Chapter Text
Chapter 1:
The thick, densely carpeted forest muffled Rey’s footsteps as she carefully approached the stopped wagon. From the looks of the sleeping owner’s, she could expect to find plenty of valuable goods inside—enough that Unkar might grant her a decent meal for once.
The thought of eating something more than a hunk of crusty, dried bread was enough to alleviate any guilt the dark haired girl had about stealing from these people. Besides, based on their attire, they appeared to have good standing in the Empire—which everyone knew could only be gained by the most unsavory of means unless you got lucky.
Employing the tactics she’d picked up over the years, she tiptoed her way past the slumbering forms of the people to reach the wagon—which, of course, was left unprotected. Probably thought they would be free from thieves, Rey thought. Thought fear of the Empire would stop people. She held back a snort at the thought.
And now came the hard part of this: sifting through the goods without alerting anyone. When Rey had been much younger and still new at this, she had almost gotten caught numerous times and was forced to return to Unkar empty handed. If some of the older villagers hadn’t taken pity on her, she knew she wouldn’t have lasted a few months, let alone years.
But she had taught herself how to do it without making a sound, and so far it seemed to work.
Lifting the lid of the few trunks carefully, she peered inside to see if they had anything of value she could take. When she found something, she put it in the cloth bag by her side as quietly as possible.
Stealthily, efficiently—keeping an eye for any sign she had been spotted—Rey carefully filled her bag with an assortment of treasures.
Slipping away as quickly as she came—bag clutched tightly to her chest to muffle any clanking—she disappeared into the dark forest.
~
Sweat ran down Finn’s back as he parried another blow from his opponent. The sun had reached its highest peak, turning the training ground into practically a desert. All around him the familiar sounds of training echoed around him—clanging of swords, the soft whoosh of arrows, the thunk as axes and spears hit their mark.
Blocking another thrust from his opponent, Finn saw his chance and took it. He feinted to the right, and as the other man tried to block it, he swung around and held the blade of his sword against his neck.
A grin broke out across the man’s face as they both lowered their swords.
“You’re getting better at this every day, Finn,” his opponent—and basically friend, affectionately referred to as ‘Nines’ told him.
“You’re not too bad yourself,” the man said. Nines shook his head.
“I’m not the one Captain Phasma is looking at personally recruiting.”
With a clap on the shoulder, Finn was left standing alone on the training ground. He always felt uncomfortable whenever anyone brought up the special interest Captain Phasma seemed to have in him—he was no less skilled than any of the others he had trained with since birth! And yet the captain continued to show particular interest in him.
Sheathing his sword, Finn followed Nines out of the training grounds. The other man had already disappeared, so Finn decided to do a quick wash up and change.
He shared a room with a couple of other soldiers-in-training, including Nines. As a result none of them had many personal belongings, especially since they’d grown up under the watchful eye of the Emperor’s soldiers.
Sometimes Finn wondered about his parents—who they were, what they did, what made them give him up. It would be nice to have a last name, to have some sort of legacy—no matter how small—to live up to.
Grabbing his spare set of clothes, Finn quickly made his way to the small bathing area. A few fellow soldiers were already washing up but he paid them little attention as he quickly stripped and got into the water.
The bathing area was a small underground cave with an equally small lake in it. Finn had no idea how it had been discovered or what made them decide to use it as a bathing area for soldiers-in-training. He just knew the water felt good after the sparring he’d done.
Climbing out, he threw on his spare clothes and left, heading to see if there was anything that he needed to do before the mid-day break.
~
Jakku was a small village that lay on the outskirts of an endless desert. The forest Rey often frequented was a good half-day’s journey from it, causing Rey to often leave early and get back just before the inhabitants turned in for the night.
Such was the case as she made her way to Unkar’s house (naturally the biggest of the small ones around, which were practically shacks). She knocked on the door and waited.
The door opened a few seconds later to reveal a very rotund man, whose neck was hidden by his abnormally large chin. Unkar Plutt was easily the most despicable person in Jakku—here he was, obviously stuffing his face with food, while the rest of the village was practically starving.
“A bit late, aren’t you?” The slug of a man said.
“It was a long journey,” Rey simply replied, handing her bag over to Unkar. His beady eyes lit up with greed as he inspected the contents.
“A very good haul,” he commented. “Wait here.”
He disappeared back inside the house, and Rey waited as the candles in the windows began to be lit. A few minutes later Unkar came back with her bag. He handed it over to her.
Peering inside, Rey could faintly make out the shapes of food. Bread, definitely, and what looked like some cheese—the usual. But it looked like there was more than the usual amount.
Swallowing any objections, the dark haired girl told the man she’d be back with more tomorrow before turning and making her way through the silent village to her small home.
Letting a few candles—just enough to see by—Rey pulled the food out and safely hid it in one of the nooks she used to store valuables. The crusty, slightly moldy bread and aged cheese wasn’t anything like what her load warranted but at least she had enough to last her a good day or so provided she rationed it.
Tearing off a bit of the bread, she quickly ate it before blowing the candles out and climbing into her bed, hoping her luck might be better tomorrow.
~
Rey was up with the sun rising, her empty bag held in one hand as she sprinted towards the forest. Hopefully another traveler was passing through, and she would be able to take more goods. She really didn’t fancy having to wait an entire day to find just one thing that she could bring back to Unkar. True, her food would last another day so it wasn’t imperative she steal today, but the frequency of travelers passing through varied so a large stock always helped in case there was a sudden shortage in travelers.
The midday sun was at its highest peak when she reached the forest, and the dark haired girl welcomed the shade. She followed the well-worn path, making sure to stay concealed by the trees.
She knew this forest by heart, and knew exactly where the best places to find stopped wagons were. Only, they were empty this time—apparently they had already moved on. So she checked the clearings, finding the same result every time. It looked like she would have to wait and hope someone happened to stop.
Holding back a sigh, she found a semi comfortable place to sit and wait for a traveler to stop and take a break.
The heat from the sun was making her sleepy, and soon enough she found herself drifting off—only to be woken a little later by the sound of wheels. A traveler was passing through!
Immediately, Rey leapt to her feet and covertly followed the wagon. It wasn’t as big nor did it’s owners look anything near the royal status of yesterday’s, but it was something.
The wagon continued for a few yards before halting. Standing off to one side, Rey watching as the passengers and driver climbed down to settle in a nearby clearing—most likely to have lunch. Perfect.
Dashing to the wagon, she didn’t bother looking over the goods carefully: she just shoved it into her bag, hoping to make up for lost time.
Her bag was almost full when an explosion shattered the silence.
Rey desperately grabbed a few last random things and got the hell out of there, knowing the owners would be running back. She had to get far away—fast.
Unbeknownst to her, she was running in the direction of the explosion, only noticeable when she noticed smoke blanketing the air. Slowing, Rey covered her mouth and figured she could wait out here for a bit; the smoke would hide her.
Her feet hit something and she paused, bending down to get a good look at it through the smoke. It was…a stone. A beautiful, dark blue stone, perfectly round. And it happened to be in the center of whatever the explosion was.
Something told her to pick it up, even though she knew there was no way Unkar would take something like this—too much magic for his liking. But maybe she could work out a deal or something.
Picking up the stone, she carefully cradled it in one arm while keeping her bag clutched in the other and began the trek back to Jakku.