Force Dyad

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Eight-A Precious Gift

Rey's hazel eyes opened wide as she stared off into the distance. This place, it was so beautiful. It was steeped with such history and so fully of mystery it made Rey feel something deep within. She allowed her gaze to wander along the small brown hills and valleys, following dry creek beds and bare trees. Her eyes traced the line of the horizon and paused on the broad mountain towering above it.

With Ben by her side, the two of them had spent the intervening weeks since landing on Tython, hiking over the mountain, exploring its secrets and mapping a much easier path up the mountainside then the one they had originally travelled. Hiking for them wasn't just about the destination, but about the bonding experience and appreciating nature. Where the stresses of life had slowly been pulling them in different directions, in this remote place, they became a tight unit again, their bond as strong as it had been in Rey's formative years.

Ben smiled when he saw her appreciating the view. He came to stand next to her, the two heavy backpacks he was carrying a welcome sight, indicating to Rey that there was a new adventure afoot. "Where to today?" She asked as he passed one to her. She pulled the straps over her shoulders; the backpack hugged her body as she tried to balance the weight. "This feels heavier than usual." She observed.

"That's because it is." Ben replied cryptically. His brown eyes sparkled like polished amber in the first rays of dawn. "Don't give me that look." He laughed when she pouted at him in annoyance.

It was heartening to see him so relaxed, finally free from the crippling weight of his demons. Since arriving on Tython, Ben was sleeping better, the voices in his head muted to such an extent that he was barely aware of them anymore. The heavy burdens of his family legacy didn't matter in this remote place. There was nothing and no one to bother them. The fresh mountain air had invigorated his soul as well as Rey's. She would be forever grateful to Magda for directing him here.

"Okay, you can keep your secrets for now." Rey said, laughing along with him. "Let's go."


Hiking was that time when Rey felt most absorbed and welcomed into nature, when the fresh air entered her lungs, giving her a deeper sense of wonder as she took in the picturesque landscape surrounding her. Traversing through the rocky terrain that led up the mountainside had become much easier now that her body had adjusted to the temperate climate. She was in the best shape of her life, so was Ben, their daily hikes giving their muscles a daily workout which no intense training session would ever be able to match.

They stopped often to refresh and refuel themselves with food and water. Ben refused to let Rey look inside her backpack, keeping up the air of mystery, his gentle teasing only adding to her curiosity. The mountain path grew wide where the soil was soft and then narrow in the rocky passes. There were times it was barely there at all, no more than a mild disturbance in the dirt. It was different route to any they had followed before and Rey was beginning to suspect that Ben was leading her astray on purpose so she wouldn't guess where they were going. He was being very enigmatic, which was beginning to frustrate Rey, but she tried to curb her impatience as she could tell whatever the big reveal was, it was important to him.


When they finally reached their destination, night fell, peeling back the blue haze of day, to reveal the stars underneath. Rey smiled, feeling the wind blow through the tousled strands of her hair which had escaped the long braid pinned to the back of her head. After all the mystery, Ben had brought them back to the first place they had made for when reaching Tython-the ruins of the ancient jedi temple. She stared at the huge shadowy monoliths surrounding the large dome shaped stone placed directly in the middle of the ruins. The strange runes written around the bottom of the stone seemed to glow faintly in the darkness, calling to her. Without realising, Rey took a few steps toward the ruins, until Ben caught her arm and stopped her.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

Rey turned her head to look up at him as she caught the hint of curiosity in his tone. She wondered if he felt as drawn to the stone as she did, but that thought was fleeting when he urged her to sit and make herself comfortable on the blanket he had spread on the ground. "What's this for?" She questioned as she lowered herself down.

Ben's eyes turned the deepest shade of the richest earth as he smiled down at her in amusement, giving Rey a rare glimpse of his dimples. "You've forgotten what day it is, haven't you?"

Rey's brows drew down as she tried hard to think. She had no idea what he was talking about. In the end, she indicated with a shrug of her shoulders that she was struggling to guess.

Ben shook his head in disbelief as he knelt down opposite her. "It's your birthday, silly girl. You turned fourteen today."

Rey's lips parted in surprise. She had genuinely forgotten. Passing time seemed to have lost all meaning in this remote place. "I can't believe I didn't remember."

"Its lucky one of us has a brain." Ben said as he dumped their heavy backpacks on the blanket between them.

"That's debateable." Rey deadpanned as she leaned forward and tried to see inside. Ben waved her away, telling her to close her eyes. "I'm not a kid anymore, Ben." She huffed impatiently.

"Humour me."

Rey rolled her eyes before complying with his request and squeezing them shut. She heard Ben moving around, a slight rustling noise indicating that he was unwrapping something. The tantalising aroma of her favourite food soon answered that mystery. Rey's mouth began to water, and she was tempted to open her eyes so badly, it was by sheer force of will she managed to keep them closed.

"I'm nearly done." Ben promised as he unpacked the last part of the surprise picnic and placed it centre stage. "You can open your eyes now."


Cake crumbs and smears of icing were all that remained of the once triple layered chocolate cake that had been Ben's pièce de resistance. It harkened back to his own childhood. He'd been presented with the same type of cake on his tenth birthday, the day Rey had first appeared to him, changing the course of his life forever. It seemed only fitting to celebrate hers with a similar confection.

"That was perfection." Rey sighed blissfully as she licked the last of the rich chocolate off her fingers. "Where did you manage to get that cake? And the rest of the food?"

"That's for me to know and you never to find out."

"It was Mags." Rey said, guessing the real source of the delicious food. "She gave it to you before we left for Tython."

Ben lay on his back on the blanket, with his hands resting behind his head. "I'm not going to dignify that with a response."

"I love Mags." Rey murmured fondly as she rested her weight on her elbows and made herself comfortable beside him.

A fleeting smile crossed Ben's face as he looked up at the night sky above them. Even in the velvet dark there was the light of the stars, perhaps a promise that even when a person yearned for the light of the sun there will be those stars to bring hope of the dawn. Rey had always been his light. He didn't like to dwell on how his life would have turned out without her in it. She gave him hope, which in his mind was the greatest gift of all. He decided now was a good time as any to give her his present.

"I've got something for you." He said, sitting up and reaching for his backpack.

"Not more food, Ben." Rey whined like a little kid. "I couldn't eat another morsel."

Another amused smile tugged at the corners of Ben's mouth. She was too cute sometimes. He pulled a small non-descript cloth bag out of his backpack and passed it to her. "Happy birthday, Rey." He said huskily.

With trembling fingers, Rey eagerly tugged open the drawstring ties sealing the bag shut to reveal what was inside. She breathed as if no air would ever be enough to fill her lungs as she tried to contain her excitement. "Ben, this is…I can't…" She was lost for words and couldn't continue as she withdrew the clear kyber crystal from the bag, it's many facets gleaming in the weak light coming from the stars overhead. At first it was cool to the touch, but when she wrapped her fingers around the crystal, she could feel the warmth emanating from it. Rey's hazel eyes held a thousand questions as she raised them to meet Ben's.

"I wasn't much younger than you when I travelled to the ice caves with Skywalker to harvest my own crystal to use to build my own lightsaber." Ben explained. "The Force guided me to not one but two crystals. Out of the two I knew which one matched me perfectly as a Jedi, but the other one I sensed was meant for someone else…you." He paused as he saw her eyes widen in awe. "So, I took both of them. I used mine to construct my lightsaber but kept yours safe until you came of age to build your own. Can you feel it calling to you, Rey?"

"Yes." Rey's breathing became erratic as her eyelids fluttered closed. She concentrated on the crystal, becoming lost in its sweet melody as it called to her, as well as feeling a sense of harmony as she communed with it. The kyber crystal was hers, it belonged to her as much as she belonged to it. This was one of the most defining moments of her life. She unfurled her fingers from around it and slowly opened her eyes to find the crystal was no longer clear but glowing yellow like the sun. "Ben…. thank you." She didn't have the words to tell him how much his gift meant to her, but she knew he knew anyway.

"Are you ready to build your lightsaber, Rey?" Ben asked gravely.

Rey steadied her breathing to compose herself enough to answer. "I'm ready."

A/N-thanks for reading! Please review. I wondered if Rey would know her true birthday but then I realised Ben would know as she appeared to him at the beginning of this story on the day she was born.