Hiding their ever blossoming relationship from Master Luke was difficult for Sofie and Ben. They often resorted to walking far away from the main temple in order to feel secure, although neither of them could say what would happen if Master Luke discovered that they had done the complete opposite of drifting apart.
Sofie agreed to meet up with Ben one day at the edge of the forest. They agreed that right before sunset would be a perfect time.
She put on a cape with a hood to hide, just in case. Then Sofie walked the 10 minutes to the spot and found Ben waiting. He looked more serious than usual.
"Hey," she greeted him and sat on a tree stump next to him.
"Hey there," he said back to her.
"Are you ok? You seem weird." She asked him, trying to read his face.
Ben looked at her with an understanding, but sad look.
There was a conflict inside his mind, and it wouldn't leave him alone. It really wasn't anything new, but it had been different recently. Before, his feelings were limited to himself. Now, Sofie was involved. He didn't want to lose her, and he also wanted her to see his perspective.
Snoke, invading the thoughts inside his head, had been incessant that Luke would take her from him.
' How do you know she's really dedicated to you and that Skywalker won't take her in an instant?' He already tried once before to keep you from her
Ben looked at her, noticing her cappuccino brown hair that had lightly been kissed by the sun. Her cheeks brushed by pink as she looked at him back. Her pink lips parsed into a smile as she attempted to read his mind.
'Look at that beauty.' Snoke echoed, 'I've seen the way she also looks at you, she won't say no, do it.'
Ben hesitated.
'Do. It. ' Snoke insisted again.
Ben quickly grabbed Sofie's face and kissed her. He closed his eyes, even though the kiss was brief.
Once they separated he looked at her with wide eyes. Sofie stood up abruptly. Her stomach twisting, a look of confusion plastered on her face. Their breaths stopped.
"Why did you do that?" Sofie didn't know what else to say.
Ben stood up as well, his head towering over her. A million thoughts going through his head. He grabbed her hand.
"I- you're beautiful, and nobody's ever treated me like you have before, and I-" Ben stared at her wide eyes.
"I don't want you to leave me." Their faces both softened and turned from shock and into understanding.
Sofie stepped closer to him and held his cheek in her hand, giving him a small peck on the lips.
"I won't." She said and pulled him into a warm embrace.
Days turned into months, and finally months into years.
It seemed that nobody had noticed that an entire two years had passed. Sofie found herself turning 20 years old, while Ben reached the age of 24.
They had gone to great lengths to hide their relationship, and despite a few close scares, they knew how to act cold to each other when in the presence of others.
During this time, some students had moved on, while others had stayed and continued to train. For the older Jedi, there was no lack of missions from Master Luke.
Ben and Sofie would occasionally talk about what the future held for both of them. Sofie didn't have a definite place to go and she knew that setting out on her own would be difficult.
For Ben, familial expectations were high. He knew everyone wanted him to do something with the training he had been doing for years. When Sofie pushed him harder for an answer on what he would do, he deflected her.
He didn't want to think about it.
Ben was the first student to the academy, which resulted in him being alone in the same hut for his entire 14-year stay. They had to be careful, but it provided a great place for them to have a semblance of privacy.
Their biggest scare was recent. Master Luke scheduled a monthly meeting with Ben and Sofie at the same time. When Ben saw her also enter the room he looked at both of them with a look of confusion.
"Don't worry, don't worry, come in." Master Luke waved to Sofie as she entered the room.
She sat down in a chair next to Ben, nervous butterflies stirring inside her.
"I'm sure you have an idea of why I have brought both of you here at once." Luke started. Sofie did her best to look confused and pushed the feelings of doubt to the back of her mind.
"You have both been doing exceptionally well, so I want to send you on an important mission for me." Luke continued.
She could feel Ben breathing a sigh of relief, she also followed him as a weight was lifted from her shoulders. He didn't pull them both into his office to accuse them of hugging and kissing and doing the complete opposite of what he wanted.
Ben and Sofie prepared to go on their mission, grateful to have the chance to spend time with each other in a different setting.
Sofie packed a set of clothing and hid the pendant and ring Ben had given her in her pocket.
"Have fun," Voe said to her, just waking up for the day. "Just don't have too much fun with Ben." Sofie blushed. She may have told Voe a little bit about what had happened between her and Ben.
She couldn't deny that being able to have privacy in the hut made them a bit... handsy.
Sofie reflected on a night she thought about often. Neither her or Ben had ever been that intimate with anyone, given their Jedi Temple isolation. It was an awkward experience for the both of them, but they shared comfort knowing they both felt unbearably awkward.
Sofie snapped back to reality, her face turning red from her reflection. "Thanks, now I'll have extra fun with him." Sofie said, rolling her eyes and exiting the hut, "See ya!"
Sofie made her way to the ship that was reserved for mission-use only. Ben was already there talking to Master Luke.
"Good morning, Sofie." Luke said to her.
"Good morning Master Luke, are we about ready to go?" Sofie asked him. Luke nodded.
"Here are the coordinates to where you should go. Be careful. Remember, I expect to see you by sundown back here." Luke handed Ben a data-tape. They waved goodbye and boarded the ship.
Ben immediately took the pilot's seat. Sofie sat next to him, forced to claim co-pilot.
"Sorry, I just- haven't flown in a while and I'm honestly excited." Ben told Sofie. She nodded in understanding. "It's fine, as long as I get to fly at least a little bit." She told him, grabbing his arm playfully. Ben smiled at her.
Ben lifted off and they began their journey to Galidraan.
At a distance the planet was covered in a cloud cover, but as they got closer Sofie and Ben could make out the shape of mountains.
"The data-tape also said that once we're there we're supposed to meet with someone named Trizai. He must be a contact of Master Luke?" Ben wondered out loud.
The duo flew closer into the planet, and recognized the planet's beauty. It was filled with forests and towering mountains.
Ben stopped at the exact coordinates given to him by Luke. The ship landed in front of a grand-looking castle, complemented by the mountains surrounding it.
"Wow," Sofie gasped. "It's so pretty." She stared out the window at the solitary building.
They exited the ship and were hit by cool air. "Definitely a bit cooler than home." Sofie said, putting on her hooded cape.
Sofie and Ben walked towards the entrance and were confronted by a large door. Sofie looked at Ben, and then knocked on it. There was a period of silence.
Sofie knocked again. There was still no answer.
She looked at Ben concernedly and felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Do you think they've left for a while? We just came at the wrong time?"
Sofie and Ben turned and began to walk back to the ship.
"I'll double-check the coordinates," Ben started, "there's a chance we put in-" Ben abruptly stopped from sensing something that was off. He whipped his head towards the side where Sofie was walking.
His breath staggered as soon as he saw her face-first on the ground. He rushed to her side and gently put his hands on her.
"Sofie? Sofie!" He said loudly and shook her slightly, looking intensely for any response.
His heart skipped again when out of the corner of his eye, the doors to the castle-like structure opened. He quickly grabbed his lightsaber, ready to activate it.
Ben froze. Waiting for something to happen.
'Finally, I've caught you. You weren't giving me a straight answer to my question, so I had no choice.' Snoke's words echoed in Ben's mind. Ben gulped. Snoke had been relentlessly asking him when he was going to finally make a choice on his alignment. He must have taken advantage of someone's trust to get Sofie and him there.
Snoke effortlessly began to pull an unconscious Sofie through the open doors, into the poorly-lit building. Ben jumped up and gasped slightly.
'She's fine. Come in.' Snoke said. Ben reluctantly entered the castle.
He stepped into an enormous, empty room. There was minimal light from some candles scattered around the room and he squinted to fully see the figure that stood about 20 feet away from him.
Snoke himself stood in the middle of the room, and he carefully placed Sofie next to him.
"Young Ben Solo, we finally meet. It's a special moment so I made sure we met properly for the first time."
Ben gripped his lightsaber tightly, and found himself slightly paralyzed in fear.
"Be calm. I'm not here to hurt you. We just need to talk." Snoke began to walk slowly towards Ben.
"Did you hear the recent news?" Snoke started. Ben looked at him confusedly, his brows furrowing.
Snoke pulled out a holoprojector. Ben looked closely, and then blinked again in confusion. It was his mother. He walked closer to Snoke, captivated by the unexpected hologram.
'I am sure you have all heard the news by now, and it pains me that it was given so publicly and abruptly.' Leia's hologram started.
'But I wanted for you to hear it from me also, and to clear up any misconceptions. Firstly, it is in fact true that my true parentage is traced to Darth Vader.'
Ben stared at the hologram, a mix of fear and confusion arising inside him.
Leia continued. ' However, this does not change the abilities or accomplishments that I have already done. I was raised by separate loving parents and have no like or desire of my true parentage, please-'
Snoke cut the recording short and looked at the pondering Ben Solo. Ben put his lightsaber away and looked at Snoke in confusion.
"This is why I've come for an answer from you, grandson of the great, late Darth Vader." Snoke smirked. He could sense the pulling in Ben's mind.
"This… is this why? Is this why I can't help but be pulled towards the dark?" Ben fell on his knees to the ground.
Snoke spoke commandingly. "Darth Vader… is trying to use you from the beyond to finish what he could not finish himself. He regrets the weakness he showed in his last moments and wants you to be better than him."
"But I-I-" Ben stuttered, "I don't want to hurt anybody."
"Look at yourself Ben- how long have you been training as a Jedi? How long have you been failing as a Jedi- being attracted to the dark side? You can keep suppressing your true self for this weak persona, but it's only a matter of time until you… can't be pulled on any longer." Snoke pulled Ben up to his feet.
Ben looked towards Sofie, still motionless on the ground.
"I-I," Ben said, his voice slightly shaking. "I have to protect them."
"Then let the true, powerful Ben Solo take control." Snoke rumbled. "The one that Luke Skywalker always tried to suppress, for this weak version. People also thought Darth Vader was weak and tried to suppress him, but did you see how powerful he became?"
Ben stood tall and moved right in front of Snoke. "Teach me." He said, getting on one knee and lowering his head.
Snoke searched inside Ben's mind again. He sensed a difference between Ben's words and his feelings.
"You know what you might do," Snoke whispered.
A gust of wind blew through the room and the candles went out. Ben was suddenly swept off his feet and thrown into the wall. He rolled in pain and then looked around, panicked.
"Snoke? Sofie?" He reached in the dark. Snoke must have vanished.
"Ben?" He heard a soft voice, Sofie. He tried to move and groaned in pain.
"I'm here, Sofie, but I think I'm hurt." He said out loud. Sofie tried to move closer to him, following his voice in the dark. She eventually found him and tried to help him up.
"What the hell happened?" Sofie asked, having no memories between losing consciousness outside and appearing inside the castle.
"I don't know," Ben said. "We were suddenly attacked, and I tried to protect you, but then the people who attacked us disappeared." Sofie supported Ben as he guided them towards the exit.
"We need to leave now then, it's not safe here," Sofie said, pushing Ben to go a bit faster.
They gradually made their way back to the ship and Sofie immediately started their journey home. She was admittedly tickled by the fact she got to pilot but was also concerned about Ben's condition.
Ben had a pretty obvious bump on his head and seemed to feel some pain in his hip and back too.
The ride back started quietly. Sofie didn't know why she felt awkward, but she felt an unease in Ben.
"Are you okay? What happened while I was out?" She asked him. Ben chuckled awkwardly, trying to keep things light despite the events.
"Do I look okay?" He teased. Sofie smiled and rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean." She said.
Ben's expression turned flat. "I think I'm okay. It was just surprising, being attacked suddenly like that."
Sofie nodded and decided to leave it at that.
Once back home, Sofie helped Ben stagger out of the ship. They headed to Master Luke's office to report the results of the mission and get Ben's medical care.
Upon entering Luke's office, Luke's face turned sour and he immediately stood up.
"What happened?" He said, coming over to observe Ben's injuries.
"We were attacked, I think it was a trap," Ben said. Luke began to rummage for medical supplies "We didn't even get to start looking for any Jedi artifacts."
Luke nodded and then took Sofie's place in supporting him. "Thank you, Sofie, I'll take him to his hut and get him fixed up."
Sofie smiled and waved goodbye at the both of them, even though she knew she would likely be visiting Ben soon anyway.
Once near his bed, Ben flopped onto it semi-carefully. He was relieved to finally lay down.
Luke crossed his arms and looked at Ben. "So Ben, what exactly happened on the mission?"
Ben gulped. "I already told you, we were attacked, I don't know who they were or why they were there. We got out as quickly as possible."
"That's it?" Luke said, unconvinced. "I'm not sure I believe you."
Ben scowled. "I'm telling the truth." There was an uncomfortable silence between them.
"If you want to tell me more later, I'll listen. Also, your mother sent you this today." Luke handed Ben a holoprojector. "I'll let you listen to it." Luke put patches for Ben's bruising on the table before leaving.
Ben sat up and started the projection.
" Ben, I hope your Jedi training is going well, I miss you and hope to see you soon.
I'm sending you this message to let you know something very important that I probably should have told you earlier.
It was recently revealed to the public that my true parentage is Anakin Skywalker, also known as Darth Vader. He was your grandfather.
I understand if this is a shock to you, and I understand if you are disappointed that we did not tell you earlier.
We wanted to protect you, please remember-"
Ben cut the message short and laid down to finally rest.
He pondered his agreement to Snoke. Ben was open, but also skeptical. While unsure of the importance of good and evil, Ben knew that he was strongly drawn towards the traditions of being a Jedi.
He pulled out his calligraphy set and practiced writing, ignoring all else. In studying and training it didn't matter what side you were on, this was what he enjoyed.