Common sense dictated that Rey ought not lead a potentially dangerous, Force-sensitive, lightsaber-toting stranger back to the Resistance's base. But common sense would also have dictated that Rey carry a weapon on her person at all times.
The woman - 'Anya' she called herself - kept in step with Rey as they traveled back to the series of caves, easily ducking underneath overhanging vines as if she had dealt with them all her life. "I understand your reluctance to bring me to the Resistance," Anya spoke in even tones, pushing back a stray lock of sandy hair from her face. "But I assure you, I am no enemy to the Resistance; I know General Organa well."
"You do?" Rey asked, pausing in the middle of the roughly-hewn path to turn and face her companion. "How?"
"My father was a senator," Anya replied, hands resting lightly on her hips. "He and General Organa worked closely together for a number of years - before the war began, of course." Her dark blue eyes flickered across Rey's face, "I understand it is nearly impossible to trust anyone in these uncertain days…" Anya hesitated, long, petite fingers toying with the edges of her lightsaber handles. "If it would make you feel more comfortable -" with a snap the lightsabers released from her belt. Hilt first, Anya held out both sabers to Rey, "You may keep hold of these until you decide I am trustworthy."
Through the Force, Rey felt no inkling of deceit from Anya. Nor could she discern any hints of the rage and violence that constantly leaked through to her from her Force bond with Kylo Ren. This woman seemed to embody calm. It was refreshing. But still Rey felt wary of the woman standing so confidently before her - if there was one lesson Rey had kept to heart all the years of her short life, it was that people were hardly ever what they appeared to be on the surface.
Gingerly reaching out, Rey's hands closed tightly over the cool, metal handles. "You trust me not to use you own lightsabers against you?" She asked, quickly stowing the blades on her own belt in case Anya changed her mind.
"That is your prerogative." Anya responded calmly. "I am here with one singular purpose: To teach you. If you choose not to accept my help, then I will leave."
"You are a very strange person," Rey noted, turning her back on Anya and continuing on through the underbrush. It felt nice to have a lightsaber on her person again, even if the blades did not belong to her. I suppose the last one didn't either, she reminded herself grimly. That's why it's broken.
Leaves crunched softly behind her as Anya followed.
If she's an enemy, then she's a weirdly confident one now that she's unarmed. Who gives up their weapons so freely, anyway?
"Are you a Jedi?" Rey blurted out, unable to keep the nagging question from being spoken any longer.
"A Jedi?" Anya mused, tone thoughtful. "I suppose you could call me that, if you like."
"What else would you be?" Rey questioned. With every step, they grew closer to the base. Rey needed to be sure, before they arrived, what sort of action should be taken. If Anya was actually a Jedi, if she truly understood the ways of the Light and was willing to teach Rey, then how could Rey resist?
But if this was all somehow a clever ruse - Rey shoved the thought from her mind. Whichever side Anya was on would soon be made clear. If the woman really knew General Organa, as she claimed, than the general would be able to vouch for her.
"That is not a question which I have pondered in many years," came the slow reply.
Rey longed to turn around, to see Anya's face as she answered. The woman's tone was too calm, too collected, for Rey to pick out any telling emotions.
Breaking through the last thin branches, Rey stepped out first into the small clearing directly in front of the Resistance's cavern base. As expected, she could not pick out the sentries on duty, hidden as they were by the thick vines and moss surrounding the cave's entrance. But through the Force, Rey could feel them there, watching.
"Is that you, Rey?" A worried Finn stepped down from one the sentry perches located closest to the cave's entrance. "Did you make it out to the Falcon? How's it look?"
"It's me." She responded, pulling the edges of her shirt down to better cover the lightsabers' hilts. "I found someone in the jungle," Rey continued, thumb arched back to point over her shoulder at Anya. "Says she's here to help the Resistance," Rey quickly added upon seeing Finn reach for his blaster.
"You found an ally wandering in the jungle?" He asked, clearly confused.
"My ariship ran out of fuel a few miles back," Anya supplied with a small smile. "I hardly knew the exact location of your base, so it was most providential that I met your friend when I did, else I'd be lost in the jungle for days."
"Uh, right." Finn walked closer, hand still firmly wrapped around his blaster. "Is this some sort of code for 'help'?" He whispered to Rey, glancing cautiously at Anya from the corner of his eye.
"No." Rey whispered back, uneasy laughter spilling out of her lips. If this had been a code, Finn, why would you ask? "We need to see General Organa."
"She's busy-" Finn continued whispering, "you know, doing general-type stuff."
Oh, Finn, you're a terrible liar. Quit while you're ahead.
"That is quite alright," Anya spoke up. Brushing lightly at the dirt clinging to her grey tunic, she turned her calm gaze to Finn, "I will gladly wait until she is free."
"Um," Finn stuttered, looking helplessly at Rey for direction.
"It's fine," Rey reassured her friend, patting him gently on the shoulder as she and Anya moved past. "We'll just wait inside."
The cool, damp interior of the caves was a welcome change from the suffocating humidity of the jungle. Rey led the way to the War Room, all the while worriedly chewing on her bottom lip. She had expected some sort of climatic showdown upon returning to base, not the friendly concern of Finn. Maybe Anya was exactly who she claimed to be. So why did that thought leave Rey feeling on edge?
Minutes ticked by slowly as the two women waited just outside the War Room. Rey paced, unable to keep still. Anya had somehow managed to find a sturdy enough stack of crates to perch on. Is this how Jedi are supposed to act? Rey wondered, glancing occasionally over to the woman: Anya rested easily against the ratty crates, unconcerned that the boxes should not have been able to support her weight - as slight of figure as she was.
Perhaps the woman's gentle demeanor was normal for a Jedi. The only other Force-sensitive people Rey had met were not nearly as at peace. An image of patient and calm Anya meeting Kylo Ren in all his unbridled fury flashed into her mind. Choking back a loud laugh at the thought, Rey stopped pacing, unable to get the hilarious image out of her head. If she and Kylo fought over their differences in opinion, she could only imagine the arguments that would break out between two completely opposite people.
"What is so humorous?" Anya questioned, staring with a hint of concern at Rey's doubled-over form.
Suddenly remembering that she was standing directly outside the War Room, Rey straightened, smile still wide. "Just imagining you meeting a friend-" No! He is absolutely not a "friend." "um, a person I know. You're very different." Rey concluded, all traces of laughter wiped away. "Friend?" What is wrong with me? The guy who keeps trying to kill me and my allies is not my friend.
"I see." Anya replied. Rey wondered what, exactly, it was that Anya had gleaned from Rey's mislabeled term of her enemy.
The low-hanging vines which provided a semblance of privacy between the War Room and storage area where Rey and Anya waited shifted as people began to exit the far room. Poe stalked out, a look of annoyance plastered on his face. Guess the general shot down another one of his ideas.
Strangely, no one gave Anya a second glance. They probably think she's just another new recruit.
Rey shoved her way through the crowd. While it was good that the Resistance was growing in number, it made their new base cramped at times.
General Organa was alone in the room when Rey entered. "Did you need something, Rey?" She inquired, not glancing up from the holomap.
Rey nodded nervously. "Yes, actually, I-"
General Organa's head shot up, eyes snapping quickly to the woman standing next to Rey. "Anya Dineyia." A flicker of disbelief crossed the general's face. "Why are you here?" She demanded.
Rey glanced between the two women, feeling the sudden tension permeating the air. "So...you two do know each other?"
Anya stepped forward, hands slightly raised as if in surrender. "General, I swear to you that I am not here to cause any of your people harm."
Leia shifted, a blaster appearing in her right hand. "You'll forgive me for not trusting your word." She responded, voice tight with an emotion Rey did not recognize.
"I come in peace," Anya said, stopping at the edge of the rock the holomap's projector rested on.
"Peace?" Leia questioned, a sharp note of anger slipping through. "Is the First Order with you?"
First Order? How could a woman like Anya work for the First Order? Warily, Rey's right hand closed over the rough hilt of one of Anya's lightsabers. Unarmed, Rey doubted the woman would stand a chance against both herself and the general, but it was impossible to tell what strength the Force might lend Anya in a fight.
"I have never worked for the First Order." Anya insisted, hands still raised in a gesture of peace. "Nor have I seen your son in many years, in case you next care to accuse me of working alongside him."
Rey's eyes widened in surprise. "You know Ben?" She asked, amazed.
Anya did not turn her eyes away from the blaster in Leia's hand as she answered Rey. "We grew up together."
"Yes, and you and your brother Krillien assisted my son in burning down the Jedi Temple and murdering your fellow classmates." Leia responded, eyes stern.
Wait, what? Rey froze.
"To be accurate, I never killed anyone." Anya retorted. "It was utter chaos that night; my brother did what was necessary to keep the two of us alive. Yes, we may have made an error in judgement, but scared children hardly consider moral implications in the heat of the moment."
"Why are you here?" The general asked again, seemingly eager to change the topic of conversation.
"I was sorry to learn of Master Skywalker's passing-" Anya began.
"Were you really?" Leia interrupted, ire coating her words.
"Yes, actually." Anya insisted, her calm demeanor slipping ever so slightly. "I never held any ill will toward him; he taught me everything I know." Dropping her hands to rest at her sides, Anya straightened her back, ash-toned cloak spilling around her shoulders. "I am here because I felt Rey's Force awakening. When I learned of Master Skywalker's demise, I felt compelled to come and offer my services."
So, did everyone feel something in the Force when I first did? People keep bringing this up. "But how did you know where to find us?" Rey questioned.
"For the past three years, I have served as a healer for the royal family on Onderon. Since you now reside on one of Onderon's four moons, the distance is not so great that I could not feel your presence." Anya explained patiently. "If you still question my loyalties, General Organa, feel free to speak to your allies on Onderon: they will vouch for me."
With a heavy sigh, Leia lowered her blaster. "You can be sure I will speak to them: Thoroughly."
Anya smiled brightly, "Do I have your permission, then, to instruct Rey?"
"I don't see where we have much choice in the matter," Leia answered, holstering her gun. "Luke did not have much time to teach her before he died."
"Whatever did happen to Master Skywalker after the Temple fell?" Anya inquired, arms crossed lightly across her chest.
"He was a grumpy hermit when I found him." Rey answered with a shrug. "I had to beg him to train me at all."
"Well, that is rather unfortunate." Anya replied, tone somber. With a small nod of acknowledgment to Leia, she turned to face Rey. "Shall we begin your training at once, then?"
Rey glanced cautiously over at the general, waiting silently for her approval. Once again, Rey felt as if she had been dropped into the middle of a situation without even a moment of warning. "Uh, I guess," she said. A combination of excitement and trepidation passed through her at the thought of continuing her lessons.
Anya was halfway out of the room before Rey felt the cool metal under her palms. "Oh wait!" Her new teacher turned back, eyes alert for danger at Rey's sudden yell. "Sorry, I just, ah," Rey unhooked the lightsabers from her belt and held them out to Anya, "just thought you should have these back." The woman nodded her thanks as she took the sabers from Rey's outstretched hands.
I really hope this isn't a mistake. Rey thought as she followed Anya from the room.
Sunlight streamed to the ground in intricate patterns; beams from the descending sun fractured upon impact on the overhanging branches. Deep within the trees, a symphony of growls and feral screams mingled with Rey's labored breathing.
She raised a shaking hand to her face, using the edge of her shawl to wipe away the sweat rushing from her pores. For the past hour, she had been running through drills with her staff, showing off her skills to Anya.
"You have good form with a staff," her new teacher commented, clearly pleased. "Your lightsaber skills may be an entirely different matter, the forms are quite different, after all, and can take years to master." she mused, "Who taught you to fight?"
Rey leaned wearily against her staff, "I taught myself, mostly," she responded, avoiding Anya's comment about lightsabers: Rey hadn't had much trouble picking up those skills quickly. "I grew up alone on Jakku - sometimes I had to protect my food and my hauls from scavenging so I learned to defend myself."
"I understand." Anya replied, sitting down lightly on a moss-covered rock. Crossing one leg over another, the woman stared down at her lap, fidgeting with the hilt of one of her sabers. "Life can be cruel and we must, at times, depend only upon ourselves for survival."
"You had a rough childhood?" Rey asked slowly. Not sure even if the question was appropriate, but desperate to learn something - anything - else about this woman. And Ben, if she could.
"Oh, nothing like what you faced, I'm sure. In fact, many people would correctly surmise that I had a rather privileged upbring." Anya replied, unfazed by the question. "There were difficult days, however; my parents were often absent and there also lay the inherent dangers one faces with being a child of government officials. But my brother and I looked after one another, as best we could."
Rey kept silent, shifting uneasily from foot to foot. Dare she ask about him? Everyone else who actually knew him - not as Kylo Ren, merciless leader of the First Order - as Ben Solo and whatever that implied always seemed hesitant to speak of him. Though Rey begrudgingly acknowledged that their silence was understandable considering all the terrible acts he had committed as Kylo Ren, their refusal to speak about him as he had once been did little to help her comprehend his exact nature.
"Something on your mind?" Anya inquired, noticing Rey's restlessness.
"It's just...well-" Rey paused. A sudden, unexplainable burst of frustration tore through her mind. Ben. "I need to go take care of something. Real quick." Hand wrapping tightly around her staff, Rey took off at the run through the jungle, not waiting for a response from Anya. The last time someone had witnessed her Force connection with the Resistance's enemy had felt like a violation of privacy. Besides, Rey reasoned, if he senses someone else nearby, he might try to ignore me again. But we need to talk about whatever the hell is going on.
Her heart pounded in time with each step she took deeper into the heart of Dxun's interior. "Where are you running to?" Rey skidded to a halt, almost tripping over an upturned branch in her haste to turn and find where Kylo Ren's physical form had manifested itself this time in her mind.
Breathing hard, Rey waited for her lungs to stop burning before replying. Her eyes quickly scanned over his body for any clear signs of injury. "You look terrible," she commented, not knowing how else to phrase her surprise at his haggard appearance. Deep, dark circles had formed beneath his eyes, leading Rey to wonder if he had even slept since the last time they had spoken almost two weeks prior.
The burning rage she felt coming from him subsided a bit as he continued to stare at her, exhaustion clear on his features, though he attempted to cover it with a measure of concern for her. "You haven't answered my question," he said, dark eyes scanning her in much the same way she had him. "Are you in danger?"
Rey shook her head. Basically everyone else in the galaxy would think I was in danger, talking to you. "No. Are you?" she questioned, knuckles turning white as she gripped her staff tighter. If there was something - or someone - hurting him, she would not rest until the problem had been dealt with.
"That's not -" His attention wavered; his eyes glazing slightly as he listened to someone else speak.
"Ben?" Carefully, worried she might spook him if she moved too quickly, Rey stepped closer. "What's wrong?"
His eyes snapped back to focus on Rey as his given name passed her lips, a look of confusion passed quickly over his face as if he had momentarily forgotten she was there. "Nothing." The word was spoken too quickly, too harshly for Rey to believe. "It isn't safe." He muttered, "You need to leave."
"What isn't safe?" Rey asked, stopping a few feet in front of him. Close enough to reach out and touch him, if she wanted to.
"Do you feel it?" Kylo implored, his lightsaber suddenly appearing in his gloved hands. Even though the blade was still collapsed, the question passed through Rey's mind if she could somehow be killed in their Force connection. If he had the urge to attack her now, could he kill her?
He won't hurt me. Rey reminded herself stubbornly. At least, not intentionally. A small shudder of fear passed through her. Whatever was happening to Kylo Ren was leaving him unstable. He was more dangerous now, in his current state of mind, than ever before.
"No," she whispered, unsure whether she was answering his question or trying to convince herself that Kylo Ren would not try to kill her.
"Really?" A look of surprise covered his face. "You don't feel-" He paused, anger blazing to life behind his eyes as he turned to look at whoever was speaking. Involuntarily, Rey stepped backwards as his lightsaber ignited, crimson sparks jumping from the blade.
"Ben?" Rey readied her staff, though she logically knew that she would be of no help. Not from halfway across the galaxy. This conversation is going nowhere. "If you're in danger, I can-" Can what? Rey questioned. Can leave my allies and wander around the galaxy until I run into the First Order and get captured again? How would that possibly help?
I never should have left that ship without him. Rey thought guiltily, staring at his defensive posture. "I should have made you come with me." she said aloud.
"What?" Kylo's tone softened, though he kept his eyes trained on whoever else was in the room with him.
I feel like I'm talking to two different people at the same time: He's nice to me and looks like he wants to kill everyone else. "You were unconscious," she stated, thinking back to that day in Snoke's throne room. "I should have dragged you back to the Resistance with me. You wouldn't be alone and in danger now, if I had."
"Fairly certain I would still be in danger," he responded dryly. "Your friends don't exactly like or trust me. For good reason."
"I would have protected you," Rey insisted.
"You would have tried," he corrected, finally turning back to face her. "Do you really believe that your general would have allowed me to live if you had brought me back as your prisoner?" His tone was flat now, emotionless. Rey decided this version of Kylo Ren was infinitely more terrifying than the violent, unpredictable man the majority of the Resistance was familiar with.
"You mother would never have-" she began.
"My mother," he interjected, clearly annoyed, "would have done whatever was necessary to protect her precious rebellion." Disbelief must have been evident on Rey's face because Kylo quickly added, "Ask her. She'll tell you herself. She doesn't put anyone, even her son, over the Resistance."
"But," she stuttered, unable to come up with a proper response when he was staring at her with such absolute conviction in his eyes. That can't possibly be true. Leia would never-
Before she could come up with a way to convince Kylo that he was wrong about his mother, their connection ceased. Looking at the place where he had been standing just seconds before, Rey couldn't shake the feeling that something worse than war was coming, for both of them.
Maybe it had already come.
The sound of someone clearing their throat had Rey whirling around, staff at the ready. "Anya." she gasped, wondering just how long the woman had been standing there.
"So this is why your interest was peaked when I mentioned I knew Ben." Anya sighed, a look of resignation crossing her face. "Go on then, ask me your questions. Let's get this out of the way." Arms crossed lightly over her chest, she waited patiently for Rey to lower her staff.
"My questions?" Rey asked, still shaken by her latest conversation with Kylo Ren. "How did you- Wait, did you see him? Just now."
A slight smile crossed Anya's face as she shook her head. "No, but I recognize the feeling of bemusement that comes from a prolonged conversation with Ben Solo. Besides," the woman added, "I felt his Force mingling with yours and put two and two together as I watched you talking to the air."
Huh, I must look crazy when I'm talking to him. Never thought about that before. "You felt…?"
"He has a rather distinctive presence." Anya explained. "Technically, every Force user does. In time, you'll learn how to distinguish friend from foe."
Rey filed that information away, determined to test it out for herself. "I don't think he is: A foe, I mean."
Anya tilted her head thoughtfully, "Many people would argue with you on that point."
"Would you?" Rey asked. Curiosity at what Anya's answer would be mixed with Rey's hot-headed desire to march back to base and point-blank ask Leia if she would have put her own son to death if Rey had brought him back with her. She just needed to prove someone wrong: preferably Kylo Ren.
"No." Anya answered confidently. "Not to you, at least."
"What do you mean by that?" Rey demanded.
"You remind me of him, a little." Anya replied, glancing away. "Headstrong, reckless, you let your emotions control you instead of the other way around; you're kindred spirits."
Rey felt both proud and uneasy of the fact that she reminded Ben's childhood friend so much of him.
"Don't fret." Anya added, noticing Rey's unease, "You aren't exactly alike. Just alike enough that I can see why the two of you might get along."
"Oh." Rey swallowed some of her fear, feeling slightly better. "So he was always impulsive, huh?"
"Incredibly so, yes." Anya laughed, the softness of her tone contrasting vibrantly with the harsh jungle noises. "Both he and my brother Krillien have that particular quality. Though it did get them out of a few scrapes when we were children, it also got us all into quite a few more."
"It's odd," Rey acknowledged, "thinking of him as a child. Or of the two of you as friends."
Anya uncrossed her arms, letting her hands rest easily on the hilt of her lightsabers. "I imagine so. We are rather different, he and I."
"How were you friends?" Rey wondered, thinking back to earlier in the day when she had laughed at the thought of Anya meeting Kylo Ren.
"Well, I was mostly the annoying little sister who tagged along on his and Krillien's adventures." Her tone turned somber, "I found it challenging to put our childhood behind us, considering Ben saved my life on more than one occasion, but…" she trailed off, leaving Rey to wonder how many bridges her enemy-turned-unlikely-ally - when it suited him - had burned.