They left Chewie's home before daybreak, and once the sun rose behind them, they were in the canyon. Now Rey finally had a good view of the narrow path she had traversed in the dark half a year before. She shivered at how treacherous the track really was, especially with the steep, deep drop into the ravine below. The rushing water of the stream was still a ways down, barely discernible underneath the reeds and tall grass, but its flow was noisier from the recent snowmelt than she remembered. Thank goodness she hadn't had to walk this path alone in the darkness.

Ben kept silent beyond the usual exchanges necessary for making their way along the trail. But it didn't appear to be avoidance so much as preoccupation, and Rey took her time before trying to draw him out.

He was handing her over a pile of rocks that had eroded and fallen directly in their way when she asked, "Are we going to meet any of your knights?" He hadn't spoken much of them at all.

"Why," he replied as he climbed up over the unsteady heap himself, "do you want to?"

Yes. "I don't know," she said out loud. "But they've got to have been doing something all this time. And if they serve you and not Snoke -"

"Some helped me with the search," he interrupted. "And they're still keeping watch on the house and Pryde, to see if he does anything that makes them suspicious. They're on the lookout for us to return, but we won't see them for at least a week." He hopped off the last stone and they resumed their walk.

"What about the rest?" she asked.

"They joined the Naboo army," he answered breezily, as though he was discussing the weather.

Rey, in the meanwhile, was struck still. "What?" she exclaimed. "They are fighting -"

"If you'd let me explain, you wouldn't burst a blood vessel yelling at me," he looked back at her with that smirk she was growing to enjoy despite her best efforts. "They joined the army, but they're all in separate units. No one knows who they are or what they have been doing the last five years, and they're ordinary soldiers." His smirk deepened. "But ordinary soldiers with a gift for spreading doubt and discontent."

Rey pulled up again. "Wait. Your knights are . . ." He stopped, as well, regarding her curiously. "Maz told me there were rumors of dissension. That's because of your knights?" she asked, incredulous.

He inclined his head, mild surprise marking his features. "Reports are reaching Bacca? Good, that means they've done well."

She was flabbergasted. "But . . ."

Ben strode back toward her. "How many of the citizens really want to be fighting for Snoke, do you think? How many just want to be able to return to their homes in peace?"

Rey considered for a moment. "Many," she answered his second question. "Most."

"And for years they've been afraid to speak it," he said with a nod. "They just needed someone brave enough to say what they've all been thinking, even if it's just in a whisper. It's not much, and it's a slow process; they couldn't bring suspicion on themselves. But it's something to undermine morale, and weaken the fragile loyalty of the army." He leaned his head in a little, his eyes delving into hers. "Maybe even enough to turn against Snoke."

So there was more going on than even she knew. "This is not something we discussed at all," she said slowly, torn between amazement and indignation. "I thought you were counting on the mission we're doing."

"It's called a contingency plan, Highness. Dissension in the army still has the potential for a lot of bloodshed, which is why our mission remains the priority, but it is worth trying if our plan doesn't go perfectly."

"Now you admit that it could go wrong," she pointed out wryly.

He grimaced a little. "Yes. It could go wrong. Luke would be far too pleased to hear me say it."

Rey bit her lip before charging ahead with what she had heard the previous night. "And you killing Snoke is another contingency plan in case things don't go perfectly."

Ben's face became a blank. "Where did you hear that?"

"I was," she faltered under his stare. "I was listening to you and Chewie last night, all right?" she confessed with more than a hint of defiance.

A flash of panic flew through Ben's eyes, but it was quickly suppressed by vexation. "You shouldn't have done that."

"Why?" she demanded, irritated.

"How much did you hear?"

"That's not an answer!"

Ben clenched his jaw, a muscle at the corner jumping wildly. "It is. There were things we talked about that I don't want you to know."

"You told me you didn't lie," she accused angrily.

"I don't," he replied, his eyes hard. "But I do keep some things to myself, and you know that. You even said you understood it."

Rey hesitated, but wasn't ready to yield entirely. "Well, I don't understand you not telling me about you killing Snoke."

"Is that something you need to know?"

Blast him! "Yes, I think so!"

"Fine. I want to kill him. Satisfied?" he spoke rapidly and succinctly.

Again his bluntness caught her off-guard, and she took a moment to collect her thoughts. Hearing him say the words so directly, when it had only been implied the night before, made it that much more real and terrifying. While she stood there mutely, Ben began to walk away. "All right, so you kill him," she called after him. "Why couldn't you have just done that months ago before going through all the trouble of arranging my escape?"

He turned back to her, but didn't approach again. "Do you want your reign to begin in blood?" he challenged. "I was under the impression that you don't. That's why we're going through all this effort rather than just letting everyone go to war on your behalf."

"I -"

He plowed ahead, never giving way to his temper, but it simmered beneath the surface just the same. "If we, or I, had assassinated Snoke to help you ascend to the throne, your hold on the country would be tenuous at best. If you can get the throne by murder, why wouldn't someone simply dispose of you the same way? It sets a precedent to kill Snoke without a legitimate reason to give his allies. Because, like it or not, he has them. You could intimidate them and keep them under control through fear, knowing they could share in Snoke's fate," he broke off to take a deep breath, and when he resumed his tone was calmer, more beseeching. "But I never believed that was how you wanted to rule."

Rey met his gaze somberly. "No. That's how he did things. How my grandfather did things."

"Exactly." He didn't speak smugly, but simply.

"So," she ruminated, stepping toward him, "gaining my grandfather's approval is a way to legitimize my claim?"

"Your claim is already legitimate," Ben reminded her, and she rolled her eyes at the interruption. Of course that had always been the point.

"But it is officially needed to convince others in the Imperial Court that I should be granted my birthright, so they won't be able to dispute my rule. Even if they wanted to," she reflected. Ben didn't interrupt this time, and she gave him a sharp look. "If everything does go according to plan, all this will be accomplished without Snoke having to die."

His mouth worked hectically. "Do you want him to live?"

The question hit her like a slap. She'd been naive, perhaps, but she hadn't ever really considered disposing of Snoke that way. It seemed so cold-blooded, so much approaching murder that she was repulsed by the idea. Ben's resolve, however, forced her to ponder. Was it right for a man to live who was the cause of so much destruction and suffering? Was it right that an entire nation, or nations, should writhe and deteriorate because of the overreaching power Snoke would never cease pursuing? She may not want to kill him, but she certainly didn't want him to live, either.

Rey met Ben's penetrating stare. "No," she answered, trying to keep at bay the horror she felt at admitting such a thing. In one word, she gave Ben permission to take his revenge. In one word, she sentenced him to continue on that dark path he was mired in.

Once again, Ben seemed to comprehend everything she was feeling in his look. "You shouldn't be the one to kill him," he said softly. "Your hands should remain clean. Mine, on the other hand, are already filthy with blood. What's one more man? Especially that man? I know what I need to do."

Rey wanted to weep. She may feel revulsion at the idea, but she couldn't apply that sickening emotion to Ben. Instead, she mourned that he would see himself only as an extension of what he used to be, an instrument of death. But to try and assure him that this time was different, that what he needed to do would serve a greater purpose and bring peace to the Realms simply seemed hollow. She couldn't even bring herself to apologize for the responsibility she bore for this course. She could only wish that, when the time came, some miracle might occur where Ben would be able to make a different choice.

They resumed their walk in awkward silence. What could one say after such a confrontation?

But Rey was still curious about one thing. "What did Chewie give you?" She may as well know since she had admitted to listening in.

Ben pushed his cloak aside, and showed her the sword hanging off of his belt. At first she didn't quite understand, but then realized the hilt was different, tarnished and well-used.

"Why did he want you to have this?" she asked in confusion. Ben already had a sword; why would he need a different one?

Ben's answer was low and brief. "It was Han Solo's."

It was past nightfall and the bright moon was lighting their way when Ben's steps slowed, and he signalled to Rey that she move closer to the canyon wall. He let his hand hover in the air for a while, and the moonlight revealed the tension in his body as he stood stark still. He stared into nothingness in that way when one is intently listening, and Rey held her breath.

"Wait here," he whispered, and was gone before she could protest. He slipped past a twisting curve, hidden from sight, and Rey was left to her rising fears and anxiety for at least ten minutes before he appeared again.

He drew close to her, his voice the faintest whisper. "One more turning and we'll be at the mouth of the pass."

"Patrols?" she asked, too late to stifle the sharp inhale she'd taken.

"One at each side of the opening, and probably more in the surrounding grove."

She closed her eyes. How would they get through?

"We'll go slowly at first. Find what cover we can. The stream is running loud enough, so they won't know we're coming until we're there," he answered her unspoken question.

"Are they going to find out we're there?" she wanted to scream at him, but settled for an aggravated whisper.

He had the audacity to smirk. "Leave it to me. But when I give you the word, we go for the woods."

Her eyes bulged, and she wanted to argue more. This man, as captivating as he was, could also be incredibly frustrating. One moment he was tragically serious, making contingency plans because he knew things might go awry and marking himself as an executioner, and the next he was leading her straight into what seemed to be an incredibly stupid situation with a smile on his face. Stubborn, arrogant. And then Brave, considerate, conflicted. Extremely well-put-together.

Stop that! she ordered herself. This was not the time to sort out everything she was feeling toward Ben Solo. This was a time to focus on the matter at hand. And the matter at hand was keeping silent as the grave as they crept along the winding path, keeping their heads low and eyes alert. She recognized the scenery of the grove as soon as they rounded the final curve, just as Ben grabbed her arm and hoisted her lower to the ground.

They crouched there together, a small bush all that really concealed them (and it did a poor job with Ben's mountainous frame), when she spotted the guard emerging from the darkness to pace back and forth in his ordered spot where the rock wall banked outward. She couldn't see the other guard Ben had mentioned.

Again Ben held out his hand, his palm flat toward the ground, fingers spread, silently telling her to wait. His lip curled again, and she couldn't understand what would make him smile when the enemy was close at hand and there was no easy way through. He turned his head away from her, that hand still outstretched, and let out a low, haunting whistle. She nearly jumped out of her skin, and his hand grasped her forearm tightly, holding her steady. The guard had not reacted, but still the question pounded in her head. What had Ben done?

The urge to flee was overwhelming, and every moment the feeling mounted higher and higher. Ben would not look her way, his hawk-like gaze focused on the guard, but his hand never left her arm. She wanted to hiss at him and demand to know what was going on and why he would risk discovery by making a deliberate noise. But she kept quiet, not wanting to be the imbecile that gave them away by initiating a whispered argument.

The wait was interminable, wondering when Ben would tell her to move, and being frightened of the inevitable order. And then she heard, far off in the distance, another whistle, nearly matching Ben's, but a little higher and lilting, like a bird. It actually could have been a bird, she told herself, but Ben's hand left her arm and his feet began to shift. He looked her way again.

"Get out your knife. Let's hope you won't have to use it."

She stared for a minute, then reached for her belt. "You better know what you're doing," she muttered as she drew out the knife, her hand clutching the hilt.

Ben made no reply, but she could almost feel him snicker.

A shriek rang through the darkness, and she saw the guard jerk into alertness. He looked around in confusion, and it seemed he shared a questioning look with his unseen fellow, but did not move. An answering yell came from the same direction, and Rey looked at Ben to see a tense anticipation in his eyes. Any moment now, she was sure. Any moment.

She could hear rising voices, as though there were a distant fight, a squabble between two idiots who didn't know any better than to take their disagreement elsewhere. Rey licked her lips, wishing she knew what was going on. The voices only got louder and angrier, even if she couldn't make out what they said. Was this what Ben had been waiting for?

Apparently it was, because more shouts rent the air, and the guard finally moved in response to them, breaking into a jog until he was out of sight.

"Now!" Ben's whispered voice thundered, and they took off. Not quite a run, not quite a walk, but some ridiculous combination of the two. They kept their shoulders hunched, and tried to move as silently as possible, but the rocks, dry grass, and brush underfoot crashed like war drums in her ears. Ben pushed her along, their pace quickening the farther they went, and soon they had cleared the canyon. But there was still the open space before they reached the cover of the woods. Would they make it?

She still heard muffled shouts and sounds of a distant scuffle, but she didn't dare turn her head to find out. Looking behind would be no benefit if they weren't seen, and if they were, her concentration should be on her readiness to break into a sprint. Ben pushed her back harder, and she lengthened her stride, all the while afraid that someone would see them. If not the guard who had disappeared, but another who they could possibly be heading straight toward in the trees. Finally, they were no longer hobbling along, but fully running.

Ben's hand shot out and took hold of hers, and she was sorely tempted to ask why when he yanked her to the side and, a few steps later, whisper-called to her, "Jump!" She had only a split second to prepare before he pulled her up and over the wide stream that continued its flow beyond the canyon. They landed on the far side, but there was a frightening moment when she felt her balance teeter and she was about to fall back into the muddy bank. Again she felt the press of Ben's hand, which kept her upright, and then he moved forward again, now seeking the shelter of the trees.

His steps slowed considerably once they were ensconced in the woods, but he kept moving, her hand still enclosed in his. Rey was perfectly capable of walking on her own, but he moved so decisively that it was clear he had a specific destination in mind, and she wasn't about to lose him. He jerked to a halt, and his head swiveled from side to side. Rey mimicked his motions, but couldn't see if anybody was close. She could hear, though, and the loud squabble that had distracted the patrol had ceased. Whatever trouble that had allowed them to leave the canyon was over, and the guards would be returning to their posts.

"This way," Ben whispered once again, leading her into a patch of thick brambles. The prickly shrubs climbed high, and more than once her cloak was caught on the sharp ends, but they didn't go far before Ben stopped again and pulled her onto the ground, narrowly avoiding being attacked by the treacherous bushes.

Now he released her hand, and she felt the blood flow returning to her fingers. She hadn't realized how tight his grip was until this moment, and as she flexed her hand and sheathed her knife, she belatedly comprehended that he wasn't wearing his familiar gloves. These realizations led her to another, that they had managed to get out of the canyon without detection. It was downright miraculous. But how exactly had that miracle occurred?

"Ben," she muttered quietly, and he didn't acknowledge her. She poked him just above his elbow. "Ben!" she repeated, and he whipped his head around, his expression clearly annoyed. "How did that just happen?" she asked.

Without warning, he closed the distance between them, one arm wrapping around her body, and his free hand covering her mouth. Immediately she stilled under his touch, her eyes wide with confused shock. The feel of his fingers lightly pressed against her lips sent her mind reeling, and her former irritation at his high-handedness vanished at the sudden nearness of his body. He kept his gaze averted, though, his eyes darting to and fro.

" . . . wouldn't wish that on anyone, if you ask me," an approaching voice was saying, and her shoulders hunched in on themselves as she realized how closely she had come to revealing themselves. Still Ben's hold on her didn't relax, and she was torn between embarrassment and the desire to make him meet her eyes.

Another voice answered, "You don't have to tell me. Coming out all this way just to prove a point. She's lucky we didn't skewer her."

"Gonna spend a night in lock-up, I bet, for being out after curfew."

"And he along with her," the other voice sounded amused.

"Just what they both want," the first said with a laugh, a laugh that was fading as the steps went farther away.

It took some time before the guards could no longer be heard, and Ben's distant stare eventually returned, looking down at her. Slowly he removed his hand, his fingers dragging (caressing? she wondered) down her mouth, and her breath began to come in short spurts. She couldn't control the way her eyes flicked to his mouth, wishing for the courage to massage away the stern frown it bore. He held very still, and she was so caught up in her perusal of his shadowed face and cursing the pack that prevented her feeling his hand at her back, she had no idea if he looked at her the same way. But she felt very warm as they knelt there together, unmoving and silent.

Eventually, though, he backed away, she nearly stumbling on her knees as he abruptly let her go. He looked away, his eyes scanning as best they could in their darkened cover. Rey longed to speak, but stopped herself with the reminder that they were meant to stay concealed. And the longer they stayed put, the more strongly she suspected that Ben hadn't meant anything by his actions; he had only been desperate to keep her quiet.

They must have stayed hidden for nearly half an hour before he stirred, and he muttered, "Time to go." He didn't take her hand again, but nodded to her to follow closely, and they inched along, taking care once more to move stealthily. It was an arduous task, and more than once did Ben stop in his tracks and drop down to the ground, startled by any noise that didn't fit their surroundings. The temporary reprieve from Rey's nerves was long gone, replaced by the uneasy feeling that her heart was permanently lodged in her throat.

A few lights began to flicker through the trees, and Ben turned again decisively, back in the direction of the hills. Presently, the ground grew rockier, and once more he halted, this time in front of a large pile of boulders. Rey couldn't imagine what made him suddenly look so smug, but he gave that irksome smirk again, and with a jerk of his head, he led her through a narrow opening between two of the boulders, barely large enough for him to scoot in sideways.

Another hiding spot that somehow Ben knew about. He really should have been a smuggler, she thought to herself. The one drawback of this place was that it was entirely enclosed by rock, and was pitch black. At least that meant she would be spared his smirk when he inevitably explained his superior plan to evade the canyon patrol. One she was highly interested in hearing and then lambasting him for not telling her.

"Will you talk to me now?" she asked quietly as she felt along the ground before sitting.

"What do you want to know?" Even in the dark, he sounded altogether amused and self-satisfied. Rey was immediately annoyed, and her desire to ask about those tense minutes he had held her so close faded in the familiar musing that he needed a good punch on the nose.

"How did that happen?" she repeated her first question. "That commotion was no coincidence."

"No, it wasn't."

"Then what was that?" she asked in slow, measured tones.

"It was . . . some allies."

"You said I wouldn't meet any of your knights for a week," she accused.

"Did you meet the people who were out there?" he pointed out sarcastically. "In any case, those weren't my knights. They've been in contact with them, but they have no idea who gave them the job."

"The job?"

"You'd have to have a decent inducement to sneak around and risk your skin just for a couple of strangers to get into Naboo."

Rey gaped. "How long have they been waiting for us to show up?"

"Not sure," he replied. "It depends on how long ago Alek set it up. I gave him the instructions to pass on, signals to listen for, what direction to draw the guards in, but who knows how many nights they've been waiting for us to actually appear?"

"They've come here every night?"

"Must have. At the very least, it's been a couple of weeks that they should have been watching for us, if there was no trouble on Alek's end."

"And you knew someone would be here."

"I was fairly certain."

"What if there had been trouble on . . . Alek's end? What if he hadn't been able to set up the job?"

There was a brief silence. "Then we would have had a very different experience getting through."

Rey fumed. "Did you not consider that was a possibility, that the odds of finding a group willing to take on this risk were not good?"

"Never tell me the odds," he quipped immediately, as though reciting by rote.

"That's helpful." She pursed her lips. This was too much like the discovery of his contingency plans earlier today. "Why didn't you tell me you'd set this up?"

"Didn't think about it," came the reply.

"You should have," she said sullenly, drawing her knees up to her chest.

Once again there was silence. "You're right," he replied, and Rey was a little mollified at the penitence she heard in his voice. "I should have. It wasn't a slight against you; I'm used to explaining only pieces of the puzzle, never the entire picture, to one person at a time. I command the Knights this way. You don't give your total trust to even one person; they could betray you too easily. It's also a protection, so that they can't tell an enemy a complete mission's objectives should they be compromised."

"I'm not one of your knights," she countered.

"No. They don't argue with me a fraction of what you do."

She wouldn't be swayed by his attempt at levity; he needed to understand. "You can't keep me in the dark, not even for protection. I know what the mission objectives are, Ben. I am the mission, for all intents and purposes. I deserve to know what I'm going into, what you're leading me into. I've given you total trust ever since we left Luke's, despite what he said. You know I have. You need to grant me the same courtesy."

"You're right," he said again. Another pause followed. "I'm sorry."

"Accepted," Rey said shortly. The tension in her chest was alleviated somewhat, and she chewed her lip. "So, now what?"

"We wait for our contact. They'll give us shelter in Solleuton, then we strike for the mountains again, make our way west, until we reach our destination."

"No other secret plans?" she interrogated.

"None. We meet my knights that are stationed there, and make a plan to infiltrate."

"You didn't already come up with one?"

He sighed. "Circumstances could change in a heartbeat. And I wanted you to choose in what manner you'd confront him."

"Oh." She didn't know what to say about that. Facing her grandfather was the final challenge in all this, but she still didn't like to think about the prospect. They'd already discussed Snoke's possible fate, and she didn't want a repetition of that conversation. What she wanted was a change of subject.

"Have you noticed," she asked, "that we argue a lot?"

Ben snorted, and she wondered if she'd surprised him by the abrupt question. "Did you expect we would get along perfectly this whole time?"

"I didn't know what to expect," she admitted. "It wasn't until these last few weeks that I really knew you."

"And do you?" he asked in hushed tones. "Know me?"

"Sometimes I think I do," she replied. "And sometimes you baffle me, like when you don't share information that I should have. You can still be a mystery, you know. And then there's . . ." she trailed off, thinking.

"What?" he probed.

"How much I've told you that I've never told anybody else. And as frustrated as I get with you -"

"Which is a great deal," he interjected, and she could imagine his teasing smirk.

"Yes," she chuckled, then sobered. "But I still know I can trust you with all that, that you won't mock me or trap me. I'm," she hunted for the word, "safe."

She couldn't believe she would confess such a thing, but she also didn't know she felt this way until she said it. And in the consuming darkness, there was no danger that she would blush at Ben's eyes on her. It was freeing, in a way, to be sheltered by the shadow. With him.

"It's only recently that I've known what it's like to have friends, to have people to care for, who I believe care for me. And it's been wonderful, like a gift that I never knew could be opened. But then there's still been something - something that still stood between them and me. I could have told Finn about Leicia, but I didn't. I told you." She bowed her head, her following words contemplative. "In all my life, I've never felt like anybody would ever really know me."

"But I do."

Rey stilled, and searched the darkness, wishing she could see Ben's face as he gently made that bold claim. "Yes. You do."

It didn't matter now how dark it was; the air was heavy and thick with the same anticipation she had felt in the brambles. Rey felt herself inching forward, compelled to find Ben somehow. She could hear his breath as she came closer. Who knew what might have happened if a sharp rap hadn't resounded on the outside of the boulders in the very next moment? Rey was disappointed beyond belief that she wouldn't find out. Ben shuffled past her in the dark, and squeezed himself through the crevice.

"You're Revan?" a woman's voice asked, and Rey rose to her feet.

"That's right," Ben replied, then he called back to Rey. "Come on out."

Rey blinked a few times after she wriggled her way out, once more able to see her surroundings. The woman, whose skin looked to be nearly as dark as Finn's, was holding out her hand.

"My payment?" she demanded, not acknowledging Rey's appearance in the slightest.

Ben reached for the money sack, extracted a few coins, and laid them in the woman's palm. In an instant, her fist had closed around them, and she was stepping back to scrutinize.

"Zorii and Babu will expect their cut once they're out of lock-up."

"They'll get it," Ben replied shortly. "As to the rest -"

"Yes, yes," the woman interrupted, her eyes roving over the pair of them suspiciously. "Just taking stock of this mysterious cargo we agreed to smuggle in."

"You've been paid," Ben's voice bordered on vicious. "Now we'd appreciate it if you filled your end of the bargain. And no questions."

"Of course," she replied casually, and turned away. "Follow me; we'll shack up in Zorii's place. Just watch your step."

"Thank you," Rey spoke up. The woman may only be motivated by money, but what she and her compatriots had done was still worth her sincere gratitude.

The woman stopped, and let her eyes run over Rey again. "Jannah. You can call me Jannah."

She smiled grimly. "Welcome to the Resistance."