The Timeline - Episode 1: Leia

5 - The Binary Sunset

Rey awoke two days after arriving on Ahch-To at a knock on the door. It was Poe. He leant through the doorframe. Rey sat up quickly. An apologetically awkward look wiped across Poe's face as he said, "Sorry if I woke you."

"It's okay," she replied croakily, rubbing her eyes.

"Leia wants you, she said she'll be in her hut."

"Okay, thanks," Rey replied.

They shared another over-long, cheerful gaze at one another, not unlike the one they had shared the first time they met and before landing on Ahch-To. Poe smiled, and left, closing the door behind him. Rey noticed her cheek felt unusually warm after he'd left; was it just that she had been warm in her sleep, or was it something else?

Rey freshened herself up and made her way to Leia's hut about five to ten minutes after waking. She found Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO, Luke's two signature droids, already waiting outside Leia's house.

"Come in," Leia said, opening the door. She was in another long, black dress, similar to the one she wore before, yet more regal and flowing than its predecessor. The realisation hit Rey like a blaster bolt – today was the day – today was Luke and Han's funeral. She had almost forgotten.

She nearly shook her head in real life as they all, except R2-D2, sat down; Leia facing the others who sat in a row opposite her. She was holding the piece of paper Obi-Wan had pointed out to her in her hands.

"The other day, I found this," she said.

"What is it?" Rey asked.

"Luke's will. He must have wrote it after you left a few days ago," she replied, looking at Rey and Chewbacca. "It's to the five of us. Han would have gotten something as well obviously, but he's not here to take it so-"

"What does it say?" Rey asked, relieving Leia from the awkward grief.

Leia cleared her throat and read, "In the event that I, Luke Skywalker, die in my attempt to stop Kylo Ren from destroying the Resistance on the planet of Crait I have left this will to my closest friends and family in the hopes that my memory doesn't die with me. To Rey, my recent apprentice and potential successor, I leave my second lightsaber – it is green coloured and I used it at the Battle of Endor against Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine in perhaps the most influential hour of the galaxy to date. I trust you will use it well, as I trust it will help you learn the ways of the Jedi, as it had for me. To Rey I also leave the ancient Jedi books containing all the further teaching you will need in the years to come; you should have these already. To Chewbacca, the best co-pilot I've ever met, and R2-D2, the most loyal droid in the galaxy, I leave the gift I was going to give to Han if he were still with us, which is also the final task I leave to Rey. This is my Rebel Alliance X-Wing. R2 will remember many hours of soaring through the depths of space and dog-fighting hundreds of Tie Fighters with her. Rey, and perhaps with the help of Leia, can use the Force to lift the ship from the water and restore it back to its original form, be it with a few needed extra parts. To Leia, I give my final gift of my two beloved droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO. These droids have served me better than any two droids in the galaxy, they have devoted their lives to us and our father before us. Although it already feels like they belong to you, now it is set in stone, these droids are yours. Also, I give my first lightsaber, it was built by Anakin Skywalker in his days as a Jedi and leant down to me by Obi-Wan. It is yours by right, hence why I have given Rey my green lightsaber."

Rey's heart sank. It was destroyed, split in half by Kylo Ren and herself. Leia couldn't use it. "I'm so sorry," she said.

"It's fine," Leia replied, smiling. "I don't use lightsabers anyway. Here," and she pulled out a lightsaber hilt, not completely unlike Luke's old one but more like the one that had once belonged to Obi-Wan Kenobi.