Ever since her parents left her on Jakku, it was the only place Rey had ever known. In her times of loneliness, she would often wonder how big the galaxy truly was and how many planets there were, but nothing could ever have prepared her for the truth. On their journey, Rey and Ben visited numerous planets. Some were green and spacious; others were made up of big cities and some were covered in water with only a few islands scattered throughout the deep, blue depths. The cities were interesting, but much too big and crowded for either of their liking and not the best place for building an academy, either. Not when space was already scarce as it was. The same went for the islands in the sea. They were much too small. Snow- and desert planets were not even on their list of options. They would either be too cold or too hot. The best places they had seen so far were the planets with vast, green fields, where there was peace and serenity. But they could also feel too vast and empty with not so much as a small town in sight for miles. What they sought was a place that had a little bit of everything. A place where there was balance. Their search seemed fruitless at first. Almost hopeless. But after nearly seven weeks in space, their search paid off.

After making another jump to lightspeed, they ended up in a system in the Mid Rim region. "Where are we now?" Rey asked curiously and Ben checked their location on the map.

"This is the Naboo system," he said and his mind seemed to be far away as he gazed out at the planet before them. "This is where my grandmother came from."

"Padmé?" A nod of confirmation.

"Yes. She was a queen of Naboo and a senator as well." Rey gave thought to this new piece of information. It sounded a lot like Leia to her.

"And your mother was a princess and a general. Wait… Would that make you a…?"

"A prince? I suppose, yes. But I think I'll stay away from the political area." He received a warm-hearted chuckle in response.

"I think so, too. I would say you're more of a scoundrel than a politician. And I mean that in a good way," she added, lest he think she was being derogative. Ben considered her words. A prince and a scoundrel – a little bit of his mother and a little bit of his father. That sounded fair.

"A scoundrel who fell in love with a scavenger," he said and brought her hand to his lips. A warm sensation spread through her entire being. He was the only one who could make her feel this way and, judging by the smug look on his face, he was no doubt taking pleasure in being able to make her blush.

They set course for Naboo.

They landed outside the city of Theed – the human capital of Naboo. From there, they walked into the city. R2 stayed behind, maintaining the Falcon. The weather was perfect for a nice and leisurely stroll. It was a fairly warm and sunny day, but every now and then a mild breeze would sweep in, carrying with it all kinds of sweet scents. As they closed in on the city plaza, Rey could smell the spices and the aroma of freshly baked bread and cooked food coming from the marketplace. Unconsciously, she picked up her pace and Ben was forced to do the same to keep up with her. He had quickly learned that whenever Rey started thinking with her stomach, there was no stopping her. She had been so eager to taste the native food of every planet they had been to so far and she had an appetite which never failed. Considering she had spent so many years of her life on a planet where she had been forced to work every single day just to earn a few scraps, he couldn't blame her. And besides, he found it rather endearing.

The streets were teeming with people – with life. But here, in this place, they didn't mind it. In fact, it didn't feel crowded at all. Every new face was a stranger, but also a friend. The atmosphere was unlike anything either of them had ever experienced before. They used to be so isolated – Ben on the Supremacy and Rey on Jakku. Sure, there had always been people around them, but it wasn't until now that they actually felt part of the community they were in. On Jakku, it was every man for himself and on the Supremacy, most of the staff tended to avoid the man who was then known as Kylo Ren, too scared to approach him. And those who weren't scared, well… They disliked him all the same.

They bought bread and pastries from a baker and a skewer each with grilled fish and vegetables from a fisherman. While travelling, they had offered to work for a lot of different people and businesses in order to earn some units which they could use to buy food and other necessary supplies. And since the Falcon served as their home, they saved a lot of money on any potential rents.

Their meal was consumed in peace by a table under the shade of a parasol and with a view over the royal palace. Rey said she wanted to have a closer look at it, so in the afternoon, they went to investigate the site. Once there, they discovered that they were holding guided tours of the palace twice a day and they had arrived just in time for the second tour. Somehow, it felt like fate.

The palace was incredible. Not to mention huge. Rey had never seen anything remotely like it before. She almost felt like royalty herself walking down those marble-floored halls. The windows and the doors were tall and each room was decorated with exquisite furniture and other embellishments. There was an art gallery as well, filled with sculptures and paintings of monarchs and other important members of the senate throughout the history of the Naboo regime.

It wasn't long before they found her.

There were two portraits of Padmé Amidala – one depicted her as Queen of Naboo; the other as a senator. The portrait of Queen Amidala showed her at the young age of fourteen: white paint covered her face and her lips were cherry red. Her brown hair was styled around a golden circlet about her head and she wore a crimson gown with long, wide sleeves. She was sitting on a high-backed chair, a little to the side, hands elegantly folded in her lap. The portrait of Senator Amidala was a little different. To begin with, she was older. No longer a young girl, but a grown woman. This was a portrait of her standing: her body was turned to the right, painted in profile, but her face was looking straight toward them, somewhat tilted down. She wore no makeup in this picture, showing off her fair skin and, instead of a red gown, she wore a deep blue, high-collared dress and her hair was put up inside a cone-shaped headpiece. Though the paintings differed regarding her appearance, they had one important thing in common.

Her eyes were like a golden sunset, filled with promise of an equally golden, hopeful dawn. They were warm and inviting, but also alluring. Dangerously alluring, as if daring anyone to come any closer. They were the eyes of a kind and gentle-hearted woman as much as they were the eyes of a fierce and powerful leader. Someone who would stand up for her people. Someone who would fight for what she loved.

Rey was watching Ben as he examined the portrait. He hadn't said a word since they entered the gallery. His eyes were glistening, staring up into the face of his grandmother. Rey offered him a hand on his back to let him know she was there. "She's beautiful. I can see a resemblance." At this, Ben finally tore his eyes from the painting and looked down at the woman standing next to him.

"You think so?" He seemed genuinely surprised to hear it.

"I do." She received a small, lopsided smile.

"And here I was going to say she looks like you."

Rey blinked in surprise and instantly looked back to the painting. She supposed there was a slight resemblance between them. They had the same hair color. But beyond that, it was hard for her to find anything else they had in common. She was curious to know Ben's opinion. "How so?" she asked.

As soon as he had laid eyes on the portraits of his grandmother, Ben felt like the air had been knocked out of him. He had been rendered speechless. Because he could have sworn he was looking at Rey.

"The eyes," he said. "You have the same look in your eyes."

Old words of wisdom echoed inside Rey's mind: If you live long enough, you see the same eyes in different people. Perhaps there was some truth to that. All she knew for certain was that Padmé Amidala seemed to have been an incredible woman in every single way and that she felt honored to be compared with such a beacon of strength and beauty.

When the tour was over and they walked outside again, the sun was slowly setting over the rooftops of Theed. The plaza had almost been emptied, though there were still a few evening strollers walking about or feeding birds by the palace steps. If they hurried back to the Falcon, they might still catch the sun before it set completely.

They had parked the ship on top of a grassy knoll and Rey grabbed Ben's hand to pull him up the hillside with her. She was so eager to see the sunset and when they finally reached the top, she was not disappointed. The sun was a great pool of soft, golden liquid; painting the clouds in shades of pink, lilac and orange. It was literally breathtaking. Rey couldn't find the proper words to describe it. Couldn't even find the strength to stand anymore. Her feet were sore and aching after walking the entire day. So she took off her shoes and sat down in the grass, feeling the soft texture beneath her feet and hands; grasping at the silky straws with her fingers and her toes. Ben followed her example, removing his shoes and settling down right next to her, facing toward the sunset. With a deep sigh that was born of exhaustion and contentment alike, Rey let her head fall against his shoulder. Nothing could have been more perfect. She wanted to freeze this moment. Make it last forever.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she sighed with a dreamy, far-off look. While he agreed that it was a lovely sunset, it was nothing compared to her – his Rey of sunshine. He was living in a dream world where everything seemed possible. Like he could grow a pair of wings that would lift him high up into the sky where he could touch those color stained clouds. Thanks to Rey, nothing was weighing him down anymore. With Rey, everything was possible. If he could spend the rest of his days like this, with her by his side, he would be the happiest of men.

"It is," he finally agreed, but his mind wasn't fixed on the sunset. "Rey?" She tilted her head to look up into his eyes.

"Hmm?" Her face was so close. All he had to do was lean in – just a tiny bit – and his lips would be on hers. But he resisted the urge and focused on her eyes instead. They were gleaming golden.

"Before I met you… I had lost hope." She pulled back a little to take him in fully; a look of sadness on her face, but she let him speak. "I never thought I would ever get to feel like this – the way I feel when I'm with you. It's… unlike anything I've ever felt before. And I know that if, one day, you would no longer be with me… then I would die." He grabbed hold of her hands, protecting them inside his own. He would protect her with everything he had.

"Ben…" she started to say, but he went on before she could say anything else. He needed to do this now. It couldn't wait.

"Rey, I don't want to live another day without you near. I want to spend every day for the rest of my life with you by my side. I love you. More than anything." A silent tear trekked down her left cheek and he didn't hesitate to raise one hand to gently dry it away with his thumb. Then he let his fingers curve around the back of her neck. The sun was getting low. Soon, darkness would shroud them and it would be too late to seize the moment. So he let the words fall from his lips.

"Will you… Will you marry me?"

For a moment, Rey stopped breathing. Those were the words from a distant dream she'd never dared to have or even hope for. Her whole life, she had felt so insignificant. Like she didn't matter. Like no one could ever want her. But there was someone who wanted her and he was here, right before her very eyes. It was a good thing, then, that she wanted him, too.

Once more, her eyes filled with tears and her lips were trembling as she smiled and nodded. "Yes. Yes, I will marry you!" Overcome with joy, she threw her arms around his neck and buried her fingers in his hair, never wanting to let go of this moment – of him. He cradled her in his arms, slowly rocking back and forth until she loosened her grip and he did the same. She held his face in between her hands and wondered where she would be if not with him. All she knew was that she didn't want to be in a universe where he wasn't there with her.

"I love you, Ben," she whispered. "I love you so much." As the last rays of the sun vanished over the horizon, she pulled his face towards her and their lips met. Since their first kiss, they had had time to practice and now they were confident enough to not let their fear of getting it wrong stand in their way. So long as it felt right, that was all that mattered. And in that moment, nothing had ever felt more right.

A/N: Yay for new chapter! This one was a lot of fun to write and a personal favorite of mine. We're finally on Naboo! I also forgot to mention in my last author's note that the reason I chose to have Rey and Ben bury the sabers on Ajan Kloss and not Tatooine like in the movie is because I don't feel like that place has any connection to either Rey or Ben and Luke and Leia didn't really have great memories of that place, either. To have TROS end that way seemed more like fan-service to me than anything else, though I can see what they were going for, but it just didn't move me at all, but seemed rather off. Thanks again for the response you've all given me, it means a lot! Also, did you guys catch the Beauty and the Beast reference in this chapter? ;)