The visits from Leia Organa help, and the princess keeps reassuring Rey that she will get her out of the cell eventually. But Rey doesn't get her hopes up. She's far too valuable of a hostage. Plus, as a Force user she's not an ordinary prisoner. She's a far more dangerous flight risk. And so, it comes as a surprise when one day Rey is marched upstairs to the main house to Snoke. Somehow, some way, Leia Organa has prevailed upon Snoke to allow Rey to walk about the estate gardens once a week accompanied by her and Snoke. It's an effort by the princess to improve her spirits and her health, Rey knows. But the ostensible purpose is to learn about the Force. Ben's mother—long hesitant to explore her talent—will only agree to take instruction from Snoke so long as Rey is present too.
Every Wednesday morning before General Hux arrives for his regular working session on the new Senate, their trio convenes. Snoke lectures as they plod through the gardens at his lumbering, stiff pace. There are no guards and no handcuffs for Rey, just Snoke's presence. But that's enough to quell any attempt at escape. Rey knows that at most she will get one chance, so she intends to choose it wisely.
Snoke soft peddles the Force to Leia Organa. He doesn't teach actual skills, instead he speaks of the nature of the Force. How it cycles and repeats, how it manifests itself in different talents for different people, how it can wax and wane in individuals and in the universe at large. Snoke has a deep reverence for the subject matter and he speaks of it solemnly. As if he is imparting secrets to be safeguarded and passed down. Rey dutifully listens even if she doesn't say much. Leia Organa is the one whose mind wanders. If Ben's mother ever had an affinity for the Force it is long gone in the wake of the fall of her son to the Dark Side and the loss of her brother the last Jedi. This princess is far more interested in the Senate than in the Force. She prefers more concrete, democratic means of power, she informs Snoke when he reprimands her for not paying attention. Oddly enough, Snoke takes her attitude in stride. All in all, the Dark Master seems surprisingly tolerant of Leia Organa.
It's clear that old Snoke loves to teach. While Rey listens to his longwinded monologue, she luxuriates in the natural beauty and fresh air of the garden. Everywhere there are blooming plants and buzzing insects. Now and then, Rey spies the occasional critter darting between bushes. All of this life is intermingled and codependent, from the bugs that pollenate the plants to the lifeforms that feed upon those plants. Here life flourishes and renews itself within and among different species. The Force created by all that abundant life surrounds and penetrates Rey. It pulses within her and radiates around her. She takes it in through all her senses, savoring the sights, the sounds, the smells, and the soothing mental feel of it all. For truly, this is a magical place. Gazing around with eyes long accustomed to Jakku's desert wasteland, Rey thinks this the most beautiful place in the whole galaxy.
"You like my garden," Snoke appraises. He is pleased.
"Yes," Rey answers. "It's full of the Force."
"Indeed," he nods. "And these days, so are you. Now, more so than ever."
He's referring to the baby, she knows. Rey's hand unconsciously strays to her waistline. She's so slim these days that her skinny form elsewhere only serves to highlight her small but growing belly. It is disconcerting and undeniable evidence that there is life growing within her. With each passing week, it's getting harder for Rey to ignore that fact.
"This son will take after you in the Force," Snoke informs her thoughtfully as he watches her gesture.
"He will be Light?" Rey hopes as she looks up.
"He will be Light and he will be Dark," Snoke corrects. "He will be a Chosen One. But he will grow into his Force as you did. That has not been the case for my other progeny."
Rey isn't following.
Neither is Leia Organa. "What does that mean?" she asks.
"Some are born to the Force. Others are awakened to the Force," Snoke explains. He points a clawed finger at Rey. "You were awakened. Tucked away and hidden until the time was right. I never saw you coming because you were ordinary up until the moment you became extraordinary. You were so immediately strong that your awakening caused a disturbance in the Force. My Apprentice and I both felt it," he recalls.
"What's a disturbance?" Rey wonders, mostly to keep him talking. She tries to ask Snoke open ended questions to drag the walk out as long as possible. The more time outside her cell, the better. Even if it is with him.
"A disturbance is like a thunderclap to the mind. Like an earthquake to the soul. You cannot miss it," Snoke explains. "They are rare but always meaningful because they herald change. Destiny rearranges itself from time to time, I have learned. So it was when you were awakened." The old Master turns to the princess. "Have you ever felt a disturbance, Lady Vader?" Snoke inquires this like an ordinary person might ask about the weather. "Tell us."
The princess looks uncomfortable. She thinks a moment before she answers. "Yes. Four times in my life, I have sensed the Force that way."
Snoke looks to her expectantly. He raises his eyebrows. "And?"
"The first time was at Endor. I felt Palpatine and Vader die. I knew that Luke was alive and had triumphed," the princess recalls in a faraway voice. "I couldn't explain to Han how I knew at the time, but I knew."
"Yes, that was a powerful disturbance," Snoke concurs gravely. "My Anakin got Sidious in the end. My son rose up and took my revenge," he crows proudly.
Leia Organa sees it differently. "Vader died saving Luke," she says with certainty.
"That too," Snoke agrees. "When else?"
"When Ben burned Luke's temple and—"
"Ah, yes, that one could not be missed!" Snoke interrupts. "That boy created all sorts of havoc in the Force," he says proudly. "And when else?"
"Hosnia."
"Of course. Billions of voices cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. And then," Snoke says with relish, "my war began in earnest. What was the fourth time?" he asks, clearly curious.
"Han. When Han died." Leia Organa looks away. When she turns back, her face is hard and dark and she looks ready to shoot lightning again. "You baited my son to kill his own father!" she hisses at Snoke. The patricide of Han Solo is very much a raw, oozing wound on Leia Organa's heart.
"It was a test," Snoke admits. Rey is struck by how casually this man speaks of murder. "My Apprentice passed with flying colors. Well, except for that bit in the woods afterwards with you." Snoke shoots Rey a sideways look. "Killing the smuggler was how I knew Kylo Ren was capable of completing his training. That the time had finally come for him to fulfill his destiny and rule the galaxy at my side."
"He killed his own father!" the princess repeats with flashing eyes and condemnation in her face. "It was coldblooded murder!"
Snoke has no remorse. In fact, he thinks it fitting. "It is an age-old custom of Darkness to sacrifice a family member. It demonstrates conclusively that your commitment to the cause of power trumps the bonds of love. I had expected it to be Skywalker, of course. But when Han Solo had the droid with the map, another opportunity presented itself."
Snoke's gaze flits over to Rey now. "Once my Apprentice killed his father and suffered for it, I knew he would never sacrifice you. He was already far too enamored with you. But in order for you to live, I had to die. So Kylo Ren rose up to kill me and grab for my power. He wanted both the galaxy and the girl. Oh, such a glorious moment that was!" old Snoke reminisces as the bewildered women look on in disgust. "In the course of a few short days, my Apprentice made his blood sacrifice and then killed his Master. How proud I was of him. The mighty Kylo Ren might be tempted by the Light, but he is Dark through and through. At long last, the terrified boy I took in years ago had grown into a man ready to rule." Snoke is smug at his longtime plans come to fruition. "Finally, I have a new Vader."
"You have made a monster of my son!" Leia Organa accuses. She looks close to tears. For strong as this woman is, her weakness is her wayward son. Ben Solo once was the promise of a new generation of Jedi and the hope for the New Republic. That he has become the murdering Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader of the First Order, is a deep disappointment his mother will never get over. For this woman has lost so much along with her fallen son. Maybe she could keep her distance somewhat during the long years Ben was a face in a mask on the holonet. But with their recent interactions, the loss of the war, and Snoke in her face every day, Leia Organa cannot escape the reality of Kylo Ren. Seeing her distress, Rey aches for her. Now that she herself may be a mother soon, Rey appreciates the situation on a whole new level.
Snoke doesn't respond to the princess. Instead, he turns to Rey. "Is my Apprentice a monster?" he inquires.
Rey hesitates before answering. "Not really," she decides, but then keeps amending, "Not all the time. But he can be," she admits.
"Correct. He is Dark and Light, just as he was created to be. All of us are a mixture of Dark and Light, even you Rey." Snoke pauses for a moment before adding, "Even I have the Light."
"I don't see it," Ben's mother grouses as she surreptitiously wipes at her eyes.
"Oh, you have to look deeply, very deeply," Snoke smiles wickedly, "but it's there. It's not enough, of course. That is why I created the Skywalkers. Because I myself am not capable of balancing the Force."
Snoke reverts to his teaching now. "The two sides of the Force coexist in the universe and in ourselves. Neither side can win in the end. Both the Jedi and the Sith missed that fundamental concept," Snoke muses as he shakes his head. "Neither tradition ever learned that the Force defaults to balance. Both in the aggregate and in an individual. When you veer too far to one extreme, the Force calls you back to the center. It took me over a millennium to understand that concept. It is so simple and yet so complex," he marvels.
Snoke loves talking about the Force, Rey sees. It's a strange irony that Luke Skywalker spurned her as a pupil, but Snoke can't seem to shut up about the Force. Pretty much everything Rey knows she has taught herself, learned from Ben, or learned from Snoke. Rey has heard this particular point before from Ben, but Leia Organa only knows the rudiments of the old school Jedi teaching. She looks very skeptical of Snoke's words.
"So you are saying the Force is already in balance?" The princess is confused.
"No. I'm saying that the Force is always in flux and constantly seeking balance. It shifts time and again. Sometimes Force users push it one direction or another, sometimes the galaxy at large pushes, and sometimes the Force pushes back."
"Balance is not equality," he warns. "The Force is not fair. It's more like rough justice on a grand scale. But balance exists, for I have witnessed it in the galaxy and in myself. Balance explains why a Dark Master such as I am moved now and then to acts of mercy in the Light. Balance is also why the purest among the Light are drawn to be curious and compassionate towards those in Darkness. Those moments are not crises of conscience or lapses in faith, as the Jedi and Sith once taught. They are the consequence of great power. Never forget that Force users are an aberration. Whether we are Light or Dark, we disturb the default grey stasis. And so, from time to time we self-correct. That is balance in action as the Force rights itself within us."
This is all too abstract for Leia Organa. She puts it in simple terms. "Opposites attract? Is that it?"
"Where Force users are concerned, sometimes yes. When Darkness rises, the Light steps up to meet it. Sometimes in conflict, sometimes not." Snoke again glances at Rey. "The powerful Darkness of Kylo Ren met the powerful Light of Rey. That was no accident. That was destiny."
"That's what Ben said," Rey nods and whispers aloud.
"You are my destiny?" Leia Organa rolls her eyes. "That's the worst pickup line ever," she gripes. She's still very much out of sorts from the mention of her dead husband. She slants a sideways glance at Rey. "You really fell for that?"
Snoke chuckles and points out, "It's a foolproof pickup line if it's true."
Leia Organa crosses her arms and lifts her chin as she glares up at Snoke towering over her. "You know, a lot of what you describe sounds less like destiny and more like your manipulations."
"You flatter me," Snoke grins. "Do it again, Princess." Snoke's sudden smile transforms his bizarre face and makes him oddly relatable. Up close in the bright sunlight, he is hideous to look at but Rey has quickly become used to his deformities. Snoke was once a handsome man, Rey suspects. Certainly, a charismatic one. Vestiges of that charm remain. From his dry wit to his devilish grin to his unexpected laugh, this Dark Master is a man of many moods and expressions.
"I still say destiny sounds more like hindsight than anything," the princess sniffs. "I refuse to cede responsibility over my life to the Force. I believe in the Force, I can even use the Force, but there's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny."
"Oh, ye of little faith," Snoke mocks her gently. "Next, you're going to tell me it's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense."
"Well . . . no," the princess hedges. And then she and Snoke go on verbally poking at one another while Rey listens.
There is as much bickering on these walks as there is talk of the Force. Leia Organa and Snoke have developed a strange relationship. If Rey didn't know better, she'd think they secretly like one another. But maybe it's just that they enjoy each other as an adversary. It's a verbal brawl, not actual fisticuffs. But if that shot of lightning Rey remembers deterred the princess, it sure doesn't show. Snoke constantly baits his granddaughter and Leia Organa seldom turns down a chance to argue. They fight about everything from politics to Ben to the war to history.
The only thing they don't fight about much is the Force and that is because the princess doesn't care to discuss the Force. And that must explain why Snoke was induced to agree to these walks in the first place. Because it's clear that Snoke is itching for his granddaughter to learn the Force. It's almost like it's an affront to the family name for a Skywalker to remain untrained in the Force. It subverts Snoke's entire purpose in creating his family, and Rey suspects the princess fully appreciates that angle.
In fact, Leia Organa seems more reluctant than ever to pursue the subject. She seems far more intimidated by the lightning shot by her than the lightning shot at her. Snoke knows it too. So he tweaks her about that episode incessantly. When the princess gets worked up, Snoke gleefully goads her, "Show me some more lightning, Lady Vader."
Ben's mother responds how she always responds. "Stop calling me that," she decrees in quelling tones. It's a frosty dignity that would impress even old Milo.
"What do you prefer to be called?" Snoke inquires innocently one day when the topic arises yet again.
"General."
"I prefer Princess," Snoke smiles benignly. "The war is over. Let us move past all reminders of it."
"No one calls me princess anymore," Leia Organa informs him.
"It's pity. How about I call you Vice Chancellor? My Senate needs a Vice Chancellor. You are an excellent choice."
Leia Organa's eyes narrow and she thinks a long moment as she decides. "Co-Chancellor," she counters firmly.
That prompts a chuckle from old Snoke. "You drive a hard bargain. The offer is for Vice Chancellor. But I will make you a deal. I will call you anything you like if you call me Master," he drawls.
The princess shoots him an indignant and annoyed glare. "Never!"
"I'll call you Master if you let me out of my cell," Rey pipes up.
"Rey!" Leia Organa disapproves.
But Rey doesn't back down. She wants out of that cell.
Snoke catches the indignant looks exchanged between the two women and smirks. "I admire your ruthless pragmatism, Rey. Truly, I do. But you will remain where you are for the time being. Now then, Madame Vice Chancellor," he turns back to the princess. "Where were we?"
Snoke does this a lot. His mind skips from topic to topic and back again. His moods, like his mind, are capricious. But always very logical, Rey has noticed. Snoke now goes back to pontificating and she and the princess absently nod along.
"You were telling us why women did not make good Sith," the princess prompts him without enthusiasm. "Normally, I would argue that attitude is sexist, but under the circumstances I rather think it a compliment to women. We are too good for Darkness," she says haughtily.
Snoke grunts. "I have never been much for the bad girls," he shares a little too much information. "I like my women in the Light. But I like women in general. I always have," Snoke confides. "It's one reason I made a terrible Jedi."
"Among other things," Leia Organa observes dryly.
"Naturally," Snoke agrees without offense. "Women did not make good Sith and I did not make a good Jedi," he summarizes. "You would have been a terrible Jedi too," he tells Leia Organa. "You have far too much emotion clouding your reason. Not like young Rey here. She has the heroic spirit of a true Jedi. And she is repressed and detached enough to excel as a Light Side nun."
"Except for the pregnant part," the princess points out as Rey's face flames. The older woman instantly cringes at her own unintended cattiness. "Oh, Rey, I'm sorry. That came out wrong," Leia Organa says weakly.
Snoke brushes the comment aside. "Do not be ashamed. Chaste Rey surrendered into the arms of the Supreme Leader of the First Order. A master slaying, galaxy conquering hero of Darkness. And not," he looks pointedly at the princess, "a small-time drug smuggler whose greatest claim to fame aside from an assist on the Death Star was a Kessel Run in fourteen parsecs. Really, the man was unworthy of you," Snoke chides Ben's mother. "Such a poor decision for a life partner. It's no wonder the marriage was a failure."
"Twelve. It was twelve parsecs," Rey corrects. "Under twelve parsecs." But no one's listening.
"Han had many good qualities," Leia Organa's brow furrows.
Snoke raises an eyebrow at this claim but he eschews a debate on the specifics. Instead, he summarizes to devastating effect. "All the men in your life have let you down, have they not? Your husband walked away, your brother hid away, and your son ran away." Snoke sounds surprisingly sympathetic as he assures her, "Never fear, Madame Vice Chancellor, I am not the flighty type. I am not going anywhere. And you're on the winning team this time."
The princess frowns, Rey frowns, and Snoke flashes another sly grin. Watching this exchange, Rey realizes that Ben's mother is just as much a prisoner as she is. Maybe more so since she is an actual member of the family. More and more, Rey understands that among the clan of the Chosen Ones, everything political is personal and vice versa. Because when you're a Skywalker with the magical Force, your choices in life are surprisingly limited. And stark. You pick a side and stick with it . . . until you die or you switch sides. Power and politics are the goal, never happiness, Rey sees. It makes her more determined than ever to escape. She didn't survive Jakku to end up here. Rey wants better than this. For herself and for this baby she is slowly getting used to.
The weeks pass slowly. Rey grows to depend on her nightly stolen moments with Ben, her interviews with his mother and Hux, and her weekly Force lesson with Snoke. These limited interactions with the outside world form a comforting routine. That's why the sudden prospect of losing her walk one rainy Wednesday is distressing. Rey is being marched upstairs as usual when one glance out the window puts things in doubt.
"Hux is early," the trooper on her left comments offhand. Rey follows the direction of his helmet to look through the large window at the landing pad many meters away. Descending to park upfront is a First Order shuttle flanked by its security escort of four TIEs.
"Good thing," the trooper on her right responds. "I doubt he will be taking his walk today. Look at those clouds." The 'he' always refers to Snoke, of course. Just like the 'we' always refers to the First Order.
The sky is very dark and overcast, Rey sees. As if to punctuate the trooper's prediction, a streak of lightning races across the clouds and seconds later thunder booms. Yes, it is definitely about to rain. The trooper on the right has sympathy in his voice as he turns to Rey. "Sorry, Miss. But it looks like we'll be putting you back in your cell today."
Rey must look crestfallen because the other guard tries to cheer her up as they keep walking. "Maybe tomorrow, Miss. Or maybe he will let us walk you about the house for a few minutes before we go back down. Don't worry. We'll ask."
Rey nods and swallows her disappointment.
The troopers now dutifully complete their orders by delivering Rey into the main foyer where Leia Organa awaits her and Snoke. Ben's mother is gowned for the occasion like an exiled queen at her leisure. All her stately elegance is a sharp contrast to Rey's bedraggled, loose fitting dress she has slept in for three days now.
At Rey's approach, the princess moves in for an embrace. Leia Organa always greets Rey with a motherly hug now. This time, she lingers a moment to murmur into Rey's ear, "Stay alert. This could be your chance." Then the princess turns to Rey's guards. "See to her restraints, please," she orders as if she were the one in charge.
"Negative. Leave those cuffs on for now," the lead trooper instructs his colleague. "We'll only have to put them back on to take her back down below. Stay here while I go find out the plan. Where is he?"
"In the library," Leia Organa answers.
The trooper departs for the library and now it's just Leia Organa, Rey, and the one remaining guard.
"Ah, here comes the general," Leia Organa observes as General Hux can be seen striding fast up the main path with many aides in tow.
"Here comes the rain too," the remaining trooper observes affably. "For sure no walk today, ladies. Sorry about that."
Leia Organa nods and turns to the trooper. She speaks in a low, very firm voice, "You will remove her restraints and remain here at attention when the door opens."
Rey can't miss the heavy suggestion in the Force that comes with her instructions. Rey's eyes widen as Leia Organa nods conspiratorially to her. And now, Rey is already mentally judging the distance to the landing pad and looking for guards. Can she do this? Yes, she can do this. She has to do this.
As Ben's mother again employs the Jedi mind trick, Rey realizes that this princess might not to use the Force but she knows how. Has she been playing dumb with Snoke this whole time? Something tells Rey that Leia Organa has been attempting to lull her captors into complacency too. But rather than save herself, Ben's mother is plotting to save Rey.
The trooper repeats his instructions and then unlocks Rey's handcuffs. Leia Organa stealthily motions for Rey to remain with her hands together as though still cuffed. Rey keeps her back to the rest of the house facing the door. A quick glance from anywhere behind them would show nothing out of the ordinary to cause alarm.
Leia Organa has clearly been reasoning through an escape strategy. She leans in close now to advise under her breath, "Don't make your move until Hux's guys get through the door. Wait until you are outside to run. Steal a TIE not the shuttle. The shuttle will have a pilot onboard and it's easier to spot. This is the best chance you'll get."
Rey nods. Her heart begins racing as adrenaline kicks in. Is this really happening? Yes, this is happening. Right now. Rey looks over at Ben's mother and decides she trusts this Rebel princess' instincts. Leia Organa snuck off the Death Star, after all. "Thank you," Rey breathes out.
"That might be my grandchild," the princess continues sotto voce. "But either way, I don't want another child in this family lost to Darkness. Good luck, Rey." Leia Organa now gives her a hard look. "Whatever happens, don't turn back. Understand? Let them threaten me. That's fine. Don't turn back for any reason. Got it?"
Rey doesn't get a chance to respond. Into the villa now sweeps the soggy general Hux in his sharp uniform and dripping greatcoat. Behind him file in five aides who crowd the foyer some more. Hux is barking orders as he arrives and his subordinates flock about him to hang on every word. So by the time the general and his entourage turn to acknowledge the waiting princess, they don't notice that Rey, who had been standing there, has slipped out through the door. With the trooper standing at rigid attention and the princess waiting calmly, there is no sign of anything amiss. And then the unmistakable booming baritone of Snoke hollers, "General!" as the Dark Master himself slowly approaches from down the hall. That distracts everyone's attention for a few seconds more.
That's all the time Rey needs to get a good head start. It's now or never, she thinks as she makes a beeline for the nearest TIE.