Published June 27, 2020. Re-posted with changes October 15, 2020.

"Legends and Solutions"

But subtle Archimago, when his Guests
He saw divided into double parts,
And Una wandring in Woods and Forrests,
Th' end of his drift; he prais'd his devilish Arts,
That had such Might over true-meaning Hearts;
Yet rests not so, but other means doth make
How he may work unto her further Smarts:
For her he hated as the hissing Snake,
And in her many Troubles did most pleasure take.

~ Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, Book I, Canto II

Darkness.

Not empty. Heavy, like a blanket made of rich fabric. Deep, like mud you could sink into.

A voice, familiar, wise, inviting, intimate.

"You don't need to hide. Not from me. I know you. I understand you. I want you. Let me in. Be mine."

Yes. Come in. Be with me. Be part of me. Use me. Take me. Make me yours.

Defenses lowered, boundaries dissolved, divisions bridged, distance closed …

Limbs encircling, hands caressing, skin brushing …

Slowly surrounded, prepared to be penetrated and permeated …

Another voice, loud, alarmed, warning: "That's not me!"

Laughter, cruel and triumphant.

A sudden, painful burst of light.

Dismay, horror, dread. Something is wrong, this thing that seemed so right was a mistake, and it is too late to undo what has been done or stop what is yet to come …

Darkness again, even heavier this time, grasping, squeezing, crushing …

Ben bolted upright, as though he were in a vehicle that had stopped too suddenly and thrust him forward. Breathing heavily, he pressed one hand against his forehead and the other against his heart, reeling as he took in his surroundings: he was in his room in his mother's apartment.

He had had bad dreams throughout his life, but this one might have been the most disturbing. Like in the dream he had shared with Rey on Takodana, he had been both subject and witness, experiencing it but also watching it happen. He was certain that Rey and Snoke had been the other two parties, but which ones had they been—the one imparting pleasure and pain, the one experiencing those sensations, or the one who shouted the warning?

Ben wondered if Rey had had the same dream. He shuddered as he remembered the sensations that had been so indefinable but which he could now name—the sweet seduction, the foolish surrender, the gross violation. He clenched his fists around the fabric of his sheets, angered and sickened by the thought that Rey may have experienced all of that too.

The more intellectual part of his mind wondered whether these shared dreams were simply the activity of their subconscious, or if Snoke was somehow influencing them, invading their minds as they slept.

Ben wished that he had stayed with Rey, or that she had agreed to stay on Hosnian Prime. He vowed that someday, he would hold Rey as she slept, and ensure that her rest was peaceful, free of fear or danger. He himself would rest much more easily knowing that she was safe in his arms.

He found himself praying, as though to some unidentified deity: Please let it just be a dream. He thought of Rey and pleaded with her: Please be alright, Rey.

There was a knock at Ben's door, and then his mother's voice came through. "Ben, are you awake?"

"Yeah, Mom."

"We have to go over some plans. If you want to give input, you'd better get up soon."

Ben sighed and reluctantly got out of bed.

His mind stayed on Rey and Snoke even as he refreshed himself. Meeting the sorcerer face-to-face had frightened him more than he had expected. It had been a long time since he met someone who truly meant to harm him or someone he loved. The last time he could remember, he had been a boy, and Luke had defended him from their attackers. Now he was a man, but he had been just as helpless, relying on Rey to defend him when all he wanted was to protect her. And then there was his disconcerting conversation with Snoke, who seemed to know more about Ben and Rey than they knew about themselves.

One thing Luke had stressed throughout his teaching was the necessity of letting go of fear. Ben hated to admit it even to himself, but in general, he feared many things. Often his fear manifested itself through other emotions, anger being chief among them. He feared and was angered by his own insignificance, his uncertain future, his family's strange secrecy, his inability to make anything of himself, his lack of control over his powers, the possibility that his parents were right about him being a monster.

Rey had more or less dispelled his fear of being unlovable. On the other hand, while in some ways she knew him better than anyone else, she did not know about all his flaws. She did not know how awful he could be to his family and classmates and even strangers. If she found out … she could change her mind about him, Ben realized in dismay.

There were all kinds of reasons why she might decide to end their relationship, to not continue seeing him or plan a life together. That was certainly something to fear.

But his fear of losing their relationship still paled in comparison to his fear of losing Rey herself, either to a cursed animal form or to death.

Ben could not allow either of those fates to befall her.

Maz Kanada's castle reminded Luke of the Mos Eisley cantina on Tatooine. Han had been a patron of both establishments during his smuggling days, and the two venues had similar atmospheres of grit, greed, and gratuity.

Luke found Maz quickly and managed to speak before she could proclaim his name for everyone to hear. "Maz, please don't call attention to me. I'm on a sensitive mission."

She sniffed. "I assume you need something."

"Yes: a word with your mechanic."

This gave Maz pause. "Is this about your nephew? He comes to see her almost every night."

Luke blinked. "Does he, really?"

"They either hang around here or loiter by the lake. Last time he even took her offworld."

"Is she with him now?"

Maz shook her head and pointed across the room. "That's her."

Luke followed her finger and saw a young human woman cleaning the tables. When she bent over, he saw a lightsaber—his lightsaber, the first one he had ever held—hanging from her belt.

For a moment he just studied her. Then he crossed the room at a moderate pace. She noticed him approaching and kept an eye on him but continued to work.

"Rey?"

She paused and looked up, surprised and somewhat wary. "Yes?" She straightened up, and her eyes widened as she took in his traditional Jedi robes.

"My name is Luke Skywalker. I'm Ben Solo's uncle."

She gaped, but her amazement quickly gave way to excitement. "Master Skywalker. I—I'm so glad to meet you."

Luke smiled, hoping to put her at ease. "Likewise. Ben spoke very highly of you." He did not fail to notice the way Rey's cheeks reddened at the mention of Ben's praise. "Do you have time for a break?"

"Yes—of course." Rey folded the cloth she had been using to wipe the table.

Luke turned to Maz, who had followed him on her short legs. "Is there a private place where we can talk?"

She waved her hand. "This way. And I expect you'll want food, too."

"That would be welcome."

Maz seated them in a slightly more private section, with a circular booth surrounding a table. There was a slightly awkward pause when she left, as Rey and Luke regarded each other, not sure what to make of this person they had heard so much about.

"How are you?" Luke asked.

The politeness and normalcy of his question made Rey laugh. "It's hard to say. I don't know where to start—so much has happened in such a short time."

Luke nodded, understanding. "I should probably ask about your training. How is it going?"

"Pretty good, I think. It's, um, been a lot of trial and error … but I'm learning quickly. Thank you for the texts, by the way."

"You're welcome. Does Ben treat you well?"

"Yes. He's—" Rey paused, smiling slightly. "He's wonderful."

"I'm glad to hear it. I wasn't sure how he'd be as a teacher." Luke lowered his gazed to the weapon hanging from her belt. "May I see that lightsaber?"

Rey nodded quickly, then carefully unclipped the lightsaber from her belt and held it out to him. Luke accepted it with both hands, and Rey saw that the mechanical one was covered with a glove.

He regarded the lightsaber with wonder. "This is over half a century old now. Do you know its history?"

"Only what Maz told me—it was yours, and your father's."

"My father made it during the Clone Wars. Obi-Wan Kenobi kept it safe for almost twenty years before passing it on to me. I lost it in a duel on Cloud City over thirty years ago."

"Maz had it in her basement. When I first came here, I felt it calling me." Rey's voice became hesitant. "I suppose I should offer it back to you."

Luke smiled and shook his head. "I made my own lightsaber with a kyber crystal that called to me. I suppose, if I hadn't lost this one, I would have passed it on to Ben. But I don't think he'll want it now that it's called to you." He passed the lightsaber back to Rey, who held it in both hands. "I don't know what the Force is playing at, leading you to it. I can only guess that you have some role to play in this story."

"What story?" Rey asked curiously.

"Of my family. Of the galaxy. We Skywalkers tend to have a bigger impact on the galaxy than most beings." He could not keep a trace of bitterness out of his voice as he said this.

"That seems to be why Snoke cursed me. So I can't have a role in—whatever bigger picture is playing out."

Luke looked intently at her. "You're certain there's no other reason?"

"I don't know for sure. I only have guesses." She bit her lip. "He came here, last night. It was the first time I saw him in person since …" She trailed off, not wanting to relive that terrifying experience of being cursed.

Maz brought over a tray of food and drink, then sat down with them. At that point, Luke got down to business. "The main reason I'm here is that Ben asked me to look for information that might help you break your curse."

Rey's entire demeanor lit up with hope. "Did you find any?" she asked, leaning forward eagerly.

"I did." Luke hefted his satchel onto the table, opened it, and drew out an old, leather-bound text. "I had to call on some old friends to find this. It's an analysis of different legends, which are the closest thing I could find to Ben's description of your situation."

Rey scooched over on the bench to look at the pages as he opened the book. "So, there have been other cases like mine? Where people turn into animals?"

"Well, that's the difficulty: we can't be sure which of these stories really happened, and which were just invented tales. Sometimes, when a story is passed down through generations, fact and fiction become blurred. But there may still be grains of truth we can pull out."

Such abstract, speculative language seemed to make Rey impatient. She asked a more pressing question: "Does it say anything about the change between human and animal? Like, whether one form becomes more dominant than another?"

Luke could understand that being a concern. "From these legends, it seems pretty fluid. It could be a matter of the individual's psyche, whether they try to retain their humanity or give in to their animalistic side."

"And in these stories, were people able to break the curse?"

"Sometimes. This author had a theory." Luke pointed to a few lines and read aloud, "The pattern created by these accounts indicates that such a curse can be broken by a bond of authentic love demonstrated by an act of complete self-gift or sacrifice."

Rey stared at the page, processing the academic language and the information it conveyed. Luke elaborated, "What Maz did to the lightsaber weakened the spell, but only an act of selfless love will break it completely." He pointed further down and said, "There's also a warning. However, if the cursed one or their beloved breaks faith, any protective talismans will lose their efficacy, and the victim will remain cursed forevermore."

Now Rey looked stricken. "What … why would that be?"

Maz shrugged. "It makes sense in my mind. To love is to make yourself vulnerable, to open yourself to the possibility of being hurt."

Luke nodded. "Now, this doesn't specify whether the love needs to be in the context of a certain type of relationship. It could be the kind of love between spouses, between a parent and child, or between siblings or friends. Those bonds can manifest themselves in different ways. So I think the question for you is, what are your strongest relationships, and are there any that should be strengthened?"

At this, Maz looked knowingly at Rey, who blushed deeply. Luke raised his eyebrows at this reaction, his suspicion growing stronger.

Rey stammered, "I, um … well … I guess Ben and his parents haven't told you?"

"I haven't had a chance to speak with them for several days." He had received an invitation to the party Leia was organizing in Ben's honor, and he had sent his acceptance, but they had not spoken at length.

"Well … um … Ben and I … we've … become … close. Closer than friends, or master and student. So I think that's my strongest relationship."

"Really?" Luke was pleased and slightly amused.

Rey looked down to hide her smile. "He told me he loves me. More than once, actually. I believed him … but …" She trailed off, then looked at Luke and tried to start again. "You've known Ben longer than I have. Do you think he … is there any chance, what it says here, about breaking faith …?"

Luke considered this thoughtfully. "I'd say … it's unlikely. Ben can be very private, but he isn't a very good liar. If he said that, then he probably believes it's true. And in general, his feelings tend to be strong and genuine. I don't think Ben would make such a bold statement if he wasn't sincere and committed."

Rey seemed reassured to hear this, but she was also puzzled. "But if we're really in love, why hasn't that broken the curse?"

"Because love—romantic or otherwise—is not just emotion or attraction or attachment. Those things may be part of it, but love is much more than that."

Rey looked at him curiously. "Are you speaking from experience?"

The question made Luke pause. "Not my own," he said finally. "I should mention that I disagree with what the Jedi taught about emotional attachment being a weakness. It's true that unchecked passions can lead to the dark side. But authentic love can turn us toward the light."

"I'm not sure I understand."

Luke smiled wryly. "Sometimes I'm not sure anyone does."

Maz spoke up. "I've lived over a thousand years, and I've found that true love is very rare."

Rey looked at her and asked sarcastically, "Are we talking 'meet the parents' rare? 'Everybody gets along' rare?"

"That's a start. But it's when two people love each other more than they love themselves. That kind of selflessness has awesome power."

Luke nodded in agreement. "I suspect that what this refers to," he said, tapping the page of the text, "is a decision, an act of will, beyond emotion or affection."

Rey considered the words on the page. "When it says 'complete self-gift or sacrifice' … what does that mean? Who needs to demonstrate that—me, or the one I love?"

"It could mean either of you, or both of you. Its exact form could vary." Luke drummed his fingers on the table, deliberating whether to say something. Then he said, "If it was a case of romantic love … there's something unique about the bond between a husband and wife. That relationship involves mutual self-gift. I would guess that getting married—making vows and surrendering your bodies to each other—might break it."

Rey stared. "So … you think Ben and I should …?"

At this, Luke let out a burst of laughter. "I'm not saying that," he said frankly. "I'm not here to pressure you. Only you know your own heart."

Rey hugged herself, as though protecting her heart. "I love Ben, but I don't know if I can marry him."

"May I ask why not?"

Rey did not answer right away. Luke waited patiently until she found the words to explain. "Ben took me to meet his parents the other night. Your sister, Leia, wanted me to choose a dress from your mother's collection, to wear to his birthday party."

"Really?" Luke was surprised, but also appreciative. "That's nice of her. She must like you."

"I guess. But seeing that finery, and hearing her droid talk about the kind of people who will be at the party … it made me wonder …"

"You think you wouldn't fit in?" A crinkle appeared between Luke's eyes. "Rey, my sister may be a senator, and she may have some royal titles, but we're all human beings. Look at Leia—she married a smuggler. And Ben isn't likely to look for a spouse among the galaxy's social elite."

"Han was a war hero, and a legend even before that. Ben is practically a prince. Not to mention a Jedi Knight." Rey bowed her head, looking down at her workworn hands and ragged clothes. "I'm just a scavenger."

"Do you know what I see?" Maz reached out and touched Rey's cheek, drawing her eyes toward her. "Kindness, laughter, and bravery. All worth more than any treasure a king could possess."

Rey looked back in wonder, touched but not quite believing.

"The Force chose you to be its instrument," Luke said firmly. "And it led you and Ben into each other's lives. That's no small thing. Which reminds me: have you thought about coming to the training temple?"

"I've thought about it. Haven't decided yet."

"Well, I'll be bringing some of my students to the party. You can meet them then."

Rey was incredulous. "A party? At a time like this?"

Luke smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes softening. "Rey, if there's one thing I learned during the war, it's that you need to enjoy moments of happiness with the people you love while you can. Even if those moments happen during or in between crises." His tone became more serious. "Things could get worse before they get better."

They did not talk much after this exchange. While Luke ate and chatted with Maz, Rey carefully turned the pages of the book, skimming the text for anything that seemed relevant to her.

She paused when she came across a curious term. "What's a Force dyad?"

"They are extremely rare—unseen for generations at a time," Luke said. "They're pairs of Force-users who share an exceptionally strong connection."

"Alone, they are two; but together, they are one," Maz said, as though reciting a proverb or a line from a poem.

"Two for one," Rey murmured thoughtfully. She had heard that phrase used by traders on Jakku when they were striking bargains.

"Is there anything else you want to talk about?" Luke asked pointedly.

Rey thought for a long moment, then shook her head. "I need time to think about all of this." She closed the book carefully and passed with back to Luke. "If you see Ben before I do … please don't tell him about all of this. He has enough going on right now. I'll talk to him about it after the party."

"If you prefer that." Luke packed up his bag and stood. "I'm sorry I can't be of more help you, Rey."

Rey stood up too. "No, Master, you've been a great help. I appreciate you going to all this trouble for me."

"You're welcome to it."

They smiled at each other, and both started to stay, "May the Force—" Rey broke off laughing nervously. "Sorry."

"Go ahead," Luke said courteously.

"May the Force be with you. It's an honor to meet you, Master Skywalker."

Luke bowed slightly. "May the Force be with you, Rey. It was a pleasure meeting you."

After Maz retired for the night, Rey retreated to the lakeshore to be alone. She rarely desired solitude, but this was one of those rare times. She wanted to practice forms, meditate, and think over everything Luke had said. By the time the sky started to brighten, she had begun to lean toward going to the party.

Once she was a porg, she went to her hollow tree. She slept intermittently through the day, as had become her habit. At one point, she awoke to the sounds of shouting and blasters firing in the distance. She figured someone must have caused a skirmish in the cantina, which Maz had said happened on rare occasions. Maz would set them straight quickly enough, as she always did.

When night fell, Rey decided to visit the porgs before they went to sleep. She had been spending considerably less time with them since meeting Ben. Most of the porgs recognized her human form, and a few friendly ones flew over to greet her as she approached them.

"Hello, little ones," Rey said, kneeling to address them. "Is everything alright here? I know we all had a scare the other night."

From the sounds they made, she gathered that the forest had been relatively peaceful since then. She smiled and patted the heads of the ones closest to her. "That's good. I'd hate to think of you in danger if anything happened."

A few more porgs tottered over to join the conversation. Rey looked at each of them in turn. "I don't suppose you know what I should do?"

They looked back at her blankly; a few seemed mildly concerned.

"You know, I sort of envied you, for a while. Your lives are so simple. Mine was, too, until I came here. But not really in a good way. I'm much happier now—but I'm also afraid, because I have more to lose. I guess that's the risk you take when you let yourself love someone."

She remembered seeing Han and Leia the other day. She had observed their interactions with curiosity, not only because they were legendary personages, but because she had never really known a married couple. Most of their attention had been on Rey herself, but there had been moments when their affection for each other was evident. They had known and loved each other for a long time, and seeing them had made Rey imagine her possible future with Ben.

If Rey had as many years ahead of her with Ben, then missing one night would not be missing much; but if they did not have much time, as Snoke had hinted, then they should take advantage of whatever time they could spend together.

Rey made up her mind: she would go to the party. She would ask Maz to accompany her and ask Luke to give them a ride. She already missed Ben; she would feel safer with him and his family; and he might even be safer with her.

Having come to this decision, Rey stood and walked resolutely to the castle. As she drew closer, she had a growing sense that something was amiss. She could not find evidence for this until she entered the building.

For the first time Rey could remember, the cantina was completely empty of customers. There were not even any drunken loiterers slumped over the tables or curled up in corners. The silence was eerie in a place that was usually filled with raucous voices and music.

When Rey's eyes had adjusted to the light, she saw the clear marks of a fight: tables and chairs had been moved or turned over; the machines that Rey had cleaned the night before were dented; and there were blaster marks on the walls that Rey was certain had not been there before.

"Maz?" Rey called out. No one answered. "Anyone?"

A moment later, she heard a familiar beeping sound, and BB-8 peeked out from behind a corner. Rey went over and knelt to meet its eye level. "What happened here?"

BB-8 answered in Basic: Jakku men came here.

"Jakku men? You mean the ones that tried to take you?"

BB-8 beeped in affirmation. There was a fight. I hid.

"You were right to hide," Rey reassured it. "But where is Maz?" In her time on Takodana, Rey had gotten the impression that the pirate could fend for herself quite well, but if she was outnumbered and outgunned, or taken by surprise …

The droid said it did not know Maz's location.

"Okay." Trying not to panic, Rey stood and looked helplessly around the cavernous room. Unsure what else to do, she went behind the counter to look at the damage and check the inventory.

She spotted something that had not been there before: in contrast with the the upturned furniture, a holoprojector had been placed neatly on the shelf. Rey picked up the small device, set it on the counter and pressed the button.

A holographic image of Unkar Plutt, her old junk boss, appeared and spoke, his voice dripping with malice. "Hello Rey. I couldn't find you here, so I'm just gonna take your friend as insurance. If you want her freed, you'd better get back to Jakku." A second later the image disappeared.

Rey stared, taking deep breaths to fight anger building inside her. Somehow, in the midst of all her fear and anxiety lately, she had never imagined something like this happening. She had thought that Unkar did not care whether she stayed or went, but apparently she was valuable enough to him that he wanted her back. Maz must have refused to tell them her whereabouts.

BB-8 rolled up next to Rey and beeped out a question. She glanced at it and nodded. "I need to get her back." She would probably miss Ben's party, but surely he would understand. She owed it to Maz.

She had trained enough that she could probably fight off a great many of Unkar's goons. The question was how to get to Jakku, rescue Maz, and return to Takodana, when she was doomed to turn into a porg if she was on a planet surface in daylight hours.

As she was puzzling over this, the computer alerted her that someone was sending a transmission. Rey looked at the screen, thinking it would either be something completely unimportant like a shipping order, or something vital like a new ransom message.

As soon as she saw who it was from, she opened the transmission, her hope renewed. "Master Skywalker?"

"Hello Rey. I was wondering whether you need a ride?"

She realized that he was referring to Ben's party. "I do—but not to Hosnian Prime. I have to go back to Jakku."

Author's Notes

Disclaimer: Many lines in Luke, Rey, and Maz's conversation, as well as the plot point of a kidnapping, are from Barbie of Swan Lake.