Beating Heart ♔ Rey

nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

The only upside of having spent so much time at Starkiller Base was that Hester knew the layout from top to bottom, which meant she knew exactly where the prisoner blocks were, so she didn't have to waste valuable time guessing turns, or finding a Stormtroopers to perform a mind trick on. Her heart beat hard in her chest not out of nerves, but anticipation, knowing that she was going to find Rey.

Or, she would have, if Rey had been in the cell.

Stupid. Hester cursed herself as she looked at the empty room. A shiver passed down her spine when she noticed how the chair had been desroyed by what was undoubtedly lightsaber marks - Kylo Ren had been there. To be so narrowed-minded! 

To be so arrogant to assume Rey was still in the prison block could have just cost Hester valuable time - Luke wouldn't have approved. Hester sighed and rubbed her forehead, cursing herself for a few more seconds before she calmed down and stretched out, allowing the Force to guide her to Rey.

When she sensed Rey's presence, a grin split across Hester's face and, keeping track on the beacon, hurried toward it. The closer she got, the more exhilarated she became to the point she was rubbing through the corridors without any concern of her own safety until she rounded the last corner and found Rey, right in front of her.

"Rey!" Hester cried.

Rey froze, her mouth agape and her eyes bulging. She blinked rapidly - it looked like she was trying to make sense of a hallucination.

Hester took the momentary pause to drink in the sight of her friend. A quick once-over confirmed there were no bruises, scars, or anything to indicate she'd been physically harmed during this ordeal. Her dark eyes were still vigilant; her facial features set into a hard and determined mask and her grip around the blaster so tight it was like it was her lifeline - which it may as well have been.

"Hester!" Rey exclaimed shakily, and flung herself forward, her arms wrapping tightly around Hester's.

Hester's arms were instantly around the other girl and for a moment, they forgot they were in an enemy-infested building, where at any moment one could come crawling out behind a corner and catch them. Hester only cared about one thing - she had Rey. Rey was safe, she was found, and she was unharmed. Rey was there, and Rey was okay. That simple fact was almost overwhelming; Hester almost broke down as all her fear for the girl rolled off her in waves.

Hester squeezed Rey a little tighter to assure herself that Rey really was physically there. Her Force presence burned like, and was more ethereal than, a shining star, but having Rey actually there made everything so much more real. Hearing her voice was sweeter than music, feeling her touch was warmer and softer than being snuggled under a thick blanket.

Rey was safe.

That was all she'd hoped for. Finding Rey unharmed atoned for Hester not being able to see through Kylo Ren's plan and safe her close friend.

"You - I don't believe this," Rey choked out. "You're here - what are you doing here?"

The vulnerability in her voice made Hester's heart shatter. Rey was so strong, and had been for so long - but no one could be that strong for so long. There was always a breaking point. She'd been abandoned once... the fear of being left alone again was so strong, Hester could still feel remnants of it clutch to the brunette. Hester blinked rapidly as she remembered that, though Kylo Ren might not have harmed her physically, he was more than capable of doing it mentally - the fears that surfaced must have been so overwhelming that to find a familiar and friendly face in a place of enemies of coldness would have been the final straw before she broke down.