Chapter Two
Rey whipped around the side of the alcove, gripping onto the hard rock as she watched Luke lead ahead. He was finally talking to her? And was agreeing to train her? After all this time? What secrets did the alcove hold? What was that dream she had had? She walked lazily down towards the shore where he was trudging along in the sand. Her eyes looked forward to where they were walking, and she saw no discernable path ahead. He must know some secret way; how else did he find her so easily and without any trouble? Her limbs were so tired, and her cut up knees stung from the salt of the ocean. Ten minutes passed before they began to walk up a winding path that lead from the sand. Suddenly, it occurred to Rey that the familiar feeling of her staff in her hand was absent and she stopped in her tracks. She had half a mind to call out and tell him that she needed to go back, but her aching limbs and tired mind kept her from speaking out.
She continued to follow him as the path turned into familiar green grass, and then back into rocks and dirt. He stopped for a second and took a breath as he gazed up. Rey followed his gaze from behind him and almost groaned at the sight. There were many narrow stone steps cutting into the steep and rocky hillside. Next to them were poles sticking out of the ground, there for support for any daring climber. He began to climb without hesitation, stepping in all the right spots, only grabbing onto the poles when there was a tricky step to make. Rey herself stood there at the bottom, trying to ignore the thoughts and questions that were clouding her mind. She needed to concentrate now; she didn't need to make a mistake like the last time. Slowly but surely, she began to climb. The steps were well set into the rock, and she had yet to step into one that wiggled out of place.
She used the poles to her advantage and clung to them with each step. Her breath was ragged, and she refused to look down below to see how far she had climbed. Luke had already made it to the top and disappeared from her view. He wasn't the most helpful, and Rey felt somewhat annoyed that he didn't even wait to make sure she made it up safely. After a couple more steps her legs began to feel like jelly from the strains of everything that had happened earlier, and she stopped. Letting out a disgruntled groan she realized that the next step up was a little higher than the ones before. She wasn't the tallest so she'd most likely have to climb up to it using her arms instead. Trying not to lose any more momentum, she reached up with both arms and began to pull herself up. When she started to swing her leg up, she felt the stone start to dislodge from the rock. Her eyes went wide and she froze, but she couldn't waste any more time. Both of her legs made it onto the stone as the rock and sediment keeping it there started to crumble. She panted and found that the next stone was the last one before the top, but it was just as high as the one before. Jumping up, trying to ignore her throbbing muscles, she made it and groaned as she held onto the pole stuck into the earth beside it.
The stone below her fell down, hitting the side of the rocky hill before smashing against the bottom and splitting in half. She swallowed hard and regretted watching the stone's descent. After a moment to breathe to try and calm her pounding heart, she got to the top and fell over onto her back. Sweat was dripping down her arms and legs, and the setting sun seemed impossibly bright as it shone into her eyes. She breathed hard, letting the panic slowly ebb away. "You made it then."
The voice startled her, so she stood up. Luke was standing there, a barely identifiable smile on his face. "Come, so we can eat and rest." He began to walk back to the huts, which weren't too far from where they now stood. Rey felt relieved and that was enough to get her to walk enthusiastically after him. When they made it back, a couple of short creatures wearing gray robes were stacking stones next to one of the huts. Rey hadn't seen them before, and she watched them curiously as they began to argue in an unknown language. "What are they?" She asked Luke as he took a seat on the stone bench outside of his hut. She welcomingly sat down next to him and waited for his answer.
"Caretakers. They maintain the Jedi temples on the island," He answered. Rey looked over and watched as they picked up a stone and attempted to fit it into a hole on the outside of the hut. When they realized it was too big, one of them screeched and smacked the other with its hand. "Jedi temples? I haven't seen any," Rey said curiously, still watching the creatures argue with a humorous smile on her face. Rey hadn't made it a point to adventure too far across the island by herself, but she did notice a couple of structures dotting the landscape when she had first arrived on the Falcon. Could those be the structures he's talking about? "Well that's where you're wrong, you were just in one."
Rey turned to face him and paused for a second. "The alcove? That's a Jedi structure?" She thought he was messing with her at first. It sure didn't look majestic or mysterious like how she had imagined anything related to the Jedi would look. If anything, it could have been a natural part of the rock that had formed because of erosion from the wind and rain. He didn't answer, but instead stood up and retreated into his hut. She expected the door to shut like it had so many times before, but instead she heard him rustle around inside. After a minute or so he came out with two plates, some cups, and a jug. He handed her one of the plates and she took it willingly. She didn't realize how hungry she was until she looked down at the fish, cut into bite size pieces. She picked a piece up and chewed at it, her stomach grumbling in satisfaction. He poured them both a drink from the jug, and Rey sniffed it before taking a sip.
It was a sweet and minty drink, one she'd never come across before, but it was refreshing so she took a bigger drink the second time around. Luke had yet to touch his plate, instead retrieving some logs and throwing them in the pit. Soon, a fire roared to life in the middle. The sun had almost disappeared below the horizon by now, and there was a chill in the air, so the fire was very welcome. Rey continued to eat her fish, staring into the flames, enjoying the feeling of the heat on her skin.
"That place is strong with the Force. I discovered it a couple days after first landing here. It called to me, as it called to you," Luke explained, finally digging into his own meal, his hood now back over his head to shield from the cold and biting wind.
"Is that why you're willing to train me? Cause it called to me?" Rey asked, setting down her now empty plate. He thought for a second before nodding. "I saw something there, well, more like I dreamed it." Rey continued. He stopped eating at this and looked at her as she spoke. "It was a place, and it was beautiful. I could smell the flowers, feel the water on my skin, and I heard a voice. I couldn't tell who it was, it almost sounded familiar, but it was like an echo more than anything. It's hard to explain, harder to understand." When she finished talking, her eyes still staring into the fire, Luke had made it to his feet.
"Show me to the Falcon," He said suddenly. Rey looked up at him feeling confused.
"What? Have you known that's it been here this whole time?" He didn't answer her but instead gathered up their dishes and took them inside. When he came back out Rey began to lead him around the huts, and down to the wide and sandy beach that the Falcon sat on. Luke paused once he saw it, and smiled, the most Rey had seen him emote since coming to the island. Chewie had a fire going and was sitting in front of it. When Rey approached, he turned and immediately began to yell at her, his arms waving around in the air. He had been worried since she was gone for so long, and assumed the worst. "Chewie, calm down! I'm fine! There's someone here who I'm sure you'd like to talk to," Rey said, a mischievous smile on her face. Luke appeared behind her, and Chewie exclaimed, immediately enveloping the man in his big arms.
"Chewie! It's good to see you pal!" Rey now couldn't help the full smile that appeared on her face. Luke looked like a young man again, his eyes lighting up and his lips turning up into a wide grin. He laughed and pulled back from the Wookie. "It's okay buddy, I know, I know it's been a long time." The two continued to talk, and Rey wanted to give them some space. She backed away and watched from afar, feeling genuinely happy for the first time in a long time. A familiar beeping reached her ears, and R2 came rolling out of the Falcon. Luke smiled even wider if that was possible, approaching the droid on his knees.
The history between all three of them had to be vast and meaningful, and Rey suddenly felt her smile disappear from her face. She didn't have old friends like that, maybe besides Plutt, who definitely wasn't considered a friend. Her somewhat satiated stomach and aching limbs reminded her of how tired she actually was. She didn't say anything but turned and made her way into the Falcon. The quarters she had taken to sleeping in was the captain's quarters, and she had only started to sleep there after some pushing and prodding from Chewie. She didn't feel right sleeping there, since it belonged to Han, but she gave in eventually, since it was the most comfortable place on the ship.
She sat down on her cot and sighed, removing her boots and socks. The ship was eerily quiet since nothing was running. Her head hit the pillow and she looked up at the ceiling. Her clothes were still sticking to her skin from all the sweat, but she was too tired to go into the fresher and change. Her eyes began to close without much prompting, and she fell into a deep and much needed sleep.
The dream came again, this time with more detail. She was sitting in a field of wheat. The wheat flowed with the warm breeze, and the sky was clear and blue. All she felt was peace, something she wasn't used to. She sat up on her elbows, breathing in the fresh and fragrant air. A smile was creeping onto her lips, and she closed her eyes, wanting to stay where she was forever. Lazily she laid back, putting her arms above her head, grasping at the wheat all around her. Then, her heart began to pound. Something or someone was approaching her, a presence she was familiar with. Scared of. Her eyes crinkled, still shut, and the muscles in her arms tightened as she gripped onto the ground. "No, go away," She said quietly, not wanting her dream to be interrupted, to be ruined. It got closer, and then, she felt the presence looming over her, cold and heavy.
Rey's eyes opened, wide with panic. She sat up in her cot, breathing heavily and hard. She looked around, searching for that presence that had interrupted her dreams. She saw nothing, but she still couldn't slow her pounding heart. He was here, she could feel it. It was Kylo Ren.