A/N Thanks for your reviews, guys! They made us so happy and helped us writing the next chapter sooner.

So, now we would like to introduce you the 2nd chapter of "Bound by Stars".

Please, read and enjoy!

Bound by Stars

Chapter 2

Seventeen years had passed since that day. Princess Rey grew up into an unutterable beauty. She had long brown hair that reached her ankles. Her face was always shining with a brief smile, while her eyes reflected the kindness of her heart. But most of the time she had to look very serious and thoughtful.

King Obi-Wan remembered the fairy's words, so he decided to make sure that the Skywalker dynasty would never take his beloved granddaughter away from him. Of course, the girl didn't know about being adopted. When princess was still a little child, king Obi-Wan took another orphan girl in and raised her up as a princess as well. The old ruler had done it only to confuse the others. No one in his and other kingdoms knew who the real princess was. For everyone they were sisters, but only king Anakin – the fearsome Darth Vader – knew about the only girl, destined to be his grandson's soul mate. Unfortunately, he had no clue what's the princess's name was and how she looked. The sudden appearance of the other girl only added more throbbing to his already aching head.

The old king even took two brave boys and a girl in, who were his royal generals' children, so that both princesses were always under their protection. Their names were Poe, Finn and Rose. Those kids grew up with Rey and Phasma like they were their siblings, but at the same time they were their personal bodyguards.

And so, one day, king Anakin told his twenty-seven years old heir.

"The time has come for you to take what is yours, Kylo."

The prince smirked coldly in response. He loved being acknowledged by his grandfather. The name Kylo Ren was given to him not for nothing. During those seventeen years he had been practicing his swordsmanship skills and won lots of battles. Prince Ben became a great leader, a fearsome commander of his own army of six elite warriors – the Knights of Ren. But also he couldn't skip the title of being the most wanted and enviable groom, all thanks to his great looks and aloofness, that usually made softhearted princesses lose their minds the moment they met him. It was not like he was interested in them, actually. The young royal heir had no free time for love affairs. He had had a great goal in his life since he was ten years old. His whole life was based on the only thing he had to do to please his king – to avenge their name and make king Obi-Wan regret his words.

"That old man will pay for humiliating you and me, my dear grandson. Go and bring that princess here and make her cry for forgiveness!"

King Anakin was sitting on his throne and grinning like a madman, clenching his fists. He didn't even notice his wife entering the throne room.

"There is no need to worry, my king," the young man bowed in respect to his respectful grandparent. "I will take that girl away from our enemy, but how will I do it, when there are two princesses? How will I know, who is the one I need to kidnap?"

King Anakin averted his eyes in a deep thought. His desire of revenge was so blinding that he forgot about the little detail concerning two girls. The most optimal option was kidnapping both princesses, but it was not in the Skywalkers' style. They were not some bandits after all! But then again, if they get the wrong girl, everything would turn out being futile in the end.

"Investigate!" the queen raised her pointing finger up.

"My queen," the king exhaled in surprise. "How long have you been standing there?"

Queen Padmé walked to her grandson elegantly and put her hand on his broad shoulder, trying to look up to catch his eyes. He was much taller than her.

"You'll go there and find out who your princess is, and when it happens, you will take her with you as she is yours already! And there will not be any crime by doing so because it will be legal!" the queen explained, ignoring her husband's previous question.

Prince Ben looked attentively at his grandmother for a few seconds, before a light smirk appeared on his handsome face. Queen Padmé returned his cheeky smile with a sly one.

And king Anakin started laughing mischievously, acknowledging the perfect plan his wife had suggested. A second later the prince joined him in their little moment of triumph.

OooooO

He dressed up like an old stranger and approached the royal garden, where two princesses were having a duel. The sight surprised prince Ben to no limits. He couldn't imagine girls having heavy swords in their tiny hands. Such picture was beyond his understanding. But none the less, it was what he was witnessing right now. Two royal ladies were fighting each other in a beautiful yet dangerous dance of swords. The taller girl had the upper hand in the fight, but the dark-haired one was more flexible and that ability helped her to end the duel in a draw.

Both girls smiled, crossing their swords, and then started to laugh.

"You got better!" the blonde exclaimed, hiding her weapon in a scabbard.

"Thanks! But it's still too heavy for me. I wonder if there are swords as light as a feather," the shorter princess whined, examining the hilt.

"Actually, there are," prince Ben thought, imagining his beloved red light saber. His grandfather told him that only those, who had royal blood in their veins, could use light sabers. The prince had lots of opportunities to make certain of that fact. No one of his elite Knights of Ren could even touch the mysterious laser weapon, which was indeed as light as a feather comparing to classical forged swords. King Obi-Wan was an old a sly fox. He could have taught his granddaughters to use light sabers, but then it would have been too easy to spot the real royal blooded princess.

He stood by the iron-shod gates, when one of the girls noticed the stranger. She walked to him and asked about what he wanted in a polite manner. The girl was still flushed after her training and her breath was still rigid. They were separated just with a mere fence, and their eyes locked for a brief moment. This girl was truly beautiful! She had brown hair, flipped on her shoulder in a long braid and there was a kind smile on her flushed face.

"I want some food, my child. I'm a wanderer and I haven't eaten for several days," he answered hoarsely, hiding his eyes under the wide brim of his hat. He couldn't let his disguise be ruined.

The girl smiled broadly and said in a friendly tone.

"I will bring you some food, uncle. Wait here!" and she was about to fulfill her promise, but someone's stern tone interrupted her intentions.

"I will bring him the food myself, Your Highness. Why don't you go and join the others?" the person in the light shining armors bowed to her, never leaving his cold gaze from the stranger.

"But Poe…" she pouted and fell silent, receiving a warning from her knight. With a deep sigh of defeat the girl headed to the castle.

When she left, a stoic young man spoke.

"It's a private territory. You are not allowed to come near. If you are hungry, go to the main gates. There is a special service for wanderers like you, where you can eat and drink for free."

With those words, the knight turned and walked away.

Prince Ben followed the man's retreating figure with a cold stare. But he didn't get upset with the failure of the operation. He knew that it wouldn't be so easy to get into the castle. King Anakin insisted on this plan concerning cross-dressing into a stranger, making queen Padmé roll her eyes several times. But as a wise woman, as she was, she didn't argue with her husband about the absurdness of his plan. That day she asked prince Ben to join her to the garden to watch the stars. The prince loved his grandmother very much and couldn't say "no" to her request. That evening they sat in the picturesque royal garden and watched the dark sky, that was shining with millions of diamonds. He adored watching the stars, but it was his little secret he didn't tell anyone about, because he thought that it was silly for a grownup man to get captivated by the beauty of the night sky.

"When you see that playing a stranger is not helpful anymore, find an old maid Maz. She is your grandmother's loyal servant and she is a reliable woman. I have already informed her about the possibility of your appearance in Coruscant Kingdom. She will help you."

The queen said calmly, watching the sky. Her grandson turned to look at her in surprise. He had no idea that they had a spy in the enemy's castle.

"But why do you think that grandfather's plan won't work?" he asked eagerly. It was beyond his powers to imagine the possible failure.

Queen Padmé sighed lightly and tuned to face her grandchild, looking him in the eyes with a half-hidden smirk.

"Call it a woman's intuition," then she smiled kindly. "Besides, it's always easier to enter any society if you are a woman, dear."

Prince Ben received a knowing wink from his queen. He couldn't get enough of getting impressed by his own grandmother. She had so many tricks and spare plans hidden up in her sleeve. This woman was a true legend. No, his both grandparents were true legends, each in their sphere.

"And Ben," she called him, ruining his train of admirable thoughts, "I know that you follow your grandfather's wish to avenge our name. I don't think it's a bad thing, but…"

"But?"

Queen Padmé smiled sadly with a corner of her lips and took his large hand into her tiny ones.

"The princess you are going to kidnap is a girl after all, and you are a royal heir. Please, think about your manners and how princesses should be treated by princes. Don't be a barbarian, grandson. It has never been popular among sweet gender. She is your soul mate, after all."

With those strange words, she stood up from the bench and kissed her grandson on the forehead lovingly before leaving him alone in the garden to sort out his thoughts and feelings.

Prince Ben recalled their conversation after a failure. So, he decided to find their special spy in this castle, that worked for Naboo Kingdom for who knows how long.

And the prince found her. Maz was a servant in the royal kitchen. The woman was odd and she was always in some urgent hurry, but she managed to find a way to get him into the castle. There was princess Phasma's 17th Birthday in three days and thanks to that hectic time Maz got prince Kylo (she knew him by that name) into the castle as her distant relative's niece. The kitchen was short of free hands and they needed any help they could find for the feast. So, the prince wasn't the only newbie in the castle.

But.

In order to stay unnoticed he had to…

…dress like a girl.

That was the main required condition Maz had voiced, before rushing to the other side of the kitchen again.

That moment the prince recalled his grandmother's words about the conveniences of being a woman.

With a very deep sigh, that could have choked him, Kylo Ren put on the invidious maid's uniform and a blond wig with two thick braids on each side of his head.

Of course, now he couldn't get recognized as a man, but as a woman he looked far too suspicious with being that broad in the shoulders and that tall in height.

"My main goal is worth of humiliating myself by dressing like that," the royal heir thought with arising irritation, when he looked in the mirror. "That princess will pay for everything I have to go through because of her!"

Two weeks had passed. The prince sat at the kitchen with gritted teeth and washed the dishes at night. Of course he hated doing such things, but he understood that he had to do it in order not to be revealed. Every sacrifice he had made was to avenge his family's name and see a satisfied smile on his grandfather's face.

It had been two weeks, since he arrived at this castle, and still he couldn't find out who the real princess was. Everyone treated the girls like both of them were true royal blooded sisters.

Kylo sighed in frustration. He was sick and tired of pretending. He threw the cloth away, stood up and walked out of the kitchen and into the night royal garden.

He wanted to find the girl as soon as possible and put an end to this story. The young man looked up in suffocating annoyance. The night sky was breathtakingly beautiful. Millions of stars were shining from above, sending him their shy smiles that irritated him very much right now. He wasn't in the mood to be taken in by the magical view the sky offered.

The prince frowned. How long had he been here? He didn't want that stupid girl at all! She was a child in his eyes. Well, both of them were. Princess Phasma looked more matured and stoic, but she still was a young girl of seventeen years old. Princess Rey was more interesting to watch. She always had that rebellious spirit that bothered her knights to no limits, but she had never done anything, that could make her grandfather upset. Aside from that, the prince was on the edge of losing his cool. All he wanted was to make king Obi-Wan regret his words! How dared he humiliate his grandfather and him and call them irresponsible!

The young man turned his head in annoyance towards the main building of the castle only to notice a strange scene. A dazzling girl with long loose hair was standing at the balcony only with her white nightgown on. No, not at the balcony but on the handrails of it!

Kylo's dark eyes widened in amusement as he recognized who the girl was. It was princess Rey! But what was she doing up so late?

Meanwhile, the royal maiden was looking at the full moon and smiling. Of course he couldn't see that the princess's eyes were closed and she didn't know what she was doing.

But the next thing she did shocked the prince to half-death.

She made a step forward and was about to fall down from the railings, opening her arms in a welcoming gesture to the moon. Her balcony was located on a ground floor, but it was still very dangerous to collapse on a rough surface from that height.

Not remembering himself from shock, Kylo rushed to the falling beauty and made it just in time to catch her in his arms. The impact caused him to fall on his knees and hit his leg in the process of saving the insane princess, but he didn't pay attention to the pain in his body. With a great sigh of relief, the prince threw his amused gaze on the person in his arms.

Was she indeed insane? She could have got smashed or seriously injured! What was she thinking by doing so careless things like jumping off from the balcony?!

The Skywalkers' heir placed his angry and shaken at the same time gaze on her face only to get another portion of bewilderment.

Princess Rey half-opened her dreamy eyes, which glowed like the moon in the night sky, and looked at him with so many emotions that he couldn't even name. The only thing he knew: no one had ever looked at him as tenderly as this girl was doing right now. Her hand appeared on his smooth cheek and caressed it gently with a long thumb. Her palm was so soft and warm and her unexpected caresses made him feel really weird.

Her melodic voice reached his ears as if he was being in daze.

"Oh, my beloved destined soul mate! I have finally found you! Where have you been all this time?"

Her words startled him to no limits. He didn't have much time to even consider her words and think about their meaning, as her next actions almost made him lose his mind, literally knocking the ground out from under his feet.

She cupped his face with her small palms and pulled it down, pressing her cashmere pink lips to his mouth eagerly.

Never in his life had he feel so vulnerable like he was now. He had never been kissed before, to his shame. He was twenty-seven years old, but he had never had any romantic relations with anyone. Well, he had no time for that in the first place, as his main goal was achieving excellent results in swordsmanship and becoming a great warrior just like his famous grandfather was. So, he had no time for playing with women. But… but this new sensation of her lips on his mouth wasn't that horrible as he expected it would be.

Unfortunately, his mind was too overloaded with thoughts and remembrances of his life to be able to register, what had just happened and what he had to do next. Thankfully, the second question disappeared from the list itself, as the girl broke the innocent kiss abruptly and with a light melodic sigh she became limp in his arms. She fell asleep as if nothing had happened at all, laying her head on his broad chest, where his heart was pounding like crazy.

Her breathing was slow and steady, while his was rapid and loud. Her sleeping face was peaceful and a brief smile was playing on her lips. Her calm expression could mean only one thing – she got what she wanted and now she was happy. This Rey was a very cruel princess!

Kylo gritted his teeth and tried to exhale slowly. It was still hard to breathe, as the realization of their "provoking moment" started sending the alarming signals to his brain. That girl! She…she had just stolen his first kiss! How in the world could it have happened?! He didn't plan to fall a victim of her innocent ways of affection! She was a spoilt girl – a child and his enemy's granddaughter! He planned to mesmerize his so called soul mate with his own charm, and when she fell for him, he would make her cry and suffer from lack of attention. He would make her beg him on her knees to give her just a little single peck on the cheek. The plan was perfect! Grandfather Anakin was the best, when it came to such cruel strategies of ruining one's psyche and making them miserable. And Kylo would enjoy seeing her that pathetic and dejected…ha-ha-ha…

But… look at him now!

A bid of sweat appeared on his temple.

How could it even happen that the one, who was miserable and lost right now, was him?! It wasn't a real kiss, was it? If to think properly, it was just a touch to each other's lips…NO! To his lips, for crying out loud! It was an impingement on his moral foundations!

For the most ridiculous reason, he felt as if he was deprived of something very precious to him. And the thief was the girl, who was promised to him by the Stars, and whom he had been planning to kidnap the longest part of his life. But the one, who robbed him of his senses, was his destined soul mate!

Then it clicked.

The prince's eyes widened in great comprehension. This very girl, he was holding in his arms right now, was his destined soul mate. Her words and actions were the main proof. And… And she had just stolen his first kiss…

Unbelievable!

"How can I be so weak? I feel so ashamed of myself!"

Prince Ben shook his head to get rid of noisy thoughts, summoned all his willpower and forced his shocked self to lay the maiden on the grass under the giant oak-tree carefully. And it was a good choice because a second later he heard approaching footsteps and voices. He made another quick glance at his destined princess. She looked so serene, that it made him feel aggravated. She was sleeping like a baby without a care in the world, while he was losing his sanity because of what she had just done to him!

Right now there was a double feeling in his chest towards this princess: a part of him wanted to despise and hate her, but the other part was longing to touch her and never let her go.

His heart ached with despair for some unknown reason, and Kylo didn't like it at all. He lost his cool and it was dangerous in his situation.

The royal heir jumped on his feet, ignoring the pain in his leg, and dashed away from the place where the "crime" had been committed as quickly and gracefully as his long skirts could only allow it. He hid in the kitchen and tried to catch his breath, promising himself to forbid long maids' uniforms in his castle, since it was almost unreal and unsafe to walk, while being dressed like that, not mentioning running.

Soon the prince could see two of the royal knights, who found their princess on the ground. Their faces showed worry.

"Oh no! It happened again!" the knight with black skin whispered anxiously, taking the princess in his arms like a bride. "Rose, go and tell Poe about it. I'll bring Her Highness to her room."

"Poor princesses Rey. Take good care of her, Finn. I'll get Poe. Who could ever think that it would happen to her again after two weeks?"

Kylo heard their every word but couldn't concentrate on the information he had just learnt. His memory was playing back the accident that happened five minutes ago. He couldn't calm himself down as hundreds of new emotions rushed through him.

And that kiss… His fingers trailed the line of his mouth, trying to remember princess Rey's warmth and scent. Her kiss was still burning on his lips like a fire. And it felt… amusingly pleasant.

He didn't know what to think anymore. It was too much for one night.

The only thing that he knew for sure was…

"Now I know who my princess is…"

And a smug smirk conquered his lips.

A/N So? How was it? ^^ we hope you liked it as much as we do. Please, let us know your opinion by leaving your comments below! Thanks a lot for spending your time reading this story! We will update as soon as possible!

Till the next time!