What She's Worth (Reylo)

Chapter 5

Luke leaned forward from where he was seated in the platform, blue eyes fixed on his nephew's every move. Ben was once again at the middle of the Force Training Room; only this time, he was attempting something more ambitious than piling stones.

Luke watched with bated breath as Ben slowly but surely put his hands flat on the floor and lifted his legs up in the air, the Force radiating from his body. Tranquil energy, serene face, good concentration, overall good form. Luke was impressed.

"Well done," he complimented. "Now try to lift the stones around you."

He felt energy pulsate from the boy, and the stones he had scattered earlier across the room began to levitate from the floor.

He heard a series of soft claps and turned to look at the youngling girl—Rey, as Ben so fondly called her—seated beside him. Sensing her master's eyes on her, she stopped clapping, gave him a sheepish smile before hiding her face behind the handmade pilot doll in an orange jumpsuit he'd seen her carrying around the last few days.

Luke turned his attentions back to his older padawan again. Despite Rey's clapping, Ben's concentration was undisturbed, and now, he was starting to lift his other hand off the ground in an attempt to do a one-hand handstand.

Then, a sharp change of energy cut through the air and Ben crumpled to the floor, the stones clattering down with his fall.

Luke rose to his feet , Rey already by his nephew's side before he could even take another step.

"I'm fine, Rey. I just..." A hiss of pain. Luke didn't have to look to know that Ben had cuts and bruises on his hands and knuckles.

He gestured with his metal hand. "Let me see it."

"I'm okay, Uncle Luke. I over did it with the sparring droids yester—"

"Let me see."

Ben sighed and rose to his feet, presenting his hands to his uncle. Luke took them in his, observing the skin discoloration, the scabs and the barely healed scars overlapping one on top of the other.

He shook his head. "Punching those droids must be like punching a stone wall, huh?" He gave Ben a meaningful look before letting go of the boy's hands. "Go to the infirmary. And after you get patched up, head directly to Jedi Lore and History class. Our guest teacher is coming today."

Ben nodded, and reaching down to take Rey's hand in his, walked out of the room with her, using the Force to open the stone doors.

Once his two students were gone, Luke began putting the stones away, images of Ben's battered hands still swimming in his mind. He'd seen those injuries before, the first time being at the courtyard, where he had found his nephew putting a dent on a stone pillar, and the next several times after recent complaints from other padawans about banging noises from Ben's quarters at night.

Luke let out a deep breath. Despite the remarkable improvement in Ben's recent performances, Luke had not missed the anger seething from behind his nephew's eyes; anger, he was sure Ben was unleashing on hard surfaces. He supposed he should be thankful the boy wasn't outwardly displaying that temper to anyone, but that was little consolation to the fact that Ben was turning that rage towards himself.

He'd have to talk to Leia, Luke thought as he headed towards comms room, hoping against hope that the radiation interference they had been experiencing the past month had at least abated enough for his message to push through.

"You lied to Master Luke."

Ben let out a long sigh before giving Rey a tired look. They were alone in the classroom, as the other padawans were still training with remotes in another part of the academy. "Lied to him about what?"