Ben appraised the minuscule island before him as lush green and dark blue water assaulted his eyes. In all of his travels to different planets he had never seen so much water before. The island itself was very plentiful with rich grass and lichen which fit the temperate climate of Ahch-To all too well. As Ben's eyes drifted toward the top of the rocky cliffs, he realized it was going to take them almost all day to get to the top.
There was only one way up to the peak of this miniature mountain, and that required climbing crudely made stone steps. If Ben hadn't been paying attention he might have missed how these stone steps were weaving into the island and some were spiraling uncomfortably close to the edge of cliffs. The newly reformed Jedi sighed; he could feel the raw power of his uncle's presence and Ben was certain Luke was aware of their arrival too.
Ben shifted his gaze to Rey – the scavenger seemed painfully aware of how much he was dreading this, because her brown irises were filled with sympathy. Stubbornly Ben turned his head away from her refusing to look at his lover. After yesterday's events he was still having a hard time forgiving her. Even if she was being honest and hadn't kissed Finn purposefully, the imagine of them kissing was still craved into his memory. Jealously was flaring up inside himself – he didn't think he would be able to forget Rey kissing that… that hateful coward.
How could she allow Finn to kiss her – unless she had wanted Finn to? Rey had said she was in love with Ben back on Starkiller Base, but could she really have been just waiting for Finn and Kylo Ren been a decent substitute? Could she have been saying all those things to him for her survival, so she could leave Starkiller Base in one piece? Were all those intimate moments they shared just a fabrication?
He was starting to think he had an overactive imagination, because he knew Rey wasn't that malicious. Ben couldn't forget about Milcia, the woman who Hux had hired to seduce him. She'd known how to say all the right things – and he had sincerely thought that maybe he had found the right person – someone caring and so pure of heart. But he had been naive in thinking anyone could love him, it had taught him that love was a weakness. The only thing he had learned from that whole experience was how to turn his heart to stone and he became thoroughly convinced no one would ever want him, after all he had become the most feared man in the galaxy.
Once he'd interrogated Rey and started to train her, he realized she was different. She had been some nobody he'd abducted for questioning – but Rey had turned into somebody. The scavenger possessed a heart as pure as gold; her intentions of good that were undoubted. She had been strong and very bold in her desire to turn him back into the man he once was, and that had been the first time in many years he'd enjoyed a person's company. He'd grown to care for her and it had quickly blossomed into pure and what he had thought would be unrequited desire. He was lucky that she had seen passed the monster he had been and he instead saw the man.
Of course he'd left his heart open to attack once again, and now he could feel the sting of Rey's kiss with Finn. He hadn't felt this aching pain in years, not since he'd guarded his heart from everyone. Now he was reminded that love was a weakness, yet it was too late – for he could not stop loving Rey, not ever. Even if she loved another, Ben was certain he would still love that adorable, bold, brown eyed girl.
The thought of another man touching her in any intimate way infuriated him, even now he wanted to punch something into oblivion. Ben knew he had to keep himself calm, so he worked on quelling the internal storm. If he was going to see Luke, Ben would need to keep a calm head. At any sign of his anger Luke would be put on the offensive, and Ben didn't want to provoke hostility, which meant he needed to remain cool and composed.
The Jedi sighed as he controlled his emotions, and against his better judgment Ben was the one to take the first stride toward the long pathway of stone steps. R2-D2 started beeping right away, assuring them he would watch over the ship while they were gone. Ben nodded his approval at the loyal blue and white droid.
He took the lead and started to ascend the steps with Rey directly behind him. Their conversation was pretty bland as they climbed. Rey had been trying really hard to talk with him, he was acutely aware she was trying to bring things back to normal, but Ben remained very placid. It wasn't long until he'd broken Rey's spirit for banter.
He was becoming very anxious to see Luke again and his mind was racing as he contemplated the right things to say. There was no way he could apologize for his actions, for his actions were so disgusting and unforgivable. If he was his uncle, seeing the murderer of every child he'd taught would drive him into such a blinding, murderous rampage. Fear was wrapping around Ben's heart and every once and while he could feel fear's grip constrict a little tighter in his chest.
Rey needed to be trained by Luke and it was vital that things went over smoothly. If he said the wrong thing maybe his presence would just agitated the whole situation. Ben felt the weight of the galaxy resting on his shoulders and it was almost making it harder for him to breath.
Ben's eyes darted to Rey who was peacefully following his every step. Her tawny pools were fixed on the ocean in pure astonishment. Since she had grown up on Jakku it was obvious that seeing water had never been a luxury for her. Ben kept his eyes focused and ahead as the continued along. And he was trying his best to keep any unsavory imagines of his uncle killing him out of his mind.
They had been walking for the better part of three hours, before Ben stopped and called for a quick break. Rey right away plopped down in a patch of flat, green grass and pulled out an energy bar. The older Jedi watched as the scavenger viciously tore at her food like a rabid animal. Even though Rey had been introduced to civilized eating, she still seemed to enjoy devouring her food like a savage – old habits die hard he guessed.
Ben pulled out his water bottle and focused on hydrating as cool water slid down his throat. Amidst his drinking Ben felt eyes boring into his skin, sure enough when he looked over he saw that Rey's gaze was lingering on him and it was refusing to leave.
"What is it," Ben asked in an agitated tone.
The scavenger was digging her fingernails straight into the grass right before she spoke. "Why are you so angry at me? I told you, Finn kissed me and I wasn't expecting it, he caught me off guard." Ben noted that Rey was trying her best to keep her voice even. "I'm in love with you, and you know that I love you. So why are you making things so difficult, why are you acting so distant?"
Ben sighed, maybe he was being unnecessarily cruel, and sadly it wouldn't be a first. He'd spent the last seven years practicing the art of distancing oneself and repressing any form of happiness.
"I'm being distant because I'm hurt and I'm struggling with it. It's been a long time since I allowed anyone into my heart, since I've felt any internal strife," he said with defeat.
He heard the rustling of grass and without warning Rey had her hands on both side of his face and was forcing him to look at her. The gentle caress of her hands was tender and he could almost feel himself pressing against her skin further, as if to close any further gap between them.
"Ben, I love you more than I've ever loved someone before. I didn't fully understand love until you showed me that putting the person you love first is what truly matters. You put me first when you confronted Hux, and you put me first when we left for the Resistance. Don't ignore me now because of something I couldn't control," the former Dark Lord could hear the unwavering truth in her words and sorrow. There was a layer of hurt glittering in her eyes that caused a tightness in Ben's chest.
It was guilt that coursed through him as he started to realize how he'd hurt Rey. He'd been avoiding feeling pain, but in his own selfishness he'd been inflicted unneeded suffering on Rey. He'd been selfish for years now, getting his way and hurting others in his path, but now he was determined to end that cycle.
His eyes drifted up to match her gaze and he made the most timid apologetic face he could muster. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so cold."
With that said Rey leaned in to leave a soft kiss on his lips. Ben missed the taste of her lips and swiftly he captured her lips with his own. The feeling of her velvety tongue brushing against his lip caused shivers to roll across his skin. He met her tongue with his own as their tongues clashed and danced a familiar dance. He found one of his hands grappling onto her arm for support as they kissed.
Rey pulled away, her normally thin lips were swollen. The new Jedi was smiling at him with one of her genuine smiles that made his heart thunder like a drum. It was almost unnatural the effect Rey had on him. Her presence was intoxicating to him but most of all the smell of her salty and sweet skin and the way she touched him was always soft, sensual grazes of the skin.
She made him crazy with desire and if they weren't on a mission he might have tried to take her right here on the side of a cliff. He could see her own eroticism buried beneath a focused layer of forced restraint. He let out a heavy sigh as Rey's voice cleared away his semi-lecherous thoughts.
"We need to approach Luke as a united front, if he thinks we hate each other than things will only become more suspicious to him," Ben knew what she said was only too true.
He nodded in agreement and he quickly pulled himself to his feet. Instantly, he noticed a glisten of silver and his pupils darted to the culprit. On Rey's belt was saber and he realized that was the infamous saber he had been searching for – his grandfather's Jedi saber. Where had she gotten that lightsaber? The blade had been lost for many years, but rightfully he felt it was his. That was the last remaining belonging of his grandfather, since Darth Vader's helmet was lost to him because of the explosion on Starkiller Base. Part of him wasn't even sad the helmet was gone, he'd always look upon it as a relic to inspire him with evil, but that lightsaber- that lightsaber was the last remaining item that had belonged to Anakin Skywalker. The man that was prophesized to bring balance to the Force – it had belonged to the Chosen One.
Ben wanted to reach out and take the blade from her, but he could sense the Force energy that the saber was expelling and the lightsaber's allegiance belonged executively to Rey. There was no refuting the idea that the blade was calling to Rey and he was beginning to theorize why. Maybe it was a saber that could only be possessed by the Chosen One, the person who was the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy. Or it could be that Obi-Wan Kenobi had bested Anakin Skywalker in single combat long ago, it was common knowledge. So he wondered if that was why the blade was loyal to her, could it possibly sense her linage, he wondered.
He was snapped from his pondering as Rey grabbed hold of his hand, her fingers snugly planting themselves between his own digits. "We're in this together, there's no going back now," Rey said her voice was confident and relaxed.
She was immune to being nervous to meet Luke it seemed and for that he was glad; if she had been anxious it would have only amplified his own feelings of uncertainty.
After a while of sitting together watching the ocean waves crash against the cliff. A comfortable silence had settled between them now, as they clutched onto each other's hands for dear life. The sun was started to sink back behind the island as the light began to wane.
Finally Rey stood up and with her she pulled him to his feet. They looked at each other analyzing the other person with intense curiosity.
"You ready to go?" Rey asked him in her usual determined voice.
"You bet I am," Ben said as happily as he could muster.
The higher they ascended, the greater Ben's anxiety became. There were a few times in Ben's life when he had ever felt this afraid: One was his arrival to Luke's Jedi Academy as a boy, and another was he easy agreement to destroy Luke's Academy per Supreme Leader Snoke's request. Now the idea of seeing Luke again was crawling its way up to another moment in his life where fear was all he felt.
They had finally reached an ancient village that grew from the rock features. It was the first sign of any civilization they'd seen today. It seemed that they had reached the peak of the island and this little village stationed on top marked the first signs of humanity. A few glances around though made it obvious that this place had been abandoned long ago, not any remnants of a society existed.
There was a good possibility that Luke lived in these one of these huts, so both him and Rey agreed to search for any signs of the elusive Jedi. They combed through every stone hut with care, yet they turned up empty handed, not a single drop of evidence could support the theory that Luke lived here.
They both were acutely aware that Luke's presence was lingering near by, somewhere close. Rey decided they should just move through and continue on the fleeting stone path before them. She pulled them both through the village before she let her hand drop to her side. Ben noticed her eyes were fixed up atop the stairs, at Ben's angle it looked as if she was staring at the sun. There were a small handful of steps left, but Rey was focused on the top of said stairs.
"He's up there," she murmured. "I can feel it," he heard her reassure herself. Quickly, she turned to him, her gaze was steady and blithe. "Are you ready?"
He nodded his acceptance, there was no turning back now. Whatever his uncle's thoughts were regarding him it was too late to change. If Luke was going to try and kill him the moment their gazes locked, it would happen, Ben was unarmed and had no way to protect himself. If Luke was going to forgive him, it would happen, hopefully they could move forward to repair their relationship as family and as student and apprentice.
Without thought, he followed as Rey climbed the remaining steps. It was becoming apparent that someone was standing on top of the cliff, backed turned – their body cloaked in thick robes of dark gray. As they approached the man seemed to be aware of them, for he slowly turned around to face them head on.
Ben felt a lump building in his throat as Luke truly turned around and faced them – the Master Jedi's eyes were hooded, making his face unreadable as dark shadows cloaked it entirely. Even after all these years, his uncle was still waiting the same beige robes that he's worn at the academy, but something had changed about Luke. Even under the hood, Ben could see a scraggly, silver beard illuminated in the sun light. It seemed that the years of solitude had really turned his uncle into a hermit, before Luke had always been clean shaven and proper when training at the academy, but now it seemed that his uncle's propriety had fallen along the road side.
The young Solo's eyes drifted from his uncle's face to Luke's shoulders which were tight, as if he was preparing to be assaulted. Ben forced himself to relax so he wasn't perceived as a threat, but even if he was calm, Luke would still see him as a threat. He knew his uncle was staring at him – Luke's invisible gaze was burning virtual holes in him.
Did he think Ben was here to kill him? Was Luke planning on exacting his own form of revenge on him?
Ben's eyes shifted to Rey to gauge her reaction and it her was plain to see. The scavenger next to him was calm, but her eyes were filled with raw emotions – he could tell as her eyes had taken the form of glassy orbs of hazel. Rey took the saber from her belt and reached her hand outward, offering it to Luke, all the while trying to keep her face stoic.
The gesture must have moved Luke because it was then when Ben saw a wave of suppressed emotions flourish in the old Jedi's eyes. The Jedi Master was taking the lightsaber as a sign of peace. Luke finally raised his hands and pulled back the hood that shrouded his features. Ben couldn't take his eyes off Luke's robotic right hand. Long ago when Ben had been a young Jedi in training, it had been unfathomable how a father could disfigure his own son, but after spending a few years in the First Order, Kylo Ren had realized how far he would go to protect his power and rank. If it meant killing a few friends, he would do it, if it meant killing his father or mother, he would have done it eventually. If Rey hadn't intervened he would still be that twisted man that killed anyone to get what he wanted. The Dark Side had a funny way of diluting one's priorities.
"You've both finally arrived," Luke said in a steady voice. Along with his body, Master Luke's voice had aged considerably, it no longer carried the same strength in it. "Anakin told me you two would be descending upon Ahch-To soon."
His uncle's eyes shifted to Rey – she still had the lightsaber outstretched in her hand. "You're the Chosen One then, Rey Kenobi. I've waited all my life for you to appear," a faint smile started to tug on the Jedi Master's lips. "The lightsaber is all yours, dear girl. Keep it."
Rey seemed to be in utter shock because she didn't move even after Luke told her to keep the saber. She just stared at him for a long time, Luke and Rey's eyes were locked in a silent conversation unreadable to him. After a minute her paralysis passed and her hand finally lowered, where she placed the saber back on her belt.
Now Luke's eyes slanted toward Ben, it was odd to see Luke's gaze so neutral. It almost came off as forced for it lacked some genuine element and emotion. "Anakin told me about how you planned to save Rey," Luke said his voice was even. "I wasn't sure it could be true after all this time, you coming back to the Light Side seemed improbable, but I'm glad my cynicism was incorrect. It's good to have you back, Ben Solo."
There was a pregnant pause before Luke spoke again. "You are both here to defeat Snoke, am I correct?"
"Yes, Ben and I are here to receive training for you, Master Luke. Our collective goal is to kill Snoke and stop the First Order," Rey said it like a true, valiant Jedi. Ben nodded in agreement which was noted by Luke.
"I will take you two as my students, I will assess your skills tomorrow, for now, you two should get settled in. You will be staying in the stone village down below, and you will be up by sunrise for training," he commanded.
"Okay, Master Luke," Rey said complacently. She started to make her way down the steps and Ben was content to follow her down, but a voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Ben, I would like to speak with you in private in about an hour. I'm staying in a hut at the very top of the peak," Luke pointed at a dirt path that lead behind a rocky cliff, it must have been some small path carved along the rocks.
Ben couldn't help but gulp and nod, as Rey gave him a remorseful look.
Silence filled the hut in such an eerie manner, the air around them was languorously to say the least. Luke was prepare some type of meal while Ben looked on. The hut was small and made of stone and a small fire was stoked in the middle of the house. The heat radiated against Ben's skin, but all he could do was dig his knuckles into the dirt floor as he tried to find some release for his anxiety. His uncle must have been getting some sick satisfaction from him being so perturbed.
Sweat was dripping down the young Jedi's forehead as Luke continued to cook and act like he had never summoned Ben. The silence between them was becoming absolutely unbearable and Ben wasn't sure if he was patient enough to let the dreadful silence continue. Was Luke expecting an apology from him? Ben wanted to give one, but there was no perfectly placed words that could fix what he had done. Nothing in the world could bring back the students he had killed.
There was nothing Ben could do to fix Luke Skywalker's hope for the new Jedi Order of the Galaxy. He'd broken Luke's dream of restoring the Jedi Order the moment Ben started slaughtering his fellow students in cold-blood. There were no words that could repair his mistake. There were no words that could bring the dead back to life. There were no words that could fix desecrated dreams.
Ben looked down at the earthy floor beneath him in defeat. He wished everyday, that he could go back – back to when he was just a child learn how to swing a saber. He would tell that naive childish version of himself to never lose faith in the Light Side and that no matter how rough things got, choosing the path to power would only bring pain and suffering. But there was no power that could send him back in time, unfortunately Ben was trapped in the reality he had created.
There was nothing he possibly say that would make Luke forgive him. He realized that now.
"Anakin told me what Snoke did, that he sought you out specifically because you were lonely, angry and hurting," Luke's voice sliced through the heavy silence like a knife. "It's my fault that he got to you, I should have been paying closer attention to you, if I had been I would have known you were suffering."
The older Jedi's voice was barely a whisper now. "But I was too ambitious trying to recreate what had been lost to us. I wanted to rebuild the Jedi Order and teach students – but I was spreading myself too thin. You made me realize that the old Jedi ways didn't work for a reason."
Ben was stunned, so stunned that his own voice was unable to leave his throat. He couldn't form a damn sentence to save his life.
"But I promise I won't make the same mistake twice, you and Rey will have my undivided attention and instruction, things will be very different from the last time," Luke's tone had changed, his voice resonated a new found found confidence.
Finally Ben found the strength to speak and he was almost shouting. "Uncle, you can't blame yourself. I allowed myself to get sucked in by Snoke, I am to blame for everything that happened. I was aware of the choices I made, Snoke didn't force me to do anything against my will," he confessed with sorrow. "There's not a day that goes by that I don't regret what I did, but I can't change that now. I just have to bare it the best I can and try and learn from my mistake."
For the first time Luke turned to look at him, a soft smile had form on his lips. "We are both to blame, we both made mistakes. Let us leave it at that. No more dwelling on the past, we have a clean start tomorrow." A hand was clasped on Ben's shoulder in an honest and supportive gesture.
Another hefty stillness settled between them as Luke's hand slipped away, but this time it wasn't as oppressive as before. It almost seemed like a weight has been lifted off both their shoulders. Luke sat down with a bowl in his hand and started to eat some ugly looking stew. It has been a bowl he'd been warming over the fire for the whole time they had been talking. Ben sat and watched awkwardly waiting for his uncle to make the next move.
"Why don't you get some rest Ben, you will need it for tomorrow's assessment. I expect great things out of you," Luke said in a light-hearted way.
Ben nodded his agreement and quickly got to his feet to go back to the hut and join Rey for a good night sleep.
"And Ben," Luke said, in which the young Jedi spun around to face his uncle head on. "May the Force be with you."
[A/N]: Hey guys, so finally they have met the elusive Jedi, I hope everyone enjoyed the entrance of Luke to the chapter! :)
I just wanted to give a special thanks to megumisakura, bhut, SaintsFan1, firerosedreamer67, gabysweet10, waterlily91, DiamondSapphire, Nila, LovetheKlaroline, Katrina, tacker23, LadyRedStar, Sheean Kushiashi, Mistyeyesc, SaskeIsReading, cmol8806, and all you other guests who have been kind enough to review and give me your feelings and thoughts of the story.
Please let me know what you guys thought of the chapter, did I handle things between Rey and Ben well, what did you think of their meeting with Luke, did I keep Luke in character? Any feedback would be so greatly appreciated! Thank you so much for taking the time to read, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! :)