Chapter Text
The Emperor had overpowered him and taken control over his body. “As once I fell, so falls the last Skywalker!” Palpatine pronounced slowly, lifting Ben into the air and demanding him to the back of the throne room.
~~~
Rey! His whole body hurt. The ache ran down his spine like the lightning he was surrounded by. Ben couldn’t lift himself, his head throbbing as he moved only a single muscle. He winced. He must have broken his ribs. The last thing he remembered was crashing into the hard ground and then... the world span around him. Ben had always wondered whether there was anything worse than being cut or stabbed by a lightsaber. Now his question was definitely answered. His chest ached in unbearable pain from his fast and deep gasps for air. His vision was blurred and the constant flashes of lightning weren't making it any better. He questioned whether he could ever stand up again. But no, he couldn’t give up now. He didn’t come all this way for nothing. Rey was still up there, left alone with the Emperor and Force knew what he was doing to her. He had to go back.
Searching for a counter force with his foot to lift himself the ground underneath him suddenly began to split into pieces. Quickly, Ben rolled to one side. He cried out in pain trying to rise from the ground.
All he managed to do was to sit up straight. He sighed. It's alright. One step at a time. He couldn't see, his ears numb, blood throbbing inside them. He kept his eyes shut and leaned his head against the wall. He needed to concentrate... though, considering his condition, it seemed impossible. But he needed to act before it was too late. They needed to destroy Palpatine.
Ben reached out through the Force. He and Rey were still connected even though the Emperor had taken power from their bond. Ben had no idea what he was going to do if he found her, but knowing if she was alright was the first, if not the only thing that mattered to him in that moment. He needed to tell her that he was still there. That she wasn’t alone. That he was with her, by her side.
Rey.
Out of nowhere the lightning around him intensified. It was more of a noise than actual lightning, a never-ending roar, making him squint his eyes shut even more. But then, right there, there she was. In relief he opened his eyes. Ben could feel her presence. It was weak, but she was there, hurt, beaten, just like him, and it made him uneasy.
Suddenly Ben felt a call in the Force, a pull.
Be with me.
Rey was reaching out. Not just to him but to everyone in the Force, to every Jedi who ever lived. The Emperor must have been distracted since Ben couldn't feel him trying to stop her. She knew they couldn’t win this fight alone. And Ben understood immediately.
Show me. Ben sent back, shivering. Could he do it as well? Could he reach out to the light? Or was is too late?
Be with me. Rey called for help. The light in her was strong, and it gave him comfort.
Be with me.
No matter how far away they were from each other, they were one in the Force. Rey’s words echoed through his head like they were his, his like they were hers. They were two parts of one soul, a dyad. Focusing on the Force, on each other, their breaths became one, finding the same rhythm. Ben saw the stars Rey was staring up at past all the chaos in the skies of Exegol, past the falling ships struck by the lightning that he now understood was emerging from Palpatine’s hands. She was seeking out to the silence of the universe, trying to reach the spirits of the Force and Ben allowed himself to be led, learning her ways, the ways of the light. He knew it would be a long and difficult path but he wasn’t going to go back to the dark. He had learned his lesson.
Suddenly Ben heard voices, voices he has never heard before but who felt strangely familiar, reaching out to the two that are one…
These are your final steps, Rey. Rise and take them.
Bring back the balance, Ben, as I did.
The light. Find the light, Ben.
Every Jedi who ever lived, lives in you now.
The Force surrounds you, Rey.
Let it guide you.
Feel the Force flowing through you, Rey.
Let it lift you.
Ben, ignoring the terrible pain racing through his body, stood up slowly, sticking firmly to the wall.
Rise, Ben.
We stand behind you.
Ben.
Rey.
Rise in the Force.
In the heart of a Jedi lies their strength.
Rise.
Rise.
The words gave them strength. As he and Rey were one in the Force he could feel her every movement. They mirrored each other. With every slow shift they rose…
…and then there was a very familiar voice Ben thought he would never hear again…
Rey, Ben, the Force will be with you. Always.
Ben felt Rey’s determination rising with every step she took to lift herself. The same determination she had had every time they had faced each other as enemies. It has always frightened him, because he knew it too well… it reminded Ben of himself. This stubbornness he was never able to let go of, the longing to finish what he started. Rey was going to kill the Emperor. She was going to put an end to this.
Ben looked around. He didn’t know where he was, but Rey was up there, somewhere, and he needed to get to her. Spotting a rather acceptable place to hook himself on to, he jumped, barely reaching the point he was aiming for with one arm. It sent lightning through his nerves once again, but he had to move on. One wrong grip now and he would fall back into the darkness. He pushed himself up onto the tiny platform.
And then, Rey’s words echoed through his head, like she was standing right there, next to him. Her voice was shaking, but the words were strong and clear.
And I… am all the Jedi!
Ben hooked himself onto the cold wall. With every step Rey took to approach the Emperor Ben ascended higher and higher. It was still a mystery to him how his body obliged his mind with all the pain that should have sent him straight back to the bottom of the pit. But the Force was helping him. Rey was helping him, and if he hadn't been in this situation now, he surely would have started to question whether he even deserved it. All the terrible things he did that he will never be able to forgive himself for. And still, the Force was on his side. With its help he would put an end to this, to all this suffering and darkness, once and for all.
All of a sudden - having almost reached the top, ready to encounter the Emperor one last time - everything around him stopped. The air froze in place, the sounds gone. Vast lightning filled the atmosphere. Ben held himself close to the wall. The Force has shifted. It was, if just for a moment, freeing and peaceful. He held in for a moment to make sense of the change, and then he realised... the darkness was gone. She did it, Ben thought. Rey has defeated the Emperor… and Ben wasn’t with her. He listened carefully for any more signs, both from the throne room and in the Force. But there was nothing. The silence made him uneasy. Then, two objects - apparently made out of metal - hit the ground, followed by a hollow sound. Ben's heart dropped. He felt like losing a part of himself, like it was disappearing. His eyes drifted away as Ben realized what was happening.
“No, Rey...”
His hand slipped, unleashing pieces of rocks, almost losing his balance. Ben reached out for her once more, but the place that had just been filled with life, strength and warmth was now... empty. No soul, no being, no life. Only cold darkness.
No, no, no, no, no his voice faded away. Rey was dying.
Stay with me, Rey!
Ben was losing her. With each grip he took she drifted farther and farther away. Finally, he reached the top. Ben looked around, panting. The Emperor was gone. Nothing was moving. And so was Rey, lying next to the now destroyed throne on the cold floor. Ben was going to head in her direction, only to find his legs giving up their strength, his body collapsing to the ground.
“No!” Ben desperately said under his breath, his chest still aching. He needed to be with her. She was right there. Right there in front of him. Only a couple of paces away. But the Force was leaving her, and hence him. His strength dissipated, a reminder of how close he was to fainting. Dragging and skipping across the floor Ben somehow finally reached Rey, carefully lifting her cold body off the floor, holding her in his lap. He looked around. He was scared. He was afraid to lose her and he had no idea what to do. He was helpless.
Ben quickly caught Rey’s head as it had fallen back. Her eyes were open but… empty. He remembered the looks she has been giving him with those divine eyes, memories playing back in his head. They had always been full of emotions. Sad, to be more precise, always filled with tears – because of him. Always because of him. And then, he remembered the look in her eyes when she had been facing the Emperor, fearing that she would have to face him alone. But when she had sensed Ben, had felt him sprinting towards her, had seen that Ben came back for her, her expression had been filled with hope. It was the first time he had seen Rey smile for him. And now those eyes were lifeless… extinct.
Ben pulled her nearer, hugging her heart-to-heart, rocking back and forth, fighting his tears. Her heartbeat was gone. This couldn't be it. It couldn't just end. Not like this. All this time, he had been living the biggest lie of his entire life, told by everyone that nobody cared for him, that he would never be worth loving. And now those who did care were gone or dying in this very moment. He had no one. No one to show him how to be himself… how to be Ben again. His father, his mother… and now Rey.
