Jakku
The King and Queen of Jakku sat alone in their chamber, lost in thought. A thick roll of parchment lay unfurled between them. The First Order symbol stamped in red, stood out, foreboding, along with the dark writing against the yellow paper.
A handsome eagle landed on the stone ledge of their window, a dead animal on its claws. The King and Queen watched it for a while, distracted. To the birds that soared high over the burning skies of Jakku and the animals that wandered out over its sandy dunes, it was just another day, but for its human inhabitants, their way of life was in Jeopardy. They would never leave their King's side, but their lives were now in his hands. Whatever move he chose to make next could mean the difference between life and death.
At length the Queen turned to her husband, her eyes filling with tears, her voice hopeful.
'Will you agree to it?"
The king sighed
"I have no choice" He mumbled "How convenient for them, to send us a peace treaty after they've won the war against us and taken our sons"
"But you will sign it… there's no other way…" Queen Adah was now clinging to her husband's gold sleeve in desperation. At this point nothing mattered more to her than her boys.
"Do you understand what this means Adah?" The King turned to her "We will be traitors to our own people. They will never want to connect themselves with us or associate with us ever again, possibly for generations to come"
"But our sons are more important my King!" The Queen cried her face contorting as she tried to control herself.
The King had to give this some thought. He knew he would end up agreeing to the treaty in any case, but he had to think about what this might mean for his people. The town of Nima was already at risk of invasion. They had lost the war but if they bowed to the demands of the First Oder, the kingdom would be wealthy, have more opportunities to trade and acquire more resources. But it would not be his Kingdom anymore and they would be at the mercy of the Emperor as long as they lived. His daughter Rey would never marry again, at least not into royalty as nobody of their faith would take a daughter of a traitor into their home. The King enjoyed his independent kingdom and the freedom of his people, he had fought for that, his ancestors had fought for it, but now, all of that was lost. He had no choice.
Unless…
But it could work, if the Emperor agreed. IF he agreed.
The King glanced at his wife, who was now wiping her tears on her silk shawl.
"We can still make the most of this" He said, taking her hands in his
She looked up as he spoke. When he confided his plans to her, the horrified look on her face made him recoil.
"No" the Queen's voice shook as she spoke "You want to trade our daughter for our sons?"
"No no, it's not like that" The King explained "Our sons will be freed once I sign the treaty, but the alliance I will propose will be stronger than anything forged from a mere piece of paper. It will be an alliance of two families, a union of two royal bloodlines!"
The Queen stared at her husband as if her worst nightmare was coming true. Maz's words had haunted her for months. She had tried so hard to ignore them, but it seemed that she couldn't ignore fate if this was what her daughter's future entailed for her. She hadn't told the King about Maz's prediction for Rey's future, she hadn't told a soul.
"She will never agree to this…" she began
"Well she has no choice. Her only job as a Princess is to do as she is told!"
Rey could be forced into marriage, but there were several other hurdles they had to face, some of them more imperative than others.
"How are we going to explain this to Prince Sahan's family?" The Queen asked
The King closed his eyes "I don't know, they won't like it, but there are more important things at stake here than their approval"
That evening, the King and Queen of Jakku sat down face to face with the King and Queen of Coruscant.
"My son is barely cold in his grave, and you're already planning your daughter's wedding to the man who is responsible for his death?!"
King Prana had expected this reaction from the Coruscants, he promised himself that he would bear and accept anything they chose to say to him.
Queen Adah, tears flowing down her face, spoke "We have no choice, they have our sons!"
"What about my son?" The Queen of Coruscant responded "he died defending your kingdom from the First Order, and now you want give them everything he fought for? Died for?"
King Prana remained steadfast in his decision, despite the opposition
"If I don't sign this, our kingdom will be ruined, thousands of women will be widowed and children orphaned. I fought to keep the kingdom safe, and I failed. If this is now the only way I can ensure the security of my people, then I will accept the First Order rule"
"Very well King Prana" The King of Coruscant stood up, furious "Many of our neighboring realms have fallen to the First Order, but I have never heard of a king give up to them as willingly as you. You are a coward and a traitor, and I will make sure that every kingdom in the country hears of your treachery!"
His queen followed him
"I don't wish to stay here any longer" She told her husband, disgust evident on her face "I don't want to stay another minute with these traitors who would dishonor my son"
"Yes" He agreed, turning to King Prana and his Queen "I'll never forget this and this won't be the last you see or hear of us"
When they had left the King and Queen of Jakku remained silent for a while, trying to process what had just occurred before the King got to his feet.
"I have many matters to take care of. I'll send a message to the Emperor requesting an audience"
"Please be careful my love" The Queen pleaded "Who knows what they might..."
"Whatever they do to me, it can't be worse than what they've already done" The King reached out and gently stroked his wife's hair "Don't worry, I'm going to try and make things right"
The Unknown regions
King Prana made the long journey to the First Order campsite on horseback. He only brought a handful of soldiers with him, though he was advised to take the whole army. But he didn't want to give the wrong impression. He wanted the Emperor to know that he was coming in peace.
He was led towards a heavily guarded, lavish tent erected right at the center of the campsite. The sharp eyes of several First Order troopers followed them as they walked by, suspicion and hatred etched in their faces. No enemy had ever walked freely into any of their camps in living memory.
As he entered the tent, he was met with the sight of a massive banner embroidered with the First Order symbol, hanging from the ceiling. The interior of the tent was only simply decorated, but served its purpose. A rectangular table stood at the center and at this moment, the Emperor was sitting behind it, deep in conversation with several of his officials who flanked him. As King Prana approached, the Emperor looked up and he came face to face with Kylo Ren for the first time.
King Prana was shocked at how young the Emperor looked. He was sure he would be a much older man.
"Greetings Your Majesty, I see you've set up camp at a very convenient location" King Prana remarked, bowing
"Welcome" Kylo Ren said. He bowed his head but did not rise from his seat. King Prana was reminded that he now appeared in front of the Emperor as one of his subjects and not as a royal who could claim equal respect.
"I invited you to my royal tent because I was impressed by your courage" his eyes roved over King Prana, appraising him "You probably won't be surprised to hear that I have never received a request for an audience from any King but you. You are very brave man King Prana"
"I came on behalf of my people and my sons" King Prana's voice was cold but polite "I wish to know how they are…"
"Your sons are well King Prana, I can assure you they are not in any immediate danger" Kylo Ren interjected "I am honored that you have travelled so far to see me. I'm sure you've received the treaty that was sent you. Have you come with an answer?"
King Prana took a deep breath before replying
"I wish to include my Kingdom of Jakku under First Order sovereignty. I will accept your treaty"
Kylo Ren smiled
"That is excellent news! I'm pleased to hear that you are entrusting Jakku to us"
King Prana gritted his teeth. Only for lack of better options he thought. But that was not what he was here for; he was here on more important business.
"There is one more thing…" Despite his initial confidence, King Prana hesitated
"Pray continue" Kylo Ren encouraged him
"I would rather discuss this matter in private Your Majesty"
"Very well" Kylo Ren said. He gestured to his officers and advisors to leave his presence. Some of them exchanged looks of surprise as they moved to obey his orders but didn't dare question the Emperor.
Kylo Ren nodded his head as a sign for him to continue.
"Your Majesty" King Prana went on "I would also like to offer you the hand of my daughter in marriage, to strengthen the alliance between Jakku and the First Order"
To King Prana, the prolonged silence that ensued after he uttered those words seemed ominous. The astonishment on Kylo Ren's face was evident. He seemed momentarily paralyzed.
At length, King Prana managed to break the silence between them
"I can understand the reason behind your silence Your Majesty..." He began "Perhaps I was too hasty…I meant no disrespect"
"You misunderstand me" Kylo Ren responded, as his shock wore off "I appreciate your courage in speaking your mind"
"I hope you will consider it Your Majesty"
"You speak of your only daughter, Princess Rey, am I right?" Kylo Ren asked
King Prana blinked
"You know of my daughter?"
"I've heard a little bit about her" Kylo Ren answered, smirking "and as for your proposal, I shall have to give it some thought, but I will send you a response in due course"
"Of course, as you wish"
King Prana bowed. He had done what he could, the rest was in the hands of the gods.
Jakku
"But he is my ENEMY!" Rey screamed, tears sliding down her face "I've sworn on the blood of my ancestors that I would destroy him!"
Rey had yet to recover from the shock of losing her fiancé. She didn't think much of it when her father requested her presence in his chamber, but she had guessed it might be to discuss her new marriage prospects. There was nothing else for a woman of her age to look forward to besides marriage. But a marriage to a sworn enemy was an idea she'd never entertained.
"You? Destroy him?" Her father countered, his face furious "You can forget all that. If he agrees to the marriage, he will be your husband, and that will be the end of it. I don't want to hear any more about your childish dreams of vengeance"
Rey knelt at her father's feet, taking both of his hands in hers
"But father, you don't understand!" She sobbed "I'm afraid of him, of what he might do to me!"
King Prana's eyes softened
"You have nothing to fear Rey, I promise. You will be his wife, not his prisoner"
"Mother!" Rey whimpered, turning to her pale faced mother "Mother PLEASE!"
"Sweetheart, listen to your father, he would never do anything to put you in harm's way" and that was all the Queen could manage
"NO!" Rey cried "I cannot agree to this! Please father anything but this, I'll do anything!"
"I had no choice but to give up my kingdom for the sake of the people. If I hadn't signed that treaty, they would have descended on Jakku like a pack of wolves and torn our town and palace apart. Your brothers did their bit by fighting for the kingdom and now you must do yours by securing our new alliance" Her father replied, somberly "This is your only chance to make a good match"
"But he's NOT a good match!" Rey responded "He is our enemy! He violated our holy ground and the man I was betrothed to, died fighting against him. How is he a good match?"
Rey persisted and argued but despite her parents being unable to give her satisfactory answers to any of her questions, there was no turning back from the decision her father had made for her.
"But we will never be accepted by our own people if you go through with this" Rey said weakly
Her parents glanced at each other. Rey saw the look that passed between them and her heart sank.
"They know, don't they?" she said, her eyes welling up with fresh tears "They know you signed it…and that you want me to marry him. That's why Sahan's parents left. They left without telling me…" Rey broke off, unable to bear the thought of being branded a traitor by the people whom she had come to care for.
But this was out of her hands.
The Uknown regions
Kylo Ren knelt on his prayer rug, alone in his tent, his mind in turmoil. He needed advice; he needed to know what he had to do.
"Help me" He called, his hands clasped, his eyes closed "I need your guidance, almighty one, to help me realize my dream of a country, united under one peaceful rule. Show me the way"
As he prayed, King Prana's proposal floated into his thoughts. He didn't know what to make of it. A few weeks ago he would not have hesitated at the chance to acquire Princess Rey. But now he realized he had to be shrewd in his decision making, he couldn't simply act on his desires and whims. What advantages would he gain from marrying her?
He recalled the last time he had knelt on his prayer rug with thoughts of Princess Rey on his mind. He had been inexplicably called to Jakku.
And then it hit him. Perhaps this was what God intended. God had shown him the way to Jakku, and now Jakku was bringing him the solution and showing him the path to his desired goal. Suddenly, he knew what had to be done.
Now all that was left for Kylo Ren to do was to justify his decision to his mentor.
"Are you mad Your Majesty?" Was Snoke's immediate response "She is a heathen, an enemy of our faith and her people are sworn enemies of the First Order!"
"Her father has submitted his kingdom to our rule. Besides, there are plenty of women of her faith in my harem. It's nothing new for me to take royal women from the kingdoms I have conquered"
"Yes, but you've never made any of them your wives!" Snoke reasoned
Kylo Ren turned away from Snoke
"I've made my decision" He said, and there was finality in his voice "I'm marrying the Princess of Jakku"
"Your Majesty!" Snoke cried in desperation "I hope you've heard of the riots, perpetuated by her people against ours, and how they've blocked the roads to our pilgrimage sites…."
"And that is exactly why I plan to go ahead with this marriage General" Kylo Ren said "I've finally realized what needs to be done, where my father and grandfather went wrong and why they were never able to consolidate the country under one rule. But now, I can finish what they started. God has shown me the way. I never realized it before, but now I know what it means"
Snoke stared in disbelief.
"This union will be a marriage of alliance, not just between two families, but also two faiths"
He turned back to Snoke, who could not think of anything more to say. The Emperor would do as he pleased.
"You may convey my message of acceptance to the King of Jakku. I will marry his daughter"
