There was a time when Rey had considered her body a prison, bound by insecurities held beneath internal darkness. It had taken her meeting Ben to realize she'd sentenced herself to that lonely world of desolation not long after her parents disappeared. Hux's betrayal had only provided more fuel to that lifelong enmity.
Because why else had her own flesh and blood abandoned her? And having no friends must've meant something was wrong with her - right?
Well, according to Ben, the answer to that was a most definite no.
She tried to believe him, but it was easier said than done. No thanks to other fairies who continuously hurled insults whenever she and Ben ventured near the lagoon.
Rey pretended not to have noticed. Although, occasionally, the poison coating their barbs seeped into her pores like daggers tearing through flesh. Even with the cascades roaring in the background, the insults rang plain as day to her ears.
"Is that a human he's with?" She overheard a fairy remark.
"Duh, he's gorgeous! Don't you know being with someone like her puts the focus on him?" Another quipped.
Out of all the slander she heard, the comment that never ceased to cut her the deepest was 'he must feel sorry for her.' She found herself needing constant reassurance that it wasn't true.
Ben never said much over the matter, but she knew that he had to of heard them too. Jaw flexed at the slightest mention of wingless fairy, she saw the disdain of their rueful pettiness through the fire gleaming in his eyes.
Rather than causing a scene he would give her hand a squeeze. He'd lean over then and kiss her temple or her lips. Sometimes both. He'd remind her that he loved her - and Rey believed him.
As the days carried into weeks, the fears regarding the credibility of Ben's feelings towards her progressively receded. The more those inner chains crippled at the links, the more she felt like herself again.
Her old self.
The Rey before she was abandoned. Before she was betrayed. In the place of scars, she felt powerful, confident, and free - and irrevocably in love.
Every so often though, for the sake of acquiring a better peace of mind, they walked to that secluded hideaway beyond the realm. During one of their mid-afternoon leisure strolls together, her attention flitted from its previous quest of finding new trinkets for her collection to something else entirely.
"I was wondering," Rey stated pensively, brows furrowed. "That night when you healed me - was it hard to do?"
Ben slowly shook his head, upper lip quirked. "I mean, I guess it was a bit complicated at first. But like any skill, it requires practice in order for you to succeed, and it'll eventually start coming to you naturally."
Wetting her lips, Rey raised her head and looked at him, eyes hopeful. "Could you teach me?"
Ben met her gaze. "What, healing?"
Rey smiled somewhat coyly. "How 'bout everything?"
Ben was taken aback. Abruptly, he came to a stop and faced her fully, head cocked. "You were never taught?"
She winced at that. "Maybe." She hugged herself loosely, sighing. "Pretty lame for a fairy not to have harnessed her powers, huh?"
Ben shook his head. "Not at all," he acquiesced gently, as he took a step forward and began massaging her arms. "Not all fairies are eager to learn about the magic they possess, it's what makes us all different."
Rey smiled and nodded. "I guess if you wanna put it that way…"
"You know that I'm right," he smirked. "Plus, learning late is better than never. We'll just have to start with the basics before you try healing."
"Oh." Her nose wrinkled in disappointment. "Such as?"
"Levitation," Ben said as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. Turning on a heel, he scanned the brush for an object she supposed would be used for demonstration.
"Levitation," she repeated in a livelier tone. "So, lifting rocks and stuff?"
"Basically," he affirmed shortly from over his shoulder. He puffed an audible 'ah!' as he bent at the waist to retrieve a fairly small pebble from the riverbank running alongside their trail. He returned wearing a broad smile on his face. "Here, I'll show you."
Unable to retain her excitement, a tightly suppressed squeal escaped her lips as Ben revealed the tiny pebble lying in the bed of his large palm. He chuckled at that but Rey didn't care.
Rey kept her eyes trained on the small object in his right hand, not allowing a single movement to go unnoticed. She noted how his left hand hovered above the other, index finger dipped just a smidge lower than the rest. He gave the finger a swift flick in an upward motion.
She gasped sharply when the pebble rose almost instantly on command, floating in the empty space between his hands as if an invisible thread were linking the two together. She felt like a child witnessing the wonders of magic for the first time in her life. Sadly, though, she actually was.
"This is so cool," Rey gushed, her eyes dazzled in amazement.
Still beaming ear-to-ear, Ben released the magnetic hold on the pebble, falling to his palm. "Now I want you to try," he insisted, handing it to her.
Nodding, Rey drew in a deep breath as she accepted the tiny object from him. "Okay…"
"Don't worry, this is about as simple as it gets," he assured, making her confidence ascend. "The trick here is to clear your thoughts, focus your energy on what needs to be done. You want to establish a connection with that pebble, show that you're in control. And when you can do that, you'll be able to force anything to bend to your will - if you put your mind to it."
Gods, the amount of faith he always put into her was astonishing. Always made her feel she could do anything. For that, she was determined to not fail him. She could do this.
I can do this.
"You've got this," he praised as he took a few steps to the side and stood behind her, hands settling on her waist. "Breathe. Just breathe."
Just breathe.
Nodding in response to his words, Rey closed her eyes as she centered herself, her hand with the pebble leveled and extended inches from her torso, the other hovering above in the same position as Ben had displayed his.
Adhering to his advice, she kept her mind clear of thoughts. Every sound in their environment gradually diminished to a soft, distant buzz. She felt tremendously light; like she'd defied gravity and was transported to an unknown dimension.
Except, when Rey opened her eyes, she found that not only had her feet remained planted on Earth, but the pebble was hovering steadily between her hands. Yet she realized, at some point, she had brought them closer her face.
However, like a cyclone forming before her expanding pupils, the levitated pebble began to spin, slowly then startlingly fast. Within its orbit, a series of shocking images were revealed, though she was experiencing the scenes through the eyes of someone else.
Or perhaps something else, she couldn't say.
Regardless of it being who or what the life she channeled was fluttering amongst the outskirts of the fairy realm, seemingly approaching a large sycamore scalped of its canopy. Rey caught a glimpse of a nearby thicket, where thorns flourished on vines that coiled around trunks, like malicious serpents.
I know this place…
She'd been there in a daydream - in a nightmare. In terms of reality, she'd visited Hux's murky homestead once.
But it was the next vision that pried her from the trance and sent her frantically tumbling back into Ben's chest, her own heaving in the calm shelter of his arms.
"Rey!" Gripping her exceedingly slim biceps, Ben urged her to turn and face him. Seeing the panic in her eyes he cradled her flushed cheeks. "What happened? Talk to me!"
"I saw them, Ben!" She sobbed wildly, hands tightly balled into fists at the front of her dress. "I saw them. They were there!"
Frowning, his brows knitted. "Okay, sweetheart, you have to calm down. What was there? What did you see?"
With her eyes clenched, Rey swallowed thickly, trying to regain her composure. "My wings," she affirmed in a calm voice prior to opening her eyes, hooded and lashes drenched in tears. "H-he has my wings."
Lips parted ever so slight, Ben was silent no longer than a passing beat. After a brief pause, what he proceeded to admit left her completely thunderstruck.
"Rey, what if I told you that it was possible you could get your wings back?"
Are we getting that confrontation with Hux? YES, WE ARE!