All the Stars in the Galaxy

9

Maurice was asleep, but started to wake up slowly. His head hurt and he felt cold. Colder than ever.
    Suddenly, he heard branches crack around him. In a split second the panic inside him floated over his mind.
    The wolves. He was sure of it. They had come and were very hungry. And Maurice was tied up against a tree and wasn't able to move.
    The sounds got closer and Maurice tried to think happy thoughts. He didn't want to die with only disparity in his mind. Rey shot to his mind's eye. Her beautiful face and her enchanting laugh which could steal every heart.
    Slowly Maurice opened his eyes, because he felt something. He knew he wasn't that Force-sensitive as his daughter, even if she didn't know it.
    But there was something in the Force. Something calm. Something... understanding.
    A hooded figure emerged from the woods. It came closer and it looked at Maurice. The breath of this person was making fog in the cold air.
    Then suddenly alarmed, the figure rushed up to Maurice and pulled down the hood to reveal...
    ... Luke Skywalker. The beggar man.

* * *

Luke, his arm around Maurice, guided him to a shelter in a small clearing.
Gently he laid the sick Maurice down and removed his cloak, spreading it over Maurice so he would get warmer.
Luke pulled out a bundle of his bag and rifled through it, removed herbs, a mortar and pestle, and expertly whipped up a concoction that he brought to Maurice's lips.
"Drink," he said.
Maurice blinked, reviving, as he drank it down.
"Thank you... Luke."

* * *

Kylo Ren laid in his bed, still bandaged. And he listened to Rey, who was reading out loud one of the books she had found in her room.
"Love can transpose to form and dignity. Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind. And therefore..."
Suddenly she stopped, alarmed by his movements. He knew that she wasn't really reading, but she was reciting a memory. So he finished it.
"And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind," he said, finishing her memory.
Rey looked up, surprised.
"So you know Snakespeare?" she asked, not really sure if this was really the Kylo Ren she had med a few days ago.
"I had an expensive education." His metallic voice sounded a bit... disgusted. But Rey didn't ask for it. If he knew Snakespeare, he also knew some wonderful stories he had written.
"Actually, 'Romeo and Juliet' is my favourite play," she told him, feeling her cheeks burn a little. She never told it to anyone.
Kylo sighed deeply and fell back on the bed again, like a bag potatoes. "Why is that not a surprise?" he asked tired.
"Sorry?" Rey asked, confused. It was a beautiful play! What didn't he like about it.
"All that heartache and pinning and —" A beastly shudder, "There are so many better things to read."
Rey frowned. "Like what?"
Beneath his mask, he smiled.

* * *

Kylo had led Rey into biggest grandest private library in all of the Galaxy. The chamber was vast and lined floor to ceiling with books. Real books. With paper and leather and ink.
"Should be something here you can start with..." Kylo mumbled in himself as he walked in and looked around. Rey almost couldn't breathe.
She had never seen something like this. It was like... Heaven.
Kylo turned and saw Rey, speechless. "It's wonderful," she said breathless and looked around again. She really couldn't believe it. Kylo looked around, like it was the first time he saw its beauty.
"Oh. Yes. I suppose it is... Well, if you like it so much, it's yours."
He started to leave. But he was stopped by —
"Have you really read every one of these books?" Rey suddenly asked. He looked over his shoulder.
"Not all of them. Some are in an old language— Greek," he said. Rey giggled and raised a brow.
"Was that a joke, Kylo? Are you making jokes now?" she asked him.
Maybe a little bit ashamed and embarrassed, he raised his shoulders stiffly. "Maybe."
Before he left, he turned around to her again. Rey almost freaked out.
It was hers. Not for a moment, not for a temporary time. But forever. All these books...
It was hers.
"You are always calling me Kylo," he said to her. Rey nodded. "But my name is actually... Ben Solo. So..." He scratched the back of his neck. "Enjoy your reading."
Fast he walked away. She let it sink in. And then she freaked out. Rey shook her head but was also charmed.
After she calmed herself, she looked at the place where he left. "Ben Solo," she whispered to herself. "Sounds better than Kylo Ren."