The Force of the Dyad

•Naboo•

Part two: Forever One, A Star Wars Fanfiction

•Naboo•

The month had passed swiftly and pleasantly for Ben and Rey Skywalker Solo. Their intimacy blossomed in the seclusion and quietude they found amongst the green pastures and verdant lands of the Naboo countryside.

They took up residence for the time being in an abandoned, quaint little Shaak shepherd cottage, and not a living soul was to be found without a days walk in any direction. Surrounded by the songbirds, gentle beasts and balmy air, they whiled away the hours together, exploring their minds and bodies until each of them knew the other better than they knew their own self.

Sitting side by side on the banks of the little stream passing through their land, Rey and Ben reminisced over the early days of their union. Rey fingered the marriage necklace Ben had presented to her at the beautiful ceremony they shared on the decks of the court house overlooking the great Naboo lake. It was a gorgeous cut of raw yellow Kyber Crystal, set on a silvery chain. Ben had commissioned it back on the planet of Jedha, while they were there picking up materials for her new saber. While visiting that planet, he had gone off a couple of times alone, mysteriously decked out in an enveloping dark hood and cloak, to mask his blue glow. Begging to know what he was up too, Ben had just smiled with a twinkle in his eye.

Rey grinned, remembering the shocked expression on the face of the sleepy little government official who had performed the ceremony, as he peered over his horn rimmed glasses at Ben's handsome, glowing blue form. However, he said nothing, and went eloquently on through the touching union ceremony.

Rey Skywalker Solo... it had a nice ring to it, and she loved the way it rolled off her tongue. It set her heart aglow knowing she had finally found belonging, that she was loved and cherished. There was no real need to have an official union ceremony; after all, they were bonded through life and death in the most concrete and permanent way. But Ben was turning out to be quite a romantic, and he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his parents and grandparents before him. He even convinced Rey to purchase a traditional Naboo wedding gown with its crystal beaded veil.

"Rey?" Ben looked at her affectionately. Rey gave him her attention, looking up into his face. The late afternoon sun had set her waving brown hair aglow, and it shone golden as it twirled around her in the breeze; her bright brown eyes were full of her heart's ease. Ben smiled, forgetting what he was going to say, and leaned in for a kiss. They were so absorbed in each other, it took a while for him to remember what had been on his mind.

"Rey honey?" He started again, at long last, "About that message we received today... What shall we do about BB-8? Your arrogant friend won't shut up about him and it's really starting to get on my nerves." Rey rolled her eyes as the peaceful expression on his face gradually had transformed into a mild scowl. She used her hand to manually lift up his lowered brows, and grinned at him until he relented, letting out a "humph!" and then short chuckle. Poe and Ben would never be close. Rey herself had never exactly been on the same wavelength as Poe. She had little patience sometimes for his stubborn and reckless behavior.

Poe Dameron had sent Rey several holographic messages over the past month. He missed his little roly-poly droid and wished to have him back. "No pressure!" Poe had said in his last message, "But now that we've won, it's been boggling my mind to see how much squabbling we're having to deal with in the aftermath. I've run 3 aid missions in this past month alone... and I have 11 more scheduled in the upcoming months. I'm out on my own a lot, and I'm feeling pretty lonesome for the little guy. If you're ever in way, Rey, and, ermmmm, Ky- no, Ben now huh? (He snorted) I know how much you wanted to get your hands on that droid, not too long ago... anyway! Let me know where to meet you and I'll swoop down and pick up my buddy. (Here he pointed his finger menacingly into the camera as he lowered one eyebrow) And don't you go scaring him Ren... hah, Ben! (Here he offered a salute.) Signing out."

Rey had had a very hard time keeping a straight face when they finished playing the message, as an annoyed Ben had cursed under his breath, "Arrogant son of a nerf herding...." The remainder of that sentence was inaudible and Rey had pursed her lips, snorting as she struggled to stifle her laughter.

Recalling her mind back to the bank of the stream, in answer to Ben's question, Rey spoke up. "Ben darling, this has been the most beautiful month of my entire life... but I AM starting to get the desire to return to the skies. There is so much of the galaxy I haven't seen. I can sense you feel it too... and remember how much I've always wanted to take you to Ahch-To..."

Ben excitedly caught her drift, "YES! That place had been on my mind for so long, I'm actually still burning with curiosity to explore it. Especially after that night, the first time we actually connected, by the fire in your room..." his face warmed with feeling, and Rey was pleased to notice that when she mentioned Ahch-To, Ben's thoughts automatically went to the positive memory (bonding with her) as opposed to the negative (his past animosity for his uncle).

Rey thoughtfully recalled that day; her quest to find answers leading her into the underground Sith cave. She remembered the moment of her vision, as she had been frozen in front of the mirror-like wall, and the two shadows she had seen approaching from the other side. Now she was sure that the taller shadow in the background had been Ben, standing behind the image of herself. She was suddenly awoken from her wandering thoughts by Ben's touch. He was placing his right hand gently against hers, mimicking the first time they had touched hands across the fire. "You're such a softy now!" Rey teased him, pleased at his remembrance.

"You're turning me into a softy; good thing Hux can't see me now," he teased her. "So it's settled Rey... contact your friend and let him know we'll arrive at the system in three days time. He can get his droid, then we'll go on our pilgrimage to Ahch-To."

... to be continued.