Chapter 20 - Come to me
When Rey strode into the grand dining room, the sight that greeted her was nothing short of awe-inspiring. JK and Chewbacca, comfortably seated at the expansive mahogany table, were engrossed in conversation, their ease adding a warm touch to the grand setting. Across the room, the metallic gleam of C-3PO, C-4TR, and R2-D2 caught her eye as they stood sentinel at the far end of the elegant wooden table.
The magnificent banquet laid out in front of her was truly a sight to behold. It featured a variety of meats, from tender cuts of bantha beef tenderloin to succulent roast poultry, creating a mouth-watering display. The vibrant colors of assorted garden-fresh vegetables and a variety of crisp, freshly prepared salads added to the delightful feast.
Upon seeing Rey, C-4TR bowed and gestured to the seat at the head of the table. "This is your seat, my lady," he said.
Rey nodded and walked towards the table, taking her place.
She delicately selected a small portion of each dish, savoring every bite as she sampled the various flavors. The experience made Rey feel as though she had been deprived of a good meal for an eternity. The food not only filled her stomach but also appeased the hunger pangs that she had consciously worked to suppress.
"Nice change of clothes," JK acknowledged.
Rey smirked. "My room certainly has a collection. I may have a spare change of clothes for you too."
JK looked down at his scrubs. "That might be an idea."
C-3PO turned to Rey. "I didn't know that Ben Solo owned this. How did you know this was here?"
Chewbacca was continuing to stuff his face and ignoring the conversation.
"He..." Rey paused to consider her answer and made it seem like she was chewing despite already finishing her mouthful. "I met him a little while ago and he told me about his safe house." Not untrue.
"Didn't he die?" C-3PO responded.
Chewbacca paused his eating and looked at Rey. She brushed the edge of his mind. Ben Solo is Kylo Ren.
Of course he knows. Rey sighed. "It's complicated," she said.
Chewbacca nodded and resumed his eating, but continued to sideways glance at her.
"Enough about Ben Solo," she declared. "Wasn't there some meeting that was happening here soon?"
R2D2 started beeping.
"When were we instructed to infiltrate the meeting?" C-3PO asked.
R2D2 chirped again.
"It's not my fault that my interface isn't the same as yours," C-3PO said, throwing up his hands.
Rey laughed at the exchange. "I think Jack and I will need to go alone," JK and Rey exchanged a knowing glance. "We could blend in better with the First Order officers. The two of you will certainly stand out, and so would Chewie."
JK and Chewbacca nodded their heads in agreement.
Suddenly, she could hear whispered voices emanating from the corridor, but she couldn't make out what they were saying.
"Do you hear that?" Rey asked.
"Hear what?" JK responded.
She shook it off. "Obviously, I need some sleep," she said, pushing herself up to stand. "I'm going to get some rest." She turned to JK. "Come to my room in the morning, and I'll get you some new clothes."
JK nodded.
Rey bid them all goodbye and began to drag herself towards her room. An extra tiredness was starting to take hold. With each step, she was starting to falter as she approached her bedroom door. Suddenly, Rey felt Kylo appear behind her.
"Come on, love, into bed with you," he said as he gripped her and scooped her up into a bridal hold.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and relaxed into his chest. She could hear the whispers again, getting louder.
"Can you hear that?" she mumbled.
"It sounds like the kyber crystal is calling out to you," he replied as he opened the door to their bedroom and closed it behind himself.
"What kyber crystal?" she asked.
"The one I got for you," he responded. He helped her down on the bed and took off her shoes.
"Where did you get one from?" She wearily replied.
"From the caves of Ilum,"he replied with a smile.
"You got it for me?" she was fluttering her eyes closed as she spoke.
"Yes, I wanted to help you create your own lightsaber," he replied.
"Where is it?" she murmured.
"It's in the chest in our walk-in robe," he responded.
"I should probably get it, so the whispering stops," she said, moving to sit up.
He touched the side of her face and closed his eyes. The whispering stopped. "Better?" He asked.
"Much," she replied, yawning and rolling over.
"Go to sleep and you can look tomorrow," he instructed.
"Why aren't you more tired?" she asked.
"I've already had a nap," he replied. "Now sleep, I have a few things to organise before I come to bed."
"What things?" she sleepily whispered.
"First, I have to block your communicator so it can't be tracked," he stated.
"I left it on the Millennium Falcon," she mumbled.
"Still, I don't want it being used by the Knights of Ren to get anywhere near you," he answered.
Rey already had her eyes closed and nodded.
"Don't worry about the rest. I'll see you soon," Kylo responded, the sound of his voice slowly fading away.
As the night turned into day, Rey was gently shaken awake by JK. The afternoon sunlight filtered through the window, casting a warm glow on the room.
"Rey, are you alright? You've been asleep for most of the day," JK asked her with concern.
Rubbing her eyes, Rey pushed herself up to sit, feeling disoriented. "Why didn't you wake me sooner?" she asked, her voice tinged with confusion and concern.
"I tried multiple times to wake you up, and I was about to fetch the medical droid to check on you," he replied.
"I'm fine," Rey said as she stretched and climbed out of bed.
"Are you sure, my lady?" JK asked as he put his hand out to steady her if she needed it.
"Yes," she ignored his gesture and stepped over to her walk in a robe. She fetched some new clothing for JK and herself and threw the clothing towards him. "Is the meeting today?" she asked.
"No, it's tomorrow," he replied. "I had enough time to venture into town this morning and make contact with the First Order. I have some uniforms for us and confirmation of our transport collection point in town in the early afternoon."
"Good," she replied. She placed her clothes at the end of the bed but waited to change.
"The General requested that you come as Lady Ren," JK told her.
"Why?" she asked.
"The Queen of Naboo has heard of your existence and has requested your presence," he explained. "I don't believe a First Order uniform would be suitable for you," he said.
"I may have something in here." Rey disappeared into the adjoining room and came back with a black figure-hugging dress with red embroidery along the edge. The dress was low-cut at the front and had a sheer back.
JK swallowed. "Yeah, that should be enough."
"It doesn't leave much to the imagination," Rey pondered.
"It's beautiful, my lady, very fitting attire for our Queen," he said.
"What does the Resistance know?" Rey asked.
"Chewbacca informed them this morning from the Millennium Falcon that we would be attending the dinner alone," he explained. "He thinks I stole the uniforms."
"How will we leave here with me dressed like this?" Rey asked. She raised the hanger the dress was still connected to.
"Do you have a garment bag in that wardrobe too?" he asked.
Rey disappeared momentarily and then returned triumphantly, holding the bag above her head. JK took the garment bag, placed the dress inside, zipped it up, and handed it back to Rey. She then hung it up in the wardrobe.
Rey heard the whispering again and turned back to face JK. "Thank you for the updates. You can use the rest of the day to relax before our big day tomorrow." She tapped the clothing on the bed, signaling that she needed to change.
"Of course, my lady," he stood up from sitting on the edge of the bed. "I won't be leaving the villa's grounds again until tomorrow, so call for me if you need anything." He bowed low and left her alone.
Rey turned her attention to the walk-in robe that the whispering was coming from. She stepped inside and could hear it growing louder. Her eyes trained on a chest in the back corner that she hadn't paid attention to before. The voices became more audible as she grew closer.
She could hear Luke's voice: "A lot of people get confused about the Force." She looked around to see that no one was there. She crept closer.
She then heard Kylo's voice: "Let the past die." She hadn't felt her connection to Ben, so she knew he wasn't there.
She continued forward, opening the lid of the chest. Inside was the clear kyber crystal and a bunch of components that could be turned into a lightsaber.
She pulled all the pieces out and placed them on the floor of her walk-in robe, and no further whispers could be heard.
She then felt the tug of her connection with Ben. At this point, Rey was already sitting cross-legged on the floor and had her eyes closed.
"Well, I know what you're about to do," Kylo spoke.
Rey placed a gentle finger to her lips, urging him to silence. "I need to concentrate," she whispered.
Despite her inability to see, she sensed him raising his hands in a gesture of playful surrender. He then lowered himself to the floor opposite her, the tense atmosphere hanging heavy between them.
Rey began to imagine the type of saber she wanted. Rey's voice cut through the silence. "How can I make this a double-sided lightsaber?"
"You'll need a second kyber crystal," he replied.
She opened her eyes, frustration on her face. "Can't I somehow extend the blade?"
"You'll lose power if you do that," he answered. "You could always make it with one, and when we get you a second crystal, you can modify it."
"Okay," she nodded and closed her eyes again.
She picked up the crystal and held it between her hands. She meditated, focusing on infusing as much balance into it as she could, feeling her light side and dark side intertwining.
The minutes stretched while she concentrated.
When she opened her eyes, she looked down to see the crystal had a slight purple hue.
"Purple tends to signify an affinity for both the dark and light sides of the force," he offered.
"Well, that seems appropriate," she replied.
She carefully positioned the crystal on the ground, amidst the various components. Using the Force, she seamlessly maneuvered the pieces into place before they gently settled back in one spot. The components were predominantly black with subtle dark grey accents, featuring a mostly smooth surface with minimal ridges.
She eagerly grasped her newly fashioned lightsaber and examined it from every angle. With a deliberate motion, she pointed it towards the ceiling, excitedly activating the button, and reveling in the vivid hum as a deep purple blade emerged from the hilt.
"It's beautiful," she admired.
"You really are," Kylo cooed.
Rey's gaze met Kylo's, and she realized he wasn't even looking at the blade; his eyes were trained completely on her.
"I was talking about the lightsaber," she clarified.
"Can't a man admire his wife?" he retorted, his tone laced with a hint of playfulness.
Rey blushed slightly. "Yes, he can," she said. She stood up, turned off the blade, and asked, "Can we practice using it?"
"Of course," he said, holding out his palm.
Rey extended her hand, and the environment shifted to the First Order training room. She looked around, taking in the surroundings. "How did you know?" she asked.
"I've periodically checked on you to see if you were awake so we could train," he replied. "You looked too adorable to wake."
Rey's lips curled upward as a smile tugged at them. "Well, next time, just wake me up," she said.
Kylo stood up and unclipped his lightsaber. "Maybe," he replied cheekily. Then he looked down at his lightsaber. "You realise these don't have a stun setting?"
She looked down at her own lightsaber. "Well, we need to make sure it works."
"Let's have a quick session, then switch to practice sabers," he offered.
"I can agree with that," she replied.
Both of them ignited their lightsabers and looked back at each other. The grey and black of the room was now being engulfed by red and purple hues.
"You're already wearing dark grey, so there's no need to change," he retorted.
Rey rolled her eyes and asked, "Are you ready?"
He replied, "Let's do this."
Kylo waited for Rey to make the first move. She stepped forward with a downward overhead blow that he easily deflected with his own lightsaber. He then countered with a downward move that she deflected.
They continued to exchange blows, with Kylo matching the strength of Rey's strikes. She moved to deliver cross-body strikes, and their blades met, forcing them to twirl around each other to maintain momentum.
After a moment's pause, they stepped back, their lightsabers no longer in contact.
Kylo's voice broke the silence. "One more round, then we switch," he said.
Rey nodded in response, maintaining her unwavering focus, with the next move already playing out in her mind. She sprang forward and made the lightsabers clash harder, but Kylo deflected the blow once again.
He smirked and pushed her back, causing her to fumble before regaining her footing. She jumped off her back foot to put more strength into her blow.
As she brought the saber down, she miscalculated how close her hand was to the edge of Kylo's vents from his crossbar. She seared the edge of her hand, causing her to drop her lightsaber, which came down across her chest.
Kylo lifted his hand and used the Force to pull her lightsaber towards himself, catching it in his free hand. He wasn't sure it would work, given he wasn't touching it, but he put all his energy into willing it to come to him.
Rey fell onto the ground, rolled, and stood up in one fluid motion. As she stepped forward, she suddenly felt different.
"Wait," she whispered.
She closed her eyes, willing herself back to her bedroom at Varykino Villa. She opened them and realized she was still standing in the training room with Kylo.
"No, no, no, no," Rey fretted. "I can't get back."
Kylo deactivated both lightsabers. "You're really here," he said in amazement.
Rey hurried over to a nearby bench and touched it. "I can feel the surroundings," she exclaimed.
Kylo started to chuckle.
"This isn't funny," Rey grumbled.
"It's a little funny," he offered.
She suddenly glared. "Did you do that on purpose?"
He continued to chuckle. "No, but it's nice to know our earlier theory about transporting each other actually works."
Rey winced as the pain in her hand spread. She clasped the injured hand with her other one.
"Come here," he gently requested, looking down at her hand.
She walked over to him and offered her injured hand to him. He put both lightsabers in one hand and with his free hand clasped her injured one. He looked up at her bashful gaze and said, "Well, I'm definitely glad you're here."
He closed his eyes and envisioned the blister forming on the surface, willing it to heal and disappear. With a serene determination, he imagined the surface to be smooth and unmarred. Opening his eyes, he was met with the heartwarming sight of Rey smiling, her hand now free of any injury.
"Thank you," she whispered.
He then threw the lightsabers to the side and scooped up Rey, cupping her backside and lifting her into the air as she wrapped her legs around his middle. She chuckled at the same time.
"You know I shouldn't be here right now," she giggled.
"Hmm, maybe, but let's enjoy it," he said.
He looked up into her eyes and then down to her lips. Rey tilted her head to meet his lips, grabbing either side of his face and deepening the kiss.
Perhaps she didn't need to rush back to Naboo, not quite yet.