Sooooooo, I'm new to this. This one I just plucked out of my brain and started writing. There's another two parts after it if ye like it. Spoilers for The Force Awakens inside. I don't own the characters or anything so this is just a typical disclaimer. No triggers as such in this one just viciousness! Hope you enjoy it! xxx
When she stood on that balcony, she was usually greeted with cheers and celebrations but not today. Instead she was faced with thousands of worried and frightened human and non-human faces. Samani ignored the eyes boring into her back from the room behind her and held her head up to defy the intimidation. "My friends." She began solemnly, her voice carrying despite the frail little frame it came from. "Only a few weeks ago, we witnessed a great triumph for the Resistance..." The air shifted behind her and she stopped momentarily but she was determined to keep going. She'd been told what to say but she wouldn't say it, not as straightforward as they wanted at least; regardless of the consequences. "Unfortunately, even with their dreadful weapon destroyed, the perpetrators of the attacks on the Republic have survived." Panicked murmurs erupted and Samani used it as a moment to choose her next words carefully for when they died away. "They are here. You have seen the Stormtroopers, you have seen the ships. They are among us. They are making demands of us. Of me." One child's face stood out to her. That picture of innocence would haunt her in the days, weeks, months, years to come. The ones that would suffer most at the hands of this terrible regime. "Our home is next. My uncle..." Discomfort rippled from behind her. "Has volunteered us as a base for the loathsome First Order to regroup." The anguish and pain in the crowd slowly seemed to morph into outrage and fury as the news sank in. "He has torn up our neutrality! My uncle has not only offered up your home but also your princess..." Her people had found their voices. Hisses and roars of indignation and frenzy greeted her words. Normally, she took no pleasure in seeing her people angry or upset; quite the opposite. Her family had always taken pride in keeping their subjects happy and peaceful.
Their outcry now was proof of a loved monarchy. "Yes, your princess!" She continued with a new passion in solidarity with those below, feeding off the energy. "I am, as of a few moments ago, betrothed!" Her hands gripped the stone balcony ledge until her knuckles were white and her demeanor subtly became more aggressive. "To one of the remnants of the First Order!" The wind seemed to pick up as Samani's speech grew more intense, whipping around her and catching her dress as she spoke but it didn't drown out the protest from below. Rather it carried into the hall behind her. "Let me be absolutely clear, my friends! This means NOTHING! This betrothal is NOT a sign of cooperation with their goals! This is purely for your safety! For you and your children! So you can enjoy the same freedom that you always have! If it means that you can exist as you always have, I will do it for YOU!" There was more outcry. Mostly from the men while the women (most of whom had children) looked back at her for more reassurance. Samani knew in her own mind that she could not guarantee anyone's safety. That was her reason for this address. She needed to rile them up to protect themselves in case she couldn't. The First Order were weak now but they wouldn't stay that way. They would regain strength and when they did, they would overpower her. "For the record, I was not a consenting party in any of these decisions! My hand and my home were given without my consent! But it is my duty and my priority to serve you and your best interests first!" It seemed she had stirred something within them. Even with her father barely cold in his tomb, her people would be her first priority as they had always been.
"If I believe there is an abuse of power, I will do all I can to reign it in! So my friends, the next time you see my uncle, be sure to express your displeasure. I love you all." Samani left it there and exited the balcony on a high to the raucous howls of support and defiance from below. With her people firmly behind her, she turned on her heel and stalked back inside where her uncle, her maskless fiance, his ginger General and a pair of Stormtroopers were waiting. Samani went to stride past the pair without a look at any of them but her uncle clearly didn't hadn't read her mood. "Samani!" It stopped her in her tracks and despite the length of the train of her dress; she whipped around to glower at the eldest of the three males. "Do you hear them?" She asked in a low and dangerous growl, advancing slowly and pointing to the still open balcony door where her people were still making themselves known. Duke Bantok, the princess' uncle and her father's younger brother had sent her to the balcony to make the address and announce the engagement, assuming her shy and timid self would come through as always. He hadn't expected her to publicly denounce him and his plan with venom. "You did this to them. You did it to me. You brought them-" She cast a wicked look at the man clad in black slightly behind her uncle and his group. "Here. And we will NOT take it lying down." Samani stared him down, loving that she was making him crumble; it showed in his face. "When I am queen, by him-" another vicious look was cast at the other man who watched her with interest. "Or otherwise; all responsibilities will be lifted from your shoulders." She let it sink in and turned to resume her stride to her room. "Shortly followed by your head, uncle." And just before she disappeared: "Long Live The Resistance!"
Kylo Ren had lain in the snow for some time before the small medical team found him at General Hux's orders. In that time and during his transport to a hidden medical facility, he replayed the battle in the woods. The flash of the sabers, the whoosh as they swung and the sparks that erupted when they clashed seemed stuck on a loop even in his unconscious state. When he woke and began his arduous recovery, his injuries drove him for revenge. The course of this revenge began to take shape when they received a transmission from one of the few supporters left on a planet by the name of Rosunda. Closer examinations of the planet made it seem almost too perfect. Close to a sun, plenty of natural resources, a recently deceased king. An ideal place to start rebuilding a new Empire. The only thing holding it all together was a much loved princess due to be made queen. Duke Bantok was a small, ratty man. He fidgeted often and shifted from foot to foot with anxiety but he had provided them with a lifeline. One would barely suspect he was such a calculating and devious politician. Kylo Ren, General Hux and Duke Bantok gathered around projections of the planet while the Duke explained its strengths and weaknesses. The pros seemed to far outweigh the cons. Especially when the projection took the form of a petite young woman with gentle facial features and long dark hair, all wrapped up in a long, regal dress. She was beautiful.
"Control the last royal and you'll control the planet." The Duke had finished saying while Kylo Ren tore his eyes from the projection. "Her mother died when she was born, a devoted queen which is why Samani is so precious. Her father died only a few days ago." He didn't offer details there. "She's timid and gentle; you won't have problems with her." "But she's just a princess." General Hux protested, immediately seeing a flaw in the Duke's proposal. "She needs to be a queen to make the changes we need for this to be successful! She needs a marriage of royal blood for that to happen!" The Duke didn't answer. Instead, he addressed Kylo Ren directly and bypassed Hux. "If the rumours of your parentage are true, your mother was a princess. It's not ideal but it's enough." Ren looked to the projection again. This opportunity was golden. Not only would he have an outlet for revenge and the perfect planet to base it from; he'd have this magnificent creature at his side to achieve it. "It's perfect. She's perfect." Ren spoke for the first time in the Duke's presence, dark eyes still locked on the projection of the princess. "I'll do it." There was a moment of silent agreement between the three men before Ren spoke again. "Will she protest?" "I don't believe so." The Duke replied after some thought. "She's quite timid, you see. I haven't seen her since her father died. She's been locked away in her room; now is a good time to do this. While she's still weak."
Weak. That was the word her uncle had used. Looking at her now, she was quite the opposite. She had burst into the room with a violent dominance that almost made Kylo Ren question if this was the same woman as in the projection. She ignored him as she strode past him and her uncle to make her address on the balcony. He could hear every word from her and every panicked murmur, outraged cry and roar of support at her passionate speech. Control the last royal and you'll control the planet. He saw it now. They hung on her every word. No matter what she asked them to do, they would do it. She had reduced her uncle to a bumbling mess with one look and the promise of an execution with it. This woman wasn't timid and she certainly wasn't weak. The two looks she shot at him while threatening the Duke were the closest he'd gotten to an interaction with the princess and they weren't even for him. They were to drive home a brutal point. When she disappeared, Ren stared after her. "Weak and timid?" "She... She's... Her father..." It wasn't an answer but Kylo Ren knew what he was trying to say. Her father's death had changed her. So had his. He hesitated for a moment then took off after her, despite the tangled protests from the Duke. His heavy, booted footsteps echoed along the stone corridors while he searched for that fiery pulse in the air. He hadn't seen much of the palace since he arrived but the more he saw, the more impressed he became. Everything was made primarily of stone but various artwork and tapestries were scattered at random intervals and carpets of unknown origins warmed the floors. Every few feet a large torch was bolted to the wall but with daylight still pouring in from the many windows, they were extinguished. With the day starting to fade, they would surely be lit soon.
Eventually, he felt her on the other side of a robust oak door. Her pulse had slowed now but she was still simmering. He debated whether or not he should go in there. If she attacked him, he'd retaliate without intending to and with more force. He was still unstable and he didn't want to hurt her. It wouldn't be a great start, after all. Kylo Ren came to a decision and decided to take a chance. With a black gloved hand on the iron handle, he pushed down and in to a large, lavish bedroom. He found her in a second. On a wooden, throne like chair near the window with her elbow on the arm and her hand covering her face. She could have been asleep. There was silence for a moment before she broke it and not in the way he expected. There was a sigh, like a breeze of cool air on a hot day. "What am I going to do?" It was quiet, solemn and desperate. Her hand fell from her face to reveal those gentle features that had hooked him. This was the woman from the projection. He saw her up close for the first time without rage dominating her expression. To describe her was to describe splendor. Though she didn't seem to indulge in expensive jewels or ornate jewelry, her dress was long and hugged her curvature in all the right places. It was a deep purple, almost as if to subtly remind him that shewas royalty and she would not yield that. She had the soft, pale facial distinguishes of a princess that he remembered from stories long ago; those lonely eyes were the same colour as the slate under their feet and her hair, dark as his robes, kinked and curled in various places. It would have looked chaotic on anyone else but she had it strangely ordered.
He remembered those stories. The beautiful princess forever captured by a witch or a monster or some sort of villain. But she was always rescued by a handsome prince. He doubted he was that prince. He was the monster that would keep her locked away. When she didn't receive an answer, she looked to the person who had opened and closed the door, expecting to see a servant or a maid: a friend. Instead, she saw the man clad in black with that dreadful helmet until his arm; the one her uncle had called Kylo Ren. For a very brief moment, she remained unchanged. If anything, she looked up at him with even more desperation and helplessness. It didn't last. In the next moment, she had eased herself to her feet and stared him down with the same rage he'd seen her unleash on the Duke; the quiet kind, like a snake that could strike without warning. When she spoke, it was low and deadly like before, enough to make him feel like he was being pricked with white hot pins. "How dare you encroach upon me like this." It was a nasty sort of coldness. Even though he was significantly taller than her, it in no way lessened her intimidation. The daring steps she took towards him too gave him cause for concern. "You realize this is the first time you've spoken to me? Looked at me even?" He asked, holding his ground though he was mentally mapping the door behind him. "I was hoping to abstain from that for a lot longer." Was her vicious response. When she stared him down, he could see the hatred. He decided to take a different route. "You don't know enough about me to hate me, princess." He had underestimated the situation.
"Do not tell me what I do and do not know!" She snapped, suddenly. "What do you know?" It was like poking a bear. Was he trying to prove he wasn't a bad person? One word was all she needed. "Jakku." Before he could respond, she seemed to pace aimlessly around the room but she never left her eyes leave him. She was determined to unravel him as she had done her uncle. He was trapped. She had him exactly where she wanted him but she took no pleasure in it. "I listened to the SOS transmissions from Jakku. I wept at them." What was colder, her voice or her stare, he couldn't decide but she sounded like she was about to crack. "We were about to send a fleet to aid them when the line went dead. So my question is: are you going to stand there and tell me you did not give that order?" His silence was guilty. "Men, women, children, elderly and disabled. You slaughtered them all because someone did not have what you wanted?" She gave him another opportunity to defend himself. Nothing. She knew more than he have her credit for. "It must kill you to think that I can reach out and touch my birth right any time I choose while you must slave every day in a vain attempt to try and prove yours." She was whittling him, hitting him where she knew it would hurt. "Darth Vader-" "Was a murderer and a disgrace to the lightsaber." The princess cut him off vehemently, her hatred seeming to intensify. "As are you." He couldn't stop himself. Before he had time to calculate his actions, his hand shot towards her and gripped the air in front of him. A seemingly harmless action but the princess would have disagreed. Samani's hand lifted to her throat at the tightening sensation while the other gripped her vanity table. It was over as quickly as it begun and it ended with him scrambling towards her to help her. "Get away from me…." She hissed weakly at him, eyes watering and pain strong in her voice. She shoved his hand hard off her arm and turned on him like a wounded animal. "GET OUT!"