The Redemption of Fate ~ A Reylo Story

10

Rey awoke to no sign of Ben's glowing apparition. It stung inside. He was gone, but she could only hold onto the promise of his return. They really did need to talk. Times were bewildering, hard to grasp, hard to understand. Last night had only convoluted things more than they needed to be. And though Rey had felt such peace and prosperity with Ben by her side, holding her, somehow it just didn't seem plausible. Ben Solo, was now nothing more than a ghost. Though she yearned for him every moment, he would never actually come back. He would never actually be there. Like in Rey's nightmare when he spoke to her: "I'm not here, and you're not either. . . Don't you see it?" What Ben had said was right. He was right all along. . . And maybe that was why he couldn't find the resilience in him to appear to Rey any sooner. It all made sense--he didn't want to cause her anymore anguish than she already knew. 

Rey sighed, wiped a single tear from under her eye and pushed herself off from the chilly bed. Padawan training was approaching, and that was what she would draw her focal point onto. Pushing aside the consuming, brooding contemplation, Rey fixed her hair into the characteristic buns she always wore. Though they were messy and tangled, Rey had no notion to care. She had instruction to teach. 

                                                                                        ***

Rey met her Padawans in the same jungly cove where she had taught them the day before. Jungle shrubs and massive, outstretched banyan trees encompassed them. It was a beautiful training ground. Almost ethereal at how the rays of sun poked through each slit and branch of the trees and plants, casting pockets of glowing light. 
"Hello, everyone," Rey smiled, sharing quick glances with her ambitious trainees, "we will be starting out with more meditation today."

Rey glanced at Finn, then Titania beside him, then back at Finn. His knowing expression caused her to tense. Her cheeks flushed with heat. Had he really sensed Ben in that tent with Rey last night? Had he even sensed the. . . passion? She peered down at the floor, recovering from the unease. "I--I can sense not all of you have fully mastered meditation. But don't worry, it does take a while to accomplish. Hopefully tomorrow we can move onto the early stages of levitation. But only if we are all successful today. Alright?"
The Padawans nodded, half-pleased, half-displeased. Rey didn't blame them. She, herself, was more than impatient when Luke Skywalker first trained her, wanting to run before she could even walk. 
Rey sat down, crossed her legs. The Padawans matched her. "Focus," she breathed, "focus on the Force. Channel the energy, and whatever you do, don't hesitate. Give it full capacity."

                                                                                             ***

The two hour training session passed. Only four of the Padawans had confidently mastered their ability to meditate, one of them being Finn. The others made progress, but Rey knew it would take time. Lots of time. But at least there was progression, even if only slightly. Each of the Padawans bowed a head, thanking Rey individually, then walked back to camp following the narrow pathway. Everyone but Finn. 
"I don't want to talk long," he started, looking down at his feet. Rey cringed, aware of his knowledge. "But I felt that Ben was here last night, and I'm sorry about everything."
She began to speak when Finn interjected. "And I'm here, as your friend, if you need to talk."
Rey nodded absently. Too embarrassed to speak. Finn searched her eyes, then walked away, signing a subtle wave. Rey clenched her jaw, realizing how much she had underestimated Finn's force-sensitivity. Clearly, he was stronger than she let on. 

                                                                                     ***

The sun was just beginning to turn the whole jungle into a balmy humidifier. The thick, cumulus clouds only aided to bring more moisture to the planet. Rey's skin was slicked with the familiarity of sweat and grime. She stayed at the cove, long after Finn left, swinging away with her lightsaber. Slicing at the loose palm leaves above her head. Lacerating the already-lacerated tree limbs. Once again, putting all her fuel into her goal. Growing stronger with self-determination. There was no one who could train her now. No Luke Skywalker. No Leia Organa. No Ben Solo. She was there, on her own, in a gargantuan jungle, far from Jakku. Far from anywhere she called home; even Carida's, back on Tatooine. She was her own master now. 

A wet drop of liquid splashed onto Rey's cheek, and it wasn't her sweat. She looked to the sky, suddenly aware of the cloudy, masked atmosphere. Dark clouds billowed, entrapping the mountain tops. Abrupt flashes of electricity weaved throughout the monstrous clouds. The deep roar of thunder sounded. Rey grasped her saber, walking out of the cove with stride. Rain forests had the nastiest lightning strikes, and she refused to become their target.