Saga - ST Hymne - Luke, Rey (minor TFA spoilers), *Legends references L/M*

I posted my thoughts on TFA and Luke/Mara on the L/M index, and I won't recapitulate them here.

This is my ode to Luke and Mara.

Hymne

They ate in silence for an eternity. Rey would eat nearly anything edible, but slightly charred sea bird, which Rey suspected had been cooked by lightsaber, was rather more disconcerting than anything she had eaten recently.

Beyond asking her name and offering her a meal, Luke Skywalker had barely spoken. He sat quietly, finishing his food, then finally spoke up.

“May I see that?”

Rey was confused momentarily by his outstretched hand, but quickly she realized he was referring to the lightsaber, and handed it over. She did not expect what happened next, despite her history with the object.

The lightsaber fell from Luke’s hand as he slid out of his chair. Rey gasped and rushed to the older man, who stumbled onto his knees and looked at Rey in surprise.

After a moment Luke returned to his seat, and Rey could contain herself no longer.

“Luke, what happened?”

Luke Skywalker’s eyes glazed slightly as he spoke. “I saw a vision.”

Rey nearly burst as she tried to tell the Jedi about her similar experience, but she got no words out before Luke continued.

“It began on Tatooine, my home planet, but it did not end there. Yavin, Bespin, Endor flew by in an instant. I saw strange creatures I’ve never seen before, sometimes friends, sometimes enemies. I saw fighting, and I saw peace.

“I saw Jedi, hundreds of Jedi. Young and old alike, of all species. None have I ever met before, but all knew me. I felt a descent into darkness, I or another I am not sure, but the light won out. The Jedi dispersed, off to the far reaches of the galaxy. My sister was among them. I saw Han and Leia, together, surrounded by children. Happiness and despair both stalked them, and I was helpless to intervene.

“I saw great wars, several times, as the galaxy came together to defeat great evil. I saw friends die, and new friends born. I felt hope, each time, as each war faded, and grief as the next one grew.”

Luke fell silent for a moment, and his eyes flicked to Rey as he took a deep breath, then continued.

“Most of all, there was a woman. Pale, beautiful, with red hair and sparkling green eyes. A sense of coldness and intransigence surrounded her at first, but those feelings slowly deformed, replaced by a warmth stronger than anything I’ve ever felt. There was love, playful and deep, impish yet undying, overpowering in a way I’ve never thought possible. She faded away, leaving me cold.”

Rey sat unmoving for a long moment. She had known Luke Skywalker for not more than a few hours. Her expectations had been shattered at first glance; the Jedi looked no more remarkable than any other human she had encountered. On her second glance, however, she noticed his eyes. As blue as the water on this planet, Luke’s eyes had held deep concern, as if all the cares of the universe were laid squarely on his shoulders.

During their silent dinner, Luke’s eyes had taken on a sheen that could only be described as icy. The Jedi had seemed a million light-years away. But now Rey saw something else in the older man’s eyes. Tears. It took a moment for Rey to register the fuzziness in her own vision, and a further moment to associate it with her own tears.

A single blink erased the tears from Luke’s eyes. Before he could speak again, Rey succumbed to her curiosity and asked the obvious questions. “What does the vision mean? Is it the future, or something in your past?”

Luke shook his head slowly, a gesture of sufficient length that Rey was sure she wouldn’t receive an answer. Finally, though, the older man replied. His words were far heavier than she expected. “Neither. The vision was of a different path, one not taken. One which might have been, if not for a choice made long ago.”

“What choice?”

The corners of Luke’s mouth turned up at this, a look that Rey could only associate with amusement, although his response was coldly sober.

“I don’t know. It could be one major choice, made long ago. It could be many smaller choices, or even many major ones, made over a period of time. Always in motion is the future, as my teacher once said. But the past is immutable.”

“Then what does it mean?” Rey was repeating herself.

Luke looked away and was silent for a long time. He had shared much with Rey, a woman he barely knew. But he hadn’t shared everything.

* * *​

A hymne arose from nowhere. Softly at first, crescendoing slowly, the melody coursing through the vision, scored by a master of unparalleled ability.

I saw her on a balcony, overlooking the water. Turned away, facing the setting sun, the edges of her body defined, backlit by a radiant, crimson, coronal light. Her long green dress shimmered in the fading light, and I stood transfixed for a moment. I smelled flowers and oils, scents which were strangely familiar despite their exoticness. And then she turned, and that moment is one I will always remember.

Her green eyes sparkled, more brightly than her dress, even more brightly than the sunset, and she smiled. She reached for my hand, and as she touched me, I nearly lost my balance. I saw many things in that instant. It started with a burning fire, hatred and rage. A forest enveloped us, and the fire faded. A warmth began to grow, but that quickly turned cold. The light faded, leaving only us, and our spirits circled each other. Tendrils of color fluoresced, punctuating the joy of brief interactions, but this was bracketed by longer periods of darkness and icy withdrawal, and I felt despair. Slowly the circles grew. The stars of the galaxy spun, and we were pulled farther apart.

Then, abruptly, something changed. There was a modulation; the hymne intensified, and our paths were altered. We were thrust together in an instant, and the galaxy exploded.

I saw her in a white dress. Deep feelings of intimacy and sensuality followed, but these were too short, and interspersed with danger, sickness, and loneliness. The cycle continued, but underlying it was a feeling of love so complete that I could not let go of it. Gradually this feeling pushed out all others, and I was left with a warmth in my heart, and a piece of my mind I felt was no longer entirely my own.

I returned to the balcony, and she pulled me closer. She was older then, graying slightly, but still youthful. She ran her fingers delicately through my hair, and her spirit began to flicker. And then she kissed me, and spoke. I never expected to love you. But I always did. As she faded away, the hymne ended, and my heart was utterly ripped apart. But there was something there that had been obscured. A boy, with my blue eyes and her red hair.

* * *​

Still looking away, Luke finally answered. “It means I’ve forgotten who I am. My failure with Ben Solo has pushed me away from the path on which I should be. The message is clear.”

And then Luke looked at Rey, his eyes burning with a power that gave her chills.

“I’ve been running away for too long.”

 

Magnificent! A wonderful ode and truly fitting.

 

Thanks!

 

Yes, Luke, you have. Nice way to weave in the EU with the new canon. I liked the glimpses he had of a future not realized. Well done.

 

This is great. I love the idea of Mara fro another reality essentially turning up in a vision to Luke to tell him to buck his ideas up!

 

Thanks! It really struck me the second time through TFA how Luke appeared to have run away and left the galaxy to Snoke, Ren, et al. I'm sure we will find out more about this in Ep8 or a novel, but that to me was a big change from the way Luke was characterized in the OT and most of the Legends novels.

Thanks, I appreciate the comment! Above all I felt I needed to say goodbye to the L/M pairing as canon, since it seems pretty likely to me that Disney will be taking this a different way.