A/N: It has been done! I have started countless stories, but never posted any. I feel that this is one I can really get into if people actually enjoy it. The story is based off of a theory I have concerning Rey's past. I'll explain it at the end of the actual first chapter in case people have trouble getting it. All forms of criticism welcome, although courtesy would be greatly appreciated. I know my work isn't very smooth, so tips are nice. Beginning is rushed, but gets better later. Enjoy!

The Forgotten Past

Prologue: Dead Girl Walking

When Rey stood in front of the man cloaked in robes on the hill, she had an idea of what she was getting herself into. She knew that this was the famous Luke Skywalker. She knew that he was the last of the legendary Jedi. She knew that somehow, for some reason, she could feel the faint thrum of the force around her.

What she didn't know was that she was about to be the Rebellion's last hope.

Finding Skywalker was a test she had now passed. When he approached her on that hill among the ruins and folded her hands over the light saber, she was given the choice to be his pupil. A padawan.

Without words she knew that he was presenting his offer. She could take the mantle of the Jedi's teachings, carrying on the battle against the Sith and the First Order.

She silently accepted. She was already involved, caught within the web spun by the necessities of war. With Luke's help, she could be more than victim to circumstance. She would no longer be a scavenger in any sense of the word.

The whole thing was like a dream. He followed her back down the expanse of rock to the Falcon. There he embraced his old Wookie friend and mourned with the news that Han Solo had been killed. Rey didn't need to feel the trembles of the Force to know that Luke blamed himself.

She and Chewbacca let the old man grieve as they left the planet and the ruins behind. They set a course for D'Qar. Leia would need to see Luke as soon as possible.

"Wait," Rey turned to see Luke behind her co-pilot seat. He was eyeing the coordinate system. "It is not time for me to return, not yet. There is one more place that we must go to."

"Another planet? With all due respect, Master Skywalker, we really need to get back to D'Qar. The Rebellion needs you." 'Leia needs you' she nearly said. She held her tongue. Best not to pressure the man. Luke chuckled at Rey's words. Chewy glanced between the two with an expression Rey could only identify as confusion. She herself didn't understand what was so funny.

"Need me? Child, I am old. My strength grows weaker by the day. It is not me they need, it is you." Rey squashed down the flutter of nerves that threatened to crawl up her back. Her? She had a feeling Luke was going to say something of the sort, but feeling and hearing are two completely different things. Rey had been raised as a loner and the concept of looking out for others was daunting. She grimaced as she reflected on how she could hardly take care of herself in her current state.

Skywalker seemed to have read her mind. Or the Force. She really had no idea how any of this actually worked. "This is why we must begin your training immediately. Chewy, please set the coordinates I am about to give you." A long series of numbers was recited that Chewy plugged into the console. Luke let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. The deep lines of his face slacked and made him appear even older.

Rey finished tweaking the flight path and took a moment to realize just how much the man in front of her had been through. If the stories were true, he was raised in the desert sands just like her. She knew how unforgiving that could be. Other than that, his life was a mess in her eyes.

He was dragged into a war by what could be considered the most unbelievable coincidence in the galaxy. A family he would later learn wasn't even his own was killed. He found out the most dreaded face of said war was his father and then watched the man die. He represented the last of an entire way of life. And now more recently, the nephew entrusted to him was turned to the dark in the most murderous ways possible, forcing the Jedi into recluse for at least a decade.

Rey could only remember a life where she was by herself, but at least she was on a populated planet. Bartering with scraps wasn't much, but it kept her mind going and her determination up. The old Jedi Ruins had nothing. It was a wonder how the man behind her was still sane. She let her imagination wander for the moment, trying to recall if she saw any animal tracks or shelters on her hike. The ship's light speed jolted her out of her thoughts.

"We are headed toward an isolated planet known as Lapsid that lies on the outer belt," Luke stated, pinning Rey to the chair with his wizened eyes. "Its small size and lack of civilization will give us the privacy we need to begin your training. Are you prepared?" There was once a time where she would have hesitated. She would have thought of Jakku and the need to be there, to wait for that precious person that haunted the edges of her memory. Now she had something far more important and tangible to worry about. Protecting the loved ones that she had now. Rey wasted no time answering.

"Yes, Master Skywalker."

ox0XOX0xo

Rey used the travel time to tell Luke about herself and what had occurred, starting with her name. Funny how she had gone so long without introducing herself. She assumed living in Jakku would do that to people. Exchanging fists was more common than passing words. Chewy pitched in on the storytelling with a few roars that she translated. Luke was quite an avid listener, drinking in her every word. He was especially impressed when she recalled how she tapped into the Force to escape from her confinement.

Rey was awed by the patience and attentiveness the man exuded. She fervently hoped it was something she could pick up in her future training. Luke then told her his own story, most of which she knew from tales, but it sounded more real coming from the source. She didn't question it when he glazed over his padawan disaster. She herself didn't want to think of that monster of a man called Kylo Ren. She still had nightmares with him reaching for her, pressing into her mind . . .

When they finally exited light speed, Rey found Lapsid was not what she was expecting. Then again, she only had about three other planets to compare it to. One of those could hardly be considered a planet. Take a guess at which one.

From a distance the planet was grey, a dusty sort that was reminiscent of ash. Upon closer inspection one could see the faint glimmer of blue that reflected off the planet's surface. Chewy and Rey were put to the test to land the Falcon as Luke explained the planet's surface.

"Lapsid is covered in forests of trees found nowhere else," Luke began. "They may appear rather plain, but they will be vital in your training. They lack any form of conventional leaves, instead using their branches to filter through the intense winds that surround the planet. Something about this allows them to jam most signals. We should be safe for a degree of time. Just try not to smash into too many."

The Falcon shuddered as they broke through the atmosphere, causing Luke to sway in place.

They pretty much smashed a dozen trees to make a wide enough clearing.

When the door hissed open, Rey gave herself a minute to be in awe. She had no idea what Luke had meant by 'plain'. The trees were grey, true, but in a nearly metallic sense. They gave off a silvery shine, their trunks so thick that Rey's fingertips wouldn't touch if she hugged one. They reminded her of the hulls of expensive ships when rich people flew to Jakku to have others do their dirty work. She eyed the branches that swayed above in the upper winds. They almost looked like the hands on a frail droid, thin and angled, twitching in the air.

The glimmer of blue on the planet's surface, she realized, was caused by the swathes of emerald-blue grass that coated the planet's surface. "I think this is the first time I've seen grass like this," Luke turned to his new padawan with a knowing smile.

"And it will not be the last." He headed towards the thicket with an air of certainty. "We must prepare now."

From then on, Rey's training had truly begun. Chewy managed to operate the Falcon alone and fly himself back to D'Qar. It was just Rey and Luke with a bundle of supplies Chewy was able to spare for them.

Days and weeks passed in a blur. It was clear to Rey that Master Skywalker did not spend his years in solitude slacking. He had been researching. Burying himself in the Force to the point that he truly was one with it. Rey could handle the physical labor, the running, hauling trunks and climbing up the tallest tree. What she struggled with was immersing herself the way her Master could.

Before she knew it, four months had gone by. She could only tell because Chewy came once every two weeks with more supplies. She had yet to master the Force, but she convinced her Master to let her train with the light saber. Rey had no way of knowing how desperately she would need the skills in the coming day.

A ship was approaching Lapsid.

The Force remained silent.

ox0XOX0xo

The nearest star's light signaled the end of another day as it dipped beyond the horizon. Among the trees one could see flashes of blue light glancing off of their eerie silver bark, flickering every few seconds as its source whipped to and fro. Rey stood in the center of the clearing, unaware of the fading light as her eyes were beneath a thick white cloth. The hum of the saber was the only source of noise to meet her straining ears.

Feel the Force. Focus. I can do this. She opened her mind in an attempt to take in her surroundings.

"Be wary of that trick, Rey, it leaves you vulnerable." A sudden jab in her mind caused her to curl back in. This distraction nearly caused her to miss the shudder in the Force.

She pivoted to the left, swinging the humming blade like a bat as she knocked an unseen object from the air, slicing it in two.

"Very good! I nearly got you that time. Trust in the Force and it will come to you. Patience is key in this. That will be all for today." Rey pulled off the sweaty cloth to see her Master across from her. She surveyed the clearing to take note of the dozens of the chunks of tree branches she had cut in half that her Master had Force-thrown at her.

"If we keep this up there won't be any branches left," she joked, disabling the saber. Luke chuckled and shook his head.

"We take only what we need and no more than what can be provided. The forest is under no harm," he turned and began to walk. "Let us return now. It is far darker than I realized."

A smile adorned Rey's face as she walked behind her Master. She realized soon after their arrival that it was never truly 'dark' on Lapsid. The silver of the trees reflected any and all light, giving forest clearings a faint glow. Lapsid's cool nature was such a polar opposite of Jukka that Rey still wasn't sure if she liked it or not. She was beginning to think that she did. Anyplace was pretty much better than Jukka, now that she thought about it.

The wind started to pick up around the duo, whipping wisps of Rey's hair free from their buns. She was enjoying the cool down on her overheated body when she suddenly shuddered.

Her mind immediately screamed that this wasn't from the cold. Then she felt it, like something chilled had slithered up her back and rested in the back of her head. Goosebumps puckered over her skin and she could feel the cold press against her mind. Her body had frozen on impulse.

Rey could see that Luke had as well. Oh Force, no . . .

Her Master swiveled to face her, eyes focused but wary. "He has found us." The duo then simultaneously lunged into sprints, pushing themselves in the direction of their camp.

They were both well aware of the risks in coming to this part of the galaxy. One would have to be foolish or naive to think the First Order wasn't doing everything in their power to find them. This forced Rey and Luke to form a plan soon after arriving on this planet. It was rather straightforward.

Signal the Rebellion for a pick up and hide in the forests until they arrive. The signal-blocking ability of the trees made them invisible to the locators the Storm Troopers used. Nearby scout patrols that Leia stationed for them on Lapsid's nearest moon would fly in and pick them up. Things would only get hairy if Kylo Ren arrived to pinpoint them with the Force.

Except he did.

This spurred Rey on as panic flared. Their plan for this situation was relatively the same, but much more grim: Get a signal out so the Rebellion is aware of what was happening and hide in the forest for as long as possible. The nearby rebel scouts were more than likely destroyed, unable to avoid detection from the volatile Force user. They would have to wait for more to be sent.

He must be truly desperate to find us on this little rock.

Rey thought of the signaling device she technically stitched together from free parts on the Falcon. She had to boost the machine's signal-sending abilities with extra power nodes and energy compressors, making the cobbled unit too big for easy transport. They were forced to leave it at camp when they went out for intense training.

She was truly beginning to regret not making time to adjust this as the wind whipped against her sprinting form.

As quickly as they had begun their mad race, Luke pulled them both to a stop. The firm grip of the old man on her arm refused to yield. Rey, whose momentum carried her so she was ahead of her Master, faced him with confusion.

"Master, what are you doing?! We don't have time t-"

"We will not make it to the campsite." A calm aura seemed to settle on the Jedi like a mask. The old Skywalker was maintaining a Jedi's serenity in this chaos.

"We won't if we stop! We have to keep going!"

Luke was still trying to coax Rey from her scavenger's instincts. Despite her steady training, she still maintained a 'flight or fight' response to situations. Practicing neither meant an early death on Jakku.

"I say we will not make it because we have already been found. Isn't that right, Ben?" Rey felt her eyes widen as she turned to the path ahead of them.

There was nothing. Only the dark glimmer of the trees and their shadows. There was a moment of silence where even the swaying of the tree tops had stilled. Rey could feel her heart pounding in her ears. The dreaded hiss and hum she was waiting for caused fear to cut into her mind like a physical blade.

"Always observant, aren't you, Skywalker."

One of the shadows wavered as the black demon himself emerged from trees to their right.

"Unless, of course, it didn't suit you to be."

Everything was as she remembered it. The dark robes that rustled behind him in the wind, the crackling red saber with the unique hilt, and the mask that hid a face she still had nightmares about.

There was nothing entirely wrong with his face, not before she got a hold of it anyway. It was the fact that this murdering monster was human that she found terrifying. He had a family, a home, and he chose to throw it away. Tossed it to the wind like it was garbage.

It made her wonder in the back of her mind what would have happened to her if she still had nothing. If she would somehow end up like him . . .

"I am aware that I have made mistakes, Ben, and I admit to them, but this is not the right path," Luke removed his hand from Rey's trembling arm. "The Dark Side brings only suffering. Surely you must see that now! Your mother mourns-"

A log shot from within the forest straight for the Jedi's head. Rey felt the force warp in the surrounding area as Luke stopped the improvised missile in air and forced it into the ground.

"I did not come to talk, old man, I came for your head," Ren raised his saber up, pointing it toward Rey. "And her's as well."

With no other warning, Ren bolted forward, his lightsaber held back to swing forward in an arc that would cut Rey in half. Rey shoved all of her fears away and activated her own saber. Sparks and screeches filled the air as the blades of light collided. Her expression steeled as she looked into the illuminated mask. Rey was now in fight mode. She would fight with everything she had or die trying.

I beat him once, I can do it again! She pushed against him, knocking him back only to have him swing forward again.

They were like magnets, pushing and pulling at one another, darting between trees. Luke kept his distance from the clashing titans, using the Force to guide Rey as well as throw objects to distract Ren. Rey was thankful for training in the cramped forest as she slipped among the trees. Ren's frustration and rage were palpable in the air as he felled several trees in swinging at her. In between the periods of smashing blades, Rey started to feel confident. She felt she actually had a strong chance of winning.

Until they stumbled into a clearing. Then Rey realized just how wrong she was. She might have won her last clash against Kylo, but he was injured. And for a fleeting moment Rey wondered if he was holding back before. Wasn't he hoping to teach her?

Once clear of the trees, the black demon became a whirlwind of speed. Rey would deflect from one side only to immediately twist to block the other. The strength she had built over the months was very well the only thing keeping her alive.

By the Force, did none of the damage dealt by her and Finn stick? As she feigned left to get to his exposed side, a large branch manipulated by Luke swung up from behind Kylo, catching him against the side of his head. Rey heard a sharp snap as Ren grunted and stumbled away from her.

She was a second too late in taking the opportunity as Ren roared in anger and threw his hand up at Luke. Rey twisted her head to see her Master suddenly airborne and thrown against a tree. The crack that echoed through the clearing froze the blood in her veins.

"Luke, No!"

Don't drop your guard! The Force screamed.

The next few seconds seemed to move in slow motion. Rey turned her head back to see Ren bearing down on her, lightsaber poised to bisect her from her left shoulder to her right hip. She held her saber up to block when Kylo suddenly changed his angle. Instead of slamming down on her, he knocked against her saber so it was pointed down to her right. His saber was on top of hers and Rey realized her mistake when-

"AAUGH!" Pain ripped across her as Kylo swung his saber up, slicing her from mid bicep up to her right collar bone. Lights flashed in her vision as her right arm went limp, dropping a now disabled saber to the blood splattered grass below. It was immediately pulled through the Force into Ren's waiting hand. Instinct and pain pushed her to stumble back from the enraged robed figure. She shoved herself against a tree in an effort to stabilize herself, glaring in defiance to the one who wounded her.

Ren was heaving and Rey realized in the midst of her glaring that his mask was damaged from Luke's attack. The side the branch hit warped the area, blocking part of his line of sight. Ren must have calmed enough to realize this as well. He clipped her saber to his belt and ripped off the damaged mask with one hand. Rey noted the nice pink scar she left him, stretching from his right cheek all the way up to the bridge of his nose. She didn't stop the smug well of pride that she actually left a mark. The rest of his face looked even paler in comparison as his dark hair whipped back in the growing nightly winds. She would have said the shadows under his eyes made him look tired if she didn't know better.

He must have taken note of her moment of pride, because Ren's rage was all too visible now. His furrowed brows emphasized his obsidian eyes, where there was no light to be seen. Only the dark.

Rey was trying to put pressure on her injured arm when a groan from across the clearing dragged her from her throws of pain. Luke was lifting himself off the ground, crimson matting his hair and running over his closed right eye. His left eye was open wide with shock. How had they both been defeated so simply?!

Kylo was brandishing his unnatural saber, relishing in his victory as he stalked toward the closest of his injured prey: Rey.

"Ben! Stop! You don't understand!"

"Ben is dead," Ren continued his slow approach. "And I understand everything clearly." He returned Rey's defiant glare, his own filled with disgust and wrath. A sneer pulled at his lips, twisting his scar in a way that should be painful.

"Your precious padawan will never give in to the Dark Side. I realize this. And if she won't join the Dark Side," He raised his saber. Rey's final defiant glare gave way to fear as what was happening finally registered. Her eyes widened.

"Then she will die by it!"

"Blast it Ben, she is Amiri!" Luke's yell rang out, silencing all else as his echoes whispered in the trees. Rey halfheartedly realized that this was the first time she had heard Luke raise is voice.

What she full heartedly realized was that the figure that towered in front of her, the one whose weapon was poised to cleave off her head, had stilled. Rey looked into the face of her coming death to see eyes, not of anger, but of genuine surprise. Rey's eyes must have mirrored his when he actually lowered the crackling red blade. She watched as his eyes quickly reverted back to their more familiar glare. He kept the blade pointed in her direction but turned his head to yell back across the clearing.

"Your lies will not sway me, uncle," the word was all but spat from his mouth. Luke was struggling to pull himself up using a tree as a prop. Ren continued on unfazed. "You and I both know Amiri is dead." Luke was now leaning heavily, but looked unto his nephew with a melancholy smile.

"Have you truly blinded yourself so much, Ben?"

Rey saw the rage flare up in Kylo's-no, Ben's dark eyes. Confusion still swam through her mind.

Who the heck is Amiri and what is going on? She watched the confrontation between the Skywalkers escalate.

Luke pulled himself straight, trying to stress the importance of his next words. "You will see if you open your mind. Let the Force show you the truth!"

"I SEE ENOUGH, YOU OLD FOOL! I AM A SITH LORD!" In the blink of an eye Ben was turned around and Rey found the saber at her throat. "Tonight, I shall fulfill my grandfather's mission and destroy the Rebellion's final hope! I will prove my power!"

Rey was prepared this time. She refused to lapse into fear. That would only give this monster what he wanted. Instead she furrowed her brows and turned her chin up to face the man who used to be Ben.

"Do your worst, Ben Solo." Her words did not waver. Her voice was firm.

Kylo Ren intended to do just that. He would show them! He would bring their heads to Supreme Leader Snoke! The Rebellion would fall to their knees for the final time! People would hear his name and tremble in fear and awe as they had for his grandfather before him! No one would stop him as he followed the Sith way and killed his Master Snoke, taking the throne as all powerf-

Benny…!

And suddenly, like the most fragile of glass, his vision of grandeur broke away to reveal a pair of bright childlike eyes. Eyes he had locked away in his mind with any other emotions he found unnecessary. As quickly as it appeared, the vision faded, but the eyes were still there. Older, wiser. . .

And glaring at him with defiance.

Rey wouldn't have believed the transformation if she didn't see it herself. One moment she was a hairbreadth away from decapitation by a psychopath. The next, the saber was gone, pointed toward the ground.

Ben's face went slack, his eyes wide with blatant shock. The expression made him look like a lost child. To Rey's surprise, she could actually see something that looked human about him. Faint murmurs emanated from him as he backed away from her like she was diseased. The muttering grew to a point where Rey could actually hear him. She noted that as he backed away, his frightened eyes never left hers.

"Nonononono No! NO! NO! Impossible! I. . ." He raised his left hand, shakily pointing at her and yet reaching for her at the same time.

"I . . . I killed you!"