Naboo
Even though she'd had no power or influence in the Empire for over twelve years, the Dowager Empress Leia Organa was never idle. She made it her business to know what the likes of Snoke and General Hux were up to every day and thankfully, there were still some among the older politicians and ranks who were loyal to her. They were the ones who had ridden into battle at her husband's side and had been devoted to him and to their cause till his dying day. Also, Leia Organa had many spies of her own. She knew she was being watched by Snoke. Snoke, who was no doubt whispering lies in her son's ears to try to turn him against her and every second that Snoke stood by his side, was a second where he lost a part of his humanity.
If she was caught, she could be charged with treason and sentenced to death. But that was not a prospect that frightened or deterred her, for she was no stranger to plotting and bringing empires to their knees.
That was how she had earned her throne in the first place.
Memories of the old glory days haunted her dreams. Sometimes she would dream of Han and Luke, sometimes she would see her son as a baby, his little pink mouth splitting into a wide grin, his chubby arms reaching out to her. She wished she had hugged and kissed him more, held him more…been there for him.
She shook her head. There's no one to blame, no one to blame but Snoke She thought.
Leia was deep in thought and that was how Rey found her during her daily walk around the palace one morning. She stood, unmoving at the top of the stone staircase that lead down from the entrance of the harem to the garden, her arms crossed, just as Rey was reaching the bottom.
She bowed her head in greeting "Good morning, Your Majesty"
To which Leia replied "Rey, come and walk with me"
It was a cloudy morning so the sun's rays weren't falling on them as harshly and the air was crisp and fresh. Rey's favorite part of walking in the garden every day was listening to the chirping and singing of the variety of birds and as she and Leia strolled by, the garden seemed alive with their music. A beautiful butterfly fluttered around them, making them stop in their tracks.
"Ben used to love chasing butterflies when he was little. He took his very first steps trying to chase one in this very garden" Leia sighed wearily "He was such a lovely little boy"
Rey tried to imagine the Emperor as a baby, his dark hair bouncing and brown eyes shining, toddling after butterflies; the image was quite endearing, but she shook it from her thoughts. She turned to look at the woman walking beside her and felt the urge to know more about her. Who was she? How did she come to be here?
"Your Majesty…"
"Please, you may call me 'mother'" Leia said, smiling at Rey
"Mother…" Rey began tentatively "I just wanted to say…you're nothing like I expected"
"Ah, and what exactly did you expect, Princess?"
Rey shrugged "It's just that you're so different from your…" she stopped mid-sentence and was suddenly unable to meet Leia's eyes, but Leia knew what she was about to say.
She reached out to take Rey's hand.
"I know the man my son has become …but he wasn't always like this…" she said, her expression hardening.
Rey knew this was a mother speaking of her son. Months ago, she had stood at the altar of her Goddess in her temple and swore vengeance by bringing forth the head of Kylo Ren. A feeling of something close to shame and pity washed over her as she now stood in front of his grieving mother. Moreover, Rey realized she knew nothing about the Skywalker family beyond hearsay and tales of their accomplishments on the battlefield. As she carefully watched Leia wiping away her tears with her shawl, she knew there had to be more to them than those stories of violence.
Leia seemed more than eager to feed Rey's curiosity about the family and Empire that she was now a part of. It was as though she had been waiting forever to talk about it. She had never felt such a personal connection to anyone in years and was already very fond of the bright-eyed Princess of Jakku. Rey, in turn, was proving to be a keen listener.
"My family has quite humble beginnings for a royal family" Leia began "My father, Anakin Skywalker was the illegitimate son of the old King of Tatooine, Darth Plageuis. My grandmother was a palace slave"
"So you're the Skywalker?!" Rey cried "Not the late Emperor?"
"Yes, I am the Skywalker, not my husband" Leia chuckled darkly "But my husband fit right in with us. He had the right temperament"
Rey could not take her eyes off Leia as she continued her tale
"The old King of Tatooine and his Queen were childless, so the King allowed my father and grandmother to live in his palace. It is said that he loved my father and raised him like a true Prince"
They turned a corner on the pathway.
"It was the old King's wish that after his death, his only son would succeed him on the throne. But before he could properly legitimize my father and his claim to the throne, the King died"
"So what happened? Your father became King didn't he?" Rey looked at Leia beseechingly, greedy for the rest of the story. She was a great lover of stories.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, he did," Leia said "but it wasn't an easy road. The old King's Queen took the throne because the nobility of the kingdom refused to accept an illegitimate son as their King"
Leia paused to give a sigh before continuing "The Queen was a jealous woman. She had my grandmother murdered in her sleep. That was the last straw for my father"
Rey gasped
"My father was only nineteen years old at the time" Leia looked at Rey "And with the help of his late father's advisor, my own father staged a coup on the palace and avenged my grandmother. He beheaded the Queen with his great sword and claimed his throne"
"Dowager Em-….mother" Rey began "I didn't know that your family was originally from Tatooine. How did you come here?"
Leia smiled, gesturing towards a small bench under a beautiful flowering tree where she and Rey sat down.
"Well, Naboo is my mother's home. She became Queen here when she was only thirteen years old and my father fell in love with her the moment he set eyes on her…well, at least that's how the story goes"
"Padme Amidala?" Rey whispered
"I see you know her name"
"is it…is it true she was…one of us?"
Leia regarded Rey before answering
"Yes"
Rey grinned
"Well then, you must be familiar with our customs," she said brightly
Leia looked down
"I never knew my mother Rey; she died when my brother and I were born. I never really knew either of my parents" she said sadly "My father could barely look at us. I think he blamed us for our mother's death. I was told that he became a completely different man after she died and even changed his name"
A gust of wind blew in their direction and thousands of flower petals and leaves rained down on them. But Rey's mind was too distracted to enjoy the beauty of the scenery.
"He spent the rest of his life conquering kingdoms, plundering villages, killing innocent people and squandering the Empire's wealth until my brother and I stopped him. But then we were left with the burden of the Empire he had built up over the years"
Leia paused to wipe her eyes again
"My brother wanted no part of it" she sighed "He wanted to devote his life to God and his teachings and in the end, it was up to me to take charge of everything. I hated it, but I had no choice. The people who helped put me on the throne were counting on me and I had to fix my father's mistakes somehow. I had no way out, until I married Han. Then I gave him the throne. I think he hated it almost as much as I did, but he did it for me"
"But you handled all the important work, right?" Rey asked
"I handled all the political affairs while Han became the face of the Empire" Leia smiled, thinking of her late husband "He was a scoundrel. He may have been a common man, but many preferred him to me. Everyone loved him. He was the ruler they all deserved, not the daughter of a killer"
Rey's heart filled with pity for the poor woman. She was paying for the crimes of her father and son.
"I was too much in love with Han to care. I wasn't thinking of the consequences. I just wanted a normal life and a stable family" Leia continued, her tone regretful "I should have stayed on the throne. If I had I could have kept Snoke away from my Ben"
"Who's Ben?" Rey asked
"Well well well, I should have known" a deep voice drawled, interrupting them
Leia and Rey both jumped and turned to face the intruder.
Kylo Ren himself was leaning against the trunk of the tree watching the pair of them with a smirk on his lips. This was the first time Rey had seen him in weeks, but he looked just the same, the same dark eyes and hair and the same cruel smile.
"Plotting away with my mother are you, Princess?"
Rey huffed
"And what are you doing here, Your Majesty? Eavesdropping?" Rey asked in mock politeness "I thought only the servants here did that!"
Kylo Ren's smile disappeared and his mouth twisted into a scowl.
"Actually, I came to see you Princess" He replied, ignoring her slight "I should have known you two would find each other's company. Birds of a feather, I suppose"
Leia got up and stepped in between them as if to shield them both from each other. When she spoke to Kylo Ren it was in a soft and gentle voice.
"Ben, how are you? I never get to see you…"
"I thought you preferred it that way mother" Kylo Ren answered quietly, not meeting her eye "Now if you please, I'd like a word with my dear wife"
There was a hint of bitterness in his voice and Rey realized with a start that when Leia had spoken of 'Ben' she had meant Kylo Ren. But why did she call him that?
She could see that the Dowager Empress was trying her best not to react to her son's nonchalant attitude to her pain and when she next addressed them both, it was in a level voice.
"I'm going to walk back to the palace and let you two talk. Good day to you both"
"Good day, Mother" Rey bowed in farewell, half hoping that she would change her mind and stay, while Kylo Ren muttered absently as he stepped back to let his mother pass
"Mother, good day"
And as Leia walked by him, she touched his shoulder gently. But he did not react to the gesture.
Once they were alone, Kylo turned to Rey
"I think you'll be pleased to hear what I have to say, wife"
"Oh really?" his wife scoffed
"You know, there's no need to take that attitude with me"
There was one thing Kylo Ren couldn't stand about Rey and that was her arrogance. He had told himself that day on Jakku that he would take his revenge on her and he had. He had taken her home, Jakku and made it his own and like every ruler before him who had declared war and conquered kingdoms, he had laid his claim to it. He had won fair and square.
He hadn't intended to marry her, but when her father showed up at his campsite following his defeat and offered him the hand in marriage of his only daughter, he didn't refuse. His anger towards her had also dissipated a little when he saw how her family was prepared to give her away as though she were a prized horse.
And then the look on her face as she watched them ride away without her after the wedding, hit too close to home for him.
He was prepared to make amends in any way he could. If only she were more approachable.
"Is there something you wanted to say?" She asked
"Yes" He answered "I sent an invitation to your parents, to come and stay with us for a few weeks"
Rey's eyes widened
"You…you sent an invitation?" she stammered "Why would you do that?"
"Your parents seemed interested in touring Naboo the last time we met, so I thought this would be the perfect time to invite them" He regarded Rey with a raised eyebrow, "I thought you would be pleased"
"I…" Rey was at a loss for words
"I've already made arrangements and planned everything. I just need you to look over a few things" Kylo said
It took a while for Rey to regain her composure
"Of course" She breathed
"Good" Kylo nodded and turned to leave "Also, I need you to be present at the court gathering this afternoon," he said
Rey watched, frozen on the spot as the Emperor walked away up the path and disappeared from sight. She was still trying to process what she had just heard, excitement but also fear bubbling inside her.
She would see her parents again!
…..
Poe Dameron climbed over the walls of the Naboo palace and dropped stealthily onto the carpet of soft grass beneath. He had no patience for First Order troopers or stopping at gates to gain permission for entry, so this option was more favorable to him.
He had made up his mind to go back to the Princess's side as soon as the King and Queen arrived back in Jakku. He had told the royal couple that he was leaving to go, but the Princess didn't know he was coming. It didn't matter; he was looking forward to surprising her anyway. Poe just couldn't bear the thought of her being in the palace of the enemy, alone and friendless.
He crossed the grassy courtyard and arrived at the threshold of an impressive doorway. But he knew this couldn't be the main entrance to the building, not in the place where everything seemed so extravagant.
He knew that Rey would be in this building but he also knew that this was the one building in the palace complex that he was not allowed in.
The only man allowed in the harem was the Emperor and any other man who dared step foot into it would pay for the crime with his life. But Poe didn't care. If he got caught, well…he would talk his way out of it. His first priority right now was getting to the Princess.
…
Rey relayed the news of her parents impending arrival to Jess the moment she arrived back in her chamber and she reacted just as Rey expected her to.
"It can't be anything good, Rey"
And Rey knew what Jess was thinking and of course, that same thought had crossed her own mind when she heard the news herself.
"We'll see" was all she could manage in response to Jess. Her conversation with Leia Organa was also still fresh in her mind. At first, she had felt pity for the woman but then realized that such a woman didn't need her pity, only her admiration. She had remained resilient despite all the difficulties of her life and even bore her son's indifference to her with grace and patience.
"Don't let them fool you Rey" Jess had warned her when she had told her about Leia. "She is partly to blame for the existence of the First Order"
Rey said nothing to this. In a few minutes, she and Jess would be leaving to attend the court gathering and she had to see to her family's living arrangements. She tried to concentrate on that.
Jess watched her for a while, wondering what was going on inside her best friend's head. Ever since that meeting with Maz, Rey had been strangely subdued and deep in thought most of the time. Jess believed the old woman was crazy and advised Rey not to take her too seriously, but Jess knew that Maz was still on her mind.
"Rey, please just don't think about it too much," Jess said, placing a warm hand on Rey's shoulder.
Rey was about to say something when a tapping noise caught her attention. She and Jess both stilled and listened. It was coming from her balcony.
They both turned to look.
Poe Dameron was waving at them from behind the balcony railings. The two young women watched on in horror as he climbed over and beamed at them.
Jess swore under her breath while Rey remained speechless as he wandered inside with his usual swagger, glancing around and appraising Rey's room.
"Not bad Princess" He nodded in approval, stopping in front of them.
He winked a Jess "So, did you miss me?"
Jess found her voice before Rey did "You absolute idiot!" She hissed at him "Do you want to get us all killed?!"
Poe was taken aback for a moment
"Your Highness, is this the best welcome you can give me?" He turned to Rey "I came all the way to see you…"
"Poe, you can't come in here!" Rey cried "If someone sees you, you're finished!"
"I know" Poe answered in a more serious voice, holding his hands up "but I had to see you. I'm just doing my duty. Anyway, I can sneak out before anyone sees"
"Well, you should leave right now!" Jess grabbed hold of Poe's arm and tried to lead him back out into the balcony.
"Poe, my parents are coming here, did you know? Rey dashed after them
"Yes, I heard, I'm leaving to join them today"
"How are they?"
"They're fine Princess"
As Poe disappeared down along the wall of the harem, Jess breathed a sigh of relief.
"He'll be alright," She said to herself
"I hope so" Rey sighed
…..
The Imperial court gathered about once a week to discuss the Empire's business.
The Emperor sat on his throne on a raised platform at the head of the large assembly hall, flanked by his guard and servants while the nobility, politicians, and Generals of his army were seated in rows below him. Snoke stood by the Emperor's side, as usual, his hawk eyes surveying the scene below him, watching for any sign of treachery.
Today, the rest of the imperial family was allowed into the hall. The section where the Emperor's mother and wives were seated was separated from the rest of the gathering by a sheer silkscreen. Phasma and the Dowager Empress were seated at the head of this little group, with Rey and the rest of the wives behind them. Jess was allowed to sit beside Rey at her request and Rey was glad of it.
As they both took their seats, Phasma turned and gave her a little smirk.
"Hello, Princess" She sneered
Rey smiled, trying to look composed. Phasma didn't scare her, but the way she was looking at her now made her uncomfortable, it was as if she was in on something. Beside her, Leia Organa had not noticed the two women's exchange. She seemed to be lost in thought as she gazed around the room. Phasma eyed her and then turned to face the front again without another word. Rey breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Kylo Ren sat on the throne and waited for his announcer, Mitaka, to bring everyone to order.
So proceedings began and within the first hour as Rey listened raptly to every single word uttered by the politicians and generals, she began to understand the difficulties and responsibilities of running a massive Empire. She had often watched meetings and gatherings presided over by her father, where he and other leaders of the kingdom had discussed affairs. But Jakku was so tiny in comparison, that compared to the Emperor of the First Order, Rey felt as if her father did nothing. Moreover, Kylo Ren seemed to take a keen interest in everything that went on, unlike her father who usually delegated tasks and business to his noblemen. There were matters of education, taxes, trade and even providing drinking water to certain provinces, under discussion. One of the provinces was suffering from a recent flooding and Leia Organa was given the responsibility of organizing an event in the harem to collect donations for the victims.
It was Snoke who glided down to where Leia sat behind the curtain and gave her the piece of parchment with the official order. Leia took it without even glancing at him.
At the end of the gathering, with the important matters out of the way, Kylo Ren held up his hands for silence before speaking.
"Within the next few weeks, we will be receiving some important guests at our palace"
Rey's heart hammered in her chest
"The King and Queen of Jakku will be esteemed guests here and they are to receive the best possible treatment our palace has to offer"
The entire court turned to look at each other and broke into muttering. Beside the Emperor, Snoke looked on, a muscle twitching in his jaw. His eyes found the reddening face of General Hux who was sitting near the front and the two exchanged disapproving looks.
"Princess Rey will be in charge of organizing and overseeing matters regarding hospitality" Kylo Ren continued, ignoring the buzz around him and turning his head to the curtain of sheer silk, behind which Rey sat "Do as she says"
Nobody noticed as a trooper ran into the hall in between the rows of the distracted noblemen to kneel before the throne. Kylo Ren bent forward as the trooper leaned in to speak. No one could hear what the trooper said, but when Kylo Ren raised his head again, his face was livid.
"Bring him in" He growled at the trooper, who slowly backed away and sprinted out of the hall.
When he returned next, with a retinue of other guards with their weapons pointed at a man standing between them, the hall fell silent.
Beside Rey, Jess let out a whimper.
"Poe!" Rey breathed.
Poe was shoved forward so hard; he fell on his knees at the Emperor's feet.
The silence in the hall dragged on for what felt like several minutes as the Emperor stared down at Poe, who looked back, apparently unafraid.
"So, who talks first?" Poe asked loudly, breaking the stillness "You talk first? I talk first?"
Rey had to admire his audacity. He never took his eyes off Kylo Ren the entire time.
"What were you doing inside my harem?" Kylo Ren asked in a booming voice
Now the entire hall let out a collective gasp.
"I…lost my way" Poe explained, his voice shaking a little
"You lost your way" Kylo Ren repeated "You're not from around here. What were you doing in my palace?"
Poe paused to consider his words
"I come from Jakku. I'm not aware of your laws"
Poe tried to look as innocent as possible as he said this, gazing around at the shocked faces around him.
"Do you realize that you can be put to death for your actions?"
"NO!"
The entire court and Emperor included, turned to the corner of the hall where the Emperor's family sat.
"Rey, what are you doing?!" Leia hissed, alarm in her eyes as Rey stepped between her and Phasma to part the curtain covering them. All eyes were on her as she sidestepped the imperial guard and stood next to Poe, facing Kylo Ren
"Your Majesty!" She said "This man is the Captain of my father's guard and he meant no harm or disrespect in coming here!"
"So what business does he have in the palace of Naboo?"
"He's here to see me"
"Then why did he feel the need to sneak around instead of approaching you in the proper way?"
This time Poe spoke "The king asked me to check on the Princess"
This was the truth, but the Emperor didn't look like he was going to believe them.
"Your Majesty…" Rey pleaded, fixing her eyes on his "I beg you to pardon this man"
For a moment, Kylo Ren was diverted. She looked so beautiful standing there in her finery and without her usual expression of sourness, her lovely brown eyes were round, her mouth parted, pleading with him; Kylo Ren could not help but notice.
And so did Snoke
"That is impossible"
Snoke stepped forward calmly, but the expression of his eyes gave away the fury beneath. He spoke directly to Rey, his voice dripping with contempt.
"I'm sorry Your Highness, but His Majesty is not in the habit of handing out pardons at the insistence or whims of his wives…"
"Silence" Kylo Ren held up his hands and Snoke stepped back, still furious.
"Princess" He addressed Rey "If I were to give your Captain a full pardon, what would I receive in return?"
Rey blinked up at him
"In…return?…"
She glanced down at Poe, who was looking up at her from his position on the floor. Then it hit her. She knew what to do.
"In return for a full pardon, I offer you the services of my Captain"
Kylo Ren raised his eyebrows and Poe looked like he would have preferred the death sentence.
"Captain Poe Dameron will no longer serve my father. From today, he will serve the Emperor of the First Order…with his approval"
Kylo Ren considered her with narrowed eyes
"Very well. Rise, Captain"
Poe got slowly to his feet
"From now on, you no longer serve the King of Jakku. You serve me"
Poe sighed, for Rey, he thought to himself. He would do this for her.
"I thank you for your mercy," he said, bowing.
As the guards escorted Poe outside, Rey and Kylo continued to stare at each other.
"He's an excellent soldier," Rey said "One of my father's best"
"I'll take your word for it, Princess" He nodded and as Rey bowed to him and retreated back behind the curtain, his eyes never left her.
An indignant Phasma did not fail to notice this.
….
"This isn't the first time he's let his personal interests get in the way," General Hux remarked as he and Snoke sat in his chambers, sipping wine "it'll pass soon enough"
Snoke was still seething from the events of the afternoon. The Emperor had completely ignored him and humiliated him in front of the whole court.
And all for that woman.
"Am I interrupting anything?"
"My lady" General Hux rose from his seat as Phasma sauntered into the room
Snoke didn't bother getting up. Phasma and Snoke had never really seen eye to eye, but now wasn't the time to turn on each other, not when they had a common enemy.
"I can guess why you're here," Snoke said, looking away, "I thought you had him completely in your grasp but it seems that I was wrong"
"I know you don't like me, General" Phasma seated herself at the table with the two men "And I haven't lost my influence on him completely if you must know"
"What do you want?"
"I want your support to take her out"
Snoke snorted
"My lady, I'll find a way to deal with her. You need not concern yourself with these matters; your job is to keep the Emperor happy in bed"
Phasma scowled "I'm already one step ahead of you General. Don't underestimate me"
"What do you mean?"
"I found something. Some incriminating evidence against our little Princess"
Snoke sat up with a start. "I'm listening"
"Oh, I'm not telling you what it is" Phasma said slyly "at least, not yet"
Snoke clicked his tongue impatiently
"For heaven's sake, if you've got something on her then we can go to the Emperor right now!"
Phasma laughed "Oh no. At first, I wanted to go the Emperor straight away too, but now I have a better plan. I'm going to wait until we've got her whole family under our roof together. I want to put on a good show for the whole court"
"This is not a game!" Snoke cried "If we wait any longer, your evidence might become useless!"
Phasma ignored him "Either way, it doesn't look good for her"
Snoke knew how much of a jealous, vindictive woman Phasma was, but this wasn't just some regular squabble between two wives at the harem, this was now his problem too. His own interests were at stake.
"Well, are you in?" Phasma asked, whisking Hux's glass of wine from under him and taking a sip.
Hux who had been watching the two of them silently looked at Snoke who sighed
"Very well, we'll help you"
