Force Dyad
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A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter.
Chapter Twenty-Seven-Tython
Magda's spacious kitchen was the heart of the inn, the source of the good aromas that raised the spirits and the hub that drew her extensive family together. Normally bustling with activity, it was calm, peaceful now that Magda had warned her family to give the two occupants inside the room space to talk.
The table Ben and Rey sat at was long and made of solid wood, parts of it worn down with years of use. After eating the substantial meal Magda had cooked for them, they now sat in silence, neither willing to kick-start the difficult conversation and break the quietude. Rey concentrated on Ben's face, she could see the tiredness in his facial expressions, a need for nurture and a chance to rest. He was completely burned out.
"Are you angry with me for bringing you here?" She asked, finally finding the courage to speak.
Ben slumped at the table, his brows creased and face tense. "You did the right thing, Rey. I'm grateful. Not angry."
"You are?" Rey's sigh was of a softly deflating; it was as if a tension had lifted yet left her with a melancholy instead of relief. His admission that he wasn't angry but grateful that she had brought him here didn't change their situation in the slightest. He was still intensely weary, dealing with a tiredness that really wasn't physical but mental. His path toward self-destruction had come to a brief halt, but the reasons that had set him on that journey still weighed heavily on him. "I hate seeing you like this, Ben. And I can't help thinking that I'm the problem."
Ben's eyes reflected his surprise at her confession. "Why would you think that?"
"Because you've sacrificed so much of your own happiness and wellbeing for my sake-you stayed at the Jedi temple because it was what I said I wanted at the time, then you stayed with Han longer than you would have done for the same reason. You've spent so many years feeling unhappy, and when it comes down to it, I'm the cause."
"That's not true." Ben protested.
Rey's hazel eyes sparkled with tears as she shook her head. "You can try and deny it, Ben, but it is the truth. I'm holding you back from living your life." She sucked in her lower lip as she tried to compose herself enough to continue talking. "Magda told me what she said to you." Rey paused again as her pensive gaze met his. "Ben, I release you from the promise you made to me all those years ago. You don't need to look after me anymore. I think you should go."
"NO!" Ben yelled as he pushed himself away from the table and stood up. There was something in that shout, a pain behind it. Rey watched. She watched Ben's eyes. Then she knew. The anger was nothing but a shield for pain, like a cornered soldier randomly throwing out grenades, scared for his life, lonely, desperate. She watched as he breathed in real slow, trying to calm himself down. "No." He said again, his voice lowered to an agonised whisper. "You have got it all wrong."
Rey lowered her gaze to her shaking hands. She clasped them together in an effort to stop them trembling. "I don't think so."
"You have." Ben insisted as he grabbed his chair and sat back down on it. He shifted it closer to hers, lowering his head a little so he could get a better look at her face. His height still surprised him sometimes. She still wouldn't look at him. "You've got it all backwards, Rey. You're my light." He explained. "You keep me grounded. You always have done. You have never held me back. In fact, the opposite. Without you…" He left the rest of his fears unsaid.
Hot tears filled Ben's eyes, and he averted his face from her stricken gaze so she couldn't see. He knew he was putting too much pressure on her and he was ashamed. He swallowed down his pain, let it beat him up inside, while on the outside he tried to form a tentative smile as he turned back to face her. "Let's start over." He tried again. "I will go…I want you to come with me… but of course it has to be your decision."
"K.'" Rey answered quietly. "I'll come."
"Are you sure?" Ben asked as he tried to check the growing guilt inside him that he had pressured her into agreeing.
Rey dodged giving him a direct answer. Instead, all she said was, "If this is what it takes for you to feel better…. then it will be worth it."
Magda didn't hide her disquiet when they informed her that they were leaving together. She was of the opinion they needed some time apart to grow, but it seemed nothing was going to separate them. She invited Rey one last time to stay with her while Ben left on his journey of self-exploration alone, but her offer was politely declined. "If you need me, I'm always here…" She said, sighing as she hugged Rey.
"I'll miss you, Mags." Rey whispered as she returned the hug. The female Mon Calamari was the closest she had to a mother figure and she meant every word.
"And I'll miss you, child." Magda reluctantly released her hold on Rey and turned to face Ben. She touched his face briefly, her eyes clouding in concern. "You know I don't agree with your decision…"
"We'll be fine, Mags." Ben promised. "I will look after her."
"I don't doubt that, Ben." Magda replied, her tone troubled. "The whole point of me suggesting you undertake this journey was so you could take some time out and focus on yourself. How can you do that if you're busy concentrating all your energies on keeping her safe?"
"I wish I could explain things better so you could understand…" Ben shrugged, giving up. He didn't have the words to describe his connection to Rey.
"I can see I'm not going to change your mind. Take care, Ben Solo. As I said to Rey, I'm always here if you need me."
Tython was a terrestrial planet located in the galaxy's Deep Core. Shrouded in myth, some Jedi scholars made the case that Tython was the location of the Jedi Order's first temple. Magda had suggested Tython because of its remoteness and also its past affiliation with the Jedi order. She knew how much Ben was struggling with that part of himself and hoped journeying to such a mystical place would help him make peace with his heritage.
Tython's primary terrain was mountainous, it was as remote from civilisation as Magda had promised them it would be. When Ben had asked her how she knew such a place existed, all Magda said was that she had learned about the place from an old acquaintance. She refused to be pressed further on who this 'acquaintance' was, but told him she hoped that he would find the answers he was seeking there.
"You will find the ancient ruins of a temple that has a strong connection to the Force." She revealed. "It might be of some interest to you."
Finding the ancient runs of this temple became Ben's primary focus as he and Rey left the Grimtaash behind on the only safe place they could land the starship and made their way through the patchy scrubland to the base of the mountain. There was something mystical about the place, like the mountains had kept safe the soul of the land for time unmeasured.
It took the two of them some time to find a decent path to follow. When they did, they began to follow it. The path wound ahead as effortlessly as a blanket laid on a bed, yet each footfall cost them more strength. It was as steep as it was narrow and rocky in a chaotic way. After a few hours, Rey began to struggle, there were so many rocky boulders. Many were so tall Rey had to rely on Ben to help her scramble over them. Her weighty backpack filled with vital supplies almost pulling her back down each time she began to lose momentum.
They took frequent breaks to give Rey time to recover her strength. While they rested, they ate and drank, and took time to take in the view around them. There was no trace of civilisation in this wilderness apart from the worn-out path that they were following.
As Ben drained the water in his flask, he felt his spirits rise as high as the mountains. Magda had been right to direct him to come here. He cared little about the wet mud that stuck to his boots and the heavy backpack that dug into his shoulders. He smiled at Rey as he breathed in deeply, feeling his lungs bursting with fresh air. He observed the sunlight cascading down a gap of clouds, revealing an azure blue sky above them. Relaxing in the surreal ambience of the place, he asked Rey whether she was ready to continue. She gave him an eager nod and they resumed their journey up the long winding path.
Rey stood atop the rocky surface with Ben standing a little way behind her and raised her arms in victory. Clouds swirled around her in an icy greeting and the short scrub coated the mountain top. Her eyes began to water as wind whipped the hair across her face. When she looked down at the dizzying drop, nothing met her gaze but flat clouds, hiding the treasure of their landscape below.
"We did it!" She said aloud to Ben, her lips curving upwards into a smile of victory. "We really did it. We are on top of the world!"
Ben began to laugh. His laughter was so free and pure, so childish despite his adult years that it made Rey's smile widen in delight at the happy and carefree sound. She bounded in his direction, capturing his hands in hers and pulled him around with her in a wide arc, spinning in an endless circle of joy, until they were both overcome with dizziness and collapsed in a tired heap on the ground.
In the end the ancient temple didn't amount to much. It had fallen in to complete ruin, and been reduced to a ring of six monoliths surrounding a large stone in the centre. They had no idea what the stone was supposed to represent. The stone was dome-shaped, with runes written around the bottom that would take time to decipher.
Weary from their long climb, Ben and Rey decided to make camp for the night. As night fell, it brought the cold with it. Ben built a campfire to keep them warm. The heat from the campfire seemed to be sucked into the frigid air before ever reaching their frozen hands. They added more wood and poked it with long sticks. It licked at the new logs like a nervous kitten and sent feeble sparks to die in the air. But after a time, it found its confidence and grew until the heat warmed them, orange flames celebrated with their wild flickering dance. It would have to last through the night. Someone would have to stay up and nurse it through the darkest hours, guard it, feed it.
Rey said she would take the first shift. Ben didn't argue, his eyes were already closing. He hadn't felt so relaxed in a long time and was desperate to take advantage of being able to experience some rare uninterrupted sleep. He wrapped himself up in his thick blanket and smiled as he heard Rey admit she was glad she had decided to come.
"Night, Rey." Ben said, feeling at peace for once.
"Night, Ben." Rey answered softly.
With her own blanket tucked tightly around her body, Rey listened to the sound of Ben's gentle breathing as he slept soundly on the other side of the campfire. As the wind swooped up, over the heights, rushed and rustled through the tough mountain grasses, and gradually ebbed away through the crags to silence, Rey kept watch on the bright orange flames as she continued to feed the fire.
After a while she began to feel drowsy. As her eyes slowly began to close against her will, she thought she saw something flutter past the edges of her vision. Shaking her head to wake herself up, Rey let out a quiet gasp of surprise as a butterfly appeared out of nowhere-its fragile wings a beautiful deep, azure blue- and landed delicately on the end of her finger.
A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.
