"Two letters have come in for you today, Chancellor," Poe said as he entered the panel room. He stopped before Leia and held out two enveloped letters. "One is from the republic of New Alderaan, the other seems to be anonymous. But it feels like there's...there's something in it."

Leia nodded and smiled at the pilot as she took the two letters. "Thank you, Poe," she said, and he nodded before leaving her in the otherwise empty room.

Leia slowly moved to the large table at the center of the room as she examined the envelopes. She stared at the smaller one for a moment, wondering, before setting it down and opening the other.

The larger letter from New Alderaan was printed on crisp, expensive paper. Leia flattened the letter onto the tabletop and admired the brilliant gold gilding around the edges of the page before she began reading.

Chancellor Leia Solo-Organa-Skywalker,

We hope that this document finds you well and in good health. We wanted to send our continued gratitude for your gracious help in the establishment of our colony of the remaining Alderaanians on our aptly-named New Alderaan. The environment of our planet is resourceful as it is beautiful, and there is not a day that passes that we take for granted or forget your role in our establishment here.

Now that our colony has fully settled and our capital city structured, our society is flourishing and expanding. Our educational system is quickly becoming one of the best in the galaxy, as it once was, and we have returned to our focus on the arts, philosophy, other endeavors so cherished by our ancient culture.

This being said, in alignment with our refocus on our cultural values, we have felt the need to return to a more structured and traditional form of government. We highly value your commitment to the Order, but we of the Board of Alderaanian Governmental Affairs humbly extend to you the offer to return to New Alderaan to rule. Should you ever choose to retire from your current lofty political and military endeavors, you will have a place here with us.

The Organa family was the greatest leading family of the original Alderaan. You are the rightful heir to the throne, and the sole leader anyone on our planet is willing to accept at this point in time. Your family was widely respected and loved by everyone, and we as a society have voted to extend to you to the potential to continue the Organa legacy as the overseer of the Alderaanian culture and people.

Take as much time as you need in considering this decision. Should you choose to remain as the Chancellor of your larger Order, we look to you to guide us in procuring a new and rightful leader. We wait with open and hopeful hearts for your response.

Sincerely Yours,

Tarro Briosnell

Head of Governmental Affairs

Leia sighed deeply as she stared down at the intricate calligraphy of the letter, rubbing her temples as she mulled over the weighty offer she had just been given. To return to my people would be one of my greatest wishes, she admitted to herself, but for now my place is here, to lead the war against the Empire. The galactic front has always been my true place.

Leia carefully folded the letter up and set it aside on the desk below her. She began to open the smaller envelope, feeling a bulge within it. There was no name from the sender on the envelope, only her own scrawled across the envelope's front: To Chancellor Leia Solo-Organa-Skywalker Exclusively.

She pulled out the letter, followed by a small pouch. Leia frowned, wondering what the pouch could be. Her heart quickening in her chest, Leia unfolded the short letter and smoothed it onto the table. It wasn't the first time she'd gotten an anonymous letter like this, and sure enough she immediately recognized the looping, condensed handwriting on the paper before her. The handwriting appeared as though the writer had been in a hurry.

Attack planned on Storia base in three weeks. Be prepared & stay away from Storia base for time being.

Really hope you are doing well—I miss you.

Please give attached to Rey.

Leia picked up the small pouch and loosened its drawstrings. Squinting, she saw a handful of small bead-like objects inside. Seeds? She wondered, tilting her head.

"Leia?" She heard Luke's voice behind her.

Leia set the pouch back onto the table and turned towards her brother. She picked up the shorter letter and held it out before her, looking across at Luke with glinting eyes. "He's sent another warning to us," she said, extending to him the letter.

Luke raised his brows as he read through the short note. He scratched his chin, now shaved short of its former beard. "This is him?" He asked, raising his eyes to hers. "You're sure this is him again?"

Leia nodded. "Of course it is," she said. "Same handwriting as the other notes we've gotten before." She was sure that even the telegram that had been sent to her years ago warning of the destruction of the Hosnian System by Starkiller Base had been sent by her son. "Besides, the only spies we have in the Empire right now are droids-and they weren't programmed to send us handwritten letters."

Luke nodded and sighed. "An attack three weeks from now? The Empire sure plans ahead," he remarked." After a pause, he gaze knowingly across at his sister. "You were right, about Ben."

"We were both right, Luke. We both admitted we knew Rey was lying about Ben. She was just telling everyone what they wanted to hear."

Luke smiled, but it quickly faded. "I admire her stubbornness. I really do. But I still don't want her to rejoin him, Leia, to be influenced by his darkness," he said, turning his face away.

Leia moved towards her brother. "Luke," she said gently, "I know you feel like Rey's adoptive father. I get it. Everyone loves her. I even feel like a mother to her. But you have to realize that—while you have every right to give her guidance, especially with the Force, you need to let her make her own decisions, to be independent...I know you want to protect her from the Dark side, from her lineage...but I just don't see how she's going to be happy in the long-term if you continue to control her like a child."

Luke sighed heavily as he gazed down at his sister. "I know. I know. I just—of course I feel bad about not telling her everything about her mother, but…"

"Luke, you were so close with Rey's father," Leia said. "You and I know full well he wouldn't have married her mother if there hadn't been light in her." She studied Luke as he tensed and looked away from her. Leia placed her hand on his arm, hesitating to continue. "But I know you loved him. I've always known. I know it hurt you to watch him fall for someone on the side of the Dark, and his death alongside Ben's turn to the Dark drove you to depression, isolation. And I know that his attachment to Rey's mother is why you're so resistant to Rey falling for Ben."

Luke met Leia's gaze, and his posture began to relax. "I know you knew," he said. "And you're right, Leia, but it's more than that, about Rey and Ben. I want Rey to be happy, I don't want to keep her from being happy. But I worry that if she continues to strengthen her connection to Ben...I don't want her to fall to the Dark side, to attract Snoke. I don't want what happened to Ben to happen to her...After all, Ben turned once he learned the truth about his grandfather."

"That's when we lost him to Snoke," Leia agreed nodding. She gave him a knowing look. "But Rey doesn't have Snoke poisoning her mind."

Luke's mouth tightened into a straight line. "At least, not yet."

….

On the way back to her house from the morning's training with Luke, Rey spotted Finn, Poe, and Jess ahead.

"Rey!" Poe exclaimed, smiling. "What are you up to, Desert Flower?"

"I was just heading home," she said as Poe stopped before her. "I'm awfully tired from this morning. Lots of combat training."

"Luke's keeping you in top shape, huh?" He asked, his eyes tracing over her. "Strong," he commented, poking her arm.

Rey laughed as Finn and Jess approached. "Hey, Finn. Hello, Jess," she greeted, shading her eyes against the sunlight.

"Rey," Finn said, "Are you going to take care of your flower friends?"

Rey spoke with Finn, Jess, and Poe for awhile. She listened to the training the pilots were undergoing, the upcoming missions they had planned to patrol the planets under the jurisdiction of the Order. She in turn told them about her training that morning with Luke, how she was progressing in her lightsaber combat training.

As they spoke, Rey noticed Jess kept interlacing her fingers between Finn's, and she saw the grin Finn was trying but failing to hide. While they spoke, Poe exchanged knowing looks with Rey, subtly acknowledging the other two's inability to keep their hands off one another.

From an outsider's perspective, Rey though that their group probably looked like two couples catching up with each other. Rey knew that was what Poe wanted, what he'd always wanted: for Rey to return his feelings, for them them be a couple like Jess and Finn. Loving Poe would have been easy, Rey thought. So much easier.

But Rey's life had never been easy, and she figured this was partly why she had fallen in love with Ben in the first place: his life had been just as difficult as hers, if not more so, and because of this, he understood her, the things she went through, her loneliness, her craving for belonging. Even though Ben responded to the trauma in his life in a different way, by falling towards the Dark, Rey knew he could empathize with her, connect with her in a way that no one else ever could, not even Poe, as good as he was.

After the group parted and said their goodbyes for the day, Rey continued on to her home, making a beeline for her garden. As she passed carefully through her patches of ferns and flowers, she began to reach out through the path of the Force.

….

Ben, what are you up to?

I'm sorry Rey, I can't talk right now, I'm—

Training. I know, Rey responded. Come back to me when you're done.

I will.

Ben rolled his shoulders and adjusted his grip on his heavy training baton as he stood across from the five stormtroopers. He usually didn't train with his actual lightsaber; if he did, unless his opponent was using a Z6 baton, his opponent's weapon would be destroyed as soon as it made contact with his.

But even with just this blunt baton, taking down his training opponents was always quite easy for Ben. As he was forced to adhere to a strict and rigorous workout regimen, he was always kept in top physical condition, and he was already tall, giving him a natural advantage.

In addition to his personal workout sessions, Admiral Thrawn and Snoke now had Ben practicing his combat skills more regularly to stay sharp as the war progressed further. During his combat training, Ben always tapped into the Dark side of the Force. It was easier for him to tap into his emotional pain and passions than it was for him to use the more impersonal side of the Light while fighting. He'd become accustomed to using the Dark side while fighting, and talking to Rey while doing so made it too difficult for him to stay closer to the Dark.

He and Rey had fallen into a routine as they communicated with each other each day. Rey knew not to speak to him while he was training, to keep away the influence of the Light side. If Ben began using Light force powers while Snoke was around, Snoke would know.

But Snoke rarely crossed paths with Ben anymore in person, choosing to remain on his own base on Mustafar. Ben suspected that Snoke stayed there to harness his powers, as they seemed to wax and wane over time. The longer Snoke spent on Mustafar, the more powerful he seemed each time he left the planet. Snoke didn't seem able to use a lot of Force energy unless he'd been at Mustafar for an extended amount of time, and Ben was astute with keeping track of the time Snoke spent on Mustafar during each of his vists, to predict the threat he posed to himself each time he came to oversee him. Ben suspected that Snoke had to have some sort of power source on his personal base; that would explain his fluctuations in his powers with the Dark side.

Today, it was just Thrawn and Phasma who were overseeing Ben's training. Ben was to fight against a small squadron of troopers, one of whom was one of the base's top combat stormtroopers, AN-838. But Ben wasn't very worked up as he stood across from the lined troopers; he knew that even a superiorly trained trooper was no match for a trained Force user like himself.

Ben shifted on his feet as he stared across at the masked troopers in the dark box of the combat training room. The only light source filtered down from a long window where Thrawn and Phasma stood watching from above.

Ben waited for the troopers to make the first move. He was about to read the men's minds to figure out their methods of attack, but he chose not to, deciding to make the fight more fair. Ben was well aware how strong of an influence Rey had on him, her morality and mercy, even when he wasn't with her. Ben recognized that Rey's moral code was not at all unlike his own, before he joined Snoke and the First Order. His deep reverence for Rey was breaking through to his core, even now when he was accessing the Dark.

Ben gripped his baton tightly as he focused ahead, hoping to clear his mind of the Light. But realizing this was impossible, torn between the Light and Dark with the bond as he was, he decided to allow the Light in, to find the balance between the two sides. After all, Snoke wasn't there to sense it.

….

Ben made quick work of the stormtroopers during the training, and he felt that his attunement with the Dark and the Light had made this combat session made it one of his easiest sessions yet.

As he made his way through the base and to his room, he reflected on one of the stormtroopers who had put up a surprisingly good fight. Curious, Ben had broken his initial decision and read the stormtrooper's thoughts. He'd been surprised by what he'd seen in the man's head.

After he'd finished showering in his private quarters, Ben paced in his bedroom, still feeling a leftover adrenaline rush even though his fight had been short-lived. He sorely missed Rey. He needed her.

Ben's hands clenched at his sides as he paced, his chest twisting and his palms balmy as he thought of her. He stopped in his tracks and looked towards his bed, wishing Rey was sprawled out upon it, waiting for him.

Following this fantasy, Ben got onto the bed as he pictured her: her bright laugh, brilliant smile, her soft skin, the freckles that dotted her nose. His forehead broke out in a sweat as he closed his eyes, imagining her with him again. He needed to find some release.

He resorted to pleasuring himself as he thought of her, as he often did over the years since he'd first met her. He couldn't help but roll her name over and over in his mind as he pictured her. Rey…Rey...

Ben? You're there?

Ben's eyes shot open and he froze, his breath catching in his throat as he heard her in his mind. Moving his hands up to either side of him, he hesitated to answer Rey, fearing that she somehow knew what he was up to.

Ben, have you finished your training? She probed.

Rey, he began. A shaking breath escaped through his teeth. Yes, I'm done.

How was it?

Ben wiped his forearm across his forehead as he sat up in his bed. Feeling shameful and guilty, he slid his pants up and fastened them. It was alright, he finally answered. As he forced himself to relax, he recalled reading the stormtrooper's mind. One of the stormtroopers I fought—he knew you. You named him when you were held prisoner on the Finalizer.

You fought Allan? She asked. I hope you didn't hurt him, Ben!

Ben shook his head instinctively, though he realized Rey couldn't see him do so. No, he's fine. I mean, I went easy on him.

What do you consider going easy on someone? She asked.

He'll be okay, Rey, he assured, wanting to change the subject. What are you doing right now?

I'm gardening, she said. I'm planting bright blue flowers, they're really pretty. I wish you could see them.

Ben let out a breathy laugh in his silent room. Of course you're gardening. You do love your plants, Scavenger.

But I love you more, you scoundrel.

Ben smiled again, rolling onto his side on the bed. I love you most. He stared at the empty other half of the bed, stretching his hand over the sheets. I wish you were with me. I think I'm losing my sanity.

When are we going to see each other? It's been three and a half weeks, I've been counting the days, she responded. I'll come raid your base if I have to.

I wouldn't advise doing that again, Jedi, he teased.

There was a few moments' pause before Rey answered again. How is the war, from your side?

Ben sighed as he shut his eyes. Busy. I'm expected to be in combat a lot in the upcoming months, I think.

Months? Rey repeated. Does that mean I won't get to see you again for that long?

No. I mean—I don't know, Rey. I really don't know.

Well, when's the next time you're leaving your base? She continued.

In two days. I'm going to meet my Knights. Wait, I don't think I've told you about them, have I? He realized.

I've heard about them from Luke, but you'll have to tell me more, she said. Where are you meeting them?

Coruscant.

Coruscant? She repeated. I've never been there. I'll meet you there, then.

What? No, Rey—that's way too dangerous. One of the knights is force-sensitive. He'd sense you if you were on-planet.

Not with a Force field, remember?

No, Rey, no...Coruscant is a big, big planet, very busy, very dangerous for someone like you. You're used to...smaller places.

Are you trying to say that I'm not worldly?

No. Well...you know what I mean.

I think I can look after myself just fine, she answered haughtily.

Ben opened his eyes and sighed. I know you can, he answered, but still, it's not safe.

You yourself said we'll have to make sacrifices for this to work. I'm willing to face any and all risks, Solo, she returned.

Ben shook his head against his pillow. Rey, no—Luke would never let you leave your planet, anyways. What's your excuse to go?

I'm a Jedi—and an adult. I have the power to make my own decisions. I'm not a prisoner here.

Lucky you, Ben returned dryly. And you're a grey Jedi, lest you forget.

So are you, lest you forget, she said.

Ben smiled to himself at her remark, reflecting on his training earlier. You're absolutely right.

Want to hear more about the flowers I'm planting? I know you do, she teased.

Rey, wait, listen to me. You aren't coming to Coruscant. Don't even try.

These flowers are called Blueblossoms. Your mother brought me the seeds, apparently they're rather expensive.

Rey, don't change the—

They're pretty delicate, too, so I have to be careful not to plant them too close to the other flowers, she interrupted. They don't really fare well with others...kind of like you.

Rey...Ben sat up, propping himself up against his pillows. He sighed and closed his eyes, deciding to give in. Blueblossoms, you said?

Rey was quick to answer, and she went into depth about the flowers and the other kinds she was growing. The way she described the plants made it rather easy for Ben to picture their shapes and colors in his mind, and for a while he was lost in a daydream of sitting in Rey's garden at her side, helping her to plant seeds and water the plants.

Though he was fearful of her coming to Coruscant, Be didn't want to argue with her or upset her. He just wanted to continue talking with her, even if it was about trivial things like flowers. Though hearing her in his head wasn't the same as hearing her voice in person, he wished he could hear her in his head always.

….

It was evening when Leia knocked on Rey's door, the pouch from Ben stuffed inside her coat pocket. Leia waited several minutes, and when there was no answer she made her way around the side of the small home, figuring that Rey was in her garden.

As she moved through the bunches of flowers and plants, Leia smiled as she saw Rey crouched in the dirt ahead, preoccupied with a patch of blue flowers. As Leia approached, Rey flipped around and looked up at her with wide eyes, as if she'd been torn out of a deep daydream. Leia wondered if she'd been speaking with her son through their bond in the Force.

"Leia," Rey said, seemingly taken aback. She rose from the ground and hurriedly dusted off her pants. "What are you doing out here?"

"I have something for you," Leia said, pulling the tiny pouch out of her pocket and handing it to Rey. "It's a gift." She watched intently as Rey peered inside the pouch. Rey smiled and shook some of the seeds into her palm.

"New seeds," she observed. "Thank you!"

"They're not from me," Leia stated.

The smile slightly faded from Rey's face as she met Leia's eyes. "What do you mean?" She asked. "Who else would they be from?"

Leia pursed her lips and looked away, pretending to think deeply. "Well, they came to me in an unmarked envelope. But I have an idea who sent them. The letter that came with them instructed me to give them to you, specifically," she said, meeting Rey's widening eyes.

Rey stared unblinkingly at Leia a few moments, hesitating to speak. "You mean...you think Ben sent them?" She asked tentatively.

Leia smiled knowingly at Rey. "You didn't think I'd believe Ben would fall completely into the Dark side, did you? Even Luke knows the truth," she said.

Rey grew tense. She tucked her hair behind her ear. "Leia, I'm...I'm so, so sorry...I lied, and I'm sorry, I feel horrible—"

"It's okay, Rey," Leia said gently, stepping forward and patting the girl's arm. "You don't need to apologize. I know you wouldn't lie unless it was for good reason." She watched Rey expectantly.

Rey looked back down at the seed pouch in her hand, inspecting it closely as she thought. "Well, Ben didn't want to risk anyone knowing,...and I...we were afraid that if the members of the Order thought that I was siding with Ben, that...well, that they would turn against me," she said, raising her eyes back to Leia's.

"Rey, we'll always stand by you," Leia scoffed. "Why would you ever think we'd turn against you?"

"Ben and I...we've both had a vision," Rey said, biting her lip.

Leia's face tightened. "A vision?" She asked, remembering the many visions Ben had had and shared with her as he'd grown up. "What was in this vision?"

"Soldiers of the Order...they were trying to kill me," Rey said, glancing away. "It was dark and raining, and—and Ben was there, he had his helmet on, he was with his knights, and—" she cut herself off, shaking her head.

Leia took in a deep breath and she lowered her gaze to the ground as she pondered what Rey had just told her. After a few moments, she straightened herself and smiled warmly at the girl. Rey's brows knitted together as Leia reached out and stroked her cheek.

"Rey, we'll always be on your side, Dear. Perhaps I can't speak for everyone, if your vision ends up true, but Luke and I—and your friends—we'll always be on your side," she assured her. "You should know that."

Rey smiled and hugged Leia, and she hugged the girl back snugly. As they pulled apart, Leia surveyed the myriad of colorful flowers around her. "Well, I'll leave you to it, to plant your new seeds," she said, smiling at Rey. "I'll see you tomorrow, perhaps."

"Yes," Rey said, nodding. She kneeled down in the dirt as Leia turned to leave.

Leia began making her way out of the garden, but she hesitated and turned. "Oh, and Rey," she said. She saw Rey's head perk up above the plants between them. "Please tell Ben that I got his letter. And that I miss him too," Leia said, and with that she turned and made her way back to the base.

Hope there aren't too bad of grammatical errors this round, I'm proofreading this one late at night...I thought I'd get this chapter out sooner, but I got caught up with other things. Don't worry, I won't abandon this story, seriously, no matter how long it takes! I hate leaving things unfinished (except my Uncharted fan fiction, may it rest in peace). I know how I want this story to end, and I want to see it come to fruition.

As for the story so far, we've come across some new revelations. Finn X Jess is progressing nicely, but poor Poe is left unrequited. Will he find love in the end? And what about Luke? Now that gay!Luke has finally been revealed, we can get a clearer insight into his motivation for leaving everyone and his desire to protect Rey. I planned for Luke to be gay from the start of these stories, as I felt it could be poignant to his character and I wanted to diversify this fictional world more (I hope Disney does too *cough* hoping for stormpilot *cough*). We've also seen that Leia has the option to return to her Alderaanian people as the rightful heir to the Organa throne. But will she?

Looks like Ben's taken it upon himself to give Rey his seed (pun intended). Do you think these two hotties will meet up on Coruscant, or will Rey actually listen to Ben's warning? Psshh, even Luke picked up on her stubbornness...

It seems that Snoke's hiding something on Mustafar. Wonder what he's up to? Sneaky bastard.

I know the most pressing question in all of our minds right now: is Allan ok?

PS Padawans: I know I don't post chapters as regularly anymore, and I know it sucks to wait a long time between chapters. But there are tons of other Reylo fan fics to keep you occupied during periods of intermission...seriously, there are some amazing stories out there, as I'm sure you know.

I do like to take my time in fleshing out these chapters to make sure I'm tying up all of the necessary plot points, and I like to be at least somewhat consistent in chapter quality and content, so this takes time to compose. But I really do write for my own enjoyment, and I write on my own free time. I'm definitely still having fun writing this story, and I hope you are getting some enjoyment out of it too. Thank you for reading, and above all, thank you for being patient!