Hellooo friends!
Sorry for the delay, but here's a new chapter 3
Hope you enjoy and don't forget to leave a comment! 3
Naboo
Jess woke a reluctant Rey on the morning of their trip with a cheerful smile and a cup of steaming spiced tea. Rey took the cup from her, mouth down-turned and hair disheveled.
'Come on, Rey' Jess said 'I thought you were excited!"
Rey grumbled, swiping a lock of hair away from her cheek and started preparing for the long journey. It was true that she had been excited. She wanted to see Ach To, which Leia had promised her was full of lush green. But she wore a smile at the thought of it more to please Leia than anything else. Leia was the one who had so much hope in this journey and as she helped her daughter in law into the palanquin later that morning and held out her hand to her son who had already mounted his horse, she hoped that Luke could help her now more than ever. She wanted her son's marriage to the Princess of Jakku to work and she wanted Rey to find peace and happiness. As her son took her hand to bid her farewell, she closed her eyes for a second and prayed.
Kylo Ren sensed the determination in his mother, in the hand that clasped his and in her warm brown eyes.
"Give my love to Luke" She said "And take care of Rey"
Kylo Ren nodded, releasing his mother's hand and signaling his retinue to take their places in line to begin the journey
Leia then turned to smile at Rey's pale face which peered at her through the parted curtains of the palanquin.
"Make sure he doesn't get into any trouble" She whispered
Rey smiled weakly. She wasn't sure how she was going to stop Kylo Ren from getting into trouble if that was what he wanted.
As the procession started to make its way out of the palace gates, Rey leaned out of the palanquin and looked ahead to where Kylo Ren rode a little in front of her. His beautiful black stallion was the biggest horse in the group, standing well above all the others. She watched quietly, amused at the way he shook his proud head from side to side in a gesture as imperious as his master, his thick, glossy mane rippling in the sunlight. She smiled to herself as Kylo Ren reached out and gently stroked one of the stallion's ears in an affectionate gesture. As he straightened up, he turned and saw Rey looking at him. At once Rey dropped the smile from her lips and pulled her head back into the palanquin.
In moments he had slowed his horse and was riding right beside her. Rey felt her heartbeat quicken and clutched at the curtains
"Is there something you need, Princess?" Kylo Ren asked
Rey parted the curtains a little and poked her head out to face him
"I was just watching…the birds" She said
"Ah" Kylo Ren smirked
He pulled on the reins and clicked his tongue and his great black stallion sprang forward and he was gone.
Opposite her, Jess smirked
Rey did not poke her head out of the curtains again.
Outskirts of Tatooine
At length she fell asleep and was woken up by the jolting movements of her palanquin being lowered to the ground.
"What's going on?" She asked groggily
"We're taking a break" Jess answered "Come, let's go have some tea and give the pour souls carrying this thing a break"
Rey and Jess stepped out of the palanquin and were greeted by a sight quite different from what they had left behind. The air was hotter and arider than that of Naboo. Rey felt the familiar stabbing heat of her home district of Jakku but later found out that they were on the outskirts of Tatooine, which made her wrack her brains to try and remember where she had heard that name before. And then it hit her, Tatooine was the home district of the Emperor's grandfather. Rey was just about to ask if they could sight-see around the area for a while when she heard General Hux call out to a group of soldiers nearby.
"Hurry up and get the horses watered and fetch some water for the ladies to wash" He shouted above the wind "And get a move on, the Emperor doesn't want to tarry!"
They waited and waited until the horses become restless. Almost half the soldiers had been sent out to fetch water and by the time they all got back, accompanied by some villagers, it was almost sunset.
One of the villagers fell to his knees in front of Kylo Ren and bowed his head.
"Forgive us, Your Majesty!" He cried "But we have no food or water to spare you!"
Kylo Ren frowned at the top of the man's head
"What do you mean yo have no food or water?"
"Our wells have all dried up, Your Majesty!" The man said, trembling "Our wells were not deep to begin with, and with this dry season we lost all our water and didn't even have enough to water our crops with"
Kylo Ren turned to General Hux
"I want to see this village"
Hux shook his head "Your Majesty, we've made plans to be in Ach To in 3 days" He tried to reason "If we waste time here any further, we might be delayed by days!"
"No" Kylo Ren said with a tone of finality in his voice "I think my uncle will forgive the delay when he knows the reason"
He turned back to the man
"As your Emperor, I would like to inspect your village for myself and see what I can do for you" He said in a softer voice
The villager raised his head in disbelief with tears in his eyes
"Thank you, Your Majesty" He whispered
Before long, the Emperor was assembling a group of men to accompany him. He had just mounted his horse when there was a commotion behind him.
"Your Majesty, I would like to accompany you!"
At the sound of that voice, Kylo Ren closed his eyes in frustration
"You, dear wife, had better stay here" He said in a clear voice.
But Rey would not be deterred
She stepped forward so that she stood in front of his horse.
"As your wife it is my duty to help you carry out yours" She said "And as your Empress it is also my duty to see to the welfare of our people"
Kylo Ren sighed. He was not interested in starting an argument with his wife in front of half his court, so with a nod of his head he assented and Rey deftly climbed behind him onto his horse and placed her hands gently on his shoulders.
The group rode for about 10 minutes before they reached a collection of dusty looking huts. The atmosphere was quiet and calm but Rey thought she had never seen a sadder looking village.
"The rest of the village is a little way ahead, Your Majesty" The villager who had accompanied them said
As Kylo Ren dropped down from his horse, followed by Rey, people started emerging from the small huts. Men, women and children, faces dirty and eyes alight with hunger, stood back from the group, clutching each other in fear.
"It's alright" Kylo Ren called, raising his hands "We are only here to help"
"It's the Emperor!" One of the men cried out
Murmurs rose from the group and they seemed to draw closer to each. This time, Rey stepped forward
"We will give you what you need" She said "We can give you water!"
A few of the village elders stepped forward courageously to face Kylo Ren and they discussed what could be done about the water wells.
"We'll need to dig some new wells" Kylo Ren decided "And deeper this time"
Rey thought for a while. Coming from Jakku, she knew something about digging water wells
"The water table must be very low" She added
"It is, Your Majesty" One of the elders said "The water level usually decreases at this time of year, but I don't remember a time when it was this bad"
"We'll need to break through the rock" Rey said, turning to Kylo Ren
"But we don't have the equipment for that!" The elder said "We have no equipment at all, Your Majesty!"
Rey and Kylo Ren looked at each other. Not a word passed between them but Rey reached around her neck to remove a string of pearls and Kylo Ren reached up to remove a golden brooch from the scarf tied around his neck.
They gave the jewelry to General Hux and Kylo Ren gave his orders
"Ride until you reach the nearest trading town" He ordered "And exchange this jewelry for the iron tools we need and a couple of strong oxen"
"What?" Hux protested "But that could take days!"
"We have time" Rey interrupted him "But these people don't. So hurry!"
The royal couple looked at him, their eyes burning with determination. Hux did not protest any further. He gathered three other men and rode over the sandy hills to obey his Emperor.
Hux returned next morning and much sooner than expected and work began on digging the new well. Kylo Ren himself joined in the work, removing his golden robes and belt. Rey took them from him and folded them with the satisfaction and pride that a woman has in her husband when he does something unexpected and pleasantly surprising. For the rest of that day and for the next five days, she and the other villagers went back and forth between their encampment and the village, bringing refreshments and supplies for the men working on the well. So, after nearly six days of digging, when the men's shovels hit rock there were cheers and shouts of joy. The Emperor's men clapped him on his sun-burnt shoulders and he smiled like he'd never smiled before. It only took a few hours to fracture the bedrock below and when the water came shooting up and started filling the well, the whole village celebrated.
"It's a miracle!" One of the elders screamed
"Not a miracle" Rey said "It's the hard work of your men"
"Look at all that water!" The elder pointed to the well. Men were filling buckets and passing them up to the children who tipped them over their heads, enjoying their first bath in weeks
"This is not just hard work" The elder continued "You and the Emperor have brought the favor of the Gods with you!"
Rey smiled and said a quick prayer to her Goddess
"All hail the Emperor!" The villagers cried "And all hail the Empress!"
Ach To
The journey to Ach To was delayed by almost a week when the royal procession left the outskirts of Tatooine. Rey's head was still buzzing with the events of that week, but more so with the image of the Emperor's broad, strong shoulders bronzed by the sun and the way he smiled at her as he handed over buckets of water to the villagers. It was not the first time she had done a good deed in her life, but working together in harmony with the man she thought she hated had changed something in her.
And Rey was only distracted by her thoughts until the moment they crossed the border to Ach To.
The sounds of the sea were strange to her and when Kylo Ren saw her delight in the sights of the waves crashing into the rocks below the cliff they were climbing, he insisted that she get out of the palanquin and climb up on his horse so she could have a better view.
To Rey, who thought Naboo was the most beautiful district she had ever seen, Ach To certainly matched it. But where there was neatness and order to the nature in Naboo, the rugged wilderness of Ach To had a different sort of beauty. Above her, strange, large birds circled overhead, their squeaks reverberating around the rolling, lush green hills around air was cold and the high winds carried droplets of salty sea water that Rey could taste on her cool lips. The path ahead of them was littered with mossy boulders. She was almost tempted to get down from the horse and climb one
"We used to come here a lot when I was little" Kylo Ren said
"Oh really?" Rey breathed. This was probably one of the few times Kylo Ren had mentioned his childhood to her.
"There are a lot of caves at the foot of these cliffs along the beaches" He reminisced "I used to play hide and seek in them with my uncle"
Rey smiled at the thought of a pale, black haired little boy playing among the giant boulders.
"Once, I hid in a shallow pool of freezing water and had terrible pneumonia" He continued "I was so sick I nearly died. Almost drove my mother mad"
His demeanor changed a little after that and Rey didn't encourage the first note of intimacy any further.
They rode on silently after that, the Emperor and the Empress at the head of the procession.
Rey saw the stone steps leading up a steep hill even before they stopped in front of them.
Those on horseback dismounted and waited for the Emperor's orders.
"I know where my uncle will be" Kylo Ren called "The Empress and I will join you shortly with him"
He turned to his generals
"Until then, go into the compound and inform the handmaidens that we've arrived" He ordered.
With that, he ushered Rey up the stairs to meet his uncle
Luke Skywalker turned out to be just as Rey imagined.
On the outside, he was the picture of a holy man. He had shoulder length grey hair, a grey mustache and beard and wore dull grey robes. The most remarkable thing about him was his piercing blue eyes that were so different to Leia's soft brown ones that it was almost hard to believe that he and Leia were twins. They seemed nothing alike.
Luke Skywalker greeted his nephew with a sort of restrained enthusiasm. He didn't smile, but his eyes shone at the sight of him and when they turned on her, they filled with unrestrained curiosity. As he was a senior royal, Rey was obliged to bow to him.
"Oh, there's no need for that" Luke waved a hand "I gave up that life many years ago"
"Uncle" Kylo Ren said steadily "My mother sends you her love and some fresh supplies"
Luke smiled
"How is your mother?" he asked
"She's well" Kylo Ren replied '"As you already know"
"I hear you've been keeping a close eye on her" Luke said "Or at least you've asked Snoke to…"
"We're not here to discuss political matters, uncle" Kylo Ren interrupted "This is a religious pilgrimage"
"Well, you're late" Luke remarked "And you look a little weather beaten, Ben"
"I'll tell you about our little adventure later, uncle"
Luke continued to smile as Kylo Ren took Rey by the arm and turned her away from Luke.
"I think my wife would like to see the living quarters and meet your handmaidens"
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Master Luke" Rey called over her shoulder "I hope we can speak soon"
"As do I, Your Majesty" Luke replied, his inquisitive gaze sweeping over her again.
Rey was finally able to see the compound where Luke lived and meet the handmaidens. They were dressed from head to toe in white cloth and despite constantly being outside and carrying out a multitude of chores throughout the day in addition to holy duties, their clothes remained immaculate. Rey tried to speak to them but they just bowed or frowned and muttered at her in a strange language and continued on with their work.
She decided later that afternoon that she would explore the area by herself, but she didn't go far before she felt tired from having to struggle around so many rocks and boulders. Breathing deeply she leaned against what she thought was a rocky boulder, only to have it crumble against her back and hands.
But it was the high pitched yell that startled her and made her straighten up.
One of the handmaidens was hurtling down the path from the huts towards her. She grabbed Rey by the arm, pulling her away from the boulder and raised an accusatory finger up to her face to start yelling at her in the strange language.
"I think that was their sacred boulder you were leaning against"
She spun around to see Kylo Ren, who was smiling at her
"How was I supposed to know it was a sacred boulder!" Rey cried, peering around the handmaiden "It looks like an ordinary boulder!"
Kylo Ren snorted, trying to stifle his laughter. The handmaiden rounded on him this time and glowered so that he sobered and looked down at his feet like a child who had been caught in wrongdoing.
"What's going on over there!"
Luke was standing beyond the path leading to the compound.
"Nothing, really" Rey said weakly
The handmaiden rushed past Luke, still muttering to herself
Kylo Ren pointed to Rey
"She started it" He said
Rey looked scandalized
"Hey!" She cried
"Oh you two are going to be a lot of fun around here" Luke muttered
That evening, Rey sat in front of the fire in the middle of the compound with a cloak around her shoulders, shivering. The nights of Ach To were cold ones, even colder than the nights she remembered in Jakku or Naboo.
She saw Luke coming over to sit beside her and made some space for him. A handmaiden followed him with two steaming cups of soup which they both took. They sipped the hot liquid in silence for a while before Rey decided to speak.
"So, have you always lived your life alone?" Rey asked
"I prefer to live a life devoid of worldly pleasures and temptations" Luke answered with a smile.
"You're the only man here surrounded by all these women" Rey remarked, eyes shining with amusement "Surely, there must have been times where you've been tempted"
Luke chuckled
"Unfortunately, all these ladies are taken" He answered
"They don't seem very friendly though" Rey said, frowning
"Ah. Well, you didn't exactly make a good first impression" Luke said "But don't worry, they will grow to like you"
"Leia said she wrote to you" Rey began "What did she say about me?"
She looked down as she asked him but then raised her eyes to gaze at him inquisitively.
"Oh" Luke said, looking away "Just a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Just enough"
Rey found it an odd answer but tried not to show her frustration.
"Leia thought it would help me to come here"
Luke turned to Rey
"And why would she think you need help?"
Rey found that she didn't know how to answer him
"Why are you here, Rey of Jakku?" Luke asked in a low voice
"I need help" She answered almost in a whisper "I need a purpose"
"Tell me Rey" Luke said "What have you learned about yourself since going to Naboo?"
Rey swallowed
"I have learned that I am…hopeless and powerless"
"So you have learned that you are hopeless and powerless" Luke nodded "And what else have you learned?"
"That I am alone"
"Hmm" Luke murmured
"Know this, we all face points in our lives where we are hopeless and powerless. But it's how we react that matters the most"
Rey nodded reluctantly
"Hear me Rey, I can sense that you are a resourceful, cunning and compassionate woman" Luke continued "And a woman needs all those qualities to become a good Empress. If you feel that your calling in life is to make a difference in the world, then God has dealt you a magnificent hand. You are in a position to do more for this country than any other woman in it. Take every opportunity you are given"
Rey looked down at her cup of soup
"Think of what happened on the journey here" Luke observed "You and the Emperor together helped save the lives of all those villagers"
"Yes, and I'm glad I did it" She whispered, still looking down.
"But there are millions more out there just like them who need your help" Luke said "Han, Leia and I toppled an Empire to bring peace to millions"
Rey narrowed her eyes
"Do you expect me to topple the First Order?"
Luke hummed a little to himself absently but did not meet her gaze
Rey sighed
"Anything is possible" he said at last
"And I suppose next you would want me to bring you the sun, moon and stars and lay them at your feet?" She queried
"Rey, if there's anything you need, you can always write to me" Luke said, his eyes bright "And anything you feel I should know about my sister, my nephew, for the good of the people, you will tell me won't you?"
Rey stared at Luke, her mind working
"I can trust you, can't I, Rey?"
Rey still said nothing, But Luke continued to smile
"Come, let's find my nephew and see what he's up to" He stood from where he sat and reached out a hand to Rey, who took it.
Rey was seeing right through him. She knew what he was asking her to do without actually saying it and she wasn't sure she was prepared to do it. He was asking her to spy on the Emperor and report back to him.
For the first time, Rey understood why Kylo Ren was so mistrustful of his uncle. He was a man who wore his emotions on his sleeve and acted on them while his uncle seemed the opposite. Though Luke seemed like the benevolent, wise old man you wanted to trust, there was still something about him that Rey couldn't quite figure out.
But she was still intrigued by him.
