Chapter 10

Ben already feels empty without Rey in the room. He stands quietly for a few moments wishing he could have joined her in the meeting. But he doesn't want to distract her from her duties as the Empress to the galaxy. His eyes close as he brings his fingers to his lips, daintily running the tip of his fingers across where Rey's lips had been. Ben longs to kiss her again and make her happy. He thinks about how much she has meant to him for longer than he has admitted to her.

For his whole life, Ben had been searching for purpose. He spent his life as a smuggler working for his father Han and uncle Chewbacca. Sure he was able to travel the galaxy and see some incredible sights. But Ben still felt like something, some part of him was missing. He never acted on it for how busy his smuggling runs kept him but the feeling still clung to him. It wasn't until a smuggling excursion to Coruscant he finally found some answers.

Ben was tasked with raiding the old Jedi temple on the capital planet. He had argued against it, knowing how it would make his mother Leia upset. She had trained him in some of the Jedi arts and he was able to pick up on them quicker than he thought. Part of him was eager to explore the Jedi temple purely for academic purposes. But he knew the money these Jedi artifacts would bring would help his family so he took the job.

While on the planet, Ben was in awe of how crowded Coruscant was. So much busier compared to most other worlds he'd explored on his runs. As he was making his way towards the temple, his eyes caught a statue in the center of a busy hub. Ben walked over to examine it, feeling curiosity pull him. He walked up to the statue and felt his breath leave him completely. It was of a beautiful woman, beauty with which he had never seen before. Somehow deep within him, he felt he knew this woman more than just seeing her around the galaxy. He felt like she had been a part of his life somehow. Or maybe she was from a dream? The Force always showed him things that left him puzzled and filled with more questions than answers.

He looked at the statue, really studied every feature until his eyes fell on the plaque at the woman's feet. His eyes widened when he read who the statue was depicting: Empress Rey. Before this trip, Ben had only heard of the Empress and how her empathy and compassion has led the galaxy to greatness. Seeing her now his heart beat widely in his chest. He knew somehow, someway he needed to have this woman in his life. But he sighed as he knew she would never let herself be with a lowly smuggler like him.

Ben opens his eyes again when he hears a knock on the door, pulling him out of his memories. He stands still and doesn't respond. A few beats of silence pass before another knock happens again. Ben looks around Rey's chambers to see if there is anything he can use to defend himself from a possible attack. His eyes land on a hairbrush resting on her dresser. He reaches out with his hand and watches as the brush flies to his hand. As he hears a third knock on the door, Ben grips the hairbrush and stands at the ready. He won't go down without a fight, especially after finding the love of his life.