Redemption: A Reylo Story

I'll always come back

    
REY

Dreaming, but maybe not my dream, I find myself standing in a lush landscape full of gardens and waterfalls.  The sky is a bright azure blue, and the temperature mild.  In the distance, is a large rectangular pool fed by a gigantic waterfall nearly fifteen meters tall. The pool appears impossibly long. Walking along the edge of it for over five minutes, I am still unable to see where it ends.  The tumultuous water churns, but becomes calmer the farther from the waterfall I walk. 

I slowly begin to make out a small figure in the distance. Unable to tell if the figure is male or female, I can deduce he or she is sitting near the pool's edge. Walking along another five minutes, the figure is still distant but getting closer. 

Movement in the water to my left reveals a bright violet colored fish-like creature.  It has shiny iridescent scales with a tiny mouth, and it is breathtaking.  Not because of its color or shiny scales, but because instead of fins, it has large flowing wings giving the impression of flying through the water slowly.  The water here is placid and clear with other beautiful water creatures swimming lazily about.

When I look up, the figure is only fifteen meters away, much closer than originally thought. It appears to be a little boy dressed in a splendid blue tunic. The legs of his trousers are rolled up, and his feet are dangling in the water.  His raven-black hair is disheveled as if someone has recently mussed it. The boy, around four years of age from his profile, kicks his legs playfully. I draw closer, only a few meters away now, and hear him giggle.  One of the majestic fish is gently nibbling on his toes.  He suddenly turns his head to me and smiles brightly.  I take in a little gasp of breath.  It's Ben, and he looks exactly like he did in Leia's hologram photo, innocent and happy.  I watch passively as the little boy continues to splash his feet in the water.

Someone whispers something behind me, but when I turn around, no one is there.  When I turn back to Ben, he has aged—a young teenager now. Taller, he no longer sits with his feet in the pool, but stands near the side instead.  His face looks to be both sad and defiant—his tunic now a dark charcoal gray. 

Thr sky has darkened somewhat, and the water is no longer clear or nearly as calm.  In fact, the pool itself has shrunk, and the waterfall is now only ten meters away.  The entire scene has taken on a foreboding tone.

When I hear the whispering behind me again, I turn, but no one is there.  This time, when I turn back around, Ben is fully grown.  He strikes an imposing figure, tall and strong with a broad chest.  His black hair reaches his collar and whips around wildly in the wind. His clothes are now all black.  Although he doesn't turn to look at me, I can tell that his jaw is clenched as well as both of his fists.  He stands at the edge of the water.  The pool churns violently, the waterfall only three meters away, and the roar is deafening. I can see no creatures in the now silver-black water.

A wave splashes up and lands on Ben's black boot. I stand beside him and as he glances down, I follow his gaze. I can see his reflection in the dark silver water pooling on the top of his boot; the sight causing my heart to sink. In the reflection, Ben is wearing a mask.  He is becoming Kylo Ren.

The pool changes again, back to being placid, but the water appears a dark oily black.  As I glance back to Ben, he has the Kylo Ren mask on for real and is leaning forward sharply as if intending to fall into the pool.  I scream, "No!" and grab his gloved hand to pull him back.  He snaps his head around and I see my own reflection in the visor of his mask.  My face is contorted in hate and anger. 

Suddenly, I find myself standing at the edge of the pool about to jump in. Rage consumes me.  When a hand grabs mine, I see little-boy Ben with the beautiful smile. He tugs me farther and farther away from the pool.  My anger recedes and I feel more like myself. Little Ben looks up at me and matter-of-factly states, "I'll always come back."

BEN

I awake during the night as Rey jerks in her sleep, says a few words I cannot make out, then snuggles in closer. With a certainty, I know I am lost to her. The tenderness in her care of me today reminds me of everything I have been missing. The way she give me a part of herself to calm my wounded soul shows the depths of her compassion. When she looks at me, she doesn't see a monster. When she looks at me, I no longer feel like a monster.

If she asks me to leave the First Order and run off to some obscure planet with her, I will go. I will defend her with my last breath and beyond.

I think of my grandfather, Anakin, not Darth Vader. My mother had told me he loved my grandmother so much that he attempted to stop a vision he had of her impending death. Giving everything he had to this crusade, he left himself open to the dark side.

I understand him a little better now, the man underneath, not the Sith Lord. Love is a strong motivator. I begin to doze back off but hug Rey a little closer before I do.

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REY

Stirring awake from my dream, I find Ben's left arm and leg thrown over me. Although I should feel suffocated and confined, I don't. In fact, I feel perfect. My smaller frame fits into the curve of his body like we are made for each other.

Asleep like this, it's hard to imagine that this is the same man that I watched murder his father or the same man I watched cut down my friend, Finn. But it isn't the same man. That was Kylo Ren; this is Ben Solo. Reminiscing about the dream, it makes me a little uneasy when I remember the rage I felt. Is this what it's like for Ben? Is this the only emotion he has felt all of these years? I slowly drift back to sleep thinking how good it feels to be this intimate with someone, especially him.

Morning comes in with the song of a certain little blue bird with orange-tipped feathers. Sitting on the ledge of the dwelling's only window, his haunting song is full of deep notes and melodies. Concentrating, I attempt to reach out to the creature. The Force and I are rewarded with one thought, "Always welcome here."