Author's Note: This is a Reylo and this is an AU. So I rewrote my first chapter, so if any of you have visited before, I assure you this is not the same story you previously read. I will remind you that even though it has a rating of T, it is meant for 16+. So if you are not old enough, or mature enough, please turn back now. Happy reading!
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. I simply play in their world.
Reviews! Reviews! The lifeblood of any author. Leave me a comment, love it, hate it, I read them all.
Chapter 1
"Our eyes met wildly
the very first time
holding depths
so familiar
as if we met
in another lifetime."
-N.R Hart
The glint of light in the treetops, flashing three times and that's the signal I've been waiting on.
"Now!"
The net drops from the trees onto the carriage, tangling with the wheels and it comes to a lurching halt.
Arrows fill the air, the tips of their steelheads winking like falling stars as they hit their marks. The screams of the slavers as they pierce their leather armor is a dark chorus to my ears. I turn as a few of the knights who were guarding the carriage attempt to hack away at the net.
I tighten my fist and net sprout barbed vines, wrapping around their swords, sneaking up their arms to wrap around their throats.
"It's the Maiden! The Maiden of the M-ack!"
The knight doesn't finish his warning as my barbed vines dig into his neck, blood drenching his surcoat scarlet. His horse whines at the scent of blood and bolts, sending the knight tumbling to the ground, his helmet falling off to show his dead, unseeing eyes.
"Maiden! Maiden help us! Oh please, help us!"
Cries from within the carriage. Young voices. Too young and my vision washes red. I clench my fist again and the vines thrash as I slam the two remaining guards against the metal edge of the carriage. The carriage shakes as bodies hit it, the clang of their armor like furious thunder.
The horses, now free of their riders, gallop away as I drop the dead guards to the ground.
I glance down to see Poe and Finn, my brothers, with their hands full. The slave master has drawn his blade and locked in combat with Poe.
Finn is also in combat with the last guard. There is no one attending the carriage and I jump from my perch in the trees, landing silently on my feet as my Master taught me.
The net slackens as I let go, racing for the barred doors to those trapped inside. A single lock and I draw my dagger, inserting the tip and waiting to hear the click of the lock.
There. It's done and I pull off the heavy metal and throw open the wooden doors with metal bars and slits for windows.
A dozen faces, thin and terrified, stare back at me. "Peace," I tell them softly, "rescue is here. Come children, it's time to free you from this cage."
"W-who are you?"
A tremulous voice, no older than nine if my guess is correct. A young boy on his feet, brown tunic torn at the sleeves, the leggings stained and loose around bony ankles. No boots, just bare feet. His hair is matted and I can see the bruise around his mouth just beginning to fade.
A fighter this one, despite his obvious fear.
I approve. Though I promise, silently, I will see his tormentor drown in blood when I learn his name.
"I'm the Maiden of the Moor. My friends and I are here to rescue you."
A little girl no older than five, her golden hair in tangled braids, cries out and throws herself at me. "Maiden! Maiden! I-I t-told Tir you was real!"
Her thin arms wrap around my neck, tears soaking my tunic. I wish I could stay here and soothe the child but there is no time. Not if we want to escape without being caught ourselves.
A shadow at my side and I don't need to know who it is.
"Take her, please. Gently child, he is my brother and will not harm you."
I glance at Finn and understand a little of her hesitation. My brother hails from the desert kingdom of Tatooine and his skin is darker than the moonless night. I too, once upon a time, feared his dark eyes and skin.
But that time is long gone. I see only the man who has spilled blood with me. Who has sworn his sword to our cause, to see the tyrant who sits on the throne of Alderaan dead.
The girl nods and despite her shaking, she reaches for my brother. I smile at her courage. The children, four more girls and seven boys, alight the destroyed carriage.
"We did not reckon this many. How do we transport them with the carriage destroyed?"
Finn glances at me and I sigh to hear his chastising tone. His concerns are valid but still, he could have been nicer about it.
The little girl in his arms giggles and buries her face in his neck. I see him smile, stroking her hair. But it is a sad smile and I wonder if he thinks of his sister.
Ghosts haunt my dark brother but then, they haunt all of us from the first war.
"So our enemies are slain and we...gods, children!"
Poe, the leader of our great rebellion, looks aghast to see them. I smother my amusement. Poe has a good soul and a brave heart but he does not abide children well.
I see him doing a quick count and a grim line settles across his brow. I sigh and hold up a hand before he can say anything.
"I know, I know, the carriage."
"You might have been held back some. No how do we-"
I pull off my glove and put two fingers to my lips and let out a shrill whistle. Everyone around me clamps their hands over their ears at the piercing noise.
"Gods R-ahem, Maiden, must you do that?"
I glare at Poe before he can utter my name. These children are innocent but even the slightest slip might reveal us to our enemies.
"Watch and see, brother mine."
It doesn't take long before the gallop of hooves are felt as the ground beneath our feet trembles. Four horses that ran away during the skirmish return.
Finn's hand squeezes my shoulder beneath my concealing cloak. "Well done. I had forgotten your little trick with horses."
"Yes, yes, the Maiden comes through for us once more. Alright, which of you knows how to ride? Come, raise your hands."
Poe looks at the children and arches a dark brow when two raise their hands. The boy, Tir, and the eldest of the girls.
"Two only? Well that might work..."
I know what Poe is trying to do. Three adults with twelve children and only four horses.
Something bothers me, there should have been seven. Three from the knights guarding the rear, two from the front guard and two pulling the carriage where the slaver sat driving.
So why were three missing?
I step away from the group, only a few paces and crouch, placing my hand on the ground.
The currents of the forest speak to me and I listen and ask my question.
Are there others in the forest?
A jumble of impressions and I grit my teeth to sort through them. A vixen with her kits...a hawk stirring among the leaves, sighting a mouse...a wolf pack hunting the scent of deer...the birds call out warning as the wolves approach...
I let go and get to my feet quickly. There are no wolf packs in the forest of Dathomir, it has to be riders from the palace and they must have found the missing horses and figured out what happened.
"No more time, we must move the children now."
Poe and Finn turn as I run to them and begin hoisting children on the backs of the remaining horses. "Tir, take these two." I give the eldest boy who knows how to ride the little girl with the braids and another small boy. These horses can carry full grown knights in armor, so holding three malnourished children will not be a burden.
"Brothers, take the others and go. We-"
The gallop of hooves and I jerk my head to see five black-clad riders approaching us, the dust from their steeds creating a choking cloud.
I sense their malevolence and shiver. They are nothing like the guards we fought earlier. I hear Poe suck in a harsh breath.
"Those are the mercenary Knights of Ren. I recognize that crest. We need to go now!"
Knights of Ren, the deadliest soldiers on the battlefield. My brothers won't stand a chance against them.
We need time and only I can give it to us.
"R-Maiden, come, we have to retreat."
The urgency of his words makes me pause and I see Poe holding out his hand on the stallion for me to take but the poor creature already holds three.
"Go, take the children and flee. I will buy you time and catch up swiftly. Go!"
I draw my blade and slap the flat side against the flank of his horse. The great beast snorts and it's all Poe can do to hold with the small children clinging for dear life.
"Sister!" Finn calls out but I have no time for words, the black guard is almost upon us. I salute him with my blade.
"May the Force be with you brother, now go!"
I sheath my sword and slam my hands into the ground, channeling the flow of nature to my will.
Ten steps and the ground rumbles, the pounding of the hooves rattling my bones.
Eight steps and I feel the flow of the Force, the life energy connecting me to the natural world.
Five steps and I can practically feel the breath of the warhorses on my neck, horse sweat stinging my nostrils.
I look up and see the point guards with their black blades drawn and taste the kiss of steel on the breeze.
Now.
Verdant vines covered in black thrones shoot up from the ground, creating a barrier, making their mounts shy and scream as the barbed hooks dig into their unprotected forelocks.
I regret hurting the beasts but I have no choice. It's either them or my friends and I choose my friends.
A whisper on the breeze, a warning across my skin and I jump back in time as an arrow pierces the ground where I crouched.
Between the crossed vines I see the missing horses and smile beneath the hood of my cloak. I press my fingers to my lips and give the shrill whistle my brothers despise.
They buck wildly and at least one breaks free from the rear guard and heads towards me. I drop the vines seconds before he makes the leap, catching the dangling reins.
I swing up into the saddle and look behind me, the fine hairs on the back of my neck standing on end in trepidation.
The leader is giving chase, his black warhorse a massive creature of darkness.
He picks up the pace despite the heavy armor his rider wears and the gap between us closes.
Poe and Finn will make their way towards the river where our secret camp is held. So I must take a different path and head deeper into the forest, hoping this Knight is more interested in the 'Maiden' then some stolen slave children.
I yank on the reins, veering sharply left as the road forks and look behind. A thrill of fear, a kiss of anticipation in my blood as I lock gazes with the Knight pursuing me. He hasn't given up the chase and I sense this one will not be so easily defeated.
I urge my horse to move faster, jumping a small ravine and for a moment I feel as though I can fly before his hooves hit the ground and we continue our flight. Again I glance back and my pursuer is hard on my heels. He gives me no chance to rest, to stop and plan a counterattack.
There is only flight and I race deeper into Dathomir. It is well I have spent the last ten years of my life haunting this forest or I would have been lost long ago. Let us hope this errant knight of the tyrant king is not so knowledgeable.
There, to the right, a hidden marker I left long ago. It leads to the ruins of one of the old temples before the purge during the first war. I can make my stand there, my poor horse is starting to flounder and his sides are heaving. I stroke his lathered neck and whisper to his mind.
'Just a little longer and you can rest brave friend.'
He huffs and puts on a burst of speed as we vault over a fallen log and through a curtain of flowered vines. His hooves strike stone, the sparks dancing in the gloom and I quickly dismount, glancing around the moor. The stone ruins have been taken over by a lush carpet of moss and flowering ivy. I turn at the sound of the stallion and send my mount off with a quick slap to his soaked hide.
He is far too spent to carry me further. I only pray Poe and Finn have had enough time to get away with the children.
My pursuer has found me as his war horse dances in the soft soil, trying not sink. I smirk, wondering if this brazen knight has ever fought on a moor.
The horse stills as the rider tugs on the reins and despite his armor, slides to the ground with almost nary a sound. Damn my luck, it seems he has fought on soft ground.
I blink, catching my breath as I realize how tall he is. I have to tilt my chin up to see him. I back up, keeping my eyes on my adversary. I give his armor a swift once over, looking for the weaknesses as my master taught me so long ago.
He truly is a black knight. From his short cowl that covers his helm, to the armor protecting his body, there is nothing but darkness. Even the tooled leather around his waist is dyed black. I can see no gaps between the leather surcoat and the metal plating.
"So you have had enough of running? It seems I am mistaken in thinking you traitorous peasants are all cowards."
His helm distorts his voice, a raspy cadence that is enough to give a child nightmares. It is lucky, then, I am no child. I growl softly at his insult and a sharp retort rises to my tongue.
"I am no coward but I cannot say the same for you. Tell me, Knight, how many of the innocent have you killed to prove your manhood?"
"Curb your tongue, girl, you know little of what you speak. There are no innocents in this world."
I reach beneath my cloak and pull my blade, the one I promised Master Kenobi I would never reveal. Since I do not intend to let this knight live for much longer, the secret will remain safe.
"I know more than you think, black knight."
I lift my sword, the steel glowing a soft, hazy green in the muted light of the forest.
I hear his breath drawn in swiftly and wonder if he will run as so many others have at the sight of my blade.
"So, not only a coward but a thief as well." He thrusts out a black mailed hand to me, "tell me how you came upon that blade and I will make your death an honorable one."
"I will tell you nothing and offer only your death in return."
I run for him, the soft soil familiar to me and my footsteps are light and unencumbered by armor. He will have no chance of defending himself. I am no knight, I do not have to play by the code of chivalry.
I am in this world to take my revenge on those who destroyed my life. He is but one of many who stand in my way.
He side-steps my thrust, far too light on his feet for one wearing dense armor. I miss him completely but pivot as not to present my back to him.
The air in my lung freezes and my guard falters for a half step as I stare at an impossible sight.
He has drawn his sword and the blade glows crimson, I can just barely make out the runes carved into it.
'Impossible. It cannot be.'
Those rune carvings...the secret is known only to the monks and knights dedicated to the Way of the Force.
Why does this mercenary carry a Force blade?
"You," I bring my own Force blade up in guard position, "just who are you?"
He crosses the blade over his body, the smoothness of his motion reveals he is no green lad but a seasoned warrior.
"I am Ren, Crimson Knight and leader of the Knights of Ren."
My vision grays as I stare at the man before me. The Crimson Knight. King Hux's champion and the only Knight to earn the title of undefeated on the battlefield. He is supposed to be a myth made to scare the people of Alderaan into obeying the false king.
I didn't know he was real.
"Since you insist on this exchange of names, give me yours so I know whose death I bring this day."
I snort at his arrogance and lift my chin, the dark scarf I wear concealing my lower face so I have no trepidation about being recognized.
"I am the Maiden of the Moor and it is I, not you Crimson Knight, who will bring death this day."
We circle each other and I am close enough I can just barely make out the gleam of his gaze is this lush twilight.
Eyes of midnight stare back at me, beautiful as the starry night sky and colder than the mountain peaks of Crait.
In his gaze I see a thousand deaths. A lifetime of war.
This battle between us has only just begun.