Force Dyad
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A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter. Who else thinks 'Kiss from a Rose' describes Reylo perfectly?
Chapter Fifty-Seven-The Ancient Jedi Texts
Soon the air was too smoky to breathe and hot enough to scorch the skin. With their oxygen masks pressed tightly over their faces, Ben and Rey activated the Falcon's internal sprinklers, being careful to seal the fire doors behind them to stop the spread as they fled the confines of the ship with BB-8 hot on their heels. When they reached the end of the ramp, to their immense relief, they found it was raining. The cold-water droplets hit their skin, freezing and paling it on contact. But neither cared, their only concern was the Millennium Falcon. The heavy downpour was already dousing the hungry flames that threatened to devour the ship.
"You okay?" Ben asked Rey as his comforting arm found its way around her slim shoulders. They hadn't had a chance to salvage any of their belongings in their hasty retreat from the ship and they were left with only the clothes they were standing up in, which were hardly suitable for the environment they now found themselves in. Rey was already drenched and shivering in the thin tunic and capri pants she was wearing. She huddled into his side, seeking shelter from his much larger frame. "We need to move and find some kind of refuge somewhere."
"I can't see anything in this." Rey's teeth clacked together as she spoke.
The heavy downpour was turning into a storm. The wind had picked up, it ran as if it has been restrained for time out of mind and it was determined to outrun any chaser. It whipped Ben's already saturated hair into a frenzy, making it difficult for him to see. He pushed the damp strands out of his eyes impatiently and peered into the gloom, seeking any kind of landmark which would afford them some kind of protection from the wild weather.
"Ben, what's that on top of that hill?"
Ben followed the direction of Rey's shaking finger as she pointed to something in the distance. He used his free hand to shield his eyes from the driving rain and squinted slightly as he tried to figure out what the odd shadowy shape actually was that Rey was so keen on. To him it looked like some kind of tree, but he couldn't be sure.
"I have no idea what that is." Ben had to yell to make himself heard above the wild wind. "But it's the best we've got." Reaching for Rey's hand he pulled her along with him as he did his best his navigate his way toward their target. BB-8 rolled miserably behind them, an occasional electrical surge lighting up his white and orange body as the rain played havoc with his circuitry.
Ben's assumption had been correct-it was a tree- but not one either of them had come across before. Its naked branches loomed high above them as it stood in the centre of a million grassy wands, the bark so patterned as if carved by centuries of rain-born flash rivers. The tree stretched up, like a proud sentinel offering shelter to the forlorn. Both Ben and Rey felt a strange sense of reverence as they approached it, their hands remained linked the whole time. The bark shone like the right kind of gold in the gloom, the sort that inspires the mind to heady heights of imagination, opening doors to fantastical kingdoms.
Now they could see more clearly, they noticed that the voluminous trunk was hollowed out inside. Ben and Rey glanced at each other, seeking courage from one another as they stepped inside. BB-8 lagged behind, his circuitry continuing to go haywire. It was so dark inside that Ben was forced to activate his saber in order to provide a modicum of light. He held it out before him, his brown eyes widening in awe as he slowly turned around in a circle, his hand tightening around Rey's at what was revealed.
This was no ordinary tree. It was in fact a reading chamber. Further exploration showed a hidden bookshelf containing several ancient tomes. The academic inside of Ben was immediately reawakened when his thirsty eyes discovered the ancient texts. He passed his saber to Rey and reached for one of them. The book was so ancient, so fragile that Ben was concerned it would fall apart in his hands.
Rey hovered next to him, the light coming from Ben's saber casting an eerie blue glow on the delicate pages. She watched as Ben carefully studied the first few pages, his brow furrowing slightly as he did so. "What is it?" She whispered.
"These are the original sacred texts of the Jedi religion. They date back to the dawn of the Jedi order. Skywalker must have put them here." Ben explained, his eyes turning dark.
"Why would he leave them inside a tree?" Rey asked in confusion.
"Why does Skywalker do anything?" Ben muttered as he began to gather the rest of the leather-bound books and scrolls together. There were eight in total.
"Ben, you can't just take them." Rey chided him.
"I can and I will." Ben retorted. "What good are they doing stored away in here? We could learn so much from these. Its just like Skywalker to stifle knowledge and keep it all to himself. Perhaps if he hadn't hoarded it all, then we wouldn't be in the position we are in now."
Rey sighed, there was no talking to Ben when he was in this mood. Finding the books proved beyond all doubt that Skywalker had indeed exiled himself on the island just like Ben had surmised. Yet, where was he? He must know they were here. Their crash landing would have been heard for miles around.
"I wish this rain would stop." Rey murmured uneasily. "I want to check on the Falcon."
Ben was barely listening to her. He had already made himself comfortable on the earthen floor of the tree library and had one of the ancient texts propped open on his lap. BB-8 was acting as his torch now the little droid had dried off enough to regain control over his circuitry. Rey glared at Ben in irritation. This was so typical of him. They were supposed to be looking for Skywalker but instead the hidden scholar inside of him took precedence now he had a mystery to unravel. She knew there was no pulling him away from the books. Grumbling under her breath, Rey gave in and joined him on the floor as she reached for one of the loose scrolls and began to read.
"The Force is the light; the Force is the dark. Jedi choose the light, for all it reveals." Rey read aloud. She had just finished a fascinating passage on Force projection, one of the few sections she had managed to understand. The ancient scriptures were proving difficult to translate. BB-8 was doing his best to help, but he was no C-3PO.
Ben was still immersed in his book. His only bodily movement was his eyes travelling across the pages as he read. Reluctant to disturb him, but desperate to stretch her legs after sitting down for so long, Rey climbed to her feet to check on the wild weather outside. She could still hear the wind's strange song, as if howling yearned for a melody. She peeked outside to find the storm had peaked. The rain continued to come down in orchestrated waves, but there was a light on the horizon which hinted that an end was finally in sight. Retreating back inside, Rey settled back down beside Ben and rested her head on his shoulder. He glanced at her and gave her a brief smile before returning his attention back to the book on his lap. Rey yawned, feeling tiredness creep up on her. Soon her eyes closed and she fell into a light doze while Ben continued to read.
Ben huffed out a frustrated breath as he came across a particularly difficult passage that BB-8 was struggling to translate. From the little he had managed to decipher, the text he had been reading held a visualization of the Chain Worlds Theorem, or Vergence Scatter, which was a representation of the World Between Worlds. After what had happened to Rey, this was of particular interest to him, it was intensely annoying that he would have to wait until they returned to the base before he was able to access further help in translating the text. There was also another intriguing premise that Ben had discovered, a reference to a Force Dyad. He had only been able to understand a few of the words but like the Chain World Theorem, the translation was going to have wait for another day.
Light was filtering in from outside now, signalling that the storm was finally over. Ben closed the ancient tome and glanced down at Rey. She was still sleeping with her head resting on his shoulder. She looked so peaceful, the long fringe of her lashes casting shadows on her cheeks. Ben was hesitant to disturb her, but they had already delayed enough.
"Rey." He said coaxingly. "Its time to wake up, sweetheart."
The endearment slipped so easily from his lips that it felt completely natural. He watched as Rey began to rouse herself. Slowly and reluctantly, she opened her eyes. She blinked, closed her eyes, and blinked again. Eventually, she stretched her arms above her head and yawned. She looked so darn cute that Ben was overcome with emotion.
"Did you sleep well?" He managed to say.
"I've got a crick in my neck." Rey complained as she massaged her shoulder, rolling it slightly at the same time. She caught the emotional look on Ben's face and gazed at him curiously. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Ben quickly tore his eyes away from hers before she could question him further. He was getting worse at hiding his feelings around her. If he wasn't careful, they would come spilling out before he could stop them. "The storm's over. We should go." He held out his hand toward her.
"K.'" Rey took his proffered hand and let him pull her back onto her feet.
They stood in front of each other, sharing the same air space. Rey felt her pulse begin to race at the way Ben was looking at her. His brown eyes, usually so full of warmth, were brimming with an emotion she couldn't decipher, like there was an internal battle raging inside of him. A small lock of hair tumbled in front of Rey's face, resting just in front of her cheek, but with one swift slide of his thumb, Ben brushed it out of the way. Looking into his eyes Rey became lost. Before she was aware, he had moved, she felt his lips graze the smooth skin of her cheek. Time stopped. Her heart came to a halt and her breath caught in her throat. Their fingers locked together. As the soft skin of his mouth left the side of her face, the exact spot where they had come into contact burned and tingled. A hot blazing fire pulsed through Rey. A small smile crept onto her face and her cheeks painted themselves rose red. Ben pulled away silently, but their eyes remained locked, having a private conversation of their own.
Rey was desperate to close the gap between them, but instinct warned her to just accept this small victory and be patient. "We should go." She murmured, breaking Ben out of his trance like state.
"Yeah." He agreed reluctantly as he let go of her hand and bent down to retrieve the books.
They stepped into the honeyed light of late evening. Now the storm had passed and they could see clearly, they were able to see all the way to the coastline. It was a rugged kiss of grey rocks meeting blue water, the oceanic waves crashing gently against the rocks now that the wind had died down. And standing with his back to them on the cliff's edge was Skywalker. Ben and Rey exchanged a long look before they slowly began to make their way toward him.
A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.