Rey awoke to find herself cocooned in a soft bed piled high with thick blankets. She felt warm and unexpectedly safe. Recalling the freezing hanger bay she wriggled her toes experimentally. All present and correct, thankfully. The room she found herself in was almost completely bare, yet no one could call it plain on account of the view through a window which ran along one wall. Shuffling up the bed, Rey was able to make out a tremendous waterfall which was frozen solid. She could see the way the streams of water had formed colossal icicles that were no less than one hundred feet long. The ice sparkled like a thousand diamonds and Rey felt she had never seen anything quite so magical in her life. Curiosity dragged her out from that wondrous bed and towing a blanket behind her she moved closer to the window.
It was an amazing sight. Thousands of gallons of water frozen in mid-air, forever suspended above a frozen lake below. She wanted to examine it more closely, see if she could discover individual droplets trapped in the ice. She relaxed her mind and reached out through the Force. Rey could sense the surge of momentum that was trapped within the enormous icicles beyond the glass. She wondered what would happen if she managed release the water from its icy prison. She felt a barely perceptible flicker of energy from one of the frozen tentacles and she homed in on it. She felt it thawing, felt the energy as all the water particles started to rush into motion, pressing against the solid barrier. She was almost there, any second now she would have released a minute portion of the waterfall… She held her breath, focussed completely on her efforts.
In fact, she was concentrating so hard that she did not even notice the man and woman as they entered the room. The woman was perplexed by Rey's intense reverie by the window. However, the man sensed what she was doing, and with a quizzically raised eyebrow, he spoke.
"That's just the kind of thing that Ben would've tried," he also stretched out through the Force. To an ordinary outsider looking in, they would have seen nothing of interest in the scene playing out in the room. Just three humans silently admiring the view. But they would have missed the fact that twenty feet beyond the window that one tip of one of those mighty icicles suddenly melted. The observer would have missed the sudden fluid motion outside, oblivious to the immense power at work. The man's power merged with hers and facilitated the melting but then just as quickly he refroze the water. No one would ever be able to tell the difference in the waterfall's structure such was the multitude of frozen water trails. Rey could just about detect her icicle, the one that had just been created anew. Yet, also in that moment, she had allowed her conscious mind to join with the others in the room.
"I know who you are." She spoke as she turned to stand. She had seen their images dozens of times in Ben's mind. However, the legendary Luke Skywalker seemed much older than Ben remembered. Obviously, there was the passage of time to take into account, but yet there was something else too. A weariness was etched across his face. Life had been tough and fraught with pain and disappointment. Rey looked at the woman. Again, she recognised her from Ben's memories, yet she could also see the sorrow and pain that aged her.
"We know who you are as well," the woman smiled as she spoke, and offered her hand. "And we have much to discuss, but first… do you feel up to a visitor? There is someone through that door who has practically worn away the floor pacing up and down waiting for you to wake up!"
Rey nodded in confusion as she could not imagine who would want to see her, but then she yelped in delight as the door suddenly shot open to reveal the face of the only friend she had ever known. She threw her arms around Finn and held him close. For a few seconds they were both locked in the moment, silent and still. But the young man was far too excited to be still for more than an instant.
"I thought you were dead!" they both announced in unison. Their delight at being wrong illuminated both their young faces. Luke and Leia stepped back to allow them this private reunion, smiles on their faces as they sensed the genuine joy at having found each other again.
"Chewie hauled me out of there just as the base started to disintegrate, we couldn't find you. The sensors were malfunctioning because of the explosions, there wasn't time for a search. I thought you were dead," and the young man hung his head. His eyes filed with tearful remorse. "We'd never have left you behind, I didn't know…"
Rey's own eyes shone with tears which mirrored his and she squeezed his arm. "I know. It's ok." She did not tell him how desperate she had felt as she had watched the Falcon blast away without her. She smiled reassuringly at her friend, letting her know that there was nothing to forgive. Yet, inside she felt that in some ways part of her would always be standing on that crumbling ground watching helplessly as she was abandoned again. She knew that she would never be the same as them, she would always be apart and alone. Her eyes connected with Luke's and she saw a shadow pass over his face, she suspected that she had accidently projected her feelings of loss through the Force. She wondered what he knew already, and how much she would be expected to share with him. The moment passed and he smiled benignly at her, the man before her seemed so much calmer than the one in Ben's memories. She considered the possibility that it was Ben himself that had provoked the anger in Luke. She sighed as she recognised that Ben inspired such strong feelings from those around him. She would have to try not to be prejudiced by the passionate rejection that had coloured so many of his childhood memories.
"So, what happened?" Finn eagerly asked, "How did you escape?"
She paused. What could she tell him? What version of the truth would they be able to comprehend and accept? Finn stood before her, his face so open, his mind likewise. She could feel the curiosity rolling off him in waves. She opened her mouth but no words came out. Finn's interest shifted into concern.
"Was it awful?" he gently enquired, and then he took one of her hands in his.
"I…" Rey whispered, her voice dry and her throat constricted. How could she even begin to explain all that had happened? She felt a warm arm go around her shoulders, and Leia softly intervened.
"I think that's enough questions for now. How about some food? You must be famished!"
And with that, the party of four made their way down a long white corridor to the mess hall. Leia kept up a steady stream of chatter about their location. Finn held tightly to Rey's hand as if he had no intention of ever letting her out of his sight again. Rey quietly listened and Luke followed behind. The older man opened his mind to the ripples in the Force and tried to make sense of the wildly conflicting emotions flooding from the young girl. He knew that eventually this day would come. The history if his own birth, upbringing and destiny had shown him that nothing can remain hidden forever. He just hoped that now she was here, that he would have the courage to act wisely and compassionately as they stepped forward along this new path.