THE HUNT

Twenty Four

Ben's POV

"Chava!" I reach towards her, our fingers brushing, but not catching on each other as Palpatine uses the force to pull her away from me. She slams against the throne stationed in the centre of the room, a crack echoing through the cavern. Rey gasps, and I reach out immediately to feel her.

But she isn't there.

"Ben-" Rey starts.

"NO!"

I lunge towards the man who took the life from her, but he uses the force to bring me to my knees before him.

"Stand together," He grits out. "Die together."

Pain floods my chest as he reaches his hands forward. Then he gasps, wrenching his hands away. I watch in horror, grief pulsating through me, as his fingers begin to grow longer, more lifelike.

"I'll kill you!" I scream, fighting against his power.

"The lifeforce of your bond," He hesitates, fascinated. "A dyad in the force, a power like life itself." He examines his hands, now complete and without flaw. "Unseen for generations." He grins as tears begin to pull at my eyes, slicing down my cheeks. "And now, the power of two restores the one, true Emperor." He shoves his hands towards us, and both Rey and I cry out as silvery threads of existence pull from our chests.

Chava.

He killed her.

I close my eyes, letting loose a scream, hearing Rey do the same beside me.

He should have killed her, not Chava.

Not my Chava.

Palpatine laughs as we continue to cry out, and his body becomes more whole and complete by the second, his eyes beginning to glint.

Then he releases us, and I fall to the ground.

Rey is unconscious.

I can't move.

Chava.

Rey healed me. I can heal Chava.

I just need to get to her.

"Look what you have made." I hear Palpatine's voice echo in the chamber, and I manage to roll onto my back, struggling to my feet. I see Chava's broken body on the carved steps of the throne, and a cry pulls from my lips. Then, I rise into the air, my limbs frozen. "As once I fell," Palpatine hisses. "So falls the last Skywalker." He pushes his hand out, and I fly through the air. An impact on my back knocks the breath from my lungs, and I feel myself fall.

And fall.

And fall.

The ground hits me hard, and I feel blood rise in my throat. I cough, and copper bubbles from between my lips.

Get up. I tell myself. Save her.

But if I died here, I wouldn't have to live without her.

But the galaxy is nothing if she's not in it.

I pull myself to my knees, coughing. Red splatters on the ground underneath me, and I use the side of the ravine I've been thrown into to stand.

I feel like I've broken every bone in my body.

Yet I'm alive.

It's not fair.

So I stretch my hands above my head, finding a foothold below me.

And I climb.

Just earlier today, I was climbing with my Knights.

And I lost Bazzra.

Then I lost my mother.

The I lost the Knights, having to kill them in order to get to Chava. To save Chava.

I pull myself up further with a groan, closing my eyes.

I wasn't able to save her.

And I lost her too.

No.

I can't lose it all.

I pull myself up again, pushing through the pain.

Above me, I see blue streaks of lightning, but I ignore it.

I lost Marinda.

Another pull.

I lost Massif, though no sentiment remains there.

Still, I rise.

Hunter.

Chava.

The joy in my life.

Rise.

I killed my father for power, yet the grief tore me apart.

Rise.

My bones are shattered, and my heart follows suit, but I rise.

Rise.

Climb.

Higher.

Pull.

Reach.

Rise.

RISE.

I lift myself once more, finding the surface. Not just a smooth ledge, but the surface.

I pull myself up, rolling over until I'm away from the edge. I look up, seeing Rey motionless on the ground.

She's not in the same location she was before, meaning she must have woken up.

But Palpatine is gone.

I reach out with the force, finding him absent.

Nowhere.

She killed him.

But I don't feel Rey either.

She's dead.

I stumble to my feet, nearly falling with every step.

"Chava." I breathe, crawling towards her. The throne which wrecked her is destroyed, but her body lies untouched at the bottom of the dais.

She looks beautiful, even in death.

I pull her into my lap, feeling the iciness of her skin. Sobs wrench from my throat as I hold her limp body close to my chest.

I look around, breathing heavily as I try to gather my strength.

I lay my hand over her still and lonely heart, lowering my forehead to hers.

"Please wake up." I breathe.

I take a breath, closing my eyes. I feel everything around me. The dying acolytes, the mice and rats, the soldiers and commanders in the sky, and me.

I feel my heart beating, so beautifully in sync with the life around me.

I imagine my heart as warmth, travelling from my chest to my shoulder. From my shoulder to my arm. From my arm to my hand, and from my hand to Chava. I imagine it seeping into her arteries, filling her with life, mending her broken bones.

And I feel my own life drain. Exhaustion pulls at me, but I don't stop.

I give her everything, not stopping until I feel a tremor in her heart.