Chapter 17


In the morning, Rey got up, trying to rid her mind of the previous night. She changed into the tunic she had arrived in and began to pack her few belongings into her bag. She held back her tears as she began to fold down the cot which she had brought to Ahch-To, and wiped the strays with the back of her hand.

She had failed and this would probably be the last time they would speak to each other. All she had now was his simmering presence in her mind, always present but always separate.

When Rey had packed everything, she met her master for breakfast and he had a light expression on his face. It seemed he was somewhat excited to be leaving the temple.

'Have you already finished packing?' Luke questioned as he spooned some grain into his mouth.

Rey smiled wryly and nodded. She wondered when he would ask her how she had fared during the night and trying not to become too emotional, she ate more of her breakfast.

'The Falcon isn't too far now,' Luke added.

They finished the rest of their food in silence and Luke placed his bowl to his side before looking at Rey and sighing.

'Did you not succeed, Rey?' he asked sombrely.

She shook her head and met her master's eyes. 'I couldn't convince him.'

Luke sighed and stood up, gesturing to Rey to follow him. 'At the very least you tried, have pride that you did that much.'

'I just wish it didn't have to be like this.'

He nodded, agreeing. 'In life we must always prepare for when things do not go our way.' Luke began walking toward their training area and Rey followed him. He stopped and gestured to the smooth stones and they both sat. 'I have a means of temporarily blocking you from dreaming and therefore sharing your dreams with Ben. This however, will not have any impact on your bond, unfortunately.'

'Is it a Force power?' she questioned.

'Yes,' he responded. 'Though it's more of a repurposing of a mind trick, so I do not know how long it will last.'

Rey nodded and swallowed.

'Do you consent to it?'

'Yes master.'

Luke leant forward then, placing his hands on either side of Rey's temples and he closed his eyes. Rey could feel him sifting through her head, looking for something. She could feel Ben's anger too, he knew there was an intrusion, but he could do nothing about it. After several moments, Luke let go and looked over Rey carefully.

'Do you feel okay?'

Rey nodded. 'Is it done, master?'

'For the time being, that will be a small defence against those dreams. Though you must stay vigilant when it comes to this Force bond. Do not let his emotions affect you and try your best to block him at moments of extreme feeling. Such instances have caused the death of many and will hinder your ability in combat.'

'I understand.' Rey stood up then and bowed to her master. 'Thank you, I will continue to pack away the supplies, master.'

Luke nodded and stood.

Rey began to pack the rest of the training instruments, the cooking utensils and cutlery away, whilst Luke packed up his droids and began to take them down the mountain to where the Falcon had landed when Rey had first come.

She did so in silence, feeling time slip by her incredibly slowly and Ben gently grazing against her thoughts.

They were moving everything down to the bottom of the cliff and as it grew closer to midday, Rey could feel Chewbacca coming closer and she was delighted to find that he was with Finn. Rey went back up to retrieve another droid, when Luke stopped her.

Luke saw how silent Rey had become. Few words had passed from Rey's lips and he knew she was lost within her own thoughts. If she had only come to him earlier at the very least he could have blocked their dreams sooner. Now she was caught in the midst of both a Force bond and another bond that would cause her deeper pain than necessary.

He reached into his pocket, removing a leather pouch from it and holding it out to Rey. 'These are for you.'

Rey knew what they were before she had undone the fastening and she looked to her master. 'Kyber crystals?'

Luke nodded. 'I promised you that you would make your own Lightsaber once we left this planet and I will keep that promise. Kyber crystals are difficult to find, and these were what I have left from the last couple of decades.'

The weight of the pouch seemed to brighten her spirits and she pulled on the small strings, pouring the contents into her hands. There were three crystals inside, ready for her to imbue.

'I know it will be hard. Your burdens are heavier now and I know it hurts, but this is necessary.'

'I still think there's a chance,' she responded quickly and then looked down to her feet. 'Is it wrong for me to still hope?'

Luke shook his head. 'You can hope but do not rely on that alone, Rey. There is too much riding on your actions and I don't want you being seduced any more. I don't want to see you fall.'

Rey looked into her master's eyes, seeing the pain and worry there. She couldn't betray him too and she wouldn't. Her hands reached out to take his and she held it tightly, pouring every ounce of her being into her actions and words.

'I know who I want to be, Master. I want to do good, I want to help others and I want to do you, Leia, Chewie, Finn and everyone proud.'

He smiled, feeling and seeing her sincerity and Luke nodded before pulling her tightly into his arms, causing Rey to laugh as her master hugged her.

The two looked to the sky to see the Falcon erupt from a large cloud and they made their way down to the landing area with the rest of the gear, Rey tightly gripping the pouch in her hand.

The Falcon made its final descent then and the two waited by the water's edge as the ship lowered before them. After a few minutes, the entry ramp opened and Chewie and Finn came stumbling out, great smiles on their faces.

Rey ran at them both and she was pulled into a group hug that she didn't want to be free from. When they finally broke apart and Chewie approached Luke, Rey and Finn were left to look at each other, Rey happy that she could see her friend happy and healthy.

'How long ago did you wake up?' she asked.

Finn scratched his neck and grinned. 'It's been a while, Kylo Ren really did a number on me, so there was a lot they had to do to get me back on my feet.'

She felt her heart pull at the name and the memory of that day, feeling guilty that things had changed so much now. 'I'm so happy to see you,' Rey admitted, her hand holding Finn's tightly. 'It's been difficult not knowing anything whilst I've been here.'

'Well not much has changed. The First Order has been scrambling, but we're still fighting. Poe went on a mission two days ago so that's why he's not here to pick you up.'

Rey smiled and hugged her friend again, not believing he was really in front of her.

Finn then pulled her back, his hands on her shoulders as he looked at her. 'You've changed a lot, Rey. You're hardly recognisable.'

She pouted. 'Oh really?'

He nodded. 'Yep, you look like much more of a badass now. Are you going to show Chewie and I some of your new skills?'

Rey laughed and stepped back from Finn, holding out her hand in a very mind-trick way and raising an eyebrow. 'I've got the look down, haven't I?' she grinned.

Finn laughed and shook his head. 'I'll just believe that you learnt nothing, then. You sat up there on that cliff and meditated the whole time.'

She smiled and then turned, seeing Luke grinning as he spoke to Chewbacca. At the very least, it seemed Finn and Chewie were keeping any negative news to themselves until later on.

'So, this is the Finn I've heard was wielding my father's Lightsaber?' Luke asked with a smile.

Rey chuckled and pulled Finn forward. The young man seemed suddenly nervous and he bowed his head to Luke.

'Yes, this is the Finn who saved my life on multiple occasions.'

'I think you saved me more,' Finn mumbled.

Luke held his hand out to Finn and the younger man reached forward and took it, their handshake firm, Luke smiling the whole while.

'I'm glad you made it through that whole ordeal.' Luke added, gripping Finn's shoulder with a strong tug.

Rey smiled and looked to the Millennium Falcon again, sighing. It had been a while and she hadn't realised she'd missed the ship. It had become a temporary home and it was really all she had left to remember Han by. All most of them had.

Chewbacca groaned then, indicating to the ship.

'I suppose we should go then, you don't fancy a tour, Chewie?' Rey responded with a smile.

He shook his head, grunting and then started walking back to the Falcon, the others following behind him. Chewie picked up much of the supplies to bring them onto the ship and the others did the same.

'Have you enjoyed your trip with Chewie?' Rey whispered to Finn, who only frowned in response. The reaction elicited a giggle out of Rey and she felt herself become immensely happy suddenly. She grabbed hold of a crate of food supplies, which was mostly made up of grain and brought it on board.

Once they were all packed up, Rey took her time to settle in and started to prepare a corner of the craft that she could meditate in over their three-day journey.

'So as soon as we're re-united you're going to be meditating the whole time?' Finn questioned, a pout on his lips.

Rey chuckled and nodded. 'Master Luke thought it would be better to do so now rather than back at the base. I give you permission to throw crumbs at me if you really get bored.'

'I might take you up on that offer,' he answered and began to reorganise several boxes.

XxX

It was several hours after the group set off and once they were well on their way towards the rebel base when Luke got up from the co-pilots seat beside Chewbacca and approached Rey at the small seating area.

'Are you ready?' he questioned.

Rey nodded and looked over at Finn who was napping on a chair. 'I have an idea of what I want to build and I've looked at the schematics of the training Lightsaber and your father's Lightsaber a few times. I think I know how it all works.'

'And I was thinking of giving you some schematics,' Luke responded with a smile. 'Much of this is just inherent. It comes to you whilst you are in meditation, it's just important that you have the building materials.'

She nodded again and reached into her bag, carefully taking out the parts she would be using. Much of it was broken down from her staff and other parts were collected over the last few months from broken droids and a pile of unfinished training Lightsabers that Luke had. Then as a last material to cover her hilt, she'd taken her old belt apart.

Luke looked over the materials and nodded to Rey. She took that as an okay, and gathered the items back up. She walked over to the small corner of the room, where she had laid down a small square of material and she laid the materials at the front edge of it.

'Thank you master,' she said with a smile.

He nodded his head and Rey sat down, taking the crystals from their pouch and holding them in her hands in front of her.

Rey wasn't quite sure what this required, how exactly it would go off without a hitch, but she had faith that everything Luke had taught her would mean she wouldn't fail.

Closing her eyes, she willed the crystals to float in front of her and placing her hands to balance on her knees, she began her meditation, thinking of the light and imbuing that power into the crystal.

XxX

Rey didn't know exactly what finally brought her out of her meditation. It wasn't like building something with her hands, where she could know when she was done after working through the whole build. With building the Lightsaber, it was more akin to sleep. When you awoke you couldn't be sure how long you had slept until you checked the sunrise outside or the time. She'd known what it had felt like to imbue the crystals. They had eventually begun to speak to her, calling her name and gleaming with such power and brightness in her mind's eye alone, that she knew they were ready. Knowing when it joined within the Lightsaber, however, she only interpreted it as being a moment of clarity. Her mind had cleared fully and there was nothing but an echoed silence, even more a moment. That's when she opened her eyes and saw her finished Lightsaber staff suspended in the air and Luke, Finn and Chewbacca were watching over her.

She could feel the stiffness in her joints and the weapon dropped into her hands. Rey turned it over, seeing how her repurposed leather belt had been stripped and tied taught around the midsection of the weapon to aid in grip. The smooth dark metal from an old Empire security droid shined in the Falcon's dim light and she smiled as she looked over how it had all come together. She could feel the hum of the two kyber crystals from within, as if they were permanently connected to her and she felt the weight of it in her hand, her thumb slipping over but not pressing one of the red buttons.

'How does it feel?' Luke asked with a grin.

Rey stood up and held it out in front of her, twisting it in her hand and moving it from one hand to the other. 'Perfect,' she responded. She twisted the midsection, adjusting the size of the hilt to be longer when using the two blades and shorter when using one.

'Well aren't you going to turn it on?' Finn questioned.

She glanced at him before looking back at her Lightsaber staff and using both her hands, she pressed the buttons with her thumbs. The green blades erupted from the emitters and brightened up the whole cockpit, illuminating Rey's wide grin.

'Congratulations on not blowing us up,' Finn said enthusiastically.

Chewbacca concurred the comment and Luke clapped his hands.

Rey turned off the staff and was ready to attach it to her waist, but found the Skywalker Lightsaber there. She unclipped it to hold out to Luke but he shook his head.

'You might find some use for it yet.'

Rey couldn't say she knew what her master meant, however she still put the old Lightsaber in her satchel, and then looked back at the group.

'How long until we land then?' she asked, the grumble of her stomach making for an awkward conversation segue.

Finn was sitting in the co-pilot chair and looked over at her. 'Not long now, probably another hour. You might want to eat…and maybe nap.'

Rey nodded and before she could turn, Chewbacca was holding out a plate of rations for her, telling her she must eat it now. She did as she was told and watched as the others arranged various things for landing. When she had eaten, and taken some time to clean herself up, she took a seat at the helm, watching the stars zoom by. It led to her eventually falling asleep and she was only woken up by Chewbacca shaking her shoulder.

They had landed back on D'Qar and out of the window, Rey could see life going on as usual on the rebel base. There was a small crowd in front of the Falcon, but most were continuing what they were doing around the base.

She got up and wiping sleep from her eyes, she grabbed a hold of her bag and made her way towards the door.

Luke was already on the tarmac, embracing his sister tightly and Leia seemed to have a tear in her eye. Many of the crew were whispering among themselves as they viewed the siblings reunite. There were a few eyes on Rey, mostly because she followed Chewbacca out of the ship, but it was Poe who approached her with a grin.

'Are you a fully-fledged Jedi now?' he questioned.

Rey smiled. 'I suppose I might be.'

'It's good to see you Rey.' She nodded and allowed herself to be pulled into a friendly hug by Poe, his smile still bright.

Finn hopped down the ramp then and jogged over to them, receiving a pat on the back by Poe with a grin.

'How was near enough a week with the big guy,' he asked, his head gesturing towards Chewbacca who had begun to unload the ship.

'I don't think I'm any better at understanding what he's saying,' Finn responded, pinching the bridge of his nose. 'There was a lot of shouting and I thought he was going to strangle me a few times. He makes a mean spiced grazer loaf, though.'

Rey chuckled and she looked back over at Leia and Luke. Leia met her eye and she moved over to the older woman, who still stood closely to Luke.

'It's good to have you back, Rey. Luke's told me about your progress so far.'

The younger woman grinned and nodded. 'Master Luke is a great teacher, hopefully I can be of some help to the effort.'

'I most definitely think you will be. I've got to debrief Chewbacca and Finn, but they will be hosting dinner in the mess hall in a few, make sure you eat, I know it's been a long journey.'

Rey nodded and Leia left them, squeezing her brother's forearm as she left and was followed by Chewbacca and Finn. Poe seemed to want to join along and Rey was just left with Luke.

'What you've achieved today, Rey. It's incredibly important.' Luke began, his hands behind his back. 'As the trials of the old Jedi ways are no longer sufficient, it is perhaps my call when I deem you fully trained, when I believe that you are fit to be called a Jedi Knight. I am wary of not giving you a title right now, as I believe you are deserving, though there is still much you do not know and much that I want to show you.'

'I understand master,' Rey said with a smile. 'You don't have to explain it to me.'

Luke bowed his head slightly and his hands reached from behind his bac, to take Rey's and he squeezed them tightly. 'There is much more to come, Rey. I hope you are ready for it.'

'I believe I am.' Rey responded. In her heart, she truly was. Even if Rey could still feel Ben's emotions in her mind, like a visitor at the door knocking to see if anyone is home, she could see past him. She could see past her own beating heart and looked to the others around her, all sacrificing their lives to fight for the light. She was home.


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