Disclaimer: Star Wars is the property and creation of Lucas Film and Disney. I own none of the characters and places mentioned in this story.

Special thanks to my beta-reader Everren (from AO3) for helping me out with this chapter.

Straight back, shoulders high, stiff arms outstretched forward, legs slightly apart.
Followed by a swing of her lightsaber that cut the boulder in front of her in half.
That was how Rey started her morning yet again.
Ever since leaving Coruscant after her quarrel with Kylo Ren — one that had sent her running to Ahch-To, where she planned to stay until a week before her wedding—that was how she usually started her mornings.
It was Rey's way of letting off steam. She'd never taken Kylo Ren for a swine, but it seemed her expectations had been too high.
She didn't know with whom she was more disgusted: with Kylo for his proposition or with herself for accepting it.

But what other choice had she, anyway?
If she hadn't accepted, Landa's life would have been forfeited.
Regardless, her opinion of her soon-to-be husband was at the lowest it had ever been. He'd only proved to her that he was no different from other men she'd encountered on Jakku.
How she wished her thoughts weren't consumed by him... to be able to simply forget about his existence. Easier said than done since she had a Force connection with him. One she couldn't explain.
With no other objects left to destroy in her attempts to get rid of her rage, Rey decided to practise lightsaber forms.
She was so focused on her forms that she lost track of time. But she was calmer, at least.

Unfortunately, the concentration had allowed her mental shields to slip, so when she turned around mid-exercise, she was forced to deflect a parry from none other than Kylo Ren.
They both froze in shock, their lightsabers locked together, looking at each other, Rey through her goggles and Kylo through the visor of his mask.
"Kira?"
That was all it took to snap Rey from her stupor. Defense turned to frenzied attack. She didn't care that her movements were sloppy. She only wanted to make Kylo Ren suffer— maybe hurt him again as she had on Starkiller Base.
Kylo Ren made no move to attack her in turn, only defended himself against her onslaught. It only made her madder.
Soon enough, though, Rey's fury offered Kylo an opening. One that he didn't let slip through his fingers.
And so, the tables were turned. Rey was the one who found a lightsaber pointed at her throat, this time around. The hand in which she held her own lightsaber was pushed to her side, her wrist held in place by her enemy in an iron grip.
She didn't struggle. She didn't beg. She only waited for Kylo Ren to act, to do something. Anything.
"How is this even possible?" Kylo asked with bewilderment as he deactivated his lightsaber and attached it to his belt, his other hand still holding her wrist in place.

Rey's eyes widened behind her goggles. She hadn't expected this.
She was his enemy, wasn't she? So then why...?
As if reading her thoughts, Kylo replied in a calm voice.
"I have no desire to kill you. I only want to understand why the Force connected us."

And with that he vanished out of existence. Right in front of her. The only proof to him being there was the imprint he'd left on Rey's wrist.

Landa sat on the floor with her back against the cold wall and her knees pressed against her chest.
She wondered if the Resistance was able to evacuate in time, if her family was alright. But her main worry was Rey. She didn't know what had happened to her after she fainted.
But her time dwelling on her thoughts was cut short by her cell door being unlocked.

"So, the Jedi killer decided to finally show his face!" Landa said as she spat at his feet.

Rey stretched out on her blanket, watching the starry sky above. Ahch-To was one of the few planets Rey knew about with such a clear sky, where stars could be seen every night.
Watching the stars in the sky was what relaxed her most on this planet. Luke... well... Luke... she wished she'd never met him. So much for a wise teacher. He was a relic of the past that she would rather avoid.
As for the other inhabitants... well they had been pissed off with her since she'd destroyed some of their huts during her training. And since then, they tended to avoid her. So stargazing had become the only activity that brought her any kind of joy. She didn't feel so alone when she looked out at a galaxy teeming with life.
She closed her eyes for one moment, allowing the Force of the island to flow through her. And that was when she felt it—a disturbance in the Force.

In seconds, she was on her feet. A moment later, she sensed Kylo Ren standing behind her.
"What do you want, Ren? Don't you have lives to destroy?!"
Disdain spilled from Rey's voice.
Instead of answering her question, he pressed on with one of his own. "You were the one who gave me that glass of water that time, weren't you?" Kylo uttered, puzzled. "And then you..."
"Don't mistake my kindness for anything more than common decency!" Rey replied acidly as she turned around to face him.
"I didn't know that kindness included caressing the lips of your supposed enemy," Kylo snorted.
Rey's face flushed hot, no doubt turning as red as a tomato behind her mask. Back then, she had only been curious about what her soon-to-be husband looked like and had wanted to offer him comfort. But it seemed Kylo had mistaken her actions for something else.

Flustered, she remembered something she'd once seen in a holodrama.
"Did she just flirt with him? In her attempt to comfort him, did she just...?
She was so focused on her own embarrassing thoughts that she didn't notice Kylo moving closer, towering over her. Only when the light of the moon was shadowed by his hulking form did she realize how close he had come.
"Get away!" Rey shouted in a warning tone.
"Or what? You'll brand me with other scars?" Kylo replied with coldness.

His answer made Rey stop dead in her tracks.
Was this the reason he never removed his mask? Had she disfigured him on Starkiller base?
She felt a wave of shame wash over her.

Before she could come up with a reply, however, the Force cut their connection short, once again.

"You can't do this! Leave her out of this! Just kill me and be done with it!" Landa shouted angrily.
"I can and I will. She was the one to accept this bargain in the first place. Just to save your miserable and pathetic life," Kylo replied with disdain.
"If you go through with it, Rey will hate you forever. You'll have a wife, but she will never grow to love you," Landa reasoned in a beseeching tone, trying to appeal to his common sense.

"Love?! Love?! What need do I have for such a weakness?!" Kylo yelled, while the only chair in the cell hit the wall with a clatter.
Landa recoiled, terrified. When and how had her brother changed into such a heartless monster?
"I hope you die a painful death, oh almighty Kylo Ren, the destroyer of lives!" Landa yelled with hate.

"I care not about your wishes for me. You better prepare yourself. Like I mentioned earlier, you're to become the wife of the general of the First Order, Armitage Hux." Kylo's voice was full of sick satisfaction.
With a last sneer, he slammed the door, leaving Landa alone in her cell with only her thoughts to keep her company.

She fell into a heap on the floor and started to scream and cry in anguish. For herself. For Rey.

"Why do you hide behind a mask? Is it because of the wounds I caused you?" Rey asked, remorse in her voice.
"So, I'm not the creature in the mask any longer?" Kylo Ren asked in an almost teasing tone.

Rey huffed at his reply and crossed her arms over her chest.
"You're so pretty when you get annoyed," Kylo added with a chuckle.
"Anyway, I could ask you the same thing. You should be proud about who you are, not hide away in shame."

Rey's eyebrows rose as it finally clicked: the true reason he hid behind a mask.
"You're one to talk. That's exactly what you're doing, isn't it? Hiding your true self!"

His answer was to put his hands to the sides of his mask, seemingly to take it off.
Rey's eyes widened behind her mask. Realizing what his intention was, she stopped him.
He had only managed to pull it off halfway, just his chin and mouth visible, before a pair of small hands stilled his movement.
"Please stop. Put it back on. I..." Rey said in a pleading tone.
She wanted ardently to see his face. But she wanted him to show it to her as Rey, her true self, not as Kira, an impostor.
Kylo silently complied with her request.

"Can you see my surroundings? I can't see yours."
Rey wasn't about to let him off the hook so easily. This was, maybe, the only opportunity she had to learn more about him.
So instead of replying to his question, she aksed:
"Why did you hate your father?"

No answer. Where, before, his Force signature had been calm, now it was slowly becoming erratic.
If Rey had learned anything about Kylo Ren in the short amount of time she'd spent with him, it was that he was prone to temper tantrums when he needed to face hard truths. So she pressed on.
"Why did you hate your father? Give me an honest answer!"

Instead of answering her, Kylo kept looking at her hands. They were still pressed against his right forearm, even though he'd lowered his arm.
"You had a father who loved you! Who gave a damn about you!"
"I didn't hate him," Kylo replied in a whisper.
"Then why?!" Rey asked, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

Before Kylo could provide an answer, a second male voice called out to Rey from one of the huts.
"You should really get inside. It's cold tonight."
Rey and Kylo both turned their heads towards the source of the voice, one in shock, the other in pure anger and hate.
"I should have known you're with Luke Skywalker. Does he know you're a Palpatine?!"
"Of course he knows," Rey replied calmly.
"And you're still alive? How odd..." Kylo mused icily.
"What do you mean by that?"

"Did he tell you what happened the night his temple was destroyed?"
Rey blinked, a small frown creasing her brow.
"So he didn't. Well then, Kira Palpatine, let me share with you the answers you seek."
Kylo grabbed one of her hands and lifted it to the forehead of his mask.

"Read my mind and see for yourself. There are no lies in here."

Rey swallowed and did as asked.

Rey felt cold to the core. After what Kylo Ren revealed to her, she confronted Luke Skywalker about it and he admitted the ugly truth: he'd had a moment of weakness in which he'd been influenced by Snoke to do what he did.
She realized then that Ben Solo had been pushed to the dark side. And she understood why he'd come up with such an abhorrent proposition. He thought everyone had betrayed him, and he was capable of doing anything to ensure he wouldn't feel alone anymore. Even to...
Rey promised to herself that she would be kinder and gentler with him.

If she really wanted to bring Ben Solo back, she first needed to prove to Kylo Ren that he wasn't alone.

End of part I

Author notes:
For changing Luke's motivation for thinking about killing his own nephew here it's a more suitable explanation than the crap offered in TLJ ( I loved TLJ but when it came to the Luke's reason for doing what he did, I hated it...it sucked... so I will go with the explanation offered in the video called STAR WARS : TRAGEDY OF THE CHOSEN ONE..it does makes more sense/have more logic to me).

I hope you all liked the punishment Landa will soon face.

Also I hope you liked the Force bonds between Kylo Ren and Kira.

So what do you think about this chapter?

Feel free to leave a review.

Until next time!