Force Dyad

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A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter. There's a time jump in this chapter of four years…. Rey is now ten and Ben approaching twenty.

Chapter Sixteen-Master and Student

As Rey stared at the blank white wall in front of her and tried to review everything in her mind, she felt the tension and anxiety build up inside as she stared blankly, her mind full of emptiness. Before the panic could eat her alive, she managed to catch up on the subtle breathing exercises Ben had once taught her to help her relax. Just as she regained her steady heart beat by breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth, the door to Skywalker's study opened and he called her inside.

"Sit down, child." Skywalker said gravely.

Rey perched on the edge of the tall wing-backed chair primly, her hands clasped in her lap to stop them shaking. She wished Ben were there, but he was gone, had been for over a month, sent on a diplomatic mission along with Tai to Coruscant at the behest of his mother, Leia Organa Solo.

After her many vocal and outspoken attempts to convince the Senate to take action against the rising emergence of the First Order, which Leia sincerely believed threatened the peace and harmony of the galaxy, an attempt had been made on her life. If not for her husband's-who had been with her at the time-quick thinking actions, she wouldn't have survived. Skywalker had been greatly disturbed by his twin's narrow escape. He immediately made preparations to leave for the core worlds, until his sister sent word that she was perfectly fine and brushed all further attempts from him to help her.

Han had been more ambivalent. Nearly losing his wife had shaken him considerably. After the assassination attempt, he had stuck closer to home than usual, barely leaving his wife's side. He had a private conversation with his brother-in-law himself, asking him to ignore Leia's assurances that she was fine and to send Ben home so he could help protect his mother during this tense time.

Even though Ben remained his strongest and most prized student, Skywalker was reluctant to send him. As the years passed, he had become increasingly worried about his nephew, he sensed the darkness in him, he had seen it in moments during his training. Skywalker's growing concerns were not just limited to his nephew, they extended to the young girl sitting in front of him as well. Just like Ben, Rey was strong with the Force, she was ten years old now and had tested his patience on numerous occasions just like Ben used to at the same age.

Desiring to offer his students a more traditional Jedi path than his own training under Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda when he constructed the Jedi temple, Skywalker worked to teach his students everything he had learned in his own training, including lightsaber combat and meditation. His attention was now split between over more than twenty students and he had become reliant on his older apprentices-Tai, Voe and Hennix-and more reluctantly Ben, to take on some of the strain.

The others did more than their fair share, especially Tai, but Ben only seemed interested in training Rey. He gave the other students his cursory attention, but his main focus was always the little girl he had rescued from Jakku. Skywalker knew deep down that his nephew had only agreed to resume his training under his stewardship because of Rey. Ben remained aloof and unreachable, continuing to isolate himself from most of his peers, barely tolerating Voe, and continuing to be vocal and damming in his assessment of her, and what he perceived as his uncle's stubborn blindness to the very faults that Skywalker always accused him of possessing.

By the time Han reached out to Skywalker to send his son home, tensions at the jedi temple had reached new heights. The rivalry between Voe and Ben had filtered down to the students. There were now two factions-those who sided with Voe, and those who blindly followed Rey into supporting his nephew. The little girl was popular among the other padawans and extremely loyal to Ben. She took everything Ben taught her as gospel and stubbornly refused to listen to any opposing views, convinced that everything Ben said and did was right and that Skywalker was too rigid in sticking to the old ways of the Jedi.

Even though he had been reluctant to send Ben home at Han's request, Skywalker ultimately decided that the visit home couldn't have come at a more opportune time. He sent Tai with him, hoping that his calming influence would have a similar effect on his nephew while they were gone. He also hoped that while Ben was away, the simmering tensions at the temple would settle down. He had been wrong on both counts.

His first battle had been with Ben himself. His nephew had been under the impression that when he left, that Rey would be going with him. When Skywalker shot that assumption down in flames, a heated debate between master and apprentice had ensued. It wasn't often that Skywalker was forced to exert his authority, but Ben continued to test his patience in every degree. It was only after he twisted the truth slightly and impressed upon Ben that it had been at his mother's insistence that he come to her aid (and left out that it was actually Han who had asked for him) and pointed out the delicacy of the mission, and the danger it could present to an inexperienced young padawan of Rey's age, that Ben finally capitulated and agreed to leave her behind at the temple.

His second battle had been with Rey. She had been extremely upset when Ben left, even though she understood why. Even when he was gone, she remained stubbornly loyal to him. She refused to accept Voe's authority and clashed with her constantly during the training sessions that the older girl supervised. Like Ben, she believed Voe was an ambitious and aggressive jedi, who enjoyed manipulating those around her so she could curry favour with Skywalker. Voe was constantly picking on Rey and humiliating her in front of the other padawans in a deliberate attempt to bully her into submission. It had culminated in a mutiny. Rey finally snapped, and with some of the other padawans, like her best friend Finn, backing her up, she lost her temper and walked out of the training session, refusing to return.

"I am extremely disappointed in you, Rey." Skywalker said heavily. "There is no excuse for your behaviour today."

"Master Skywalker, that's not fair." Rey protested as the injustice of it all overwhelmed her. "I didn't do anything."

"Not according to Voe." Skywalker continued sternly.

Rey looked back at Skywalker glumly. She could see where this conversation was headed, but she tried to defend herself anyway. "Voe was the one who got angry, Master. She provoked me by humiliating and denigrating me in front of the others. She doesn't like me because I stand up for myself and refuse to put up with it."

"Oh, Rey…." Skywalker sighed. "It wasn't anger Voe was expressing. It was frustration. She is older and more experienced than you. You could learn a lot from her if only you would let go of your prejudices."

"Ben says that Voe is jealous. Instead of just being herself, she always wants to be like him, or better than him. He says it makes her angry and hostile. Jedi aren't supposed to get mad about things."

"Don't bring Ben into this. I am advising you to keep an open mind and learn to think for yourself instead of letting your opinions be formed by others, and I also want you to think about how those same opinions influence those you spend time with." Skywalker spoke over her like he always did when he was losing patience. "I would like you to take time and reflect on what I've just said to you, Rey. And in the meantime, I insist that you go and apologise to Voe."

Rey knew she could no more change Master Skywalker's mind than she could persuade the dawn not to come. It was downright humiliating having to go and apologise to Voe. She could already imagine how that was going to go down. "Yes, Master Skywalker." She mumbled. She would do anything to escape his scrutinising gaze.

Skywalker's expression softened. "You are one of my most gifted students, Rey. You just need to learn balance. I'll be taking over the combat training tomorrow and I expect you to be on your best behaviour."

Rey murmured her agreement as she slunk out of his study with a heavy heart.

A/N-thanks for reading! I know this chapter was short. More coming soon- and Ben will be back in the next chapter. Happy Christmas everyone!