Several days later, Rey was keeping herself busy as she packed last minute items into a small satchel, wondering if her nerves would ever calm. The closer the day to leave came, the worse it got. Her stomach was constantly tight, her temples throbbing, heart racing.
The anxiety was almost too much.
Sighing, Rey lifted a hand to her cheek, giving a small press to help cool her down. The Challenge Day was so vile to her, and the picture she had in her mind of how the city of Cinnon'Ra is, made her cringe. Yet, she could not deny that underneath it all, she was eager to get a glimpse of Ben.
What was complicated even more than her plan, was how she felt about him, and what would happen once her plan was in action.
Rey practiced every single moment of the day for the plan, alongside both Flora and Kai, who seemed excited for the getaway and for the oncoming fight that they were flying to.
What was most important to Rey, however, was keeping the girls safe, and Ben himself.
Now, in only a few hours, they would be leaving in the middle of the night, Chewie and BB-8 ready aboard the Millennium Falcon, and set to take off the moment all three women set foot on the ship.
The anticipation made Rey's hands shake against her cheek, and she clasped her hands together, steadying her breath.
Right then, she heard a soft knock at the door to her chambers, making Rey quickly turn towards it only to see Princess Leia entering and closing the door behind her.
The atmosphere quickly changed, the air filling with scents of lilies and ocean water. It reminded Rey of the small island she often thought of... the island she met Anakin and Obi Wan on.
Rey opened her mouth to speak, her body and mind willing to give a small hello, in hopes that it would show the General that she was calm. However, Rey sensed that Leia knew better.
In fact, Leia knew it all.
Leia Organa stepped closer to Rey, her small frame covered by a long, grey dress and black cloak. From behind layers of clothing, her hand reached towards Rey's, and the young girl caught her hand, each holding the others to give reassurance.
Rey's stomach clenched again, and her emotions beckoned for a release that Rey refused.
'Not now... not now...' she kept telling herself as she glanced to the ground, and back to meet Leia's eyes.
"I know you're leaving." Leia said, a sad smile tugging at her lips. Rey realized that the General was holding back tears as well.
"How?" Rey's small voice whispered as she blinked away her own tears.
"Chewie never leaves without a goodbye." Leia said, trying and failing to force out a chuckle.
Rey looked away again, feeling ashamed that there had to be a goodbye at all, especially when it came to Leia.
Rey shook her head, trying to fight off the negative thoughts that came flooding through her mind, begging her to call it all off.
"I have to go." Rey muttered, swallowing the sob she wanted to cry out. Clearing her throat, she looked back up to Leia when her tears ran away. "I have to."
Leia was already nodding when their eyes met. "I know." The older woman said calmly. She moved her hand out of Rey's and embraced her, and they stood there for a few moments as their anxiety and impatience clashed together, and eventually, washed away.
Together, they were stronger. Rey thought it may have had something to do with the force, but right now, she couldn't think about that.
Stepping back, Leia took a cloth from her cloaks pocket and dabbed a few times at each of her cheeks before she spoke.
"Rey, if something happens... We won't be able to follow you out there. Our fleet-"
"I know." Rey nodded. When their eyes met once again, Leia understood that Rey knew exactly what risks she was taking. The dark look in Rey's eyes gave away all of her thoughts, and Leia's own stomach clenched with a surprising pain, one that she remembered feeling when Ben was just a boy... when she wished she could take his pain away, yet she knew she couldn't...
Sighing, she looked towards her clasped hands. "Bring him home... I just want him home..."
The aching sadness that pierced through Leia's whisper hit Rey more than anything.
It didn't hurt Rey that Leia didn't ask her to stay, in fact it helped. No one on this planet would ever be able to convince her to stay, and to have Leia's support only fueled Rey's need to go even more.
For the first time since the plan was evened out, Rey felt her worries wash away, and she was able to breathe.
( X )
Hours later, Flora and Kai met with Rey a few miles outside of the base, skirting around the outsides of the security parameter, undetected by no one. As Rey led the twins to the meet up spot, she couldn't help but feel bad for not saying goodbye to her friends.
She wondered if Finn would ever forgive her, and if Rose would ever speak to her again... and Poe...
Rey's heart stopped for the quickest second as Poe's face entered her mind. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt any of them, but something made Rey feel as though this would hurt him the most.
She couldn't deny that she felt as though she was betraying every person she cared for, and Rey tried to convince herself that she was doing this only for the Resistance, but deep down she knew that was a lie. Yes, she was doing this for them, for their lives, but a very selfish part of Rey revealed that she needed to do this for Ben, as if it would fix any wrong that had been done to him.
"Do you love him?" Kai breathlessly asked from behind her.
Rey froze for a moment, suddenly realizing that Kai was watching her thoughts from within her own mind.
Using the force to push her out, Rey saw she had overpowered her mind as Kai stumbled into her. The young twin muttered an apology, but still waited for the answer.
Rey's brows furrowed as she thought for a moment, but was not able to come to the answer on her own before Kai spoke again.
"Well, I mean you must, since you're going through all this trouble..." Kai trailed off when Flora scoffed at her.
"He isn't the only reason we are doing this." Rey said, her annoyance reaching a new record for how fast it came.
"Really? So, when and if the time comes, you'll kill him before he kills us?" Kai asked, her own tone giving her away. This was a question that she had been wanting to ask, and the fact that she asked it before they were to leave Pyron let Rey know that she had to set the record straight.
Though, her heart ached at the answer.
Stopping in her tracks, Rey turned to face the twins, who stopped walking as well.
"Yes. If and when the time comes, I will kill him in a heartbeat over losing any of you. But, he won't kill you. I know he won't." Rey said, her eyes shooting from Kai to Flora. The look she gave them made the girls believe every word, and Rey did indeed, and knew herself that if he were to ever do such a thing, she would either kill him first or sacrifice herself while doing so.
"Do you think they'll expect anything?" Flora sked.
For a moment, Rey thought on this. They had gone over the plan so many times, but even Rey had to be sure herself.
"There's always a chance, but with everything going on, the last thing they'll expect is a small crew of rebels in the mix of it. We've trained endlessly for this. We'll be right in front of them and they won't even know it." Rey glanced towards the sky, taking in every star and every planet in view before she turned back to them. "They won't."
Flora and Kai shared a glance that Rey had witnessed may times, a glance of excitement and certainty, a glance that Rey was jealous of, because all she could think of was seeing Ben, and getting to him before anything had the chance of going wrong.
The last words Leia spoke to her before she left gave Rey the calm reassurance that she needed.
'There are three things that you will forever have. The night will come again, and so will the day, and the force will always be at your side.'
( X )
The days dragged on.
The tension electrified the air more than it ever had before, even when Snoke ruled.
The boots of the troopers that walked the halls echoed to every room.
Shots were fired to ensure every weapon was in perfect condition.
In this state, the fleet that belonged to Kylo Ren was untouchable.
Kylo Ren, who was staring down at thousands of his men get in combat formation, should have been in a better mood than he currently was. Instead, he was frustrated.
With the Challenge Day here, General Hux was much too happy to here on Cinnon'Ra, and Kylo could only assume that it was to do with Vicar being his challenger, which annoyed the would-be Supreme Leader even more.
In only a few hours, the feast would begin, and so would the nights entertainment before the fight was to start, that is, if Kylo answered the challenge.
His jaw clenched at the idea, eager to put an end to the annoying wrench in his plan that is Vicar Ren.
Highly irritated, Kylo pushed aside a dressing droid that came up to him with a new cloak, brushing past it as he stormed to his chambers.
Sweat began to run down the back of his neck, matting down his hair as stripped away the clothes he had on so that he could bathe before the feast. The last thing he wanted to do was attend the damned thing, however if he didn't, no doubt Vicar would take that as an acceptance of the challenge.
And of course, if Kylo did strike him down, he would then have to answer to the rest of the Knights of Ren, taking side of anything but the First Order and asking for a war with himself.
It was all such a mess, a mess he did not want to deal with and felt he shouldn't have to. He was Snoke apprentice, what else did they need...
For a moment, the thought of Snoke made Kylo think of the day he had killed him, and the girl who had helped.
It had been days now, since the last time the force connected him to Rey, and the thought of her seemed to have made his anger and annoyance lower, something he was tired of attempting to figure out.
It was too much to chalk up to the force bond. He knew that against all training, and against all rules of the dark side, he was attached to her and had no need to tear himself away, in fact, he almost wished he could talk to her once more, however he denied himself that.
With the Challenge Day here, he needed all of his focus to be on the outcome of today's events, because the outcome itself would lay path to whatever future involved Rey.
Cursing, Kylo unclasped his cloak and let it fall to the ground as a disturbing thought fleeted across his mind, a silent question if he would ever see Rey again.
( X )
"Kylo Ren!" Vicar Ren yelled as he pushed two girls off of his lap and stood to greet Kylo.
It had been only a few minutes since Kylo and a few of his troops had been escorted to the large, outside lounge that the feast was going to take place.
There were tons of tables set up everywhere, plates of food and barrels of wine bunkered to every table. Women flittered to every man that stood and every man that sat, barely dressed in sheer skirts, jewelry, and bralettes. Some of them danced on the large stage that stood in front of the tables, light shining on the next performers.
Behind them, another stage was set up where a band played music that brought a headache to Kylo, making him wince even more when Vicar approached him and slapped a fat hand to this shoulder.
"Ah, boy. It's been too long." Vicar stated as he led Kylo and his men to his own table. He grabbed his chalice and chugged the remaining contents before shoving his cup into a woman's hands, wordlessly demanding a refill.
Kylo resisted the urge to leave once more, taking a seat next to Vicar as people talked over the music behind them.
A barely dressed woman attempted to seductively walk up to Kylo, who waived her off. She shrugged and went to a Stormtrooper standing behind him, who was guarding Kylo, and trailed a slim finger down the front of his armor.
Kylo turned his head to the side, a silent threat to the trooper, and the woman was quickly pushed to the side as Vicar turned his attention once more to Kylo.
"The rest are here. We have front row seats! Tell me, with the galaxy on my side, and a war at your doorstep, you won't really challenge me, will you?" Vicar drunkenly asked with amusement dripping from his tone.
Kylo arched a single brow, his lips in a thin and firm line. Before he could respond, he whipped his head around to his side again when he heard his Stormtrooper reach for someone who approached him. Seeing the person, he waived his men off and let them take their leave, deciding that there was no need for any protection with everyone so intoxicated already.
Beside him, he watched as the rest of the Knights of Ren took their seats, all nodding a quick greeting to Kylo, who did not return any greeting whatsoever.
"Good to see you haven't changed." Makeem, one of the Knights, said to him.
Makeem was the youngest, yet fastest of the Knights of Ren, a new initiate that Snoke picked up only a few years ago. He was also the only one that gave Snoke so much push back, a frustration to Snoke yet amusement to Kylo.
"Has anyone here changed, really?" Kylo muttered to him, making Makeem smirk as they both glanced to Vicar, who was again being entertained with another girl on his lap.
"It is possible." Seena, the fourth member of the Knights of Ren, called out from across the table. Kylo met her cold glare, returning her look with his own. She was always the one that was competing for Snoke's attention, but was turned away when she couldn't master the art of the force.
"You know, possible to change. I mean, you were chosen for the dark side, you killed your poor, little father, felt bad about it and what do you know, Snoke is dead the next second. Change of heart? Or maybe change of side?" Seena implied.
Kylo's gloved hand twitched at the thought of force choking her, but Vicar's loud laugh tore through the tension.
"Enough! You two were always the worst. While I rule, you will put an end to your games." Vicar seethed once he was down with his laugh.
From the corner of his eye, Kylo noticed the last two Knights of Ren, Paz and Cosic, shaking their heads in annoyance.
'So, Vicar doesn't have everyone on his side...' Kylo thought, and to confirm this, he channeled the force and felt their defiance, along with something else.
Shooting up from his chair, Kylo quickly glanced around the room, his sharp eyes shooting from face to face, unable to spot her.
He felt her.
He felt her more than ever, since her powers were strengthening.
Turning around quickly, he continued his eager search, his anger boiling to new heights as more and more people piled into the room as the lights dimmed, giving hint to a new act on the stage.
A woman that was passing bumped into him, and like the others, barely dressed, however this one had on a sheer veil that covered her face from the eyes down. Kylo noticed that a side of her face was badly burned, and for some reason, that felt familiar to him.
With his brows furrowed, he watched as the woman slowly made her way to the stage as the lights shut off, and a spotlight flew to another woman on the center of the stage, similarly dressed to the one that bumped into him. This one though, was dressed in a dark sheer outfit, with jewels decorating the milky smooth skin that gleamed in the light.
A seductive and upbeat song began to play, thankfully not played by the cheap cantina band, and the room grew silent. Every man and woman on the large balcony stopped their own entertainment and conversation to watch the trio that slowly began to dance to the music, all three in synch as they picked up their pace, always making sure to shield their face with the help of their veils.
For a very long moment, Kylo was entranced. He watched as the woman seemed to lead the other two, their bare feet seemingly floating above the floor as they moved with such ease, her long and toned torso calling the eyes of every spectator as the jewels made their own music against her skin.
Her skin...
As the three women stood side by side, they placed one hand on their hip, and turned their sides to the audience, extending one long arm to them, and pulling it in to their other hand that was planted at their hip, turning the back of their heads to the crowd, and facing them again as they reach their arm and hand out once more.
Her skin...
The trio repeated the same move again, this time, the woman he was watching met his eyes.
Her skin...
Just then, Kylo remembered the vision he had of Rey when she was dressed in the long black dress, her skin peeking out from the plunge and the slit.
It was Rey. She was here, and she was right on the sta-
Right when Kylo opened his mouth, and his foot began to take step towards the stage, the trio repeated their move for the third time, this time daggers shot out from their hands and implanted themselves deep into the flesh of Seena and Cosic, along with a few of their men. Their limp bodies fell to the floor as the balcony was filled with screams and shock.
From the side of the stage, blasters lit off, hitting Vicar as he tried to move from his seat, shoving the now deceased girl off from his lap.
Kylo's glance shot back to the stage as he heard Rey's lightsaber emerge and strike on, piercing the air, electricity whipping from her sword and stinging the area around her.
He watched with a near wide mouth and wide eyes as she ran to the edge of the stage, having already pulled one of Vicar's men to her by the force, and plunged her lightsaber into him.
People scurried around him, bumping into him so much that he nearly stumbled to the ground, but was caught by several of his own stormtroopers as they pulled him to the nearest exit, General Hux waiting for him with an angry face.
"What is this? What's hap-" Hux was interrupted by a blaster shot that nearly struck his neck, but dodged it by ducking.
"Get the girl, I don't give a damn about the rest!" Vicar said, suddenly behind a still shocked Kylo.
The last thing he wanted was Rey to be in the hands of Vicar, but when he turned to her, expecting to see her still fighting across the stage, she was gone.
( X )
Author's Notes:
I am so so sorry for the wait! I have been beyond busy at work, and this chapter was one I have been working on for so long. I hope you enjoyed it! Also, I wasn't sure how to describe the outfits that Rey, Flora and Kai were wearing...They were like belly dancing kind of outfits? I don't know. Lol.
Thank you for reading, and I would love love LOVE some feedback! (: