Rey wanders the halls of the castle in a daze.

She stares at her shaking hands, from which power like she's never known, had erupted so spectacularly. How was it possible? How had she and Ben called upon and wielded such energy… from across the galaxy?

The tailor and seamstresses had released her back in her usual attire - a sandy sleeveless top and beige capris, with her belt holding her holster and lightsaber. Her hair remains in an elegant braid and light make up highlights her already lovely features.

Poe comes marching around the corner and is taking a back a moment. He sees Rey, looking as beautiful as he's ever seen her and laments that she seems so attached to their former enemy Kylo Ren. He had heard about the kiss and it startled him stupid. Two of the most powerful women he knew were now vouching for that man, and he truly hopes that Ren is indeed redeemable. If not, they're all in for a spectacular ending.

Poe calls out to Rey, but she doesn't respond. She's staring at her hands looking scared and he knows something isn't right.

He jogs up to her and puts his hands on her shoulders.

"Rey, are you ok?"

She's not ok.

Wielding that power had felt so wonderful. It was vast and limitless and eager to bend to her will. She longs to feel it in her fingertips again and Rey begins to doubt whether she can control the growing thirst for power within her. Was she losing who she was? What would it mean for her friends?

Poe shakes her out of her dark thoughts.

"Hey! Kid, what's going on? Snap out of it."

"Poe," she whispers and nearly tackles him with a fierce hug.

Oomf. He feels like she's going to crack his ribs with the strength of her embrace and he pats her awkwardly on the back as he struggles to breathe. Poe feels like a peon compared to her strength.

"It's alright…"

"I don't want to change," Rey blurts out.

Poe is so confused. Comforting women has never been his forte, much less with reduced blood making it to his brain.

"Who said you had to change? Rey, you are good and strong and you love your friends. You don't have to change for anything or anyone, alright?"

Rey finally loosens her grip and Poe takes the opportunity to slide out of her grasp, take a deep breath and put his hands back on her shoulders.

"You control your own destiny. No one else. Not me. Not Kylo Ren. You. Don't let anyone else try to tell you who you are. You know that, in your heart, and you're strong enough to protect it."

Rey's eyes finally look up and meet his.

"And we need you to protect us. The resistance and the people are putting their faith in you, because of who you are. Please don't change that."

Confidence is returning to her gaze and she straightens her shoulders back up.

"Thank you, Poe. I needed to hear that."

He smiles his charismatic smile and pats her shoulder in relief.

"Anytime kid. Now, let's get back to the war room."

Rey nods and walks ahead while Poe turns and follows, rubbing what he knows will be some good bruising on his ribs later tonight. He doesn't know who's more dangerous, the Jedi who hates him or the Jedi who hugs him.

—-

Weeks go by and the force does not connect Rey to Ben.

It's easy to distract herself during the day. Painstaking planning is going into how resistance fighters will get into the ceremony. Fighters will replace members of the Naboo diplomatic delegation, and stand in for handmaidens and other aids. Everyone will be playing a role, down to the wedding officiator. And all of them will have hidden weapons. It's new tech, undetectable collapsible carbon blasters and energy batons shoved into tall floral arrangements. Once mayhem is unleashed at the ceremony, Naboo's entire armada will attack, joined soon after by resistance forces standing by on other nearby worlds.

Then, in the confusion of the assault, Ren and his Knights will take down and seize control of the Order from the inside. If all goes to plan, they could win. All this war could finally be over and peace talks would begin…

Hope is growing. Rey can feel it. People are warming up to the idea of peace talks with Kylo Ren, of a transitional constitutional monarchy similar to Naboo's with elected rulers and a Galactic Senate. Rey's days are busy and exciting, but at night…

She realizes how dependent she's become on Ben's presence in such a short time. Sleep is nearly impossible without him by her side… and she imagines, wherever he is, deep undercover on his mission to infiltrate the First Order, that Ben must be suffering too.

She's tired and agitated and lonely but she puts a brave face on for her friends.

It's been three weeks since she used force lightening to help Ben kill a disloyal Knight of Ren and Rey has cemented her determination to not let it change who she is. No matter the strength of the draw to power she felt, she has the choice to control it. It was also apparent to her that this power was only accessible when the two of them were together. She could feel it. It required her positive spirit and his negative one. If she was going to help lead the resistance to victory and freedom, she would have to steel her resolve and her mental resilience.

Rey spends her days meditating, in war meetings and sitting beside Leia's bed, recounting as many stories as she can about life and Ben and their plans for the future. Sometimes Leia has enough strength to smile and squeeze her hands, but most often she sleeps.

It's on one such morning, while Rey is gushing to Leia about Ben's cooking skills and Leia offers her a bleary but sparkling wink, that the commanders in charge of the mission come bursting into the medical suite.

"Rey, we need you. Now."

A new communication from the First Order has just come in.

Rey knows this is the gravest of matters when she sweeps into the war room and finds Queen Guapay herself standing at the end of the table. She's in a simpler, black and gold gown, her hair in huge braids creating the illusion of a crown on her head and her make up seemingly rushed. She's surrounded by her royal handmaidens.

One of the commanders begins the briefing.

"Supreme Commander Hux is demanding to examine his Queen before the ceremony…" the old puffed up commander clears his throat uncomfortably as worried whispers fill the room.

"He also wants to make it clear to the government of Naboo that she will not be his only Queen. That the Supreme Commander intends to take many Queens and build a dynasty where his offspring rule over multiple worlds."

"This is outrageous," shouts Finn.

"He's delusional," pipes in another.

The commander goes on. "They've made it painfully clear in this communication that if we refuse to allow him to inspect his bride ahead of the ceremony that everything will be called off and an invasion will immediately follow."

"That sick bastard," Poe roars pounding his fist on a desk.

"Can't we just accelerate our plans?" Rey speaks up, "I'll just go and kill him now."

"No." It's Nikai Bastian again. "We don't have the people in place to support sending you now. You'd be totally alone with no backup or reinforcements and we don't know where Ren is. We simply can't risk sending you right now. However, though it is highly unusual, we also cannot risk refusing. We must comply in order for the plan to move forward…"

"But…" Rey jumps in, but she's cut off by a small strong voice.

"I volunteer!"

All eyes fall on one of the Queen's handmaidens. Marigold, a young woman Rey's age with yellow hair and green eyes like the Queen steps forward. "I will go in place of the Queen. It will be my honor."

"NO!" Rey shouts knowing what it would mean, but she's cut off again, this time by Queen Guapay herself.

"Jedi Rey. Our mission, if completed, will end a galactic war and bring freedom to all. In order for the plan to work, we all must play our parts. Marigold chooses to make her sacrifice now. She will be honored and live a luxurious life of retirement after this."

The Queen locks eyes with Rey who is barely containing her tears of rage.

"Do not fear Jedi. We will care for her. But getting you in position to destroy the First Order once and for all, is paramount. We are all warriors here, do not pity us. But allow us to fight in every way that we can to preserve our surprise attack."

There's a long silence in the war room.

Finally, Rey nods.

She's feeling sick. As the men and women resume talking about the latest turn of events, Rey excuses herself and runs into the hall. She barely makes it to a waste receptacle before she vomits. The thought of the red headed Hux ravaging that poor young girl against her will has her insides churning with anger and frustration and disgust. Why isn't there anything I can do?

Then she feels it. Ben is near her in the force again. Rey whips around so quickly that her stomach lurches.

She dives back for the trash receptacle again, heaving into it as Ben's feet materialize before her.

She registers his surprise and concern, but it's her who's surprised when she finally looks up.

Ben is covered head to toe in a heavy black cloak, nothing shows but his fierce eyes that are now wide as he regards her hunched over on the floor. He stands rigid and unmoving, obviously in a place where he must be quiet. This does not appear to be a good time.

You're ill.

His deep, echoing voice materializes in her mind, but she notices he does not speak.

Simultaneous fear and relief sweep through her. Relief that he's alive and with her. Fear that he's obviously in danger. She thinks back at him.

It's Hux. He wants to give his Queen a test run before the wedding. Some young girl is going to be a sacrifice to protect the plan. The thought of it… made me sick.

Do what must be done. We're close. Tell the rabble, we'll be in place soon.

Rey gags and only just stops herself from vomiting again. She can't remember the last time she felt so sick.

Suddenly she registers a swoop of fear that isn't her own. Her eyes fly up to Ben's but as suddenly as she felt it, now she only reads calm.

What's happening?

Nothing. He reassures through the connection. I must go but know this. Every pain he inflicts, we will return ten-fold.

And he's gone. Rey stands, her determination renewed as she runs back into the war room to let them know Ben and the Knights are nearly in place.

…

In the bowels of the Supremacy, Ben is lying in wait for the moment to strike against the Attendants. The sudden connection with Rey throws him off guard, but it's her condition that really threatens his composure. He schools his fear in time so as not to worry her, but Ben is left shaken once their bond closes.

He must concentrate on the task at hand, if they're all to survive.

He does not wish to confirm his suspicion about the true nature of Rey's illness. Not now. He can't. He remembers Snoke's throne room, when he knew the difference between life and death depended on him making Snoke believe that he was about to strike down Rey. He had almost chanted it in his mind, filled himself with the intent to kill and channeled it towards her. The ruse worked, Snoke was tricked, and fell because of it.

Now he needs to do that again. He needs to push Rey and everything else out of his mind.

If they were going to have any future together at all, a future where all things were possible, he was going to need all of his focus and concentration right now.

…

Days later Marigold returns, disheveled and on the brink of collapse. But the Supreme Commander is pleased. He gives final approval for the ceremony and the surrender to move forward.

Rey stands on the landing platform with rebel leaders as the young girl is taken away, down the ramp of a craft and into a transport headed for the med facility. Rey shakes violently with rage and Finn puts a hand on her shoulder.

The platform beneath them shakes. Poe, Finn, Rose and several others look around for the source of the tremor.

"Is it an earthquake?" calls Rose.

"NO," Rey spits and the metal support beams suddenly bend around them with a blast of energy unleashed from her fury.

Whoa! They shout as some tumble to the ground. All look at Rey with wide scared eyes.

"I will make Hux hurt like no one else," comes Rey's deadly whisper and then she stalks off. Embarrassment at loosing control of her power follows her, but it's not enough to dissuade her determination to make Hux suffer like no man has suffered before.

…

They're in the war room again when Ben finally comes back to her.

Rey gasps, backing up into a wall and all eye turn to her.

She distantly registered questions of concern from the gathered leaders but all she can see is Ben.

He's beaten and bleeding, standing in the tattered remains of his clothing. Sleeves are gone, black shirt ripped across his back, pants soaked in blood.

He takes a wobbly step forward and towers over her breathing hard, hand bracing himself against a wall above her. He doesn't meet her eye, instead he leans down and rests his bloody head against hers.

Rey hears the collective gasp as the battered Ben materializes before everyone. His massive frame engulfs her and Rey's hand instinctively runs up his chest, feeling out his wounds and willing them to heal. They can only just see Rey's intense gaze from around Ben's sweaty, blood stained bicep. Then he speaks, and they hear him.

"We're ready."