Thanks for the reviews DS2010, Shae, and gooniebird86!
Rey squinted as she tried to open her eyes, finding a ray of sunlight from the partially opened door on her face. She turned her head to escape the glare and found herself face to face with Ben. She vaguely remembered falling asleep on him but somehow they had ended up on the ground. His arm was still around her and Rey realized she had been using it as a pillow. She was pressed against his bare chest, her face inches from his.
Ben smiled as their eyes met and Rey immediately felt herself die of embarrassment. She sat up quickly, looking down at him. "I'm sorry." She blurted out. "I slept on your arm."
Ben snorted in amusement and pushed himself to a sitting position, running his hands over his face. "I'm glad one of us slept." He said, and Rey's stomach twisted with guilt. Since they'd gotten lost, he had burned his shirt to keep her warm, healed her, and sacrificed a night of sleep so that she could use him as a pillow. Was this the same man she'd crashed on Mortis with?
Yes, a small voice inside of her said. This was who he had always been underneath all the fear and anger. She had seen glimpses of it all along but it had always been obscured by Darkness. Now, in the morning light, she could see the good in him so clearly.
"I'll go find the ship." Rey said, scrambling to her feet and grabbing the basket of fish, which had almost certainly gone bad by now. "You stay here and rest-"
"Absolutely not." Ben said quickly, a note of fear in his voice. "We're not separating. We might never find each other again."
Rey shook her head, privately thinking that was unlikely. She could feel him lightyears away, she was never going to lose him. But she knew he would never accept this explanation so she held out a hand. "Okay then let's go." She said, beyond eager to get out of this cold stone room. "It could be a long walk and we do not want to get stuck out here again. Next time there might not be such a conveniently placed building."
Ben took her hand and stood up, frowning. "You raise a good point." He said, looking around himself. "It's almost too convenient."
Rey forced herself to focus on his face and not his still bare chest and then turned away when it became too hard. She marched towards the door, stepping out into the blinding sunlight outside and gasped. There, in front of her, rising up as high as a mountain, was the castle, and to its right, was their ship.
Ben came to join her in the doorway and froze, his shock palpable through the Force.
"Now do you believe me when I say things move around on this planet?" Rey asked, looking back at him.
Ben made no reply, stepping out past her and walking towards the ship.
"It doesn't make any sense." He muttered at last. "It's like Mortis is playing tricks on us."
"Maybe it is." Rey agreed, following him into the ship. They freshened up, changed into fresh clothing unburnt by the corrosive rain, and ate breakfast, relieved to be back in the ship. Rey watched him across the table, concerned by the dark circles under his eyes.
"You should get some rest." Rey said, as she pushed away her empty bowl.
"I have a better idea." Ben said, putting his hands on the table and standing up. "I want to take a closer look at that building we were sleeping in last night."
"Why?" Rey asked.
"It's no coincidence we ended up there." Ben said. "There's something in there we're supposed to find. I guarantee it."
"There was nothing in there." Rey said, following him as he walked out of the kitchen and through the ship. "Nothing except a torch."
"And a door that wouldn't open." Ben said, glancing back at her as he walked down the ramp. "I want to know what's behind that door."
They crossed the short distance between the ship and the stone structure, slipping inside the cool stone room once more. Rey looked around herself as Ben headed over to the door and pulled on it. When it didn't budge he pulled harder and then lit his lightsaber, seeming ready to cut it open.
"Wait-" Rey said, falling to her knees and brushing away the dust on the floor. "There's a design on the floor."
Ben came to look over her shoulder as Rey continued to brush away the dust.
"I don't recognize it." Ben said with a frown.
Ben knelt down on the ground, running his fingers across the designs they had been too tired to notice in the dark the night before. Rey walked over to the backdoor. She remembered Ben had tried it the night before with no luck. She pulled on the handle anyway, finding it just as unwilling to move for her. Rey frowned, suddenly unbearably curious.
Closing her eyes, Rey reached out with the Force and willed the door to unlock. She heard a click and opened her eyes, trying the handle again. This time, the door opened with a slow creak, dust falling from the sides as it did.
"Woah, Rey. Be careful-" Ben began, coming up behind her.
Rey paid no heed to his warning, stepping into the room without a second thought. The room was dark and dusty and Rey squinted in the shadows. Rey lit her lightsaber and Ben followed suit, basking the room in a mix of red and blue light. Out of the shadows in front of them rose three statues, the faces of the stone carvings eerily familiar.
"Ben..." Rey said uncertainly, a chill running down her spine. "I think...this is a tomb."
Ben made no reply, walking over to an altar on which laid a dagger. He frowned and then hesitantly reached out a hand.
"So you have found it." A voice said, causing Rey to jump. Ben withdrew his hand quickly and spun around to face the ghost who had spoken.
The Daughter stood in front of them, the glow of her being illuminating the room far better than their lightsabers had been doing.
"You brought us here." Ben said, almost accusatorily from behind her.
"No." The Daughter said, her eyes clouding over with sadness. "My brother brought you here. To our final resting place."
"He changed the landscape." Rey said, thrilled at finally having some answers. "He made sure we'd get caught in the rain and have to take shelter here."
The Daughter looked at her. "I am afraid so." She said.
"You sound as if you're unhappy we found this place." Ben said, stepping forward. "What is it in here you didn't want us to find?"
The Daughter turned to look at him now, and Rey realized this was their first time meeting. "My brother was right. You are like Anakin Skywalker."
Ben blinked, his jaw tensing. "So I've been told." He said, a note of bitterness in his voice that confused Rey. He had always wanted to be like his grandfather. He'd been so terrified he would never measure up to the great Darth Vader. Why would he be offended by being compared to him?
"But you are not him." The Daughter continued, her head tilting to the side. "You are not the Chosen One."
Rey felt a wave of anger wash over Ben as his eyes hardened. "What would you know about any of that?" He snapped.
"My brother did not tell you why Anakin Skywalker was brought to Mortis, did he?" The Daughter continued.
"No." Rey breathed. "Why was he brought here?"
The Daughter looked back at her. "He was the Chosen One." The Daughter said, as if that explained everything.
"How do you know?" Ben asked sharply.
The Daughter sighed and looked up at the sculpture of her father. "My father was a great man. He loved my brother and I very much. But he was getting old and he knew he would soon die."
"What does any of this have to do with my grandfather?" Ben snapped impatiently.
The Daughter looked at him, wholly unfazed by his attitude, and continued on. "My family belongs to an ancient race of beings known by some as Force Wielders. We were the last of our kind. Force Wielders can manipulate the Force like no others. When it became clear to my father that my brother and I would destroy the very fabric of the galaxy if left to our own devices, he brought us here, to Mortis, to live away from the material world."
The Daughter paused and Rey could tell it was taking all of Ben's self-control not to snap at her again. "For countless ages we lived here together with my father, keeping a precarious balance between my brother's Dark Side tendencies and my Light Side tendencies. Day and night alternated, life and death sprang from one another, and for a while...there was peace in the galaxy."
"Then what happened?" Rey asked, a part of her afraid she already knew the answer.
"My father became old and frail." The Daughter continued. "As his ability to keep the balance between us dwindled, he sought out the only person who could possibly take his place."
"The Chosen One." Rey breathed and the Daughter nodded.
"Wait, hold on." Ben interjected. "Even if Anakin Skywalker was the Chosen One, he was the Chosen One because he brought balance to our galaxy not to Mortis-"
"What happens in Mortis is reflected across the galaxy." The Daughter said, and Ben shut his mouth, staring at her in confusion. "When Anakin Skywalker brought balance to Mortis, it paved the way for the actions that would lead him to bringing balance to the galaxy."
"How did he bring balance to Mortis?" Rey asked. "Your brother wouldn't tell us."
"No, I don't imagine he would." The Daughter said with a sigh. "It is not his favorite story."
"What do you mean?" Rey asked, with a frown.
The Daughter looked past Rey, her eyes fixed on something behind her. Rey turned around to follow her gaze, her eyes landing on the dagger Ben had been about to pick up. Ben looked at the ghost, an expression in his eyes that Rey didn't understand.
"This is the Dagger of Mortis isn't it?" He said. "The one your brother told me would destroy the crystal. Pervert the Force. Destroy the balance. Whatever it is he wants me to do."
The Daughter looked at him, a sadness in her eyes that Rey felt ran deeper than she knew. "Yes, it is." The Daughter said. "It is the dagger that destroyed the balance in Mortis."
"How?" Ben asked, and Rey whipped her head around to look at him in suspicion.
"It is the dagger my brother used to kill me." The Daughter said, and Rey froze, her veins turning to ice. She opened her mouth to ask the Daughter what had happened but she vanished into thin air, leaving Rey's mouth agape.
Rey turned to Ben, confusion written plainly across her face. "He killed her." She exclaimed, still unable to believe it. "His own sister. How could he do such a-"
Rey trailed off when she saw the look on Ben's face. She had forgotten who she had been talking to. She shut her mouth, wishing she could take back her words. "Oh, Ben, I didn't mean-"
"It's okay, Rey." Ben said, turning away from her and walking towards the dagger. "You don't have to pretend you aren't horrified."
Rey felt her heart twist with pain for him and she followed him up to where he stood, looking down at the dagger.
"I'm not." Rey said. "I mean I am when it comes to the Son but-"
"Rey, it's fine." Ben snapped viciously, spinning around to glare at her.
Rey blinked in surprise at his sudden change of tone and she must have looked upset because Ben's eyes softened into a look of regret.
"I'm sorry." He said, and Rey noticed that his knuckles were turning white from where he was gripping the alter next to him.
Gently, Rey laid a hand on top of his hand. She looked down at their hands. "You never used to say you were sorry." Rey said, looking back up at him. "It was always someone else's fault. Something has changed."
Ben swallowed thickly and looked away. "Nothing has changed, Rey."
Rey frowned. "No, I know something has changed. You're not the same person I crashed on this planet with."
Ben inhaled sharply and withdrew his hand. "You're wrong." He snapped, turning to leave. "I am the same person I've always been."
"You're not going to use this dagger." Rey said, and Ben paused, his back still to her. "Even though the Son told you it might help us escape faster. You won't even touch it."
Ben turned back to look at her, his expression guarded. "We agreed to let the fracturing of Mortis run its natural course. I won't break that promise to you again."
"That's not the only reason though." Rey said. "You don't want to use it."
"I cause enough destruction just by existing, Rey." Ben said bitterly. "I don't need the dagger to destroy Mortis."
"But you don't really want to destroy it, do you?" Rey asked, and a flicker of fear flashed behind Ben's eyes.
"What I want doesn't matter." Ben replied, evasively.
"It does to me." Rey said, taking a step towards him.
Ben looked down at her, his eyes filled with too many conflicting emotions to name. "You still think I might turn back to the Light Side, don't you." He said, and Rey felt her stomach flip.
"I haven't given up hope." Rey said, watching as her words sunk in.
"I don't want you to spend your entire life waiting for me the way you waited for your parents." Ben said, and Rey winced despite herself. "I'm not worth betting on, Rey."
"Never tell me the odds." Rey said, and Ben froze, looking stricken.
"What did you just say?" He managed to croak out.
Rey realized too late where it was that she had heard that expression. She swallowed the lump that rose up in her throat at the memory. "He never gave up on you either." She said, quietly.
Ben stared at her, his eyes unusually bright. After a moment he shook his head and looked away. "He paid for it with his life." He said, hollowly. "Everyone should just stay away from me."
Rey reached out a hand to touch his arm and he pulled back sharply. "No, Rey. I mean it." He warned, his finger shaking as he pointed it at her.
"I'm not going to stay away from you!" Rey cried, finally succeeding at grabbing his arm. "Dark Side or Light Side, we're bonded and I am tired of trying to fight that. I don't want to fight it anymore."
"Rey, I am trying, for the first time in a long time, to do something that isn't selfish." Ben said, a pained expression on his face. "Don't tempt me because I don't know if I am strong enough to resist it."
"This is exactly why I know you are not the same person who chased me onto this planet." Rey said, willing him to understand. "It's also the reason I'm not going to give up on you."
Ben was silent a moment, his eyes searching her face. Rey's eyes flitted down to his lips and she wondered what would happen if she just lifted her face and kissed him. Would he let her? Never had she ever thought a day would come where he would be the one to refuse her advances. Rey stepped closer to him, suddenly wishing she had never ran away the first time they had kissed. She looked up at him, her face inches from his. He looked at her hungrily, and Rey could feel his desire like a fire in the Force. She silently begged him to give into it.
But then he pulled away, seeming to snap himself out of a trance. "You were right the first time, Rey." He said, and Rey felt her heart break as he stepped away from her. "We can't do this."