Across the Stars (Reylo fanfiction)

Past and Future

Rey did not hear the wind whistling past her ears as Balthazar bore her back to the hall, her thoughts consumed by what she had just witnessed. It was interesting that the queen had not ordered the jedi master's hands be bound with force restraints. Indeed, she had even commanded before they left that Bryt and Heul be released of any bonds along with the others, even though she had sensed both of the girls' padawan presences. A test perhaps? The jedi thought back to how she had fallen in the passageway while walking to the hieroglyph chamber. In thinking of the moment, white light suddenly flashed before her eyes and she felt the cold steel of the fallen Knight of Ren's blade as if she were being pierced anew. Rey caught her breath and looked down at her side, expecting to see the hilt of the dagger sticking out of her body. But there was no weapon there.

As the phantom pain eased, she ran again in her mind through the story of the Teleri princess and her forbidden love. A part of her wondered why Shi'mayln had even risked it. In her tense discussion with Rourke she had seemed to suspect that she was being monitored. Love. Rey shook her head as Balthazar swerved to avoid a flying V of bat-winged, pigeon-sized geese. Faces filtered into her thoughts as she locked her legs tighter around her stead: the images of Chewie, Rose, Poe, Heul, Bryt, Janna, Kol ... Finn. She blinked away moisture from her eyes. Hadn't she risked her life to keep her newly forged family together? Unbidden, Ben's face as he had reached for her in their last force connection sprang into her mind. Was it only compassion she felt for him? If it came to a choice between her family and her ... Ben (whatever he was to her) on which side would her sabre stroke fall?

She growled at herself, telling her wayward thoughts that she already made that choice when she refused his hand in the throne room. But had she really? She remembered waking after Anakin Skywalker's sabre had exploded. Looking over at his grandson's seemingly sleeping form. Pushing herself to her feet, her head pounding, she had walked over to the unlit hilt of the crossguarded lightsabre. Picking it up, she ignited its hissing red blade and walked over to the man whose side she had just minutes before fought in harmony with. Standing over his body, she held the weapon out in front of her. She looked over his face marked by the memory of her kyber powered vengeance. Han. The Resistance -- with one word Kylo could have ordered an end to their destruction, couldn't he? Her grip tightened on the cool metal. Hot tears sprang to her eyes. Do it, a voice inside her said. She gritted her teeth, still staring at his face. You're not alone ... his former words melted like warmed butter over her tangled thoughts. The welled tears slipped down her face as she powered off the weapon. Kneeling, she clipped the now lifeless sabre hilt to his belt. Walking away, she paused and stole one last glance at him over her shoulder and called to herself with the force the two halves of the broken heirloom.

Forcing down the tightness creeping into her throat, she scowled. She gripped the saddle horn tighter in her still bound palms. Unable to turn him, unable to end him, she hadn't made her choice, merely postponed it. And in the meantime her heart continued to be fought over in a vicious tug of war. A thought chilled her more than the air whipping her hair around her face. Would her indecision sign her family's death notice? Would it sign her own?

She saw the stable and great hall come back into view, and with them, the sight of a blue wy'vara flying towards her. "Currrrwhhaheyyw," it called. Balthazar snorted and pulled forward as he answered the sound in kind. When they met, the other creature looped around him and then nipped his lower jaw playfully. He grunted and nudged the other's head. Reaching out his tail, he twined its end around that of his azure companion. Together they came in for the landing behind the Teleri. Looking back at them, the queen laughed, "Someone could not wait for her handsome skymaster to come home." She walked over and tickled under the chin the blue creature, who had folded its wings and snuggled up beside Balthazar. The monarch sang in Teleri to her beasts as the guardswoman Laegrtha helped Rey off of her mount's back. The warrior-attendant also removed the saddle.

Khalinjahan walked around and patted Balthazar on what would be his rump. He extended his wings, reared and took to the sky again. The other wy'vara followed him. They looped and rolled around each other, both echoing their melodic calls through the air.

"Wy'varas mate for life," the queen said, a soft smile on her face, "at first I did not foresee those two being drawn to each other, but after, shall we say, a turbulent beginning Balthazar and Pergrien rose to lead the herd together." She leaned against her spear, "Bonded so, they will now live and die by each other's side."

Rey watched them until soon enough the pair faded out of sight. The queen turned towards the stable.

"Your Majesty?" the jedi asked.

Queen Khalinjahan glanced back, raising an eyebrow, "Yes?"

"Is this still necessary?" Rey held up her hands.

Her Majesty studied the jedi for a moment, and then spoke in Teleri. Gul'sha then stepped forward and took a knife out of a sheath strapped to the back of her left calf. She slipped the blade between Rey's skin and the ropes. With one swift motion she severed the cords. Rey rubbed her wrists, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The queen nodded and then walked back towards the stable. "And now we eat. By the goddess, I am famished." The group walked onward after their leader. It did not escape the jedi's notice that the queen allowed her to walk directly behind her winged self as the attendants flanked them. When they reached the doors to the great hall, the queen turned on her heel. "Not you," she said, pointing at Rey and scrunching up her nose slightly, "first you must bathe."

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