Warning: Pre Rise of Skywalker Reylo, see notes below.
Author's Note: This fic is a short story I wrote in basically two days. It was one of those "I've gottta write this down now" kind of stories. This is my take on Reylo and a bit of an experiment. I am open to any feedback. I hope everyone enjoys.
The pacing is a bit fast, but I believe the story still flows nicely. Some details are taken from The Last Jedi novel (which is still on my reading list, but You Tube is great for fic fodder). It is best if the reader is caught up on all of the main movies. Rouge One and Solo are not needed. I wrote the fic from memory and I have not seen the Last Jedi or Force Awakens in a while. I apologize if details are rusty. There is also a tie into the Force Unleashed video games. Because… I like Legends EU more than Disney Canon.
Plot Setup: Rey's X-Wing crashes lands on a forest planet. Knocked unconscious, she is subject to the mercy of Kylo Ren and his follower. Kylo Ren renews his offer for an alliance, but does he have more in mind? And what does his underling have to add to the mix?
4/12/2019 Update: Okay, I just found out about the new episode 9 title: The Rise of Skywalker. (Trailer looks awesome, btw.) Which for Reylo fans is uh….. vomit inducing awkward. Let us be clear that this fic predates that movie title drop by five days or so.
I can think of four scenarios thanks to the movie title:
1. Rey and Kylo are now somehow related (her being the main character) ohhh boy…. All those smut fics out there…*ugggg…*
2. Rey gets adopted… Less cringy, but WOW! Nope.
3. Luke or Anakin is going to come back to life. Yay! (I hated how Luke was treated in the last movie. Redemption is needed, please and thank you. Anakin is my favorite guy, so yep.)
4. Kylo and Rey get married. And since Kylo is a Solo strictly speaking… I am not holding my breath.
So I am officially declaring this fic AU. If Rey and Ben are related, I may not go beyond that. Because… nope. Nope. Incest is not wincest. Too weird. But beyond what I have already written, I am not working on this anytime soon. I will post up to chapter 6, then I am out. We will see about further developments until after the movie is released.
Chapter 1
Rey woke up with her head pounding in pain. Opening her eyes, she winced at the bright glare of the light overhead. Her right leg was aching. As she moved to cover her eyes with a hand, she discovered that her wrists were bound. A spike of adrenaline shot through her. She sat up with a start, looking down at her tied up wrists.
She cast a look around. She was a rudimentary camp of some sort. A fire pit had been set up. She was under a slanted shelter made of ship hull, branches, leaves, and vines. She looked around, trying to find a way to undo her wrist bindings. She soon discovered that her feet were tied up as well.
"With our beacons dead, the fleet will have to comb every square centimeter of the solar system," a garbled male voice said nearby, "It'll take a few days for them to find us."
Rey tensed up as footsteps came towards her. Through the trees, two humanoids clad in black approached the camp. Her stomach plummeted when she saw the familiar helmet design of one of the men.
"Did you salvage anything from the communications system on the X-wing?" Kylo Ren asked his companion.
"No, it was as wrecked as the rest of the ship," the other man replied, "Frankly, I'm surprised she survived the crash. Speaking of which."
Kylo's goon pointed at Rey. Kylo's helmet turned towards her. Rey's eyes fell upon the hilt of her weapon hanging from his belt.
"That's my lightsaber," she said tersely.
"It didn't belong to your grandfather, scavenger," Kylo replied.
Kylo knelt at the base of the firepit. Rey reached out with her hands, willing the lightsaber to come to her. But the Force did not heed her will.
"Don't bother," Goon said, "Your Force connection is severed."
"What?!" Rey shot a glare at the goon.
"It's temporary," Goon replied, approaching her.
"Call it a precaution, scavenger," Kylo said.
Kylo used an igniter to start a fire. Goon walked around the pit and knelt next to Rey. She flinched away from him as he reached for her.
"Call me crazy, but I don't think she likes us," Goon said jovially.
"You're a goon of the First Order," Rey spat, "I wouldn't let you touch me with a ten meter pole!"
"Look, Rey, we're not going to hurt you," Goon held up his hand, "I need to check the wound on your leg. Unless you want the poison bite to kill you?"
Rey looked down at her leg. A makeshift bandage was wrapped around her ankle. Goon pressed his gloved hands to the bandage, slowly unwrapping it. The wound made her queasy just looking. Pus and blood flowed out of the small area.
"What did you do to me?" Rey demanded.
"I injected you with a midichlorian numbing agent," Goon explained, "This bite was here when we found you. Your ship was crashed and some kind of snake was trying to eat your foot."
"So naturally, you put more poison in my body," Rey replied.
"Couldn't risk you causing trouble," Goon shrugged.
The fire came to life, filling their shelter with smoke. The goon continued to tend to Rey's wound. She groaned as he put some stinging agent on the open wound. Then he rewrapped the area in fresh bandages.
"Well?" Kylo's asked.
"It's better," Goon replied, "Not infected yet. She'll be fine once we get her on a ship with a medical bay."
"I'm not going anywhere with either of you," Rey said.
Goon looked at her, his helmeted face gazing at her. Even without the Force, she felt him evaluate her carefully. The idea of this man controlling her fate made her skin crawl.
"You don't get a choice," Goon stood up, "You're a prisoner of war. Luckily, you're a valuable one."
"You can torture me all you want, I won't betray the Resistance's secrets!" Rey sat up.
She scooted away from the two of them. Both men watched her, neither saying a word.
"You've been unconscious for two days," Goon finally said, "You ought to drink some water."
He picked up a canteen and tossed it to her. Rey watched the container fall at her feet. She glared at it, reluctant to take anything from these monsters.
"You won't do yourself any favors by refusing it, scavenger," Kylo said, "You can't fight if you die out here. And you're no good to us dead. So save us all the trouble and drink the damn water."
Reasoning (reluctantly) that Kylo was right, Rey took the canteen and drank. Growing up in a desert, she knew how important staying hydrated was. Goon and Kylo both seemed satisfied with this and went back to having a conversation between themselves. Light grew dim and her stomach began to growl. The fire beckoned her with its heat. But pride kept her away from her captors and in her corner of the shelter.
"That cave ought to make better cover," Goon said to Kylo, "Now that she's awake, we might be able to move her."
"And the poison won't spread?" Kylo asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Goon shrugged, "But I'm not too keen on staying out here one night longer with those predators out there."
"You're right on that point," Kylo crossed his arms.
"Hey! Does the First Order feed its prisoners?!" Rey yelled.
Both men glanced back at her. Goon walked on over to a bag and dug out a ration bar. He tossed it to Rey. She unwrapped the bar and hastily bit in. Kylo and Goon kept talking on their side of the fire.
While they chatted on, a large dog like creature came up to the fire. It was as large as speeder bike, with red eyes, black fur, and an animal hanging out of its mouth. Rey stiffened as the large thing walked up to them. Neither of the men made a move to even look at the animal. When its red eyes stared at her, her hair stood on end.
"What you got there, boy?" Goon finally looked at the creature.
The wolf dropped the animal at Goon's feet. Kylo rubbed the wolf's head with his hand, speaking softly to him.
"What's that supposed to be?" Rey asked.
"That's just Ebon," Goon picked up the mangled creature, "He's a Dark Wolf and he's not dangerous… to us anyway."
The dark wolf circled around the fire, looking at Rey. As he got close, she could not help but stare at his sharp teeth. He pressed his muzzled to her, sniffing her. She tried to remain still. If she acted like prey, it would treat her like prey. Ebon sniffed her and gave a yelp. Then he licked her face.
"Ew," Rey wiped the slobber off her cheek.
Goon broke out laughing. The wolf sat next to her and stared at her with his tongue panting.
"She can't be all bad Ky," Goon said, "Not if the wolf likes her."
"Just hand me a knife, Riris," Kylo said.
The two of them worked together, skinning and preparing the animal for cooking. Riris made a bad joke or two. He seemed… too jovial for the First Order.
"Too bad Kintara isn't here," Riris said, "She'd have that wound healed up in no time."
"You mean Zadi Ren, Riris," Kylo shot at him.
"Zadi Ren. Sure. Zadi would have Rey fixed up in no time. Oh, sorry. She would have the scavenger fixed up in no time."
"Call the prisoner whatever you want," Kylo said.
"Thank you, Supreme Leader."
"Can it or I'll realign your nose."
Riris gave Kylo a mock salute before skewering chunks of meat on a stick. The meat slowly cooked through, making Rey's stomach growl. Even with a full ration bar, she was craving protein.
When the meat was cooked, Riris and Kylo pulled off their helmets. Kylo's face was still the same sharp angled profile she remembered. Everything from the large nose to the scar over his eye. Riris had a squared up jaw, fair complexion, and stubs of brown hair over his head. Riris spotted her staring at them and gave her a sly smirk.
"Curiosity killed the Gundark," Riris said.
"Just remembering who I'll be describing to Resistance Intelligence when I get home," Rey replied.
"Don't bother," Riris said, "Ky and I know some of those people better than you."
"You act as if your leader is your friend," Rey observed.
"Best friends, scavenger girl," Riris bit into a chunk of meat, "We grew up together."
"I didn't know Kylo had friends," Rey said, "I heard the Sith don't like attachments. It makes them weak."
"I'm no Sith, scavenger," Kylo said, "No more than you're a real Jedi."
Her face tensed at Kylo's insult.
"Ouch," Riris flinched, "Not the best way to make a new friend, Kylo."
"I wouldn't be his friend in a million years," Rey said darkly, "Not when he's wasted his potential."
"At least I'm not looking for something in you that doesn't exist," Kylo replied, "I also know a good deal when I hear one."
"Turning to the Dark Side was too high a price," Rey said.
"No said anything about the Dark Side, scavenger," Kylo said, "I recall saying that we should let the old ways die. It was our path to restart. You could have had your place in the new order if you had just been able to look passed your naiveite."
"By betraying my friends!" Rey retorted.
"You could have secured them clemency," Kylo said, "Save one or two. Skywalker deserved his fate."
"He died saving us from you," Rey said, "The effort killed him…"
"It was about time he got back into the fight," Riris said, "That coward."
Kylo shot Riris a look, then glanced back at Rey.
"You're better off without him," Kylo said.
"He wasn't going to kill you that night," Rey insisted, "He told me it was a mistake. He regretted it."
"Really?" Kylo asked, "Just like he regretted not telling me about my grandfather until I was twenty-four? Or how he had no trust in me? Or how he would rather kill me than face my power? How he had less of a problem killing his nephew than facing the idea that the great Luke Skywalker created another Vader? He cared more about his ego and his Order than his own family."
"It was because it was you that it drove him into hiding. He went to the island to atone. To die for what he did. He wanted to let the Jedi Order die."
"That's irrelevant," Kylo's eyes flashed, "What he did was run to save himself. He abandoned his family to run off. Just like the coward he was. It was something he had in common with my father."
"Han Solo was a good man!" Rey spat, "Until you killed him! At least he still cared about you! He didn't abandon you! He came back!"
"To try and turn me back," Kylo said, "He couldn't accept me anymore than the others. You're right about one thing. He wasn't a coward in the end."
"No. Just a man trying to save his son," Rey said.
"Snoke wouldn't have let us turn against him, even if Kylo wanted to," Riris chime in, "That shriveled old alien was actually trying to train us to oppose each other. Kylo and I had to pretend to be rivals for years. It was exhausting."
"I've never heard of you," Rey said.
"That's because the Knights of Ren don't make themselves infamous on purpose. We prefer our anonymity."
"Good job," Rey replied sarcastically.
"Look, Ky and I joined the Knights after the Jedi training went… bad," he said, "A few others followed Kylo after Master Skywalker tried to kill him."
"Master Skywalker didn't-"
"Doesn't matter, Rey," Riris's face fell, "He turned his weapon on one of his students. On his own nephew no less. When the duel started, we had to pick sides. Some of us chose Kylo, the others didn't. We became renegades and outlaws for murder. We left the planet and found our own way for months. The Knights of Ren picked us up and offered us new lives and identities. Kylo and I learned fast. Within a year, we had impressed the leader enough to be named successors to him if he died… Unfortunately, he died a few weeks later. We heard about the First Order being built from the remnants of the empire. Kylo became Snoke's apprentice while I ran the Knights of Ren in Kylo's stead. The prune actually had me training behind my friend's back, gearing me up to take his place. The old man just wanted Kylo to kill me in a showdown and as a test of loyalty. It was the oldest trick in the Dark Side book."
"Riris has a loud mouth," Kylo said, "But he's right. We took the path open to us. I fought my uncle to defend myself. The fight broke out until every Jedi was dead or no longer a Jedi. My friends and I found a new purpose."
"What happened was a tragedy, but why did you damn your friends to a fate of darkness?" Rey asked.
"Wrong," Riris shook his head, "Kylo is the wannabe Sith in our band. Kintara, Mug'zuwi, and Irvdar still study the Force. I study both. Only Kylo wants yellow eyes and dead skin."
"Under my rule, Force Wielders can study how they choose, provided they follow my laws," Kylo said, "It's the best fate for them. They're not restricted to one doctrine, nor are they forced to train if they have no desire."
"And we can have girlfriends," Riris said, "The 'no attachments' bit was almost too much for me to swallow. You'd think with the rarity of Force users, we'd want to create a new generation of Force Wielding kids."
"The Jedi stay unattached to remain neutral," Rey recited, "It is so they can dedicate themselves to the study of the Force and to maintaining balance."
"And if my dad or Kylo's grandfather swallowed that mantra, neither of us would be here," Riris said.
"Pardon?" Rey asked, "Your father?"
"Riris Ren is my title under the Knights," Riris said, "My name is Kenta. Kenta Marek. Galen Marek's only son."
Rey's eyes popped.
"Your father started the Rebellion," Rey said, "He fought for it during the war."
"Well, Darth Vader screwed him over. Twice. You couldn't blame him."
"And now you helping destroy what he fought for!"
"Look, Dad had his reasons to hate the Empire," Riris said, "But the Republic was just as bad the second time around as it was the first time. Too much corruption in the hands of people. Deadlocks, chaos. No real semblance of Order. The Empire was a messed up system too, but there was room for improvement."
"The First Order is no better! You kill people for no reason! You exploit planets! You enslave the populations of worlds! You invade without any remorse! You're killing machines! You built another planet destroying weapon and killed five worlds!"
"You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet. Look, we don't like it any more than you do. But the First Order needs to take control before it can be reformed. Once your Resistance is dealt with and we gain control of the Outer Rim, we can start the reset. And it was Snoke and Hux's idea to use Death Star III. Stupid idea, really. It wasted so many resources for a big gun that just got blown up."
"And killed billions of people," Rey added.
"That too," Riris shrugged, "But our hands were tied with Snoke. He was too powerful to oppose."
"You could have," Rey hissed.
"Yeah… We wouldn't be welcome back home. Not after what happened at the Temple. And we can't take control of the First Order until-"
"Enough," Kylo said darkly.
Riris shut his mouth.
"Take control?" Rey asked in surprise, "But you're Supreme Leader…"
Rey looked at the pair of dark siders. Riris looked down at his food with far too much interest. Kylo gave his friend a dark look before returning his focus on Rey.
"I have the power I need now that I'm free from Snoke," Kylo said, "And I have you to thank for that, Rey. I owe you a debt. That's why I'm willing to forgo your execution and give you another chance to join our cause. Your powers would be put to good use under the First Order."
"I'd rather die," Rey faced away from him.
"That doesn't do us any good," Riris said.
Rey laid down, rolling away from the fire and the Knights of Ren. The Dark Wolf curled up near her, providing a bit of welcome warmth. The men discussed who would take first watch. Kylo gave in to Riris and agreed to get some sleep. Secretly, Rey tried to move a stone near her bed with her mind, but it refused to heed her call. As long as she did not have the Force, she could not fight the pair.