One moment Kylo was standing in front of her protecting her from whatever was outside. The next, he jerked back as if an invisible force hit him in the chest. She had only a second to react, but she was too slow. Kylo slammed into her. The impact knocked the breath from her body, and she flew through the air with him.
Rey waited for the impact of the wall behind them, but suddenly she jerked to a stop and floated in midair. Kylo flew passed her, his hand raised in her direction. He slammed into the wall and crumpled to the ground. The moment he hit his hand fell and she fell with it. She crashed to the ground, her chest smacking into the cold floor. Pain shot through her, causing her to gasp, but it wasn't as bad as it would have been if she would have hit the wall. She knew that would have killed her at the speed they were going.
Kylo slowly rolled to his side. He moaned in pain at the effort. Rey crawled towards him on her stomach, fear choking her. Behind her, she heard footsteps entering the castle. She stopped and looked at the newest arrivals. Six red guards walked in, followed by someone cloaked in grey. They led him towards her, their weapons raised and ready to strike.
"Not yet," the grey cloak said.
Rey felt something grab her and it jerked her back in the air. She floated, her hands bound to her side. She fought to get free, but the invisible force did not budge. The grey cloaked man walked past her, and without her doing she floated behind him.
"Bring him," said a deep voice. The red guard grabbed Kylo by the arms and drug him along.
They entered the Great Hall as the grey cloaked man walked slowly up the stairs to the two seats. He took a seat on the left, slowly lowering his hood and allowing Rey to see him for the first time. His was the face of nightmares, deeply scarred and deformed. Rey wanted to scream, but she swallowed it down with great effort. His blackened, angry eyes looked upon her, and she knew at once this had to be Snoke.
The red guards dropped Kylo's body beside her. He was jerked upwards, coming to a stop in midair in the same position she found herself in. Kylo slowly shook his head, as if trying to awaken from a deep sleep. His eyes were hooded, drowsy, as he looked upon his parents' thrones.
"Look around you, boy. This is where I made you a man," Snoke said, his voice low and angry.
"Let her go," Kylo whispered.
"When I found you I felt the power within you. That raw, untamed power. Now, look at you," he said, disgusted. "Bested by a girl who comes from nowhere. You have compassion for her, which makes you weak. Even now, I feel the fear growing in you for her. It disgusts me. You are not the chosen one as I thought. You are nothing but a boy in a mask."
"Let her go and I will be whatever you want me to be," he said, his jaw clenching. Pain rolled off him in waves.
Snoke laughed, his voice like black poison. He raised his hand to Kylo as Kylo began to make noises as if choking. Rey watched on helplessly.
"Stop it!" she screamed, getting Snoke's attention. His black eyes slowly moved in her direction, his teeth bared in disgust. Kylo sucked in several breaths like a dying man. Rey jerked forward towards Snoke. She braces for impact, but she came to a sudden stop just a few inches from him. He watched her for a moment, his face unreadable. She whimpered and tried to move away as his long nailed hand gently caressed her cheek. His touch made her physically sick.
"How did you do it," he asked, his voice soft. "You turned the beast into a caring man. Who are you?"
"I'm no one," she whispered.
"Oh, I do not believe that," Snoke said, laughing.
Rey felt pressure in her head, felt pain begin to grow as whatever assaulted her tore through her mind with ease. She heard screaming from a distance, but realized it was her own voice. She heard voices and saw images from the past two months. Images of her and Kylo. She saw them fighting, felt her own fear as thick as smoke, but she saw their laughter. She saw their kiss. She saw every moment between them in only seconds.
"You think he is worthy to be saved," Snoke said, his laughter rising. "He is darkness, girl!"
"Snoke, enough!" Kylo yelled.
The pressure in her head eased to a dull ache as she found herself back in the Great Hall. Snoke flicked his wrist and she went flying backwards. He stopped her just inches away from Kylo. Slowly she turned to face him. He stared at her in helplessness, his face breaking.
"Why do you long for things you will never have?" Snoke asked, almost lovingly. "She could never love a beast. One day she will realize she is but a prisoner here. She will leave you like everyone else has."
"That's not true," she seethed. Anger consumed her.
"See how she lies, Kylo. Search your feelings. You know I am telling you the truth. "She will just let you down like your parents, like everyone you've ever known. She cannot break the curse, and she will not stay once you've turned truly beast. She will run screaming."
"Ben," she whispered, desperate to get his attention.
The more Snoke talked the more uncertain Kylo looked. His eyes shifted from Rey to Snoke. His shoulders slumped forward, as if in defeat. At his feet his mask suddenly appeared, and he stared down at it.
"Take it, Kylo. It is who you truly are."
"Ben, no! You are good and kind. Don't let him win. Don't let the darkness win," Rey begged.
Kylo slowly knelt down and took the mask in his hands. He turned it in every direction as if it were the first time he had seen it. He looked so lost… so broken. Rey wanted to hold him, to touch him and make the darkness go away.
"If I give in as you wish, Master, will you let her go? I will complete my training and be at your side for the rest of my days… I swear it," Kylo said, low.
"Please…" Rey sobbed.
"So be it," Snoke said, his words like ice in Rey's veins.
Kylo raised the mask and slipped it into place. The moment he did, he jerked back, a scream dripping from his lips. Not even the robotic tones could disguise the pain. Kylo fell on his back, his body writhing and shaking.
"No!" Rey screamed.
As she watched in horror, the beast came forward and took hold of Kylo. He clawed at his masked face, at his chest and legs. The entire time Snoke sat upon the throne and laughed.
"Yes!" he said, triumphant. "Yes!"
The pressure holding her released her and she fell beside Kylo. She didn't think, didn't fear the repercussions, but reached for Kylo the moment she could move. He stilled immediately, moving in her direction. Suddenly, Kylo grabbed her by the throat. He stood them to their feet, Rey struggling against his hold.
She tried to pry his hands from her neck, but he was too strong. She desperately wanted to see his eyes, but the mask was in the way. Rey relaxed in his grip, her eyes pleading with him to fight against the darkness. She touched his mask, the world around her dimming. Her fingers skimmed over the release button and she pushed with what little strength she had left.
His mask hissed and opened, falling to the ground with a loud thump. His eyes were jet black, the monster in full control. She caressed his cheek. His skin burned underneath her touch. His hands relaxed their hold on her neck until he let go completely. Rey fell to the ground and sucked in large amounts of air.
Snoke laughed again, and when she looked up at Kylo she felt her hope die. She had thought he released her because he was back, but his eyes remained black as night. Slowly, she reached out and touched his foot. She closed her eyes and called for whatever it was inside that had brought him back before.
"You are foolish, girl. He has given himself completely to me now. He and I are finally one. I have his mind, his soul and his body."
Rey opened her eyes and looked up at Kylo. He was staring down at her, but there was no recognition in his eyes. The darkness had won. Tears streamed down her face. She had tried so desperately to save him, but she had failed.
"Kill the girl! Kill her and we shall rule this galaxy together," Snoke whispered.
The invisible force picked her up. Her arms bound to her side, she came face to face with Kylo. At the end, Rey didn't care about herself. She didn't care about dying. She cared about Kylo, about saving him from this torment. She had wanted to show him the light, show him a life free of pain and rage. Even as Kylo took his saber in his hands, Rey thought of nothing but him. Even as the sizzle of the saber igniting pulsed in her ears, she wanted nothing more than to hold him.
"Ben, don't do this," she whispered.
His gloved hand slid behind her neck, as if he wanted to hold her in a lover's embrace. His touch was soft and light. His black eyes tore through her very soul, an ever present reminder of her failure to save him.
"I know what I have to do," he said, his words low.
"Do it, Kylo! Kill the girl!" Snoke screamed, knowing he was so close to winning.
The next moments happened in such a blur that Rey was left confused for a moment. Kylo moved so suddenly. If this was death, it brought with it no pain. It was only when she looked down that she realized it was not her death that was eminitate, but Kylo's. At the last minute, he had turned the lightsaber on himself. The blade cut through fabric and skin straight through his stomach. It's end was protruding out of Kylo's back.
The blackness of his eyes slowly melted away. When she looked at him in horror it was the eyes of Ben Solo she came to see. Behind her, Snoke screamed in pain. He clutched his stomach, blood oozing from his own wound. It was in that moment Rey realized what Kylo had done. He had allowed Snoke to physically take over his body in order to kill him. But, in doing so he had to sacrifice his own life. Ben sacrificed himself to save her.
Angered, Snoke grabbed Kylo and threw him across the room. He crashed to the ground, sliding in a heap of limbs. Rey tried to go to Kylo, but Snoke stopped her.
"You will not have him," he gasped.
Snoke ran down the stairs towards Rey. She tried to break free from his hold, but she couldn't move a muscle. Kylo's lightsaber clinked against the floor. It began to vibrate and shake, until it lifted into the air and headed straight for Snoke. His eyes were trained only on Rey. He did not see his death coming, did not think he would be bested.
The saber found its mark right through Snoke's throat. He came to a dead stop, his eyes growing wide in surprise. Rey was free, and she took several steps away from him. She looked at where Kylo was and saw his hand outstretched towards his old master. His teeth were bared, sweat rolling off his face. Every ounce of energy he had remaining he put into this last act. Kylo jerked his hand and the lightsaber cut upwards taking Snoke's head clean off. He fell to the ground… dead.
Kylo slowly lowered his hand, his eyes rolling in the back of his head. He grabbed his stomach and moaned in pain. Rey ran over to him, her eyes looking at the mortal wound. His hand covered it, the fabric of the glove soaked in blood. She fell to her knees and cradled his head in her lap. She gently moved his black hair from his face and found what she was looking for. His eyes.
Kylo's shaking hand gently touched her cheek and she leaned in to his touch. His face collapsed in pain as he struggled to stay alive. His body shook in her grasp.
Behind them, the door burst open. Rey didn't dare take her eyes off Kylo. Neither did he look away. The red guards could come and kill her in this moment and she wouldn't care. Instead, she heard the excited voices of Maz, Poe, Finn and Rose.
"We did it, Ben! We defeated the guards…". Her words died in her throat the moment she saw the scene before her. "No," Rey heard her gasp.
It was as if time had stopped ticking, as if the world stood still. The quietness was almost deafening. Death was near, and it had come for payment. Rey felt it with every fiber of her being. Her tears fell from her eyes landing onto Kylo's face. They mixed with his own tears.
"I—I would… I would have never hurt y—you," he said, softly.
"I know," she sobbed, moving her face closer to his. She looked around at the others. They were as helpless as she was. "What do I do?" She begged them.
"Rey," Kylo called to her.
She looked at him, sobbing. "Tell me what to do," she begged.
His lips twitched upward, a soft smile brightening his face. "You've already done it. You gave me back my—my heart," he whispered.
She tightened her hold on him, as if that act could save him from dying. What had it all been for if this is how their story would end? All the fighting? All the yelling and crying? All the laughter and breakthroughs? She had fought so hard for him only to lose him in the end.
"I—I love… you," he said. One last breath left his body before he grew still. His eyes stayed open and they stared up at her, yet he saw no more. Rey's eyes grew big as she waited for him to speak again. She waited for him to breathe.
"Ben," she said, her voice hoarse. She shook him, as if that would change the outcome. "Ben, no!" she whispered, frantic.
He didn't respond. His eyes remained open and upon her, but there was no life left in them. Rey pulled him to her, wrapping her arms around him and holding him as tightly as she could. She slowly rocked back and forth, her mouth coming open in a silent scream.
It was in that moment Rey knew. Maybe she had always known, but it became more clear to her than anything she had ever known. She felt it from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, yet she had felt it too late. He was gone. How stupid she had been to be blinded from the truth. In the end, she knew she would do everything all over again if it meant leading her back to Kylo.
She leaned back a little, staring down at him. She touched his lips with hers. They trembled upon his as the last of her heart broke in two. He gave his life for her. That one act ran through her mind over and over again. He had given everything up for her.
Rey kisses him and laid her forehead upon his. Her eyes closed again as a wreck of sobs consumed her. "I love you, too," she whispered.