***ON HIATUS*** Hidden: A Captain Rex Love Story

Chapter 9: Luna: The House of Memories

To say that the ride to Luna's childhood home was awkward was a complete understatement.

No one said a single word for the first hour, except for the occasional snarky comment from Anakin; it was either directed towards Obi-Wan or Luna. All of his snide remarks to Luna asked her if she knew where she was going as she led them through gray, rocky terrain. Luna simply rolled her eyes and told him that she grew up in the mountains. She knew the narrow passages like the back of her hand.

It didn't help that the awkward man behind her sat as far away as the saddle would let him. Whenever Rex accidentally lost his grip on her shoulders and grabbed onto her waist to steady himself on Blue Jay, he would stammer a 'sorry' as if he never properly talked to a woman before.

Luna didn't find the captain's sputtering annoying, she thought it was rather adorable. Rex was clearly a gentleman and she knew he wouldn't try anything. (The last guy who did received a punch in the face and a broken arm.) Whenever he stuttered his apologies, Luna couldn't help but smile, thinking how cute he was. She told him that he didn't need to apologize since it was bound to happen on the rough terrain they were on. But, being the gentleman that he obviously was, he kept on apologizing.

If the Light Amulet wasn't a powerful, Gray Jedi artifact, Luna would have ripped it off her neck halfway through the ride. The pendant grew with heat the longer she was closer to Rex. It wasn't hot enough to burn her, but it was defiantly going to leave a dark red mark on her chest. At one point, the burning pain became unbearable and she had to discreetly move the pendant. But she had to bear the pain since Rex was right behind her. She couldn't let him see the amulet or else he would ask questions. The torture finally ended once Rex lost his grip and grabbed onto her waist. The Light Amulet finally cooled down with a short, satisfied hum, that Rex unfortunately heard. He looked over her shoulder, confused, but didn't ask about it. 

It wasn't until they were close to her home, that the silence was broken.

They were trotting up a steep and narrow passage along the side of a mountain when Rex asked Luna a question. Dark green moss covered the rough ground and hung over the edge of the path. Below them, about seventy feet down was a large pond that she used to play in with her father. The pond reflected the sky like a mirror. The reflection showed the bright, silver moon, the countless stars in the sky, and the glowing peaks of the towering mountains ahead of them.

Luna's gaze lingered on the entrance to the Maze of the Guarding Mists that stood at the top of the path. No one knew if the maze was a natural part of the planet or if it was created long ago during Ulta's reign. The maze was part of a small section in the mountains. A dense, silvery fog lingered in the maze, making it impossible to get out of if someone got lost. 

Luna's parents took every precaution to keep her safe from Hecate when they hid her. Their house was built on the edge of the maze, overlooking a vast valley filled with thousands of flowers. The foggy maze was meant to slow down Hecate if she ever found the location of the house. However, on the day of her parents' died, the Dark Jedi proved that the maze was no match for her. 

"Your team," Rex spoke with curiosity. His voice was quiet enough so no one else would hear him, "they called you Luna. Why?"

Luna stiffened and gripped Blue Jay's rein's tighter. She scowled, remembering that her team had called her by her real name during the escape. She could feel him staring at her questionably under his helmet as she tried to figure out what she was going to tell him. She could either tell him the truth or she could pretend that it never happened. 

She was afraid if she told him the truth, a part of her would reconnect itself to the Force. Her parents warned her of Hecate's ability to sense someone through the Force. Her father explained to her that her presence would draw Hecate to her like a moth to a flame. She didn't want herself to reconnect in fear that Hecate would find her and kill anyone that stood in her way. She wanted to protect everyone from that monster. She wasn't going to let anyone else die.