The old empire ruins were set off to the side between the forest and the mountains, only husks of the former structures remaining with large, thick vines growing out of most surfaces.
"Didn't you say that this place was abandoned when the empire fell?" Rey asked Ben as they overlooked the scene before them. Everything seemed normal at first glance from what Eir had told them until the fact that all around the buildings the remains of numerous scattered TIE fighters was taken into account. "This looks more like a large battle took place."
"That's what the records said but," Ben began, moving over to one of the many downed TIE fighters to get a closer look, "I'm starting to think the whole entry on this place was wrong." He knelt down, pulling the vines away so that he could see inside, curious if any of the on-board systems had survived. The only thing he found, however, was the remains of its pilot and large, rounded holes through the center of where the console should have been.
"But why would it be different?"
"I'm not sure, but whatever happened must have been bad enough for someone to change it. One thing is for sure though," He stood up so that he could face her again, his arms crossed across his chest, "Eir lied to us about this place. She said that they had 'encouraged the forest to overtake the buildings ever since the Empire left', but this obviously happened before that." He had been thinking that Eir had been up to something this whole time, and this just served to prove his point more and more.
"She also didn't say how they left. It's possible that this was the reason and after the battle is when they had the forest take over the rest of the structure."
"You're really going to go with that?"
"I am." She walked up to him then, and held out a hand just above the wreckage of the TIE fighter. "There is one way to find out what happened for sure though."
He frowned. "Are you sure?" She had been affected so much just by touching Eir's book that he was worried what something that been through an actual battle would bring. "If you wanted to practice, I would've suggested something with a simpler history."
"I'm going to do this, and you can't stop me Ben." She looked up him, that same fiery determination in her eyes that he grown to adore.
"I know." He sighed, letting it drop. "Just be careful, alright?"
She nodded. "Any tips?"
"If you don't want to get consumed like last time, try grounding yourself in the present."
"Like this?" She grinned, taking his hand.
"That...that'll work."
She nodded then, taking a deep breath before turning back to the TIE fighter and placing her hand upon it.
To Ben, only a few moments had passed, and yet he wondered how much she had seen, how much time had already passed for her. It was a fascinating ability, Psychometry, and he had been more than a little disappointed when he had found out it was not something that could be learned, no matter how hard he tried. It would've made it so much easier to find out the history behind ancient relics if only he had been able to acquire it. But he hadn't, and if he was being entirely honest with himself, he would admit that he was actually jealous that Rey had it instead.
He felt her squeeze his hand tighter, and on instinct he pulled her closer to him, far enough away so that she was no long touching the broken metal. She didn't speak at first, instead leaning against him for support and breathing heavily, as if she had been running.
"She looked...so angry." Rey managed to get out a few moments later between breaths.
"You mean Eir?"
She nodded, taking a few more breaths before continuing. "She was a lot younger, but it was definitely her. From inside the fighter it looked like she was leading an army against them, and I couldn't hear what she was saying, but she was yelling and screaming, using the plant life to destroy anything she chose to."
"That confirms it then: Eir definitely lied to us about what happened. She isn't as innocent as she parades around to be." The more he learned about the woman, the more he became suspicious about her motives. "Are you sure we can trust her?"
Rey pushed off from him then, so that she was standing on her own. She sighed and shook her head; once again he could tell she wasn't happy with him, a mixture of sadness and disappointment swirling inside her. "Maybe she just has something in her past that she would rather forget." She poked him in the chest then, a bit harder than necessary, and he could feel her temper swelling, "You should know all about that." She turned around and began walking into the ruins after that, and Ben felt his heart sink.
She's leaving you just like all the other times
Why are you such a screw up?
Starkiller base. The throne room after defeating the praetorian guards. Kef Bir. Every time he had either said or done something wrong, causing her to leave. Would he ever get it right? Was he doomed to forever make her so upset that she left? …But there was something different about that last time though...
"I did want to take your hand. Ben's hand."
He ran after her, catching her just before she entered the ruined structure.
\
Rey had been just about to enter through a sizable hole in one of the walls of the former building when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her from behind, pulling her close. "I'm sorry." Ben's voice was barely above a whisper, full of deep-seated regret.
Please don't leave me behind
She looked up to see that his face had been overtaken by sorrow, looking as if he was about to cry any second now. While she liked the much wider range of expressions that Ben Solo had over Kylo Ren – such deep-rooted sadness was not one she preferred, especially when she was sure it was one that she had caused. She had been a bit harder on him then she should have, letting her disappointment turn into irritation and then lashing out at him. She really should be more understanding; it made sense that he would have trust issues after everything that he had gone through.
"I'm sorry too." She said softly, reaching up to place a hand lightly on the arms he had wrapped around her shoulders.
I'm not going anywhere, Ben
They stayed like that for a few minutes, Rey deciding that they would stay that way for as long as Ben needed to feel better. "Truce?" She asked a bit later once it felt like he had become stable again.
He nodded and let her go, but still held out a hand for her to take. "Please?"
"Of course." She smiled, taking the offered hand and together they entered the ruins.
It was darker and colder inside, with only the scattered rays of the sun peeking through the cracks in the walls to use for light. In the back of her mind Ray new that they were supposed to be on the lookout for a rogue droid, but she couldn't help the excitement she felt at being able to explore somewhere old again, and the fact that she got to do it with Ben just made it even better.
After a bit of wandering, they came upon the remains of a large room. "Do you think anything still works in here?" She asked, taking in the sight of the myriad of broken consoles, and the shattered, only partially intact floor length windows that sat at the far end of the room.
"Maybe if we're lucky, but I have my doubts." She followed him as he went over to one of the consoles that was a bit more intact then the others. While he continued to stand and see if anything worked, she sat down and pried a panel off, wanting to get a look at the inside.
"You know," she began, reaching into her pouch for the small, portable light she always carried and shining it inside the console's casing to get a better look, "even if we can't get any of them to work, we could definitely sell them for parts. Those TIE fighters outside alone would be worth a lot." When he didn't answer, she looked up to find that he was looking at her with an amused expression.
I guess it's true what they say: you can take the girl out of Jakku…
She elbowed him, and in return she received only a chuckle from him. "You're insufferable." She muttered, trying to keep the heat from rising in her cheeks as she turned back to looking at the console's inner workings.
"Since this one isn't working, might as well -"
"Ben?!" She looked up sharply when he abruptly cut off, just in time to see him use the force to stop an incoming blaster shot before sending it back in the direction it came from.
The droid must be here…
"Did you get it?" She asked, getting up from the floor so that she could stand next to him.
"No, it moved as soon as it realized it missed." Ben answered, already reaching for his lightsaber.
"It can't have gotten too far, a closed room like this is too good of an opportunity to leave it completely." Along with that fact, outside the shattered windows the landscape was completely covered in foliage; the perfect camouflage.
You distract it, I'll ambush it
Ben nodded next to her.
Got it. I'll make sure you have cover while you get out
He moved so that he was standing in front of her, taking advantage of their difference in height to shield her from view, holding his lightsaber at the ready.
The fact that the droid didn't fire immediately after the first shot was a good thing: it meant that it was too damaged to move and fire at the same time. This was a good thing; this way as soon as it missed again, she would have the perfect time to get to her own ambush point.
Once Ben had blocked the next attack, she spared one last glance at him before making a break for it, running to the nearest break in the window. Once she was outside, she began the climb up the building to get a better vantage point. She heard one more shot before she reached the top, but paid it no mind.
I trust you, Ben
The view from the top was remarkable; she could see the forest in the distance, with the leaves shimmering under the sun that was just about to set. It was just a shame that she didn't have time to enjoy it – but perhaps once the droid was dealt with, she could get Ben up here and they could enjoy it together.
She turned her gaze back to the scene at hand, and it was clear to see by the scorch marks and destroyed pieces of foliage where Ben's deflected shots had landed. This was a good thing; it narrowed down the places where the droid could be hiding. She watched carefully, waiting for the moment it fired again and she could track its position.
She didn't end up waiting long, however, and soon she was following its movements, waiting for the perfect time to strike. She waited until just before it stopped moving to jump, coming down on the droid right as it was beginning to aim, her lightsaber piercing it cleanly down the middle.
"I got it!" She called as she turned around to face where Ben had been, only to find that he had already made his way outside.
"You are…" He was staring at her, a look of awe on his face, "remarkable."
\
Breathtaking, is what she was, Ben decided. He had followed her outside in order to protect her unguarded back, and thus had a front row seat as she came down on the droid, descending from above like a beautiful, mythic goddess.
"I got it!" She called back to him, turning to face him with a smile on her face.
"You are..." He couldn't help but stare at her, completely amazed by her sheer ability, "remarkable." It wasn't enough, but it was the best way he could think of in the moment to describe what he felt.
"It wasn't anything that special..." She trailed off while glancing away, but not before he managed to see her cheeks start to turn a light shade of pink. She shook her head after a moment and came over to him, taking his hand. "C'mon, there's something I want to show you."
She led him over to the wall where she had climbed up the first time, and began to ascend once more. "What could be so interesting up there?" He asked, a bit confused as he watched her.
"Just trust me." She paused briefly to look back at him, a soft, knowing smile on her face before she turned back to climbing.
He nodded at her words, and began to follow her up the wall.
I'd follow you anywhere my queen
"Isn't it just so pretty up here?" She asked him once he joined her at the top. "You can see the whole forest from here." She sat down, letting her legs hang off the edge and patting the spot next to her. "Now that the problem's dealt with, I thought it would be fun to watch the sunset."
"You know, I honestly don't remember the last time I watched a sunset." He said as he sat down next to her, placing one of his hands on top of hers.
"Really? That's...kind've sad." She looked over at him, a light frown on her face. "It's the only thing about Jakku that I actually liked; every night I could sit out and watch the sun fall and the sky turn into stars."
"About that...I know you don't like it there." It had started as his own silly desire to know more about her, but the more he thought about it the more he realized that taking her back to the place where her biggest traumas had happened wasn't exactly the best thing to do. "We don't actually have to go; I probably shouldn't have -"
"No, we do," She began, cutting him off before he could finish, "I think it would be good to go and finally get some closure. Besides," she took his hand and pulled it so that his arm was around her shoulders and leaning against him, "with you there, what could possibly go wrong?"
"You've got a point there."
\
Rey meant what she said; with him, she felt safe. She knew that Ben Solo would always protect her, no matter what. While it was true that she could easily protect herself, it was comforting to know that she didn't have to do it alone. With him, she didn't feel so lonely anymore.
She smiled to herself at that and looked up at him, watching him as he stared at the sky. He truly did have the look of someone who wasn't used to watching the sky turning a myriad of colors as the sun slowly made its way behind the horizon; it was a bit sad to her to realize that he really wouldn't have had much time to stop and enjoy something like this. For her, sunsets had long been the only thing that reminded her that beauty could still exist even though she lived on a pale, one note world.
"We should go to Jakku tomorrow morning after breakfast." She spoke up after a few minutes of silence, deciding it was better to go sooner than later.
"If you think you're ready."
"I am." She nodded firmly, mostly for herself. She tried to convince herself that she wasn't worried, wasn't the least bit afraid – but the fact of the matter was that she felt terrified of going back to the place that she had spent so long trapping herself on. She wanted to do this though, wanted to prove to herself once and for all that everything was alright and to cement the fact that she was no longer the sad, lonely little girl that was hopelessly waiting for someone who was never coming back. "We should get up early tomorrow so that we can get ahead start."
He nodded, holding her tighter against him, probably after having sensing her worry. "We only need to stay as long as you need to." He said, giving her a reassuring squeeze, "The moment you decide you've had enough just say so and we'll come back here."
He understands how important this is despite his own worry...
She could tell he knew how uneasy going there made her, yet also how important it was that she face this, and didn't try to talk her out of it. It meant more to her then she knew how to express that he was willing to push aside his own obvious feelings of just wanting to keep her safe and happy and instead let her do this. He wasn't going to let her do it alone either and she could feel her heart swelling at the thought. As she looked at him, feeling his warmth, his comfort -
"Ben."
"Hmm?"
- she leaned up and pulled him close, placing her lips on his and gripping the back of his shirt tightly as she did so. "Thank you." She whispered softly against him, pulling away just enough so that she could speak. "Thank you for being with me."
"Always, sweetheart." He leaned forward, kissing her once more.
