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“Submit, Ben!” Rey yelled, putting the lightsaber to his his throat.
“Why? No one in the Resistance wants me alive.”
She tugged his hair back, straining his neck so he could look at her.
“I want you alive!” She shoved him away, her feelings of anger and sadness making her an emotional mess.
Ben fell forward onto his hands and knees, his dark hair falling around him like a halo. She could hear him sobbing. It wasn't meant to be like this. She threw his lightsaber away, the red blade extinguishing as it hit the ground. There was no escaping that colour. The circular room was bathed in it, cast from the roof above.
This room in the Sith Temple was stranger than the rest. It was devoid of the rest of the temple's dark imagery. The only thing it contained was a small fountain in the center, filled with black water. Within it, was the artefact they both sought. The one she wanted to destroy.
Somehow she had managed to prevail against him in this fight. Now she wanted it all to be done.
“Rey, stop!” Ben choked out.
She paused on the steps, “Why?”
Ben lifted his head, brushing aside the hair that clung to his face. He looked broken. Rey could sense his feelings and it was hard to ignore them.
“It is not meant for you.”
She scoffed and kept walking. He stood, growling in frustration. “What I mean is that...it is not meant for a Jedi to retrieve.”
She stopped, watching him approach her warily. He stood close to her, his size and strength never failing to impress her.
“There is always a price with the Sith,” he said quietly staring at her. She looked away. He took the final step and sat on the edge.
The fountain had long stopped working, the water completely still. A stone serpent coiled out from the middle and stared at him with its mouth open, full of fangs. Shuddering, he turned his attention to the object on the bottom.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” he said to himself. He slowly lowered his hand. Before it was even submerged, the tips of his gloves began smoking. The water was acidic.
“Ben, dont do it, its not worth it.”
Rey's word quickly turned to white noise as he plunged his hand into the water. The pain was immediate as it began burning through the layers of his clothes. A Sith had to pay whether by blood, pain or sacrifice. They never gave away their secrets freely. As he reached further down he felt like he was going to pass out. Rey was shaking him, trying to pull him away. Not until he got it.
His fingers somehow curled around the object, the pain intensifying. He pulled his arm out, immediately dropping the item into Rey's hands. His vision started to fill with black spots. He felt sick. Then he felt a pressure on his chest. A tingling sensation flowed outward from it. Then everything came back into focus. Rey was staring at him with tears streaming down her face. She was trying to heal him.
“Oh, Ben,” she said sadly.
Ben stared at the ruins of his arm. His black sleeves long gone to reveal raw flesh underneath. The water had done more damage than he realised. Rey's other hand cupped his check and forced him to look at her, “Ben, I dont have the strength to completely heal this. I need to take you back to the Resistance.”
“Rey, I...” he was in too much pain. He conveyed an image of holding her through the bond.
She smiled through the tears, her eyes set with a determined gaze. She extended her hand behind her, calling his lightsaber and clipped it to her belt beside her own. With some effort, she helped him stand, bearing most of his weight. Ben screamed as the pain shot up his arm and through his body. No part of his arm seemed to respond, yet he could still feel it.
“Thankyou,” he gasped.
“Lets just get you back to the ship and we can argue later.”