Chapter VII

Self-Renunciation

Kylo inhaled the sweet scent that still lingered on the pillow.

He had never been more pleased to wake up in his bed. Her scent engulfed him as he lay there breathing in deeply, forcing him to remember the dreams that plagued him at night. He had been dreaming of her often. How she would feel if he touched her, how it would feel like to run his hands through her chestnut hair. The need to touch her, even for a second, was beginning to drive him mad. Pathetic.

He sat up abruptly running his hands over his face and then scratching the back of his head in frustration.

Each dream was different in its start, but each ended the same way. She would be by his side sharing his powers and fighting alongside him. And then the scene would change, and he would be holding her in his arms. Her warmth and light spreading through him. In his dream, he welcomed the light as part of himself. Not as his old self Ben, but as his other half. Her.

Deciding not to dwell on it, he got up from his bed, dressed himself, and went on with his day.

The endless and pointless meetings that Hux had planned for him to attend, went on forever. Trying to focus, Kylo's mind kept drifting off. She was distracting him from just simply focusing on his daily tasks. And it was really beginning to annoy him. He finally decided that taking his frustration out in combat was the best solution to his problem. When he got the chance, he escaped from all his mundane duties as supreme leader.

Destroying the last droid in the training set Kylo huffed in annoyance. The sessions were becoming monotonous and were not helping him advance. He had already commissioned for stronger training droids and was waiting for the day that he could test them out.

"So, rumor says your keeping a pretty little girl as your prisoner."

The sound of Marius's voice echoed through the room breaking Kylo's thoughts.

"That's none of your business Marius." Kylo snapped, turning to look at the knight.

"Well I just wanted to know if the rumors were true." Marius smirked reaching for the lightsaber that was clipped to his belt.

"She is not my prisoner." Kylo responded turning his back to Marius.

"Oh! So, you do have a girl locked up somewhere aboard this ship? Well I would love to meet this pretty little lady that has you bending backwards."

Kylo turned sharply, narrowing his eyes. "You stay away from her or I will kill you."

Marius stepped forward, continuing his tirade.

"Wow. Master of the knights of Ren. In love. She must be very beautiful. I wonder if she would like me?"

Kylo charged at him with a flurry of attacks. To his chagrin Marius parried every move. Every. Single. One.

"I must have hit a soft spot! I didn't know you would be so protective over this girl? This isn't like you, Kylo."

Kylo side stepped as Marius's lightsaber crashed down upon him. Kylo grabbed hold of Marius's lightsaber and attempted to twist it out of his grasp. He proved to be stronger than Kylo anticipated, and instead was able to reverse the hold knocking Kylo's cross guard lightsaber out of his hand.

The lightsaber fell with a clatter.

Laughter erupted out of Marius. "If she could only see you fight, she would choose me."

Kylo roared in anger as he charged, calling his lightsaber back and swinging down on Marius. This time with a fierce anger pushing him forward. Sweat poured down both of their faces as they continued the fight.

"You know, you should give your title to someone more deserving." Marius threw out as he feint an attack.

Kylo's lightsaber collided against Marius's lightsaber over and over again. He landed a good few blows but was leaving too many openings. Marius saw an opening and took it. Swinging up he sliced through Kylo's tunic, not deep enough to kill or cause severe damage but just enough to create a thin bloody gash from the top of his right thigh all the way across his chest.

Stumbling back Kylo dropped to his knees and looked down in disbelief.

"You are weak, you've always been weak." Marius ground out struggling to stand.

"You think that just because Snoke took you in, that you're special. You are nothing. You will always have nothing and you will always be nothing." Marius smiled, blood mingling with sweat as it ran down his face. He grabbed Kylo by the front of his tore tunic and yanked him closer to his face.

"When you fall, I will be there. I will have her, standing by my side. I will have her in ways that you never will."

Marius's words resonated in Kylo's mind, flooding him with a coldness that left him completely empty. Before Marius could react Kylo used the force to crush his windpipe and then threw him across the room. Grunting from the pain Kylo tried to keep upright as he half limped to were Marius was laying, struggling to breathe.

"Unlike you who waits to progress, I just kill and take."

The pain finally hit him when he laid down on the cold medic bed of the infirmary. The gash across his chest was sending pulsing pain signals to his brain. It was almost unbearable, but he fought back the need to make a sound when the droids began to stitch his wound together. He began to go in and out of consciousness.

Kylo.

Her voice broke through the haze of pain. He took a moment to breathe, he could not let her hear how vulnerable he would sound, how weak and in pain he felt.

Im busy.

Your in pain. I can feel it.

Im fine.

Stop lying. What happened?

Nothing.

Stop being stubborn. Are you at the medic bay?

Yes.

How did you get hurt?

Training.

I see.

He decided to change the subject.

Have you thought about my request?

Yes. I've been thinking.

Thinking?

I have conditions.

Go ahead.

If we...become united, then I want access.

Access? To what?

To everything.

No.

Then you can forget about it.

Kylo snorted. Fine. What else?

No more lockdowns. I can go wherever I want.

The agreement was for you to never leave.

On the ship I mean.

Fine. Anymore requests? I'm a bit busy here.

One more question. Would we…. share the same bed?

Kylo jerked up from the medic bed knocking the droid working on him over and pulling his fresh stitches open. He fought back the need to yelp out in pain but instead bit down on the back of his gloved hand. After he composed himself he answered her.

No. It's not that kind of marriage.

Ok. Then I will do it. For Finns freedom.

Good. We will proceed with the marriage in two days.

So soon?

I don't want you changing your mind or trying to escape with the prisoner.

I won't. As long you promise to set him free.

You have my word.

Kylo had always been used to pain. During his shadowing with Snoke, he would undergo rigorous and oppressive torture and use the pain to his advantage. Pain was reality to him. It made him remember who he was and what he was fighting to become. Grandfather.

When Kylo's eyes finally opened, he jolted out of the bed and the memory of the injury he sustained from Marius came crashing back.

"Oh, finally your awake." Hux's said with annoyance.

"How long have I've been asleep?" Kylo asked struggling to sit up on the medic bed.

"12 hours. You missed Six meetings and One speech that you had scheduled for this morning." Hux reported scrolling through the data pad.

Kylo rubbed at his throbbing head.

"Where's Marius?" Kylo growled.

"Marius? He is at the commissary with the girl."

"What?! How did he get in to her quarters?!"

"I don't know Supreme Leader, No one saw him go in."

"I want that knight locked up in the detention cell and the girl brought to me!" Kylo roared.

"Yes. Supreme Leader."

AN: Thanks for all the support. Hope you are enjoying it so far. I hope everyone is excited for the roller coaster reylo marriage!