Chapter 8 - Lead the way

Rey had an uneventful day. She had notified Poe and Finn of her intentions of assuming the Solo name which went much better than expected. They thought her reasoning for carrying on the legacy of Han and Leia was completely noble. She spent her day meeting new members and working on the limited number of working ships they had in their possession. However, one ship was still missing: the Millennium Falcon. It had been taken by Chewbacca back to his homeworld, Kashyyyk, to visit his wife Malla and their son Lumpawaroo.

Rey was shocked to discover that he was not only married, but he had a family of his own that wasn't part of the Resistance. He had been gone for nearly a fortnight; he had left right after Leia had passed. To be honest, she didn't know when he would return or if he would want to at all. She couldn't really blame him, as he had lost Han, Luke, and Leia in a short space of time. He had assured her that he would return, which left her wondering: what would he think of her joining the Solo clan? Would it make him want to come back sooner? She decided that she wouldn't risk contacting him to find out.

She picked up the Jedi texts and scanned her room. Was there anything else she needed for her training with Ben? They hadn't discussed the specifics yet. She was excited to share the sacred books with him and to hear his perspective on them. Holding the texts close to her chest, she focused on reaching out to him through their connection. Suddenly, her surroundings transformed into a large training room with padded ebony floors, high arched ceilings, and furnished with matte black and grey objects. This colour scheme was typical of the interior of the First Order flagship.

She didn't have much time to inspect the space. Kylo Ren's figure caught her eye as he fought with his lightsaber, matched against several training robots that were shooting a series of blaster bolts at him. She stood frozen on the spot, admiring how gracefully he moved on his feet: step, turn, step. He was slicing through the bots with a procession of strength that she had never had the chance to admire before. The sweat was streaking his brow, clinging to the hairs that framed his face. He deflected a blast that was shot straight at his head before pivoting and slicing through the robot like it was butter. His attention turned back to the last remaining bot. His advance was momentarily halted by a quick and steady stream of bolts that threatened to blast the lightsaber from his hands. She could see the strain it was placing on his muscles, the tension flexing through his shoulder blades.

It was hard not to notice the rippling vibrations, clearly visible due to the loose black tank top he was wearing, instead of his usual dark tunics and battle attire. His pants were also loose-fitting, akin to his sleeping attire but much thicker and tucked into his regular boots.

He grunted in frustration and used the force to slam the bot into the wall, crumpling it into a heap before it plummeted to the floor. He deactivated his blade and swiftly called a rolled-up towel off a nearby shelf to his hand. He clipped his hilt to his belt and turned towards her, wiping the sweat off his face.

As he began wiping the sweat off the back of his neck, he huffed, "You're late!" He launched the towel into a basket beside the shelf, and it landed inside, disappearing from her view.

Rey furrowed her brows. "We didn't exactly set a time to meet."

"That doesn't matter," he grunted. "I expect you here at a reasonable time."

"What the hell is your problem? I didn't expect a 'Hi sweetheart, how was your day?' But I do expect not to fend off your grumpy mood, especially when I played no part in creating it."

"Rey... "

"No Ben," she replied with irritation. "I won't be your emotional punching bag. We can train another time when you're in less of a state."

"Please, just wait," he sighed. "I'm sorry. I just… I didn't have a good day. I've been fending off uprisings and I… I wanted to see you sooner," he explained.

"You have a funny way of showing it," she said as she walked up to him, stepping through the carnage of the training robots at her feet. "Why don't we start again?" She smiled sweetly. "Hi, Ben."

He peered down at her and couldn't help but feel the tug of a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "Hi, sweetheart." He tilted his head. "How was your day?"

"Clearly, better than yours," she responded. "Why don't you tell me, what happened today?"

He attempted to deflect her query. "What have you got there?"

She shifted her body sideways. "Nope, you first."

He rolled his eyes. "Is this what my life is going to be like with you now? Always talking about my feelings and my deep dark secrets?"

"Well if you expect to share a bed with me later, then yes," she hissed.

"I knew you would say that," he exhaled sharply. "You don't know what it's like here. Everywhere I turn, there is someone trying to undermine me. I don't really have anyone I can trust."

"You can trust me," she offered.

"But you're not really here, are you?" he countered.

She felt a slight sting from his words. He was right; she wasn't there yet. "What about your General or the Knights of Ren? Why can't you trust them?"

He chuckled forcibly. "My knights appear loyal, but I feel like my second-in-command is about to challenge me for my position of Master. As for the General, we have never gotten along; if he had it his way, he would be the Supreme Leader. He still hasn't accepted what I told him happened between us in the throne room."

"Technically, you did not tell him the truth," she said as she shook her head. "I did not kill Snoke."

"That's beside the point," he countered. "He should accept what I say without questioning it."

She sighed. "That's not how trust and loyalty work."

"Well, it should be," he grunted.

She shook her head. "What am I going to do with you Solo?"

He smirked. "Why don't you tell me, what you have there... Solo?"

She glared in response. "Oh, I see what you did there," she pursed her lips. "But I'll play along. These are the Jedi texts from Ahch-To?"

"Ahch-To?" he frowned.

She gasped. "I forgot to tell you. Luke was hiding on Ahch-To, on a secluded island that housed a Jedi Temple and these," she said, lifting them higher in her arms.

"Is that the same island from your dreams?" he wondered.

"Yes, actually," she quickly blinked. "I can't believe you remember that. That's where I found that cave that I told you about."

He pointed to the stack of books in her arms. "So, how did you end up with those?"

She cleared her throat. "I borrowed them."

"You mean you stole them," he laughed.

"Does it really matter?" She held them tightly. "They are all mine now. Would you like to take a look?"

"As much as I would like to flip through some dusty, old books with you," he replied. "There are more pressing issues to attend too."

She pressed out her bottom lip forming a pout.

He chuckled. "Don't be upset," he said. Then he bent down and kissed her bottom lip before pulling back. "We'll get to the texts later." He collected the books from her, guided her over to a bench, and set the books down. "I would rather we focus on getting control of your emotions and your abilities first."

"Oh, yeah," she responded, "I forgot about that."

"Well, that's good. At least it means you didn't try to kill anyone today," he smirked.

She grimaced. "You're the one to talk."

"Touché. I'll have you know I didn't either," he replied. "No one has died today by my hand, not yet anyway."

"If you keep talking like that, I may not be able to say the same either," she replied cheekily.

"Wow, threats of violence and admitting you've stolen from a sacred temple. You're certainly on a roll today - enough stalling," he said as he pointed to a pile of dark clothing further down the bench. "Get dressed."

She looked down at her attire. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

He smiled. "I plan to work you pretty hard and you don't want to be wearing such a thick tunic and pants."

"Fine," she grumbled as she kicked off her boots. "You only want me to change so I can expose myself to you... again."

"I'm not going to lie," he responded. "That certainly is an advantage."

She pulled her tunic over her head and took off her pants, handing them to him. "Next time, I'll make sure I'm more appropriately dressed," she said.

"I'll probably ask you to change if you're not wearing black," he admitted truthfully.

"What's with you and black?" she asked. "Do you own any other colors?"

"Does dark grey count?" he responded.

"No," she firmly replied.

"Then no," he said.

She thought for a moment. "We might have to change that."

"We shall see. Now hurry up," he said. "The longer you stand there in only your undergarments, the less likely we'll end up training."

She continued to change while talking, grabbing the folded-up tank top and sliding it over her head. "Well, we're implementing the no inappropriate touching rule during training, so it shouldn't really matter."

"If you think rules have ever stopped me before," he got really close to her face, "then you don't really know me very well."

She grasped either side of his cheeks to keep him in place and whispered, "Be a good boy and play along, and I'll let you see what's under my undergarments."

He swallowed. "Deal."

"I knew I'd get my way with you," she declared.

He tilted his head. "You've got a unique card to play."

"What will happen when that card has been played?" she asked innocently.

"They do say a King bows for nobody but his Queen," he replied.

She brought her lips closer to ghost over his. "And don't you forget it," she said softly. She released him and took a step back. Then, she swiftly pulled up the pants from the floor nearby before sitting down to put her boots back on.

Kylo blinked. He couldn't believe she was so good at seduction. He looked down at her sitting on the bench. "Not those boots," he pointed to a pair of ebony lace-up boots that were to the side, half-obscured by the seat. "You're wearing those."

"How do you know my shoe size?" she asked with surprise.

"I got it from the security footage in the elevator when we were testing out our force bond," he answered. "Once we had finished, I checked the tape. I deleted the footage but not before I took a copy. It proved useful for scanning your measurements, especially after our recent conversation on supplies."

"I don't know if I should be flattered or creeped out that you know the size of my underwear," she said, shaking her head. "What else did this footage reveal?"

"It was interesting to see that you became visible when I touched you, and you were invisible when I wasn't," he explained. "What fascinated me the most was that I seemed to become less solid when we were transported to your room, almost as if I became a ghost on this side."

"Interesting. That could be useful to know," she pondered. "Do you think that could mean that one of us can transport ourselves to the other side permanently?"

"We could try that right now if you want," he offered.

"No, I'm not coming to visit you like that," she replied. "I don't want to have to explain to a ship full of your crew that I just stopped by to say hello to my partner and that I need a ship to get back to where I came from."

"Or you could just stay here," he responded. "It would be your ship and your crew too."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Are we back to that? That whole 'join me and rule the galaxy' thing?"

He mockingly put his hands up. "I just want you to know that my offer still stands. There will always be a place for you here," he said, opening his arms wider as if to offer an embrace.

"Are you trying to tempt me again?" she glared.

"Can you really blame me?" he asked, pausing. "Is it working?" he replied with a cheeky twinkle in his eye.

"Maybe," she replied, pursing her lips as she debated on what to say. "Back to training. What are we going to do?"

"We're going to meditate," he stated confidently.

"Meditate? I already know how to do that. How could meditating with you be different than doing it alone?"

"We're going to focus on feeling the dark side," he stated, as if she should have already known.

"What?" she responded with surprise. "No, I'm not immersing myself in darkness."

"That's where your problem is. My uncle made you so afraid of your darkness that you only sparingly use it. When you feel afraid or threatened, you tap into it and lose control," he explained. "If you become more comfortable with it, you'll have nothing to fear. You can use it whenever you want, and it won't consume you when you least expect it."

"How do I know I won't lose control now?" she asked.

They both made their way to the middle of the room and sank to the floor, facing each other with crossed legs. The broken training bots had been swept away by cleaning droids while they had been talking.

"Because you have me. I'll anchor you and help to pull you back," he clarified.

"You promise?" she weakly mumbled.

"I'll make sure that I don't let go," he said as he offered his forearms to her.

She grasped them tentatively, and his hands found the crease of her elbows.

"Now, I want you to relax," he instructed. "Focus on finding the strength in your emotions. Describe to me what you feel."

They both closed their eyes.

She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "I feel cold... The darkness is cold." She shook her head, but kept her eyes closed. "I'm scared, Ben. I don't know if I can do this."

He tightened his grip on her arms. "Use it to find strength. Breathe, just breathe," he coached. "I'm right here with you," he reassured. "It won't feel cold if you stop fighting it."

"I feel a warmth, it's spreading throughout me," she said as she relaxed further, feeling the sensation spreading.

"The more you get used to it, the better it will feel. Tell me what else," he whispered.

She tightened her grip on him, causing crescent nail marks to form on his arms. "It's raw - it's powerful. It's calling to me."

"Keep going," he whispered.

"I feel like I could accomplish anything. Like nothing can touch me - nothing can hurt me." She felt strong and invincible.

"Now, come back to me," he urged.

She released her hold on him and opened her eyes, a shiver ran down her spine. "That was... different."

"It's not as frightening as you anticipated, is it?"

She allowed her eyes to fall to their interlocked arms, searching for her answer. She noticed the new wounds on his arms. "Did I do that?" she apologised. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to."

He shrugged. "It's not the first mark you've left on me, and I know it won't be the last."

She playfully pushed him away. "What kind of marks are you expecting from me?"

"The kind I can't show in polite company," he retorted.

"Careful Ben, we might have to add inappropriate comments to our list of training rules," she tutted.

"Apologies my lady, it won't happen again." He bowed slightly to her.

"My lady? So formal - I like it. What would I be the lady of?" she wondered.

"You would be Lady Ren," he confidently replied. "Lady Solo doesn't have the same ring to it. Besides, I'm not a Solo here, so you wouldn't be either."

"I like being a Solo," she pouted. "Rey Ren sounds weird."

He laughed. "It's just a title. You would still be Rey Solo, but when you're formally addressed, it would be as Empress or Lady Ren."

"It sounds so complicated," she crinkled her nose. "What if I wanted to be Empress Rey or Lady Rey?"

"It's up to you, really. Personally, I think the title 'Ren' would remind people of me and the Knights of Ren," he smirked. "It confirms that their Empress is a force to be reckoned with."

"I can see that. 'Lady Ren' does have a nice ring to it," she said as she sprang to her feet. "Can we have a quick sparring session before I head back for dinner? Please?"

He stood up confidently and stated, "How can I possibly refuse when you ask so nicely?"

She flashed a mischievous smile and inquired, "Do you mind if we up the stakes?"

He gazed at her intently and questioned, "What would we be playing for?"

"If you win, I become your Empress and if I…"

"Deal," he interrupted.

"You didn't let me finish," she whined. "You don't know what I was going to say."

"It doesn't matter because I'm going to win," he confidently replied.

"You're so sure of yourself. What if I was asking you to join the Resistance?"

He slanted his head. "Were you?"

"No, but now you'll just have to wait and see what I'm playing for," she said, biting her lip.

"It's not about running away into hiding and leaving everything behind, is it?" he slowly replied.

"Nope," she responded.

He smirked. "A child?"

"A child?" she shook her head. "Why would you think I would trick you into having a child? I'm not even 20 yet. As if we could bring an innocent baby into all of this right now."

He frowned. "You're still a teenager? I thought you were a couple of years older than that."

"Is my age really a problem?" she replied. "How old are you?"

"No, not at all," he quickly responded. "I'm 29. I'm just surprised there is 10 years between us."

She put her hands on her hips. "Honestly, I thought you were a couple of years younger than that."

Concern washed over him. "Is my age a problem?"

"Should it be?" she inquired.

"No," he answered a little too abruptly. "If it makes you feel any better, it's the same age gap as my parents."

"Really? So, the young princess fell in love with an older, rough around the edges smuggler?"

"Is it much different to us?" he quipped. "A young, rough around the edges scavenger fell in love with an older dark prince?"

"I suppose not," she said with a shrug. "Well, your highness, let's get going. You don't want to come between me and my food," she warned.

"I wouldn't want to do that," he said.

He collected two wooden staffs from the side of the wall and threw one to her. She caught it and twirled it around her body in one fluid motion.

"Come on, Rey. What do you get if you win?"

"A beautiful planet, with a brand-new base and a fleet of modern ships," she replied.

He pointed his staff at her. "That's asking for a lot."

"If you win, I will leave the Resistance, my friends, and publicly announce my support for the First Order," she declared. "I will become your wife, the Empress, and rule at your side. I'd be all in. Isn't that worth it?"

He smiled and said, "The first person to end up flat on their back loses."

He gripped his staff tighter and asked, "Any last words before you have no choice but to join me?"

"No force powers, Emperor, but anything else goes," she replied.

"You're on, Lady Ren. Let the game begin."

They tapped their sticks together and stepped back.

"I'm not holding back," he said.

"Neither will I," she replied.