NOTES: Thank you so much for checking out my first Reylo story!
It may seem slow to start, but the plot will quickly build.
There's a bit of jumping around too, seeing a few memories. If it gets confusing please leave a comment and I will try my best to fix it.
This is a slow burn, so getting ready to catch those feels.
Enjoy!
Ahch-to
She awoke shaken, hand clutching her chest. He had been in her dreams again. While this wasn't a new occurrence, this time had been different. An unbreakable bond was formed that fateful day on Starkiller Base. It allowed them access to one another's mind. Rey kept him shut out most of the time, but when she dreamed, the walls she built came down reflexively. He would ease in, so as not to startle her. She'd always vehemently tried to throw him out. He'd always laugh and tell her he'd find her, no matter how many times she'd pushed him away. They were intertwined irrevocably, until the ends of time.
She repeated the Jedi mantra, trying to calm herself, unable to shake the uneasy feeling filling her. The bond was closed on his side. She hardly ever tried to reach out to him during waking hours. Instead he would unintentionally send her flashes of emotions. Those were harder to control. He looked in at her quite frequently she knew. He'd taunt her in her dreams often.
She glanced out the small window of her hut. Dawn was rapidly approaching. Luke, she thought, reaching out with her senses. She found him mediating by the waterfall she enjoyed so much. She dressed quickly, donning her faded clothing: her cream tunic over her breast bindings, navy flight vest and arm bands, gray trousers and black boots. She jumped up, grabbing her saber-staff and affixing it to her back with the straps she had fashioned out of scraps. She ran from the hut, down the hill and into the scattering of trees. She could hear the ocean lapping violently against the nearby cliffs. She skidded to a stop as Luke came into her vision. She walked quietly over to the rocks he was seated on and waited patiently.
She had been on Ach-to for over a year. Mastering most of the techniques Luke had taught her. Of them all, meditation was her least favorite. Luke opened his eyes, taking in his young apprentice, "What is troubling you Padawan?" She climbed up the rock and sat facing him, "He was in my dreams again." Luke tutted good-naturedly at her, "Rey, you mustn't let him in like that." "It was not intentional, Master," she said dipping her head. She became serious, "I think he's in trouble." "Oh?" Luke said, nonchalantly, picking at his robes, "Let's see then." Rey folded her legs and let her body relax. She quieted her breathing and opened her mind. Luke gently entered, searching for the dream, until he found it.
Rey sat near the edge of the cliff that jutted out over the ocean. It was night, a cool breeze wafting over the water. The planet's two moons shining brightly in the distance. Rey inhaled the salty air, relaxing. It was short-lived as the hair on her neck began to stand on edge, her skin tingling. "You're here," she stated matter- of- factly. He crept out of the shadows, his robes brushing the short grass. He came to a stop next to Rey, remaining standing. She shot a glance at him. He was looking down at her, his mask absent. The scar she gave him contrasting sharply against his pale face, his dark eyes reflecting the moons. "Don't you dream of anything else?" He asked. "Funny thing, my dreams aren't meant to cater to you," she said sniffing lightly. He smirked as he stared out at the calm ocean. He sat down roughly, not bothering to ask permission.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "For which transgression," she spat. "For them all. You'll be happy to know, this may very well be the last time you see me." She looked at him confused. "I'm tired of feeling conflicted and torn. I want peace. I know what I have to do to achieve that now. I only regret not realizing it sooner." "You're not making any sense," she said. She couldn't help the rising panic building in her stomach. He smiled, as he glanced down at her, "Don't tell me you care little Jedi." She snorted, "No, I just don't understand why you're here and talking in riddles." He sighed as he turned towards her, "You'll forget this bond quickly. I am sorry, truly. I won't bother you any longer." He reached out and caressed her face, fully expecting her to pull away. Surprisingly she stayed firmly rooted. "Ben?" She asked cautiously. "Goodbye, Scavenger." He released her face and stood abruptly, walking back into the shadows. "Ben!" She yelled.
Luke pulled out of her dream, brow furrowed. "Very interesting," he said deep in thought. "Master?" Rey asked. "Let me think on it. In the meantime, practice your forms and meditation." He stood and walked towards the group of huts, leaving her baffled by his response.
Weeks passed, Luke never saying anything more about her dream. They sparred and continued her training at a vigorous pace. Each night she fell into an exhausted dreamless sleep. Kylo Ren had been completely absent from her mind. She felt a resounding emptiness, even though she hated him. She felt conflicted most days about the shared bond. He had done horrible things, but when he appeared to her he was always kind. Exceedingly arrogant, but kind nonetheless. She knew he probably knew her location, but he never used it against her. Always choosing to just spend time with her.
She remembered a time that she had had a nightmare, one that had plagued her, her whole life. She was a little girl on Jakku again. The shuttle that had dropped her off was flying away, becoming smaller by the minute. She was screaming and crying, calling for them to come back. She felt him there, his interest piqued, watching her plight. The dream disappeared and she was immediately surrounded by calm. She heard the ghost of a song, floating to her causing her to fall into deep untroubled sleep.
She entered her hut and removed her saber-staff from her back. She smiled at it proudly. She had crafted it a few months prior using parts from her original staff she had brought from Jakku. Luke had told her of a cave that held Kyber crystals. He warned her that it was treacherous to get to. She'd have to swim to it, and then trek deep into its bowels, all before the tide came in. She had planned her trip carefully, timing the tides. Her swimming skills had increased greatly living on the oceanic planet. She no longer felt fear when entering the sea. She swam quickly using her senses to find the cave. When she had pulled herself into its mouth, she instantly felt an insistent tugging. Her crystal was calling to her. It had felt like ages as she traversed more deeply into the cave, completely engulfed in darkness. She relied heavily on the force. She soon found herself in a large cavern, seeing a slight glowing coming from a spot high up on its walls. She climbed the slick rocks, and felt the tugging stop. It was replaced by a strong vibration. She grabbed the knife she had brought from her sack. Feeling along the wall, her hand stopped at a small form jutting from the wall. She used the knife to pry it from its resting place. The crystal hummed in her hand as she grinned broadly.
She brought her crystal to the cliff she sat on regularly, and mediated for three days as she used the force to craft her saber. Luke had sat nearby watching his apprentice proudly. He tried to keep his thoughts from wandering to his fallen academy. So many of his students would have gone through this very same process. He shook his head violently, shooing away the ghosts of his past. She finally stood on the third night, shakily holding the saber in her hand. She turned to Luke and ignited it. Luke's eyes widened as he saw that it had two vents, a saber-staff. It glowed a vibrant green. It suited her perfectly. He stood, as she deactivated it, and embraced her. "Today you take your first steps as a Jedi. You will have one trial to face, before you are no longer my apprentice." She beamed at him.
She started removing her boots to sit and eat her midday meal. She was startled when she heard his voice, righting herself and snatching her saber-staff from her makeshift table. She pivoted, expecting to see him there. "Rey." "Where are you?" she spoke through the bond, opening it. She was immersed in sudden pain and turmoil. "Ben, what's happened?" she demanded. "Rey," was all he said. She suddenly had a vision of a gray planet, dust billowing about its decaying trees. A temple ruin could be seen in the distance. He was kneeling in a clearing, sodden sand underneath him. She fell backwards into the table as she scrambled to replace her boots. She tore out of the hut as she yelled for Luke.