Into Ben's Mind

Ben

He had known immediately when she went. It was as if someone had torn his heart out and thrown it into the hottest lava pit on Mustafar, ripping away that soft warmth he found himself leaning on in times of weakness. That kind aura, so bright it put the strongest sun to shame, extinguished from his senses.

Any pain he had felt before, the endless torture he had endured under the spiteful eye of Snoke paled in comparison to the agony he felt now; the pure emptiness where she once resided in his mind a reminder of his failure to save the one thing he cared for.

Ben desperately gripped at her waist, foolishly searching for life in her unseeing eyes, for help in the desolate place of her death.

Such heat he once cursed himself for lusting for gone, replaced by the ice-cold that gripped his soul in light of his own fall.

It was ironic, he found himself thinking, that the last light in the-his world, one of the strongest and brightest signatures ever to exist was gone, and he, the single-handed cause for the death of thousands, remained.

A memory tugged at his mind, seemingly insignificant until he allowed it to take over his mind momentarily.

She had once saved him, using her warm light to bring him a chance at life.

She had done it. He must.

Laying a hand on the flat of her stomach, he closed his eyes, and allowed himself to sink into the Force.

Unlike previous meditations (back when he was training to be a Jedi), he was not surrounded by a harsh darkness that scratched at his mind, beckoning to him in cold gestures. No, this time, he was basking in a quiet light, a gentle white that calmed his frantic mind and soothed his worries.

Shrugging off the urge to take in the energy it offered, he focused on pushing his life force into the body he cradled, the coldness of her torso so wrong that it helped him to push forward in the draining task.

Flashes of her began to fade into and out of existence; her sweet smile that could light up a hundred planets, the ease at which she handled his grandfather's lightsaber, her determined gaze when taking him on in a battle.

He, in truth, had never seen beauty so astonishing, and he had visited the most exotic and pretty planets. Even Naboo, famous for it's incredible visions, couldn't hold a candle to her. Especially when the pair locked sabers, throwing purple hue onto her pale features, lashes fluttering in concentration as she took in the strength of the Force for the first time.

Black began to creep up his vision, snaking across until he was fighting to keep pushing the life into the woman he treasured.

Oh, how long he wished to say that. Without the fear of Snoke or Palpatine peering into his mind. But she couldn't even hear it.

After what felt like centuries, he felt a prick at the back of his mind, before her light washed over everything, cutting through the fog in his mind, and warming him to the bone. A hand gripped his, warm as life blood coursed through her body.

In all of his life, he had never felt such relief. Not even when his own father forgave him, not when he felt his mother's signature reaching for him, despite his actions and the distance between them.

She sat up, cocoa-brown eyes watching him with such adoration and respect it almost hurt. He had never been looked at that way before.

And when she said his name, his true name, he felt light. He felt redemption.

He felt free.

Free from the darkness, the evils weighing him down, tethering him to the hatreds of the galaxy.

He could feel it though, the consequences to his actions, creeping up on him. A gentle touch to his face returned him from his thoughts, and the slight concern in her eyes made his heart squeeze in his chest.

And then-

She kissed him.

Well, they both surged forward, connecting their lips, and in doing so, connecting the final piece of their souls.

He was complete. She completed him.

A Dyad in the Force, reunited in all of their glory.

Anyone with even the slightest of force sensitivity felt it.

The glorious warmth of light rushed through the galaxy, alerting all that peace had prevailed.

But at what cost?

Ben smiled, stretching his face muscles in such an unfamiliar way, taking in her beauty and basking in her presence, before allowing the Force to take him, tilting backwards and out of her tight embrace.

But he hadn't left her.

And she knew it. Despite her mind telling her to mourn, her soul cried in joy, for he was still there, completing her, guiding her.

She was never alone. The Jedi of the past, of old and new, surrounded her, breathing their light into her, their wisdom, their strength.

Ben could name every single person stood around the woman. Obi-Wan Kenobi. Leia Organa. Qui-Gon Jinn. Ahsoka Tano. Luke Skywalker.

Anakin Skywalker.

They had watched over her. They had watched over them both.

Ben smiled once more, the pride of his love swelling in his chest and sweeping through their bond.

He could see she felt it, for she smiled, wiping a tear from her beautiful face, and stood. She would survive, for she was the Chosen One.

Not the one of prophecy, but the one of pure-heart, recognised by the Force and those one with it.

Ben would always be by her side.

She would survive. As she always did. She would bring a future of brightness, of peace and stability, of equality and strength.

She was their Last Hope, their Last Jedi.

She was safety and security, she was freedom and justice.

She was love.

And it is a promising sight, Ben thinks.

Rey will be okay.