25Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. The movies and characters belong to Disney.
Restless. He recognized the feeling, but he couldn't quite put his finger on its cause. Suddenly an electrifying jolt pierced through his subconscious, and before he could gather his bearings, another frightening blow caused his eyes to snap open. He immediately awoke and found himself breathing hard with the sound of his own thunderous heartbeat pounding away in his ears. There was an alarming shift in the Force just now and his keen senses noted they were right on the precipice of causing havoc.
His eyes quickly shifted to the lush mountaintops surrounding him. Taking in a deep breath to quell his tenseness, he exhaled in relief. It was just a vision he realized as he worked to relax and calm his mind. Whether it be of the past, present, or future, he wasn't certain. The breeze ruffled his overgrown hair and tickled his beard until worry began to work its way into his being. The enormous disruption in the Force he felt wasn't something to be taken lightly.
A few minutes passed while he collected his thoughts, then he sat still once again. With eyes closed, he inwardly concentrated and allowed his mind to drift back to the meditative state upon which he came. Ever so delicately, he probed through the far reaches of vast space. At first nothing seemed amiss, but with careful and meticulous manipulation, there, in the far distance, he could sense something ominous lurking just beyond the fringes of his consciousness. He was unable to identify who or what it was, but there was no doubt, its budding power had blossomed onto the next stage.
Very rarely was his intuition wrong, and the heightened sense of foreboding let him know this was likely a vision from the near future. Calmly he continued to explore. Visions of what could or would be, were always hard to read if agitated. In fact, it required near perfect control or it would dissipate before anything could be learned.
Slowly, the fog lifted and the vision came into focus.
Dark trees stood against a blanket of snow. With labored breaths, a chestnut haired boy clutched his side, fat red drops of his own blood soiled the snow capped grounds below. Ben? He strained to see his face and further reached out to sense his aura. Immediately his feelers recoiled, sizzling at the foreign nature that surrounded it. Sadly there was no mistake, this young man was indeed his nephew Ben, all grown up and...
No, not Ben. Kylo Ren, his mind echoed causing him to wince. Regret oozed its way into his consciousness, sparking to life the unbearable pain that still haunted him. He watched helplessly as his former young apprentice's lithe body shook in anger and wielded the blood red lightsaber of a Sith Lord, violently slashing at his opponent.
The deep remorse over his greatest mistake was short lived however, for in the next moment it was replaced by sheer unbridled panic. His brain rapidly tried to negate what it was seeing. The other figure (his opponent) was...Rey? He croaked in disbelief as his eyes stayed riveted on her form. No! It couldn't be. Gone was the child he once knew. There, before him, stood a young woman, quick and agile. Her bodily form was unrecognizable but the aura of Force emanating from her every pore unmistakably identified her. Despite her weak lightsaber skills, her movements were fluid and purposeful. She was able to manipulate the Force's power effortlessly and used it to guide her every move. For an untrained one, she had quite an innate ability. She could be a formidable Jedi, something told him, even as he furiously dismissed the idea.
Swift vengeful slices from her angry opponent quickly brought him out of his musings and fear began to take hold. There was no doubt she was being hunted by the sinister, Kylo Ren.
His breath hitched. It looked as if fate was sweeping her up and placing her in the conflict he so desperately wanted to avoid. His heart nearly stopped as he watched helplessly while she rolled out of harms way, narrowly avoiding the stab of his glowing red sword. The horrifying scenes played out vividly in his mind, each strike meticulously captured as if in slow motion. Initially, overpowering dread flooded his consciousness, filling him with a yearning to look away, but morbid curiosity eventually won over, and he found he couldn't take his eyes off the two. The fight seemed to last an eternity, dragging him through each crashing blow, while the anticipation of what was to come rushed to bombard his senses all at once.
Will she survive? He had to know. A sudden 'crack,' followed by an apocalyptic rumble of the ground, shook the entirety of the forest and a wide divide opened up, completely swallowing up the landscape between them into a bottomless pit. The enormous expanse separated them acres apart, and only by some miracle were their bodies spared from being thrown into the depths of it's never ending darkness.
It was then the vision began to fade despite his efforts to hold on. Please, not yet. But before another thought could form, out of nowhere, a sharp pain electrocuted his system and his ears rang, steeling away his breath. It was as if a million voices cried out in pain all at once, then were instantaneously gone.
With eyes dilated and heart racing, he awoke with slick sweat beading down his temples.
"Is she alive?" he squirmed. He had to know. Quickly he worked to restore images of the vision, taking hold of his ragged breath and reaching out desperately for the answer. "Is he?"
Deep down, he knew the dark side often remained attractive with it's power of fury. From his own father to his nephew, the temptations were difficult to avoid and even harder to denounce. He, himself, understood the appeal, and in truth may have turned down that path had it not been for the persistent guidance of Jedi Masters Yoda and Ben Kenobi.
Rey!
After several failed attempts at bringing back the vision, reality finally sunk in. The answers would never be found without subduing his roiling emotions, for even the slightest bit of panic would muddy the clarity of the vision, and so with practiced restraint, he calmed himself as the day progressed. Answers would come if he was patient.
It wasn't easy but he eventually tried filling his mind with the pleasant memories he had of her. They were few and far between, but definitely ingrained within. The next day, he found success at last and was able to carefully reach out to find her. The search at first was fruitless and led to large spaces of nothingness, but relief finally washed over him when he felt her Force aura, strong and ever present. She was alive!
Cautiously he extended his feelers further in search of another. It was considerably dulled but definitely there. Ben. He survived too. His body was weakened but the sharp fury of his aura was distinctly present and palpable, and his vicious thoughts were running rampant.
He shifted uncomfortably. Although he ran and hid half way across the galaxy, he wasn't able to defy fate or protect her. Had he known this would ultimately happen, perhaps he wouldn't have wasted all those years trying to change factors that defined the future and instead worked to strengthen that which needed protecting. Admittedly it was all too easy to hope she could be like his sister, Leia, born with the Force but with a shielding effect that nullified her presence to the evils that lurked in the shadows. He had naively clung to the notion that it was in her best interest to hide her after all that had happened.
He roughly berated himself for this. All along, he knew of her potential and the possibilities of what she could mean to the Alliance and the Sith Lords, yet he purposely shied away from training her due to his own missteps with his nephew Ben.
He tensed as the last bloodthirsty thoughts of his former student abruptly resounded through his mind. "I'll kill you Rey. I'll kill you..."
A few days later, a familiar ship lands next to his and he knows she's on board. Even from afar he can tell it's the Millenium Falcon, though he does not sense Han. A petite young brunette is first to exit and determinedly makes her way up the stone steps along the mountain path. Though he's conflicted, he stands rooted in place. He'd fought so hard to hide her from the others and distanced himself from her so she would not be in danger. Circumstances have changed though, and he knows the right choice now is to help her. Never once in all these years has he disclosed his secret but it's clear the time has come to change that.
Rey marches up the last of the mossy stone steps on a mission to seek out the renowned Jedi Master, Luke Skywalker. It's strange, but somehow she can feel him. Perhaps she should be frightened since this makes absolutely no sense, but the calm she experiences deep within, assures her this is the right thing to do. Somehow she knows it's her destiny. The lightsaber she holds thrums in her hand as if anticipating a final reunion. It tells her to reach out to its Master for the training she was meant for.
High upon the mountain, shrouded in a cape, Luke Skywalker comes into view. Nerves cast to the wind, she holds the lightsaber out to him with bated breath.
It's ultimately his turn to answer. Will he train her?
Hesitation wells inside of him. The fear runs deep and he can't shake the notion that it was all his fault things went so terribly wrong the last time with Ben.
The Force aura she emits mingles with his own as she leans toward him. What is normally shielded naturally with her innate ability, soon flares to life. It's as if destiny is opening a door and letting her powers be known to him. He steals the courage to look her in the eye. The Force is strong with her and with the newest developments, she may be the new hope the dwindling Alliance so desperately needs. Additionally he knows his worst nightmare has already unfolded. Kylo Ren has discovered you and won't rest until he destroys or turns you. She is completely vulnerable to the forces of evil that wish to own her and to do nothing now will only hurt her further.
Unease settles as the pulsations of the lightsaber continue to call out to him, urging him to do what is expected, the right thing.
She is the chosen one it means to say. He knows it's true, he just doesn't want to believe it.
You know so little. he thinks. If only I hid you better. But there is no time to undo the past. Fate has brought her here for a reason.
His heart is heavy but the time is ripe for the truth to be unveiled. Once he accepts there will be no turning back. The guilt still eats away at him. This curse. It's all my fault he thinks.
She looks so determined, so sure she wants to be his apprentice. It takes all his will not to refuse. What will you do when you find out the truth? he wonders all the while keeping his thoughts hidden.
The askance in her eyes finally melts his last resolve. He knows she brings the chance to right his wrongs just by searching him out, and before he can stop it, his hand automatically pulls the lightsaber into his palm as he nods to accept his daughter's request.
~End
Author's Note:
This is my first Star Wars fanfiction story. It wasn't until I talked with others did I realize there were so many different predictions about who Rey really is. As this story depicts, I think she may be a Skywalker. I'm curious, do you agree?
As always reviews with constructive criticism on written content is appreciated. Thanks for reading!