving down past her belly button to the place he was most eager to explore.

“Y’know,” he drawled, “No matter how many times I visit this port, I never tire of trying the local delicacies.”

Rey’s back arched as Ben took a single finger and leisurely drew it through her soaked folds, bringing it to his plush mouth to suck it clean. Her breath hitched as she watched him, her brows furrowing with a demure hint of shyness.

“Ben,” she murmured, “Wait...we just...you...I’m not…”

“Hush,” he answered, reaching up to palm her chest with his large hands and press her back into the mattress as he ventured forth, “I, for one, want to see what we taste like, together.”

He let out a quiet breath of air as he marveled at the sight of her, pressing his lips together with a sigh before diving in headfirst.

Rey cried out when Ben enthusiastically delved in, lapping at her drenched cunt with an ardent fervor that made her see stars. Her head lolled around on the silken sheets, far more luxurious than she would have expected them to be on a star destroyer, fisting them tightly until her knuckles ached.

She couldn’t help it when her body followed the feeling, rolling into him with a wiggle of her hips. Ben grunted, and Rey wasn’t sure if it was out of amusement, frustration, or some heated mix of both, as he curled his arms around her hips and clamped onto her sex with his mouth.

Her breathing came in sharp waves as she hurtled towards the precipice all over again, losing herself to the feeling of Ben’s dexterous tongue laving languorously over her center and his plush lips sucking and nipping at her clit, filling her to the brim with a feeling of rapture so pure, that she thought she might combust if she climbed too high.

Ben squeezed her thighs with his hands, holding her firmly as he laved his tongue over her core over and over, relishing every airy gasp and each dulcet mewl as he nestled his nose over her clit, circling the tiny bundle of nerves until his scavenger began to tremble and shake in a pulsing cadence timed perfectly to the tempo of his ministrations.

He held her tighter still, bracing his forearm across her hips with one arm as his other wandered to her sex to help give her one, final push over that salacious cliff once more to swim in her ecstacy all over again.

Continuing the furious and unrelenting adoration of her with his mouth, Ben brought his hand to her with a butterfly-soft touch, slowly dipping into her core with one finger, then two.

The added sensation was just enough to send Rey spiraling, hurtling her across that line with an exquisite cry so loud that Ben was sure they could hear it three levels up in the Stormtrooper barracks. He guided her over the line, smiling to himself as he leisurely lapped at the sweet juices of her arousal - and his - savoring the heady, salty-sweet combination they made together.

He sat back on his haunches, watching his lover as she caught her breath on the bed before him. The corners of his mouth lifted into a contented smile when her dark lashes parted and he saw that glimmer of starlight that he loved so much.

She captured her bottom lip with her teeth, her eyes burning into his with a fiery passion, letting out a quiet gasp when he reached up and wiped her arousal from his face with a smug smile.

“P-please don’t tell me that you’re going to stop there…” Rey breathed, her chest heaving as she came down from her lascivious orgasm.

“Oh no, I’ve barely just begun,” Ben leisurely brought himself down over the top of her to press a soft kiss to her lips. Rey hummed, licking their combined taste from her lips as he pulled himself away, “We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, and I plan on savoring every moment with you, Stardust.”

Rey reached up and coiled her fingers in his hair to bring Ben back down to her mouth, running the tip of her tongue over the seam of his mouth to taste them again.

“Good. I don’t think I can take that anymore now that we’ve been together properly. You’ve given me a taste...you can’t go back on it now.”

“Never,” Ben growled, reaching across her taut stomach to flip her to her chest. He couldn’t keep the smile from his face when she let out a girlish squeal at the unexpected movement that melted into a sensuous hum as Ben settled himself over her back and his warmth blanketed her from top to bottom.

A breathless whine escaped her as he spread her legs with his knee. Rey felt him tease her entrance with the tip of his cock for a moment before, with a groan, he slowly pressed inside.

Rey’s breath hitched at the sudden sensation of fullness as her body stretched to accommodate him. With a tremble, she closed her eyes to the feeling, letting the instantaneous flare of their connection wrap around her like a blanket as she felt his heavenly soft breath on her ear.

“Is this...are you okay?” Ben croaked, his plush lips grazing the edge of her jaw.

Lost to the exquisite feeling already, Rey nodded and answered him with a roll of her hips, seating him even deeper inside her.

Their love-making was slow and unhurried as they let themselves fall into the diving spell they were weaving within the Force, delicate beams of light intertwined with ribbons of darkness to paint a picture of unparalleled power and passion that they’d never known.

As Ben buried himself over and over in the tender, succulent flesh of her sex, he gingerly cupped the edge of her jaw with his fingers to bring her mouth to his for a kiss.

Rey, every inch of her thrumming from the heady sensation of it all, smiled at her lover through the dark curtain of hair that hung between them, and let herself get completely caught up in the indescribably intoxicating feeling they created with their love.

They rolled together, shifting without words to face one another on their sides, ensconced in each other’s arms as Ben guided himself back inside. Rey let out a quiet coo as the feeling of the velvety flesh of his cock filled her to the brim, pressing her forehead to his broad shoulder as she rolled her hips towards him, with him, working in effortless synchronicity.

She wanted to lose herself in the radiance of it all, to bypass the threat that hung so heavily over their heads - a roadblock between them and the future they so badly hoped for.

At that moment, there was no First Order. No Hux. No war. Just she and him, bound together as one in the exquisite flood of feverish passion.

Rey cupped his long face in her hands, drawing his heated gaze to meet hers as they chased their release together. With a quivering breath, she nodded and opened the gates to her mind, filling their bond with every ounce of how he made her feel.

Ben returned the favor, and Rey was instantly overwhelmed by the feeling of love in his heart, and the heat that coiled in his belly, growing to a blazing fire that only grew stronger with each languorous thrust inside her.

With the shared sensations of their ardent passion from their love and their love-making, they held onto each other fast, holding on for dear life as they hurtled, together, past the precipice.

It’s okay, let go, Ben.

Ben curled his arms tighter around her and followed the crest of their pleasure, his shoulders seizing with a shudder as let out a low grunt as Rey met him there with a breathless cry of her own.

Content in the delightful haze of her afterglow, Rey nuzzled her head against Ben’s broad chest and centered herself in the steady beat of his heart - and the feeling of his signature that was so uniquely

Ben

.

She felt warmer than she should have been allowed on a star destroyer in the cold vacuum of space, but with Ben by herself, Rey was blanketed in a warmth that was beyond the feeling on her skin. True, things felt cozier once Ben sleepily tugged the satiny blanket over the top of their naked bodies, but inside the depths of their bond was a warmth that was completely unexplainable to anyone else but them.

With her cheek pressed against Ben’s alabaster skin, Rey watched the soft bands of blue-white light bend and move past the transparisteel viewport, reminding her all over again of their destination and that, before long, they’d be forced from their bubble to face the threat head-on...together.

She swore she hadn’t tried to fall asleep, but found herself completely helpless to the weights behind her eyes and the steady rise and fall of Ben’s chest that oh-so-slowly lulled her into a glorious dream-like state.

It was over in a blink, as Rey opened her eyes again with a wide yawn.

The Empress reached up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes with a lazy smile, forgetting for a moment where she was - only that she was there with him.

She hummed quietly at the feeling of his long fingers carding slowly through her hair, closing her eyes all over again to surrender to the delicate tingles his touch sent down her spine.

Hey.

Rey’s brows furrowed together when Ben’s low voice rang out in her head, laced with worry and fear. She lifted her chin to balance it on her chest, bringing her gaze to meet his with a sigh.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

Ben’s dark eyes shifted towards the ceiling as he pressed his mouth together in a thin line, and worked his jaw back and forth in a way that was so remotely Ben, Rey knew instantly that there was so much more weighing heavy on his mind than what he wanted to say.

The dark knight let out a shaky breath and brought his eyes back to her, rolling to his side to bring her closer to him.

Ensconced firmly against his chest, with his long nose nuzzled in her hair, Rey could feel every single thread of doubt and anger that flitted through his mind, firmly taking anchor amongst the love and passion they’d laced there only hours before.

”We’re almost there, and I...I just can’t shake this bad feeling that this is going to be so much more complicated than everyone thinks.”

“Ben,” Rey breathed, trailing her fingertips across his chest to connect the scattered beauty marks like stars in the sky, “We’re prepared. We’re ready. What else is there to be afraid of?”

Plenty,

Ben thought to himself. 
 
“That’s not true,” Rey answered, catching him off-guard, “Stop worrying. It...it may not go off without a hitch, but...I trust you with my life, I know we can do this. We can restore the galaxy to what it once was.”

“...and set you free,” Ben murmured, reaching up to card a ribbon of her chestnut hair between his fingers.

“That would be an added bonus, yeah.”

“No, Rey. That’s the mission for me. Everything else is extra. I just hope it’ll work.”

Rey’s heart leaped in her chest, and she coiled her arms around Ben’s broad shoulders and lifted her chin to meet him in a kiss, letting her lips hover just inches from him to whisper, “You set me free a long time ago, Ben.”

With a surge of love sent through their bond, Rey closed her eyes to bring her lips to his for a lingering kiss that barely had a chance to begin when an alarm blared out from a panel by the door.

Rey’s eyes shot open to meet Ben’s as her heart stuttered in her chest.

“Proximity alert.”

Ben’s face grew dark as he let out a long, slow breath.
 
“We’re here.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rey ran her hands over the black bodice of the slim-cut tunic she wore, smiling to herself when a pair of large hands circled around her waist and pulled her close.

“It’s no secret that you having even an ounce of darkness in you scares the shit out of me, Stardust, but,” Ben growled as he ran the tip of his nose along the line of her jaw and skimmed his palms over the black and red panels of fabric that hugged every inch of her, “I’ll admit that I...I like this part of it more than I ever thought I would. You look…”

“Powerful? Not to be trifled with?” Rey mused as she turned in Ben’s arms, the dark material that draped around her legs from her armored waist swishing softly as she drew her gloved hands over his broad shoulders.

“You were already those things, Rey. I was going to say...kriff, I don’t know if I want to fight you or fuck you when you dress that way, and I mean that as a compliment.”

“After the job is done, my love,” Rey’s face grew somber as she reached up on her tiptoes and placed a soft kiss to his plush lips with a quiet hum before stepping away.

She reached for the black cowl - his cowl - that sat in a heap on a desk by the wall and let out a sigh when Ben’s gloved hand snatched it away from her.

“Let me.”

Rey lifted her star-dusted hazel eyes to his, practically holding her breath as he stepped closer to draw the achingly soft fabric over her shoulders. With another sigh, she was taken back in an instant to the moment when he’d first bestowed the garment to her in the belly of an Upsilon class command shuttle.

She took a step forward and reached out to gingerly place her fingertips to the black, quilted fabric on his chest. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the beating of his heart. Rey sucked in a slow, deep breath, and centered herself in that feeling of

him

, marveling that, after all this time, merely his smell brought her comfort in ways that she couldn’t describe.

Spices. Smoke. Earth.

Then, she was still that scared Scavenger girl, and he the masked enforcer of the First Order. There was something between them from the instant they’d first touched, something neither of them understood, but it spurred on her curiosity to reach for his mask and see what was hiding beneath it.

The Empress did the same now, reaching for her lover’s face instead, caressing his scarred, alabaster skin between her palms as she looked into his eyes. Rey sent a flood of her love through the bond, hoping and praying that it would be enough to get them through what was about to come - together.

Ben’s dark brows bent together with a rush of concern, winding an arm around her waist to pull her to his chest and hold her head against his heart.

They stood there for a moment, centered together in the beamingly bright band of powerful light and powerful dark that weaved itself around them through their bond, taking advantage of their last moments alone before the world was about to erupt into a flurry of blaster bolts and fire.

Rey tilted her chin up to bring their gaze together again, whispering out against the subtle hum of the engines and the blips and beeps of the internal systems of the star destroyer.

“I love you.”

The amber flecks in Ben’s eyes glimmered as the corners of his wide mouth pulled up into a lopsided smile.

Rey knew in an instant what he was going to say, and part of her wanted to laugh, but her heart ached for him to say it...to hear his voice and the sound of his love for her on his lips in more than what his words would imply.

She leaned into his touch as he reached up and cupped her cheek in his leather-clad palm, tilting her face to meet his as he left a lingering kiss on her lips.

“I know.”

Rey let out a shaky sigh, reaching to pull her thick braid over her shoulder, holding out a hand with a somber look towards her lover, her partner, her friend.

“Are you ready?”

Ben mashed his mouth together into a thin line and worked his jaw back and forth as the weight of what was to come hung heavily over their heads before striding forward to take her hand in his.

“No, but let’s go.”

They strode hand in hand down the long corridor of the resurgent class star destroyer,

Vengeance,

their steps perfectly inline as they made their way to the lift that would take them up towards the bridge.

Ben reached out and skimmed his fingers over the wide braid that lined her head from the crown, all the way down her back, with had a smaller braid running down the center. For the first time in a long time, Rey let someone who wasn’t her lover braid her hair in a way that she had hoped would honor him and his heritage.

“I like this,” the dark knight murmured, coiling the hair that hung at the small of her back.

“I know that the braids have meaning on the world where your mother was raised...I did some research and had a little help...I was aiming for an Alderaanian-”

“Warrior braid,” Ben rumbled quietly, his dark eyes distant, and Rey knew in an instant that he was thinking of his mother and everything she had lost, “It suits you, Stardust. It really, really does.”

They fell back into their easy silence, still hand-in-hand as the turbolift carried them with a quiet, consistent hum up the many levels of the mammoth star destroyer. When the doors slid open as the lift came to a stop, Rey stepped out, braid swishing elegantly at her back before being tugged to a sudden stop and pulled abruptly into a dizzying kiss.

Ben held her as tightly as he could, devouring the soft whimper that tumbled from her as the Empress melted in his arms, reaching around to coil his dark hair between her gloved fingers. With a tilt of his head, Ben deepened the kiss, trailing his tongue over the seam of her mouth, silently asking for entrance so they could linger a little longer in the moment and delay the inevitable.

They were both breathless and wide-eyed when they finally pulled away, clearing their throats as a group of stormtroopers marched by, the sound of their boots on the gleaming permasteel floors echoing down the long corridor and, thankfully, drowning out the sound of Rey’s heart.

Unable to avoid it any longer, Rey and her dark knight squared their shoulders and sobered their faces as they stepped out of the lift as one unit. One person. One balanced force.

Rey squeezed his hand as they rounded a corner and the low din of a room full of voices filtered down around them with their unified boot steps, sending a surge of comfort through the strands of their bond when she felt Ben stiffen beside her.

Her brows bent in confusion when she felt a rush of foreboding anxiety come from the man beside her as they rounded the corner onto the bridge, looking to his face in an instant to see Ben breathe a stuttering sob.

He came to a sudden halt on the edge of the room, motionless with a quiet despondency that swirled around him in dark waves.

Rey followed Ben’s gaze as he slowly stepped forward, his long face unreadable as he let go of her hand and drew closer to the Wookiee that stood in the center of the room.

Taller than anything she’d ever seen, he was familiar to Rey, but the connection between him and Ben was something she’d never felt before...not since Han.

She watched with a hushed wonder as they silently stepped closer to each other - the last remaining connection Ben had to his family.

Ben’s lips parted and his chin trembled as he looked up at his father’s first mate and best friend, letting out a soft whisper into the room that had become abruptly hushed in the face of their reunion.

“Hey, pal.”

The Wookiee, Chewbacca, let out a soft growl that sounded to Rey’s ears like he said,

You’ve grown, boy.

Ben let out a barking laugh, and Rey saw the flicker of that boy she knew for an instant before he surged forward and buried himself in the embrace of his last sliver of family. Suddenly, the stern guise of the man he was, somewhere between Kylo Ren and Ben Solo, crumbled away like bits of stone or leaves blowing in the wind. They didn’t need words to know what they shared. The things they’d both lost, and the family they mourned - together.

Chewie wrapped his furry arms around Ben’s broad shoulders as they shook with his quiet sobs, murmuring quiet chuffs of reassurance as he lovingly patted his dark hair.

Rey tentatively stepped forward, watching the pair of them and ignoring the murmurs of the onlookers on the bridge, and reached out to brush her fingers against Ben’s broad back, smiling up at the Wookiee who gave her a friendly wobble of his head.

Ben pulled away, wiping away his hot tears with the back of his hand and a rough clearing of his throat as he brought his eyes to Rey.

“Stardust,” he let out a deep breath of air, “This is my...my uncle Chewie. It’s been a really long time since you’ve seen each other.”

Chewie let out another quiet roar, abruptly tucking Rey into his arms alongside Ben who laughed as they, two grown adults, were forced into a Wookiee hug.

Hello, little cub. You love boy, I see.

“Hi, Chewie,” Rey grinned up at his surprisingly expressive blue eyes as she was mercifully released from his embrace, “Yes...I do. Very much.”

Ben’s eyes met hers for a moment before he looked back up at Han’s old co-pilot.

“What brings you here, of all places? Please don’t tell me that you’ve got wrapped up in this whole mess.”

Chewie answered him with a series of growls and chuffs, crossing his long arms over the bandolier on his chest as he drew himself up to his full height.

“What do you mean Solo’s can’t do anything without a Wookiee’s help? Dad got out of plenty messes without you, I’ll have you know,” Ben answered with a wide smile and a booming laugh when the Wookiee gave him a pointed stare and another growl, “Alright, alright, maybe you had a hand in things a few times down the road. But my old man could talk his way out of anything...don’t look at me like that, you know he could, Furball…”

The pair of them shared another laugh before the air around them grew thick with the tension the true intentions of the day held, and Ben’s gaze shifted back towards the Empress

“What now?” Rey stated, lifting her chin as she brought her attention towards the odd panel of Resistance and First Order officers that stood around them. Finn stepped forward, with Poe dressed in a telltale orange and white uniform of an X-Wing pilot, squaring his shoulders with a deep breath.

“We’re in the Arkanis system now, and we’re only a few parsecs away from making planetfall. Poe and the fighter wing will try to keep things occupied up here, while I lead the forward attack on the academy on the surface. We’re hoping that, with Chewie’s help, we can slip you two in unnoticed through the fray. I won’t lie to you, it’s going to be messy. The odds aren’t in our favor, but we’re hoping that with the army we’ve amassed...we might actually be successful.

“Great,” Ben groused, pursing his lips as he looked down at Rey. They stared at each other for an odd moment, taking stock of the calm before the coming storm, when the ship gave a great jolt beneath their feet. A jarring alarm began to blare loudly around them as the bridge of the

Vengeance

became a wild flurry of frantic activity, and the Empress and her dark knight began to bark out orders.
 
“Man your stations!”
 
“Track the enemy ships as they approach.”
 
“Forward shields up, prime the laser cannons.”
 
They moved in sync, striding in separate directions across the bridge before coming together at its center, looking over the bow of the star destroyer to look upon the mammoth ship at their front:

The Supremacy

.

Rey met Ben’s eyes again for a split second, and he offered her a momentary nod of encouragement before they both turned on their heels and stepped down the center of the gleaming permasteel floors.

Poe, his dark eyes wild, grabbed Rey’s sleeve and glanced from her, to Ben, to the Wookiee at their backs.

“You need to leave.”

“So do you, Flyboy,” Rey barked, “Scramble the fighters. Get us some cover so we can get out of here and to the surface without getting ourselves killed.”

“You got it, Empress,” the pilot turned around and ran ahead of them as Ben and Rey marched down to the closest hangar, where the Millennium Falcon was being held.

The hem of Kylo’s cowl, that was slung around Rey’s shoulders, fluttered behind her as they made their way down the cluttered corridors, past clusters of stormtroopers quickly making their way to their assigned transports to make it to the surface - to clear a way for their Empress.

As they entered into the wide-open hanger, filled to the brim with their troops and starfighters, alike, Rey scanned over the space and watched, wide-eyed, as a dozen TIE fighters, emblazoned with bright blue, careened out towards the blanket of stars beyond the hangar doors, towards the unknown.

Chewie jogged up the gangplank of the Falcon, like he’d done a million times before in his long life, never giving the hangar a second glance as Rey and Ben hurried up behind him.

Rey pressed the switch to close the doors and get them ready to make way, pivoting around to dash down the curved hallway to the side-mounted cockpit. Ben stood waiting in the doorway, leaning a little too casually against the frame - in a way so like his father - as Chewie looked on from the co-pilot’s seat.

“She’s all yours, Sweetheart.”

Rey stopped for a moment, sucking in a deep breath as she looked to the Wookiee, who was busy reaching up to prime the engines and bring the old bird roaring to life.

“No, Ben. She’s yours this time,” Rey murmured with a distant smile, giving him a soft push, “Fly with Chewie, like Han would want you to.”

Ben’s long face melted up into a lopsided smile, not wasting a single second as he bounded over the center console and slid into the pilot’s seat -

his father’s seat.

With another few switches flipped, buttons pressed, and Rey settled into the seat behind Ben, with her fingers resting on the curve of his broad shoulder, the heir to the Millennium Falcon pulled back on the yolk, pushed the throttle forward, and carried them out towards the stars.

Rey let out a soft gasp before her face melted into a look of pure disdain as she looked over the havoc that was already being brought down in the inky black sky above them.

The vast expanse between the two mammoth destroyers was littered with flashes of red and green, chunks of debris, the stray octagonal wing of a TIE, and bright blasts of fire as the battle raged on more quickly than Rey ever dreamed it would.

It was impossible to tell which side was leading the way, as various craft whizzed by faster than Rey’s wide eyes could track while Ben and Chewie dodged what wreckage they could. The Falcon weaved from side to side, bucking and lurching as stray turbo lasers bounced off their shields.

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Rey called out, ducking instinctually as the ship dipped beneath a piece of rubble.

Chewie answered with a growl and a moan at Ben, who shot a seething glare at his Wookiee copilot.

“Don’t worry, Sweetheart. She’ll hold together! Do you hear me, baby? Hold together and then maybe you can retire,” Ben called out into the cockpit, and Rey found herself amused when she wondered if Ben was talking to her...or the ship.

Chewbacca answered with another roar as he reached up and flipped another switch.

“I am punching it! Do you wanna fly through this mess? Yes, I have plenty of experience with flying..kriff...to think you were here to help us, and not scold me like I was still a kid...Yes, I realize that by Wookiee standards, I’m still a cub, but I’ll have you know that I am plenty full-grown, you Kashyyykian moofmilker…”

“Ben!” Rey shouted over their playful banter - that was more like an old married couple than anything else.

“What?”

“Want me to fly?” the Empress retorted, folding her arms over her chest from behind his shoulder.

“No.”

“Then would you?”

“Kriff!” Ben’s dark eyes grew wide as he threw all of his weight to the side, flipping the ship on its starboard side to narrowly miss a medical frigate.

Chewie let out a barking roar that sounded more like a laugh than anything else.

“He’s right, you know,” Rey mused with a nervous laugh, sitting back in her seat once more as they thundered away from the center of the battle towards the dark orb that was Arkanis.

“He most certainly is not, Stardust. I resent that. You are good at many,

many

things, including flying, but let me have this one thing, won’t you?”

“For today, maybe,” she responded, giving his shoulder a squeeze as she stood up and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

The durasteel frame of the ship shuddered around them as it broke through the atmosphere, and the closer they got to the surface, the darker the world seemed to grow. Rain splattered the half-moon, transparisteel viewport as Rey leaned forward in her seat to see the surface of the old Imperial stronghold - and the homeworld of one Armitage Hux.

The Millennium Falcon thundered through the thick layer of clouds that painted the surface in darkness, with only flecks of muted red light and the occasional lightning strike to lead their way.

Another bolt of lightning forked out across the pitch black, illuminating an imposter structure that loomed darkly on the horizon.

“He’s there,” Rey murmured, nodding towards the towering, blade-like fortress that rose up like a nightmarish beacon in the night, calling to her, taunting the darkest parts of her that longed to enact the sweetest revenge on the man who’d made her life hell for so long. “Hurry it up, I have a bastard to kill.”

The Empress, with her darkness flaring deep inside her, pushed herself to stand, striding out of the cockpit and into the main hold as Ben and Chewbacca brought the ship around to the back of the compound.

They didn’t have much time once the ship touched down, cloaked in the darkness of the neverending storm that raged on the planet’s surface. Rey paced the main hold, anxiously spinning the hilt of her newly modified, double-bladed lightsaber in the palm of her hand as Ben had one final quiet moment with his father’s co-pilot.

The dark knight strode down the main passageway, his face austere and focused as his dark eyes met Rey’s, and he gave her a quick nod.

“You ready?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Rey answered as she pushed the release on the hatch, pulled the black hood of Kylo’s cowl over her head, and strode out into the pitch black.

It wasn’t what they had expected when they were still children, when they’d dreamed of going on adventures across the galaxy, fighting side-by-side as defenders of the light. In light of everything that had happened in their lives since that time, long lost, but never forgotten - not anymore - this would have to do.

As quiet as a loth-mouse, Rey rushed into the shadows in a flurry of black Zeyd cloth as the Millennium Falcon took to the sky and rushed off over the horizon - to help with the frontal assault, she imagined.

Her hazel eyes, focused and alert, looked across the wide-open plaza to a stack of crates, where Ben was laying low as they made their way into what was supposed to be a heavily guarded fortress.

Where is everyone?

Beats me, Stardust. Keep an eye out, push through.

Rey let out a quiet breath, scanning her eyes out over the cluster of boxes and crates that were stacked between the outbuildings, before lifting her eyes to the black tower that loomed over them. Her hunger to get up there, to confront him, nearly consumed her entirely, spurring her on as she darted forward into the unknown.

I said keep an eye out, not run in blind!

That’s rich, coming from a Solo. Isn’t it your thing to not ask until after you’ve already done it?

Rey swore she could feel him smiling through the delicate web of their bond, losing herself to the warm feeling of it, letting it wrap around her in a way that comforted her in the same way his cowl did when Ben’s voice interrupted her - loudly.

Behind you!

Without thinking, Rey whirled around, and with a flip of her thumb and a flick of her wrist, red plasma met the stark white plastoid of stormtrooper uniform. His blaster clattered to the ground at her boots as she disengaged and gave the body of her would-be assailant a shove to the ground.

Like I’ve been telling you for ages, I can handle myself.

Her body thrummed with the sheer intoxicating thrill of it - her first kill. Part of her wanted to be ashamed for the life she’d just taken, thinking for a fleeting moment of the face beneath the mask, but the darkness inside her demanded more, hungry for another rush of power to be injected into her veins.

The rain pelted Rey’s freckled face and what little skin she had exposed to the elements, each one echoing the sting of Hux’s flesh on her own. Being this close to him after so long away, after he’d literally cost her everything - including her life - fueled her anger in a way that made the grit of her teeth tighter, and her fingers curl more firmly around the hilt of her saber.

Today was the day he would answer for everything.
 
Rey and Ben zigzagged through the rest of the outdoor complex, dripping with rain as they met the odd stormtrooper, quickly dispatching any they came across.

With the clang and a splash of another trooper hitting the ground, Rey busied herself at a control panel next to the door, pulling away the duristeel cover to yank out a handful of wires from behind it.

“Why hasn’t an alarm been raised yet?” Rey murmured over her shoulder, feeling free to finally speak aloud as she fiddled with the wiring to get the door open, and them inside.

“I don’t know...but I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Ben drawled as he looked out across the wide plaza, crossed in a matter of moments, leaving barely a dent in what Rey was sure was a massive force of Stormtroopers.

“You always say that.”

“Yeah, and you always say that the chaos follows us, Stardust. Why isn’t it now? Search your feelings...there’s something that isn’t right here.”

“I...I hope you’re not right. Let’s just say that my idiot husband pushed every squadron to the front and left this wide-open for us to get in, like we’d hoped he would.”

“Rey,” Ben warned, stepped closer to her as she ripped a green and orange wire apart, “You know better than anyone that he’s smarter than he looks.”

The Empress lifted her eyes expectantly when she wound two split wires together, and the wide, metal door slid open with a loud hiss. Ben reignited the shrieking, crimson blade of his lightsaber, shoulders square as he readied himself for the next threat.

From doorway to doorway they snuck, tucking themselves around corners to smuggle themselves further into the old Imperial stronghold. Even with the lack of enemy presence, the pair of them remained ever on alert as they went deeper inside.

Rey let out a soft gasp when they emerged from a flight of stairs, her hazel eyes wide with a burning rage as she lifted her eyes to the floor above them.

"He’s up there. I can feel it.”

She dashed towards the next set of stairs, stepping up them as quickly as she could so she could go end the bastard, once and for all, when Ben’s strong fingers curled around her arm and yanked her back down.

“Not yet,” he hissed, his face hovering just inches from hers, “Use your head. Close your eyes. Breathe.

What are we here for?”

Rey opened her mouth to argue, bringing her focus away from the smarmy ginger just steps away to close her eyes and center herself in the incandescent web of life that surrounded them.

There, just around the corner, on the same level, were a dozen tiny lifeforms, emitting powerful signatures of their own. The Empress let out a soft gasp when the overwhelming wave of their fear blanketed her and sent shivers down her spine.

Suddenly, the darkness surged away from her center, slinking back into the aether, still simmering away as Rey’s compassion took hold and her heart ached to help the children Hux had stolen away from their families.

With a stuttering breath, Rey closed her eyes for a moment before lifting her gaze back to Ben - who stared down at her imploringly. His stern gaze let up, his dark brows softening as he nodded towards her.

“Good. Now that we’ve refreshed your memory, you told me before to ‘be good’, and I kinda feel like trying it out,” he stated as his attention shifted down the other end of the corridor.

Rey couldn’t help the somber smile from crossing her face when she distantly recalled the last sliver of her memories before everything went dark around her. Back when her body was twisting and disintegrating into nothing but the virulent tar the poison Hux gave her had turned her into. Back when she thought she was whispering her last words to her lover as their families beckoned her Home.

They darted down the remaining distance of the hallway, careening around the corner to hear the soft hum of children’s voices coming from behind a closed door.

Rey stepped towards it as she hooked the lightsaber hilt to her belt and traced her fingers over the control panel with a hum.

“I don’t know if I can hack into this one the same way as the other door. It’s like - like they put something specific on it to keep

me

out.”

“Maybe he paid more attention to your mechanical knowledge than we thought,” Ben growled, glaring at the multicolored lights on the metal panel. He stepped back with a glare and ordered, “Move over.”

In a single, fluid motion, Ben hooked his crossguard lightsaber to his belt and tugged an all-to-familiar blaster to attention. The corner of his mouth curled up just a hair as he sent a blaster bolt flying straight towards it. It collided with the panel, causing a loud, smoking sizzle and a burst of flame as the door slid open.

Rey swore loudly and ducked away from the shower of electrical sparks that rained down around her.

As the smoke cleared away, Rey let out a quiet gasp when she found at least a dozen pairs of eyes watching her. Younglings, of every shape, size, and color, looked back at the pair of them with a fearful gaze, huddled into the corner as the building gave a great shudder and bits of dust rained down on them.

Ben slid into the room, shaking the pebbles from his hair as he looked to the group of children with his palms outstretched.

“It’s okay. I’m Ben Solo, I’m here to rescue you.”

A few of them seemed to visibly relax as soon as Ben’s face melted into a comforting smile. Rey looked on as a little Mirialan girl stepped forward, her bright purple eyes gleaming as she looked upon the woman with a disbelieving gaze.

“E-Empress?” The little girl reached up and rubbed her tiny fists against the pair of black facial tattoos that adorned the fair, green skin like diamond-shaped tears, “Empress Rey? Is that you? I-I thought you were…

dead.

”

“Not anymore, sweet girl,” Rey cautiously stepped forward, not wanting to spook the already frightened children. The green-skinned girl observed the Empress as she sank to her knees and slowly held out her hand, “Don’t be afraid. We’re here to help you. To help you escape this place and end the First Order - forever.”

The child glanced down at Rey’s hand before tentatively reaching out to put her fingers into Rey’s palm.

Rey let out a soft gasp when she instantly felt the tendrils of the child’s Force signature brush up against her own, smiling softly when she felt

so much

goodness and light there. The First Order may have tried, but they hadn't broken these children yet.

“What’s your name, kid?” Ben murmured softly as he crouched down beside Rey.

“Qema,” she whispered in return.

“Qema,” Ben echoed, his smile growing, “How about we get you off this rock and get you all a

real

teacher, yeah?”

The little girl looked to her peers, moving her bright purple gaze from face to fearful face before giving them a comforting nod.

“It’s okay. They’re telling the truth, friends.

I can feel it,

” Qema stated before turning her eyes to Rey, “We’ve been alone for so long, Empress. We were afraid we’d never see another kind face again.”

Ben reached out and hooked his hand around hers, looking from child to child with a quiet sigh.

“You’re not alone anymore. You have us.”

Rey’s heart swelled when Ben’s dark eyes met her own, crinkling at the edges when he reached out through the Force and sent a surge of love washing over her.

“Come on, you lot,” Rey grinned playfully, “Stick with us, keep your eyes peeled and your senses sharp. We’ll keep you safe, as long as we

stick together

.”

Rey gave them all a confident nod before turning her self-assured smile towards Ben for a moment before darting out the door.

She snuck on her tiptoes towards the end of the corridor, pausing at the corner to peer around the edge, looking towards the ceiling with a flinch as the old Imperial base shuddered when an explosion rang out somewhere on the grounds.

“Finn’s here,” Ben stated, his voice low, “Sounds like Hux brought the parade round.”

“That makes things a little...riskier than what we saw coming in,” Rey looked to the dark knight.

“Is this a good time for me to say, ‘I told you so’?”

“There never will be, Solo.”

With a flip of her thick braid over her shoulder, Rey darted around the corner, lightsaber hilt pulled from her belt and at the ready in the palm of her hand as a group of stormtroopers stepped through an opening partway down the corridor.

Ben’s eyes grew wide with alarm, as he found himself conflicted if he should leave the younglings alone and go help Rey, or stay and ensure their safety. He felt a small hand on his sleeve. His eyes shifted to meet Qema’s purple, imploring gaze.

“Please don’t leave us.”

A rush of air tumbled from his plush lips as his internal battle raged on, looking from the little girl, up to Rey, and back again. Qema held him steady, wrapping her hand around his as she peered around the corner to look upon the mighty ferocity of the Empress.

Ferocious, indeed. Her teeth were bared as she pressed forward, sending blaster bolts ricocheting back at the cluster of troops as quickly as they could fire them at her. Rey spun the double-ended blade between her hands, filling the enclosed space with red and blue light and the crackle of green laser against plasma blade.

Rey threw up a hand with a roar and pushed the handful of troopers who still remained without a smoking hole in their plastoid armor, holding them in place as she charged forward and ripped her blade through them in a single, forceful motion.

They landed in a smoking heap around her. Rey nudged one with the corner of her boot before lifting her wrist to her mouth, chest heaving as she sent out a comm.

“Poe, we’ve got the kids. We need an evac out of here, and quickly. The building is shaking down around us.”

“Copy that, Empress. We’re sending Chewie back around to get ya off that rock and out of the fray. It’s getting interesting out there.”

“No, Poe. We’re staying. There’s - something I need to take care of,” Rey’s gaze met Ben’s as he stepped around the corner with the younglings at his back.

“Rey,” he warned, “Listen. You said it yourself.

The building is coming down around us.

It’ll come down on him, there’s no reason we need to be there for that.”

“Ben,” Rey argued, her mouth agape as he stared back at her for a moment before turning back to motion for the children to follow him.

Rey’s stomach lurched as she watched the collection of children who’d been stolen from their families and tortured in this place follow him like little bantha calves following their mother. She

knew

she had to get them off-world and safe - and Ben too.

It wasn’t something she was sure of when they’d departed on their journey, but at that moment, Rey knew what she needed to do.

She jogged after them, her lightsaber hilt bounding from its home on her hip with each step as they cleared their way from corner to corner, until they finally reached the opening they’d come in.

Rey peered around Ben’s shoulder, lifting her eyes to the pitch-black sky as a smoking TIE screamed through the rain to land in a fireball that lit up the barrage happening in the skies around them.

Their party collectively flinched in reaction to the explosion. Rey reached around the grouping of children and squeezed Ben’s arm with a smile as the telltale roar of the Falcon’s sublight engines battled against the cacophony of the battle.

Chewie made a tight circle before bringing the ship down in the center of the plaza, leaving them with only seconds to get on board and off-world.

“Go, I’m right behind you!” Rey shouted against the din, reaching up to press a kiss to her fingertips and motioned towards her lover, who nodded in return.

“I love you,” he shouted, giving her a self-assured nod as he ignited the crackling blade of his lightsaber and darted forward into the rain.

Each drop pelted Ben’s dark hair, but he kept his gaze focused on everything around him, bound and determined to keep these kids safe and get them away from the hell that Hux had trapped them in.

The ramp of the Falcon dropped as soon as they stepped up alongside the ship, and Ben quickly busied himself with shuffling each and every one of the little younglings on board, handing them off to Chewie until there were no more tiny hands grasping onto his.

Wide with alarm, Ben lifted his gaze across the wide-open plaza just in time to see Rey mouth

I’m sorry, I love you

at him before shutting the door.

“Kriff,” Ben bellowed, his stomach dropping to his feet. He reached out through their bond and found a wall where he would normally find Rey, which only added to the desperate sense of dread that was seeping across his flesh with the rain. He turned his attention to Chewie, hollering out against the steady hammering of raindrops on pavement and the dull roar of the dogfight happening above them, “Get the hell out of here, Chewie! Take these kids and don’t look back!”

Chewie answered him with a dutiful roar, nodding with a bob of his furry head before reaching out to press the switch to shut the door with a hiss.

Ben grit his teeth, allowing one last moment to watch his father’s ship shrink away into the pitch black of the night sky before turning on his heel to storm back to the old Imperial complex. He tugged the blaster from his hip, wasting no time at all to shoot at the control panel next to the door, forcing it open with a shower of sparks.

Rey was nowhere to be seen in the gleaming permasteel hallways that seemed to be the constant visual marker that belonged to both the Empire and the First Order. Ben took stock of every single moment they’d spent inside, realizing in an instant where she had gone.

He pulled the hilt of his crossguard lightsaber from his belt, let out a huff of air, and bolted up the closest set of stairs.
 
*
 
Rey didn’t know what to expect once she reached the level she knew Armitage was hiding on. She knew he was there. She could feel his smug sense of entitlement emanating through the crimson durasteel doorway.

Sucking in a deep breath, Rey squared her shoulders and closed her eyes for only a moment to allow herself to tap into the delicious strands of darkness, letting them twine their way down her arms and fill her with the power she knew their confrontation would require of her.

Rey reached out and placed her palm against the panel beside the door, knowing in her gut that, for whatever reason, it would open for her.

The room was wide-open and brightly lit. Rey’s stomach turned as she silently surveyed the space and let her eyes drifted over the bright crimson draped walls, and the mammoth black throne at the center of the room.

He’s certainly made himself at home here, hasn’t he?

Rey murmured dryly to herself before a quiet cough drew her attention to a darkened corner of the room.

Afraid it may have been another youngling, Rey darted towards the noise, but her steps immediately slowed when she saw a thatch of curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes gazing imploringly at her.

Callista Cass didn’t look at all like the haughty woman Rey had met back at the Imperial Palace, when she had been less than kind to Rey - her Empress. Purple bruises marred her fair skin from her brow bone, across her eye, and down her jaw. Blood oozed from a split lip, and Rey was sure that there was far more damage he’d done that her eyes

couldn’t

see.

Rey’s hazel eyes narrowed as she looked down at the woman who’d betrayed her and got her caught up in a situation that very nearly led to her own death. All for the sake of, she didn’t know - a power play? Because of jealousy?

The old Rey might have felt sorry for her, but at the moment, she only felt bitter.

“So, did your betrayal get you what you wanted?” the Empress preened as she glared down at the blonde woman, “Was it worth what it cost you...what it cost me?”

“I-I should have listened to the rumors,” Callista coughed, sending bits of blood seeping from her lips onto her pale blue blouse. Rey’s heart lurched for a split second as her compassion started to shine through the dark armor she’d spun for herself within the Force. She reached out and brushed up against her signature, pulling away in an instant when she realized just how close Callista was to death’s door, “They said - they said he wasn’t what I thought he was. I didn’t - I didn’t believe them. I thought...I thought you got what you deserved. And - I’m sorry for the part I played in it.”

A single tear trailed down her mottled cheek, and Rey was reminded of the Kuati girl who had dreamed of something more, in a similar way to what Rey had in her loneliest nights on Jakku. No matter how badly Callista had treated her, how nasty she’d been, or how big her betrayal, Rey knew in her heart that she would never wish what had happened to her at the hands of her husband on anyone else...even her.

Rey sunk down on her knees next to where she laid in a heap against a wall, lifting her palms over Callista’s abdomen and pulled her energy from deep in the Force to try and ease her suffering. The blonde’s face visibly relaxed in an instant, until their eyes met and the injured woman’s gaze shifted over Rey’s shoulder with alarm.

“Why, hello

wife.

”

Rey froze, and her anger curled up from deep in her chest as she felt the barrel of a blaster trained on her from across the room.

With her palms slowly raised in the air, Rey drew herself to her feet, exhaling softly as she furled out her senses like a blanket over the room, and found someone there she didn’t expect.

Eyes narrowed and brows bent, Rey slowly stepped in a circle and drew her gaze to the tall, lanky man who stood across the wide-open room.

She should have known, she should have guessed that he would have tried to set a trap for her, and use her compassion for others to get her to let down her guard, even if for only a moment.

“

Armie

,” Rey cooed with a hint of a coquettish smile, inwardly cringing at her usage of the name he gave her when they first met. The name he used when he tried to paint himself as a good man, “I’m not sure that it is a wise idea to be pointing a blaster at me that way.”

“Why is that? Shouldn’t I make you answer for all the trouble you’ve caused me?” Armitage sneered, stepping to the side to follow Rey’s track as she slowly began to circle him like a caged animal.

“The trouble

I

caused you?” she retorted with a barking laugh, “Oh please,

darling,

I think that it was the other way around. Although, I really should thank you.”

“What for, Flower?”

“The First Order stole everything from me, but, thanks to you, I’ve felt more like myself than I have in

ages

, and I have the greatest person in all the galaxy by my side.”

Armitage, with his blaster still trained on her, lifted his eyes to look cooly across the room.

“I don’t see your precious

Kylo Ren

now, Flower. It certainly seems that his loyalty is as weak for you as it was for me.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” a familiar voice growled from the darkness, followed by the shrieking crackle of a lightsaber as it was brought to life.

Ben’s dark eyes were brightly lit with a red hue from his blade, that was only matched with the fury that burned deep inside.

You left.

I’m sorry.

Their eyes met for a moment before they both turned their gaze back to the wayward Emperor.

Rey could feel the darkness furling out from the pair of them, like a welcome old friend, climbing the walls like a shadow until everything around them was painted in the nefarious feeling.

It was the first time either of them had laid eyes on the man since that day when the sands of Jakku twisted around them and Rey was afraid that she was about to be lost forever.

The memory of her time there was foggy at some parts, clear as day in others, and just as painful at that moment, face-to-face with her tormentor, as they were when they happened. 
 
Rey licked her lips as she stared unblinkingly at the ginger, suddenly feeling thirsty as her memories haunted her. She blinked in the brightly lit room on Arkanis, and suddenly found herself trapped in the darkness of her prison inside the belly of her fallen AT-AT.

She held her palms aloft, looking to the worn, calloused skin of a scavenger. Curling her fingers inward, she shifted her gaze to the wall at her back, looking over the thousands of hash marks emblazoned in the rusted, duristeel wall. Hadn’t she been wearing gloves earlier?

Holding her breath in the heat of the pitch black, her eyes shifted from wall to wall with a gasp, seeing more and more of the markings in every perceivable corner of the old Imperial weapon. There hadn’t been that many before…

Rey closed her eyes to the soft beams of light that streamed in through the worn cracks in the hull, centering herself in the alluring feeling her darkness wrapped her up in. Just as comforting as Kylo’s cowl, she reveled in the feeling of it, smiling softly to herself as it oozed down her limbs, to the very tips of her hair.

What was there to fear if she

was

the fear?
 
Her body thrummed with the enthralling feeling that her deepest, darkest desires fed into her. Rey accepted it, welcomed it, and let it caress her skin and fill her to the brim with limitless power.

Balance. It was what she wanted. But, what she craved now was something else. Something more sinister. Something that could give her what she so desperately craved.

His end.
 
Rey’s eyes flashed open and watched as crackles of white-hot electricity curled up from her fingertips and hugged the curve of her arm as the walls of the AT-AT quaked and shuddered. Her body was ablaze with the sheer ferocity of it all, intoxicated by the sight of her childhood prison crumbling down around her to reveal where she really was: face-to-face with him.

Ben’s gaze was focused on her, and she could feel him pressing against the bond, but she’d thrown up a wall without thinking to force him out. There was no sense in scaring him any further. She could handle this. She was in control.

With a tilt of her head towards her husband, Rey became vaguely aware that he had been talking...but for how long? How long had she let herself drift away?

She looked back down to her palms, gloved again, and thought for a moment that she saw tendrils of electricity bend and move between her fingertips.

So, it wasn’t just a dream.

Rey pushed through the ever-present, intoxicating thrum that the darkness sang to her, and focused on Hux’s words as he continued to spit them out with a sneer, one after the other.

Whatever he had been saying had Ben clearly incensed and barely holding on as his long face contorted into something resembling the dark knight, Kylo Ren, more and more with each passing moment.

“I hope you’ve enjoyed your time with her, Ren,” Hux spat, the barrel of his blaster still trained on them with his icy gaze narrowed, “I don’t see how, honestly. I wouldn’t take a second-hand cunt if someone paid me to, especially if it was a barren sand rat like her.”

Enough was enough. The time to act was now.

With an instantaneous glance at Ben, Rey shifted her focus towards Armitage and flung her hand out towards him. His face went a glorious shade of purple as he clutched at his throat with his free hand for the moment she allowed him before yanking him towards her.

Rey wished she’d taken it slower, but there was a part of her that enjoyed watching his long neck flay backward with the force she propelled him towards her with.

He should have been heavy, it should have been more difficult to do, but Rey found that, with the darkness’s help, all she could think about was the feeling of crushing his throat beneath her grasp.

His blue eyes grew wide as the tips of his boots scraped across the floor with an oddly syncopated rhythm, weaving in seamlessly with the abrupt sound of a blaster bolt that rang out as soon as he met her open hand.

Rey let out a stuttering gasp as an instantaneous pain seeped from her side, filling her with a cold sense of dread as her wide-eyed gaze met the bloodshot eyes of her husband.

“You...of all people...should know...not to...underestimate….me.”

Rey threw him, coughing, to the ground, and reached towards her side, only to bring her gloved hand away - completely dry.

Her knees wavered for a second before buckling beneath her as she dropped to the floor where Ben was balanced on a single knee, hands to his side with a grimace.

“Stars! Ben…” Rey reached for him frantically, crying out when she found the injury she’d felt so clearly - from him.

“I’m-I’m okay, Stardust. He barely grazed me,” he growled, grinding his teeth as he slowly pushed himself to stand, “It takes a lot more than a blaster bolt to take me out, you moofmilker.”

“Oh, I’ve planned for that as well,” Hux oozed, slithering away like the snake that he was as Ben and Rey turned their attention to the armored figures that emerged from every shadowy corner of the room.

The elite Praetorian Guard, in four pairs, closed in all around them. Clothed in gleaming crimson armor and robes that brushed the ground, Rey could feel a magnetic buzz in the air that made her teeth ache and set her on edge, and she swore it was coming from them. As she looked from pair to pair, they gave an odd, menacing twirl of their unique weapons.

Rey tugged the hilt of her lightsaber from her belt, looking over Ben’s shoulder with eyes narrowed as she flipped it to life with her thumb. She should have felt afraid. She should have panicked, but she didn’t.

With a deep breath and a look at her lover, her partner, her force-bonded soulmate, every ounce of every feeling they’d ever shared passed between their gazes. Ben gave her a small nod as his own blade screamed to life with a crackling hiss.

Like they were in a synchronized dance, as elegant and fluid as if they were merely waltzing away at the Imperial Palace, the pair of them spun around and faced the oncoming assault. Rey centered herself as the first strike came screaming down in front of her in the form of a sizzling Vibro-voulge.

Her blade was an extension of her as Rey forced her enemy’s blade away with a blue hum. Spinning the long hilt in her hands, she blocked an oncoming electro-bisento. The contact of her red blade to the menacing weapon sent a painful jolt running down her arm.

They’re lightsaber resistant. This is going to be a lot harder than I thought it was going to be.

Have faith. You’re stronger than you know, Stardust. Focus. Push through.

With a grunt, Rey tilted her shoulders and shoved the faceless guard away, baring her teeth in frustration when her blade glanced off his armor. She could feel Ben’s heart pounding behind her, intermingling with her own breathing and the delicious feeling of their shared hunger, like they were wild loth-wolves, finally freed from their cage to run wild as they were meant to be.

Rey smiled to herself as her body thrummed with the electric feeling of it, embracing every second that the tendrils of her darkness spent coiled around her every limb, every muscle, and every fiber of her being. She let it guide her, moving her blades without thinking, so quickly that in a matter of movements, two of the guard went clattering to the permasteel floor.

Two of the four guardsmen she faced initially rushed to defend their fallen brothers, swinging a Vibro-chain over their heads as another rushed around from behind her. Moving as one, she knew Ben could feel what was happening, and pressed his back against her as he swung his shrieking blade, facing four faceless soldiers himself. Rey stabbed outwardly with the blue side of her lightsaber, leaning against her partner, wrapping her fingers around the curve of his thigh, and using his broad back to balance her as she nearly made herself parallel to the floor - kicking out to connect her boot to the chest plate of her enemy with a roar.

Letting the Force flow through her, she let it guide her movements as she pushed them back, stepping away from Ben with a series of brutal blows, one after the other until another one of the elite guards fell with a clatter.

That’s three for me, one for you.

Two for me. If you’re going to keep score, Stardust, at least play fair.

In a flaming swirl of red and blue, Rey turned her attention towards the crimson soldier who surged towards her, making the staff of his blade split into smaller, chain-like links with a crackling sizzle. He anchored himself with his feet apart, giving the electrified chain a wide spin. His arrogance only spurred Rey on, who spun her own pair of blades so quickly they became a blur of nearly purple flame, and let out a vicious roar.

Reaching out with the red end of her blade, Rey attacked head-on and wrapped the thrumming electro-plasma current of his electro-chain whip around her blade, forcing the end of it through his chest with a noxious burst of smoke. With both of her gloved hands wrapped firmly around the silver hilt, the Empress forced her blade skyward, ripping through the magnetic hum of the crimson, plastoid armor.

And FOUR.

It isn’t becoming of a Jedi to boast.

I am no Jedi.

A smile played on her lips, but only for a moment, when another one of the remaining guardsmen lunged towards her. Rey reacted, but not quick enough, yelping in pain as the laser-edge blade skirted across her shoulder. It split the black fabric in an instant, cutting deeper, tearing her flesh before she could blink.

Rey didn’t even need to look at Ben to feel his panic spike, which she answered with a surge of comfort along the gleaming thread of their bond, making sure to mask a bit of her pain.

I’m okay.

Her focus went back to the enemy who was about to strike again, but closer to his target. With a flick of her wrist, Rey split her hilt in two and pounced. Her red blade hit the armor first, catching him in a weak spot below his arm. She followed her initial strike with another one from the thrumming blue blade, held in a strong reverse grip as she slammed it down.

Her darkness coiled with delight as the soldier, more meat than warrior now, slumped to the floor, his top half cleaved from his bottom. She let it caress her skin and fill her with a zing of delight, letting out a soft hum before another surge of Ben’s fear washed over her.

Rey spun on her heel, hazel eyes wide when she saw him, with a collection of red-armored bodies littering the floor, trapped in the grasp of the last enemy standing. She felt a momentary rush of panic as she watched his dark eyes shift to her and back to the sizzling blade that hovered a breath away from his throat.

Without a second thought, Rey disengaged her blue blade and gave it a quick spin in her palm.

“

BEN!”

His dark eyes shifted to hers, grunting with his teeth bared as he tried to hold the blade back. He opened his gloved hand just enough to welcome the gleaming hilt of the Skywalker legacy lightsaber, flipping it to life with a flick of his thumb.

As quickly as it began, it was all over. Ben’s broad chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath. Ben lifted the crimson weapon from his throat to let it, and it’s owner, fall to the floor in a clattering heap of plastoid.

Their eyes met from across the room, their connection flaring brighter than ever before, bending and moving around them in an incandescent web of energy, light, and dark. Rey felt like she was still caught up in the trance-like state that the darkness weaved her into, practically buzzing from the sheer intoxicating thrill of being battle-worn and

finally

being a part of something so much bigger than herself - as she’d dreamt of doing as a child with Ben by her side.

Both of them positively breathless and flushed from their shared victory, they surged towards each other, answering that heady call of their connection to fall like it had begged them to do from the moment of their first meeting.

Ben reached out for her, caging her freckled face between his hands to devour her lips in a searing kiss. Second nature by now, Rey reached up and twisted her fingers in his dark hair, pulling him closer, filled with a wild hunger for

more,

even with the world falling down around them just outside.

His kiss was fierce and demanding, steeped in passion. Any ounce of sense was tossed to the wind as Rey pulled him closer, letting his intoxicating smell flood her senses as she longed to lose herself in that moment forever. That special place when it was only the two of them at the center of the brightly luminescent orb of energy they created whenever they were bound together.

Ben’s tongue ran along the seam of her mouth, darting in to dance with hers as they deepened the kiss. Rey moaned against his plush lips, letting her fingers wander down the fabric over his muscled chest before they mingled with the buckle on his belt. Ben abruptly pulled away with a growl, resting his forehead against hers.

“Escape now, uh -

this

- later, and I’ll finish what you started.”

Rey’s face bent into a small pout, that quickly faded away when the lofty ceiling above them gave a massive shudder.

“Fine,” she sighed, “You’d better, Solo.”

“

Disgusting,”

a cold voice rang out from the wall furthest from them.

Rey lifted her gaze to look upon her husband, the wayward Emperor, who now cowered in a corner.

“What do we do with him?”

The Empress turned her cold gaze towards Armitage, observing him carefully as he pushed himself to stand from the permasteel floor.

“Let me,” Rey purred, stepping forward with the smallest hint of a self-assured smile. Her hazel eyes glittered as she slowly shifted her gaze from the man who was simultaneously her past and her future, to the man who’d done his very best to tear them apart permanently. The lanky ginger, still impossibly more self-assured than he had any right to be.

The corners of his thin mouth curled up into a sneer, squaring his shoulders with a cocky tilt of his square jaw.

“I’d wipe that smile off your face right about now,

your majesty,”

Rey crooned as she sauntered forward, casually cool with one sure step after the other.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Hux jeered back, lowering his icy gaze as his Empress stepped closer.

“I don’t see how. We’ve brought an army. Your men are loyal to me. There’s no way out for you. Hell,” Rey held her palms out to the smoking throne room around them, “Even your

unkillable,

elite, bodyguards are dead. The galaxy is free of you.

I

- I am free of you.”

Rey’s blood boiled when the man’s face burst into a high-pitched chuckle. His pasty face split open with a wide smile that died as quickly as an ember on the water as he took another step closer.

Behind her, she could feel Ben’s alarm and his scorching fury, but she held him at bay with her mind, sending a surge of her own confidence back towards him. She wouldn’t be intimidated by him. Not anymore. It was finally time for her to fight back.

“You’ll never be free of me, Flower,” Armitage purred, peering over her shoulder at his former accomplice against an old master. Rey’s face remained impassive as he bent too close for comfort. In the past, she would have shrunk away and flinched at this close proximity, but she wouldn’t allow him that power now. Her hazel eyes narrowed as he reached towards her and caged the edge of her jaw. For a split second, Rey thought to the moment when he’d first punished her for what he said was her own benefit, holding her to her own, bloodied reflection as he turned the blame to her. Rey glared at him unblinkingly and let the darkness coil around her every limb as Hux brushed his lips against hers and sniggered,  “My cock has seen more of you then he could ever dream. I hope that your cunt still smells of me and haunts you in your memories, you filthy, fruitless, desert whore. I should have killed you when I had the chance.”

“It isn’t too late,” Rey purred as her face bent up into a coquettish smile, turning what used to be fear into something more powerful - Rage.

She braced herself for the blow, turning her head with his movements to let his fist glance off her cheek, and tugged the split hilt of her red blade to attention - shearing the offending hand off at the wrist.

Wide-eyed with shock, Hux sank to his knees as his mouth hung open in agony. He stared at the stump, clutching it to him as the realization of his defeat crossed his fair face.

Rey circled him like a viper about to strike, her teeth bared with a wicked grin as he squealed in pain. She flung out her hand, blindly reaching out for another blade, flipping the shrieking crossguard blade to life.

Letting the darkness fuel her, Rey stepped forward and framed his head, red blades crossed over his shoulders, ready for the delectable moment when she could take his head and FINALLY be free.

“Rey.”

Ben’s voice rang out across the vast room, echoing somewhere above the ceiling that blended with the simultaneous sounds of thunder and battle happening outside. The Empress closed her eyes to the sound of it, and focused in on the seductive tendrils of darkness kissing along every inch of her skin, whispering to her all the things she’d ever wanted - just out of reach. It filled her to the brim with the temptation of its power, and with it, she felt that delectable crackle of white-hot electricity at her fingertips once more, until Ben’s voice permeated her dark cloud.

“Stardust.”

The building gave another shudder, sending a shower of dust raining down upon them as Rey opened her eyes to take in the sight in front of her.

On his knees - and afraid - Rey had Armitage Hux right where she wanted him. His shoulders sagged, his blue eyes were wide with fear, and his pale skin was awash with an eerie red glow from the pair of blades she held at his throat.

She wanted to cut, to end him right then and there with every fiber of her being, but Ben’s voice hung in the back of her mind.

That name.

Her name.

That name that was a representation of the best parts of herself and everything she wanted to be - how he saw her. It hung in the air as a reminder of what she was leaving behind as she so heartily welcomed the darkness, past the point of balance, and towards something more sinister and harder to walk away from.

With the blades positioned, unwavering and strong over Hux’s shoulders, Rey let out a sigh and pulled herself away from the iron-like grasp of her darkness to let the light seep back in.

This isn’t you, Stardust. Step away. He’ll answer for his crimes another way.

Rey sighed, giving the man in front of her one last somber look before disengaging the red blades with a slow hiss. Hux shook under her gaze, eyes fearful as he leaned away from her.

“What are you going to do to me?” he stuttered.

“Nothing you don’t deserve,” Rey spat, simultaneously summoning her blue blade to her palm while tossing Ben’s toward him. With a twist of her wrist, she joined the two halves together and secured it to her waist. With her full attention on Armitage, Rey lifted her palm, squared her shoulders, and spoke in a voice that was as smooth as dreamsilk.

“

You will leave this room, board an escape pod, and fly to the Vengeance where you will surrender yourself to the Resistance and await your punishment.”

Hux’s permanent sneer melted away as his entire body shifted and his eyes glazed over.

“I will leave this room, board an escape pod, and fly it to the Vengeance where I will surrender myself to the Resistance and await my punishment,” he drawled, pulling himself to stand and trudging in a trance out of the room and down the corridor.

Rey turned to Ben with a laugh, finding joy in the look of astonishment and pride that crossed his long face.

She slowly stepped over the motionless body of one of the fallen elite guards, a smile playing on her lips as she drew closer to him.

“Are you proud of me, Ben?”

“Unbelievably so, Stardust.”

Rey lifted her eyes to meet his darkened gaze, peering up through her lashes as her fingers reached up to slowly walk up the curve of his muscled chest.

“What shall we do to celebrate our victory?” she purred, lifting herself up on her tiptoes to brush her lips against Ben’s. Their connection thrummed deliciousness at the contact, urging them to linger in the moment and get caught up in each other the way they always wished they could.

With a soft hum, Rey melted into him, parting her lips to deepen the kiss and draw themselves closer together. Ben’s long fingers coiled around her braid, tilting her jaw back to allow him access to the long column of her throat.

Rey wrapped her arms around his middle, recoiling instantly when Ben let out a low groan of pain. He instantly stiffened in her embrace, and her eyes were wide when she brought her fingers away from his side, sticky and painted with his blood.

“

Ben,

” Rey breathed, brows pressed together with concern, “I thought you said he only nicked you?”

“Grazed. I said he only grazed me,” Ben flashed her a cocky, boyish grin before grimacing and reaching for his side.

“This-this is...much worse than either of those things,” Rey gingerly reached out and used her fingertips to part the torn fabric of his tunic and reveal the gaping wound below, “H-how in Maker’s name were you able to fight just now?”

“Luck, I guess,” he deadpanned as his long face contorted in pain with a hiss. He wavered on his feet, falling towards Rey who caught his heavy form as best she could.

“This is bad, Ben,” Rey murmured, calling upon the Force to help her keep him upright. With her arms wrapped firmly around him, she closed her eyes and reached out through the luminescent web of life woven all around them and drew from her own energy to give to him.

“Rey, don’t,” he objected, pushing back with his mind, but Rey was insistent.

“You need it more than I do, at the moment, Hotshot,” she bemused, pushing harder until he accepted it, and she instantly felt him stand up a little straighter by her side.

The ceiling rained down more dust as the walls creaked and groaned under the weight of whatever was happening outside.

“We need to get out of here,” Ben stated, quickening his pace with his arm still slung heavily over Rey’s shoulders.

“You don’t say,” the Empress gave the dark knight a tug, leading him out into the corridor to leave the aftermath of their victory - and the past - behind them.

Not one to lose her head when things started to get rough, Rey started to feel the cold grip of dread around her heart as they stumbled down the stairs, ducking bits of debris as the building continued to deteriorate.

A frisson of goosebumps crept up Rey’s arms as they reached the doorway and she could plainly hear the cacophony of TIE fighters swooping through the pitch-black rain with a scream. Rey could see plumes of smoke and the telltale glow of fire on the horizon. She’d hope that, against the odds, the Resistance would come out victorious. Her stomach twisted as flashes of red and green darted over their heads as a black X-Wing careened past, followed closely by a pair of TIE fighters.

“How are we going to get out of here?” Rey yelled out over the din, flinching as another explosion rocked the plaza beneath their boots.

“In that,” Ben nodded towards a cluster of black crates, and the sleek starfighter at the center. It had a spherical, crimson body, like all the other TIEs, but with long, angular wings that tapered into a long point at the front of the ship, “I’d only seen a prototype of that before, but I think a

Whisper

is more than capable of getting us out of here in one piece.

“Will-will it fit both of us?”

“A single-passenger fighter didn’t stop us from climbing in together before, Stardust. I don’t see why it should now.”

“Fine,” Rey bemoaned with a smile, her heart feeling lighter as he stood up straighter, on his own accord, with each step. When they reached the ship, Rey let go of Ben to curl her fingers over the durasteel latch on the cockpit, swinging the hatch wide open from the front. She turned her eyes to Ben with a subtle smile playing on her lips, “You ready to get off this rock?”

Her attention turned to her wrist comm when it pinged loudly and they heard the crackle of Poe’s voice call out with a desperate sense of urgency.

”We’ve got ‘em where we want ‘em, Empress. Did you complete your mission?”

“We did. Hux is on his way up there and should be surrendering any moment now,” Rey answered, looking skywards against the constant rain that pelted their skin, “We are trying to hitch a ride out of here as we speak.”

”Hurry it up, Stardust. We’ve set the complex to blow in two minutes.”

Suddenly, a lance of panic shot straight through her heart when she followed Ben’s wide-eyed gaze to a collection of turned-over crates and saw a set of tiny, fair green hands curled around her knees.

A stuttering breath tumbled from Rey’s lips, looking to Ben, her hazel eyes alight with worry.

“Qema.”

With a renewed sense of urgency and energy, Ben pulled away and barked out, “Hop in, punch in the coordinates for the

Vengeance.

Poe, you still there?”

”I’m here, pal. What do you need?”

“I need you to get a lock on the TIE/wi modified interceptor that will be headed your way. Make sure it doesn’t get targeted by our side, and tow it in quick.”

”You’ve got it. Good luck, you two. Remember, two minutes.”

“You heard him, Rey. Coordinates.

Now.

”

Rey jumped into action, climbing into the single pilot’s seat, and busying herself with the navicomputer, punching in a series of commands as quickly as her fingers would allow.

As the ship accepted the orders, Rey lifted her eyes and watched Ben stride over with the little Mirialan girl held firmly to his chest. Her heart skipped a beat as she watched the little girl’s green face streaked with tears as the dark knight murmured something into her ear.

Rey couldn’t help but think that Qema couldn’t be much older than Rey was when she and Ben were first separated. Her heart ached for the sweet girl, remembering how alone and how small she’d felt then.

Ben’s dark eyes were wild when they shifted to meet hers, and Rey suddenly felt an alarming flash of panic as he thrust the little girl into her arms.

Rey could feel Qema trembling as her little arms clutched her tightly. Her automatic instinct was to rub slow, soft circles on her back, quietly shushing the girl as her eyes remained glued to Ben’s.

“No,” she breathed, “Don’t do this. Please. I don’t want to do this without you.”

He reached out with his long fingers and tucked a stray strand of her chestnut hair behind her ear with a distant smile. With her freckled face tucked between his palms, Ben swiped away the tears that had begun to pool on her lashes, and leaned down to press a lingering kiss upon her lips.

Rey was racked with breathless sobs as he pulled away, unable to catch her breath when he whispered, “I’ll always be with you.”

Before she could react, Ben reached out and pressed a button on the control panel, bringing the TIE to life with a thunderous whine and a slam of the hatch.

Rey shifted in her seat, moving towards the round viewport, holding Qema firmly against her as she cried out into the cockpit. The pounding of her fist against the transparisteel echoed in long, slow chimes as the fighter lifted from the ground with a wobble.

The rain pelted the viewport, filling the tiny cabin with a raucous pitter-patter to accompany the sound of her flesh against the glass and each breathlessly desperate sob.

Ben’s eyes never left hers for a moment as the single-passenger fighter drifted higher, holding up his palms to protect the ship from the stray blaster and turbolaser fire. Rey could feel a surge of his love wash through their bond that only fueled her despair and, in an instant, she was a little girl again - watching her world burn down as she was forced to leave him behind -

again.

With a sob, Rey watched Ben turned away and stride across the plaza and out of sight as soon as they were out of range from the dogfight happening around them. Her breath came in sharp waves, each one a struggle as she cried out his name over and over, long after the lines of the old Imperial structure blurred into the night, blinding her completely when it abruptly burst into a ball of fire that shook the prototype fighter down to the bolts.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rey’s ears rang and her body ached as the TIE whisper settled in for a slow landing in the main hangar of the resurgent-class star destroyer,

Vengeance.

The wide-open space, whose vehicle storage racks were welcoming back the scarred and smoking remains of other starfighters and troop transports, made it clear to the Empress - as she peered out of the crimson-framed transparisteel viewport - that the battle had been hard-fought on all sides.

Judging by the exhausted smiles on the faces of the troops, both Resistance fighters and unmasked stormtroopers who walked arm-in-arm, Rey could see that they were celebrating a victory - but at what cost?

Rey reached up with her free hand and flipped a switch above their heads to release the hatch, holding the trembling little Mirialan girl in her arms a little tighter when it gave a great hiss as the seal was broken. Her heart gave a lurch when Qema squeezed her little arms around her neck, clutching onto Rey with every ounce of strength she had.

Tracing soft circles across her back, Rey hushed her softly as her own chin trembled.

“It’s okay, I’m here. You aren’t alone.”

Together, with Qema held firmly in her aching arms, Rey ducked out of the snug cockpit and into the flurry of activity. 
 
It had happened in an instant. 
 
One second, he was there, and Rey knew he was saying goodbye. The next, the sky was alight with fire where he had been standing only moments before. She wanted to hate him for it, to be angry for leaving her alone in a world when she so desperately wanted to be with him. For leaving her alone in a world where they’d both been alone so much already.

She knew her fists would ache and her voice would be raw for some time, and act as a painful, physical reminder of what had been lost.

Rey focused, instead, on the warmth of the lost little girl in her arms. She didn’t have time to fall apart - he wouldn’t want her to. There was this whole group of children who needed her now. Many of them had been stolen from their families, and Rey was determined to find them.

Her gaze shifted across the hangar, from face to smiling face, feeling her heartache when she saw a group of familiar faces emerge from a doorway.

Poe’s eyes instantly met hers, wide-eyed with fear that melted into relief as soon as he saw her.

Rey tucked her bottom lip between her teeth, silently hoping that, by holding it there, it would keep her face from betraying every painful thought. The First Order turned Resistance pilot jogged forward, his white flak vest bouncing with every step.

She watched his dark eyes look over her shoulder as she slowly strode forward, looking to the TIE she’d arrived in with Qema for a split second before meeting her eyes again with a whisper.

“

No.”

Poe shook his head, reaching up to anxiously scrub the dark shadow along his jaw, “Too many losses. I can’t take anymore.”

Rey lifted her chin, biting back the sting of her tears to keep her composure for just a little while longer, reaching out to touch the orange sleeve of his flight suit.

“Sure you can. He taught us how,” she stated in a determined whisper.

Poe’s tanned face bent into a grief-stricken grimace, tilting his head to look back at her with tears pooling on his dark lashes, letting out a soft sigh as he leaned down and pressed a featherlight kiss on her forehead.

“No one’s ever really gone, Stardust.”

Rey let her hand fall away with a sigh, feeling grateful for his comforting words as she walked past their old friend and into the long corridor. 
 
*
 
Rey wasn’t sure how much time had gone by when she stepped out of the swirling steam in the ‘fresher. It had taken some time to peel off the snug armor she’d worn, muddled with ash and blood from a battle hard-fought.

She’d stood at the counter, breathless and numb as she stared at her upturned palms, centering herself in the consistent ache in her fingers and the now brown splotches of his blood.

Lifting her red-rimmed hazel eyes to her reflection, Rey abruptly surged forward and began to scrub at her flesh until they were raw. No matter how hard she tried to rub it away, the feeling still remained.

He couldn’t be gone. She’d seen it. They weren’t finished. If he really was gone - she would have felt it in the delicate web of life that the Force spun around her...right?

Each time she closed her eyes, Rey could feel the warmth of his kiss and the deep sound of his voice, murmuring their promise to her for one last time.

”I’ll always be with you.”

If that was supposed to be goodbye, then why didn’t it feel like the end?

In a soft set of linen pajamas, Rey stepped out into her quarters and smiled at the little girl sitting in the middle of the bed, whose bright purple eyes were alight with a wild sense of wonderment as she tasted every bit of food that Rey had brought in on a tray.

“Are you enjoying yourself,

khakdi rlieula

?” Rey mused, unable to help the smile from spreading when Qema’s eyes lit up as she called her

sweet girl

in her mother tongue.

“You speak Mirialan?” she breathed, observing the Empress as she strode over and sat next to her on the bed. The mattress bent beneath her weight, shifting as she leaned forward to grab a piece of bright purple fruit. She popped it into her mouth with a grin, remembering back to when her entire world view changed with a few bites when she’d first arrived at the Imperial Palace.

“I speak all sorts of languages, Qema.”

“Did the Force teach you?” the little, green-skinned girl inquired as she took a bite of a Corellian air cake.

“No,” Rey answered, pulling at another piece of fruit as she leaned down onto the mattress, “But I think it made it easier for me to pick up on so many. I’ve read stories of Force-users who knew

thousands

of languages.”

“Did - did

he

know lots of languages too?”

Rey’s smile faded away at the mention of him.

“He did. And he could

write them

too,” she murmured softly, casting her eyes down to the dark blankets. Qema reached out and brushed her fingers against hers, and Rey felt a wash of comfort and the girl’s own sadness brush up against her signature.

“He’s not far away, Empress. The Force told me so.”

Rey pressed her lips together with a quiet sigh, unable to quell the constant ache in her heart that she knew she’d never be rid of. How could a little girl of Qema’s age, maybe five or six, be so wise?

The Force told her so.

It wasn’t the first time that Qema had uttered those words to Rey, and she held onto it like a prayer.

There is no light without the dark

Through passion, I gain focus.

Through knowledge, I gain power.

Through serenity, I gain strength.

Through victory, I gain harmony.

THERE IS ONLY THE FORCE.

When they’d first arrived back on board the

Vengeance,

she’d strode down the long, crowded corridor, bumping shoulders with each soldier who passed her, holding onto a scared Qema as tightly as she could.

Her breath caught in her throat when a hand clamped around her arm, tugging her to an abrupt stop.

“Empress!” Finn exclaimed, his dark brow glistening with a sheen of perspiration with a wide smile across his face, “You took down

eight

of the Praetorian guard? Unbelievable!”

“I can’t hardly believe it myself,” Rey replied with a sorrowful smile, “I had help.”

The former stormtrooper looked down to the tear-strewn face of the Mirialan girl in her arms, and back up to her face with a nod.

“The rest of them are down on level B, I can take her if you want.”

Rey’s arms went momentarily slack as she pulled back to look at Qema’s face, who instantly cried out a desperate, “No! He promised! Don’t leave me, please, Empress.”

Her chin trembled, and the dam she built around her whirling emotions began to fracture when Qema began to tearfully beg to stay by her side. She lifted her melancholy gaze to meet Finn’s, holding the little girl all the tighter as she whispered into her ear.

“I’ve got you. I don’t want to be alone either, sweet girl.”

Finn gave her a nod and a reassuring smile, “You two look famished, the kitchen’s this way.”

Rey answered the suggestive bob of his head that pointed her in the right direction, mouthing a silent,

thank you

as she strode past him.
 
With all the bustling activity throughout the rest of the gargantuan star destroyer, the galley was relatively quiet. Rey looked around the gleaming durasteel surfaces, idly wondering to herself how much food went into feeding the inhabitants of a ship as large as the

Vengeance.

Stepping through the rows of metal cooktops and work tables, Rey leaned down to set Qema on the surface of one and murmured gently.

“I’m going to set you here and get us a snack, alright?”

Rey waited for a sign from Qema before she loosened her grasp, smiling to herself when she felt the little Mirialan girl nod against her shoulder. She let her hands slowly slip away, keeping them on the girl’s waist as she leaned back to see her face.

Qema’s salty tears had made silvery tracks down her fair, green complexion, that glittered in a way that almost made them look blue. With a wistful smile, Rey reached up with her thumbs and slowly wiped them away, losing herself for a moment to the way the little girl’s purple eyes glittered like a kyber crystal.

“I’m just going around the corner to check the cupboards. I’ll be right around the corner. You’re safe.”

Rey felt her eyes watching her as she stepped away, sighing deeply as she busied herself looking through storage bins and conservators. As she shifted through the rows of standard-issue portions, Rey’s thoughts stayed on the girl, sending a wash of quiet comfort through the incandescent web of the Force to try and soothe the girl’s frazzled nerves.  
 
There was something about Qema. Something Rey couldn’t quite place. The Force was trying to show her something. It was there in the deepest part of her, whispering quiet whispers of joy to come.

Rey shook her head with a sob soft, reaching up to dash the solitary tear that gathered on her lashes. How cruel of their mistress, Fate, to string them together, to tug the pair of them through their own, treacherous paths that were wrought with anguish of every kind. How callous to dangle a life Rey dreamed of, only to poison the well? How wicked, to reunite them over and over, only to tear them apart again further down the line?

Her heart ached when she thought of every vision of the life she’d dreamed of with him, silently crying out for the years they’d lost and the family they’d never have.

With a handful of the miraculous bits of fruit she could find, Rey stepped around the corner and held a bright yellow one out for Qema to take.

She was leery at first, sniffing at the soft skin, before sinking her pearly teeth into the flesh, smiling brightly at Rey with a wild sense of wonder before devouring her next bite.

“Do you like it?” Rey inquired, her voice low as Qema quickly polished off the first piece of fruit and enthusiastically reached for another.

“So much tastier than those stupid portions that taste like bantha poodoo,” Qema groused, taking another hearty bite of the fruit in her tiny hands.

Rey chuffed a quiet laugh as a wistful smile broke open across her face, thinking back to another hungry little girl with a foul mouth and a bucketful of sass.

The scavenger girl stuck out her tongue with a grimace at the mention of portions, and her stomach wobbled with a twinge.

“Ugh, portions. They were certainly made to fill a lot of bellies, but not so much on the whole tasting good part,” Rey bemoaned with the ghost of a giggle.

“You ate portions, Empress?” Qema exclaimed, her eyes wide, “But you - you’re a…”

“Not always. I used to live all alone in a desert, where I scavenged to eat those. I didn’t have real food until I got to Coruscant.”

“Stars,” Qema breathed as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, “That’s a long time.”

“Yeah,” Rey murmured, turning around the slide up on the counter beside her.

They were quiet for a moment, silently picking at another aircake Rey had stolen from the pantry.

The silence had almost grown too much when Qema whispered, “I’m sorry about what happened. It’s my fault.”

Rey let out a quiet sob, sliding off the table to reach for Qema and pull her amethyst gaze to meet hers.

“Oh no, sweet girl. Don’t do that. This wasn’t you. This was war, and sometimes - people,” she paused, weighing the word on the tip of her tongue, terrified that, if she said it out loud, that it would make it true, “People die.”

“I know,” Qema said, “It’s just - I needed to stay with you, so I snuck off that junk ship...but then I got lost, and it was so loud and scary, I couldn’t move. Then he helped me get back to you.”

“Ben,” Rey breathed.

“Ben,” Qema echoed, “He is kind.”

“Yes, he was. To me, especially.”

“He told me that you were kind too.”

“I try to be,” Rey shrugged with a sad smile, thinking back to the mere seconds before they were parted when Ben had whispered something to Qema before sending them on their way - without him, “What else did he say? You said he promised you something.”

Qema gave Rey a knowing look and reached out to brush her little fingers over her hand. With her touch, a stuttering gasp tumbled from Rey’s lips as that intoxicating feeling of limitless joy that awaited her washed over her again like a tidal wave.

“When I saw you, I knew that you were important in a way I didn’t understand, but I knew you’d lead me to my family.”

There was Qema, surrounded by other children, playing happily in the sunshine that bloomed over the horizon. The smile on the girl’s face, older, a woman now with long, flowing, black hair, and a collection of well-earned tattoos on her green face, well-practiced in the ways of the Force...and with Rey beaming by her side.

It felt like a family.

She wanted to believe it. She wanted to think it was true, the pain of everything else was just too close for her to be able to see it.

“Is - is that what Ben told you?”

“Not exactly. He just told me that he saw it too.”

“Qema,” Rey pressed, her voice despondent and lacking any ounce of hope, “We can’t predict the future. We only get glimpses of what might be.”

“I know it’s true,” the girl shrugged, “The Force told me so.”

That night, once Qema had enthusiastically polished off every ounce of food on the tray Rey had brought up from the galley, she insisted that it was finally time for the girl to get some much-needed rest.

Rey lifted the covers for her, smiling softly as she slid beneath the luxurious fabric with a wide-eyed look, and when the Empress tried to step away, Qema’s small voice implored her to stay.

She sat down on the bed beside her, leaning on her elbow as she instinctively reached out to brush the tips of her fingers across her forehead. Qema stifled a wide yawn, reaching up to rub the sleep away from her lilac-colored eyes, to no avail.

“Tell me a story, Empress,” she yawned again.

“Rey,” she replied with a laugh, “I’m not an Empress anymore.”

“To me, you are,” Qema smiled sleepily, “A story...please.”

“Alright, you win, sweetheart,” she sucked in a deep breath and began the greatest story she knew, “Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away.”

As each word of the story

- their story -

echoed out into the chamber, Qema’s eyes grew heavier. Rey traced her dark hairline, marveling at the softness of her fair, green skin. She spun a tale of how a little girl met a boy, who was unlike anyone she’d ever met before. How they grew up together as children, and found each other in another life to find their happiness all over again. The girl went from a slave to a queen, and the boy she knew turned out to be the prince she’d fallen in love with, and he called her Stardust.

“S’a good story,” Qema breathed into the pillow as sleep began to carry her away.

“The best,” Rey whispered as the little girl’s eyes finally slipped closed and her breathing became deep and even.

She held her breath and moved in slow motion as she slipped her weight from the mattress without shaking the small girl from her slumber.

With her hands gingerly placed on the bed, Rey leaned down and pressed a kiss to the little girl’s forehead and let out a soft sigh when the action warmed her heart in a way she never would have expected.

Is that what it meant to be a mother? Rey was sure there was so much more, so many more factors to it all, but, at its core - was it that feeling?

If she thought hard enough about it, Rey swore she could faintly remember her own mother, the opera singer from Coruscant who’d fallen in love with a Rebellion pilot and eloped to a jungle moon, and quiet nights on Yavin IV when she’d sing Rey to sleep - tracing her hair in the very same way she’d just done for Qema.

Is that what it meant to love a child? To hold their souls in your heart, and have your heart be forever theirs. Did it mean dedicating your life to theirs, teaching them, loving them, and walking through fire if you had to?

Although it was something the Emperor had so relentlessly tried for, Rey had only ever considered the idea when it came to Ben.

Ben.

She’d held a deep disappointment in her heart when it came to everything that had been taken from them, especially when it came to the idea of Ben being a father.

Rey looked over her and tucked her bottom lip between her teeth before turning away to the desk tucked in the corner. Her heart thundered in her chest as she slowly reached out to coil her fingers around the soft, black fabric, feeling woefully unprepared to confront her feelings and accept what had happened.

She tentatively lifted Kylo’s cowl from the surface, and her hands trembled as she lifted it to her nose. It was battle-worn, but the smell was still there.

Spices. Smoke. Earth.

After everything. After all that had happened and all that they’d been through, the smell of him still lingered in the fibers.

With that one, single action, the dam fractured completely and every ounce of her grief she’d been holding back came pouring out all at once. After spending hours, keeping it locked away, the sudden desolation Rey felt was all-consuming, wracking her body with each vicious sob.

She wrapped herself up in this last sliver of Ben, painting herself with the feeling of him as she coiled the cowl around her and sank to the floor. Her pain hooked deep into her soul, spiraling around her heart with an icy chain that threatened to drag her deeper into the pit of her darkness with each quietly mournful keen.

Rey had seen enough darkness. She’d had enough pain, and at that moment, the last loss was nearly too much to bear. Everything they’d worked for, every plan, every hope and every dream had been obliterated in a matter of seconds, and Rey was woefully unsure where to go or what to do in a world where he wasn’t in it beside her.

He isn’t far away, Empress. The Force told me so.

As she cried, Rey’s tear-strewn eyes shifted towards the peacefully sleeping Qema on the bed in front of her, thinking back to the words she’d so wisely stated to her early.

Rey was curious what the girl had meant.

Her chin trembled as she closed her eyes to center herself in the radiant, interlacing strands of life that made up the fabric of life that was draped across every inch of the galaxy. She reveled in the warmth of the light, letting it seep into her as her darkness still tried to pull her deeper than she was willing to go.

Ben was there, tucked between the different bends and folds of life, but still so far away.

Perhaps it had something to do with their bond. Maybe a part of him would always be holding on, and always be with her.

It wasn’t what she expected. With how strong her connection was with Ben, Rey always thought that losing him would be akin to losing a limb, leaving a throbbing wound in her soul that would never heal.

In her dreams, when she would be wrapped up in his arms, she always pictured them departing the known world together, to become mere stardust scattered in the night sky to guide those who have lost their way.

Rey tucked her head against her knees, her eyes heavy with tears as surges of her grief continued to pummel her. The memories came one after the other, shaking her to the core as she painfully went over each one, etching them into her mind like the hash marks on the worn, duristeel walls of her walker.

She knew that with Ben, he allowed her to see a part of him that he never wanted to share with anyone else. When they touched, the way he reacted to her body was raw and real, and stunning in a way she couldn’t describe - and those moments with him were more real to Rey at that moment than the tingling of life that coursed through her veins with every beat of her heart.

Their bond was molten and inescapable, pulling at them from the first moment they laid eyes on each other.

With a quiet sob, Rey mournfully called out his name and held her palms aloft, reaching for any sense she could get that he was still there - that he was still listening.

But he wasn’t, and Rey’s world felt blacker and more bleak than it ever had before, and the lurking loneliness crippled her every thought.
 
Qema, though.

Rey could feel her light, beaming so brightly it almost seemed unbreakable. She needed a teacher - a proper teacher - and according to what the little Mirialan girl had shown her, Rey had the possibility to be just that. She could pass on what she’d learned from Ben, and use it to raise a new generation of Force users.

She slowly pushed herself to stand and pulled the cowl tighter around her shoulders, like the more firmly she held on, the less likely that she’d fall apart any further. Tiptoeing across the gleaming permasteel, Rey held her breath to hold back the lingering sobs, and gingerly laid down beside the little girl.

With a soft sigh, Rey reached up and trailed her fingers over Qema’s brow with a featherlight graze, aligning her breath in time with hers. The green-skinned girl’s breathing was like a masterpiece. Rey saw the magic unfold, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest and the steady sound of her breath crossing her dark lips. In the quiet of her quarters, paired with the ever-present hum of the engines, it spun a mesmerizing tune with the soothing attributes of a lullaby.

Rey lost herself to the rhythm of it and quickly felt her eyes growing heavy with exhaustion. With how taxing the day had been, beginning only hours ago in the very same bed where she had been so peacefully intertwined in his arms, and ending in a way that she never would have been able to fathom when she woke, Rey started to succumb to the waves of sleep that threatened to carry her away.

Sleep came quickly, like falling in love - slowly, then all at once - drifting her away on a cloudless sea, where she was together with him again in her dreams.

*
 
The next morning, Rey tiptoed through the door, precariously holding a tray of food against her chest to keep the contents from jostling and waking the little girl who was still sleeping away in the bed.

Rey gingerly set the tray on the desk in the corner and settled herself on the edge of the chair. With a sigh, Rey reached out and curled her fingers around a rare ink pen that had belonged to Ben and pulled a small scrap of flimsiplast in front of her.

Putting the tip of the pen to the paper, Rey began to write. A smile pulled at the corner of her mouth when she silently compared her short and scratchy letters to the elegant script that Ben had always written in so flawlessly.

With the edge of her thumb, Rey pressed the two halves of the paper together and formed a crease. She tucked the note beneath a glass of juice and carried it to a small table beside the bed.

Qema’s face was peaceful in a way that Rey wished she could feel as she slept, dreamless and quiet.

Rey reached out and gently brushed her fingertips against the girl’s hairline, whispering that she’d be back before she knew it before striding away and back into the hallway.

She had been summoned early that morning to attend a hearing that was being held on behalf of the former Emperor Hux. The sounds of her black shoes against the gleaming permasteel echoed down the long line of the corridor, blending in with the quiet whoops and whistles of the mouse droid that followed behind her like a shadow.

As she stepped into the quiet hum of the turbolift, Rey closed her eyes and leaned her head against the backlit wall, taking a moment to center herself in the quiet thrum of the Force - and that faint feeling of Ben that lingered in the back of her mind.

I’ll always be with you.

As strange as it seemed, that part seemed to hold true. Rey was grateful, but felt torn. Would he linger always, like a guide? Or would he haunt her like a ghost, trapped in her for the rest of eternity to remind her every day of what she had lost?

Her eyes snapped open with the hiss of the door that announced her arrival. The former Empress strode from the small compartment and turned on her heel towards a waiting door at the end of the wall.

Rey breathed a deep sigh, unable to keep herself from pacing a hole in the floor as she anxiously waited for it to open and allow her inside. She silently cursed herself and the nervous energy that threatened to overwhelm her as the soft murmur of voices filtered through the seam of the door.

Continuing to pace, Rey ran her hands down the sleek-cut bodice of the black jacket she wore. Gone was the battle-ready warrior from the day before, leaving the elegant Scavenger Empress in her place - somewhere between all the facets of Rey. 
 
The neckline dipped down into a deep v, with sharply tailored shoulders, and a hemline that curved in an asymmetrical line from the front of her waist and down her backside. She absentmindedly fiddled with the edge of her long sleeves, focusing on every steady breath to help ease the anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Rey let out a startled gasp when the door abruptly slid open, lifting her eyes to meet the kind smile of her old friend, Poe Dameron.

“We’re ready for you,” he murmured, stepping aside to usher her into the sleek conference room.

A few familiar faces looked back at her, growing quiet as soon as she stepped inside.

At the center of the relatively small chamber was a long, lustrous table with a collection of equally utilitarian design. Nearly each of the seats was filled with people she knew, a fine assembly with faces from both the First Order and the Resistance, sitting side-by-side.
 
“Have a seat, please, Empress,” Vice-Admiral Holdo motioned towards an empty seat at the end of the table. Rey curled her fingers around the back edge of the table and slid into the seat with a quiet sigh. She shifted her gaze around the table as Amilyn continued, “We have gathered here today, as you requested, to discuss the surrender and punishment for the former emperor, Armitage Hux. We - we realize that certain events have unfolded since then that will also require our attention, and we were honestly a little surprised you called this council to order so soon. We thought for sure that you’d rather...”

“It needed to be addressed. I, for one, would sleep better at night, knowing that something had been decided in regards to - to him,” Rey’s fingers slowly curled along the smooth surface of the black table and tucked into her palm with a crack, “The sooner we decide, the better.”

“Well,” Poe breathed as he settled into the seat beside her, “We’ve been here for some time, and, after a lot of thought, I think we’ve finally come to a decision.”

The pilot looked around the table, collecting a series of reassuring nods as he moved from face to somber face.

“Well?” Rey pressed, “What’s the decision?’

“Our decision,” the Vice-Admiral answered, her slim jaw lifting with an air of confidence as she looked to Rey, “Is to not make a decision.”
 
Rey’s brows pressed together in confusion, leaning forward across the table as she responded incredulously.

“What do you mean, ‘

not make a decision’?”

Rey looked around the room with an abrupt sense of panic she didn’t expect, “You’re - you’re not going to set him free, are you? After all he’s done?”

“Gods, no,” Poe retorted, lifting his hands to motion towards the group, “The consensus we came to is that

you

should be the one to decide.”

“Me?” Rey pushed her palms against the smooth surface of the table, shoving her chair back behind her as her blood pressure rose and her pulse thudded in her ears, “I - I didn’t want to decide this. I made my decision already. I could have killed him. I had the chance.”

“But you didn’t,” Finn responded from across the room.

“I could have, but I decided to give him a fair chance.”

“You did give him a fair chance, Empress,” Mitaka chimed in, “We all knew him. Saw him up close. There were - there were signs and none of us did anything to stop him. You did what you were supposed to, you did the right thing by bringing it to this council. Now it’s our turn to give it back to you.”

Rey lifted her hands to her head, nervously twisting her long braid around her knuckles as she began to pace back and forth in the narrow room.

“Nothing has to happen right away, Rey,” Poe spoke out, hovering close behind her as she drew herself up against the wall.

Rey turned her wide-eyed gaze to her old friend and saw the layers of his own grief etched in his dark eyes. Her chest felt tight as her own apprehension and sadness surged within her, threatening to break free all over again.

“I didn’t want to decide this alone.”

“You don’t have to.”

“You know what I mean,” Rey groused, chewing her lip as she looked down to her boots. She settled the ferocity of her beating heart with a few deep breaths, mentally sorting through her thoughts until she found an inkling of what to do next. Lifting her eyes back to Poe, she murmured softly, “I want to see him.”
 
*
 
It was dark inside the interrogation room, darker than she thought it was going to be. The room itself was mostly sparse, with a disengaged torture droid hovering quietly in the corner, and an illuminated interrogation chair at the center.

Rey stood rooted to the spot, in the shadows and out of view from the man who was shackled to the device. He looked better than he deserved, and Rey found herself oddly disappointed that the First Order guards had been so diplomatic in accepting his surrender and processing the terms of his imprisonment. 
 
At first, without the protective shield that the tendrils of her darkness had woven around her like armor, Rey felt nervous about coming face-to-face with her husband again. The council had been insistent about her protection, and demanded that, if they were to fulfill her request for a meeting with the prisoner, that it would be monitored, and he be restrained.

Hux began to stir with a groan, and Rey’s stomach lurched when she saw the ginger start to come out of the sedative state he’d been put in prior to her arrival in the room.

Rey lifted her gaze to meet Poe’s, who stood shoulder to shoulder with her in the darkness. He offered her the hint of a smile and a reassuring nod as he reached down to curl his fingers around hers and give her hand a comforting squeeze.

With a sniff, Rey turned her eyes back to the man in the shackles, quietly stepping forward. She watched his every moment as he slowly came to and brought his icy blue stare to meet hers, and in an instant, Rey saw the recognition cross his face.

“Hello, wife,” he sneered, as arrogant as ever, even in the position he was now in.

“Husband,” Rey answered, reaching down inside to summon a sliver of extra darkness to build up her emotional armor.

“What do you want?” Armitage’s head rolled to the side, still groggy from the sedation.

Rey curled her bottom lip between her teeth as she thought of how to properly frame her question, so she could spend as little time with the man as possible, but still gather enough information to properly decide his fate in a way that wouldn’t betray who she was as a person - or the memory of who Ben believed her to be.
 
With her question poised in her mind and a confident lift of her chin, Rey stepped towards him.

“I want to know why.”

“Why what?” Hux shrugged her off with a cocky lift of his eyebrow beneath the curtain of auburn hair.

“Why’d you do it? I want to understand.”

“Do what?”

“All of it. Your father. Snoke. The First Order,” she stammered, “...

Me.

Why me? Did you hate me that much that you - that you had to -“

“I didn’t hate you,” he said plainly.

“Then why?”

“You wouldn’t understand. You had a family that loved you.”

“I didn’t.”

“No, you did,” he pressed on, his eyes cold, “My childhood within the Imperial ranks was more than enough to justify everything I’ve ever done. I was never good enough for them. I was never good enough for my own father. Even he saw me as trash and treated me as such.”

“A rotten childhood isn’t an excuse. It doesn’t explain why. I grew up alone, with no memory of this family who loved me. I’ve never even dreamed of being the way that you are. So. Why?”

“It’s easy. I was determined to prove them wrong. To prove that I wasn’t garbage. To be the best version of myself that they never thought I could be. Brendol said I’d never amount to anything in the Imperial Remnant, so I became a general in the First Order. When that was still not enough and his abuse continued, I destroyed him. You can’t tell me that he didn’t deserve it. What I did to you was only a fraction of what my childhood was like at the hands of that man.”

“I remember,” Rey murmured softly, thinking back to the time when they might’ve been friends, when she trusted him, and before he’d shown the ugliest parts of his true self to her, “What about Snoke and the First Order? Don’t tell me that you always dreamed of becoming Emperor.”

“Not exactly,” he drawled, shifting his blue gaze around the darkened room, training his gaze on the shadows where Poe stood, out of sight, “Brendol was merely a pawn for Palpatine. I wanted to be more. So I made myself invaluable to the Supreme Leader. Then he,” he paused with a grimace, “Then he brought on that

fool

, Kylo Ren.”

“You’re trying to blame Ben for what you did?”

“Not exactly. In a way, he helped me, although I’m sure he didn’t expect any of it to turn out this way. Looking back, it makes a little more sense.”

“How?”

“Supreme Leader Snoke didn’t make it a secret that he intended to have Ren be his heir. To take over in the rare case that something happened to him. Only, he didn’t expect that he wouldn’t want the job. I was so tired of being a pawn, Flower, so I destroyed him, too. And I vowed to be the epitome of what everyone thought I couldn’t be. The bastard king. Eventually, that meant that I needed a wife. Someone who’d help me curry favor and...I don’t know...make it appear that I was someone worthy of their love.”

“You have a funny way of showing it,” Rey laughed as her breath came in sharp waves, feeling her anger bubble up at the casual nature of his story.

“I looked through so many profiles. Ms. Cass was a contender...but I didn’t expect you. You were like a mirage in the desert, and part of me knew that you would do well. A desert rose, transplanted from her home to flourish in the city.”

“

Flourish?”

Rey was incredulous and her voice rose as she continued on, “Is that what you think?”

“It’s true, Flower, you

did

flourish. Look back and see how you’ve grown since I took you away from that

dreadful

planet. I saved you and molded you into something new. You can’t say that you didn’t at least enjoy it in some ways.”

“

Don’t even

-“ Rey began, surging forward as her anger flared, “Don’t you dare say that you had anything to do with how I’ve grown.

I did that.

Me. The only thing you did was make sure that I was fell-fed and well-dressed,” the Empress spun on her heel, fuming with rage, fists coiled and ready to strike, before turning back to face him with a furiously pointed finger, “You had

nothing

to do with that day. None of it. Kylo saved my skin, and it’s because of him that I left the planet

at all…

but you were right about one thing. It

was

destiny that you were there on that day, because it’s what set him and me back on the same path.”

“Did you?” Hux murmured, watching Rey cautiously as she paced in front of him.

“Did I what?” Rey pressed, forcing herself to stop moving for a moment and find out what she so desperately needed to know.

“Did you enjoy it? Enjoy being with me?”

Rey let out a stuttering gasp as she reached up and pressed her fingers to her temples. She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath, thinking back to those earliest moments, before things turned so abruptly sour for them.

“I tried, you know. I really did. I felt obligated to you for giving me a place to stay, and for the bed, and the food. Portions are never given for free...you have to earn what you’re given,” Rey looked up to meet his eyes with tears in her own, the sting of the betrayal of his misleading kindness felt fresh as she spoke of their memories, like they were happening all over again, “I tried

so hard

to be what you wanted, and still...you still…”

“I asked you to obey me, Flower. It wasn’t hard.”

“I hardly consider disagreeing with you as

disobedience.

I...

you broke me.

You broke who I was,” she muttered, dashing her traitorous tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand.

Hux’s face remained impassive as she confessed how his mistreatment of her, for a time, changed who she was at her core. 
 
There were times that she wondered if part of her should be grateful. She may have fallen unknowingly into darkness without having the knowledge to keep herself afloat, but Ben had been there to lend her a hand and lead her back to her true self again.

“Honor, then. Pick whatever vow you want. I felt it was my duty to teach you so that you would learn.”

“Who taught you that? Your father? You hated him, so you became just like him?”

Hux shrugged in reply, “Sometimes the bitch must be broken to learn that her place is at the foot of her master.”

“Did you enjoy it?” Rey interrogated him, stepping forward to bring herself closer to him.

“It was an obligation on my part, pleasure had nothing to do with it,” the ginger scoffed with an arrogant shrug.

“Liar,” Rey countered. She stepped closer still, just enough that the former Emperor flinched as she gently lifted her hand to whisper, “You know I can take whatever I want. I can see what’s in your mind.”

She let the darkest parts of her coil deliciously around her limbs, welcoming the zing of delight she felt when her power surge. 
 
With a twitch of her fingers and a grimace from her husband, Rey felt the fabric of his mind split down the middle. He fought her right away, holding the seams closed as he struggled to keep her out.

Rey pressed her lips together with a determined scowl and pushed in harder, reaching out through the Force to tear through the threads and find what she was looking for.

She nearly lost all control when the image of her face, broken and bruised, came into view. The memory looked up at her from the floor through bloodied eyelashes, fearfully pulling herself away in a heap of crimson shimmersilk.

Through the pain of seeing herself that way, with the echo that made her flesh burn with the memory of his cruelest stroke, Rey could feel it as plainly as you’d feel the cold in winter.
 
Pleasure.
 
A cold zing of delight with every strike, that filled him with a need he grew disgustingly dependent on exploring.

The image shifted in her mind to his reflection in the mirror, auburn eyebrows pressed together in deep concentration as he took himself in hand - pleasuring himself with aching and bruised knuckles that rang with the reminder of her, broken and beaten at his feet.

Rey yanked herself away in an instant, breathless and reeling as her stomach turned with his thoughts still swirling around in her mind’s eye.

“Like what you see, Flower?” Hux crooned through his pained pants in the interrogation chair, his brow glistening with sweat from the obvious pain she’d just put him through.

“I’ve seen more than enough to last me two lifetimes, you bastard. It’s time to choose. I’m offering you a fair trial. I can’t guarantee anything, but you’ll more than likely serve your punishment in a cell for the rest of your miserable life.”

The ginger burst into peals of boyish laughter, managing to spit out a handful of words between giggles.

“In a cell? You’re kidding.”

Rey shrugged.

“It won’t be much different than what you kept me in. At least you’ll be well-fed and watered.”

“Beat me, kill me. I don’t care, Flower. Do what you will. I’ve survived this long, haven’t I?”

“Fine,” Rey let out a long sigh, turning on her heel to meet the waiting eyes at the back of the room, “The desert can have you, then. Let Ri’ia decide your fate. As for a beating,” a smile curled up from the corners of her mouth as Poe stepped forward and rolled up his sleeves, “I have a friend who’s been waiting to deliver a message on

Lord Ren’s

behalf.”

Rey held her chin high and couldn’t help the content smile that came to her face when she heard the impact of flesh against flesh as the mechanical door slid closed with a hiss.
 
She spent the rest of her day milling about the star destroyer, including a much-needed visit to the space that had been created for the abducted children of the renewed Project Harvester.

Rey sat in the middle of them for a time, trading stories of their homeworlds. The Scavenger girl spun wild tales of a little girl who climbs to the highest heights in the belly of a dilapidated star destroyer, afraid of nothing, and determined to get everything.

She watched them with their eyes wide when she told them the stories of the same little girl who lived on a lush jungle moon, where she’d learned many lessons about the Force from a legendary Jedi master.

“

Luke Skywalker?

I thought he was a myth!” one of the children breathed with an astonished smile.

“He was the Rebellion pilot!”

“No, he was a Jedi!”

“He was both,” Rey beamed, looking from face to smiling face with a grin of her own, sitting casually with her elbow draped across her knee.

After the children had grown bored with the stories, Rey pushed herself to stand and walked hand-in-hand with the little, green-skinned, Mirialan girl who she shared an instantaneous connection with.

“Where are you going?” Qema inquired, looking up at Rey with a curious glimmer in her purple eyes.

“The bridge. We are embarking on a special mission back to my old home. We have some...cargo to drop off,” Rey mused, smiling fondly down at the little girl.

“Is it okay if I stay with my friends tonight? I like being with you...but some of them are scared, and I don’t want them to be alone.”

“That’s very admirable of you, sweet one,” Rey sank down to a knee and reached up to trail her thumb over Qema’s cheek, “If you need me, I won’t be far. Just-”

“Reach out. I know.”

Rey chuffed a quiet laugh when Qema unexpectedly threw her little arms around her neck, giving the Empress a squeeze before dashing back into the children’s dormitory with a smile.

She dusted off her knees and let out a contented sigh when she heard peals of musical laughter that filled her heart in a way she never expected.

Having grown used to the layout of the massive ship over the few days she’d spent aboard it, Rey quickly found her way to the bridge. The officers on deck snapped to attention as soon as she stepped through the doorway, looking to their leader expectantly for her next order.

Rey stepped up towards the vast, transparisteel viewport, squared her shoulders, and curled her fingers into her palms as she sucked in a steadying breath.

“Set course for Jakku.”
 
*
 
Rey woke with a jolt, breathless and reeling from the dream she’d been having. It was so much like the ones she used to have back when she lived in the Imperial Palace - when she’d dream of Ben without knowing it was him.

They had been together in the Room of a Thousand Fountains.

Their place.

He had caressed her face and mapped every inch of her freckled skin with his mouth. Rey had only just allowed herself to feel caught up in the delicious spell when the image shifted, and they were back in one of their favorite childhood spots on the banks of the river that paved a path through the sprawling jungle outside The Great Temple on Yavin IV.

Rey’s heart skipped a beat as she leaned back against his broad chest, smiling up into the brilliant beams of light that streamed through the canopy and onto her face. She could feel the brush of his breath on her skin as he nuzzled the tender flesh behind her ear with his long nose, and she could feel the warmth of his touch as his hands circled around the swell of her belly.

“

Soon,

” he murmured softly.

The sound of his voice pulled her instantly from her dreams, and the hot sting of her tears was nearly immediate when she reached out and found an empty space beside her.

Rey laid back on the pillow with a quiet sob and let her tears fall free now that she was alone. The thought of him being gone and the memory of those last moments was nearly too much to bear, especially when he still felt so near.

A clatter in the corner of the room drew the Empress up from her pillow in a flash, and her heart fluttered wildly in her chest when her senses told her that she wasn’t alone.

“I can hear you, mouthbreather,” Rey warned, throwing her hand out into the pitch black to draw the hilt of her blue lightsaber to her palm and igniting it in a single movement. She pulled herself to her knees and held the thrumming blade aloft to light the corners of the room, calling out once more, “Who are you? Who’s there?”

Then a voice answered that felt both like a ghost and an answered prayer.

“Someone who loves you.”
 
He stepped from the shadows into the muted blue light coming from the lightsaber, robbing her of her breath in a split second.

Rey’s eyes were unmoving and disbelieving as he stepped forward, glimmering with the shine of her unshed tears. She watched his every step, breathless with a wild sense of wonder, wishing she could pinch herself and convince her mind that she was still asleep. She had to still be asleep.

A soft smile played on his lips as he drew closer and slowly reached out to curl his long fingers around her wrist to pull the lightsaber hilt from her hands.

In the soft blue glow, Rey reached up with a trembling hand and slowly carded her fingers through his inky, black hair, and let out a soft sob when she felt him lean into her touch.

You’re not dreaming, Stardust.

With his voice so achingly familiar in her mind, the armor she’d built crumpled like an autumn leaf, disintegrating into nothing. Before Rey could draw another breath, she was wrapped up in his arms, melting into him further with each quiet sob as her body let go of the grief she’d been holding onto since the last moment she’d laid eyes on him.

She could feel the firmness of his body beneath her arms, and the slow and steady beating of his heart against hers. His broad hands, coiled around her back, drew her in closer to hold her steady as her body shook.

Rey cried for all the years that had been stolen from them. She cried for the future she was convinced had been lost forever. She wept for Rose.

Every ounce of pain and heartache that had been handed to them over the years suddenly came pouring out of her, so overwhelmed by the relief that washed over her, Rey didn’t have any room for it in her heart anymore.

Rey felt his hands shift and reach up to hold the curve of her jaw in his hands, tilting her tear-strewn face to meet his in the muted darkness of their quarters. With a low sigh, he swiped the pads of his thumbs across her freckled cheeks and drew her salty tears away. His touch was nearly too much for her aching soul, and brought her more comfort than her poor heart could even begin to hold.

She felt his dark eyes meander over her, taking stock of every curve beneath the thin nightgown she wore and practically eating her up with his gaze as he reached up to twine his long fingers in her chestnut hair - like he, himself, couldn’t quite bring himself to believe that she wasn’t a figment of his imagination.

Then his lips were on hers. His kiss was tender and sweet with the taste of her tears lingering on her mouth when he pulled away.

Rey gazed up at him with a whimper, desperate to speak, but all she could manage was a quiet croak as she sank into his arms all over again.

“Don’t go, not again.”

Ben hushed her softly and folded her to his chest, quietly stroking her hair as he rumbled into the quiet of the room, “I’m sorry I’m late, Sweetheart.”

“What happened?” Rey murmured against the thin linen of his shirt with her fingers curled around the seams of a brown jacket, wondering for a moment where his quilted tunic had gone.

“I...I can’t explain what happened during that explosion,” Ben spoke softly into her hair, “I thought I was a goner, for sure. All that mattered to me at that moment was keeping the two of you safe.”

“It mattered to me.”

“I know,” he said, pulling her a little closer, “There - there was a flash, and when I opened my eyes again, I was holding it back from around me. I don’t know how I did it, but I summoned something inside myself that wanted to make sure that I stayed alive. I had to sit tight for a little while until the flames had died down, but I was able to find an old Imperial T-47.”

“They aren’t hyperspace capable,” Rey lifted her head to curiously gaze at the man who held her so firmly in his grasp, still wishing to herself that if it was a dream, that she never wake up.

“No, they’re not. But the old girl got me to the nearest port where I was able to haggle for an old Imperial patrol ship, but by the time I was able to get off-world, you guys were long gone.”

“

I left you behind,”

Rey sniffed as another silvery tear slipped down her freckled cheek.

“No, you didn’t.

I

left me behind, Stardust. And I caught up now, didn’t I?”

“But...we could have got out of there together - all three of us. We could have avoided so - so much.

I thought you were gone.

”

“We couldn’t have known what was going to happen. Hell, I still can’t figure it out, and there was no way that I was going to take the risk of losing you again,” Ben reached up to hold her face in his hands again, and tilted her chin to bring their eyes together, “Don’t tell me that you actually believed I was gone.” Rey could see the glimmer of a waiting laugh in his eyes, “I am a son of Alderaan,

Corellia

,

and

Tatooine. We are a resilient bunch. It takes a whole lot more than a little explosion to get rid of us.”

“Promise me,” Rey whispered into the dark, fisting the fabric of his shirt in her hands as she tugged him closer, “We’ve been apart enough. No more. From here on out, we do things together, or not at all.”

Ben tilted his head to the side as he looked over her face in the faint blue-white light that streamed in from the viewports as the star destroyer thundered through hyperspace. He reached up and brushed his fingers against her cheek with a gossamer touch before slowly leaning down to press his plush lips against her forehead.

“I promise.”

The dark knight then traced the tip of his long nose down her temple to gingerly place another feather-light kiss to her temple.

“I promise.”

Rey let out a quiet whimper as he followed the curve of her face and tilted her chin to accept his kiss upon her lips, but a smile found them instead when he playfully grazed his mouth to her other temple, murmuring once more.

“I promise.”

The heavy feeling that had taken root in the deepest part of her heart began to lift away with each hushed whisper, feeling nearly as light as it had been on the hill in the Nabooian moonlight.

Rey’s eyes became heavy-lidded with her own desire, that flickered from an ember to something brighter, and more hopeful with each passing stroke of his lips against her skin.

Ben languorously wandered over her flesh, whispering the same words to her over and over as he coated her with molten kisses - moving from her face, her jaw, and down the long line of her throat.

“I promise.”

Like they were moving in slow motion, Rey reached up and slid her hands below the lapels of his jacket, pushing them over the curve of his broad shoulders to send the garment falling to the floor in a heap.

With his every languid touch, Rey felt herself melt a little more, and found that familiar and inviting pleasure curling up deep in her core.

The warmth of Ben’s hands joined in on his reverent adoration of her body, skimming over the swell of her hips to her shoulders, where he slowly unraveled the black cowl from her shoulders. Rey let out a soft gasp as she watched him coil it up in his hands and toss it blindly into the darkest corner of the room.

“You don’t need that anymore. I’m here now,” he leaned down and brushed his lips softly against her, “

I promise.”

Unable to hold back any longer, Rey twined her fingers in Ben’s hair and unhurriedly closed the space between them to leave a feathered kiss against his lips. With a single touch, she felt like the tension she’d been holding onto came loose, spurring her on to deepen the kiss.

She savored every second, moving her lips slowly across him, teasing him with the gentle caress of her tongue along the seam of his mouth, moaning softly when Ben curled his fingers into her hair and greedily devoured the sound.

They took their time, filling each moment with desperate kisses and lingering touches. Ben’s hands blindly swept down the long line of her neck and down the toned muscles of her shoulders. Rey leaned into his touch, drunk with the intoxicating feeling it filled her with as he delicately pushed the white dreamsilk of her night down over the curve of her shoulder to pool softly around her feet.

Their touches grew more insistent, hungrier, and demanding once the seal had been broken. Rey tore at the fasteners on his linen shirt, forcing it open with a frantic yank. She breathlessly pulled away from their kiss and let out a quiet moan of appreciation as she trailed the tips of her fingers over the carved contours of his abdomen.

Rey’s hands wandered further, tucking into the band of his dark trousers and smiling up at him coquettishly when she found the luscious trail of hair that led south of his belly button to - more.

The deepest parts of her pleasure inwardly crooned when she saw how his body was already responding to her touch, tenting deliciously beneath the dark fabric and calling out to her to explore what lay beneath.

The Scavenger girl-turned-Empress palmed his chest and curled her bottom lip between her teeth as she devoured his alabaster skin with her eyes.

Ben’s eyes were heavy-lidded with want as he gazed down upon her, quietly observing her every move as she reached up and forced the linen down his arms to land on the floor with the rest of their forgotten clothing.

“My turn,” Rey whispered as she peered up at him through her lashes. She trailed the tips of her fingers over the scars that marred his perfect flesh and leaned down to press a heated kiss against the first one on his shoulder, “Forever. By your side, is where I want to be.

I promise.”

With the tip of her finger, she connected each beauty mark on his fair skin like the stars in the sky, sealing each one with a molten kiss as she wandered her way down.

She reveled in the feeling of his warmth against her lips and let it ground her in the moment. He was here. They were safe. The war was won, and they had the rest of their lives ahead of them.

For forever.

Rey thought back to the promise he made to her when she was still a little girl tucked between his knees in the shadows of the great Massassai trees on Yavin IV.

I’ll always be with you, even if we are apart. No matter how far. I would cross the galaxy for you, Stardust.

For a pair of people as young as they were, Rey and Ben already had a storied history that she was sure was one for the books.When she thought of everything that had happened to them, every word of Ben’s promise to her rang true.

Even when the memory of him had been lost to the swirling sands of Jakku, his voice still whispered to her in her loneliest moments when she’d first arrived on the planet. Their connection, strung together by Fate, was blinding and true, like a beacon in the night that pulled them home to each other. They gone through miles and separations so great, the distance often felt impossible, but they found their way back, as always. Through it all, not even death could keep them apart for long.

Rey let out a breezy squeal when Ben abruptly reached down and snaked his strong arms around her waist. With his lips pressed to hers in a furious kiss, he lifted her feet from the floor like she weighed nothing at all.

He staggered for a split second when his knees collided with the edge of the bed, but rediscovered his balance quickly as he gingerly laid her down upon the soft fabric.

Ben’s lips mapped each freckle on her shoulder with a series of tender kisses as he whispered quiet affirmations in her ear after each one.

He stroked her hair with his hand and brought his mouth to her lips for another kiss, warm and tender, while he blindly fumbled with the fastening on his trousers. His mouth was insistent as he delicately feasted on each one. Rey fiddled with the band and shoved them down.

The whisper of a whimper slipped from Rey’s lips when she felt the heat of Ben’s knee slide between her thighs, parting her legs to allow him to anchor himself at her center.

Ben reached down and curled his arm around Rey’s waist, gingerly lifting her as he leisurely seated himself inside her.

Rey let out a quiet groan, tilting her head back against the mattress with a slow bite of her bottom lip, reveling in the intoxicating feeling as her body stretched deliciously to accommodate him.

Their connection flared to life as they brought their bodies together, intertwined in life as they were in the ethereal and incandescent tapestry of the Force - a single thread, bound and unwavering through space and time. It was something sacred to them, something precious and immaterial. Something that other people would claim to know and understand - but no one would know as they do.

With a languid roll of her hips, Rey moved her body to meet his at a leisurely pace, crying out shallow mewls in time to the rhythm they set. The heady combination of the sound of their love-making, and the subtle hum and whirl of the never-ending maze of systems and synapses running through the ship, made for an exquisite song that twirled around them and intertwined with the delicate strands of life they were woven in to.

Ben stole away Rey’s breathless keens of pleasure with his mouth, rocking into her with a slow and steady cadence - like the waves rolling onto shore in the Nabooian countryside.

The dark knight buried his nose in the crook of her shoulder with a low sigh and reached down to hook the inside of her knee to press deeper inside. With a tilt of her head against the softness of the blanket beneath her, Rey teased her lips across the stubble on Ben’s chin and playfully nipped at the supple bit of ear that peeked out from behind a curtain of raven hair.

Their connection thrummed deliciously, growing brighter with each passing moment and every unhurried movement.

For the first time since they’d found each other again, there was nothing to hurry for. No reason to rush. No impending war. No devious husbands waiting in the wings to take pleasure in her pain.

There was only the two of them, on the cusp of their future.

Everything had been dark for so long, but little by little, the clouds had cleared away, leaving only the brilliance of the restorative life. Ben felt like he’d dreamt of it his whole life, the light. The glimmer of a life that had always felt so far out of reach, stuck in the past with every possibility and hope he’d ever held on to.

Now, with Rey in his arms, their bodies so dazzlingly intertwined, it created something so profound, and transcendent of everything he’d ever known before, that Ben found himself rocked to his very core.

He faltered under the weight of his joy and relief, and let out a quiet sob into the soft curve of Rey’s throat.

His lover instantly cupped his face between her palms, and lifted his tear-strewn gaze to meet hers. Rey matched him in stride with a mixture of her own happiness and his emotions that flooded through her.

The swirls of stardust flecked throughout her eyes glimmered up at him imploringly as she wiped away his tears with her thumbs and brought his mouth to meet hers for a lingering kiss.

She pulled away with a stuttering sigh and a quiet groan as their hips met again and again.

Rey whispered a kiss against his lip between each luscious movement, meeting him thrust for thrust as they chased their shared release.

I have never told you enough.

Told me what, Stardust?

His scavenger girl brought her star-dusted gaze to meet his with a soft bite of her lip, keeping her eyes trained on his as they simultaneously crested over the peak of their orgasm, riding out each lingering thrust with the smallest keen from her lips.

“I love you,” Rey tilted her head to kiss him again and devour the growl that tumbled from his soft lips, “Imagining my life without you is impossible. I am

drawn

to you. You’re the light in

my

darkness, and you - you’re my everything. The love of my life, and I’ll always be with you.

I promise.

”
 
*
 
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Ben groused with a scowl as he looked out over the never-ending sandy terrain that sprawled out as far as the eye could see.

“I know,” Rey countered with her hands resting on her hips, just below her brown blaster belt. She squinted out into the bright Jakku light, laughing to herself when she realized how accustomed her eyes had grown to the darkness of space and the artificial light on a star destroyer. She was thankful to have dressed appropriately for the scorching heat, feeling strangely sentimental in her ivory armbands, leather bracer, and tunic. It echoed a time that felt like ten lifetimes away, so far out of reach with every moment, every scar, and every page in their story that had been turned over since then.

It was a new chapter now, all the others were closed, and Rey could feel the breathless sense of anticipation with the blank page ready and waiting for them to fill it in.

Rey reached behind her head and gently pulled the silken, ivory hood from her back and over the elegant trio of twists that were expertly woven into her hair along the back of her head.

She let out a sigh as she looked out towards the dark mass just a few steps away from where they safely lingered in the shadow of the Millennium Falcon.

“It’s the right thing to do.”

“You know what I think it is the right thing to do,” the dark knight grumbled.

“Ripping his arms off is

not

the answer, Bennett.”

“What if Chewie helps?”

“No. Besides, I’ve already taken his hand, and Poe did a fine job of painting his smug face with his fists.” Rey grinned wolfishly back at him before stepping forward into the blinding sunlight.

It wasn’t long before Ben caught up, the sand no match for his long strides. They walked in a comfortable silence, with only a quiet thrum of their connection that only they could hear as they made their way towards the object ahead of them.

Tucked against the side of a sandy dune was the remains of a decapitated bridge tower from one of the many star destroyers scattered in the eerie graveyard left behind from the Battle of Jakku. The sands had worn away much of the paint over time, leaving only the rusted skeleton behind.

When they reached a narrow opening, Rey effortlessly pulled herself inside and started the climb up the tilted structure to the main bridge.

Her heart felt lighter when she was climbing, and she couldn’t help the smile from crossing her face when she looked over her shoulder to see Ben move in effortless synchronicity behind her.

When they reached the top level of the rectangular tower, Rey let out a sigh to steady her breathing when she saw the lump of a man waiting for them against the broad, transparisteel viewport.

With a quick look at Ben and a confident lift of her chin, Rey stepped forward and kicked at his boot with the toe of her own.

“Wake up,” she snapped, looking over the bruises on his cheek with a hint of smug satisfaction when he groaned. Poe had done his work well.

Hux’s head lolled against the glass, his blue eyes hazy for a moment before they focused with deadly precision on her face.

“Hello, Flower. Where am I?” Armitage drawled with a sneer.

“Your new home.”

“You ought to fire your decorator. This is dreadful.”

“It doesn’t have to be this way,” she pressed, her voice a little softer and kinder than he deserved. Rey stepped forward and crouched down to bring herself eye to eye with him, eager to try and reach him on some level of humanity...if he had any left, “You can end this all now. We’ll take you back to Coruscant where you’ll get a fair trial.”

“Where am I?” he echoed as his eyes scanned the bridge again.

“

The Executor.”

The Emperor’s face curved up into a cold smile as he barked out a laugh.

“I lived here before, you know.”

“I do.”

“Your sense of irony is impeccable, Flower, I’ll give you that,” he muttered as he shifted his gaze back to hers, “You can take your trial and feed it to the filthy, orphaned rats I had been keeping on Arkanis. Tell me, Flower, how are you enjoying your new pets?”

Rey could feel Ben seething quietly behind her, but she held out a palm to still him from surging forward and enacting his idea of a proper punishment.

With a purse of her lips, Rey pushed herself to stand and looked cooly down at her husband, finally feeling resolute in the decision to leave him behind.

“If that’s what you want, then fine. We’ll leave you to it,” she blindly reached into a bag that was slung over her shoulders and tossed an empty, linen sack at the ginger.

He opened it up and looked up at her with a grimace, “What am I supposed to eat?”

“You do what everyone else on this gods-forsaken rock has to do.

Scavenge.

” Rey stated plainly, “This structure has been pretty well picked clean, so I’m not sure how much luck you’ll have, but there are many other ships in the area. Niima Outpost is to the East. If the bastard Unkar Plutt is still alive, he’ll trade things of value for portions.”

The Empress reached into her bag once more and fished a full canteen from the bottom, tossing it to Hux with a grim smile.

“Don’t forget water. It’s precious, so don’t drink it all at once. Or do. Your choice.”

Armitage looked down at the canister in his hands before tossing it back at her feet.

“No. I’m not a fool. It’s poisoned.”

Rey chuffed a quiet laugh as she leaned down to curl her fingers around the bottle, striding forward to place it in his hand. Her fingers burned at the contact against his flesh, but she pushed on.

“No. I’m not like you, Armitage. I offered you another way. Another choice. This is a prison of your own making. So take your water. Take the bag. Do what you can until Ri’ia decides to take you,” she let out a soft sigh of finality and turned her hazel eyes to Ben, who gave her a nod of encouragement and held out a hand to her. When she twined her fingers with his, she heard Hux cry out.

“What, are you leaving?”

The Empress’s loud laugh echoed out into the wide space that had once been the center of all things during the Galactic Civil War.

“As you said so wisely...a star destroyer is no place for a woman. So yes, Armitage, I shall leave you to yours...and go back to mine.”

Keeping her gaze locked with Ben’s, Rey strode forward and away from the man who had claimed to be her savior - and turned out to be her captor instead. With each step, she felt lighter and freer, somehow, with only the joy of her future laid out ahead of her.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The future had been something they’d always worried about.
 
It was a precious thing to Rey, a rare and singular thing, like a nightbloomer she’d find in the deadliest stretches of desert in the Goazan Badlands on Jakku.
 
After all the time they’d lost, she and Ben, there were moments she wasn’t sure if they were meant to have one at all. Fate had been a cruel mistress to them, dangling tantalizing flashes of light and joy, but only just out of their reach. So out of reach, it felt like a heat-triggered mirage that Rey never gave too much thought to.
 
But, from the moment the Millennium Falcon left the barren wasteland of Jakku behind, and Armitage Hux along with it, time began to bend and shift in a way that Rey never imagined. 
 
The time following their departure from the desert planet and subsequent return to civilization sent a series of events into motion that Rey felt like they had been dreaming of for so long.
 
She was free. They were free. And Ben Organa Skywalker-Solo was to be the Emperor of the Imperial Galactic Republic. 
 
Peace and balance had been restored to the Galaxy as a whole with the defeat of the First Order and the arrival of the long thought-dead Skywalker heir. 
 
The news broke first over the Holonet, announcing Ben’s existence with great fanfare, accompanied by a photograph of him looking impossibly handsome with an ignited lightsaber in his hand...shoulder to shoulder with Rey.
 
She could tell that Ben was uncomfortable with the attention, especially when they’d arrived back on Coruscant in Imperial City and had been swarmed by holocams hovering all around the broken and beaten hull of the Millennium Falcon. At that moment, she’d given him a reassuring nod and reached out through the Force to send him wave after wave of comfort and love, even though she wanted nothing more than to hold his hand and walk up the steps of Cantham House with their heads held high. 
 
They’d been advised, and decided it was for the best that they keep their relationship quiet for the time being, at least until Ben was officially deemed Emperor. It was something they were already used to when they were planet-side on Coruscant, when they’d had an army of watchful eyes and a husband to keep the secret from. Rey had wished that they could be out in the open now that the one person they’d been hiding from was gone, but she was okay with waiting for a little while longer.
 
She was used to it, anyway. She’d done it all her life. What was a few more weeks in the grand scheme of their whole lives?
 
Rey followed close behind the Emperor-to-be, observing every twitch of his face and the flutter of his dark hair in the Coruscanti breeze as they stepped up a gleaming staircase towards the former residence of Senator Bail Organa...and a place his own mother had frequented growing up.
 
The first order Ben had made was for construction to begin on the repair of the Imperial Palace to fix the gaping wound Hux had caused in the ancient temple. So, Cantham House, tucked near the top of a magnificent high rise in the heart of Imperial City, was where they would stay. 
 
Rey’s eyes were wide with wonder as they stepped into the sweeping entryway that was open to the air. It was a feeling that she never grew tired of, even after living for so long as the Empress in the Imperial Palace. Inside, she was still that scavenger girl and always would be. 
 
As soon as they were tucked safely away inside the luxurious apartment, the holocams all drifted away to blend seamlessly into the rows of speeder traffic that whizzed by around them.
 
Like he knew what she was thinking, Ben turned to her with a smile and reached out for her with his hand.
 
“Yes, she spent quite a bit of time here,” he said as he tucked her hand in the bend of his arm, leading her down a quiet, carpeted corridor away from the noise of the speeder traffic outside. “She grew up on Alderaan, but found a home here with my grandfather, Bail, when she became a junior legislator when she was fourteen.”
 
“

Stars,

” Rey breathed, looking wide-eyed to the walls, to look over a collection of holos every few steps. In many of them, was a young girl, swathed in white, with eyes that were so achingly familiar to the ones that belonged to the man beside her, “Wasn’t she the youngest senator ever elected to the senate?”
 
“She was,” Ben nodded as they moved their way down the hall, “My mother faced a lot of pressure during that time. The Royal House of Alderaan wanted her to marry a prince.”
 
“I’m sure that went over well,” Rey muttered dryly.
 
“About as well as a rancor in a casino on Canto Bight,” Ben answered with a deep chuckle, “She was persistent, though. She wanted real change

so badly.

She fought harder than almost anyone against the Empire, right under their noses. Right here, actually.”
 
Rey lifted her eyes to an elegant sitting room, filled with stately furniture and a sprawling transparisteel window that gave a magnificent view of Imperial City just outside.
 
“Right here?”
 
“Yes. This is where the Rebellion was born. This is where it all started..and without them...Darth Vader would have never come back to his old self, Darth Sideous would never have fallen, and...everything we know would be different.”
 
“Your parents wouldn’t have met...or mine,” Rey murmured softly, thinking back to the Rebellion pilots, Varik Farani...and Han Solo.”
 
“I suppose not. I...I understand now. She said that I would, one day,” Ben turned his dark eyes to meet hers with a sad smile, “With everything we’ve been through, and everything we’ve worked for...the kids…

Qema.

I get it now. I understand why she did it, and why it was so damn important to her.”
 
“Some things are more important than ourselves, I suppose,” Rey hummed, reaching absentmindedly for the silken caplet that hung from her left shoulder down past her fingertips, “So, what now?”
 
With all their attendants away for the moment, and nothing to sign or decisions to make, the pair of them were really, truly alone for the first time in a long time. Rey inelegantly plopped down onto the lounger with a smile up at Ben.
 
“Won’t anyone be...suspicious, that we are here alone? I feel like Vania Flast would have had a heart attack had I been left alone for two minutes before I was married off,” she snorted as she toed off her black shoes, letting them fall in a heap on the floor.
 
“It’s just us, and no one knows we’re here except for Finn and Poe...and Beex.”
 
“Beex?”
 
Ben let out a boyish laugh as he sat down beside her, training his eyes on the wide window at their front.
 
“There’s an old BX chef droid around here someplace. I...didn’t exactly learn how to cook at dark lord school, and, no offense, Sweetheart, but I don’t see you giving up a lightsaber for a spatula any time soon. Not without burning anything.”
 
“Hey! I’ll have you know that I was an expert at grilling my vegmeat on a hot plate, thank you very much!” Rey playfully punched him in the ribs, and immediately answered for her actions when Ben abruptly wrapped her up in his arms and pressed her bare back to the bottom cushion.
 
Rey found herself instantaneously breathless with Ben hovering just a breath away from her lips, and his dark hair hanging around his face like a curtain. His dark eyes roved over every inch of her freckled face like he was committing the moment...their first moment of freedom, to memory. 
 
Rey could feel their ever-present connection thrumming happily at their close contact, silently urging them to come together in the way it so desperately craved them to do. He reached up and coiled a ribbon of her chestnut hair around his finger, slowly leaned down, and brushed his lips against hers.
 
She practically melted at the tender contact, and was filled with a heat and a frantic need to explore it further, to be closer, to have more of him...all of him.
 
Coiling her arms around his neck, Rey tugged Ben to her lips, and greedily moved her mouth against his, smiling to herself when he answered her with a deep groan and an enthusiastic roll of his hips. 
 
Rey parted her knees to make room for him, reveling in the delicious heat that he brought with him when he pressed his growing erection against her core. She sighed softly, parting her lips to deepen their kiss and invite his tongue to dance with hers. 
 
They’d hardly been allowed enough time to speak to each other, let alone properly be together since Ben came forward. Their lives had turned upside down in a flurry of bustling activity as the dust settled from the abrupt war they raged on Arkanis.
 
Rey could swim in the heady feeling that wrapped around them as Ben coiled his thick arms around her and lifted her from the soft cushion to his chest. With a low grunt and a bit of a stumble, the dark knight held her firmly and continued to kiss her with desperate fury as he blindly made his way down a dimly lit hallway.

Where are you taking me?

What I want to do to you at this moment requires a bed, Sweetheart.

Rey couldn’t help the laugh that tumbled from her lips with her arms wrapped snugly around Ben’s shoulders as they zigzagged down the corridor, pausing every few steps to linger in the divine feeling of their kiss.
 
Her hands ripped at the black jacket Ben wore, tearing at the capelet that hung from his shoulders to send it fluttering to the floor. Humming softly when her fingertips brushed against the heat of his alabaster skin on his chest, Rey wildly fiddled with the absurdly tiny buttons as Ben’s mouth mapped a line of molten kisses down the line of her throat. 
 
Ben rolled them away from the wall with a growl when the former Empress ripped at the soft lobe of his ear, spurred on by the searing heat that coiled deep within them.
 
In the muted light of the bedroom they’d stumbled into, Ben gingerly set Rey on her feet with his mouth firmly intertwined with hers, and slowly tucked his hands beneath the gossamer material of her v-neck jacket, groaning softly when the blouse fell open and revealed her pert breasts. 
 
Ben drew himself to his full height and let his dark eyes linger over her bare flesh with a firm press of his lips and a quiet sigh. When he slowly brought his gaze back to hers, his eyes glimmered with so much feeling, it made Rey’s heart leap wildly in her chest.
 
“Gods, you are so beautiful. I’ll never understand why you love me.”
 
Rey stepped forward and tucked her fingers into the waistband of his dark trousers and brushed her lips against his as she looked up at him through her lashes.
 
“Dumb luck, mostly.”
 
Ben’s face abruptly darkened with a hint of a smile, sending a shiver down Rey’s spine for a moment before he bent down and threw her over his shoulder. Rey let out a girlish giggle when he tossed her down onto the bed, bouncing softly on the mattress with a smile as she watched Ben step out of his trousers between her bare feet.
 
His dark eyes burned into hers as he sauntered forward and elegantly lowered himself to frame her with his hands on either side of her shoulders. Rey was barely allowed a moment to think when he claimed her mouth with another searing kiss.    
 
Rey rolled her hips against him with a heated whimper, hungry for him in a way she couldn’t even begin to describe, and more than eager to have him inside her so they could come apart together. 
 
Ben laved his tongue languorously with hers, savoring the taste of her kiss on his lips as he reached between them with his dexterous fingers to tease the tiny bundle of nerves at the mouth of her sex. 
 
“Ah,” Rey breathed, arching her back off the mattress when he dipped a finger inside her, motioning in such a way simultaneously gave her life and took her breath away. Her eyelashes fluttered closed with a bite of her lip as he slipped another finger in to join the first. 
 
Rey could feel the intoxicating ropes of pleasure coil up her limbs, climbing higher and higher with each measured thrust of his fingers. She could feel his eyes hungrily watching her every reaction, encouraging him to change the rhythm of his hand with every breathy sigh that tumbled from her lips.  
 
“I want you,” he growled softly with a press of his lips against hers, “Forever. In any way I can have you, Stardust.”  
 
“

Then take me,

” Rey murmured, tucking her hand between them to palm his length. He bucked into her hand at the contact, drawing a breathless giggle from her lips when he answered her touch with a deep groan. She gave his throbbing cock a tentative pump, then another, and chewed on her bottom lip as she watched every reaction flitter across his expressive face.
 
Ben slowly opened his eyes to look upon her. Heavy-lidded with his arousal, he trailed the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip to free it from her teeth’s grasp as she lifted her knees and centered him at the mouth of her sex.  
 
His head sank down to the crook of her shoulder, groaning softly as he eased inside. Rey rolled her hips to meet him, letting out a quiet whimper as her body made room for him. 
 
The curtain of his dark hair brushed against her freckled cheek as he lifted his gaze to meet hers.

I love you, Stardust.

Rey’s lips parted softly as he slowly began to move in even, unhurried thrusts, the opposite of what they’d done when their tryst that afternoon had begun. Ben leaned down and devoured the sound of her moans, moving faster to the rhythm of her heartbeat...when the shrill ping of Ben’s wrist comm buzzed into the air around them.

“Hey Supreme Leader, you there?”

Ben sank his head onto Rey’s shoulder with a loud groan and could feel her trembling with laughter. He lifted the comm to his mouth with his eyes crammed tightly shut in frustration.
 
“What do you want, Commander Dameron?”

“The senators from Chandrila and Naboo wanted to speak with you about things moving forward. And there’s a whole crew here that would like to update you on the construction and something about coronation plans?”

“Can it wait?”

“Not exactly. They’re...uh, kinda insistent on seeing you right away.”

“I’m busy. Tell them to kriff off.”

“You know I’d like to, but...this is part of the job, pal.”

“I know,” Ben groused, shifting his gaze back to his lover with a sigh, “As the Emperor, shouldn’t I get certain concessions? Like...doing things on my schedule?”

“I suppose…”

“Good,” Ben snapped as a sly smile spread across his long face, “I’ll be there soon...ish. I’ll be there soonish. Tell them to wait. There’s something that requires my full attention first.”
 
Before Poe could answer, Ben silenced the commlink, ripped it from his wrist, and tossed it blindly behind him. He leaned down and lovingly brushed the tip of his nose against Rey’s with a chuckle.
 
“Now. How about we finish what we started?”
 
*
 
Rey stood on the edge of the marble platform, happily satiated and wrapped up in a dreamsilk robe, with her chestnut hair fluttering around her in gentle waves as Ben sped away into the late afternoon speeder traffic.
 
She let out a content sigh while she watched the sleek vehicle blend into the grid of many. Once she lost sight of him, she turned on her heel and strode towards the center of the veranda and settled into the soft cushion of one of many benches in the elegantly decorated open-air room.   
 
With her head leaned back against the softness of a cushion, Rey watched the flurry of speeders go by and smiled to herself when the warmth of the breeze reached out and kissed her face. 
 
Rey centered herself in the easy sense of joy she held in her heart, closed her eyes, and let it wash over her. Perhaps this was all the universe wanted from the start. Fate had delegated Ben and Rey to wade through their trials so that they may eventually bring peace to the galaxy -

together.

There was something about the quiet sense of peace she felt now that had

never

been there before, even when they were children. 
 
Back on Yavin IV, when she had been had still been together and their families had still been alive, Rey had dreamed of a different sort of future for them. One with them as guardians of the light. It had brought her joy to daydream about it, but at night, a different sort of dream haunted her. Dreams of a masked man with a shrieking red lightsaber and a dark fury that felt like it would drown her from the inside out.
 
She shuddered now, thinking about how scared she had been, and just how much she didn’t understand. 
 
Things were so much clearer now that it was all behind them. All of their trials and tribulations had to come in order for them to arrive at this point. In order to achieve balance...they had to feel and learn how to control their darkness, and without the balance...they wouldn’t have achieved what they fought so hard to do. 
 
Rey thought back to the time, not so long ago, when she watched the speeder traffic hurtle by, silently mesmerized by the patterns they made as the citizens of Galactic City made their way to and fro across the sprawling ecumeopolis. It was a different time and a different life altogether, and she stood on top of it all, looking out over the vibrant heart of the galaxy and its citizens in the very moment she felt like her life was falling apart completely. 
 
She leaned back and closed her eyes to the hum of the ever present speeder traffic and imagined how her body ached from her husband’s fists, and how her heart felt like it was crumbling into nothing as her first rain pelted her skin like daggers from the sky. 
 
Numb to nearly everything, Rey had felt like she didn’t have a care left in the world, and nothing to hold on to. It spurred her on to get closer to the edge to see the city she thought to be so beautiful, with its towering skyscrapers, and streams of speeder-filled traffic that stretched on as far as she could see. 
 
Lightning came, and it was as vivid in her memories as the moment it happened, a brilliant shock of pure white that forked across the gloomy sky to hit the neighboring tower from where she stood precariously on the very height of the Imperial Palace.
 
Her world flipped on its head, sending her head over feet when the lost her balance, and she had thought for a split second that it was all about to be blissfully over, with a simple, gravity-propelled trip to the ground as swiftly as the rain, lost forever in the fathomless sea of inky blue. 
 
As quickly as she thought it would be a blessing for it all to end...a part of her lashed out, desperate to hang onto the shred of light she still hand, to watch it flourish and grow in the right hands.
 
Then the hand appeared out of the oblivion and saved her in more ways than one. Kylo had pulled her towards salvation, faceless, yet terrified, and so full of a love that neither of them understood yet. 
 
Over time, Rey realized that neither of them let go of each other after that moment...they never really had before then, either. They were strung together by Fate, drawn to the other over all fathomable space and time. 
 
With her eyes closed to the steady hum of the speeders that went by in their choreographed dance in the sky and the warmth of the sun on her face, Rey settled herself into the peaceful feeling that floated around her like a cloud.
 
When she opened her eyes again, the light had shifted, sending bright shards of light reflecting off the gleaming durasteel of the skyscrapers around them in brilliant shades of orange and gold. It shone with a muted elegance through the gossamer curtains that framed the veranda between marble pillars and fluttered softly in the early evening breeze. 
 
Rey stretched her hands over her head like a lazy loth cat in the sun, smiling to herself when she thought back to their shared pleasure earlier that afternoon. 
 
She wandered through the seemingly endless hallways of Cantham House, through the bedroom she and Ben had claimed earlier in the day, and into a gleaming ‘fresher, complete with a luxurious bathtub.
 
After a luxurious dip into deliciously hot water, Rey dressed herself in one of the garments her lover made sure to stock their temporary home with. She felt at ease in what she picked - a long sleeved, simple grey gown, with structured shoulders that flared straight out at the curve of her own and dipped down to follow the deep v that hugged the swell of her breasts, and an asymmetrical hem of the a-line skirt that allowed her plenty of room to walk and move with with the heeled black boots she’d chosen. 
 
Rey dried her hair with a soft towel, letting it fall to the middle of her back in natural, chestnut waves that swished back and forth against the black belt at her waist with her every step as she reached for an all-too-familiar crystal on a golden chain.
 
One of the first things they’d done while they were still aboard the

Vengeance

was deconstruct the double-bladed saber Rey had created with the kyber crystal Ben had given her as a boy, and restore it to its proper home - against her heart. 
 
The steady, low squall of a B69 Elektra airspeeder filtered into the skyrise apartment, drawing Rey’s attention towards the landing pad and elegant veranda at the front of Chatham House. 
 
An easy smile played on her lips as she made her way through the long corridor towards the spacious, light-filled room. The same white curtains fluttered softly on the wind and caught the flash of color reflecting off the sky rises across the way. Behind them, Rey could see the outline of her lover rising from the seat of the open cockpit of the sleek speeder.
 
Rey stepped out onto the veranda and felt her heat leap with an unexpected elation when her eyes landed on the wide smile of a little, green-faced girl. Without thinking, Rey sank to her knees and threw open her arms to accept the oncoming embrace of the Mirialan girl, Qema.
 
She reached up and brushed her fingers against Qema’s dark hair, overwhelmed by the swell of joy that showed itself in the instantaneous tears that sprung to her eyes. 
 
Lifting her gaze to meet Ben’s content smile, she held a silent question in her mind.
 
“I paid a visit to the children today, to see how they were holding up while we search for their families. They’re all doing quite well, I’m happy to say, but this one-” he motioned towards the little girl in Rey’s arms, “I can’t explain it...but she needed to be here with us.”
 
Rey let out a soft sigh and gave the little girl a squeeze before pulling away to skim the pad of her thumb over her fair, green face with a beamingly bright smile.
 
“I’m so glad you’re here, sweet girl,” Rey murmured tearfully. 
 
“I’ve missed you so much, and I just

knew

we needed to be together. I feel so much better now.”
 
“You’re home now, Qema. We

all

feel so much better,” Rey beamed at the violet eyes that glittered back at her, “How about we take a look around together?”
 
“All three of us?” the little girl asked with a look back at the Emperor to be.
 
“You bet, kid,” Ben chuckled with a step forward.
 
Rey leaned down and scooped the girl up in her arms and let the weight of her settle comfortably across her. It felt easy and natural, like suddenly she held her entire world in her arms. They strode together into the apartment, chatting casually about the life of Ben’s mother, Leia, and the entire Organa family, like he’d told the story a million times to Qema before.
 
Qema wiggled and giggled when Rey handed her from her arms to his, laughing freely when he tickled her sides with a broad grin of her own. Rey watched them with a full heart as the pair of them walked ahead and looked at holos of him as a little boy that had been hung on the walls by his mother. She could see the tales he spun spark a curiosity in the little girl’s mind as she listened intently, quiet and absorbed in his every word.
 
As the remaining light of daylight faded away, leaving behind only the glittering landscape of the sprawling city and its residents in their towering high rises, their makeshift sort of an instant family settled into the living quarters with a trayful of food and a demesne board.
 
Rey picked at a skewer of hot Endwa, chewing the delicious Corellian dish slowly as she watched Ben from her comfortable perch on a plush settee. He was positively boyish, sprawled out across the floor, laying on his stomach so he could be eye-to-eye with the Mirialan girl as he taught her the ins and outs of the ancient game Dajerik had come from.

“This is your knight, he’s versatile and can move two steps in any direction.”
 
“Any direction at all?” Qema inquired, looking over the board with a watchful eyes as he explained the rules.
 
“

At all.”

Ben echoed with a smile, “With limited distance, but there’s freedom of movement, at least.”
 
“What about this one?”
 
“That’s the Vizier. It can only move diagonally, but there’s no limit. Think you got it enough to start a game, kiddo?”
 
“Only if you like losing,” the little girl beamed. 
 
“Do your worst.”
 
It was only a matter of time before Rey burst into wild peals of laughter and tucked the victorious little girl in her arms for a celebratory hug. Ben scratched his head with a lopsided smile.
 
“I swear I used to be better at that game. I’d win all the time on Dad’s Dejarik table.”
 
“That’s because Chewie probably let you win all that time…”
 
“That’s...probably true, Stardust,” he said with a deep laugh as he pulled himself to his feet and held out a hand to Qema, “Bedtime, kiddo. It’s late, let’s go get you tucked in.” 
 
“Already? But I’m not tired, Ben,” Qema argued as she stifled a wide yawn and lifted her arms to let the hulking man scoop her up against his shoulder. She was a small girl, maybe up to Rey’s waist in height, and they’d figured out with the little girl’s help that she was six years old. 
 
Rey’s heart swelled as Ben carried her out of the living area and down the hall to the room Qema had picked for herself - right next door to theirs. 
 
Already dressed in a comfy pair of pajamas, Qema bounced into the bed that seemed to swallow her up. She let out another, wide yawn as Ben sat on the edge beside her and Rey stretched out across from him.
 
“Will you tell me that story again?”
 
“Which story, Sweetheart?” Ben rumbled softly, reaching up to tuck the covers under her chin and brush a stray dark hair from her fair, green face.
 
“The one about the prince...and the slave queen?”
 
“I don’t know if I know that one,” Ben answered, looking to Rey for a moment with a confused bend to his brow.
 
“Sure you do,” she yawned again and snuggled deeper beneath the covers, “I think it’s about you two. I knew it when you called her Stardust. That makes you the prince, I think? At first I didn’t think you’d know that story, and Rey told it so well.”
 
“But I do,” Ben smiled, leaning over her to press his hand into the mattress next to Rey, beginning to spin another tale for the little girl. It sounded so much sweeter to Rey, hearing it in the dulcet baritone of his voice, “A long time ago, in a galaxy

not

so far away…”
 
Rey watched him as he told their story to Qema, and she could feel the ever-present hum of their bond flare in a new way. It was warmer, and more comforting than anything she’d ever felt, like the three of them were bonded in this beautiful new existence - together. 
 
Ben spoke quieter and quieter as Qema’s purple eyes grew heavy, drifting further closed with each slow blink. 
 
As she slipped into the depths of her sleep, breathing softly in the peacefulness of it, Ben leaned down and brushed his lips against the soft green skin of her forehead to press a quiet kiss goodnight.
 
It was a foreign, yet welcome feeling, the surge of warmth that permeated through her entire soul as she watched the man she loved be so tender with the little girl in a way that reminded her aching heart of her own father - Varik.
 
Rey watched the hulk of a man carefully stand up from the bed, as to not stir the sleeping child within, and followed him with her eyes as he held out his hand to her with a soft smile. She felt practically weightless as she delicately crept off the bed and strode around to the other side to leave her own, butterfly-soft kiss on Qema’s sleeping face. 
 
Ben waited for her in the doorway, with a smile playing on his soft lips as he leaned against the frame with his broad shoulders. He pushed himself to his feet as Rey drew closer, lifting her fingertips to her mouth to suppress the beamingly bright grin that threatened to burst forth.
 
The dark knight reached out and tugged her towards him by the sleeve of her dress, enveloping her in his arms with his nose pressed into her hair with a deep sigh. Rey could feel his own, baffling sense of joy, just as unexpected for him as it was for her.
 
“I feel it too,” Rey whispered into the soft fabric of his white shirt, reaching up to tuck her fingers into the deep v to brush the tips against the warmth of his flesh and feel the beat of his heart. Ben reached down and curled his hand around hers and slowly pulled the pair of them from the doorway across the hall to their bedroom, flipping the light off in Qema’s room in the process. 
 
Without speaking, the pair of them reverently undressed the other, falling into each other's arms to bask in their shared joy and build upon it in a way that only they could - intertwined together with fiery kisses and goosebumps that lined her skin. They lost themselves to the measured rhythm of their quiet love-making, and the steady thrum of the Force that spun around them in a radiant web of life and their love - beyond light, beyond darkness, and everything in-between. 
 
As they basked in their shared afterglow, Rey centered herself in the blissful feeling of their joy, wondering to herself as she softly trailed her fingers over the smooth, alabaster skin on Ben’s chest, following the steady rise and fall of his breathing while he slept - more peacefully than she’d ever seen him do.
 
Perhaps, after everything they’d been through, it was finally time to bask in their well-earned peace, and Rey’s was right there, with Ben beside her. Being near him filled her up with a brilliant light, and gave her a serenity that she wouldn’t know without him as close. When they were apart, it nearly felt like her smiles were incomplete, and the breaths she took weren’t quite as full. Beside him was her favorite place to be in the entire galaxy, just as much then as it was before, when they were still children in the depths of the jungles on Yavin IV.  With him, she felt a warmth in her soul that kept that fire in her heart blazingly bright and filled her to the brim with love.
 
Rey had never been quite sure what happiness meant within the life she knew before, but beside him, she found a new definition of it all her own.
 
The next morning, the delicate shards of light filtered in through the transparisteel window of their bedroom, illuminating the warm tones of the walls and the carpet, painting it with soft yellows that only made the emerging sky outside seem more blue.
 
Rey let out a quiet yawn as she reached out with bleary eyes to brush the dark hair of the little girl who’d slipped between them sometime during the night, still sleeping peacefully in the morning light as she lay nestled up against the fabric of her nightgown.
 
She lifted her eyes and felt an instantaneous smile bloom across her face when she met Ben’s warm gaze. They didn’t need to exchange words, only glances, to know what the other was thinking. 
 
Somehow, through all their trials and tribulations, every impossible moment, every person they lost, they’d come through it all - and found themselves a family.
 
Ben reached over the sleeping Qema and tucked a ribbon of Rey’s chestnut hair behind her ear and let out a deep sigh as he pressed his lips together with a smile in his eyes.
 
“Can we keep her?”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Armitage Hux was dead. 
 
Ben and Rey received a comm early in the morning as they went about their new, gloriously ordinary routine.
 
Rey leaned against the counter in the kitchen, slowly sipping at a hot cup of caf between her hands as Beex busied himself with flipping flatcakes on a griddle, while Ben expertly twisted Qema’s dark hair into two, flat buns over her ears. The holopad in the center of the surface buzzed and sent a flickering blue image of Poe Dameron in the middle of their breakfast and gave them the news.
 
She knew it was going to happen at some point, but didn’t expect it to be so soon, let alone by getting himself caught up and subsequently roasted by a tribe of Teedo. Part of her thought with a twinge that she should have warned him about the untold dangers that awaited him in the desert, but after what he’d done to her...she couldn’t bring herself to care.
 
The feeling that washed over her was unexpected, an odd mixture of lightness and peace, like a burdensome weight finally lifted away from her shoulders. No longer married. No longer the Empress of the First Order. She was free.     
 
They ended the call with a shared look between them, and a flicker of...something in Ben’s eyes that Rey couldn’t quite read, before shifting their attention back towards the tasks at hand of their extraordinary, ordinary life. 
 
Ordinary, for them, at least. 
 
Ben spent his days at the Imperial Palace, making important decisions, attending important meetings, holding audiences, and more of the deep involvement of his new existence as the soon-to-be Emperor. 
 
Rey and Qema busied themselves with finding the home of the other children who had been involved in Hux’s doomed revival of Project Harvester. Seeing the reunions between mothers and their daughters and sons brought a lighthearted joy to Rey’s heart that she couldn’t explain. 
 
Their spare time was spent visiting at the palace hospital, like Rey used to do as Empress, and she found that even though her title was now defunct, she still heard people whisper it like she was an answer to their prayers long murmured towards the stars.
 
Every day, as the light on the horizon would begin to fade away, the sounds of Ben’s speeder would grow close and send Qema into a fleeing burst of excitement as she went running to the veranda to hurl herself into his arms as soon as he stepped foot onto the platform.
 
They filled their evenings with bouts of practice with Qema to help her gain control of her formidable powers. Rey felt a surge of pride whenever the little Mirialan girl would accomplish something as simple as focusing her energy long enough to send the kitchen droid floating across the room with her little fingers outstretched.
 
Perhaps the proudest of them all was Ben, and it made her heart do backflips in a way she couldn’t describe when she saw the love that was blooming in his heart for the little girl. There were times when she’d dreamt of him as a father - and of them having a family - but it was always in other, impossible ways, where her belly would swell with life inside her. Rey never imagined that she’d find that belonging she wanted so badly would come about the way that it did.  
 
The little girl appeared out of thin air into their lives, like a vivid burst of technicolor in the gray of their shared past, dark with tragedy that sometimes felt like they’d never escape. She knew that if someone would have told her about the instant family that she and Ben would find with Qema by their side, she wouldn’t have believed it, but now, Rey looked in the little girl’s eyes and found extraordinary magic she couldn’t deny. Belonging and a future they never thought they’d be able to have. 
 
The days blurred together as they happily spent the day to day together as a happy little family, immersed in the exceptional normality of it all, and before Rey knew it, weeks had gone by and Ben’s coronation had come upon them. 
 
“You’re sure?” Ben pressed, sitting on the edge of Qema’s bed, wearing a look of sweet, fatherly concern as he looked over the little girl.
 
“I think it’s for the best, Ben. Look at her.”
 
“I am. That’s why I think I should cancel the whole damn thing. I don’t need a party or any of the kriffing pomp and circumstance.”
 
“You can’t cancel your own coronation.”
 
“Why not? I’m the Emperor, aren’t I? What good is that title if I can’t use it to skip an event because my child is sick?”
 
“I’m fine, really. You don’t have to, Ben,” Qema chimed in quietly from the bed, her voice tinged with hoarseness and a stuffy nose that rounded her consonants. Ben gave let out a dramatic sigh as he reached out and palmed her cheek in his large hand.
 
“You’re not fine, Qema. You have a fever. I can’t go, and that’s final.” he retorted with a stubborn frown. 
 
“It’s not.” Rey laughed from where she laid next to the little girl, “You can’t skip out on this one, nerfherder.

Go.

I’ll stay behind. She won’t be alone.”
 
“

Stardust,

” Ben began to argue, but Rey held up her hand to silence him.
 
“No arguing. You’re already dressed. Now go.”
 
“But the ball…”
 
“I’ll get to dance with you plenty of other times in our lives, Ben. Don’t worry. Just don’t dance with any Kuati girls.” Rey chuckled as she reached out to press the back of her hand to Qema’s flushed cheek, “I’ll be fine. I have our girl to keep me company, right Sweetheart?”
 
“You should go, I’ve got Beex to keep me company,” Qema coughed with a grimace.
 
“That’s it. I’m not going,” Ben thundered as he reached to yank the thick capelet from his broad shoulders. 
 
“We’re not talking about this anymore.” Rey groused, pressing her palms against the mattress to stand up and stride around the bed to give Ben’s sleeve a tug, “Come on, big guy. You aren’t missing your own party. Go, or I’ll comm Poe and make him come get you.”
 
“Rey, you can’t expect me to leave Qema here, she’s-” Ben argued as Rey pushed him out onto the softly lit veranda, ignoring how lovely the fading afternoon sunshine seemed to illuminate every freckle on her face, frown and all, as she continued to force him towards the waiting speeder.
 
“Qema is just fine. She will be here when you get back. We both will. Now

GO

.”
 
Ben looked down at her with a low sigh, reaching up to gingerly coil his long fingers in her hair to tilt her chin up and bring their lips together. As always, Rey melted into him, and they both felt their connection flare deliciously as she wound her arms around his middle to bring herself closer to him. 
 
She could feel that he so desperately wanted to linger for longer than he should, and find a way to stay behind entirely.
 
“

I know.

It’s one night. The sooner you go, the sooner you’ll be back.”
 
“I’m...you know I don’t want to do this without you, Stardust,” he answered as he let his thumbs linger on her cheeks.
 
“

I’ll always be with you.

You’ll do great. What else is there to do than stand there and...I would say smile, but usually, those are reserved for me.” Rey laughed, sliding her hands down to smooth out the lapels on his elegant, black cloak, lined with silver dreamsilk, “It’s probably for the best. Things are still...secret about us, and I’m not sure that having the wife of the former emperor at your coronation would go over well. And to think...I had a really wonderful dress picked out just for tonight.”
 
“I hate that we have to keep things quiet, Stardust,” Ben groused with a deep frown as he looked over the delicate features on her face, “It shouldn’t be too much longer, not with Hux gone for good and me...I’d like to think I’d have some amount of pull on this decision once today is over and done with. Once things are official.”
 
“It won’t be for long,” Rey murmured, reaching on her tiptoes to press one last kiss to his plush lips. She smiled softly against his pout, pressing her palms to his chest to give him one last push to make him step into the open cockpit of the speeder, “I’ll see you soon, Your Highnessness.”
 
Ben let out a deep chuckle that reverberated in his broad chest as he turned over the engine of the T-47 with a roar, giving her one last, brilliantly lopsided smile before taking off into the busy speeder traffic above them.
 
Rey watched him, as always, until the vehicle blended seamlessly in with everything else before slipping back inside.
 
She comfortably laid with Qema, tracing the line of her hair as a holoshow played in the background. The time ticked on, and eventually, the little girl drifted off into a much-needed sleep.
 
The former scavenger girl slipped quietly out of Qema’s room, silently closing the door as she held her breath, convinced that even the slightest sound would wake the sleeping child. Once she was satisfied that she’d successfully made her escape, she gave herself a victorious smile and headed into the kitchen.
 
The kitchen droid, BX-778 hummed to life when she stepped inside, dutifully striding forward to help Rey in any way it needed to.
 
“Hello, Lady Rey. How may I be of assistance to you this evening? How about a delicious cup of caf? I have rare beans that I have roasted myself. I take great pride in my ability to brew an expert cup that will have just the right amount of zip for this time of day.”
 
“No thanks, Beex, you can go ahead and power down for the night, but thank you,” Rey answered, reaching into a high cabinet for a small glass and a bottle of famed Corellian whiskey from the top shelf. 
 
“As you wish, my lady. I shall resume my duties in the morning if that is what you wish?”
 
“Thanks, Beex, that would be perfect. Something hot for the little one, I think.”
 
“Happy to be of assistance. Goodnight.”
 
“Night night,” Rey mused, turning away from the droid to slowly pour a stream of the golden liquid into her glass, when a voice startled her and make the precious drink slosh across the counter. “Kriffing hell!”
 
Rey blindly threw her hand out and pulled her saber to her palm, igniting it with a flick of her thumb as she silently cursed herself for letting her guard down, and prepared herself to do

anything

to protect the girl in the next room. 
 
“You can put that away, child, I am no threat to you.” A quiet voice rang out from the veranda, one that was soft, kind, and all too familiar to Rey’s ears.
 
Rey held the thrumming blade aloft to illuminate the rest of the darkened roof, and instantly felt her defenses recede when she laid eyes upon the pirate queen of Takodana, Maz Kanata.
 
“Stars, you know you ought not to sneak up on people. What are you doing here, Maz?” Rey breathed, deactivating her lightsaber as she deflated into a chair at the dining table.      
 
The ancient woman slid into the seat beside Rey and lifted the goggles from her eyes with a jingle of the bracelets that took up every spare inch of space on her thin wrists. She reached out and gently laid her yellowed hand on Rey’s and looked into her eyes so deeply, Rey was sure that the old woman could see all of her secrets, even ones she didn’t know she had. 
 
“The question is, my dear, why are you here? Isn’t there a party happening at the Imperial Palace? That boy has done well getting it back up to snuff of how it used to be.”
 
“I...I stayed behind. Ben tried to, but I wouldn’t let him,” Rey shrugged as she lifted her glass to take a slow sip of the famed whiskey, letting its warmth bloom in her chest with a quiet sigh, “I’m sure you’re wondering -”
 
“Who’s the girl? Sweet child, I already know. She is a beautiful child, and she won’t be the last,” Maz gave her a knowing smile with a pat of her hand upon Rey’s, “Qema isn’t why I’m here.”
 
“Then why?”
 
“You have someplace to be, my child. And, no matter how wonderful a mother you are to the girl, your place at this very moment isn’t here...it’s by his side.”
 
Rey opened her mouth to argue, but couldn’t find the words that would do any good against the knowing look that Maz gave her.
 
“You know I’m right, Rey. All will be well here. She won’t be alone. Now go. Go to him.”
 
“I don’t know where to start, Maz,” Rey stammered as she slowly pushed herself to stand.
 
“You start by getting out of those nightclothes and into something more befitting of an Empress!”
 
“I’m not an Empress,” Rey argued with a smile.
 
“At the moment, but time will tell, won’t it, my darling?”
 
Rey shook her head with a shaky exhale of breath as the old woman picked up Rey’s glass and waved her away.
 
Moments later, she emerged breathlessly back into the living area, barefoot with her silver shoes in hand, and her gown swishing softly across the carpet behind her. With a quick kiss on both of Maz’s cheeks, she dashed down the stairs onto the veranda like a princess in a fairytale. 
 
Rey gave one last wave to the old woman, who was tucked just inside where Rey could see her, and pulled back on the yolk of the speeder to send her careening into the stream of traffic. 
 
It didn’t take long for Rey to make her way through Imperial City and out of the clusters of towering skyscrapers to see the brightly lit ziggurat waiting for her on the horizon. 
 
She slowly brought the speeder down at the foot of the steps of the palace, just like she had done in another life a few memorable times. 
 
Rey waited for the memories of her old life to haunt her as she slipped on her shoes and looked up the seemingly endless staircase that led inside. With each step she took, she expected to see Armitage’s face behind her eyes, feel the sting of his hand on her cheek or the ache of old wounds from when she’d tumbled head over feet down these very steps - but they never came.
 
She could hear the sound of music filtering out into the cool, night air, that only fueled the rapid thumping of her heart as she drew closer to what was happening inside. 
 
There wasn’t anything to be nervous about, but Rey couldn’t stop the breathless sense of anticipation from overwhelming her aching heart. She swallowed as she stepped through the doors, instantly awash with a different sort of memory. One where a masked man held his hand out to her in a silent plea to make her leave with him, to escape that life before it had a chance to fully hook its claw in her soul, trapping her in a gilded cage for far too long. 
 
He was the Emperor now.
 
Rey stepped down the grand, sweeping corridor, following the sound of lilting music that reached out for her ears, guiding her every tentative step as she made her way towards the grandiose hall where the reception was being held.
 
Rey had been there so many times, for functions that weren’t too different from this one, dressed in trappings so elegant sometimes she wondered if she’d get lost in the glittering material. 
 
Tonight was different in so many ways. She was free. They were free, and Ben had finally taken back what was rightfully his.
 
Her heart fluttered wildly in her chest as she rounded the corner into the celebration, sucking in a shaky breath as she searched the crowd for the one person she wanted to see.
 
There he was, at the center of the party, looking more at home than he would have thought he’d be, listening intently to senators from a far-off world with a serious and deeply thoughtful look upon his face. His dark hair gleamed in the brilliant light that filled the hall, with a silver laurel crown nestled into the waves.
 
Rey’s heart swelled as he began to speak to whoever stood across from him, his brows bent as he gave an earnest reply, and his plush lips creased down the center with each word they crafted.
 
As she stepped towards him, her eyes glued to the movement of his mouth and the subtle movement of his head, all the other eyes in the room turned towards her. The soft gasps and murmurs were lost on Rey as she was lost in him, none the wiser when the crowd slowly parted to make a trail to the Emperor for her.
 
Her gown swished softly behind her as she walked, glittering in the beams of light that streamed down from the towering ceiling. She’d picked something - less Empress-like - and more like her for the occasion that still fit the aura of the event.
 
The freckles on her shoulders practically gleamed, framed by the warm glow of the deep sweetheart neckline of the dress, with flecks of molten rose-gold that refracted beams of glittering light around the room. The metallic details covered nearly every inch of the bodice that hugged her body from her ribs down to her waist, where the gossamer fabric flared out and fell elegantly to the floor. 
 
Rey let her chestnut hair, which had grown long in the time since she and Kylo Ren first laid eyes on each other on Jakku, fall in romantic ribbons down the center of her back, like her mother, Elara, used to wear her own. In her hair, she wore a delicate headpiece that framed her head like a lustrous halo of rose-gold flowers.
 
It drew every eye from across the room to look upon her, sending a hush over the room as she confidently strode towards her lover.
 
Her heart did another tiny backflip when Ben’s eyes met hers for a split second, then once more, stopping his speech completely. She could see him murmur an apology to whoever he’d been speaking to with his eyes locked on hers as he stepped away.
 
A soft smile played on his lips as they met in the center of the room, that Rey answered with a coy look of confidence as she began to speak.
 
“I’m sorry I’m late.”
 
“I thought you weren’t coming? What about Qema?” Ben asked with a happy sigh, “Not that I’m not happy you’re here...I don’t think I could properly begin to describe how glad I am to see you, Stardust, I just want to make sure our girl is alright.”
 
“Our girl,” Rey murmured, feeling her heart do the same little twinge it had when she looked upon him being so loving and tender with the little girl, “She is ours, isn’t she?”
 
“Yeah,” Ben answered, lifting his hand to cup the curve of her freckled cheek, “She’s ours, Stardust.”
 
“She was asleep when I left...and she is in impeccable hands - who insisted that I come here. Honestly, I think she probably would have woken Qema and the pair of them would have forced me to come if I hadn’t listened to her.”
 
“Maz?”
 
“Who else?” Rey laughed. 
 
The silence stretched between them, comfortable and warm, like a fire on a cold winter day as they looked at each other with their secret held fast against their hearts. 
 
“You look good,” Rey murmured softly as she looked over him with her eyes and motioned towards him with her hands, “

This

looks good on you.”
 
“Thanks,” Ben pressed his lips together with a sigh and a smile in his eyes. She knew what they both wanted to do...how they wanted to act...but duty was more important. He lifted his hand and held it out to her, “Fancy a dance?”
 
“Is that allowed?”
 
“I’m the Emperor. It’s my prerogative to dance with the most beautiful woman in the room.”
 
Rey let out a quiet huff of laughter at his proffered hand, smiling softly as she met his flirtatious gaze. Ben held himself in a different way when he was Kylo Ren, and again as Emperor Skywalker-Solo - but in his eyes, Rey could see the man he really was. It was never truly lost, not after he’d removed his mask and left the guise of Kylo Ren behind on Ahch-to. He’d only ever tucked it away, protected it, and let it truly shine in the face of those he loved. How privileged was she, to be the one who Ben would remove his mask for - both literally and figuratively. 
 
His hand was so warm and

so right

as she slid hers into his waiting palm, sighing softly when he wrapped his long fingers around hers and gave her three, subtle squeezes.

You could just say it, you know, and I would hear you,

Rey whispered to him through their bond as her eyes crinkled happily at the corners.

Yes, but where’s the fun in that, Sweetheart? Can’t a guy be a little romantic? If there was any place where I should, you’d think a ball would be one…

You’re incorrigible, you know that?

Rey was beaming inwardly, looking out across the crowd with a stately lift of her chin as Ben circled her around and led her to the center of the dance floor. The people parted as the pair of them made their way through, and Rey could hear their whispers breezed in muted swirls around her, threatening to pull her away from their moment. She knew that they had to look suspicious to their eyes, the widow of the former Emperor - no matter how well-loved she was, and how hated Armitage had been - was probably something that the Holonet would buzz about for weeks.
 
No matter the seeds of doubt in her mind, and the desire to stubbornly protect their secret was to Rey, she couldn’t pull herself away from the delicious thrum of their connection, and the warmth of Ben’s gaze as he pulled her in a slow circle and brought her to his front. 
 
Rey shivered and anxiously tucked her bottom lip between her teeth as Ben’s arm coiled around her waist and tugged her to his chest with a snap, curling his long fingers beneath her chin to meet her gaze.
 
“Look at me,” he growled, his dark eyes intense in the same ways as when they’d be wrapped together in

other,

more private ways. Rey gave him a small nod and guided her touch over his black lapels to his shoulder, “Good.”
 
With a press of his fingertips on her bare back, Ben stepped backward and thrust them into an elegant and effortless dance, all too familiar to the very first time she’d been in his arms in that very same room.
 
Rey felt practically breathless, just like she did then, as they went twirling and spinning with her gown floating behind her in gossamer, glittering waves. Lost in each other’s eyes, the rest of the world seemed to fall away, and the gravity along with it as Ben took her galavanting around the floor. 
 
He leaned down, and with a brush of his plush lips against her ear, “I can’t tell you how glad I am that you’re here, Stardust.”
 
“Of course I’m here, I couldn’t leave you looking all pitiful and alone at your own coronation, now could I?” Rey giggled with a luminescent grin that Ben met with a deep chuckle.
 
“It works out for both of us, really. I look better by association, and you get to experience the skills that I learned at dark lord school. It’s a win-win if you think about it.”
 
Rey remembered how hard she’d worked to learn the same skills in what seemed like a lifetime ago when she was preparing to be the consort of another Emperor. It wasn’t until she danced with Ben that she truly felt like she was dancing. Before, she’d been like a newborn Pelilli, flailing around as it learned to fly over the glittering waters on Naboo, until - finally - with wings outstretched and windswept feathers, she finally took flight - with him.
 
“It feels like another life...that first time,” Rey murmured, looking over Ben’s shoulder for a split second before he pushed her out into a dizzying spin and back to his chest. She wished she could say there forever, nestled against the firm warmth he exuded with the feeling of the rhythm of their hearts so perfectly intertwined. She lifted her eyes to meet Ben’s with a sigh, “I must say, I much prefer dancing with you without the mask. If I...if I could have seen your eyes then, I wonder if things would have been different?”
 
“They would have,” Ben declared as his eyes flickered between hers with a knowing gaze, “The dead kind of different.”
 
“The...

what?”

Rey remained perfectly in step as she let out a confused bark of laughter.
 
“You heard me, Your Highnessness,” Ben grinned down at her, giving her waist the softest squeeze as they changed direction to the music, “The mask was a good thing. For me, at least. For you, too.”
 
“Why?”
 
“You have no idea how badly I wanted to kiss you then. All the time. Not just then. That first dance, you asked me to forget, but what was really happening was...I was

remembering.

We

felt it

from that first moment on Jakku.” Ben pulled her closer and caressed the curve of her ear with his breath and the warmth of his words. 
 
“I felt it too. That astronomical pull.” Rey murmured softly, letting her cheek brush against the curve of his jaw, “I wish we would have listened to it sooner. Answered its call. I wonder what would have been different.”
 
“No, Stardust,” Ben retorted with a low rumble in her ear, “If I answered the call when I wanted, I would have kissed you that night and so many others. I can’t tell you how badly I wanted to then. How badly I want to right now.”
 
Rey pulled her cheek away from the warmth of his flesh and turned her gaze towards his with a breathless ache in her entire being that longed to be touched in so many more ways than just a dance. Stardust-flecked hazel met warm umber, and Rey’s lips parted softly as she sucked in a steadying breath and lifted her fingers to caress the jagged scar along his cheek.
 
“Then why don’t you?”

Ben’s dark brows bent into a serious, contemplative look as his eyes searched hers. His feet slowed them to a stop and her skirt wrapped around them with a

swish

as it elegantly followed suit. 
 
Rey sighed as he reached up and cupped her cheek with his bare hand and traced a soft circle against her freckled flesh with his thumb. She should have been able to feel the tempestuous swirl of their emotions swirling around them, telling them to guard the secret, to keep their love a secret from the world for a little while longer, but the Force around them was nothing but warm and welcoming, encouraging them to

finally

answer the call of their bond. 
 
A small smile pulled at the corner of Ben’s mouth as he leaned down, pausing for a moment to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear before closing the space between them.
 
Their connection thrummed deliciously, and in combination with the hushed whispers around them, Ben was only spurred on, wrapping his thick arms around her waist to lift her feet from the floor. 
 
Rey curled her fingers in his inky hair and lingered in the delectable kiss with a hum, unable to contain her joy as the throng of people burst into a wild and raucous round of applause.        
 
Their simultaneous grins prematurely, yet joyously ended their kiss. Rey’s smile broadened as Ben buried his nose in the soft skin beneath her ear as she bashfully beamed into the party-goer’s exultant cheers.
 
“I don’t know about you, Stardust, but I think the Loth-Cat is out of the bag...and I think they like it…” Ben chuckled into her ear, giving her waist a squeeze before slowly sliding her down his chest to the floor.
 
Rey beamed up at her lover, her heart lighter than it had ever been, and he smiled back at her, letting out a loud laugh when someone in the crowd hollered out - 
 
“Kiss her again, Majesty!”
 
Ben lifted his hand and curled his long fingers beneath her chin to gently tilt her face towards his. Rey’s lips parted as another smile spread across her face with a soft flutter of her lashes.
 
“You better give the people what they want, Hotshot.”
 
Ben growled so softly, Rey wasn’t sure if it happened in their bond, or from his own, impossibly kissable lips.
 
“I’m more than happy to oblige them, Empress.” 
 
Without a second to reply, or even think, Ben’s lips crashed down upon hers and enveloped her in a searing kiss that made a thousand voices ascend into a rapturous cacophony that rose to the very top of the mammoth pillars that lined the hallowed halls of the former Jedi temple, taking Ben and Rey skyward along with the jovial sound. 
 
*
 
She was on a ship again.
 
The low hum of the sunlight engines that belonged to the Millennium Falcon purred beneath her feet as she strode along the curved corridor, running her fingers across the worn padding on the walls as she made her way to the cockpit. 
 
They’d been underway for hours, taking some much-needed time away from the Capitol as a family to get some blessed peace and quiet.
 
Ben had used the excuse of an “educational visit” for Qema, that it was only right that she got to experience where they’d grown up. Rey had wholeheartedly agreed, eager to have as many quiet moments with their girl that they could.
 
The blessed bubble of privacy they’d kept secret at Chatham House had burst abruptly following their very passionate, very public display of affection at Ben’s coronation ball.
 
How Ben was able to convince his advisors for the time away from the Palace, Rey wasn’t sure, but they stipulated that he bring an advisor with them on their little jaunt. It was amusing at first, but the longer that Ben spent in the confined quarters with C-3PO, the more convinced she became that, one of those days, Rey was going to see her lover tear his mother’s droid limb from limb.
 
They had made planet-fall on the jungle moon of Yavin IV as the daylight was beginning to crest over the canopy of the seemingly endless jungle and the ancient Massassi temple that towered over it all.
 
Upon their landing in the clearing of the former Jedi academy where they’d both been students so, so long ago, Rey pulled herself from her seat and left a lingering touch of her hand on Ben’s shoulder as she wandered into the main hold to check on their passengers - and a heated game of Dejarik between the bright Mirialan girl and the protocol droid. 
 
Rey had let out a quiet chuff of laughter as she turned the corner into the hold and found Threepio covering Qema with a blanket in the bunk behind the game’s console. He shuffled on his golden feet, his arms held at attention as he turned his wide-eyed gaze upon the former-Empress.
 
“Mistress Rey! After a rousing game of Dejarik, I do believe that the young lady exhausted her energy stores and gave in to a much-needed sleep some time after entering the Western Reaches,” Threepio stated with a mechanical wobble of his head.
 
Rey sidestepped the droid, smiling softly as she knelt upon the padded bench and brushed her fingers across the gossamer strands of Qema’s hair, marveling at how much the little girl had grown in the time since they’d rescued her and the other Force-sensitive children at the Battle of Arkanis.
 
A soft surge of sadness washed over her through the bond, pulling her attention abruptly away from the peacefully sleeping little girl. Rey bent down and brushed a featherlight kiss against Qema’s green cheek, lingering for only a moment before following the feeling back towards the cockpit. 
 
Rey would be lying if she said that the painful memories of their past never caught up with them from time to time, even as happy as they were. There were still moments when she’d wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, her body aching from phantom bruises and scars that had been healed long ago, but her memories stayed as sharp as the brutal blows upon her flesh.
 
Ben went through his own bouts of pain not much different than hers, but so much guilt, so much self-reproach for things that were out of his control. There were times Rey worried that it would eat him up inside, so much that there wouldn’t be anything left of the man she loved once the vicious cycles of shame were finished with him. 
 
She could see the faces that flickered through his mind, the ghosts of his past and those he couldn’t save. Students at the Praxeum. His brother padawans he’d been forced to kill. Master Skywalker. His mother, Leia - and Han.
 
Being on the Falcon was both a blessing and a curse all rolled into one. It was filled to the brim with the happiest memories and the most legendary stories - for Ben

and

Rey. They’d lived on the ship together for months, crossed a line Rey had so foolishly drawn in the sand to try and keep them apart, something she thought was for the best at the time. Ben, himself, had even been conceived on board. 
 
In his darkest times, Rey knew that Ben would see his father’s face in every nook and cranny of his precious ship, with memories at every turn. Being back at the place where Han had died couldn’t be easy. 
 
Rey could see his hulking form standing between the seats in the cockpit as she turned down the curved hallway, with bright beams of early morning sunlight that streamed in through the circular grid of the transparisteel viewport. 
 
Ben’s heartache reverberated around him in sharp waves as he looked out upon the wide-open clearing in the shadow of the temple - the place where their lives had been turned upside down, and the two of them became orphans.
 
She snaked her arms around the firm muscle at his middle, pressing her nose against his back to inhale the delicious smell of him that still managed to intoxicate her just as deeply as it did the first time he’d wrapped her up in his cowl so long ago.

Spices. Smoke. Earth.

Ben turned slowly in her arms, lifting his hands to either side of her face, tracing the softest circles against her freckled face with his thumbs. Rey lifted her chin to meet his dark eyes with a smile when his long face softened with her close beside him. 
 
He pressed his mouth together and worked his jaw back and forth with a glimmer in his eyes as he sucked in a stuttering breath.
 
“

I love you.

” Ben murmured as his dark eyes bored into hers. Before Rey had a chance to say anything in return, he pressed his mouth to hers, devouring her quiet whimper with an ardent kiss. His plush lips moved slowly against hers, laying the softest of kisses. 
 
He gently traced the seam of her mouth with his tongue, silently asking her permission for entry. Rey reached up and twined her fingers in his dark hair, pulling him closer as she deepened the kiss and met his tongue with hers. Their heated kiss deepened, each pass of their fused mouths becoming filled to the brim with a wild hunger as their bond sang. 
 
Rey could feel what her body needed, what it wanted from him - a need to be closer. For more.

Ben answered her silent plea and coiled his arms around her waist to effortlessly hoist her into his grasp. Rey wrapped her legs enthusiastically around his middle and broke their heated kiss with a facetious grin.
 
“I know.”
 
Her lover’s face split into a wide smile, his eyes glittering as his entire face lit up with the effervescent love he felt for her. 
 
“You know, you really are impossible,” he growled as his long face melted into the signature Solo-smirk. 
 
“I know that too,” Rey giggled, leaning into his tender touch as he leaned down and pressed another quick kiss to her lips.
 
“

Marry me.

”
 
Rey pulled her hands free of Ben’s hair and let them fall to his shoulders, pulling away with a cock of her head and a frazzled smile.
 
“

What?

”
 
Ben sucked in another breath and slowly lowered her feet to the floor, catching her hand in his, slowly rolling her soft skin between his palms to run his thumb over the constellation of stars on the inside of her wrist.
 
“After everything we’ve been through. All we’ve done. All this time. This led me home to you,” he murmured softly before leaning down to press a lingering kiss on her star map. Ben straightened up and squared his shoulders, keeping her hand in his as he pressed together his lips for a moment before speaking again. “It’s time to let old things die. Hux. The First Order. Let it all die. Rey,” he swallowed thickly and sucked in a trembling breath, “I want you to join me. We can rule together and bring a new order to the galaxy.”
 
“

Ben,

” Rey breathed, her heart thudding rapidly in her chest as her lover gazed imploringly at her, “I don’t have any place in this story. I was...everything before was all by chance. I’m nothing. I’m no one.”
 “But not to me,” Ben answered her stubbornly, lifting his hand to cup her cheek in his palm, “You’re wrong. Your place is with me. I would be nothing without you. Join me. Marry me. Please.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Today was the day of her wedding.
 
Rey stood alone in a room that felt all-too-familiar, gazing out at the expanse of towering skyscrapers that painted the Coruscant landscape. She lifted her eyes and watched as the organized grids of speeder traffic whizzed by in the seemingly never ending flow, like a river carving its way through the earth on its way to the sea. 
 
The light of day was beginning to fade, casting a warm glow along the horizon as warm beams of light from Coruscant Prime shone through each staggeringly tall building, sending a cascade of glimmering light upon her face.
 
She sucked in a deep breath, closing her eyes to center herself in the welcoming thrum of the Force, and smiling softly when she could feel him there in the back of her mind. 
 
Not so long ago, in another life, Rey remembered standing in a room just like the one she was in now, wearing a different gown, with a different ring on her finger. Her nerves threatened to consume her on that day, tearing at every part of her as the seeds of doubt blossomed into something twisted and dark. 
 
Yet, on that day, there was that still, small voice in the back of her mind. She didn’t know it then, but now it was clear. The Force had a plan for them, and while it wasn’t what she would have chosen, it still guided them to where they needed to be, and they were stronger for it.
 
Rey turned away from the window, striding to a full-length mirror on the far side of the room with a gentle, gossamer

swish

of her gown. Before, she’d felt utterly overwhelmed by her own reflection, unsure of who she was beneath the trappings of the finest shimmersilk and lace.  
 
So much had happened since that time, when she still felt like a scared little girl, out of place and so unsure in a strange new world, where her clothing felt more like a costume, no matter how accomplished her lessons had made her feel. 
 
A small smile of breathless anticipation pulled at her lips with a flutter of her heart as she looked back at the woman in the mirror. She was confident, sure of herself, and so unmistakably

her.

She’d decided to keep her makeup simple, highlighting the flecks of green and gold in her eyes with a soft shadow on her lids, a soft petal pink on her lips, and her own flushed cheeks that illuminated the glow of the freckles that dusted her face.
 
Reaching up with trembling hands, Rey grasped the edge of her veil, letting out a quiet sigh as it fell over her face, catching the fading afternoon light in a way that painted the room with stardust.
 
Her gown had been created just for the occasion, made to her exact specifications with the help of one of her favorite people - Kai Mahlo. The ivory bodice hugged the outside of her shoulders in an elegant, sweeping line that dipped between her breasts for a subtle, sweetheart neckline. It hugged her every lithe curve down to her waist before flaring out to the floor in the softest, almost cloud-like waves. Across every inch were meticulously hand-sewn filigree, like she was wearing the stars themselves.
 
With a soft flick of her chin, Rey moved the long ribbons of her dark hair from her bare shoulders, letting it fall down the center of her back in soft waves.
 
A soft knock at the door drew her attention away from her reflection, and a smile instantly bloomed across her face when a set of violet eyes peered around the corner.
 
“Mama?”
 
Rey sank to the floor in a cloud of dreamsilk and lace, holding her arms open wide with an effervescent grin as she welcomed the little girl into her arms for a loving embrace. After a gentle squeeze, Rey held Qema out at arm’s length to appraise her with a sigh.
 
“My, don’t you look grown-up, sweetheart?” Rey breathed with a trembling sniff to hold back her tears of pride.   
 
“I feel like a princess,” the green-skinned Mirialan girl beamed, her eyes filled with a wild sense of wonder. She looked down at her dress as Rey held her out with one hand, sending the little girl into a playful spin that made her dress flare outward. “I’ve never worn anything so pretty in all my whole entire life!”
 
Rey could feel Qema’s joy, and basked in the sheer radiance of it, watching as the little girl brushed her small hands over the delicate, silver embroidery that mirrored Rey’s, making the ivory dreamsilk shimmer and shine with every movement she made. Tiny starbursts covered the gown, from bodice to the bottom hem that brushed the floor, but the detail that put it over the top was a clinquant capelet of silver feathers that covered Qema’s narrow shoulders and mirrored the golden hairpiece that was nestled in her dark curls.
 
The mother reached out for her child and brushed the fair green skin of her cheek with a tender ache in her heart.
 
“You

are

a princess, sweet girl. From today until forever.”
 
“We’re a family.” Qema echoed Rey with a nod, “And you, and me, and Papa will live happily ever after with all of my brothers and sisters that haven’t showed up yet, right?”
 
Rey’s heart swelled with a feeling she couldn’t quite describe, as a vision of what Qema described flickered through the back of her mind, wishing with all her heart that she could make it come true, for her and for them.
 
“If the Force wills it, Sweetheart. Whatever will be, will be.”
 
“If the Force wills it,” Qema nodded before throwing her arms around Rey, “Uncle Poe said I had to hurry back, that Papa was going to be waiting for me to go in. I am so excited!”
 
“Me too,

khakdi rlieula,

me too.”
 
Rey pressed a kiss to both of Qema’s cheeks before giving her a gentle push out the door and rising to her feet. She turned and gave herself one last look in the mirror, taking in a slow gulp of air as she tried to keep her emotions at bay.
 
Everything was different than it had been before. Gone was the apprehension and fear she felt before diving headfirst into a new life, with the image of another man’s face lingering in her dreams. Gone was the man who had tortured her and saw her as an object first, a barren vessel for his seed, and a decoration on his arm. Gone was the mask that dampened the heart of her love with darkness. Gone were all the obstacles that stood in their way. 
 
It was finally just she and him together as they were always meant to be, and with their marriage, the savage winds of their past would cease and the light would shine through, unblocked by a looming threat where the suns would set each day without fear of the darkness to come. Their togetherness meant peace, for them and so many others.
 
And she would be an Empress again.
 
Rey gathered the featherlight folds of her skirt in her hands and, with her train and her veil trailing steps behind her, stepped out into the hall. 
 
As she strode down the long length of corridor, Rey couldn’t help but think of all the times, all the memories, both precious and painful, that had taken place in the Imperial Palace. 
 
The first time she’d traversed through the Palace in a wedding gown, she’d been side-by-side with Ben. He’d offered her his hand again, and silently pleaded with her that she didn’t need to go through with it - that she could go with him and start anew. But, at that moment, Rey was certain that her marriage was something she needed to do - that her future was waiting for her. What she didn’t realize at the time, was that her future, and her past, had been by her side all along. 
 
Her heart ached when she thought of all the things they’d gone through, all the loved one’s they lost, and those they gained. While she grieved for her family, Rey knew in her heart that, without their sacrifice, without that pain, her life wouldn’t be the same as it was now, and that - her family - wasn’t something she was willing to trade. Not for all the pain in the world.
 
And then there were the words Poe had said to her when she was grieving her lover. The words had resonated with her and lingered long after he’d turned up blessedly alive.

No one’s ever really gone.

If she truly thought about it, Rey could feel them all around her. She could feel her mother’s hands in her hair when Ben would dexterously twist hers in the Alderaanian tradition his mother had taught him. Her voice was on the wind as it fluttered through her hair and caressed her face with the sweetest of touches. Her Papa was there, too. Ever present in Ben as a father, with the gentle guidance he gave to Qema, adventurous bedtime stories from a galaxy far, far away, and the firmest of hugs that were filled to the brim with his love. 
 
Tucked into the center of the turbolift Rey fiddled with the ring on the third finger of her left hand as she watched the levels tick by. Holding out her hand in front of her, she traced her thumb over the polished piece of kyber crystal - Ben’s kyber crystal - that he’d had remade into something new when she’d decided to disassemble her red-bladed lightsaber and replace the precious crystal with one of her own choosing. 
 
The blade glowed a brilliant red-gold, a color that warmed Rey’s heart to see. Brilliant and beautiful, it felt the most like her than any blade she’d wielded before.
 
With a low hum, the turbolift came to a slow halt and the doors slid open to reveal the smiling face of one of her oldest friends - Poe Dameron.
 
“Hey there, Stardust.” He smiled as his chest puffed out with a surge of brotherly pride, holding out his arm for her to take, “You ready to do this thing?”
 
“Hi, Poe,” Rey beamed, reaching out to twine her hand into the crook of his elbow with a soft laugh, “I have been waiting my whole life for this.”
 
“I know you have,” Poe’s grin softened as his dark eyes roved over her face, “I knew this was going to happen, you know.”
 
“You did not,” Rey argued as they stepped in time down the quiet corridor, with only the delicate

swish

of her gown to accompany them.
 
“Did so. You might not know it, but I bet Ben Solo

ten thousand

credits that you two would get married.” Poe guffawed with a squeeze of her hand.
 
“What did Ben say?” Rey’s heart gave a flutter as his name -

her future husband’s name

- passed her lips.
 
“He chucked a tollo wrench at my head. And yet,” he motioned towards the ornately carved door that Rey knew by heart, “Here we are. I was going to tell him that it’s time to pay up, but I’ll let you get back from your honeymoon first.”
 
“What, don’t you want things settled before we leave the planet?” Rey let out a nervous giggle, suddenly completely aware of what monumental thing was awaiting her on the other side of the doors.
 
Poe shrugged as he reached for the intricate door handle, “He’s the Emperor, now. I think he’s good for it.”  
 
His gaze stayed locked on her face, asking her a silent question he knew in his heart he already knew the answer to. Rey sucked in a trembling breath, feeling like she might collapse from the sheer anticipation of it all when, suddenly, she felt him come through their bond.

Don’t be afraid, Stardust. I feel it too.

Rey let out a soft gasp as a surge of comfort and calm washed over her, lifted her eyes to Poe and gave him a reassuring nod.
 
“I’m more than ready. Take me home to him, Poe.”
 
With a tug on the door handle, the heavy thing swung open, and Poe held his hand out for her to take once more. Rey lifted her chin and centered herself within the web of life the Force wove around her, using the combined energy to calm the rapid beating of her heart and bring her focus on the task at hand.
 
The narrow hall was dimly lit, but Rey could see the smallest beams of artificial starlight streaming in from where the room truly began - a slice of paradise in the center of a sprawling ecumenopolis - the closest thing that she and Ben had to their childhood home.
 
As they stepped into the Room of a Thousand Fountains, Rey felt her breath fall away when she saw just how

different

things felt than the first time. No hall lined with thousands of faces she didn’t recognize. There was only a smattering of faces that belonged to their closest friends and allies. Finn. Amilyn. Paige. Dopheld. Maz.

Chewie.

No formal music playing her down an aisle. Instead, Rey and Poe’s descent was accompanied by the dulcet trickle of a waterfall and the singing of miraculous birds who’d nested in the sacred room since it had been built.  There was no pomp and circumstance in the slightest - and at the center of it all was him.
 
Rey’s eyes met those of her lover, her mate in the Force, her twin soul that was born in the heart of a fledgling star, and instantly felt a rush of emotion come over her. A mixed sense of relief and excitement, but most of all -

love.

He stood with his shoulders square and eyes glimmering with unshed tears, clothed from stem to stern in a soft ivory hue, with a fair blue sash and a luxurious cape lined with a deep crimson. Somehow, he was a vision of his entire self. A Prince of Alderaan. Son of an Empress. The Emperor of the Imperial Republic. The Jedi and the Dark Knight. 
 
Rey let out a trembling sigh when she’d realized that not only did Ben Solo stand in front of her, but Kylo Ren too - her first love as a kid, and the man she grew to love after. He was some sort of miraculous blend of the two. Light and Dark. Dark and Light. A balance of the two.
 
Ben’s eyes followed her as she stepped up beside him, smiling softly in the twinkling starlight that shone in from the lofty ceiling above them. Rey’s gaze flickered down to a wide-eyed Qema, who stood beside Maz, holding the pirate queen’s hand as she waited with bated breath to see her parents get married.

The groom looked to his childhood friend with a nod and held his hand out to Rey, like he’d done before on other, more somber occasions. Rey could feel the way Poe squared his shoulders, the mark of a military man, immensely proud to be giving her away. 
 
He curled his fingers around Rey’s, giving her the briefest of winks and a squeeze of her hand before placing it in Ben’s waiting palm.
 
Rey tilted her chin towards him, smiling broadly as he pressed a swift kiss to her cheek before stepping away to his spot next to Finn.
 
Hand-in-hand, Rey turned to face Ben and let out a quiet huff of laugher when Ben released a nervous breath she was sure he’d been holding.

Gods, you look...better than I ever could have dreamed, Stardust.

I know.

They held each other’s gaze for a moment that stretched with each unspoken word until a voice cleared her throat between them. 
 
“If you’ve finished making eyes at one another and having conversations the rest of us can’t hear, how about we get this started?” The Pirate Queen drawled with a playful smirk.
 
“Fine by us,” the Emperor let out a boyish chuckle as he turned his focus back to Rey. 
 
“Good.

Now.

We have gathered here today, in sight of these few witnesses, the people most precious to you, to behold the coming together of two people who have already been bound by the Force. Let us now bind you by the rules of man. Bennet, please make your promises to Rey.”
 
Ben pressed his lips together with a tremble of his chin and sucked in a stuttering breath as he began.
 
“Rey.

Stardust.

I haven’t had the easiest life. There were times where I was so deep in the dark, I thought I might never be allowed to come up and feel the light upon my face ever again. Through all of that pain, all of that misery...even though I couldn’t...I couldn’t remember you...I know you were there. As I grew older, I always thought that it would be impossible to find someone who would love me when I had been broken and scattered into dust. It was like...trying to fit together a hyperdrive without knowing if you had all the right components.” Ben paused as their guests let out a chorus of soft laughter, taking a moment to lick his lips and clear his throat, “but then you showed me that every piece doesn’t need to be in place in order to create something beautiful...that love can exist in the most imperfect...lost…

broken

people...People like me.”
 
Rey reached out for him as his voice broke and a single tear slipped past his dark lashes to follow the trail of the jagged scar that bisected his cheek. He leaned into her touch and caught her hand up in his own to press a lingering kiss against the constellation of freckles on the inside of her wrist, holding it firmly in his grip as he continued on.
 
“Stardust, I promise you that love...our love will be just as beautiful...if you’re in a thousand broken pieces...or just one.”
 
Rey let out a quiet, trembling gasp as she recalled his unwavering love and support, the way he pleaded with her, and the way he never abandoned her in her darkest moments. She reached up beneath her starry veil and carried away her tears on the tip of her finger as Maz motioned to her.
 
“Now, Rey…”
 
Rey felt like her heart might burst, unsure if any of her words would come after hearing what Ben so eloquently had to say. She let out a sigh, and with trembling breath, began to try and express what he meant to her. 
 
“Ben...So much has happened since we’ve met. I would say that a lifetime has gone by, which is true...but it’s so much more than that. We aren’t the same as those children on that jungle moon, no matter how badly we’d wish to go back to those times. You and I have lived many lives since then. A scavenger. A dark knight. An Empress and her bodyguard. A Jedi...and her master. Through each one of these lives, one thing has been abundantly clear to me. That, through it all, the Force was always leading me to you. I’d hear your voice in my loneliest nights. I dreamed of you before I remembered your face. You’ve honored your promise to me, whether you realized it or not...and I swear...I will always honor it for you.”
 
Rey sucked in her breath as her emotions began to overwhelm her and her tears began to fall. 
 
“I’ll always be with you. No matter if we are together, or apart. I will always find you. No matter how far...I would cross the galaxy for you, Ben Solo. All of them, and it still wouldn’t be too far.”   
 
They were both practically breathless when Rey finished, with tears streaming down their faces and a chorus of quiet sniffles from their treasured collection of witnesses. Maz reached up with a jingle of her signature bracelets and placed a pair of finely braided cords over their joined hands. 
 
The ancient one began to bend and twist the two - one black, one white - in an ornate pattern as she recited an old, Alderaanian ceremony she’d modified for them.
 
“These are the hands of your best friend. Young and strong. Full of love and optimism of the future. They hold yours on this, the most sacred day of your wedding. These are the hands that will work alongside yours as you build your future together. Courageous and strong. These are the hands that will passionately love you and care for you, throughout

all

your years. These are the hands that will hold you when darkness torments your mind, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will give you strength when you struggle. They will catch you when you fall. They will support you and encourage you to chase down your dreams, be they on this horizon, or another. These are the hands that will tenderly hold your

children

, and help keep your family together as one. These are the hands that, countless times, will wipe the tears from your eyes. Tears of sorrow. Tears of joy. And lastly,” Maz looked up to the couple, lost in each other’s gaze with a knowing look, like she held all the secrets of the universe - even the things they’d not yet discovered themselves and would need a lifetime to find out - and gave them one final blessing. “And lastly, my dear ones, these are the hands that, even when wrinkled and old with age, will still be reaching for yours. Still giving the same, unspoken tenderness with a single touch. A touch from these hands.”
 
The room around them, teeming with life in every corner, buzzed with hushed excitement as Ben and Rey shared a quiet look between them, centering their breathing and their hearts without even trying as the sweetest smiles bloomed across their faces.
 
“And now, it is my pleasure to declare that you are now bound in marriage. What the Force has joined, not even death can tear asunder.” Maz beamed up at the couple, clapping her braceleted hands together in glee as she pronounced their neverending promise to the other.
 
“Now what,” Ben breathed, keeping his gaze interlocked with Rey’s -

his wife.

“Now you kiss the girl, my boy. You

kiss her.

”
 
Rey’s eyes glimmered with excitement as Ben reached for her, curled his long fingers beneath the delicate hem of her shimmering veil and lifted it from her face. She couldn’t help but think back to the first time he’d been that close to her, back when he bestowed his cowl on her shoulders when she was cold, as a native of the scorching desert was prone to be. He’d smelled divine to her then, and still continued to enchant her with something as simple as his own essence.

Spices. Smoke. Earth.

She leaned into his touch as he cupped the curve of her jaw, softly thumbing her freckled flesh while she breathlessly waited for him to seal their union with a kiss. With a trembling breath, Rey breathed him in as he tilted her jaw towards him, smiling softly when she spied the hint of the lopsided, Solo smirk hovering in the corner.     
 
Tired of waiting, Rey threw her arms around Ben’s shoulders - her

husband’s

shoulders - and tugged him down to meet her mouth for a searing kiss. And with a gesture so simple, so infinitesimal in the grand scheme of all space and time, everything began to fall away. The space that surrounded them. The pain. The sins. The loss. The heartache. Their souls were wiped clean in the span of a few moments.
 
Ben circled his arms around Rey’s waist, pulling her firmly against his chest as she gently parted her lips with a quiet whimper of delight - both of them unwilling to be the first to pull away. 
 
Their smiles made the choice for them, unable to stay away when their friends -

their family

- burst into a flurry of cheers and whoops. The newlyweds let out a laugh when Qema lunged forward and enveloped them with a fierce hug. Ben leaned down and scooped up the little girl -

their daughter

- bringing her into their shared embrace for the first time as a family - officially. 
 
The little Mirialan girl beamed with a bell-like giggle when her Papa nuzzled her cheek with a nose, looking to her mother with a question held in her mind.
 
“It’s okay,

khakdi rlieula,

you can say it,” Rey murmured with an encouraging nod.
 
Qema’s smile only grew as she looked to-and-fro between her parents.
 
“We’re a family now? Truly?”
 
“Qema Organa-Solo,” Ben answered with a happy sigh, giving the girl a tender squeeze as his eyes met Rey’s with a tearful glimmer, “We always were. Right from the very beginning.”
 
Before they knew it, their happy family unit was surrounded by their guests and swept up into a broad, moving hug as they were passed from person to person, each offering their sincere congratulations and best wishes for their future. 
 
The party moved from The Room of a Thousand Fountains, leaving the fluttering of the birds and the subtle sounds of water against stone to their own devices as they made their way to a private banquet. 
 
Surrounded by their loved ones, and without any of the pomp and circumstance of a royal banquet, Ben and Rey feasted on delicacies from every corner of the galaxy - from delectable plates of crab rotoven, delicious dishes of Sijjo Sewi, and spiced mynock wings. Between the dizzying amount of dishes, Rey happily munched on until she was sure she’d burst, and the endless series of joyous conversations around their table made the time go by faster than she ever thought it was able.

Time to go home, Stardust.

Rey heard Ben murmur through the bond as he reached out and gave a gentle squeeze to her hand.

I think our girl has just about had enough.

Rey followed Ben’s gaze across the broad banquet table with a sigh when she saw how hard Qema was trying to keep her violet eyes open, desperate to hang onto every word that was being passed back and forth across the table. 
 
The babble of conversation became hushed when Ben pushed back his chair and stood from the table, as all eyes turned to their Emperor. He looked from end to end with a smile, lifting his glass with one hand as he reached down and took Rey’s in the other.
 
“We are honored that you have chosen to be with us on this…this amazing day. We have been through so much together...

all of us

...and we are grateful to be here with you on the other side of it all.

Thank you

. Truly. For being loyal to your Empress. For staying by her side. And mine. Without you, we’d have no victory.”
 
The Emperor lifted his glass towards their guests, giving a nod as they all pushed back their chairs and stood with proffered toasts in hand, giving a resounding:
 
“To the Emperor and his Empress!”
 
With a tender smile as he sipped his Daruvvian champagne, Ben pulled his wife from her chair, pressing a tender kiss to her lips before circling the table to lift a sleepy Qema against his broad chest.
 
Rey looked towards the family they’d made with a stirring in her heart, letting out a happy sigh as she pressed her fingertips to her lips and blew a farewell kiss as they strode together towards the door.
 
Sent on their way to a chorus of happy goodbyes, the Solos walked silently down the grand main hall of the former Jedi Temple. Rey thought of all the lives that had been lived there. From the Jedi of the past, to Ben’s own grandfather, Ben himself, and then her. So many lives of a storied history that she was determined not to let anyone forget. With a smile, Rey thought of their plans for the temple-turned-palace, and looked towards the lofty ceiling for one last, precious look at the complicated home that had brought her back to Ben. 
 
As they stepped through the mammoth pillars that lined the entrance at the top of the steps, for a split second Rey swore she could feel the presence of everyone they’d lost. They were all lifting their hands to pass their own, silent blessings onto them through the Force for the life that was so joyously spread out before them.
 
Waiting for them at the base of the endless staircase was none other than the ship that was so well-beloved by Ben’s father, The Millennium Falcon. Rey, with her gossamer skirts tucked into her palm, followed Ben up the gangplank, letting out a content sigh as she watched Ben tuck a now-sleeping Qema into a bunk. He tugged the crimson dreamsilk cape from his shoulders, flinging it a broad circle to lay it over the top of their slumbering child. 
 
“I like your style, Solo,” Rey quietly laughed with a smirk as she pulled the delicate veil from her head to wind carefully around her hands.
 
“Thanks,” Ben chuckled as he reached up and popped the top button of his shirt before moving his hand to cuff the sleeves to his elbows, “My Uncle Lando would be proud. He used to keep a stockpile of capes in the captain’s quarters.”
 
“That sounds incredible,” the Empress grinned, slowly spinning on her feet with a quiet swish of her gown as she motioned towards the back, “Do you mind? I can barely breathe and I’m dying to get into something more comfortable.”
 
Ben let out a low groan as he reached towards her, hooking his long fingers in the thin cord that bound her in the constricting bodice of the gown, pulling it from the boning at a leisurely pace. Rey leaned into his touch with a quiet whimper as he brushed the tip of his long nose across the expanse of sensitive skin along her bare shoulder, peppering the freckled flesh with molten kisses as he continued to pull the cord free from the yards upon yards of material.
 
Rey held her palm against the glimmering sweetheart neckline as the back of her dress split wide open with the help of her husband’s hands, letting out a quiet giggle as she slowly turned back around.
 
“Let’s get off the planet, shall we?” She grinned, lifting herself on her toes to press a swift kiss to his pout before backing away toward the Captain’s quarters. 
 
“If you say so, Your Highnessness,” Ben grumbled with a feigned frown and a glimmer in his dark eyes as he reluctantly started towards the cockpit.
 
Rey let out a quiet tumble of laughter as she gently pulled the silken cape from Qema, replacing it with a blanket before she strode in the opposite direction, blinking in the dimmed light as she peeled the bodice over her breasts and shimmied it to the floor. The tell-tale thrum of the sublight engines roared to life, and she felt the shift of the ship as it lifted from the planet’s surface. 
 
She stepped from the soft cloud of glimmering fabric at her feet and bent to scoop it up and lovingly lay it across one of the many crates that were scattered across the durasteel floor. As she removed her breastband, the Empress stretched her shoulders, that were finally free of the weight of her gown, smiling softly when she was struck with an idea.
 
Only moments later, after the Falcon gave a lurch that told Rey they’d hurtled into hyperspace, she sauntered down the curved corridor towards the cockpit. She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth with a quiet sigh as she placed her palms on either side of the doorway, unable to ignore the warmth that furled out from her core when she laid her eyes on her husband.
 
Ben had made quick work of the constricting nature of his formal shirt, rolling the ivory sleeves up his thick forearms to his elbows, and undoing nearly every button down his torso after he’d disposed of the blue sash over the passenger’s seat. His alabaster skin gleamed in the soft blue-white light of the stars that stretched out all around them, making Rey’s mouth water with every slow rise and fall of his sculpted chest.
 
He sat with his boots on the control panel, head leaned back against the headrest as he absentmindedly rolled a pair of gold dice through his fingers. 
 
“Hey there, Hotshot,” Rey cooed from the doorway, instantly drawing his attention towards her. Ben’s dark eyes grew wide as he slowly stood from the Captain’s seat and leisurely eyed her from stem to stern - like he was a starving man in the Goazan Badlands, and she a bountiful meal he couldn’t wait to devour.
 
Wrapped in only the ivory and crimson dreamsilk cape he was wearing only moments before, Rey felt like a Goddess as his delectable smell enveloped her, kissing her skin as his eyes roved over her lithe body in breathless wonder.
 
Ben’s eyes burned into her as he slowly stepped forward, lifting his long fingers to slowly separate the curtain of silken fabric that covered her. He let out a low growl as his hands delved inside, skimming the flare of her hips with his palms as his hands skimmed her bare body, over her breasts, and around her shoulder to let the lustrous material slip over the edge to her back.
 His gaze darkened with a press of his plush lips, working his jaw back and forth as he exhaled deeply from his nose. Rey lifted her eyes to meet his, her breath trembling as she dipped her fingers around the bottom button of his shirt, tugging it open with a pop. She slipped her palms up his chest, pushing the fabric from his broad, beauty mark speckled chest.    
“Fair’s fair, Lord Ren,” Rey whispered against the beeps and hums the Falcon sang into the cockpit around them, as a frisson of goosebumps ricocheted down her entire body.
 
Barely afforded any time to react, Ben descended down upon her, coiling his long fingers in her hair as he brought his lips crashing down upon hers, devouring the keen that tumbled instantly on her breath.  
 
Rey let out a honeyed whimper as Ben’s mouth began to rove in that way that both delighted and frustrated her. Her husband took his sweet time, mapping the peaks and valleys of her collarbones, traipsing south to the supple mound of her breast, thumbing the sensitive peak of her pebbled nipple in a way that made her knees go weak.

I’m not remotely finished, Sweetheart.

Ben growled in the deepest, most delectable corner of their bond as a sudden jolt of pleasure tumbled over her, like she’d been dipped in a warm bath. She felt him

everywhere

, all at once, and was nearly overwhelmed by the intensity of the sensations.   
 
Her body thrummed from the sheer ferocity of the way his energy bent and moved, snaking around her limbs as he brought his mouth to her core, making her body instantly buck against the control panel at her back with a single swipe of his tongue. 
 
The ship held a moment of protest, letting out a shrill series of beeps and alarms that Rey blindly slapped at to silence them.
 
“W-what are you doing?” Rey said with a muffled keen as her knuckles mindlessly brushed the curve of her parted lips.              
 
Ben lifted his lips from the heart of her cunt, looking up at her from his knees as he reached up with his hand to slowly smear her essence from his mouth with a wicked grin.
 
“Using the Force in a way that would surely make even the most progressive Jedi masters blush.”
 
“B-Ben...I thought...I...

kriff…”

“I told you, Rey.

I am no Jedi.

” Ben murmured with a menacing, yet completely captivating growl as another surge of energy shook her to her core. He didn’t waste any time in staying away from the feast he’d been so heartily enjoying, lapping at her enthusiastically as he held her firmly against the doorframe. 
 
Rey twined her fingers in his hair, holding on for dear life as Ben palmed the curve of her ass, drifting the warmth of his touch down her thigh to lift her foot to his shoulder. He dragged his nose down the length of her leg and then proceeded to trail a line of molten kisses back up to the warm wetness of her sex.
 
She let out a trembling whine and leaned her head back against the wall as he slipped a finger inside, curling it up with a roll of his shoulder, pulling sound after delectable sound from her lips as she hurtled towards her climax.
 
“That’s right, Rey.

Feel it. Let the Force surround you.

Let me hear how good this makes you feel,” Ben rumbled with a low growl as he delved another finger inside, increasing his pace with every languid roll of his hand against her clit, carrying her as she tumbled over the edge with a mournful keen. 
 
He slowed his pace as she came down, simultaneously loosening his electrifying hold on her with the Force to allow her body a moment’s peace before he continued on to the next task.

Look at me, Stardust.

Ben rumbled through the bond, curling his long fingers around her ankle as he slowly brought it to the floor. He kept his scorching gaze locked firmly with hers as he drew himself to his full height, dipped his fingers in her hair, and laid a languid kiss upon her lips. Making her moan into his open mouth as he delved his tongue to meet hers.   
 
Rey lost herself to the taste of him and the way he sucked playfully at her bottom lip, fisting her long hair between his fingers to open the space between her shoulder and her throat. She blindly tugged at the waistband of his trousers, taking no time to tear them open as he alternated light nips and tender kisses across the long column of her throat.
 
With a forceful push of her hands over his ass, Rey forced the ivory fabric to the floor, summoning a deep chuckle from her husband’s lips. His eyes flickered between them as he pulled the seam of his cape between his fingers with a sly grin.
 
“Hungry, are we?”
 
Rey peered up at him through her lashes, brazenly reaching between their bodies to curl her fingers around his throbbing length with a ravenous bite of her lip.
 
“You ought to know by now...I’m always hungry,” she purred, giving his cock a tentative pump with a grin as Ben responded with a low groan. Tilting his head back with a swallow, Ben closed his eyes as Rey continued her slow ministrations, smiling to herself as she watched the blue-white lines of hyperspace flicker through the transparisteel of the Falcon’s cockpit onto his face. 
 
Rey decided to try an experiment and, with a deep breath, she summoned the Force through her fingertips. Ben let out an instantaneous shiver as his head lolled on his broad shoulders, blinking softly in the muted light with a soft shake of his heart.
 
“I see your mind, Sweetheart. I know what you’re trying to do,” Ben grumbled with a shuddering breath as he coiled his arm around her waist and hoisted Rey from her feet in a single, fluid motion.

He coaxed a moan from her lips as he lifted her knees around his middle and circled the tip of his girth over her cunt, teasing her until her stardusted eyes flashed open with a frustrated grimace
 
“

Ben.”

Not wanting to disappoint his wife, Ben rocked into her with a gravelly croak, settling his forehead on her shoulder for a beat to center himself and allow her a moment to accommodate to his generous length. 
 
Rey’s hands trembled as she reached for his face, lifting his gaze to meet hers to place a loving, tender kiss to his lips.

I love you.

With the taste of his kiss upon her lips, Rey gave a small roll of her hips, anchoring her palms against his shoulders as they began to move in an easy, steady cadence. 
 
Their lovemaking was both fiery and tender, unhurried - yet hasty in a way that Rey couldn’t quite describe. She wanted to lose herself in the moment, get trapped in the feeling of their bodies and their spirits intertwined so wholly - the way the Force always wanted them to be. 
 
Without the threat of the First Order looming over their heads, Ben and Rey were

free

. Unburdened on someone else’s fight that was settled on their shoulders and became theirs against their will. 
 
Through it all, they’d found each other. They found a way. And together, with their entire lives waiting for them, the possibilities were as endless as they’d so foolishly dreamed when they were children.      
 
Rey leaned forward with a quiet hum and found Ben’s mouth for a searing kiss, filling it to the brim with every ounce of love she held for him in her heart as the Force wrapped around them in incandescent bands of light, life, and energy. 
 
Every happy memory. Every painful setback. Every loss, and every victory had led them to this very moment - where they began the rest of their forever. 
 
Their bodies moved in tandem, rocking in a steady rhythm that intertwined with the steady thrum of the Falcon’s sublight engines and the blips and beeps of all the individual systems. They, like Ben and Rey, were wrapped up within each other, bursting with energy like nothing else in the entire Galaxy - completely and wholly unmatched.
 
With every gentle thrust, Ben kept his eyes locked on Rey’s, memorizing each freckle and the way they shone in the stretches of infinite starlight, and the way her face shifted as their pleasure crested. The strength of their bond burned brilliantly, making the lights on the panels glow a little brighter as they chased their release. 
 
Like a rising tide on a Nabooian beach, they moved with a slow, steady rhythm, a tender flurry of hands and lips with the euphoric sounds of their lovemaking that spun the sound of the constant beeps and flickers in the cockpit as they thundered through the blue-white light of hyperspace. 
 
Ben let out a low, rumbling groan, his thrusts becoming more urgent with each steady pump as he held his wife to his chest, and whispered through their bond to her.

After all we’ve done. After all this time. My promise remains the same. No matter how far. No matter how long. I will love you, and I will continue to do so long after I leave this plane.

“For forever,” Ben murmured with a supple bend of his plush lips. Rey gripped the warmth of his shoulders, rolling her body to meet his thrust for languorous thrust as they rocketed towards their release.
 
“And I will love you more.”
 
Together, with a chorus of breathless pants, they tumbled over the edge, clutching onto one another as Ben slowly bucked into her with an animalistic growl.
 
Rey cupped his long face between her palms as he held her firmly in his hands, slowly trailing a ribbon of his dark hair between her fingers before leaning down to press a lingering, well-satiated kiss to his lips.
 
“Take us home, Ben.”

*

Not long after their heated tryst in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon had come to the sweetest end, the ship’s navigation system sent out a loud ping, notifying them that they’d reached the Chommell sector of the Mid Rim just as Rey tugged on a sleek, ivory jacket made of supple bantha leather.
 
She plopped down in the co-pilot’s seat, turning to offer a contented smile to her husband, who’d exchanged the garb of an Emperor for something more fitting of a scoundrel - complete with a familiar, deep blue pocket jacket. 
 
Like it was muscle memory, Rey lifted her gloved hands and flipped a series of switches as the old girl slingshotted out of hyperspace over an emerald jewel of a planet that was oh-so-familiar to her eyes.
 
The Nabooian Lake Country in winter was a sight to behold as the wide-open green pastures and rolling hillsides had been blanketed in the softest snow. It was something Rey wasn’t sure she’d ever grow tired of, no matter how many years would eventually go by in their new home - the glittering cloak of white was something that would continuously take her breath away.
 
Rey looked across the horizon as the Falcon thundered over the silver-gold reflections of the fading afternoon light upon the glass-like surface of the famed lakes, her heart leaping when her eyes landed on the elegant estate perched on the hillside, realizing that they’d finally come home.
 
Ben brought the ship around the dazzling villa, settling it down on the landing pad as Rey stepped into the main hold to check on a still-sleeping Qema. The little girl’s father followed close behind, gingerly lifting the girl to his shoulder with a quiet whisper of comfort as Rey wrapped a blanket over the little girl’s back.
 
As a family, they stepped down the gangplank and, with the soft crunch of their boots against the thin coating of snow, walked inside their home for the first time.
 
Varykino hadn’t changed much since their first visit to Ben’s ancestral home, apart from a few changes the Emperor had made to accommodate his family and provide a place for him to be able to govern and rule without remaining in The Core permanently.
 
His place was with his family, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and that’s where he planned to stay. 
 
The soft tinkling of a wind chime played through the windows as they made their way up the sweeping staircase at the center of the home, turning at the top of the stairs into the elegant bedroom Ben had constructed for their girl.
 
Qema’ s violet eyes fluttered open as Ben gingerly laid her in the center of her bed and pulled the covers up to her chin.
 
“Papa?” She whispered as she rubbed at her eyes with her small, green fists.
 
“Hush, Sweetheart, go back to sleep. We’re home now.” Ben murmured, reaching out to brush the dark curls from the apple of her cheeks with a loving smile.
 
“Home,” Qema echoed with a sleepy smile before burrowing into the softness of her pillows and quickly falling back to sleep.
 
Rey waited for Ben in the doorway, her heart impossibly full when their eyes met, and she knew that she was finally home. He crossed the room in only a couple strides of his long legs, dipping down to sweep his wife off her feet with a broad, lopsided grin.
 
Their lips met for a lingering kiss as Ben blindly carried her across the wide-open, marbled foyer at the top of the stairs and into their bedroom. Rey curled her arms around his neck, parting her lips to twine her tongue with his - hungrily deepening the kiss as her husband gently laid her down upon their bed. 
 
He made quick work of her many layers of clothing, laughing as each removed article of clothing merely revealed another, but before long, caught up in the divine spell that being in their home and in their bed cast over them, Rey and Ben found themselves with their bodies and spirits intertwined all over again, making love into the early morning hours. 
 
As the first morning light broke open over the horizon, it painted the sky with a miraculous blend of rosy gold and blue, split by incandescent beams of the most delicate bands of light. With the dawn came the promise of their new life, one filled with hope of the most brilliant kind - the kind his mother had taught him, and the kind he’d never forget ever again.
 
Ben held Rey firmly in his arms, silently marvelling at the steady rise and fall of her chest, grateful to have her living, breathing, and

alive

in his arms after everything they’d been through. After everything

she’d

been through. 
 
With the tips of his long fingers, Ben traced the soft skin of her arm in a steady rhythm and a quiet sigh as he listened to the quiet hum of her breathing, and the unfaltering

ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum

of her heart. 
 
Up and down went his hand, timed to the cadence of it. Up.

Ba-dum.

Down.

Ba-dum.

Up.

Ba-dum.

Down.

Ba-dum.

Ben lost himself to the measured steadfastness of it, leaning his nose into her hair with a quiet sigh, until his senses picked up on something different...something new.
 
A different rhythm altogether. 
 
Ben let out a quiet gasp as he centered his focus upon it, counting the beats that were more like the quiet flutter of a butterfly’s wings, nestled deep within the steady beat of Rey’s heart.
 
Unable to keep in the sudden thrill of his excitement any longer, Ben gave Rey a soft shake. She groaned quietly, lifting her hands to her eyes with a wide yawn. 
 
“Wake up, Stardust,” Ben was bordering on frantic, wishing that he could shout it from the balcony to echo his elated joy across the glimmering surface of the lake and far beyond.
 
“Nngh, not now, Beedee. Just another few minutes,” Rey grumbled with a frown as she rolled over and nestled herself against Ben’s chest. 
 
With a quiet huff of laughter, Ben pressed a kiss to her chestnut hair.
 
“Something wonderful has happened, Sweetheart. The Force gave us a gift. The greatest gift.”
 
With a tilt of her chin, Rey’s eyelashes parted to reveal her stardusted gaze as a smile bloomed across her face. She reached up and skimmed the pad of her thumb across his cheek with a quiet sigh.
 
“I know.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Ben Solo closed his eyes to the gentle, warm breeze that fluttered through the open doors of the balcony. It bent and moved, wrapping around and caressing everything it touched as it swirled around the room. With a slow lick of his lips, Ben opened his eyes to the warmth of the rosy light that reflected off the surface of the lake below. It was the magic hour in the depths of an unseasonably warm Nabooian Autumn, and he couldn’t help but marvel at the vibrant hues of crimson, deep blends of saffron, and brilliant golds that painted the lakeshore, like the Maker himself had flicked a paintbrush over the surface of the planet to make it so.
 
The wind whispered through the leaves, singing a quiet, peaceful song as it rustled the raven hair around his tired face. Ben closed his eyes and breathed in a long, anxious sigh, centering himself in the delectable warmth of the evening glow and in her light - turning his gaze back to the bedroom when he heard a melodious groan come from their bed. 
 
Ben crossed the room in an instant, taking only a couple of strides of his long legs to make it to her side. He sank down upon the plush mattress and gathered her small hand in his to press a tender kiss into her palm with a wrinkle in his brow, chewing on the inside of his lip as he watched the steady rise and fall of her chest with each breath.
 
Rey had been laboring for hours on end, quietly focusing on her every breath during each contraction as they overtook her body one by one. In those moments, the seconds stretched into infinity as Ben helplessly watched while the echoes of pain etched deep into his wife’s delicate features. 
 
She’d been adamant to do it on her own, arguing with every dignitary that insisted they stay in the Core, or at least be in Theed City for the birth of the heir. But Rey refused, insisting that she already had everything she needed - at home.
 
And so, tucked into the hillside, in the depths of a Nabooian Autumn, Rey got her wish. No medibay. No droids or midwives. Just she and him, together in their home as their family grew by one. 
 
They’d enjoyed the quiet moments of her early labor together, with Qema tucked in a wide chair with a book as Ben would hold Rey, cradling her in his arms as she swayed from side to side with a quiet hum while her pain crested and fell back down in gentle waves.
 
The hours rolled by, and with Qema occupied with Maz, one of her favorite people, on the floor below them, Ben felt helpless as Rey’s pain grew worse. He followed her like a helpless puppy, feeling completely lost as the contractions overtook her body one after the other. 
 
He’d vowed so long ago that he would do anything to protect her, to make sure that she’d never feel any pain - but he couldn’t protect her from this, no matter how badly he wished to ease her of the blessed burden.
 
Ben had heard stories of how painful childbirth could be, and marveled in quiet amazement, absentmindedly tracing the curve of his jaw as Rey didn’t make a sound - unfaltering in the quiet of her focus as another wave of pain came rolling over her slight frame.
 
When it had passed, his wife breathed softly with her eyes closed, parting her lips with a soft, steady

whoosh

of breath, unwilling to break her concentration and engage with life outside her body - fevently immersed in the task at hand. The room might as well have been empty for all the awareness she had when Ben would try to speak to her, sitting on the edge of his words while he hoped that she would emerge from the deepest recesses of her mind, pull herself forward to use her voice, and open her eyes.
 
Ben stroked the edge of his jaw with his knuckles, trying to keep the steady, jittery bounce of his feet to a minimum when he breathlessly watched the corners of Rey’s mouth curl up into a delicate smile.
 
“Stop staring at me, Ben. I’m fine.”
 
There was something about the way that she smiled that sent a soft shiver down the length of his body, and roused a gentle ache in his heart. It shone like the stars in the night sky without the bright lights of Coruscant to dim them, blinding him in the same way he was dazzled by her glimmering light. 
 
He’d been helplessly captured by it then, from the very first moment he laid eyes on her in Niima Outpost, and would remain completely enraptured by it for the rest of his life.
 
Ben tried to busy himself as the hours ticked by and the daylight faded away. He’d read a little, wrote a little, but always found himself unable to focus on anything but the sure and steady sound of Rey’s breathing. 
 
After a time, he feebly resigned himself to pacing the length of the marble-floored room, anxiously chewing his lip until it was really raw as he waited for the time to come.
 
He sank onto the bed beside her, a curtain of worry in his dark eyes with a heavy lump in his throat as he watched Rey’s face contort with another wave of pain. They were coming closer and closer together with each passing moment and, as he watched her, Ben prayed to anyone who would listen that the time would come soon so her agony would end.
 
Ben refused to look away, even as his plush lips trembled and shoulders heaved with the emotions that pummeled him, unwilling and unable to tear his gaze from her. His dark lashes brimmed heavy with tears, reaching out to twine his fingers with Rey’s as he felt a tingling, cool hand embrace his shoulder.
 
A single tear slipped down his cheek as he lifted his gaze and met the hazy blue glow of his mother’s face smiling down upon him.
 
“It won’t be long now,” she murmured, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze of comfort, “I only have a moment, this time was a gift.”
 
Ben let out a quiet gasp as a steady stream of salty tears slid silently down his long face, releasing all the grief and sorrow that had been held firmly inside for all this time. All the things he should have done, and the words he should have said, but didn’t realize until it was too late wracked his body as he leaned into her touch, aching to be held in her arms, like she did when he was a boy after a Force-fueled nightmare.
 
Ben sunk his head into the mattress, cradling his head in his hands as he silently wept - while his mother’s comforting presence quietly remained by his side. 
 
He lifted his tear-strewn face when Rey released a mournful keen from beside him, reaching out with the tips of his fingers to brush a curtain of her chestnut hair that had stuck to the glimmer of perspiration upon her brow. Smiling softly, Ben traced a soft circle against her freckled flesh and felt his heart swell as his wife leaned into his touch. With a bend of his brows, Ben dipped his head as he watched her dark eyelashes part, revealing her gold-flecked hazel eyes that gleamed as she gave him a knowing nod.

“Ben…”

He was dreaming with his eyes wide open, he was sure of it.
 
With a soft gasp and an anxious swallow, Ben cradled the tiny bundle in his arms, terrified that he might drop her - their daughter.
 
Turning his glossy eyes to Rey, his voice broke as he scraped together the only words he could manage.
 
“She’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”
 
Rey smiled through her exhaustion, looking impossibly beautiful in the delicate shards of moonlight that streamed in through the windows. She reached out and skirted her fingertips across the gossamer fabric she’d been wrapped in, tearing her eyes away from Ben’s tear strewn face to look upon the soft pink skin of the newborn, while the sweetest tears she’d ever known made hot tracks down her flushed cheeks.
 
“Leia.” Rey whispered into the space between them, “Her name is Leia.”
 
Ben’s heart leapt as a set of impossibly tiny fingers curled around his pinky, sucking in a deep breath to forever drink the moment in. The moment with his little girl - who was so tiny in his oversized hands. He let out a strangled laugh when little Leia opened her eyes to reveal a color more brilliant than Ben could have ever dreamed they’d be. 
 
With a gentle brush of his finger, he stroked the achingly soft skin of her cheek as she peered up at him with eyes just like her mother’s - with flecks of gold and green scattered through them like stardust. 
 
In an instant, Ben was transported to another place, in another life - back when he was still a small boy and was meeting his Stardust for the very first time. The memory ached in his bones as he lifted Leia to his face, nuzzling the the soft tuft of black curls against his nose and inhaling her divine smell to keep in his mind forever - knowing that, without a doubt, he would be her protector for as long as he would live, and his love for her would last for all time.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Time was a funny thing. It shifted in a way that wasn’t too different from the way the sands drifted across the Goazan Badlands in the heart of the Jakku desert. 
 
When they were younger, in the lonely days of their separate youth, the time would slow to a trickle, ticking by at an agonizingly slow pace, so torturous that they would have given anything to make it move along and put them out of their misery. 
 
But things changed. They changed so quickly that, at times, there was nothing more that they craved other than to freeze the clock and linger a little longer in their most precious moments.
 
With the fortuitous arrival of their beloved Qema, and the birth of her sister not much long after, Ben and Rey’s world shifted in a way they never imagined it would - not in their wildest dreams.
 
Rey had gone so long believing that her body was somehow broken, accepting the brutal words of her former husband with a broken heart - that she was as barren as the desert she’d come from - that, when her body swelled with new life, she had to convince herself every day that it was true. 
 
Then, as Leia and Qema grew, bound together as sisters should be, they watched their girls grow together in the bright, Nabooian sunshine. Leia’s freckles were pronounced, the layers of them growing more and more with each moment she spent in the warmth of the light, accented further by her raven curls, which were as thick and lustrous as her father’s.
 
Rey’s heart swelled with love, practically bursting at the seams as the time ticked by, watching her girls grow as her belly swelled with life once again. 
 
The twins were born in the spring, during an early summer rainstorm that sent quiet rumbles of thunder over the horizon as Hanna-Rose and Anakin came into the world. A three-year-old Leia was instantly besotted with her new brother and sister, telling a patient nine-year-old Qema

all

of her favorite reasons to be a big sister - and how she’d been the one to teach her how.
 
And then, as it was always prone to do, time began to shift again, bringing the seasons around and around at such a dizzying pace, Rey wasn’t sure where her babies had gone, and who’d replaced them with such miraculous children. 
 
Before she knew it, they’d built a decade of happiness together, and somewhere between the years - Rey and Ben had gotten older too. 
 
The signs were there, in the corners of her eyes - fine lines that held the history of every effervescent smile and each jingle of laughter. With each passing year, a new strand of silver wound its way through Ben’s inky hair at the temples, forever marking the passage of time as he grew increasingly and delectably grey.
 
Late one night, during their extraordinary ordinary life, Rey wandered down the upstairs hallway of their home at Varykino, stepping softly as she pressed a door open with a creak. A soft smile bloomed across her beautiful face as she looked upon the Mirialan girl - nearly a woman, now with a collection of well-earned diamonds upon her cheeks like stars in the night sky - who was busy fiddling with the gleaming, haysian smelt hilt of a lightsaber in the soft lamplight.
 
Qema held her focus upon the task at hand, holding her palms over the top of it as she moved the pieces around with the Force. Rey stepped up behind their eldest daughter, pressing a gentle hand to her shoulder as she leaned down to press a kiss into her dark curls.
 
“Don’t stay up too late,

khakdi rlieula.

It was a long day of training with the twins,” she murmured, letting out a quiet, happy hum as Qema leaned into her mother’s touch at the mention of her nickname -

Sweet Girl

in Mirialan. One that Rey had called her since they’d first bonded together onboard a star destroyer above Arkanis. 
 
“I won’t, Mama,” Qema answered, lifting her glimmering, violet eyes to meet Rey’s as her own, brilliant smile grew, “They’re doing so well. Anakin has taken so well to meditation, and Hanna could be ready for Force-levitation soon!”
 
“You’re not wrong, my love, but all will happen in due time. Be patient. Don’t make them grow up too fast, or the next thing I know, they’ll be teaching this one,” Rey lifted her palms to her swollen belly with a quiet laugh when the little life inside her answered with a soft nudge.
 
“Not long,” Qema beamed as her eyes twinkled with excitement, “I told you I would have so many brothers and sisters, didn’t I? Even when I was little.”
 
“You did,” Rey echoed, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead, “The Force willed it, and here we are. Now...

bed.

Long day tomorrow.”
 
“Okay, Mama. I love you.”
 
“I love you too,

khakdi rlieula

. Goodnight.” Rey beamed from the doorway as she slowly pulled it shut. 
 
At the end of the corridor, Rey could hear the initial reason she’d been pulled from their bed. A low, quiet singing could be heard from beyond the doorway, setting her heart aflame as she peered inside and found a sight to behold.
 
Her husband, Ben Solo, Emperor of the Imperial Republic, formerly Lord Kylo Ren, son of Leia Organa and Han Solo, had their youngest child, the little Hanna-Rose, pressed against his chest. Swathed in delicate shards of silvery moonlight that streamed in through her bedroom window, Rey let out a quiet sigh as she marveled at the sight of Ben quietly singing their girl into a peaceful sleep.
 
Not unlike her father, Hanna had felt the pull of the darkness from an early age, suffering from terrifying night terrors that only her Papa could soothe. 
 
He shared a special connection with her from the moment she was born, connected by a single, black thread that held onto their souls like a dark tether. Every once in a while, it would give a great tug, pulling them a little too far away from the light. 
 
Rey stepped up behind her husband, tracing her fingertips up the smooth, muscled expanse of his back to brush the chestnut hair from Hanna’s now peacefully sleeping face.
 
“She alright?” Rey’s murmur echoed on the whispers of moonlight, shifting Ben’s gaze to meet hers with a tender glimmer in his eye.
 
“For now,” he answered, holding the girl with every ounce of love he possessed as he gently laid her back in her bed. With a snug tuck of her blankets and lingering kiss on her forehead, Ben strode across the room and met his wife’s proffered hand with his own. His dark brows pressed together as he looked back to Hanna, so cozy in her bed, seemingly an ordinary little girl when she was so, so much more. “I worry about her. That...that she’s too much like me.”
 
Rey lifted his hand to her lips as his voice broke with his words, lifting her eyes to meet his as she sent a surge of love and comfort through their bond.
 
“Your darkness is part of who you are. Part of who she is. You found a way to overcome it...to control it. How lucky is Hanna to have you by her side, to understand what she sees and what she feels. I can...I can only help her a little, but you. She

needs

you, Ben. And she always will.”
 
Ben reached out and coiled his arms around her waist, pulling her as close to him as her swollen belly would allow. He palmed the curve of it with a sigh, lingering for a moment as their son pressed a foot against his father’s touch.
 
“It isn’t what I wanted for them. The pain of it. I wish I could take it away...and I hope that I am here for her how she needs as she gets older,” his voice was far away for a moment, until the smile returned to his face as the life inside her gave another nudge. 
 
Ben lifted his gaze to meet his wife’s, reaching up to rope her long braid around his hand before tilting her chin to meet her for a kiss.
 
Rey pulled away with a quiet hum, tucking her bottom lip into her mouth with her tongue to savor the taste of him on her mouth before giving his hand a tug.
 
“Take me to bed, Lord Ren,” she purred, stepping back down the corridor with a playful grin.
 
“Tired, Empress?” Ben let out a quiet chuff of laugher as that grin, the lopsided kind he’d inherited from his father, bloomed across his beauty mark speckled face.
 
“Not remotely,” Rey answered, blinking up at him as he sauntered towards her with a deliciously dark look in his eye. In a flash, Ben bent down and scooped his wife up in his arms and quickly strode the few steps to their bedroom.
 
And there, as they’d done countless times before, they spent the night reverently worshiping each other, wrapped up in the other’s arms as they answered the delectable call of their bond over...and over...and over again.
 
As time drifted by, carrying them along on the endless hyperlane of life, sometimes Ben wished he could linger in those quiet moments forever. Lost on a boundless expanse of Rey’s freckled flesh, where he’d map every corner of it with his mouth as her fingers wound themselves in his hair. Out of any place in the immeasurable corners of the galaxy, there was no place he loved to be more than wrapped up with her.
 
Yet, the time did move. It passed at a dizzying pace, so quickly that eventually, Ben couldn’t quite recognize the old man in the mirror.
 
Their children had grown up in what felt like a blink of an eye. 
 
The twins, Hanna and Anakin, had grown into powerful Force users, and while it wasn’t always easy for her, Hanna eventually found her balance. 
 
With Qema’s help, Rey and Ben founded a New Order of Grey Jedi. Raising a generation of warriors, taught not in the ways of the Dark or the Light - merely the Force.
 
Qema herself had grown more powerful than they ever could have imagined, and spent most of her time at the right hand of her father, diplomatically handling disputes across the galaxy and sometimes - not.
 
Their youngest boy - Varik - exhibited keen instincts from the time he was a toddler, but didn’t have any interest in honing those skills in the same way as his brother and sisters. Instead, he put them to use another way - soaring through the Nabooian skies over the Lake Country from the time he was a boy. He was an ace pilot before he was a man, and spent most of his time traipsing around the galaxy, exploring and documenting its history, and protecting precious artifacts with the point of a blaster if he needed to. 
 
Leia, who Ben was sure his father would have been amused by, was delightfully ordinary when it came to the Force, but exhibited talent in other ways. With a natural penchant for leadership, it was only natural for her to ascend as Empress when her father decided that he’d done enough for the galaxy. 
 
Tortured as he was for the better part of his young life, Ben found a special sort of peace with Rey by his side. They joyfully watched their daughter take her seat, surrounded by their grandchildren as a chapter closed in their wondrous life. 
 
They continued to live happily on Naboo for many years, but still made their way back to Coruscant to observe the students at the Praxeum, spend a few glorious moments in The Room of a Thousand Fountains, and even take in a performance at the opera.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The time went by, the same way as it always did, hurtling by like the speeder traffic in the square lanes high between the high rises on Coruscant, but as Ben and Rey Solo got older, and their grandchildren grew into adults before their eyes, it suddenly began to slow all over again.
 
Ben Solo had been a strong man. Huge and hulking, he towered over most people and creatures and never felt small - until he started to feel how his body changed as his youth was left far behind him.
 
Rey was the same, slender, but she held a special sort of strength that was different than Ben’s. Where his was forceful, explosive, and something more along the lines of a Reek charging at their enemy, Rey’s was something a little more graceful. Long and lean, she could fit places where others could not, leap over seemingly uncrossable crevices in the land, and could wield a lightsaber with such grace that all the students at the Praxeum looked to her with such awe it made her heart ache.
 
After a lifetime together, they weren’t the same people any longer, no matter how much they remained that way in their hearts. Having hung up their lightsabers many years prior, Ben and Rey spent their days strolling upon the lakeshore outside of Varykino.
 
The wind, as it always did, swept over the emerald green hill and ruffled the strands of white hair upon their heads, distorting the jeweled surface of the lake. The ruffled water closely resembled their faces, showing how age had taken its toll on fair skin, but leaving everything below the surface the same.
 
They could see the change in their reflections, and each wrinkle was a year in their life, every line at the corners of their mouths a happy moment committed to memory with a smile that etched itself permanently in their faces. 
 
Age was the gift that kept on giving, allowing them quiet moments to look back upon an extraordinary life well spent, and well earned. 
 
They shared those moments together, hand in hand as they’d done for over sixty years, sitting at the head of their table with their entire family surrounding them for a Life Day celebration. With smiles hovering on their faces, Rey and Ben looked over their family, listening intently to each conversation as it happened, filling their hearts, and the room, with the joyous laughter from even the smallest of babes.
 
Their family had grown through the years as their own children began to lose their youth to crows feet and silver hair, but the youth was always passed down through each generation. 
 
Rey beamed as she watched Qema, a stately woman now with a collection of diamonds on her face that showed what a wondrous life she’d lived - each one separately earned on a different adventure by her father’s side - as she murmured to her own granddaughter. She coiled the little girl’s dark hair around her fair, green finger, murmuring to her softly the tales of the ancient Jedi and the Sith…and how one man and one woman looked to change it all. 
 
It was a magical tale, one that Rey had heard a thousand times over the course of her life, and every word resonated like she’d lived it only minutes before.
 
The little one looked on with bright, violet eyes, listening intently as Qema told the story of a lost prince and a scavenger queen, and how they’d found each other across all space and time to turn the tide of the war and change the course of history forever.
 
“A thousand generations live in you, now,

khaki rlieula,”

Qema stated with a gentle brush of the little girl’s hair, echoing the very same name her mother had called her her whole life.
 
The sound of it on her daughter’s lips brought such joy to Rey’s heart, knowing that it was so well-loved that it was being passed down.  
 
Rey reached out to grasp her daughter’s hand, meeting her gaze with a squeeze of her fingers. Qema looked to her mother with a worried bend to her brows that Rey answered with a knowing smile and a nod.
 
A chorus of laughter pulled them from their shared look as Ben let out the loudest laugh of them all.
 
“When you’re as old as I am, kid, I promise you won’t look half this good.”
 
His shoulders shook with a boyish chuckle, crinkling the worn skin around his dark eyes, whose flecks of amber still burned as brilliantly as her first memory of seeing them on Ahch-to.  
 
Her husband reached for her hand beneath the table, sending a surge of love across their bond as his fingers twined through hers. Together, they sat back and observed their family -

their legacy

- marveling at how so simple a thing could turn into something so magnanimous and wonderful. How the pair of them had taken a life full of heartache and pain, and with each other, transformed it into a Force beyond all sense of their imaginations.
 
They found their joy there, in the smallest beauties of their life, and perhaps they shared more of an appreciation of the grand sense of it because of their trials and tribulations. Rey couldn’t put her finger on it, but the life they had built resembled something as pure and as resplendent as the purest morning light that dazzled her in the Nabooian morning. 
 
The places they found the most joy was nearly imperceptible by anyone who didn’t understand, who didn’t have the same view of the world and their place in it as Ben and Rey. It was something precious. Something to be admired and protected, because...you never knew when the Force would call you home.
 
The sun began to sink towards the horizon as their Life Day celebration carried on, painting the endless expanse of blue with brilliant flashes of crimson and gold that illuminated the way for the rising moons over the glittering surface of the lake.
 
As the day came to a close, the faces at their table began to dwindle, drifting away after a kiss and a fond farewell from each of their beloved little ones - even those who were long since grown.
 
Varykino grew quieter with each passing hour, the sounds of the symphony of laughter fading away until it was only the soft rush of water on the sandy shore outside their window that filled their home.
 
Rey strode towards the veranda, shuffling slowly on her old and tired feet, lifting her eyes to the brilliant blanket of starlight in time to see the last speeder slip away over the horizon.
 
Ben was waiting for her there, just as he had countless times before, and Rey swore that, for a moment, with his shoulders square and hands clasped behind his back, she saw the same young man who lived so affectionately in her memory. 
 
She stepped up beside him, slipped her hand in his and lifted her eyes to look upon the sky. The starlight drew their gaze heavens-bound, where the white-light shone all the brighter because of the darkness that acted as the canvas for the stars. It wasn’t unlike the two of them, a dazzling mingling of light and dark - a balance. Together, with the delicate strands energy the Force wove between them and around them, they shone brighter than the stars themselves.

With a gentle squeeze of his hand, Rey whispered softly, “Let’s go home, Ben.”
 
That night, as the blanket of stars furled out over them, Ben held his wife in his arms for one last time as they faded together into the Force - Forever joined as one being within the incandescent web of life that made up every inch of the Galaxy.
 
The Lost Prince and his Scavenger Queen.
 
His Stardust.