A/N: Guys, I'm sorry because in the next chapters I'll literally smash Rey and Ben's heads against the walls, yet I'm doing it to show that they are humans, too, and not superheroes.
And a big shout out to @brhr14, @frcefan69, @stitch4321 and @Dazzdazzie, for helping and advicing me through this!

~*~

   On they went among the boulders that itched up in the sand, through the sun that now burned fiercely against their skin.

   Desert. All around them, and further ahead, a great sea of earth and bushes and sun burned grass spread.

   Rey, Ben and Anni's hands were tied in front of them, and long lashes tied them even farther to the reins of the warriors' fathiers. Commander Tieren was up on that kind of animal as well, which surprised both Rey and Ben. And Rey's rope was tied right to his.

   After catching them, he never put his helmet on again. And the long and adoring looks he was often throwing Rey made her feel utterly uncomfortable, as if she were naked in front of him. And she shot him back glares that cut burning daggers through him each time. If only he would leave her alone... But he never did.

   How could they be such fools? I have never let my guard down! Rey scolded at herself. She knew it now. Knew they should have interested in what they ventured. But it was too late, they have been stripped off their weapons. And their newly made lightsabers... Perhaps they now rested in some pit back in those green valleys.

   Dust rose up in the air as the animals padded the scorched earth dragging their legs, drowsed from the searing heat. They have left the forest a long time ago. And now it was only that barren place that separated them from the village that was popping up in the distance.

   Rey coughed as she opened her mouth to suck in a breath, and all she inhaled was dust. Her skin was already glowing pink and hurting in the parts where her clothes did not cover it, and her mouth was parched, aching for the tiniest drop of water. The sun was pouring tears of sweat along her face, that muddled with the dust that had settled on it, and her legs felt like giving in.

   And each time she showed the littlest bit of weakness, the commander would whip her across her back, resulting into a glare from Ben, and a whip across his face as well.

   Barely dragging her feet after her, and with the blinding sun piercing her eyes, Rey tripped on one root and toppled on her knees, letting out a loud groan.

   "Already tired?" it surprised her that the commander had actually stopped at her fall. "I thought you were stronger, sweetheart." he said in a gentle voice. But Rey was no fool. She could smell how badly it reeked with lies and a cruelty she had rarely met.

   Just when she thought she would give in, a voice told her to fight back. It took a great amount of strength just to tilt her head up as she shoot him one of her glares. But the last bit of might was leaving her.

   And he just smiled a mocking smile down at her. "I'll please you in any way you want, sweetheart, once we get there." then his voice changed back into that sharp, cold tone. "Now move, slut!"

   And Rey had to bite her tongue when the whip lashed her hard across her back. Yet she couldn't quite drown the groan that was stuck in her throat. And as it came out, another lash of whip came across her skin, sending a searing pain through it.

   As she rose her head up, she noticed Ben's was already turned. As if he was ready to fight, to protest. But another whip came down across the side of his face as well, cutting deep into his skin.

   Rey forced herself up, legs trembling, feeling warm blood seep though her clothes.

   She would not let them see her tears as she resumed to a steady step, so much as she could. She would not let them humiliate her. So she held her chin up high and looked forward, defying them and their desert and their village.

   She squinted through the dust, and stepped on a small flock of yellow grass, almost stumbling again to the side. Another whip across her back, and a grunt left her mouth as she straightened up.

   At her hands, the coarse rope cut deep into her flesh, and with the sweat and the heat from above, blisters have began to form around her wrists.

   And worst of all, she had to admit she was afraid. Afraid of the place they were going to, afraid of what those men would do to them. And the fears were an open road to the dark side, she knew it too well. Was Ben as afraid as she was? Was Anni, too?

She had to gulp down her throat the lump that had settled there and would not let her breathe.

Then she heard another pair of heavy steps coming next to Tieren's fathier. As if anticipating what would come, Rey turned her head in the opposite direction from the commander, gazing in the distance. She tried to act as if she didn't care, as if she was on steady ground. But she knew she wasn't. And she knew that those men that were now looking at her with intent gazes could read it better than she would have liked.

She let out a resigned sigh of frustration and fear, and turned her head back to the horde ahead of them.

But she couldn't ignore what the men were talking as they rode next to her, even if she wanted.

"Have you thought what to do with her?" and the voice was not the coarse one of Tieren, but that of a stranger.

"Hmm... I have great plans for the traitor... Yes!" and Rey could feel the contempt in Tieren's voice. "But with her... I think she shall die, unless you have any better use for her." he said matter-of-factly. But he knew Rey was listening.

"We have more of them back home...I don't know what use could she be of."

"I don't want her to be of use. I want her to pay." and he said the last word purposefully louder, at the same time glaring down at Rey.

She inhaled a sharp breath as she heard the words, as she could feel him stare. She wished Ben could help her, as he did many times. And she wished she knew where Chewie was, she wished she had told the Resistance where she was. Now, when they would hear something, it will probably be about her death.

And taking notice of her listening, the commander made a sound that drew her attention.

Rey's eyes turned to him as she walked ahead.

"Pretty eyes, but she's a fool." the stranger said.

"She doesn't have to be smart." Tieren countered as his eyes pierced Rey's ones that gleamed in the sun, like all the hatred for him was gathered there, in those pools of hazel bordered with gold. "You can kill her when you get fed up with her."

Rey's eyes resumed to the desert and to the rocks ahead as tears threatened to spill out. A harsh wind blew the hair in her face, and she had to shake her head to see something.
She felt once again trapped as she continued her trek. And even though she was with Ben and Anni, she had never felt that way in her life. Not even back then on Jakku when there was no escape from that planet. Why did they not just kill her and be done with it?

~*~
The sun was already drowning behind the range of mountains when they finally arrived to the assessment. It splayed an orange light that blend into the crisp blue, and a gold thin line flecked the dark rocky tops before they met the sky.

Rey's eyes wandered across the sky as the stars began to appear shyly against the still-lit surface. Part of the heat was gone and the new breeze that sighed from the forests far away was cooling down the burns the sun had given her.

Yet the thundering of drums had reached her ears long before she reached the village. And what made her wonder was the gate that missed. Instead, a great mass of tents was spread around a large stone building they called temple.

But now her eyes wandered across the shimmering surface of the lake that pooled close to the entrance of the village. The sun set them ablaze, turning their color from bright hazel to golden. And it masked the tears that were forming in the corners and rolled in bright droplets down her cheeks. And from time to time, they would pass from one colorful tent to another, watching as men and women alike helped installing the tiny homes

They travel all day long on fathiers, she concluded. And they don't have a home. Though she knew this large village had to be some kind of market where they came to exchange their goods.

The Leaders of the troop had taken Ben and Annika inside as Rey had been left to five guards near the lake. She had no idea what Commander Tieren wanted to do with her, and did not want to find out as they had forced her to her knees on the muddy shore.

She had nothing to do but obey. Obey and be patient and act as if those men were her masters. As Unkar had once been on Jakku. As she had had the patience to wait for her parents who never came.
And she sat down quietly, trying not to take notice of their harsh treatment.

She tried to take some deep breaths to calm herself. But with the menacing presence of the soldiers behind her, it was no way possible. Not even glance around, she dared. And the water was so still, compared to her churning soul, not even the tiniest ripples on the smooth surface could be seen. It annoyed her to the core.

What am I without it? She wondered, thinking about the force. What can I do to defend myself?

And the answer was nothing.

But you've never been nothing, she heard a voice in her head say back. And it was hers as well. But she was sure that the person behind it was not.

She could do nothing now to escape, save for a miracle that would never come. Yet she knew miracles were true, for it had happened to her once. She had found that belonging she had sought all her life when she had expected less.

And all of a sudden a very well-known sound reached her ears. A beeping. Like BB-8. Could it be...?

But now it felt different. It felt like there was no hope, no changing the path. It felt like the damage was done and could never be repaired.

Right when her patience was wearing thin as she continued to stare in the distance, to the light that bled into nightfall, and her unflinching courage was slowly giving in to fear, two soldiers grabbed her by the arms and hauled her up to her feet.

Her face remained stern as they turned her around and walked her through the maddening mass of people.

Instead of the fear ghat churned in her belly as they approached the entrance of the great stone building with a round roof, she couldn't help but wonder at the people's activities. Some of them were woving and painting leather vests as they sat cross-legged on the hard, battered ground, some of them were skinning animals they must have hunted earlier that day and some of them were drumming a song that must have been another ritual of theirs. And a few young boys were sparring with their spears or fighting with some curved blades Rey has never seen.

Faster than she would have liked, she found herself hauled in the middle of a torch-lit great hall, packed with warriors. Too many curved blades hung from their belts, and long bows that almost reached the floor were slung across their bare backs. The sight of so many of them made her heart stop. She threw furtive glances around, only to see cruel and hungry stares back on her.

Where was Ben? Where was Anni? Were they safe, were they all right?

The men drew back to make a path for her as she approached the center of the chamber.

Great fires lit the round space they have left inside as she stepped forward, hands trembling in her ropes. The flames danced dangerously and way too close to each other. And the air was warm and damp, blocking down Rey's windpipe. The heat and the sensation of being trapped were suffocating. Would they burn her? Why were there so many fires around?

She closed her eyes to calm down a bit, and then her gaze wondered for any known face. And it fell on commander Tieren, that was smiling at her with cruelty.

Her breath caught in her throat. And in an instant, that fear of him was gone, consumed only by hatred and disgust. Those were traits of the dark side, she knew it. But they were now giving her the will to resist, to fight, were fueling her strenght. Because she had nothing to pity at that man. And because those feelings were part of nature, too. There couldn't be love, understanding and generosity without hatred and selfishness. There couldn't be light without darkness.

The commander took a few steps to the center, and she almost gasped when he revealed a barely alive Ben behind him. Her eyes filled with tears. Tears of what...? Of joy, that she was finally not alone, that he was there with her? Or ones of pity, that she couldn't quite place what had happened to him?

Both. At first, his name was whispered through her lips as their eyes met, only for him to notice. And she had felt the urge to bolt toward him and to cry on his shoulder and to hug him that they were both alive.
But then the bloody gashes across his face and the torns in his tunic made her reconsider.

Her eyes remained locked with his, as he seemed to be lost to her as well. She was half relieved and half not, as she noticed his struggle to breathe, the shallows intakes of air.

Pushing them both roughly to the center where two long wooden pillars went three meters up to the ceiling, and interrupting their connection, one man cut the ropes that bind Rey's hands and another two backed her up against the hard surface.

She gritted her teeth and let out a groan as her sore back hit the pillar. She shifted in order to find a better position, but her fresh wounds would only rub against the surface, causing more pain.
She felt tight ropes snake around her body and being fastened at the back.

Fighting off brought no use now, as she was being tied there, with tens of spears and bows and blasters loaded, at the ready. So she turned her head around, in the place where she hoped she could find solace. And Ben did the same, at the same time.
His face held concern, for her, and for Anni. Remembering about their little companion, she directed a thought in his mind.

Where is she? Rey asked.

Turn your head to the crowd, Ben replied.

And she did as she was bid. And her eyes met directly the little one's.

Annika was standing among the commanders and chiefs of tribes gathered there to decide their fate. Her slightly orange skin almost glowed in the fire, and for a moment, Rey couldn't wonder whether Anni has betrayed them or not.

Ben, what happened here? Rey asked through their bond.

I was the one who told her to go. They would have beaten her bloody, Rey. And I had nothing to defend her with. It is the best choice for now, he replied quickly.

All the time he had spoken to her, he had kept his head aimed straight forward, not glancing once at Rey. It was true, most of those men did not know about the Force. But he tried to avoid anything that would arise suspicions.

Rey looked at the little girl, and her eyes softened. She had sighed with relief when she had heard that Anni did not betray them.
And it was now that she realized just how much she had come to care about this little being she had only spent a few hours with, how much she was attached to her.

Then Commander Tieren turned to them, whip in hand. And her eyes snapped defiantly at him.

"The ships of the Final Order should be here tomorrow to take you to face your fates-" he began, but was shortly interrupted by the slamming open of the main gates.

"Raaaawwwrgggghhh!"

A large smile crept upon both Rey and Ben's faces as the well-known sound thundered in their ears.

"Sir! We've found this beast down the valley around a junk of a ship as old as the galaxy!" a stormtrooper rambled as he struggled to hold on the rope tied to the beast's neck.

"It's a wookie, you fool!" Tieren barked at him, then turned to the other men poised around him. "And you go and give him help!"

In the meantime, the angry wookie had flung the white soldier against the hard stone wall, making his armor crumble.

"Chewie!" Ben yelled across the room.

"Raaawwwrggh!" he roared in response as he heard the voice of his friend.

It took them long until they finally managed to put him down. Now tied with so many ropes, they brought the wookie and backed him to a pillar next to Ben's.

"Hi, old friend." Ben tilted his head up and greeted, his sarcastic smile betraying his thoughts about the situation they were it.

"Rawrgh?"

"Yes, I know, I know..." he sighed, rolling his eyes at the foes gathered around.

But his face turned back toward General Tieren as he approached. He was about to speak, when one of the foreign chiefs spilled out his distrust.

"We helped you find them, but we had a deal." a young man eyed the Final Order General.

"And did I say I won't keep my promise? You better recall that." his voice was sour, then he returned to his duty.

"Supreme Leader..." he paused as he took some slow steps, as if he was prowling toward his prey. "...Kylo Ren."

And Ben stiffened at the name.

"You're a dangerous man to the galaxy." and everyone broke into a laugh. "I hope you understand that's why we've had you tied up here... In case something odd crosses your mind and you want to murder us." then, he turned to the men waiting for a decision. "Any plans for him?" he asked, but the answer he received from one of the leaders surprised him.

"The girl." a dark-skinned. An grunted, shooting the General a glare. "What about the girl?"

And Rey recognized him as the man who had ridden next to Tieren and had talked about her.

"I've already told you that you're to do with her whatever you want as long as you make her pay."

And leaving Ben, he turned to walk toward Rey. Her eyes have been following his every step until now.

His eyes seemed to be locked on hers, and she did her best to avoid his insistent stare. But somewhere along the way she couldn't do it anymore. It frightened her, and made the beats of her poor heart quicken, hammer against her ribs. But running away from fears only worsened them.

As they were only inches apart, he placed his finger under her chin and tilted her head up and down, right and left, examining her closely. She took in a sharp breath at the contact, and tried not to stiffen. Squeezing her eyes tight and gulping down the lump in her throat, she let him guide his hand against her cheek. And she could feel the anger coming in waves from Ben toward the man that was now touching her. His gaze was hard and intense, his eyes seemed to be hurling daggers through Tieren.

"Such a pretty face... Big eyes, sweet mouth... It would be a waste to kill her." the commander almost whispered.

And as his eyes bore into Rey's and his face came closer and closer to hers, making her want to run away, she gathered her strength and her forehead slammed hard into his nose and mouth, sending him reeling back.

Rey knew it had been pure madness. But his surprised look gave her the satisfaction she needed. What could they do worse to her? The destination would be the same.

"How dare you!" he spat.

"How dare you touch her?!" Ben retorted.

"What about you, traitor? Any last words to us?"

"I never betrayed." he said, proudly, his gaze even. "I only realized I was living a lie."

"Raaaawrgh!" chewie approved.

And with that, Tieren commanded his soldiers with a curt shake of his head to release the three prisoners from their wooden pillars and fetch them to the prison.
The first to be freed was Ben. And as soon as two stormtroopers grabbed his arms for a third to tie his hands, Anni tore her way through the crowd, screaming out his name as if her life depended on it.

And this kind of disobedience would only worsen things now. But Ben had no power to freeze her in place, or to yell at her to stop. For she was already halfway to him. Instead, he broke free from the two white-armored soldiers, pushing them roughly aside, and squatted down to welcome the child. As soon as she crashed against him he pulled her in his arms and wrapped them around her in time to protect her from the whip that lashed down targeting her, but slashing his face instead.

He squeezed his eyes tight as the pain seared through him like a knife and fresh blood clouded his vision. And his arms held the little child for dear life.

"Raaaawwwwrrrgh!" Chewie's roar drowned the lashes as he struggled to break free.

Anni balled his brown leather tunic into her small fists as she buried her head and muffled her tears in his chest, his head coming right over hers and his hand cupping it, pressing her against him. She held on to him as if to give him the strength he needed as he shielded her with his body and took another whip.

"Is it enough?!" the commander barked at the two of them hugged on the ground.

Slowly, and full of fear, she pulled away a bit and looked up at his bruised face, her big and blue eyes on the verge of tears. But he returned her a weak smile. As much of a reassurance as he could give.

"Master Ben?" she asked as her small hand patted his face. Her words were short, but held so much concern in them.

"I'm alright." he said as he stroked her back up and down, to reassure her.

And if Ben was surprised at the name she had called him, he made an effort not to show it.

The commander was preparing for a third blow, and the whip was lashing forward, when Anni pulled free from Ben's arms and rose a hand up in the air as if she could stop it.
Her eyes held a determination that could move mountains. A determination only Rey had. And Ben didn't even have time to pull her back into his arms.
And to everyone's surprise, the whip did indeed stop. For a moment it hung in the air. Then, with some great force, it lashed back across Tieren's face, hurling him down onto his back.

It took him some moments before he could stand back up, eyes sending deadly glares at the four captives.

"Take them to the cells!" he growled in anger.

Five men broke Ben and Annika apart, and the latter began to cry.

"Don't give in to your feelings. Don't give in to your anger." Ben kept whispering to her as he was hauled up.

"What about the little one, master?" the man that had appeared to be the chief of the tribe asked as he shook Annika's shoulder.

But General Tieren only shrugged his shoulders with indifference. "Imprison her, too. General Pryde will know what to do with her when we hand them down."

~Thanks for reading! ~

A/N: Were you able to feel Rey's fear in the first part?

Was their reunion in the Great hall well portrayed? Could you feel the relief that surged through Rey at the sight of him?

What do you think about the portrayal of the dark feelings Rey feels and how she acted on them? Do you think it right of her that she needs to use them, too?

*When I said "selfishness", it was to show that sometimes you have to do some terrible things, only to prevent dreadful ones from happening. *