Four Years Later
There had been a trial for Kylo Ren. Many Resistance members had protested, Poe Dameron being one of the most vocal dissidents. Ben had known this to be inevitable, even without the destruction of the Hosnian system and his year-long stint as Supreme Leader, Kylo Ren had been a warlord and criminal. The trial lasted for a full month and was held on Chandrila, the new capital seat of the New Republic and Ben's home world. Dozens of witnesses on each side argued either for Ben's guilt or innocence.
Ben had argued, half-heartedly, with his family that he should cut a deal, plead guilty, seeing as he was guilty of what he was being accused of and so much more. It wasn't that Ben particularly wanted to be exiled to the Outer Rim, but that was a much better alternative to execution or imprisonment. His mother and Rey had refused, and Ben relented.
Ben was found guilty but was pardoned for the crimes of Kylo Ren. His actions and information had been integral, it would seem, to the victory against the First Order and the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. It was a controversial verdict, but it would have been any way it played out. Some who wanted to see Kylo Ren imprisoned were more or less placated by the guilty verdict, though many were angry, even riotous.
Luke had decided to start a new Jedi temple on Ajan Kloss, which Rey had been ecstatic about. It had been the place where Luke had trained Ben's mother, Leia, so many years ago and it had been the location of the Resiatance's last base in Ben and Rey's original timeline. Luke had called it nice Dagobah, and while Ben agreed with the comparison to the swamp planet, he felt that 'nice' was a very strong word. Ben worried that he would never get used to the heat and humidity of the jungle moon, but he found that after four years he had begun to adjust, that, like everything else he faced, was made easier with Rey by his side.
Ben had spent much of the first few years away from the temple, helping to chase down the remnants of both the First Order and the Knights of Ren, the latter being a bit of a pet project for him. To date, he had managed to help capture or destroy all but two of the original knights, however, as time passed more joined their ranks. While the Sith were gone, the dark side would always find those who sought power and pull them into it's embrace.
Ben stood with Rey in the threshold of the home they had built together on Ajan Kloss, his arm draped around her shoulders. It was small but comfortable, though they would need to expand soon. Rey rested one hand on the small swell of her stomach and smiled. She had felt them before Ben had, their force signatures swirling around inside of her.
Ben had been nervous about fatherhood, what kind of a father would he be and how could he explain his past his children? His doubts and worries were washed away when he felt them for himself, two small, luminous beings, their energy as bright as stars. He worried about the darkness that had consumed him as a child, about the darkness that hung over both of their families, but he would be there to talk with his children, to explain, to tell the truth, and, most importantly, to listen.
He and Rey watched the students below sparring and playing. They looked up to him and called him 'Master Solo', which was still very strange for Ben, still his heart swelled when as he saw them grow and learn. One of the younglings called up for him to join in their game and Rey had nudged him to oblige, Ben ran down to join them which elicited elated cheers and laughs from the young ones.
The light side was strong here, and the force had been more at balance than it had been in years, perhaps even since the days before the empire. The Sith would return one day, Ben Solo knew, in one form or another. He and Rey had brought balance to the force, just as his grandfather and uncle had. Balance could never last forever though, darkness would always rise, but Ben and Rey knew now that the light would also rise to meet it.