I must say, I'm completely flattered by the reception the story has gotten. Thank you all for following, favoring and commenting on the fic. Some of your messages make me think, others make me chuckle, and every single one of them, no matter how brief, makes me smile. You guys rock! :-)
On a couple of side notes, I'd like to thank whoever included the story in the "You still want to kill me" community.
Anyway, nice to be here. I hope you enjoy the chapter.
The hike back was marked by stark silence as they both made their way along the now windy canyon submerged in their own private thoughts. It wasn't quite dark yet, though broad strokes of orange and red painted the sky in stunning patterns that were slowly giving way to the first night stars. Rey willed her legs to keep moving, doing her best to ignore the exhaustion that was beginning to claim her. She couldn't remember the last time she slept, and very much doubted she'd be able to give into a peaceful rest any time soon.
At least, she had put the time during their return to good use by focusing on the power she drew from the Force—the flow of it around all living and inanimate objects, its pulsing rush as it coursed through her veins, the humming all around her, sizzling vibrations…
The crackling spark that ignited every time it grazed the dark aura around Kylo Ren…
Rey avoided clashing with his energy and welcomed the serene power of the Force in other elements, using it as a crutch to avoid succumbing to her feelings of hopelessness. One way or another, she was determined to make it out of that forsaken rock. Unfortunately, her only way out appeared to be rather dangerous, and—
She swiveled on her feet mid-thought, overtaken by a sudden stab of raw panic. Heart thumping wildly inside her chest, Rey looked over at Kylo Ren, who had also stopped on his tracks, facing in the exact same direction towards the far end of the canyon.
"I felt it too," he said, brows creased.
The wind was blowing even harder now, making it difficult to for them to keep their eyes open against the onslaught. A rumbling sound, very similar to that of a freighter ship taking off, kept getting stronger, causing the earth to vibrate beneath their feet. The fact that Ren seemed a bit anxious made Rey even more nervous, while her fight or flight instinct kept sending her brain conflicting messages.
It was his stern order what finally broke the tie.
"RUN!"
She was already on the move when she saw the massive cloud of sand emerge like a titan from around the corner of the canyon. It rolled towards them at high speed, gaining ground yard after thunderous yard.
They were both fast and athletic, but still no match for the approaching storm that swallowed them whole in a matter of seconds. Rey kept running, blinded by the swirl of dust and sand all around her, sensing her way around the winding path and avoiding being hit by falling rocks that came tumbling down from the top of the canyon. She didn't know exactly where Kylo Ren was, but she could sense him somewhere beside her. She also could perceive the shuttle ahead, no more than a mile away, so she kept running towards it, lungs burning from exertion and dust inhalation.
Her mind kept reeling, but she fought the fear that was beginning to consume her and tried to remain focused. And just when the shuttle became partially visible through the curtain of sand, Rey sensed the enormous mass speeding down toward her from above. She cried in horror as a boulder the size of a Tie-fighter appeared on top of her, impossible to outrun.
At that same instant, a powerful tidal wave, overwhelming and invisible, rushed right through her body and left her gasping. The next thing she knew, the massive boulder was frozen in mid-air just a few inches above her head. Shaking from the eerie sensation that had ripped through her, and weakened by its intensity, Rey stood bolted to the spot. She felt light headed as her knees began to buckle, but right before collapsing, she was pulled from under the deadly rock with one quick yank of her hand, prompting her legs to respond once again.
Ren practically dragged her to the shuttle, opened the latch, and they both climbed into the shelter of its cockpit as the worst of the storm pounded the small ship. They felt it slide to the side at one point, hauled by the hurricane strong winds, only to end up lodged and secured between two huge rocks by the bed of the canyon.
Drained and exhausted, Rey slumped against the chair and allowed the mounting tension to lift off her in waves, grateful to feel the fury of the sandstorm outside taming gradually.
She didn't realize she had fallen asleep until she woke up to total and complete silence some time later and unsure of where she was for a long moment. Her memory began putting the pieces of the last several hours together, delineating the picture of her ill-fated situation. She stirred on the uncomfortable seat and opened her eyes slowly, almost hoping he'd be gone, but knowing better than to expect it.
Kylo Ren observed her quietly from the pilot's seat, though his presence was unobtrusive.
"Don't you ever sleep?" she asked, sitting up. Rey was feeling a tad annoyed, but was unable to pin-point exactly the reason why. Perhaps she felt vulnerable knowing that he, not for the first time, had been watching her while she slept.
"Sometimes," he answered cryptically.
The blanket of darkness had descended upon them once again, and only the mild light from the shuttle's emergency system illuminated the small space, but it was better than nothing. She arched forward, raised her arms over her head and stretched her sore muscles. Rey felt contrived by having to share such tight quarters with him for the remainder of the night, and wondered if, now that the storm had passed, she could just step outside and sleep under the open sky, like she used to do on Jakku.
Once again she turned to him, feeling the tiny shuttle shrinking by the second.
"Stop looking at me like that!" she demanded. "You're making me nervous."
Ren's eyebrow arched inquisitively. "Why would I make you nervous?"
She could have told him that the intensity of his stare brought her back to that interrogation room where she'd seen his face for the first time. She could've confessed having been equally curious and terrified when he had looked at her in a similar manner back then. She could have admitted there was something else behind it.
She could have… but she didn't.
As her eyes travelled away from his and down to his arm, she noticed a tear in his sleeve and a gash on his skin, though it had long stopped bleeding.
"Your arm," she simply said, pointing out the obvious, which made her feel a tad silly.
"Just a scratch," he dismissed with a mild shrug.
"Another scar to add to your collection?" she half-teased.
His facial expression lost some of its austerity and his lips curved almost unperceptively. "Something like that," he answered.
The truth was they had been lucky to make it out of the sandstorm with 'just a scratch'. The odds of them having been crushed by the crumbling canyon walls had been overwhelming. Rey realized how close she had been from landing under the colossal weight of a falling boulder, and a deep chill crawled up her spine.
"How did you do it?" she asked with slight trepidation. "The rock," she clarified, though she didn't really need to. "I don't think I could ever..."
"You have little faith in your own abilities," he cut in. He sent her a fleeting smile, but his eyes remained as dark as a moonless night. "I'm not surprised. Your short training with Skywalker probably consisted of long periods of mindful grounding and arduously searching for inner peace. A conscious journey towards the light. Am I right?"
"You know nothing about my training," she countered, eyes defiant. Although, deep down, she was awestruck by the accuracy of his words.
Ren's smile began to fade. "I know the Force was much stronger in you before your master tamed it."
"He gave me focus, taught me to control it."
"He made you doubt yourself, your own abilities," he said, his stare burning into her. "The raw power of the Force should not be suppressed. Emotions are not only its conduit, they are its enhancer. You felt it yourself, in the woods amidst the snow—the rage, the hatred… The more I advanced on you, the stronger it grew inside you."
"A Jedi never uses the Force in hatred," she said with a bitter taste in her mouth, for she knew she had failed on that count.
"You sound just like him," he spoke quietly. "Self-righteous and condescending. Tell me, Scavenger, what has he really offered you?"
"The chance to become a true Jedi," she said with conviction.
"Is that all?" Ren let out a dry chuckle and leaned forward. "I'm handing you the key to unleash your inner power. Aren't you even curious as to how far you can take it?"
"And become a murderous tyrant like you?" she snarled. "I'd rather die!"
His eyes narrowed, they seemed to see through her as he studied her features. "You have no idea just how powerful you truly are, do you? Skywalker… He never told you?" he finally said, a shadow of awe clinging to his words. "You don't even know who you are or where you come from…"
Respect.
Until that moment, Rey hadn't been able to identify the transient feeling that kept flashing to the surface, and just as quickly disappeared into the pit of his soul.
"That day in the snow," she swallowed hard. "You were trying to bait me. Why? You could've easily killed me."
Ren nodded. "So could you."
"I wanted to," she confessed finding it hard to hold his stare at that point. "I heard this voice deep inside me… it kept urging me to do it."
"I know… You should have," he spoke quietly, almost reverently. "I showed you the mercy I denied my own… Han Solo. I should've paid for that transgression with my life."
"You wanted to die?"
"No. I wanted you to join me."
There was something in the timber of his voice that put a dent in Rey's defenses, which was not only foolish, but extremely dangerous. Ignoring her better judgment, she gathered the courage to summon up the skill to reach into his mind, trying to probe him once again, to better understand what his words were not expressing. It didn't take long for Ren to sense her incursion, a flare in his awareness that halted her intent.
"Are you sure you want to see inside me?" he asked darkly, his expression stone cold.
Rey was overtaken by a rush of fear and excitement. Feeling her courage slipping, she rushed to offer him a whispered 'yes' that couldn't have sounded less convincing.
"Wish granted…"
It was a mistake. Rey knew that much. She tried to backpedal at the last minute, hoping she could maintain her distance somehow. But it was too late. He clasped her wrist impeding her retreat, made her gasp in shock. A rush of panic surged through her body as she realized what was happening.
This time it was he who pulled her into his mind, harshly and completely against her will.
Rey was sucked into the downward spiral, an eerie abyss. Hypnotized by his unwavering stare, she sank deeper and deeper as flashing images swirled around her, some of them would translate into thought, others into feelings, all jumbled together in a cluster of what appeared to be a series of memories and conflicting emotions.
A young boy reaching out for the sky… High waves beating around a vast ocean… General Leia dropping to her knees… A little girl crying in the desert… Anger, frustration, despair… No…! A tall, dark figure, firm stride… Control your fear, release your anger… Ben…! She's out there, I know it…! Only the Dark Side can save you now… Grandfather…
As the visions grew stronger, everything around Rey became more real-the gut-wrenching pain, the agonizing torture of his inner struggle, the heartbreak that was literally tearing him apart. Tears began streaming down her face as she became paralyzed, trapped inside the horrible nightmare.
"No, please!" she whimpered when she felt the pull of his will dragging her deeper.
The Knights of Ren rise… A savage slaughter… A river of blood branching out… I will finish what you started… A young woman… A long lost hope now the greatest of threats… Don't be scared, I feel it too… Will you help me…? You're a monster…!
"Stop!" she cried out.
Kylo Ren pulled back from an experience that had left them both panting. Rey rubbed her tender wrist where his fingers had left a visible imprint on her pale skin. She was shivering, unable to shake off the agony that had taken residency inside her chest and that threatened to asphyxiate her.
"Don't ever do that again!" she warned, eyes brimming with newly unshed tears.
Jaw clenched, he sat back once again, his expression as somber as she'd ever seen it. "I overestimated you," he spat with an air of disdain. "You might not be as strong as I initially estimated."
Rey wasn't sure whether he was baiting her or felt genuinely disappointed by her reaction. The sudden bout of anxiety made it impossible for her to gauge him. In part, she was wounded by his lack of faith in her and, in a strange way, longed to prove him wrong at all cost. It was that very feeling what might seal their fate in the end. Without any further hesitation, she finally gave him the answer he had been awaiting.
"I'll do it, Ren," she choked out, the words rolling bitterly over her tongue. "I'll become your apprentice."
[TBC…]