Ben stood breathless on a cliff overlooking a massive ocean. His heart beat soundly against his chest as blood flowed through his arms and legs. They had been on Ahch-To for two weeks now. Every day he, Rey and Luke awoke at daybreak and began their training.
At first it was slow, for Rey held back her full potential. Fear consumed her and what she was capable of doing. Ben could do nothing but watch the war rage within her. He wanted to help, but this was her battle to wage. He could support her, and so he did. Luke worked with her to shield her mind from outside sources. Even Ben found it hard to get in her head lately.
Rey was getting stronger every day, but there was still something they were missing. Luke wanted them to be in sync when they trained, but Rey couldn't seem to get the moves down. Even he, a trained Jedi, seemed to be struggling. Not like that day he was forced to fight her. That day, they were mirror images, two sides of the same piece, but since that day he was able to subdue her easily. Every time.
"No, you're still holding back, Rey. Relax your mind and allow your feelings to take control. Those feelings are Ben's feelings. Stop being afraid," Luke said.
Rey sighed, sweat pouring from her face. She closed her eyes for a moment, defeat written upon her beautiful features. Ben believed without a doubt that Rey could read his movements, he could hers, but they still failed in their battles. They were just a step off.
"Again!" Luke boomed.
Ben snapped his eyes towards his uncle, anger licking up his throat, but he swallowed harsh words back down. Luke was as frustrated as they were, but at least Ben knew how to hide it. Luke… not so much. Rey massaged her temples, her face wincing. That was another thing that bothered Ben. Rey experienced numerous headaches. When she would get rid of one, another would take its place. How could she focus?
Ben took a deep breath and started the intricate steps of their training. He allowed the Force to flow freely through him, allowing his arms to extend outward with the Lightsaber, allowing his feet to make sure steps in front of him. Rey was always able to follow the same movements for a while, but her steps became unsure, as if she had forgotten everything she learned over the past two weeks. Ben tried to use their connection to keep her steady, calling out each step through her mind, but she seemed to not hear his help every time.
She dropped her hand to her side, growling in frustration. Rey turned away from Ben and Luke, staring out into the vast ocean ahead of them. He could feel her frustrations growing.
"Stop overthinking the steps, Rey! Clear your mind!" Luke huffed.
"I'm trying, but with this horrible headache I can't concentrate," Rey shot back.
"Why don't we take a break," Ben said.
"No breaks, not until you both do the moves as one!" Luke said.
Ben choked back his anger. Luke was pushing too hard. Did he not see how tired she was? He acted as though he didn't give a damn. "We break, and then we try again," he said, challenging Luke.
"She will never learn if you continue to coddle her," Luke mumbled.
"I'm sorry, what?" Ben asked, his anger rising.
Luke walked a couple of steps towards Ben, his eyes burning anger. "Since the moment we got to this island you've held me back from pushing her to her limits. She's stronger than this stumbling, bumbling person I see before me. You're not helping! You're hurting," he shouted.
"Maybe if you'd give her a moment of peace she can calm her mind long enough to concentrate!" Ben shouted back.
"Guys…"
"Oh, I'm sorry, am I babysitting her, or am I teaching her how to defend herself?"
"I knew this was a mistake," Ben said, shaking his head.
"Guys!..."
"You think you can do better than me? You'll get her killed in a week!"
Ben felt his anger surge to new heights. He took several steps towards his uncle, his mind screaming at him to punch the older man. Luke followed his movements, ready to defend himself.
"ENOUGH!"
Suddenly, a great force pushed both Ben and Luke away from each other. Ben fell to the ground hard, his wide eyes staring up at Rey. She stood between him and his uncle, her arms stretched between them. There was no uncertainty in her eyes, no fear. Raw, untamed anger shown within her dark orbs. Ben saw it pulse between her skin and through her veins.
He reacted immediately, his mind and soul drawn to the woman standing before him. She was his equal, the other half of himself, and every part of him knew it. It had been weeks since he felt this strong pull towards her, but now it consumed him.
"Both—both of you stop fighting! And stop acting as though I am not here! You're starting to… to make me very angry!" She seethed.
Rey dropped her arms and stormed off. For several seconds Ben and Luke watched her, their mouths opened. She'd been so reserved, so shy the past few weeks he'd almost forgotten how powerful she really was.
"Now, that's more like it!" Luke said, laughing.
Ben pushed himself to his feet and jogged off to catch up with Rey. She was halfway down the long, narrow pathway before he could reach her. There was only room for one person at a time, so he had to walk behind her. The tension rolled off her shoulders like the waves hitting the rocks below them. She was furious with him.
"Rey, what's wrong?" he asked. They made it back to the tiny hut Rey called a temporary home. There were three small huts side by side. Luke made sure to get the middle hut, as if that would keep him away from Rey.
"I'm tired of you tiptoeing around me like you're afraid that if you speak louder than a whisper I'll break! It's driving me crazy!" She said, frenzied.
"Okay, I'll work on that," he said softly, his hands in the air as if to surrender. He cringed, hearing his soft voice and exactly what Rey was accusing him of.
"Ugh!" She yelled, frustrated. "I'm tired of you and Luke being at each other's throats. Yesterday afternoon both of you pushed yourselves into my head trying to gain the upper hand in this situation. It's my head! Both of you stay out unless I… me, not you or Luke… give you both permission!"
"Okay," he said, hurriedly. He hadn't taken the time to think about what his friction with his uncle was doing to Rey. She was right, yesterday both of them had used Rey to prove a point, as if they were trying to show they could help her more. Both had invaded her mind without her permission. "I'm sorry," he said, genuine.
Some of the anger faded in her eyes, but not all of it. She cut the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his waist. He laid his chin on the top of her head, blowing out a long breath.
"Do you believe him? When he says we can fight as one? That if we can figure this Dyad thing out we will be more powerful than anything?" she asked, softly.
"Uncle Luke seems to think so. He thinks we are the last hope."
"But… you don't believe it?"
Ben didn't answer at first. When he and Rey trained it was as if they were playing tug-of-war. He reached for the Force. She reached for the Force. They never reached for it together, and they couldn't figure out how to do that. That's where the frustration came from. When he had fought against Rey the day Palpatine controlled her they had been so in sync. Now, it was as if two strangers stood side by side. The Force had blown them both on their backsides several times.
"It's as if the Force is angry with us," Ben chuckled, tired. "Let's go for a swim before supper."
He pulled her out of the hut and they made their way down to one of the caves on the lower east side of the island. It was a good way from the huts, but it gave Ben time to clear his mind. He thought about the past two weeks. Rey's mood had improved some. Palpatine hadn't shown himself since they left the Rebel base. Ben wondered if Luke's presence had something to do with that.
The small stream in the cave was a welcome reprieve from the daily training routine. The water was hot to the touch, which loosened his muscles as he pulled himself down into its glorious arms. He reached for Rey the moment she entered behind him, pulling her against his bare chest. He found with each day he craved the feel of her skin upon his, as if it were some healing ointment for his soul. She pressed her head against his chest, sighing in contentment.
For a long while they didn't talk, just enjoyed each other's company. He gently massaged her shoulders, staring at the perfect patch of skin just behind her earlobe. He leaned forward, his tongue licking the smooth skin before his lips devoured it. Rey reacted at once, moaning softly.
Ben pulled her to face him, placing her on his lap. He stared at her, at how beautiful she truly was. When she was with him he felt complete. Suddenly, an image flashed in his mind. She was dead in his arms, her eyes staring blankly at him. It lasted for only a second, but he sucked in a breath at the assault.
"Ben?" she asked, worried.
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her towards him. His eyes stared, wide, at the other side of the small pool. "I—I'm okay," he whispered, far from it. Rey pulled herself from his arms, grabbing his face in her hands.
"You said you've never lied to me," she whispered, a knowing look in her eyes.
"It's nothing, really. Just my mind playing tricks on me," he answered, giving her a small smile.
"I know how you feel," she answered.
Ben softly pushed a piece of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. The bags under her eyes had almost disappeared. She looked better. "Have you felt him since we've been here?" he asked, just to be sure.
"No, but…"
"But what?"
"It feels like he's waiting for something. For what, I don't know. It's as if he thinks his job is done for now," Rey said, almost in a whisper.
"I won't let him hurt you," Ben said, even as the image of her dead passed through his mind again. Was it a vision, or his mind conjuring up his worst nightmare? He just didn't know. Ben leaned forward, capturing her lips and kissing her deeply. He threw the image as far from his mind as he could as he made love to Rey.
The next morning was more grueling than the day before. Everything felt wrong, every step he took felt off kilter. Rey looked as if she felt no better. Her frustrations had taken its toll all morning. She stared down at the lightsaber in her hand, the lightsaber that used to belong to him, but now he used his mother's.
"Again!" Luke said, almost screaming.
With Rey at his side, they thrust their lightsabers forward. For a few moments they could stay in sync, but one of them always made the wrong move. As if on cue, Ben turned when Rey stayed forward. They both stopped with sighs.
Luke shook his head. "A Dyad is a balance! You are two that are one, which means you feel what the other feels. Rey, you know Ben's steps. Ben, you know Rey's steps. You both act like you're on two different planets!"
"Maybe you're wrong," Ben mumbled, looking down.
"What?" Luke hissed.
"Maybe you're wrong," he said louder, raising his eyes to Luke. "Maybe that's not how the Dyad works. You… you can't just push two people together and expect them to just know how to move together. It would take years to learn something like that. It would take a certain control that even the most skilled Jedi would need to practice every day for years! You're asking us to know how to do that in two weeks."
Luke shook his head, his eyes roaming out over the ocean. Below them, waves crashed angrily over large rocks. Water splashed up the cliff they stood upon. "If you don't understand how in the world will Rey understand."
"You know what," Ben said, throwing his lightsaber down, "I don't understand. All you've been saying for weeks is we are one… one mind… but we can't even accomplish simple steps. And it's just not Rey, Uncle Ben. I've had years of training and I feel as if I'm going in blind. I can feel her in my soul, but I can't even see her steps. It feels like the Force doesn't recognize us the way you say it should!"
"As if it's unbalanced, therefore we are unbalanced," Rey finished, speaking low.
Both Ben and Luke looked at Rey. She wasn't paying them any attention. Her eyes were closed as she rubbed her right temple. Her headache was back. Luke pulled Ben's attention away with a loud gasp. Ben could see Luke working the pieces of a puzzle into place.
"You're the problem," Luke said, his eyes boring into Rey. She slowly looked up at him, looking hurt. "Have you always been this weak? Or is this an act?"
"Uncle Luke!" Ben said, a warning.
"What did you say?" Rey whispered.
"I said you're weak. You've always been weak! You'll always be weak!
Ben stared at his uncle, confusion wrecking his body. He'd never heard Luke speak to anyone like this before. He stepped forward to put an end to this, but something stopped him. His whole being pulsed like the saber in his hand. Power ran up his spine and back down, filling him with strength beyond his understanding.
'She's going to throw him over the cliff,' Ben thought. The thought came out of nowhere, but as Rey's hand reached for Luke, his hand did the same. Luke went flying towards the edge, but he didn't drop. He hovered in the air, his eyes wide. Both Ben and Rey's hands pointed towards him, one wanting him to go over the edge, the other saving his life.
"I… am… not… weak," she whispered.
When Ben stole a glance at Rey, his face turned pale. Her eyes were black as coal, as they had been that day. Her sharp teeth were bare for both of them to see.
'She's coming after me next', he thought. He was ready. Her other hand shot out in his direction, and he matched her movements perfectly. They both grunted at the same time as they pushed against one another. Her black eyes moved to him, anger radiating all around him. He leaned into the force pushing against him, grunting louder. Ben concentrated on both Rey and Luke.
Ben heard a rumble, felt the ground shake underneath his feet. He and Rey looked down as the cliff began to split open. He pushed harder against her, watching the smile upon her face fall a fraction. With all his might, he picked his left leg up and pushed it forward. The smile fell completely from Rey's face. She removed her hand from Luke, reaching both hands to Ben.
The moment the opportunity opened, he pulled Luke back to safe ground, pushing him out of the way. He matched Rey, and threw both hands at her as well.
"Pull her back, Ben!" Luke screamed.
Ben's grunts turned into yells as he closed his eyes and penetrated Rey's mind. He found her immediately, pushing her back towards the light. Her arms fell to her side, her eyes rolling in the back of her head, as she fell forward. Ben stilled her movements, his hands still outreached towards her, before she could fall into the large slit they created.
He picked her up, pulling her towards him and caught her in his arms. Ben crumpled to the ground, having no more strength. He looked up at his uncle as Luke walked slowly towards them.
"Why?" Ben whispered, before he fell unconscious.
When he came to he was lying in his bed. Rey was at his side, snuggled into his chest. He turned his furious eyes towards the man sitting in the chair watching them.
"Bastard," he whispered.
Luke smiled at him… actually smiled! "You haven't even put two and two together to realize what you and Rey just did," Luke said.
"We are off this island!" Ben said, furious.
"No you're not. Wake her up and meet me outside!" Luke said, standing and leaving Ben to gawk at his back.
Ben turned to stare at the sleeping girl at his side. He played back the events that had transpired. The more seconds that ticked away, the more the realization of what happened slapped him in the face. He had known Rey's every move, could feel it as if it were his own thoughts.
It was only out of morbid curiosity that Ben woke Rey up, that he held her for as long as it took for her to shake her guilt and shame. It was only out of the feeling that Luke might have been on to something that he took her hand and led her out of the hut to stand before his uncle.
"My actions today may have been a little rough, but I needed to see something for myself. And now, everything is so clear to me. We have approached this entirely wrong. But, the truth will be far more dangerous than anything we have ever faced, but what I saw today proves that it can be done, that it is the way of things!"
"That's not an apology," Ben said, low.
"I will apologize once the training is done. You promised you were willing to do anything to help her, to crawl into the darkness with her," Luke said, not giving an inch.
"And I meant it!" Ben seethed. "But, not this way!"
"Exactly this way," Luke said, undeterred. "Tell me, what happens to a leg when the foot is broken?"
Ben looked at his uncle in confusion, at the weird turn the conversation had taken. He didn't understand what that question had to do with this.
"It doesn't work properly," Rey answered, her eyes watching Luke closely.
Luke turned to her, nodding slowly. "And why can't the leg work?"
"It can't stand without the foot doing its job… without the balance it gives," she whispered.
"The foot isn't whole, isn't itself, it's not doing what it was made to do, therefore the leg cannot function until the foot heals. It cannot function until the foot brings balance to it."
Ben thought about that analogy for a second, thought about what Luke was trying to say without actually saying it. His uncle wanted them to come to the conclusion themselves, and the moment the truth hit him he knew why. Ben sucked in a breath, shaking his head like a wild man.
"Have you lost your mind!" he yelled, taking a step towards his uncle.
"Ben, the Dyad needs balance to work. It needs darkness to rise and light to meet it! The only time you two ever fought as one, as one mind, was when darkness and light collided." Luke turned to Rey, "You are the darkness to Ben's light, and what that means is you must tap into that darkness. As he fights with light you must fight with darkness. Become who you were truly meant to be! A Dark Force user!"