Chapter Text
“Breathe...just breathe.”
Rey closed her eyes and reached out through the Force, feeling its currents swirling around her. She felt the Force in the warm rays of sunshine on her face. She felt it in the cool breeze blowing back the loose strands of her hair. She felt it in the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below.
She remembered the lesson Luke Skywalker had taught her on this island two years ago, when he’d asked her to “see” the island by feeling it through the Force, rather than using her sense of sight. That day she’d felt birth and death, warmth and cold, peace and violence — a complex web of light and dark, binding the universe together.
Both the Jedi and Sith of old had ignored that complexity, trying too hard to control the Force and bend it to their own will. Rey was determined not to repeat those same mistakes with her students.
She would teach them to walk towards the light while also acknowledging the darkness within themselves. Then, she’d show them how to overcome that darkness — not by ignoring emotion and attachment, as the Jedi had once done — but by seeking out true balance in the universe and themselves.
What did “true balance” mean? Well, that was something Rey was still exploring, and she was trying to be patient, and prepare herself to learn what the Force was going to teach her. Of course you could commune with the Force anywhere, but it was easier to sense the balance on Ahch-To — an ancient, holy site free of distractions. That’s why Rey and Ben had chosen to start a Jedi academy here, despite its remote location.
Well, at least Ahch-To was almost free of distractions…
Rey’s concentration was broken by a small voice hesitantly asking: “Master Rey? Can we go play with the Porgs now?”
Rey opened her eyes and tried not to laugh as she looked at the group of 6-, 7-, and 8-year-old Padawans seated cross-legged around her. She probably should have known that the last day of classes before the end of the term was not the best time to try teaching a complex lesson about balance in the Force.
The students had initially been excited about the prospect of waking up early to watch the sunrise and practice their Force abilities, but now their attention was drawn to an adorable flock of Porgs gathering near the edge of the cliff.
Rey sighed. “I guess I can’t compete with the Porgs, can I?”
The students began squealing with glee, anticipating an early release from their lesson. But before they could stand up, Rey held up a hand.
“Yes, you can play with the Porgs, but as you go, I do want you to think about everything you sensed this morning during our time up on the cliff. This island, you and me, and even the Porgs are all part of the balance we’ve been talking about. We all share the Force, and remember, even if we can do impressive feats through the Force—” She gestured towards the left, where Finn sat with a slightly older group of students some distance away, practicing rock levitation. “—The Force does not belong to just the Jedi.”
The children stared at her expectantly and a bit cluelessly, and Rey couldn’t pretend to be stern with them anymore. “All right, you’re dismissed — go play with the Porgs.”
She laughed as she watched them scamper off towards the flock of Porgs, shaking her head. From the looks of it, Finn was having about as much success as she was; only two rocks were currently levitating: his own and the only student in his group who actually appeared to be concentrating on the lesson.
Since Finn’s Force powers started manifesting after the battle on Exegol, the former stormtrooper’s training had progressed rapidly. Rey had invited her friend to join her and Ben as a teacher at the new Jedi academy. She’d helped him build his own lightsaber, a green blade with parts scavenged from his old stormtrooper armor.
In fact, Finn, Rey, and Ben’s lightsabers were all scavenged from their pasts — Rey had used pieces of her staff from Jakku, and Ben had gotten his “Kylo Ren” lightsaber back while he was in the World Between Worlds, healing the kyber crystal so that the blade now burned pure white.
Rey liked the symbolism of their scavenged sabers; the pain of their pasts would always be a part of them, but they could grow beyond it and find healing. Finn was no longer a stormtrooper, Rey was no longer a lonely scavenger, and Ben Solo was no longer Kylo Ren.
And speaking of Ben...this morning he had actually dismissed his class even earlier than Rey had. The teenage students were supposed to be meditating with him on the shoreline of the island and discussing Jedi history, but instead they’d pulled out their wooden practice sabers and were now in the middle of a very chaotic mock battle full of excited shouting.
Ben was attempting to keep the practice fight under control (at least somewhat), but he couldn’t bring himself to put a damper on the fun, and soon she heard him break out into laughter. That was a hidden truth not many people would guess — the former supreme leader of the First Order was actually one of the biggest “softies” in the galaxy, much like his father.
Rey would never forget the first time she saw Ben truly smile at her, when he brought her back to life after she’d defeated Palpatine on Exegol. She thought she’d lost him forever then, but the World Between Worlds had provided a pathway back for him after he faded into the Force.
Pulling Ben through a portal and bringing him back to the mortal world had been the easy part, actually. They’d both understood that Ben would have a long, hard road ahead of him once he returned, as he began to work through years of repressed guilt, grief, anger, and pain.
Even though Rey and Ben had already been inside each other’s minds — and thanks to their Force bond, they were connected as intimately as two people could possibly be — it still took some time for Ben to be able to open up and talk with her frankly about his past.
He’d spent so many years with Snoke and Palpatine’s voices inside his head, haunting him, nagging him, and driving him towards the dark side. He’d finally surrendered to that darkness, and done things he’d spend the rest of his lifetime regretting, like killing his father.
“Redemption is not a straight path forward.” Rey had read those words in one of the Jedi journals she’d discovered, written by a man named Qui-Gon Jinn who apparently had a bit of a reputation for being an unconventional Jedi. She’d shown the passage to Ben, hoping it could bring him comfort. “Redemption is a difficult journey with many twists and turns, requiring one to ascend difficult peaks and wind through painful valleys. But atonement does wait at the end for those with determination and an open heart. Often the Jedi are too quick to condemn, I fear, and not enough find this elusive path.”
Sometimes Ben would still wake up with nightmares about his time in the First Order, and Rey would do her best to help soothe him, holding him tightly and wishing she could take away all his trauma as quickly as she’d healed him during their fight on the ruins of the Death Star a year ago. Ben struggled to believe he was worthy of redemption, and Rey would keep reminding him that his family and the Force had already forgiven him.
Although he’d always supported Rey’s idea for a Jedi academy on Ahch-To, he’d been hesitant to accept a role as a teacher himself, at first. Due to the years he spent serving the dark side, he wasn’t certain he’d make the best mentor. Yet he’d eventually decided that maybe by sharing his painful story, he could save other young Jedi from wandering down the same path he had.
To symbolize their fresh start, Rey and Ben had taken a new last name together when they decided to get married: “Solo-Organa,” honoring his parents and two of Rey’s most important mentors. Rey never would have guessed this would be her future the first time she saw “Kylo Ren,” but she was so thankful the Force had woven their journeys together.
Of course they still fought sometimes — it was impossible for two passionate people to live together and NOT argue. But they loved each other fiercely — as two broken, imperfect people who had found healing and purpose and happiness together.
“You know, maybe we should have just canceled classes today; I don’t think anyone heard a word I said.”
Rey glanced behind her and smiled as she saw Finn walking towards her. The academy didn’t require teachers or students to wear traditional Jedi robes unless they chose to, and today Finn was wearing dark blue pants, a loose white shirt, and a brown vest, similar to his attire from his days in the Resistance. Rey had also opted for something comfortable: dark grey pants, a light gray shirt, and gauzy tabards in a dusty purple fabric.
“I think you’re right about classes,” she admitted. “The only thing my students were really meditating on were Porgs.”
Finn laughed. “At least Bo’ox was able to levitate his rock for a while — he was really proud. In fact, he’s still over there practicing, even though I dismissed everyone else. He said he wants to show his grandmother when she gets here to pick him up.”
Rey looked over and saw the young Bith floating his rock about a meter off the ground. Although his hands were shaking from the effort, she could feel his joy radiating through the Force. He was excited about tapping into the power of the Force, and he was excited about sharing it with his family — and that’s exactly what Rey, Finn, and Ben wanted this Jedi academy to be all about.
Before they even started accepting students to the Ahch-To academy, they had all agreed there should be some changes to the patterns the Jedi Order had followed in the past when it came to training Padawans.
When Ben’s grandfather Anakin Skywalker was a Jedi, young Force sensitives were taken away from their homes and isolated from their families, leaving their pasts completely behind and devoting themselves fully to the Jedi Order.
However, Rey, Finn, and Ben knew all too well how painful isolation and separation from your family could be. It wasn’t healthy, and the Jedi rules about attachment were far too strict.
So instead of taking Padawans from their homes permanently as small children or even infants, every year at the Ahch-To academy was divided into three terms, at the end of which was a month’s break, so the students could return home to be with their families. The students also had a chance to speak to their families every day, if they wanted to, and families could come for visits whenever they liked.
And for the students who did not have parents or guardians to go home to, former Resistance commander Rose Tico had organized a program that allowed these students to go on a special holiday of their own. This time, Rose had recruited Lando Calrissian and Chewie to take the children to a wildlife refuge, which had rescued a group of fathiers from the casino on Canto Bight.
“Well, I think the families should all be arriving fairly soon,” Rey said to Finn, realizing she’d gotten lost in her own thoughts about the future of the Jedi and been silent for too long. “Maybe one of us should walk down to the shore and see exactly what’s going on with that massive saber ‘battle.’”
Finn gave her a wide grin. “Are you sure about that?” he asked mischievously. “It’s kind of fun to just stand up here and watch Ben try to manage the chaos.”
Rey glanced back down at the mock battle, which Ben was currently standing in the middle of. He was trying to solve a dispute between two students, while three other students were excitedly asking him questions all at the same time, competing for his attention and making it impossible for him to determine what any of them were saying.
“Oh believe me, this is entertaining to watch,” Rey said with a chuckle. “And it is good for the students to have time just to play and be normal kids.” Growing up as orphans, that was something both Rey and Finn had missed out on. “But on the other hand...I’m also worried what the families will think if they come back and instead of finding their kids packing and getting ready to go, everyone is just running around like crazy.”
“I guess you’re right,” Finn said with a mock sigh of resignation. “I’ll keep an eye on the younger kids who are still up here playing with the Porgs so you can go rescue your man.”
Rey jogged down the rock pathway down to the shoreline as quickly as she dared (it was a bit too steep for actual running), and she arrived just as Ben had finally managed to settle the argument between the two students. Apparently there was some disagreement as to whether or not Tay’leah had actually tapped Jeriku with her blade, and whether that counted as a point for Tay’leah’s team.
However, the battle itself was quickly forgotten once the students saw Rey, and they immediately began chanting “Duel! Duel! Duel!”
Rey and Ben had once made the mistake of agreeing to demonstrate a lightsaber duel for their students, and the students had all been thrilled with the novelty of watching their two instructors “fight.” Ben had won that particular duel, but the students had been eager for a rematch ever since.
As Rey surveyed the chaos around her, Ben finally noticed her standing there and gave her a sheepish shrug, as if to acknowledge he’d lost complete control of the class today. He’d rolled up the sleeves of his gray shirt, having already ditched his jacket due to the warmer than normal temperatures.
“You don’t need to see a duel today!” he tried to protest to the students, who continued to shout excitedly. “You just had a huge ‘battle’ of your own!”
“But we want to see you duel Master Rey!” Tay’leah asked with over-exaggerated sweetness. Rey was certain both Tay’leah AND Jeriku had a massive crush on Ben, which he was oblivious to.
Ben shook his head. “Come on now, your families and Lando and Chewie will all be here soon, and we have to get ready.”
Ben was right — it was time for everyone to finish packing and sit down to eat the meal C-3PO was preparing for them in the dining hall. But the children’s high spirits were infectious, and with an impish grin, Rey turned towards Ben.
“Maybe...Master Ben is just afraid I’ll beat him this time,” she said, and the children squealed with glee at her challenge.
Ben stared at her in feigned disbelief, pretending to be insulted. “Well, if you put it that way, I guess I’ll just have to duel you then.”
Without warning, he reached out through the Force, and a spare wooden dueling saber snapped into his hand. The students backed up, forming a large circle around their instructors as Rey scrambled to call a practice saber of her own to her hand.
The wooden blades clattered together as Ben swung around towards her, and Rey had to work to keep her mind on the fight and not be distracted by the intense look in Ben’s eyes and the way his hair fell across his face.
Stars, he’s hot, she thought as she just barely managed to block his blow in time. He was grinning wickedly at her now, which made concentrating even harder.
They circled around each other, sabers flying and clashing, as the students continued to cheer in the background. It was such a different experience from the way they’d dueled each other in the past — back when he was “Kylo Ren” and she was Rey of Jakku.
This was more of a dance than a duel, both of them using this as an opportunity to train and strengthen their partner. They were working together now, rather than against each other. However, each of them did have a hot-headed streak, so they were both still trying to win.
Rey finally managed to catch Ben off balance, and he stumbled slightly. She swung at his saber, knocking it out of his hands. She used the Force to call his practice saber to her instead, and then she pointed both sabers at his chest.
“All right — I yield, I yield!” he said, raising both hands in a gesture of surrender, and the students clapped.
“Good heavens, what is all this racket?” C-3PO asked, emerging from the dining hall and looking more than a little befuddled. R2-D2 rolled along behind him, beeping in amusement as 3PO continued, “This seems to be a rather irregular departure from today’s scheduled class time.”
“We, uh, got a little distracted today,” Ben said, still breathing heavily from the fight. Rey could feel that her own cheeks were also flushed from the unplanned exertion, but it was a good kind of tired. Ben didn’t pull punches in a practice fight, and she always appreciated that.
“Let’s clean up all these practice sabers, and then we can go to lunch!” Rey told the students. “I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely hungry after that fight!”
“Aren’t you always hungry?” Ben teased, putting his arm around her and leaning down to give her a quick kiss on the forehead.
Thanks to their Force bond, Rey could always feel Ben’s presence, but she still wasn’t over the little thrill she got whenever they actually touched, even if it was just a quick hug. She remembered what it was like to helplessly watch him disappear on Exegol, right after they’d held each other for the first time. Her heart had shattered at the thought of never being with him again, and now every touch felt like a priceless gift she didn’t want to take for granted. She thanked the Force every day that—
Rey paused as Ben turned away from her, feeling a sudden disturbance in the Force.
No, “disturbance” was too strong of a word; this felt a little less tangible, more like a slight...shift. As if something important but nearly imperceptible had changed about the universe. Rey couldn’t even tell if that shift was good or bad; she just knew something was different. Ben didn’t appear to have noticed anything at all — he was currently busy helping the students clean up the practice field.
This particular shift in the Force was like a more shadowy version of the feeling Rey had experienced when she touched Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber for the first time back at Maz Kanata’s castle on Takodana. Although at the time she hadn’t really understood the visions she’d seen, she had known that she would never be the same — and that terrified her.
Rey hadn’t experienced a premonition like that since the battle on Exegol; the Force had seemed at peace ever since then, as if the wound rendered by the existence of Palpatine had finally begun to heal. Perhaps she’d had been too optimistic, but she’d hoped that equilibrium in the Force would continue. They’d already been through so much during the war against the First Order and Palpatine; surely more trouble couldn’t be coming their way.
Maybe I’m overreacting, Rey told herself, a thought that was reinforced as she heard the hum of a starship overhead and saw the Millennium Falcon coming in for a landing. Lando and Chewie waved at her from the cockpit, and she forced herself to smile and wave back, trying to push the premonition from her mind.
Maybe she was just tired from her duel with Ben, and that shift in the Force she thought she’d sensed earlier was really only the Falcon jumping out of hyperspace.
By the time the Falcon’s landing ramp lowered, Rey’s anxious feelings were already drifting away. Chewie bounded down the landing ramp and swept her up into a gigantic hug, spinning her around.
And any lingering concern Rey might have felt was entirely forgotten as she saw a surprise visitor poking her head out of the Falcon — Rose Tico.
“Rose!” Rey exclaimed, opening her arms and giving Rose a hug almost as big as the one Chewie had just given her.
Rey decided this day was simply too warm, beautiful, and happy to dwell on a premonition that might turn out to be about nothing at all. And as the students and guests all made their way to the dining hall together, that premonition was completely forgotten.
