CHAPTER XVI

Inside their cave, Rey had finally finished constructing her lightsaber: it was a maroon color. Luke had laughed at this.

"Of course you would choose pink."

"It's not pink!" she sassed back, "It's maroon. I always liked that color. It has a nice edge."

Luke then prepared her for her daily training. He had told her all about the Force, how it had existed since the dawn of the galaxy, and how both the darkside and light lived in tandem.

"How can Kylo Ren enter my dreams the way he does?"

"That's a power only the darkside can use."

"It seems-" Rey began, but then held her tongue.

"What were you going to say?"

"It seems only the darkside gives you the best powers. To Force-choke, to enter dreams."

"The darkside gives the appearance of being more powerful, which is why so many go straight to it. And it preys on your emotions. It takes discipline to use the light side. That's why so many fail at being a Jedi."

Rey reached out. Yes, she felt the Force, and she could lift rocks off the ground, if only by a few inches. But that temptation was always there. Every single time she tried to use the Force, part of her went straight to the darkside. She felt the temptation to Force-choke, even though she knew it was surrendering herself to the darkside. How could anyone resist this power? Still, she disciplined herself around Luke.

Suddenly she felt something strong, and she could tell Luke had as well.

"He's here! Kylo Ren just landed."

"Is he worth fighting?" Luke asked, solemnly "Or is he worth redeeming?"

Rey could sense the conflict within Luke, but right then he felt something else.

"Leia. She's here too."

And Rey realized she could just recognize Leia through the Force, even if she had only met her once.

"If they're all here, I have a feeling this is going to be it," Luke said, "Let's face them."

Only a short distance east of the cave, Kylo Ren had landed his tie-fighter and exited, and only a short distance east of that, the Millenium Falcon had landed in the village. Several other Sith had landed on their tie-fighters as well, all around them.

Finn and Udo came charging out of the Falcon, blasting at Darth Cullen and the other Sith. Han and Leia stuck their heads out as Finn kept the way clear.

"Go, Solo!" Finn shouted, "Find your son."

And Han, Leia, and Chewie made their way across the field.

And so, imagine the following, dear reader: a large amber field in the middle of Hosnian Prime, Kylo Ren in the center, Luke and Rey on the far end, just out of his view, and all the way on the other end, Han, Leia, and Chewie running towards him.

It was Han who saw him first, and who first called out his name:

"Ben!"

Kylo Ren stopped, having not heard his father's voice in many years. He turned around and saw both his parents walking towards him. And with them was that Wookiee, the one that had been like another uncle to him.

"Han Solo. Leia Organa. I've been waiting for this day for a long time."

"Take of that mask," Han said gruffly, "You don't need it."

"What do you think you'll see if I do?"

"The face of my son."

On the other side of the amber field, Luke and Rey came into view and stopped, both in awe of what they were seeing.

Kylo Ren removed his mask. It came off very easily. And underneath it was a boy, clean-shaven, long-haired, surely no younger than twenty-five.

"Your son was foolish," he said, "He was weak and foolish, like his father."

Rey saw all this and thought, All this time, after all he's been in my dreams, he's just a boy. No scars, no wounds. He even speaks with a normal voice.

Luke saw all this and thought, Han! After all these years, Han hasn't changed his recklessness. I have to warn them!

And the boy Kylo Ren, who had once been known as Ben Solo, walked towards his parents. Han and Leia were in shock, still processing that this was their son, whose face they hadn't seen in years. They saw the face they had raised looking back at them. And they felt only love.

"Come with us, Ben," Leia said, "You belong home, not here."

"What home did you ever provide for me, Mother?"

"I guess that's fair," Leia said, "Then let's start again. Let's be the family I didn't allow us to be."

Hesitation.

"I was selfish, thinking of my political career before our family. But your grandfather isn't who you are."

"If you had really believe in the Sith, you would have named yourself Darth Something," Han said, "You named yourself Kylo, after your first toy."

His son said nothing.

"I remember that doll," Han went on, "It was a tiny monkey-lizard. You called it Kylo, and you called yourself Kylo Ren, because you couldn't pronounce Ben yet. That's what you are now, son. A boy playing with a toy. Not a Sith."

"Come with us," Leia said, "The three of us can go home and start again."

"It's too late for me."

"No it's not. We miss you."

Luke called out to Leia: He's not being sincere. He's thinking of killing you.

And Leia recognized his voice and thought: Luke's here. He's watching us right now.

"Come home, son," Han said, and reached out his hand.