Naboo
The Emperor's harem was home to thousands of women, most of them his wives, some of them prisoners and the wives of kings and princes who had died in war and whose kingdoms were seized by the Emperor. The rest were all servants and eunuchs who attended and served as security for the women. No man but the Emperor was allowed to set foot in the harem, and violating that law meant instant death without trial, at the hands of the Emperor himself.
The harem was also home to the Dowager Empress Leia Organa, the most powerful woman in the empire next to the Emperor's first wife, Phasma. Phasma, who was at this moment, reclining in a spacious bath inside a magnificent bathhouse at the harem, was being attended to by her many servants and eunuchs. Turmeric paste with milk, honey and rose oil was being gently massaged into her long pale limbs and rose water was used to wash her hair. Khema, her favorite servant girl was feeding her grapes and other dried fruit. A flute was playing in the background and the bathhouse was filled with voices of the young serving women, chatting happily. It was a truly extravagant display.
Phasma lifted one long, slender leg and watched water and rose petals cascade down. On days like this, when she had no special business to attend to, she would usually spend the whole day in the bathhouse, being massaged, primped and preened. As the Emperor's first wife, she had to look her best and set an example to the other wives, whom she frequently loved to bully. Nobody moved a muscle without the knowledge of Phasma and in the harem, her word was law.
She leaned back again and closed her eyes, as firm hands massaged her shoulders. She didn't notice the commotion at the entrance of the bathhouse a few minutes later, or when the flute stopped playing and the lively chatter of the servants died. But her eyes flew open when the smaller hands that were massaging her shoulders were replaced with bigger, stronger ones. She knew that touch.
"I wondered if you'd completely forgotten about me!" Phasma exclaimed turning her head
"I was busy" murmured Kylo Ren
"hmm, I believe I should congratulate you on your successful acquisition of Yavin and Hoth" Phasma turned around again and leaned into his touch " I was wondering, since I did help you plan your strategy, which part of the spoils will I be getting?"
Kylo Ren smirked
"I knew you'd ask about your share. With you everything has a price doesn't it?"
She flicked water from the bath playfully into his face.
"My services always have a price Your Majesty"
Kylo Ren leaned in and whispered in her ear. What he said made Phasma's eyes widen. After he had risen and left, she flapped her arms in the bath causing water to splash onto the floor, a gleeful look on her face.
As she rose from the bath she shouted to Khema
"Bring me my robe; I have a busy day ahead!"
And with that, she laughed all the way to the lounge. Now, she truly was the most powerful woman in the empire.
When General Snoke entered the Emperor's council chamber one afternoon, it was to find him bent over a map and in deep concentration.
"You called for me your majesty?"
Kylo Ren looked up
"Yes" he said, rising from the table "I've come to a decision about the leadership of the Yavin province"
Snoke's heartbeat quickened. This was what he had been waiting for weeks to hear, it would be him. He knew the wealthy Yavin would be his from the beginning and all the taxes collected from the people of Yavin would fall into his pocket.
"I'm giving it to my wife, Phasma"
Snokes heart sank and he tried to force a smile to not let his disappointment show, but internally, he was livid. He should have known that this would happen, that Kylo Ren would let Phasma's influence cloud his better judgement. Women were dangerous creatures indeed and this Phasma was slowly becoming a real threat.
"So?" Kylo Ren asked "What do you think?"
Snoke blinked
Despite everything, he still needed his mentor's endorsement and this time, Snoke's smile was real. The fact that Kylo Ren still needed Snoke's approval for his decisions was a comfort to him. The game wasn't over yet.
"I wholeheartedly agree with your decision Your Majesty" Snoke lied
Outside, a trooper was requesting permission to enter. When he was called in, Snoke saw that he was one of those whom he had sent to Jakku, to ransack the shrines some weeks ago.
The man was shaken and dirty; there were streaks of dried blood on his face.
"What in God's name happened to you man?" Snoke asked "I only sent you to raid the shrines, not start a war!"
The trooper mumbled something. He was clearly nervous.
"We only just arrived sir, some of the men are being attended to by a healer"
The man swallowed, and then continued
"We ran into some unexpected difficulties sir" he said, quietly "some of the troopers didn't make it back"
"What do you mean?" asked Kylo Ren "What difficulties?"
"The shrine was guarded that day by soldiers of the Jakku royal army"
Snoke sighed. Idiots, why am I surrounded by idiots? he thought to himself
"So why didn't you wait until they had left?" Snoke asked
"We didn't think they would sir" The soldier replied "We thought they were stationed at the shrine to guard it, but it was only later that we found out that they were the guard of a Princess.."
"Princess?" Kylo Ren asked, cutting him off"What Princess?"
To their surprise, the trooper smiled suddenly, as if struck by sunlight and the hardships of the past weeks were immediately forgotten
"I saw her Your Majesty" the trooper breathed "my eyes were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of her. Oh, if I had all the gold in the world I would trade all of it just to see her again!"
"Tell me" Kylo Ren prompted, intrigued by the trooper's praise "Tell me more about this Princess"
And as the trooper spoke, he stared transfixed
"She's the only daughter of the King of Jakku, and the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Her face is more radiant than the moon and her eyes are like the eyes of a gazelle"
Snoke began to speak, but Kylo Ren raised a hand to silence him
"Continue" he said to the trooper
"Your Majesty, her lips are like lotus petals and everything about her is…and she can hold a sword too!"
"What?!"
Both Snoke and Kylo spoke at the same time. Neither had ever heard of a woman being able to wield a sword.
"How?"
"I saw her Your Majesty" The trooper continued "I saw her fighting two of our number at the same time. She is truly skilled!"
Kylo Ren was fascinated. He'd heard of women being skilled at all sorts of things and he had some of the most beautiful women in the country in his harem, but a woman who could wield a weapon was one of a kind. She must be special.
The trooper kept on speaking, but Kylo Ren was no longer listening. His mind was trying to piece together the descriptions of the Princess, trying to form her image in his mind. But something was missing.
That night, Kylo Ren tossed and turned in his sleep.
He dreamt he was fifteen years old again and facing Sidious on the battlefield and then he was five years old and watching his parents ride away, while tears cascaded down his cheeks.
And he saw her, or maybe it was her, he couldn't tell. Her radiant face glowed and her gazelle eyes blinked down at him where he was kneeling at her feet. But she was only a ghost of the real woman. Something was still missing.
He woke with a start. Troubled and breathing hard, he rose from his ornate bed and walked out onto his balcony to gaze at the night sky. He had decided to sleep in his personal chambers that night without visiting the harem. He couldn't stop thinking about her. He had never seen her in his life, yet she was already haunting his dreams. What was it about her?
Thinking that he would find peace in prayer, Kylo Ren made his way back inside, and rolled out his prayer mat, with its golden embroidery that glistened in the moonlight. Facing the night sky, he knelt on it, closing his eyes and clasping his hands he called to God. He stayed that way for about half an hour, lost in serenity, and when he opened his eyes again, he was refreshed. But he also knew what was missing, and what he had to do.
He had to see her.
He had to see her in person.
But how?
He knew how. He would have to go to Jakku, alone. But he also knew that Snoke would never allow him to undertake such a long and perilous journey on his own, just to get a glimpse of a woman. But he had to go, he was being called to her and he had to see her. It was such a reckless, impulsive thing to do, but it felt so right.
He was up in an instant and waking the guard posted at the door to his chamber. He ordered him to prepare his horse while he stuffed some supplies into a silk sack. At the stables he exchanged clothes with the stable boy, and covered his head with a turban.
"You may tell General Snoke in the morning that I will be gone for a few weeks" he said to the guard and stable boy who just stood and stared, stunned.
"Don't tell him where I've gone. Just say I went on a pilgrimage"
And with that he mounted his horse and rode off into the night.
