"You spent years in a dustbowl, scavenging for survival and counting stars, desperate for answers. Rey, I am standing in front of you, a traitor, to tell you it is right here, by my side."
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⟵ A Mother's Embrace ⟶
Rey spent the duration of the meeting observing the cerulean holograms that circulated in the center hub. She did not contribute and hardly listened. Her privation was suspicious considering the distress meeting was warranted for the threat on the scavenger's home planet. She should be the most vocal.
Ben promised the First Order would not touch Jakku and she trusted him. The only motive he acquired was to revive their connection and that mission was accomplished. Jakku was safe.
It was complicated, though. Rey could not assure Jakku was intact without revealing too much. The Resistance could not know her mind was bridged to the Supreme Leader's. She would be labeled as a renegade; a traitor.
General Organa kept her eyes on Rey throughout the assembly. The Force was wary in the room, unsure who to trust and the Force-sensitive Princess could sense the doubt growing in the young Jedi.
When the meeting was called, some members lingered and had conversations. Rey remained in silence, lost in her thoughts.
If Snoke was the reason for their connection, it should have died the moment Kylo ignited a lightsaber through his gut. However, that was not the case at all, the bond they shared was its own breathing, living entity. It became a piece of her, so substantial. If one of them died, would the other survive?
The General took the open seat next to her and broke the vagabond thoughts. They fizzed up, bubbling into the air between them. Rey realized it was the first time she inhaled for the duration her mind wandered.
"Leia," Rey looked up from her hands that turned white from how hard she was squeezing her palms together. "Did you and Luke share a Force bond?"
There was a slight movement of confusion that slid across the General's face. It was a random question and an aimless thought for Rey to have in a meeting about Jakku possibly being the target of an attack.
Leia observed the room before engaging Rey's eyes again. They were wide, belonging to a child that longed for explanations and acceptance. It seemed the whole galaxy knew the answers before Rey did. Was she nothing?
"Let's talk somewhere more quiet," Leia replied with a hand that squeezed Rey's.
Rey followed Leia throughout the corridors of the base until they reached her private boudoir. It was spacious and decorative.
Rey admired the General's personal items, feeling closer to the General than ever. When Rey arrived at the base in the Millennium Falcon for the first time, she was pulled into the warmest hug. It was the first time Rey did not feel like an inconvenience.
Leia secretly assumed the role as Rey's caregiver. She clandestinely fed Rey until her ribs disappeared from her frame and included her in the daily activities so she felt embodied, never alone.
After her love died, she trusted no one else in the galaxy to find Luke than the young scavenger. If Han trusted her with the Falcon, the Princess could share the same faith.
An alluring gold medallion was suspended in a glass case. Rey felt a wave pulse through her veins, calling her to the display. She approached it, gently pressing her fingertips on the glass. In the corners of her mind, she could hear the echoes of trumpets and cheering.
"It was Han's," exulted Leia, breaking the sounds of a celebration. "He received it at the Royal Award Ceremony after the Battle of Yavin. He fought alongside Luke and Chewie to destroy the Death Star."
Rey admired Leia as she spoke of the past. The stories were real and it was erratic to believe the woman in front of her lived inside of them. It still pulled at her heartstrings to know someone as strong as her.
Leia opened her balcony doors, embracing the light. They gathered on the veranda, overlooking the garrison that took advantaged of the luminous day. A squadron of x-wings soared by, pivoting through the air.
"Luke and I shared a bond," continued Leia. She felt more comfortable to speak of her passed brother now that they were in private. "It was comforting to know I always had a string attached to him."
Rey listened attentively, more than she did in the assembly about her home planet being in trouble.
"You could sense him all the time?" Rey asked.
"No, not all time. When it was necessary," Leia added.
Below, there was a group of Resistance operatives preparing a ship that would fly to Jakku covertly and keep an eye out for star destroyers. It was a waste of time and resources but Rey could not explain why.
"Would you get sick if you ignored the connection?" Rey questioned.
Leia raised one of her eyebrows, her lips pursed. Rey quietly cursed herself. Maybe she was taking it too far. She was getting suspicious.
"What's going on, Rey?" Leia queried. "Is everything okay?"
Rey nodded hastily, starting to back away. She raised her hands, stifling a laugh.
"I'm just trying to understand the Jedi texts," Rey said the first thought that came to her mind. There were whispers of Rey organizing a new Jedi order but she was lost on a journey, not even confident on where to begin.
Leia was not buying her bumbling answers. This was the Princess that lied to Darth Vader's face. Rey had a lot of practice to do. She could sense the doubt in the Force and the caution that danced around Rey.
"Rey," Leia whispered. "Is this about Ben?"
Silence buried them. The Force perished, dwindling into a moondust.
Without saying a word, Leia already knew the answer to her question.
The sun lustered on Leia, outlining her body. She outstretched her arms, welcoming a quiet hug. Rey surrendered and collapsed into her arms. She squeezed and Rey closed her eyes, the warmth of the light on her face.
The embrace was familiar and maternal. Leia's arms sheltered Rey from the darkness that stole her son. She was not going to make the same mistakes.
