Rey had never run so fast in her life. She said that every time she was near certain death. One rather insistent Resistance member had been chasing her for what seemed like an hour, he had successfully shot her once in theshoulder.
The next thing she knew, something big and large had let go of a tree and swung down, hitting her in the back left side of her ribs. She was launched into the air and rolled down a hill where she blacked out.
She was going to die here.
*
Rey woke up in pain and possibly dying. She knew that she shouldn't be alive. But someone had seen her fall. Someone had taken her in.
It was much to her chagrin to find that it was a man in Jedi robes. She tried to get up but the blinding pain from her ribs made her lay back. "Yeah I was going to advise against that." He said. "You had quite a nasty fall."
"Yeah, no shit." She coughed. It was the worst feeling ever. "Fuck,"
"You're the Empress, aren't you?" She didn't answer that. "You are." He came forward, he was quite tall, and very muscular. "No judgement from me." He said. "I'm just here to help you because you're hurt."
"Yeah, right."
Rey was scared. She wouldn't admit it but she was.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I don't have a side. I just help people in need because that's the Jedi thing to do."
"Right," Rey said. "Because the Jedi are the pinnacle of morality."
He ignored that.
"My name is Ben,"
"Ben Solo? The General's kid?"
The General's kid had gone missing in action a long time ago. When Rey was still a slave.
"Yes."
"There's no way I'm not getting turned in,"
"She doesn't know I'm here. You're safe here."
Interesting.
Still,Rey was going to murder Ben Solo and laugh when she killed his self righteous ass. And why? Probably because he kept going on about how the Jedi order helped people in need no matter who they were and he wouldn't leave her alone."Can you tell me why you were running?"
"Because I was gonna die."
"And why you broke three ribs,"
"Hit by a log trap."
"It's a miracle you're alive," Ben said. "That kills most men."
"I'm not a man. I can take a little pain."
"You're in a lot of pain right now," He said, "theres no way you're not unless you're in shock."
"I've been through worse."
"I can only imagine," Ben placed a cold cloth on her head. "That doesn't invalidate your pain now though," He got up again, going out of her line of sight. "I have some pain medicine, but not a lot, so it'll have to be used sparingly. Are you in pain right now?"
No shit.
"I'm not taking anything you give me."
"Why?" Silence. "I won't do anything to you." He told her. His voice was soothing and she hated it. "Besides you can barely breathe and can't get up, don't you at least want to sleep?" She did. She was silent for a long time before finally agreeing to what he had asked her. She took the pill, noting after a few seconds that it was not in fact poison.
She fell asleep not long after that.
*
"You are worth nothing," Unkar Plutt said. "You will not speak, you will not fight back, your soul purpose is to make me money, do you understand?" Rey was told this for as long as she could remember. She nodded.
"You will meet him today," Plutt said, "the ancient one in charge of the Order. He wishes to take a wife, and since you're the best looking of my girls I'm choosing you. You better hope he chooses you,"
"Yes, sir." Was all she could say. She met him that day. The Ancient One with the scarred face who corrupted girls and killed them when they turned eighteen. The Ancient One fell in love with her and her youth, he took her and another girl in as his wives that day. She was tall and broad and well built, with blonde hair that was in a crew cut. She was seventeen. She would die first.
The both of them were scared beyond their wits, they both got beat together, they both bandaged up their bloody faces and tattered knuckles. "We're going to die here," The blonde would say.
But Rey had a plan, a plan that should have kept the both of them alive.
*
Rey woke up to a dull aching sensation. Ben was there watching her. He looked tired. She still wondered why he was even bothering with her. "You're probably hungry, I have some broth for you."
"Did you poison it?"
"What would I have to gain from that? Besides I didn't poison your pain pill so why would I poison your broth instead?" He was right, but still she was suspicious. He sighed, taking a sip from the broth. When he didn't keel over Rey accepted it. He fed her, which was embarrassing, but he wasn't a dick about it.
"So you're not turning me in," Rey said, "what do you want in reward?"
"I don't want anything," He told her.
Then what could he stand to gain from this? Rey didn't understand. "I just like helping people."
"Right." She said again.
"I don't have a side in this war."
"And yet your mother is the leader of the Resistance." He blinked, looking like this shouldn't be of any issue to Rey whatsoever. "Surely she would've raised you to believe in the cause."
"She did," He said, "but we disagree on our executions I guess. I'm not much one for fighting. I'm more the healing type."
"So what happens when your mother comes banging at your door asking if you're hiding a fugitive? What are you going to do then?"
"Tell her you're not here," His voice sounded so genuine, "I don't put defenseless people in danger, no matter who they are. You could be the Empress or just a random nobody, I would've still picked you up and helped you." Rey was about to open her mouth to say something, but she was at a loss for words.
"I need to change your bandages," He said.
"Get away from me." He grimaced when she wiggled a little and ultimately paid the price for it.
"This is for your own good." He raised a hand, and Rey felt her eyes start to droop. "Don't be afraid," He told her, "I feel it too."
She passed out after that.