As Elara dressed and prepared herself for her training, she let her mind wander. She thought mostly of Kylo Ren and his reaction to seeing her naked and couldn't help but laugh as the scene replayed in her mind. I suppose he's sort of handsome, in a dark and brooding way. She quickly shook off this thought though. Ever since Elara was a girl, she knew that she would have to one day wed a wealthy lord in order to keep the royalty on Volik pure, and she had been taught from a young age that there was no room for love in the life of a queen. She had seen her fair share of suitors and had her fair share of intimacy, but she remained guarded so as to not develop any romantic feelings for any of them. Still she smiled at the innocence of the masked man. A man who had killed countless people seemed like a child when faced with a woman's body.
Focusing now on dressing, a laugh crept back into Elara's throat as she held up the clothes that Kylo Ren had brought to her. She emerged from the room wearing a long sleeved black shirt (it was form fitting, but was admittedly the most modest thing she had chosen from the tailor) and matching cargo pants. A trooper was waiting for her and, without a word, began to lead her through the halls to Kylo Ren's chambers. Surprisingly enough it was not a long walk, but it felt like a century to Elara, who had grown extremely nervous about her training. What would we even be doing? What could he possibly teach me about something that was apparently so natural? Her thoughts were interrupted by the metal door in front of her sliding to the side and the trooper motioning for her to enter. She did as she was told, heard the door hiss closed behind her, and began surveying the room around her. The room definitely matched the man; dark curtains hung over a large window, the bed was messy and made with black sheets, and an open book rested face-down on the nightstand. Elara also noticed that, to her dismay, the room was devoid of any life except for herself. She made her way over to the window and pulled back the curtains, standing in awe for a moment at the beautiful view of the system they were near. A swirling blue planet was closest to them, with thick clouds covering its surface. Elara made a mental note to demand a room with a view when she saw Kylo Ren, wherever he was.
Walking back to the bed, frustrated that he would disturb her and not show up to his own room, Elara sighed and sat on the edge. After waiting for a few minutes in silence, she scooted up onto the bed entirely and lay down, pulling the thick black comforter over her. This bed was definitely more comfortable than the one in her room, so she made another mental note. She wanted a bed like this. Soon her eyes drooped and sleep crept over her, and right before she fell asleep she felt a slight twinge of remorse for putting her wet hair all over one of Kylo Ren's pillows, but it was gone as soon as she fell asleep. She wasn't sure how long she had been out, but she woke to the sound of a shower being turned on. Realizing she was still in Kylo Ren's room, she briefly considered doing what he had done to her earlier and barging in on him while he showered, but she figured that she should be more polite than he was. After all, she was a guest for a known killer and really didn't want to push her luck. She lay in silence until she heard the water stop, and when the bathroom door slid open, she propped herself up on her right elbow, facing the door.
Kylo Ren emerged, a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair sticking down to his head. He seemed surprised to see her awake and facing him, because he jumped slightly and began to blush again. Elara admired his build silently as he quickly went to grab his clothes. He was muscular but not extremely defined, and Elara felt a smirk rise to her lips before he retreated into the bathroom again. He walked out a second time, this time wearing a black t-shirt and black cargo pants like the ones she wore, and ran a hand through his long hair, causing it to spike up at odd angles. He cleared his throat and gestured to Elara, "I can see you've already made yourself comfortable."
"Well, you did leave me alone in here for god knows how long, so I figured it would be the best way to pass the time." She shrugged. He gave no response as he approached the bed and sat crosslegged across from her, instructing her to do the same.
"Okay, I, um, want you to sit like this with your hands resting on your legs and palms facing up, right?" Elara obeyed, letting her body relax. "Now close your eyes."
More hesitantly this time, Elara did as she was told, slowly letting her eyes close.
"Open your mind. Focus on the space around you. The Force is everything, from the air you breathe to the blood flowing through your veins it controls and lives through everything. Reach out with your mind and feel it, try to focus on one specific source the first time. Try finding me, it shouldn't be too hard to do, feel that fire inside of you and reach out with it until you feel it touch something."
Elara was confused, but tried to do what he instructed anyway. She reached down into that fire inside of her and was almost swept away into it; it crashed into her and surrounded her, swirling and raging and burning around her. She flinched instinctively and bit her lip, trying to focus on controlling the fire. Her brow furrowed and she grunted in frustration, the fire still storming around her. The slightest brush of fingertips on her forearms barely registered in her mind; the fire was still raging and consuming her, a blur of reds and oranges and yellows blinding her and burning her, and still she tried to tame it. She was completely lost in it now, however, and she struggled to stay present. Firm hands pressed to the sides of her face and a voice called out her name over and over again, and her eyes flew open, instantly meeting a pair of dark brown ones.
Kylo Ren's.
Her rigid body went limp all at once and she fell forward into him, letting out a small gasp. He caught her and lay her down again, pulling the blanket up and over her shoulders and mumbling some soothing words to her. Elara's eyes remained wide open, but he coaxed her to close them and go to sleep, gently rubbing her back to calm her. She drifted off quickly and fell into a very deep sleep, Kylo Ren's presence comforting her and his low voice lulling her to sleep.