Disclaimers: All right reserved of the originals "Star Wars" Characters, Names, Places, etc., to George Lucas / Disney. I pledge to return all characters after the story is complete.
Warning: Major Spoilers of TRoS.
Note: This is a Reylo FanFiction (slow-burn)
「Act 12: Exegol 」
「 The Knights of Ren 」
Exegol, 35 ABY
Ben Solo remained too long in the ruins of the Death Star. His mind played over and over again, what had happened. And each time he thought about it, he found himself closer to Ben Solo. His connection with Rey was still strong, and he sensed her worries as she flew to Exegol and faced the Emperor alone. Ben cracked a smile, recalling how stubborn and brave she had been since the first day they met. She would end up going to face the Emperor. Ben already knew it was a fight she could not escape from. But he would not let her stand alone.
It took him too long to climb through the wreckage in search of a hangar bay, even longer to find an old scout-class TIE, and repair it to fly him to Exegol. Ben followed Rey's transmitted tracking markers towards Exegol, but the navicomputer had taken a wrong turn, and he almost ground through unknown rough space. It had taken all his concentration to correct his course and get back on track. All that had been the simple part.
It didn't take him long after that, and he reached Exegol. The planet seemed darker and more dangerous than the last time he was there. He noted that the battle had already begun. The resistance was attacking the Final Order. They had brought the war to Exegol. 'A bold move.' He thought. But he was not expecting anything less from the new Acting General. He had been before in Poe's mind, and he recalled what he was capable of, and after all, his mother would never choose someone to lead the Resistance if she was not sure how worthy he was.
Ben landed his TIE scout beside an old Rebellion X-wing. He couldn't help staring at the two ships. Old enemies parked side by side. Suddenly something caught his attention, stinging the base of his skull. Ben sensed a familiar awareness. Rey! It seems she already felt his presence. He tilted his head baffled; she understood that he was Ben again. He caught a wave of relief from her, even joy.
Then, nothing.
She was in trouble. Ben sensed it through his core. Rey needed him now more than ever. He was no longer wearing the helmet or his cape, and he wasn't carrying his lightsaber with him, only a bluster. He sprinted for the monolith, dodging beneath it, and launched himself into the shaft. Ben didn't overthink his actions. Nothing would stop him from reaching Rey. Especially now, when she needed him.
Ben grabbed the massive chains dangling from the ceiling and gazed down. "Ouch!" he uttered as the landing against the heavy chains was more painful than he estimated. The ground was so far below him that it was lost in the darkness beneath him. Too far to climb down quickly, probably too far to jump down safely.
Rey had healed him. His mother forgave him. He had even accepted his father's forgiveness. He might even forgive himself someday if he had the time to atone for all his wrong-doings or die trying. He would find the strength to make everything right, no matter what, as Anakin told him. Ben Solo called on the Force and dropped.
Ben opened his eyes and floated a few inches above the ground. He had to thank Snoke for teaching him how to survive such a fall by using only the force. He landed against the rocky ground and crossed path with the dark-robed figures, who attacked him with fury. The last time he was in Exegol, they had ignored him. Back then, he had entered Exegol as Kylo Ren, and the Emperor wanted him there. Now, as Ben Solo, he was not welcomed.
He blasted them easily, one shot for every kill. He held his blaster, and the way he fired it looked like his father was using his blaster. 'Like Father, Like Son.' A voice noted. Only now Ben knew whose voice it was, and thankfully it didn't belong to any of his previous evil masters. But it belonged to his grandfather. Recently, he would have taken pleasure in killing them, but now he had only one desire: 'Aid Rey.'
Ben had finally reached the end of the large Sith monuments and turned around a corner. There in the flashing dark, he noted familiar figures. He knew all six of them. First Vicrul and his scythe weapon. He seemed like a masked ripper ready to take Ben Solo's life. Then Kiruk and his plasma blaster. And suddenly, all six arrayed before him. His Knights. The Knights of Ren.
For a moment, Ben believed they would come to help him. They had accepted him as their leader. But he was wrong. They were filled with hate and anger, ready to attack him and claim his life. The Knights of Ren had never belonged to him. They had been the Emperors all along—an ultimate betrayal from his life as Kylo Ren.
Ben could see it now. Snoke had been nothing more than a pawn. The Emperor was the one who had poisoned Ben his whole life. How foolish was he? How much anger did he hold inside him till his judgment was clouded? Now, those who he thought his faithful brothers were raising their weapons to crush him.
The Knights of Ren were Kylo Ren's most mysterious and deadly servants. They were an enclave of masked warriors wielding distinctive weapons for ranged and close-quarter combat, making them the elite and fearsome enforcers of Kylo's will. The Knights hailed from the galaxy's Unknown Regions, where their name and reputation inspired centuries of cautionary tales about the dangers lurking in uncharted space.
The New Republic Knights of Ren were a force to be reckoned with. Their martial prowess was without equal, and they thrived in violence and strife. The Knights of Ren were neither Jedi nor Sith, but a new generation of warriors imbued with the power of the Force. So the Knights only allowed Force-sensitive beings to join their ranks. Becoming a Knight of Ren was the ultimate path that someone could follow, and it would only end in one of two outcomes: succeed and join the Knights, or fail and die. Few individuals sought the Knights of Ren, and those who did regretted it quickly. Snoke was telling the truth when he told Ben it would take a top prize to join the Knights of Ren. Back then, Ben thought it was a prize worth paying.
But not any longer.
The Knights of Ren surrounded Ben slowly, like predators stalking their prey. Ben could fight two or three men at a time, but these were his very own men. He had trained with them. They were even slightly Force-sensitive. He didn't stand a chance against all of them at once, not armed with just a blaster. Maybe it had been a poor decision to throw his lightsaber into the ocean.
Suddenly, an image lit up his mind, another lightsaber, flashing blue. It was a coherent message from her—a message from Rey.
Meanwhile, Rey was facing her grandfather. She was keeping her face blank, not revealing her connection with Ben. She ignited Luke's lightsaber. The Emperor was guiding her step by step through her actions. The crowd of Sith responded with loud yells. Rey stepped closer. Now she could smell her grandfather more. He smelled like rotting meat forgotten in time.
Solo didn't wait; he lifted his blaster and fired one attacker and thrust away another with the Force, as he spun to face the third Knight. But suddenly, something cracked against the back of his skull, sending him to his knees. He felt the pain all over his body but ignored it. Another blow crushed his abdomen, robbing him of air, and made him bent over gasping for air.
The Knights stepped back, allowing Ben to regain his breath and stand on his feet. He seemed defenseless to them. Honestly, they must have never respected him, not even his abilities; that's why they were giving him ground now. Ben breathed deeply as they circled another attack.
At the same time beneath Ben, Rey continued to approach the Emperor. His power was intoxicating. She raised her weapon as he said: "She will take her revenge." She was almost ready to attack him against her will. If not for the other presence in her mind, that was so bright and shining with light; she would not have been able to resist him. Sharing a connection through the Force with Ben Solo was so different from sharing it with Kylo Ren. Ben gave her strength and support. It was a feeling unknown to her.
"And with the stroke of her saber, the Sith are reborn! The Jedi are dead!" Palpatine said as wave after wave of triumph arose from him, and along with it came knowledge and memories. Rey thought maybe it was their shared blood that allowed her to see his thoughts, now she could see it, how he had done it, and he was about to do it again.
She knew now that Plagueis never finished his preparations. Maybe her grandfather was too greedy and killed him too soon. The transfer was imperfect, and the cloned body wasn't enough. Plagueis had the last laugh. Maybe his secret remained still a secret because Plagueis had trapped Palpatine in a broken and dying form.
The heretics of the Sith Eternal created unnatural abominations, hoping one of those would succeed and become a worthy receptacle. They would do anything and sacrifice anything to create their god. Nothing worked. But their efforts were not entirely in vain. It seemed one of those clones was perfect. They called him the 'son.' Though Palpatine could not even bear to look upon such an ordinary being. That being was her father. It was a useless creation for the Emperor but important for her.
Next, Rey thought of Luke and Leia, then of Ben. Rey knew now what she had to do. She would use her own way to end this. She lifted her saber as if she would strike down the Emperor. Then she reached for the connection she shared with Ben. She revealed to him what she had in mind.
Ben acknowledged her, and Rey seemed surprised. It felt different now. So different from any other time, they shared their connection. Their connection... Their bond was right. It felt good, like returning home. It was like she had finally found her missing piece. The part of her she had lost.
Ben was also stunned, as he also sensed it. Their bond stronger now than ever. Now it really felt a dyad in the Force, two that were one. They wasted a precious moment, reveling in this new sharing. This is how it should have been all along—a true dyad. Snoke and the Emperor had robbed them of this.
"Do it!" the Emperor suddenly yelled, surprising both. "Make a sacrifice!"
Rey lowered the lightsaber behind her back as she had planned. It looked as she would strike down the Emperor. She reached again for the Force. The effort brought aching tears to her eyes. Her grandfather gazed at her with anticipation, and she raised her hand, showing it was now empty. She had just projected her weapon away. Rey noted as her grandfather was dawning in the horror of his mistake.
Ben and Rey's bond refined in fire and ice of mutual searching, shared grief, rage, and hate, but also of compassion and empathy. The Emperor had not foreseen how strong their connection was.
Suddenly Ben felt the grip of Luke's lightsaber in his palm. It felt so familiar, as it belonged to him. The last Skywalker alive was now holding Anakin's lightsaber. Ben felt it; it was only for a moment. But he felt the approval of Anakin and Luke to use it. He raised the saber slowly as an extension of his very own self.
The Knights of Ren startled backward a few steps. Surprise, he imagined Han Solo saying and copied his move. Then he attacked. Rey unhooked Leia's lightsaber from behind her and ignited it. The crimson guards of the Emperor surrounded her. They raised their blasters and fired. She deflected one blast with her hand and sent it to strike another guard.
She was fighting now, Palpatine's guard drawing on Ben's strength, and he would draw on hers. Just like before, they were separate but also together. Rey was battling the guards, and Ben was battling the Knights.
'Behind you,' Rey suddenly warned Ben, and he brought up his lightsaber to block his back from Trudgen attack. Then Ben impaled him, flipping over his falling body. He spun and did the same to Ushar. He paused a second and gazed at the bodies of his former comrades. After he had killed all six of the Knights of Ren, he leaped for the throne room.
Rey was still battling with the guards, throwing one into the darkness using the Force while dodging a few blasters. She spun around to face the last guard, but Ben had already tossed him aside.
Time froze for a moment as Ben and Rey stood there facing each other together at last. Ben was different, she noted. Relaxed. Unguarded. How had Rey never noticed before; that he had the long face and posture of Han Solo and the warm brown eyes of his mother.
As one now, they turned to face Palpatine; they took fighting positions and raised their lightsabers.
Upcoming Chapter: Act Thirteen」
More than anything, thank you for taking the time to read this!
Feel free to Review and Follow!
thereisaredeemer: I'll make sure to edit the last chapter tomorrow. Thank you again for pointing out what's missing. Basically, I meant she felt Ben through the force. Ben has not arrived yet. I really waited to write this chapter to point out the knights of Ren. I think JJ should give them more screen time in the movie. I didn't go into details because I would focus on that part in this chapter -as you have already noticed-
Now about Rey's feelings, I am waiting for the next chapters to reveal how she feels about Kylo/Ben. However, since you asked, I don't mind dropping some hints here. Rey doesn't like Kylo Ren. She doesn't hate him. But I believe after what he had done; she doesn't share any feelings for him. However, they have shared some strong moments. And yes, those will be playing a part later on in the story, as for Ben. She likes Ben. She is fond of Ben. Again I would not say she loves him. From my point of view, Ben and Rey haven't yet spent time together. Surely, they have shared memories and strong moments, yet I believe in having Rey 'madly' in love with Ben; they need to build more memories together. To walk through their own journey and adventure.
I am following the cannon until now, with some changes here and there. However, I'm keeping Ben Solo alive. (If that was what you meant about the ending.) There would not be a point in writing this Fanfiction if I let Ben Solo die.
Now how slow will the romance be? Well, I want to see their feelings unfold along with the story. It sure will take some chapters. And honestly, I would want to see Ben and Rey share more moments. How would they be without all the tense? So, when I said slow-burn, I meant that I'd give them space and time for their relationship to mature. Plus, I cannot wait to have Ben interact with the other characters. How would he cope with his wrong-doings? And last but not least, I want Ben to have his redemption. Honestly, for me keeping just Ben Solo alive isn't enough.
I can say things are going to get really severe and painful before getting better. Ben Solo will walk through hell many times before he will be able to breathe again. My secret wish is for the characters to grow through the story. I hope I covered your questions.