Hello lovies!
I know I know, I'm on a roll posting back to back :P. But I swear I'm just trying to make up for all those long months (and sometimes years) that I spent not updating at all.
Thank you for all the love and please leave a comment if you can spare one ;) 3
ENJOY!
Rey rode on for what seemed like forever.
The low lying branches of the surrounding trees smacked her in the face and pulled at her clothes as she rode on, but she didn't mind. She just wanted to get away.
After a while, the horse seemed to grow tired and suddenly stopped in its tracks near a great oak tree.
"Come on!" She cried pulling at the reigns
Instead of charging forward, the horse rose on his hind legs so that a surprised Rey was flung backward. She hit the ground with a thud and as she raised herself up on her elbows with a groan, the horse turned around and galloped away into the forest.
"No" she moaned, falling back again.
She stared up at the starry sky. Soon it would be dawn, but she was lost and all alone in an unfamiliar forest. She looked around at her moonlit surroundings and closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath from the ride. She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear the rustling from the bushes nearby.
When she opened her eyes again she almost cried out
A young woman was crouched over her, looking down at her with a concerned look on her face. Over her shoulder, a cow was peering down at her too, it's big, bright eyes full of curiosity.
"Oh!" Rey cried out
"I'm sorry!" the woman smiled and stepped back "I think I frightened you"
"It's alright" Rey said, placing a trembling hand on her chest
The young woman looked Rey up and down, taking in her silk robes and gold jewelry
"Now, where did you come from?" She asked
"I…" Rey tried to answer
"Are you from the palace?" The young woman questioned, her brows furrowed "What are you doing out here at this time of night?"
"I was out for some fresh air" Rey managed to reply
"Ah"
The young woman looked amused
"As for me, I was just looking for Brinda here" She said, reaching out to stroke the soft ears of the cow "She didn't come home this evening with the rest of the herd"
"Oh" Rey said again, still trying to catch her breath.
"I'm Rose Tico" The young woman said, smiling brightly
"Oh, thank you, Rose" Rey attempted a weak smile.
"And you are?" Rose held out a hand to Rey
Rey took it and was surprised at the strength of the small woman as she pulled her straight up to her feet.
"I'm Rey" She replied "thank you"
"You know, we should get going. It's getting cold" Rose said, glancing around and pulling her shawl up closer to her face. "And there might be bandits around too. You'd be a treat for them"
She gestured at Rey's golden bangles and gold belt.
Rey pulled her shawl, which was now wet with mud, around herself too to try to cover the gleam of the jewelry
"Do you live here?" she asked
"Oh no, not in the forest. My sister and I own a farm on the outskirts" Rose answered.
Rey tried to straighten up, but flinched as a sharp pain shot up her side
"Are you sure you're alright?" Rose asked, placing a hand on Rey's shoulder
"I'm fine" Rey assured her "My horse just threw me off"
Rose made a face
"Oh that must have been fun"
Rey chuckled, holding her side
"Well, we can't look for your horse now" Rose said "But don't worry, it'll find its way home. It was probably just frightened by a tree spirit"
"A tree spirit?"
"Yes" Rose nodded, looking up into the branches of the great oak tree "Trust me, I know all about tree spirits and even more about horses"
Rey said nothing. She had never heard of tree spirits before, but this strange girl seemed to know the forest very well and if she and her animal companion were headed in the opposite direction of the palace, she would go with them.
"Come on, let's go" Rose beckoned to Rey and the two of them slowly made their way through the bushes until Rose revealed a beaten path through a wild hedgerow. Rose had a small scythe with her which she used to cut away the brush ahead of them.
Brinda, who was afraid of the dark, took some persuading to get her moving through the thick vegetation. Both Rey and Rose had to pull and push her along, but once they got to the path, Brinda bounded on ahead of them.
"Here we are. Brinda knows her way home through this path" Rose said, spinning her scythe deftly in her hands.
Brinda mooed her approval in the distance
"Don't run too fast, Brinda!" Rose cried
Rey smiled at her
"Do you like talking to animals?" She asked
"Oh yes" Rose replied "I talk to all the animals on our farm"
"That's sweet"
"We don't get many human visitors where we are and the First Order leaves us alone" Rose chattered on "They have no use for us anyway. Nothing of value to pillage"
Rey swallowed
Silence fell over the two women as they both continued to walk. There was no sound except for the hooting of owls in the distance. For Rey the panic of being thrust into a new environment was slowly fading away and was replaced again with that grief and dread that had overtaken her after hearing her mother's words at the evening feast. Once again she was reminded that she was no one and nothing if she disobeyed her parents. She wished that Rose would say something and at length she did, but they were questions that made her further uncomfortable.
"So, you never told me where you're from"
"I'm from Naboo" Rey managed to say
"Running away from husband or family?"
"Not really…"
"Forgive me for asking…it's just that people don't just wander into this forest on purpose unless they're running away from something"
"It's alright, I am running away from something. I'm just not sure I want to talk about it right now"
Rose smiled in understanding "Of course"
Rey smiled back and as they walked on, Rey could hear the faint sound of galloping in the distance. She assumed it was Brinda, but Rose stopped dead in her tracks.
"Do you hear that sound?"
Rey stopped too, confused
"Isn't that Brinda?"
"No" Rose shook her head "that's not the sound of a cow"
"What is it then?"
Rose didn't have time to answer as a giant figure burst out from the forest in front of them.
A man on a big dark horse.
But not just any man. The Emperor.
Kylo Ren pulled on the reins of his horse and looked angrier than Rey had ever seen him before. Quick as a flash, Rose jumped in front of her and waved her scythe at him.
"Get back!" She cried, poised to strike "Get away from our path or I'll lop your head off!"
Rey stood frozen in horror at the sight of the tiny woman threatening the mountain of a man that was the Emperor of the First Order.
"No, Rose!"
Before Rose could react, Kylo Ren had drawn his sword and dismounted from his horse.
"Rey" He called to her "What are you doing?"
Rose straightened up and looked between them in confusion
"Why did you follow me?" Rey cried, choking back tears "I came away because I wanted to!"
"You don't know what you're doing!" Kylo Ren shouted back at her
"No, I know exactly what I'm doing!"
At this, Kylo Ren reached out t her with a gloved hand
"We can figure something out together" He said more softly "I promise you running away won't solve any of your problems, trust me, I've done it before too and it doesn't work!"
Rose started to feel like she was the third wheel in this intimate encounter and putting down her scythe, backed away from the couple, slowly.
"Please Rey, don't do this" Kylo Ren was pleading now "There must be another way"
He sheathed his sword and walked towards her slowly, his hand still outstretched. Tears were streaming down Rey's face now and silently, she shook her head.
"I can't go back" She wept "I have nowhere to go!"
"Yes you do" Kylo Ren countered "My palace will always be open to you, even if we're not married"
Rey wiped her eyes with her dirty shawl, smearing mud across her cheeks and forehead.
"Let's go back to the palace and talk about this"
Rey did not have the strength to argue with him anymore. She was exhausted and dirty and in pain from her fall.
"Wait a minute"
From beside her, Rose spoke up
"You're Kylo Ren!" She spat, and then turning to Rey, she looked at her as though she were seeing her for the first time.
"And you're his wife?"
Rey sighed
"It's a long story"
"And who are you?" Kylo Ren asked, turning his attention to Rose
"I'm Rose Tico" She answered, turning her scythe in her hands.
Kylo Ren stared down at her indignantly for a while before turning back to Rey.
"Let's go"
He reached for her
"Wait a minute!" Rose cried, stepping between them "She said no"
Kylo Ren stared at her in wonder, before Rey finally spoke up.
"Fine" She relented "I'll go back to the palace with you"
Rey realized that if she ever wanted answers she would have to face her parents again.
"Let's go, then"
Kylo Ren got up on his horse and helped Rey get up behind him.
Rey thanked Rose and hoped she would get home soon
"Well, I better go too, then" Rose said "Before my sister sends a search party after me. It's almost dawn!"
Rey looked up at the sky and saw the first, dim rays of the sun through the morning mist. It really was almost daybreak.
"Well then, I'll see you around!" Rose called after them as Kylo Ren turned the horse around and it trotted back towards the forest.
"I'll never forget you Rose!" Rey called back "I hope we'll meet again!"
"How did you know I was gone?" Rey asked Kylo Ren after they had ridden for about half an hour in complete silence.
"The palace guard informed me" was all he said.
"You could have just sent one of them after me" She suggested
"But they wouldn't have done such a good job of convincing you to come back, would they?" He replied with a smirk
Rey blushed and supposed he was right.
They rode again in silence for a while, with Rey listening to the chirping of the morning birds and the rustling of the shrubs below them. She spotted a rabbit with her curious babies, hopping and sniffing around a bush and even a deer, who swiftly ran away when it heard the sounds of the galloping horse.
After a while, Kylo Ren swore under his breath and pulled on the reins to stop the horse.
"What is it?" Rey asked
Kylo Ren was staring at a marble pillar ahead of them.
"It…it can't be…" He whispered
Rey supposed it was a grave marking of some sort, but the area surrounding it seemed very unkempt and there was an overgrowth of vegetation around it.
As if in a trance, Kylo Ren dropped from his horse and beckoned to Rey to do the same.
"Come with me" He gestured through the thicket.
Rey hesitated. She was not used to walking through thick brushes and was already very tired.
"It's alright" Kylo Ren said softly "I just want to show you something"
"Is there something here?" Rey asked as she followed him through the thicket.
"If my memory is correct" Kylo Ren mumbled "It should be through here"
As the last of the thick vines parted to make way for them, they came upon a light clearing and Rey gasped.
"I knew it" Kylo Ren breathed "what in heavens name could have brought me here again…"
Ahead of them was a magnificent building. It looked like something out of the fairy stories that her mother used to read to her and her brothers when they were children.
Despite the wild bush and vines that covered and grew around it, the building still gleamed brilliantly white in the soft sunlight of dawn.
"What is this place?" Rey asked
"This place" Kylo Ren answered "I was here once many many years ago"
"An old palace?" Rey turned to him
"No" Kylo Ren said bitterly "A mausoleum"
Rey looked at him in confusion.
"This is the tomb my grandfather built for my grandmother when she died"
Rey looked back at the building
"Why is it abandoned?" She queried "And in this state?"
"I'm sure you know the story" Kylo Ren began "My grandfather was a great man, except for one thing"
Kylo Ren gently kicked at some foliage on the ground below them
"He had one great weakness"
"What was that?" Rey asked, now curious
"Love"
Rey raised her eyebrows
"When my grandmother died he fell into deep despair. He brought down the whole Empire trying to build this extravagant tomb to honor her"
"Your mother told me the story, but she never mentioned this" Rey said gently
"It's the family shame" He uttered, his mouth twisting into a scowl
"How could something so beautiful be so shameful?" She asked "It's a symbol of love"
"It's a symbol of a bankrupted Empire" He shot back
Rey sighed
She knew Kylo Ren's grandfather was notorious for his cruelty and this building might be the only proof of his one redeeming quality. To see it going to ruins was a great shame.
"Let's go and see what it looks like inside"
And without hesitation, she lifted her skirts and bounded across the clearing, towards the great marble building.
"Rey!" Kylo Ren cried "Wait!"
But Rey ignored him
She ran all the way up to the large white doors of the magnificent building and forced them open, revealing a large cavernous chamber with a large rectangular marble stone at its heart. She walked forward, the clicking of her slippers on the dusty granite floor reverberating around her. The ceiling above was covered in peeling paintings of angels and deities and flowers of every kind and sweeping mountains and lakes. Rey stared up at it and took it all in.
At length she walked towards the large marble stone at the center of the room, running her fingers along the smooth, dusty marble until she caught sight of the large mosaic mural on the wall to her right. She turned to look at it and a pair of familiar eyes looked back at her. It was a beautiful woman dressed in blue, her soft, brown hair covered in white jasmine flowers, falling in waves around her. In one small, pale hand she held a plain wooden carving and in the other she held a bright golden orb. Her soft brown eyes gazed lovingly into the cold, empty chamber and Rey stared back, enchanted.
Behind her, Kylo Ren had entered the chamber, hesitantly, dreading the memories that would inevitably come with it. He saw Rey staring at the mural and could only manage two words.
"Padme Amidala"
Rey turned at the sound of the voice and looked into the living eyes that mirrored those of his dead grandmother.
One thing I want to say about this chapter is that because it's inspired by Jodha and Akbar I wanted to put in a little reference to the Taj Mahal. According to historical records, Shah Jahan, the Mughal Emperor who built the Taj was the grandson of Jodha and Akbar...and the only way I could think of to sneak this reference into this story was the make it so that it's the grandfather who built the monument instead of the grandson...if that makes sense :P
Anyway, what do you think? :D
Don't forget to leave a comment!
Lots of love 3
