Taking the Throne

Reaching across space and time

The flowers were tiny, each no larger than the size of a pea, and they caught the light of the setting sun, sparkling like the rainbow of colors seen through the ocean spray. They lined the edge of her gown, running the entire length, and at first glance they looked like an abstract pattern. The thread was some sort of metallic or iridescent material, giving the gown an ethereal glow.

The fabric of the wrap was delicate but deceivingly strong, clearly having been made by skilled hands and woven with complete precision. The bodice had a robe-like quality, layering one side over the other, creating the same v-shaped neckline that Rey had always worn, but this one was deeper and more revealing.

This would catch a huge reward on Jakku, 70 portions? Maybe not, Unkar Plutt was an ignorant fool, Rey thought, immediately feeling ashamed that she could be so cold, wondering if there would ever be a day that she would not measure the value of things in portions.

The gown flowed around her as she walked, catching the air, and the excess length gave the illusion of a billowing train. The sunlight cut through the sheerness, outlining the curves of her hips and legs. Surprisingly warm, the interior of the stone sanctuary was a stark contrast to the wind blowing in with the tide, biting her skin like needles. She paced back and forth, wondering if Ben would have the courage to step inside the temple. She had refused to share her deepest desire with him, she wanted and needed him to come on his own.

Sitting down on the edge of the reflecting pool, the single drop from the ceiling was hypnotizing as she looked out toward the bright orange, yellow, and magenta streaks that lit up the setting horizon. Wrapping the pale grey veil around herself for warmth, she couldn't bring herself to drape her head with it. She felt silly and uncomfortable.

I was not made to be royalty, she thought. If he doesn't come, I won't be disappointed... No. I won't. I won't wait until it is dark. I am so tired of waiting, almost my entire life has been wasted waiting. I will go back to the hut and pack. We have to leave this place... We must go to Leia.

"Rey." it wasn't a question, or open ended. It was the honest and deep velvety voice that stroked up her spine, that talked to her in her sleep, that called to her soul.

Looking over her shoulder, the shadowy sillouhette emerged from the tunneled entry.

"Ben-?" She couldn't hide her disbelief and relief.

"What is this? Did you think I had left? That I wouldn't come?" He couldn't help but smile and his tone had that slightly playful scolding quality, like he was her teacher.

Rey's eyes lit up from relief and joy. Walking toward her, she could see another outline emerge, taller, so much taller.

"Chewie?! " Rey jumped up ready to rush toward them.

"No, please sit. I want to remember this moment. It's like I am seeing you for the first time." He was so intensely sentimental. "I want to remember my wife, my beautiful wife, just like this, forever."

Chewie growled in agreement.

A radiant and captivating magnet to his eyes and attention, he never thought that she could be more beautiful, until now. In the forest on Takodana, she had blinded him the moment he set eyes on her, seeing nothing but her small terrified body and energy, and when he easily unlocked her mind, everything about her, every microscopic detail, was burnt into him like a branding.

Some things are a choice, but loving Rey was not. It was a force all of its own.

Rey refused to avert her eyes, looking back at him with the same reverence and awe. He had changed his clothes and was wearing a dark gray robe, almost like the formal Jedi attire, but this was different, something she had never seen before. She could tell it was old, like her gown, their grays complimented one another. He looked so young and beautiful, alive in a way that she had not seen. The brooding seriousness had softened, and in its place was a calm almost serene incarnation of the man she loved.

"So this is why you wanted to come. This place. Why?" He asked with the same soft tone she had come to find so comforting. Never on the surface, when he spoke to her it was raw and true, woven with a knowing and primal intimacy that would scare most people.

"I do not know why....maybe because the vision comforted me for so long....or because it was the first time I touched you....or because I wanted answers and didn't want to see the answer until now. A wise person told me that the belonging I was seeking was not behind, but ahead. She told me that they were never coming back, but that someone still could. When I touched the mirror, beneath the island, I wasn't ready to see it...to see that it was always you...ahead of me...waiting for me."

Ben watched her, his expression was impassive as it had been in the hut when they reached out across the galaxy. There were no words to speak in response, only his bare hand reaching out to her.

Caught by the wave of energy, Rey's body involuntarily shook from the force. Tears streamed from her eyes, thick and glistening, dropping gracefully as if they were floating against her flushed skin. Reaching her hand in response, he came toward her, taking it in his own, he pulled her to her feet. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he bent down, kissing her so softly she felt like her body had begun to float upwards, held back only by his embrace.

There were no rules or written rituals to follow, no religious figure to officiate or give a human declaration of legitimacy. What transpired was beyond their world, the known worlds, and the unknown regions. It was simply two souls, offering their entire being to the other, agreeing to formally recognize their cosmic bond. They were accepting to bind their individual existences into one, for eternity.

Clasping hands over the reflecting pool, the mosaic of the prime jedi was obscured by the vibrating water as the force surrounded them. The black and white image began to blur, taking on the illusion of an illuminated grayness. They did not need to speak, their bond was so strong that everything around them was coming alive with their energy.

Standing back, Chewbacca looked on from behind, the only witness to the miracle. He was transfixed by the outline of their profiles against the setting sun. Looking past them he saw the meditation rock where Luke had passed on. Blinking twice, he realized his eyes were not deceiving him, that the tiny pebbles on the ledge were floating and suspended in mid air. Standing in the middle of the sea of pebbles were three force ghosts looking inward at Ben and Rey holding hands. Squinting his eyes, Chewie could see the smiles of approval of Luke and Yoda. Standing with them was Han, never a jedi and a doubter of all things unseen, yet there he was in his luminous form watching his son heal, becoming what he was always meant to be.