(Edited 04/05/2021)
"I mean, of course I'm excited. It's just a very big step. It's not too fast, is it?" Rose asked, staring at herself in the mirror to examine every piece of her outfit.
Rey was staring off into the distance, thinking about her recent vision. She still was not sure what to call it, and whatever it was, shook her to her core even as she sat here in Rose's room, only half listening to what her friend was saying.
She tried her best to return to the conversation, but found it difficult as her mind was so heavy at the moment. She told herself it needed to be done, no matter what she was going through at the moment, no matter the questions that flittered across her mind.
Afterall, she never had a friend like Rose... In fact, she never truly had anyone at her side as Rose had been, so accepting and genuine in all her nature, that is besides Finn.
Briefly, Rey thought of Leia, too. But her relationship with the General was something different. She looked to the Princess for guidance and support... Rey wondered, with a pinch at the heart, if that's what it felt like to have a parent.
It had been a while since Rey had given thought to her parents. Back on Jakku, she thought of them every single moment of every day. She had so much hope for their return, looking at the face of every person who stumbled their way onto the forgotten planet, wanting so desperately for one of them to be something she could recognize.
However, no one ever came for her. For years she was alone, taking care of herself, fighting and scavenging for herself... Back then, she was all she had, and all she could rely on.
'That's right...Because I'm just a scavenger.' Rey thought to herself.
Her mind furthered the thought, reminding her with a harsh take on reality that it was all for nothing, all the waiting and hoping. Her parents were there the entire time, buried in a pauper's grave, having been no one to the outside world, but everything to the young Rey.
"Rey?" Rose asked now at Rey's side, touching her shoulder. Rey jumped at the contact and looked to her friend, giving her a wide smile that Rose did not believe to be genuine.
The false smiled faded as Rey shook her head.
"I'm sorry. I have a bit on my mind, but that is not a discussion for today." Rey replied as she stood.
Embarrassed and ashamed to have been taking away from Rose's day, Rey decided to softly press Rose's mind, unbeknownst to her, for the question she had asked a moment ago while Rey was lost in thought.
"No, it's not too fast. You and Finn complement each other extremely well, I can feel the pull you have to one another. You're both the soul the other needs."
Glancing to the ground, Rey was glad to have spoken with honesty. There were times she had watched Finn and Rose together, their complicated souls aching for peace and finding it in one another. They were both fiercely devoted to the Rebellion, but Rey could feel the want they both shared to be over with the war and move on with their life.
This time, Rey offered a smile that Rose returned, feeling that this one was real, and immediately Rose's hesitations and worries washed away. She returned to the large mirror and Rey watched her, admiring the way Rose's dressed looked. It was a white dress, the white laced sleeves clinging to her small arms, the dresses trail coming down to below her knee. It wasn't a crazy dress, but it was very much Rose, Rey decided.
With a small clear of her throat, Rey smiled and chose to reveal more insight. "Actually, Rose... I was a bit lost in thought a moment ago. But, part of what I was thinking of was how grateful for your and Finn's friendship. You both mean..." Rey trailed off, struggling to find the words, however after a moment she chose to spill her honesty. "Well, I never knew friendship until I met you both, and now I can't imagine living any more of my life without it."
If at all possible, Rose's smile widened, and before Rey knew it, she was being enveloped into a tight hug, the force picking up on the energy around her and alerting Rey of sudden emotion.
With a quick chuckle, Rey returned the hug, knowing Rose took her words to heart. "Back at ya, kiddo." Rose whispered through a sniffle.
With a sigh, Rose took a step back, patting away at the few tears that had trailed down her cheeks before she glanced down at her attire. "Alright. I think I'm ready. What do you think?" Rose twirled just as BB-8 rolled into the room with a long whistle.
Rey chuckled and said, "Yes, BB-8, I know. She looks stunning." Rey agreed. Rose looked at her with dumbfounded shock.
"I do? What about you! You dress is amazing! I feel under dressed compared to your outfit and everyone else's!" she exclaimed, making Rey blush now.
"Leia asked...well, ordered me to wear this. No one can really say no to her." Rey laughed and shyly looked to the floor as Rose nodded knowingly. Both girls smiled. It was extremely hard to say no to the General after all she had done for the galaxy.
BB-8 whistled again, followed by the droid flipping out a small claw that held a little white box. Rose bent to take it, grinning.
Opening it, she pulled out a patch that belonged on Finn's jacket. Rey wasn't sure the meaning, but she knew that this little patch meant something to Rose as she watched her hold it close to her chest and smiled lovingly. Rose's eyes lit up as she grabbed something from her vanity and turned to Rey.
"Oh! I almost forgot. Can you take this to Finn?" Rose asked, handing Rey a brown, carved box. It fit in Rey's hand perfectly, and she took a moment to study the etched design on the lid of the box.
"A present?" Rey asked, holding the light box up.
Rose nodded. "It's tradition, apparently. He'll know." She spoke.
Rey smiled and nodded before turning to leave towards Finn's chambers, leaving the bride alone with the droid. Rey was unable to help the smile that spread across her face as she listened to the tune Rose hummed, the noise following Rey all the way down the hall.
It was difficult getting to Finn's chambers Rey had discovered, when numerous members of the Resistance had stopped to ask her about the special task Leia had assigned her to tomorrow, and others commenting about how good she looked dressed up.
By the time she reached her friend's room, Rey was exhausted from the questioning and the constant blush that had not left her face since leaving Rose's room.
She had never been complimented so much. It made her ache for her regular sand-toned bandages and staff, uncomfortable with the unwanted attention. This was one of the times she missed her small home on Jakku, the secluded, broken ship had the power to hide her when she needed it most.
Rey rolled her eyes and reminded herself that she would never return there, nor should she want to, regardless of how overwhelmed she was at times.
With her hand raised to knock, Rey cleared her throat to gain her composure again, and before she could catch her breath, the door opened wide, and she was being pulled into the room by her hand.
She smiled, remembering that this was how Finn insisted on leading her when they first met. She still did not like it, but it was a fond memory, she mused.
"Well, hello to you, too." She chuckled as she stood in the middle of his small room, waiting as he closed the door behind her.
The energy in the room was exuberant, a heightened excitement bouncing off of every inch in this space.
Finn faced Rey now, studying her face intently as he began his own set of questions.
"Did she get the present? Did she like it? Were you there?" Finn sat on the corner of his bed, looking up at her. He was dressed very well, just missing the jacket for his black and white tuxedo, and Rey knew Rose would be satisfied if Finn showed up in his normal wear. She smiled at him.
She could feel the wave of anticipation and nervousness rolling off of him in waves, crashing into one another. This was her friend indeed, the jittery rebel.
"She loved it. And she sent me with something in return." Rey handed him the box, and watched as it caught Finn by surprise. He took the box in his hand, admiring it just as she had.
Sitting next to him, Rey waited for the reveal of what was inside.
He sat there, though, staring at the box, and she was hit with another roll of his anxiety. She sighed heavily, realizing that his feelings were beginning to make them both nauseous.
'Maybe I can calm him... Like the dream...' she thought. She hadn't attempted it since that night, when she calmed Kylo's nightmare and ended up exchanging their force energy.
Rey contemplated the consequences. If she did succeed here, could she control her force enough to only allow the good to escape?
She bit her lip, inhaling deeply as she decided that anything would be better than the constant roller-coaster he was putting himself through.
Channeling the force, making sure to focus on the good, on the light, she placed a small hand softly on his shoulder, trying to make sure that she was giving her warmth instead of receiving it.
Rey silenced the atmosphere, stilling even the dust around them, and shifted her thoughts to the side, meditating on providing steady comfort. With that, she could feel the calm radiating off of her and quieting his nerves, the force working with her to ease the tension
Finn's head shot up and looked towards her, eyes wide, but breathing normal now. She removed her hand, grinning with much satisfaction.
"Wow, how'd you do that?" He asked, amazed. Rey noted his voice sounded lighter, and she could feel he was more at peace than before.
"I... Well, I'm not sure. I tried it once before a long time ago, but I wasn't sure if it would work this time." She smiled now, but it faded as the urge to explain further arrived.
Hesitating, Rey slowly began to say "Finn... Something happened, during my meditation earlier today. I'm not sure how, but I felt more... Powerful. Like the force was trying to tell me to expand my knowledge of this power..." Rey said, shifting so that she could look at him more comfortably.
Finn was still her first friend, her closest friend. In the end, he would be the one she could tell anything to. But she knew that if she were to tell him everything, he would be scared. She only hoped that he would be scared for her, and not of her.
The existence of the bond was still a secret to everyone but Rey and Kylo. If she ever revealed that part of her, could Finn still support her? Still choose to be her friend and confidant?
Before she could decide that, Finn replied.
"Is that a good thing? I mean, I felt so stressed, nervous almost. And you took it all away! I feel great right now. It has to be a good thing." He exclaimed, grinning at her. "Rey, you're going to do great things with this. I know you will." He exclaimed.
Rey smiled, wanting to tell him more, but now was not the time for it. His reassurance though, was exactly what she needed.
She glanced to the box that was still unopened in his hand, and his attention was brought back to it as well. Sighing, Finn gently opened it, revealing the necklace Rose wore very often, one that her sister Paige had a matching side to.
Finn's finger brushed over it, and in that silent moment, Rey saw that this meant something deep to him, just as his gift to Rose did.
Rey couldn't help the rush of longing and curiosity that hit her. She wondered if she would ever experience this feeling Finn had, of being loved and appreciated, of sharing something so deep with someone that a mere gift could send her into a silenced appreciation.
Her mind swiftly drifted again to the bond she shared with Ben.
The thought of his name hurt something within her, as if she were mourning someone she had known her entire life. She couldn't make sense of it, and figured she never would, could only chalk it up to the power of their bond at this point.
Nevertheless, she still hurt, and stubbornly corrected her mind.
'Kylo.' She thought to herself while Finn went to check himself in the mirror across the room.
It was not the same, Rey told her mind. He couldn't be Ben Solo to her any longer. That hope was gone, no matter the bond, no matter her compassion... It just had to be.
She couldn't live her life in hopes that he would change his.
Yet her heart, her stupid and stubborn heart, told her that if she kept the man he used to be alive, that maybe one day he would return...
Rey couldn't stand the tug of war going on within her. She wished she could be told exactly what she needed to do, and just do it. It would be so much easier. She was simply tired of this fight, exhausted about what was right and wrong when it came to him and their bond, and the problems it all created.
Shaking her head to clear her senses, she focused on Finn again as he undid the top button of his shirt to put the necklace on beneath it.
Silently, Rey stood from the bed and walked over to him, offering her help and he allowed it. Silently they stood together, but her thoughts never quieted.
The constant battle of good and evil raged on in her mind, and the longer it went on, the more she felt completely numb to the mix of whispers that escaped the dark and light sides of the force.
'He is the Prince of Darkness...Do not fall...'
'He is lost in the darkness...Be his light...'
More whispers rushed to her, as if to cover up the ones that were said before.
'Kylo Ren, the Supreme Leader, your king.'
'Ben Solo, your teacher, your mate.'
"Alright. I think I'm ready." Finn said, turning to grin at Rey.
Rey glanced up from the blank stare she was giving the floor, and quickly smiled back at him. Since she had calmed his nerves, he wasn't able to pick up on the worry and torment that lay upon her face.
Finn moved to begin the trek to the hall, Rey following behind him, wishing so desperately that the force would calm the inner war. However, the force never answered her plea, and so the warfare continued.
'You will fall, he will rise.'
'You will help him return to light.'
( x ) End of Chapter ( x )
(Edited 04/05/2021
Author's Note: Yay! Another done. Added about 1.3k words, strictly details. Pretty happy with how it's going. Thank you all again for your constant support and love, hope you all are enjoying!