#LISTEN IM BARING MY SOUL TO Y'ALL RN

[sweetrevxnge]

Like Phantoms, Forever

Chapter One | These Are Your First Steps

Pairing: Ben Solo x Reader

Summary: Your destiny had never been clear to you, only becoming so when it led you to leaving behind the life you knew to train with the galaxy's sole Jedi Master, Luke Skywalker. His Jedi Academy became your new home, bringing with it the promise of someday becoming a Jedi Knight. While navigating the ways of the Force, an inexplicable connection forms between you and a fellow student—the heir to the legendary Skywalker bloodline, Ben Solo. Together, the two of you must face your destinies and forge the path to your true selves.

What to expect: fluff, violence, sexual content, general angst, mentions/descriptions of injury and death

Additional info: this story is set in 28 ABY, six years prior to the events of TFA

*concurrently being published on AO3 and Wattpad as well!

Masterlist

Word count: 1.9k

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Warm rays of light peeked through the narrow window of the wooden hut, painting your skin with streaks of brilliant golden orange, causing you to stir under the single woven blanket you had been provided with when you arrived at the Jedi Academy.

Through bleary eyes, you managed to make out the time on your watch, seeing that it was nearly 0630, leaving you roughly thirty minutes to get dressed, eat, and get to the morning training session.

The familiar ache of your muscles greeted you as you pushed the blanket aside, planting your feet on the cool stones. Every movement sent flames through your body, your skeleton popping as you twisted your neck in an attempt to relieve the stiffness. It had been nearly a week since you had been inducted into Master Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy and you had yet to adjust to the rigorous training.

Slowly, you rose from your cot and raised your arms above your head, stretching the rest of your sore body. A lengthy yawn escaped your mouth as you shuffled over to the drawers that housed your training robes. One thing you could appreciate about the Academy was its ability to make getting dressed for the day a mindless task. Where you used to spend hours agonizing over what to wear, Master Skywalker's dress code didn't allow for anything other than the uniform beige robes and your hair tied back. 

At least you were granted some freedom with how you styled your hair, each day choosing to sport an intricate braid your mother had taught you when you were young. A subtle reminder of the home you had left behind.

You secured the ill-fitting robes snug around your waist with the uniform leather belt, tying it in a knot behind you. There was no doubt in your mind that the sizing of Padawan robes was low on the list of Master Skywalker's priorities when he was building the Academy. Not to worry, you were sure you would find a way to adjust them eventually. You pulled on the issued tan boots and set out for breakfast with the rest of the students.

Crisp air bit at your exposed face as you meandered through the other huts, all similar in size and shape to your own. Every step on the dirt path sends a jolt of discomfort through your tender limbs. What would you give to have an outside perspective of yourself in this moment—the once stylish daughter of a respected businessman transformed into a demure Jedi apprentice.

You giggled at the dichotomy, shaking your head slightly. Are you sure you're cut out for this?

There was no denying the beauty of the Academy. The mysterious planet was green for as far as the eye could see, coated with dense foliage and towering trees. The expanse of the forest that sat behind the sepia-toned huts was practically begging to be explored. The anticipation of someday running through its thick vegetation while dodging blasts from a training remote with a lightsaber filled you with excitement.

Carefully pushing aside the curtain that was serving as a door, you entered the dining hall, taking a plate as you passed the clean stack. You scanned the room for any familiar faces as you added various food items to your dish, making sure to snag a few extra slices of meiloorun from the array.

Meeting the Academy's class had gone just about as well as you had expected it to go. Entering at a relatively late age had left you at a disadvantage; many of the students had been training together for the better part of a decade, already well-established in their own cohorts. Initially, introductions had been exchanged between you and your classmates, but nothing more. That is, until Voe approached you. Since your arrival, she had gone out of her way to make you feel welcome, something that you greatly appreciated.

As you carried your plate away from the counter, your eyes fell on a familiar blonde apprentice, Voe. She was prodding at her food lazily when her eyes met yours, lighting up almost instantly.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite youngling!" she exclaimed, pushing her chair back to greet you with a tight embrace.

"Yes, it is I," you bowed, "in the flesh." You didn't mind Voe using the improper title, it was just a banter from her—and technically speaking, you were about as experienced as a true youngling.

Voe reclaimed her seat and patted the chair next to her, encouraging you to take it. You sat and began picking at your breakfast, still trying to blink away the exhaustion that a week of poor sleep had left you with.

"I promise that it eventually does get better," she said, noticing your hand rubbing the back of your neck as you tried to work out a knot in the tissue.

"Oh yeah, instead of climbing five hundred stairs, someday it'll be four hundred, right?" You asked before taking a bite of sliced meiloorun.

"Okay, I'll admit, it does take some getting used to. But you'll get through this, I know you will," Voe assured you with a warm smile. "Besides, you'll be grateful for Master Skywalker's stairs when you have killer thighs."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." You couldn't deny that Master Skywalker's conditioning wasn't fruitless and would eventually pay off. The idea of one day being strong, both physically and with the Force, was motivation enough.

"Regardless, he'll probably take it easy on you today," Voe said between bites. "He's gonna have his hands full, you know, with his precious protégé returning and all."

"His what?"

"Master Skywalker's first apprentice, and nephew, is coming back from a mission. A mission that can only be trusted to him, apparently," Voe explained, a tinge of bitterness on her tongue. "He can do no wrong in Master Skywalker's eyes, hence why he always gets chosen for off-world excursions over the rest of us."

You were beginning to understand why Voe was sour towards this particular student. She had been one of Master Skywalker's first students, joining the Academy when she was just ten years old. It made sense that she would be jealous of someone who she considered an equal being chosen over her.

"Ah, well hopefully he'll distract Master Skywalker enough for my muscles to be able to rest for a full day," you said, trying to lighten the conversation.

Voe glanced at her watch and sprung from her seat. "Shit," she hissed. "You'd better take that meiloorun to-go. Training started two minutes ago!"

"Oh, shit," you echoed. The current time had completely evaded your mind, too consumed by the conversation to notice the dim numbers on your watch face. You scrambled to your feet as well, grabbing the remaining meiloorun as you stood. Your aching muscles screamed at you as you pushed them to move quickly out of the hall.

Struggling to match Voe's pace, you rushed to the Academy's training grounds. There was no way you could handle a punishment today, not in the condition your body was currently in. Hopefully Voe would be right and Master Skywalker's nephew would serve as a distraction from your tardiness.

Finishing the meiloorun you had snatched, you came to an abrupt stop beside Voe, whose feet had carried her to the training ground quicker than yours. Just as you began to catch your breath, a voice sliced through the group of students.

"0700 training begins at 0700, unless I am mistaken?" Master Skywalker asked, his gray eyes following you from further away than you realized. Heat flooded your cheeks at the remark, the rosy tint no longer a reaction to the cool air.

Master Skywalker was a kind teacher, but he could become strict when he saw fit. Punctuality was something he was known to deal out temple step scrubbings for. Reluctantly, you met his gaze, embarrassment bubbling within you. Don't just stand there. Say something, you idiot. You broke your lips to apologize, but you were beaten to it.

"Forgive me, Master. I held us up in the dining hall, it's not her fault." Voe said, grabbing your hand in hers and giving it a firm squeeze. The gesture instantly calmed you, allowing you to exhale the breath you didn't realize you had been holding.

"I see," Master Skywalker mused. "Well then, the two of you can continue your conversation while cleaning the temple stairs today." A smirk spread across his face, accentuating his strong features. It wasn't difficult to imagine that he had likely once been a handsome young man, a fierce fighter of the Rebellion.

Voe let out an exaggerated groan in response, meeting your eyes as she rolled hers. A chuckle caught in your throat. Not even a full week here and you had already earned the infamous punishment. At least you'll be sitting most of the day, you thought.

Just as Master Skywalker began discussing the day's itinerary with the group, the distinctive sound of a ship coming out of hyperspace entered the atmosphere, followed shortly by another. Every head turned towards the sky, searching for the source of the disruption. Two X-Wings approached the Academy grounds, each starfighter weathered from their travels. You imagined that they both had seen many battles during the Galactic Civil War, their once bright red accents now a dusty terra cotta hue. 

The ships began to lower in the space beside the temple, the force of their engines disrupting the earth beneath them.

"Wonderful timing," Master Skywalker muttered quietly as he turned to face the ships.

"Oh brother, I didn't think they'd be coming in this early," Voe mumbled, just loud enough for you to hear.

Chatter broke out among the students as one of the ship's ladders appeared lowered to the ground, the airlock hissing as the cockpit door released. The dread of having to meet another stranger hit you, forcing you to relive the first day at the Academy once again. 

You stared at the empty rails, mindlessly picking at your nails to soothe your racing mind.

An older gentleman slowly descended the yellow ladder, grasping Master Skywalker's hand in a friendly shake when he reached the bottom. 

You turned to Voe, shooting her a puzzled look as if to say 'That's his nephew?!', but before she could offer an explanation, she was cut off by Master Skywalker's voice booming over the group's chatter.

"Lor! I'm glad to see that you made it back in one piece! I hope my apprentice didn't cause you too much trouble." Master Skywalker released the man's hand, patting him once on the shoulder before stepping back.

Voe leaned in close to your ear, already anticipating your curiosity. "That's Lor San Tekka. He's a good friend of Master Skywalker's, always venturing out to help him find 'lost Jedi treasures.'"

"Treasures?" Your eyes lit up at the word. "What kind of treasures?"

"Just old Jedi texts and such, don't get your hopes up," she said, smiling at your naïve curiosity. "That must have been what they were sent off to find."

From the corner of your eye, you saw the second ship's ladder extend from the cockpit. Anticipation built in your stomach as you watched the pilot climb down the rungs, jumping down from the second to the last step before landing on the soft grass.

Lor and Master Skywalker simultaneously turned to greet the pilot as he approached them, his long legs carrying him quickly to the two men in just a few strides.

"Master," the dark-haired stranger said when he reached them, bowing his head in respect as he greeted Master Skywalker.

"Ben," he replied, nodding in return. A warm smile broke the lines on his face, his eyes twinkling in the light of the twin suns.

"Ben," you echoed.