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The Skywalker sword was legendary. Every knight and dame knew about it- the sword that was passed on from parent to child in the Skywalker family. The legends told that the blue stone on the handle was a Force stone, containing the Force in it. But that was just a story.
Anakin Skywalker, a bastard of the lands of Tatooine, had been the first one to yield it. The sandy haired man had been a Jedi Knight and the Chosen One. He was born from the Force to a simple slave woman named Shmi Skywalker who worked for Watto, a small man. Growing up, Anakin had heard stories of the Jedi knights- the brave, selfless knights who were always ready to lend a helping hand. He wanted to become just like them, and when it was night and he couldn’t sleep he imagined himself in the Jedi robes and promised himself that one day he would be one. It came true, and one day he met two Jedi knights and the Queen of the Naboo kingdom. He went with them, leaving his mother to become a Jedi knight. He was legendary, every dame wanted to marry him. But he married Padmé Amidala, the queen, in secret. The two loved each other and they grasped every chance to see each other.
But the wielder of the Skywalker sword was conflicted. In the end he was seduced by Lord Palpatine and killed his wife. He choked her while she was pregnant with his children. She died in the arms of Anakin’s good friend, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, but not before giving birth to the children who would change the world for good. Luke and Leia Skywalker were born and then separated from each other, to keep them from Anakin who had become Lord Vader. Leia, the beautiful brunette with a temper that equaled her father, was sent to the Alderaan Kingdom. Luke, the blonde boy was taken to the lands of Tatooine to stay with his uncle and aunt by Jedi Kenobi who hid there, not far away.
History repeated itself, however, and Luke was swept away in an adventure and reunited with Leia after all those years. The twins met Han Solo and his loyal friend, Chewbacca. Together they defeated Vader, Luke wielding the Skywalker sword that he had received from Kenobi. They restored peace, but Luke paid the price- his hand was cut off by his own father and the Skywalker Sword disappeared with his severed hand.
Leia and Han Solo married and soon they had a child, Ben Solo. He was sent to his uncle who had gotten a new sword and there learned to become a Jedi. He heard the stories of the past and learned about the Skywalker Sword. Ben became almost obsessed with the sword and he felt he had to find it. He didn’t find it, because an old woman called Maz Kanata, a woman who owned a bar, had already found it. She kept it downstairs safely. Instead he found Vader’s mask. He had not yet heard that Vader was his grandfather, his family had hidden it from him. The Dark Side started speaking to him and Snoke, a dark Lord risen from the darkness seduced Ben with a promise of learning the truth. He told him that the Darkness was his real family, that he belonged there.
He fell for it and forgot about the Skywalker sword. It wasn’t important- he trained under Snoke. One day Maz Kanata met Leia. Leia, tired and old, had become a queen. Her relationship with Han had been a stormy one and he had left her. Maz had handed her the sword.
“I won’t use it, Maz.” Leia had said tiredly. “Keep it, please.”
“No, take it.” Maz had insisted. “One day someone who is worthy of the sword will show up and then you will know.”
Leia kept the sword in her castle in Alderaan while she fought against the tyranny of the First Order. She formed the Resistance and forgot about the sword. That was until the day a young scavenger and an ex stormtrooper showed up with the horse BB-8 and Poe Dameron, one of the captains in the Resistance whom Leia would trust her life with.
That was the day Leia met the one who was worthy of the Skywalker sword. It had been a normal day and Poe Dameron had left to find his horse BB-8 who had disappeared. Poe loved the horse more than anything, and because there wasn’t anything special going on, Leia had given him permission to find it. Leia was sitting in her throne room, looking at the sun through the stained glass as her head rested in her hands. Her whole body ached and she was restless. She had been ever since the First Order had risen. The balance in the Force had shifted and Leia, who was very force-sensitive, felt it everywhere. But the whole land felt it, too, and the harvest was not as good as before.
The door opened and Jessika Pava, another Resistance fighter, entered. She gathered her skirts and bowed before her queen.
“Queen Organa, Poe Dameron is back with BB-8 and two guests,” she said, her dark hair braided in a nice plait swinging over her shoulder.
“Guests?” Leia asked.
“A scavenger girl and a man,” Jessika replied. “Can I send them in?”
“Please do,” Leia said, interested. Jessika left and then came in with Poe who smiled and bowed in front of his queen. Behind him stood two people, one of whom a scrawny girl dressed in a brownish long dress and who wore her dark hair in three buns. It would have looked stupid on any other person, but on the girl it almost seemed fashionable. The man wore Poe’s signature coat and had dark cropped hair.
“Captain Dameron, who have you brought with you?” Leia asked.
“Queen Organa, I present to you Miss Rey from the city of Jakku and Finn Storme, an ex-trooper,” Poe replied.
Leia pursed her lips at the mention of a trooper.
“Finn was a soldier for the First Order, your highness.” The girl, Rey stepped in front. “But he left. He is a good person and couldn’t kill for them. You can’t possibly judge him for what they did to him. They took him from his parents when he was just a baby!”
After a long moment of silence, Rey had realized what she had done. She had spoken to the Queen in a very disrespectful tone.
“I apologize, Majesty,” Rey said, and bowed.
Leia smiled. “Nothing to apologize for, Miss Rey. Actually, I like your spunk.”
Rey looked up, met Leia’s smile, and grinned.
Leia had found the daughter she had always wanted in Rey. Rey and Finn stayed at the palace, and the two of them joined the Resistance. Finn worked with Poe, Leia had asked Poe to help Finn around after she had heard the gossip that he had a crush on Poe. Meanwhile she decided that she had to teach Rey to read in her spare time. The girl had never learned it and Leia had develop a strong connection with Rey, like a mother and daughter. Rey devoured the books Leia gave her and Leia couldn’t help but be fascinated by the bright girl who spread happiness everywhere she went. If Han was here he would say ‘she’s too goddamned cute’.
Rey was interested in the Skywalker family and Leia told her the story It was difficult for her, but Rey was practically begging to hear it. So Rey got to hear about Ben Solo who had been seduced by darkness and had become Lord Kylo Ren. Of course Rey had heard about the Dark Lord that was part of the group that terrorized everyone, but she had not known that Ben Solo was Leia’s son. Leia had at first not wanted to tell Rey but one night when the two were sitting around the table and Leia was feeling sentimental, she told Rey, making her promise to never tell anyone.
How could that rough, murdering tyrant be the son of such a wonderful woman who radiated light? She tried not to think about it too much, but she caught herself too many times at night when she couldn’t sleep thinking about how his face would look like. Finn had told her that Ren always wore a mask that he supposedly never took off. Would he have Leia’s kind, dark eyes or Han’s nose? Or maybe both? Rey had seen a painting of King Solo and had found him quite a dashing man. Would the monster look beautiful?
“A penny for your thoughts.”
Rey looked up to see Finn standing in front of her, holding an apple in his calloused hands. He tossed it to her and Rey took a bite from it. The two of them were outside under Rey’s favorite tree next to the lake.
“I was just thinking about Queen Leia’s lessons,” Rey murmured. No way was she going to admit to her best friend that she had been daydreaming about Kylo Ren. Finn hated the man. He said he was a mass murderer and that you could better avoid him.
“I still can’t believe that she let us stay here, I keep wondering when she wants us to leave, it’s been some months,” Finn said. “She’s really generous.”
“Yeah,” Rey agreed, standing up and throwing an arm around Finn.
“Rey? Remember what I promised you when we came here?” Finn asked.
Rey smiled at him. He was such a good man.
“Of course. You would take me to the greenest place in the world,” Rey laughed.
“We’re going this weekend. The Queen said we could go and Poe’s lending us some of his horses,” Finn said.
Rey’s eyes widened, processing what he had just said and then hugged him, squealing loudly.
“Yes!”
Finn laughed. “I knew you were going to react just like this, peanut.” He ruffled her hair. “Hey, did the Queen tell you there were going to be visitors?”
Rey looked at the group of people who were now standing in front of the castle.
“No,” Rey said, gathering her skirts. “Let’s see what’s going on.”
In the throne room in front of Leia a group of angry farmers and their families had gathered. Rey and Finn came in through the backdoor, staying in the background.
“We want to know why all our crops are dead!” One man yelled angrily. His wife nodded.
“Aren’t you Force-sensitive, queen!?” A young woman said loudly. “Why’s the Force doing this to us? We’re all going to starve!”
“The Force is out of balance,” Leia said, trying to get over the discontented sounds of the people.
“Well then get it back in balance!” someone yelled. “Or can’t you? You’re just an old woman!”
That was enough for Rey. She took the dagger from her belt that she had gotten from Poe and walked over to the man who had insulted Leia.
“Show some respect for your Queen!” Rey spat, holding the blade against his neck. Everyone immediately went silent and when Rey had realized what she had done she put the dagger away immediately.
Rey hadn’t wanted to do this, she just wanted to show that they could not just disrespect their Queen. She had gone too far, she realized that, but it felt good at the same time. She felt more in control.
Was this how Ben Solo had been seduced? No, Rey told herself- this wasn’t the time for thoughts like that.
Leia frowned, looking at Rey. She had noticed the changes in Rey, getting irritated more easily and her fidgeting, but this was new.
“I will do what I can,” Leia promised, “Please leave,”
Everyone, still a little bit shocked, left murmuring and Rey was now alone with the Queen and Finn.
“Rey, what was that?” Finn asked, his eyes filled with worry. “I know you care about Queen Leia, but that was really aggressive.’
“I just...I got angry. Can’t I get angry anymore?” Rey asked, crossing her arms. “Queen Leia, what he said to you was disrespectful!”
“No, what he said was the truth, Rey.” Leia replied, standing from her throne. “I’m getting old. Not very old, but I’m tired. The imbalance in the Force is affecting me. I feel...I’m going to die soon.”
“No, that’s nonsense!” Rey cried. She could not imagine her mother figure dead. In the past months Leia had been nothing but kind to her. No, she wasn’t going to die soon. Not if Rey could do anything about it.
“What can be done to restore the balance in the Force?” Rey asked, her hand in Leia’s small one.
“It all started with Kylo. If Ben came back to the light and my brother came out of hiding it could be restored,” Leia sighed. “But that’s just speculation, child. For now, I need to rest.”
Finn helped Queen Leia out of the throne room, leaving Rey all alone. She sat down on the floor, thinking about what the Queen had said. If Ben Solo and Luke Skywalker came back, then Leia would live, then the Force would be balanced again...right?
Rey knew what she had to do.
At night, when everyone in the palace was asleep, Rey packed her things and some food she had taken from the kitchen in a bag. She dressed in the pants she always wore under her skirt. If she was going to ride BB-8 then she was going to do it the easy way, not with a skirt.
Before she had retired for the evening she had hugged Finn, who suspected nothing. She had said her goodbyes, as inconspicuously as possible. She comforted herself with the thought that the chances were good she would be back in a month or so and that she was going to do good.
But what if I die? Or Lord Ren doesn’t want to help me? Or I can’t find Luke Skywalker? Those thoughts plagued her and brought her anxiety.
Thoughts raced through her head while she walked the halls bathed in the light from chandeliers. She looked one last time at the painting of King Solo who looked at her as if he wanted to say “Go get ‘em, girl.”
Rey smiled at the man but then froze when she heard a cough behind her. She turned around, seeing the Queen in her nightgown. Her heart skipped a beat.
“You’re leaving, Rey,” Leia said. She wasn’t asking. Rey nodded.
“I’ll be back. With them,” Rey promised.
Leia said nothing. She walked over to Rey, taking her hands.
“Oh, Rey…,” Leia said. “I understand.”
Rey watched how the elder woman walked over to a nearby cabinet and opened it. Her dark eyes sparkled in the almost darkness. Out of the cabinet she took the Skywalker Sword. Rey’s eyes widened and looked at the blue stone on the handle.
“Rey, I know I can’t stop you from leaving,” Leia said. “But please take this. Take this sword with you. You’ll need it.”
“I can’t take it, my Queen. I’m not a Skywalker- I don’t deserve to wield that sword,” Rey said.
“You do, Rey. You’re worthy. Please take it.”
There was something in Leia’s voice that silenced Rey’s protests and made her reach out to take it. Leia handed it to her, her fingers brushing briefly against Rey’s.
“Be safe. And please, bring them back.”
There was hope in Leia’s beautiful eyes for the first time. There were no words to say anymore and Rey turned around, took a deep breath, and ran.
It was cold outside and the moon shone brightly. It was eerily silent while Rey rode on BB-8 with a leg on each side of him, like a man would. Nobody was here now, so she wouldn’t be chastised for it. Poe would hopefully forgive her for stealing BB-8.
Rey thought about Finn. How would he react when he woke up tomorrow and went to eat breakfast and she wouldn’t be here? Would he be angry or understand? No, he would understand, the sweet man. He was the kindest, most wonderful man she had ever met. Always ready to help.
No, he would be irritated she hadn’t asked him to go with her, but he would understand. And when she came back he would be there to hug her and tell her she’d done great. That brought a smile to her face.
Then, she thought about Kylo Ren. The place she would go first was the caves where the First Order was supposedly located. He was probably there. She would explain the situation and ask him for his help. Didn’t he always claim that he knew everything about the Force? He should know how to make everything right again.
Meanwhile she would bring him back to the Light and together they would find Luke Skywalker. Then she would ask Skywalker to teach her to become a Jedi and she would become the greatest Jedi there ever was. Leia would be reunited with her son and Finn would be proud of her.
The plan was set. She had no time to waste. The whole night she never stopped to take a break. BB-8 was a wonderful horse and Rey promised herself that when she got back she would make sure BB-8 was treated with a feast of carrots and apples.
When the sun was up and burned on her head she finally stopped, letting BB-8 drink from a lake while she ate some of her food. The wind ruffled her hair and Rey wondered what Leia was telling Finn now. Playing with the soft grass that still held some dampness, Rey enjoyed just being in nature silently. It was peaceful here. Rey wanted to stay here.
But she had to go. For Leia.
She rode another five days, eating the apples in the trees and drinking from the lakes. At night she slept under the stars. She was used to it. Next to her the Skywalker sword shone in the moonlight. Rey couldn’t imagine fighting with such a graceful and legendary weapon. She liked her dagger more- it was rough, just like her.
She hadn’t seen many people during her journey, only a noblewoman who was out riding with her fiancé that had visited Alderaan some time ago,and some farmers busy in their fields. Everyone treated her with respect, staring at the sword.
Instinctively she would always tighten her hold on it when she saw their looks.
But at last she reached her destination, the caves. It looked very dark and she couldn’t imagine hundreds of people living down there. She almost wanted to turn around- she had a bad feeling about this. Then, a tough looking female came out with almost white blonde cropped hair. Rey bit her lip. This was it.
“Excuse me?” she asked, jumping off of BB-8 and walking over to the woman. She looked down at Rey.
“Yes?”
“I’m Rey. I’m here because I need to speak with Kylo Ren,” Rey said as confidently as she could. The woman’s lips curled up.
“You want to speak with the Lord?”
“Yes,” she replied. “He claims to know everything about the Force.”
“Well, I don’t know about that, but Snoke certainly does,” The woman said, shaking Rey’s hand. “I’m Captain Phasma.”
“Well Miss Phasma-”
“I prefer Captain,” Phasma said. “Come with me, I’ll see if he has some time. But I’ll warn you, girl, he has been in a bad mood lately. What’d you need from him?”
‘That’s private,” Rey said. No way she was going to tell Phasma about Leia. She wouldn’t be allowed in then.
“I see. Come with me,” Captain Phasma said, her eyes sparkling.
Ren’s headache was getting worse by the minute. Hux’s constant hammering about things that needed to be done wasn’t helping. The red head’s purpose on this world was probably to make him miserable, Kylo thought. The two of them were sitting in the throne room, the room illuminated by many candles. The first time Kylo had been in here he had felt like the dark room was going to swallow him whole. Now he actually liked it- the dark earthy room a safe haven where he could go when everything was just a little bit too much.
Someone knocked on the door and Kylo thanked heaven for this interruption. Any longer and he would have beheaded Hux.
The door opened, revealing Phasma.
“Why are you still here?” Hux asked with a sour face. “Weren’t you leaving for a month?”
“I’m leaving in a moment. Kylo, there’s a girl here who needs to talk to you,” Phasma said. Hux frowned at Kylo.
“Who?” Kylo asked.
“A girl named Rey,” Phasma said.
Behind Phasma a young girl stepped in. A ripple went through the Force and Kylo felt it. This girl was one with the Force, but he couldn’t figure if she was light or dark. It was a mix, a battle inside of her. Immediately curious he leaned forward.
“I’m going to brief Snoke on the last mission,” Hux said.
The ginger didn’t mean it, but right now it didn’t matter. Hux left together with Phasma and Kylo was left alone with the girl.
“I’m Rey. I’m here because I need your help,” she said, coming closer.
“With what?” Kylo asked, gesturing for her to sit down in front of him.
“Your mother is dying, Ben Solo,” Rey said, her dark eyes piercing.
“You have mistaken me with another, Rey. I’m not Ben Solo and don’t have a mother,” Kylo said, pursing his lips.
“No, you have a mother. Her name is Leia and she’s dying. It’s the Force, it’s unbalanced. And not only that, it’s affecting the whole land. Don’t say you haven’t noticed it,” Rey said.
Kylo didn’t say anything. He hadn’t been expecting this.
“I know you aren’t completely Dark. Please, just come back. For your mother.”
Kylo almost wanted to laugh at this girl’s naivety. Did she really think she could show up and tell a sob story about his mother to make him come with her?
“Do you like Leia?” Kylo asked her eventually. She smiled softly.
“She is like a mother to me. She has been so generous. She even taught me to read. She’s a kind, fair lady,” Rey said, the words just rolling out of her mouth.
“Then she must have changed a lot,” Kylo growled. “Because when Ben Solo was a young child, she didn’t care about her family. She was always busy and sent her son away because she was scared of his powers. She detested him.”
“You ungrateful little…” Rey hissed. “You had the chance to learn from Luke Skywalker and become a Jedi. You had a family and a bed to sleep in and food to eat every day. You know how many people would kill for that?”
“Just leave,” Kylo said. “Don’t try to bring me back, because I don’t want to go there. I don’t belong there. I’ve never belonged there. Here is my family.”
“This land and your mother are dying!” Rey yelled while he stood up and turned away from her. “Are you really the heartless monster they say you are?!”
“You are a naive dreamer to think that I care about them,” Kylo murmured. “Go away. Go back to wherever you came from.”
“No! I know you still love your mother.” Rey yelled, standing up and pushing the chair away.
Kylo swallowed thickly. “I’m done here.”
“No, please you can’t just send me away!” Rey begged. “When Leia dies I will lose my new family… please, just…”
Kylo turned around, staring at her.
“If you truly are so Dark, then let me test you,” Rey started. “Let me stay one week and at the end if I haven’t convinced you to come back I will leave you alone.”
His lips curled up. So she wanted to play a game? He would show her how it was played.
After half an hour Rey started wondering if the handmaiden’s lips were sewn closed or if she had no tongue. The whole time she had been shuffling around Rey’s room, cleaning and putting the dresses that had been brought in, in the wardrobe, she hadn’t said a word. Apparently there was another officer who wore the same dresses
“So what’s your name?” Rey asked from the bed.
The blonde looked up, her blue eyes locking with Rey’s and then she went on with her work, saying nothing.
Rey liked her new quarters. It was more luxurious than at Leia’s palace, but there were no windows. Not surprising considering they were underground, but Rey had come to like opening her window at stressful moments and just let the breeze caress her face. The handmaiden left and Rey was alone to think about what she had gotten herself into.
The master of Ren, Smoke or whatever his name was, had actually given her permission to test him. In his own words, “It would be good for him to be tested, to show his loyalty to me. It would be a good lesson.”
But Smoke had warned her that if Kylo left with her, he wouldn’t let them go quietly. He would hunt them down around the world and there would be no place for them to hide. She had nodded like an obedient lady should, but her fingers were crossed behind her back. She had to bring him back, for Leia, and she wasn’t going to be intimidated by an old man with gray ugly skin and eyes that seemed to pierce right through her.
But how was she going to do that? She had to think of something, the clock was ticking and she couldn’t fail.
Rey ate dinner in an empty dining room. Food was brought in, much better than the food she had been eating for the last few days. She was a bit unsettled that Ren hadn’t showed up. She had been expecting him to eat dinner with her.
After she had eaten some soup she started to get really irritated. The stupid man would just let her eat alone. He sure was a good host, she thought while gritting her teeth. If he wasn’t going to talk to her all week, how could she convince him to come back?
She pushed her bowl away, sighing loudly. Time to find Ren. If he wasn’t going to come to her, then she would go to him. She pushed open the door and stopped an officer.
“Excuse me, do you know where I can find Kylo Ren?” Rey asked him. The man looked shocked.
“You want to talk to Ren?” the man stuttered. “He’s probably in his room eating,”
Rey followed the man through the halls. It seemed Ren’s room was very remote, Rey thought. Eventually the stopped in a dark hall.
‘There, that room is his.’ The man murmured. ‘I have to go, excuse me.’
He almost ran away. Rey shrugged, walking over to the door and knocking three times. It reminded her of the times she many times she would knock on Finn’s door to go eat dinner with him. A knot formed in her stomach. She missed Finn.
The door opened. Ren, with his mask on stood in the door opening.
“What are you doing here?” He asked.
“Rude,” Rey said. “I want to talk and eat with you.”
“That won’t be possible, I can’t eat with my mask on.” He said, leaning against the door post.
“When will we talk then. I’m here to convince you to come with me, how am I going to do that if you hide away here all the time?” Rey asked, walking past him. His room was clean, almost empty. It missed some personality, Rey thought. In her room the wall was covered with drawings Finn made and Jessika had helped Rey make a green bedspread.
“Go away.” Ren said behind her.
“Tell me about your father.” She asked, turning around to him. “I want to know more about him.”
“He was a fool, nothing more than that.” Ren said. “Are you satisfied?”
“No. But if you won’t talk, I will.” Rey sat down on one of his chairs. “I’ll tell you about Jakku.”
He groaned, but closed the door and sat down also.
“You have five minutes and then I’m throwing you out.”
He didn’t throw her out and after five minutes he was actually interestedly listening to her stories. He didn’t show it off course, but Rey knew that he was enjoying it. It was probably her imagination but she thought she could hear a soft chuckle when she told him something funny.
“That reminds me of the time Han Solo had to take care of Ben Solo for a day.’ Ren told her and Rey sipped of the wine he had given her. ‘It was a disaster, Ben fell twice and Leia was furious.”
Rey laughed. “He wasn’t the best father, right?”
“He was an rascal, he wasn’t used to having to care for someone else too.” Ren admitted and Rey thought about that in comfortable silence.
“Tell me more about Unkar Plutt.” Ren asked after some time. Rey put her wine away and started talking again. They talked the whole night until Rey almost fell asleep. The words just rolled out of her mouth, it felt like she had known Ren for years, she felt almost comfortable around him.
There was a brief goodbye and Rey was escorted to her room by the handmaiden where she was helped out of her dress. While the attendant helped her into her nightgown and brushed Rey’s hair, Rey felt like she was floating. It was probably the wine she had drunk, right? And the good food and how tired she was. It certainly had nothing to do with the company.
After a good night’s rest where she dreamt of Leia’s wrinkled face and her motherly smile, breakfast was brought to her room. The handmaiden was already getting clothes ready for her and Rey tried to toss her an orange.
“Eat one, it’s so early. Have you already eaten?”
The handmaiden didn’t respond but she ate the orange. Rey dressed herself. Staring at herself in the mirror, she thought about the differences between Finn and Ren.
Finn was kind, familiar, and a good listener. He was like a brother to her and she always felt very comfortable around him.
Kylo was different, new and interesting. She had told him her whole life story in one night. He was an interesting conversationalist, he was dark.
And that pulled Rey in, to her shame. Leia herself had said that she was so light, but now Rey wasn’t so sure. The incident with the knife and the farmers for one. And the fact that she had actually enjoyed the company of a mass murderer!
‘Maybe because you see yourself in him.’ Her inner voice whispered to her.
No! She was nothing like him.
She stood up, putting the ivory comb she had been doing her hair with away. She was not here to sit in front of a mirror and go on about Kylo. She was here for Leia, remember. Now she just had to find Kylo and maybe ask him about the Force. That could never hurt.
“I’ll see you later,” she said, gathering her skirts together and running out of her room, leaving the surprised handmaiden behind.
Rey roamed the halls searching for Kylo but after an hour she still hadn’t found him. The troopers she had stopped to ask his whereabouts all ignored her like she was air. Rey was furious. She could have anticipated that Kylo would be busy and wasn’t going to be a perfect host like Leia would have been, but just leaving her alone all morning and not even once checking in on her? Letting her just be ignored? That was being a horrendous host!
In her anger she pushed open a door and stumbled in, revealing an indoor garden. It was beautiful, green everywhere with dashes of color. It reminded her painfully of Finn’s promise to go somewhere green. That thought she hastily pushed away. Not important now. She heard water- there were many fountains here.
Nobody else was around and Rey sighed loudly. Peace. It was almost strange that the First Order would have a garden so beautiful. It was a stark contrast against the orderly army and their officers, but Rey wasn’t complaining.
She could stand here forever, admiring it all.
Somebody coughed behind her and Rey turned around, her heart skipping a beat. Maybe she wasn’t supposed to be here?
It was a man, taller than her, muscled and dressed plainly. His dark curls looked so soft that Rey wanted to reach out and touch them. His dark eyes locked with hers. He was handsome, Rey thought, and at least didn’t act like she was air.
“Normally nobody’s here,” The man said, taking her hand in his and kissing her knuckles like a gentleman should. “I’m Benjamin.”
“I’m Rey,” she said, flushing.
“Rey. Aren’t you the guest of Lord Ren?” Benjamin asked, still not letting go of her hand.
“Yes. I was actually just searching for him but that idiot is nowhere to be found.”
Benjamin chuckled. “He’s probably just busy. Do you want to see the best place in this garden?”
Rey nodded and like two teenagers holding hands for the first time they ran through the garden, Rey almost tripping over her skirts and Benjamin laughing every time she gasped in awe at seeing something new.
Eventually he showed her the most beautiful place in the garden- a group of sunflowers. Rey touched one softly. She had never seen a sunflower before and she already liked them. Benjamin just looked on.
It was as if they clicked right from the moment they met, and it was strange. But Rey was enjoying his company far too much to worry about it. He was funny, telling her jokes that made her burst out in tears from laughter and was a real gentleman. She had totally forgotten about Kylo Ren.
She helped Benjamin plant some seeds for new flowers, something Rey was immediately good at.
“So you’re from Alderaan?” Benjamin asked.
“Yes, from Leia’s Kingdom. She’s like a mother to me,” Rey said, smiling.
“I’ve been to Alderaan once,” Benjamin said. “I liked it there.”
“Where do you come from?” Rey asked him while she put another seed into the ground.
“I’m from everywhere. I’m not really bound to one place,” Benjamin explained.
When it was almost evening, Rey remembered that she had to go back to her room. “I’m sorry, but tonight I have dinner with Smoke and Ren.”
Benjamin laughed loudly. “Smoke?”
“Yes, that old gray man that’s the boss?” Rey asked, a little bit embarrassed.
“His name is Snoke, Rey,” Benjamin told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Did you think it was Smoke?”
“That’s what Ren told me. I must’ve misheard,” Rey said and smiled at him. “Will I see you again?”
“Definitely. Tomorrow.”
He kissed her knuckles once more and then Rey left. She could not arrive late at such an important dinner. But she would’ve preferred to stay with Benjamin.
Dinner was uncomfortable, for everyone except Snoke. Hux was also there, the ginger that looked very angry, and two other people that Rey hadn’t seen before but were probably very high in the First Order.
“So tell me, child, how are you enjoying your stay?” Snoke asked, his voice low.
“I like it here, sir,” Rey said politely. “It is very orderly here.”
“For the order we have Hux,” Snoke laughed loudly. Hux snarled, not happy with the praise he was getting.
“So tell me, is Queen Leia very ill?” Snoke asked after some time. Rey looked up from her plate.
“She is not feeling well, but she’s still up,” Rey said. It was a lie, but she did not know how much she should tell this man. She played a little bit with the white bread she was supposed to eat.
While the others talked about things that she didn’t understand, she thought about Benjamin. Was he eating now? Was he thinking about her? She hoped that she would see him again. He was wonderful. She could feel her cheeks warming up just thinking about him.
No, she could not fall in love. Not even a little crush. She was here to get Kylo back, not to fall in love with a gardener. How charming he was didn’t matter.
“Are you alright, Lady Rey?” Hux asked from across the table. “You look a little bit flushed.”
Everyone looked at her and Rey blushed even more. “I just feel a little bit feverish,” she said quickly. “Could I be excused?”
“Of course,” Snoke said. “Please rest a bit, Lady.”
Rey nodded, bowing, and then left.
Rey dreamt that she was in the garden again, but it was no longer beautiful. All the flowers were black and she was stuck in the plants, not allowed to move. Kylo Ren was there, wearing that horrible mask. He was saying something she could not hear and she tried to run away. She fell and was caught by Benjamin who wasn’t very nice anymore. A knife in his hand, he tried to attack her and-
Somebody was shaking her awake. Rey gasped for air and woke up, darkness surrounding her. It had all been a dream. She focused on breathing normally again but almost had a heart attack when she saw who had woken her. It was Benjamin.
“What are you doing in my bedroom!?” Rey asked angrily, a hand on her chest. Her heart was beating harder than was possible.
“I needed to talk to you,” Benjamin said, sitting down on the bed and taking her hands in his. “I have to do something difficult.”
“What do you mean?” Rey asked in confusion.
“I can’t explain, but I need your advice. I know what I need to do is the right thing but it’s going to be hard and I might die,” he said.
“What in the heavens are you talking about, Benjamin, this sounds dangerous!” Rey exclaimed. He was stroking her hair now.
“You’ll understand later. You’re so beautiful Rey, so pretty…” He was scaring her now. He was acting nothing like in the garden.
“Benjamin, you’re acting really strange now,” Rey said, pushing away his hand. “Please, whatever it is, we can talk about it.”
He leaned in and pecked her lips. It was her first kiss and it felt soft and lovely. Warm. The press of his lips on hers was pleasant and she kissed him back. His hands were on her waist and when they parted they were both breathing heavily.
“Now I know,” Benjamin whispered. And then he left.
Rey touched her swollen lips, butterflies flying around in her stomach. What had happened? What had he decided? Rey couldn’t sleep anymore, but that didn’t matter.
She was in love.
The next morning Rey hurriedly ate her breakfast and then went to the garden, hoping to find Benjamin there. He wasn’t, and she sat down on one of the benches. Had he left her? Had she done something wrong?
Rey walked over to the sunflowers. Her lips tingled- they hadn’t stopped since last night.
“You came back.”
Rey turned around and, just like yesterday, saw Benjamin behind her, relief washing over her.
He embraced her and she buried her face in his chest. It was a hug that made her feel safe and fuzzy inside, something she wasn’t used to.
“I thought you left,” she said.
“No,” Benjamin said, kissing her hand. “I realize that I was acting really strangely last night and I’ll have to explain that.”
“You were scaring me,” Rey admitted. “What were you talking about?”
They sat down on the bench together.
“You know my first name,” Benjamin said, “but not who I am.’
“Lady Rey!”
Rey looked up from their hands intertwined on her lap. It was her handmaiden hurrying down the stone steps of the garden. She looked distressed.
“What are you doing here?” the woman asked insistently.
“I was just…” Rey said. The woman grabbed her.
“There’s news,” she said. She had a nice warm voice, Rey suddenly realized. “You’ve got to come with me.”
Rey let go of Benjamin’s hands in worry. Something was wrong, she could feel it.
“I’m sorry, I’ll be right back,” Rey promised to him, and he stroked her hair and nodded. Rey followed the handmaiden outside.
“So you can talk?” Rey asked. The handmaiden didn’t say anything, just walked further.
“What is wrong?” Rey asked again, having to hurry to keep up with the woman.
“I can’t tell. Lord Snoke wants to speak to you,” The handmaiden said finally, her eyes clouded with worry.
The doors opened to reveal Snoke’s room. Snoke sat on his throne, Kylo Ren and Hux at his sides. The doors closed behind her with a loud boom and Rey knew she was in the lion’s den.
“Ah, Lady Rey!” Snoke said. “How nice to see you again!”
“What is going on?” Rey asked, wishing she had her sword with her.
“There is news,” Hux said. “From Alderaan.”
“When go home,” Snoke rasped. “You will be greeted with black flags, my child.”
Rey frowned. Black flags were only there when somebody important had died. Hux’s lips curled into a smile and Snoke chuckled softly.
“Queen Leia has passed.”
It was like someone had ripped something away from Rey. Like a bully would rip a doll out of a child’s arms. The memory of Leia just faded away in the smoke, impossible to grasp. The news smacked her right in the face- she was unprepared.
And Snoke seemed to enjoy her shock at Leia’s death. It was to be expected of course, they were enemies and Rey knew that. They had killed many of the Resistance. But to see these people rejoice that such a fair and kind lady had died was too much.
“You!” Rey yelled, pointing at Ren. “This is your fault!”
He had taken this mother from her, he! Just because he had to stay here. Darkness overtook her, all the rage she had in her lithe body bundled together in her chest and powered her- it made her invincible.
With a loud scream that chilled everyone to the bone she flung Kylo through the room like he was nothing, like he was a rag doll ready to be commanded by her. Tears streamed down her face and she wanted him dead, that murderer! She imagined her strong hands around his throat. She imagined him dying for everything he had done, for all the lives he had taken and ruined.
It was too much, and now everything was going wrong. Leia was gone.
“Murderer!”
“Hold her down!”
She was pushed to the floor by some troopers and she tried to breathe normally again. She calmed down a little bit, and slowly all the anger left her body. When she saw Ren on his knees, gasping through his mask she realized what she had done.
She had Force choked him. She had used the power of the Dark Side. She looked up, her eyes glossy with tears and saw how Snoke smirked.
‘Good… good…’ he murmured.
She felt horrible as soon as she realized she had been played like a fiddle. She was just a puppet in his eyes and now she had shown her true colors.
“See, Ren, my apprentice, not even this girl can resist the dark side,” Snoke said.
Rey stood up, trembling.
“You… you are the true monster,” she yelled. “You are a manipulating murderer. I hope you all die!”
In the gardens Benjamin was nowhere to be found, but that wasn’t important right now. She needed some time to think, to calm down.
Leia was dead. Rey should’ve hurried more, to save her, but she had been dining with Kylo instead! Guilt threatened to eat her alive. There was no way she would be able to return to Alderaan. She couldn’t face those people and be reminded of Leia every minute.
She would leave tonight and not tell anyone. She would find Luke Skywalker, he would know what to do. He was the best Jedi, he was a wise man. She feared she was becoming dark, but she couldn’t become such a monster like Ren. Never. Luke would give her some lessons and she would feel normal again, she knew it.
Benjamin crossed her mind only once, but Rey pushed the kisses and butterflies away. She couldn’t stay and he wouldn’t come with her.
“Rey.”
Rey looked up, staring at Ren’s mask.
“Go away,” she spat. “Don’t even breathe in the same room as me.”
“Rey,” he began again.
“No!” she yelled. “ I want some time alone!”
He still didn’t leave and Rey balled her hands into fists.
“Rey, I need your help.”
Rey sniffed. She had choked him and was obviously very angry at him and he had the nerve to ask for her help? Was he crazy?
“Listen up, you…”
“I want to kill Snoke.”
It was night, the sun had already kissed the horizon and Rey was dressed in her pants once again. Carrying the Skywalker sword she hurried through the halls, following Ren. This would be an historic night, a night that people would tell in stories.
They were going to butcher Snoke in his own bed. Ren had told her that to bring the Force in balance, Snoke had to be killed.
“You wait outside,” Ren instructed, the night breeze playing with his dark robe. Rey nodded.
The sword felt good in her hands. If she had to fight, and she doubted she wouldn’t, she would win. He unlocked the door with a force trick and went inside.
It was silent for a long time and something felt wrong. Something horrible was going to happen, Rey felt it. It felt like someone was watching her and when she heard a little shuffle her heart skipped a beat.
Should she go inside?
“Get down!” A male voice yelled, a voice Rey would recognize from anywhere. A voice that belonged to the person who would always be there for her. She dropped to the floor without any hesitation.
A sharp arrow bore in the wooden door, right where her head had been a moment ago. Rey stopped breathing. She heard yelling, clashing of swords- there in the darkness, two people were fighting.
Her heart was beating so loudly that she wondered if Ren could hear it from inside. Her grip on the sword tightened.
“Rey?” Finn yelled. “Are you alright?”
Rey breathed again, relieved. “I’m alright.”
She stood up, seeing a dead trooper lying on the floor basking in moonlight. He had a bow in his hand.
She hugged Finn. “Why are you here?” she asked.
“Do you think I would let you have an adventure without me, peanut?” Finn teased, kissing her forehead.
Rey laughed. Now everything was going to be all right.
“We have to wait for Kylo,” Rey said, letting go of Finn.
“Kylo?”
“Kylo Ren,” Rey explained. “He’s going to kill Snoke.”
“Lord Ren?” Finn asked in disbelief.
“Yes,” Rey said. “Then we can go.”
Both heard a loud noise from Snoke’s room. They looked at each other and Rey pushed the door softly open. Inside Ren was on the ground, Snoke towering above him with his dagger.
“So now you betray me, apprentice.” The old man growled.
Snoke didn’t notice Rey and Finn behind him, too busy with the man that had betrayed him.
“All those years I’ve cared for you like you were my own son. I’ve held you, saved you, loved you! And now you betray me…”
Silence.
“You are scum, just like your family, and now you will die, just like them.”
“No!” Rey yelled, the sword moved in her hand almost on his own accord and, like she killed old Force users every day, she sliced Snoke’s head from his body.
Everything went so fast.
He fell down and Rey could feel him dying, his force imprint disappearing. Then Rey saw what Snoke had done before she had killed him. He had stabbed Kylo.
Rey threw the bloody sword away and knelt next to Kylo, touching his cold mask. He groaned.
“I’m going to die,” he said, wincing.
“No you’re not, idiot,” Rey laughed, but tears filled her eyes and her voice wavered. “Not today.”
“Finn,” Kylo murmured, his hand grasping nothing but air.
Finn shuffled a bit. “You remember me?” he asked surprised, coming a bit closer.
“How could I forgot… the trooper… that refused to fight?” Kylo rasped, fighting against the pain. Rey bit her lip.
“Take off the damned mask, you can hardly talk,” she said, tears spilling down her cheeks and she reached out to remove it.
“No Rey,” he stopped her, his trembling hand pushed hers away. He felt cold. “Let me die with it on.”
“You…” Rey scolded him. “Don’t die. We’re going to find Skywalker and make things right.”
“You do that,” Kylo said as he stroked her hand. “You are better. You’re good, you’re everything I should’ve been. You can do it on your own or with Finn.”
“I choked you,” Rey argued, another tear joining the others. “How can you call that good?”
“You were grieving. Skywalker will help you get a grip on your emotions and then you can make the world peaceful again. I know it. Now leave, before the troopers come.”
“You’re coming with us,” Rey said stubbornly, putting her hand over his wound. “We have to stop the bleeding.”
There was nothing. Nothing. More tears came. Not another death, Rey couldn’t handle that. She wouldn’t be able to live with it.
She wished she could heal, that the wound could just disappear. But that was a dream, a wish that wouldn’t come true. 
He groaned loudly. Rey opened her eyes and pulled her hands away. She had hurt him. Where the wound had been, there now was just skin that hadn’t even scared. The wound had disappeared.
“Rey, you healed him with the Force,” Finn breathed.
Rey laughed through her own tears, taking shaky breaths. She had healed him.
He pushed himself off the floor and reached for his mask, taking it off.
In the light of candles Rey saw his face for the first time. No, it was not the first time. She had seen this face before. Her hand reached out to cup his cheek.
“Benjamin?” She asked in confusion. “What’s going on?”
He kissed her hand. “I was Benjamin, Rey. I’m sorry I lied. I was going to tell you but then…”
More tears came and Rey fell into his arms, blubbering about things that weren’t even important. He buried his face in her hair, the two of them holding each other. When they let go, they briefly kissed each other, a kiss that Rey would always remember. Even better than the other kisses.
“Can I know what’s going on here?” Finn asked, looking confused.
Rey giggled. “That’s a long story, Finn.”
“Let’s tell him when we’re out of here,” Kylo proposed and helped Rey up. “We have to leave- we don’t have much time.”
They didn’t encounter many Resistance and the only troopers they saw Rey handled with the Skywalker sword. Outside, BB-8 was eating some grass and Rey stroked his back.
“It’s good to see you again, BB-8,” Rey whispered to him.
Finn jumped on his own horse and Kylo sat behind Rey who felt much better again. The Force had been brought back in balance, and with that the balance had been restored inside of her, too. When they rode through the woods Rey saw the flowers blooming and the green leaves. She felt at peace.
Yes, everything was going to be alright.
Kylo took her hand. “Let’s go find Luke Skywalker.”
And that was how Lady Rey, Lord Ren, and Lord Finn went on their journey to find Luke Skywalker. They traveled for many months and became a close team. They traveled the lands of Alderaan and went further, because they had heard rumors that Luke Skywalker was on the island Ach-To. And if he was there, they would find him. The balance was restored, the First Order fell when they had no leaders anymore, and the ghosts of the Skywalkers could be at peace again because the sword was being carried by a good woman- Rey.
