The ride back to The Silencer was quiet. Kylo and Rey sat side by side, lost in their own thoughts as out of the window, the Supreme Leader's ship loomed closer and closer. Their departure from Theed and the subsequent switch over from Karlinus had happened so quickly that Rey felt her head was spinning. But now, aboard this small ship, piloted by a single Stormtrooper, Rey turned to the man sitting beside her.

She frowned as she felt his nervous energy along their bond. She knew something was troubling him, but she didn't know what. Ever since he had left that private meeting in the tomb on Naboo he had been withdrawn, his conversation lacking the openness that she had begun to get used to.

'What's wrong?' she asked bluntly, her frown deepening as she watched him jump at the sound of her voice and paste on a very fake-looking expression.

'Nothing. I'm fine,' he said. The tone was too casual. She turned away from him once more, folding her arms in front of her chest.

Just when I thought he was opening up to me. She shifted in her seat, disliking the sinking feeling that was happening inside her chest. She had seen him do this before. Just before their time before meeting with Snoke aboard The Silencer, there had been a moment in the elevator when she could see him so clearly. Could feel his good intentions through the Force. But as soon as she had approached him, he had shut down, and reverted back to the First Order shell she loathed so much.

She couldn't believe it was happening again. It couldn't. They had been through too much with each other.

'Are you nervous?' Kylo's question made her turn her head.

'About?'

'The next trial? It's fury. And Ushar and Kuruk will be your judges. They're the most bloodthirsty men I know, so you'll have to show real anger to get them to pass you,' Kylo said.

'You're speaking as though I've already passed the first trial. You don't know that,' Rey said.

Her stomach dropped even further. This first trial had taken a lot out of her. Driving a man to insanity, and eventually to his death had been terrifying. But what was worse was that dark sway of power when she did it. In the moment, she hadn't felt regret over what she was doing. She had needed that memory of her parents, and was prepared to do anything to get it.

But that was wrong, and she knew that even without properly understanding the intricacies of the Force, that type of power definitely wouldn't be Jedi approved.

'I have confidence in your abilities. I'm sure Trudgen does too,' Kylo said.

'You haven't seen my memory yet, so how do you know it's strong enough?' she asked.

'Like I said…' he turned to her fully then, and Rey felt light again at the authentic smile he wore. 'I'm confident in you.'

'Sire?' a voice made Rey look up. A First Order officer was standing at the entrance of the shuttle bay, his face masked by a Storm Trooper's helmet. 'We're docking now. And I believe the Knights of Ren are waiting for you in the hanger.'

'Good to know,' Kylo said, sighing. Rey inhaled deeply as she watched the shuttle lower itself down in the bay. Through the windows, she could see the Knights assembled, and felt their familiar, overwhelming Force presence as they waited for the ship to land.

She was briefly transported back to her original arrival aboard The Silencer. She smiled to herself as she thought back to the girl she was just a few weeks ago. A girl who hadn't any clue about the Knights, or even really about the man who took her hand aboard the wreckage of a Dreadnought.

Yes, she was still conflicted about her choice. Seemingly abandoning her Resistance family while she journeyed through the stars, trying to change a man she didn't even know could be changed. But she knew she had to at least try.

Rey sighed heavily as she thought about the people she left behind on Crait, making Kylo look at her with curiosity.

'I wonder if Poe has recovered from his injury yet?' she asked.

'From your blaster in Meione's? Probably. If they had a skilled medic and plenty of bacta, he should make a full recovery. I only wish I had shot him myself,' Kylo mused.

Rey elbowed him lightly. 'And what do you think happened to Meione? And the girls? We did leave them in a lurch, I suppose,' she asked.

'Meione is a survivor. She'll be fine. As for the girls… they're scrappy,' Kylo answered. Rey jumped as she felt his hand close around hers. She felt his long fingers stroke across her knuckles in a soothing manner. 'You worry too much about people you don't know. Plus I didn't think you supported pleasure tents.'

'And you don't worry, or think about them at all? We ruined their home. I just don't know how you do it,' Rey said. 'Pillage and ransack through communities, like it's the most important thing to do. But once it's over…. It's over. You move onto the next conquest, without any thought of the devastation you've left behind. Don't you feel any repercussions for your actions?'

From the tightening of Kylo's hand around hers, she knew she was digging a little too deep but truthfully, she had to know. All Rey had seen from the First Order and the Knights was destruction. But how could anything flourish or even live when everything around it was scorched? How could something be made out of nothing?

'Do you think I'm some sort of droid, Rey? Some piece of metal that doesn't have emotions? Because I can assure you, that's wrong,' he answered.

He freed her hand and, to Rey's surprise, curled his fingers under her chin to raise her face. Their eyes met.

'I experience anger, loathing and even regret. And because of that, that's why I chose you. I'm confident you and I will build a better, and brighter universe. When you took my hand, I felt hope for the first time in a long while. And that's all you need sometimes. A new hope.'

'But what about good things? All you've listed is negative emotions. What about happiness, or fun… or…' she trailed off.

A beat of silence stretched between them as Kylo stared at her face, his eyes flitting from her hairline to her chin.

'Yes Rey, I feel all that. Giddiness, joy… desire. I feel that as strongly as any man,' he said, his voice quiet now.

'Do you?' she whispered.

The silence lengthened between them, their eyes burning each other. As his gaze searched her face, goosebumps broke out all over her skin and sweat chilled down her back.

Truthfully, she didn't know how to do this. How to ask the questions she so desperately needed to hear without feeling too scared to know the answers.

'This is ridiculous,' Kylo huffed. To her surprise, he stood up, turning away from her as he approached the shuttle doors. 'What are you asking me, Rey? Why are you asking me?' Kylo asked.

'I don't understand…' Rey started, biting her lip as Kylo held his hand up to silence her.

'You're deliberately trying to goad me into answering questions I don't quite understand, and I'm tired of all this… confusion. If you've got something to say, then stop dancing around the topic and just ask!' he shot back.

Feeling stung by his sharp tone, Rey leant back in her seat. Her eyes moved past the Supreme Leader and to the hanger beyond.

She could see the Knights outside the glass moving forward to greet them. Their time together aboard the shuttle was drawing to a close, and Rey knew that the minute Kylo stood amongst his Knights, he would be lost to her again for a while.

It was now or never.

'Fine. You want me to be more direct? Then okay! Why are you hiding from me?' she retorted. She stood up and walked towards him, grasping his arm with her hand. She felt him flinch beneath her touch, but pressed closer.

'Am I the only one who senses… this?' she questioned. 'Because although you may be 'tired by all this confusion', I'm the one who's really getting exhausted by everything. Especially if everything that passes between us is just in my head. Is that clear enough for you?'

She knew that she was mangling her words, and maybe it wasn't truly making sense to anyone but her. But she just hoped it was enough for Kylo.

She felt his eyes searing her, but she refused to look up. She knew that if she did, she would say something she would really regret.

'How… can you ask me that?' Kylo asked quietly. Rey tightened the hold on his sleeve at his response. He sounds shocked, and bewildered. Everything she felt or pictured growing between them was entirely in her own head.

She could feel the bubble of rejection climb from her stomach and stick in her throat, making her next words die. All she could do was shake her head, before taking a step back.

The whoosh of the shutter doors made them jump and turn towards the sound. At the sound of the Knights, Rey looked back up, her face turning into a half-grimace as Trudgen entered the doorway.

'Good trip?' the dark-haired Knight quipped. He looked between Rey and Kylo, frowning slightly as he caught sight of the murderous look his friend was giving him, along with the pale-faced weak smile of the scavenger behind him.

'Well… if looks could kill, we'd all be dead, right boys?' Trudgen said. 'You couldn't cut this tension with a Vibrocleaver.'

'You're annoying,' Kylo snarled.

'And you've got a trial to complete,' Trudgen said, pointing at Rey. With a cocky smile, he offered his arm up to the scavenger, laughing delightedly as she felt the blood rush to her cheeks. 'Shall we?'

Rey smiled at the dark-haired Knight as she took his arm, but her eyes were fixed on Kylo as she watched him storm down the ramp, scattering the remainder of his Knights like dead leaves.

Rey glanced nervously around the room before meeting the amused gaze of the man standing in front of her.

'Don't be scared. This shouldn't hurt in the slightest. It's more… uncomfortable. At least, that's what I tell all the girls,' Trudgen joked.

She smiled. She knew he was trying to soothe her worries, but it didn't stop the cold prickle of anxiety move through her stomach as she watched Trudgen walk towards the door. He quickly keyed in a passcode, and dimly Rey could hear heavy machinery lock the door into place.

'There we are, all tucked up and nowhere to go,' Trudgen announced. 'Shall we start?'

'Wait… but shouldn't Cardo be here? He's your second in this trial, isn't he? Why didn't he join us?' Rey asked.

'Correct. Cardo is my second. But I'm the decision maker today. And I've decided what's best for the trial is not to have Vicrul breathing down your neck. So I've got Cardo on bodyguard detail outside. It's just you and me. Can you handle it?' Trudgen asked.

Rey shrugged nonchalantly. 'I'll try if you're gentle with me,'.

Trudgen laughed loudly. He walked back towards Rey, sliding into the seat opposite her before shifting closer, dragging the chair. Their knees touched and Rey shifted, uncomfortable with the sudden proximity of the other man. She could see him studying her face, and forced herself to meet his gaze boldly.

After their meeting in the hanger, Rey had been led into a small antechamber just off the Knight's training area. From the stacked up equipment, she guessed it was originally used as a storage unit. But now, empty apart from two chairs that faced each other, the room was bare.

Rey peered at Trudgen, her gaze trailing a deep scar that ran down from one dark brown eye. Like most of the Knights, Trudgen bore the signs of a life of conflict. Yet, she could see laughter lines that framed his mouth and bloomed underneath his eyebrows.

He interested her.

She hadn't spent much time with the jovial Knight, but apart from Ben, she knew that Trudgen was the only other person on the ship who didn't wish her ill will. He always seemed pleased to see her, and curious about her power.

But it was in his interactions with Ben that Rey truly saw something amazing. He acted differently around the Supreme Leader. Teasing, yes. Sometimes stepping out of line. But Rey could see that behind his good-humoured front, Trudgen was entirely loyal. He wasn't just a two-faced sycophant like Hux, or a disobedient leech like Vicrul. He just had trust.

And loyal to Ben, Rey thought, not Kylo.

'Are you quite done staring yet, or would you prefer I get some better lighting?' Trudgen questioned, breaking the silence. Rey flushed, looking back down at her hands.

'You started it,' Rey said.

'Ah, but you're a pretty young woman, I'm allowed to stare. I don't get much of a chance usually. Normally, if I looked at you for longer than ten seconds when Ben is here, he starts getting twitchy. It's quite nice to actually talk to you without that great galumph hovering around,' Trudgen explained. 'Right, like I said earlier, shall we begin?'

Rey took a deep breath in before nodding quickly. She didn't want to let on how nervous she was, but truthfully she, the anxiety was swirling in her stomach.

'Now, all I'm going to do is access your deepest darkest thoughts, and pull out everything that you think is private. Simple really,' Trudgen said.

'Oh is that all? Sure why not,' Rey said sarcastically.

'Like I said, it shouldn't hurt. I just need to live through your time in Theed, and really feel your emotions. That's the only way I'll be able to see if you've properly channelled the feeling of possession and need, which is what this trial is based on.'

'And you can't just do this by taking my word for it?' Rey asked. By Trudgen's rueful smile, she already knew the answer, but truthfully, she was nervous. This was the first big step in becoming a Knight, and although she knew that it had to happen this way, she felt like she just wanted to live in ignorance for a few seconds more.

Because if she passed the trial, she would be on her way to becoming the Empress. And if she failed… she was going to die.

Her future, either way, was just on the horizon waiting for her.

'I'm afraid not. Everybody lies, but raw emotions don't. Now, have you got any more questions, or are you deliberately trying to stall me?' Trudgen asked.

'Just… one more?' Rey asked nervously. Following Trudgen's nod, she continued.

'Why weren't the Knights invited in? I mean, I know you said Cardo is an acting bodyguard, but shouldn't this be a group effort? I don't want to give them anymore reason to hate me. And if they think I'm acting like a prima donna…' Rey trailed off.

'If anyone's a prima donna, it'll be me. And truthfully? These trials are very intimate. Which really wouldn't matter if you had years of training and living with the Knights, as some of us did. At that point, you wouldn't care about revealing your innermost thoughts to your brothers. But you haven't. And I think it's unfair to publicly flaggulate your mind for all to see on the very first trial. I can't promise the rest of the Knights will be so accommodating though,' Trudgen explained.

'However, if you want, I can bring the rest of the Knights in. Room's a little small though, and Ap'Lek has notoriously bad breath.'

Rey shrugged. 'Makes sense.. And no it's okay. I'm fine to be judged alone. I was just curious,' she answered.

'Curiosity killed the cracian thumper,' Trudgen retorted.

Rey leaned back as she studied Trudgen's face once more. Something in his past few words intrigued her, and as she studied his face, she knew she had to ask.

'You just said some of you had years training and living together. What did you mean by that?' Rey questioned.

Trudgen smiled. 'I wondered if you'd pick up on that. It's very true, a few of the Knights came from Luke Skywalker's temple with Ben when the schism took place. I was one of those lucky men.'

'You've known Ben since Skywalker? Really?' Rey said, disbelief making her sit up in her chair.

So he knew him before Kylo Ren…

Trudgen knew Ben as… Ben.

'I did. We met when we were fifteen years old. We've been friends since then,' Trudgen responded.

'Fifteen? That's… old, isn't it? I mean for Jedi training? I read that usually the Force presents in much younger children, and that's when it needs to be harnessed, so they don't... ' Rey trailed off, biting her lip as she caught sight of Trudgen's tight smile.

'So they don't fall to the dark side? Little late for that, don't you think? But you're right, it is late. But my reasons are my own for arriving at Skywalker's temple then. And to be honest, I wasn't ready beforehand.'

'But-' Rey protested, but she stopped when Trudgen held up a hand.

'-Enough about my past, Rey. Now isn't the time. You've got a trial to be judged. And if we're here any longer, Vicrul will think I'm having my wicked way with you. Now… are you ready?'

'Is anyone ever ready for this?' Rey asked. She grasped hold of the chair arms, flinching slightly as she felt Trudgen's hands lightly touch the side of her face, holding her head in position.

'I was. You're nervous though. I can feel you shaking. I promise my magic hands and myself will be gentle,' Trudgen murmured.

'I know. I'm just… one more question. Please?' Rey whispered. She met his gaze. Their faces were so close, Rey could see her own fearful expression reflected in his eyes.

Trudgen nodded slightly.

'What did you do?' Rey whispered. 'For your first trial. How did you pass, and become master of this trial. What did you want?'

Trudgen was silent for a while, his hands tightening around her head. Rey didn't know if he was going to answer, or if he even could, but she knew that if she didn't ask, she'd regret it.

'A new start. To escape, to throw off the shackles of my past. That's what I craved above all else. Now, no more waiting. Take a deep breath in… and let's begin,' Trudgen intoned.

Instantly, she felt the Knight's consciousness invade her mind, causing a cold sweat to break out along her back. She instantly tried to push him out, her body and consciousness screaming danger as she felt Trudgen probe her mind gingerly. All her training from Luke came flooding into the forefront of her mind. He had warned her to never let anyone into her mind. Or at least anyone she didn't know. But the more rational part of her brain knew that she had to do this, and had to give everything to help the Knights.

In her mind's eye, she dredged up the days in Theed and with a sharp tug, she pulled Trudgen's thoughts into her own, and tumbled into a cavern of memories.

The trip through the back streets of the capital, and into the dark room of Tarsi's illegal den washed through their shared consciousness. She waited and lingered at parts she thought she needed too, and when she could sense Trudgen was searching around for something more, she reached into the darker parts of her memories and drew out her shining weapon.

She bathed in the memory of her parents happily, lingering on their faces and the love that they shared for each other. She didn't know if this is what Trudgen wanted, but she could dimly sense his shock the minute she had revealed she had stolen Tarsi's memory.

For a while, she waited as Trudgen pushed through the contentment that the memory dragged up in her, and pulled and tugged at the catalyst of her time in Tarsi's room. He drew out an emotion that seemed to shine in her mind.

There it was… the beacon of possession.

Rey felt relief wash over her as she studied this emotion that Trudgen had discovered.

Of course it had been there.

It was the reason that Rey did everything she did that day.

Dimly, she knew at the moment that she had passed the first trial. The triumph was quickly taken away when the two Force-sensitive beings watched the end of her parents memory.

At the sound of the word Palpatine, she could sense the disbelief and shock that coursed through her companion.

Palpatine?! Did he just say Palpatine, Rey?

Trudgen's panicked voice rang through her mind. With a big jolt, Rey felt Trudgen start to rip his way away from her mind, the power of his shock departure making Rey gasp loudly and fall from the chair, her mind snapping back to the present moment with a ringing pain.

Taking deep breaths in, she glanced up at the white face of Trudgen as he stared down at the scavenger before him. Rey was aware of the metallic taste of blood that was slowly snaking out of her nose and coating her lips, but she was too engrossed in his expression to clean herself.

'Answer me Rey. Did your father just say he was a Palpatine?' Trudgen asked again.

Rey sat up, placing her hand on the chair to steady herself.

'Yes,' she admitted. There was no point in lying when she was desperate to know the truth.

'I passed… didn't I?' Rey asked.

She watched as Trudgen met her eyes again, his nod sharp and short. A small burst of glee passed through her, as she realised that she wasn't going to die today. But it wasn't enough to dispel the worry that gnawed at her stomach.

'The trial is over. Congratulations,' he said sharply. Turning away from her, Trudgen quickly made his way to the door, punching in the code. The metal swished open, revealing Cardo as he leant against the entryway.

'So will there be a celebration or cremation today?' Cardo asked. As he met Trudgen's gaze, Rey saw the smirk slip from his face as he stared at the dark-haired man.

'Convene a meeting with the Knights... now. Tell them it's urgent. Go!' Trudgen shouted, making both Rey and Cardo flinch. Rey hadn't heard the Knight so irate about something before. The pit of uneasiness twisted in her stomach once more.

Cardo nodded sharply, before hurried away, leaving Rey and Trudgen alone.

'Does Ben know?' Trudgen asked.

'Know that my father was a Palpatine? Yes. Why? Aren't they just an old Naboo family?' Rey frowned. 'Ben had an odd reaction to my name too! Will you finally tell me what's going on?' Rey asked.

Trudgen bit his lip as he studied Rey. Not for the first time, Rey saw past the battle scars of the Knight before her, and caught sight of the nervous young man Trudgen had once been. His cockiness was gone, and now it was replaced with something that looked like fear.

'No. Remain here until I get TC-7 to pick you up. I'm… sorry. But I'm also glad you've passed,' Trudgen said.

And with that, Trudgen turned to walk out of the room, leaving Rey and all her unanswered questions alone.

Author's note: Firstly, I hope everyone is still enjoying the story. So finally the truth about Rey's heritage is out (kind of). Next chapter we'll see more of the Knights and how they'll deal with it. And this also means the first trial is over.

As usual, reviews are always encouraged. They help me move the story on.

Exciting news: I'm also going to be publishing this story on AO3 soon. At first, it'll just be a reupload, however, I am going to be re-editing my story as I go for the new AO3 edition. So there may be some new sections/chapters to fill gaps in. So please head over to there, if that interests you? The first chapter will go up this weekend (all under the same username/title)

As usual, huge thank you to 'Across the Stars' for the edit and wise words into splitting this chapter down to two manageable bits.