Chapter 60.

Rey's makeup / hair / and dress!

THE DAY OF THE WEDDING.

( x )

It was maddening now.

In every moment since she woke, she tried to reach out through the force for guidance, for her friend, for her master. No one answered her, the force seemingly refusing any comfort to her mind to ensure all would be okay.

But she could make it be okay, couldn't she? At least that's what she felt Ben was alluding to...

She wasn't sure if she had it in her to lead anybody, and even if she did, who would that be?

She didn't know.

Why would she anyway?

'For Leia... For Poe... For Finn and Rose... For Flora, and Chewie, and the rest of her friends... For Ben... For myself...' Rey's mind whispered to her.

Mindlessly, Rey bit at her bottom lip.

The only leaders she had ever really known had been Leia and Ben, people on the opposite sides of the war who led in extremely different ways. Leia was more headstrong, always analyzing the person she fought against, understanding their weakness and attacking when the moment was right.

With Ben, he was more strategic, stern in his ways when it came to recognizing a threat and stopping it in its place. It was like a game, Rey realized. 'Use the right pieces, at the right moments, think of where you are and where you want to be...' Rey nodded to herself.

Thinking of the statement, she knew she was stuck here, just like the people who resided here on Naboo, following orders and never breathing a breath of air that belonged to just them.

'Freedom.'

Something she could relate heavily to when it came to longing for it...

Ben was always cautious, always knowing the way his team thought, and Rey understood why that worked, how they went so long without any faulty member until Finn turned. Pair that with Leia's care and strength...

'That is how I can do this.' Rey thought.

Flicking her eyes up to Hidiya's form in the mirror, she watched the girl as she brushed away at Rey's own hair, having readied Rey's makeup just a little while before.

Prior to her arrival, Ben and Rey woke and dressed for the day in silence, choosing to go train for a little while before needing to ready himself for the ceremony. Rey however, chose to stay behind and meditate, which Ben both understood and allowed.

A few hours later, Rey found herself in this moment, deep in thought as her hair was brushed this way and that.

"Lady Rey?"

Rey was pulled out of her trance by Hidiya's soft, questioning voice. Their gazes met in the mirror, Hidiya's eyebrow raising as she smiled teasingly.

"Oh, I'm sorry Hidiya. I was quite lost in thought there." Rey blinked away the fogginess, returning a quick smile to the girl as her eyes drifted down to her own reflection.

Her eyes were brimmed with black coal, her lids shadowed with a simple silver smoke that made her eyes light up brought out her freckles. Along her lips was a pink gloss that made her mouth sticky, and for a moment, Rey debated wiping it off just to resist the urge of licking it away.

Rey's hair was brushed back, feathering along her shoulders as she sat back against the chair, momentarily shocked by her own reflection.

There were times she had seen royalty made up in such paint, but she never in her life thought she'd be sitting here like a mirror of those holos.

Her cheeks warmed with high hopes that Ben would like it.

A voice in the back of her mind told her she looked determined, ready, dark even... With a nod, she knew he'd like it. She herself did.

"What do you think?" Hidiya asked, watching Rey's expression with a hopeful, shy smile.

Rey grinned, turning to the girl.

"I like it Hidiya, thank you so much. Will you be joining us tonight?" Rey asked.

Hidiya wrung her hands and gave a hard, awkward chuckle. "Oh, no! Servants aren't allowed at such events, unless of course we're working."

Rey nodded, understanding as she felt a small wave of disappointment flow through her. For whatever reason, she felt as though she could relate to Hidiya, and having that so nearby made Rey's nerves quiet, the only other person she felt comfortable with in some way.

For a second, Rey cursed herself for not choosing a better alliance with Hidiya instead of DJ, and the thought sparks a small, distant fire in her.

A brief silence fills the air around them as Hidiya walks to the living area to retrieve Rey's dress, carrying it back to her as Rey watches her carefully, an eager test forming into a quiet question on her tongue.

"Hidiya... If you had the chance to change your life, would you do it?"

Rey watched as Hidiya's eyes fell to the floor, the question tugging at the girl's fears and anxieties.

For a long moment, they both remained quiet as they stood within a foot of each other, Rey thinking that she may not answer, until she sees the slightest nod from Hidiya.

"I would..." she answers softly, afraid of her vocal betrayal being heard from outsiders.

Rey felt the shimmer of light vibrate throughout her, hope sparking the dark corners of her mind with such fire that she couldn't think anymore, her tongue taking free reign and guiding Rey to her goal.