Us Against the World

27

Finally, we were in a corridor, listening to the wayfinder sing for us to find it. As I walked around, I could imagine Anakin walking these paths, dressed as Darth Vader, trying to forget his past and live in the dark persona he created. I could hear the stamping feet of storm troopers as they and their battalion marched through the halls in perfect unison.

When Rey got to a throne, a door opened. I was impressed that it had survived the crash enough to still be functional. As Rey entered, I stood outside. This was something she had to do alone. I looked out the large window, imagining seeing a galaxy instead of the mist the water created. I imagined feeling the dark side at its peak all around me. Then I felt him.

I turned to see Ben stood there. I hadn't felt him arrive or heard him find us, yet here he was, and not as a projection or through the bond.
"How are you here?" I asked him, almost irritated at his arrival. Anakin had visited him, I was sure of his change of heart, yet here he was, watching in amusement as Rey stumbled from the room, dropping the wayfinder. It rolled straight to Ben who stopped it with his foot. I sensed the conflict, and I sensed the disbelief.

Ben leaned down and lifted the Wayfinder with his hand, admiring the green glow it seemed to have. Rey ignited her lightsaber, the hum of the weapon being the only sound that overpowered the drone of the sea. I stood and waited, my weapon in hand but not daring to ignite it while I tried to understand what was going on. Ben looked to Rey, as did I, as her face morphed into one of anger, like she still didn't understand Ben and how to help him.
"Look at yourself." Ben began, looking as the girl stood opposite him. "You wanted to prove to my mother and my girlfriend that you were a Jedi, but you've proven something else." Rey kept her glare. Whatever she had seen in that room, whatever she was processing, was turning her away from the light. I felt her hopelessness, not being able to see the way out. It was similar to when Ben showed me that night, his hopelessness. "You can't go back to her now."

"That's not true Rey." I bit back immediately. Rey turned to me but Ben kept his eyes on Rey. He was trying to sway her, trying to get her to join him because that was somehow easier for him, rather than admitting his own mistakes. "Or for you Ben." I told him, trying to show him that Leia would welcome back her son with open arms, he could still make everything right. Ben shook his head, believing that his conflict meant he couldn't face her.
"Give it to me." Rey hissed at Ben. Her tone was sharp, evil and fueled with anger. Ben shuddered at her tone, neither of us used to hearing her sharp words.

Regaining his composure, he told her that the dark side was in their nature. I could argue that the dark side was in everyone's nature. Luke had felt the pull to the dark side, I had felt it when I nearly stepped off the cliff. I was almost certain that all Jedi felt that pull just in different capacities.
"Surrender to it." Ben coaxed, only to receive another hiss from Rey. I stepped closer to the girl, edging my way towards her. She was fueled with anger, looking at Ben with a sense of despise that had never been present before.
"Rey." I warned.
"The only way you're getting to Exegol is with me." His statement seemed to only add flames inside Rey's heart. The moment Ben crushed the wayfinder in his hand, Rey exploded into pure rage, the waves below seeming to pound against the ship harder.

At first, Ben only stepped back, dodging every attack Rey swung his way. I tried to desperately call for them both to stop, trying to stop Rey, and trying to appeal to Ben, who had ignited his weapon. They both jumped down to a different section of the ship while I felt like I was pushed back from following them. Definitely Ben's doing.

I climbed my way down differently to them, seeing them outside as Rey jumped away from an oncoming wave that swallowed the structure, leaving mist circling around. I ran to Ben, grabbing onto his arm to turn him to me.
"What are you doing Ben?" I cried to him, trying to pull him away from where Rey had just gone to. Ben turned his head to me, desperation in his eyes.
"I'm keeping you safe." His words were harsh, far harsher than he meant them, but they were said. As Ben walked forward, I kept trying to push him back or get him to turn to me, feeling tears well in my eyes as I begged for him. Just minutes before he had called me his girlfriend, something he hadn't said in years. For the first time, I felt his love, and I knew he still wanted to be with me. Only everything he was doing was going against that.

All three of us were soaked, the fabric sticking tightly to my body as my hair clung to my neck. I could still feel the fabric tied around the end of the braid, the one given to me by Nambi, the one I acquired hours before. Ben kept me away from his saber, pushing him behind me as he attacked, always on the opposite side, avoiding Rey's blue blade as well, using the force to hold it so he could move me first. I relentlessly called their names, begging someone to listen to me.

Rey threw hard swipes of her lightsaber his way as Ben walked backwards, letting the weapon show her anger. It seemed they were both trying to take a breath. Using her unfocused anger, Ben was able to lock her blade with his crossblades forcing her to defend. It wasn't long before he had pushed Rey to the ground, defenseless.
"Ben, please!" I cried one last time. Then I saw him stop, look over his shoulder. His lightsaber dropped from his hand and I felt a sense of peace. Leia. She had reached out to her son, seeing him for the final time. The heartbreak and pain coming from Ben was blindly obvious, but a quick movement from Rey drew my eye. She had caught his weapon.

"No!" I screamed, pulling Ben back harshly as I stood in front of his lightsaber. I heard the ignition before I felt the pain, and even then, I had expected it to be so much worse. The red blade was held in my stomach, piercing it through to the other side.

I heard a shout from Ben, I was almost certain of that. I smiled at Rey, forgiving her with my eyes as she turned the saber off and dropped it as if she were burned. The moment it was off, she whispered a name, the name of Ben's mother and I knew she would have passed.

Instead of hitting the floor, I felt Ben catch me. His arms were warm as they held me and when his face came into view it was littered with tears than flowed down his face.
"He said this would happen. He warned me. I'm so sorry." Ben was referring to Anakin. Anakin had told him what happened with him and Padme, and he had warned his grandson that I would meet the same fate. Something truly evil didn't deserve something so pure. Seeing the emotion from Ben, I knew he wasn't evil, I knew he could never be the First Order puppet. He was Ben Solo again.
"It's okay, Ben." I told him, placing one hand on his face, and the other guiding his hand to my wound. I felt Ben's fear spike.

We had healed each other before, but nothing to this capacity. I slowly pulled off his glove, while I felt myself grow weaker. He didn't want me to hurt more. He didn't want to try and fail, but knew he had to, because he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't try. Ben was an open book. "I never did like you wearing gloves." I admitted and I heard his teary laugh. Healing each other, Ben and I didn't pull on our own life forces, we drew the energy from our force bond. We felt our connection and forced it to bind the skin back together.