A/N: This chapter and subsequent ones, will be in present tense. It picks up directly where 'Force Awakens' leaves off, so there are SPOILERS for the movie. Enjoy!
The first thing that hits Rey when they exit hyperdrive is how blue the water is. In all her life, she has never seen anything like it, not even the sky is as blue as the ocean beneath her. In her dreams, the blue is not this vivid, if anything it seems dull in comparison. As they break through the clouds, she scans the view outside of the window for any sign of the island where Luke is supposed to be located, at first she sees nothing but then a very small blemish appears on the horizon. Glancing over at the map R2-D2 provided, she confirms her suspicion that this is the island so she adjusts course just slightly so she is in line with it.
Chewbacca makes a noise that sounds a little skeptical.
"I'm sure it's the island, Chewie," says Rey as she glances over at the Wookiee. "It matches to coordinates on the map."
R2-D2 beeps happily.
"At least someone trusts me," mumbles Rey as she begins preparing the Millennium Falcon for landing. "I wonder where Luke's going to be? Any ideas, R2?"
The droid beeps a few times and Rey smiles.
"A place with a view, huh?" translates Rey. "There seem to be plenty of places for that."
The Falcon dips steadily lower and lower the closer it gets to the island, Chewbacca taking over the final checks for landing while Rey leaves the pilot's seat and heads for the sitting nook where her staff and bag are lying on the tabletop. Her hands tremble as she reaches for her bag, the lightsaber tucked safely inside and half of the reason she is at this island in the first place. She can feel how clammy her hands are becoming and quickly wipes them on her pants, hoping that is enough to keep her from dropping the lightsaber when she presents it to Luke.
"Here goes everything," she says quietly as she picks up her staff and heads back to the cockpit just as Chewbacca begins to land the ship on a flat surface on the coast of the biggest island in the grouping. Her heart pounds in her chest as he completes the landing sequences, the last thing he does is lower the ramp onto the rocky surface below, her sign that she can leave the ship now.
"He is nice, right?" she asks the Wookiee who nods. "Good, good, just checking."
R2-D2 makes a few deep noises.
Rey tries to smile. "Don't worry, I'm just nervous, he is a Jedi master after all."
Steeling her nerves, Rey heads off of the ship, the droid and Wookiee following behind her. When she steps off of the ramp, the two stay behind and she waves at them before heading away from the ship towards what appears to be an old and ancient stone staircase that heads straight up into the cliffs above the coast. She takes in the sheer size of the staircase and begins walking up the old steps, her feet barely big enough to fit on the carved stone as she makes her ascent. Briefly she wonders if lightsabers were used to carve these steps or if some other tool was used.
Rey glances over her shoulder and sees Chewbacca and R2-D2 standing outside of the Falcon watching her, she raises a hand to them before turning around to continue up the stairs towards her goal.
'This had better be worth it,' Rey thinks crossly as she pauses a moment to catch her breath. She is about more than halfway or so up the stairs, her sides and legs aching from the near constant walking and she has come to rely more and more on her staff to continue the journey. When she looks up she sees a large area of grass coming up, and with the hope that it is the end of the stairs, she resumes the climb. Once she makes it to the top, her heart leaps into her throat, standing there is a hooded figure in a tan cloak looking out at the ocean.
'That has to be him,' she thinks as she continues to walk though her steps feel like they are weighted down with lead. She manages to close the distance between them just enough that he turns around, his face still partially obscured by his hood, although she can see part of his face; it is then that she decides to get the ball rolling, so she reaches into her pack, her eyes never leaving him as she fumbles around for the lightsaber. Her hand closes around the cold metal of the hilt and she produces it, her arm trembling slightly as she extends the saber towards him, half expecting him to simply use the Force to retrieve it without even looking at her.
When the lightsaber is out in the open, the hooded figure turns around completely as he drops his hood. He seems to be about the same age as General Organa but the salt and pepper beard make him seem older, his grey hair reaches his neck and curls at the end, and his blue eyes seem almost bluer than the ocean behind him. He is certainly not what she expected although she had not been sure what to expect. She meets his gaze and sees something like pain and joy cross his eyes for a moment before a veil falls in order to shield the emotion in his eyes.
"Are you Luke Skywalker?" she asks, her voice cracking just a little as her nerves slightly get the better of her.
"I am," says Luke, his voice calm and strong. "And are you Rey?"
Rey is taken aback. "How did you know my name?"
"I felt your presence in the Force," he replies simply. "It speaks to me about many things."
"That's incredibly vague," she says without thinking.
Luke shrugs and his eyes sparkle just slightly. "That's the Force, Rey." He looks at the lightsaber still extended in Rey's grip. "Are you here to return that to me?"
"Yes," she says as she resumes a more relaxed position. "I . . . found it at Maz Kanata's castle."
"Is that so?" asks Luke as he begins walking towards her. "Very strange that she, of all people, would come into possession of this lightsaber. Do you know why it's special?"
Rey nods. "It was yours and your father's."
"Indeed it was," says Luke as he takes the lightsaber from her, examining it with his metal and flesh hands. "And now it's yours, Rey."
"What do you mean?" asks Rey as he puts the lightsaber back in her limp hand. "The lightsaber is yours, it's always been yours."
Luke smiles kindly. "This will be a long conversation. Shall we head inside? Or if you prefer, we can go for a walk instead."
Rey is feeling a little overwhelmed and confused by this turn of events, so she simply gestures at the ground.
"A walk it is," says Luke pleasantly and he begins walking down a path worn in the grass, Rey recovering her senses enough to follow after him.
Silence hangs heavily over them as they walk through the grassy cliffs, Rey feels compelled to speak but is unsure what she should say or if he even wants to talk at this time in the first place; he may have wanted to speak where no one can overhear their conversation.
"So, why won't you take back your lightsaber?" asks Rey when she finds the words and the courage to speak.
"Because it's no longer mine," replies Luke simply. "It may carry my essence within, but I forfeited ownership many years ago in favor of a lightsaber of my own creation."
Rey nods as she mulls his words over in her head. "So, did it call to me because it could feel the Force within me and it needed a new owner?"
Luke glances at her with a slightly amused expression. "I thought you said you found the lightsaber, not that it called to you."
Her cheeks burn slightly, she feels bad about lying to him but to her it had been necessary in case he was angry with her for having his lightsaber. "I'm sorry I lied," she says slowly. "I wasn't sure how you'd react to your lightsaber calling out to someone else."
"It isn't my lightsaber," repeats Luke calmly. "Its allegiance is now yours. You are now the one that can use it to its fullest extent. You can use other lightsabers, even those that belong to other Jedi, but they will not bend to your will as easily as the one that is truly yours."
"What if I built one, like you did?" asks Rey as they turn down a path.
Luke seems to think her question over for a few moments. "It would be just slightly more yielding than the one you possess currently, as you would have to imbue it with the Force and it would contain only your essence."
"Did it call to me because it felt the Force in me?" asks Rey as they come to a beach.
"That's entirely possible," says Luke, his voice sounding a little distant. "Lightsabers are curious objects that aren't even fully understood by those who wield them." He then stops walking and so does she. "But I have a feeling you didn't come all this way just to deliver me my old lightsaber; why are you really here, Rey?"
Rey has rehearsed this over and over during the flight to the planet; gone over exactly what she wants to say in this moment, yet now that it is here all of her words die on her tongue. "I want you to train me," she says, inwardly cringing at how desperate she sounds. "I want to be a Jedi and help the Resistance against the First Order; I want to be of use to my friends."
Something akin to pain flashes across Luke's face before he covers it with a look of somber understanding. "Very well, if that is what you want, then I will train you. Understand that your training will never truly end; you will always be tested, your limits will be pushed and surpassed, and it will likely be the most difficult time of your life."
"I understand," replies Rey with conviction. "I'm ready for this."
Luke nods. "Good. Your first tests will be to determine your level of knowledge and where you will start in your training. That, however, is for tomorrow. Today is a day of celebration and remembrance. Shall we go retrieve our friends? I believe Chewie's hungry for something other than those terrible ration packs on the Falcon."
"Did the Force tell you that?" asks Rey wryly as they head to another path.
"No, experience," replies Luke with a faint smile. "Chewie is usually hungry after a long journey, and he often complained about the ration packs Han kept onboard."
The mention of Han causes a small pang in Rey's heart, she still misses him greatly and feels a little responsible for his death. "How did you know that we came on the Falcon?"
"I would know the sound of that engine even if I were deaf," says Luke fondly and Rey smiles.
Beneath the earth is the first Jedi temple and where Luke seems to reside whenever he is not walking the cliffs on the surface above. Rey is surprised when she enters by how cozy the large temple feels; the rooms and hallways are carved from stone beneath the cliffs that seems to have been there long before the temple itself, sunlight pouring through strategically placed windows, and there is a homey feel about it.
"I hope you're hungry," says Luke as he spoons some stew into a wooden bowl.
They are currently in what Rey assumes is a kitchen; there are indications that it could have been a larder but she hardly cares, the smell of stew awakens her stomach.
"Starved," she says and Chewbacca makes a sound of agreement. "What kind of stew is it, Master?"
Luke stills for a moment when she says that although he quickly recovers. "It's fish stew, and you don't have to call me 'Master', you can call me by my given name."
Rey frowns a little. "I'm your student, not your equal, so therefore I should call you by your proper title."
"As you wish," says Luke as he sets down a bowl in front of her along with a couple of pieces of bread. "Eat up before it goes cold. If you're still hungry, please feel free to help yourself."
"Thank you," says Rey as she begins to devour her bowl before Chewbacca has his serving.
Luke smiles at her fondly as he sets down a large bowl for Chewbacca and then a smaller one for himself before sitting down at the table across from her. R2-D2 is dutifully at his side, beeping occasionally and Luke pats the droid's metal top a few times as he eats.
"You're very fond of R2," says Rey as she gets up to help herself to another bowl of stew.
"I've known him for a very long time," replies Luke warmly. "He's the reason why I met my first master when I was about your age."
Rey is a little surprised to hear that as she sits back down. "You mean you weren't trained as a child? I thought Jedi went to an academy and trained as children."
Luke raises an eyebrow. "Who told you that?"
"I did a bit of research on the way here," she admits sheepishly. "The Resistance had a holocron on the Jedi that General Organa gave me."
At the mention of General Organa, Luke's eyes go misty and Rey wonders if he knew her as well. She decides not to ask about it, as it is his business and not hers to know.
"Well, I'm glad you have some background knowledge," says Luke with a slightly broken smile. "There are more resources here that you are encouraged to use to expand that knowledge, it isn't everything but it's more than there's been in the last few years. I've spent my time here adding to the current library with what I know and what my masters have taught me."
Rey is impressed by his dedication although a little confused as to why someone like him would run away from the world when he is needed in order to work on amassing Jedi knowledge. 'That's a discussion for another day,' she reasons as she takes a bite of stew.
"Chewie, do you plan on leaving tomorrow?" asks Luke and the Wookiee nods. "I thought as much. Your place is with Leia and the Resistance."
"Who is Leia?" asks Rey curiously.
"That's General Organa's first name," replies Luke. "And before she was a general, she was called Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan."
Rey nearly chokes on her bite of food. "She's a princess?!"
Luke hands her a napkin to clean up the stew that fell out of her spoon. "She was a princess, she retired from politics when it became clear that the Senate was not going to do anything about the First Order when it was first on the rise. Leia thought she would be of more use in the military world rather than the political one."
"If she's kept the Resistance going this long, I think she was right," observes Rey thoughtfully and Chewbacca makes a sound of agreement. "I hope she'll be able to continue on after . . . everything that's happened."
"She's stronger than she seems," says Luke though he does not sound entirely certain. "She managed to lead the Rebel Alliance even after witnessing the destruction of her home planet. I'm sure she'll be able to keep everything together despite Han's death."
"Did you know him as well?" asks Rey, swallowing the lump in her throat.
Luke nods slowly. "I met him around the same time I met Leia and R2. He was the one that assisted me in Leia's rescue from Darth Vader."
Chewbacca makes a series of growls and whines, most of it goes over Rey's head but Luke seems to understand every sound with perfect clarity.
"I know, Chewie, you were there too," he says with a slight chuckle. "We couldn't have gotten out of there without you."
"I'd love to hear more about General Organa's rescue," says Rey quietly, a little embarrassed to be requesting such personal information so early on in their meeting.
Luke does not seem to mind. "I'm sure you'll hear all about it someday, Rey. Honestly, I'm surprised Han didn't tell you about it himself, he certainly enjoyed reciting it to anyone who would sit and listen even if he did embellish a few details."
Rey grins. "I only knew him a short while, but that does sound like something he would do. Did he and General Organa stay in touch after the war?"
"Indeed they did," says Luke with a soft smile. "They married the same year the war ended."
His words echo in her mind just as the image of Han and Kylo Ren standing on a bridge comes to the forefront. "Kylo Ren is General Organa's son?!" she exclaims before she can stop herself and all Luke does is nod. "That's . . . that's horrible! Her own son killed her husband." Rey rests her head in her hands, Han's death bringing more pain than before now that she understood the complete connection between General Organa, Han, and Kylo Ren.
"It is," says Luke quietly. "She has shouldered a great deal of tragedy better than most, myself included. I wish I had her strength at times."
Rey wipes away a few stray tears she did not even realize she had released and sits back up. "I'm sorry, Master, I'm sure I shouldn't cry over Han; he wasn't as important to me as he was to you and General Organa."
She is startled when he reaches across the table and pats her hand.
"Your tears are justified," he says somewhat mysteriously. "Have you finished eating?"
Rey nods and he does as well.
"Good, then I will give you a tour of the temple," says Luke as he stands. "Chewie, you can have what's left of the stew. R2, you may stay with him until I return. Excuse us."
Together, Rey and Luke leave the kitchen, hearing the sounds of a ravenous Wookiee devouring his food.
The Jedi temple houses much more than Rey initially thought. Luke had not been joking when he said there were resources at her disposal here, the rounded library is proof enough of that. They had spent the most time in there, Rey had browsed the various bookshelves while Luke explained to her where certain necessary texts were and that her training would be a mix of technical and practical exercises. It was her second favorite room after the training room, that room had impressed her the most. There had been various exercise stations for different techniques, practice lightsabers that she is glad she does not have to use, and so much more that she wants to explore. Luke had told her that she would be expected there every morning at dawn, which segued into a conversation about where she is to sleep, hence why they are walking down a long, stone hallway.
The hallway feels alive to Rey as they walk, this area does not have the windows that the main area does so Luke carries a torch that allows for enough light in the space. Rey tries to listen to what he is saying but the pull of the feeling is too irresistible so she puts her hand out and touches the wall. The feeling of life overwhelms her, pulsating through the various surfaces of the temple and through the ground, she has never felt so connected and so small all at once. This feeling also seems familiar to her as well, like she has been here before and that it is welcoming her back.
"The Force is strong here," says Luke and his voice acts as an anchor that brings her back to the physical world. "There are places where the Force resides that are stronger than others, and here is an excellent example; I believe that is why the first Jedi temple was built here in the first place. I have only been two other places in this galaxy where the Force was even close to this."
Rey runs her hand along the smooth wall of brown stone, decorated with fading red and green images. "I think I've felt this before, it feels so familiar to me."
Luke's expression is unreadable. "How old were you when you first encountered the Force, Rey?"
"It's a recent development," she admits. "I didn't even really understand that the Force existed until I found your lightsaber. Maz and Han both explained what they could and I had to use it later on in a fight against Kylo Ren; I used the Force to pull the lightsaber to me and then I used it to throw him away from me when we were fighting."
"I see," says Luke thoughtfully. "Perhaps tomorrow I won't use any of the youngling trials and instead administer the Padawan trials."
Rey smiles slightly and continues to follow him as he walks on down the hallway. They stop just outside of a wooden door.
"This will be your room," says Luke as he uses the Force to open the door. "My room is down the hall on the right. I will never enter your room without your express permission, save for this one time. While this temple is a source of serenity and peace, I hope you will see your room as a sanctuary, a place where you can unwind and regain your sense of self. It can be easy to get caught up with being a Jedi and forget that you are a person as well."
"Thank you, Master," says Rey sincerely as she enters her room. "This is much better than the place I was living on Jakku."
"You were on Jakku?" asks Luke, standing in the doorway.
Rey nods as she takes in her surroundings. "Yes, my family left me there when I was very young. I lived in an old vehicle that was stuck in the sand, someone said it was there because of the last war."
"Jakku was the sight of the final battle of the war against the Empire," says Luke. "Anyway, we can discuss that at a later time. You've had a long day and I'm sure you need your rest, sleep well."
"And the same to you, Master," says Rey respectfully as he leaves, shutting the door behind him.
The room is spacious, a small cot tucked in one corner under a window, her bag and staff already sitting on it with the lightsaber as well. Rey smirks, she has a feeling that Luke used the Force to move them without her notice, she is not upset; actually she is impressed that he was able to accomplish such a task. There is a small table against the wall beside her with a water pitcher and basin along with a few toiletries. It almost seems like he had been preparing for a visitor.
Rey heads over to the bed and touches the blanket, surprised to find it so soft despite its course appearance. She places the staff against the wall beside her cot then moves her bag and the lightsaber to the table before pulling back the blanket; she sits on the edge and removes her boots then climbs in, bringing the blanket back up to her chin. The softness of the bed barely registers in her mind as she immediately drifts off.
Luke leans against the nearest wall as he attempts to control the welling of emotions, he can feel tears stinging his eyes and his heart pounding hard in his chest. "It's her," he whispers, closing his eyes. "It's really her."
He can barely move he is so overwhelmed by the joy that is filling his heart and the sorrow that keeps him grounded. She may be alive but she obviously does not remember anything about her past, and what she does remember is skewed at best. Luke wonders what could have possibly been done to her that made her forget everything and replace her memories with altered ones.
Luke is tempted to return to her room and speak to her again, get her to open up to him about her past and allow him to correct her false memories. He stops himself, however, knowing that now is not the time for such things. She is already overwhelmed enough with her reawakening Force powers, it is not his place to put more on her shoulders it is his place to help shoulder her burden. It is just enough for him, knowing that she is alive and has been alive all this time, and now she has returned to him.
"Evaan, our daughter is back," says Luke softly as he stands upright. "She's home now, and I'll make sure to never lose her again."