Meet Me in the Grey (Reylo fanfiction) (COMPLETED)

Chapter 3: The Quest

By the time she reached the island her arms and back were aching from all the rowing. She reached into the little boat and pulled out a pack with rations and water for the long hike. She looked up at the mountain peak with a pair of binoculars that Master Luke had loaned her. He had refused to give her any further clues about where to find the crystals, except that they were on the peak somewhere. She would have to use the force to guide her.

With a deep breath she began the difficult climb. It was steep and treacherous, and one fall could be the end of her. She climbed all day, until her hands were cut and bleeding from the rough stone, until she felt her strength pushed to its absolute limit. Finally she reached the top.

She stopped to heal her hands with the force technique her master had taught her, and once they were mended she ate some of her rations and drank heavily of her water.

She sat at the peak, feeling the cool wind brush across her face, so refreshing after her exhausting climb, and thoughtfully chewed her food. She was beginning to feel it now - crystals, a crystal, HER crystal, it was close. She swallowed her last bite and took a final swig of water and began to explore. There wasn't much room at the top but she managed to find a narrow ledge that seemed to be hewn into the side of the mountain. It led a little way back down, but towards the other side than the one she had ascended. Several times she had to close her eyes and rest her forehead against the mountainside as the dizzying heights were starting to get to her. She briefly thought she felt curiosity reach out to her through the force, but she pushed it away, she didn't have time to deal with him right now.

At last, just as the sun was beginning to set, she could see it. A very small cave just beyond her reach, the opening so small she would have to wriggle her way in, but she felt it calling to her. It was almost as if it were singing to her. It would take a small jump to leave the ledge and land at the opening of the cave, but she was certain she could easily make it. With a deep breath, and a silent prayer to the force, she leapt, and landed, but the shelf where she landed cracked and gave way.

She let out a desperate scream as she felt the crumbling beneath her. At the very last moment she snagged onto a tree root that was jutting out of the mountainside and saved herself from falling to her death. With shaking limbs and pounding heart, she pulled herself back up to the mouth of the cave. She suddenly felt a crippling panic reach out to her through the bond, which quickly passed and was replaced by terrible anger.

Why would he care? He clearly had sensed her moment of terror, and if she didn't know any better, she would almost think he had been concerned. No.

She shook her head trying to brush aside his rage that was still seeping through to her, she would not allow herself to misinterpret. He had probably only panicked when she hadn't died, he was probably angry because she hadn't succeeded in getting herself killed. There, yes, that made more sense! She could feel him battering against the barriers of her mind again, but she pushed him away. She had a mission and she wouldn't let Kylo Ren, or even death itself, stop her.

She wriggled through the mouth of the cave on her belly. It was dark and the air smelled stale and damp. Master Luke had not given her a light, and she had not thought to ask. He must have known that she would have to go into the cave to find a crystal. But, she knew that if Master Luke did, or did not do something, it was with purpose; just as how he had insisted on not giving her any further guidance of where to look than the island. He wanted her to rely purely on the force. The force would be her guide, she would need no light.

After a dozen feet of crawling the cave suddenly expanded enough to where she could stand. She reached out with the force to feel the safest path. Suddenly she saw an unmistakable glow coming from the rock wall. Using a knife that she wore on her belt; she began chipping at the cave wall. The more she chipped the brighter the light became and the clearer the hum of the crystal, until finally, after what seemed like an age, she stood there holding her kyber crystal in her hand. It seemed to thrum with energy at a pace that matched the beat of her heart and the longer she held it the brighter it became, until the whole cave was lit.

She struggled to snap herself out of her stupor of gazing into her crystal, and only then noticed how very lucky she had been to not have fallen into a black abyss, or smashed her head in with a stalactite; the force had guided her on the only safe path.

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Luke was meditating outside his stone dwelling. The sun had set hours ago and he kept a bonfire burning so that Rey could easily find her way back to the island on her return. Meditation was the only thing keeping his worry for her at bay. She should have returned before sunset. Maybe he had been too hasty? Maybe she hadn't been ready for this trial yet? No, the force had guided him in this decision; the time was now - she would return.

At last he heard her footsteps approach, and he rose to his feet.

When she stepped into the firelight she looked absolutely exhausted. She was covered in dirt and her face was streaked with grime, her hair had half fallen out of its braid, and her clothes were ripped in several places, but in her hand she triumphantly held forth her kyber crystal. It gleamed in the firelight.

"Now, you are ready," he said.

The next day they scrounged through every spare scrap of metal they could find. She even plucked a few pieces from the derelict X-wing that had originally brought Luke to Ahch-to. At last, when she was sure she had enough, Luke left her alone on the beach and she entered her meditative trance. He hoped his nephew would not disturb her at this crucial stage.

Every day for the next two days Luke would come down to the beach to check on her and press a little canteen of water to her parched lips. Other than a few quick gulps, she never moved or left her trance, her crystal floating above her outstretched hands burning like a beacon. He curiously noted how the metal casings that were coming together to be her saber handle had turned black, and it worried him.

On the third and last day, he found her hunched over on her knees, her head bent forward as if she had fallen asleep kneeling, her hair, torn loose by the wind, cascading over her face, her saber clutched tightly to her breast.

"Rey?" he called.

Slowly she lifted her head and turned to look at him. Her eyes looked worried - frightened.

"What does it mean?" she asked, as she powered on her saber and beams of pure white released from both ends of a solid black hilt.

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A note from your humble author: Oooooooh shit! I pulled a Samuel L. Jackson on this bitch! Rey's trials are going to be pretty important to her character and the plot later, but rest assured, I will throw you a bone next chapter and give you some Kylo angsty goodness to help see you through the development chapters. As you can tell, my main concern with this story is pacing, I don't want it to drag.

I love feedback, please let me know how you like the story! :D