The elevator ride is quiet. Ben glances over his shoulder to Rey. She's opted to replace her uniform with dark clothing that is draped by a long black robe. He had expected the elevator to be filled with an array of complicated emotions, but a sense of calm serenity resonates off of her. He touches the front of her mind, catching a glimpse of a sun descending from an orange sky.
His hands clench together into fists. It would seem as if she no longer fears Snoke or even feels anything for him really. The serenity that she's found makes his heart sting with jealousy. This girl has suffered in ways he never has, and yet, she's found that place in her mind that brings her peace - a place he's never been able to find.
The elevator doors open. Ben places his hand on the small of her back to guide her into Snoke's throne room. Snoke sits upon his throne while his armored guards stand off to the side. Ben watches her, studying each of her movements closely. Rey takes two brisk steps forward and looks directly to Snoke. She falls into a low kneel as a show of respect.
"It is an honor to finally meet you Supreme Leader," Rey's voice booms with confidence.
Snoke's head tilts as he looks down to her. The girl has piqued his curiosity. He rises from his throne, walking briskly towards Rey. His gold robe trails against the glossy black floor as he approaches her. Snoke reaches out and touches her cheek, but Rey does not flinch and remains still as if she were a mere statue.
Ben has been in her place before, the place where Snoke picks through his mind and searches for weakness. It doesn't matter how much he resists. Snoke will always find his weakness, his insecurities, and his secrets. Regardless of Rey's confidence, Ben knows that he will find her own weaknesses - the weaknesses within her that Ben has already been made aware of.
"Your parents abandoned you," Snoke's lips turn into a twisted smile. "They sold you off as if you were nothing."
"Yes..." her voice doesn't falter.
Dark energy resonates through Snoke. His lips curl into a frown. Snoke wants to break her just he has broken him so many times. And, break her, he does. Rey pulls back, a feeling of panic comes over her. Snoke's hand grips her hair and yanks her back towards him. Ben can feel all of her fear spike. Her mind scatters, and Ben can see bits and pieces of memories hit the front of his mind. The screams of a helpless girl flits through his mind. He can see her kicking and screaming underneath a shadowy figure.
A high pitched scream echoes through the room, pulling him back from Rey's memories. Rey collapses onto the floor. Anger burns through him. He remembers his promise to her in the opera house. He had promised to keep her safe. He marches towards Snoke, his eyes zeroing in on the crater in his forehead. He wants to drive his lightsaber straight through it.
Electricity shoots through him. Ben falls backwards, the back of his head hitting against the hard floor. The entire room seems to spin around him. His eyes are foggy. A translucent figure seems to stand over him.
Kill him. Kill him now.
Ben breathes as his eyes adjust. He blinks twice and his vision clears. He sits up, looking for the phantom he had just seen. But, there is just Rey, the guards, and Snoke.
"You're attachment to her is disconcerting," Snoke says. "You are meant to teach her what you know until I deem her ready for my instruction."
Anger burns like wildfire within him, but he chooses not to react to it. He looks to Rey's unconscious body on the floor. This will only be worse on them both if he isn't compliant. He bows his head low when he faces Snoke.
"I have disappointed you, my lord," he says. "Forgive me."
Snoke scoffs at him and turns away. Snoke looks down upon Rey with a look of sheer disgust. "Get her out of my sight."
Ben steps to Rey and lifts her into his arms. Her head rest against his shoulder as he walks back to the elevator. He hits the button to his floor with his elbow and turns back to face the doors of the elevator. Snoke's eyes lock with his as the elevator doors slide shut.
A icy feeling seeps through his heavy clothes. The air in the elevator has suddenly become so thick and cold with unrelenting rage. His eyes flicker around the elevator. No one else is here, just Rey and himself. But, it feels like someone else is here.
The doors open and Ben shakes that thought from his mind. He walks down a long hallway until he reaches his quarters. He adjusts Rey so that her body is over his shoulder and keys in the access code to his room. The door opens and closes behind him after he crosses through the doorway. He moves through the main room and into his bedroom. Ben lays Rey neatly on his bed and kneels to the floor.
He had promised to protect her, and now he has failed her. Conflicting emotions stir within him. None of this should matter to him. He shouldn't have allowed himself to grow so attached to her, but when he sees her laying so helpless and hurt, it sparks something within him.
Ben brushes a strand of her hair away from her face. " 'm sorry."
Ben tries to imagine her accompanying him to Mustafar. She might not be so eager to accompany him this time. He envisions her disappearing behind the large black rocks of Mustafar, running far from him. The thought of Rey hating him is something that he never thought would faze him, but now he fears losing her.
A groan escapes her lips. Ben watches as her eyes flicker open. She sits up in a sharp motion. Heavy pants escape her lips. Her eyes turn to him, and suddenly, all of her fears seem to scatter from her.
"Kylo…" she says his false name rather than addressing him by his rank.
"Rey…"
Her face is pale, but her eyes remain dry. He can sense from her the urge to collapse and fall to tears, but she remains still. Ben rises to his feet and looks down to her.
"I didn't expect him to…"
"It's okay," she interrupts. "I don't blame you."
The chaos in her mind seems to still. There's a new resolve and sense of purpose within her. She shifts in his bed so that her feet slide over the edge. She sits directly in front of him and takes his hand in hers.
"I want to go to Mustafar with you," she says. "That is where you are going next...?"
This girl is... confusing. Any rational person would demand to be discharged from The First Order after experiencing what she had just endured. Yet, she isn't even the least bit conflicted. Actually, it would seem that her resolve has strengthened. He needs to know why.
"You are not afraid of Snoke?" he says, a tinge of disbelief filling his voice.
Rey answers with a shake of her head. He draws in her emotions. There is no fear, only a new sense of purpose that he doesn't quite understand. Luke Skywalker would have loved to have a student like her. He can feel anger and jealousy crawl through him. In another life, she might have been Luke's best student.
"I don't care about Snoke," she says. "He's not why I joined, and he's not the reason I'm staying. Something inside of me has always been there, and now it's awake... and I'm afraid…"
Rey's eyes meet with his. "I need you to show me my place in all this."
Ben kneels to her level and takes both of her hands in his. Her eyes seem to draw him to her. He remembers their kiss on Coruscant. He can see so much in her eyes. He could kiss her again, he could…
But, he remembers what he has seen in her mind - the marks of pain caused by other men in her past. He draws away from her and releases both of her hands. He can't be the next man to cause her pain, not after he promised to protect her. His hands slip away from hers as he rises to his feet.
"I'm traveling to Mustafar tomorrow," he says.
She looks to him with such eagerness in her eyes. "I want to come with you."
"We will leave first thing in the morning," he says. "For now, I need you to rest."
"Here…?"
"I'll be in the other room," he looks down to her. "I won't touch you. I promise."
Rey's eyes break away from his. He can sense an emotional conflict within her. Somewhere deep within her she wants him to hold her, to touch her, to be his. But, on the surface of it all, she's afraid of getting too close.
Ben withdraws from her and makes his way to the door. His hand touches the door frame. He stands within the door frame and looks over her shoulder. She's looking straight at him.
"Goodnight, Rey."
