Star Wars | Episode IX: Rise of the Dyad

Chapter 27: Arrival

REY'S POV:

I hear an alarm beeping in his quarters, it wakes me from my sleep.  I am laying on my left side and begin lifting my head up, looking around the room. I have the black covers from his bed pulled over me.  Noticing that he is not laying next to me; I push myself to a seated position and wrap my arms around my knees over the covers.  Gently rest my chin on my knee, remembering the horrors of my vision last night. 

Seeing him, the same monster I saw in my vision on Takodana when I touched the Skywalker saber hilt. I am in a snow-covered forest, and he is hunting me.  I hear him call my name through the force. Looking around I see nothing when suddenly, from behind a large rock, he appears.  He is wearing his mask, the mask I hate.  The cross-guard light saber is deployed.  He has hatred towards me, I am left defenseless against him.

"Ben is so close to me.  I feel his light emerging, I can touch it. Yet it is always short-lived it seems," I think to myself.

I stand up and walk over to his refresher.  I clean myself off and the memory of last night replays in my mind. His presence washes over me; he is reaching out through the force now as the images come in my mind. I grab my robe from the floor and head back to my room to change.  Upon reaching the wardrobe in my room I find a new outfit to replace the one I came aboard the supremacy in. 

It was similar in design. Black pants with a white sleeveless shirt with a black cross belt to go over it. There is a tightly fitted charcoal jacket with a red First Order symbol hanging in the wardrobe, I grab that to cover my exposed arms.  I notice new shoes as well. No more of the tattered ones I wore on Jakku, these were black and looked perfect to trek in.  

I find the clothes I came here in, shoved in the drawer after the first night. I pull them out and begin trying to fold them.  I hear a clank hit the ground by my feet. Turning my head down, I see the cloak transmitter bracelet Leia gave me before I left D'Qar.  I grab the small blue device that I had tucked in my arm wraps before the battle on the Nui shore. I look at the small blue bracelet, I hadn't wanted to remove it because it reminded me of Leia.  I have to guard my reaction. I carefully place the beacon inside my shirt and fold the clothes, putting them in a small bag from the wardrobe.

"I can't let him know of this.  Finn may have the matching beacon," I say secretly to myself. 

Walking back to his room I hear the door open. He is standing there looking at me through his mask.  He senses my reaction and starts removing the helmet; he knows I loathe it. Once the helmet is off he walks over to me, placing it on the table.

"Rey, I...we have arrived at Vardos, we will disembark now." He says to me, his eyes have such worry in them.  

He is afraid he has lost me.  Doesn't he realize that I can never escape now, even if I tried? 

I nod back to him. 

"Grab anything you may need for departure. We head together to my shuttle in five minutes," He says walking closer to me.  His eyes are full of a tender love shrouded by remorse that he did something wrong but doesn't know what.

I don't move from my stance, and he walks directly in front of me. He wraps his large arms around my back resting his head on top of mine. He says nothing to me. I can feel his warmth, it's soothing to the touch. I gently close my eyes as I rest my head against his beating heart as I wrap my arms around him. 

"Ben, I...," I think to myself not finishing the thought. 

I pull away and smile at him. I walk back to my room and grab the bag of clothes from the closet. Heading back into his quarters---we begin our march to the elevator.