Vicrul
I finished up my morning workout with Rey, then made sure she safely arrived at the library to meet with Ushar before heading into the newly constructed office wing of the palace. I grabbed my comm link, and was scrolling through alerts when I strolled into Kylo's office. I glanced up at him and muttered a greeting, taking a moment to note that he looked like warmed up death, his face drawn and pale. The past week hadn't been easy for him, what with the shaking and the puking and the sweating, but he'd, at least, taken the first step.
I idly wondered when construction of the palace would be completed. Not because I didn't love endless sleepovers with my best friend, but because he and Rey were starting with the googly eyes again, and it was hard to stomach. Of course I was ecstatic for Kylo, but it was difficult to be around them, to watch them be so happy, when my own happiness was in tatters.
Kylo looked up at me, his bloodshot eyes scanning the empty doorway before they came back to meet mine. "Where's Rey?"
His paranoia had been the worst part of his withdrawal. Because he'd spent months without her, he was constantly teetering on the edge of blind panic if he didn't have his eyes on her at all times. He'd drank to quell that mania. Now that he'd stopped drinking, his brain was in overdrive trying to balance itself, and the man who'd always struggled with self control was fighting to keep his emotions in check.
So, I decided to stow my typical sarcasm, and said, "In the library with Ushar."
His shoulders slumped in relief and he gave me a tight nod before going back to his screen.
An alert sounded on the communicator, and the holographic image of Trugden appeared, his face tight. The hard set of his jaw immediately had every warrior instinct that had been beaten into me snapping to attention. Ap'lek put down his link, his brows furrowing as he moved closer.
Kylo moved his hair out of his face as he looked up, his eyes narrowing when he saw his head of security. "What is it?"
Uncertainty clouded Trugden's nearly onyx eyes as they flicked to Aplek in silent question. Kylo looked between them, an angry red stain blooming high on his cheeks. "For fucks sake, stop coddling me!" He spat, his burning gaze going back to the holograph. "Tell me what it is."
We had been coddling him, all of us collectively terrified that one wrong move could send him careening back to the bottle.
"There is someone who has requested an audience." Trugden told him. But, the way he hesitated, even after a direct order had my stomach sinking.
Kylo raised his chin, his back straightening as he squared his shoulders, completely oblivious to how critical he looked. I glanced over at Aplek, who shared my knowing look of dread. 'Do you know who it is?' I asked through the Bond.
'Does it matter?' He shot back. He knew, like I knew, that Kylo was in no condition, no mental state, to see anyone.
"Patch them through." Kylo said.
"Ky-" Aplek and I said together, both of us taking a step toward him, and both of us stopping short when he turned to look at us, one dark eyebrow raised.
"I can handle this." Aplek offered. "You're - still recovering."
Kylo's face hardened, and I swore under my breath when he stubbornly turned to the controls, and pressed the override key, the holograh of our brother disappearing to be replaced by the face of a man I did not recognize.
But, a shuttering heave, something between a sob and a gag, came out of Kylo as he stared up at him, then a blinding, searing, white hot rage blasted down the Bond as the room shook around and beneath us. Aplek and I moved, flanking him on either side, our minds open and joined to each other as we were in battle. Through that connection, I saw glimpses of that man, and my stomach rolled when I realized that they weren't Kylo's memories I was seeingā¦
But Rey's. Rey's memories that Kylo had seen in her nightmares, her flashbacks, and I recognized the man on the screen for who he was.
Zaugustus turned pale blue eyes to us, his dark lips twisted into a cruel grin. "Supreme Leader." He said, and the walls groaned as Kylo's power mounted.
Ushar's awareness linked to ours as he sensed the surge, and I felt it when he prepared to jump toward us.
'No.' Kylo roared, blocking him and his shadows from teleporting to us. 'Stay with Rey.'
I couldn't hide my shock when I glanced over at Aplek. 'Since when can he block Ushar?' I demanded.
He gave me an irritated glare. 'Now is not the time.'
"I'd like to negotiate a ceasefire." Zaugustus said.
"I'm not negotiating anything with you," Kylo growled, the air crackling around us. My fingertips tingled as my own power reacted to his, and I balled my hands into fists to keep it in check.
Zaugustus held up a finger, his dark eyebrows rising. "You might change your mind after you hear my terms."
"Fuck your terms." Aplek spat, hitting the button to end the link. But, the screen did not go black. And, if the link could not be ended on our side, it meant that the call had been initiated by another royal communicator, by another King. Kylo glared at the controls, then back up at the screen.
Zaugustus smiled, and made my skin crawl. "Now that I have your attention," He leaned forward, locks of long, multi-colored hair falling over his broad shoulders. "I'm willing to shut down the ring." He said. "And rescind the declaration of war from Arkanis."
"Only Brendol can rescind that declaration." I told him.
His gaze slid to me and his grin widened. "Or his heir presumptive."
Kylo went rigid at my side, though I did not chance a look over at him. It was Ap'lek who spoke, breaking the tense silence. "Brendol has no heir."
"Brendol didn't have an heir," Zaugustus corrected, and shrugged. "But, desperate times and all that."
Ap'lek scoffed. "Desperate enough to appoint you?"
Zaugustus bristled, and took a breath before answering. "Desperate enough to acknowledge an illegitimate heir as his successor."
A chill ran through me, and I looked over to Ap'lek. 'Can he do that?' I asked through the Bond. 'Is that a thing?' My brother had gone pale, his eyes unfocused as he frantically tried to think.
'Yes.' Kylo answered, not looking at either of us. 'If a King does not have an heir, he can appoint an illegitimate son, as long as his parentage is confirmed.'
And, if Zaugustus was Brendol's illegitimate son, that would explain why he had immunity for his heinous slavery ring for so long, and why Armitage would call him to find Rey after she fled Arkanis.
"Brendol gave me your name to hunt you down." Kylo said aloud.
"With Armitage dead." He pointed to Kylo. "And, thanks for that by the way, he knew that it was just a matter of time before I assumed the throne."
Brendol knew that Kylo would destroy anything and anyone to get to Rey, to get her back. And, if he had found Zaugustus before he could go public with his parentageā¦
"He wanted me to find you before you could stake your claim." Kylo finished.
"But, now that the bride Armitage bought is pregnant, my father believes that she's carrying his last chance for a legitimate heir."
Kylo was trembling so violently that he gripped the control panel in front of him to stay upright. The lights flickered under the strain of him, of his power. "Is that why you kept her?" He asked, his voice barely more than a furious whisper.
"It started out as keeping her from Brendol until he would acknowledge me as his rightful heir." Zaugustus explained. "Then, she knew too much about me, about the ring. She was too much of a liability to just let her go." His cold eyes came to me again. "But, then your war-chief found her."
I was not prepared for the memories of what went down in that tent to crash into me, but I did not flinch as they flooded my mind. I wouldn't let him have the satisfaction of seeing me react.
"And now I know exactly where to find you." Kylo said, the threat in his lethally calm voice abundantly clear.
"So, that you can do what, exactly?" Zaugustus taunted. "Killing me after I announce that my first official notion as king will be to rescind the declaration of war with Mustafar wouldn't look so good to your allies."
He was right, killing him wouldn't look good. He was also putting too much faith in his assumption that Kylo actually gave a shit.
"What are your terms?" Ap'lek cut in.
There was a scrape of his fingers across the stubble on his jaw before Zaugustus answered. "I'll shut down the ring. I'll free the girls, and I'll order a truce between our kingdoms. And, in return, all I want is what your War-Chief took from me."
I swore as a violent surge of Kylo's power cracked the screen, distorting the image. Ap'lek and I moved together, both putting our hands up, snapping our shields in place around him. In his weakened state, it was more likely that he would hurt himself than anyone else if he lost control.
"You honestly think I'd agree to that?" He ground out.
"You won't have to agree once the Allied Kings order her to be returned." Zaugustus pointed out. "But, I was hoping that you would be reasonable. I'm offering to free every girl in my ring and to spare our two peoples from war, and all I want is for you to give me my brother's bride."
He was offering so many lives, not realizing that Kylo would personally decimate the entire galaxy with himself in it before he willingly handed Rey over.
"Go to hell." Kylo snarled.
Zaugustus shrugged again. "The notion has already been filed, so it's just a matter of time before they order her return." He gave Kylo a mocking grin. "I can be patient." And ended the link.
We kept our shield up as Kylo sagged between us. If he'd been more himself, he would have beaten the control panel to splinters, but who he was now, brought a shaking hand up to cover his face. I looked to Ap'lek, finding worry etched on his face that mirrored my own.
The office door opened and Trudgen walked in, the grim look on his face telling us that he'd heard every word.
Kylo didn't look up. "The last meeting I had with the officials, they told me that Brendol had gone to the allied kings to get Rey sent to him."
The lines in Ap'lek's brow deepened. "Why?"
"You heard him," He said, motioning toward the broken screen. "Brendol thinks the baby is Armitage's."
"But, she's not." I said, and Kylo glowered at me.
"I fucking know that." He said, caustically.
Ok, yeah, I guess I walked into that one.
"But, if Zaugustus is Brendol's son, and now his heir presumptive," Ap'lek added. "This changes everything."
"It changes nothing." Kylo spat. "I will rip him apart for what he did to Rey, this just makes it easier for me to find him."
I felt Ap'lek's apprehension rattle the Bond. His mind was already strategically analyzing every angle of this, every outcome. That was something I always envied, how quickly he was able to detach and analyze. He was like a big brother to all of us, though he was technically the youngest.
"Should we tell Rey?" Trugden asked.
"No." Kylo snapped, pushing himself up. "Absolutely not." He let out a shaking breath, and rubbed his eyes. "She can't hear a word of this. From anyone."
Knowing Rey, I knew that purposefully keeping something like this from her was a bad idea, but I chose not to voice that, not now, not when he looked like he was as close to breaking as I'd ever seen him. "Tell me what you need." I said.
He let out a long, slow breath. "I just need to get my shit together before she sees and knows something is wrong."
My frown deepened, but I nodded, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze as I released my shield. I grabbed my comm link and headed toward the training bay. I had troops to oversee, and if Kylo was going to ignore everything that had just happened, I was going to get on with my day.
I'd nearly made it when I looked up and froze, seeing Rey march toward the hangar, clad in ill-fitting fighting leathers. She had her hair pulled back, her ponytail swinging with every step.
What the fuck?
"Rey!" I yelled, chasing after her. "Stop!"
She didn't.
It took a minute for me to catch up to her. "Rey, what are you doing?"
She went to the Buzzard, to Kuruk who rolled out from under it in his greasy coveralls. He looked from her to me, then took a breath to speak, presumably to ask what was going on.
"Take me to Arkanis." Rey commanded.
My blood ran cold, my eyes going so wide I thought they'd dislocated. She must have somehow heard or seen the call with Zaugustus.
"Rey, you are not going to Arkanis." I told her, but it just came out as a terrified plea.
She ignored me completely. "Kuruk." She said, calmly. "Now."
Kuruk sat up, his face still tight with worried confusion, but he did not move to obey.
"You are six months pregnant." I pointed out, and she finally looked at me.
"Would you have said anything? Done anything, knowing where he is and what he's done?" She wanted to know, and her eyes glistened. "Would you have told me? Or would you have just followed orders?"
Her question stung, and I lowered my gaze from hers.
She scoffed. "I thought you were my friend."
"I am your friend." I insisted. "But, he's my King, I have to follow his orders."
Something sparked in her hazel eyes, and I knew her well enough to know that it meant I was about to lose my balls.
"You have to follow his orders?" She asked.
I sighed. "Yes, I have to follow his orders."
"No matter what?"
"No matter what." I confirmed.
"Then, I'm reminding you of his indefinite stand down order." She bit out.
I gasped in exactly the least manly way possible, my hand coming up to cover my mouth.
Yep, balls gone.
She turned to Kuruk, who gaped at her, obviously at loss as well.
Merciful Maker and all things holy, Kylo was going to kill me. He was literally going to unalive me, right on this hangar floor. I'd sworn a vow to stand down if she ever wanted to leave, regardless of circumstance. And, because Kuruk had made that same vow, he got to his feet, turning toward the cockpit without another word.
"Rey, please." I begged, watching her walk up the ramp. "Please, don't do this."
But she gave me a glare over her shoulder before she stubbornly hit the button, and the hydraulics hissed as the loading bay door closed behind her.
