A/N: A big thanks to SirenBanshee. You are one amazing beta!

xXxXxXx

It took Rey two visits to Phasma's mind and two to Shadow's, a moment's meditation, and one more visit to each, before she gave a low 'oh'.

"I think I get it," she muttered, gently coming back from Shadow's head. "It's a feeling."

Kylo laughed as Phasma grumbled. Shadow giggled and started babbling at Phasma, who patiently watched and listened.

"Can I try your mind too?" Rey asked.

"Of course," Kylo answered, easily allowing Rey to touch his temple and sink into his mind.

"It feels different," she muttered.

"I know," he answered. "I blame our connection. And that's why we needed Shadow for this."

Rey retreated. "Huh," she muttered, falling into thought.

Kylo smiled at her before turning his attention to Phasma and Shadow. "Thank you for your trust and help," he said.

It snapped Rey out of her ruminations. "Yes, thank you for letting me do this," she added with a bright smile.

They both watched as Phasma and Shadow left. Shadow was still going on about something trivial, not even hesitating when Phasma replaced her helmet. Kylo wondered if Phasma would talk to Shadow about her nervous babbling, or would merely allow her to get it out of her system.

"What do you think about telling the trainees about the Force?" Rey asked as soon as the door closed. "You didn't respond to that earlier."

"I'm afraid of negative reactions," he admitted. "I was hoping that becoming proficient with meditation would lessen the shock."

"And if we tell them right after a meditation lesson?"

He gazed at her. "Why are you so eager to tell them?" he asked, curious.

Rey shrugged. "It seems unfair to withhold the information," she answered.

"Even if the knowledge could cause hurt?"

"I don't know," Rey admitted with an unhappy sigh. "I don't know what it's like to be them."

"Let's ask the Knights what they think about it over dinner," Kylo suggested. "There's not enough time over lunch and it may occupy them too much during meditation." He smiled teasingly at her. "Same goes for you. What will those trainees do when even their teacher is distracted?"

"Hey!" Rey protested as she lunged herself at him.

Kylo allowed himself to be knocked backwards, cradling her so she wouldn't accidentally hit the floor. They mock-grappled for a while until Kylo used his strength to overpower her. He pinned her to the floor.

"Yield," he said.

"Make me."

He grinned at her before diving in to nip at the skin of her neck. Rey yelped, then hummed as he licked away the sting. They still had a little over half an hour before lunch.

xXxXxXx

The discussion at dinner took longer than Kylo had expected, with all the Knights offering their views on the matter, even Daze and Quicksilver who both tended to be reserved. Eventually, they agreed to inform the trainees. The final consensus was that the shock wouldn't be less severe if they waited longer to tell them, although their reaction to it might be more levelled the better they were with meditation. Their reaction, however, could be countered by the presence of the Knights.

It took them surprisingly long to decide how many and whom of the Knights would be present as Kylo explained the situation to the trainees, and whether or not they should divulge Rey's true identity—something neither Rey nor Kylo had thought to consider when Rey had suggested she help check the trainees' minds.

In the end, the pure, practical reason of allowing Rey to teach the Force to the trainees had decided the answer to the latter question for them. Which was how, the next day after meditation training, Kylo found himself facing the trainees with Rey by his side and Phasma, Ember, Burman and Rogue at his back. Ember because she might end up teaching as well, Burman and Rogue because they were both laid back as well as approachable.

"We're here to inform you of two separate and maybe difficult to accept things," Kylo started, facing the trainees. They stood in two neat rows, four in the back, three at the front. "For both matters I expect the highest level of confidentiality from all of you."

He looked each trainee in the eye as they slammed their hands against their chests in agreement. "The first, and probably the easiest to process, concerns Miss Rey," he continued. "You may have already noticed that she's standing next to me instead of at my shoulder or behind me. That is because she's my equal."

Not all of the trainees were able to fully hide their surprise and Kylo smiled at seeing that. He took it as some of the rigid training from Base Z already eroding.

"May I introduce to you," he said, adding some drama to his voice because he knew it would annoy Rey. "Your Supreme Duchess, Rey, formerly known as the Resistance Force User."

As he'd predicted, Rey gave him an evil side-eye before smiling at the trainees. "Hi," she said. Then, her smile faltered. "Do not call me a Jedi."

Kylo huffed a laugh and she turned on him. "It was on the tip of your tongue," she accused, even wagging a finger at him. "Don't you deny it."

"I would never," he countered.

"You impossible man."

Turning his attention back to the trainees, who'd gone tense at the revelation, he was met with confusion and astonishment. He gave them a moment to absorb the information before continuing.

"Within this facility, you will continue to address her as Miss Rey," he said. "The knowledge of her presence here is limited to the people on this Base. Keep it that way. Once it goes public, you will address her with 'Supreme Duchess' whenever we're off-base or have visitors." There was no reaction. "Understood?" he prompted.

That snapped the trainees out of their stupor and they once more slammed their fists against their hearts, echoing a "Yes, sir".

"As for the second matter," Kylo resumed. "It is not a trick and there is no reason to panic." It had been agreed that he give the trainees ample warning. "Your fellow Knights are all a part of this. Nobody means you any harm."

The trainees were eyeing him with suspicion, some glancing at the Knights at his back as well.

"This base," Kylo started, "is more than simply the future main base for the Knights. Or, better said, I want to make the Order of the Knights into something different from what it is now." He took a breath. "I wish for the Knights not to forget the Force, but to learn it."

All seven trainees lost composure, albeit in different ways. Two shifted into a defensive stance, looking like they expected to get attacked at any moment. One fell straight into a panic attack and started hyperventilating, looking wild. Rey immediately approached him, with careful, measured steps, muttering his chosen name and reassuring words. One other had retreated a decent number of steps towards the exit, looking a flinch away from running. The final three were eyeing the Knights and Kylo with varying degrees of disbelief and suspicion.

Kylo gazed at Rey and the panicking trainee. "Would a demonstration freak him out more?" he asked.

It took a moment before Rey answered. "I think it would help. He keeps denying that it isn't possible. And he keeps switching between needing reassurance and thinking I'm going to kill him for believing your words."

Accepting her words, he looked over his shoulder. "Ember?" he prompted.

She stepped forward, a dagger already in her hand, and promptly made it float. By now, she barely had to concentrate for such a simple task so, when she frowned at the object, Kylo tilted his head in wonder. He laughed when the dagger slid free from its sheath, and sheath and dagger started a mock battle.

"I did not know you could do that," he said. "Wonderful control." His mind raced ahead. "And a great idea, actually," he added. "If the others get to a high enough level, we could battle like this to train in control."

Ember gave him a little smirk as she plucked both dagger and sheath from the air and slid them in her boot.

"She's...not dead."

Kylo looked up to see that it had been the girl that had nearly fled the room who had spoken. She was looking at Ember with large eyes, looking like she'd seen the impossible.

"I very much am not, thank you," Ember said.

"But…"

"The others," another, a boy this time, said. "Them too?"

"Burman," Kylo enquired.

The Knight lifted his warhammer for all to see, then let go and took a few steps back. It stayed right where it was. Then, its spikes erupted. They disappeared again and the hammer floated towards Burman so he could pluck it from the air.

"Impossible," one of the trainees muttered.

"It's not allowed. It is death," another added.

"That was under Snoke's rule," Kylo said. "Not mine."

One of the boys sank to the floor. From how expressive he'd been earlier, Kylo figured he had to be a sixth grader.

"I get to- We get to-," he stuttered. "We can have it back?"

"Yes," Kylo answered.

The boy burst out in tears and the girl that had wanted to flee suddenly made her way over to him, sitting down next to him and looking very much like she wanted to offer comfort but didn't know how.

"We should have brought Shadow," Ember said.

Kylo looked at her. "Expand your senses to beyond this room," he said.

Ember gave him a quizzical look, then closed her eyes to do as she'd been told.

"Oh," she said. "I'll go get her. She really can't keep her nose out of anything, can she?"

Grinning at the hidden fondness in Ember's words, Kylo took in the trainees again. Burman had joined Rey, and the trainee they were attending seemed to have at least calmed down somewhat. Rogue sauntered over to Kylo.

"It could have gone worse," he said.

"It could have gone better," Kylo answered, watching Ember come back inside with Shadow in tow. The latter settled herself among the now trio of trainees, including the crying boy.

"You too?" the girl immediately asked.

"All of us," Shadow answered.

The remaining three trainees looked decidedly lost, one of them frowning in thought.

"What about the others?" the latter asked.

"Others?" Kylo echoed.

"The ones in fifth grade and younger? The ones you brought somewhere else?"

"Ah," Kylo said. "They're with the Resistance."

"What?" one of the three near Shadow exclaimed.

"We've been in contact," Rey said, patting the boy she'd been comforting on his shoulder and moving to stand next to Kylo again. "We're no longer at war. The Resistance took those others in because there wasn't any room for them here. They're with other Force sensitive children and a caretaker that used to work at one of your Bases but has defected."

"We hope the looser atmosphere at the Resistance and the exposure to others who freely wield the Force will be enough for them to stop fearing it. Eventually, the idea is for all of them, the ones coming from Base Z as well as the ones that were already at the Resistance, to come here for training. If they want to, that is."

Rey smiled up at him. "We're not planning on forcing anybody."

"If any of you would rather not train in the Force, you are free to tell us," Kylo added.

"Unlikely," Rogue muttered under his breath.

Rey smacked at him but he easily evaded.

"Not fast enough, Princess," he teased.

"Who are you calling 'Princess'?" Kylo threatened.

Rogue gave him a contemplating look before grinning. "Phasma," he exclaimed. "Definitely Phasma."

"I can assure you that I will be fast enough," Phasma dryly stated.

"Right," Rogue said. "Ember, help?"

"You're on your own," Ember said, looking pleased.

"Right, right." Rogue took a step back. It was clear from his expression though that he knew Kylo was mostly joking. "It would seem I never called anybody 'Princess'."

"Good," Kylo answered, pulling Rey close.

"I don't understand this," the trainee Kylo recognised as the girl that had been with the group guarding some of the others at Base Z said. The admission seemed to make her anxious. "I don't understand this," she said again. "I don't understand."

Ember looked at her. "You don't need to understand it," she said, a commanding tone to her voice. "You have nothing else to do but accept it."

"Of course," the girl said, slamming her fist to her heart. "Knight Ember, Supreme Leader, Miss Rey." She visibly calmed down and stood at ease.

Rey raised an eyebrow at Ember. "What did you just do?"

"I changed it to an order," she answered. "Flora struggles with the slackened rules. From the seventh grade trainees, she was the closest to finishing the program. This gives her time to process what's going on. I'll talk to her later. Or Shadow will."

Kylo nodded. "Let's leave the testing to another day," he said, taking Rey's hand. "We'll head back to the main building. Do you want me to send any of the others here?"

"I don't think that's necessary," Ember said. "Obviously, they can if they want to. I didn't sense them near though. Have you?"

"No," Kylo answered. "If I see them, I'll give them an update."

Ember nodded and turned towards Rogue. "Are you going to keep loitering or are you going to make yourself useful?" she snarked at him.

Rey laughed and Kylo shook his head with amusement before they walked out of the training hall, leaving the Knights to reassure the trainees.