Thank you so much for the positive reviews! I have a good idea about where this is going - a lot of people may not like the turns it's going to take but I wanted to show a different side of the story.

This is my first ever writing piece so if there are any suggestions you have please feel free to let me know in the review section or PM me!

Also - I'd be interested to know if you'd like to see certain chapters/sections from Kylo's point of view too, if that's something you'd like I'll be more than happy to oblige! It might be interesting to see what's going on inside his head and heart.

(I also apologise for the slow start, this isn't going to be a fast-paced story where several scenes take place in each chapter, I have a very specific order of events noted down and I want to get in as much detail and feeling as I can)

JL x

The journey down the palace approach was a tense one. As she had walked out into the gentle sunshine and faced the waiting crowd, Jay had caught her father's eye and bowed her head in defeat, there was no return from this point. The troopers parted into two equal columns and stood either side of the wide pathway, allowing their generals and captains to take the lead in their procession.

As Jay paused at the base of the palace steps she took in the scent of the royal gardens for the last time, before she felt a light brush of fabric skim the material at her ankle. Kylo Ren stopped by her side and offered his left arm to her, a mere performance for the avidly-watching spectators.

Jay looked up into the black mesh covering Ren's eyes before reluctantly taking his arm, keeping contact to a minimum and barely touching him. He led her towards her waiting parents, who each wore an overly-acted smile and held their arms out to her.

She allowed her father to pull her into an awkward embrace, before being handed over to her mother, who pressed each of her bony fingertips into the flesh of Jay's upper arms and held her close, whispering into her ear "don't dare to disappoint me, girl", before releasing her and plastering the same false grin over her usually emotionless exterior.

With her goodbyes performed, Jay turned back to Ren who was standing behind her in silence, his arm extended once more. She wrapped her hand around his forearm again and followed as he led her towards the towering gates and the end of the causeway. Keeping her eyes forward, Jay could sense every set of eyes on them, judgemental stares cast her way as she made her way back to his transport ship, resting the reputation and fate of her home world on her shoulders.

As they passed through the tall, shining gates she chanced one last look back over her shoulder. Her family were nowhere to be seen, likely already lounging on plush chairs in one of their recreational rooms, already forgetting about the daughter they would never miss.

As she looked up at her former home she caught movement in one of the second floor windows. Pru. The tiny servant girl was peeking out from behind a thick curtain, hoping to get one final look at the friend she would miss so dearly. Jay gave her a quick reassuring smile before quickly turning her head forward again to hide the tears that desperately threatened to fall from her heartbroken eyes.

Turning to the right she caught sight of the transport ships she had seen approaching earlier, and was swiftly led onto the boarding ramp of the smaller of the three. She watched the faction of troopers split into two halves again and board the other two transports with their captains, while a small group of four followed her onto Ren's ship.

Once she was at the top of the ramp and out of view of any spectators on the ground, Ren dropped her arm and walked ahead of her, dropping gracefully into one of the passenger seats situated directly behind the pilot's own. Jay stood, not knowing where she was expected to sit or who to take instruction from, merely watching as the stormtroopers that had followed her took their seats on either side of the interior walls and the suited generals took the row of seats behind Ren's.

"Sit here"

She turned towards the mechanical voice projected by Ren's mask and saw that he was motioning towards the seat beside his.

Silently she took her place and sat straight with her hands folded in her lap. Ren looked at her for a moment before commanding their pilot to begin their departure. Jay was distracted from Ren's burning gaze by the gentle jolt back into her seat as the transport left solid ground.

It was only when they were almost out of the atmosphere's embrace that she stopped craning her neck forwards to look out of the pilot's screen and settled back into her seat. It was then that she noticed she was still being watched closely, though she still couldn't see his eyes, he was observing her carefully. She tried to ignore the prickling at the back of her neck, the shiver that ran up her spine and seemed to settle in her heart, which was beating twice as quickly as normal.

It wasn't that she was afraid, that's not what it felt like. She felt like he was truly contemplating her for the first time, trying to work her out, they had barely spoken a word to one another since meeting and now they were trapped, forced together in this tiny space and to be caged within the confines of the Order's flagship.

Well, she assumed she was to be caged there, he would likely retain all the freedom he currently had, allowing him to skip across the galaxy while she remained, a hobby for him to return to. The thought made her sick, she always expected to end up as the plaything of a powerful man, it's what she had been raised for, but she had never actually prepared for it.

She supposed he wouldn't exactly be thrilled about the prospect of their future together either, she assumed that Snoke had chosen his fate as well as her own, and like her, he had likely had no choice in the matter either. He didn't strike Jay as a family man.

After only a short flight the darkness on the other side of the glass glared into bright white lights, the transport was preparing to land in one of the star destroyer's enormous hangers. Jay had been so distracted by her thoughts that she had not seen them approach the ship, and though she had never been on board one of this class she knew of its formidable size and appearance.

As the transports suspension provided them with a gentle landing, she heard its engines power down to the level of a quiet humming noise, and heard the boarding ramps release mechanism sound.

She followed Ren's actions and stood from her seat, turning towards the ramp, but she couldn't will her feet to move her any further and stood facing the opening without moving. Ren noticed she had stopped and patiently stood at the top of the ramp with his hand outstretched, waiting for her to take it.

Jay glanced between his mask and the palm of his hand several times before taking a calming breath and forcing herself forwards. As she reached him, Ren's hand withdrew and was replaced with the arm he had offered her before, and she took it, grasping his forearm again and using it to steady herself as he led her down the ramp and into the hangar.

She had not been expecting the crowd that met them from the shuttle, the hangar was full of people. Stormtroopers in all their white splendor, captains, generals in grey military dress, every formality had been observed. There were also mechanics and labor personnel who had stopped their work on various machinery inside the hangar and were craning over the rows upon rows of helmets and headgear, trying to get a good look at the spectacle before they were ordered back to work.

Ren said nothing, he was greeted and saluted by his generals, who, almost robotically, offered the same show of respect towards Jay.

She looked around in complete awe, she had never imagined such a show of military prowess as this. Of course, she knew that the First Order was the largest and most successful power in this galaxy, but she could not manage to wrap her head around the sheer size of the operation, and this was only one hanger, on one ship, of an entire fleet.

It was all too much at once, she wanted to sprint back into the transport ship and seal the door behind her, sink to the floor and take some deep breaths. But of course, that was an impossibility. If she showed any weakness now she would crumble, she would never be respected, she would always be seen by the Order as the delicate little princess at the mercy of her superior mate.

She refused to be so.

She shifted her weight to stand a little straighter, a little taller, raising her head slightly and tightening her grip on Ren's arm a little. She wanted to appear unfazed, strong, but not arrogant or aloof. Ren clearly noticed this change in stature and pulled his forearm towards himself so that Jay's hand was trapped between his hard chest and his arm. When he spoke, she detected a hint of amusement, possibly at her display of confidence. He leaned towards her slightly and said in a low voice,

"Welcome home, your highness"