A Star Wars TFA Prequel: "Why Aren't You Scared of Me?"

Summer's Almost Over

"Are you sure this is where Mr. Rock is?" Rey asks from behind me. She sits high on my back as I carry her through the forest to the large river.

"Yes, I'm sure," I say. The air smells of the oncoming fall season, reminding me that summer training is coming to an end and so is my time with Rey. I hear the rushing of the river through the trees.

"We're almost there," I say. Rey bounces on my back and I hold her legs tighter. She's beginning to feel like a sack of rocks on my back. The rocky shore of the river comes into view and Rey gasps.

"Wow!" she yells in my ear. I kneel down to let her off my back and she runs to the river's edge.

"Rey!" I call after her. "Be careful."

She crouches down to look at the rocks and I join her.

"How are we going to find Mr. Rock?" she asks, glancing up at me with big, worried eyes.

"He's with his brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles and cousins."

Rey runs her hand along the stones. "Oh."

"And Mrs. Rock's babies are swimming in the river with all the other kids." I point to the edge of the river where the water is shallow and there are a bunch of smaller rocks.

Rey smiles. "Yeah, they love to swim."

I pick up a random rock. "Do you want a new friend?"

"No." Rey bows her head. She's still ghostly pale since being sick.

"I'm sorry you got sick," I say softly.

"I wasn't mad you made me eat the treemeal," Rey says.

"You weren't?" I try to look at her face but her head is still bowed down. "Why?"

"Because that's what Mom always does, and it reminded me of her."

"Oh." I think of my mom and how I didn't even hug her back when she came all this way to see me.

"And I know she loves me," Rey continues. "So then, you love me too."

There is a moment of silence as we listen to the trickling sounds of the river.

"I do," I say finally.

"What if my mom forgets me?" Rey says, her voice going higher.

"She won't. You'll be home soon. The summer's almost over."

"No." Rey shakes her head. "She's gone for one more month, grandpa says."

I frown. "Well that's not too long, is it? And we have a week here together before I leave for my final training. Then that's only three more weeks until you're home again."

Rey tilts her head up. "You're leaving?"

"Just for a little bit. It might only be for a few days. I don't know."

"Then you're coming back?"

I smile at Rey. "I can tell my mom that I want to stay here at the school with my Uncle when he gets back. And then I can be with you, until you go."

Rey jumps up. "Can you teach me to fight with swords now?"

"Okay, let's find some sticks."

She runs off into the forest and I get up too and follow her.

The sun sits high in the sky and I have nowhere I have to be any time soon. Master Snoke is off planet attending to some business, Hux and Phasma and the rest of the students are busy plotting each other's deaths, and Rey and I are free to do whatever we want. We search through brushwood for thick sticks that can withstand a fight.

"Look at this one!" I pick up a large stick that is perfectly straight. "This one's perfect."

"Can I have it?" Rey yells, reaching for it. I pull it away from her.

"I found it first," I say. "And it's too heavy for you anyway."

"No, it's not!"

"You need a smaller one, like the one you found," I point to the stick she's holding. "What's wrong with that one?"

She looks at it for a second then whips it down on my hand.

"Ow!" I drop my stick and she jumps for it. I draw the large stick to my hand with the Force before she can grab hold of it and it flies to me.

"Hey!" she yells.

I smile. It feels great to be using my powers again.

"Now, you will pay for trying to take my sword!" I say, raising my stick into the air.

Rey squeals and runs away. I chase after her. She's quick, moving through the trees faster than I can, but I catch up to her anyway and scoop my stick in front of her to stop her from running away. She tries to dodge it but I wrap my arms around her from behind.

"You shouldn't run so much," I say, trying to catch my breath. "You're still getting better."

"I'm okay." Rey turns to face me, her breath coming out in fast gasps.

"How about we both use the same size sticks and I'll show you some blocking moves?"

Rey nods her head. I let her go to look for two equally sized sticks that wouldn't be too heavy for Rey to hold.

Once we have our weapons we head to a clearing in the trees, where there's grass and no roots on the ground, and I show her some basic stances and blocking.

"Good," I say as she blocks my attack with a counter move I showed her. I have the advantage, being taller and stronger, but she's hard to catch, since she's small and quick.

"Quit rolling away," I say as she somersaults in the grass again. "That's not the proper way to fight."

"But you're stronger so it's better if I just get out of the way," she says.

"Okay, but what if you're trapped?" I block her and she smacks her stick down hard onto my hand again. "Ouch! Stop it!" I drop my stick and rub my hand. "Strike to the chest."

"But you'll just block that," Rey says. "And if I hurt your hand, you drop your sword."

"But I can just pick it up again."

"Not if I chop your hand off!" Rey raises her stick and I grab it before she can hit me again.

"I'm hungry," she says, letting go of her stick. Her shoulders slump.

"Come on." I lift her up into my arms. "Let's go get some food."

"Without any bugs in it this time!" Rey says.

"Okay, no bugs this time."

* * *

"Ren!" Phasma barges into my room without knocking. I'm just finishing changing after coming back from the baths, having had free time in the afternoon while Rey was with her grandfather. I grab my shirt and quickly put it on.

"They're taking Rey," Phasma says.

"What?"

"Come on." She runs out the door and I run after her.

* * *

"The girl has to go back," Master Snoke says. "She's been sick and-"

"Her parents are still away," I interrupt. "She has no one to stay with on Jakku."

Master Snoke's face remains expressionless but I sense the irritation coming from him. He's returned early from his meetings just to deal with Rey.

"She will be staying with a friend of the family, Oktar."

"No," I yell. "Where is she?"

"It's not your place to decide where she stays and whom she stays with."

"Ren..." A whisper from the door catches my attention. It's Phasma, waiting out in the hall for me. She nods her head to the side and motions for me to follow her. 'I know where she is,' she mouths silently.

I walk out of Snoke's office, not bothering to bow before leaving or waiting to be dismissed.