To Be So Lonely // Ben Solo

4

She couldn't stop seeing his eyes. It was all she could grasp in the darkness of the trees and in the unsteady shaking of both the planet and her mind. She kept seeing his eyes. They were darkened with rage, with confusion. But she knew them. She had looked into them so closely in her youth, she had grown up looking at them. At him. What had happened to the boy she knew?

Cyra didn't know where she expected to wake up. She hadn't expected to blackout in the first place. She barely recognized his eyes before her body fell unconscious.

She knew she had been saved by the woman who fought him. How long it had been since that night, she knew not. The first move she made when she opened her eyes was to think to Leia, reach for her in the Force, and she knew the woman would find her.

Leia took no time to respond. She could not have been far from her, as the knock at Cyra's door was mere minutes after she reached out.

As Leia closed the door behind her, she could not help her lips forming into a smile as she looked upon the girl. When Chewbacca had carried her off the Falcon, Leia believed her to be a corpse. Now, Cyra's hair was free of ice, her skin was returning to its normal tone, and the cracks in her skin from the harsh cold were healing over. Her beautiful brown eyes were soft, unknowing. Leia wondered how long it would take for her eyes to be darkened with the truth of the last years. She alone faced the burden of catching the young girl up.

"My dear, how you've grown," mumbled Leia. She embraced the girl into her arms, taking a seat on the bed with her. "You're a woman, now."

"I've been a woman," muttered Cyra, clutching onto her. She neglected to realize she hadn't longed for a loving embrace until she felt it once more. "Thank you for bringing me back."

"You have Rey to thank for that," said Leia. She let go of Cyra, but held onto her hands.

Cyra studied the feel of Leia's hands in her own. Her thumb ran across the folds of her skin. She almost forgot people aged. As she grew older, so had Leia. All that truly changed of Leia was her appearance. Her hair. In her eyes lasted the same fiery spunk and determination that rested deep inside her since she was a young girl. All that truly changed of Leia was her appearance. Her hair. Wrinkles above her brow, deep, surely but Cyra wondered if it was from the chaos of her youth with Leia's son that caused such markings, or the aftermath of what Cyra left behind. 

"I like what you've done with your hair," said Cyra softly.

Leia chuckled. "Thank you for noticing."

Cyra smiled. She looked to her side, where the sun was starting to warm her skin through the window. She saw parked X-Wings, a runaway. She saw trees, with no snow, and grass that was fully green. She watched the wind blow dandelions across the landscape.

"Where are we?" asked Cyra.

"D'Qar. The new Resistance base," explained Leia. Her hand reached to caress the girls head. "I thought while you were resting you might want a nice view of the green. I bet it's been a while since you've seen anything but ice."

Cyra nodded. She tore her eyes away from the luscious green of the land and returned her attention to Leia. She was almost afraid to ask.

"It's been about six years," said Leia.

Cyra hummed an acknowledgement. She had to wonder if she deserved Leia's generosity or her aid. Somewhere inside of her, she expected their reunion to be somewhat hostile.