Slay the Monster
Rey stirred to consciousness on the throne room floor. Her head ached and she could still feel waves of unleashed power, light and dark, washing over her body. She smelled acrid smoke and death. The air was charged with electricity. Sparks sizzled as they sputtered and fell to the floor in flames.
Slowly sitting up, she surveyed the chamber. Piles of broken bodies lay scattered all around. Directly across from her on the floor was a still form in black. Between them lay the two pieces of the broken lightsaber. "I have to get out of here," she said to herself, rising to her feet. She could feel in the Force he was still alive, though unconscious. She needed to hurry before he came to or before anyone else could enter the room.
But Rey felt compelled to walk over to Ben's—Kylo Ren's—inert body. Anger and disappointment surged through her. Tears stung her eyes. How could he have done this to her? He'd turned, she felt it in her heart…and then he'd failed her by welcoming back the call of the dark. The hurt, the betrayal tore at her soul. And yet he would never know just how close she had come to joining him.
Standing over him, Rey weighed her options. She could drag him to Snoke's escape pod and bring him back with her to the Resistance as a prisoner. But what if he returned to consciousness before she had any reinforcements? He's too dangerous to keep alive. Her fists clenched and her lips formed a tight line. Kill him now and the war won't end, but the First Order won't have a man powerful in the Dark Side aiding them. She breathed harder and her skin felt hot. She knelt down, reaching for his lightsaber. Yes, take his weapon now and slay the monster…
And then that awful vision of Luke trying to kill Ben in his sleep replayed in her mind. Her shoulders slumped with guilt, then with each breath her pain and anger cooled into sorrow and compassion. Her breathing returned to normal. She looked up at his face and saw the Ben she'd let into her heart and soul, his expression strangely serene in his state. Tears traveled down her cheeks. Ben was trapped in a labyrinth of rage and fear and she couldn't lead him out. Not today. But perhaps someday…
"I'm so sorry, Ben," Rey said, wiping back her tears. She gently caressed his cheek and jaw, like a mother caressing her sleeping child. Sighing with resignation, she got back up and used the Force to call both halves of the broken lightsaber to her hands. She slipped the pieces into her pouch, then she dashed toward the escape pod as she sensed more men coming toward the throne room. Before jumping into the pod, Rey took one last look at Ben on the floor, then closed the hatch.