Archive of Our Own

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Chapter 1: A Warning from a Stranger
The screams had stopped some time ago. If the man hadn’t been as repulsive and belligerent as he was, Kylo Ren supposed he may feel some sympathy for the poor bastard. As it stood, however, Unkar Plutt was a grovelling, bulbous, foul excuse for an Orc, and Kylo held no remorse for his death. In fact, he was rather glad he wasn’t the one carrying out the interrogation, for he doubted he had the patience to extract the necessary information. That was Hux’s specialty.A few moments passed before Hux opened the large wooden door and entered the study. His tunic sleeves were rolled up to his elbow, his hands scrubbed clean. His lips were curled in a sour frown, as though taking the life of another person was no worse than killing a fly.“The girl Snoke wanted was under Plutt’s supervision,” Hux stated, rolling down his sleeves. Kylo noted that not a single drop of blood had landed on his tunic or pants. Typical of Hux. He always liked the dirty work, yet he hated the dirt.“Then we ought to inform the Supreme Leader. We should ride out soon if she's in Jakku.”“Yes, well, there’s a bit of an issue,” Hux said dryly.Kylo’s gaze snapped to him, his eyes hard. “Issue?”“She’s no longer in Jakku.” .oOo. Unless the figure trailing behind her just happened to live in the exact same apartment building and took the exact same route, Rey was definitely being followed. She supposed she should feel some sort of fear, but honestly, she was just annoyed. It was cold, the sidewalks were slick with half-melted snow, and she had just received the email informing her that she didn’t pass her Biology final. So really, if somebody had shown up to kill her, she would just consider it the Universe’s punchline to the joke of a week she'd had. Even funnier when one remembered that her birthday was tomorrow. Really the cherry on top of this shit-cake.She glanced over her shoulder at the person. They were a few meters back, dressed in a grey trench coat, their face marred with shadow. They passed under a tree strung with Christmas lights, allowing Rey a quick glimpse at what appeared to be a shock of red hair and feminine features. She looked forward again.Rey wasn’t naive enough to believe a woman was less dangerous than a man, but it certainly didn’t alarm her as much. It would be much easier to take down an attacker her size than it would be for a larger opponent. She had taken a few Krav Maga classes as a teenager, so she could hold her own if needed, but she'd still like to avoid a fight.“I know you’re following me,” She called out, not breaking her stride. “I’ll have you know I’m piss-poor broke. Fresh out of money! Robbing me would be pointless!”Her pursuer remained silent, but stopped walking. Rey breathed, relieved it didn’t escalate. She glanced behind her again, but the woman was gone. Good riddance.Rey continued walking. She turned the corner for her street when she was shoved back by a pair of small, strong hands. Rey landed on her ass with a shout and in seconds her pursuer had straddled her chest and pressed a knife to her throat.“You are the girl,” The woman growled, wonder in her voice, her breath sickly sweet in Rey’s face. “The Lost One.”Rey couldn’t swallow for fear of the knife pressing further into her throat. Paralyzed, she stared up at the woman. Her curly red hair was chopped close to her face, she had eyes that were a glimmering emerald, and a full mouth twisted into a prideful sneer. She looked very much like a cat who had pounced on its prey. Rey blinked rapidly, her brain struggling to catch up.“I’m what ?” She asked incredulously. The knife bit past the first layer of skin on her throat but she hardly felt the sting of it.“I would kill you now if Morrigan hadn’t forbid it,” The woman said, pressing the knife in further, “But I found you. We will return for you. Winter solstice shall see your demise.”Rey didn’t know what she was going on about, but it certainly sounded like the ramblings of a mad woman. It shocked Rey so much that it snapped her into action. She flung her hand upwards, allowing the heel of her palm to connect to the woman’s nose with a satisfying crunch. The woman cursed in a different language -- Irish, maybe? -- and recoiled, giving Rey the chance to scramble out from under her.Rey’s knees wobbled as she stood. “Get the fuck away from me,” she warned. Her voice was low and gravelly, powerful in a way she had never heard before. The other woman got to her feet as well. Rey felt a bit of pride to see her upper lip coated in thick, red blood  like some sort of macabre lipstick.“You will regret this,” The woman’s eyes were alight with fury. She raised the knife and Rey braced herself, preparing for the woman to charge her. In that moment, though, a car turned down the street, distracting both women. Rey turned, briefly blinded by the headlights, and when she looked back, the woman was gone. The street was completely silent.Rey touched her fingers to her neck, wondering if she had somehow imagined the whole thing.Her fingers came back stained red.
What just happened?
“ Rey! ” A voice called. The car had stopped and Finn emerged from the driver’s side. He rushed towards Rey, hands flying to her neck, fingers gentle as he examined the wound. His voice shook, “Shit! Rey, what happened?”“There was--there--a woman-” Rey was unable to get a full sentence out. Her whole body was trembling as she pointed vaguely to where the redhead had once stood, but she had vanished as quickly as a puff of breath in winter air.Finn followed her hand, furrowing his brow when he saw nothing. His whole demeanor shifted into something coiled and anxious. When he looked back at her, she saw a glimmer of fear in his eyes.If she were being honest, that scared her even more.“Rey, we should call the police,” He said, low and steady, “Come here, get in the car.”And that’s how she spent the next hour and a half: bundled up in Finn’s jacket as the police took her statement and an EMT bandaged her neck. People talked around her, but she felt as though she were listening to them underwater: distant, slightly warped, unimportant.She was lucky she didn’t need stitches, she was told. Probably a user looking to rob her for drug money, they shrugged. To them, it was completely cut and dry.To her, it felt like so much more.The encounter, although terrifying, had awakened something deep inside Rey. It was buried deep, hidden under years of trauma and denial. Ever since she was a child trapped inside the foster system, she had known that she belonged somewhere else; had known that her family was somewhere waiting for her. This experience seemed to allude that maybe she had been right.After deeming she was safe in Finn’s care, they left, and Finn took her up to their shared apartment. He seemed to sense that she needed some time alone, and after guiding her to her room, let her be for the night. She laid still and quiet, but sleep would not come. After a moment of contemplation, Rey was finally able to figure out why: She was excited , as though this cryptic and likely random encounter was somehow proof that Rey had come from something greater, that maybe Rey had more to her name beside the broken memories of her childhood. Hush , she told herself,  You’ve always looked for answers. A warning from a stranger hardly counts as one. You can research more in the morning. She turned on her side, trying to convince herself to sleep. Despite her attempts to relax, her body was still quivering intermittently, although she couldn’t discern what was causing it.She chalked it up to the adrenaline.

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Chapter 2: Lost in the Sand

She was dreaming.

A thick fog was closing in on her from all sides. Funnily enough, she wasn’t scared. If anything, the fog seemed to greet her, welcome her, embrace her. Somewhere in the distance she could hear the beating of drums, and if she strained her ears, she could even hear faint whispers.

“The Maiden,” they said. “The Lost One.”

She walked toward the drums and found herself entering a misty forest. Around her, towering tree trunks parted through the fog; if she looked up, she could just see the shadow of leaves through the mist. Moss cushioned her feet and wild ferns kissed her palms when she walked by. The entire forest was vibrating with excitement, greeting her like she was an old friend -- she certainly felt like one. The drumming was growing louder, timed perfectly with the beat of her heart, and the melody of a flute started to flow with each breath she took. The glow of a  fire could be seen through a particularly thick grove of trees. She was drawn to it; a moth to light, a spark of hope in the darkness.
The fog dissipated as she reached the edge of the clearing. A bonfire was roaring in the center while shadowy figures danced around in celebration. One of the figures approached her and took her hand, guiding her right into the heart of the festivities. Her whole soul was alive with joy, with the feeling that she belonged . She was no longer a girl from London struggling to make ends meet. She was no longer a student struggling for a degree in marine biology. She was simply Rey. The freedom made her feel light as feather and she couldn’t help but join the dancers in their celebration around the fire.
Then the music stopped abruptly and the shadows faded. A large man, tall and broad and glowing with life had entered the clearing. The first thing she noticed about him were the antlers of a deer that protruded from his hairline, decorated in colorful strings and beads. A longsword was strapped to his back and in his hand he held a massive bow made out of oak and carved with various runes. Most distractingly, he was completely naked, but it didn’t seem indecent. For him, it seemed simply natural. He carried with him an air of regality and power.

“The Maiden,” he greeted and hinged at the waist. She felt obligated to curtsey in response. He rose back to standing, then drew his sword to swing it in a long arc. As he did, flames from the bonfire followed in a dizzying ribbon of heat that circled her until they disappeared into his blade, now glowing orange, the only remnant that a fire had ever existed. The man gestured back towards the forest -- with the fire gone, golden sunlight was filtering through lush trees, illuminating a forest floor no longer covered by mist. Rey couldn’t help but stare in wonder. She’d never seen so much green.

“We flourish because of you,” The man said, “and I will bring you home.”

“Home,” Rey breathed.

The man extended a hand in front of him. Rich green veins ran under the skin of his forearm. They promised life. Rey raised her hand to meet his.

Just before their fingers touched, something in the air shifted. The temperature rose until it burned her skin and the rich smells of the forest were replaced by rot and decay.

She felt hot, sticky breath on her neck. “Lost in the sand,” A voice rasped into her ear. Rey whirled to meet the newcomer, but nobody was there, and the forest was gone. Instead, she faced an endless horizon of sand. When she turned back to the horned man, he was gone as well.

The sand beneath her opened and swallowed her whole.
--- When she opened her eyes it was already mid-day. Grey London sun filtered through her blinds, casting her room in dim, cool-toned light. Rey had to blink a few times before sitting up in attempt to shake the strange dream from her mind, though she couldn’t shake the feeling of burning sand from her throat. Hesitantly, she touched the bandage, reminding herself that she had been cut deeply by a knife, not grated with sand.Finn’s voice rumbled outside of her room, a rather comforting sound to hear after the night she’d had. She stretched, her muscles protesting after being tensed up for so long, and then checked her phone. It was dead after not being plugged in. She hooked it to her charger and pulled out her laptop. Morning was here -- she needed some answers.Firstly, she checked Google to see if there were any recent reports of similar attacks. She scrolled through a few different articles, but none of them seemed to be the same woman. She then typed in a few keywords:
The Lost One.
Nothing tangible. She erased her search query, and tried something else:
Crazy redhead attack.
Nothing again, except for a few sketchy porn sites. She thought harder, recalling everything the woman had said to her, and then typed:
Morgan.
That didn't lead to much either. She didn’t really expect it to.Finally, mostly out of curiosity, she typed in Winter solstice .According to Google, the next winter solstice was December 22nd. Tomorrow. The knowledge made her stomach twist a little in anticipation. However, the rest of her searching hadn’t yielded much else. Rey felt it was pretty safe to assume the woman had been spouting bullshit. It didn’t surprise her, but it did disappoint her for reasons she refused to analyze. You knew that lady was crazy. You just wanted to feel special, Rey thought ruefully.Done with her internet sleuthing, Rey left the confine of her room to get breakfast. Finn was standing in the kitchen chatting amicably on his ancient Razor phone. When she entered the kitchen, he said his goodbyes, and smiled over at her. The fear she had seen in him last night seemed to have faded.“Hey, Peanut,” He greeted, “How did you sleep?”Rey grabbed herself some orange juice from the fridge, “Pretty alright. I had a weird as fuck dream.”“Considering the night you had, it doesn’t surprise me. What was it about?”“It wasn’t really about anything. There was fog, a bonfire, dancing…” she drank some juice, thinking, “Oh. And a very naked man.”Finn raised an eyebrow suggestively. Rey threw a dishcloth at him, “Not like that!”He laughed, “Was this ‘ very naked man’ someone we knew?”“No. Actually, I don’t think I even looked at his face--”“Peanut, I already know what you were looking at.”“Finn!” She laughed, leaning over to whack him playfully, “It wasn’t sexual. Not like that. Just very cryptic.”“Okay, okay. Not a sexual dream. Got it.” His smile was bright. It made her feel much better about everything. “Happy birthday, by the way.”Rey paused as she was putting the juice back. In all the mayhem from the previous night, she had completely forgotten she was now twenty-three, “Holy shit,” she said, then snickered, “Glad to see I’m alive to witness it.”Finn didn’t find the comment as funny as she did. He gestured to the bandage, “How’s that feeling, by the way?”“Like a cut on my neck.”“ Rey.” She reached up to touch it. It was a little tender, but ultimately it didn’t hurt much, “Feels fine, honestly. I’m not even shaken up about it.”He exhaled a relieved sigh, “At least that’s good. You feeling up to celebrate tonight?”“What do you have in mind?”“Well, I could get some ice cream, we could watch movies? Invite a few friends? Safe and simple.”Rey shrugged. Despite her normal love of ice cream and movie nights, it didn’t feel like a celebration worthy of surviving the week. Rey felt the need to dance and sing. Maybe make out with a stranger. After all, she was alive .“I was thinking we could go drinking,” She suggested.Surprisingly, Finn's smile fell, “I don't know,” he said slowly, “After last night I’m not too comfortable with actually going out.”“C’mon, Finn.” Rey said, “You’re usually the one insisting we celebrate everything. Why not celebrate my birthday and the fact I’m alive in one go?”“Rey…”“I won’t leave your side the entire night,” She promised, “What is the likelihood that something would happen again, anyways? It’s going to be fine.”He sighed, his hand fidgeting at the hem of his jacket. He still seemed uneasy. “Are you sure you’re comfortable with going out so soon?”She nodded insistently, “Absolutely. I need to dance, Finn. Put last night behind me.”There was a long moment as he stared at a spot on the floor, his mouth working in contemplation. Finally, he raised his eyes to meet hers, and gave a small nod.“As long as you stay within eyesight, fine,” He relented. “We can go out for drinks.” He shifted his weight, his body language completely different than it had been minutes ago. He seemed tense and ready to spring. He was trying to mask it, but she could see that same spark of fear he had worn the night before. He’s hiding something .The clarity came from nowhere, stark and obvious in her mind. Rey believed the intuition wholeheartedly; she just wasn’t sure she wanted to ask about it.She could let Finn keep his secrets.“Brilliant,” She smiled despite feeling uneasy over his hesitation, “I’ll invite some of my coworkers, too. We won’t stay out too late.”Finn nodded, “Alright.”“Thanks, Finn.”He touched her shoulder affectionately before stepping away, leaving Rey with a misplaced sense of unrest. She recalled how she’d felt in her dream when the desert swallowed her. The feeling she had now was very similar.
Lost in the sand.

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Chapter 3: The Pyre
They didn’t head out to the bar until a little before eleven that night. Rey had donned a pair of black jeggings, a green top, and a thick woolen cardigan to keep out the cold. Resting against her hip was a small satchel that contained her phone, a portable charger, and her ID. A strategically placed scarf hid the bandage from view.She felt pretty good. Before they left they had done a few shots which were working wonderfully to keep her anxiety at bay. A few of her coworkers had walked with them to the club, but they all dispersed as soon as they entered the establishment. Finn looked around, taking in the venue before giving a slight nod of approval.“This place is pretty nice,” He admitted, but he still seemed as flighty as earlier. More alcohol was in order.“We should take some more shots,” she told him, taking his hand and leading him to the bar. Rey ordered them two tequila shots each, laughing at Finn when he grimaced through each one. Once the shots were down she dragged him onto the dance floor with her. Songs she didn’t recognize were playing, and the DJ was pretty shitty, but that didn’t matter. She was dancing with her best friend, buzzed, happy, alive, and she was going to do her damndest to celebrate that. The crowd around them grew as time passed, feeding into Rey’s energy until her entire body was buzzing with life.“This was a good idea!” Finn shouted after a while. Rey wasn't sure just how much time had passed, but it was enough for Finn to loosen up a little. The lights were currently a bright red that illuminated off of the sweat on Finn’s forehead.“I know!” She shouted back. Rey’s heart was hammering loudly and her own brow was getting damp as well, “I think you needed this more than I did!”He laughed as the lights shifted to purple, “You’re absolutely right. I haven’t done this in a minute.”Rey grinned happily, glad that the anxiety Finn had been feeling seemed to be gone. A man approached them, coming to stand in front of Finn. Both of them stopped to regard the newcomer. He was at least a head taller than Finn, had dark skin covered in body glitter, and wore a white shirt with tight leather pants. He smiled at Finn and offered a hand.“Dance with me,” he shouted over the music.Finn looked properly flabbergasted, maybe even a little suspicious, as he stared at the extended hand. “What?” he asked.The man laughed and repeated himself, “Dance with me!”Rey had to hide a giggle behind her hand. She pushed on Finn’s shoulder, encouraging him, “Go! I needed to use the little girl’s room, anyways!”A protest died on his lips, so the man took his hand and guided them to a small space of their own on the dancefloor. Finn seemed stiff at first and kept looking back towards Rey, but after a few minutes he relaxed. Good. He deserved to dance and have fun. When she had first met Finn, he had been reserved and anxious -- it had taken months to come out of his shell with her. Seeing him relax and have fun with a stranger was comforting to Rey, a testament to how much he’d grown.Although she had to admit--it was bittersweet. It’s her birthday after all. She should be the one getting swept away by handsome strangers.After checking one last time to make sure Finn was comfortable, she made her way off the dancefloor toward the restroom.. She had to push past a group of young women to get into it, but luckily for her, one of the stalls was open.  As she sat, she wondered idly if Finn would end up going home with the strange. She hoped not -- she planned to stay up to the wee hours of the morning watching Brooklyn 99 with him. Then again, he definitely needed the lay with how stressed he’d been the past 24 hours. He’s hiding something, her intuition reminded her. What, though ? They were best friends, practically siblings. What was important enough for him to hide from her? She recalled the expression he wore after her encounter with the woman -- it had affected him much more than it affected her. Or, alternatively, he was just paranoid. I should be the paranoid one, She thought to herself as she checked her phone. 11:58 PM, it read.   After all, winter solstice shall apparently be my demise. Rey exited the stall to find the bathroom blissfully empty. She approached the sink only for the mirror to reveal her haggard appearance: a glimpse of bandage under her scarf, poorly-concealed bags under her eyes, and a lifeless bun limp atop her head. She looked exhausted. No wonder no strangers were clamoring to make out with her.She was just tipsy enough that she started to giggle at herself. Honestly, Finn probably wasn't even keeping secrets. He was just shitty at handling stress. Clearly, so was she. No more alcohol tonight, She chided as she started to wash her hands. It’s making you assume the worst. After washing her hands, she splashed her face a bit to rinse the sweat off -- her foundation was already ruined, anyways -- and then blindly reached for a paper towel. She blotted the water away from her skin, enjoying the warmth of steam as the music in the club took on a more drum-heavy beat. It reverberated through her body, syncing up to her heart. Her eyes opened.
Oh, no.
The warmth she was feeling wasn’t from steam. It was from fire . Rey was in the forest from her dream again with the bonfire raging wildly in front of her. Her heart sank as she turned around, hoping to see toilet stalls behind her, but there was only dense woodland. She was back in her dream, but this time it felt much more real . She could feel the vibration of the drums in her bones and could taste the smoke in the air. She stepped back from the fire. Pinched herself. Pinched herself harder. She was still there .No friendly figures were dancing in celebration this time. She circled around twice, searching for anybody who could explain what was happening to her. She couldn’t even find the source of the drums.“Hello?” She called. Panic-flavored bile crept up her throat. “Anybody!”Had she been drugged? Was there ever a moment where she left her drink alone? She couldn’t remember. Maybe she was dead, and this was some sort of purgatory?
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
“Help!” She screamed, her voice cracking on the end of the word.Perhaps she could find a way out through the forest? She raced to the edge of the clearing just as forest erupted into flames. She shouted, backing away from the heat. Every tree caught fire, giving her no way to escape the clearing. She was trapped.“Somebody, please! I’m stuck in here!”Nobody was coming. The realization knocked the breath from her lungs.
You were always meant to die like this. A nobody.
Exhausted and overwhelmed she collapsed in the dirt. Dread weighed her limbs down and horror kept her gaze on the fire that surrounded her, suffocated her. Smoke burned the lining of her esophagus and as she hacked through a rattling cough, the pain reminded her that she was alive. She was not going to die in these woods. Gripping the earth, she forced herself to stand back up on the shaky, determined legs of a newborn fawn.“Wake up, Rey,” She growled at herself, sending a particularly sharp slap to her cheek. The burning forest still remained. She set to circling the perimeter, searching for any spot in the flames that she might be able to slip through.Then something in the air shifted -- like driving through a tunnel -- and Rey knew instinctively that she was no longer alone. Her eyes peered into the fire in attempt to spot the newcomer. There , through the flames, she could see a tall figure approaching. With each step they took, the fire around them was snuffed out, leaving a trail of charred trees in their wake until they had entered the clearing. The bonfire extinguished itself so he was completely visible to her.Rey instantly recoiled.The newcomer was little more than a wraith with grey, sickly skin, a robe that dissipated into smoke at his feet, and long, skeleton-like limbs. Worst by far was his face, a marred and wrinkled thing with deep-set eyes and chunks of flesh that had been torn and healed over from a life in battle. She noted that he was missing the shell of his ear. Do not trust him, her instinct warned. She didn’t need to be told twice.His lips split into the smile of a weasel; not really a thing of joy but rather a grimace filled with yellow, crooked teeth. Goosebumps puckered on Rey’s arms.“So you are the Maiden,” He said, his voice a black tar that seeped down her spine, “You are quite difficult to find, young one.”“Who are you?” Rey demanded, surprising herself with the strength of her voice.The man stepped closer. Rey stepped back. She could feel the fire threatening to consume her flesh just a few feet behind her. He looked amused with her avoidance, as though this were just a game he’d already won, “Child, certainly you haven’t forgotten everything. ”“Depends on what you mean by ‘everything’,” Rey responded cooly, her heart racing as the man circled the clearing, easing closer to her. Rey tried to step back again but her limbs seemed locked in place, as though she were being held down by invisible hands.“Your birthright,”  He answered, “Your destiny .” He finally came to stand in front of her, giving her a whiff of the rot on his breath. His smile faded into wonder as his gaze roamed her face, “You look just like her,” He whispered reverently.One of his knobbed hands rose as though to touch her cheek.  Panicked, she spat on him, causing him to flinch away. A small victory.“Stay back,” She hissed, “Don’t you dare come near me.”He turned back to her, annoyance clear on his face and a storm brewing in his eyes, “And you are just as troublesome as her...you’re very fortunate that I cannot touch you here. You would not be alive if I could.”“If you get any closer to me, I swear to God --”“I AM GOD,” The man roared, rising to his full height to tower above her, nearly scaring her soul from her body with the ferocity in his voice. Rey’s knees felt weak, but she stood strong. She would not cower. For a long moment he just stared at her, his eyes glowing from the firelight. Finally he stepped away adding, “You will come to know this as truth, my dear.”Rey tried to move her arms but met resistance -- looking down, she realized she had become tied to a wooden pole. Under her feet was a pile of dried lumber. Her heart plummeted, “No,” She whispered, looking up at the man in shock. Why was he doing this? Why her ?“I thought you would put up more of a fight,” He mused.“And I thought you said you couldn’t touch me,” she seethed.“I can’t,” He assured, “But it is Solstice. I can certainly make it feel real.”Fire erupted beneath her. Rey clung to the pole the best she could, trying to raise herself away from the flames. It was no use; they caught onto her clothes and climbed up her body. She screamed loudly enough that the sound echoed over the roar of the fire, knowing that her skin would begin to blister any minute now. However, it didn’t start blistering -- honestly, it didn’t even hurt . She could hear her screams and see the fire, but none of it felt real. It was as though she had become disconnected from her body.The man was smiling again, clearly still under the impression that he was causing her great harm, “Don’t turn your back, young one!” He called, “We will be coming for you.”The flames had reached her hair. She could smell it burning, could feel them lick the back of her neck. The man’s rotting, toothy sneer disappeared in the smoke. Eventually the heat grew so strong she had to close her eyes.The fire engulfed her and everything went black. Did I just die? She wondered.Then there were voices, quietly murmured and feminine. They called her towards consciousness like a lighthouse in a storm. She could see it, a light rotating in the distance,  beckoning her toward shore. Her consciousness bobbed as though trapped in a tide. Every time she went under, the voices faded, and as she surfaced again they became clear.
“Is she okay? Should we call an ambulance?”

“I don’t know, maybe I should go get security--”
Rey forced her eyes open and took a deep, gasping breath. She blinked blearily up at the fluorescent lights engulfing her vision, dim and artificial when compared to the forest fire. As her eyes came into focus, she saw a small group of girls above her, their faces awash with concern.“She’s up!” one of them shouted. A cup of water was thrust against Rey’s mouth while another girl held her head up so she could drink. It wasn’t until she was done drinking that she realized she was on the floor of the bathroom.“Are you okay?” One of them asked as she knelt next to Rey. She took the water cup once it was empty, “You were like, having a seizure. We weren’t sure if we should call an ambulance.”“I’m okay,” Rey said, forcing herself to sit up straight. She could smell smoke on her clothes. With the help of the nearest girl she got to her feet. Her head spun.“Should we call someone? Were you roofied?” The girl with the water asked.“No,” Rey reassured, wobbling towards the door. Her skin felt raw and chafed, “I mean-I don't, I don't know--, I need to go-- thank you-” she pushed through the door, entering the chaotic energy of the club once again.Rey wasn’t exactly sure what had just happened to her. Maybe she had been drugged? She didn’t feel drugged. She felt slightly intoxicated with a splitting headache, but not drugged. She wasn’t sure how else to explain what she had just experienced, though. Desperate to find Finn, she shoved her way through the throng of people, trying to spot him in the crowd. After a few minutes of searching while her headache got progressively worse, she decided to give up.She needed air. She needed to not be surrounded by bodies giving off so much heat, reminding her too much of the fire in the forest. She began to make her way to the exit, acutely aware that a handful of people had stopped to stare at her in concern. Their gazes seemed to eat into her, peel into her, as though stripping the flesh from her bones to expose her very spirit. She couldn’t breathe. Unable to take it any longer, she began to run.As she exited the building, somebody called her name. She didn’t want to wait to see who it was. Once she was out in the cool, December air, she took a deep gulp of oxygen, and then kept running. She wasn’t exactly sure where she was going, only that she needed to get away . She didn’t feel safe anywhere. Her satchel slapped loudly against her thigh and the cut on her throat protested with so much movement, but it felt good, a reminder that this was the present. She ran a few blocks before her legs started to burn and protest, forcing her to slow her pace and reevaluate what she was doing. Calm down, Rey, She told herself, breathing heavily, Stop for a minute. Think. Where are you? She propped herself against a wall to catch her breath and take in her surroundings. She was near an old pizza place that she and Finn used to eat at. Okay, so she wasn’t completely lost.
Good. Now call Finn. He’ll be worried sick.
With shaking hands, she pulled out her phone, not at all surprised to see several missed calls from Finn. She called his number.He picked up on the first ring, “Rey, where are you? I can’t find you anywhere and Roxanne says she saw you leaving the club, are you okay? What happened? Who are you with?” The panic was leaving her body slowly, replaced by a crippling exhaustion, “I’m okay,” she reassured him. The words rang hollow.
“What happened? Where are you?”
“I don’t know. I saw something... strange , and then I couldn’t breathe, and then I ran… ” She exhaled a long, shaky breath, “I’m next to Kuza’s Pizza.”
“Stay where you are. Pin your location to me, I’ll come get you.”
“Something really fucked up is happening to me, Finn,” She said. Frustrated, long-due tears burned in the corner of her eyes.
“It’s okay. You’re going to be okay. Pin me. I’m on my way out.”
“Okay.” She pulled her phone from her ear and sent him her location. Her hands were still shaking -- violently enough that when she moved the phone back to her ear, it tumbled out of her hands and landed right in a pile of half-melted snow. Rey cursed and dove to pick it up, but it was too late. The phone had a large crack down the middle with water seeping into the screen. It blinked valiantly a few times before shutting down completely.Last night she thought that being attacked would be the cherry on top of a shitty week. This, however, was definitely the cherry. Hot, fat tears rolled down her cheeks, and with a raging shout, she flung the phone into the sidewalk, smashing it into several pieces. The senseless destruction made her feel a little better, but not by much. She lowered herself onto a bench outside of the pizzeria as her anger dissipated.“Fuck me,” She muttered, watching the words disappear on a puff of breath.The panic was leaving her body, replaced by a general sense of dread. It was all she could do to hold onto the bench and keep herself together until Finn arrived.Until then, it was just her, the moon, and her mind.

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Chapter 4: The Hunter
The longer she sat, the colder she became. She hunched over with arms wrapped close to her chest as she stared at a small crack in the sidewalk. It reminded her a little of a crack in the ceiling of her first (and favorite) foster home. She had hoped that the family would adopt her, but the father had died not long after she'd arrived, so back into the program she went. Sadly, her earliest memories were all made in that home -- for some reason, she couldn’t remember much of her life before the foster care program. Quite a few of her therapists had attributed her lack of memory to trauma: perhaps her brain had purged all stressful memories in an effort to protect itself. Rey figured it sounded like a reasonable theory.However, there was...one memory. At least, she thought it was a memory, though it could be a long-forgotten dream. In it she was very little, perhaps a toddler, sitting in a meadow flourishing with life alongside an older woman. The woman was weaving a crown of flowers in her hands, and when it was complete, it was placed on Rey’s head. SHe could never recall the woman’s face, but she could remember a warm and protective energy that surrounded the pair. Rey often wondered if it was her only memory of her mother.Rey clung to the ghost of warmth that the vision brought her and imagined she was sitting in that meadow instead of on a cold bench in the heart of London. She imagined feeling safe and protected, unlike she felt now. Hell, she imagined how great she’d felt last week , before the past 24 hours had sent her into a spiral of anxiety and paranoia. Why me? She wondered. Was any of this actually happening or was she having a mental breakdown? Was mental illness something that ran in her family? Had her mother abandoned her due to similar issues? This wasn’t a new question, but now that Rey was experiencing it directly, she found herself hoping that’s what had happened. It would be much easier to forgive.She laughed bitterly, her leg bouncing anxiously as she hung her head. She just wanted this whole crazy day to be over.Footsteps approached. She stiffened.“Isn’t it a bit cold to be out here on your own?” A voice asked. It sounded American.Rey looked up to find a man standing before her. In the dim light of the streetlamps, she couldn’t make out much detail, but she could see neck-length raven hair, broad shoulders, and thick arms. Rey stood up as her heart jumped into her throat. At this angle, she could see that the man had full lips, a proud nose, and deep, intense eyes. The top half of his hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Rey stepped around the bench to put it between them.His eyes never left hers, “You don’t have to be afraid,” He murmured. He’s lying, her intuition warned. Above them, clouds parted to reveal the moon and blue light illuminated the duo. Thanks to the additional light, Rey was now able to see the man was wearing black pants, boots, and a leather vest over a long-sleeved shirt that reminded her vaguely of The Princess Bride. Energy seemed to crackle in the air, emanating directly from her veins. It made her stand a little taller.“Listen, pal,” Rey started, “I’ve had a very long two days and I’m not in the mood to mess around. Walk away and we can pretend this never happened.”He was still watching her as though fascinated by her very existence. “I'm afraid this isn’t going to end so simply,” he said.“I have friends who know where I am.”“As do I.”He advanced on her, forcing her to step back.  As he grew closer his expression shifted from open wonder to hardened determination and he began to speak in a different language. She recognized some of the words as either Irish or Welsh, but it was a dialect she had never heard before. He seemed to be chanting .“You’re insane,” She hissed. He was backing her into the row of buildings. She needed to find an opening to dart away before he had her completely cornered.The man slowly repeated himself in that foreign language of his and then reached for something behind his head. Rey hadn’t noticed it before, but he had a sheath strapped between his shoulder blades. The sword he drew from it glinted in the moonlight, causing her blood to run cold. This lunatic is going to murder me with a goddamned sword, she realized.Rey’s hip bumped into a potted plant that adorned one of the business patios. Out of any other options, she grabbed it and used all of her might to fling it in the stranger’s direction, seizing the opportunity to sprint away. She realized a little too late that she should head back toward the club but changing course now ran the risk of dismemberment. The pot didn’t distract him for long; behind her, she heard the crash of it hitting the ground as heavy footsteps began pursuing her.Really, with everything the past day or so had thrown her way, being chased by a man and his sword shouldn’t surprise her. Yet as she ran, her legs pumping faster and harder than ever, she couldn’t stop pondering just how strange this particular event was. She was actually being chased by a man with a goddamned sword. Perhaps after several years and a few hundred hours of therapy, she would be able to laugh about it. Right now, though, she couldn’t even afford the extra energy to scream for help. She was focused on one thing and one thing only: getting away. She flung around a corner onto a street she didn’t recognize. She could no longer hear the man’s footsteps over the roar of her heartbeat and she didn’t want to risk looking back for fear of tripping or slowing down. She darted between a pair of buildings, briefly navigated her way through a trash-filled alley, and came out on the other side. This time, blessedly, she seemed to have come onto another club district, and the sidewalks were fairly busy. She slowed to a brisk walk, attempting to blend in with the crowd.  When she glanced over her shoulder it was just in time to see the man burst from the alleyway himself. He stood a head above almost everyone else as he looked slowly from left to the right.She turned forward again before he could spot her.The same energy she had felt before started to spark under her skin, a metaphorical electric storm that rumbled in her chest and sent lightning through her veins. Rey’s stomach twisted from the force of it.  Something big was accumulating within her. Something she wasn’t sure she wanted to release.She turned down an alleyway that was dark save for a small strip of moonlight reflecting off the fragments of a broken bottle. Figuring she could hide out until he was gone, Rey crouched behind a dumpster to catch her breath. The reflection of the moon caught her eye and even in this crazy, fucked up moment, it brought her down to Earth with the promise that she would not die today. The energy that had been crackling through her was suddenly quiet, simmering just beneath the surface. It reminded Rey of the eerie calm before a storm.She stood up, willing herself to stop trembling like a leaf and glanced around her to make sure the man was not nearby. Satisfied that she was alone, she stepped further into the alley in hope she could exit onto another street entirely.Before she could get very far the man emerged from the shadows like an omen, pale in the moonlight, looking far too much like a renaissance painting of Death. Rey nearly ran head-first into him. He wrapped a massive hand around her throat, over the scarf that covered her wound, and constricted her windpipe so she couldn’t cry out for help. He pressed her against the nearest wall hard enough to make her see stars. She kicked desperately, luckily catching him in the knee which caused him to curse and drop her. Wheezing, she scrambled away from him, towards the beam of moonlight that illuminated the ground.He grunted something in his language and rubbed at his knee. His eyes met hers just as he stepped forward to get another grip on her neck, slamming the back of her skull into the glass shards that littered the alley floor. Rey tried to cry out again but it came out no more than a squeak.“You know,” he contemplated in English, while reaching to his hip to pull out a small knife, “You hardly appear to be the weapon Snoke spoke of. It appears the Resistance is desperate.” I don’t know what you’re talking about, she wanted to say, You have the wrong person. He raised the knife. Just beyond his fist, the full moon was glowing bright and beautiful. Rey clung to the sight of it. She couldn’t bear to watch the weapon plummet into her chest.The knife descended.Something exploded .At least, that’s what it felt like. Bright, white light filled the alley for the briefest of seconds, the force of it throwing the man off of her to slam him into a wall. He crumpled to the ground with a pained grunt. Rey realized that the light was emanating from her hands and as it started to fade, it receded into her veins and freckles, making her skin appear full of galaxies. Momentarily, every freckle, artery, vein, and capillary in her body glowed white, until it all returned to that safe space in her chest. The alleyway was pitch black now, save for the moonlight. She could hear confused shouting in the distance, and when she looked towards the street, she realized that somehow the light she created had blown all the power out on this street.She sat up and grimaced when she felt blood mat down the back of her head. Her vision swam. Against the wall, her attacker was rising to his feet as blood seeped from a wound that split down one side of his face. He stared at her in wonder.“How did you do that?” He asked.She could only stare back in rapt horror and shake her head. Her whole body felt so, so weak, completely drained by whatever the hell she just did.The man stepped forward to tower above her and drew his sword once again. The gash she’d given him was angry and red where it split his skin. I did that to him , she realized with a tinge of pride. Rey raised her chin, staring at her attacker with a gaze she hoped spoke of bravery, despite her exhaustion. Let him know exactly who he is snuffing out, her intuition said, let him regret it. As he raised the blade over his head, he met her eyes. They regarded each other, both with heaving chests and dirtied faces. She wondered what he saw -- perhaps a tired, terrified little girl? Or maybe a resolved, brave, determined young woman? Rey herself found she could not easily read his expression, but his eyes seemed to scream of confusion and discomfort.“You’re afraid,” She realized out loud. The verbalization seemed to shock them both. His eyes searched hers, as though looking for something profound within Rey. Perhaps he was trying to deem whether he should let her live, or maybe he was just showing her mercy by killing her after she lost consciousness -- he certainly didn’t have long of a wait.Whatever it was, it seemed to come to him with sudden clarity, for his face instantly softened with something akin to reverence. His arms relaxed, dropping the sword to one side.“It’s you .” He murmured.With the moon sitting behind him like a halo, Rey lost consciousness.

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

Chapter 5: You Are Not What You Think

Consciousness did not come easy. Rey was trapped in the sludge-like place just between sleep and waking, intermittently dreaming of smiles that morphed into screams and flower crowns that turned to ash. Surfacing into the living world was no less confusing -- when she blearily opened her eyes,  the world was dim and the ground beneath her rocked. Before she could try to figure out where she was, sleep would drag her back down into its murky depths.

She wasn’t sure exactly how long this continued, but when she finally woke up it was to a pounding headache, stiff muscles, and a chill in the air.  Her throat was dry and scratchy, the back of her head stung, and every bone in her body ached with exhaustion. She recalled the previous night -- Now that it was a new day, everything felt far away, like it was from a different lifetime. Part of her was afraid that if she opened her eyes she would just wake up in her room, hungover, with no evidence that she’d experienced anything. Another part of her was afraid she would wake up on the ground of the alleyway, bloodied and bruised. She didn’t know which was worse.

She forced herself to open her eyes. Above her, she saw brown, and for a moment she thought maybe her vision had left her -- but then she realized she was looking at the ceiling of a crude tent. She sat up stiffly and looked around. The tent itself was small, meant for a single person, and hardly had enough room to sit up. She’d been laying on a sleeping mat with only a thin threadbare blanket despite the low temperature and she was still wearing the clothes from last night. The hair on the back of her head was crusted with dried blood. Where the fuck

was she?

He kidnapped me,

She realized with a jolt.

At the foot of the mat was her satchel. She grabbed it, searching frantically for her phone, but only found her charger, ID, some cash and - interestingly - an old iPod hidden away in a zipped pocket. She searched a few more seconds before remembering that her phone was currently in pieces outside of Kuzo’s Pizza.

Okay, don’t panic,

She told herself, shifting her gaze to the opening of the tent. As wind drifted by, the flaps opened slightly, showing glimpses of the outside world. She forced herself to breathe evenly,

You’re alive. He didn’t kill you. You aren’t tied up. You can run.

She inched to the opening to peer through. Outside was overcast, and about ten feet from the tent was a smouldering campfire with a kettle nestled on top of the wood. A second blanket was laid out next to the fire, as though someone had slept there. Two more single-person tents made out of brown canvas and some poles were set up about twenty feet away--She couldn’t tell if they were occupied or not.  To the right was a pile of backpacks. Surrounding the makeshift campsite was dense woodland with small, scattered patches of snow, which told Rey they were

far

from London.

She leaned back and slipped the satchel over her shoulder. Far from London, but certainly not far from civilization. Right. Exit the tent, hang a left, and run until she found a road. Simple enough.

She took one last deep breath, willing herself to be brave, and crawled out of the tent. She couldn’t see anyone in the immediate vicinity, so she took the opportunity to start running. Instantly her muscles were screaming, begging her to

stop

after all they’d been through the day before. She paid no heed to it and pushed through the pain, desperate to put as much distance between herself and the camp as possible. Behind her, she heard somebody shout, but that only incentivized her to run harder. She darted into a thick grove of trees.

“Oi!” A male voice shouted. She could hear underbrush rustling as somebody ran after her, “Wait!”

Her legs felt weighed down with led and her lungs were burning from overexertion. She had to figure something out soon or her pursuer would catch up and she did

not

want to wait and see how that would go down. Rey cut sharply to the right, through a grove of thorny bushes and past a knotted tree, until the inclined steepened sharply. She half-slid through the wet, decomposing leaves that covered the ground, her arms flailing to keep her balance. It only took a few seconds for her legs to give up on her and she fell hard on her side. Her kidnapper approached quickly.

“Hey--” He said, now just a couple of feet behind her. Rey picked up a fist-sized rock and slammed it into the wrist that tried to grab her arm. The man cursed and used his other hand to grab hers - forcing her to drop the rock - and yanked her so she could face him. She was surprised to see it wasn’t the same man from last night; instead, this  man was a little older, with long greying hair that was interwoven with leather cord and colorful beads. He had a wiry beard and chilly jade eyes that pinned her in place with a look of irritation. He was wearing clothing similar in style to the man she’d met before: All black and leather.

“Ye ar’n’t  in danger, lass,” He said, his accent as thick as his beard, “I need ye to calm down so I can explain.”

“Let me go,” Rey demanded, pulling at her wrists in an attempt to yank them from his grip, “I know you think I’m some sort of

weapon

or something, but you have the wrong person--” The man only held on tighter as she struggled, “

Please,

let me go.”

“No can do,” He said, “Come with me. I can explain it all back at camp.”

Her protests went ignored as he stood up straight, hauled her onto her feet, and lead her back towards the campsite. He was surprisingly gentle with her despite his hold on her wrists. As they came back in range of the camp she spotted two other people standing by the fire with rigid postures - one of them a short black woman with rich, deep-toned skin and braided hair, and the other was the man who attacked her the previous night. He was still wearing the same clothes but had foregone the vest and left the top portion of his shirt untied. His arms were folded across his chest. Rey noted that the wound she’d gifted his face had scabbed over.

“Ye were right, Ren,” The greying man told her attacker as he rubbed the wrist she’d hit, “She

is

a tough one.”

The man,

Ren

, regarded her appearance, “You do realize that we’re hours out from any towns, right? What did you plan to do once you got away?”

Rey bristled, “I planned on figuring that out once

you

were out of the equation.”

He exhaled, “Regardless, it isn’t safe in these woods, especially on Solstice. You could have been gravely injured.”

“And I’m safer with

you

? Who the hell are you?”

He stared at her, open awe on his face, “Incredible. You really know nothing.”

Rey wanted to swing on him. Her fists tightened as she yanked out of the greying man’s grip, “After the night you gave me, after

kidnapping

me, you owe me some explanations.”

The greying man stepped between them, blocking her line of vision and forcing her to look up at him, “We should all sit down, lass. There seems to be a lot ye ar’n’t aware of.”

“No,” Rey said firmly. Enough of her liberty had been taken from her. “I’m not sitting until someone tells me what is going on.”

“Alright,” The man said, putting his hands up in surrender, “Let me at least get ye something to drink, then,” He stepped to the kettle and poured brown liquid into a wooden cup to hand to Rey.

“I’m Cynwrig,” The greying man introduced, then gestured to the woman who was watching Rey warily, “And that’s Ethne.”

Ethne nodded towards Rey, her eyes calculating.

Cynwrig pointed to Ren, “Ye’ve already met Kylo. We are the Knights of Ren. He’s our leader.”

It was said with such a deadpan, matter-of-fact tone that for a second Rey didn’t register the absurdity of it. She blinked, “I’m sorry, you’re

what

?”

“The Knights of Ren,” Kylo repeated for Cynwrig, “We are an elite group of warriors serving the First Order.”

Certainly he didn’t mean they were

actually

knights, “...So... are you some sort of...larping group?” She asked, looked from Ethne to Cynwrig and back to Kylo. He was watching her intently, as though she were a puzzle he was setting himself to unlock. None of them answered her, so she asked again, “Am I being pranked?”

“No, lass,” Cynwrig said, “It’s a wee bit more complicated than that.”

Rey hadn’t taken her eyes off of Kylo. She pursed her lips, then asked him, “Why did you try to kill me?”

His gaze remained level, “Because I was told to.”

“By who?”

“The Supreme Leader.”

“I’m sorry,

who

?”

Cynwrig stepped in again before Kylo could answer. He seemed determined to keep the peace in their party, “The Supreme Leader rules the land we come from. He sent us to find and kill ye, as he believed ye’re a weapon sent here by the Resistance.”

Rey’s head spun. Surely they were mad, “So, let me get this straight,” She said slowly, “You were sent from another land...to ‘

destroy’

me...because your ‘Supreme Leader’ believes I’m a - a what, a weapon?”

“Precisely,” Cynwrig nodded.

“She’s confused,” Ethne said while stepping forward. Her expression was inscrutable and for a moment the two women just stared at one another, sizing each other up.

“I thought I was explain’n it pretty well, actually,” Cynwrig muttered. His complaint went unheard. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kylo slowly seat himself on the blanket by the fire.

Although Ethne had a chilly disposition, something in Rey’s intuition told her to listen and believe whatever this woman had to say. She gave Ethne a brief nod. Ethne nodded back and grabbed the kettle to pour herself her own mug of brown liquid. Considering Ethne wasn’t afraid to drink it, Rey took the opportunity to taste whatever it was -- it was bitter, like coffee, but had several sweet notes to it. She found she quite enjoyed it.

Ethne took a sip of her drink before she began to speak, “Do you know where we’re from?”

Rey shook her head, “I have no clue.”

“This may be hard for you to understand, then. You can choose not to believe me, but that will not change the truth.” When Rey nodded with understanding, Ethne’s gaze leveled with hers. Her eyes were hard, imploring, unforgiving, “We are a race of people called the Aos Si. We call the world you live in the Mortal Realm -- it is the birthplace of humans and a hideaway for those who have deserted the First Order, our government. My companions and I travelled here from a land that has gone by many different names at many different times, but most of us simply call it the Otherworld. It is home to our kind, the Aos Si, and many other creatures -- many of which you’ve likely heard in your stories and fables.”

Rey listened with rapt attention, drinking in every word. “The Otherworld,” She repeated. It couldn’t be possible, but something in the pit of her stomach believed every word.

“Yes,” Ethne nodded, “It exists just beyond this realm, accessible only when the veil is thin - such as Solstice or festival nights. We have agents who have crossed the veil and have stayed here for years, scouting for

you

. It was only recently that we were tipped on where to find you. The Supreme Leader sent us directly.”

Rey remembered the redheaded woman, the pieces slowly falling together, “Is Morgan the Supreme Leader, then?”

All three of them looked at her strangely when she said the name. Even from his place by the fire, Kylo shot a peculiar look her way. Ethne furrowed her brow, “Do you mean Morrigan?” She asked.
“Could be,” Rey reached up and untied her scarf, revealing the bandage which had bled through after her mad dash through London, “I was attacked two days ago. The woman had a knife to my throat and said that Morgan, or Morrigan I suppose, had forbid her from killing me. I thought maybe she was just high out of her mind, but if what you say is true...”

If what you say is true, then I wasn’t crazy to believe it was special, after all.

Ethne cast a glance at Kylo and then looked back to Rey, “Morrigan is the Supreme Leader’s advisor. I’m not sure why she would send people here for you, or why she would instruct them not to kill you. The Supreme Leader has wanted you dead for a while.”

“Why?” Rey asked, “How does he even know of me?”

“We received intel that the Resistance had a weapon hidden in the Mortal Realm. We were told that it lay within an individual of great power, and if the Resistance obtained it they could use it to dismantle the First Order. Since then, we’ve been scouring the Mortal Realm for anyone who fit the description. It took several mortal years, but eventually the scouts honed in on your energy signature as it grew stronger. The Knights of Ren were then sent to dispose of you. Kylo volunteered to track you down personally.”

“Then why didn’t he kill me?” Rey asked. She was too prideful to look over at Kylo. She didn’t want to dignify him with even a glance. “If I’m so dangerous, why didn’t he murder me when he had the chance?”

“Because you're not the weapon we thought you were,” Ethne answered.

“Yet you still needed to kidnap me?”

Ethne paused and searched Rey’s face. She seemed unsure of where to start.

“Do you remember what happened last night?” She asked finally.

Rey nodded. It was terrifying to remember, “I ran, he pursued, and then he cornered me,” Rey shifted her gaze to the burning wood, where it glowed red-hot at the base of the fire. She imagined the way the moon had illuminated off the broken bottle in the alleyway, “I really thought I was going to die. Then--well, I know it sounds crazy, but.... I was trying to focus on anything other than him, and something just--I don’t know,

exploded

. There’s no better word to describe it. Everything was glowing white. I don’t know what it was.”

Ethne listened intently, “It’s never happened to you before?”

“Never,” Rey confirmed, raising her head to meet Ethne’s eyes. There was a moment of silence that settled over the small group with nothing but the fire crackling to fill it.

“Well,” Ethne said, “Somehow, you were using magic.”

“Not just any magic,” Kylo interjected. Rey turned her head. Their eyes met over the fire. His were glowing intensely from the flames. “You were using

Old

Magic.”

Her lips felt dry. She licked them, shifting in her spot uncomfortably, “Old Magic?”

Kylo went on to explain, “For most of the Aos Si, our magic needs to be accessed through tools and spells, things that come from the land. Those born of Old Magic have a direct lineage to the first of our kind, and are born with powers channeled through a sacred land in the Otherworld. They don’t need additional tools to utilize it. There aren’t very many born of Old Magic these days, and even if you are born with it, it’s useless in the Mortal Realm.”

“But you’re saying

I

used it.”

Kylo’s lip quirked, just a hint, and the corner of his left eye crinkled, “So you did.”

“I’m not following. Are you telling me I’m one of

you

? An Aos Si?”

“Aye,” Cynwrig supplied, “There’s only one way ye could be pow’rful enough to use it here.”

Kylo’s eyes bore into hers, “You must be the Lost One.”

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

Chapter 6: The Lost One
They broke down the tents and snuffed out the fire early in the afternoon. Cynwrig had explained that they needed to be at Barmouth beach before sundown or they’d miss their ride and be stuck in the Mortal Realm until next solstice.The ground was a little slippery through the thicket. Ethne lead the group and Kylo following closely behind. Rey wasn’t exactly sure where she was, but if they were on their way to Barmouth, she assumed she was probably somewhere in Snowdonia National Park. Ethne had given her a little fresh water to wash the blood out of her hair and lent her a slightly-too-short linen shirt, but Rey wouldn’t complain. She held her cardigan tightly to keep out the chill while her mind replayed the end of their conversation.
He called her the Lost One. He wasn’t the first.
“That’s the second time I’ve been called the Lost One in as many days,” Rey had said, “What does it mean?”
“Before the First Order took control of the Otherworld, it was ruled by three queens,” Kylo explained, “It has always been ruled by three queens: the Crone, the Mother, and the Maiden. Every time the Maiden became pregnant, she transitioned to the Mother, and the previous Mother transitioned to the Crone. Every cycle of queens ushered in a new era for the Otherworld. When the First Order sought to share the power and rule alongside the queens, they rebelled. A war began, ending with the death of the Crone and the Mother. The Maiden fled. She disappeared for many years and when she resurfaced, we discovered she had borne a child. She died before talks of treaties could begin. No one knew what happened to the child. We have always referred to her as the Lost One -- The Lost Queen.”

Rey’s breath felt too heavy for the delicate moment she was in, “So that’s why you kidnapped me? Because I’m the Lost One?”

“'Kidnapped' is a little harsh.” Kylo answered. “We’re going to take you home.”
After that, Cynwrig insisted they continue the conversation later so they could get moving. Apparently they needed to be in Barmouth before sundown and they’d already wasted precious daylight waiting for Rey to wake up. Rey felt like she was moving through a haze, her brain sluggish while it attempted to process through the sudden influx of information. She wished she could talk it through with Finn.In front of her, Cynwrig slowed his stride to walk beside her. “Ye’re takin it a lot better than I thought ye would,” he said.“Yeah, well. I’m still trying to process everything.”“I’m surprised ye haven’t run for the hills.”Rey smiled a little, “I’ve thought about it.”Cynwrig laughed. The sound was comforting, “Aye, I wouldn’t blame ya.”“So we’re headed to Barmouth, then?”“Indeed we are.”“Funny,” Rey mused, “I was abandoned on that beach as a girl.”“Really?” Cynwrig answered. He glanced at her in surprise, “That’s interesting.”“What is?”“The Mist settles thickest over the Irish Sea, especially at Barmouth. It works sor’of like a portal, we use it to travel to and from the Otherworld on solstice”Rey had heard legends of the mist. Children’s tales of beautiful women that lured sailors to their death and some who guided their lovers to magical lands.“Do you think that’s what happened to me? I traveled through the mist?”“Might be, or someone brought ye to the human world.”“Like who?”“You would know better than me, lass.”Rey mused on that for a second. Perhaps her mother had left her here? Rey wasn’t sure why she would do that, though. Maybe the Maiden had been afraid they would kill her child. Rey’s lip curled at the thought. Somehow, the idea that her mother had been a good woman was even scarier than the idea that she was a child-abandoning scumbag“So what should I expect when we get to the Otherworld?” Rey asked. She wanted to learn more about where she had come from -- and maybe learn why she had been left here.Cynwrig scratched a spot under his chin, eyes turned up in thought. He hummed. “Well, it’s sor’of hard to explain,” He said, “We’ll be entering the Otherworld just off the coast of Mustafar. We’ll dock at the port, travel inland to the capitol and take ye to the Supreme Leader. I’m sure everyone will be clamoring to meet ye.”“Will he be cross with you when he sees I’m alive?”“Maybe. But once Ren explains that ye are the Lost One, I reckon he’ll change his tune.”“How come? If the Queens were against the First Order, why wouldn’t he want me dead?”“Yer a new Queen,” Cynwrig answered, “The Supreme Leader will be eager to create an alliance with ye, to mend past grievances. It’s all he wanted from the previous Queens.”Rey nodded, mulling it over. A lot of things were going through her head. She wondered why the other Queens had refused to align with the First Order, or how Rey ended up in the ‘Mortal Realm’, or why the last Maiden had faced the First Order at all. She was my mother, She realized with a jolt. It was slightly ironic that Rey had yearned to know her family her entire life yet when faced with an opportunity to do so, it terrified her. It was much easier to keep the mysterious figure of her mother locked tight in a box.Even if she did have the courage to ask about her mother, she wasn’t sure she was ready for the answers. Cynwrig sensed that their conversation was over and picked up his pace, leaving her to think to herself. Behind her, she could hear the heavy footfall of Kylo Ren. He took Cynwrig’s place beside her.“You’re still mad at me,” He stated. He didn’t need to word it as a question. They both knew the answer.“You certainly have a way of reading the room,” She responded.He exhaled, “I already explained myself to you. I won’t do it again.”“I’m not asking you to.”“It would make our journey a lot easier if you and I could get along.”It irritated Rey that he was speaking to her like she was the problem. She stopped walking and faced him, forcing him to look down, his eyes searching hers the way they had in the alley. Rey felt a slight tinge of guilt when she saw how red the gash on his face looked -- it would likely scar. He was attacking you , she reminded herself. Whatever you did to protect yourself was beyond your control. “Do you even know my name?” She asked. The question was framed like an accusation.That made him pause, “I don’t.”She watched his face, but his expression was ever-inscrutable, “Would you like to know?”He raised an eyebrow, “Would you like to tell me?”He was sassing her. Her eyes narrowed. If they couldn’t meet in the middle, it would make their journey that much harder. She would have to be the one to bite the bullet here. “I’m Rey,” She introduced, sticking her hand out like an olive branch, “My favorite colour is orange, I love chicken wings, and I’m studying to be a marine biologist. Anything else you want to know?”The corner of his lip quirked upwards. He gave her hand a brief shake, “If there is, I’ll be sure to ask.”Her palm tingled as it returned to her side. “Fancy that. We’re now friends.”.oOo. It was a three hour walk to Barmouth once they found the A496 and walked alongside it. By the time the Irish Sea could be seen on the horizon, Rey’s feet felt like lead, she was starving, and her hair stuck to the sweat on her forehead. Orange dusk was beginning to creep into Wales, illuminating the mist that lay like a blanket over the sea. Rey slowed her pace to take it all in. It was beautiful. She wished Finn could see it with her.Her heart hurt as soon as she thought of Finn. She needed to find a phone and call him. He he deserved to know what happened and where she was going.Her thoughts were interrupted as a car flew by, making Rey wonder (not for the first time) how their party must look to others. Even with the weapons hidden, they looked positively medieval. Still, no cars slowed down to stare and none of the locals bat an eyelash as they made their way into the heart of the village. Rey figured these people saw their fair share of strange things, considering they were so close to the Mist.They passed a little cafe. The smell of it made Rey’s stomach gurgle.“Guys,” she called, “Can we please get something to eat?”“No time,” Kylo said, “The sun’s going down quickly. If we aren’t on the water before sundown, there’s no way we can make it through the mist before the veil closes.”“We need to stop at Maz’s to get the boat anyways,” Cynwrig said, “She owns a wee pub. She’ll have somethin’ ye can eat.”“Who is Maz?” Rey asked.“She is what the mortals would call a witch,” He answered, “She left the mist nearly fifty years ago - at the request of the Queens - to act as a bit of a gatekeeper for the Otherworld. She protects us from intruders and keeps a record of any Aos Si who travel here.”“Why is she called a witch?”“The Aos Si who live here, in the mortal world, but have found a way to use practical magic -- often herbs, crystals, and intention -- are called witches by mortals. At least that’s what I understood. Some of them know where they come from. Most do not. We have heard tales of the mortals executing these people. Ye can see why we try to stay hidden.”Every kid in the UK knew of the witch trials. Rey nodded in understanding and did not ask any further questions as they continued forward, winding their way down cobble roads until they were in a small complex of buildings by the wharf. At the end of the complex was an old building nestled up against a rocky outcrop. The building sported a sign that read ‘Maz’s’ in fading paint. Standing proudly on the rocky ground behind Maz’s was a lighthouse. Rey had to resist her desire to prance down to water’s edge to find tidepools and the little ecosystems that thrived within.The pub had an otherworldly quality to it. It was empty of people and the floor creaking under her feet felt too loud for the heavy silence. If she stood still she could feel something in the air that seemed to be singing on a frequency that buzzed through her skull. It reminded her a little of old fluorescent lights or the sound of a conch shell pressed to one’s ear. It was a pretty cute pub besides the strange noise and atmosphere -- the walls were made out of salt-stained wood and were littered with various fishing paraphernalia. Whoever owned the pub clearly loved being out here by the sea.A swinging door behind the bar opened and a short, wrinkled old woman stepped out. Rey knew instantly that it was Maz. Her curly, greying black hair was tied up in a messy bun on the top of her head and a set of oversized glasses were perched on her nose. Rey could easily imagine her sitting behind a cauldron while chanting something about 'eye of newt'. The woman stopped in her tracks upon viewing the party.“Oh, great,” she said, “I had hoped you’d die out there. You First Order dogs are persistent. Looks like you didn’t escape completely unscathed, though.” She gestured to the angry gash cutting across Kylo’s face.“We thank you for allowing us to moor our boat, Maz” Kylo said. He approached the bar and deposited a small pouch on the counter, “Here is the payment as promised.”The woman dumped the contents out and gold coins clattered onto the bar. She sighed in annoyance, “Doubloons? You know this world no longer uses doubloons for currency. Are they pure gold?”“They are.”“I guess I can pawn them.” With a nod she scooped the coins back into the pouch and pocketed it. When she looked back up her gaze settled on Rey.“Ah,” Maz said, a grin creeping onto her face. Her smile lines deepened and her eyes sparkled, “Looks like the little lost Maiden found her way back to Barmouth.”Rey blinked in confusion, “Do we know each other?”“Indeed we do. I was the one who found you on the beach years ago, washed up like a drowned kitten in some fishing nets.”Kylo glanced at Rey. His expression was suspicious, “Curious that it would be Maz of all people who found you.”“I have no memory of this,” Rey said.“I’m sure you wouldn’t. A trip through the mist is not easy on the spirit, even for adults. I can’t imagine what it would do to a child. Welcome to my pub, young Maighdean. ” Maz’s smile sweetened as she reached forward to cup Rey’s cheek, “You look just like your mother.”“You knew my mother?” Rey asked, intrigued. She had grown up with no more than a foggy concept as her mother. Meeting so many people who actually knew of her was an odd experience; sort of like filling in the white space of a coloring book.“Of course. She and I shared a pint once in a while,” Maz winked and stepped back.“This is Rey,” Kylo said, “If you know who she is, you know why it’s important we bring her home.”The older woman looked towards Kylo, clearly unimpressed. “Certainly. I’m sure the First Order already has plans for her.”Kylo pressed his lips together tightly, “We shall see once she meets the Supreme Leader.”Maz hummed, “Well, the girl is clearly starving. Let me take her back and feed her before you go. You still have an hour before the sun sets completely.”“I’d rather not be hurting for time. The sooner we leave the better.”“If you take her onto those waters as hungry as she is, her spirit will join the mist,” Maz insisted,  “Let me feed her.”The two stared at each other in a battle of wills. Maz was half Kylo’s height yet her fierce personality made up the difference.  Sighing, Kylo finally conceded, “Fine. But it needs to be quick.”Maz gestured for Rey to follow her into the kitchen, “Come on child, let’s get you a hot meal.”As she followed Maz behind the bar, she turned to check in with Kylo. His eyes were dark but he gave her a brief nod just as the door shut. The humming was more intense here in the kitchen; Rey’s ears tickled from the feeling.“Do you like tuna?” Maz asked while approaching the grill, “I can make you a tuna melt.”“That sounds lovely,” Rey said. “Thank you.”Maz grabbed various ingredients and placed them on the counter next to the grill. She motioned for Rey to come closer. As soon as Rey was within earshot, she began to speak in hushed tones, “I’m sure you know I didn’t bring you in here to simply make a sandwich.”Rey shrugged, “With how the past day has been, I will never assume something is as simple as it looks.”“Clever girl, you learn quick.” Maz shot her a wry smile and placed some buttered bread down on the grill. “In that case, I won’t beat around the bush.” Maz dumped a scoop of tuna and some pepper jack on the bread. With the food sizzling, she turned around and fixed a stern gaze on Rey.“What?” Rey asked.“Do not trust the First Order,” Maz said. “Under no circumstances.”Rey snorted, “You’re telling me. That Kylo guy tried to kill me when I first met him.”“This isn’t funny,” Maz was quick to reprimand her, “I’m being entirely serious.”Rey’s smile fell and she felt a small, odd urge to defend the group. After all, they were taking her to where she belonged. “No offense, but if you don’t like them, why did you let them dock their boat here?”“I’m supposed to be a neutral party. The previous Queen Mother, your grandmother,  placed me here a little over fifty years ago to help guide any travellers through the mist. It’s not my place to deny them a safe place to leave their boat.”“Okay, so how can trust you if I can’t trust them?”“Child. The First Order murdered your family because they sought power,”  Maz said, her voice low and resolute, “I don’t know what that group has told you, but their government is full of corruption and violence. I suspect that when your mother went to face them, their Supreme Leader murdered her out of spite. I have no reason to lie to you.”Rey’s mouth felt dry as she listened, “But Cynwrig and Ethne -- even Kylo -- they’ve been kind to me.”“Of course they’ve been kind. The Supreme Leader failed to use the Queen’s power before, but you are a new Queen, a fresh mind. He will try to use you the way he tried to use the rest of your family.”The kitchen was suddenly too hot for her liking, “Should I leave then? Before they notice?”“No. You should still go to the Otherworld. The Knights of Ren will protect you, as is their prerogative -- It is Snoke , the Supreme Leader, that you must be wary of.”“Okay,” Rey said. “So -- use them to go to the Otherworld. Then what?”“Find Leia Organa,” Maz instructed, “She is currently leading the Resistance and was one of your mother’s closest friends. With her help, you can take back our land.”The walls felt too close, the grill felt too warm. Rey had thought she would be returning to a world united under the First Order, not to a world still caught up in war. Then again, Ethne had mentioned a Resistance and Kylo had tried to kill her because of some convoluted assumption that she was a weapon. Reality hit her like a splash of cold water. “You do realize I’m just a girl from West End, right?”“Bah,” Maz chided, “You are more than that. You always have been,” the older woman wrapped the finished tuna melt in a piece of parchment, “Once you accept that, you will be more powerful than the First Order can ever dream of being. Here,” She handed Rey the sandwich before passing her into an office at the back of the kitchen. She rustled through some boxes and returned with a gleaming sword hilt. No sword , strangely, just the hilt. Rey realized that the singing she had heard earlier was emanating from the weapon. Maz extended the hilt towards her.“A...hilt?” Rey asked. She shuffled her sandwich to her left hand to take the object. As soon as her fingers closed around it, the singing stopped.“Indeed it is. Forged from silver that was mined near Castle Solas, your birthplace. When you need it, the blade will protect you.” She patted Rey’s hand, “Your mother left that with me before she went to face the First Order. I have a feeling she knew we’d cross paths, although I must admit, I never thought she would send you to the human world.”The hilt was heavy in her palm. At the end of it, a polished ruby reflected Rey’s face. She wondered if her mother had once looked at her own reflection in the same manner or if she had ever wielded it. Tearing her eyes away from it, she blurted, “Can you tell me her name?”“Oh, young one,” Maz’s kind eyes shone. A wrinkled hand came up to cup Rey’s cheek again, “Her name was Aine. She was the most stubborn, prideful woman I’ve ever met. I can see her in every feature on your face.”Rey dimly realized she was crying. A tear spilled from her eye and trailed down her cheek. Maz caught it with a thumb and wiped it away, “Take the hilt and go,” She urged, “You are the Maiden, whether you’re ready or not. Our people need you.”Rey nodded. She rubbed her eyes to dispel any further tears, “Thank you.”Maz patted her shoulder with the affection of a loved one and then left the kitchen in deafening silence. Rey placed the hilt in her satchel, squared her shoulders, and followed her out.“Now that she’s got food, we need to get going,” Kylo said. He pointed towards a window that showed a darkening sky outside.“Yes, yes,” Maz said. The woman hunched behind the bar and pulled open a hatch door, revealing a narrow staircase leading down to a stone tunnel. Rey could hear the surf echo off the walls. “On you go.”Ethne lead the group once again and descended the staircase first, followed closely by Cynwrig. Kylo motioned for Rey to go ahead of him, but she shook her head. Thanks to the warning from Maz, She didn’t want to keep her back turned to Kylo Ren. If Kylo thought anything of her hesitation he didn’t mention it -- he merely shrugged and began stepping down the stairs.“Thank you for the sandwich,” Rey said to the older woman. She hoped Maz understood her insinuation.“You’re always welcome here, Maighdean ,” Maz said in response, “I wish you a safe journey.”Just before Rey followed Kylo down, Maz began to speak in the same strange language that Kylo had used the night before. Kylo Ren’s whole body went rigid for the briefest of moments. He turned to glare at the older woman and voice simmered with rage when he responded. Nothing else was said. Rey watched the exchange with rapt interest before Kylo began his descent once again. She trailed after him.  As soon as Rey’s head cleared the entryway, the hatch closed behind her, leaving only the dim light of some sparse electric bulbs, the sound of the surf, and the tense, angry energy of Kylo Ren as he walked in front of her. It was potent enough to make the hair on her arms stand straight, but she wasn’t scared. Oddly enough, she wasn’t sure she would ever truly be scared of him again. What could Maz have said? Rey wondered, her curiosity piquing. A small voice in the back of her head started to whisper: You can’t trust Maz, either. She may have lied to you. She may have turned him against you. “What did she say to you?” Rey asked, stopping abruptly. She wanted to discuss this before she went any further. When he turned to her, their eyes were almost level since he was a few steps below her.“Nothing,” He said.“Bullshit. You looked like you wanted to...God, I don’t know, smite her. That’s not ‘nothing’.”The muscles in Kylo’s jaw worked.  He had to breathe slowly before he spoke. “She wanted me to pass along a message to my mother.”That was not what Rey expected. “That’s it?” She asked.“That’s it.”“Is there something wrong with your mother?”“Nothing I can prove.” Kylo pointed to the tunnel, “Let’s go. We don’t have time for this.”Rey had a million more questions, but she bit her tongue. If Maz was right, anyone with the First Order couldn’t be trusted. She didn’t need to know anything about his personal life. Especially not about his mother.The less they knew of each other the better.

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

Chapter 7: The Mist

The tunnel wound through a few hundred feet of rocky cliffside before opening up into a tall alcove. Between the walls of stone lay a sandy strip with freezing water lapping against it. From the sand protruded a short pier, and at the end of that pier was a boat that reminded Rey of a Viking ship, complete with a dragon bust carved into the prow. The horizon could be seen through the opening of the alcove, the mist just beyond splashed in the final colors of sunset. Rey felt inexplicably drawn to it.

Home,

Her entire body seemed to scream.

We’re going home.

“I call steerin’ this time!” Cynwrig shouted, running across the pier to hop into the boat. His pack made a loud

thump

when he dropped it on the deck.

As Rey and Kylo approached the boat, Ethne rolled her eyes with a hint of a fond smile, “He always wanted to be in the royal navy.” She said wryly to Rey. She climbed in next and started to fuss with the ropes in preparation for the voyage. Kylo got in after Ethne and extended a hand to Rey to help her up, which she ignored and hauled herself into the boat. It rocked a little with her weight but she adjusted quickly and plopped herself on a bench to keep out of the way. If Kylo felt burned by Rey’s rejection, he didn’t make it obvious. He untied the boat from the pier, Ethne dropped the sail, and Cynwrig stood at the helm to guide them onto open ocean.

As soon as they left the safety of the alcove, wind filled their sails, giving the boat more speed. The remnants of sunset washed over the group and sea sprayed over the sides. Rey closed her eyes, soaking in the moment and the bittersweet emotion it brought. She had always dreamt she would one day be on the water in a research vessel this size to study whales, although she usually imagined it with Finn at her side. How small that dream felt now. And

Finn

. She should have called him to let him know she was okay.

“Why the long face, lassie?” Cynwrig called from the helm. He looked absolutely in his element with the wind blowing his hair back and his eyes green and dark like the sea. His gaze was soft, like he pitied her.

You are no longer someone to be pitied,

a voice stronger than she felt whispered,

You are the Maiden, a Queen, and you will take back your world. Even if you don’t know how.

“Just a little queasy,” She lied, “I’ve never been on a boat before.”

“You should eat,” Kylo said. The boat rocked as he walked away from her toward the helm. “You’ll probably end up purging it, but I’d rather bring back a sick Queen over a dead Queen.”  He turned to her, and for the first time since she’d met him, he finally looked

natural

in something. His regal, medieval appearance complimented the boat perfectly. The last remnants of orange sunset cast over his face

just right

to make his dark eyes melt into caramel. He looked pretty enough that she could almost forget he tried to kill her.

How could you work for an organization so evil when you look like something from a Disney movie?

Rey wondered.

She didn’t particularly want to eat, but she was also kind of scared of dying, so she pulled the sandwich from her satchel and tucked in. Kylo stood next to the helm with a map and compass, speaking to Cynwrig in the strange dialect of theirs. Ethne came to sit next to her now that her part in readying the boat was done.

“What language is that, by the way?” Rey asked her.

“That? They’re speaking Aosian. The Mortals used to call it Elvish.”

“It sounds a little like Irish, or maybe Welsh.” Rey said.

“Many of the human languages branched from ours. Several thousand years ago, we lived amongst the mortal realm ourselves.”

“Really? Why not anymore?”

“As humanity grew, so did their ideals. They began to fear and persecute us. We ended up fleeing to the Otherworld and the Veil was created to keep our realms separate. It’s a great story, actually.”

“I’d love to hear it,” Rey admitted, “Considering it’s part of my history.”

“Alright,” Ethne leaned back, her eyes alight. She seemed to take a lot of pleasure in telling stories. “There is a sacred place in the Otherworld. It holds the most potent magic and is home to the Queens -- we call it

Tir na nOg.”

“Oh, I’ve heard this one,” Rey said, “the Land of Youth, right?”

“Right. I figured humans would still have legends about it. It is said that all magic -- both old and new -- originates from

Tir na nOg

. We have our own myth for it: We say that long ago, when the Moon and Sun were still young, the Moon was desperately in love with her counterpart. However, she was doomed to always follow and never embrace him. Still -- that didn’t stop her from dreaming. She found herself wishing desperately to have a child. As the years continued to pass with her love just out of reach, her loneliness grew unbearable and she wept. Her tears soaked into the ground, and from that soil the very first Queen was born, made entirely of moonlight and Earth. It is said that because of this, the land soaked in the Moon’s tears is so powerful that it gives those who live in the Otherworld a longer life, thus giving it the name

Tir na nOg

.”

Rey pictured a naked woman rising from the dirt to breathe life into all the Aos Si.

“Do the Aos Si in the Mortal Realm still have a longer life? Or is long life only in the Otherworld?” Rey asked.

“While I’ve heard of some Aos Si born and raised in the Mortal Realm living to 150 years, I’ve never met one. In the Otherworld, we are known to reach nearly a thousand years old. I believe Maz herself is over 800 years old. She’s aged far more since coming to the Mortal Realm.”

“Holy shit,” Rey said. “How old are you?”

“I’m 130, Cynwrig is nearing 400, and Kylo is a decade shy of a century.”

An image of Kylo as an old man, wrinkled and balding, intruded Rey’s mind. She stifled a laugh, “That’s crazy. I’m only twenty-three.”

“We age normally until we reach our twenties. From there the process slows exponentially. You may be young, but we would still consider you an adult by Aos Si standards.”

“Interesting,” Rey wondered if she would have lived blissfully unaware of her heritage and lived to 150 had she not been found. “Sorry, continue your story.”

“Right. Let’s see…Before the veil, the magic of

Tir na nOg

was bleeding into the Mortal Realm for centuries. We taught the humans to harness it, but as time wore on, they became greedy. They wanted

Tir na nOg

for themselves. They ended up using what we had taught them to slaughter us and full-fledged war broke out. At the time, the Mother was Danu and the Consort -- Her lover, our king -- was Solas the Giant. Being great warriors, they left the protection of the Otherworld and travelled to the Mortal Realm to help us fight, unaware that the humans had somehow acquired an arcana stone--”

“Arcana stone?”

“A goliath’s heart; an ancient race of beings made of stone. An arcana stone amplifies one’s connection to magic. The humans who obtained the stone used it to overpower us and strike Solas the Giant down in battle. Danu did not see a way for us to win the war, so she called for all Aos Si to retreat back into the Otherworld. Danu brought Solas to

Tir na nOg,

hoping to heal him, but it was too late. With his dying breath, Solas used his body to create the foundation for Castle Solas so that Danu the Mother, Aislei the Crone, and Brigid the Maiden could construct the veil with it’s magic. Since then, we have been able to live in relative peace.”

Rey could imagine it all in vivid detail, as though she had been there: a massive man, beaten and bloodied, sacrificing himself to protect his people. She also imagined three generations of women, bound by blood, enacting a ritual that would use Solas’ sacrifice to protect the Aos Si. “So he would have been my ancestor?” She asked.

“Indeed he would have been. As was Danu.”

“That’s incredible,” she breathed.

“It’s our history,” Ethne said. Her eyes were warm with pride, “

Your

history.”

Rey’s chest felt tight with emotion. She had long since accepted she may never know her past, but here she was, learning more than she could have imagined in a single day.  The light around them dimmed to grey suddenly, accompanied with a chill in the air. They had finally entered the mist.

“Ethne, I need ye on watch,” Cynwrig called. Ethne nodded and took position facing out the prow of the boat. Kylo’s eyes flicked from his compass to the mist and he scanned it warily.

“This is where things get interesting,” He said to Rey, “Whatever happens, do as I say.”

Rey nodded in response. She wasn’t planning on dying today.

“So far so good,” Ethne called back to Cynwrig, “Keep it steady.”

Rey held her breath, afraid she would disturb the mist by exhaling. The hair on her arms stood straight up - not because of the chill. Something felt off.

Proving her instinct right, the boat lurched to the side. Rey had to clutch the bench beneath her to keep steady.

“What was that?” Cynwrig asked. Kylo stood and walked to the side of the boat, his dark eyes scouring the water.

“Could be a dolphin,” Rey suggested hopefully, “They’re known to travel to the Irish Sea. Strange they would in winter, but it’s been a warm one, so it’s possible.”

“Dolphins don’t travel into the mist,” Kylo answered. As he spoke, the boat jolted again. Water splashed around them.

“Rey,” Kylo said, his voice eerily intense, “Get down.”

The boat jolting didn’t scare her, but the warning in his voice did. Rey immediately dropped to the floor. Kylo carefully extracted his sword from the pile of luggage and pulled it from its sheath. For a moment all was deathly quiet.

Then everything happened at once: a haunting roar split through the mist and a wave of water hit the side of the boat, causing it to rock violently, spraying freezing cold water into Rey’s face.

“Ethne, your arrows!” Kylo called. Ethne scrambled past Rey to retrieve her bow as another wave crashed into them.

The creature roared again, louder,

closer.

Rey raised her head, looking around wildly for the source. But just as quickly as it had started, the roaring and rocking disappeared, leaving the group in heavy silence. Rey’s eyes scanned the mist, struggling to make out any shapes within it. She couldn’t spot anything.

“What was that?” She asked.

“Most likely a kelpie,” Kylo answered. He never tore his eyes from the water. “Massive, territorial carnivores.”

“He was just curious,” Cynwrig said, attempting to reassure Rey, “They don’t often attack boats.”

“Still. Don’t let your guard down,” Kylo told his knights. He strapped the sheath to his back again and put the sword away. He nodded to Ethne, who did the same with her bow, and then returned to the prow.

Rey climbed back onto the bench, still uneasy and trembling a little. The tension around them was almost as thick as the mist.

“I didn’t expect this to be so...smothering.” Rey muttered to Ethne. The Mist almost felt like a sentient being.

“The more you do it the easier it gets,” Ethne assured, “My first time through was on a boat even smaller than this. We were attacked by a group of sirens.”

“Really? What are sirens like?”

“I wouldn’t know. I didn’t get close enough to see one.”

“Ah.”

Rey was

really

regretting not purchasing a jacket in Barmouth. Her skin prickled from both the temperature and from the sheer weight of the Mist. She was mentally preparing herself for a few more hours of this when a cloak was laid over her shoulders. Looking up, she saw Kylo, his expression unreadable. Even in the fog, despite the heavy atmosphere, he seemed unthinkably beautiful.

“It’s only going to get colder,” He said. “The three of us are used to it. You won’t be.”

“Thank you,” She said as a guilty stone turn over in her stomach. Something about the kind gesture made it even harder for her to picture him as an evil henchman to the Supreme Leader.

“Wouldn’t do to have you die on us,” He replied, deadpan, though there was a small quirk to his lips. This must be his sense of humor, then. She smiled.
“I didn’t think the Master of the Knights of Ren would find it suitable to tell jokes on a mission,” She said sarcastically and drew the cloak closer around her shoulders. It smelled faintly of pine and campfire.
“You’ll learn in due time,” He promised. His eyes crinkled at the corner and

oh

how she wanted to ask him if what Maz told her was true. There was no way this man would work for something as evil as the older woman described.

Rey opened her mouth, her lips forming around the question, but was interrupted by a loud rumbling. Any remnant of kindness disappeared from Kylo’s face as he reached for his sword and turned to face the sea. The water beneath the boat began to churn.

Then chaos broke loose.

A giant creature the size of an ox exploded from the water like a geyser. The force of it made the boat lurch violently to the side which threw Rey to the floor with a shout. Water sloshed around her, creating a slippery mess that she struggled to right herself in.

When Rey finally got to her feet, it was just in time to see the head of the creature rise out of the water. It resembled a horse, only instead of blunt teeth meant for grazing, it had the sharp fangs of a carnivore. Protruding from the creature’s head was a tall dorsal fin that ran down a long, arched neck, ending at the body of a horse that had adapted to a life in water. Beady black eyes locked onto Rey, causing all of her muscles to freeze in fear.

It recognizes you,

her intuition spoke,

it was looking for you.

She couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. As it climbed half-way onto the ship, she could see that instead of hooves, it had slender, webbed claws tipped with talons. The boat sank substantially with its weight, taking on water fast.

Arrows flew above Rey’s head, lodging into its body. Kylo Ren swung at the kelpie’s neck but its skin was tough and the blade hardly cut into it. The beast roared a haunting, skull-splitting sound and knocked Kylo to the side before striking toward Rey, missing her by just a hair. The near-miss snapped her into action.

Determined to avoid teeth she scrambled furiously towards the opposite end of the boat. She could hear the kelpie swipe for her again, it’s teeth snapping together while the sound of Kylo’s sword sliced into its skin like a macabre, ominous instrument. She finally got to the helm when a second kelpie emerged. This one was slightly smaller, but it was faster, and before Rey knew what had happened, sharp teeth closed around her ankle and began to drag her toward the water. She screamed, kicking at the creature with her free leg.

“Kylo!” She shouted.

“Cynwrig!” Kylo snarled. “Get her!”

Cynwrig was already halfway to her, his hand outstretched. The first monster’s tail, similar in shape to a dolphin but long like a lizard,  swung around the ship to knock him down with a painful thud. Though he was no longer on his feet, the hit had forced him closer to Rey, and his fingers were able to close around her wrist.

“Hold on!” He called, “I got ye, lass!”

She held fast to Cynwrig. The beast attached to her ankle snarled in annoyance and tugged her harder, causing the bones in her wrist to pop from strain.

“Don’t let go, don’t let go--” She sobbed.

“I got ye,” He promised. He hauled himself nearer so he could get a better grip on her forearm. The tug-of-war was becoming increasingly painful -- her arm would likely dislocate if it went any longer. Although she reasoned that walking away with a limp arm was more enticing than rotting in the monster’s gut.

Behind Cynwrig, the first kelpie’s head rose high above him. It snapped forward, teeth bared for the kill. Rey was certain it would take Cynwrig’s entire head but it only grabbed him by his ponytail, violently yanking him to the side so he lost his grip on Rey’s arm. The next thing she knew, she was plunged into water cold enough to knock the breath out of her lungs. A secondary splash followed them. Then all she could hear was the water being displaced around her and the call of other kelpies. She forced her eyes open, ignoring the burn of the salt, frantically looking for a way to escape the beast’s jaw. Looking up toward the boat she spotted Kylo swimming after them -- he must have jumped in after her, though he was at least a dozen yards away and the distance was quickly growing. There was no way he would reach her in time.

Rey counted four other kelpies in the immediate vicinity. There could be more, but the depths were dark, and she didn’t have time to keep looking. She had to

act

.

Think, think, think

, she told herself. Her lungs were tightening with each second and combined with her panic it was hard to reign in her thoughts. It didn’t help that the kelpie’s movements kept throwing Rey around like a toddler with a doll, or a shark with a seal.

That’s it,

she realized. She recalled reading that if one was ever attacked by a shark, a swift thumb to the eye could buy enough time to get away. Fumbling blindly along its face for a moment, she found the kelpie’s eye and shoved her thumb into it. Pulp oozed around her finger. The beast wailed, its mouth opening just enough for her to drag herself free and kick towards the dark silhouette of Kylo Ren. She could see spots in her vision, could hear the kelpie turn to attempt grabbing her again. It occurred to her then that Kylo may very well be the last thing she’d ever see; an angel of death who’d come to take her home.

He’s not such a bad thing to see before you die,

she told herself.

Then a new noise came through the water. It was softer and sweeter, but still rang of danger.

What the hell is that?

A lithe figure zoomed past her, beelined towards the kelpie just inches away from her foot, and slammed against the beast hard enough to crack ribs. More figures swam past her, each one going after another kelpie, until a full-fledged underwater battle was underway. Rey reached Kylo, who grabbed her shoulders and swam both of them to the surface. When they breached she gasped deeply, never more grateful for the gift of oxygen. Part of her -- the marine biologist part -- begged to stick her head back underwater so she could observe the marine war.

“They’re over here!” She heard Ethne call.

Kylo and Rey paddled towards the ship about 20 meters away. Ethne helped Rey on first before reaching for Kylo.

“Gods and Goddesses, mate, what happened down there?” Cynwrig asked Kylo.

“Selkies,” Kylo explained. His voice was rough from exertion. “They must have heard the commotion. Came just in time.”

“Ah,

selkies

,” Cynwrig said, somewhat fondly. “Well, we can’t wait around to see who wins. Let’s get goin’. Glad to see you’re safe, lass.”

Kylo turned to her, pressing on her shoulders to force her to sit. His hair dripped around his face, making his cheekbones more prominent. Rey noted the gash she gave him had split open again.

“Are you injured?” He asked gruffly.

“No,” She said. “But your cut is open.”

“I’ll fix it later.” He assured. He gave her a once-over, as though determining that she was actually okay, frowning hard when he looked at her feet, “You’re bleeding.”

She glanced down only to surprise herself when she saw he was right; blood oozed out of several puncture wounds on her ankle. Her adrenaline had done well to mask the pain, she supposed.

“All of our supplies are soaked,” Kylo said, “I don’t have anything to wrap it with.”

“I have a scarf,” Rey said, looking around for her satchel. She spotted it propped against the helm, miraculously dry. Kylo handed to her so she could retrieve the scarf, discreetly hiding the sword hilt from his view, and she pressed it to her wound.

“Otherwise are you hurt?” He asked her.

She looked up to his eyes. They were unreadable though his chest heaved with adrenaline. It seemed hard to believe that only a day had passed -- she was so tired it may as well have been several lifetimes.

“I’m fine.” She reassured. “Just cold.”

“It’s only going to get colder and my cloak is soaked” He said.

She snorted dryly but it wasn’t really that funny, “Great.”

“Kylo, the selkies are here,” Ethne called over. Rey looked to where she pointed, and sure enough, three heads popped above the water. It took her a moment to recognize that they were seals.

“The Kelpies are gone,” The middle one said in a deep, baritone voice, “We ran them off.”

“Good,” Kylo said. Any softness he had in his eyes was gone as he addressed the creatures, replaced by the cold efficiency of a soldier, “What were they doing in the mist?”

“We do not know,” The selkie admitted, “They don’t normally travel this close to the Mortal Realm. Something must have brought them here.”

“Like what?”

“We’re not sure.”

“It was me,” Rey said and stepped forward to greet the marine mammals. Her ankle was a little sore but manageable. “They were after me.”

Kylo shot her a sharp glance, “There’s no way they would have known who you are.”

“They did, though. They were deliberately coming after me.”

A soft noise came from the selkies. When Rey looked at them, the middle one was staring at her, his eyes wide with recognition.

“You are the Maiden,” He said. He bowed his head and the others quickly followed, “Our apologies. We -- we were unaware that you had been found.”

“How do you know who she is?” Ethne asked suspiciously.

“She has the light. Can you not see it?”

“No. She looks normal.”

“Perhaps only those of us with keener eyes can see it. Regardless, we shall stay close and provide further protection on your journey.”

“Thank you,” Rey said, touched. “What are your names?”

The one on the left swam closer until  she could see he had a smattering of dark spots on his face, “I am Tyrin.”

“Lothas,” The middle one introduced.

“And I’m Merra,” The last one said, distinctly female.

“I’m Rey.”

“We know,” Lothas said with something that could be considered a smile on a seal’s face.

Before Rey could ask how they knew, the selkies dipped back under the surface, their silhouettes barely visible in the dark water. Rey wished she could have talked to them more. Kylo pulled out his compass again, gesturing to Cynwrig to turn their ship back on course. It was still visible but the mist was getting darker by the minute. Rey returned to her bench, her stomach flipping nervously.

Time was running out.