Give or take a day or so it’d been a month since the war to end all wars had gone into remission. What was left of the Final Order was leaderless and scattered, the Resistance on its tail with all the might of its combined fleet. Word had spread like wildfire - the names of heroes new and old hoisted up on banners and woven into songs. Talk of a new Republic was becoming more and more commonplace, as were mentions of Rey’s necessary, central role in it as the Resistance’s resident Jedi.
She couldn’t have fled to Ahch-to faster if she’d tried.
To Ahch-to and Ben Solo - exiled but alive and safe after a whiplash trial. The last thing the newly in-power Resistance wanted was the spectre of Kylo Ren in their ranks. To Rey though, he was not that man. He was the one who had come for her when she’d most needed him; who’d saved her with his heroism, his sacrifice, his bravery- No. Ben Solo was a better man than any of them took him for.
It was raining lightly when the Resistance’s most reluctant heroine left her small ship and made the winding trek up to the Lanai village where Luke had once lived and trained her. The Caretakers still living there gave her scathing looks when they passed her by - still unwilling to forgive her for what they’d always perceived as destructive rudeness - and she bowed her head to them as they hurried on by.
The dread they must feel, she mused ruefully, now that there are two Force users on their island again.
Hiding a snuffle of amusement behind her hand, Rey glanced across the landscape before reaching out to Ben through the Force; unwilling to break the contemplative hush of the place - and incur even more of the residents’ wrath - by shouting.
Where are you? she asked him. I’m here.
__
A starter for @darthtryhard
