Hello all! This is a bit of a shorter chapter than normal. It was meant to be longer but it felt right to end the chapter where it wanted to end. I'll roll what was planned over into the next chapter.

Thank you again to those who are still reading this! I'm still committed to finishing this journey with Rey and Leia and I hope you guys or at least some of you will continue to join me on the ride.

Shoutout to my reviewers from last chapter: adama-roslinlove: Their bond is literally one of my favorite things. And I think it'd be natural for Rey to be worried that a closeness developed during a fantastical circumstance might not translate back to "reality". I'm glad it felt natural and translated well for you too. dianafox00: I have a confession to make... I DO like making readers cry! lol! Honestly, thank you so much for telling me that, because then I know that something I'm doing is reaching readers' hearts and that's my favorite part of writing! jgprimeavengerextreme25: First of all, I agree. Kylo can back up and shut up. LOL. Second of all, YAYAYAY! Knowing it made you emotional inspires me to keep writing this fic so much! A lot of these were my personal headcanons for her design too. You probably already do, but did you know that the hood is canonically Rey's tribute to Leia and Alderaan? It's in the visual dictionary. I love that SO much. I wanted to incorporate even more Leia influence into the outfit in this story as well. Third of all, I will definitely explore the Skywalker legacy and what it means to both Leia and Rey. I'll probably also continue to explore the Solo and Organa ones as well...but the Skywalker exploration will take more focus going forward, I think. FOURTH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEW. You don't know how much I appreciate it. Really. JasmineRey: Thanks, my friend! I love Rey and Finn's friendship too. So pure. I know this is a fic centered on Leia and Rey but I want to find more places to add in the others too. It's just so fun to write. And I'm glad you liked that! I wanted to show some progress within their shared trust. Because...well...this next chapter title. LOL.

I'd also like to thank a new follower: drake305
Thank you for the support!

Chapter 12: Bond Of Trust

Beaumont Kin helped clarify several phrases throughout the collection of texts that Threepio's exact, word for word, translations made long-winded and confusing. But there was one book in particular that Leia and Rey sought his expertise on.

This specific text was the most cryptic and abstract of all of them. Unlike the others, it lacked any form of companion codec, so Beaumont had as much luck making sense of it as they had. There were hundreds of seemingly-blank pages and the few that had any marks on them, barely formed strings of coherent thought. In fact, most looked like randomly placed letters.

To start, he applied those letters to ciphers commonly associated with the Old Republic time period and prior. When that didn't work, he moved on to methods of revealing 'disappearing ink', which was recorded to have been a trend at the time the texts were dated. Beaumont ran tests with refractory cylinders, heat, moisture evaporators, and different chemical solutions, however, got nowhere. In the end, he didn't want to risk further damaging the book with incessant tampering—there were already enough creases and tears in it for any historian's liking. So, he gave them some last-ditch advice. It was clear that if there was an answer to be found or a way to uncover the book's contents, it was encrypted into the riddle on the cover pages.

The page on the left had a sketch of half the ancient Je'Daii symbol and a sun. Below it, was scrawled:

"A being of wisdom and truth.

Fuels the light in youth."

The right page had a sketch of the symbol's other half and what looked to be a wroshyr tree. Below that, was:

"Both hands placed, loyal, thus.

Remains, the bond of trust."

He suggested they cross reference the other texts and their pre-existing knowledge of the Order to see if they came across any clues. Once they had an understanding of the riddle, maybe their next step would be obvious. Now, here they were, just after midday break, shut up in the Captain's quarters of the Millenium Falcon where it was supposed to be quieter. Leia reeled in her annoyance at the sixth or seventh call to her personal comm. "Yes, that's fine. Send him to medical on the Tantive. Move Shriv to intel and have Temmin or Zay run the drills."

In the floor, surrounded by open books and loose, scattered, papers filled with Beaumont's notes, Rey held her finger in place and looked up excitedly, "This might be something. There's—"

Leia's comm chimed again. With a roll of her eyes, The General held her finger up, "Hold on." But instead of answering the incoming alert, she contacted her next-in-command, "D'acy, you're authorized to field questions and concerns until further notice. I don't want to be interrupted again unless it's an emergency." After the Commander's affirmation, Leia put the comm away and gave her full attention to the task. "What'd you find?"

"There's a passage here about a cosmic creature, known as The Bendu, who represents the balance in the Force. He's described as a 'being of wisdom and truth' just like in the riddle. There's a memo from a Master N'Kata just under it, but I can't read it," She offered it up to her Master who'd just taken a seat at the edge of the bunk, "I think it's Altaic?"

Leia peered at it, then scanned it with her datapad to enlarge the markings. "This is Ryl."

"Twi'lek?"

The woman hummed. Ryl incorporated spoken word as well as a form of sign language using subtle movements of the lekku—or headtails. Leia could identify the language from the curvy, slanted, markings and arrows, which to an eye with prior knowledge of the language, showed the lekku gestures in written form. Threepio hadn't translated this section because Leia was equipped to do so herself, having learned how from working closely with Cham Syndulla, his daughter Hera, Yendor, and others. She read it slowly, turning over the words in her head and double-checking before speaking. "It is believed that The Prime Jedi once came in contact with this being, and that many foundations of the early Je'daii teachings are based from his study of and with 'The Bendu.' These basic principles of balance were eventually expounded upon."

Rey winced, "Good to know, but I guess that doesn't help much."

Leia reread it to herself. Looking for the connection. "Principles of balance…maybe if we took a look at those, it would point us in the right direction." Rey handed Leia the largest leather-bound book, the one dedicated to the subject of balance and the Jedi's views of it.

Not long after their return from Delaya, they scouted some of the nearby rock formations for a place to set up a training course. To the left of the Base, about a standard mile, was a series of jagged slate in alternating angles towards the sky. It was perfect for Rey to practice jumping and flipping from mark to mark while having to rely on aid from the force to slow falls and on instinct to keep from slipping. Two of those slates met evenly in the middle, forming a natural shelter from the elements where the two women left their belongings and rested during breaks.

Leia lifted her hood as Rey tucked the sack of books under her poncho and they both stepped out into the elements, hunkered over, to start their trek back. Trudging through the mud and occasional high winds served as an added benefit for Rey. It challenged her body and control of focus after a long session of drills, thereby extending her strength and stamina training. Leia, on the other hand, it was not good for. She did her best not to show signs of discomfort or exhaustion but usually needed to lie down afterwards. On worse days, she had to have bacta shots injected into her hips to counteract the strain. It worried the Apprentice. She made sure to move at a subtly slower pace on their walks as if she was the one having the most trouble so Leia wouldn't push herself.

The mud was exponentially thicker this evening too. Normally, there were periods during the day where the rain would let up to a sprinkle and the soil had a chance to soak up any standing water, however, a storm had blown in and brought a hard downpour several days in a row. The Resistance had been pro-active and dug a trench around the perimeter of the Base, so the rainwater could run off the tarps into it, instead of flooding the camp. But this far out, some areas were past Rey's calves and up to Leia's knees. Rey's muscles were fatigued from the course but nothing she couldn't endure. She'd be sore but ultimately grow stronger. So, while her eyebrows were furrowed and her jaw set, it wasn't her own pain she cringed at. It was Leia's. She winced at every hiss that escaped her Master, imagining the toll the journey would prove to have taken once they returned. Finally, she couldn't take it and offered her hand, "Do you need to put some weight on me?"

"No, we're almost there," was the typical, insistent, reply. Doubtful, Rey cut her eyes to their destination. They weren't even halfway. She briefly thought of comming Poe to send a hoverstretch so Leia wouldn't have to walk—but Leia would kill her. The aforementioned changed the subject before Rey could express any more concern. "So, the riddle. Any more ideas?"

They'd both skimmed the book of principles two, three, times over and determined it was a dead-end. Rey did have an idea though. It'd popped into her head on one of her drills. "What if we looked more into The Prime Jedi? The Bendu was basically his master. So, assuming the Bendu is the 'being of wisdom and truth' he would've 'fueled the light' in The Prime Jedi."

"That would make sense." Leia agreed and wrapped her climate-cloak closer, "Let's focus on that tomorrow."

"I'll look back through all of the texts tonight and mark anything I can find for reference."

Rey's eagerness for answers and relentless work ethic were things the General could relate to. Qualities that she, too, could work on scaling back for her own benefit sometimes. But it didn't stop her from chuckling at the young apprentice, "Do you ever take a break?"

The girl smirked back, "Do you?"

"We're not talking about me," Leia grimaced (in good humor), raising her volume over the increasing downpour.

Rey nodded, "Like Master, like Apprentice, I'm afraid."

"I should talk to your Master about the example she sets."

"Well, she's also the General of an entire movement, so I wouldn't be too harsh on her."

Then, Leia conceded and dropped the joke. "All I ask is that you actually taste your food." She pointed her finger at Rey emphatically, "No studying during dinner. Give your mind a break."

"Yes, Master," replied Rey.

Suddenly, the ground beneath their next step gave way and their supporting feet sunk into a hole. The jolt caused Rey to fall forward into the mud, but she caught herself. Unfortunately, a text slid out of the sling under her poncho and splashed into the sludge. Leia's legs collapsed beneath her, causing the General to gasp out in pain as she hit the bottom of the hole with her lower back. Rey snatched the book from the puddle and then quickly moved to the higher ground so she could help pull Leia up.

It took some maneuvering; and being caked in mud with rain falling in their eyes didn't help. Leia used all the strength she could muster while Rey struggled to give her leverage with only one arm. The second Leia was back on solid turf, her eyes squeezed shut and she took a deep breath to let the muscle spasms pass. Rey shook her arm to release some tension and hoped beyond hope that her Master hadn't pulled anything.

A minute later, when Leia finally opened her eyes, the worry on Rey's face was substantial enough for Leia to assert, "I don't need to." She was hurting and she'd pay for it in the morning but Leia was more pissed about her body's ever-growing list of limitations than anything else. There was still too much to do for the day to waste the rest of the evening getting checked in the med-bay.

"I didn't say anything."

Yet…but she'd been about to. Leia could tell. "I can make it back."

Instead of asking if The General was sure, Rey held out her arm again, so Leia could use her as a support. This time Leia didn't decline the assistance. It was going to be hard to keep trekking out there for Rey's training if the storm season continued as it was…perhaps it was time to move bases.

After dinner, Finn and Poe took turns helping Rey dry the text out.

"I could blow on this thing and dry it faster. Whose idea was this?" Poe griped, tediously moving the portable evaporator up and down the page.

"Yours," Finn, Rey, and BB8 chimed in unison as they dealt out another game of sabaac.

"Nothing…" Rey sighed and slouched at the briefing table days later, the books once again littered about. She glanced up to find the same downtrodden look on her Master's face—her train of thought hadn't been fruitful either. It seemed like every time they thought they'd made a connection, their research fell flat. It felt like they'd picked apart each word, each sketch, and done everything short of taking a lightsaber to the thing.

Patience was key. The Jedi Order encouraged the development of that quality very often in their writings. Now, you'd think that waiting for her family over a decade would've taught Rey ample patience, and in most aspects of her life it had. She knew nothing good came without hard work and was more than willing to put in the hours, blood, sweat, and tears. But sometimes…when it came down to the quickness of her own progress, things she felt she should be able to control, that was something she was still battling for patience against.

'Frustration with a difficulty itself is one thing. Frustration with yourself for not overcoming it as fast as you'd like, is another. Attack the challenge, not yourself.' That's what Leia always said. In an effort to practice what she'd been taught and to keep positive, Rey said, "I'm sure we'll figure it out if we're patient."

"If the answer is there, we'll find it eventually." Leia set her book aside and ran her hand down the side of her face.

"Should we start from scratch again? Take a fresh look?"

Leia checked her datapad for the time, "I have a briefing with Dross Squadron in a half standard. But you can keep going."

Rey reached for the book in question once more, while Leia got up to stretch her legs. "Have you settled on the new base?"

"I've narrowed it down. All have more stable climates."

"Did you look into Pacara?" Finn had mentioned it would be a good mid-rim location. Fish and meera sap were its main trades which were a good source of sustenance for Resistance troops and resources the First Order wouldn't be interested in taking the time to exploit. In fact, the whole sector would be relatively off the Order's radar. The neighboring sector was more suitable for plundering, so Pacara's sector would likely be left alone unless the Resistance gave an obvious cause for suspicion.

"I did. It's on the list."

Rey grinned. Finn would be happy to know his suggestion was helpful. It mattered to all of them, to have ideas or assets that truly benefited The Resistance, but Finn felt that there was so much he needed to make up for, for being on the wrong side for so long. He wanted to contribute as much of the information he'd learned as a trooper as he could and hoped some of it would be useful.

Leia rummaged through a ration crate to grab a bite before her briefing. They'd pushed through lunch thinking they were on a roll and she could feel her stomach starting to grumble about it. Still, the polystarch portions and sealed veg meat slabs weren't looking very appetizing. She settled on the idea of something light from her personal stash. "I'm getting a snack. You want anything? A nutribar or some fruit? I have a couple starblossoms stashed on the Falcon."

"Ooh," Those had become Rey's favorite, "one of those, please."

"I'll be back."

The girl acknowledged the statement distractedly, as she thumbed through the text. This particular book was not the oldest they had, but it was the most beat up—or most used, she supposed. Most sheets of the parchment were tabbed, many were folded, some to the point of being completely scrunched in a single file of inch wide pleats. The binding was frayed and the edges were fragile, so Rey carefully used a couple fingers to slide each page from the center. It was difficult on the pages that were pleated, because instead of curling so the page could be turned easily, they crinkled up into the corner—

Hm. The edge of this one had a marking on it. Curious, she held her place with a piece of cloth and searched for the next page with folds. Sure enough; it didn't crinkle as far into the margin—maybe two thirds across—but there was another symbol on the end. It might've been coincidence, so Rey marked this page with cloth as well and sought out more creases. It wasn't worth getting her or her Master's hopes up just yet.

Leia came back in, followed by Poe passionately making a case to resume an old mission. "Come on, Leia. We've got to get back to Archex before the First Order stumbles on him."

Calmly, Leia shot him down, "Unless the First Order started sending its officers out on holidays, I doubt any of them will be winding up on Cerea."

"But—if they did, we can't lose this opportunity."

"I agree. But we have no intel that worries me enough to rush a move." Leia placed a piece of fruit by Rey's elbow and started peeling her own. "Vi's health is my main concern. Archex can wait."

Poe wound up to argue, "Vi is more—" then retrospectively realized his friend was sitting in there, "Oh, hey Rey."

"Hey," she replied, pulling the wedges of her starblossom apart.

"—Vi is more than ready to get back out there. Trust me."

"She's ready? Or you are ready for her to be?"

Rey had spent a few minutes around Vi here and there. Mostly near the mess. And while Vi was apparently recovering well physically, she didn't seem to be bursting at the seams to get back out in the field like Poe was making it sound. Rey raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth to support Leia's point, but Poe quickly swooped in to cut her off. "If you're not on my side, don't contribute." He gestured to one of the texts on the table, "I was up drying that book for hours last night."

The 'for you' was implied. Fair point, so she stayed silent. It wasn't as if Leia hadn't already pegged Poe's argument and needed Rey's input anyway. But she and Leia did a share a knowing look.

Rey refocused on her book. The next page of pleats was, again, similar. It took up even less of the parchment, yet a symbol was placed on the surface of the last fold. She tested several more folded pages just to be certain. It appeared purposeful. Part of pattern. With enough evidence to rule out coincidence, Rey decided she'd return to her marked pages and see if the symbols formed any words.

"Okay, then don't send Vi. I'll go."

"We talked about this. Working with a deserter of that high a rank is delicate. He trusts Vi. They have a rapport. We'll wait."

Poe heaved a sigh. Dejected but ultimately submissive to Leia's decision.

"It'll be fine." Leia checked the time again. "When she feels up to it, have her schedule a med and psych check. Then we can talk."

Rey gasped and stood up, knowing the over the barrel she'd been using as a stool. "Master—"

"What'd you find?" The General immediately abandoned her previous conversation and crossed over to the table.

"The creases in the pages…they line the markings up," the girl sputtered, struggling to string her thoughts together fast enough to make sense as they fell out of her mouth. "They form words. This one says, 'guides'."

Without word, they swiftly went back to the front cover and combed through the pages to record what they found. They discovered that the symbols were largely out of order, placed at different heights of the pleats. But all the symbols placed on the same level, no matter how many other pages and differently placed symbols were in between, formed words. Then sentences. Then stanzas. Because Artoo was across camp working with Chewie on Falcon maintenance, and Threepio was force knows where, they enlisted Poe in helping them record which markings went with which, which stanza went where, and so on, into Leia's datapad. Once completed, they found that the riddle on the cover page was but a part of the riddle cleverly hidden within the 'wear and tear' of the text.

In full, the pages read:

"Paints the mind, guides the heart
A being of wisdom and truth.
Respect in kind, humility from start
Fuels the light in youth."

One with the force, the force in all
Both hands placed, loyal, thus
One lights the way, one grows beyond
Remains, the bond of trust."

"What?" exclaimed Poe, unsurprisingly confused.

"It's about a master and apprentice," Rey breathed.

Leia thought aloud, "Of course…the ancient temples could only be accessed that way…a master and apprentice's force bond."

The apprentice lit up with realization, "The 'bond of trust.'"

"The bond of trust," repeated Leia, with a smile.

Rey ran her fingers along the words to find one specific sentence, "'Both hands placed.' Our hands? On the book?"

"Only one way to find out," the Master declared and flipped back to the cover pages. Right away, Rey connected the relevance of the sketches. She pointed to the sun, "Lights the way." And Leia gestured to the sketch of the tree, "Grows beyond." They switched sides to correspond with their roles and then placed their hands on the pages.

It was wordless. Or maybe they were talking to each other inside their heads. Poe didn't know. He wouldn't put it past them. The jedi did some weird stuff. All he knew was what he saw. And all he saw was Leia and Rey looking at each other, having some sort of silent conversation, nodding in agreeance over something, and then closing their eyes and breathing at damn near the same time. Then the pages started glowing…and lots of writing faded slowly into clarity on the paper…and Poe felt lightheaded.

A/N: Yay! Another milestone down for our master/apprentice and a little more Poe this chapter. I hope you guys liked it! I've got some ideas on where to go from here but am curious about what you guys are interested in seeing. Per canon (aka the Rise of Resistance ride at Disney World) there are two Resistance Bases at once for a period of time after TLJ before they get to Ajan Kloss (base during TROS). One is on Batuu and one is on Pacara. I'd like to explore that because I love weaving in canon where I can but with the ideas I have for it, it might mean another disruption in Rey and Leia's training together. What do you guys think? Should we split the bases now, or wait a bit? I value your opinion as I brainstorm and I hope you leave a review if you have a minute. Thank you so much for reading :)