The call was the strongest at night, when his overtaxed mind conjured up images of his youth.
In his mind's eye, he could see glimpses of himself running through the many halls of Chandrila's Senate House, as the senators and other representatives watched with amused and bewildered stares after the son of Leia Organa and Han Solo. When they looked at him they saw every hope and prayer that many across the galaxy had had to hold onto during the war. He was new life, a new hope, the very essence of the light side of the Force.
Or so they thought.
In his youth, he was able to pay no mind to these misplaced ideas of reverence. Their faces and words were nothing to him, just background noise as he ran past. His focus was never on them; it was always on someone much more important.
He turned a corner just in time to see a sliding glass door close, leading to the courtyard garden. He followed with renewed vigor, feeling his heart beat quickly as the anticipation of the game coming to an end began to overwhelm his senses. Rushing through the door, he stopped only briefly to look around the garden, barely registering the lush green plants, the aroma of flowers, and the chirps of birds flying by. His eyes roamed about wildly, looking for any suggestion of where she was hiding. He took greedy gulps of air to calm his breathing, feeling the burn in his chest subsiding with each passing moment. He needed to be calm in order to stealthily move about the space, in hopes of catching her unaware. Long moments dragged by as he allowed himself to be enveloped in a feeling of calm concentration.
Closing his eyes, he reached out with the Force to feel her presence with him in the garden. At first there was nothing but unending darkness and solitude, where he could not feel or hear anything, and disappointment crashed over him like a wave. Perhaps he was not strong in the Force, the way everyone hoped he would be. Where everyone saw light, perhaps there was nothing at all. He was unworthy of such power. The thoughts began chant to him, like a cruel litany in his mind. Disappointment. Weak. Unworthy. His hand curled into a fist, as he felt the onslaught of tears begin to form just beneath his eyelids. Already he could feel his mouth curling downward, betraying his emotional state.
Ben.
And just like that, all thoughts of doubt began to disappear. Her voice echoed in his mind, brushing him as light a feather. He straightened up slightly and reached out once more with renewed purpose. He had to find her now and end their game, if only so that he could see her face and hear her speak to him in her quiet voice. Through the darkness came a small light, a flickering beacon calling to him and encouraging his feelings. He concentrated on it, allowing it to flare and illuminate the outer reaches of his mind. Where there was once despair, now came peace.
Through the haze, he began to feel her. Her heartbeat became amplified in his mind, playing like a song. He could almost feel her chest expand and compress with each breath she took, quietly disrupting the air around her. She shuffled her feet, trying to relieve the tension that had begun to form from standing so stoically for so long. She was near.
Ben opened his eyes and ran to the very edge of the garden, to the wall farthest from the door. His mind was consumed with the feeling of her, and the need to be beside her in that moment. Pushing past the branches of a particularly large and immaculately shaped bush, he finally found her. She stood against the wall facing him, her white shirt and leggings streaked with dirt and green stains from her romp through the foliage. Her expression was one of exasperation, her brows furrowing slightly as a frown began to form on her lips.
"You cheated."
"I did not! You never said I couldn't use the Force to find you."
"It should have gone without saying! That's not fair. You have the advantage when you use it."
Ben huffed, feeling annoyance begin to eat away at his ego. "If you didn't want me to use it you shouldn't have called out to me then."
She looked down, feeling a blush heat up her cheeks. "I could see you were getting worked up. I didn't want you upset over a game."
He straightened up again, puffing out his chest in a poor imitation of how he had seen his father do hundreds of times. "I was not getting worked up; I was just concentrating. You don't need to worry about my feelings. Whether I used the Force or not, I would have found you. I always find you."
She laughed then, a small tinkling sound that seemed to be amplified in the quiet space of the garden. She looked up at him, her brown eyes washing over him in friendliness and warmth. For a moment Ben felt his heart stop, then speed up to an almost erratic rate. This was his favorite part of the game, the conclusion. When he could see her again after chasing her for so long, and being rewarded with her attention and smiles.
"Well, I hope you always do find me, Ben Solo."