Stronger Together (Kylo Ren x Reader | Maia)

What Would Yoda Do?

I met Leia's eyes, the only one who noticed mine had opened. My chin dipped in a microscopic nod.

Maybe he was Kylo. Maybe he was Ben. We had been wrong to judge him by the name he chose. Well, Leia and Han had recently seemed to understand that his name did not matter, at least on some level. I had not. All I could think about was Anakin becoming Vader. And the Anakin I saw as he died.

But I suddenly understood. He had been Anakin all along. And he had been Vader all along. I knew this... but it suddenly made much more sense. If the Jedi had recognized his struggles and worked to help him through them, the true Vader may have never come to pass.

Perhaps I should have done the same with Kylo. Like Anakin, Kylo had needed more from me.

"They're okay?" she asked quietly, alerting everyone to her, and then to me.

"Yes. Perhaps better than okay." The relief on Leia's face was visible, her face melting into it. Han's face went to his hands, dropping the ice pack. Hux just stared at me.

"What does that mean?" he finally asked—though I noticed that he was indeed concerned, and not only because he needed them to remain in power. I wasn't sure if any of it was for Kylo, but it was definitely for Maia. It would seem the general believed Maia was the closest thing he had to a friend.

"Maia had a memory surface from her childhood, that apparently, she had blocked out completely. I cannot share any details, other than that I believe the two of them appear to be... bonded." It was so much more than that, but I did not fully understand it yet.

"What?" Han asked, surprised, his brows furrowed.

"I have never seen two Force users in love. But it is as if their signatures have tangled together. Perhaps it's normal," I added with a shrug. "Either way, whatever they worked through, it has brought them solace."

"Solace doesn't win a war," Hux muttered.

"It might win this one," Leia said softly. I met her eyes once more.

So. It would seem we were about to fight a battle we'd already fought. I was glad to be doing it with Leia, Han, Lando, and Chewie once more. But it was the two specks in the distance I was most curious about.

"Is she alright?" Han asked after the silence continued.

"I believe so." They liked Maia, but I didn't think they had any idea what she was. Leia could likely feel her inner conflict, but I doubted she understood the depth. Kylo didn't seem to realize it either. One wrong push from a force outside her control, and I feared she could tumble off the cliff, right into the dark.

Then again, it had been thoughts like that, that almost ended my sister's family. Maia has been presented with opportunity after opportunity to become something dark and evil, and she has not.

By the time they were within shouting distance, Hux surprised me. He stepped into the field and started walking toward them, the grass already sticking to his long black coat. Trying to understand why the general had caught me off guard, I frowned at his back.

"Sister," I said quietly. She looked over at me, curious and surprised.

"Yes, Luke?"

"Am I biased?" I asked, mostly joking. I wasn't supposed to be judgmental—and here I had assumed the general didn't care about anyone enough to even step into an uncut, uneven field. Though it was not nearly as severe as judging one's own nephew, it was similar enough to bring the guilt bubbling back, and again, I thought of Maia.

Yoda would tell me I should resolve my issues before I attempt to find Palpatine.

"You can be a bit," she said, not unkindly. "But you have the best intentions."