15 A Mouthful of Diamonds

Ben Solo did not sleep a wink as the dyad lay naked under the dim starlight and a nearly absent moon; some leftover light lingered after the strange eclipse. Rey lay comfortably asleep and sprawled across his chest; Ben watched in awe of her while she slept-he hoped that she was actually able to collect some rest. He wondered what became of the darkness that had brought her to him and then somehow vanished.  Ben's body felt completely at peace as he tried to memorize the imprint her body stamped into his skin. The intoxicating fragrance of Rey's hair; the salt and the sweetness of it -set off another awakening of his overspent senses. The absence of the moon was starting to concern Ben; he knew the dawn would be arriving soon and all of the bits of hell that would come with it. They needed to get back to the mountains and to the safety of the Monastery before the world caught fire again. Rey stirred slightly as if awakening to Ben's loud thoughts.  "Rey.." Ben brushed away the hair at her temple and kissed it all in one fluid motion; as if he'd done it thousands of times before. "We must leave immediately; I have a place for us to go; Trust me." Rey opened her eyes completely and light and reality filled her expression- reminiscent of the shy scavenger he had met in the forest; years ago. Ben grinned ear to ear as he watched her fuss with her hair and put on the dark costume that she didn't remember putting on. The handsome Jedi chuckled as he swiftly dressed in his matching ensemble. Ben stole a kiss from an unsuspecting Rey; right as the sun began to paint its first rays of gold on the hills behind them.

Waking up in Ben's arms was tremendously unnerving; Rey was mostly concerned with the possibility that the dark entity would somehow return. Rey wanted to protect not only herself but her other half as well. Her mind controlling host had been surprisingly generous; despite her evil agenda. From what the scavenger could gather, Abeloth didn't actually want to hurt her or Ben. The weight of carrying her in her head had definitely taken a toll on her mind and body; being with Ben almost erased the experience altogether. The way he watched her get dressed made her face glow like hot embers; forcing her to turn away shyly even though they had spent the night together- basking in each other's nakedness. Good or Evil; Light or Dark- this man always had a way of leaving her flushed and breathless. Completely spellbound by the surprise of those commanding lips on hers again, Rey struggled not to collapse at the knees. Without hesitation, the other half of the dyad swept her up off of her feet and twirled her around comically but with grace, like a fairytale prince. Rey attempted to struggle against being held so closely; only to be forced to wrap her arms around his strong neck as he took off running with her in his arms.  "Ben!" Rey squealed with a high pitched tone she'd never heard from her own mouth. The fiery orb stretched and yawned across the sky as the dyad ran through the white flowers where the two became one. All the living foliage around them seemed to magically decay in their wake; wilting under the superfluous morning sun. Ben could feel the heat rising in the ground beneath his quick feet and the atmosphere more like a constant campfire. Nonetheless, the Jedi held his beautiful prize tightly to his chest; full of hope and his eyes to the mountains.

The Mother of Darkness was quite pleased with herself and seemed to be in no hurry to further complicate the lover's passage into the mountains. She would be seeing them soon enough. Amused with the arrival of the rescue team, Abeloth reveled in the fact that she would soon be in possession of the red leather bound book that belonged to Anakin Skywalker. She had been trying to locate it for years because it had a special ancient magic that could be light or dark; depending upon who was in possession of it. Abeloth had no real interest in the scruffy pilot but was increasingly concerned with the Wookiee's connection to the book. The Queen of Stars had sent a silvery messenger to spy on them; one of her favorite new features of the borrowed powers that seemed to grow on their own as she allowed the dyad to flourish. The wolf companion contained the essence of the late Princess and Ben's Mother; Abeloth had conjured herself into Leia's physical likeness now; to prepare for the arrival of the dyad. After her death, Leia's spirit refused to rest and a sympathetic Abeloth offered her a whole new existence in this realm -attached to a promise to see her son again. The Bringer of Chaos had been watching from the sidelines for years, playing cat and mouse with Anakin Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi; later Luke Skywalker. The Mother of Darkness was grateful to Palpatine and his dramatic antics because he had taken all the spotlight off of herself and her deeply seeded plans. Abeloth peered through the eyes of the wolf but across the realm from the balcony's edge of the Monastery. This comeback had been brewing in the shadows for years. Soon I'll be the Mother of All. Abeloth smiled so unnaturally wide that she nearly split Leia's beautiful cheeks up to the ear lobes. She gnashed her teeth violently as she waited hungrily like a wolf. The orange oppressive orb reflected blinding bits of white light off of Abeloth's grotesque grin like she had a mouthful of diamonds.

Reaching the rocky foothills, Ben gently set his lusty faced prize on a nearby boulder to rest a few parsecs. The Jedi was not able to hold back the enormous grin on his face as he savored the constant shade of vermillion that lingered on her cheeks; knowing his love was the cause made him feel more alive than he'd felt in his entire life. The dyad hadn't really spoken most of the journey thus far. Communication was apt through magnetic body language and glances of awkwardness and ardor. Rey knew this was the happiest she'd ever been in her entire life; she was now completely in love with the former Supreme Leader. A perfect balance with the force was felt like liquid electricity through their bodies whenever they touched. Ben's words resonated in the scavenger's mind as she gazed upon his chiseled frame in shameless amusement. We are a dyad in the force, Rey-Two that are one. Ben's attention had wavered as if he had felt a disturbance in the force- as if a pebble was slightly out of place. Rey could sense it as well and snapped back into survival mode keeping her hand on the hilt of her saber. Ben tuned into Rey's increased suspicions and did his best to extinguish her rising anxiety with a kiss on her forehead. The cruel blazing afternoon sun was only partially diminished against the foothills and the scavenger crept along the rockery, following close behind her was Ben.

Pausing momentarily among the last few hills, the dyad was now back to back; having sensed a tremendous shift in energy and the feeling that they were being watched. The hot crusty earth heaved and sighed as the foothills rose to their feet; now transformed into the shape of massive stone AT-AT Walkers. The sound was almost deafening on the ears of the dyad, almost like a hundred shattering crystal chandeliers and a multitude of rolling stones. The dyad could not believe the sight before them and both watched in horror as an army of stone AT-AT Walkers began to march; firing gravel and random rock shrapnel at them. Relying on his expertise in the force, Ben easily manipulated the spray and reversed it away from himself and Rey; using his impressive newly built lightsaber to ward off any strays. Another barrage of rocks larger in size than the first came barreling directly at them- Rey did not hesitate this time; reversing the direction of the larger rocky cannon balls, she knocked over several Walkers at once.

The dyad simultaneously launched themselves into the air; each of them perfectly executing a landing on top of  their own personal Walker. Though made of stone, the Walkers behaved more like wild beasts and Ben made quick work of his Walker by chopping off its rocky head with his lightsaber; riding the collapse of rubble to the ground. Ben stared up in awe at his beloved who performed several intensive aerials to keep her footing on the back of the Walker as it fought to throw its unwanted rider. His mind recalling the amazing backflip she'd executed with such precision and had sliced the wing right off his custom Tie Silencer. Even as Kylo Ren he had been completely impressed by the delicate but precise brutality she was always capable of inflicting; even more so now as she copied his kill stroke and then tested him. "Ben!" He ran towards her already knowing what she needed and offered his open arms for a landing pad as she expertly launched herself from the crumbling Walker.  "Perfect!" Rey gleefully kissed him as hard as she could, cradling his dirty sweaty face in her hands. The Walkers behaved strangely as if their Master had whistled for them and they marched towards the mountains; leaving the dyad to rejoice in their victory.

The contemptuous sun began to make its presence known again and Rey began to alter her clothing and tearing off bits of it as they walked through an ancient river bed, Ben had removed his tunic entirely and frequently used it to mop the sweat pouring from his face. The search for water was almost desperate now and the dyad was approaching a deep curve in the river valley and an imposing stone wall appeared almost out of nowhere but wasn't impossible to get around. Immediately a cacophony of rushing water sounds filled the ears of the dyad and they pushed through a crack in the stone wall and reveled in the immediate climate change on the other side. The sight before them was the most enchanting and beautiful tropical rainforest one could possibly imagine but the color palette was slightly supernatural and wildly exotic. The secret forest was completely refreshing on the sunburnt and delirious couple who had immediately found the silver stream that ribboned its way around them as if suddenly summoned by their wanton thirst.  Pearlescent white flowers littered the edge of the stream and the dyad savored the beauty around them; completely grateful just to be holding each other. Ben held Rey against him tightly; sensing no immediate danger -he ravenously claimed her mouth and rolled her into the flowering embankment. The former Supreme Leader deliberately destroyed the remainder of the clothes they were wearing as Rey ripped her fingers into his dark tousled wet hair. Pausing to lose himself in her electric blue eyes; Ben raked his eyes over her bare skin like hot coals, purposely causing Rey to beg for his wolfish mouth to claim her again. The setting sun went completely unnoticed by the lovers but melted around them in a waxy red puddle; off in the distance a silvery white wolf howled to welcome the arrival of the Moon.