Happy 10 Chapters Everyone! haha I'm having so much fun writing this story for you all and I'm loving you telling me how much you're enjoying it! Thank you so much for your lovely reviews and follow and favs!
Again, I didn't get everything I wanted into this chapter because it was starting to run a bit long. Plus I'm really looking forward to the next part and i didn't want to cut things out just to squeeze it in here.
After this chapter is uploaded, I'm going to change the name of the story so again, it's the same story. Don't be alarmed, please come back and read more when it changes. Thank you everyone!
Kylo retreated to his chambers as quickly and subtly as he could. Rey using his strength to escape was going to weaken him so he needed to get to privacy as soon as possible. Hux had left with the Knights to ensure the capture of her. He had insisted that this task was below the duties of the Supreme Leader. Kylo knew why he'd pulled rank, the task was below Hux's station also but Hux was so transparent in his glee at being able to apprehend the last Jedi unsupervised. It had irked Kylo to let it happen but what could he do without raising suspicion. Besides, he knew that Rey could handle someone as feeble as Hux. When he got back to his chambers, he took off his mask to take ragged, deep breaths, as if it were he that was running for his life. He sat down slowly, he was starting to feel drained. She had been running since his meeting with Hux, between overseeing the plans for their departure and going over orders to apprehend Rey and only Rey, by this point Rey would have been running for hours.
"Thank you." He heard her cut through his thoughts. Her voice ragged like his breathing.
"Don't thank me yet. You're on your way to be taken prisoner by the First Order." He told her.
"To save the Resistance. Thank you isn't enough." She said quietly. "Do you really think they'll lose without me?" She asked him.
"I don't know to be honest. They survived before you, they might not need you as much as they think they do." He told her. He was trying to make her feel better about leaving. It was the only way she'd be able to save them, if she stayed, they'd be killed on the spot. This way, they at least had a chance. "They won't survive now if you don't get further away from them." He said.
"I know but I'm tired. And so are you, I can feel it." She told him. She wasn't wrong, he was exhausted.
"I'm fine. Keep going."
"They'll be here soon won't they?" She asked him.
"Yes. Not long now." Kylo felt a sudden heave in his chest as Rey channelled him to burst off into a brutal, last attempt sprint. The sudden depletion of energy caused Kylo to fall back onto his bed and all he could do was lay there panting as Rey used up every piece of him.
He was still trying to convince himself that this was a good idea. Letting the Resistance go was starting to sound insane and to say that Hux was angry about it was an understatement but Kylo outranked him. Rey said 'please'. She had begged him and he did it for her. It was a rash decision, he'd been making a lot of them recently where Rey was concerned. What was he even going to do when he got her here. He was Force bonded to her now, that was serious. If she died now, it would leave him with an empty wound inside him that would never heal and he was barely hanging on as it was. She didn't know this of course. And he wasn't going to tell her because there was only one way he could see out of this. Rey would have to kill him.
She was as strong as him, she could deal with the Knights of Ren and Hux would be nothing. With him gone, she'd achieve everything she wanted, the Resistance would win, she'd save everyone she loved. He was the only thing that stood in her way and he wasn't going to tell her that severing the bond like that could have serious consequences. This is what needed to happen, she'd be doing him a favour, it was the only way out of his misery.
"They're here. I can feel them." She said finally. His eyes snapped open. He hadn't realised that he'd even closed them. He felt her stop running and he used whatever energy he had left to focus on seeing her. Her cheeks were flushed pink and her hair had fly away tendrils around her face. She saw him too, and from the look on her face he must look terrible. He focused on her surroundings, she stopped in an open expanse of grass and flowers and saw the familiar shuttle descending from the sky to her location.
"Rey!" Both Kylo and Rey turned at the familiar voice.
"Poe!" Rey screamed. "No! What are you doing?!" Dameron came bursting through the foliage towards her and she ran to meet him before he broke the treeline.
"What are you doing?!" He screamed at her. "How could you leave us like that?!"
"I had to! Please! Go far away from here!" She begged him. "Please I have to do this." Kylo tried to remain calm, any outburst of emotion from him might give his presence away to the Knights that were en route.
"Rey" He got up and walked over to her and put a hand on her arm. "If he doesn't leave now, he'll die. You've to be captured alive but I can't guarantee that for anyone else."
"Please Poe. You have to leave. NOW." Her voice was filled with panic as the black First Order shuttle came closer.
"I'm not going anywhere without you!" Poe shouted.
"Please trust me" Rey begged him. They looked at each other for a moment. Kylo stood watching them, hoping the pilot wasn't as stupid as he seemed.
"What are you talking about?! Are you insane?! You're not going anywhere!" Rey put her on Poe's face and smiled at him. Poe seemed to calm slightly. Kylo balled his hands into fists watching them.
"Poe. I'm sorry." She waved her hand at him and Poe fell unconscious to the ground. "I have to get him out of here." She grabbed Poe's ankles and dragged him into the trees. She looked at Kylo, her emotions wracked with guilt.
"You're doing this to save them Rey."
"I know." The huge shuttle came in to land kicking up the wind around her. She stood facing them, strong and steady.
"Rey. I have to leave you now." Kylo said to her quietly.
"I know." She said. She didn't look at him now, she was watching the shuttle in front of her open up and Hux came strutting out into the field grinning. He wanted to stay with her but he had to leave now.
Poe jumped awake. He knew exactly where he was, he was on the Falcon, in Rey's room. He wasn't confused, he knew what had happened, he had no memory loss. And her was furious. He leapt off the bed and picked up a chest that sat at the end of the bed and launched it against the far wall. He stormed out into the ship's old corridors and came face to face with the Resistance's entire crew, cramped into the ship's main hold.
"Where is she?" He yelled. Everyone turned to look at him, their faces a mixture of fear, surprise and anger.
"She sold us out Poe!" Ziff declared. "She told them where we were and left with them. I told you! I told you she was bad news!" Poe darted right at the pilot, his hands out to grab him by his collar. He raised his fist to hit Ziff when Finn grabbed Poe by his arms pulled him backwards.
"Enough!" Leia shouted. "They were coming for her, if she hadn't left they would have gotten us too. So you should be thankful for her Ziff." She told him angrily.
"She's probably working with them! Why else would she leave with them willingly?!" He said back loudly, trying to make sure the rest of the crew heard him.
"Rey would never work with Kylo Ren!" Poe shouted at him. "Tell him General." Poe waited for Leia to reiterate his statement but when nothing came he turned to look at her. "Leia?" She looked at him sadly.
"Poe, we should talk." She looked at the crowd watching them. "In private." Leia held out her hand to lead him away from the crowd. They had started to mumble amongst themselves. He could hear what they were saying. They thought Rey was a traitor. They she'd given their location to the First Order. That she was working with Kylo Ren. She wasn't. She couldn't. She had been hiding something from him though, was this it? That she was going to betray them? No. Leia knew her secret and she wouldn't have kept this. Leia lead him back to Rey's little room on the ship and she closed and locked the door behind them once they were inside.
"What's going on Leia?" He demanded.
"Rey didn't betray us. I just want you to know that." She started.
"Is she working with him Leia?" He asked. No more stepping around the subject. Leia pursed her lips, she doesn't know what to say Poe thought. His stomach dropped.
"Not working with him, no." She said finally.
"Then what?!" He snapped. Leia came in to comfort him.
"They have something. Something special. They're not working together but they're not against each other either." She said still making no sense.
"They have something special?" Poe asked her. Leia looked at him unable to respond. "Does she care for him?" he asked quietly.
"Yes."
"Does he care for her?" Poe asked.
"I think he cares for her more than he's ever cared about anyone." Leia said thoughtfully. Poe watched her as she sat down on the cot. She seemed … pleased. Disgust twisted in his gust.
"You're happy about this!" He snapped again.
"Of course I am Poe. Rey could be the only one to bring back my son and in turn I think he'll give her everything she's looking for." She said a small smile curving at the edges of her mouth.
"I can't listen to this." Poe said. "She's lied to us! Lied to me!" Leia looked at him annoyed.
"Can you really blame her Poe? Look at the way you're reacting. She just wanted you all to accept her and you never would have if you knew that they could see each other."
"They can see each other?!" Poe exclaimed.
"Yes. They're bonded in the Force. Through it they can talk, share emotions, thoughts, see each other and if it's strong enough interact with each other." Leia explained.
"What does this even mean?!" Poe didn't know what to make of any of this. Was Kylo Ren using the Force to manipulate Rey? He must be but Leia seems so sure that he cares for Rey. How could a monster like that care for anyone?
"It's a special connection, if one of them were to die, the other would be lost from heartbreak. It's hard to explain that kind of bond to people outside of the Force." Leia said trying to explain on Rey's behalf. Poe felt like he had been punched hard in the gut. All this time, she'd hidden this. "She will be the one to save us all Poe. And I like to think that Ben will be by her side when she does. For now, we're off to see an old friend of mine. He'll be able to get us what we need to end this."
Rey had stood silently waiting for her capture. Held out her arms to be restrained. Was led onto the First Order shuttle with no fight. She allowed Hux to look at her the way she usually wouldn't allow any man to. She was a model prisoner. She didn't want to do anything that would tempt Hux into betraying his leader's orders. She stood in the hold while the General paced around her. The way he smiled smugly as he eyed her made her sick, if she were anywhere else she would have done some serious damage to him.
"Well," he said gleefully. "It seems we've caught you on a good day. You almost look as if you're not scavenger trash from Jakku. Playing dress up with the princess were we?" He eyed her clothing, too enthusiastically for her liking. He was attracted to her, she could see that but his thirst for power seeped out of him, he was desperate for it. He raised his arm and struck her hard across her face with the back of his hand. It didn't really hurt, he was a weak, feeble man but her delicate body betrayed her. Her lip was bleeding. Drawing blood from her made him grin. "There, that's more like it scavenger." The Knights of Ren seemed to close in around him. He leaned in close to her and put his mouth beside her ear. "That was for my Supreme Leader." He whispered.
"You have a Supreme Leader. Or does you envy make you forget that?" She spit back at him. The General's face twisted into a snarl and he raised his arm to strike her again but the blow never came.
"The Supreme Leader wants the girl unharmed. Follow his orders or we will make you." One of the Knights spoke. They held out their hand towards Hux's arm, holding it frozen in the air above his head. His face raged as he struggled against the Knight's hold, only when he stopped fighting them did they release his arm. The Knight was defending her but that did nothing to ease her discomfort in their presence. Everything about them was unnerving. Their masked faces, their modulated voices, their advanced weapons. They really were a force to be reckoned with. Hux settled and looked at Rey calmly for a moment before giving her another fast swipe across her face. As he did so, the Knight from before struck him with a bolt of blue lightning. Hux's body went spinning across the hold, striking the far wall before slamming to the floor. Rey stared at the Knight, her body frozen in fear. Such a small flick of their wrist had caused so much damage, what could they do if they really tried. The Knight stepped towards her and Rey flinched as they grabbed her arm. "Let's go."
The Knight led her to what would be described as a holding cell. Really, it was a small storage room with a good lock on the door. The Knight shoved her through the doorway and followed her into the room, locking the door behind them. They had just said that she wasn't to be harmed but that didn't make Rey feel any better about being locked in a tiny room with one of the most feared people in the galaxy. The Knight grabbed a chain that was attached to the wall and walked over to Rey and attached her to the chain.
"Why do you let him treat you like that?" the Knight said. Rey was taken aback. The Knight addressed her in such a casual tone.
"I'm sorry?"
"You're strong. I can feel it. Why do let imps like Hux strike you like that when you can dispose of him with a flick of your wrist?" The Knight held her chin between their thumb and first finger, tilting her head to assess the damage to her face.
"I didn't want him to change his mind and hurt my friends." Rey said softly, her voice shaking. The Knight turned away and picked a small box off a nearby shelf. They opened it and took out a small piece of white fabric.
"That's not our orders. The Knights of Ren wouldn't allow him to disobey the Supreme Leader's orders." The Knight told her. They took the fabric and used it to dab away the blood on Rey's lip. "It'll heal." They said.
"You're loyal to him aren't you?" Rey asked.
"Of course." The Knight responded quickly. Too quickly.
"You don't seem entirely sure." Rey noted.
"I am loyal to my Master, Rey." The Knight said. "He saved me. I was Dark, I had no place in Luke Skywalker's temple. Master Kylo released me of that. He gave me a mask, a place with the Knights of Ren, a purpose."
"Why do you wear masks?" Rey asked, her curiosity overtaking her sense of self preservation. The Knight looked at her for a moment before speaking again.
"They provide us with anonymity. We can take them off and be anyone, anywhere in the galaxy. No one would know who we were." They said. "Plus, it provides a certain level of intimidation." The Knight reached their hands up to the base of their mask and it clicked. The Knight's mask hissed as it opened up and they pulled it slowly off their head. Rey was surprised at what she saw under the mask. A mass of fiery red hair fell across a beautiful freckled face. A girl's face. Rey hadn't expected the Knight to be female never mind one so beautiful. "See, much less intimidating." She girl spoke with a light, angelic voice, nothing like what the mask made her sound like.
"You know my name but I don't know yours." Rey ventured. The girl eyed Rey for a moment, trying to decide whether to indulge her or not.
"Serafin Ren." She said finally.
"Is that your real name?" Rey was pushing her luck, she knew that.
"As far as you'll ever know." Serafin told her. Rey was worried that she'd taken a step forward and two back. She thought keeping the situation civil was the best course of action. A change of subject.
"How did you do that?" Rey asked her. Serafin's eyebrows knotted confused.
"Do what?" She asked.
"That thing that you did to Hux, with the lightning. Will you teach me?" Rey asked her. Serafin gave the smallest of chuckles.
"The last Jedi wants to learn a Dark side trick. Isn't that interesting."
"Will you?" She asked again.
"I don't know if I can." Searfin finally answered. "Force lightning is a manifestation of darkness. You have to channel your Dark side, turn it into a physical entity and release it in a burst." She explained. "I don't think you have that kind of darkness in you." You'd be surprised, Rey thought. "We won't get back to the Supremacy for a while, better get comfy in here." Serafin put her helmet back on and turned to leave. "Oh and steer clear of Goran, the tall one. He's Master Kylo's right hand and he doesn't like you."
"Does that mean you like me?" Rey asked.
"I'd like you more if you didn't let petulant man-children walk all over you." She told her.
"I don't" Rey said defiantly.
"Prove it next time." Serafin said before opening the door and leaving. Rey relaxed when the door locked behind her. Prove it she had said. Rey closed her eyes. Channel the darkness and release it, that's what she needed to do. As she focused on the darkness swimming inside her, she tried to grasp it and pull it out of her. The tiniest of sparks tingled on her fingers tips.
Just a small intro to the Knights here. I'm finding it hard to write about them because we don't know much about them so I'm hoping to make up some interesting characters.