The Dark Prince:
A Reylo
story
Scarlett Michealson
His red light saber glowed before my eyes. It was bright and a sharp contrast to the dark ocean behind it. His arms were around me, and we were both staring out into the watery world we were on.
"Are you trapping me in your arms?" I asked. He chuckled.
"Yes." He replied after a moment.
"Is that supposed to be good or bad?" I asked. He felt him kiss my hair.
"Good." He whispered.
"Good." I breathed.
"I did it, you know." He said a moment later. I tilted my head back and looked into his dark eyes.
"Did what?" I asked, curious.
"Forgave myself." He replied. We were quiet for a while after that before I finally spoke up again.
"Good." I said. And we both laughed.
"Rey?" He asked me, lowering his saber and holstering it. I nodded.
"Do you trust me?" He whispered. I nodded again.
"With my life." I told him. I heard him sigh.
"Why do you ask?" I asked.
"Because if they are ever going to trust me, they need to see that you trust me first." He explained. I nodded. He made sense.
"Are you ready to go back?" I asked him as we walked back to our hut. The sun had just dipped below the horizon and he was holding my hand. He wore his black, leather, gloves when practicing with the saber because the white ones were too soft. I had made a mental note to change that when we got back.
"Yeah. As ready as I'll ever be." He sighed. I looked up at him and smiled.
"Ben, we can do this." I assured him. He smiled.
"Together." He said.
"Together." I repeated.
"Rey," He said, opening the door for me, I paused and looked at him. "I love you." He whispered and we kissed.
When the sun began pouring it's light through the window of our hut, I heard Ben groan.
"Why does it have to be so incredibly bright?" He growled, turning over. I giggled, and instantly his arm was over me. I looked over at him and in the blink of an eye he was on top of me.
"How long have you been awake?" He asked. I smiled.
"You tell me." I breathed. He made his thinking face.
"An hour." He whispered. I nodded.
"You got me." I said and shook his head.
"I should have known. I'm going to make breakfast." He said, and he rolled off of me and out of bed.
Watching him cross the room and put his robe on, I remembered when I had first seen him shirtless through the force. I was so distracted by it, I had wanted him to put something on. Now, I was even more distracted by it, and I didn't want him to put his robe on.
"I heard that." He said, walking outside and not even looking at me. I shook my head.
"That's impossible!" I yelled after him.
"Still heard it!" I heard his voice call. I rolled my eyes. The force was strong with him, and sometimes we could still hear the thoughts of the other.
"Do you think we're still connected?" I asked him as we ate breakfast. He shrugged.
"Don't know. I almost hope so. I like having contact with you." He said honestly. It was the only dark part of the force that clung to him. Left over from Snoke, we weren't sure how long it would last, or if it would ever go away.
"We should pack up and go." I said to him after we had sat, watching the sun and waves for an hour. He took a deep breath.
"Okay." He agreed. I could feel that it was a big okay for him, but he would be okay.
We gathered our belongings, made sure we had our sabers, and took our remaining food. Carefully and thoughtfully, we avoided the caretakers. (They hated us.)
"Chewie!" I yelled as we walked up to the Millennium Falcon. The door suddenly jolted and started going down. His familiar greeting made me smile.
"Of course we're getting off this planet! Why else would we be here?" I asked, as we boarded. He came around the corner and gave Ben a suspicious look, but didn't put up any kind of fight.
When we had kicked her into light speed and we were warping through space at a rate that made me sick to think about, I sat back in my chair and sighed. There was something I had discovered in the volt after flying it back to base from the fight. Han knew I would take over in the event of his death, but he had also continued to hold out hope. In the volt, I had found a message, and the thought of it had made me cry, especially after I had gotten through to Kylo Ren.
"Ben." I said, taping him on the shoulder. He looked back at me. "I want to show you something."
After my discovery, I had spoken with Chewie who had flown it with Han, and now me. He was always on the ship, and I knew he would never depart from it, so I also knew he had to be okay with who was on board, and who the pilot was.
"What is it?" Ben asked as we walked over to the volt. I nodded at the door and he reached down and opened it. Jumping down he looked around, until he saw the message. It flashed his name, and he paused.
"Why does it say my name?" He asked, looking up at me. I shrugged. Opening it, he stepped back and listened to maybe the only thing powerful enough to make him cry: his father's voice.
In the message Han Solo explained what to do in the event of his death, and then he paused, and went on to speak to Ben directly. Telling him, that the ship was his and to take good care of it.
I watched as Ben held his hand over his mouth. He was shaking and a tear fell from his cheek. He leaned back as the message ended and sobbed into his sleeves.
"Can I save it?" He asked eventually. "The message, can I save it?" I nodded.
"As long as you don't delete it, it will always be right there. And it's in the volt, so only you can get to it." I smiled. He nodded and looked up at me.
"Do you really think he would still want me to have it?" He asked. I nodded.
"If he could see you now, I know he would." I replied and I helped him out.
"This ship was your father's, Ben. And now it belongs to you." I whispered. He nodded and we hugged.
Suddenly Chewie got my attention. We were approaching the Rebel Base on the planet Mimas. Ben looked at me, and then sat in the Captain's chair. Both Chewie and I looked at him, and I smiled. All was right in the universe, for just a moment, everything was perfect.
"Let's do this." Ben breathed as we came in for a landing. I patted his shoulder. The base was massive. It held a quarter of the population of the rebellion.
As we approached the airfield, Ben's facial expression went from normal to surprise, to complete and utter shock. He looked back at me and I smiled.
"You didn't think the rebellion was a small affair did you?" I asked, laughing. He shook his head in disbelief.
"I knew it wasn't small. You guys never died, but, I didn't know it was this big!" He gasped as we landed. I smiled. Chewie patted him on the shoulder.
"Stay here. Don't let anyone in until I get back." I said to both of them. They nodded. I needed to be sure no one would shoot him on sight.
I let down the ramp and quickly shut it again behind me. Everyone recognized me, so no one asked questions. I ran past the fighter jets and other aircraft. Base of operations was just across the field. It sat in the middle of the entire property.
I scanned my ID and was in with no problem. I ran through the halls and corridors. My tracking device was leading me to Leia. As I turned the last corner before her office, my tracker began to beep violently. I smiled and scanned my ID. I was one of three people granted access to her room at any and all times.
I found her there, sitting by her desk, writing out orders. I walked up and paused before her.
"One moment." She said robotically. I smiled. A moment later she put her pen down and looked up. The look on her face was priceless as our eyes met.
"Oh Ray!" She cried. She jumped up from her chair and gave me a hug. It had been almost two months since we had spoken about Kylo Ren. I smiled and we hugged for a long moment.
"He's here." I whispered. She pulled her head back, and held me there, her hands on my shoulders.
"Wait...what did you say?!" She asked, her eyes wide.
"Ben. He's here." I smiled. She gave me a cautious look of optimism.
"What do you mean?" She asked. I smiled and nodded at her.
"Exactly what you think. He's here. Your son is here." I explained. She lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, and you should know...he's a Jedi." I finished. She started to shake her head.
"I don't believe you." She said, letting go of me and without warning, she turned and ran through the door. I laughed and chased after her.
"I'm serious!" I called as I caught up with her. We ran outside and back across the airfield. As people saw her and I run by, they started to follow, to see what was happening. Seeing her always created urgency. The General didn't run around for much anymore.
"What is it?" People asked as we ran by. She shook her head when the Falcon came into view.
"It can't be..." She was breathing. I ran ahead and hit the side of the ship. A moment later the ramp began to lower. First in view was Chewie who walked out and waved at her. She half-heartedly waved back, but didn't even look at him. A crowd had gathered around us and now everyone stood silently, watching and waiting for the unknown.
And then, almost like something from a dream, he turned the corner in his white robes, his hair back, and his red light saber holstered at his side. He held onto the doorway, unsure of himself now, and cautiously walked down the ramp. Suddenly a rank of soldiers ran forward, their sabers already out and shining. I jumped forward.
"No! Wait!" I cried. Everyone looked at me. I put my arm down and then walked forward, straight up to him. I held out my hand, and he took it, grateful. He walked down the ramp and then stopped before anyone. He had held his eyes on me until now. Looking up, he looked into the eyes of The General.
"Mother." He smiled. She stepped forward and looked as though she might fall over dead from shock. She held her hand over her mouth and ran up to him. The crowd was on edge as they all realized who it was. Until now, I wasn't sure they had recognized him. As they did, the crowd got louder and more people whispered and gasped.
"Please, forgive me Mother..." He whispered as they hugged. She nodded.
"Oh Ben! Of course! My Son!" She cried. Tears flooded her face. I had never seen the General show so much emotion towards something. I guess family really was important. I smiled.
"What happened to you?" She asked, looking up at her Son. He stood almost two full heads above her. He sighed and looked at me. Leia looked at me too, and so did the crowd.
"Ray happened to me." He chuckled. "She helped me and trained me in the right ways of the force. She's molded me into a Jedi." He explained.
"I'm so thankful to you. How can I ever repay you?!" She cried. I shook my head.
"Appreciate and take care of each other." I said. She smiled.
"You are too good to us." She laughed and she gave him another hug.
Turning, she took him, and we all walked back inside and to her quarters where the doors could be closed and we could talk. We sat and spoke for hours, explaining to her everything that had happened. He showed her all that he had learned and just how much he had changed. He did not immediately tell her for our affection for one another.
"Well bless the stars!" She exclaimed at the end. "I just cannot believe that my son, my Son, is back!" She shook her head, rising from her chair. She walked over to the window and looked out.
"Now we can strike the First Order and I won't feel guilty anymore." She sighed. Ben rose to his feet and I stood up with him.
"Let me help you." He said. I looked at him, holding his arm. She turned back and looked at us both.
"I just got you back! I don't want to lose you!" She protested. He smiled, stepping forward as I released his arm.
"You and I know that, but they don't." He said, pointing out the window.
"They think I've gone missing. They don't know who and what I've become. Let me help you. With my help we would really deal them a deadly blow and strike them at the heart, literally." He explained. "Mother, let me help you. I am Kylo Ren. They'll trust me. I'm their leader. I can destroy them."
The General sighed and looked at me. I nodded.
"I trust him with my life. We can do it together. I promise we'll come back." I said. He didn't argue and she nodded.
"Fine. Do it and come back. And you come back!" She half yelled at him. He nodded.
"I will." He said firmly. He looked at me, and took my hand.
"Together." He smiled. I nodded.
"Together." I whispered, and he leaned down and kissed my forehead. We both heard a subtle gasp and looked at Leia.
"You...you've fallen in love..." She breathed. He nodded.
"So believe me when I say, I will come back." He smiled. She nodded absent-mindedly. We turned and walked out, and just before the door closed, I turned back and waved.
"May the Force be with you." I wished her well. She nodded.
"And with you!" She called back and the door closed.
As we walked through the halls and corridors, gathering our things and stopping to talk to commanders and fighter pilots, I suddenly froze when I saw Finn. He stood by his jet, talking to Poe. I smiled.
"Finn!" I called. They both looked over and waved. Running over to us they both gave me a hug and smiled.
"Hey! Heard you were on assignment! How'd it go?" Finn asked. I smiled.
"It went...well." I smiled. I turned and looked at Ben.
"Poe, Finn, meet my...good friend, Ben." I smiled. They all shook hands and greeted each other.
"You look so familiar to me." Finn paused, looking at Ben. They both looked at me, and then, without saying a word, Ben let his hair down. As it fell to his shoulders, he stood up just a little straighter.
"Recognize me now?" He asked Finn. Finn's face turned ghost white, and he stepped back.
"Oh my...I mean...well...holy...You're...You're..." He said, shaking his head, his eyes wide and his whole body was trying to react. Poe stood there dumbly. He had never seen Kylo Ren, so he didn't know what was happening.
"You're Kylo Ren!" He cried. Ben nodded. "I was." He corrected. Poe's facial expression grew shocked too.
"Wait...what?!" Poe asked.
"And you're FN2187." Ben replied. I looked at Ben, surprised now. "The one who caused so many problems. I saw you that night..." He said. The both nodded.
"It's good to see you now." Ben said. Finn stared at him, dumbfounded. "I'm glad Ray has good friends like you." He smiled. They both just nodded at us, and then Ben took my hand, and turned to walk away.
"Supre...I mean, Ben!" Finn called. We both looked back as we heard him call Ben by his other name.
"Take good care of her." Finn said. Ben looked at me and smiled.
"You know, that's the first time someone other than Ray has given me orders and I listened to them." He said, and he looked at Finn and nodded. "You got it FN2187."
"You'll need to swap stories with him when we return." I said to Ben as we walked towards the exit. He paused, and looked at me. He cornered me and kissed me, his arms on either side of my head, leaning against the wall.
"Because I can't with my helmet on." He whispered. I raised an eyebrow.
"Wait...what do you mean?" I asked as we ran outside.
"Kylo Ren wears a helmet." He replied looking at me. I grabbed his arm.
"You're going back?!" I exclaimed. He nodded.
"I'll sneak in...as myself, fool them into thinking I was held captive, and just when they believe me, I'll take them down." He said. I blinked.
"How will you take them out?" I asked. He looked at me.
"Together." He smiled. I laughed.
"I don't have a storm trooper uniform." I informed him. He chuckled.
"Don't worry. I can get you one. No problem. Come on." He assured me and we climbed on board, Chewie en tow.
The flight over was short. I flew with Chewie while Ben changed back into his old personality, putting on his darker-than-night robes and digging out his black helmet. When he came back, I could hear his breathing, and it gave me chills. I turned around in my seat, and he stood behind me, looking out the window.
"Wow. I don't think I'll ever get used to that." I said. He chuckled.
"Is it weird?" I asked. For a moment he paused.
"Extremely. Trying to get into my old mindset is harder than I thought. How was I so mean? So...evil?" He asked. The mask made his voice darker, deeper, more...distant. I shrugged.
"I can't tell you that." I replied.
"Ha!" He laughed coldly. "That's Supreme Leader to you." I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, like that." I said.
"That's harsh." He sighed. I put my hand on his and smiled.
"We'll do this together." I breathed. He nodded.
"Thank you." He said softly, kindly. I nodded. It sounded out of place behind that horrible mask.
As we flew in for a landing, he took over. Piloting the Falcon. When we reached the shield of the ship an operator came over the radio.
"Flight number." The operators cold voice said.
"Number 0001." Kylo Ren said. There was a pause.
"Can you repeat that?" The operator's voice cracked as she spoke.
"Number 0001." He repeated. There was a silent pause.
"ID name." She asked.
"His highness Supreme Leader Kylock Render." He half growled. Another chill went down my spine. He had figured out the mindset. There was another pause.
"Cleared...uh...Your Highness." The operators voice shook. Kylo didn't say anything as we cleared the shield and came in for a landing. As the ship came down we saw several captains and an entire battalion of storm troopers come through a massive set of doors and walk towards us. They didn't totally believe who he was. After all, it had been over two months since his disappearance.
"Stay here. Lock yourselves in the volt. They won't find you when security sweeps it. I'll have a storm trooper meet you. They'll give you their uniform. Then lock them in the volt. Got it?" He instructed Chewie and I. We nodded.
"You remember where my headquarters are?" He asked me. I nodded.
"Vividly." I smiled. He nodded and sighed.
"May the Force be with you." He whispered, putting his leather-covered hand on my cheek. I nodded.
"You too." I whispered and he turned and walked around the corner. Kylo Ren had to take over now. I locked my jaw, holding back the tears, and grabbed Chewie.
We stood in the volt for over an hour. Chewie was very concerned and still didn't completely trust him.
"Don't worry." I breathed and we waited a while longer. Eventually we heard the security come through. Once they had swept the Falcon it wasn't long until someone came and opened the volt. It was obvious Kylo had used the force on him. He spoke robotically.
After changing into his uniform, we locked him in the volt, and I took Chewie by the arm.
"Act like my prisoner. Just do as I tell you. Got it?" I asked. He nodded and we exited the Falcon.
Storm troopers, captains, pilots, and many others walked all around us. Men were ordered around and languages from all planets could be heard all around us. We walked with purpose through doorways and halls. I remembered the layout of his ship vividly and walked as though I knew everything, as though I had worked for years on the ship. Chewie didn't fight anything. We passed dozens of Battalions and Squadrons. No one asked us anything.
As we approached his Quarters, security increased. Guards stood at all corners. I didn't even acknowledge them as we walked by.
"Hey, you there, hold up." A voice said behind us. I froze. I wasn't nervous. The worst they could do was take us straight to Kylo anyway.
"Where are you going?" He asked. I took a deep breath.
"The Supreme Leader has requested the presence of this prisoner." I replied coldly. The white-masked Storm Trooper stood before me now. He looked at the Wookie.
"I didn't hear about any Prisoner Transfers." He replied.
"That's because he didn't come from the cells. We found him aboard the ship the Supreme Leader flew in on." I replied coldly again. The trooper paused, looking at both of us.
"Go on then." He said, sounding mildly defeated. I nodded and we continued on, uninterrupted.
When we reached the steel door of his quarters. I did the only thing I knew. I knocked three times.
"Come in." A deep voice could be heard on the other side. I held my breath as it opened. He stood by the window, behind his desk. When we walked in, the doors closed behind us. He turned around.
"Remove your helmet soldier." He ordered. I did as he asked, and saw his sigh of relief when he knew it was me. Taking his off we smiled.
"We're in." He smiled devilishly and we laughed.
"What happened?" I asked him.
"They didn't believe me at first. I had to explain that I was kidnapped by a very old, and unknown Jedi. Eventually though, they bought it. Signal to my Mother. We're ready. Send her our location. Let them attack us. Then I'll make all the wrong moves, notify her ahead of time, and they'll destroy the entire fleet. By the time they realize, we'll be gone." He said. I nodded and hit the screen on my wrist.
Within minutes the alarms sounded. He grabbed his helmet.
"Here goes nothing." He whispered and ran from the room.
"Stay here." He yelled back coldly. I looked at Chewie.
"That seemed almost easy." I commented and he agreed.
We ran over to the window. It overlooked the landing hanger, but it could be turned, and then it overlooked the pilot's chamber. We saw him walk in and everyone turned, rose to their feet, bowed, sat back down, and went back to what they were doing. The captains walked up to him and began speaking to him. Chewie and I exchanged a look of horror. They worshipped him.
After several moments of speaking closely with them, a small group of jets were sent out. Lower than the usual amount. He was minimizing the attack, and making it out to be smaller than it would be. Underestimating us on purpose.
Minutes later half of the rebellion fleet showed up and killed off the jets. More were sent out, but not all. He was holding back. Another ship went down and the captains became visibly distressed.
As we watched the rebellion deployed all their jets and the First Order was crushed again. Now the captains were getting angry with Kylo. In response I saw him hurl one of them against a wall using the force. The man didn't move again. The other captains stood up straight and looked nervous.
"He's doing well." I breathed. It was weird, knowing the motives he was acting upon in secret.
Another hour passed and two more of the fleet ships were destroyed. Half of the First Order was annihilated. As they were hit and destroyed, their fleets of jets went with them. The captains seemed as though they would pull the very hair from their heads.
Eventually all our jets were deployed and we crushed and destroyed the remaining fleet. All that was left was our ship. Everyone in the room turned and looked at Kylo. Suddenly one of the captains became furious and pointed at him, yelling something. A battalion of storm troopers appeared below us and walked up to him, as though they would take him prisoner. I held my breath, suddenly afraid.
And then, in a swift motion, he held his arm out, his light saber flew from his side, and turning he killed all the men within his reach. As people jumped and ran towards him in attack, he bunched his other hand into a fist. Everyone in the room froze and seemed to struggle in their places for a moment. When he finally opened his hand again, they all dropped to the floor and did not move. He had just single-handedly killed the entire room of people. Chewie and I exchanged a look of pure horror.
"Come on. Let's go." I said. I grabbed my helmet and we ran from the room. Racing down the stairs we burst through the doors of the Pilot's chamber. He was kneeling on the floor, surrounded by all the people he had just killed.
"Stay here." I whispered to Chewie. I walked passed everyone and put my hand on his shoulder. With his mask still on, he looked up at me, and then hung his head again. I kneeled down beside him and carefully removed his helmet, resting it on the floor. His hair fell down and hung around his face, hiding him. I tucked it behind his ear and he looked at me.
"What have I done?" He whispered. I could see the pain in his eyes.
"You just saved the rebellion and the entire universe from anguish, death, and destruction." I replied. He took a deep breath. "Ben, believe me. You're saving more lives than you're taking." I nodded. His eyes stared deep into mine.
It was our connection. We could both feel it. It was growing stronger. I could feel the waves of emotion washing though him. I smiled.
"Feel it." I whispered. He lifted his head.
"You're happy...excited...thankful...joyful...and peaceful." He breathed. I nodded.
"Come on. Let's do this. Together." I said, rising to my feet, holding my hand out. He smiled and took it, and rose to his feet.
"Together." He replied. We looked back at Chewie who was amazed with me.
"So what do we do with the rest of the ship?" I asked. Ben smiled.
"I've got an idea." He said. We ran over to the microphones. This time, he didn't put his helmet on. Hitting the button, he looked at me and took a deep breath.
"Attention remaining First Order Fleet. Stop what you are doing at once. Your commanders and your beloved Supreme Leader are dead. You have two options: You can surrender to the Rebellion and taken in for training, or, you can resist and you will be taken prisoner and left to rot in a prison cell for the rest of your life. It is your choice. Choose wisely." He said, and he took his finger off the button. Chewie and I looked at him.
"Your beloved Supreme Leader is dead?!" I asked incrediously. "How exactly are we going to pull you off?!" I asked. He smiled.
"They never saw the man under the helmet. I'll just put my white robes back on and they'll never know." He explained.
"Oh." Was all I could muster. He got up and ran back up to his room. We ran after, and then down to the aircraft hangar. When it was clear, we ran to the Falcon and jumped on board. He put his white robes back on, hid the black robes and we ran back to the Pilot's Chambers to let down the shield. As we watched, rebellion jets and other aircraft began landing and we took over.
The situation went better than we had expected. Most of the remaining troops surrendered. They were loaded onto the ships and flown to the base on Mimas.
"You did it." A voice said, Ben and I looked over to see the General walking up to us.
"Mother!" He breathed and they hugged.
"That will never get old." She smiled and we all laughed.
"You did it. You saved us all." She smiled up at him. He smiled back, but I felt the small pang of guilt he felt.
When everything was finished, we stayed behind to fly the ship back to base. We were not going to let it go to waste. All it needed was a fresh coat of white paint.
When everyone had gone, it was just us. We sat in the Pilot's chambers, looking through the massive window before us. In front of us we could see all the resistance jets and aircraft flying.
"You got what you wanted." I whispered. Ben looked at me.
"What's that?" He asked. I smiled.
"Peace. The fighting is over. It's all behind us. In the past. We're free from it all." I smiled. He nodded.
"You're right." He agreed. For a while we sat in silence, just enjoying the peace and each other's company as we flew the massive ship back to base.
Just before we started to make our landing approach, Ben looked at me and sighed.
"I have a question for you." He told me. I looked over at him.
"Oh?" I asked. "What's that?" I smiled. He rose from his chair and then knelt down before mine.
"Ray," He said. "You have been there for me no matter what, no matter who I was, or what I had done. You were there before I was even good. You were there through my training and now through this mission. You've always been able to get through to me. I'll never be able to repay any of it, but I can show this. I can show you love. Ray, will you marry me?" He asked.
Opening his hand, he held a small diamond ring. It was beautiful. As he held it up in the light, I smiled.
"There's a secret about this ring." He said. I raised an eyebrow. "It sparkles black. It does not sparkle the colors of the rainbow." He told me. My eyes were wide.
"Why's that?" I asked. He smiled.
"So that it will always remind you of me. No matter how good and pure I am, there will always be that subtle hint of darkness deep down. I'll bury it, but you will always know it's there." He replied. I nodded.
"So, will you marry me?" He asked. I laughed and nodded.
"Of course I will." I replied and he put it on my finger.
A little while later I was at the base, talking with the General. Off in the corner stood a group of new trainees. They all watched as Ben walked up to me, kissed me and then went on his way.
"Who is that?" One of them asked of me.
"That," said the guy behind them. "Is Princess Ray Solo, or as others may know her, Princess Ray Ren." He smiled. The girls all looked at him.
"Princess?" One of them asked. He nodded.
"She's married to Prince Ben Solo. His mother was royal, so he is too." The man told them.
"And why is she known by two different names?" Another asked. He chuckled.
"Because her husband was once known as Kylo Ren." He said. The girls gasped. "It's said," He went on. "That she holds the heart of the most powerful man of the universe. So powerful, that it was enough to end the war." He finished.
At those words, I turned and went on my way. I had never thought about the fact that I married the Dark Prince until that moment.
The End...
For now.