Force connections

A visitor

I awoke the next morning having slept without nightmares again.  I lay still, my arm across my forehead, thinking of her.  Suddenly I had a strong feeling sweep over me.  She was coming here now.  Headed this way.  I wasn't sure how I knew that but I just did.  I sprang from my bed and hurriedly dressed, brushed my teeth, washed my face and dragged my fingers through my hair.

"I want two Troopers to follow me, and bring cuffs" I barked as I hurriedly made my way through the bases corridors, heading for the landing bay.  I knew that I would have to cuff her and I knew that I would have to take her to the Supreme Leader . To not do so would raise too many questions about my feelings towards her. I would have to make the rest up as l went along.  I just hoped that the Supreme Leader did not injure her.

I stood waiting, the storm troopers stood behind me and then the escape pod arrived. It landed right in front of me and I waited with baited breath as the lid slid open. The steam cleared and suddenly our eyes were resting on each others. I felt butterflies in my stomach as I marvelled at how beautiful she looked. Her hair was half down and lay around her shoulders, her hazel eyes and soft lips drew me in and for a moment I wanted to be alone with her again as we had been in our force bond the previous night.  She stared at me, her eyes soft but then I noticed my uncle's lightsaber held in her hands. A shiver ran down my spine at the unwelcome guest that accompanied Rey. I stepped aside and allowed the storm troopers to approach her and I saw her eyes change to fill with fear and confusion.

The troopers marched her to the lift and when we reached  the door I turned to them and asked that they leave us. I wanted to be alone with her. My feelings were whirling around in my mind. I didn't know where to start or what to say to her but I knew that I wanted to be alone with her before we reached the Supreme Leader. 

The lift doors closed. My heart was thumping but I kept my eyes looking straightahead my uncle's light sabre held in my hands.  "You don't have to do this, I feel the conflict in you" she said suddenly. I kept staring straight ahead not daring to look at her in case I said or did something that I should not. "Ben" The name snapped me out of my trance and my eyes flew down to her. She had turned to face me, and now she was stepping closer. My heart was thudding so hard that I was sure that she would hear it and then she stopped, barely a foot away from me and looked into my eyes. "When we touched hands I saw your future just the shape of it but solid and clear. You'll turn", I watched her intently wondering what her vision of me had been like, "I'll help you" she whispered, her closeness and tone of voice causing my eyes to flutter down to her soft lips for a moment before I spoke. "I saw something too and because of what I saw I know that when the time comes you will be the one to turn,you'll stand by me. Rey I saw where your parents are". I watched her recoil from me. She clearly wasn't expecting me to have had a vision too.  I kept my eyes on her as the lift doors opened and the Supreme Leader's throne room came into view. Knowing that he would be watching me, I gently took her arm and led her out of the lift.

As we entered the throne room the Supreme Leader looked up and smiled one of his crooked smiles. "You have done well, My faith in you has been restored" I heard him say. Usually if the Supreme Leader praised me like that I would have felt elated but today, with Rey stood in front of me at his mercy I just felt fear. I knelt down and lowered my head. I heard the Supreme Leader ask for Rey to come closer to him. With my head down I could not see what was happening but there was silence. A moment passed and then I heard him marvel at her strength and I knew that she hadn't moved from where she had stood. I was trying so hard at this time to keep my thoughts clear in case the Supreme Leader decided to look inside my mind, I didn't want my thoughts to betray me. Suddenly my uncles lightsaber was ripped from my hand. "Closer I said" I heard the supreme leader say calmly. From under my eyelashes I could see Rey being dragged forwards and then I heard her speak "You under estimate Skywalker and Ben Solo and me, it will be your downfall" My heart fluttered. I had never had anyone stand up for me in the way that she did or believe in me in the way that she did. It was a feeling that I had never felt before and suddenly I was afraid of losing her. Another feeling that I had never had before. "Oh, have you seen something, a weakness in my apprentice? Is that why you came?" I heard the Supreme Leader laugh. I kept my head down but my heart was thumping, what was he going to do to her now? " Young fool, it was I who bridged your minds". I heard that sentence as though it was whispered directly into my ear. I felt as though I had been kicked in the stomach. Was it true I wondered in a panic, that this connection that I thought was so special between myself and this beautiful scavenger, the scavenger that I had dreamed of and thought about endlessly was merely something that the Supreme Leader had set up? I listened as he continued "I stoked Ren's conflicted soul, I knew he wasn't strong enough to hide it from you and you were not wise enough to resist the bait". I felt my disappointment at his words turn to anger, what my father had said was coming true, he was using me. In that moment I felt betrayed and panicked knowing that the only person who could stop me feeling so alone in this world was now at the Supreme Leader's mercy. I was lost in my thoughts until I heard Rey's voice, strong and unwavering "No". I looked up and saw her right in front of the Supreme Leader, his hand clutching her face. A sudden feeling overcame me and it took me a moment to realise what it was. It was protectiveness. I wanted to protect her from him. "Give me everything!" He screamed and I watched with panic rushing through my body as Rey was lifted into the air. I heard her whimpers and desperate cries. I watched her for a moment all of her pain and panic rushing through my body. I had to do something, but what?At that moment I felt the Supreme Leader's eyes rest on me momentarily and I quickly dropped my eyes to the ground as Rey began to scream in agony. I wanted to cover my ears, the noise was so awful. I had heard women scream many times before in pain and anguish but hearing her scream was as if it was the first time. I wanted to scream at the Supreme Leader to stop, to leave her alone, but I didn't. I remained motionless, my heart thumping.