Force Dyad
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A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter.
Chapter Forty-Three-The Price of Betrayal
"I could see Luke was in total shock by what he was confronted with. He had spent so long defending this girl, justifying her every action, and to have his belief in her shattered in such a brutal way. It was the worst betrayal you can imagine." Leia said gravely. "It broke him."
"I warned Skywalker. Repeatedly." Ben interrupted harshly. "So, don't expect me to have any sympathy for him."
Leia paled slightly under the ferocity of his response. She knew her son's anger was justified, but he hadn't been there, he hadn't witnessed the utter devastation on her brother's face. She hadn't exaggerated when she said the whole situation had broken Luke completely.
The memory of what happened would be forever burned into her memory. Leia closed her eyes as the events unfurled in her mind. She and Han had entered the basement right in the midst of Luke's confrontation with Voe. Leia recalled how Voe's dark brown eyes had been burning bright with anger and loathing, while Luke stood in front of her, looking completely shattered by her betrayal. "Answer me!" He roared at her, his voice cracking under the strain. "Tell me why!"
His heartfelt plea had been met with emotional indifference from Voe. Her eyes had turned empty, devoid of any human feeling. Emotional indifference itself wasn't evil, there are times its needed as a valid form of defence in order to protect the self from harm. But it was obvious to Leia, in Voe's case, she had used it so often to protect herself from having to deal with feelings of regret or remorse for her actions, over time dampening her ability to feel sympathy or empathy for anyone's pain but her own. It was clear the darkness had infected her mindset and corrupted her soul.
It was in that moment Leia saw her twin crumble as it sank in how much he'd misinterpreted Voe's actions, her words, her expressions for so many years... as if she'd been speaking a language, he couldn't understand... that moment where he realised his treatment of his nephew had been skewed by the manipulative young woman in front of him to such a degree that he had accused Ben of 'crimes' that had been based on nothing but false perception.
"These many years I thought I had earned your trust. I have shown over and over that I would do anything in this world to keep you safe, yet still you mistrust. Now that you've shown your hand all I feel is numb. You misread me and then feel bitter, angry, though all the while I was simply doing my best to fulfil my promise and take care of you." Luke cast his rheumy gaze to the lightsaber hanging from his belt and lay his hand over it. "And now you leave me with no choice." He said in defeat.
Before Voe pressed the timer, she fancied she could already smell the smoke and see the destruction as the explosives detonated. It was that moment just before the chaos began that she loved the best, the sweet feeling of intoxication. She felt heady, powerful, her pupils dilating at the thought of all the carnage that would ensue. She didn't bother answering Skywalker as she pressed the switch on the timer, her silence was already torture enough for him. Though she wasn't a spiritual person, this was the closest she ever came to her own personal nirvana. The red numbers began their countdown. Right before Voe reached for her own weapon, her lips curved up into a serene smile, allowing the feeling of power to settle in her core.
Voe didn't have long to revel in her exultation. It was at that exact moment that Han chose to fire his blaster in her direction, hitting her right in the abdomen.
Leia opened her eyes again to find her lashes wet with tears. She blinked rapidly to rid herself of the moisture. Now was not the time to cry. She felt Han rubbing her lower back in comforting circles and leaned into him gratefully. "Even after everything she had done, Luke couldn't find it within himself to leave Voe behind. She had been mortally wounded by Han's blaster but was still breathing. With barely five minutes to spare before the timer ran out and the explosives detonated, he scooped her up in his arms and we all made a run for it. We barely made it to a safe distance before the whole building and those surrounding it collapsed around us."
Words failed Ben as he watched his mother struggle to compose herself. He knew he should say something but he couldn't will his lips to move. As if stuck underwater, everything was slow and warbled. He couldn't believe after everything Voe had said and done, that Skywalker had been willing to risk his own safety as well as Han and Leia's by rescuing her. Even a minor delay could have cost them all their lives.
Ben automatically looked toward Rey for reassurance, and he found it, there was a natural soothing quality in her hazel eyes and to see her was to feel his body relax and brain begin to function once more. "I presume if Voe was that badly injured, she didn't survive her wounds." He eventually surmised as he returned his attention to his parents.
Leia's face turned ashen as she exchanged a long look with Han.
"What is it?" Ben demanded. "Don't tell me she's still alive? Is Skywalker with her?"
"I don't know." Leia admitted.
"How can you not know?" Ben exclaimed, his voice rising in pitch.
"Ben…" Rey cautioned him.
"Quit yelling at your mother, son." Han warned him, raising his forefinger in a signal for Ben to calm down. "We were knocked out for a few minutes by the force of the blast. By the time we came round, Voe was gone. We can only presume those masked knights took her off with them. Tai and Hennix had managed to disarm two of them but were forced to make a run for it when the building went up."
"And Skywalker?" Ben muttered.
"Luke was completely shattered, Ben." Leia resumed talking. "What happened here and at the temple destroyed him. When I looked at him, the only thing that showed any resemblance to the Luke I once knew was the shell his bitter soul inhabited. The death of so many innocents weighed heavy on him. I tried to reason with him…. but he wouldn't heed any words of mine. He was inconsolable. He lost faith in the Force and the vision of the Jedi for having failed to rebuild the Jedi Order. He believed he had failed to protect his students, and also failed to protect…you."
"It was his wilful ignorance and blind arrogance that made him fail. He is right to shoulder all the blame. Where is he? Off somewhere licking his wounds?" Ben replied sarcastically. He was losing patience. He didn't think Skywalker deserved anyone's sympathy, least of all his.
"I don't know." Leia said bleakly. "Luke has closed himself off from the Force and gone into hiding."
Ben shook his head in disbelief. "Then he is not only a failure but a coward as well." He said, rising to his feet. "And once again leaves others to clear up his mess."
"Ben, please." Leia implored as she watched Ben storm out of the study.
"Sweetheart, leave him. Give him time to cool off." Han urged her.
"I'll go and talk to him." Rey offered, speaking for the first time. She left before Han or Leia could talk her out of going after him. She had a secret she had been nursing of her own, and wanted Ben to be the first to hear it. She was regretting not confiding in him earlier, but so much had happened in the interim, there hadn't been time. She just hoped he was in a forgiving mood.
No matter the distance, her connection to him remained constant. Ben could be at the other end of the galaxy and still she would feel pulled toward him. It had always been this way; Rey couldn't remember a time when it wasn't. She found him standing in front of the wide hearth in the main living room, staring bleakly into the dying embers of the fire. The hearth was going cold just like the air around them, the remnants of the fire – now just white ash and dust, the charred remains of firewood.
"I'm angry." Ben said through gritted teeth as he sensed her approach. On the richly carved mantel in front of him stood an exquisite plate-glass clock, the chimes of which were just striking nine, the ringing noise of the bell like chimes increased his frustration and he swept the clock off its perch and onto the floor.
"Did that make you feel better?" Rey asked tonelessly as she bent down and gathered the broken pieces of the clock into her hands. "You've probably ruined a priceless antique."
"It was a present from Skywalker to my mother on her first wedding anniversary." Ben muttered as he took the broken pieces from Rey and tossed them into what was left of the fire. A few sparks licked eagerly at this new fuel, but died just as quickly when the plate glass proved lacking in the right essence to bring the sparks to life.
Rey felt the need to move; if her limbs were moving the anxiety was gone, or at least she could ignore it a while. She paced back and forth, hugging Ben's thick jacket around her slim frame as she tried to walk it off.
"Something's bothering you, Rey." Ben said quietly. "Just tell me."
"You're still angry."
"Not with you. Never with you." Ben hoped he sounded reassuring. He hadn't meant to spook her by breaking the clock. He was already regretting his lapse in control; it had been a petty thing to do and hadn't brought him any solace.
"K.'" Rey stopped pacing and planted her feet firmly on the floor, making sure to keep a few feet between them. "I've got a confession to make. I should have told you before, but so much has happened, I genuinely just forgot. Its about Master Skywalker."
"What about him?" Ben asked curiously.
"I know why he was so willing to give Voe the benefit of the doubt all the time and so forgiving of her faults." Rey explained. "It was guilt. Voe's mother demanded that Skywalker fulfil a life debt he owed her, after her husband sacrificed his own life to save Master Skywalker's. She was dying and made him promise to take Voe and care for her as if she was his own, otherwise she threatened to come back and make his life a living hell for all eternity."
Ben's mind went blank as he stared at Rey. His eyes desperately searched hers… waiting for her to reveal more. Then it all came tumbling out, her words tripping over one another in a desperate attempt to get them out. She told him about the strange world she had found herself in when she was unconscious, about the echoing voices, some that seemed connected to her past, while others seemed to have no connection to her at all. Rey had only hinted at what had happened before, but listening to her experiences in their entirety shocked Ben to his core.
By the time Rey reached the end of her long, drawn-out explanation, she was shaken and tearful. Ben gravitated toward her, reaching out a hand in comfort, when a terrific explosion coming from outside shook the house in its very foundations and knocked them off their feet. Rolling over, Ben grabbed Rey, shielding her with his own body in anticipation of another blast.
A/N-thanks for reading!
