Bond (Kylo Ren x Rey)

Burden

Rey wandered the corridors of the Millennium Falcon aimlessly, waiting to dock at the temporary base they had made at Naboo. She was surprised she hadn't worn her shoes down to the sole already with her pacing. She needed Leia.

The general would know what to do.

Their descent to the inner atmosphere was evident by the little dip in Rey's stomach. No matter how much flight experience she had gained, the nag persisted. It was a reassurance; she wasn't a scavenger on Jakku anymore.

With a yell from the pilot, the flight crew started preparing landing gear. Amidst the chaos of shuffling people, Rey felt a sense of calm. She would be reunited with Leia after a couple weeks of reconnaissance and would get the answers she was looking for about Kylo Ren.

Once they touched ground and the ramp was installed, she walked into the waiting throng of Resistance members with the general at their head. Rey smiled as she approached Leia. Her eyes were still full of grief—the loss of her husband had compounded with the loss of her twin brother and Rey's master, Luke. The princess-turned-general clasped Rey's hands in hers and met her expression with reassurance.

"Let's talk somewhere without the prying eyes of anyone like Threepio," she winked.

Rey was led by Leia over to one of the smaller structures in the area. The base had been set up crudely. For safety, they had settled in one of Naboo's more dense forests. Huts and structures made of cloth, wood, and various metals dotted the forest floor between thick tree trunks. The Resistance didn't have the funds to provide their fighters with much else besides the assurance that the consulate on Naboo was aware of their position and would conceal them if needed.

Stepping into the canvas tent, Rey became aware that these were Leia's quarters. Various books littered the desk in the corner, and a well-kept bunk was positioned next to it. Leading her to a pair of metal chairs by the desk, Leia eased herself into one of them. Rey could tell that she still hadn't fully recovered from the near-death experience during the siege a couple weeks before. Though a bit more frail, Leia dressed as usual. She wore a stiff, dark dress with her graying hair twisted into intricate patterns across her hairline. Shifting her face into a frown, Leia gazed at Rey.

"Now there must be something you need to tell me. Even I can sense that."

"Well," Rey hesitated looking towards the patch of ground under her feet, "I should have told you this earlier, but I didn't know how."

Leia nodded, encouraging her to continue. Taking a deep breath, it all came out at once.

"My mind is somehow connected to your...son's, and we have been able to, well, communicate multiple times over the past couple of months."

Brown eyes widening, Leia paused before she spoke.

"Can...he tell that you are here now?" she asked cautiously.

"No, the only thing that he can see is me. Just me," Rey whispered, still kicking around a patch of dirt and afraid to fully look Leia in the eye.

Moments passed between them, and it felt like a lifetime before General Leia spoke.

"This...connection. I'm glad you have it. There might still be some humanity left in him to save."

A weight lifted off of Rey's shoulders in that moment. Keeping quiet about their Force bond had been almost too much to bear. And now Leia knew. And didn't hate her for it.

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More Leia convo in the next chapter so stay tuned!