'It's time we talked about the trials.'

That's what he had said. Ever since their connection had ended Rey had been mulling over this sentence, her body full of restless energy as she paced back and forth in their shared living room. He hadn't wanted to go any further whilst they had been separated, but had left her with a promise of returning soon.

But, to Rey, that wasn't soon enough.

She groaned, her hands coming to scrub at her face irritably. At the moment, her whole life seemed to be rushing by at light speed. She needed a breather.

She chuckled as she removed her hands from her face. It was almost funny, really.

Just a few short months ago, at night, when she looked over the moon-bleached sands on Jakku, all she asked for was some excitement in her life. Or at least something to break up the monotony of scavenging for rations.

Now, she was poised to take the trials of the Knights of Ren, which would decide whether she'd be fit to rule the galaxy as an Empress. And she was finding this too much.

'Get a grip,' she whispered.

'Mistress Rey?' The familiar sound of Tee-Cee made her look up to the door. She frowned as she saw Luke's lightsaber in his hands.

'Master Solo has asked me to relay a message. He said he won't be too much longer, but he has asked you to start working on this-' the droid held out the blade, '-whilst you wait.'

Rey sighed. She had forgotten about the saber. That seemingly impossible task that had kicked off everything from a few days prior. What had Kylo said before?

'You've got to dig deep inside and channel what makes you Rey'.

'Easy peasy,' she muttered, marching over to the droid. 'Thanks Tee-Cee.' She glanced down at the weapon, her thumb brushing over the metal.

'I don't know why he wants me to reconstruct it. This was his uncle's, and his grandfather's before. It's part of his history,' Rey mused.

'Master Solo is many things Rey, but sentimental he is not. He believes in embracing the future, not the past,' the droid said. Rey looked up, a smile tugging at her lips. She could hear the doubt and disbelief in the robot's voice.

'Did he tell you to say that?' she asked, watching as the droid shifted uncomfortably. Her smile widened. He was more like C-3PO than she had first noticed.

'That's the official line, Mistress Rey. Before I leave, do you require any food? Some more stew?'

'I'm good. Thank you though,' she said, smiling as she turned away. She heard the doors swish shut before she let her smile fade.

'So, it's just you and me now,' she said, looking down at her mentor's saber. 'Come on, let's concentrate.'

Be with me…

Be with me…

'Be with me,' Rey said, her thoughts whispering out of her mouth as she felt the Force move through her fingertips. Its power levitated the lightsaber up and unclipped the metal casing of the saber.

She was getting close, she could feel it. She couldn't hear the voices of the Jedi who came before her yet, but the Force was moving and flowing through her with a new lease of life.

Be with me...

With a heavy clunk, the metal casing dropped and hit the table, making Rey open her eyes. Like in their first session, she was sitting cross-legged on a sunken sofa, having Luke's lightsaber on the table in front of her. But now, all she could see was a shell.

At eye level, floating just in front of her was a small, blue crystal. Tiny and pointed, it seemed to pulse and flare with energy.

'So, you're what the trouble is all about,' Rey smiled. With a shaking hand, she gingerly stroked down the side of the crystal. It was warm to the touch.

'Beautiful, aren't they?'

Kylo's voice made her jump.

The Supreme Leader was leaning against the doorframe, his face thoughtful as he looked down at Rey's seated position.

'How long have you been there?' she asked, frowning.

'Well done for opening the casing. I knew you could do it,' Kylo answered, pushing away from the wall to walk towards her.

'You deliberately avoided my question,' Rey said, turning her attention back to the floating kyber crystal.

'Has Tee-Cee offered you food?' Kylo said. With a fluid motion, he sat down opposite her, his eyes joining hers as they watched the crystal spin.

'You did it again,' Rey pointed out.

Kylo smiled, his eyes meeting hers. Their bond hummed between them, pushing relief across as they looked at each other.

'I'm glad it's back,' Kylo said, his voice soft as his eyes traced her face.

'How was your day?' she asked, internally wincing as she heard the question come out. She meant it to be interesting, but instead it came out dull.

'Uneventful, then eventful, then boring once more. Yours?' he answered.

'The same really,' Rey said, shrugging. 'So, - the trials?'

Rey frowned as she watched Kylo's eyebrows draw together. 'What is it?' she asked.

'Nothing. You're just... eager,' he answered.

'Isn't that a good thing? Eager to learn?' Rey leant forward, leaning her forearms on the table.

'Eagerness can also lead to stupidity, or mistakes. And in the trials, you can't afford to make any mistakes,' Kylo said, his voice hollow as he moved his gaze away from her face.

Rey frowned, her eyes flicking to the crystal that still hung suspended in the air. Delicately, she placed her hands around the source of light, forcing it to lay on the table.

'But with you as a mentor, I won't make mistakes. So no distractions, no interruptions. Tell me about the trials,' Rey said firmly.

From his position opposite her, Rey watched as Kylo sighed heavily, his hand coming to pinch the bridge of his nose.

'I suppose we should start at the beginning then,' Kylo muttered. 'So, for you to understand why there are trials, how much do you know about the Jedi Code?'

Rey frowned. She hadn't expected these trials to harken back to the Jedi Order, but she was in no position to question.

'From what I've read, it seems as though the Jedi are bound by fairly strict code of conduct. Ideas of marriage, love, passion are forbidden. That's why your grandparents' marriage was so secretive,' Rey said.

Kylo raised an eyebrow. 'I see you've been talking to my mother?' he asked, a teasing tone coming into his voice. Rey shrugged. 'But yes - in a very brief summary, the Jedi Code was set up to discourage people from falling to the 'Dark Side'. But, I think you wouldn't be shocked to know that the First Order or the Knights don't believe in that.'

'So, when the Knights of Ren were formed, a system was put in place that would actively rebel against all the old dogma of the Jedi Order. They didn't believe those feelings of love or jealousy were making people weak, but strong. Stronger than any Jedi. It was then decided to focus on those 'forbidden' feelings. Emotions like of anger, vengeance, passion, desire. And that's how the trials came about.'

Rey leant back, raising her eyes to the ceiling as she pondered his revelation.

'So, to be a Knight, you have to be the exact opposite of a Jedi?' Rey asked, lowering her gaze back down.

'In my mind, I understand it as two sides of the same coin. A Knight and a Jedi are both Force-sensitive, powerful individuals. But whether a Jedi believes that the suppression of emotions is what makes them powerful, we believe in embracing it. Channelling those emotions.' Kylo explained, his eyes moving to where Rey was absent-mindedly playing with the kyber crystal.

Hearing the Jedi code bandied around so casually was like sacrilege to Rey's ears.

In her few short weeks embracing the family and community that Leia and Luke had created, she had come to think that the Jedi Order was absolute. Flawed, as Luke had said so many times. But it was the only way of living.

'Okay. Let's say I understand that,' Rey snorted. 'You still haven't explained what the trials are.'

'Context is everything Rey. But as you're so impatient, there are four sections of the trials in our case. Sometimes more, sometimes less.'

'How can there be more? Or even less?' Rey asked.

'The Knights aren't limited in numbers. And more Knights always means more trials. You see, the trials aren't generally physical, or mental endeavours. They're driven and created around feelings.'

Rey nodded slowly, her eyes meeting Kylo's once more. He was studying her reaction, his mind guarded as the bond flowed between them.

'To become a Knight, you must take in and study each forbidden emotion that is put in front of you. You cannot shy away from it, or deny it like a Jedi, but really feel it. Each trial is driven by one particular emotion. So, in our case, you're going to study possession, fury, vengeance, and passion. And each trial is judged by two Knights.'

'Why is that?' Rey asked. Kylo laughed, the noise humourless.

'In an ironic turn of events, I think it's based on the old rule that Jedi Masters could only take on one Padawan at a time,' Kylo said wryly.

'At the end of the trials, you will know what emotion you can work with. This is what makes the Knights of Ren so powerful, you see Rey? Yes, training and studying with lightsabers helps, but to really know what drives you, what emotion you feel the most... That will take you above any Jedi Knight.'

Rey closed her eyes, her thoughts blazing through her mind as she took in all the information.

'These trials are also entirely subjective. Trudgen and Cardo will judge you first, but in the end, Trudgen will be the one to decide if you pass or fail, as he is the master of the first trial,' Kylo said.

'And the first trial is possession?' Rey murmured. 'So... What do I do? How do I channel that?' The scavenger opened up her eyes, frowning across the table where the Supreme Leader sat.

He raised his hands in a gesture of defeat. 'That's entirely up to you. I've heard of some Knights doing grand gestures, such as taking control of armies or military leaders for information. Or at the same time, one Knight passed by stealing an heirloom from his parents, as he coveted it as a child. Whatever you decide to possess, you must do it with conviction. That's the only way you will pass.'

'If Trudgen and Cardo are the judges for this, who are the rest?' Rey felt her stomach drop as she thought to a blonde Knight who she knew would fail her, no matter what.

'Ushar and Kuruk are fury. They're the most bloodthirsty men I know,' Kylo shook his head. 'I'm sorry to say that Vicrul and Ap'lek are vengeance. We'll need to prepare for that, I'm sure Vicrul is going to make this tougher than necessary.'

'And passion? Who is passion?' Rey asked.

Kylo paused, his eyes sweeping across her face. 'That's me, Rey. I'll be judging you for that.'

A beat of charged silence passed between them, the bond growing taut with emotion as they stared at each other. Rey broke first, clearing her throat.

'So, why don't you have a 'Padawan'?' she asked. A beep at the door made her head turn.

Kylo shrugged, climbing to his feet. Rey watched him walk towards the entry. 'Maybe it's because I'm Kylo Ren, leader of the Knights, Supreme Leader of the Galaxy. Or…' he paused, turning his head to study her. 'Maybe it's because I haven't found a Padawan yet.'

Author's Note: Another fortnight, another chapter. A huge thank you to all my followers & reviewers (In particular BrokenMentality, who always leaves such thoughtful messages).

I hope the explanation of the trials is clear enough. Please leave any feedback, it'll really help.

Of course, a huge thank you to my editor 'Across the Stars'. Por favor and gracias