A long winter had set in, blanketing the village of Jakku in a heavy layer of snow. Most of the crops had withered and died, save for the precious few that were suited to the cold, and only the most stubborn villagers remained to tend them. They all resided in dilapidated farmhouses and in the cluster of cottages that made up their settlement.

In the center of the village sat the old cottage that housed Unkar Plutt, the town's blacksmith and his young apprentice, Rey.

A few patrons had gathered outside the smithy with their bent and broken items in hand. Inside, the furnace burned and hissed as smoke bellowed out of the cramped workshop where Rey was hunched over a dented shovel, beating the heated metal back into shape.

She jumped back and nearly singed herself as Unkar dumped a rusted hammer on her workspace.

"Ratham needs this by tomorrow, so be quick about it." Unkar said before turning to leave.

"But sir, I already have four jobs to finish tonight." Rey tried to explain, "Can't you stay back here and help me for a bit?"

Unkar turned back to face her with his arms crossed.

"So you think i'm not helping you?" He asked, "Who is responsible for feeding you? Clothing you? Who keeps you safe?"

"You do, sir" Rey replied, staring down at her tattered work boots.

"Would you rather I just hand you over to the king's men and collect my reward?" Unkar said.

Rey quickly shook her head.

"Then get to work, you ungrateful little witch." Unkar grumbled before walking away and slamming the door behind him.

Rey continued on with her work, trying her best to pick up the pace and get as much done as she could. Once she had finished scraping the rust from a broken pickaxe, she allowed herself a brief moment of rest.

She leaned her head out of the window so that her face could cool off in the winter air. She saw that the sun was beginning to set and only one patron remained. He thankfully didn't have anything in his hands for her to repair. The stranger had a handsome face with chestnut skin and friendly, expressive eyes. He was obviously not one of the familiar faces of Jakku. Rey leaned further out the window to get a better look at him, but quickly returned to her work table, knowing she needed to finish her work. Unkar would be expecting dinner soon.

Once Rey had returned the broken work tools of the villagers to a more useable state, she put away her thick leather gloves and headed for the well to wash off the grime she had accumulated throughout the day. After drawing a bucket full of icey water from the well, she unwound the protective wrappings from her slender arms and scrubbed away the soot and sweat from her face and hands. After replacing the bucket and drying herself off on her threadbare shawl, she made her way to Unkar's kitchen to prepare their supper. Inside, she was surprised to find him waiting for her.

"Make another helping tonight, girl." He instructed, "Some drifter paid for lodging in my barn and a little extra for a hot meal. See that he gets it."

"Alright, sir." Rey said, reaching for the necessary ingredients with an extra portion in mind.

Unkar nodded and left without word, leaving Rey to her cooking.

Once the stew was prepared and dished out into three bowls, Rey brought it out by the hearth. Unkar was slumped into his chair which was warped from him resting his bulky backside in it day after day. Seated across from him and warming his hands by the fire, was the young stranger Rey had seen before. He still had his hood pulled over his head but the fire from the hearth illuminated his features. He gave her a kind smile, which she returned, and thanked her for the meal as she handed it to him. Rey took her seat on a stool beside him and began sipping at her own bowl.

Unkar sloppily downed his portion is one long gulp.

"More salt next time, girl." He grumbled, wiping the dripping remains of his dinner from his lips.

"Yes sir." Rey replied.

"The girl will show you to the barn when you are done eating. There's plenty of hay to sleep on and i'm sure she can find you a blanket as well." Unkar told the stranger before grabbing a bottle of ale and leaving for his room.

Once they were alone, Rey and the stranger remained seated in silence. Rey's gaze darted from her meal to the stranger every few moments as she thought of what to say.

"My names Rey, by the way. What's yours?" She finally said.

"My name's Finn."

"Where are you from? I've never seen you around here before and we don't get many travellers around here." Rey said.

"I'm just passing through. I travel a lot and will be on my way by morning." Finn said.

"That's exciting. I wish I could travel around and see interesting things and meet new people." Rey said, "I bet life is much more exciting that way-certainly better than being stuck here."

"I haven't seen much yet, but I hope to have plenty of adventures before long." Finn said with a smile.

"Why would someone looking for adventure be out here?" Rey asked. "Jakku is one of only a couple villages within miles."

Finn's smile dropped.

"I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?" Rey asked.

"No, no. It's not you." He assured her, "It's just not a very pleasant story."

"Wait, you weren't at Tuanul, were you?" Rey asked.

Finn's eyes widened.

"You know about that?" He asked.

"Unkar told me a couple weeks ago that the village had been sacked by the royal army. He said that they were harboring outlaws from the resistance and the king's men executed them." Rey said, "It sounded awful."

"It was." Finn said.

"I'm so sorry." Rey said, "Did anyone else make it out?"

"No. Just me." Finn replied.

"I shouldn't have brought it up." Rey said, biting her lip and turning away from him.

"It's alright." Finn said, reaching out to place his hand on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Finn. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone you're with the resistance. Your secret is safe with me." Rey said.

"Thank you for helping me stay undercover." Finn said, "I'm a wanted man, Rey. I'm kind of a big deal with the resistance, so I'm sure the king's men would love to take me down." He whispered.

"What's the resistance like?" Rey whispered back.

"That's confidential, Rey" Finn said with a grin, "I'm not allowed to share any information about the resistance."

"Fine. Is there anything else you can tell me? For instance, where are you from? What was it like there? I'd love to hear about it."

"I don't know where I was born, but I was raised in Coruscant." Finn said.

""You're from the capital?" Rey said, "That's amazing. I bet there is lots of fun stuff to do, like festivals, parades, and bazaars..."

"When His Majesty allows it." Finn said.

"Does the king not enjoy festivities? I thought kings were supposed to throw banquets and tournaments and things like that." Rey said.

"Not King Snoke." Finn said, "He mostly stays up at the castle atop mount Ilum."

"That's too bad." Rey said, dropping her shoulders.

"It's still a beautiful city with lots of great people." Finn assured her.

"I hope I get to see it someday." Rey said wistfully.

Once the were both done with their meal, Rey led Finn through the snow to the barn that stood outside of Unkar's workshop. The sad little structure housed only a sickly horse and a few barrels of ale, as well as a rickety old carriage. It certainly wasn't luxurious, but at least it would keep them out of the cold.

Once he found a good spot to sleep and bid her goodnight, Rey climbed up the ladder to the barn's loft to settle down for the night herself. Her few personal belongings decorated the cramped space, including the toy knight she had made for herself as a little girl. Alongside it was a rose from the last plentiful spring of Jakku. It had been years since they had seen a truly green season. It was crumpled and dull, but Rey still found it beautiful, knowing the potential it held with the right magical assistance. Late at night, when she was alone with nothing but candlelight, she would restore it to it's former glory using the magic she kept hidden from the rest of the world. It was her deepest secret and her greatest pleasure.

It was common knowledge that practicing magic in any form was a serious crime. It was a rare but dangerous gift, and once Unkar had discovered she had it, he made certain Rey knew to conceal it-yet another excuse to have her hidden inside and working herself to exhaustion. That's an ungrateful little witch was good for. But that didn't stop her from using it where no one could see. She knew it was dangerous to toy with her power, but she had so few pleasures in her life that she wanted to enjoy the one that nobody could take from her, not even Unkar or the king. It was half pleasure and half spite.

Rey focused on the crumpled flower and felt the magic singing in her bones, like an inner voice begging for release. Rey obeyed it, reached out and carefully touching the rose's brittle petals. As soon as she made contact, the flower flourished under her touch and bloomed a shade of crimson so vibrant it looked as if the flower was glowing from within. It's fragrance filled her nostrils and for a few moments, spring had returned and she could almost feel the warm sun on her face once again. How she missed seeing colorful greenery. Until the long months of winter were over, the little flower was her only reprieve from the endless snow.

After a while of staring at her beautiful work, Rey felt the day's fatigue weighing down on her. If she wanted to have the energy for tomorrow's work, she knew she needed to get some rest. She reluctantly let the flower return to its deteriorated state before she took out a sharpened scrap piece of iron she kept with her belongings. She reached up and used it to make a small mark in the barn's ceiling. She did this every night. There were so many marks hanging over her head, staring down at her as she slept that there was hardly any room remaining, but she still made them just the same. One mark for every day she was stuck in this dreadful place. She knew deep in her heart that she was meant for something else, some grand adventure or exciting life she couldn't even begin to imagine. Until then, she would count the days.

Rey blew out her stumpy little candle and curled up in her blankets for the night. Just when sleep had nearly taken her, she heard a small chirping sound that demanded her attention. She glanced around searching for it's source, looking over the loft's edge, shifting through the hay of her bed, until she found the culprit just outside of the hole in the roof where a rotten plank had fallen away. Perched on the roof was a small orange and white bird shivering in the cold. It's feathers were ruffled and one of it's wings was bent at an odd angle. Rey scooped it up out of the cold and into the candlelight. It chirped with glee as she held it, flapping it's feathers in appreciation.

"Are you hurt?" She asked it, carefully bending it's little wing, "Can you fly, little one?"

As if in response to her question, it leaped from her hands, but was unable to take off, instead landing on the hard floor. Giving up, the little bird trotted over to a cluster of hay and nestled itself into it.

"Fine, you can stay here tonight." Rey told it, amused by how quickly her little guest had made himself at home.

Before moving back to her bed, she noticed the bird's leg had a small slip of parchment tied to it. He must be a messenger pigeon, she realized. She gently lifted its leg and unbound the small message to read it; the little bird wasn't going to be able to deliver it in its current condition anyway. Perhaps if it was addressed to one of her neighbors, Rey could deliver it herself.

As she unfurled the small roll of parchment, Rey saw that it had something written upon it in dark ink. Before she could decipher the message, Rey felt a strange sensation washing over her and a shining light flooded her senses. Rey gasped as the ethereal glow filled the loft and constellations of stars danced before her eyes. When she squeezed them shut to block out the blinding light, the stars appeared once more as if they were branded into the back of her eyelids.

The experience was overwhelming. As the stars cluttered her vision and a strange energy wrapped itself around her, Rey fainted and collapsed into her haypile.