Archive of Our Own

Work Text

Rey awoke strapped to a chair, the cool metal sending goosebumps rising across her skin. She felt the tight leather straps holding her down, restricting any attempt she could make to escape. She remembered bits and pieces of what had happened; she'd been at Niima Outpost trading some old goods she no longer needed, when a slick, black shuttle had arrived with him.  'Kylo Ren', he'd introduced himself to her. He'd rambled on about her Force energy and how she was destined to be with him for a moment before she figured he was insane and tried to bash his head in with her staff. Then, he'd managed to knock her out and now, she was trapped in his ship. When she looked up, she saw a masked man staring at her from across the room. Kylo Ren. He was silent, crouched down watching her. Not creepy at all , she thought to herself. Or so she thought. “Creepy?” he asked, voice modulated and deep thanks to the mask he wore. “You’re afraid of me?” “You tend to be afraid when you’re being hunted by a creature in a mask,” she spat out, trying to keep her cool. He stood up, and she knew he was tall. Much taller than her. He certainly looked the part of a monster. His gloved hands went to his mask and suddenly he was lifting it off of his head. He slammed it into an ash-filled container, flicking his hair out of his face. Her eyes widened when she saw what he looked like without the mask; she couldn’t help but stare for a moment. He had black curls down to the nape of his neck, dark, intriguing eyes and full, slightly crooked lips. Most surprising of all, he seemed to be smiling. It was more of a smirk, but he certainly didn’t look anything like the monster she’d pictured. “I can feel the force coming off of you,” he said as he slowly approached her. Though he was not what she had expected, Rey was smart enough to remain wary. “You might not know it, but you’re powerful,” Kylo told her, leaning down beside her so that she could feel his breaths against her ear. Though she leaned away, it wasn’t like she could go far. “Get away from me!” she snarled. “You can’t just rip me from my home all because you think I have the force.” “I don’t think,” he corrected smoothly. “I know. I know I want you on my side of this. The Resistance will lose. You and I both know that, so join me, Rey.” “How do you know my name?” she snarled and he smirked again. “I can see whatever I want to see,” he replied, tapping her temple with a gloved finger. “Get out of my head,” she hissed, beginning to struggle in her restraints. “As you wish, scavenger,” he replied. “There will be a day when you decide to join me. Until then, enjoy starving on Jakku.” He tucked something into her belt, a tiny black object. “A comlink. When you change your mind, I’ll be here.” --- The moment Rey was dropped off back on Jakku, she took the comlink from her belt and crushed it beneath her boot. It would serve her no purpose, and she wanted no ties with the First Order or Kylo Ren. As soon as the Order’s sleek black ship was out of sight, she headed straight for the cave where she knew her babies were waiting. Three dragons peeked their heads out when they heard her coming. A deep blue dragon named Valerion, a reddish black dragon named Vhagar and the largest of the three, a silver dragon named Meraxes. Rey had named them all for gods she’d read about on the holo in the old shipwrecks she’d found scattered along the desert. Valeria was the goddess of mercy and love, Vhagaris was the god of wrath and war and Merax was the goddess of magic and miracles. She’d always considered the birth of the dragons a miracle, and once they were big enough, she could finally leave Jakku on her own accord. It was only a matter of time. They’d grown from the size of small cats to the size of horses in the span of a few years; Rey knew she could wait just a little while longer. Then, she’d take revenge on all of the slavers like Unkar Plutt across the galaxy, and all of the bastards like Kylo Ren who went around knocking girls out and kidnapping them.  In fact, she vowed that she would destroy the whole First Order. She'd heard enough about the atrocities they'd committed to know she wanted nothing to do with them, unless it meant overthrowing them. --- 
Two Years Later
 Rey sat atop her dragon Meraxes, Valerion and Vhagar flanking them as they emerged through the warp. They were spat out onto a desert planet, one currently ruled by the First Order. ‘ Not for long, ’ she thought to herself as she swooped down, gunning right for their base. Meraxes let out a deafening roar, one that shook the ground below and alerted everyone there of her presence. Troopers began to flush out of the base, blasters firing up at the dragons. Little did they know, dragons’ scales weren’t penetrable by plasma. “Fire!” Rey called to the dragons as they dove towards the troopers. Their jaws opened, releasing a cyclone of fire that engulfed the army below. The men screamed in agony, collapsing to the ground as they were cooked alive in their suits. While Valerion and Vhagar took care of the storm troopers, Meraxes aimed for the base itself; without a base, the Order couldn’t operate on the planet any longer. They’d have to rebuild, and if they tried she’d burn it down again. Meraxes’ wings cast a menacing shadow over the ground as she flew over the base. Rey peered over the side of the dragon, looking out for possible threats. Her gaze landed on a set of cannons attached to the building that were beginning to heat up. The lasers in them were powerful enough to knock a dragon out of the sky, and while it may not kill Meraxes, a fall would likely kill Rey. Grabbing Meraxes’ spines tightly, she steered her away from the cannons, gaining altitude so that she could perform a dive-bomb maneuver. The wind whipped her hair around as Meraxes flew upwards, enormous wings churning the air. “Dive!” Rey shouted, and the dragon began to plummet downwards, wings tucked into her body to increase her speed. Her mouth opened, a blast of explosive fire raining onto the base. The fire must have hit a fuel pipe, because explosions began to go off all over the side of the base, windows shattering and metal melting. Giant plumes of grey, ashy smoke rose into the air, making it difficult to see. The screams of the burning troopers were muffled by the sounds of whining metal as the base began to crumble. A blinding white light shot out from within the smoke and Rey instantly knew what it was; the cannons. There appeared to be at least one still in working order, and a few brave men who’d stayed within the base to operate it. They were brainwashed, Rey knew, which made slaughtering them hard. She pitied the storm troopers more than anything, but they were a casualty of war. It was either her or them. Meraxes began to veer towards the cannon, Rey carefully steering her through the smoke. She had to destroy it before it hit one of the dragons, and she didn’t have much time. As they approached, it turned to face them, white light beginning to fill it just as fire began to fill Meraxes’ throat. “Fire!” Rey cried, praying the dragon would listen in time. Meraxes let out a burst of flame just seconds before the cannon would have gone off. The metal of the cannon began to implode on itself like a crumpling soda can, sealing it off. The men operating it began to scream as it started to heat up, the energy having nowhere to go since its exit hole had been welded shut. Suddenly, it exploded in a great ball of fire and shrapnel. As Meraxes was flying away, she let out a shrill shriek of pain. Rey’s eyes widened, alarmed, and she looked down to see that a stray piece of shrapnel had lodged itself in the dragon’s leg. Dark blood was oozing down her silvery scales, and though it wasn’t a fatal injury, it didn’t look good. They had to get out of there. “Valerion, Vhagar!” she called, pulling a warp device from her robes. She hurled it forwards as far as she could, watching as it opened up ahead of her in a flash of brilliant purple light. The man in charge of the troopers was screeching through every sound system in the compound to take them out before they got away. The remaining weapons all fired at the dragons, narrowly missing. A plasma beam whizzed past Rey's ear and she winced at the smell of burnt hair - it had merely nicked her, thankfully.  Meraxes was the first to fly in, followed by Vhagar and finally Viserion. Once the dragons had all dove into the warp, it sealed with another flash of light, then disappeared from the sky. --- “Lord Ren, we’ve gotten word of the scavenger girl,” an officer reported, standing stiffly in front of Kylo as he told him the news. “She just destroyed our base on Dotrak.” “Destroyed? With what ?” Kylo demanded coolly.  “Dragons, sir,” the officer replied. “Dragons?” Kylo echoed in disbelief. He scowled down at the man. The trembling officer nodded. “Yes, we have footage from the base before it was destroyed.” “Pull it up,” he ordered. “Right away, sir,” the man said, rushing over to the computer system and pulling up a holo-video. Kylo watched as footage from the base showed a warp opening up in the sky, and his eyes widened when three dragons flew out. While there was no sound in the video, it was clear the base had gone to utter chaos the moment the creatures arrived. Fire rained down upon the base, and none of the trooper’s weapons even slowed the beasts down. The blasters only seemed to irritate them and the cannons were incapacitated by the largest of the three dragons. “Wait, pause,” Kylo snapped, eyeing the back of the silver dragon. “Zoom in on that one.” The officer obeyed, dutifully pinching in to get a closer look at the dragon. Kylo stared in utter disbelief. Atop the dragon sat none other than Rey, wrapped in pale robes, hair braided down her back. “The scavenger,” a familiar nasally voice hissed as footsteps entered the room. Kylo didn’t even have to look to know it was Hux. “Apparently she’s more powerful than we thought,” the General snipped. “We’ll have to deal with her immediately.” “Do you think she’s still on Dotrak?” Kylo asked. “How long ago is this footage from?” “A little over ten minutes,” the officer replied meekly. “Then she should still be there,” Hux decided. “Doing her victory laps around the villages and such. The desert rat does have a dramatic flair.” “Shall we go crash the party, then?” Kylo suggested, a small smirk forming under his mask. This would be the first time he’d see Rey in person, and he had to admit she gave him a rush he hadn’t felt in years. He finally had a real enemy to fight, perhaps even an equal.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

When she finally reached Vaes, the capital of the planet, Rey landed right in the centre of the town where all of the people could see her. She felt a familiar rush of hope, seeing all of the people poking their heads out of their small homes in wonder. Having no idea what was going on, many of the people just stood frozen in place, both terrified and in awe of the enormous dragon perched in the middle of their city. It wasn't an unreasonable reaction; dragons weren't exactly a common sight. Once Rey knew she had their full attention, she began to speak. It was considerably lucky that she knew the basics of Dotrak language, or anything she said would be useless. Growing up alone in the deserts, many of the outcasts of Jakku had spoken Dotrak, so she'd picked up a good chunk of words. “Chomak ki dotrak! Anha mean yer vo harm, anha zhorre jadat tat seris yer arrekoon those fin wish tat harm yer! Joni anna, anna khalassar, akka yer tikh avvos tikh slaves jin asshekh she yeri atthirar! (People of Dotrak! I mean you no harm, I have come to free you from those who wish to harm you! Join me, my kingdom, and you will never be slaves a day in your life!).” After her speech, more and more people began exiting their homes, walking towards Rey atop her dragon. Vhagar and Valerion were flying in circles above them, toying with each other and fighting. No one was paying attention to the dragons anymore, though; their eyes were on the beasts’ mother. -- "Look at her, herding up the savages," Hux spat, voice dripping with disdain. "It's pathetic, her efforts to gain some sort of following. Trying to talk to them won't work, they're hardly people!"  Kylo glanced momentarily over at the General, who was practically foaming at the mouth, before following his gaze out of the window, down to where Rey stood below. As he watched her, Kylo had no clue what she'd said, given how far away he was from her, but whatever she was saying seemed to be bringing the people towards her. So the rumours were true...she had gotten off of Jakku with dragons that she'd somehow hatched, and now she was on a war path trying to 'liberate the galaxy.' She seemed to have a special place in her heart for the downtrodden. He watched with newfound interest as she dismounted from her dragon. 'This is it', he thought. 'I could kill her right here. Right now, she's vulnerable.' Though he saw the opportunity, he couldn't bring himself to move. All he could do was watch as she gathered around the natives of the planet, their fists pumping in the air as they cheered and chanted for her. Huge crowds were gathering, all of them fighting to get a mere glimpse of their hero Queen coming to free them. No one had ever done such things for Kylo. He'd become ruler through fear and intimidation, and no one would ever cheer him on the way they did for her. Spite rose within him at how adored she was, even by people she'd never met before. His gloved hands quivered in anger by his sides as he watched her, dark eyes beadily raking over the sight. She looked both eerily similar and vastly different than when he'd met her on Jakku two years ago; now, instead of looking like a desert rat, she looked like a proper ruler.  “Let's go,” he finally said, peeling his eyes away from the crowds below. “I've seen all I need to.”  "You want us to leave her be?" Hux screeched, frozen in disbelief. "If we return to Master Snoke after we've left this terrorist girl alive, he'll kill us all! You're absolutely mad, y-" One venomous glarge was all it took to get the General to pipe down. Biting his tongue, a loathing glare crept onto his face as he returned to his seat, not saying another word to Ren.  Kylo was now left to muddle in his own thoughts as Hux commanded the pilots to steer them back to their main base. He couldn't help but be intrigued by the young scavenger who'd brought back dragons from extinction in the galaxy. Perhaps that's why the people adored her so much. She made one impossible thing happen; they probably thought she could make more impossible things happen for them. What scared Kylo was that he didn't doubt she would. --- Rey returned home in no time through a warp. The dragons were lounging in the pit near the Great Pyramid, Meraxes licking her wounds while her brothers dozed off.  She had taken up residence in Mereeni, the first city she'd ever conquered. The people there adored her and appointed her as their Queen. She lived within the Great Pyramid, ruling over the city with a handful of advisors and councillors who helped her learn how to properly rule. Living her life in the deserts of Jakku, she was hardly Queen material, but she was slowly picking up everything she needed to know. Without her advisors, an older, kind man named Jorah and a young, charming man named Lorras, she'd be lost.  “The sheer amount of untapped resources on Mjun is immense,” Rey's advisor Jorah informed her. It has been only hours since she returned from the battle on Dotrak and she was already being bombarded with duties. "The Order’s base has halted mining for decades, meaning there could be millions of pounds of gold and silver underground.” Rey paused. “But how would we extract the metals? I refuse to use slaves, and if we gave good pay, we'd be spending most of the money the gold would sell for.” “We could have it done mechanically,” he suggested. “There are mining droids that are just as efficient as any person. It would cost less to build them than pay workers.” Rey nodded, beginning to agree. “And with the remainder of the money we make, we can supply our armies and increase our artillery. Not a bad idea, Sir Jorah.” The older man smiled, wrinkles showing as he did so. They were becoming more prominent each day, Rey noticed. Whether it was due to stress or simply aging, he didn't look his best. All that really mattered was that his mind was still in perfect working order. “You're dismissed, thank you,” Rey stated, giving him a brief smile before turning away from him, her attention taken away by Lorras. Jorah gritted his teeth, annoyed at the far younger man distracting his Queen. Despite wanting nothing more than to whack him across the head, Jorah turned and left the room, not letting Rey see his sour expression. “My Lady, here are the silk samples you requested,” Lorras said, his charming smile not once leaving his face as he showed her the patches of silks in his hands. She reached out, running her slender hands along the silks and feeling their soft, smooth texture. Pondering for a moment, she pointed to the pale purple sample. “I'd like that one made into a set of robes. And perhaps the cream as well.” Lorras nodded. “I'll inform the dressmaker right away, your grace.” She smiled, waving him off with a backhanded gesture as he left the throne room as well, leaving the way Jorah had. She liked that he was much less pushy and overbearing than her other advisor. Jorah was wise, certainly, but he could get irritating quite easily. All of a sudden, a man, clearly a civilian, came rushing in cradling something large wrapped in cloth. From the looks of it, he was dark-skinned and middle-aged, black facial hair peppering his skin. His robes were filthy and covered in sand and dirt, his eyes welling with tears. Jorah raced in after him, his left hand wielding a longsword. When he saw Rey lift a hand for him to stop, he halted in his tracks. His pale blue eyes observed the man, who had paused to stand in front of the Queen, knees wobbling. The man’s face was anguished and it pained Rey to see him so upset, though she didn't even know him. Clearly something was very wrong. “What's the matter?” she asked, her eyes shifting to the cloth. Curiosity and suspicion filled her. “What is that?” The man bent down slowly, placing the object on the ground, slowly opening the cloth to reveal a heap of charred bones, blackened and covered in soot. They were small, too small to belong to any adult. Rey’s eyes widened in shock when she realized they were children’s bones. Her breath caught in her throat and she was utterly silent for a split second.  “What happened?” she whispered, fearing she knew the answer as the man looked up at her with grief. “My son was a sheep herder, and when your dragon came in to eat his sheep, he was burned with them. He was only six years old, just a boy!” Rey’s lips parted in shock. She was momentarily stunned. “I-I’m so sorry,” she breached, her voice faltering. “I had no idea they would do such a thing…” The man merely shook his head vigorously, tears spilling down his ashen cheeks. “They are wild beasts, dragons. You let them roam free and now they have killed my son!” Rey paled considerably. “I'm so sorry, I - they've never done something like this before, I just thought…” she paused, her voice cracking. She took a moment to right herself, thinking carefully before she spoke again. “Your family will be compensated whatever means you need and I will pay for a funeral for the child. You have my sincerest apologies and my assurance that something will be done about my dragons’ actions.” “No money will bring my boy back,” the man whimpered, wiping his cheek with the back of his grimy hand. He bowed his head, no longer meeting Rey’s eyes. “And who's to say those beasts won't do the same to another child?” “I won't let it happen again,” she vowed solemnly. Her eyes met his as he looked up, surprised at the rigorousness of her voice. “You have my word, sir." He slowly nodded, scooping up the cloth-wrapped bones of his son. Though she could tell he was filled with grief and sorrow, he offered her the smallest and shakiest of smiles. “Thank you, my Queen.” She merely tilted her head forwards, a sign of respect, her green eyes filled with compassion and empathy. As he walked out of the pyramid, her gaze flickered to Jorah, gauging his reaction to the whole situation. A flat frown crossed Rey’s face as she saw the displeasure on her advisor’s face. She knew it was awful what had happened to the boy and she took pity upon the young child’s father for having to bear such grief, but how could she possibly stop her dragons from doing such things? It wasn't like it was a common occurrence; this had been the first time a complaint was given, and yet it was such a serious thing to the people that she knew she couldn't just forget about it. “My Lady, may I suggest something?” Jorah requested, his voice low and rather quiet. She furrowed her brows, nodding slowly. From the forming frown on his face, Rey could tell it wasn't going to be good.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rey wanted nothing to do with Jorah’s idea. Chaining her dragons within the pit was quite the opposite of the liberation she wanted for the galaxy. She found it awfully ironic - the breaker of chains chaining up her own children.  From a Queen’s perspective, it would appease the people’s worries about their safety, but she couldn't bear to do it herself. So, instead of doing it on her own, she had Jorah do it; the dragons trusted him enough to let him approach them and it was his idea. He should be the one to follow through. She knew that if she tried, she wouldn't be able to. It took Jorah and three other men to actually hoist up and attach the chains, which the dragons were too sleepy to notice until it was too late. Rey stood off to the side, her lips trembling dangerously. Though she kept them tightly sealed, her advisor could see just how anxious she was. Once the chains were on, they begun to stir, eyes opening only to see that they were chained to the ground. Valerion was the first to truly begin panicking, struggling against the metal bound to his throat.  She couldn't bring herself to look for more than a few seconds after that. Her heart broke when she saw her babies screaming and flapping their wings, begging to be set free. Turning away, she felt her insides shatter with every step she took back to the pyramid. Their cries for their mother grew fainter and fainter as she left, but more desperate and frantic when they realized she would not be coming back to free them. Eyes brimming with tears, Rey briskly walked back into the Great Pyramid with Jorah trailing behind her. His dusty blue eyes filled with concern as he reached for her shoulder. She roughly shrugged him off, hugging her arms to her chest. She knew it was for the people’s good to restrain her dragons, but it felt like she was treating them as if they were worthless. Her children deserved better, but until she could come up with a better solution, her duty as a Queen was to ensure the safety of the public. “Rey, it's for the best, you're doing the right thing-” Jorah called after her. She halted for a moment, eyes glossy with unshed tears. Turning to face him briefly, she looked him right in the eyes, revealing how pained she looked. He faltered for a second, startled to see her so shaken.  “I don't want to speak of it,” she said quietly, trying to keep composed. Jorah knew she was trying to bottle up what she was feeling; he'd seen her do it before. It was her way of coping. Her advisor could feel the raw emotions radiating off of her but said nothing of it, instead letting her storm off to her chambers. --- Once in her room, Rey let it all out. The tears she'd been withholding poured from her eyes like faucets, racking sobs taking over her body. She sat down on the edge of her bed, face buried in her hands as she cried. She could still faintly hear her dragons screeching from the pits near the pyramid, their chains rattling. 'What kind of mother am I to put my children in chains?' Rey thought miserably, scooting back so that she was in the middle of her bed. She hugged her knees to her chest, leaning her head against her legs. Sniffling, she let out all of her pent up emotions; anger, frustration, sadness, grief...between the burned body of the little boy she'd seen, the looming threats all around her at all times and chaining up her poor babies, her heart was swollen with emotions, leaving her a sobbing, volatile mess. That's why she couldn't let anyone see her when she was in such a rough state; it would show weakness, which as a ruler was not the way she wanted her people to see her. She had to be the strength her people lacked, and that meant no one could see her weep the way she did every so often. Even Jorah and Lorras rarely saw these fits since she continually shut them out of her thoughts and feelings. She often tried to convince herself she wasn't really upset. But hearing her dragons desperate shrieks for their mother was too much for her. This time, she couldn't push away the truth or hide how distraught she felt. It was tearing her apart, and she knew she couldn't let it go on.  --- Kylo could feel the sorrow slamming into his consciousness like a tidal wave, not sure what was going on. It was the force, no doubt, but he seldom knew any other force users. Then, an image flickered to life in front of him that solidified who it was. "You," he hissed, causing her to whirl around in surprise.  "What is this?" Rey demanded, wiping her damp cheeks hurriedly as she mustered her best glare. "Are you trying to do force mind tricks on me? What do you want, Kylo Ren?"  He clenched his teeth, trying to push away the urge to snoop in her mind while she was vulnerable. "Believe me, Rey, this is no doing of mine," he replied with a sarcastic smirk. "I don't know exactly what this is...it confirms one of my suspicions, though, that you are indeed tapping into the force. Good to know."  "Shut up, you pompous bastard," she snarled, a hiccup leaving her throat unintentionally. She flushed in both embarrassment and anger, whipping around and grabbing the blaster hidden in her side drawer. Aiming right for Ren's face, she fired, teeth grit together. Her eyes widened in shock and disappointment when the bolt went right through his head and into the wall behind him, letting her know that he was nothing more than a force projection.  "Damnit," she cursed aloud, eyeing him with a look of pure loathing. "You hate me that much?" he asked, feigning hurt. "You hardly know me and you want to kill me." "Don't act like a martyr," she snapped. "You'd kill me in a heartbeat. And I haven't forgotten that you kidnapped me."  "You'll be surprised to know that I don't want you dead," he replied earnestly, ignoring the jab about him taking her from Jakku. "You are my light side equal, as I suspected, and this connection is no accident. The force may act mysteriously, but it never lies."  "What would your Master have to say about this?" she quipped. "Fraternizing with the enemy?"  "He doesn't have to know," Kylo replied before swiftly changing the topic. "You're crying. Why?"  She stubbornly sneered, not telling him anything. "Suit yourself," he shrugged, deciding to take the information for himself. He closed his eyes, entering her mind slowly, like dipping his toes cautiously into a cold pool of water. Instantly, he could feel her overwhelming distress, hear her weeping in her own mind. Frowning, he wondered what was so terribly wrong that had made her this upset. Could something have happened to the dragons? It would be a huge stroke of luck for the First Order if they were out of the way. An image flashed info his mind; the three beasts all shackled to the ground, bound by enormous chains as they pled and screeched. They flailed around, desperate to escape as Rey walked away, stony faced and quick. Though she kept a calm facade, her thoughts told another story. He could feel the raw emotion of the moment, how she felt like she was betraying them. Though the scene had certainly cleared up what she'd meant when she wept over her dragons, it didn't explain why she had chained them up. Caught up in scanning her mind, Kylo found himself searching for more context. The image of a gruff-looking, grimy man clutching a cloth wrapped around something the size of a large dog. Kylo watched inquisitively as the cloth was removed, revealing small charred bones. As the memory played out in his mind, he realized that the burnt bones were those of a child, a casualty in a dragon hunt. It all clicked in that moment; she was worried her so-called “children” would burn another innocent person so she had them restrained to prevent such events from occurring again. It would certainly appease the people, but Kylo could feel that she was miserable because of it. She blamed herself, wanting nothing more than to rip the chains off of her dragons and let them fly limitlessly into the sky above. Her mind was an open book and Kylo revelled in reading it. Far more interesting than sitting in his chambers doing nothing, he supposed. "Get out of my head!" she spat once she realized what he was doing. Her temples were throbbing, a dull ache settling in her skull after it had been probed and violated by the man. "I-"  “Kylo Ren, you've been summoned to the cockpit,” a trooper suddenly said from the entryway of his room, which had been wide open. Turning, he offered a single nod. "Well, I suppose this is farewell for now," he said to Rey before placing a block on his mind. He wasn't sure if it would work in severing the connection, but when he no longer saw her in front of him, he knew it had.  His boots clicked against the metal floor as he walked purposefully through the hall, wondering what the pilots could possibly want with him at such a late hour. When he arrived at the cockpit, he sneered. Clearly, it hadn't been the pilots that requested his presence; it was the red-haired General standing before him. “What the hell is this-” “Before you start whining, know that Snoke ordered me to inform you that we’re leaving for Mjun now,” Hux said icily. “You're supposed to remain here while we go over specifics and-” Kylo spun on his heel, heading for the door. He was in no mood to have Hux test his patience, his mind racing with thoughts of Rey. “Where do you think you're going?!” Hux shrieked. “I order you to return!” Kylo turned halfway back dangerously, his mask catching the red lights above. “You order me?” Hux paused, his already pallid complexion whitening. “No, it's just that Snoke wanted-” “If Supreme Leader Snoke wants me to be somewhere, he can tell me himself,” Kylo said coolly, twirling around and exiting the room. His black cloak swished behind him as he walked, giving him an air of class and superiority. Hux shot him venomous glares as he walked briskly out of the cockpit, his blue eyes narrow. --- When Rey woke up, it was very early in the morning. The sun still hadn't come up, the sky barely lightening as dawn prepared to break. It had been a rough night, and Rey’s throat was raw from crying, her eyes puffed up and red. She didn't know what time she'd fallen asleep but it had been quite late, meaning she hardly slept at all that night. Both the situation with her dragons and the unsavoury chat with Kylo Ren had kept her wide awake. She didn't know how the connection had occurred, or how it worked, but the less she thought about it, the better. He was nothing but a lowly bastard who thought he could go digging around in her mind as he pleased. If she ever saw him face-to-face, she'd kill him.  An idea popped into her head. It was far too early for anyone else to be up, meaning she could go out to the dragon pits alone and no one would see her. She immediately sat up from her bed, retying her robes and practically flinging herself out the door of her chambers. Her bare feet padded against the smooth, cool floors and yet she hadn't even noticed she wasn't wearing shoes; all she could focus on was her excitement. She raced out into the courtyard, rushing past the plants and foliage around her, over the dirt pathway. Grime caked onto the bottom of her feet and occasionally she'd step on something sharp like a small rock or twig, but she didn't even notice. Little did she know that as she ran off to the dragonpit, holding up her robes from the dirt, Lorras was watching her with muddled confusion and amusement from the top windows of the pyramid, his blue eyes filled with warmth as he gazed down at her. Rey soon reached the dragonpit, her dragons’ heads all turning to see her. She smiled at them, her eyes slightly watery as she looked at the huge chains binding them down to the ground. It pained her to see, and she'd put up with it no longer. "Come here,” she called out softly, her voice nearly breaking as Valerion was the first to approach. He had always been the most trusting and loving to his mother. He lowered his neck, his dark blue-black scales shifting as the chain rattled around him. She walked up to him, yanking the first of the three huge metal bolts out of the chain. The bolts kept the chains in place, reminding her all too much of the smaller bolts used for slaves’ chains. Rey couldn't let her dragons suffer like that. Hauling out the last bolt, which was easily the size of half of her body, the metal clunked to the dirt with a satisfying thud. The chains around Valerion’s neck fell apart, following the bolts and landing on the ground, sending a small plume of sandy dirt up into the air from the impact. Coughing lightly, Rey beckoned Vhagar over, his deep red scales glistening in the last light of the stars. One by one, she managed to rip the bolts free of their hinges, Vhagar’s chains landing right alongside Valerion’s in the dirt. The happy dragon let out a squeal of excitement, rubbing his snout against Rey’s body. She chuckled lightly, patting his scales affectionately. Valerion tilted his head, seeming to also want pets from his mother. “Just wait,” she cooed softly, smiling at Valerion before turning to call Meraxes over. The silver dragon looked down at her mother, seeming slightly betrayed but also eager to have her chains removed. Her silvery eyes raked over Rey, hesitance brimming within them. “I'm sorry,” she whispered to the last dragon, her eyes filled with regret. Tentatively, she reached her hand out to Meraxes as a sign of submission and trust. The silver-white dragon moved her head forwards, slowly placing her snout against Rey’s hand, dwarfing the girl in the process. She then leaned her head over, exposing her long neck to Rey, who took no time in removing the chains that bound her to the dirt. Once freed, Meraxes let out a high-pitched coo of elatement. Rey smiled, seeing all of her dragons free and happy once more. With the mental bond they shared, Meraxes tilted her wing down for Rey, knowing exactly what she wanted to do next. No one else quite understood their bond and how they could sense each other’s pain, happiness and thoughts. It wasn't quite as complicated as Rey and Kylo’s bond, but people had been trying to figure out the bond between dragons and their riders for millennia, to no avail. The Queen climbed up Meraxes’ long wing, seating herself in between her frills on her back and clutching onto two of the spines protruding from her upper back. Looking over at Vhagar and Valerion, she could see they were eager to get up in the air as much as she was. “Fly,” she called, clinging on tightly as Meraxes took to the sky, Valerion and Vhagar not far behind. As the three dragons rose into the air, Rey felt the cool morning breeze whip through her loose curls, which were flowing down her back, completely down for a change. A laugh of glee escaped her lips as Meraxes playfully twisted upside down in the air then back around. Vhagar and Valerion flew on either side of Meraxes as they coasted high above the ground. Valerion squeaked playfully, his jaws snapping open and shut. Anyone else would've been terrified of such actions, but their mother knew he was just having fun. She knew none of her dragons had intended to hurt the child they did, he had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. They didn't eat humans unless directed to, usually eating herds of wild animals on the outskirts of Mereeni.  Rey squinted, looking at the horizon. A look of masked awe covered her face. Over the rolling hills, the sun was finally coming up, casting bright yellow light on her as she flew. It was breathtaking, the view from up so high. The whole town was slowly being bathed in the light of the dawn, and as people woke, they could see their Queen flying high above them, leaving Mereeni far behind. Where she was going, she had no idea, but wherever it was it would be a place where her dragons could roam free. They would never be in chains again. Completely forgetting about Mjun and her royal duties, she had fled all of it for the sake of her dragons. “What is she doing?” Lorras asked as he watched her take off on her dragons, looking to Lorras for some kind of explanation. Jorah turned from the window, his smile fading at Lorras' perplexed look. “She's doing what any mother would,” Jorah replied simply. “Freeing her children.” “By abandoning the city?” Lorras asked, frowning. “She's the Queen-” “She's a mother first,” Jorah interrupted, shooting the other advisor a sharp look. “We will never fully understand the bond between mother and child or between dragons and their riders. Perhaps it is stronger than we know, Lorras."  Lorras stood there for a moment, his features softening as he took in what Jorah had told him. The only thing Rey loved more than her people were her dragons, and the two of them had forced her into chaining them up for the good of the city. Clearly, she hadn't been able to cope with their misery. “Well then, I believe that means you're in charge of the city until she returns,” Lorras said, his youthful skin bathed in early morning light from the open balcony. “She leaves me in charge whenever she's not planetside,” Jorah replied, pride seeping into his tone. "Something this time feels...not right.” Lorras smiled sadly. “We can only hope for the best, I suppose.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“General Organa, we've received report of some kind of vessels entering our force field,” Poe Dameron informed Leia, his brown eyes wide. “I don't know what the hell they are, but they're no kind of ship I've ever seen!” Leia froze, her body going rigid. “How big were they?” Poe frowned, “Eh, I'd say maybe the size of a big cruiser? It looked like they had wings or some crap.” That was all the confirmation Leia needed. She knew exactly what - and who - was coming to her base on Endor, and she wasn't sure how to feel about it. She'd seen the Dragon Queen on the holonet and had considered reaching out to her, but always resisted, knowing the dangers doing so would pose.  “Damnit,” she muttered, turning to the mechanical operator beside her. “You there, I want the gates opened now. We're preparing to let in three dragons and I don't want any chance of mishap.” Though he sounded mortified, the mechanic nodded, scrambling to get the huge metal doors open. Leia walked out of the radio chambers, out to the doors. She had to be prepared to look professional like the General the Resistance needed her to be. If she faltered in front of the Queen, it would only prove the Resistance to be weak. The huge metal gates slowly swung open, bringing in a heavy draft of dry, hot air. Outside, the sandy dunes of Yavin glistened under the immense heat of the sun, completely undisturbed and smooth. Then, the enormous beasts flew in. The second Rey landed with the dragons, huge clouds of sand spewed from where their claws sunk into the ground, their massive forms towering over Leia. General Organa did her best not to flinch, her eyes steely as they inspected Rey and her dragons. They were heavily armoured with thick scales and bigger than any ship the Resistance owned.  There was no way they'd even fit inside the gates at the size they'd grown to, so she supposed Rey would have to keep them outside. Whether they'd fly off or remain there Leia had no clue, but it hardly mattered to her as long as they didn't destroy anything. She gulped, watching as Rey dismounted from the silver dragon in the centre of the other two. The young Queen wore cream-coloured robes tied with a beige belt, the light colours showing off her smooth, golden skin. Her green eyes were slightly narrow, long lashes framing them as she walked towards Leia with a purposeful gaze. Though she wasn't the elegant, dramatic kind of beautiful Leia had been in her prime, she held a soft, fresh-faced prettiness and was moving more and more like a Queen each day.  “General Organa,” she said with a wide smile. “I've heard so much about you. Do you have time to talk?"  --- “Supreme Leader, I propose to begin my plan today,” Kylo suggested, wary as Snoke regarded him with interest. “Go on, then,” Snoke said, his voice raspier than usual. “Instead of attacking the scavenger girl head-on, I will take a quarter of the fleet to Yavin,” Kylo said. “We've managed to track down the Resistance's main base there. If we can capture Leia, they will crumble without her. Rey will come to free her, being the martyr she is, and I will offer a trade; Leia for Rey.” Kylo left out the details of how he'd managed to find the base, wanting to keep his newfound connection with the dragon girl a secret for as long as he could. Even his wise old Master couldn't pull it from the depths of his mind, not when he had a block up.  “Hux has already presented an idea about Mjun, surely he told you?” Snoke replied, narrowing his eyes suspiciously down at his apprentice. He couldn't help wonder if the boy was plotting something.  “I believe if I branch off it will come as a surprise to them and will be extremely effective in cutting a chunk out of their numbers,” Kylo stated confidently. Snoke paused, allowing a brief lapse in the conversation as he pondered. Looking down at him, he finally replied in a stern, not-so-subtly threatening tone.  “Very well then,” Snoke said coolly. “Do not fail me, Kylo Ren.” --- “Sit, sit,” Leia said, gesturing to the comfy couches in her chambers. Smiling, Rey obliged, taking a seat on one of them. She couldn't help but be a bit shocked at how pleasant the resistance general was acting, perhaps trying to get back on her good side. Leia looked at Rey expectantly, surprised she had come to her of all people for advice. “So, I've been staying in Mereeni for a while now,” Rey began, clasping her hands together. “It's been going quite well...up until the last few days. I had an incident with one of the dragons.” Leia gulped. Any incident involving a dragon couldn't be good. She nodded for Rey to continue, listening intently. “There was a flock of sheep being moved to a field fairly close to where I kept the dragons, and their shepherd didn't know how close he was,” Rey said, sounding more and more upset. “The dragons smelled out the food and burned nearly the entire flock of sheep...and the shepherd. The next day, his father brought his body, a bundle of tiny charred bones. He was only six years old.” Leia merely pursed her lips, hardly surprised at the tale. “Your dragons killed a child. Well, they're wild beasts, what do you expect?"  “I don't think they meant to, he was just in an inopportune place,” Rey defended, trying not to be offended by the tartness in Leia's voice. “But I couldn't let the father think I didn't care about his son’s death, so I allowed my men to chain the dragons. It didn't work out - they were miserable and kept everyone up with their cries. I couldn't bear to put my children in chains when that's exactly the fate I freed my people from. I can't just bring them back and let them roam the city free; it's too dangerous for the citizens, so I came here to ask you what I should do.” Leia paused, taking in the story Rey had finished telling her. Her lips were seased in thought as she leaned against the back of the leather couch. “Well, although I'm quite surprised you came all this way just for me advice, I'll do what I can,” Leia said earnestly. “It seems like quite the predicament you have; can't lock them up, can't let them loose. Have you considered keeping them in the parts of Essos that don't have any major towns and cities near them?” “Those are scarce, and while I've considered it, they won't settle being so far away from me,” Rey sighed. “I would go with them if I didn't have a responsibility to uphold the capital.” “Now, this is complicated,” Leia remarked. Rey chuckled dryly. “Indeed it is, General.” “Tell you what, I'll make some space for you here until we can get it all sorted out,” Leia offered generously. “Thank you, Leia,” Rey said gratefully, a hint of a genuine smile crossing her face. “Could I perhaps also use a radio?” “Of course,” Leia replied, somewhat confused. “May I ask why?” “Er…” Rey scratched the back of her head, chuckling awkwardly. “I didn't exactly tell anyone I was leaving Essos."  Leia’s aging eyes widened. “I see you're the same as you look on the holo. Stubborn and reckless as hell."  “Oh, believe me, you don't know the half of it,” Rey said, a ghost of a smile parting her lips. She looked like she wanted to say more but held her tongue, still somewhat wary around the General. Leia may have looked like a frail old woman, but she was incredibly intelligent and perceptive. Rey still didn't know if she could trust the woman, though she had a gut feeling Leia would not betray her.  --- Rey wandered through the halls of the Resistance base absentmindedly, occasionally looking out the windows to make sure her dragons were alright. She didn't know why she was so paranoid, but worry filled her whenever she was away from her children. All of a sudden, in her zoned-out state, she slammed into someone, knocked to the floor in the process. Landing hard on her ass, she winced, looking up to see who hit her. A tanned man with deep black hair and bright eyes looked down at her apologetically, an awkward lopsided smile on his face. He wore a vibrant orange jumpsuit reminiscent of a pilot’s uniform, standing only a couple of inches taller than Rey. He extended a hand to her, which she hesitantly took, allowing the man to help her to her feet. “Sorry,” he said, releasing her hand. “It's fine,” she waved off. “Are you a pilot?” He grinned, revealing slightly chipped, white teeth. “Yeah, how could you tell? Name’s Poe Dameron.” She smiled in return, finding the man amusing. “Nice to meet you, Poe. I'm Rey.” His dark eyes widened. “Wait...like the dragon rider?” Chuckling, she nodded. “That's the one.” His shocked expression only further amused Rey, especially when he began sputtering out another apology. “I'm so sorry I knocked you over, I didn't know, I didn't mean to-” “Are you saying you wouldn't have cared if I wasn't a Queen?” she asked, her hands on her hips as she stared him down. With wide eyes, he continued to trip over his words. “No, no! Of course not, I just-Leia will kill me for injuring-” “Relax, I'm just messing with you,” Rey grinned, playfully nudging him with her elbow. “Don't worry about it. If anything, I ran into you.” Poe relaxed, his shoulders less tense. “Well, in that case, what brings you to the base?” His voice was deep and had a slight gritty undertone that Rey found oddly appealing. “Business with your General,” Rey replied simply. “I'm sure it'll be sorted out soon and I'll be out of your way.” “It's not a bother that you're here,” Poe said in return, his expression easygoing. “I highly doubt anyone will have a problem with the dragon Queen staying here.” Rey smiled, nodding lightly. “So, what do you exactly do around here?” Poe grinned, faint dimples showing in his cheeks. “I'm so glad you asked.” --- Kylo was alone in his cruiser, deciding much to the protest of Hux that he wasn't going to bring anyone with him to the Resistance base. It was a simple mission, and he had to prove himself to Snoke by doing it solo. If he couldn't show that he was a worthy apprentice, he had no doubt Snoke would toss him aside for a newer, shinier toy. Then, everything he was working towards would fall apart and the sacrifices he'd made would be for naught. As he flew through space in the small, slick-black cruiser he'd chosen, he could suddenly sense something odd in his bond with the scavenger girl.  Turning the ship on auto-pilot, he tightly shut his eyes, focusing solely on prying into her mind without her noticing. A scene bubbled into existence in his mind, replaying events as they occurred for Rey. An all-too familiar tanned man was grinning at Rey, holding his hand out for her to take. “I'm so glad you asked,” he said with a laugh. Rey smiled back, taking his hand in her own and making Kylo’s blood boil. Dameron.  The pilot led her through the halls, pulling her along steadily but carefully. She let out a light laugh, having to take larger steps to keep up with his fast pace. Kylo’s eyes narrowed at the scene. Looking around in Rey’s perspective, he could tell they were in the Yavin base. 'This makes things so much easier...I can just take Rey right from the base along with my wretched mother,' he thought gleefully. He hasn't predicted she'd be there, but the fact that she was made his plan even simpler. Thanks to their bond, if nothing else, Kylo could get a feel for the layout of the large base by seeing it through Rey’s eyes. As long as he could keep her from figuring out he was crawling around in her head, he'd essentially be at the base undetected.  A pang of anger coursed through him when he saw Poe squeeze her hand reassuringly. It was odd; he didn't want to watch a moment longer after seeing Rey with another man. He’d never even seen her face to face, for kriff’s sakes, and yet he was so possessive of her that it made him furious when she was touched by other people. 'What's wrong with me?' Kylo broke off the connection, opening his eyes to see Yavin out the window of the cruiser. It was still a faint ball in the distance, but he knew it was Yavin from the characteristic orangey colour. The sand was a golden orange and it covered the entire planet, making it quite distinct from space. “I'm coming for you, Rey,” he murmured, a small smirk on his face. It was finally time for them to finally meet, up close and personal. If she was his equal of the light, it would be an interesting battle at the very least.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“So, you're like a mechanic and a pilot?” Rey asked, her curiosity peaking as she watched Poe demonstrate his daily tasks. He nodded proudly, black diesel oil staining his jumpsuit. Not that he cared much, though; he was a bit distracted with Rey to be focused on staining his clothes. There were always more jumpsuits, but only one of the girl standing in front of him. It was a rare opportunity, and like many that came his way, he snatched it while he could.  “You're quite handy yourself,” he complimented after she'd helped him rewire a small version of one of their old x-wings in just minutes. She looked up at him with a smile, wiping a bead of sweat from her tanned forehead. The gesture left a faint, blackish smear across her face, but he hardly noticed. “When I lived on Jakku, I had to learn all of this stuff,” she explained. “I rewired myself an old cruiser to get myself around, otherwise I probably would've died out there.” “Seems like it's pretty shit there,” Poe commented, somewhat jokingly. She was entirely serious, though.  Rey chuckled dryly. “Yeah...you only really get out if you've got the best luck in the universe.” Poe was intrigued. “And how did you get out?” She looked up at him, grinning. “I had the best luck in the universe.” He cocked a brow, motioning for her to elaborate. She nodded, deciding he seemed trustworthy enough. “I found my dragons in an oasis,” she told him, throwing down a pair of pliers she'd been holding. They hit the concrete ground with a dull clang. “It was a miracle for me; three eggs in the cave, somehow still alive. Not only were there dragon eggs in the cave, but there was also a pool of fresh water and a satchel of gems that I sold to keep myself alive. Everything changed after I found that cave; my life started to have meaning . Once the dragons grew and I got my hands on a warp device, they flew me off of that kriff-forsaken planet.” Poe found her story thrilling to hear. He'd always been a daredevil, loving the feeling of flying in ships. He could hardly imagine how much more exciting it would be to ride a dragon.  Rey sensed his thoughts, a soft smile crossing her face. “I'm sure I could arrange that at some point.” "Huh?" He looked at her, confused until she elaborated. Her tone was so casual that it startled him a bit. “I read your mind. Maybe if the dragons like you, you can ride one with me sometime.” “How- what?” he was perplexed. How had she read his mind ? “With the force,” she replied simply, her tone so casual it almost frightened him.  “I try not to read people's thoughts, but you were projecting yours.” Poe went slightly stiff. “I didn't know you could do that…” “What, project your thoughts?” Rey laughed lightly. “Don't worry, very few people can actually pick up on it - only force users, and we're a dying breed.” The young pilot somewhat relaxed once again, though he made a mental note to keep his thoughts to himself. It wasn't that he didn't trust Rey, but he didn't like the idea of anyone being able to see inside his head. All of a sudden, Rey heard footsteps entering the shuttle pad. Her eyes flickered to Poe, who seemed completely at ease. A dark-skinned man walked over to them, appearing not to see Rey at first until she moved out from behind the ship, hair hanging limply in her face. “Hey, Poe, Leia’s asking for you-” he paused, looking at Rey with wide eyes. “Um…” “Hi, I’m Rey,” she said, extending a gloved hand with an easy-going smile. He tentatively took her hand, shaking it. “Finn,” was his introduction back. Poe couldn't help but chuckle at how awkward his friend was being. He could see how flustered Finn was getting, so he stepped in to help. “Finn, this is Queen Rey, she's here on official business with General Organa,” Poe informed Finn. “Wait, Queen Rey?!” Finn blurted. His eyes had widened slightly, his heart racing. “As in-” “Yes,” Rey cut him off with a tight smile. “I'm sure you've seen the dragons outside, no?” Finn shook his head, feeling humiliated at acting so stupidly towards such an important woman. He hadn't expected her to be so...attractive. Sure, he'd heard tales of a young, fierce girl with three dragons, but they never mentioned that she was so good-looking. “Aw, that's sweet,” Rey cooed, smirking at the blushing man. He looked extremely confused until Poe whispered a few words into his ear that explained everything. Then, he just went right back to embarrassment. It seemed to her that Poe was definitely the more suave of the two. “Would you two like to see the dragons?” Rey offered, eyeing the two men in front of her. She knew she could get some amusement out of scaring them. “Really?” Finn asked excitedly at the same time as Poe tried to look cool and calm, saying, “Sure, yeah, why not.” Chuckling at their unison, Rey turned around and headed out of the hangar. Poe and Finn followed right behind her, elated and scared to be seeing dragons for the first time. Though there wasn't much of a height difference between Poe and Rey, Finn stood a good foot taller than the girl. Every time she spoke he had to look down at her, then look away because it became awkward. He looked rather intimidating from afar, but Rey got the impression that he was  Soon enough, they reached a small exit door in the side of the base. Using the huge gates to leave and return would be for no good reason, given it was just three people going out. When they got outside, Rey closed her eyes, mentally summoning her dragons to approach them around the side of the base. She didn't want to be exposed to the scorching sun for too long, so remaining in the shade was preferable. She'd learned how nasty burns could be the hard way on Jakku.  Her eyes flew open as she heard thunderous footsteps. Meraxes, Valerion and Vhagar were bounding towards her through the sand, letting out screeches of excitement. They'd only been away from Rey for less than an hour and yet they acted like it had been months. Their jaws snapped open and shut, tails wagging in the air. While Rey merely chuckled at the beasts charging towards her, Poe and Finn were frozen in absolute terror. Though Poe had seemed rather calm and collected earlier, it seemed his confidence had vanished as soon as he saw how massive the creatures were. Meraxes was the first to approach, craning her long, frilled neck down so that her massive head came down to where Rey stood. A bright smile on her face, Rey petted Meraxes’ snout, earning a chirp of glee from the dragon. She opened her jaws as she called out, revealing three rows of teeth, each tooth like a longsword protruding from her gums. "Hi, my sweet," she whispered to the Meraxes as the dragon nuzzled her. Even trying to be gentle, the beast nearly knocked Rey off of her feet. “This is Meraxes,” Rey told the boys. When she didn't get a reply, she turned, frowning, to see what they were doing. Seeing them absolutely petrified in fear, Rey chuckled. “Hey, relax. She's not going to hurt you. Dragons are incredibly intelligent; they can sense through my thoughts whether you're an enemy or ally.” Meraxes now turned to look down at Poe and Finn, her icy eyes raking over their quivering bodies. At first, she seemed rather cautious of the two men, but when Rey gave a delicate nod, she seemed to grow more trusting. She lowered her head towards them, exposing her snout to them. “She's letting you touch her,” Rey explained, watching warily as Poe extended his hand, dwarfed by Meraxes’ face. He slowly, cautiously reached forwards and touched her scales. The skin was warm to the touch, and much smoother than he'd expected. She purred softly, eyes meeting Poe's as she blinked slowly. He stood there, hardly breathing, as he pet the dragon, heart racing in his chest. Poe turned to Finn, seeming excited now that he had done it himself. “Come on, Finn, when are you gonna get another chance to touch a dragon?” Finn gulped. He knew Finn was right; besides, they hadn't taken the opportunity to eat anyone thus far. He would be fine...right?  Hand trembling, he reached out, his palm coming into contact with the dragon’s skin. Meraxes’ lilac-white eyes made contact with his own as he stroked her scales, the warm, rigid texture unusual yet soothing. He began to loosen up as he touched the dragon, fascinated beyond belief. He wasn't sure what exactly he'd been expecting, but it certainly wasn't that.  “This has to be a dream,” he breathed, stirring a light laugh from Rey. “I've been thinking that for years,” she said light-heartedly, her hands stroking Valerion’s deep blue scales. He rotated his head, the frills on his neck shaking like leaves. Rey grinned at him, scratching underneath his large jaw. Out of the three siblings, he tended to be the most outgoing and playful, though was a bit clumsy.  Meraxes backed away from Finn and Poe, done with being petted. She wasn't typically very social, usually the most serious-natured of the dragons. She made it very clear when she was done with socializing, and when she tilted her head away from the men, it signified that she was no longer in the mood. Rey looked up as Meraxes leaned towards her. Gently stroking the side of her face, she told her, “ Fly .” Meraxes bent her hind legs, building up force before shooting up into the air. Her wings stretched out, blanketing the base in their enormous shadow as she pumped them, churning air to gain altitude. Quickly, the silvery dragon was high on the air, her tail swishing behind her as she flew around over the base. Valerion and Vhagar were eager to follow. Both gave a quick goodbye call to their mother before pushing off of the ground as well to join their sister. The flapping of wings and roars of excitement were deafeningly loud, making Finn and Poe cover their ears. Once the dragons had flown up too high to be all that loud, Poe looked over at Rey, who was observing her dragons with a faint smile. Her long locks blew in the soft breeze behind her, turning into wispy curls at the ends. “They're beautiful, aren't they?” she remarked, somewhat quiet. Her upturned eyes were trained on the creatures soaring right above her, their wings splayed outward as they caught the wind. “Not the word I was really thinking,” Finn muttered which earned him an elbow to the ribs from Poe, who shot him a sharp glare. Poe nodded in response to Rey. “They are. Gorgeous beasts.” Rey turned to look at Poe, her eyes startlingly vivid. “They're not beasts to me...they're my children.” Poe and Finn were surprised to hear her call such terrifying creatures her children. How could she think of those beasts as anything but dragons? “Your children?” Finn asked somewhat incredulously, hoping she would explain. Her gaze moved to Finn, lips pursed slightly. “Yes, I raised them.” Clearly, she was defensive when it came to the dragons.  He merely nodded, dark eyes moving to the sky as the dragons flew around above. Finn still couldn't quite believe what he was seeing; dragons, real dragons right above him. He'd seen his fair share of large creatures but never anything of that magnitude. “Come on, let's get back inside,” Poe suggested. “I'm boiling out here.” --- That night, Rey was escorted to a small living chamber by Poe, whom Leia had sent to drop her off. She thanked him kindly and decided to let herself relax. Being away from her Queenly duties for a short while was just what she needed, the stress already beginning to lift off of her shoulders.  Meraxes, Vhagar and Valerion were all still outside on the sand, safe and sound. Since there wasn't much life on Yavin, there wasn't exactly much trouble they could get into. Rey thanked her lucky stars for that. There also wasn't much food for them, but she knew they could go a few days without it; as reptiles, they could make a large meal last weeks if they had to. Now, as she stood in the bathroom, stripping her sweaty clothes from her lean body, she was completely unaware she had an audience until he made himself known. ‘You know...you may want to make sure the bond is shut off in moments like this,’ Kylo commented airily, scaring the living daylights out of Rey. She squealed, dropping the shirt she'd just taken off. ‘Kylo, what the hell are you doing?! Can you see me?’ He chuckled lowly. ‘Do you really want the answer to that?’ Her hands immediately went to cover herself, hiding what she could from Kylo’s scrutinizing gaze. She could see him, too, now that she was concentrating. He wore his usual black outfit, his hair down and tousled. The man’s dark eyes raked over her body unabashedly, making her extremely self-conscious and uncomfortable. ‘Why are you doing this?’ she demanded, reaching for a towel to wrap around herself. She tucked the plush white cotton together at the front of her chest, creating a sort of makeshift dress. Her eyes flitted upwards and she met Kylo’s gaze once again, frowning. ‘Not going to answer me now that I've covered myself?’ she asked snappily. Her arms were folded over her chest, helping the towel remain in place as she stood facing him. ‘Someone's jumpy,’ Kylo muttered, cocking a brow at how easily upset she was. ‘I just wanted you to know that the little plan your new Resistance friends have concocted isn't going to work.’ Rey was perplexed. ‘What plan?’ she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. She didn't deny that Poe and Finn were her friends, which put Kylo off a bit, but he chose not to comment on it. There were more important matters to discuss. ‘They didn't tell you?’ Kylo replied, looking down at Rey. She only then realized how large their difference in height was; he had to be a good foot and a bit taller than her. ‘ The traitors and thieves you so happen to call friends are planning on invading a mining planet we've been using to extract precious gems; they don't think it's fair we have all the profit of such a goldmine, figurative and literal. Now I've been called in last-minute to help stop them, otherwise I'd have you in chains by now.’ Rey’s blood ran cold, her lips pressed tightly together. This man was really getting on her last nerve. ‘And by “we” you mean the Order?’ Rey snarled, trying not to let her unease show as she spoke. ‘The way I see it, it's a good thing to take some power away from such a despicable cause.’ ‘If you want to look at it that way, be my guest,’ Kylo sighed. ‘Doesn't matter much to me - your friends won't win this fight.’ Rey frowned, her brows furrowed. She sensed something fishy going on with the entire situation. ‘What do you mean?’ she asked slowly. ‘ They certainly know the risks and prepared for them.’ Kylo smirked, his full lips drawn back as he looked down at the oblivious girl. He couldn't help but find it cute how naïve she was to what was really going on. ‘Do they?’ he asked, feigning innocence. ‘That's news to me.’ Rey frowned. ‘You're plotting something, I can feel it.’ ‘They left alone. No backup, no large weapons, just a single ship,’ Kylo said, eerily calm about it. It all hit Rey in that moment. ‘It’s a trap; you're going to kill them,’ she breathed, eyes wide. A wry smirk made its way onto the Sith’s pale face, stretching his full lips. ‘Goodbye, Rey,’ was all he said before the connection flickered out, leaving Rey staring at a wall. Though she hadn't known the two men for long, she had formed a bond with them already. Kylo planned to shoot them down, no doubt, and if she let them die she'd never be able to live with herself. “I have to save them,” she whispered aloud, fear burbling within her.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rey hurried out of the base, her long, thick robes dragging behind her. Though they were causing her to nearly have a stroke in the intense heat of Yavin, they would keep her toasty warm when she reached the snowy wasteland Finn and Poe were trapped on. Her fingers were covered by white gloves that matched her furry white shawl, wrapped around her tightly with a thick grey belt. Though it wasn't the most fashion-forward outfit, it'd keep her warm on the frigid Takodana. She couldn't help wonder what Leia had been thinking letting her men waltz right into a trap without backup. It was hard to believe the wise old General could have not known.  When she reached her dragons, she found all three dozing peacefully on the sand, the sun seeping into their scales and warming them up. A soft smile crossed her face and for a moment she forgot about the battle, admiring how precious they looked napping together. It reminded her of the old days back on Jakku, bringing back a slew of memories. 'Snap out of it, the more time you waste here, the higher chance Finn and Poe die', she reminded herself inwardly. 'Then, this'll all have been a waste of fucking time.' She walked closer to the dragons, using their mental connection to bring them out of their slumber. ‘Wake up, sweet things,’ she cooed to them telepathically. Slowly, they all started to rise from the ground, shaking the sand from their frilly necks as their heads rose. Three pairs of eyes slowly blinked open to meet hers, silvery white, fiery red and pale blue. “Shall we go?” she asked aloud, her voice clear and loud as she spoke to her children. Meraxes bent her leathery wing down, allowing the girl to climb up onto her back. Rey hoisted herself up, getting a firm grip on the dragon's spines as she got onto her back. Valerion let out a chirp, clearly excited to be flying off somewhere. If it weren't such a dire situation, Rey would've gladly taken some time to fly her dragons around aimlessly for a while. Unfortunately, her new friends from the Resistance were in need of her aid, and if she wanted the help of Leia, letting her already dwindling crew die off was a bad way to go about it. Besides, she'd taken a liking to the Resistance men already.---It seemed the sheer power of the Order would be too much for the men to escape from. Their ship had been shot down, which meant they had no way to escape. The battle was hopeless, and Poe knew it. There were just too many against them to fight; he was sure he and Finn weren't getting out of there alive. If only he'd consulted with Leia about leaving; she would have likely sensed it was a trap, but Poe's foolish pride got the best of him. All he'd wanted was to surprise her with a victory. Now, he might not live to see her again, to hear her scream at him for making such a reckless decision.  But he wouldn't just take his death lying down; he intended to fight until the bitter end, making the most of his final moments. With the blaster in his hand, he shot down a row of four stormtroopers running up to try and slice him open. As they slid on the blankets of snow covering the frozen ground below, their blades fell as fast as their bodies, slamming into the thick ice with a sickening crack. “Poe!” Finn cried, turning away from Kylo Ren to point to the sky. Kylo followed the dark man’s gaze, confused and filled with rage. He thought at first that Finn was just trying to delay his inevitable death, until he heard it. A single deafening roar broke through the sky, turning all of the soldiers’ attention upwards. A relieved smile washed over Poe’s face while Finn felt his heart race; she was coming to save them after all. There, soaring over the mountains, were Meraxes, Valerion and Vhagar, Rey atop Meraxes. The three dragons were heading straight towards the battle, wings fully extended to show their true immense size. The torrents of snow falling to the ground made it somewhat difficult to see, but the dragons were certainly hard to miss, even in such awful weather. The sound of their wings beating grew louder as they rapidly approached, whizzing through the snowy sky. Kylo’s eyes widened, his flickering crimson lightsaber frozen midair as he watched the dragons swoop down, their massive jaws opening to spit fire all over his soldiers. Cries echoed from all around him, the troopers panicking and trying to get out of the dragons’ blast zone. He felt frozen in place, doing nothing but watching as his army was destroyed. It was no use; their fire was too fast and too hot. Most of the troopers burned to death on contact, while some suffered a worse fate. Those who survived noticed the frozen lake they stood on instantly cracked and melted under the intense heat, leaving them to sink down into the water, their suits too heavy to carry them back to the surface. Air bubbles floated to the surface, the last oxygen sucked from their masks as they drowned below the ice. Ripples formed around where they had gone in, chunks of ice floating atop the newly exposed water. With every jet of fire from the dragons, an onslaught of troopers sank into the water, their sturdy masks muffling their screams of terror. The frozen lake was becoming weaker and weaker as huge patches were melted, leaving the rest susceptible to cracking. It was absolute chaos, the entire lake beginning to melt and break apart thanks to various faults in the previously thick ice. Valerion and Vhagar split from the usual formation, going on opposite sides of Meraxes to destroy as many of their mother’s enemies as they could. Fire rained down, brightly contrasting against the white snow and ice. Before any of them could run or hide, the soldiers were bombarded with blasts of fire that melted their armour and charred their bodies. Rey looked over Meraxes’ shoulder, trying to get a look at the ground below. She needed a safe place to land to allow Finn and Poe to climb onto Meraxes before Kylo finished them off. Gritting her teeth, she found that the centre of the lake had a large rocky island, one barely large enough to fit a dragon, but it would have to do. Finn and Poe stood just beside it, right underneath the ledges of rocks. Meraxes folded her wings as she landed roughly on the stone, sending bursts of fire towards the incoming troopers. She had formed a makeshift water moat around the island, keeping Finn and Poe with her and the stormtroopers at bay. However, by securing Finn and Poe with her on the island, Rey had also kept one other; Kylo Ren. Cursing, she knew she would have to either kill him or leave her friends. Of course she didn't want him to die, but he had been trying to kill her new friends before she arrived. He wasn't a good man, and she found herself having to replay the thought again and again to keep herself from trusting him. “Climb up!” Rey shouted down to Poe and Finn, her voice urgent as she peered over Meraxes’ frilled back. Her green eyes held such ferocity and worry that it made Poe second guess himself. The pilot began climbing the rocks up to the island, nearly slipping on the icy stone. Finn was keeping Kylo Ren busy until Poe got to safety, being the true hero he'd always dreamed of being. Not just for Poe, but for Rey as well. “You're going to die, traitor,” Kylo seethed, his red saber pressed against Finn’s blue, the one that had once belonged to his grandfather. Seeing the ex-stormtrooper using the saber that was rightfully his made Ren's blood boil. The hum of the two lasers meeting crackled and hissed, the contrasting light illuminating the mens’ faces. “You really think you can beat wielding my own lightsaber?” Finn gulped. Kylo was right, but he wasn't going to back down. He had to try. “Just...shut up and finish this!” Kylo barked out a stiff laugh, his dark eyes gleeful with vengeance as his saber slowly began to overpower Finn’s. Rey watched anxiously as Poe climbed, praying Finn would make it as well. She knew she couldn't just burn Kylo; it would be far too risky when he was so close to Finn, and if she messed up she'd be killing the dark-skinned man herself. “Poe, hurry!” Rey cried down to him as he finally made it up the rocks, running up to her. Meraxes lowered her right wing, allowing him to climb on. Though clumsily executed, he did manage to get up, sitting behind Rey on the huge dragon’s back. She pat his hand reassuringly, a driven spark appearing behind her bright eyes. 'I'm not going to let my friends die,' she told herself, her brows furrowed in concentration and determination. She was now focused on Finn making it to her safely. He was duelling with Kylo on the ice, his position precarious. One wrong move and he'd surely fall into the frigid waters. “Kylo!” Rey screamed, praying it would be enough of a diversion. “Kylo, listen to me! Stop all of this, there's still time to stop before it's too late!” Not looking away from Finn, he called back, “It's already too late, Rey.” “No, it's not!” she shouted desperately, emotions brewing within her. “Kylo, please, it's not too late for you to change. Come with us, come with me. You still have good in your heart-” “You really think that?!” he yelled incredulously, violently kicking Finn down effortlessly to the ice. Below the dark man, fissures of cracks broke all along the ice where he lay. His blue saber had plunged into the water, knocked out of his grasp when he fell. Kylo took the opportunity to look up at Rey, his dark eyes watering. She was shocked. Rey had never seen such potent emotion from the man before and it stunned her. She felt his conflicted heart tighten through their connection, slightly appalled that he was trying to make her pity him. There was a tiny voice in the back of her head, though, that wondered if he was sincere. Could he really fake such emotion? Even if it was true and he did feel a pull to the light, to her, her priority was rescuing Finn and Poe, not dealing with the overgrown child's mood swings. She eyed him warily for a couple of seconds, then the lightsaber in his grip. She couldn't let him get away, but had to get the Resistance men to safety. "Finn!" she called down to the man, who was slowly crawling to his feet. He looked up at her, then at Kylo Ren, who was standing meters away. Rey knew that Finn wasn't going to be able to get away from Kylo on his own. If she had come all this way to help, then damnit she'd help. Bracing herself, she jumped down from Meraxes' back, flying through the air before slamming into the snowy ground. A shock raced up her legs, making her wince in pain. Kylo was now solely focused on her, watching as she left Poe and the dragon to go to him. "Let him go," she spat at Ren. "Finn, go, now." "I'm not going to leave you with him, Rey," Finn protested, voice hoarse from his injuries. "You're hurt, go to Poe," she commanded sharply. When he opened his mouth to object, she held up a hand. "Go, I'll meet you there."  "You really think you can all just get away?" Kylo snarled, brandishing his saber and snapping the two out of their conversation. "I can damn well try," Rey replied with a glare that would make even Hux piss his pants. "You're unarmed," he pointed out, the light from his weapon casting a red glow on his pale face. "No, I'm not." Before she could elaborate, she had stuck her hand out. The saber Finn had dropped in the water plunged back through the surface, landing right in her palm. A smug, determined look crossed her face at Kylo's shock. This was all the proof he needed; she was strong with the force, indeed. Finn had now gotten himself up onto the rocky island, brown uniform dusted in snow. Poe extended a hand down to him and helped him up towards Meraxes. Kylo and Rey were busied below, meaning it was their chance to flee. But they couldn't; neither could bring themselves to leave Rey behind. Just as the dark-skinned man pulled himself up onto the dragon’s back, a blaring screech of pure agony filled the air. Recognizing the voice, Rey’s eyes went as wide as saucers, dread twisting her insides into a knot. She whipped away from Kylo, desperately searching the skies for her babies. Vhagar was flying above her, his red wings starkly contrasting against the pale grey sky. He seemed completely fine, which relieved her temporarily, until she looked to the left and saw her other child. Her stomach sank, her chest tightening so much that she felt like she could barely breathe. “No,” she breathed, her face contorting into a horrified grimace as she saw a dark blue body plummeting from the sky. There had been one last cannon that neither she nor her dragons had seen; a battering ram blaster. Valerion must have gotten too close to it and it slammed through his torso. There was a gaping wound in the dragon’s abdomen, revealing gallons of blood and entrails that were spilling out from his shattered rib cage all over the ground below. Fire mixed with blood from his lungs and throat, a mixture of orange and dark red spewing from his jaws as he let out an ear-splitting shriek.  As her child fell, all Rey could do was watch; she knew it was too late, his wound too severe. Above her, Vhagar let out a cry for his falling brother, Meraxes following suit. A bellowing, pained roar left the female dragon as she watched her brother fall, yet she could do nothing to help him.  Valerion shrieked again in pain as he slammed into the ground, sliding across the surface of the lake and shattering the thick layer of ice. His blood stained the shards of ice a deep scarlet, his wings tearing as he skidded over the ice. Troopers were crushed under his enormous body as he broke through the ground they stood on, leaving a trail of broken ice and rippling scarlet water in his wake. Tears were flowing down Rey’s frostbitten cheeks as she watched him start to slow down and lose momentum, his scaled body floating in the water for a moment. His eyes flickered to Rey’s, one final feeble cry for his mother escaping his now crooked jaws before he began to sink under the surface of the freezing water. Rey felt her heart shatter all over again when his eyes closed, knowing it was for good. Vhagar cried out once more as his brother sank deeper and deeper into the water, his head and wings the last parts of him to be submerged. A large ripple cascaded across the surface, chunks of bloody ice going still as the dragon slowly sank to the bottom of the deep lake, no longer visible. Poe, Finn and Kylo were staring wide-eyes at the broken surface of the lake where Valerion had plunged in, in disbelief of what they'd just witnessed. Kylo’s dark eyes flickered down to Rey, still shocked at what he'd just witnessed. The girl’s expression of pure horror and agony was enough to make him grimace. She really had loved the beast like it was her own child and he'd just shot it out of the sky. Well, not him, but his men. What difference did it make? She'd hate him either way.  Her green eyes were unblinking as tears spilled down her cheeks, her lips parted, letting hot puffs of air leave her mouth. She was still processing what she'd seen, her heart beating unevenly in her chest. Valerion was dead, nothing but a corpse at the bottom of the lake, and she hadn't done a thing to save him.  “Rey?” Finn called down to her, his chapped lips pressed together as he read her expression. She finally blinked, turning away from the bloody massacre before her towards the man sitting atop Meraxes. Behind him, Poe was watching her as well with thinned lips and sad eyes. “He's gone,” she whispered, her voice faint and trembling. She sealed her lips together, her throat bobbing dangerously. She held in the sobs that so desperately wanted to escape her lips, not daring to make a fool of herself in front of Kylo and his army. Perhaps he had done it on purpose, distracted her with false declarations and a compassionate façade. From a First Order standpoint Kylo should have been glad he wiped out one of the dragons; it took power away from Rey and the Resistance, but all he felt was pure regret. The look on her face had spelled out the utter betrayal she felt.  Rey cast one final tear-filled glance at the blood stained water, then at the man cloaked in black watching her with a blank stare. She was filled to the brim with fury and vengeance, her body shaking both from the cold and the emotions raging within her.  "You," she seethed, a hiccup escaping her lips. "Are you happy? This is what you wanted, isn't it?" "No," he responded, taking a step forwards. "This is never what I wanted. I didn't want to hurt you." "Bullshit!" she screamed, the raw emotion in her voice startling him. "All your stupid Order does is hurt people, and you're no exception, Kylo Ren." Ragged breaths left her lips as she got into a fighting stance, her eyes locked dangerously on Kylo. Igniting the blue saber with a low thrum, she breathed, "You're going to die."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rey wasn't the least bit frightened as Kylo brandished his spitting, red lightsaber. The blade was unsteady and violent, just like him, and yet she didn't feel intimidated in the slightest. The sheer amount of fury flowing through her system was enough to keep her steady. "Rey-" he began, but before another word could leave his mouth, she slashed forwards with her own icy blue saber. He dodged, barely, as her blade whizzed past his head. Eyes widening, he looked at her; she appeared crazed, eyes filled with a dangerous fury he knew all too well. Perhaps the girl was darker than she cared to admit. "Don't say my name!" she screamed, jabbing at him again. "You have no right, you bastard!" He parried her strike, blades humming as they met. "This wasn't my fault!" he retorted, gasping as she twisted under his blade and kicked him back. He nearly stumbled, but managed to keep himself upright on the ice. Kylo's boots dug into the surface of the frozen lake, trying to get a grip on the unstable ground. "Oh, so who's is it, then?" she sneered, tears freely flowing from her bright eyes. "Finn's and Poe's for nearly being killed?" "You didn't have to come here and save them!" he shot back as their blades met again with a sharp crack. "You've known them for a matter of days, and felt the need to come save their asses. You've just got abandonment issues and you latch onto anyone who spares you a second glance!" She reeled back, a flicker of hurt appearing in her eyes. It was there for a split second before vanishing, the anger returning in its place. "Shut up! You don't know a thing about me!" A twisted sneer morphed Kylo’s face into something ugly. His long features were pallid and filled with superiority. “Oh, but I know everything about you, Rey. We are far more alike than you think, little scavenger.”  “I am not a scavenger,” she bit out, fingers tightening around her saber until her knuckles began to turn white. “Tell me, do you know what it's like to starve? To lose count of the day's you've gone without food? Just because I do, doesn't make me any less than you. I am a Queen now, and I've earned that damn title.” She was seething now, he knew he'd made her absolutely livid. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her saber was shaking in her grip.  He took this opportunity to try and disarm her, swinging out violently and sending her skidding back across the ice. She felt her back hit the rocky island, knocking the wind out of her. Kylo approached, eyes narrowed as he opened his mouth.  “I never denied you've had a shit life,” Kylo replied. “But even now, you scavenge. Perhaps not for food, but for affection, from anyone and everyone you meet. It's pathetic.” She snarled, leaping forwards and slashing at Kylo with her saber. He stumbled back when the blade caught the edge of his cloak, sending a charred hunk of black fabric onto the ice. He only just managed to deflect the rest of the swing, keeping the saber from running him through. “You need a teacher!” he stated loudly. “You're untrained, with untapped potential. If you only move on from this desperation for acceptance, you can rule the galaxy, have ultimate power .” Rey barked out a laugh. “That's what you think I want? Ultimate power?” She parried a slash of his own, pushing him back with her blade. Blue slammed into red, sending beams of light against both of their faces. They were closer to each other than Rey liked, but she couldn't back up or she'd risk being impaled. “I don't give a damn about power,” she stated viciously. “I care about making the galaxy a better place, for everyone, not just the rich like you.” “The Order-” “The Order,” she spat, cutting him off. “Is a corrupt, murderous organization that I will have no part in. They are monstrous, and so are you.” Right as Kylo opened his mouth to defend himself, he felt a searing, paralyzingly pain travel up from his torso to his face. Rey’s blinding blue saber had sliced him right open while he'd been distracted by their conversation. He collapsed to the ice, blood oozing from his open wounds. His body trembled with the sheer agony and shock of it all. His saber turned off with a flicker of scarlet and he fell to his hands and knees, face tilting up to look at her one last time. Her face was bathed in blue light, eyes sparkling with tears as she gazed down at him with pure loathing. The words ‘rot in hell, murderous snake' drifted into his mind before her walls went up, sealing him out of her head completely. It wouldn't have mattered much anyways, as the moment she did so, he faded into unconsciousness, the darkness overtaking him. --- Rey mounted Meraxes, saber sheathed at her side. It had been tucked into her belt, which she’d used as a makeshift holder for the weapon for the ride back to Yavin. Once she was on Meraxes’ back, she pulled the warp device from inside her cloak, chucking it as far in front of them as she could manage. The metal hovered in the air for a split second before bursting open, revealing the warp they would travel through. The silver dragon let out one last fearsome bellow before kicking off of the ground and soaring up towards the portal. Vhagar followed, his cries drowning out the sounds of machinery and the whistling of the wind around them. Rey looked back, eyes settling on the blood-stained ice one final time, then at the bloody mess of Kylo Ren lying motionless on the ice, before her eyes returned to the warp ahead. A deep, shuddering exhale left her lips as she lay down against the dragon’s back, emotionally and physically drained. Though she hadn't killed him, she was satisfied at the damage she'd done. It certainly wouldn't pay for what he'd done to Valerion, but it was a start. With a gloved hand, she went to wipe the tears from her cheeks, only to find they were already frozen against her skin. She felt a faint pressure against her back and realized that Finn was laying against her back, Poe against his. ‘At least I saved them,' she thought to herself, holding back a sob as they flew into the warp.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The ride back to Yavin was less than pleasant. No one uttered a word, the only sounds being the cries of the dragons as they mourned their brother. When Meraxes landed, Leia was already outside waiting for them. The sun was dipping below the horizon, casting an orange glow across the sand that reminded Rey all too much of Jakku. Meraxes craned her neck down, bending so that Finn and Poe could disembark. When they noticed Rey hadn't followed, they glanced up in confusion. “Rey?” Poe asked. “Aren't you coming inside?” “I have to go home, Poe,” she replied in a soft voice. “But you just got here!” Finn protested. “I can't stay here,” she responded. “Not after what happened.” “What happened?” Leia asked, looking up at Rey before eyeing the two men expectantly. Clearly she hadn't noticed that only two dragons had returned to their base. “One of her dragons was hit with a cannon,” Poe informed her dutifully. “It didn't survive.” “Was it my son?” she asked in a lower voice. “Not directly, but yes,” Finn told her. “Gods, I'm sorry, Rey,” the old woman said, eyes now flickering up to meet hers. “I respect your decision if you wish to leave.” Rey nodded gratefully. “Thank you, General.” She could feel her throat tightening as tears threatened her once more. She needed to leave. She smiled sadly. “Call me Leia.” “Alright,” Rey replied, a wavering smile making its way onto her own face. “Farewell, Leia.” “Godspeed, Rey,” the Resistance general said as Meraxes began to take off. The three all waved her off, not going inside until they'd seen her enter the warp. --- The moment Meraxes touched down on the soil of Mereeni, Rey was leaping off of her back and racing off towards the pyramid. She heard Vhagar call out to her from behind her but couldn’t bear to face him; being with the dragons would only serve as a reminder of what had just happened.She was conflicted: she'd obtained a successful alliance with the Resistance and made peace with Leia, but only after losing Valerion.Rey stormed into the pyramid, furiously wiping her cheeks as the guards warily welcomed her back. She hardly even noticed, too caught up in her own thoughts to pay the staff any mind. All she could see was Valerion’s innards spewing out onto the ice, the vision replaying over and over like a broken record. “My Lady!” a voice called, making her head swivel. Rey’s eyes met the familiar dusty blue pair belonging to Jorah. He looked troubled when he saw the tears streaking down her face. “What’s wrong?” Sniffling involuntarily, she tried her best to compose herself. “The Resistance needed my help, so I flew in with the dragons. There was a cannon hidden in the mountains, and when Valerion was flying, he - he didn’t see it coming.” His eyes widened; while he hadn’t shared the same connection with the beasts, he’d known Rey and the dragons long enough to feel the pang in his heart when he heard of Valerion’s passing. “So, he’s…” Jorah trailed off, not wanting to say the ugly word. All Rey could do was nod as she bit down on her quivering lower lip. “Oh, gods, I’m so sorry,” he said quietly, bowing his head. Rey bit her lip, shaking her head to acknowledge that he was not to blame. “You’re relieved of your duty, Sir Jorah. If you’ll excuse me.” She gently brushed past him as she made her way past the throne room. Her hiccups and sniffs echoed around her in the stairwell, making them ever-more prominent. When she got to her room, Rey slammed the door shut, back pressed tightly against it. Her knees wobbled and gave out, body sliding down the door to the floor where she collapsed in a heap of fabric. Burying her face in her hands, her body shook with sobs. Her eyes were puffy and red, lips quivering as all of her emotions exploded out of her at once. Rey’s heart clenched suddenly and violently, and she wondered for a moment if she was having a heart attack. Hands rose up to clutch her chest, eyes widening at the pain she felt. Then, a sudden jolt of something unexplainable surged through her and she was face to face with none other than Kylo Ren. There was utter silence for a moment as the two eyed each other, both clearly surprised the force had connected them. Kylo raked over her hunched form and tear-stained face, not saying a word. “You,” she managed, a hiccup following the word much to her embarrassment. He didn't say anything, simply watching her rage unfold. “I hate you!” she screamed, voice raw and filled with pain. “I fucking hate you! You killed him!” “Technically, I didn't do anything,” he countered, only fuelling her fire. “Oh, shut up!” she snarled. “Your men did it, but who gave them the kriffing weapons to kill him?” “Hux,” Kylo responded swiftly. “I don't handle troopers, just take them where they're needed. They were needed at the base your terrorist friends so kindly planned to attack.” “So you set them up?” she demanded. “Leaked a fake location and lured them to their deaths?” “Oh, no,” he replied somewhat coyly. “The base was a couple miles off, they just landed near the lake. As for luring them in, they were planning on coming anyways. We just prepared.” “You tried to kill them!” “Self-defence, Rey,” he said smoothly. “A tactic you should know well enough.” “You killed-” “As for your beast, I genuinely didn't plan on killing it,” he said. “And for that, I'm sorry, but you killed over five hundred men. They were all people with lives just like you and I, and yet one loss for you is horrific.” “He was my baby!” she cried out, lashing out so strongly in the force that the projection of Kylo wavered for a moment. Clearly surprised, his widened eyes set back on her form with newfound interest. "He was good, he never hurt anyone unless he had to. He was always so sweet, so gentle..." “It was an animal,” he stated, seeming perplexed. “I raised them,” she defended. “The dragons are my children. The only children I'll ever have.” “How do you know that?” Ren questioned. “I just do,” she said protectively. “And saying ‘sorry’ won't bring back Valerion, who your men gutted with a cannon without a second thought!” “I never said it would,” he said back. “It was merely a gesture of kindness.” “You, kind?” she practically snorted, wiping her cheeks once again. “This is the worst time the force could have possibly connected us, so you can go right ahead and fu-” All of a sudden, a piercing pain slammed Rey’s senses. Her eyes squeezed shut, a gasp of pain leaving her lips as she shivered on the ground. Gritting her teeth, her fingers clutched so tightly at her dress the knuckles turned white. A blinding, sharp pain continued to ram through her head like a migraine on steroids. She felt as if she would pass out at any moment, barely clinging to consciousness. Kylo, feeling a second-hand wave of the pain through the bond, looked down at her curiously. “Rey?” he asked. She didn't respond. Her body was stiff and unmoving on the floor, huddled in the layers of her pale dress. He grew worried when he bent down and touched her and she didn't even flinch. “No,” the words came from her mouth unconsciously. “I'm sorry, stop! Why are you-!” A guttural scream left her lips, face contorting in agony as she began to writhe on the ground. “Rey!” he bent down to catch her as she nearly fell on her face. Her fingers clung to him immediately and he could feel the trembling of her body against his own. “Snoke?” the word was a curious whisper in her mouth, one that made Kylo’s eyes widen like saucers when he heard it. So Snoke had gotten into her head, he realized with dread. “Rey, wake up!” he urged, crouching down with her still in his arms. When she still didn't respond, he roughly placed his hands on the sides of her head, where her temples were, and squeezed his eyes shut, delving inside. She was too unfamiliar with Snoke’s tactics to have a chance of keeping him out. Kylo, on the other hand, was well-practiced with blocking the old Muun’s prying eyes from his head. Before he could even start to help Rey, however, she ceased her fit. As quickly as it had started, her bout of sobbing and writhing came to a halt, and her eyes fluttered open to meet his, filled with confusion and disbelief. “What the hell was that?” she breathed shakily, hardly even realizing she was in the arms of the enemy. “That was your first encounter with the Supreme Leader,” Kylo replied gravely. “Snoke.” Her eyes widened at this. “How did he - he was inside my head, bringing up all of my fears and the worst memories and-” “Shh,” he coaxed, trying to calm the shaking girl down. “He’s gone now.” “But what if he comes back?” she whispered, and he could hear the worry laced into her voice. Kylo didn’t think he’d ever seen the scavenger scared before, so this was a first. “Then you’ll have to learn how to block him out,” Kylo stated. “How? I don’t have a teacher, and Luke is nowhere to be found!” she practically wailed. “I can teach you,” he offered up. “I can show you the ways of the force.” It all seemed to click for Rey in that moment; she roughly shoved herself off of Ren’s lap and scooted back against the door, curling her legs against her chest protectively. “Get away from me!” she hissed. “I-I don’t know what the hell just happened, but I will not allow you to trick me into becoming your ally! You’re a real bastard, trying to pull a stunt like that when I’m weak.” “Pull what stunt?” he demanded, now back to a standing position towering over her. “I offered you help against Snoke. I never said you had to be my ally. Who said I wanted that?” Rey bristled at the defensive sting in his tone but did not budge. “Why would you teach me if you didn’t gain anything from it in the end?” she asked. “Because, maybe, I’m just a decent person,” he responded coolly. “And given the tiny fraction of blame for your dragon’s death that could be placed on me, maybe I thought this would even us out.” “Even us out?” she snorted indignantly. “Do you even hear yourself? My child is dead and you think teaching me a couple force tricks will help?” “Reincarnation is a force trick,” he told her, watching as her face morphed into an expression blooming with both hope and disbelief. “Isn’t that a dark-side thing?” she asked softly, seeming to fill with disappointment at the realization. “Haven’t you realized that you’re not fully light yet?” he inquired, getting her attention. “You’ve massacred thousands, if not millions, of troopers for the sake of your cause, which you believe is right. At best, that would make you grey.” “Grey?” she echoed, confused. “A grey jedi,” he elaborated. “A jedi who toes the line, goes to further measures and occasionally dips into the dark side to achieve balance. Seems more practical than the jedi. Too many rules.” “If I’m grey…” she paused, eyes flitting up to his. “Does that mean I could bring him back?” Kylo pondered for a moment before nodding his head. “Yes, I suppose so, with the right training. Though I don’t know how long its body will last out there before you properly master the technique.” “We can retrieve him!” she gasped, eyes welling with tears of happiness. “I can send my men to get his body from the lake - we’ll find a bacta tank big enough, there has to be one!” “May I offer a suggestion?” Kylo asked, and this time he knew he had her full attention.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rey had a big decision to make.
 
Kylo Ren had informed her of the Bacta lake on an outer rim planet belonging to the Order. It would require some work, but she could get Valerion from the frozen lake and place him in the Bacta until she came up with a proper solution.
 
This proper solution involved dark magic, tapping into the less savoury side of the Force. To resurrect him, she'd have to learn the ways of Kylo Ren and Snoke, things she wasn't sure she was ready to expose herself to.
 
But it was her

baby

. She would be doing it all to save him after her recklessness lost him his life. She couldn't bear to know that she could save him but chose not to. Even if it was just a slight chance, she'd take it. She had to.
 
So Rey used the cloaked channel he'd given her before he left and typed into her datapad:
I’ll do it. -Rey
 
Within a few minutes, she got a response.
Very well. I’ll see you in two days.
 
Along with his message were a set of coordinates. She assumed it would take him that long to fly there, but with her warps she could be there in minutes. It was honestly surprising to her that the Order hadn't gotten its hands on warps, with how helpful they'd been to her.
 
In all fairness, she'd basically cornered the market for them; they weren't cheap, so her only competitors would be either small, single-purchase customers or the First Order. The company couldn't afford to lose her business, though, and they had long supported Rey in her endeavours.
 
She pressed the link of the coordinates, seeing a planet called Jikaron pop up. It was a purple planet in the outer rim, covered with turquoise swirls that she knew were the Bacta lakes flowing across its surface.
 
Now, all she had to do was tell her seconds-in-command. Jorah and Lorras would surely understand.
 
---
 
“My Lady,” the two men bowed before her as she perched on her throne.
 
“Rise,” she said, and they stood back up to their full height. “I have called you here to inform you of a plan I have.”
 
They nodded, showing that they were listening intently.
 
“I want to send ten ships from the fleet and go retrieve Valerion’s body from the frozen lake,” she explained. “I've found a planet with Bacta laksa big enough to fit this entire pyramid fifty times over. We can keep his body there while I try and learn how to resurrect using the Force. Hopefully, the Bacta will keep him preserved until then.”
 
Jorah looked stunned. “How did you manage to find all of this out?”
 
“I had help from a...friend,” she replied, not exactly being honest but not outright lying.
 
“So, you're going to take a break from conquering, then?” Lorras asked.
 
“It's a process,” she stated. “I don't want to risk losing another dragon, and I think taking a more political approach for a while may be in our best interests. Wars cost a fair amount of money and resources, while speaking to a council could be just as effective with none of the carnage.”
 
Lorras nodded. “You make a fair point, Your Grace.”
 
“The only thing I’m worried about is that if I’m not actively stopping it, slavery will begin to creep back,” she mused with a frown.
 
“We could set up some of our men on all of the planets we’ve conquered so far,” Jorah suggested. “To keep the peace.”
 
Rey nodded. “Very well. How soon can we dispatch them?”
 
“Tonight, if you wish,” Jorah replied.
 
“Good. That’s at least one issue taken care of,” she said, relieved. “Jorah, you’ll be in charge when I leave, and Lorras, I’m sure I can trust you to speak to the civilians on my behalf?”
 
Lorras nodded, brown curls falling into his face. “Of course.”
 
“I’ll be in touch with General Flynn tonight,” Rey informed them as she rose from her throne to leave. “I expect you two to be courteous, is that understood?”
 
The advisors nodded, Jorah doing so begrudgingly. He and Rey’s General had never gotten along, often bickering about strategies and the ‘proper way’ of doing things. Something about the General irked Jorah to no end and Rey couldn’t figure out what it was.
 
“That’s all, you’re free to go,” she told them, climbing down the stone steps and heading towards the exit. “Further details will be sent to you via datapad.”
 
The two men respectfully bowed and she waved them off. “You know you don't have to do that.”
 
“I know,” Lorras replied, lips twisting up into a small smile. Rey couldn't help but return it; his dimpled grin was always contagious.
 
She walked through the entryway to the throne room, walking down the hall towards the back of the pyramid. Pushing through the beaded curtains, she began heading out into the gardens. The flowers were in full-bloom, their various bright colours a sight to behold. Mereeni was beautiful during the summer, with all of its wildlife thriving.
 
Hummingbirds and butterflies flitted around, landing on the flowers and sipping on the sweet nectar. It was a much-needed escape for Rey, like stepping into another world.
 
Out there, she was not a Queen, not a rebel, not a Jedi. She was just a girl sitting amongst the flowers. It made her almost miss Jakku, the simplicity of her life back then. All she'd worried about wa surviving, none of the politics and heartbreak she had faced lately. It was both harder and easier in different ways.
 
Rey stuck her hand out gently, letting an elegant yellow-winged butterfly perch on her index finger. It flapped its wings back and worth, crawling along her knuckles before flitting off once more. She watched it go, a soft smile making its way onto her face.
 
The sun was warm, but not the blistering heat of Jakku. It was still hot, since Mereeni was largely a desert climate, but was certainly more bearable. The warmth was nice, soothing, and the sunshine seemed to brighten her mood instantly.
 
Rey suddenly felt a ripple in the Force and the serenity she'd been feeling snapped in two. Turning around, she didn't even have to look to know who was standing there, towering over her.
 
“What are you doing here?” she asked, a frown tugging at her lips.
 
“Beats me,” Kylo replied. “I don't control this damn bond.”
 
“Well, it's not a good time,” she snapped.
 
“Not like I can make it stop,” he said, irritation flashing across his features. “Where are you? It looks sunny.”
 
“It's summer,” she said in a ‘duh’ tone. “Of course it's sunny.”
 
“It's not summer everywhere,” he contradicted. “Especially not in the

Finalizer

.”
 
She nearly cringed. It was another one of those blasted war vessels the Order mass-produced in hopes of forcing the rest of the galaxy to submit out of fear.
 
“It's not my fault you're holed up in a bleak war ship,” she responded coolly.
 
“No, it's not,” was his brief reply. “I suppose this is the part where you lecture me for being on the wrong side? Or yell at me for being a murderer?”
 
“No,” she said. “I'm not going to bother.”
 
“No?” he asked. “Given up on me so quickly, scavenger?”
 
“I haven't given up on you,” she stated evenly. “I'm giving you a

very

generous second chance after you killed my child, but right now you're seriously making me question that decision.”
 
That shut him up.
 
“Just...I need space,” she said after a moment of silence. “I'll see you in two days, anyways.” Though she didn't outright say it, it was obvious; she needed time to process the loss of Valerion and couldn't do that with him around.
 
He got the hint. “Fine, I'll stand here silently until the bond closes. Whenever that is.”
 
“Just pretend I'm not even here,” she said, returning as best as she could to the garden. But it just wasn't the same. His arrival had snapped her out of the magic she'd been enthralled in.
 
Rey sighed softly, shoulders slumping. She walked over to a stone bench, sitting down and fixing the skirt of her dress. She felt her eyes pricking with the threat of tears but forced them back.
 
Resting her head in her palms, she bit her lip, trying to keep her composure. She knew he was watching, she could

feel

it. The last thing she needed was to break down in front of him again. She wouldn't humiliate herself like that again.
 
“Rey,” his voice came out soft, yet hoarse. “Rey.”
 
“I told you not to speak to me!” she protested, lips thinning.
 
Suddenly, he was right in front of her. “We’ll bring him back. I give you my word.”
 
Then, he was gone.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Ah, my faithful apprentice,” Snoke greeted Kylo as he walked into the throne room. “Welcome back. I’m told you blasted one of the scavenger girl’s dragons clean out of the sky.”
 
Kylo nodded. “We did succeed in killing one of the dragons. The Resistance, however, managed to escape with her.”
 
“And they left you with that scar,” Snoke drawled, eyeing the long, patched up line running from Ren’s forehead down his torso. “Pity.”
 
“It will heal,” Kylo said dismissively. “I won’t let it affect my training.”
 
“Good,” the Supreme Leader purred, voice raspy. “Wouldn’t want that.”
 
Kylo got the feeling Snoke knew more than he was letting on, but chose to keep quiet.
 
“Hux seems to be upset about you getting the credit for the slaying of the beast,” Snoke said.
 
“Let him have the credit if he wants it so badly,” Kylo said. He couldn’t care less who got the title as ‘dragon-slayer’, so long as he didn’t have to listen to Hux whine incessantly.
 
“He has not earned the credit,” his master stated. “Armitage needs this motivation to make him work harder. If he wishes to be credited, he’ll have to win himself a victory.”
 
Kylo merely stood silently, listening to Snoke speak.
 
“I want you to begin training with the Knights of Ren again,” Snoke told him, leaning back against his towering throne. “They are growing lazy and unmotivated, which I will not accept. I am tasking you with conditioning them into worthy knights, understood?”
 
Kylo nodded. “Of course, master. Is that all?”
 
Snoke bobbed his head. “You may leave, apprentice.”
 
Kylo bowed deeply before turning and stalking out of the room, long cloak swishing behind him. At the doors, Hux was waiting for his turn to enter and shot Ren a particularly foul look.
 
“It’s not my fault you’re a failure,” Kylo muttered as he walked past, and in the corner of his eye he could see Hux turning as red as a lobster out of sheer frustration.
 
---
 
“Lady Rey,” a voice called out to her. “It’s raining. Come inside.”
 
Rey looked up, snapped out of her daydream. She realized that her dress was absolutely soaked, hair matted to her face. Cool droplets of rain pattered against her skin, and the sky had considerably darkened since she first entered the gardens.
 
“Lorras,” she breathed, a shiver racking over her body.
 
A pitying look crossed her advisor’s face when he saw her puffy eyes and rain-soaked form. “Let’s get you warmed up, shall we?”
 
“The dragons,” she said softly. “I want to see them.”
 
“You’ll catch a cold out here, my Lady,” he protested. “Tell you what, how about after you’ve dried off and gotten warm, I’ll take you to them?”
 
She nodded feebly. “Sorry, I’m being foolish.”
 
“Don’t be sorry, Lady Rey,” he said with a comforting smile. “I’ll have a nice hot bath drawn for you and dinner made.”
 
Rey smiled gratefully. “Thank you.” She shook with another shiver, arms wrapping around her cold, soaked body.
 
When she got upstairs to her quarters, she found one of her handmaidens, Aluria, drawing her a bath. A faint smile crossed her face as she walked into the room, recognizing the girl by her black curls tied into a messy bun.
 
“Hello, Aluria,” Rey greeted.
 
“My Lady,” the girl bowed, smiling. “It has been some time.”
 
“It has,” Rey agreed. “I’ve been quite busy, unfortunately. I haven’t spent much time in Mereeni lately, but I’ll be here for a couple nights.”
 
“That’s wonderful, Your Grace,” Alluria said, clasping her hands in front of her after she finished dropping some lavender oil into Rey’s bathwater. She could see the steam rising from the tub and knew it would be perfect to warm her up.
 
“Thank you,” Rey said, gesturing to the bath. “You may go. I’ll see you at dinner, I hope.”
 
Alluria nodded. “As you wish, my Lady.” She bowed again and left the room, flowy white dress trailing behind her.
 
When the curtains closed, Rey began to strip down, removing her rain-soaked dress and undergarments. She removed her braid, letting her damp hair run down her shoulders.
 
The sweet smell of lavender filled the room as she stepped into the tub, sitting down and laying back. Though most people would have reeled back at the temperature of the water, Rey had always loved it hot, close to boiling. It reminded her of Jakku, and the days she spent in the intense heat.
 
She closed her eyes, head resting against the back of the tub. It was nice to be able to lie there and relax, forgetting her worries as she was engulfed in comforting warmth. Even if it was only for a short while, she could forget about all of the horrible things going on in her life.
 
---
 
Once Rey was dried off and dressed in a thicker coat, she made her way downstairs for supper. The dining room was bustling, filled with people awaiting their meal.
 
At the table sat Jorah and Lorras, General Flynn, Rey’s three handmaidens Alluria, Lyanna and Grace as well as the main Lords and Ladies of her council. Dinner was brought out on individual plates pertaining to each person’s taste.
 
Rey’s dinner consisted of roasted vegetables and some sort of fish with a sweet glaze. She sat at the head of the table, hands by her sides until everyone had been served.
 
“Shall we eat?” she asked, signifying that everyone may begin eating. Everyone at the table bowed their heads respectfully before eating their meals.
 
“Lady Rey, the news about Valerion is absolutely heartbreaking,” one of her advisors, Lady Grey, said with a deep frown. “He was absolutely beautiful.”
 
Rey automatically stiffened at the mention of her dead baby, knife halting mid-slice. She stared down at her plate and Jorah piped up, knowing she wouldn’t want to talk about it.
 
“Her Grace does not wish to discuss that matter,” Jorah said firmly. “We are in the works of retrieving him and that is all there is to it. She needs time to properly heal.”
 
Lady Grey nodded. “My deepest apologies.”
 
It was quiet for a moment, save the sounds of chewing, until General Flynn spoke up.
 
“You need ten ships, is that correct?” he inquired.
 
“Yes,” she responded. “That should be sufficient. I’ll need them tomorrow afternoon.”

Flynn nodded. “I can do that. Consider it done.”
 
“Thank you,” Rey said, managing a small smile. “Now, I will be leaving for a day or so, but when I get back, we will be holding trials for all of our current convicts. We’ve put it off for too long.”
 
Lord Starwell piped up. “All of them? You can’t be serious, that will take hours!”
 
“And?” Rey asked, silencing the man. “It must be done. If you do not wish to participate, don’t. No one is forcing you, my Lord.”
 
“Some of the locals wish to have the death penalty reinstituted,” Lord Walden noted. “For high ranking criminals such as murders and rapists.”
 
“They’ll have to take it to court,” Rey responded swiftly. “It’s not a decision to be made at the dinner table.”
 
“And what of the resources on Mjun?” asked Lady Mandej. “We were planning on mining there, were we not?”
 
“We still are,” Rey assured her. “It was delayed by the Order’s attack on the Resistance there. We will have to destroy their forces there before we can begin our work.”
 
Rey put the last bite of her meal into her mouth, chewing vigorously in an effort to be done faster. She chugged back a large sip of water before standing up.
 
“If you’ll excuse me, my Lords and Ladies, Sir Lorras and I have business we must attend to,” she stated. “But by all means, enjoy your meals and if you have any further concerns to discuss, give them to Sir Jorah and he will relay them to me.”
 
Everyone at the table bowed once more, watching her leave with Lorras.
 
“Sorry I didn’t quite let you finish eating,” she apologized quietly when they were out of earshot from the dining hall. “I couldn’t bear being there another minute.”
 
Lorras chuckled. “Neither could I, Lady Rey. They can be quite a handful sometimes.”
 
“Aren’t you going to be cold?” she asked, eyeing his thin shirt.
 
“I’m warm-blooded,” he joked with a small smile. “Besides-” He pulled an umbrella from its stand near the front hall, opening it right as they stepped outside. “I’ve got one of these.”
 
He invited Rey to duck underneath as well, which she gladly did. He was taller than her, but not by a great deal, so it worked well to share the umbrella.
 
“I like the smell of rain,” she blurted, causing Lorras to laugh. “Okay, it sounds weird, but it’s just...refreshing.”
 
“I know what you mean,” he agreed. “It’s a nice change to the heat.”
 
“Sometimes I like the heat, but other times it reminds me too much of Jakku,” she admitted as they walked down to the dragon pit. “I enjoy a bit of varied weather. Rain’s my favourite, I think.”
 
“I enjoy snow,” Lorras said, and only realized that he’d made a mistake when he felt Rey flinch beside him. Ah, Valerion had died on a snowy planet. He’d forgotten.
 
“I’m sorry-”
 
“It’s fine,” she said quietly. “I’m fine.”
 
Lorras paused for a moment, turning to look at Rey. “It’s okay to not be fine. Letting yourself grieve is not selfish, nor does it make you weak. It makes you strong because you miss someone dearly and still have the strength to go on.”
 
Rey gazed into his bright eyes, a shaky smile forming on her face.
 
“You have a gentle heart, but a warrior’s soul,” he told her, and she could tell he meant every word.
 
“Thank you, Lorras,” she whispered, lips trembling as her smile turned to tears.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It was time. Rey had her ships ready and dragons out as they prepared to make the journey to Mjun, then Jikaron. It would be fairly easy on the speed side, thanks to the use of warps, but Rey didn’t know if she was truly ready to see Valerion again. Seeing Kylo again, in the flesh, wouldn’t be a pleasure cruise, either. She just hoped it could all happen fast and smoothly so she could go home as soon as possible.
 
---
 
The warp opened up, spitting out Rey and her fleet into the harsh winds of Mjun. Snow flurried around them, whirling about in the frigid winds. They were approaching a large circling of mountains, ones she recognized all too well. Within the mountain range lay the frozen lake.
 
Whether from the trauma or the freezing temperatures, her eyes began to water.
 
“I want all ships heading for the crash site,” Flynn’s rough voice commanded over the intercom system. Rey’s own earpiece was hurting her ear from the sheer volume, but she didn’t dare remove a hand from Meraxes’ spines to remove it. If she fell from such an altitude, the chances of survival were slim.
 
A chorus of, “Yes sir” came through on the intercom and the shuttles all flew down past the dragons, heading for the gaping, bloodstained hole in the ice. While the water had returned to its murky blue colour, the ice around it was still stained a deep scarlet, broken up where he’d skidded and eventually sank in.
 
Rey wanted to look away but couldn’t. She needed to see them safely lift him out, to see the state of his body. If he was decomposing, it was far less likely she’d be able to save him.
 
Meraxes landed on the same rocky island she’d used the last time they came there, while Vhagar waited along the opposite shoreline of the ships. Both dragons seemed on-edge, and Rey didn’t blame them. They had to be just as traumatized by their brother’s death as she was, if not more.
 
The ships sank large clamps into the water, hovering as the clamps secured to the dragon’s corpse. Then, the chains attached to the clamps began rising. Slowly but surely, they were pulling up his body.
 
Rey saw a ripple on the surface of the water, then a blue frill protruding from the lake. She watched in silent anxiety as his enormous form rose from the water, and then the breath she’d been holding in released, sending a puff of steam into the frigid air.
 
He was a wreck. His scales, once lustrous and shimmering, were dull and chipped in many spots, some missing entirely. The blood had been washed from his body, but the damage to his torso was obvious. His organs had luckily remained inside of his body, but they had been soaked with freezing water given the size of the wound. His beautiful wings were torn, shredded in some parts from the shards of ice and a few ribs were cracked from the sheer impact of his landing.
 
Then, there was his face. His jaw hung slack and crooked, eyes shut. It looked like he’d taken quite a beating when he hit the ice, and Rey stiffened as she took in the condition he was in. Luckily, the cold seemed to have warded off decay, but he was far from the gorgeous creature he’d been in life.
 
“We’ve got him,” Flynn announced. “Let’s move out.”
 
“Follow me, I’ll throw a warp,” Rey said as loudly as she could over the howling wind.
 
“Roger that,” was his reply as she took off from the ground atop Meraxes. Vhagar followed, looking back at his brother’s lifeless body with a screech of sorrow that tugged at Rey’s heartstrings.
 
Swinging her arm back, she chucked the warp as far ahead as she could. It opened in a bright flash of light, swirling larger and larger until it grew big enough to fit the dragons and ships.
 
Meraxes and Vhagar dove in, followed by the ships tediously carrying Valerion’s body.
 
They emerged a few moments later into a vibrant purple sky filled with countless moons. Rey looked down over the dragon’s shoulder, eyes widening at the bubbling turquoise waters below. Well, not water. Bacta. It was both beautiful and imposing, appearing to be boiling as it churned and swirled.
 
‘

It's not boiling

,’ Kylo cut in, surprising her as he invaded her mind. ‘

It's actually fairly cold.

’
 
‘

Good to know,

’ she replied sarcastically. Deciding to ignore him for the moment, she began to land Meraxes along the shores, which were made up of pure white sand. If the lakes weren't made of Bacta, Rey would love to swim there, perhaps lounge on the sand.
 
Vhagar landed beside her with a dull thud, sand skidding up where his claws sunk in. He shook his frills, bending down to sniff the Bacta. Clearly, he didn't like it, wrinkling his nose and backing away.
 
Rey chuckled, tapping Meraxes’ neck so the dragon knew she wanted to dismount. She obeyed, craning her neck down so that Rey could slide down. Her feet landed in the sand, rooting her in place so that she didn't stumble over.
 
‘

You coming?

’ Rey asked through the bond. Kylo was nowhere in sight and her men were already preparing to place Valerion into the lake.
 
‘

Turn around,

’ was all he responded. She did as he told her, suddenly coming face to face with him. Mask-less, his scar was on full-display and Rey almost felt bad. Almost. It was still in the process of healing, red, angry skin running down his face and neck, likely even further in the areas hidden by his jacket.
 
“Take a picture, it'll last longer,” he drawled with narrowed eyes.
 
“Shut it,” she replied. “I was admiring my work.”
 
“For someone who's all about compassion, you sure take an awful lot of pride in mauling me,” he noted sourly.
 
“I show compassion to those deserving of it,” she said. “If you recall, I tried to give you a chance at the frozen lake. You were just too stubborn to listen.”
 
“I-”
 
He was cut off when Rey’s earpiece filled with Flynn’s loud voice.
 
“Lower him down! Slowly!” the General barked. “Careful, don't drop the damn thing!”
 
Anxious, she turned to watch her ships slowly lowering Valerion into the Bacta. His broken body hung limply, tattered wings splayed at his sides.
 
“Kriffing hell,” she murmured. She could really use a drink right about then.
 
She stared unblinking as Vaerion finally touched the surface of the Bacta. The liquid rippled and bubbled as he sank beneath the surface. Unlike in the frozen lake, he seemed to be hovering inside the Bacta. It almost looked like he was sleeping from above, his wounds less visible from a distance.
 
“He looks so...peaceful,” she said softly.
 
“Death is peaceful,” was Kylo’s reply.
 
She shot him a look. “Being impaled is hardly

peaceful

.”
 
“Did I say dying was peaceful?” he asked. “No, I said

death

was. There’s a difference. When you’re dead, you can’t suffer any longer. You’re at rest.”
 
“Unless you have the Force,” she contradicted. “Don’t you live on as a Force ghost?”
 
Kylo shrugged. “Sometimes, yes. It depends how strong your Force presence was in life.”
 
“Do you think...we’ll become ghosts?” she asked, wide eyed.
 
He nearly smirked at the terrified expression on her face. “Only time will tell. I wouldn’t worry; it’s a long ways away, anyway.”
 
“I could die any day, Kylo,” she replied. “This is a war, and in wars people die.”
 
“You’re not an ordinary person,” he responded, dark eyes boring into hers. “You and I, we’re far from normal.”
 
She nodded. “I know, but even we aren’t invincible. If dragons can be felled with one blow, imagine if the cannon had hit me?”
 
She didn’t like thinking about Valerion’s death or her own, but Kylo didn’t seem to grasp just how easily one of them could die. He had witnessed death many times, but not in the same ways she had. Rey hadn’t just seen famine, she’d experienced it it for her entire childhood. She’d seen slaves beaten to death for disobeying Unkar Plutt and gaunt, frail bodies collapsing into the sand from malnutrition. Any one of those casualties could have been her.
 
“I have a feeling you’re pretty hard to kill,” he said, the corner of his mouth tugging upwards. “As for the dragon, if you’re powerful enough to bring him back from the dead, I’d say you’ve beaten death.”
 
“But I’m not,” she protested. “I don’t know how. You do...wait, Kylo, if you already know how to revive the dead, why couldn’t you bring him back right now?”
 
There was a desperation to her tone, one he hadn’t heard from her since the lake, where she’d tried to turn him to her side. He’d refused, and still wondered whether that was the right choice.
 
“Bringing back the dead is tricky,” he explained. “In order for the revived to retain their memories and feelings, someone who knew them well must be the one to bring them back. I didn’t know your dragon at all. If I performed the act, it would come back a hollow shell. Would it be alive? Yes, but the slate of its mind would be wiped clean, which probably wouldn’t end well.”
 
“Oh,” her voice came out rather small. She glanced over at the dragon submerged in Bacta one last time, biting her lower lip so hard she tasted the metallic tang of blood.
 
“Rey,” he said, getting her attention once more. His expression was nothing but earnest and it confused Rey even more. She didn’t know what to think of this man. “I swore I would teach you, and I will. Trust me.”
 
‘

Easier said than done,

’ she thought in her head as she gazed up at Kylo. He was certainly not the most trustworthy guy, and with a temper like his she wasn’t sure what she was getting herself into. The only reason she’d agreed was for her baby.
 
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
 
She hesitated for a moment before replying, “I’ll try.”
 
That was all he’d needed. He nodded, taking a step back as he looked at Valerion’s floating corpse. His face was void of emotion, gloved hands folded in front of him as he watched the Bacta settle around the dragon’s enormous body.
 
“He was a sweetheart,” Rey said, not sure whether she was speaking to Kylo or herself. “The gentlest of all the dragons. The night we left Jakku, there was a storm. He was terrified; he’d never seen rain before, and he wouldn’t leave my side until every last drop had stopped falling. He was too big to hold, so he lay his head in my lap and curled up around me.”
 
A soft, slightly choked laugh escaped her lips as she recounted the story. “And the first time he saw a butterfly, he accidentally ate it. He spit it out and its wings were shredded. Poor thing never liked hunting, only did it when he was especially hungry. He’d usually just mooch off of whatever his brother and sister caught.”
 
Kylo listened intently to her stories, intrigued about just how complex the dragons truly were. He’d assumed them to be overgrown lizards with fire and wings, but that was far from the case. From what Rey was telling him, they were remarkably intelligent and emotional. No wonder she was so gutted at losing one.
 
“I’m sorry,” he said, voice softer than before. Based on the feelings she felt ebbing from him through the bond, she could tell he meant it. 
 
She glanced up at him with watery eyes. “I know, Kylo. I know.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rey couldn't help the overwhelming sense of sadness that tugged at her heart. Every time she tried to push the thoughts of Valerion from her mind, they came back even fiercer. His bloodied, mangled body being towed from the water, elegant wings shredded like paper. Tears pricked at her eyes as she prepared to leave the bacta lakes. This didn't go unnoticed by Kylo, who turned to gaze at her trembling lips with a soft frown. “Are you alright? What's wrong?” he asked. Her eyes glanced from the dragon to him, and he could see them sparkling with tears. “I don't want to leave him alone...not again.” Her voice was so quiet and fragile, so unlike the Rey he'd seen before. “He’ll be fine,” Kylo assured her. “No one can touch him in those lakes.” Shakily, she nodded, seeming to trust him. and though he wasn't actually sure whether it was true or not, he nodded back. She exhaled, breaths shaky but less so as she began to calm herself down. Bending down onto one knee, she dipped her fingers into the lake just above Viserion’s floating form. A single tear fell into the lake, causing ripples to cascade across the surface. “Goodbye, my angel,” she whispered before standing up once more, brushing her cheeks dry with the back of her hand. Returning to her feet, she pressed her comlink alive with her index finger. “We’re done here, General. Return to Mereeni.” “Right away, Your Grace,” he replied before ending the call with a spit of static. Rey watched as her ships flew away one by one, whizzing off into the dark sky. She looked for a moment, then turned back to Kylo. Though she didn't speak, her expression carried a thousand words. “Ready?” he asked, warily extending a hand. She eyed his gloved hand for a moment before slowly reaching out and taking it in her own. His warmth was comforting, though she'd never admit that to him. He, however, was content with her hand held in his. He didn't need anything else. “Let's go, then,” he said, beginning to lead her back to where he had landed his ship. She took one forlorn glance back at the bacta before walking at his side, having to walk rather briskly to keep up. --- “This ship is gorgeous,” Rey couldn't help but admire as the two stepped inside of Kylo’s personal ship. It was larger than an X-Wing but smaller than a cruiser, just big enough for a handful of people to comfortably fit. Hiding the smirk that he felt growing on his face, he turned to look down at her. “I had some modifications done for me. There's no ship like this one in the galaxy.” “Hey, hey, don't let it go to your head,” she shot back. “I like the ship, not you.” Kylo put a hand over his heart. “I'm deeply hurt.” Sarcasm dripped from his voice. Rey rolled her eyes. “Listen, I just came with to take a look at her. It's not like I'm riding this thing back.” “You don't have much of a choice,” Kylo countered. “Not like you can waltz towards the Supremacy on a dragon without getting shot on sight.” “A, you underestimate my flying skills,” she replied. “B, I didn't know going to your Death Star thing was part of the deal.” “It's a dreadnaught,” he corrected with a cock of his brow. “And where did you presume we'd be going? Some paradise planet far away from any sight of the Order? A little vacation for us while my men wonder where their absentee leader fucked off to?” “Well, you didn't have to phrase it like that,” she said, quieter than before. “You seriously thought that?” he asked, seeming surprised and amused. “I didn't take you for a fool, Rey.” She shot him a look. “I will not be going near that ship unless it's to blow it up.” From her tone, he could tell she was far from bluffing. “Well then, where do you propose we go, little miss genocide?” Kylo asked mockingly. “You're one to talk about genocide!” she snapped. “I only kill people who deserve it!” “And what defines deserving it?” he asked, eyes boring into hers. “Doing something you're against? Being affiliated with the Order? Newsflash, I’m affiliated and you haven't roasted me alive yet.” “ Yet ,” she uttered, not breaking his gaze. “I can always change my mind.” “You won't,” he said calmly. “You can't. I'm your only way to bring back that dragon of yours.” “I'd find another way,” she insisted. “There has to be someone else who knows how.” “Someone willing to teach you with nothing in return?” he asked, eyeing her again. His scrutinizing gaze nearly made her flinch. She was beginning to realize just how much larger than her he was. “Perhaps,” she replied. “It couldn't be worse than this.”  Ouch . That stung, Kylo admitted to himself. He glowered down at her. “Listen, right now, you're the one who needs my help,” he said. “I'd suggest you stop berating me with insults, or I may not be as generous.” “Generous? You're the one who got him killed!” Rey practically shrieked. “You didn't have to come play hero for your rebel friends,” he defended. “That wasn't my fault.” “If you didn't want me to come, why'd you warn me, huh?” she demanded, stepping closer to him as the fury grew in her eyes. “I didn't,” he shot back swiftly. “I told you I was about to be attacked by your friends. Was I supposed to sit there and let them destroy our resources, kill our men?” “You set them up from the beginning. It wasn't a fair fight.” “All’s fair in war,” Kylo stated, cool tone telling Rey he was done with the conversation. “Now buckle up.” “What about the dragons?” she asked, peering out of the window at the two beasts perched on the rocks. Kylo shrugged. “Perhaps we will have to find another location after all. Let me send my men a message, then we’ll pick a place. When I'm on call, don't make a sound. Got it?” Rey nodded, biting her tongue to resist snapping back with something witty. She knew better than to start a fight when he was offering her what she wanted. “I’ll just go see the dragons,” she said, turning and pressing the button to open the hatch. The door opened with a hiss, letting her step down onto the loading ramp, back onto the rocky terrain outside. Meraxes was craning her neck, peering into the turquoise abyss of bacta. She appeared to be looking at her brother, small chirps of pain coming out of the dragon’s mouth. Beside her, Vhagar was gently pressing his snout into her side, trying to comfort his forlorn sister. “My poor, sweet things,” Rey said gently, walking over to the dragons. When Meraxes heard her coming, she turned away from the bacta lake, silvery eyes flitting over to her mother. Bending down, her jaws parted and she let out a shrill, ear-splitting roar right in Rey’s face, blowing her hair back and nearly knocking her off her feet. “I know,” she soothed the silver dragon. “He’ll be with us again soon, darling.” Vhagar peeked over Meraxes’ back, yellowish eyes landing on Rey. A squeak left his mouth and he swooped around his sister, nuzzling Rey so aggressively she stumbled back, falling onto the rocky ground. Meraxes nudged him back with her own snout, a low warning growl leaving her jaws. Vhagar snapped at her, teeth nearly clamping onto her face had she not backed away. “Hey! No, Vhagar!” Rey called up, frowning. Meraxes, clearly riled up, swung a clawed foot at her brother, slashing his side enough to draw blood. The crimson liquid was just a shade darker than his scales, but the way it shone made it obvious. Vhagar screeched, lunging at his sister teeth-first. He clamped down on her neck, biting just hard enough to make it hurt. Rey’s eyes widened and she stiffened; the dragons hadn’t so much as batted each other lightly in years, let alone fought. If they did, she could hardly stop them. Meraxes squealed, using her tail to slam into his torso. Veering back, Vhagar snarled, and Rey knew they weren’t playing around. That was the sound of a very, very ticked off dragon. Perhaps they were feeding off of Rey’s emotions, or maybe it was their own sense of grief fuelling this outburst. He lunged for her once more, a threatening growl leaving his mouth just as she swerved, sinking her teeth into his leg. A shrill cry of pain came from the red dragon, clearly shocked that she’d bit him so viciously. “Meraxes!” Rey screamed, rushing forwards. “Stop!” The silver dragon turned to Rey, eyes narrowed, jaws parted. Swinging her tail back, she flicked it towards her mother so fast Rey hardly even saw it coming. The impact knocked the wind out of her, sending her flying back into the rocks once again, though much more painfully this time. Dots of black flooded her vision, the back of her head pounding violently where she’d hit it as she landed. The last thing she remembered was the silver dragon boring down upon the red, and a tangle of scales and wings as the two attacked each other.  Dear gods , she thought before slipping into unconsciousness.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rey woke up with a start, gasping as she hungrily gulped down as much air as her lungs could hold. As her eyes adjusted to the harsh white light, she made out a figure standing over her.

Kylo

. 
 
He was dressed in his black uniform, though his helmet wasn’t on, revealing his pallid face and thick, dark curls. As he eyed her rising form, his expression was totally blank, not giving a single emotion away.
 
“Wha-” she was cut off by a coughing fit, her throat burning as she hacked. She aimed the coughs into the crook of her arm, for politeness’ sake as Kylo awkwardly watched.
 
When it finally ceased, she drew her arm back, muttering, “Kriffing hell, felt like I was going to cough up a lung.”
 
But Kylo did not look so humored. His eyes were locked on her arm, narrowed with something close to concern. “Looks like you almost did.”
 
Her eyes followed his gaze, landing on her forearm which was splattered with deep scarlet flecks. She raised her hand to wipe her mouth and when she pulled it back,  the skin came back smeared with her blood. The tangy, metallic smell made her feel ill and she distanced her hand from her face. 
 
“You were injured,” he said, looking down at her once again. “Do you remember what happened?” 
 
Rey sat for a moment, trying her best to recall how she’d been hurt. It was then that she first noticed the throbbing at the back of her head. Hand coming up, she pressed her head, hissing and drawing her fingers away as soon as they made contact with her scalp. Reeling her hand back, she looked down, seeing the dark, half-dried bits of blood scattered across her hand, crimson against gold. 
 
“Kriffing hell,” she muttered to herself, trying to recall how she could’ve possibly hit her head that hard and why she was coughing up blood.
 
That’s when it hit Rey like a ton of bricks. The dragon fight, how she’d been flung back like a ragdoll, the fall likely knocking her out. Clearly the damage was bad if it had impacted her lungs. Internal bleeding was a real, scary possibility - on Jakku if you fell hard enough to cough or throw up blood, it likely meant you only had days before the bleeding got to you. 
 
“Shit,” she cursed, sitting up on the bed she’d been placed in. Bed? “Where are we?”
 
“My chambers,” he explained, seeming slightly wary. “Aboard the Supremacy.” 
 
She would’ve slapped him across the face had she had the strength. He could feel the anger welling off of her through the bond. 
 
“Kylo! Kriffing hell, what - how’d you even manage to sneak me aboard?” she demanded, voice slightly hoarse from coughing.
 
“Shh, relax,” he tried to coax her. “I cloaked you, obviously. My knights helped. Snoke’s so far off he can’t sense you-”
 
“Snoke is on this ship?” she all but screeched, totally ignoring the comment about his ‘knights’, whatever that meant. “Kylo, if he finds out about this, you and I are just as good as dead!” 
 
“No, he’s not on the ship,” he replied hastily. “He’s on his way back, though.”
 
Rey’s voice was hard as stone when she asked, “How long?”
 
Kylo spoke softer. “Three hours.”
 
“Kylo! Oh, oh gods, Kylo, the dragons!

Where are my dragons?

” she began to full-on panic as she realized her dragons couldn’t be anywhere near them if they were floating through space. 
 
“As far as I know, they’re still on that godforsaken planet we left,” he replied coolly. “They were going at each other - not just for sport, for

blood

.” 
 
Rey shivered. She remembered vividly. “They’ve never fought like that before. Not once. I don’t know what happened.”
 
“They’re beasts, Rey,” he said plainly. “As much as you hate to admit it, they are

monsters

. They’re unpredictable, uncontrollable and dangerous, even to you, as you’ve learned.” 
 
Rey felt fear clench her abdomen. What if they continued fighting? What if they rebelled against her and fled? 
 
“We’ll go back once you’re healed, alright?” he offered, extending a gloved hand. “I swear.”
 
She eyed his extended hand for a moment, wary, before reaching her own hand out and shaking it.
 
 “I might’ve gotten blood on your glove,” she added sheepishly.
 
He shrugged. “I can get new ones.”
 
They were silent for a moment, sitting (and standing in Kylo’s case) in comfortable silence. 
 
“So, um...I should heal you,” he finally said, coughing slightly. 
 
Rey nodded. “Yeah.”
 
He took a step closer and she willed herself not to flinch back. “Where’re you hurt?”
 
She paused for a moment. “The back of my head seems to have cracked a bit and obviously there’s some internal damage. I can’t really pinpoint it.” 
 
He nodded. “Alright, I’ll do my best.” Closing the space between them even further, he placed his large hands on the sides of her head. She closed her eyes so they wouldn’t have to make any awkward eye contact, trying to relax as he probed for where the pain was coming from. 
 
After a few moments he pulled back. “From what I can tell, it’s mainly a small split at the base of your head and some bruising inside the lungs. You’re lucky it wasn’t worse.” 
 
His tone was serious, almost condescending, but she shot him a sour look that shut him up. 
 
“Just fix me,” she said flatly and he obliged.
 
“You should be nicer to the man who’s doing force surgery on you,” he told her with a hint of a smirk. Oh how she’d delight in wiping it off his face when she was healed.
 
She sat still as he hovered his palms over the back of her head, gritting her teeth as she felt the bone re-fuse, the skin knit its way back together. It hurt like hell, but she’d had worse on Jakku. In one instance after a particularly nasty fall, she’d used an old medical kit from a wreck and stitched her own calf up, biting down on her staff the whole time. 
 
When he was done, he moved on to her torso. If her head had hurt, this was excruciating. Throughout the process she felt like she couldn’t breathe, lungs squeezing and compressing as Kylo healed them. She bit down on her tongue so hard she could taste blood, swallowing it back as she silently begged for it to be over. 
 
Through the bond, Kylo could feel jolts of the excruciating pain radiating from Rey, how her muscles spasmed as they rapidly healed within her. He winced at one particularly nasty bout of pain, his nerves feeling like they were on fire. 
 
“Done,” he gasped as he finally finished healing her. When he pulled his hands away, Rey’s torso began to cool down, the awful burning sensation fading away as she inhaled and exhaled deeply. 
 
“You okay?” he asked, eyeing the thin sheet of perspiration slicking her brow. 
 
She managed a nod, slowly regaining her voice. “I’m fine, that was just…intense.”
 
That was the exact word he’d use for what just happened. Healing was a tactic of the Light side, and he wasn’t exactly adept at it. He just hoped what he’d done would be enough for her to heal fully on her own. They had far bigger fish to fry than the remnants of her injuries, anyways - Snoke would board the Supremacy in hours and even his knights couldn’t stop him. 
 
“We should really get the kriff out of here,” Rey said, golden green eyes filled with worry. Though she wasn’t afraid of much, she’d heard stories about Snoke and knew she was in no shape to go against him. While she and Kylo were hardly enemies, she doubted he’d side with her against his own master. She’d have to bide her time before dealing with that aspect of the Order.
 
“Yeah, I’ll summon a couple of my knights to help in our escape,” he told her. “We’re not exactly close to the exits right now, and I don’t want to risk anyone recognizing you.”
 
She nodded, it was common sense. Still, she was slightly nervous to meet his ‘knights’, whatever that meant. Were they force-users as well? They had to be if they’d helped Kylo cloak her on her way in, and if he trusted them enough to let them assist in their escape. 
 
“They’re on their way,” he said, plopping down on his bed beside her. “I’m putting my mask on before we leave, since I always wear it when I’m outside my chambers on the ship.”
 
Rey nodded again. “Whatever, just don’t talk to me too much. I hate the way it makes your voice sound.” 
 
Kylo chuckled a bit. “Too scary?”
 
“No,” she snorted. “You sound like a ninety year-old chainsmoker imitating Darth Vader.”  
 
“I’ll take it,” he replied and she couldn’t help the smile that crept onto her face. 
 
There was a brief knock at the door and Kylo straightened. “They’re here.” 
 
Rey sucked in a breath as Kylo opened the door, revealing two figures dressed in similarly all black attire to his. One was a man, well-built and a couple inches shorter than Kylo, with a mask covering his face. The other appeared to be a woman, nearly as tall as the man and much taller than Rey, with a flowing black cloak and a delicate yet intimidating mask hiding her features. 
 
“Virda, Zygen,” Kylo acknowledged and they stepped inside, the door closing behind them with a hiss. “This is Rey.” 
 
“We know,” the girl said in a somewhat low voice, slightly off-putting thanks to the modulator in her mask.

Why did they all insist on those god awful masks

, Rey wondered. 
 
“You’d have to live under a rock not to know the Dragon Queen,” the man added. “Consider us at your service, Lady Rey.” 
 
“Unless you cross our master,” the girl stepped in. “Then it’s all bets off.” 
 
Rey nodded, a hint of a smirk tugging at her lips. “Fair enough.” 
 
She could tell Virda was smirking under her mask as well, and instantly knew she liked her. Her feelings towards the man were still undecided. 
 
“Well, let’s not just sit around,” Rey said. “I’m assuming you lot have a plan to get me out?” 
 
Kylo nodded. “Of course. Zygen?”
 
The man reached into his cloak, pulling out a handful of folded up clothes. A soldier’s uniform, Rey realized, seeing the emblems sewn into the deep blue fabric. There was also a hat to aid in hiding her face, far too big for her but it would have to make do. 
 
“Get dressed,” Kylo ordered. 
 
“What, here?” she asked mockingly. “I don’t do that for free.” 
 
She swore she heard the male knight chortle under his mask. Kylo rolled his eyes. “We won’t look.” 
 
Rey eyed the knights warily. Kylo saw this and added, “They

won’t.

” 
 
“Fine,” she sighed, beginning to unravel her filthy dress. “Gods, I wish I had time to shower. I’m so gross.” 
 
“Believe me, I know,” Kylo replied, eyes averted to the ceiling. His smug look was wiped away when Rey smacked his arm. He looked down at her disbelievingly, not realizing she was half-naked. 
 
Rey nearly shrieked, trying to rapidly cover her exposed chest. He quickly looked away, cheeks pinkening as the image of her nude torso burned into his brain. 
 
She hastily got changed, putting on the uniform and sighing when she found it baggy and too long. The pants hung low around her hips, exposing her midriff in ways she didn’t like. One wrong move and she’d be in her underwear in front of a million stormtroopers. 
 
“Okay, I’m done,” she said, sliding the cap on over her blood-stained hair. “Do I look the part?”
 
“Hardly,” Kylo scoffed. “But we’ll hurry you away.” 
 
Rey sighed, puffing air and blowing a strand of hair out of her face. 
 
“Follow us, Lady Rey,” Virda spoke, opening the door and leading her out with Zygen at her side. He dwarfed Rey, his arm larger than her leg. 
 
The Supremacy was as bleak and stale as she expected. Shiny metal walls and floors made the place look like some kind of awful bunker, which she assumed it was in some ways. Strength mattered more than looks in war, and this ship was built to last. 
 
Still, she wondered how anyone could live aboard and not be immediately swamped by depression. It was grim to say the least, worse than even Jakku in her mind. At least the desert had fresh air, limitless space to roam and be free. 
 
‘I am free,’ Kylo told her mentally, clearly having spied on her thoughts. ‘I can leave any time I want.’
 
‘First of all, don’t spy on me,’ she snapped back. ‘Second, even if that’s true, does this not feel like a prison to you?’
 
He shrugged, looking down at her. ‘We have a war to fight. I doubt Snoke worries about the feng shui of this place.’ 
 
Rey fought back a chuckle at those words. ‘I bet there’s people who would pay to hear you say “feng shui”.’ 
 
He looked at her again, amusement filling his gaze. ‘There’s a lot of strange people in this galaxy.’ 
 
A row of troopers passed them, eyeing the masked knights warily. Rey could feel the nervousness coming off of them in waves and she instantly pitied them. Thinking of poor Finn, who had told her briefly of his time with the Order, she nearly visibly cringed at how utterly terrified these brainwashed soldiers were. 
 
‘They’re fine,’ Kylo assured her through the bond. ‘They’ve got good pay and benefits and-’
 
‘You mess with their minds and force them to obey you,’ she cut him off sharply. ‘That’s hardly what I’d consider fine.’ 
 
‘My deepest apologies, miss high and mighty,’ he shot back. ‘You’d rather mass-slaughter them by roasting them alive. Really relieves their suffering, huh?’
 
Rey shot him a foul look. ‘I do what I must for the good of the galaxy. They’re too brainwashed to listen to reason, and I won’t risk civilian lives by letting them walk free.’ 
 
‘The good of the galaxy,’ Kylo pondered to her. ‘Funny, that’s what the First Order’s motto is, as well. Perhaps we aren’t as polarly opposite as you seem to think.’ 
 
‘I am nothing like you,’ she spat as they rounded another corner, no one giving them a second glance. Clearly the knights were common passengers, and though they often invoked fear in others aboard the ship, they were expected. 
 
‘Think that all you’d like, Rey,’ he said, seeming to relent. ‘But we both know it’s not true. The force brought us together for a reason.’ 
 
“Master, we need your print to access the loading dock,” Zygen said, gesturing to the hand scanner on the wall. Kylo briefly ungloved himself, pressing his palm into the scanner. A green light flashed on and the double doors slid open with a soft hiss. 
 
Turning to look at Rey one last time, Kylo smirked. “Pick a ship.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Once they’d reached the transporter, Rey assumed the two knights would bid them farewell, but such was not the case. Kylo climbed aboard, and behind him went Virda and Zygen. Too relieved they’d made it undetected to worry about the extra passengers, Rey hopped inside as the shuttle door began to shut, immediately yanking the oversized hat off her head.  Kylo, Virda and Zygen all removed their helmets now that they were in closed quarters, and Rey tried not to make it too obvious how interested she was in seeing the knights’ faces.  Virda had rather exotic features, with jade eyes that slanted up on the outer corners, a flat yet pert nose and a very defined cupid’s bow painted deep red. She had a small beauty spot next to her left eye and a long, pink scar running horizontally across her neck, like her throat had been sliced. Her thick black hair ran down to her mid-back in a low ponytail, straight as a pin.  Zygen looked nearly as intimidating as Kylo. He had a pronounced jawline, startlingly vivid blue-grey eyes and a golden complexion. His hair was cropped fairly short but curled at the ends, a pale blonde colour that reminded Rey of the white sand beaches on Mereeni. He seemed to notice Rey’s eyes on him and she felt a slight blush of embarrassment cross her face.  All he did was smile, though, a coy smirk that let her know he was fine with the attention. Gods, if she wasn’t blushing before she was now.  ‘Focus, idiot,’ she scolded herself. ‘You need to find the dragons, not a one-night stand. One knight stand. Hehe.’ She suddenly felt a stab of irritation from Kylo’s end of the bond.  ‘You will not be hooking up with my knights,’ he snapped, and for a moment she sensed a flicker of jealousy escape him. Jealousy?  “If you three are done,” Virda interrupted. “I’d like to get going before we’re caught.”  “I agree,” Kylo said, shooting Rey a scolding look. She averted her gaze, deciding instead to head to the back of the ship and sit down. She was feeling a bit woozy anyways, from all the walking. Rey couldn’t quite remember the last time she’d eaten...or drank.  “Is there anything to drink?” she piped up from her seat.  “Day drinking, Lady Rey?” Zygen asked teasingly, turning around where he stood.  “Water!” she responded indignantly. “My throat’s kriffing dry.”  “I think there’s some in the back storage,” Virda told her from her place beside Kylo, who was starting up the ship and preparing to leave the loading dock.  “Alright, thanks,” Rey replied, getting up to go into the back.  She began to rummage, opening various compartments in search of something to quench her thirst. There were piles upon piles of rations, and the scavenger within her urged her to take as many as her arms could carry. The Queen in her said otherwise - she was no longer a desert rat picking for scraps, she was rich beyond her wildest dreams. Continuing to filter through the heaps of supplies, Rey eventually found a container of water bottles. Pulling one out, she unscrewed the cap and guzzled it down, the cool liquid refreshing against the dryness of her throat. She nearly sighed in ecstasy.  ‘Enjoying yourself back there?’ Kylo teased through the bond and she scoffed. ‘Stop spying on me!’ she shot back, her walls slamming up before he could get another word in. Why did he find such joy in embarrassing her?  “Master, we’re receiving an incoming call from the Supremacy,” Virda announced and Rey stiffened slightly where she stood. She came back to the main hull, not wanting to miss anything important.  “Don’t answer,” Kylo barked. “Let me.” Rey turned to Zygen. “What’s happening?” she mouthed silently. He shrugged, giving her a ‘we’re about to find out’ look.  “This is Kylo Ren,” Kylo spoke into the microphone. “Who am I speaking to?” “General Hux,” the voice came back, sounding less than pleased.  “What is the purpose of this call, exactly?”  The reply back was slightly staticky. “We received notice that the ship you are aboard was taken without authorization.” “I don’t need your permission to take a ship,” Kylo snapped back. “I outrank every officer on the Supremacy, including you, so I suggest you stop wasting my time, Hux.”  With that, Kylo ended the call, expression foul. Clearly he didn’t get along too well with the General, and Rey couldn’t blame him. A man who committed genocide against billions of people could hardly be likeable.  “I hate that bastard,” Kylo practically growled. “Thinks he can tell me what to do, me!”  “Armitage Hux is irritating as all hell, but that’s about where it ends,” Zygen said. “He can’t interfere with us, he’s too scared of the Force to try.”  “He’s a snake,” Kylo replied sourly. “If he goes to Snoke, I’ll have to explain why I took the ship and that’s a conversation I’m not ready for.” “If he’s such a pain in your side, why haven’t you killed him?” Rey blurted, causing all eyes to fall upon her with varying degrees of surprise.  “What? Like you’ve never killed anyone before,” she muttered, averting her gaze from Kylo’s.  “Never thought you’d have it in you to hatch a murder plan, Rey,” he replied, lips pulling up at the corners.  “What’s that supposed to mean?” she demanded, frowning. “I just assumed you let the dragons do the killing for you,” he elaborated smoothly.  “If you really think I haven’t killed anyone myself, you’re a kriffing moron,” she shot back. “The difference between us is that I kill by necessity. You practically kill for sport.”  The hull was silent enough to hear a pin drop for a few moments, Kylo studying her face without a word.  ‘Careful, scavenger,’ he warned through the bond, voice void of much emotion.  “I’ve seen what she does on the Holocron,” Virda stated bluntly. “She’s just as much of a killer as any of us.” She sounded sort of proud, her dark eyes finding Rey’s.  Rey wasn’t sure whether she should be thankful or offended by the knight’s comments.  “I know,” Kylo said finally. “Which is why she’ll be the one to come up with a way to deal with Hux.”  Kriffing hell.  “How the hell am I supposed to kill Hux?” she demanded.  “You don’t have to kill him yourself, you have to make a plan for us to do it,” Kylo reiterated. “But if you’ve gone too soft, by all means, let me know and I’ll do it-” “No!” she snapped. “I’ll do it.” A string of Mereenese curses left her mouth and if the knights knew them, she was sure even they would blush.  Getting up from his seat beside Virda, he smirked down at Rey. “Get to it, then, scavenger.”  The name was meant to taunt her, to make her feel lower than him, but Rey wouldn’t let him degrade her. She was a Queen now, just as powerful as Kylo.  She shot him one final glare before turning around, plopping herself down in a spare seat next to Zygen and getting to work. The cogs of her mind began to whirr, and she felt a plan coming on already.  I’ll show you, Ren.  --- Just short of two hours later, Virda announced they were halfway to the bacta planet. Rey sighed; she hated shuttle travel ever since her discovery of warping - why would anyone want to use ships that took hours when they could use a warp and be places in minutes? They were rather expensive, and she’d cornered a good chunk of the market since she used them so frequently...but surely if they were in higher demand more could be made. “How’s that murder plot coming, Rey?” Kylo called back. The kriffing spatz… “Great, actually,” she replied, voice overly chipper to the point of obvious sarcasm. “My idea is simple - poison his food. It shouldn’t be that hard. You’d use a Banthar poison that acts slow enough that if he gets anyone to taste his food, they won’t instantly collapse, but it should knock him out within thirty minutes.”  Kylo seemed slightly impressed. “Though your knowledge of poisons is...greater than mine, the kitchens are heavily guarded.” She sent him a mocking smile. “We have this little thing called the force, Kylo, or did you forget? Compulse the guards to leave, sneak in cloaked and right as they bring out Hux’s food you drop in a dash of the poison. If that fails, I’ll gladly roast him alive.”  Kylo scoffed at her obvious dig, brows furrowing. “As much as I’d like to burn Hux alive, it’s hardly subtle. We’ll enact plan A when we return.”  “How exactly do you presume for me to return?” Rey asked. “I’ll have two full grown dragons and Snoke will detect me the moment I step aboard.”  “Let me rephrase,” he explained. “We’re going to the Finalizer, which is light years away from Snoke. As for the dragons...that’ll be a concern for later.” It was Rey’s turn to scoff. “You have no idea what we’re going to do with my dragons?”  “They kind of complicate things, yes!” he snapped back.  “If the two of you would stop bickering,” Virda barked. “We’re entering a hyperspeed channel. We should arrive within an hour or so now.”  Rey had the sense to me embarrassed of her outbursts, but Kylo merely glowered and huffed in his seat. He reminded her of a giant man baby, and that made her chuckle.  “What’s so funny?” Zygen whispered from beside her, eyes meeting hers expectantly.  “I’m just imagining Kylo as a man baby,” she said back, and the two fell into a fit of laughter. “Can you imagine him wearing a full bib and diaper set?”  “I can hear you two!” Kylo hissed, irritated. “Don’t forget who your master is, Zygen.”  “Yes, sir, my apologies,” Zygen said, though he shot Rey one last look of amusement.  She had a feeling this would be quite an interesting trip.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Lady Rey,” a voice called, and Rey stirred in her sleep. She felt a pair of hands gently yet firmly shake her shoulders and she began to awaken. Her eyes fluttered open, squinting in the bright light of the shuttle. 
 
Zygen was leaning over her, hands on her arms. He released her when he saw that she was awake, stepping back. “We’re preparing to land.” 
 
She nodded, a small yawn escaping her lips as she adjusted to being awake. 
 
“Seems like you fall asleep quite frequently,” Kylo noted from his seat. “Who’s the baby now?” 
 
“Oh my gods, you are so petty,” she scoffed in return. “Talk to me when we land, Kylo. I just woke up, I don’t have the energy for this.” 
 
He obeyed, though he was all-too smug about getting under her skin. If they didn’t have an audience she would have already smacked him. 
 
Peering out the window, Rey saw the bacta planet coming into view, the purple rock jutting out from the teal liquid reminding her of crystals. It was beautiful, but a painful reminder of Valerion.

At least I’ll get to see my dragons

, she thought to herself.

They’ve surely missed me

. 
 
But had they? The last time she saw Meraxes was when the silver beast was throwing her to the ground like a ragdoll. Could the dragons have decided they don’t need her anymore? Now, anxiousness clawed at her gut like a knife, twisting at her insides more and more the closer they got to the surface. 
 
When she felt Kylo’s presence in her mind, she instantly threw up her walls so forcefully that he was thrown from her mind hard enough to rattle in his chair. He turned around, eyeing her with a confused, slightly irritated expression.
 
She merely looked away. Now was not the time for him to start with his shit - she had to focus on her dragons. 
 
The shuttle descended through the atmosphere, settling on a large, relatively flat expanse of rock. The ramp opened and Rey practically threw herself out of the ship. She needed to find Meraxes and Vhagar, and the force was the best way she knew. 
 
Hands on her temples, she stood on the firm ground, eyes closing as she tried to concentrate on nothing but the dragons’ force signatures. 
 
They were close, she sensed - a couple hundred yards away at most. Turning around, she scanned the horizon for any sight of them. 
 
“Uh, Rey?” Kylo called, and she turned to face him.
 
Kylo stood stiff as a board, dwarfed by Vhagar, who was towering over him, growling. The dragon’s lips spread back in a snarl, teeth gnashing threateningly down at the man. 
 
Zygen and Virda stood a few paces away, staring in awe at the massive creature. 
 
“Stay very still, Kylo!” Rey cried, panicking slightly. 
 
She raced over to where he stood, calling out, “Vhagar!”
 
The crimson dragon’s eyes flickered from Kylo to her, softening when they recognized their mother. The growl turned into a rumbling purr, indignant at being left behind but also apologetic. He clearly remembered the fight as well as she did, dipping his head down to her.
 
She stroked his smooth scales. “Where’s your sister?” 
 
Vhagar growled, and Rey could tell he was still at odds with Meraxes. She eyed him, seeing a few bloody patches and a slit in his left wing, no doubt from his sister’s claws. 
 
“Why did you fight, my sweet thing?” she asked softly, looking into his ember eyes. 
 
In response, she felt a stab of grief and blame flow through the force, projected from the dragon. Meraxes blamed him for letting Valerion die and Vhagar blamed…
 
“Me?” Rey whispered, her hand dropping from his snout. She sensed something else, though, something Vhagar felt that Meraxes didn’t. Forgiveness.
 
Tears pricked at Rey’s eyes, and she whispered, “I’m so sorry. I never meant to…”
 
Vhagar bowed his head in a sign of acknowledgement, pressing his nose into her body. 
 
“I know the two of you aren’t on great terms, but we

need

to find Meraxes,” Rey said, slightly firmer. 
 
A puff of smoke left Vhagar as he huffed, irritated but not objecting. 
 
“Will you bring her to me?” Rey asked tentatively. 
 
Vhagar gave a makeshift nod, and she smiled at him warmly. 
 
“Good boy,” she commended. “I’ll wait here.”
 
Vhagar bent his hind legs, gearing up before kicking off the ground, sending clouds of dust and debris into the air as his wings churned. Within a moment, he was high within the air, flying off to retrieve his estranged sister. 
 
“Holy hell,” Virda muttered, getting Rey’s attention. “Master, you could’ve died.” 
 
“He wouldn’t have,” Rey assured the lady knight. “Dragons aren’t stupid. Vhagar knows he’s much more useful alive than dead. For now.” She shot Kylo a pointed look, only partially joking. 
 
“While we’re on that note,” Kylo said, trying to ignore Rey’s dig. “We should go to the spot we left the other dragon in the bacta. Can you, uh, telepathically tell your dragons to meet us there?” 
 
“That’s not really how it works, but they’ll be able to sense my presence,” Rey replied. “They’ll find us.” 
 
“Do you have the coordinates of where this dragon is?” Virda asked Kylo, pulling out a small datapad from her cloak. She eyed him expectantly.
 
“Er, no,” he replied, scratching the back of his neck. “I’ll know it when I see it. I recognize the area we landed, though, so that’s good-”
 
“Maker, you’re so smart and so stupid at the same time,” Rey scoffed. “I would’ve assumed you’d at least get some basic coordinates.” 
 
“Yeah, well we had bigger fish to fry at the time,” he bit back. “Namely, your beasts going berserk and nearly

killing

you.” 
 
“Children, children,” Zygen interrupted with a wry look. “We can settle this later. Let’s split up and find the dragon. Whoever finds it can let the others know through the force. I’ll go with Virda.” 
 
The female knight nodded firmly, eyes flickering over Rey briefly before she headed off with her counterpart, leaving Kylo and Rey alone.
 
“Well, since this looks familiar to you, which way do you suggest we go?” Rey asked coyly. 
 
He rolled his eyes. “Let’s head straight.” 
 
She obliged, having to walk fairly quickly to match his long strides. “You’re too fast, ugh!” 
 
“Or maybe you’re too slow,” he countered swiftly, a half-smirk crossing his face. 
 
“Oh, bite me, Ren,” she snapped.
 
“Only if you say please,” he teased, smirking even wider as a pink blush spread across her cheeks. He found an odd sense of amusement getting such elicit reactions from her. 
 
All of a sudden, her expression turned solemn. “I can’t sense him…”
 
“So? I’m sure we’re close,” Kylo replied.
 
“No,” she said softly, dread filling her voice. “I can sense Vhagar, even Meraxes, in the corner of my mind, but I don’t feel Valerion.” 
 
“This looks like where we were last time, though,” Kylo said, confused. “In fact, this looks like the

exact

lake you put him in…” 
 
Before he could say anything else, he saw his knights approaching, boots crunching against the rocky terrain. “Any luck?” 
 
Kylo shook his head. “Something’s not right. This is where we left it last time, I’m sure of it.”
 
Suddenly Rey was running madly, looking desperately across the vast lake of bacta in search of Valerion. He was nowhere to be seen, though, and she had an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach. 
 
“Where is he?” Rey breathed. When no one answered, she screeched, “Where is my dragon?!” 
 
“Is it possible that someone else found him?” Zygen wondered aloud, causing Rey to stiffen. 
 
“What are you saying?” she demanded, eyes wide with sheer horror. 
 
“Well, it’s a dragon sitting ripe for the plucking,” Virda elaborated. “Wouldn’t be too hard to take his body and leave.” 
 
Her whole body trembled with both fear and rage, the mixture brewing in her veins and turning her into a ticking time bomb. 
 
“Who even knows this planet exists?” Zygen asked, directing the question to his master.
 
Kylo paused. “As far as I know, only myself, Snoke and-”
 
“Hux,” Virda spat out. “Of course that little weasel would try something like this.”
 
No one disagreed. 
 
“How could you let this happen?” Rey said breathlessly. 
 
“What?” Kylo asked, turning to face her. “Me?”
 
“You knew,” she said, voice growing increasingly loud and angry. “You knew some of the most powerful people in the galaxy, my

enemies

, knew about this place and you left my baby here to be taken without even warning me!” 
 
Before he had the chance to reply, she continued, “No, this wasn’t you, it was me. I’m a fool for ever believing you’d help me.”
 
“Rey, what are you saying?” he asked slowly. 
 
“I’m saying I’m an idiot for not realizing this was a ploy,” she said, a laugh forcing its way out of her mouth. “Gods, Snoke and Hux must be sitting on the Supremacy laughing their asses off right now! Congratulations, you really got me! I fell right into your trap!” 
 
“Rey, you sound hysterical,” Kylo defended himself. “This was never a trap, I was deceived as well. We all were.” 
 
“Well then, Kylo Ren, are you a traitor or a fool?” she demanded icily. “You either betrayed me or you’re the dumbest man in the galaxy.” 
 
“Don’t speak to our master like that-” Virda stepped in sharply, but was cut off when Rey slashed her arm out, taking the knight’s voice from her throat. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish, eyes widening then narrowing. She was furious, but her anger paled in comparison to Rey’s. She tried to take a step forward, but found herself frozen, bound by the force in one place. 
 
Zygen nearly chuckled at Virda’s expression - she looked murderous. 
 
“As much as I’d like to cripple you right here and now for being so naive,” Rey said to Kylo. “We have a much more pressing situation.”
 
A dark look flickered across her face, one that Kylo had never seen from her, not even at the frozen lake. He and Zygen watched as she gazed into the bubbling pits of bacta, the teal reflecting back onto her face. 
 
“There will be hell to pay for whoever dared touch my child.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rey dipped her fingers into the bacta, finding it surprisingly cool and thick. She assumed it would stick to her skin, but when she pulled her hand back, it was like she’d never touched the strange liquid. This miracle lake had once been such a symbol of hope for her, a promise that she’d get her dead child back, but now...now it made her writhe with anger, made her stomach twist into knots.  All she wanted to do was leave the kriff-forsaken planet and go back to Mereeni, but she couldn’t. She needed to bring her babies home, and that included Valerion, dead or alive. Whoever’s hands he was in, she knew they weren’t innocent. If it was Snoke and Hux, they’d go rampant with the power of a dragon, and she couldn’t let them.  “Lady Rey?” a voice called from behind her. She turned, looking up from her perched position on the edge of the rocks. Virda was walking towards her, full lips frowning.  The female knight crouched down, placing a hand on Rey’s shoulder. “We will find your dragon. I promise you.”  Rey felt tears prick at her eyes. All she could do was give the woman a nod. The anger from when Rey had used the force on her had dissipated completely from Virda after seeing just how fragile Rey was. She looked like a kicked puppy, eyes on the verge of flooding with tears.  “We should wait by the ship,” she suggested, offering a hand to Rey. The girl took it, letting Virda pull her to her feet.  The pair walked back to the shuttle in comfortable silence, neither quite knowing what to say. Rey didn’t know if she could handle a conversation anyway, so she was grateful for the quiet.  Soon enough, they rejoined Kylo and Zygen at the ship. Rey felt Kylo’s gaze burning into her, but she refused to look him in the eyes. She couldn’t.  “You two, in the shuttle,” he said softly but firmly to his knights. “Rey and I will wait for the dragons here.”  “Yes, master,” the two said, giving a brief bow as they made their way up the ramp and into the ship. Rey gulped; they were alone now.  “Do you have a warp?” she asked. “We’ll need one for the dragons to-” “Yes, I have a warp,” he cut her off. “That’s not what I wanted to talk about.”  “Oh.” She didn’t quite know what to say.  “Do you really blame me?” he asked, voice lower than it had been before.  “I-” she found herself pausing. “I don’t know. I want to, but...neither of us was careful enough. I should have known better.” He nodded pensively. “I was an idiot, Rey. I underestimated our enemies.”  “ Our enemies?” she found herself blurting. “You mean your comrades?”  He frowned. “Everyone hates Hux.”  There was a moment of silence, Rey staring pensively into the bacta beyond him.  “If you want to make up for this, Kylo, you have to kill him for me,” she decided. “I have to be prepared for the worst, for if they bring Valerion back to fight for them. I’ll be busy with Snoke if that happens, which means you’ll have to eliminate the other half of the problem.” “Rey, you can’t take Snoke on your own,” Kylo replied, brows furrowing in concern. “He’s hundreds of years old, sneaky and powerful. He’ll use your dragon to make you weak, then strike.” “It’s my dragon he has,” she said firmly. “I’ve got to fix this myself. Besides, only a dragon could hope to beat another dragon, and I’ve got two. The odds are in my favour here.”  She took a step closer to Kylo, eyes meeting his. He looked down at her, lip twitching slightly. “Kylo, all you have to do is kill Hux. How hard can that be?”  “Not very,” he admitted, watching her warily as she stepped closer and closer to him.  “We’ve come this far, haven’t we?” she asked softly, a hand touching his forearm. His skin tingled under his suit, like electricity racing across him. “Perhaps we can even get him back before they’ve done anything to him.”  “Y-yeah,” Kylo stammered. He cursed inwardly; he was acting like a lovesick fool falling at her feet. Get a grip, for gods’ sake .  “You promised me,” she added, voice barely above a whisper as she came impossibly closer to him, so close he could feel her breath mingling with the air. “I trusted you. Don’t make me regret that.”  A sudden shrill roar shattered whatever moment they were having, dragging their attention to the rapidly approaching shapes in the sky. One silver, one deep red.  “Meraxes,” Rey exhaled in relief, stepping away from Kylo to face the incoming dragons.  Kylo watched her step away, both relieved and irritated. A small part of him wondered what that moment could have led to had the dragons come just a few moments later.  The silver beast landed first, thundering as her legs hit the ground. She crouched down, walking forwards with her pale eyes locked on Rey. Rey’s eyes were nearly watering, so beyond happy to see her child in one piece.  “Hey, baby,” she said quietly as Meraxes stopped in front of her, snout barely touching the girl’s body. A deep coo of pleasure left the dragon’s mouth as her mother stroked her jaw. Kylo noted that the silver dragon was a considerable amount larger than the red, likely the reason she hadn’t suffered the same injuries Vhagar had in their squabble. He did see a couple splotches of blackish blood but they were insignificant, like a papercut for him.  “I’m so sorry I left you,” Rey breathed to the dragon, who let out a soft rumble in response. Though Kylo didn’t speak dragon, he assumed this was a sort of apology slash forgiveness noise.  Rey wrapped her arms as far as they’d reach around Meraxes’ neck, clinging to the dragon like her life depended on it. She felt hot tears streaming down her cheeks, so relieved that her two babies were with her again. It almost felt like old times. Almost .  “I’ll go get the warp,” Kylo said, making his way towards the shuttle and leaving behind the intimate moment. He felt like he was intruding anyways, so any excuse to walk away was handy.  Rey hardly even acknowledged his leave, giving a quick nod as she wiped her dampened cheeks with the back of her hands. A sob-laugh left her lips as her two dragons smothered her with affection. Clearly they’d missed her as much as she missed them.  Within the ship, Virda glanced at her master as he walked inside, looking quite glumly at the Dragon Queen through the window.  "Don't worry, my Lord," she said quietly. "I'm sure you'll adjust to her world as she will to yours." Kylo looked over at his knight. "Only time will tell, I suppose."  --- The warp journey wasn't long, thank the Gods, and the group arrived on a warm, lush planet Rey didn't think she'd ever seen before. Kylo got out of his ship, saying something to his knights that wasn't legible for Rey before making his way over to where the dragons had landed. He was careful not to get too close, which Rey nearly smirked at. She liked knowing he felt fear, that he wasn't a robot.  “Remind me where we are?” Rey asked as she slid down from Meraxes’ neck, landing sturdily on the grass. She wiped off her pants, eyeing him questioningly.  The two began to walk along the grassy cliff they stood on, heading for the mainland as the dragons flew off to stretch their wings.  “Valantis,” he replied. “My family owns a lot of property here.”  “You mean the family you’re at war with?” she teased, though it wasn’t entirely a joke.  He rolled his eyes. “If I’m stuck with Leia as a mother I’m going to put its privileges to good use.”  “Fair enough,” Rey said with a shrug. “Leia and I didn’t get along for quite a while. It had to do with you, actually.”  He shot her an inquisitive look. “What about me?” “Whether we were going to kill you or not,” Rey replied, feigning a look of innocence.  “I’m guessing you wanted me dead,” he said and she gasped. “What? I’d never,” she said, holding a hand over her heart. “I’m a lover, not a fighter!”  “Clearly,” he scoffed with a playful roll of his eyes.  “Where did you send your knights?” Rey asked, only just realizing she had no clue where they were.  “I dismissed them,” he said. “They’re off doing gods-knows what, though they told me it would be training. Virda, I believe, but Zygen…” “He seems like trouble,” Rey agreed with a small grin.  “You sound a little too happy about that,” Kylo replied, nearly sneering.  “Oh, relax,” she said, placing a hand on his arm. “I don’t really know why you’re jealous, but I wasn’t planning on getting with him, anyway.”  “I’m not jealous,” he snapped back. “It’s just unprofessional.”  “Ah, I see,” Rey said with a coy smirk. “Would me getting with you be unprofessional?” Kylo paused, blanching slightly. “I mean, not really. We’re equals.” “Is Zygen not my equal?” she asked. “No,” Kylo replied quickly. “Not in the force or in status.” “I don’t care about status,” Rey stated. “I care about the person themself. Personality, charm-” She paused to shoot him a pointed look. “Morals.”  He raised his hands defensively. “Yeah, yeah. Say what you will, Rey, but we were always destined to be together in the force. Romantic or not.”  She whacked him in the torso. “Kriff, take a girl out to dinner before you whip out the whole force-love-destiny talk.”  “Alright, then,” he said, walking slightly ahead of her.  “Wait, what do you mean ‘alright’?” she demanded, picking up her pace to try and keep up.  “Dinner it is,” he called back and she made an infuriated sound. “Kylo Ren, you can’t just decide we’re having dinner!” she huffed.  “You invited, I said yes,” was his smug reply.  Rey suddenly felt tingly, and for just a moment she almost forgot about everything going wrong in her life. She’d never guessed it would be Kylo Ren to make her feel that way.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

After walking a great enough distance that Rey could feel blisters forming on her heels, they arrived at the manor Kylo had told her about. It wasn’t huge, but it was hardly modest. The building was clearly built a long time before they’d arrived, some of the wood leaning and splintering on the designs. 
 
“Are you sure this place structurally sound?” she inquired, warily eyeing the home.
 
“It’s lasted two hundred years before us, I’m sure a couple more nights won’t cripple it,” he replied, leading her up the front steps. The cobblestone was mossy and beginning to wear, but Rey decided she liked this place. It had a cozy charm that the First Order vehemently seemed to reject when building their own homes.
 
“Does anyone else live around here?” Rey asked curiously as they reached the front doors.
 
“Not for miles,” Kylo said, hand reaching into the mailbox and retracting a slim, black key. He inserted it into the lock, twisting until he heard a soft click. 
 
“After you,” he told Rey, pushing open the wooden door with a faint creak. She gave a slightly awkward smile before stepping inside, her hand brushing up against his leg. Heat crept lower in his body and he willed himself not to do anything stupid.
 
“I can’t find the light switch!” Rey’s voice echoed from the dark. There was a shuffle, then the sound of Rey coughing as she opened up the curtains, dust overtaking her. She backed away a few paces, doing her best to brush the dust off of her clothes.
 
Kylo smirked, flicking on the lights with the switch that was now plainly obvious. 
 
“Ugh, I’m disgusting,” she complained bitterly. “Does this place have a washroom?” 
 
“If I remember correctly, there’s one down the left hall, first on the right,” he told her. “Though I’m not sure the last time this place has been used, so they might be a little out of shape.” 
 
“I honestly don’t care right now,” she responded. “I am covered in blood and dust and dirt, and I want a shower.” 
 
“Fair enough,” he said, watching with a faint chuckle as she stomped off down the hall in search of the washroom. Kylo couldn’t help the warm, unfamiliar tingle that spread through his veins as he watched her leave, the curve of her hips dipping slightly with each step. He didn’t know what was happening to him, but something told him it would be his downfall.
 
---
 
The washroom was in surprisingly good condition when Rey entered, apart from a little dust. There was a sealed off refresher unit, an ivory sink with a mirror hung overtop and a small, ornate toilet in the opposite corner. The walls had a green floral wallpaper that made Rey feel at ease as she began to strip down.
 
The dirty First Order uniform fell to the floor in a heap and she was relieved to be free from the stuffy garments. She slid open the refresher door, pressing a couple buttons which started the water. The pipes squealed for a moment and Rey was worried they’d burst, but luckily the water began to pour out without incident.
 
She waited a moment until the droplets were warm enough to her liking then stepped inside, closing the door behind her. It was pure ecstasy, the hot water running down her skin, steam rising around her like a cleansing cloud. With every wipe of her hands across her body the dirt and blood flaked away, revealing fresh skin beneath. 
 
She scrubbed particularly hard at her hair, which was knotted and crunchy with dried blood at the back. Though it took some work, she managed to get her hair to a manageable state, shampoo giving the locks a floral scent that reminded Rey of Leia. Could this be the shampoo the old General used as well? Rey felt weird even thinking such things, but it wasn’t all that unlikely since it was in a home Leia could very well use whenever she wished. 
 
Once she was all cleaned up and warm, Rey stepped out of the refresher, wrapping herself in a fluffy towel she’d obtained from the closet. She only realized once she was about to leave the washroom that she didn’t have any clothes other than the officer’s outfit on the floor, and there was no way she’d put that thing back on.

Kylo?

she called tentatively through the bond.

I need something to wear.

There was a pause and she felt slight awkwardness from his end before he replied,

Yeah, I’ll get you something from my mother’s closet. One sec.

Gods, if the Leia-scented shampoo hadn’t been weird enough, Rey was now going to have to wear the woman’s clothes. She supposed she didn’t really have much of a choice, so she’d have to bear through the strangeness of it all.

This is for Valerion’s sake,

she told herself firmly, gazing at her reflection in the fogged up mirror. She looked thin, and paler than usual thanks to her time away from Mereeni. Her freckles were even beginning to vanish, something that made her furrow her brows in momentary confusion. 
 
There was a sharp knock at the door and Kylo’s gruff voice came from the other side, “I’ve got some stuff.”
 
“Okay,” she replied, turning the knob ever so slightly to allow just enough room for him to slip the garments through the crack. He obliged and she snatched up the clothes, hastily shutting the door and nearly catching his hand.
 
“I’ve seen a naked body before, Rey,” he said. “Relax.” 
 
“I am relaxed!” she huffed, her towel dropping as she eyed the new outfit. He’d given her a cream coloured slip with thin straps and lacing around the bosom. It was fairly form-fitting and made of a soft, light material that Rey could tell was very thin. 
 
“Is this a nightgown?” she asked as she slipped into the dress. When she was clothed, she eyed her body in the mirror and saw to her horror that her nipples poked right through the sheer fabric. “Gods, couldn’t you have given me a bra?” 
 
Kylo flushed bright red and was suddenly quite grateful there was a door between them. “It can’t be that bad, Rey.”
 
She flung the door open, flushed both from the heat and embarrassment. Her damp locks clung to her cheeks, lips parted as she glanced up at him. In that moment, Kylo knew he’d never been so turned on.
 
He stared silently for a moment, causing her cheeks to redden further.
 
 “What?” she demanded, head dipping slightly. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”
 
“W- no, of course not!” he replied a little too eagerly. “Rey, you look fine. Great, actually.” 
 
Her green eyes flickered up to meet his, so innocent in that moment that he remembered just how young she truly was. When he was in his early twenties he’d been just as doe-eyed and naive, in very similar ways, actually. “Really?” 
 
He nodded. “If you want something more modest, there’s a whole closet full of dresses you can choose from upstairs.” 
 
She seemed excited at the prospect. “Can I?” 
 
“Be my guest,” he replied, lips quirking up slightly. 
 
She rushed towards the stairs, bare feet padding against the hardwood floors. 
 
“Oh, Kylo?” she said to him, looking over her shoulder with a small grin. “You should smile more.” 
 
His lips pulled back into a full-blown smile at that, and she returned the gesture fully. The two stood and stared at each other for a moment before they both seemed to snap out of it. Rey awkwardly turned back around, heading up the stairs. 
 
“Second door on the left!” he called up after her before she disappeared down the hall. 
 
She followed his directions, pushing open a heavy wooden door to reveal what seemed to be a guest bedroom. It was meticulously clean, albeit a bit of dust settled atop the surfaces in the room, and had an old-world kind of charm that made Rey feel warm when she stepped inside. 
 
The walls were lined in some sort of pale yellow wallpaper adorned with white flowers, thin lacy curtains letting in rays of light from the window. There was a vanity on one wall and an enormous canopied bed on the other, baby blue sheets perfectly pressed. 
 
Rey’s eyes fell on a set of doors which had to be the closet and she smiled. Pulling open the doors, she scanned the clothes within. There were too many dresses for her to count, but many were much simpler than what she was used to wearing. Her eyes caught on a green sundress, hemmed right above the knee and fairly modest. It tied tightly at the waist to accentuate the wearer’s figure, but was also perfect casual wear. 
 
Rey nearly chuckled when she thought back to her Jakku days - desert Rey couldn’t have dreamed of calling such a thing ‘casual.’ 
 
She pulled the dress out by its hanger, eyeing it in the soft natural light. The fabric seemed to glow in the light, practically begging her to put it on. Who was she to disagree? 
 
Rey slipped her nightgown off, putting on the delicate sundress. She eyed herself in the dusty mirror above the vanity, a small smile overcoming her face. She looked young, less commanding than in her usual garb but also...happier. It made her reminisce about the childhood she could have had, the memories she never got to make. A longing pang stabbed at her heart, but she took a deep breath and shook the thoughts away - dwelling on the past would not help her in the present.
 
Composing herself, she gave the cozy room one last look before heading back downstairs. Kylo was waiting at the foot of the stairs, running his fingers through his hair. Rey noticed he’d taken his gloves off, which she liked. They were too sterile for her liking and reminded her of the cold, metallic feeling of the First Order’s ships.
 
“You like?” she asked from the top of the stairs, grinning down. Her half-wet hair hung around her face like a halo of warmth, bright eyes meeting his. 
 
“It’s...different,” he replied, dark eyes locked on her like a lion about to go in for the kill. 
 
“Good different or bad different?” she pressed, cocking a brow.
 
“I’ll think about it,” was his response as she walked down the stairs. 
 
“You’re insufferable,” she mumbled. “Let’s just get this teaching thing over with.” 
 
“Ah, ah,” he replied, looking down at her. “First, we’re eating.”
 
“Eating what, exactly?” she asked. “Hasn’t this house been empty for years?” 
 
“Yup,” Kylo said. “Which is why we’ll be going on a walk to get food.” 
 
She eyed him warily. “Fine.” 
 
As her eyes drifted to the window, she felt a wave of warmth overtake her. Meraxes and Vhagar were sleeping on the cliff, closely entwined with each other. Just for a moment, a sliver of time, Rey was content.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kylo glanced over at Rey. The sun caught the sheen of her cheekbones, the warm glow of her golden skin, the vibrant green of her eyes that matched the dress she’d plucked from his mother’s old wardrobe. As she smiled at her dragons, he noted that she looked genuinely happy, something he hadn’t seen from her often. 
 
The war had made her cold, he’d assumed when he first saw her. She was frowning, eyes hard and sharp, piercing his own when she met his gaze. Her hair was pulled back, slicked out of her face in a practical braid, and she wore a sort of wrap around her upper half, her lower half clad in plain pants.
 
“You,” she’d hissed, recognizing him from the Holocron. “The First Order’s bitch.” 
 
He almost laughed out loud under his mask at her bravery, but remained silent, observing her for a moment. “And you, the Resistance’s desert rat.” 
 
She glowered at him for that, her eyes narrowing lethally. Then, with movements as fast as lightning, she pulled a gun from her side, aiming it right at his head. 
 
Had he not knocked her out so swiftly with the Force, he may have had another scar to thank her for. 
 
He remembered the first time he’d seen her as an official Queen. She was dressed in a long, flowing ivory gown, a golden tiara placed in her intricately styled curls, which had grown down to her breasts since he’d last seen her. She was sitting in the throne room on a planet he didn’t recognize, though he guessed it was a desert given the temple-like structure of the building.
 
She was in the middle of speaking to someone, a man, when she flinched violently, feeling an intrusion in her mind. 
 
“Jorah, will you excuse me for a moment?” he heard her ask. There was a pause and then she was staring right into his eyes. “Kylo Ren.” 
 
“You’re not doing this,” he mused, eyeing her with a mixture of awe and confusion. “The effort would’ve killed you.” 
 
“What kind of force trick is this?” she demanded, eyes filled with fire. “Answer me!” 
 
“I don’t know,” he snapped back. “I’m not doing this!” 
 
“Well then, who the hell is?” she retorted hotly. “Is the universe playing some petty trick on us?”
 
“I don’t know the universe’s motives,” he replied just as angrily. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have better things to do than listen to some measly scavenger bitch about me.” 
 
“I’m

not

a scavenger,” she snapped. “I am the Queen of Mereeni.” 
 
“Don’t let the royalty get to your head,” he shot back. “You’ll

always

be a scavenger.” 
 
“And you’ll always be a pathetic wannabe Darth Vader!” she hissed.
 
That did it. “Shut your mouth! You know

nothing-

” 
 
But before he could finish, their strange connection fizzled out, and the image of Rey before him was gone. The encounter left him flummoxed, angry and turned on all at once. 
 
“Kylo?” present Rey’s voice brought him out of his thoughts. 
 
He glanced down at her. 
 
“You were zoned out,” she explained, lip quirking up on one side in amusement. 
 
“Oh,” was his feeble reply. 
 
She cast him a knowing look. “Wasn’t it you who said to let the past die? You should take your own advice.” 
 
He gave a half-scoff, half-laugh. “Yeah, alright.” 
 
“What were you thinking about anyways?” she asked, curiosity getting the better of her. 
 
“About the first time we met,” he admitted. “Before I interrogated you, when we fought and you fled back to Jakku.” 
 
“I remember when you took me from Jakku,” she said softly. “I was so young. My dragons were tiny things who couldn’t stop you and your ships. I tried to be strong but...I was terrified.” 
 
Kylo listened intently, wanting to know how he’d affected her from the beginning.
 
“I thought, ‘Why does the First Order care about me?’ I’d assumed it was the dragons, but you didn’t mention them once. Then you said I had the force and I started to understand who I was, what I was capable of,” she continued, eyes meeting his. “The force made me believe in myself, in not just the dragons’ strength but my own. As much as I hate to say it, I might not be here right now had you not told me.” 
 
Kylo stared down at her, not speaking for a moment. “You’re perfect, aren’t you?”
 
The question wasn’t hostile or sarcastic, it was genuine. He couldn’t believe that being kidnapped and interrogated had shaped her for the better. Of course Rey, all-light all the time, would turn it into a positive. 
 
“On Jakku, you had to have hope to survive,” she explained. “Hope and luck.” 
 
“The force isn’t luck,” Kylo told her. “There are no coincidences or accidents in the force. Everything has a purpose - you were

chosen

.” 
 
Rey’s gaze faltered for a moment. “But why would the force pick me? I was a nobody from the outer rim. Not even my parents cared enough to keep me.” 
 
She realized she’d overshared, eyes widening before flickering to look at anything other than Ren. He could feel her embarrassment over the bond, the shame that she was so utterly unwanted her whole childhood. 
 
“Rey,” he said softly, reaching out and touching her arm, a gesture that made her stiffen slightly. “You’re not nothing. Not to me.” 
 
Her eyes began to water, lower lip trembling. Then, before he could say anything else, she had leapt forward, arms thrown around his torso as she struggled not to cry.

A hug,

he thought. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d hugged someone. Slowly but surely, his arms wrapped around her slender form, holding her comfortingly against his chest. 
 
Kylo let his chin rest atop her head, breathing in her intoxicating scent. Part of him never wanted to let her go, but his stomach disagreed. A loud growl erupted from him as his body demanded he eat and Rey pulled back, a tearful giggle leaving her lips.
 
“Come on,” she said, extending a hand to him. “Let’s go eat.”
 
He took her hand in his own and the two walked side by side along the grassy plain. Rey looked up at the cliff, smiling once more at her two children, who were sleeping soundly. 
 
“I think they like the sunshine,” she said with a small smile. “It’s been a while since they’ve been home, and this is the closest we’ve come.” 
 
There was a sadness laced through her voice, a yearning to return to Mereeni. She missed Jorah and Lorras and her people. She’d gone so long without the intense warmth and the comforting familiarity of the Great Pyramid. It showed on her physically if you looked hard enough; the fading of her freckles, the stress lines between her brows, the dark circles under her eyes showing her sheer exhaustion. 
 
Most of all, she missed Valerion. Her sweet, darling child who was now nowhere to be found. What good was learning how to resurrect if she had nothing to bring back? 
 
“Although I’m not pleased my mission to liberate the galaxy has been put on hold, I think they needed a break,” she confessed. “It’s alarmingly easy to forget that they’re not invincible war machines, they’re just children. They have their whole lives ahead of them, and so did Valerion.” 
 
Kylo looked down at her. “We

will

find him.”
 
Rey nodded. “I know...gods, everything's just falling apart! I’ve abandoned my kingdom yet again and poor old Jorah’s been stuck leading for weeks now! All I’ve ever wanted to do was save people and right now, I’m doing quite the opposite.” 
 
Rey was venting, she needed the emotional release. 
 
“Rey, I’m sure your kingdom is doing fine,” he assured her. “I promise, the first thing we work on will be locating Valerion. After we eat. We can’t find him if we starve, can we?”
 
She shook her head, a teary-eyed smile flickering across her face. “No, I suppose not.” 
 
“Let’s go, then,” he said with a small half-grin. “You’ll love where I’m taking you.”
 
---
 
After a few more minutes of walking, they came upon what Rey deemed to be an orchard. Rows upon rows of fruit trees loomed over the grass, plump pink fruit dangling from their branches. 
 
Kylo walked up, snagging one and plucking it from the stem. He tossed it to Rey, who caught it swiftly in her palms. “What is it?”
 
“It’s called a Serlau,” he replied, taking one for himself and biting into its rosey skin. “Try.”
 
She obliged, sinking her teeth into the fruit’s surface. A burst of sweet juices hit her tongue and she nearly moaned at how good it tasted. As someone who had lived without real food for her entire childhood, she knew this was a delicacy. Even on Mereeni, the fruits were limited to mainly citruses, as the climate was too hot for much else. 
 
“This is good,” she commented, taking another greedy bite. 
 
Kylo smirked at the pink juice dribbling down her chin. “I can tell.” He took a more refined bite of his own fruit, keeping the juices within his mouth like a civilized person.
 
“Are we allowed to just take these?” she asked, frowning and wiping her chin with the back of her hand. “I mean, orchards typically have owners.”
 
“I doubt the owners would refuse the two most powerful people in the galaxy a fruit or two,” he replied with a coy smile. 
 
She shrugged. “I guess one fruit won’t hurt.” 
 
They spent a good half an hour like that, eating Serlaus and talking until they began to feel sick. Then, Rey noticed the sky beginning to darken, grey clouds forming overhead.
 
“We should probably head back,” she remarked and he nodded.
 
“Yeah, we should.” 
 
“Oh, Kylo?” she said as they began to walk, throwing the fruit’s cores into the grass. 
 
He glanced at her expectantly. 
 
“I had fun,” she said earnestly. “Thank you.”
 
He graced her with a soft smile.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“So, if learning resurrection is pointless now, what are we doing here?” Rey asked bluntly.  “There’s always something to learn,” Kylo told her. “There’s something on this planet I haven’t showed you yet, the reason my family once frequently came here.”  He extended a gloved hand to her and she took it. There was a jolt of something that passed through them, making Rey’s eyes widen.  “The force seems…stronger here,” she commented as they walked toward a wooded area beyond the cliffs.  “It is,” Kylo said. “You’ll see why in a moment.”  They stepped out into a clearing and Rey’s eyes widened again, lips parting. She felt the force like a current, filling every part of her being. The swell of energy made her heart race and she looked at Kylo, who seemed to be feeling it just as much as she was.  “See that circle on the ground?” He pointed to a circular mark in the grass that looked almost burned there, black against the bright green. “That’s a force well. It leaks pure force energy, and there are only a handful in the galaxy. The Jedi have safe-guarded this one for centuries.”  “Wow,” was all she could say.  “Doesn’t it feel good?” he asked, eyeing her with those oddly bright obsidian eyes. “Don’t you feel like you could fly?”  Rey nodded, closing her eyes for a minute. “Yeah. I do.”  “Let go,” he told her. “Let the force take over you.”  “I don’t know how to do that,” she said, trying to get into a meditative state but failing. Her mind was racing with thoughts, as it usually was.  “Just think about nothing but the force,” he suggested. “Relax your body and let yourself loosen up.”  She tried again, this time releasing her muscles and letting her head fall back, but instead of falling onto the ground as she expected she would, she stayed upright.  Come on, Rey, clear your mind, she told herself firmly, pushing all thoughts out as best as she could. At first it took a great deal of effort, but then none at all. It was like she was in a trance, unable to feel a thing except for the force.  Then, she began to float. Eyes slamming open she cried out. “Kriff!” Instantly she was back on her feet, wobbling.  Kylo floated back to the ground, gaze fixed on her. “You okay?”  She nodded, though her rapid breaths said otherwise. “Yeah, that was just…a lot.”  There was a loose grin on Kylo’s face when she looks at him, and the expression she’s not quite used to seeing on him puts her at ease.  “We can try again later,” he said, seeing how her hands are trembling at her sides, but she shook her head firmly. “No, I came here for a reason,” she said fiercely. “To learn, become stronger. If this is the way, then I’ll do it.”  He eyed her for a moment, wary, before nodding. “Alright. Try again, then. Let go fully.”  She closed her eyes, relaxing her stiff, aching muscles. She couldn’t remember the last time she wasn’t stressing about something or another; it was just a fact of life. Whether it be finding her next meal or winning the next battle, Rey was a walking ball of stress. “I see something!” she blurted out and Kylo looked at her with interest. “The force shows visions to certain, very force-sensitive people,” he explained. “Tell me what you see.”  Squeezing her eyes shut, Rey concentrated on the vision. She was standing in the pouring rain, sky black as night. She recognized the sand dunes and metallic ruins - this was Jakku. A rare thunderstorm was sweeping across the planet, sending sand swirling in the air, plastering to her skin.  “I’m on Jakku,” she said. “It’s raining…I’m by the old wreckage.”  She began to walk towards the wreckage, shielding her eyes from the sandy rain with her hand. Her old staff hung from her back, a source of comfort since she was alone.  Climbing inside of the metal structure, she wiped the rain from her brow and looked around. Her eyes caught on a faint glow from within the wreckage, bright red.  “I see something,” she said, frowning. “I’m going after it.” “Rey, what is it?” Kylo demanded. She didn’t answer. Rey leapt down through a scorched hole in the metal wall, following the light that beckoned her forth. It was like a beacon in the dead of night, calling out to her. She didn’t like the whispers it gave off, dark and malicious yet seductive in the blackness.  Suddenly, a loose cable caught on her ankle and Rey went sprawling down, only there was no floor. She fell off of the ledge she was perched on and a strangled cry left her throat as she expected to hurtle down into the darkness. There was a sharp pain in her leg and she saw that the cable had held her up, dangling into the abyss.  Wide-eyed and heart racing, Rey swung up and grabbed the cable, the frayed metal burning her hands as she shimmied upwards. Her breaths were ragged as she reached the top, hands touching solid ground. “Rey, you’re shaking!” Kylo exclaimed. “What’s happening?” “Nothing, I just fell,” she replied, voice wobbling slightly.  “Be careful,” he said sternly.  She went on, climbing through a curtain of cables. Her eyes widened when she reached the other side. There, standing before her, was herself. Only, this Rey was cloaked in all black, eyes piercing hers coldly. In one hand she held a saber, gleaming a bright red that reflected off of her face. In the other, a deep red kyber crystal.  At that point Rey lost herself in the vision - Kylo would not be able to reach her. It was just her and her double. “Who are you?” Rey asked, trying to look intimidating as she straightened her spine. The other girl smirked coyly. “You already know the answer.”  “What do you want from me?” Rey demanded, clutching the staff on her back as if she were going to whip it out at any moment. She knew it was no match for a lightsaber but wouldn’t go down without a fight. “I’m not going to hurt you,” the other Rey said, still smirking as she held out the gleaming red kyber crystal. Rey looked down at the shimmering stone in her palm, the little whispers around her urging her to take it. “Take it,” her double hissed.  “Why red?” Rey managed to ask, frowning. “Because red belongs to you,” the other Rey said. “It is the colour of vengeance and power. Take the crystal and become who you are meant to be.”  Rey tentatively reached out, arm shaking as she leaned towards her clone. The other Rey grinned, teeth bared in an almost feral snarl. It was then she heard Kylo’s voice, almost like an echo in the distance - “Rey! Get out of there!”  Rey felt something sharp against her fingertips. Looking down in panic, she realized she was touching the crystal. She went to draw her hand back but the girl grabbed on tightly, hands cold as ice.  “It’s too late,” she crooned with a cool smirk. “You accepted the crystal.” With a sinister smile, the other Rey took the crystal by the sharpest end and plunged it into Rey’s chest.  Rey came out of the vision gasping and clutching her chest. She was on her back in the grass, heart racing in her chest.  Kylo hovered over her with a confused expression. “What the hell happened Rey?” “I- the other Rey put this red crystal inside of me and said it belongs to me and I tried to run but-“ “Slow down,” Kylo told her firmly. “What other Rey?”  “There was another me,” Rey explained. “She had a red saber and she dressed like you.” Kylo would’ve laughed if there hadn’t been such sheer terror in Rey’s voice. “She took this red crystal and said it was who I truly am - vengeful and dark. I didn’t want it but I heard your voice and it distracted me and then she made me touch it and said I accepted it. Then she…stabbed me with it?”  Rey stopped, realizing she was blabbering on like a child. When she looked up at Kylo, however, he looked deeply concerned. “That’s not good, Rey. Not good at all.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“This isn’t good at all,” Virda agreed when Rey finished telling her the story. Kylo and Zygen stood a way’s back as Virda sat next to Rey in her bed. “It could’ve just been the force trying to trick me, couldn’t it?” Rey asked hopefully. “The dark side tempting me?” Virda shook her head grimly. “The force may exaggerate, but it never lies. That vision is your future in some way.” Rey bit her lower lip. “There’s no way I can stop it?”  The knight shrugged. “Perhaps, perhaps not. Only time will tell.”  “Well that’s awfully helpful,” she muttered and Virda’s jade eyes narrowed. “I like you, girl, but don’t take that tone with me,” she said in a lower voice. “If you’re so scared of the dark side, perhaps you should go join Luke Skywalker.”  Maybe I will, Rey thought darkly to herself. “Virda, that’s enough,” Kylo interrupted. “We’ll deal with Rey’s situation when the time comes. You and Zygen may leave.” Though he phrased it as a request, everyone in the room could tell it was an order. The female knight rose to her feet, forcing a stiff bow before storming out of the bedroom.  Zygen glanced at Rey apologetically before following his counterpart out of the room, closing the door behind him. “She had a point, you know.”  Rey looked up at Kylo, frowning. “I’m not scared of the dark side. I just don’t want to be a part of it.” “You already are, to an extent,” he replied. “A Jedi treats bloodshed as an absolute last resort. You massacre First Order men by the thousands when it benefits you.” Rey opened her mouth to object but Kylo cut her off. “This isn’t an attack on you, Rey,” he said swiftly. “I’m just pointing out a fact - you’re not all light. Every force user has a mix within them, the pull of the less dominant side.” “Does that mean you feel called to the light?” she asked and he nodded. “Sometimes.”  The response made Rey smile.  “You think you can shift me,” he said. “Maybe,” she responded, eyes meeting his with a glint of promise. “Or maybe I’ll be the one to turn you,” Kylo replied and there was a soft silence for a moment as Rey pondered. Could her vision be predicting just that? “I want us to train again later,” she announced. Kylo frowned. “I think we’ve done enough, after all that-“ “This is something you may not get the chance to do again,” she told him, lips curving up slightly in a way that made his heart skip a beat.  So, giving in to Rey’s light once more, Kylo agreed.  “After dinner.” — “Care to tell me what you have planned for us?” Kylo asked as he took a bite of the fish Zygen had caught for the four of them.  Rey shook her head with a smirk. “All I’ll say is it’s going to be a hell of a lot better than the disaster you planned.”  “It wasn’t a disaster,” Kylo replied with a frown. “You had a vision that may have warned you for the future. It might not be a pleasant future, but at least you’re prepared.”  “Maybe it wouldn’t have been my future if we hadn’t gone to that stupid force well!” she all but snapped, grip tightening around her utensils.  “That’s not how the force works, genius,” Kylo drawled. “Visions are like a looking glass into the future, the force can’t just pluck them out of thin air.”  “And how do you know?” she demanded. “You can’t possibly know everything about the force.”  “I never claimed to know everything, but I know a lot more than you do,” he snapped back. “Or did you forget I’ve been trained since childhood while you’re an unexperienced scavenger with no proper training?”  “And yet I still managed to best you,” she retorted, which made Kylo’s eyes narrow. “You were trying a damn lot harder than I was in that fight,” he shot back. “You were trying to kill me, while I was merely defending myself.”  Rey laughed dryly. “Oh yes, the poor Kylo Red was mercilessly attacked by the feral scavenger! Right.”  “Can we not do this right now?” he asked, eyeing his knights beside them who looked simultaneously uncomfortable and highly amused.  When Kylo and Rey glanced over at them, they went straight to their food, acting like they hadn’t heard a word between the two.  “Alright, we’ll do it later,” Rey decided firmly. “When you do something I want to do.” Kylo eyed her with a deep frown before sighing. “Fine.”  At that, a hint of a smirk formed on her face. He had no idea what he was in for.  “I’ll see you in an hour, then. Dress warm.” Virda snickered as Rey got up from the table and left, pride from her victory practically oozing off of her. “You’ve gone soft, Master,” she remarked, looking at Kylo who was sulkily forking chunks of meat into his mouth.  He shot her a warning look, but the effect was greatly lessened by his full cheeks and red ears.  “Just…shut up,” he said weakly, and the knights went back to their food in silent amusement.  — Exactly an hour after dinner had passed, Rey was dressed in a new outfit she’d snatched from Leia’s closet. This one consisted of tight riding pants, calf-high boots and a sturdy fur-lined coat that would keep her warm in the night air. She walked over to Kylo’s room, knocking on the door. When he didn’t answer, she took it as an invitation to walk in, finding him sitting on his bed reading something on a datapad. When he saw her, he hastily shut off the device and straightened. “Has it really been an hour already?” She grinned. “C’mon, no backsies.”  “Backsies? What are we, five?” Though the statement was meant to be insulting the hint of a smile on his face gave him away.  “Just come on,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “And bring a coat. You’ll need it.” Kylo eyed her curiously but grabbed a thicker cloak from the wardrobe and followed her down the stairs nonetheless.  The two walked outside, where the sun was beginning to dip lower along the horizon, casting a pinkish glow across the sky. Rey smiled - she’d always loved sunset. It meant relief from the blistering heat on Jakku and the end to an exhausting day.  When Kylo realized they were walking towards the sleeping dragons, his eyes widened.  “Rey, if you think I’m getting near those things-“ “You said you’d do something I want to do,” she cut him off, raising a brow. “Or are you too scared?”  Ah, the scared card. She was questioning his manhood and he couldn’t let her be right.  “You can ride with me, if you’d like,” she offered, an olive branch to the horrified man next to her. “I don’t need a chaperone,” he replied hastily. “I’ll go alone.” “You sure?” she asked, eyes meeting his searchingly. He could feel her beginning to probe around the bond and instantly cut himself off.  She shrugged. “Whatever, then. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”  Turning to the dragons, Rey called out to the red one. “Vhagar, come!”  He cracked open an ember-coloured eye, far from thrilled at being woken up. When he saw that it was his mother, he begrudgingly obeyed, rising up from the ground. Kylo nearly gulped as he saw the beast rise to its full height, towering over him, all teeth and claws.  “Go to him,” Rey said. “Slowly, and open up in the force. He needs to know he can trust you, or things could go…badly.”  “How badly?” “Burning alive badly,” she said in a tone that was too serious for his liking. Taking a deep breath, Kylo stepped forwards while Rey anxiously watched. He walked up to Vhagar, tentatively stretching his hand out for the dragon to smell. He’d seen the tactic used with common hounds to gain their trust and prayed dragons were the same.  The dragon sniffed his outstretched palm, a low growl escaping its jaws. Kylo’s spine stiffened and he squeezed his eyes shut. This is it, he thought. My time has come.  Then, he felt warm scales press against his hand. When he opened his eyes, he saw Vhagar’s snout touching his palm, the dragon’s eyes boring into his.  He felt a strange sensation in the force, warmth flooding into his body from his hand and flowing through his being.  “You’re doing it, Kylo!” Rey called excitedly from behind him.  Her voice distracted him, causing the connection between him and the dragon to fizzle. Vhagar let out a mighty growl, eyes narrowing at the man in front of him. His lips pulled back in a toothy snarl, warm breath fanning Kylo’s face.  Rey’s eyes widened - fuck.