A/N: Hey guys! Hope you enjoy! ^^

Chapter Nine

The emperor offered her to say goodbye one last time. To watch Poe and Finn leave. She refused, it would've brought painful memories. Of her mother abandoning her in the desert, to never come back for her. Yet she did not trust Kylo enough to not make sure they left the castle safely.

They were dragged roughly out of the old building and then pulled towards the port that the castle overlooked. True to the Emperor's word, they were unshackled on the boat that was assigned to take them back to Tatooine. The storm soldiers watched as the boat left port. Free to make their own mistakes, as the emperor eloquently said.

It was soul crushing, they were the only people she cared enough about to call friends and yet she had to say goodbye so soon. She hated it, being left alone the feeling of isolation.

"Never doubt my word." a voice from behind her stated softly, she didn't turn around. Her eyes fixed on the boat as it sailed away in the distance. Rey felt him come very close behind her, he didn't touch her. Thankfully, but she could tell he was tempted too.

"Why do you deny your destiny?" his voice laced with quiet frustration. "You seem to think yourself a slave."

She shot him a hot fiery glare at that. "Well, you tried to buy me at the slave market. I am a slave." Rey quickly reminded him of the time he first caught her.

His black eyebrows rose up at. "I didn't actually. I informed them who you were, they were just releasing you into my care."

Rey knew he didn't have a reason to lie really, he hadn't lied before. Her heart was so heavy she just didn't care at this point. Her eyes went back to the port, listening to the waves that crashed against the rocks.

"Command me." he stated softly.

She slowly turned her head to look at him. His dark eyes gazed at her with a fierce intensity, his black cloak blew against the wind softly.

"Give me your desire," his voice a soft whisper as he gently took her hand in his. "and I will fulfil it."

If he had asked her this yesterday, Rey would have spitefully told him to fling himself off of the balcony. But truthfully his death would give her no pleasure. Her chances to travel to the island had completely disappeared, the important key of her family's past. She understood that she wanted to remember having a family, to be loved as a daughter should be.

"You are a mage," she said in an emotionless voice. "Could you retrieve my memories?"

The emperor looked sincerely disappointed in that request, it made her believe it would be a mistake to trust him with her mind before he spoke.

"I'm sorry, I cannot." he answered quietly. "It was a curse that stole your memories. The only one who can give them back is the one who stole them. Unfortunately there's an element of permanence with dark magic."

So it was literally because he couldn't?

"...Are you saying that I'll never get my memories back!"

"You will."His fingers delicately stroked her cheek with his gloved hand. "Your mind is strong. I will do everything in my power to get them back. Maybe if you're surrounded by familiar things some of your memories will come back to you."

He said this so sincerely that Rey wasn't sure what to feel about that declaration. Were he Finn or Poe she would have confided that she already started seeing flashes of her past. But the emperor was not them, he wasn't her friend and she wasn't sure if he ever would be.

"What do you know about my family?" she found herself curious if he'd reveal much.

A small smile drifted across his lips. "A few things. Your family had a small manor home in Naboo, not that far away from the palace. Your mother Katala is part Mandalorian from your grandmother's side. Your father Dayne was a trader from Coruscant."

He was telling the truth but she just couldn't remember a thing.

"When did they die?" she found herself asking, her curiosity seeping through.

The emperor's mouth went into a grim line. "Your father died when you were five, by a hunting accident. I do not know how your mother died." he stated honestly. "But you must have been fifteen when my men found her dead."

She felt overwhelming sadness at that and almost slightly afraid to ask her next question. "Do they have a grave?"

"Of course." The emperor answered her like it was obvious. "Queen Leia had a small crypt built for the Kenobi family, your parents are buried there."

A small silence drifted between them, she wanted to ask him but was afraid he'd be cruel and refuse. Rey felt his gloved fingers brush against the edge of her jaw and tilted her head to meet his eyes.

"You have a request I can tell, don't be afraid to ask." his voice was soft.

Rey bristled and pushed his hand away with hers. "You know where they are buried. Would you take me there?"

"Of course, that will be the first place we will go in Naboo." he seemed relatively pleased at her request, although his eyes seemed to brim with sympathy. "If that is what you desire."

She felt like she had nothing else to lose now.

"Yes." Rey firmly said without emotion.


Reyana had deathly silent throughout the entire journey. She barely spoke a word to him, though he knew that was to be expected. She was still as a statue, staring into space. Her lovely but sad hazel eyes finally gazed out of the carriage window watching the beautiful countryside of Naboo. It was almost like she was in mourning.

He'd prefer her to be angry and snap at him if it made her happier. Yet the emotions that ebbed from her being seemed to be of nothing but tiredness and sadness. Like she was tired of caring.

'What do you expect?' he asked himself bitterly. 'She was forced to send her friends into banishment, Reyana feels completely isolated now.'

She made the right decision for her friends, the other available punishments were far less lenient. Reyana would be far more unhappy if her friends were imprisoned or lashed. He gave her the choice.

'Reyana needs your patience.' he told himself as he stared at her miserable looking form. 'Her entire world has been brought upside down.'

All of a sudden Reyana's eyes brightened in interest as she gazed up at the sky. A rather adorable curious expression emerged on her face. Kylo glanced out of the carriage window to see soft, gentle snowflakes drifting down from the grey skies.

Hm, seems in all the excitement Kylo had forgot that winter was arriving in Naboo. He needed to remember to tell the servants to fetch extra amount of furs for Reyana. She may find dealing with the cold a lot harder after spending years in the desert.

"Do you remember seeing snow?" he carefully asked her.

Reyana looked surprised that he spoke, well they have been silent for so long but eventually she did answer him.

"No, I don't." Her hazel eyes not moving away from the white flakes in the sky.

"When we were children, we used to play in the snow in the palace grounds." he recalled fondly. "You used to like building castles in the snow."

"Really?" she asked incredulously raising an eyebrow.

Inwardly he cursed the person who stole his beloved's memories. The book that detailed the curse revealed that the process of taking memories was extremely painful for the mind. It was a curse that his own grandfather never considered using, he slaughtered his enemies without remorse but they died as themselves, not mindless husks.

He remembered the large snow covered castle grounds, rosy red cheeks. The air so cold they could see their breath. Reyana dragged him over to help her make her castle bigger.

"It's hard to imagine a warlord ever used to frolic around in snow." Reyana stated this bitterly, under her breath. Her eyes shooting a heated glare at the hills.

"And what do you imagine what I was like as a child?" Kylo quickly asked an amused smirk plastered over his face and barely retained his sarcasm as he continued his questions. "That I kicked puppies? That I tortured servants for amusement?"

Reyana gave a small shrug, not really looking at him. He rolled his eyes slightly, sighing slightly to regain his patience.

"You can't be this naive." he muttered despite himself. "It wasn't like I woke up someday and said to myself I wanted to take over the world. It was a decision I made over time."

"Naive?" she hissed, her blazing eyes locking onto his. If looks could kill, he would be dead ten times over. "No. I've met men like you before. Men who believe that they can get whatever they want by brute force." Reyana crossed her arms, slinking back into her seat. "You think that you're the only man who has tried to take me? No. You're just the first to catch me."

"Who?" he asked infuriated. "Who hurt you?"

"They tried. When they realised I was more trouble than I was worth they left me alone, or Plutt stopped them."

Anger rushed through his veins, not at her. Never at her. He felt rage that she had to live vulnerable to the prey of those barbarians. Yes, Reyana never was a weakling but one wrong moment makes can outwit anyone.

But begrudgingly he could see her point of view. In her eyes of course Kylo would look just like those barbarians ready to gather a desert flower such as herself to pluck for their pleasure. She couldn't remember him as anything else. She must think he was simply biding time to abuse her.

"There is a difference between them and me." his voice was much softer than before. "I will never harm you."

She avoided his gaze, her fingers gripped the leather at the edge of her seat.

"We'll see." she mumbled softly.


The carriage stopped at the black iron gates of the crypt. A very reasonable sized plot of land for a noble house, Rey observed to herself. The snow had rested against the ground and the trees. An eerie mist hovered over the ground slightly, it unnerved her slightly.

The carriage draw to a stop at the black iron gates that surrounded her family's crypt. Rey observed it to be a very reasonable size of land for a noble house. Snow had now rested on every surface, an eerie mist hovered over the ground making the surroundings look otherworldly.

A storm soldier clicked open the carriage door and gently helped her out.

"Would you like to be alone or do you want someone to go with you?" the emperor asked her.

"I want to be on my own." Rey said firmly.

She felt like she needed to be alone here. Secretly she hoped that this place would trigger some memories, if that were to happen Rey wanted that in privacy.

"I'll be here until you're ready to leave." the emperor stated. His expression seemed a mixture of disappointment and understanding.

The storm soldier then opened the iron gates with a moaning creak. Quietly but briskly Rey entered, a sombre feeling engulfed her as she walked down the stone path that lead to her family's crypt.

A fairly large triangular shaped statue rested between the gates and the crypt. Bold words carefully carved in stone read: For the people who perished in the Stewjo- Faint snow covered the rest. This was not the only statue, they marked against the ground like graves, perhaps they were. Rey could only assume they were for people who died in the rise of Vader.

Her hand clutched against the cold golden handle of the large wooden door and pulled it open. She looked down as the door creaked and saw stone steps that lead into complete darkness. A whoosh of cold air breathed past her face. Exhaling slightly she stepped into the darkness into the crypt without a second thought.

It strongly smelled like damp, it made her nose recoil. Her eyes did not adjust to the darkness as she descended further down but just when she started to consider going back up to get someone. A single solitary light lit up.

One after the other, the lanterns that hung against the stone walls lit up. Their flames a very light blue, magic seemed to ebb from them.

Rey realised she was in the shadow of a large statue. The statue of a man with a beard gracing his face, hood over his head. The flames from the lanterns revealed that its eyes glinted, two blue jewels were the man's eyes.

Carefully carved in the stone underneath the statue, words read: 'For Obi-Wan Ben Kenobi, Lord of Stewjon, Mage of Light. Beloved father and friend. May he never be forgotten."

There was a small bit of irony in those words. Rey never met her grandfather, he died well before she was born. She only knew him from tales, from what San Tekka told her and what other travellers stories about a hermit who taught The Lost Prince magic.

Along the dark corridor another smaller statue stood. This time of a woman with long hair, a figure of a peacock laid at her feet. The details of her dress engraved into the stone made Rey believe she was a noble woman.

Bold letters read: 'For Satine Kryze Kenobi, proud Mandalorian and Lady of Stewjon. Beloved mother, sister, daughter and friend. May she never be forgotten.'

The emperor mentioned that her grandmother was Mandalorian. It was fairly obvious that it was her, the statue was at an angle where the two statues were looking at one another distantly. Slightly symbolic of their relationship in real life.

Underneath the written words of the statues, there seemed to be a small dry space. Withered up dead flowers laid there as did two unlit candles. Rey hadn't dared to try and use magic since the incident at the slave market, but it felt familiar. Like she had to light them.

Focusing her mind on two of the candles, they flickered alight. A soft herbal smell drifted past her nose, a pleasant change from the horrible damp. A sharp searing pain pinched the edges of her mind, she quickly clutched her head gasping slightly.

This place seemed familiar. It was. It was familiar. But she couldn't recall anything.

Rey in small frustration continued down the corridor. Her heart stopped on seeing two stone coffins, lying side by side.

It was them she realised sadly. Her parents.

Under one coffin it read: 'Here lies Dayne Kenobi. An honourable man, beloved husband, friend and father. May his remains rest here and he never be forgotten.'

The other coffin read: 'Here lies Katala Kenobi. Beloved wife, friend and mother. May her remains rest here and she never be forgotten.'

Kylo buried her mother after he got the throne. She didn't like him much but it was decent of him to lay her mother to rest next to her husband, in the same crypt of her family. Rey had heard stories of him carrying the ashed remains of his enemies around, she'd thought…

Her mind still pulsed in pain slightly, it burned her slightly. When she felt the pain, the more aware of the energy of her surroundings came and morbidly she realised that she could sense her parents remains in their tombs. That made her feel disturbed.

Perhaps it was naive hoping that at least one memory would crash down on her mind coming here. She knew with certainty that she had been here before, yet she could not recall a single memory to back it up. Rey tried despite the aching headache putting pressure on her mind, it only made her feel frustrated. Her mind blank.

Rey cried, at first her tears were born of frustration but then transformed into ones of sorrow. Feeling like she was truly alone in this world. She felt truly foolish to expect her memories to flood back to her.

She wasn't sure how long she remained in the eerily quiet crypt but eventually her tears dried, her eyes feeling slightly puffy. Begrudgingly she made her way back up the stairs, each of the lanterns going out as she did so. She closed the door with a sigh, noticing that the only light that remained in the darkness was the flickering candles that Rey ignited herself.

She notice the warm sun would soon set behind the snowy hills of Naboo, that she could see in the distance of the cemetery. Naboo really was beautiful, so beautifully different from Jakku.

The cold air kissed her skin, despite everything she felt a tiny bit of relief. She didn't regret coming here even if it didn't bring her any answers.

The emperor leaned against the gates, acting statue like patiently waiting for her to come out. His black attire made him stand out in the background.

A small smile drifted against his lips but his eyes seemed unsure of himself.

"Are you all right?" he asked his voice gentle.

"I don't remember anything, if that is what you mean." Rey snapped defensively.

His smile was gone and he raised his hand. Rey flinched slightly despite herself, his leather gloved hand caressed her still wet cheek. He pulled her gently against him to embrace her. "That wasn't what I asked." he stated knowingly.

Rey felt too tired to fight back, she let him embrace her. Feeling his hand stroking her hair.

"I will help you get your memories back Rey, whatever it takes." he promised her sincerely.

The declaration gave her a small smile that she hid against his chest, despite everything. Even if she wiped it away a second later.


It was a frightening journey back to Tatooine, the boat so small in size had to ride against the stormy waters back to the port again. Nevertheless both Finn and Poe managed to make their way back to the Desert Lands again.

Poe looked greatly relieved when he saw the orange sands of Tatooine and whipped out of the boat faster than Finn could blink.

"Oh land! Finally!" he muttered loudly to himself touching the sandy ground, earning strange looks from people passing back. "For a moment there, I was sure I wasn't going to see this place again!"

"Didn't think you liked the Desert Lands so much." Finn muttered watching Poe with his arms crossed.

"I don't." Poe muttered wiping the sand off his hands with his shirt. "But I'm starting to fucking hate the ocean."

"We need to find Han Solo." Finn stated firmly. They owed it to Rey to find him.

"Assuming he's still here," Poe said standing up. "We need to search bars first."

"And if he's not in any of them?" Finn asked.

"There's at least one person in Tatooine with a loose enough tongue to talk." Poe gave a small shrug.

The area around them became deathly quiet, Poe frowned looking at the merchants scoot away from them. Two large men, much larger than both of them blocked their path. The path was narrow and lead to a busier part of the city.

Finn glared up at the men who stared them both down.

"Hey, yeah could you move over?" Poe asked politely enough.

"We need to talk to you." one of them gruffly told them.

The one next to him clamped his thick hands over both their shoulders. "Or rather she wants to talk to you."

The man dragged them both back, the other man had his hand on his large knife. Finn could see a rather small woman coming up to them both, a group of three or four men followed her.

She was unusual looking, wrinkles decorating each part of her tanned skinned face. Golden-rimmed spectacles with lenses that made her eyes look much bigger than they were. Finn wouldn't have guessed that she would be the leader, compared to the men she was with. She was tiny.

The woman seemed to adjust her spectacles, her eyes surveying them both. Finn and Poe shared a baffled look.

"You two are thieves." her voice sounded slightly accented, cutting very clear. "I wasn't expecting you back."

"Thieves? We-"

"So you didn't steal my perfectly good fishing boat?" she cut through Finn's voice.

Realisation dawned on them both. They did steal a small boat from the harbour, that was floating in the port. That boat must've been hers.

"Listen we're sorry." Finn immediately said. "We did steal it, it was a-"

"Where is it?" the man whose hand was clutched over their shoulders asked.

"...It kind of has been…destroyed...by the emperor. It's probably in splinters at the bottom of the ocean now." Poe confessed a little too job.

"Right...why would the emperor of all people destroy Maz's-"

The woman gave her man a look. A look that a grandmother might give to a child that's stepping out of line. Immediately the man silenced. Her mouth wrinkled into a thin line.

"All right, you two tell me your story. It better be the truth and it better be good."


Reyana looked around their home in reluctant interest. Her beautiful eyes gazed around the grand décor of the palace. He'd have time to give her a tour later.

A servant was kind enough to fetch her a fur cloak, it draped around her bare shoulders and arms a pure white in colour that trailed behind her.

He lead her into a very large empty dining hall, paintings decorated each wall, staring down at them both. Reyana gave him a confused look. Uncomfortable at their isolation.

"Rey," he said his eyes gazing on her fondly. "I think I should teach you some magic techniques."

"I'm not learning dark magic." she quickly snapped.

"You need to learn the basics first." Kylo said equally quick, brushing off the topic of dark magic. "How else will we be able to spar?"

She considered that for a moment, he didn't have to dip into her mind to tell that she wanted to fight him in the future. He was confident that would not happen.

"What would you teach me?" she finally asked.

"We can start with elemental magic." he said with a smile.


A/N: I've wrote a little bit of lore for the world this is set in. Which will perhaps be brushed upon next chapter. Next chapter we're going to be seeing more characters, I'm particularly looking forward to writing one character in particular. Who's personality and views are interesting at best.