Author's note:
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Summary:
EPISODE IX: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER FIX-IT REWRITE.
It's been a year since TROS shattered hearts of many and especially Reylos. Since then, I've been dutifully working on a rewrite of the movie, taking some of the scenes and pieces of dialogue I liked or found meaningful, reversing them into what they logically should be or played with them some more to enhance their significance. I've also taken some of its plot and transformed it into something that hopefully makes much more sense and it's way more satisfying than the movie itself.
So, Palpatine is indeed back but how? And what is his game? What Rey and Ben have been up to between TLJ and TROS? What are their individual struggles and how are they going to deal with them? What is the state of the First Order and the Resistance? All answers will be gradually provided in the story as it unfolds.
If TROS can be considered as revenge to TLJ, then this story is my revenge to TROS and you are welcome to join the ride.
Centrepiece of the story is Reylo. Other characters and their actions will appear and will be mentioned but not all will be described in chapters.
The story behind this fic is simple and it's one of the reasons why it starts off a little bit out of ordinary than it probably should. I have started to write a smutty one-shot based on a scene I had in my head for a long time and found it attractive enough for Reylo. But I am not a writer of dribblers or short stuff, I always write long chapters with exhausting details and the more I wrote the story, the more I sank deeper into details regarding the state of their relationship in the one-shot, state of the world and all the other necessary stuff. It captured me so much that before I realized it, the story in my head expanded into a whole rewrite of TROS movie, twisting every single detail I hated into its right and logical shape, turning them against the original interpretation. And I cherished the ones I actually liked, despite their shortage, giving them deeper or a different meaning and placing them into a different time or place.
Since I took off from the smut I wrote, I decided to leave it where it is - in the beginning - and take it as a corner stone of what is to come. I am not naive to think that this would be the final product that would be in the cinemas or how the story would be told whatsoever but I stand behind it as I tried to shape it in the most believable way possible so it could be a follow-up to the TROS rewrite I have decided to do.
The story is 90 % Reylo, mostly Rey's POV, and other things important for the development of the storyline are mentioned through the story as well as the characters important for their occurrence.
Welcome to my world and enjoy reading!
Episode IX: Victory of the Dyad
Chapter 1 – By the Waterfall, Part 1
There was a relaxed smile on her face as she clambered through the paths of the lush forest, her eyes drinking all the green colour around her as she supported her weight on the staff with the lightsaber she had finished a couple of weeks ago loosely hanging around her belt but hidden from the sight of the others. The calming sound of surging water told her that she wasn't far off from her destination – a waterfall with a pool of crystal clear blue water.
The waterfall wasn't massive but coming from Jakku made her appreciate whatever body of water as much as she could and thanks to the villagers (or whoever they were) inhabiting this planet of unknown name, she knew her way towards it. Her eyes were full of wonder, caressing the natural beauty of bushy, fresh forest only Takodana could compete with.
Touching the leaves of the broadleaved trees, inspecting their structure, then picking up the fallen needles from conifers and letting them fall back on the ground, was a breathtaking experience for her. Every herb, every mushroom, every trace of wild nature made her to stop for a moment to look at it. Here and then, she was startled by a wildlife animal but they were hardly life-threatening beasts.
She laughed to herself, a bubbly joyful laughter, being pleased with all the peace around her. There was no fear, no war, no training, no overwhelming responsibility hanging over her head. It was like if harsh reality ceased to exist and she just was and breathed the fresh air, marvelling at the nature's ability to keep surprising her. It felt like a dream and yet, it wasn't. The reality still kept knocking on her walls at the back of her head but she profusely chose to ignore it at the moment.
Her presence on this neutral, purely trade-oriented planet was no accident, albeit the mission was a mundane task. In some distant past, this planet had some name but either no one could remember it or no one really cared. A genius strategy for a world that had no ruling government, no real inhabitants and wanted to stay out of the line of fire. What didn't have a name couldn't be proclaimed as anyone's property. And so it was used for a trade – often between enemy parties – and utilized by third sides for necessary survival.
Rey's 'mission' on this planet was of the same nature – she had flown a cargo ship over there from nearby well-hidden Resistance base to replenish their supplies and then she should disappear again without getting noticed at best. Luckily, most of the visitors consisting of traders, mercenaries, bounty hunters, smugglers and other people of such sorts had no interest in getting noticed too, so not many of them paid her any attention.
Her decision to explore the planet further was purely made out of curiosity. One of the items she needed to replenish was out of stock and the traders had informed her that a ship with the desired item would arrive in a half a day. She had decided to wait, informed the Resistance about her next move and had gone to kill the remaining time by visiting the waterfall she had seen from the cargo ship.
Boredom was her enemy at the moment and it was, after all, one of the reasons why she had volunteered for this mission. And by 'volunteered' she meant intruded herself into it, not giving any chance to anyone to doubt her trading abilities or to force her to accept any companionship. It was pathetic, really, but she craved to be all by herself for a little moment. Her alone was different than the alone she knew on the Resistance base.
Not that she was bored all the time but her desire to train was often replaced by complete physical and mental exhaustion after everyday Force meditation and repetition of the forms of lightsaber combat. She was getting better but she still had a lot to improve to call herself a Jedi Knight from the legends. At least, that was her own opinion because Leia strongly disagreed with her every single time. No wonder she had taken the chance for a break so eagerly.
While Resistance people were friendly to her, she still often felt very alone and as if nobody really understood who she was. They looked up to her as some sort of a Saviour which often got in the way of forming real bond of friendship. Only a few of them had the courage to overcome their almost holy respect towards her and dared to see her as a normal person.
Naturally, she was left with her closest group who had seen her for more than her Force sensitivity. However, Finn had left a couple of days ago with a unit of Resistance fighters to one of the friendlier planets to verify reports about First Order using it as a harvest point for future stormtroopers. She had cheered him on this task, knowing that he was the perfect person for the job.
Rose, a woman she had befriended immediately, had left with him and while she wished to accompany them both and prove to be useful, being the last Galaxy's Jedi didn't give her any other choice but stay put. Resistance leadership wanted her to be near, always on alert, always ready to protect and fight for those on the main base as it was an important strategic point.
Poe Dameron with whom she had sometimes explosive and complicated friendship was also gone – as one of the veteran pilots despite his age, he had become a commander of his own squadron and was currently training them in some hidden corner of the Galaxy. BB-8 and Chewie had accompanied him to help with other necessary tasks, taking the Millennium Falcon with them.
And so it was really just her and Leia. And Luke's notes he had written before his unfortunate solitude on Ahch-To. But mostly Leia. And Rey did enjoy her company, she really did because the older woman was an incredible well of experience and wisdom combined in a fierce package. Someone Rey definitely aspired to become one day if the Force provided her with enough strength.
But she was still the General of Resistance, the Legendary Princess from the stories Rey had occasionally overheard at Niima Outpost, the sister of Luke Skywalker, the legendary Jedi, and of course – the love of Han Solo, the man who had treated her like a competent human being since... well, since forever. It was damn strange to just casually chat with the woman and not think about all the imaginary titles.
Not to mention that she also happened to be the mother of the man who was in the lead of Resistance's adversary. A man who shared a Force bond, a powerful, intimate bond between two people, with Rey. In one weak, unguarded moment, Rey had blurted out the confession about the Force bond to Leia and while it was freeing to have someone who understood what it entailed to talk to, there were moments she deeply regretted it.
And not for her own selfish reasons but more for Leia's inner peace. To see the silent plea in her eyes to tell her about her son she had to downplay far too often, to observe the internal struggle between Leia Organa, the General and Leia Organa, the Mother was excruciating at times. She still believed that her son could be turned back to the Light and that was why Resistance was just well... resisting, not actually actively attacking the First Order.
Rey shook her head violently in order to expel all these apologetic thoughts out of her head. She didn't have to keep searching for an apology for her presence here and her insistence on her participation in this 'mission'. She had simply felt that she might be useful in some other way than using Force and swinging the saber and no one had actually expressed any objections. They all believed that it was safe.
Conquering the last height elevation, she finally set foot on the plain with the waterfall in front of her. In fascination, she took a couple of steps forward to stand at the short piece of shore as she stared at the massive body of water falling down the crags, creating the most beautiful waterfall she had ever seen. Its height wasn't as impressive as its width but it was still breathtaking.
She estimated that it was as wide as regular TIE fighter's width and as high as regular X-wing's width (if she flew it sideways). The water fell down in rich streams, yet there wasn't much of a noise due to the broadness of the crags beneath the waterfall. The pool below seemed to be quite deep and it was spacious enough for a good number of people to swim in. The water right around the spot where the waterfall touched the pool was a little bit turbid, but still azure blue like the sky and it kept clearing up towards the shore.
It looked as if it was devoid of any wild life but she was sure that it was just an initial impression. Something so gorgeous deserved to be filled with many and many animals. Crouching down, she wetted her hand in the water as if she wanted to caress its beauty and for a moment, she saw the little waves hitting the shore intensifying as if the waterfall was welcoming her and wishing her to have a good time.
She straightened up with a smile, looked around happily and released a deep breath she didn't even know she was holding. Then she directed her legs along the banks of the natural pool of water through the green flora to find some comfortable place near the waterfall to sit. Such place offered itself in the form of a tiny meadow between two dense tree covers.
It stretched from the bank to the back to the crags that formed the waterfall as well as they fringed the whole valley around the pool of water and the main path she had walked on her way here. Small but adequate for at least two people to sit and have a picnic or something (she had just heard about them), it was also hidden from the eyes of other people arriving from the main path due to the trees in the way.
Dropping her satchel on the ground, she sank down into the soft grass, crossing her legs beneath her. It was a meditation pose but she had no intention to do so as her sole attention was fixed on the waterfall, taking delight in the water splashing down from the height. The noise would be enormous if it wasn't for the trees surrounding her that muffled some of the roaring sound.
Then she opened the satchel and pulled out a canteen of water and some fruit pieces she had taken with her from the Resistance base as a snack. Her mouth watered immediately as her teeth started to gnaw at the soft pulp of the fruit, flooding her with sweet pleasure. She could definitely imagine a stroll like this one every single day. Just walking through nature, taking a little break to refresh and then head back.
The sun shone on her back, making her feel warm and she found the azure blue water alluring, her desire to stick her feet in it growing stronger. Carefully, she took her staff and tested the depth of the pool right below her and then she decisively slipped her boots off and rolled her three-quarter pants up a little bit. Moving right to the edge of the bank, she lowered her feet down, grasping on the straws of the grass.
The first contact with water was cold and a blissful surge of electricity ran down her spine as she dipped her feet deeper and deeper until her feet sank under the surface completely. She gave out a sigh of pleasure and playfully kicked the water a couple of times, rippling it. With this perfect combination of warm skin and cool feet, she immersed completely in the sound of the waterfall for a couple of endless minutes.
However, her rapture was growing, her desire to intensify this moment of peace and relaxation got better of her because she knew that soon, there wouldn't be any chance to experience anything similar. And she could live from the good memories for enormous amount of time. This specific kind of greed probably wasn't a Jedi thing but she didn't see anything wrong on it, either.
She only wanted to take a bath in the waterfall pool for never had she had the opportunity to bathe in such an enticing and natural body of water. For a moment she hesitated, biting her lip in contemplation as she gave her mind the chance to nip the idea in the bud. It wasn't going away, though, so she made her decision and stood up resolutely, looking around herself.
Bathing suit or whatever people used during swimming wasn't available to her at the moment so if she really wanted to go through with her plan, she had to do so nude. And so she returned back to the main path to find out how much of her could be seen from there since it was the only way how to get to the waterfall. To her delight, the trees offered very poor view on the place she had sat minutes ago.
And so it was decided – she would take a bath in the beautiful azure pool. She knew that this place wasn't visited often, her place on the meadow was well-hidden and if she saw someone arriving, she would just swim to the nearest bank to hide herself or to talk to the visitors to give her a couple of minutes so she could make herself decent. The plan did have some holes, she admitted that but her desire to bathe was too strong.
She tuned in the Force, searching for the nearest life traces that could threaten her in some way and smiling widely when she found none in the closest and for her safest perimeter. Eagerly, she went back to the meadow and grabbed her adjusted garments that didn't scream 'I am a Jedi' and started to take them off when she suddenly halted in her actions.
There was still one person she needed to check up on before she would completely undress herself. Normally, she wouldn't bother with it but this man had a magical access to her mind through the Force bond and while he definitely couldn't see much of her surroundings – just as she couldn't see much of his – he would notice that she was naked for sure. It was a first-hand experience, after all.
Releasing a sigh of relief after she found the bond firmly closed, shut down and buried as it had been for the last few days, she finally stripped her clothes off. The bond didn't cease to exist, of course, it had just been temporarily disconnected. Although neither of them possessed the ability to command it, both had learnt the ability to close it off if focused hard enough and if the other didn't directly oppose to it.
It brought certain alleviation to their strange relationship. The only problem of this technique was that to control its reconnection appeared impossible. And so they often experienced a powerful pull when the bond forcefully and suddenly opened, usually catching them in a state of inconveniency for the other. The trigger, as they both realized, was an emotional event of personal significance.
She remembered the first time it happened for her quite clearly. Her emotions had poured out of her in strong waves while she had been standing under the flow of hot water that had pleasantly kept hitting her back and relaxing her muscles. It had been an exhausting day, both mentally and physically, and so the shower she had been having was like a gift from the brightest star in the region.
Tiredness had consumed her but she had been refusing to give up the blissful feeling as the water wiped away her tears of exhaustion and her sore muscles melted. She loved showering and by loved she meant a genuine affection for the beautiful activity of scrubbing her skin clean. She profoundly enjoyed scenting herself with various bath gels, always looking forward to testing a fragrance for the first time.
Growing up on a desert planet, a shower was a luxury she could hardly, if ever, afford. After the Resistance people had assured her that showering for more than half an hour wouldn't deplete the water resources and after she had personally verified the information, she indulged in the activity as often as she was allowed to – occasionally restricted by her conscience and the time she had at her disposal.
She always saw to being alone because her showers were accompanied by quite inappropriate sighs of pleasure – as Finn and Poe had once pointed out to her. Yes, she was vocal because she loved to express aloud her joy over such a simple, yet for her exceptional moment, as a shower. Personally, it wasn't just about having a common wash. It was her emotional moment of personal significance.
When she had come out of the fresher, wrapped up in a towel while using another one to dry her wet hair, she had stopped dead in her tracks when her eyes had landed on him. Sitting on her bed, chewing the inside of his cheek, he had looked up at her mortified with pale complexion and wide eyes. His gulp was the only sound she could hear through the light buzz inside her head.
He had appeared to be more confused about his presence in her room than she had been because as she had opened her mouth in enraged questioning, he had stammered something about the Force bond to be blamed. His choked voice had caught her off guard, just as the incessant roving around the room with his eyes. It had taken her a while to realize what had caused his discomfort and the growing red shade in his cheeks.
First of all, his eyes had kept turning towards the fresher area as he had been expecting another person than Rey to come out. Secondly, he had been aware of her nudity beneath the towel and he had miserably failed in trying to cover up his interest. That poor man had most likely heard all the sighs while she had been in the fresher, supposedly indulging in a completely different activity than showering.
As the realization had dawned on her, her own cheeks had flamed up. A stupid urge had commanded her to quickly explain that she had just been having a shower and that had been it, nothing else had been going on as if she had been his girlfriend or something. He had nodded in acknowledgement and his interest in her body had become more opened. Self-consciously, she had tried to cover herself up as much as she could but whenever she had moved her arm, a different part of her body had felt more naked.
Flustered, they had stared at each other without a word for the rest of the Force bond vision, trying to identify their feelings. Attraction had laced through most of them, both positive and negative. And even though there had barely been any barrier between them so it had been easy to act on it, they had managed to keep it under the control. After all, they hadn't truly understood it, albeit feeling the same on numerous of occasions.
Since then, this situation had occurred several times. Doing their best in order to deal with it without real confrontation, they had fallen into a certain routine. He had learnt to lower his eyes whenever it was required (she had her suspicions about him ogling her when he thought she wasn't looking, though) and she had accepted the fact that his broad figure had always sat on her bed whenever she was in the fresher, lowering the volume of her moans.
For him, the emotional moment of personal significance lay in training. He loved to swing his lightsaber around threateningly, dominating the imaginary battlefield within a special programme designed specifically for his needs by First Order engineers who had grown tired by endless repairs whenever Kylo had made up his mind to destroy everything in his reach.
They all had been trembling when they presented him the programme with faceless and neutral enemies who could wield a wide range of weapons from blasters to staff sabers, and a diverse variety of terrains he could test his abilities on. The only requirements for the system to run was a technology advanced enough to deal with the technological demands and an empty space large enough for him to move freely.
His reaction had been unexpected as he had welcomed it and thanked them for their work. They all had been stunned with the warmth but being witnesses of his occasional rampages for years, they hadn't dared to even think that he'd gotten soft. And after all those years of Snoke's tyranny, it had been actually relief to work under normal pressure and not in constant fear. So, there was nothing to complain about.
It had become Kylo's own secluded place that even Hux didn't dare to step in, pretty much aware of the potential danger. Only the original engineers had the access to the system from time to time when he asked them for some improvements or add-ons to suit his needs and moods. One thing was clear – no longer they had to repair the systems on bases and ships usually destroyed by lightsaber and Kylo Ren hadn't choked someone to death in a long time.
Because there, within the system, he could unleash his full fury, kill countless enemies, determine his physical and mental boundaries and top them. It was a place where he hid to deal with his inner anger instead of venting it on other members of the First Order. Adrenaline mixed with endorphins flowed through his veins like waterfalls whenever he had opted for such type of training, increasing the satisfaction over his own improvements.
Drenched with sweat, he usually snatched his garments off to cool down, except for his pants and boots and let the intoxicating feeling of his victory to soak into his skin as he watched whatever star system they were currently in out of the window. Unlike him, she was already used to his half-naked hobby so when the Force bond transition had taken place for the first time for him, her remark in his direction was more or less filled with amusement.
Do you always train with your chest bare for the whole Galaxy to see?
He would have spun around sharply to have the element of surprise but whether he wanted or not, she was his weakness and hearing her voice after that embarrassing staring contest in her room the other night, it had been a welcomed shift back to their usual norm. Dealing with her when she was snide or yelling at him was easier than controlling his urges as he examined her beautiful body.
Instead, he had stridden across the room, completely ignoring her. He'd lifted his black T-shirt and pulled it over his head, hitting several buttons on the data pad that was connected to the room's circuit. Turning around to finally face her, he'd stared at her darkly for a couple of endless moments. There had been something in his eyes that once again rooted her to the floor, something she had seen in her room but she couldn't quite put a finger on it.
Without a blink, he had removed a lightsaber hilt she had never seen before from his belt and thrown it in her direction. There had been a self-satisfied smirk on his lips when she had wordlessly caught it mid-air with the Force and let it peacefully land in her hand. He had watched as she had ignited it, turning the hilt in her hands as if she had been trying to uncover the greatest secrets of the universe.
The colour was white and as she had toyed with it for a moment, she had realized that the weapon only resembled to a real lightsaber. It couldn't deal any real blow, it couldn't damage anything, it was just a tool for safe training so no one (or nothing) could be harmed. A clever prop, she had admitted so. It had also explained why he had so recklessly given her a chance to attack him.
While she had hesitated at first, she had eventually nodded in agreement over his suggestion to spare together. Gradually as the time passed and the Force bond meetings occurred repeatedly, they fought against each other as two individuals, then as individual parts of two different armies against a common enemy in the special programme and in the end, they had fought side by side completely alone against a vast imaginary army.
Both breathless and exhausted from the training at the end of the session, they refused to be loathsome and instead, they complimented on the combat styles and even pointed out some mistakes that were observed by the other side. All those remarks were respectfully accepted and communicated without sarcasm or insults, yelling or hissing. And the best part – they were equals, there was no subordination or inferiority involved.
Although it could seem that their connection through the Force was basically very domestic, considering all the previously stated information, it was hardly the ordinary reality. They still yelled at each other, both sometimes very temperamental, ready to slit the throat of the other if they had to. However, such moments were occurring less and less and it was only thanks to their mutual acceptance of the Force bond.
They also saw each other in their worst – the emotional moment of personal significance didn't always mean a positive event. Actually, the ones of a negative nature lately predominated as if something raw and evil was about to engulf them and put them to the test. Rey didn't like these because Ben was always insufferable as opposed to the positive ones. The darkness rolled off him in strong waves and it often clouded her own thoughts, gradually snuffing the light inside her.
When she had first seen him in such a state, mutely staring in front of him with hollow eyes, pallid so much that even his lips were almost white (not that she was ever looking at his lips, she wasn't), hunched in the corner of his bed and at times rocking back and forth, she had been terrified. If he had just woken up from nightmare or he had been just been living through one, she hadn't known but the condition had been too familiar to her.
Several times she tried to talk to him, calling his name – both as Ben and Kylo Ren – wanting to help him out because it did pain her to see him in such a state, wondering what could be plaguing him. He pushed her out violently every single time so she had no other choice but to reserve to just watching him from the shadows and analyzing his worst mutely inside her head, trying to find some clue in the pattern of his nightmares or even sense an echo of them.
Since he refused to talk to her about these, playing deaf whenever she mentioned them, she got even with him by pushing him out as well every time the moment of her worst had appeared. The pleading tone in his voice as he repeated her name like some mantra, willing her to talk to him about her bad mood, was very hard to resist but she stood her ground and promised herself to open to him only if he opened up to her in return.
This almost agonizing cycle had been broken about a month ago. The powerful disturbance in the Force that filled her with unflagging dread had brought him to the very edge of insanity. His eyes had no longer been hollow, the emptiness replaced by an abyss that mirrored the state of his soul, the white of his eyes bloodshot. His touch had been freezing cold, his skin almost colouring into an unhealthy shade of blue.
The rocking back and forth had been swapped for uncontrollable tremor of his whole body, his lips parched and quivering as his teeth had chattered. It had looked as if he had spent quite some time on a very cold place but it couldn't have been further from the truth. The sweat had been pouring all over his body, wetting his hair as if he had just come out of a fresher.
She hadn't called out his name this time and she hadn't even stayed standing in the shadows, observing him. Her heart had been already ripped out right in the moment she had laid her eyes upon him. Although she had had no idea what was going on and if her next steps hadn't been more damaging than salvaging, she had run over to him and cradled him in her arms.
His reaction had been weak because it had taken him at least half an hour to realize that she was uttering words of comfort into his ear, raking his hair, embracing him and soothingly caressing his back. His state had frightened him more than it had frightened her and he had warned her that she might be playing with fire. He hadn't got a clue what he could have done once he was fully himself again.
Of course she had ignored him and finally let the tears fall down from the corners of her eyes down her cheeks. A sob had riddled through her, making her to tighten her arms around him as a flood of her compassion for him had hit him hardly. It had sent a wave of pleasant warmth through his body and improved his state immediately. Surprised, he had pulled away from her to look into her teary face.
They had stared at each other for a while, Rey smiling at him when she could have seen that he was getting better. He had contemplated to say and do a lot of things to show his gratitude but he hadn't gotten the chance because in that moment, the connection between them had been broken. Her physical presence had disappeared but her comforting ministrations, her sweet words and her smile had stayed with him in his memory.
A little chance for requiting the uncommon moment of kindness had arrived soon enough, though. A few weeks later, actually a couple of days ago, he had done a very similar thing for her when he had been suddenly pulled into her environment, watching her as she had made a mess of her personal quarters in a fit of unfounded rage. It hadn't reached his level of usual wrath so there was no threat for her to dab in the Dark side but still... She had been hurting.
Since she had still been aware of whom he was, she hadn't given away much information as she had sobbed into his shoulder, wetting his tunic with streams of tears but he had detected her extremely high level of frustration. Caressing her hair, his hand had itched with the urge to violate her mind and find the source of her sadness – for her own good so he could help her.
But he had withstand it and instead had learnt to read between the lines of her worded sobs – her training had been exhausting her to the point of fainting lately, she had just found out that she would be on the base alone as her friends had been leaving and she had had zero clue where to start looking when it came to the disturbance in the Force, being left with studying notes and holocrons, anxiously waiting for something to happen to give her the hint what it could be and how she could fight it.
He hadn't uttered a word out of two reasons – he hadn't wanted to seem that he was on a spying mission, trying to extract useful information out of her, and because he actually knew what the disturbance had meant. And for her own sake, he hadn't revealed to her anything, his large hands simply attempting to bring some comfort to her just as she had done it for him.
When this Force bond connection had ended, he had focused especially strongly in order to seal the permeable tunnel between them, making sure that it would last a while, despite certain emotional fluctuations. Why he had done it, she didn't know but for sure he was up to something as he apparently didn't want her to find out. She considered it to be for the best since she was certain she hadn't revealed to him anything of value and her friends were safe.
Her body sank safely into the blue pool and she immediately found a firm ground beneath her feet as the bottom was covered with small blunt stones she could stand on without problems. The water was cold and goose bumps sprouted on her skin like withered flowers after a fresh splash. She rippled the water with her hands carefully as if she wanted to caress it and then she bent her knees to submerge up to her shoulders.
Her hands played with the small waves for a little longer and then she bounced off the bottom and started to swim. At first, she stayed close to the meadow's bank but as she got bolder, her strokes becoming more confident, she swam all around carefully. Although she didn't dare to get too close to the waterfall, she enjoyed the rumbling sound beneath the surface.
It was only a question of time until she also dived under the surface, wetting her hair but not minding it at all. After she dived deeper, attempting to touch the bottom, she resurfaced nearby the bank at the meadow and threw her hair over her shoulder. With care, she twisted it and squeezed it to get as much water as she could out of it when she suddenly heard something.
Freezing on the spot, she slowly let go of her hair and turned around to examine the bank but she couldn't see any source of the sound. Normally, she wouldn't have probably heard it through the waterfall's loud roar but her Force sensitivity had gifted her with certain abilities and exceptionally good sense of hearing was among them. Something or someone had caused the sound for sure.
However, despite her other Force's connected abilities that included detecting life traces of the living things around her, she couldn't identify the one she was looking for, simply because she couldn't feel it. She was ready to shrug her shoulders and admit that maybe her imagination tricked her but then she heard the same sound of a cracking wood again – and this time it was unmistakable.
Crossing her arms over her chest to cover her breasts, she looked around again, carefully scouting the area to notice any kind of a change but she still couldn't find any. "Who hides there?" She called out as firmly and confidently as she could. "I know you're here so I advise you to show up."
"Hello, Rey." A familiar figure greeted her in an unhurried, soft tone.
The End of Chapter 1
I know I could go on but cliffhangers are so tempting... Let me allow having at least this one. I promise that Chapter 2 will come soon enough and then we will dive deeper into the whole TROS rewrite. :)
Comments are appreciated!