Taking the Throne

Mother, I can feel you

Cradling her in his arms, Rey slept soundly against his beating heart, wrapped up in his cloak. Hearing the door open, he stretched his neck.

"She is sleeping....we are almost there." Ben spoke softly, not wanting to disturb her. "We will come to get you when we are approaching."

Chewie reached down and gently touched Rey's sleeping face, nodded and turned away, returning to his work repairing all sorts of issues still lingering from the neglectful years the ship spent rotting in the desert, a never ending task list that continued to grow. When they arrived on Naboo he would be able to get the parts he needed and even some extra help.

Smoothing her wild hair with his cheek, he settled his head against hers letting his eyes close while listening to the humming of the engines.Feeling a prickling sensation, his skin puckered into small bumps, and he could feel the rumbling pull of the force massaging at the base of his neck. Muffling all sound, he could hear only her distant voice reaching to him.

I am on my way....I am almost there....please...do not give up on me.... he reached back.

Her energy was weak, and knowing what it took to communicate this way, he immediately pushed back,sending a powerful wave in response, hoping it would calm her. She was panicked, searching for him, lost and confused. He could see her wandering in a fog, using her arms to hack away at the opaque whiteness, drowning in a sea of multiplying clouds.

Mother....rest. Feel me.....

Sharing a memory, he let his thoughts flow towards her. A vision of her young and wearing a long white dress, with her thin arms wrapped around him. Even in his early teens, he desperately cherished those moments, when she disconnected from her work and focused only on him. Despite her fear, her eyes were always filled with boundless love. And he shared another vision of hope, of his arms wrapped around her tiny body, holding her close to make her feel safe.

Don't you dare give up now....not after everything we have been through. You hang on for me. I have never asked for anything from you.....don't you let go.

Alerted by the alarm signaling their exit from light speed, Rey stirred and fluttered her eyes.

"What, what is wrong?" She asked concerned.

"It is nothing, we need to hurry. My love, go to the bunks and get dressed. I will bring us in from here."

"OK..... are you sure you are ok?" She lingered.

"Yes. I promise. I will be OK. We can talk when we land."

"It's Leia. I can feel it too." She stared off. "Yes, I will get ready."

Leaving the cockpit, Ben was left alone watching to focus on the ship, the controls, everything but the ticking clock.

Riffling through the drawers, Rey found a towel and some sort of water-less cleanser. Wiping down her skin, her eyes were caught by the sight of a small bundle of papers.

"Paper?" Rey looked at it like it was a relic.

Nobody used paper. Nobody even knew how to write, it was a long lost art that only the elite were privileged enough to learn. Gently pulling at the corner, the bundle fell open and the papers tumbled from their wrap. Pulling them out, she examined each sheet. Some were colorful drawings of water and sun and what looked like little people. Some were scribbles, shaky lines and messy spilled ink, and the more she dug, the more refined and smooth the strokes became. Near the bottom of the stack she could see the perfectly measured and placed letters, the smooth flow of the ink that spelled out words she had seen before, from the holos she stole to learn to fly.