A/N: Here we go. I'll be over there, lurking in a corner.

The chamber that Rey stepped into was large and sparsely furnished, and only a few candles lit the room where she entered. At the other end, where the black-clad figure with the red eyes was waving Pryde away, more torches burned, illuminating the gloom. Her determination, brought to life by the touch of Ben's hand just before, faltered in the face of this spectre that stared at her. Suddenly she wished that the journey from the gate to this spot hadn't been so easy.

The phantom spoke, his voice deep, gravelly, and worn. "Come in. Come in, my child." Rey shuddered, but it was far too late to turn back. She took a step, and then another, leaving the shadow and coming into the light before him. Somehow the darkness had seemed safer. But she would not cower or give any indication of discomfort. She had come, and she would fulfill her purpose.

The withered man who sat so still regarded her closely. She clenched her jaw. "You are not a patient one, it seems," he observed, his eyes narrowed in study.

"I've waited long enough," she replied coolly, and was instantly relieved that her voice didn't quake. "I wouldn't wait any longer."

A strange smile spread over his wrinkled face. "Good, good," he spoke approvingly. "You know what you want and are willing to take it. I can admire such a quality."

He inclined his head toward Pryde, but did not look directly at him. "Leave us." Pryde practically leapt away, and began to exit out a side door Rey hadn't seen. The old man lifted a hand, paler than death. "Wait," he ordered abruptly, and Pryde halted at the door. "Some refreshment, perhaps? You must be in need of it if you have come all this way." His gaze had not left hers. She didn't answer, but saw Pryde nod obediently before making his escape.

They watched each other for a few more moments in silence. "You require a guard to see your long unmet grandfather?" he asked in injured tones.

Rey didn't look back where Ben had stationed himself; she didn't want to reveal anything to this man of Ben's identity or her feelings toward him. The less said, the better. "He has made himself necessary to me. If you know who I am, you can't be surprised that my life is not safe. It's been under threat for a long time."

"Longer than you know, I would wager," he speculated, still with that scrutinizing look. "Come closer. I am unable to stand and greet you as you deserve," he gestured to his legs, small and apparently useless, "but I would look upon your face."

"What do you think you will see?" Rey asked warily. Here was a new line to tread, to appeal to his family loyalty without pretending she was overjoyed to be in his presence.

His expression became curious, inquiring. "I am unsure, I will admit."

"The image of your son?" she intimated, and took a few steps toward him.

"Perhaps," he conceded. "It has been so many years the memory of his face is nearly lost to me. But there," he exclaimed softly, and Rey stopped just out of his reach, unwilling to risk the possibility that he might stretch out his arm and touch her. "There I see something, something familiar. That defiance. I remember that." His voice did not reveal if he was pleased or angered at the reminder. "You do not come asking for a boon."

"You're wrong," she corrected. There was a boon to ask, but not false compliments to flatter him.

"Oh?" He looked more interested than offended. "You state my misapprehension rather bluntly; that is hardly the way to make someone more amenable to what you may ask."

"I don't believe in lying."

"Ah, another admirable quality. I don't care for it, myself." Rey raised her eyebrows skeptically. "You doubt me?" he asked calmly.

"It is difficult to believe, coming from a man most of the world has believed dead for thirty years."

"A necessary evil, I'm afraid. I may not enjoy deceit, but it does not mean one must not resort to it from time to time."

Rey narrowed her eyes, making a study of him now. "And why lie about your continued state of existence?"

"Self-preservation," he replied quickly, as though the answer was blatantly obvious. Rey's brow furrowed, and again he reacted to her dubious expression. "Ah, yes, this is the truth. If anybody knew I still lived, that Skywalker spawn would have come back to finish the job his father started. If not him, the shrew of a sister would have. The so-called queen. Daughter of a farmer, wife of a criminal."

Rey would not listen to such derisive talk about Leia. Nor, likely, would Ben. "She also gave me help when I needed it most," she interjected, trying to maintain a diplomatic air despite his provocation.

"Is that so?" He looked pleased at the thought of riling her up, and was apparently willing to feign ignorance to needle her. But she refused to tiptoe around him when he had to be aware of what had been happening to her.

"I will not insult you by assuming you know nothing of the world beyond these walls. You know of my escape months ago."

He leaned back in his chair. "I have heard of it, yes," he acknowledged with a nod, folding his hands and steepling his fingers.

"And you know why?" she pressed.

"Snoke had some ridiculous notion of taking your hand in marriage, if I remember correctly."

The bile rose in her throat, and she swallowed it back. "That was a part of it, yes. But what should concern you most is that he had no intention of giving up his authority; he would not yield sovereignty to me."

He lifted his chin in a casual challenge. "It was my understanding you were not at all prepared to take on such responsibilities when you were brought to Naboo. You had no idea of who you were."

"But now I do," she stated decisively. Here was where her argument must be made. "And I am your blood. Your heir. I am prepared to lead. Despite Snoke's best efforts, I am ready to claim what is mine."

"Despite his efforts?" He looked genuinely curious. "Did he not provide you with education and a place in the royal palace? Did he not pluck you out of obscurity and give you more than you ever dreamed of having?"

"He did those things," she admitted coldly. "But only to the extent he believed necessary. He sought to control me and make an ornament of me, and I will not be controlled. I am not a decoration. I am more than that. I am," she paused, trying to hide the disgust she felt at the necessary relation, "your granddaughter. And as such, I ask for your support."

"My support?" A hollow laugh escaped him, and he sounded utterly confused when he asked, "Dear child, what can I do?"

Rey could not tell if he was refusing support or jumping to the challenge. He toed his line very well. "You are not helpless, your Majesty," she said firmly, keeping her eyes fixed on him. "You still have power and wield it over Snoke. To be blunt, you know that he would have killed you himself if he didn't still fear you. He would kill me, too. But he has not, so you must still have a hold on him. So I would ask that you use the authority you bear to command him to step down, so that I may ascend to my rightful place as your successor."

"You have a great deal of faith in my ability to command Snoke."

"Yes," she replied simply, and he raised an eyebrow, looking almost pleased. It was the closest thing to a compliment she'd given him. "You are his master; he has spent the last thirty years trying to emulate you." This was not false flattery, only fact. "Where you command, he obeys. That may not last forever."

Palpatine was quiet, his steepled fingers tapping against his shriveled mouth in thought. The look he gave her was searching, but he also looked vaguely impressed. Rey was tempted to look away, to see what Ben was doing, to know if she had done right, but she knew that to avert her eyes could be considered weakness. And she would not show weakness now, no matter the roiling of her stomach or the fluttering in her chest.

It was then that Pryde appeared again, entering through the side door, bearing a tray with two gleaming goblets. He offered one to Palpatine, and the other to her. She took it without words, not even voicing her disapproval that Ben had been neglected. Palpatine finally dropped his intense stare to take a deep drink, and Rey's ability to breathe normally returned momentarily. She took a sip of the wine, far too sweet, just to have something to do. But it did nothing for the dryness in her throat.

Waiting for him to finish was nerve-wracking, not to mention infuriating. She rather suspected he kept the goblet at his lips deliberately, to keep her in suspense. It worked.

When he had finally drained his cup and handed it back to Pryde, who had taken up his post at Palpatine's side, she couldn't contain herself. "Well?" she prompted, a little impatiently.

Again he looked contemplative. "What benefit is it to me if you are given your rightful place?" His tone was ambiguous.

"Your line would continue," she explained as though it should have been the first thing that occurred to him. "The Palpatine name would go on. You are not immune to such an inducement, even if your commitment to individual members of your family is not strong."

"What makes you say that?" he asked, almost amused at the observation.

"Why else would you send your son, my father, away?" she asked pointedly. "You would not willingly destroy someone who bore your name; however, your personal regard for him could not have been very deep."

His eyes narrowed, and now the neutrality of his tone began to trickle away. "I will not say you are wrong, but I would be afraid of overstepping myself if I were you, granddaughter. If you were to take your place as my successor, you would need to study your audience before making a potentially offensive claim. Especially since you have made it abundantly clear in your discourse that you have no personal regard for me, despite your fine words of our sharing blood."

So he caught on to her refusal to pander to him. Not only that, but the menace that manifested itself in his voice was not encouraging. "I never meant to show any personal regard for you," she admitted, "as you must have none for me. How could either of us share any personal feeling when we are strangers? But it is still true that I am your family, and I only wished to remind you of it, since I have been forced to fend for myself without your support. I do not ask you to like me; I only ask that you do your duty to the Palpatine name that you hold so dear." Rey began to suspect that her arguments may be falling on deaf ears.

"And what would you do with the Palpatine name?" he challenged, a sudden malice twisting his features. Rey stepped back as he began to cough, the effort of prolonged speaking taking its toll. "What would you do as my successor?"

Rey had no answer for him that he would applaud; that much was clear. It was also clear by his abrupt displeasure that her request was unlikely to be answered favorably. His words and tone were no longer ambiguous.

"Oh, you simple little girl," he went on, his body beginning to tremble as he leaned himself forward in his chair, a cruel smile spreading over his face. She backed up another step, feeling her hopes crumble at his opening phrase. "Do you think I am blind to what you wish? You are right; I do know what happens outside of these walls, so I know what pathetic goals you have. You wish to appease my enemies. You have no ambition beyond Naboo's borders. You espouse peace instead of power."

Again he coughed, a louder hacking sound that lingered for longer than the previous one. His voice caught on the obstruction in his throat as he continued. "You fail to understand that power creates peace. When you rule over all, you are the one who compels others to obey. There is no order without power. Only chaos. Chaos! That is what you would do with my name."

More hacking interrupted his tirade, and it lasted long enough this time that Pryde bent to assist him. But his solicitations were rebuffed, and Palpatine pushed him away with the hand that he had used to cover his mouth. In the firelight, Rey thought she saw a speckle of blood on that hand, and her brow creased in suspicion. His sudden ailment was not the effect of disuse. This was something else.

But Palpatine was not finished with his harangue, and after a deep, rattling breath, he turned his attention back to her, going on as if he had never stopped. "And what's more, you not only hope to coexist peacefully with my enemies, you conspire with them against your own people! You think I do not know who that boy is who poses as your bodyguard? You think I don't know he is also Skywalker filth? That he has followed in the feeble footsteps of a man who couldn't even succeed in killing me? He is nothing but a sword and a putrescent family, and he will be no help to you in the end."

Rey felt Ben at her side even before he appeared in the corner of her eye, and she didn't need to look to see the glare on his face. If it was anything like the one she wore, it would be vicious enough.

This did not deter Palpatine, and Rey saw with disgust and morbid concern the flecks of spittle and blood flying from his mouth. "I know. I know it all. You insignificant fools, you think you can come here -" his body was no longer trembling, but shaking, his voice faltering, "- and demand I take your side? You think I would favor you over Snoke, who truly will carry out my work and restore the Empire? You cannot think -" His voice vanished in tortured gagging, a frantic struggle for breath as he gripped the arm of the helpless Pryde. Now Rey glanced at Ben, whose wide-eyed expression showed he was just as confused as she was.

The gagging subsided into another series of wracking coughs. Palpatine's voice was impossibly weak as he turned a dark glare on her. "What have you done?" he hissed.

"Nothing. I -" Rey's eyes widened in comprehension and she looked at the goblet still in her hand. It may as well have burned her skin for how quickly she dropped it, and another fear overtook her. She had drunk from it. She was a fool. The same poison that was choking Palpatine could be working its way into her. "I have done nothing," she repeated, her voice weak with despair.

"What a telling statement," a slithering voice drifted into the chamber, and Rey's eyes jumped to the side door that was being pushed open.

No.

Ben's sword was out the next moment, his body instinctively moving to shield Rey, but there was no blocking the sight of Snoke casually entering the room. Rey was frozen in shocked horror, all speech ripped from her as she watched her monstrous enemy stroll into view and confidently cross over to the emperor's chair. He wore a satisfied smirk, and those deadened eyes were agleam with hatred. Rey began to tremble, her mind a jumble of revulsion and sorrow and self-loathing. Her contempt for herself was only second to the contempt she had for these men.

Snoke went on, that smug expression still aimed toward her. "But the emperor knows and appreciates action over discourse, so I have taken the action where you haven't. I will admit the conversation has been most stimulating to listen to, but I am done with only listening."

"Snoke," Palpatine exclaimed breathlessly, his face incredulous as he realized exactly what Snoke was implying. "You -?"

"Your faith in me is inspiring, my lord," Snoke overrode him with mock deference, "but the princess is right. As long as you live, you wield power over me. And I will not give up my power to a scavenger rat who was barely lucky enough to be an afterthought of a great dynasty."

Palpatine was still stunned, even to gasp for the little breath he was able to take in. "But you . . . you would do this . . . to me?"

Snoke's eyes, which had been narrowed in hatred, now bulged a little wildly, and Rey stepped back at the unfamiliar loss of restraint he betrayed. The soldiers marching into the room may have had something to do with her sudden impulse to retreat, as well. Ben shifted closer to her, and their eyes both darted around as the silent soldiers circled them.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Snoke hissed. "I must keep the power you bestowed on me by any means necessary. It is nothing personal."

Pryde, who had remained quiet for so long, exploded in angry scorn. "You have killed your sovereign, Snoke! He has raised you from nothing and you have destroyed his line!"

Snoke maintained his frighteningly quiet volume, though there was no mistaking the mad glint in his eye. "No, I think you'll find you have killed your sovereign, Pryde, by serving him the wine," and Pryde reeled at the accusation. The horror he had directed toward Snoke was quickly turned inward.

Rey was torn between making her own accusations and preparing to fight her way out, but before she could make a decision, another sound rent the air that brought her attention back to where the emperor sat. A terrifying sound.

Palpatine was laughing. He could barely hold his head steady, and yet he laughed maniacally, his blood-spattered mouth turned up in a deranged grin. "Yes," he managed to drawl, blood beginning to dribble past his lips. "I commend you, Snoke. It was about time you did what was necessary. Nothing will stand in your way now."

Rey shuddered. Could it be more horrible? The man was in his dying throes, and yet he approved of this treachery? He was more sadistic than she had ever realized. Even the betrayal of his favored successor delighted him. This was the final blow that staggered her; nothing would have made him support her. Oh, why had she come? And how could she listen to that disgusting laugh?

Palpatine lolled his head toward her, his strength waning rapidly. "You see, girl? You see what it takes -" He gagged again, the rattle in his throat overpowering him. "You will never be my -"

He never finished his final taunt. Still with the ghost of that demonic laugh on his lips, his head drooped abruptly, his upper body following behind. The deadweight of his torso wasn't enough to topple his body to the floor, so he still sat there, bent and folded. Broken. Dead. The grandfather who had haunted her life for two and a half years, who she had met mere minutes before, was suddenly gone. And all she could do was stare at his body in gruesome fascination.

But then the strange tingles poked at her fingers.

This isn't done yet, she thought to herself as her fate became obvious. But she would not go down without a fight. She would not allow Snoke to crow over her dead body the way he did as he hunched over the corpse of her last hope.

No. Not your last hope.

"Rest, my liege," Snoke crooned above Palpatine's fallen head. "You know I will carry on your legacy, a legacy I took from you."

He turned to face Rey and Ben, and at last Rey drew her sword, steeling herself. "As for you," he spat at the pair of them, "you really thought you could come here and convince him to turn against me? I, who have done nothing but serve him? As though two years in a palace gives you some kind of claim? As though that gown makes you any more than the filthy scavenger you are?

"You have made a fool of me, Highness, and for the last time. You and your traitorous lover will not have the chance again. You have failed. You will die, and so will your precious rebellion against me. I will take what is mine and restore order over all the Realms. You," he punctuated his words with a pointed finger, "cannot stop me."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ben fuming, ready to attack and waiting for the opportune moment. The soldiers circling them drew nearer, and she adjusted her grip, fear and resolve on their familiar collision course. Any moment, and she would spend the last of her strength fighting and praying that Ben would live. Snoke was right about one thing - she would die.

An echoing bang rattled through the castle, and she jumped, her eyes drawn once again to the side door. Ben did the same, as did Snoke and several of his soldiers. Pryde paid it no heed, kneeling beside Palpatine's chair and practically weeping. The bang was swiftly followed by distant shouts and the clanging of weapons against each other. Was it Alek and Victoria? Did they possibly stand a chance? Rey felt a swell of emotion that she and Ben didn't stand entirely alone, hopeless as their chances still seemed.

But something else occurred to her during this brief distraction, a strengthening of that errant thought that had just passed through her mind. They weren't alone. And as much as she had pinned her hopes on succeeding in this mission, it was not the end. Not for her people, and not for the Nine Realms. Snoke, driven to desperation by months of insurrection, thought that eliminating the Palpatine line once and for all would solve his problems. Everything that had been set in motion since her escape must have made him give in to the fear that Palpatine would choose her, and that was where Snoke made his fatal error.

She ignored the scratchiness irritating her throat, and met his confused eye. "You're wrong," she declared triumphantly. "You have failed."

His eyes narrowed quizzically. "I just took away your last hope," he pointed out.

"No," she said softly, revealing a grim smile. "No, you destroyed your last chance. You heard him; he didn't falter in his support of you, and you have killed your own ally because you're blinded by fear. You know you will lose, and you mistakenly think stopping us will get you what you want."

He looked contemptuous, but there was a hint of trepidation behind his expression, helped along by the sounds of the fight below. "Bold words."

"Killing me won't change what's coming for you. Your armies are turning against you, the people are in uprising. The Realms are about to march against you, and no matter the numbers you have gathered, your soldiers will lose because they will no longer serve a tyrant. And killing me will only spark more support from across the land, from all the nations as well as Naboo. You will make a martyr of me if you strike me down. I will be more powerful in death than you can possibly imagine." The sounds of combat resounded clearly off the stone walls of the castle, giving her greater daring.

"So go ahead," she challenged, nothing to lose now, though she felt a twinge of sorrow at the look Ben threw at her. "Do it. Make that mistake. Because I may not be around to see you fall, but I know it will be all the more assured."

Her body began to tremble, and not from fear. She must control it as long as she could.

Snoke didn't give her long. "At them!" he hollered, and the circle of soldiers converged.

She and Ben hardly had a chance to exchange a look and a nod before meeting the attack, swiveling as one so that they were at each other's back. Rey hadn't counted how many soldiers had entered the room, and in the rushing melee she still couldn't tell. They were outnumbered, weapons coming at both of them from all sides, but they held their place for a good while, blocking and striking where they could. Rey did little more than defend her position against so many enemies, but Ben fought like a madman, his sword twirling and slashing with deadly grace. Stroke after stroke he dealt, and over the clash of metal and the grunts of the fighting, Rey could hear the cries of men who were pierced by his furious attack. And where the aim of his sword failed, his brute strength made the difference, shoving his opponents onto the floor with raging power.

As the fighting continued, Rey and Ben slowly separated, dividing the chaotic crowd into two smaller clusters of violent confusion. Only two came at Rey, most believing Ben was the greater threat, and she received a jolt from one of their strikes that nearly knocked her off her feet, sending her stumbling across the growing gap into Ben's back. He hunched over, allowing her to lean into the momentum of the blow, then propelled her forward again by pushing as he straightened with mighty force. She charged at her adversaries, clutching the sword with both hands and swinging with a ferocious yell. It was a clumsy attack, easily batted aside by one of the soldiers, but she dropped to her knees once he swatted her sword away with his, pivoted quickly, and swiped at both their legs. One fell, dropping his weapon and clinging to the calf that was now spewing blood, but the other leapt out of the way just in time.

The time he took to regain his balance was enough to get Rey back on her feet, though the effort to do so was more than she expected. Adrenaline alone would not be enough to fight against the weakening effects of the poison, but she was still a long way away from withdrawing. She was better prepared for the blow when he lunged forward, and they were soon locked in an arduous volley of thrusts and parries, moving about the room with the force of each clip. The sweat was pouring off of her, and her muscles groaned each time she lifted her sword.

Between blows, she was able to see Ben, his own conquests littered about the floor in various states of consciousness, taking on the last two soldiers. Their weapons crossed and entangled together, all in a stalemate as they strained and struggled to force one another away. Rey blocked another lunge as Ben freed one of his hands from his sword and punched one of his assailants in the head. She saw the man stumble and the swords were released, but she couldn't concentrate on the aftermath and her own battle at the same time.

Her remaining opponent pressed in close, taking advantage of her distraction, and she barely dodged being impaled in the stomach. She rolled out of the way, and raised and twisted her wrist to cuff him with her hilt. He grunted and staggered with the hit on his head, and turned, off-balance, but not in time to block her downward plunge into his thigh. Down he fell with a wail of agony, and Rey kicked his sword away before kneeling to punch him again, decisively hammering his head to the floor, and he lay still.

She stood, using her sword as a prop to help her regain her feet, just as Ben threw his last opponent into the wall. They were far apart, she having backed up into the shadowy end of the chamber, and he remained close to the chair where the emperor's dead body was slumped over, hidden by Pryde's guilt-stricken arms. And where Snoke still stood, eyes wide and frantic in the face of Ben's fury.

Rey couldn't have stopped Ben if she even tried, her body feeling heavy, her weight being borne on her sword that now acted as a cane to keep her upright. And Ben, the passion of battle still upon him, crossed the little distance there was in long strides to thrust his sword into Snoke's nose. The force of his charge sent Snoke falling onto his back, and as he pushed himself up, Ben's sword was still there, never wavering.

Rey shuffled forward as best she could, tense and afraid of what was about to come. But it was slow work.

"I should have known it would come to this," Snoke said, his voice as oily as ever it had been, but more feeble and afraid amid the defiance.

"You," Ben snarled, his anger and hatred boiling underneath the surface, "you took my life."

Snoke barked a haughty laugh. "You gave it up willingly, or have you forgotten?"

Ben's sword shook. "No more. You won't be able to hurt anyone anymore."

"Then what's stopping you?" Snoke taunted. "Run me through. Spill my blood and avenge your pathetic existence."

Rey could see Ben's shoulders tremble. "Don't think I'm waiting for your command."

Snoke sneered. "What, are you waiting for hers?" He jerked his head toward where Rey was hauling herself closer, her breath beginning to constrict. "She doesn't have much strength to command with, or won't for much longer, I'd say."

Ben's head whipped around to her in panic, but Rey couldn't bear to confirm what Snoke had just said. He would see soon enough.

"And what will that do for all your efforts at heroism?" Snoke jeered, and Ben slowly turned back to him. "It'll be for nothing. Betraying me for her will have gained you nothing."

"I never claimed to be a hero," Ben replied, shaking his head.

"Good, because you're not," Snoke said bluntly, cruelly. "You're nothing more than a child in a mask, a weapon that's worthless without someone to lead you. You're nothing, Kylo. Nothing but a miserable traitor."

Ben drew himself up to his full height, taking a deep breath, and Rey stopped instinctively.

"My name is Ben Solo. I am more than you made me. I am not a hero, but I am no longer your servant. I know what I have to do."

For a moment, Rey couldn't even hear the distant fighting, as her heart swelled with pride. A tear swam in her eye, and she was grateful that she had been granted this moment to hear the man she loved reclaim himself.

Snoke's sneer disappeared. "So be it. Ben Solo."

For another moment, Ben held his father's sword to Snoke's chest. Then, without a word, he threw it down. Rey's lips parted in surprise, but it was nothing to the shock of Snoke's expression. Ben crouched and leaned in toward his former master.

"She's right," he asserted softly, but resolutely. "You've failed. You will not win this fight. You never would have. You were never going to control her. And you have no more power over me."

Any semblance of defiance in Snoke's face was gone as Ben stared him down. After a long - years' long, in fact - showdown, Ben was no longer crushed under the weight of Snoke's command, and when he stood up again, there was a lightness in his whole body that showed the freedom he took back for himself.

And that was when Rey collapsed onto her stomach.

Her body was near in convulsions by the time Ben reached her, hunching down and grasping her shoulders. "Rey?" his voice quavered in panic. "Rey, don't tell me you -" She couldn't tell him, her voice gone, and his face was horrified as her silence confirmed the worst. "No, you can't . . ."

Thank heaven her vision was blurring, because she couldn't bear to see in focus the anguish in Ben's face. Hearing him voice his denial and urge her to hold on and fight was difficult enough. She couldn't speak, her body becoming wracked with pain, and she tried to reach out to take his hand. But as she did, a dark shape loomed up behind Ben, becoming more clear with each silent, menacing step. She couldn't see the weapon in his hand, but she could see the bright glint of it reflecting off the candlelight, and she gasped with what was left of her voice.

Ben's eyes hardened in understanding and decision at her panic, and for a mad moment she was afraid he was willing to die along with her. She wouldn't allow that to happen. The hand that had reached for him altered course, and with the last burst of strength she had, she slipped her knife from her boot and slid it along the floor into Ben's hand as Snoke raised the sword above his head.

Ben spun with the knife, stabbing it forward with all his strength. His body blocked her view of the deed, but the sword Snoke held clattered to the floor, and he staggered back again, laying limp fingers on the hilt that was buried deep in his gut. He fell back and out of Rey's sight, but the finality of his existence was made clear by his rattling breaths dying away. And then all was silence.

She wished she could have rejoiced aloud, but that was not possible. Her vision was tunneling, the darkness folding in around her. Ben turned back to her, his arms taking her up and cradling her.

"Rey?" he pleaded, and her heart broke for him. "No, no, stay with me, Rey."

The dark was closing in, and she could only hear him now, him and other voices drawing near, a cacophony that she couldn't make sense of.

But she could still hear him.

"Be with me."

The darkness took her.