The Redemption of Fate ~ A Reylo Story

7

Eight force-sensitives stood before Rey in the jungle, ambitious and eager to train as a Jedi. It was late afternoon, nearing nightfall. The humidity had decreased, though a stickiness still lingered in the atmosphere. A glistening layer of sweat was already clinging to everyone's skin.
Other than Finn, three of Rey's padawans were starfighter pilots, another three were Resistance technicians--including Beaumont Kin, the Resistance trooper--and a young woman Rey had never seen before named Titania, who claimed to be a part of Jannah's ex-stormtrooper vigilante. Between all eight of the padawans, Rey could sense the sincere desire in all of them--they wanted to become a Jedi as fervently as she once had with Luke.

"First thing's first. We have to be able to identify the Force. To tap into it. You all have to reach out, find the pulse inside of you, and use that to channel energy." Rey said, weaving her way through the seated, meditating padawans. She shot a glance at Finn, who met her gaze, grinning. Rey smiled back. It was strange to know her friend kept such a crucial secret from her, one that now made so much sense; Finn's discernment was always too keen, too sharp—too intuitive. His force-sensitivity explained why he was more in-tune with Rey's emotions than his own.
"Reach out," Rey instructed, making her way back to the front of the group, "not so much with your body, but with your spirit. That untapped energy inside of you. That's what you want to feel."

She could sense the gravitation in her padawans. The focus--that was the main element.
Beaumont was the first to become exasperated. He shook his head, dropping his arms. His shoulders drooped in defeat. "This is tougher than I imagined."
Rey walked to his side, crouching down to meet him. "But you have it. The element you need is already there, you just have to access it."
He shrugged, closed his frustrated blue eyes. "I know, I know."
"Try again."
Beaumont nodded, reaching out with his arms. Struggling, but pursuing. Rey let him be, walking around amongst the group again. Finn was sweating with exertion. His arm held out in front of him, muscles gripping, tensing underneath his skin. Rey sensed his struggling effort. She sat on her knees in front of him, clutching his arm in her hand.

For a moment Finn was startled, embarrassed even, but at the immediate electric chill traveling through his veins with every pump of his heart at a constant speed, he knew what she was doing. His fingertips began to tingle with electricity. Finn wiggled his fingers, feeling the foreign power wiggle with them. It was unbelievable. Rey had transferred her power into his body. Just a small amount, but yet it still sent his mind racing. The feeling was inexplicable. It was beyond anything he had ever known. Craziness.
Then suddenly, it was sucked out from his body, as if he had never felt an ounce of it. Finn laughed in disbelief, meeting Rey's artful eyes. She was attempting to hold back a grin, though he could see it clearly.
"And that's how the Force is supposed to feel." She whispered, quickly scanning her surroundings, making sure the padawan's hadn't picked up on her trick. With that Rey stood up, walked away, as if her transfer of the force never actually happened.

***

For the next two hours Rey trained her padawans on continuous, unrelenting meditation. Meditation was the building block for all Jedi's, and it was at times, the most difficult thing to master.
By the end of the first session, night had fallen. Luckily, the padawans had torches to light their way back to camp. All of them, except Finn, thanked Rey and went on their way through the jungly trails.
Finn was still incredulous. "I didn't know you could. . . transfer the Force into someone like that."
Rey smiled and shrugged casually, wiping sweat off her forehead. "Me neither. It was in the spur of the moment, I guess."

Finn picked up the last torch, its flame illumining oranges and yellows, dancing off his warm complexion. The flickering shadows cast around the jungly cove was peacefully eerie. "We should get back, join the others."
Rey motioned towards the pathway. "You go on. I'm going to stay behind a little"--she held out her lightsaber, it's ignition blaring a synthetic yellow hue--"I've been wanting to do some personal training of my own."
Finn nodded coolly, covering up whatever disappointment he felt with a shrug. "Okay, don't get yourself into any trouble, now."
Rey twirled the saber in her fingers like a baton. "Don't worry, Padawan."
Finn rolled his eyes and feigned a laugh. "Ha, nice one."
"I've got plenty more."