Sorry it's taken so long to post. I have gotten flattened by the flu. I wanted to make sure the tone was right for this one. Again...thank you so much for your reviews and support! I LOVE hearing what you guys think, keep it up!
And...all rights to Disney. I own nothing.
Chapter 14
It was obvious that Tsaro had gotten herself in some serious hot water with the Elders of the Lanai by guiding Rey and Ben's training and then showing them the Annals. Alcida-Auka was cool and curt in any answers she provided, speaking only to Tsaro in the Lanai language.
The torn pages had apparently been lost long before Alcida had taken charge of the caretakers and had never felt the need to question the elders, which had been a pointed comment directed at Tsaro, specifically. What she could tell them, was that the Dyad pair that had bound the darkness the last time had perished completing the binding, but it wasn't known if that happened every time even though the records went back much further.
The pair had been from another world, far away, their souls being said "to have returned to their home" when they passed, which both Ben and Rey figured meant they had become one with the force.
"So that could mean, what they used to bind the darkness is still here on the island." Rey said, hope edging her words, even though she had blanched at the mention of the binding killing the dyad.
"That would be to easy." Ben muttered as Rey shot him a dirty look for his pessimistic comment.
Alcida had paced around the hut, eyeing each little item with a critical eye until she came across the Jedi texts sitting on the desk and turned, demanding to Tsaro that Rey tell them how she had them when they burned in a fire.
"Fire? What fire?" Rey asked trying to deflect the insinuation that she had stolen the books from them or the Jedi.
"Fire destroy holding place of books. Before Master Luke merge with force." Tsaro explained, without waiting for Alcida to speak.
Rey glanced at Ben with a questioning look, "Luke had said it was time for the Jedi to end. I thought that if I took the books..." she said, words dying before she continued, "I didn't think that he would try to destroy them." She directed back at Tsaro and Alcida.
The elder sat quiet for a few more moments before rattling off a whole host of things to Tsaro before she got up and shuffled off with the rest of the counsel. Tsaro shifted uncomfortably on her stool for a few moments before she addressed the pair in front of her.
"I been tasked now. I guided before and must show now how to use power. Must try keep darkness at bay." She said with a sigh, not meeting Ben and Reys eyes.
"And you know how to do that?" Rey questioned as she sensed the doubt in Tsaro.
"I try. In Annals has...some...description?" Tsaro said waving her hands as she searched for the words she wanted to explain. "We try. Now." She said softly, directing Ben and Rey into the position they had been in for their training.
They trained late into the evening, Tsaro's voice becoming strained with every failed attempt and the frustrated energy that flowed around and through the small hut. Ben and Rey tried desperately to find their balance in the moment, but whenever they seemed to get close it would slip from them, the power and bond falling away as sand through fingers.
As it slipped away once more, Ben's darkness flared, sparked by the stress of so many failures, and it burned through Rey with such intensity and she dropped his hands, grabbing her head with a painful groan.
"Ahhhhhh!" She ground out between clenched teeth, gripping her temples as she doubled over, eyes squeezed shut against the force.
"KRIFFING HELL!" Ben roared and launched himself out of his chair and out the door, a flurry of anger and guilt for the pain Rey was in. He could feel it and all he could do was get out of that space in the moment.
He strode down the hill, long legs covering the distance in record time in the darkness that had descended while they trained. He scooped up the stick that he had been training with and started to beat his fury out on the wall of the edge of the out crop until his hands stung with the vibrations of the stick shattering against the stone. His breathing was coming in heavy pants, and he was sweating as he collapsed to the ground, in a seated position with his back to the cold stone, shards of the stick all around him.
The wind felt good as it chilled the fire inside, cooling his sweat dampened skin. The stars the only ones to bear witness to his frustrations as the waves crashed far below his perch on the outcrop. Slowly the fire ebbed away, allowing him to .recover his breathing, the chill finally getting under his skin, causing goose bumps to spread out across his skin.
With a bone-weary sigh, he got up and walked up the hill slowly, reaching out for Rey as he did. I'm sorry. He said to her repentantly, his steps slow, not wanting to see if she was disappointed in him.
Please come back Ben. Rey said, reaching out to him with an air of calm and acceptance that washed over him, clearing away the last of his frustrations.
He walked into the hut to find Rey mercifully alone, R2 now charging in off mode in the corner. He walked over to her, concern over his features, "Did I hurt you?" he asked and reached up to cup her cheek, his hand freezing mid-air, uncertain.
Rey nodded, taking his hand and placing it on her cheek with a comforted sigh, closing her eyes and leaning her head into his hand a little. She could feel his guilt, shame and relief over how he had reacted and that she was still willing to have contact with him.
Reluctantly she opened her eyes, taking his hand from her face and lead him to their chairs to sit. She had made him a tea and a plate of food and set it all out for him, while hers mirrored his on the table. "Is that what the dark side felt like before?" She asked softly as they ate.
Ben paused and thought for a moment before answering, "I never thought about it. It was always there, the anger and dark. Maybe at first?" He finished his food and leaned back in his chair a little, letting the fire and tea warm the chill he had gotten while outside.
Rey considered his words as she gathered their plates and cleaned up. Glancing at R2 she remembered his alert, "Oh, R2 said Poe got the message and is coming in 4 days with Chewie and Finn." She knew he wouldn't like that, but he didn't really have a choice in the matter as the two men seemed to be her book-ends when given the chance.
Ben frowned, but could see her line of thinking flit through her mind and he let it go. She was right. They need Poe to come so he could get off the island and go to Malastare to get the holocron.
Rey felt him let go of the jealousy and she smiled a little as she finished cleaning up and a thought struck her, "Ben, why do you think it is that we couldn't seem to find balance?"
Ben look up at her words with confusion, "I don't know...we are trying to do something new?" He offered, unsure of where she was going.
Rey's eyes sparked with something and she walked over to him, offering her hand, "Come here." She said with an encouraging nod and added, "Trust me."
He reached out with a questioning raise of his eyebrow and she led him to his bed and he froze as she moved forward, stretching out his arm headless that head had stopped.
"Ah...?" He questioned, his mouth suddenly dry as she crawled onto his bed, sitting with her feet tucked under her and patted the spot in front of her.
"Trust me, please?" Her voice barely above a whisper, and she beckoned him to sit again.
Ben was suddenly very warm as he moved onto his bed, sitting as she was, their knees touching. He found himself on edge as she reached out and took his left hand, placing his palm flat over her heart and covered it with her hands.
Rey buried her nervousness deep, trying to keep the air between them as calm as possible, praying her idea would work. His hand radiating intense heat through the light grey material, his hands so big that his fingertips easily brushed her bare collar bone. She took a steadying breath in and closed her eyes, willing herself to relax.
Ben watched her eyes close as her mind opened to him. He couldn't help but follow her lead and close his eyes as well, the force seeming to snap alive with energy as he did. He felt her slide one hand off his and place her left palm over his heart like a branding iron.
Their connection seemed to lock them in place like a clamp on their hands causing them to shudder with the intensity and Ben reached up and covered her small hand with his, wrapping his long fingers loosely around her small wrist.
The balance was there, just outside of reach, both Ben and Rey could feel it. Wait, don't rush. Rey said, breathing slow and even as she felt Ben wanting to surge after it impatiently.
He frowned and focused on the heat, her breath slowly lifting and lowering under his palm, and slowly, their balance slipped into place. Calm, in their hearts easing the anxiety that had been in place at the start, shifting Ben into a trance like mediation, Rey locked with him.
The grey mist welcomed them, curling around and between them, as if a living thing, leaving a whisper of touch on their mind and skin. It was the space between, binding all as one, flowing and connecting everything they felt in the force.
Rey looked around, silence enveloping them as they seemed to float, still locked in each others touch. It's like…..Rey started, but found herself at a loss for words.
The force itself. Present and visible. Ben finished with awe in his voice. A curious thought drifted in his mind and he closed his eyes, Rey watching him intently.
Ever so gently, a small portion of the mist coalesced into a ball and floated up beside Rey at eye level, to her amazement. It twisted slowly, tightening into a smaller and smaller mass until it seemed to pop silently, and join with the other mist.
Ben's cockiness as he opened his eyes was intense as if he almost dared Rey to do better. Your turn. He taunted.
Rey closed her eyes and reached out, sensing the mist around as she would an object that she could levitate, wrapping it up mentally and lifting it to eye level. She pictured tightening the wrapping so it would be squeezed smaller and smaller, until the pressure reached a tipping point and it popped apart like a bubble, slipping through her grasp into the rest of the mist.
She opened her eyes to Ben's proud look and raised an eyebrow at him in return challenge. Ball was easy, what else can you do? She poked at him with a saucy grin.
Ben thinned his lips in thought for a moment before smiling and tilting his head in acceptance of her challenge before closing his eyes again. He face smoothed, even though she could feel his intense concentration on their surrounding.
At first there was nothing, but slowly Rey felt a gathering around her waist and she looked down to see the mist slowly swirling into a tight rope, looping around her, tightening inch by inch as if it was an actual solid thing. He kept the pressure minutely increasing until she felt it squeeze uncomfortably and tapped on his hand, before he let it go to evaporate into the rest of the mist.
Okay…! Rey said with admiration. My turn…she added, eyes closing and her breath steadying as she focused.
The mist started to churn as Ben watched, growing to the full height of them, swirling pools getting smaller and smaller till a shape began to form, appearing almost solid in form beside them. Small sections sandwiched together on top of each other, each having its own set of compressed pockets of mist until it was so dense that Ben decided to remove his hand from Rey's wrist and reach out.
It was a solid wall of the force with the consistency of marble, but as you looked closely the movement of the mist could bee seen. Ben looked back at Rey with astonishment, then concern as her face was strained, sweat dotting her forehead and starting to trickle down by one temple. Her breathing was slowly speeding up and he could feel the small pull from his force like the first night together.
Rey, let go. He said softly, returning his hand to her wrist and tapping gently on the back of her hand.
She gasped and the wall fell like a crashing wave of water, flowing out benighted their feet to join the rest of the grey. Her breath came in pants as she felt the extent of how she exerted her side of the power.
Did it work? She asked trying to catch her breath. She had felt that the wall had been there, but it took an emence amount of focus and power to keep it together and had needed to keep her eyes closed to concentrate.
It was….incredible. Ben responded, concern for her plain on his face. Are you okay? He added while giving her wrist a squeeze.
Yes, but I think the balance has lifted it's grip and we should go. Rey said, managing a weary smile to show him she truly was alright.
It was then that Ben noticed that the apparent force that had bound their hand to each other was hardly applying any pressure at all anymore, so he nodded and they let go of each other.
The mist faded away as the hut focused into view, their hands dropping to their laps, weak and fatigued. Rey slipped her feet out from under her to shift and lean exhausted on Ben's shoulder, and he shifted so that his back was against the wall and his legs were hanging off the side of the bed. Sliding his arm slightly around her to get more comfortable, he tucked her into his side, letting her head rest in the hollow between his shoulder and chest.
Rey sat and enjoyed the strength he represented as she listened to his deep breath in and out. "If we could find a way not to cause such a loss of energy," she said, the movement of her talking softly moving her head on his chest.
"It could block the mirror for a little while." Ben said catching the end of her thought, but frowning. "We don't know if it was present here, of just in the space between." His mind was puzzling through the problem when he noticed Rey's mind was calm and quiet, her breathing slow and steady.
He tried to look down at her, but all he could see was the top of her head, but she was warm and heavy against his side, her mind quiet, in soothing patterns. Ben just sat for a moment trying to decide what he should do. She had kind of trapped him, her arm angling from his stomach to chest, where her hand was tucked under her cheek, while the other arm he could feel was wedged in by his right kidney.
If he was honest, he really didn't want to move. He was warm and relatively comfortable where he was, not to mention envious of the fact of how fast she fell asleep. He decided to remain where he was for the time being and workout the details of his plan for Malastare.
R2 had gotten plans to the Grand Palace where the auction and ball were to take place and he had been studying on the holotablet that conveniently was by his pillow and within reach of his one arm. He inched over, trying not to jostle Rey and snagged the tablet, igniting the image and settled in to study it from where he left off.
Rey slowly started to come around to consciousness as a beam of light from the window was shining right into her one eye. She grumbled inwardly not wanting to be awake yet as she was warm, and comfortable, with a heavy weight on her ribcage? She froze, instantly fully alert and peeked the eye that was closest to the bed, open. A thick arm was stretched out, hand dangling over the edge of the bed in front of her face with a holotablet hanging precariously on a fold of the blanket, ready to fall to the floor at any time. She reached out as slow as she could and grabbed the corner of the tablet pulling it closer to her.
The source of her heat and comfort shifted, tightening his arm around her waist, his face burying in the hair that had come completely undone at the base of her skull. His breath was warm and sent tingles in a straight connected line from that point on her neck to low in her belly, causing both of her eyes to pop open in surprise as she bit her lip to stifle the embarrassed laugh that threatened to surface.
Rey was at a complete loss as to what she should do with the situation she seemed to find herself in. If she moved, he would wake up, and that would become….well….awkward, and if she stayed where she was he would eventually wake up and then she was back to problem number one. So, she just lay there for a moment struggling with her thoughts when Ben solved the problem.
"I can feel your mind working in my sleep." He stated with a low, grumble into the back of her neck, his voice gravely with sleep and mild irritation. He rolled slightly, leaning more against the wall than curled around her and slid his arm off of her.
Rey slipped out from under the blanket and sat on the edge of the bed looking back at Ben, his eyes still closed, hair fanning out in all directions, covering his eyes partially. Suddenly she felt the numbing pins and needles sensation in her left arm as he started to wiggle his fingers on his left hand.
"Ahhwww, it fell asleep under you." He stated with a grimace as he continued to wiggle his fingers, while keeping his eyes closed.
"Sorry." Rey mumbled and moved to leave her perch on the edge of his bed till his hand snaked out and caught her wrist, his eyes cracking open a small amount.
The second he had came around and realized the position they were in, he did everything in his power to shield his thoughts. He had awoken warm, and calm, having had the best, albeit short sleep since, he could ever remember. Rey's confusion had flooded through him, and he was acutely aware of how scared she was of how nice it felt. And all of that was clashing with everything happening inside of him. More and more she was becoming a place of peace, a center to his universe and gravity, and it was starting to terrify him. Not just because of what it meant, but because of the bond they shared. How much of this was the bond? Was she feeling this way because of him, or their close quarters?
Ben decided in that moment to do what he could to make her feel comfortable, and the best way he could think of was to be honest. And so, he grabbed her wrist gently, "I slept very well." His tone soft in his sleep groggy voice and made the conscious choice to not hide his confusion and dropped all his walls.
Rey smiled shyly at him as she suddenly felt a mirror of her own jumbled thoughts floating from Ben's mind. Her lips pursed in thought as she felt absolutely nothing hidden from her, including his fear and insecurities.
"I slept well too." Rey responded in an easier tone. It was a huge step for Ben to reveal his fears to her, and she was going to keep that close to her heart.
Ben could feel her pride in him, and it caused his ears to redden. He slid his hand away and raked it through his tangled hair, clearing his throat, "Um, I guess we need to talk to Tsaro about what we discovered last night." He said, changing the subject. He was unaccustomed to having someone proud of him and he decided to shift away from it.
Rey looked down at her hands quickly sensing his discomfort, "Yes." She said firmly and stood, looking around for a minute, "I, ah, I'm going to, ah, go get washed up." She said trying to gather her thoughts and move forward with the task at hand and not keep marveling at the man sprawled on the bed. With that last thought, she blushed furiously and quickly exited the hut to go wash in her old hut.
Ben caught the last part of her view of him through her eyes and instantly reacted, his heart thudding in his chest and a flushed feeling spreading all over. He flopped on his back, both hands raking his hair roughly back with a, "Huh," of surprise and a smile.
Once Tsaro had come for their regular morning breakfast, both Ben and Rey had explained how and what they had done with the force in the space between. She had them sit on the floor with the same contact and had them show her what they had done, exactly. Miraculously it translated into the space of reality, and not just in the space between.
From that point on, she was a task master. She pushed them to draw on each other and the power of their bond over and over for the full day building, and breaking and building back up again till they had both mastered the power and were left drained and sweat soaked from the effort by the early evening.
Rey slumped over after destroying the latest wall, panting, her head resting on Ben's chest as he heaved in the same manner, "Enough Tsaro, please." Rey said weakly, attempting to catch her breath.
Tsaro Nodded, taking in the exhausted pair, "You train well. Powerful together, push each other to better." She stated with a nod of satisfaction and got up with a creaking groan from her stool.
"Eat, Rest. Tomorrow we go again." She said shuffling to her wheelbarrow to set out their evening meal and put their tea on.
Ben smoothed Rey's sweat soaked hair off her face, to give her an encouraging nod as if to ask if she was okay, and she nodded back imperceptibly before moving away and standing slowly, stretching out her cramped legs and back.
Ben rose as well, stretching out in the same manner, his joins popping in protest to the hours being stone still in the seated position. "Can we do this Tsaro? Do you think it will help?" He asked, rolling his head a little on his shoulders to loosen his neck.
"Never seen power you have. Wall strong, solid, not permanent. Once you train, can hold with minimal effort." Tsaro replied, pausing in thought at his question briefly.
Rey hobbled slowing to the door, "I'm going to wash." She stated casually before leaving into the cool evening air. She felt as she had in the Sith temple when the force had been drained from her and Ben, she was wrung out and thin.
The more she moved, the better her muscles felt, and by the time she was scrubbing with the cool water, some of her energy was returning. She changed into clean clothes and slipped out of the hut, a yelp of surprise escaping from her lips as Ben was standing outside the door.
A look of chagrin crossed Ben's face, "Sorry, washing up sounded good. Tsaro has food out." He said softly and reached up, without thinking to move some hair out of her face.
Rey froze with the tender gesture, catching his own surprise with his actions, before he ducked into the hut to wash. She glanced briefly at the closed door before walking slowly back to the hut for supper. Tsaro was packing up her things and preparing to leave.
"More control you have, closer you can become." Tsaro said with a critical look and Rey stopped, confused, yet feeling more uncomfortable as she eyed her.
"Uh, not sure I know what you mean." Rey stammered and tried to make herself busy making a plate of food.
Rey sat and studied her plate with great interest until Tsaro shuffled over, placing a hand on her, drawing her gaze, "Young Master, bond may tie you. Doesn't make power you have when emotions connected. That from heart." She said softly and patted her hand.
Ben paused at the entrance of the hut, as he felt Rey's sense of being uncomfortable peak while voices drifted out the open door, and he heard Tsaro's comment followed by a calming feeling.
"You mean they aren't one and the same?" Rey asked tentatively, finally meeting Tsaro's eyes.
She smiled and patted Rey's hands again. "Not all Dyad match according to Annals. Some said same, some not same species, some even siblings." She said with a wink and shuffled off to finish her cleaning.
Ben stepped back from the door a minute, lost in what she had said. Not all dyad pairs had romantic relationships. He had just assumed that a pair had meant male and female, and it had been an extremely close-minded thought. He could feel Rey mulling over Tsaro's words as well as he leaned on the doorframe for a moment, letting it sink in.
Are you going to just stand there and hover? Rey cut in on his thoughts, snapping Ben back to the present, causing his cheeks to warm slightly with getting caught eavesdropping.
Ben walked in the hut, holding the door a little further open for Tsaro as she exited with a grin at Ben and a, "Master Ben."
Ben nodded and shut the door behind Tsaro as R2 beeped and alerted Ben that he had a message waiting from General Poe.
"We have made great strides so far getting rid of some First order cells from your initial intel, but the counsel is definitely looking forward to getting all the information they can from you to reduce further losses and battles. We will be there three days. Lando has agreed to come along at your request as well with us. Rey, see you soon."
Ben frowned a little at the curt message, but knew it was a means to the end of him getting off the island and to Malastare. All he needed was to give Poe enough to get his exile lifted so they could get the holocron and hopefully find out how to bind this darkness again. He was so lost in thought over the plans he had been studying the night before, he didn't even notice Rey come up behind him until she placed a hand on his arm.
As an act of reflex, Ben's arm jerked away quickly and he snatched her wrist so fast, she barely had time to catch the action of it. His eyes flashing for a second before becoming repentant and she just covered his hand with hers softly.
"Ben, we will get the holocron." Rey said, trying to ease his fixated planning. They had both been drained from their training for the day and she could feel how he was frayed around the edges because of it. "Come. Eat." She said gently, as she felt his hesitation.
Ben sighed, knowing she was right and moved with his plate to sit by the crackling fire. The rain was starting lightly again when he had walked back from washing, cooling the evening air further. The fire and food felt good and he turned his thoughts inward in the comfortable silence.