This was a hard chapter to write. You don't have to read it, I cried while working on it in several places. Really though, this is very triggering. Our Princess has been kidnapped. She's in a prison, a dungeon and one of Snoke's other knights who didn't follow Ben is being very mean to Rey.

Really though, I'm grateful that so many of you are enjoying my words. I would hate for this to hurt you.

And as always, thank you for coming back to read. Chapter seven is much better, I promise!

Once when she was much still a child, she and Rose climbed into the hay barn to play. It was always their favorite place to go because during the warmest months of the seasons, there were always lots of kittens to play with. From itty-bitty ones with their eyes still closed to bigger ones who liked to chase whatever the girls could find.

And always, the cats would be under things or in the double lofts, way up high so the dogs wouldn't bother them.

One summer day, the girls along with Finn were playing with unsharpened training swords in the loft. All three were sparring like the knights they wanted to be like as they jumped from board to board, their shouts filling the barn.

Rey saw the opportunity to poke Finn with her sword as she jumped to challenge him- when she felt more than heard a very loud crack under her feet. Everyone stops moving. Rey trembled, unsure and unable to do anything else.

"Rey-" Rose's seven-year-old voice wabbles as their eyes meet.

"-you're going to fall." Finn finishes for her.

"Maybe I-" A groan echoes across the barn then an even louder pop explodes under her feet. The floor gives way and down she goes. She doesn't scream, cry or shout when she lands on the ground under her, instead of hay like there usually is. Her eyes flutter shut as pain explodes all over her. Every part of her feels the air leave her as she lays there. Her eyes flutter shut but instead of her impending death that she expects, she instead feels herself floating and a connection.

She can feel every cat around her. Every tree and blade of grass. Every creature, every creeping thing, and every bird as the good book says.

Even Finn and Rose.

Excited and worried voices interrupt whatever this is that's happening to her- just as her body remembers how to work properly again.

Just like she wishes it would work properly again now.

She wants to open her eyes, but even that hurts. So, she leaves them shut as she slowly checks herself. Her cheek is against something hard but not cold but not warm either. It almost feels like the stones in her castle. Even when she was fighting and had to stay in tents with Rose as she followed her knights into battle, she still had a measure of straw and blankets to soften the ground.

Hell, even the ground is softer than what she's lying on.

Somehow, she's lying on her stomach as she sometimes will sleep, but only when her seasonal sufferings are bothering her and Maz needs to fix her a tincture.

She tries, but no- still can't open her eyes.

Instead she inhales breathing in- is she in a dungeon? Because this is what this smells like. Uncle Cassian never uses the dungeon at home—home- Where is she? He prefers to hear what needs his attention immediately, instead of throwing the wrong or not so wrong doers under the castle. So, she's only been in the dungeon twice, once to look for one of the wayward kittens and another time on a dare from Finn. Afterwards Maz, his mother, beat him for scaring her when he jumped out and made her scream.

She just wonders if there are rats down here.

At that thought, she tries again to open her eyes. Nope.

A deep breath.

She tries to move again. Even if it's just to get her head up off the floor to protect herself. But then she's reminded of when she fell out of the hay loft when she was a child and all the air left her.

She stills herself until the pain doesn't throb anymore.

Her exhale is loud in the space, even to her own ears. She tries to lick her lips but her mouth is so dry, her tongue is sticking to the roof of her mouth. She can't even lick her lips.

Which hurts as bad as the rest of her.

In the light of everything else, she's not sure why she worries about her face. But when she can move her hand, she touches her lips. With a gentle touch, her fingers feel how swollen not only her lips are, but it feels like her cheek is too.

"No wonder I can't open my eyes," her whisper doesn't even sound like hers. She can feel her tears but instead murmurs, "You can cry in a minute. You need to at least sit up." Then through clenched teeth, "Get up!"

Little by little, she wiggles her arms under her. Another deep breath, and she pushes herself- until her world slants to the side. She's been dizzy before, but nothing like this. As much as she wants to let herself sink back to the floor, she knows that she needs to stay upright.

She moves her hand so she can hold herself up when her fingers brush against more stone. Her exhale is loud as she runs her hand up what could only be a wall. She's slower than the snails in Aunt Jyn's rose garden but somehow, she makes herself sit up so she leans against the wall.

Only then does she let herself touch her face. Her tears leak out between her lids. The liquid washes some of the blood away that holds her eyes closed. She feels little cuts on her face. Some places on her face is still wet and sticky. There's a big gash just below her hairline.

A cold chill whispers in the dungeon and she remembers what she was doing when her kidnapper grabbed her in the bedroom. Her hands feel the nightgown she'd put on after- "Ben," she sobs. Is he looking for her? Does he think that she ran away after their handfasting after all? "I didn't run away. Please-" is all she can whisper before she gives into the darkness.

"Who's there?" She mutters. She's not sure how long she's been here. She just knows that she still can't see even though it feels like she can finally open her eyes. It's so dark down here that the sounds of the rats are the only things keeping her company.

But there's a squeak of what could only be metal on metal and not rat to rat.

At least that's what she hopes it is. Still unable to move her lips to do any more than to mutter, she prays a quick prayer to whoever is listening.

Is that a light that she sees? She closes her eyes and wishes she had the strength to rub them or even wash them- but it's taking everything she has to remain upright.

She wills her eyes to open one more time. They obey her and her heart leaps in her chest when she sees the solitary candle still floating its way towards her. She wills her eyes to open wider than they are and she can make out a figure coming towards her.

She can't speak and the figure doesn't.

Still the light comes closer. When it's several feet away, it stops before it lowers to the floor.

"Princess Rey? My name is- that is of no matter. He doesn't know that I'm here, but I want to help you." The figure the deep voice belongs to gently cups her hand and puts something cold in it. "That's water. I can see that you- are bruised. It will help you feel better." she hears something set on the floor. "I thought this might be the case. I made you some soup."

"Thank you," she says after she's swallowed half of the water. "I can hear the rats. Is there a bench I can sit on? Or even lay on, please?"

"Oh, yes your Majesty," the voice quiets then says, "I'm going to pick you up now. I know you are hurting, but I'm going to be as easy as I can."

"That's alright. I'll be alright." But she's not. Darkness comes back in little black dots streaked with bursts of light dancing around the edges of her eyelids.

He lays her on something a lot softer than the stone floor. Soft fabric and clean straw cradle her aching body. More tears leak down her cheeks as her world comes back into focus. "Don't cry Princess."

"I can't help it, this feels so much better."

"Do you want some of the soup?"

"Do you have to go?" She asks, wishing she could see her savior.

"The one who did this to you is gone for now. I can stay a bit longer."

"Can you help me? I can't see."

"Of course," he murmurs. If she's not mistaken, he sounds angry.

"Did I do something? Why are you angry?"

"I'm not angry at you, Princess. I'm angry that this happened to you. I'm angry that I can't take you from here. I'm angry that I can't protect you."

Not sure what to say, she tries her best to stay awake when he picks up her head to feed her soup. She wishes she could stay awake, but when she counts no more than ten bites, sleep comes but before she surrenders, she finds herself whispering, "Don't leave me. Don't leave me. Please come back-"

He's not there when she wakes. But there is fresh water at least. She tries to save it and is only successful because she falls back asleep. The next time she wakes, it's still dark but not like it was when she first woke. It must be daylight she can't help but to think to herself. Then an easier breath because she can open her eyes normally.

A deep breath, she moves her arms. She has to smile. Then a bigger smile because it still hurts, but it's more because she's been asleep for a while hurt. But when she turns, pain explodes, and the stars at the edge of what little vision she has appear.

"Broken ribs. Great," she whispers if nothing else to hear something besides the silence.

When the stars fade, she moves her left leg. There's a stiffness in her joints but she's still determined to get up today. Or at least she was until- metal on metal echoes around her. She wants to hope that it might be the nice one who helped her up, but something deep inside her tells her to lie very still.

She still can't see as well as she did before all this, but a dark shadow comes down the hallway. That doesn't bother her. All she can see is shadows. What makes a cold chill dance down her spine is what the guard is singing.

"Come little Princess

don't be afraid

For the Master only wants

To see your blood spill

For you hold the key

That you never knew

Come little Princess

Don't be afraid."

She wants to runrunrun. But she also knows that her legs won't carry her. So, she's still, barely breathing as he opens her cell.

He still hums the tune as he approaches her cot. He snorts. "The lovely little one isn't so pretty anymore, is she?" He leans down, so close that she can smell is nasty breath even over the smell of her own blood. "I wonder what Lord Ren will think of you now?" He kicks her cot and makes her jump. "But then again your wedding day was to have been three days ago."

He keeps talking above her and she knows that she should pay attention but they missed midsommar and their wedding with everyone keeps repeating in her head.

"The Master sent me to see if you were still alive." He pokes her still bruised cheek. More pain which is becoming a friend of hers. "And you are. He's still deciding what to do with you." another bark of dark laughter. "Don't worry, it will be glorious for all to see and know that the Master is the rightful ruler."

She feels his touch on her neck. Then she remembers she's still in her nightgown. It's stiff with dried blood and it feels like the little cover the nice one had given her has disappeared. "Please-" her hoarse whisper is loud in the silence.

"The little Princess speaks." He grabs her throat that she doesn't realize is sore until he squeezes it. "Please what? Offer me jewels, offer me all the treasure I want to not do this."

"Whatever you want-"

SLAP!

A deep breath before the pain envelopes her once again. Arms and legs explode in agony as if he's trying to prevent her from leaving. That's fine. She can handle that. Years of sword play and riding, she's tougher than he thinks. At least it's not her ribs or stomach.

Look her friends the stars are back to light her world through the dark that swirls around her. And the pain. The only constants of the past couple of days it would seem. She lets herself go to that safe place she once found, the same one that was there after she fell out of the loft.

The laughter of her old friends welcome her. And this time her Ben, her sweet-even if it's only been a couple of days-husband. Those whiskey colored eyes embrace her while his deep baritones murmur in her ear so that she doesn't even hear her own cries of pain that she swore to never cry.

He stops but she doesn't even notice because his arms are there holding her tight, but not too tight for there's new pains…

"He's got her."

"I know he does! I was helping them look for her. I saw you drive your sword through him myself!" Poe swears.

"But the dark magic," Bodhi mutters.

Ben turns from the window in his room to meet the eyes of his old friends. Most of them he'd met while traveling for Snoke, he adopted them over the years. In fact, it was Poe who gave him the idea to go back home. "He's got her. I saw her. But I couldn't tell where. All I could see was her."

He doesn't want to think about how she looked. Or how much she had been hurt. How he had to pick her up because his beautiful bride couldn't get up off the floor. So worn and abused, she couldn't even open her eyes to see that it was him taking care of her.

He also doesn't tell anyone how he keeps on trying to get back to her but can't. It's as if something or someone is blocking what little magic he has.

"I'm coming for you Snoke. If I have to tear apart my kingdom and hers I'm going to find you. And when I do, you will wish to God you never existed."