Redemption: A Reylo Story

Broken

REY

Walking down the old winding path toward the crystal pool, I anticipate the weightlessness of floating on top of the warm clear water. It will do me good. I feel I've made so much progress with Ben the last two days. Now it is Day Three, and Ben is nowhere in sight. I reach out tentatively just to see if I can feel his presence and maybe pick up on his emotions, but he has sealed his mind shut to me.

I come around the corner of the path and stop short. Floating in the pool is none other than the Supreme Leader himself. On his back, his body lazily bobs with the ripples made by the small waterfall. His alabaster skin, dappled in light peaking through the tree canopy, glows while his scars stand out red. My scar being the newest, burns crimson. He wears only dark underclothes. His black hair fans out around his head like an ebony halo. Small droplets of water bead on his muscular chest, glinting in the light. He is a magnificent creature, body honed by years of training. My mind begins to drift to things I am not ready to admit to myself.

He floats with his eyes closed and looks to be in deep meditation. I have never seen him so relaxed. Guilt for spying on him seeps into my conscience. Turning silently, I walk away undetected.

When Ben returns to the clearing, he finds me practicing with my staff, applying what I have learned. Clearing his throat to get my attention, he announces, "Today I am going to teach you Force-holds. Today you get to Force-choke me without fear of retaliation." On that, he turns and walks to his ship, presumably to change.

In the forest, we find a large slab of rock approximately three meters tall and twice as long. One side is completely flat and polished smooth as if water eroded it eons ago. We decide to train here due to the clearing around the rock.

Ben has already taught me the chokehold and allowed me to practice on him with great success. Only once did I go too far and receive a sharp reminder by way of my body flying through the air. I do not protest, and Ben never utters a word about it. So much for no retaliation.

We move on to Force-holds of the arms and legs. This is harder than I anticipate due to my mind being distracted. I attempt to bind Ben's arms in opposite directions, but each time lose my concentration. It's obvious he is becoming frustrated and losing patience with me.

I can't fail him.

"Try it again," he snaps.

This time, I am determined to see that look of pride on his face again, like when I healed the bird's wing. I concentrate all of my energy on holding his arms spread out, binding them to my will. Working, his arms rise at his sides. His jaw clenches and the veins in his neck engorge in the straining effort to physically hold them down. Higher and higher they rise, inadvertently pulling up the hem of his shirt, revealing a glimpse of his toned abdomen. My eyes follow a little trail of black hair disappearing into his pants.

What would it feel like to run my hands over his stomach?

When my concentration snaps and Ben's arms fall again to his sides, he glares at me with narrowed eyes. Suddenly, my body flies backward, pinned against the smooth wall of the stone slab, arms out, legs spread.

Ben comes into my line of sight with an odd look on his face, like a man starving but afraid to eat. With wide, staring eyes, he stops an intimate distance away. I find myself level with his chest as he looms over me.

A fleeting thought of running my hands over his bare chest runs through my mind.

"Stop it!" he yells. "Do you think I can't hear your thoughts?"

I barely have time to register my embarrassment when he places his palms flat against the smooth rock on either side of my head and leans down to my left ear. With a low growl in his throat, he states, "Rey, I may be the Supreme Leader of the galaxy, but I am still....very...much....male."