The next day, Athena woke up feeling drained. For a moment, she tried find orientation. Where was she?
Oh. Kylo Ren's quarters in her palace in Serenno. In his bed. Naked.
The man sleeping next to her looked nothing like the man who could kill people with just his thoughts. His brows were furrowed, as if he was brooding even in his sleep. Athena looked down. Her dress was completely torn to shreds. A pity, she thought.
With quick, quit steps, Athena tiptoed to Kylo's cape forming a pool of black fabric on the marble floor. The young woman picked it up and dressed it artfully around her, securing it the silver clasps. At least she wasn't naked anymore, she mused.
Leaving Kylo Ren behind, she walked down the familiar halls of the palace. It was still early in the morning, thankfully. The soft golden light illuminated the marble, shining through the golden columns.
"Thena. Took you long enough to find me."
Athena froze and grabbed her so-called dress tightly around her body. A familiar figure appeared behind one of the columns.
A beautiful tall Twi'lek woman grinned at her, flashing her perfect teeth.
"Karelai Mokebla," Athena spinned around.
"Good to see you alive, girlfriend," Kai laughed, greeting Athena with a hug. The two women fell in each other's arms, smiling. It seemed like Athena hadn't genuinely smiled for a long time.
Karelai Mokebla was the vice president of the ORA and one of the Twi'lek representatives. If there was anyone who was something like a friend to Athena, it was Kai. Not only was the blue-skinned woman a breathtaking appearance, but the politician had changed much for the better for her people. Especially Twi'lek women were no longer in slavery or servitude thanks to Kai's tenacious work.
Kai examined Athena from head to toe, raising one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows.
"Well, the last time I saw Thena Toussaint like this, she just came back from spending some time with the father of…"
"Kai!" Athena exclaimed, giggling. "This is not the place for gossip!"
The two women walked down the halls together closely, laughing and exchanging stories, the seriousness of the situation and fate of their people pushed aside for a few minutes.
Reaching Athena's quarters, Kai sat down on a leather seat in the living room while Athena pulled up a few dresses, letting Kylo's cape fall to the floor.
"Is that Kylo Ren's? Thena, are you kidding me?" Kai teased from her seat, watching her friend change through the open door.
"It's better if no one knows," Athena shushed, a grin plastered on her face.
"He's only the commander of the First Order who is conquering everything in his reach and who has forced you to become his servant," now there was a hint of worry in her voice. "Listen, I am not judging you, you know that…" Kai continued, clearing her throat. Her long Lekku's twitched nervously.
Athena walked into the shower. Kai could not see her, but the two kept talking through the open room.
"I am not his servant," she corrected loudly. "If were all to die, shouldn't we all live as much as possible?" she asked, letting the water run down her body.
"Oh, I am definitely curious about that Kylo Ren. I mean I haven't seen his face, but I have a feeling he must be handsome," Kai laughed, even though Athena could still hear her worries shine through.
"He is. But I haven't forgotten what my mission is," Athena admitted, stepping out and putting her hair in a towel. Did she though? Her feelings of attachment to him were becoming… a problem.
"He is a killer, Thena," Kai walked in, holding up a long violet sequined dress.
"So am I," the countess answered cooly.
Kai's cheeks turned into a darker shade of blue. "You're right. You're entitled, deceitful, greedy and you have probably killed a fair share of people, too. But you've done a lot of good for those worlds as well. You care about people. With Ren, we're talking about a lot more than just a few skeletons in the closet. We're talking about someone who will slaughter armies, no matter the cost."
"I know," Athena slipped into the dress, turning to her friend. "Yet I have made progress. The treaty will be signed soon. That is all that matters. I need you to take over the ORA administration when I'm gone. You need to keep them united and prepare them for war just in case things go awry. I can't do that while being his apprentice, Kai," she explained.
"Of course, Thena. But what if anything happens to you?" Kai lowered her voice, as if someone could overhear them.
"Then you'll take over the ORA," Athena explained with confidence.
"I am not sure you should go back with him. It's too risky and I have a bad feeling about his. This path you're on… I heard about Jasmina. This is not you," her friend urged. This was unusual for Karelai, who rarely showed such emotions.
"What would you have me do?" Athena flinched at the name of Jasmina.
"I am his now. You do not understand, Karelai. I need to do those things to become stronger so I can protect us," she argued.
The Twi'lek didn't back down and stepped forward, grabbing Athenas's hands. "The path to abyss is paved with good intentions," her friend said solemnly.
For a second, Athena froze. Kai's words stirred something in her, a memory, a memory of a dream. Her visions of the past had stopped since… since she had set foot on the Finalizer.
With Kai's warning, the face of a young woman came to Athena's mind. The senator Amidala had been the catalyst in Anakin Skywalker's turn to the dark side. The path to abyss, Athena thought. She shook her head, as if to clear her head from the visions. They never seemed to indicate anything about the future anyways.
"Thena?" Kai questioned her, staring at her.
"I will protect you all," Athena promised.
OoOoO
The air smelled like pines and clear water. Smaragd colored trees covered the hills on the west side of the palace, dipped into the dark blue of the night sky. Athena bent over the balcony, staring into nothing. It seemed like the first moment of peace since ages. Her fingers played with a small, smooth rock that looked like a child had left it on the balustrade.
For most of her life, the countess had known what to do. Even after her mother's death and her years in Eriadu, Athena's path had been clear to her. Her parents had expected of her to make the most out of her legacy. The aftermath of the Empire had been celebrated across the Galaxy, but the cost was high, especially in the systems far from the reach of the New Republic. Criminals and warlords conquered every inch of every system they could after the people were left defenseless and unarmed,. During this time, Sidanna of Serenno and Velaro Toussaint had grown to become pragmatic and hardened leaders of their respective people. A sympathizer to the Empire and a supporter of the Rebellion, falling in love. There was no black and white, no light and darkness, only surviving and protecting those who mattered.
Those easy rules were challenged more than ever. The countess couldn't deny the hold Kylo Ren held over her. It frightened her, filled her heart with disdain for herself and brought her close to complete desperation. Staring into the distance, Athena searched for the switch beneath all those feelings who allowed her to turn it off, push it away, burry it, just as she had done twice with Jasmina.
How did the Jedi find strength? Selflessness? Harmony. Peace.
The moon shone over her, the light reflecting in the sequins of her dress.
Athena closed her eyes, calming her heartbeat. With every breath, she pushed away her thoughts one by one, letting fresh air fill her lungs. The Force inside her resembled a river again, not an all-consuming fire.
She felt her consciousness reach out, feel the heartbeat of all those little animals hidden in the gardens beneath her, the plants and trees filling the air with their scent. While Kylo had thought her to fuel her fire with her feelings and dark thoughts, the river of the Force inside her was filled with peace and balance of all living things around her. Athena began to feel light and airy, as she placed the rock in front of her and let it float a few feet above the balustrade. A big smile appeared on her face.
"What are you doing?"
With a clicking sound, the rock hit on the marble.
Kylo Ren appeared behind her, his black hair brushed back by the soft wind. His dark eyes fixed her with their usual intensity, while his black heavy boots crunched on the gravel. With his black leather clothing, he looked as intimidating as always. As if the hours they had spent together were just a mere dream of another person.
Athena frowned at him, not grasping the reason for his anger.
He stepped next to her and looked down at her, surpassing her by large.
"I asked you something," he demanded, his words devoid of warmth.
"I don't know," Athena shrugged. "I was just thinking, enjoying the night. Am I not even allowed to do that without your permission?" she teased.
"Watch your tone, apprentice." he barked, his voice deep and raspy. "You were using the light side of the Force. I could feel it across the palace. You shouldn't even be able to be connect to it that easily anymore."
Athena sighed. "So?"
"So Supreme Leader might sense this and command me to kill you. It weakens you," Kylo explained, his voice becoming more enraged. His words made no sense to her. She hadn't felt weak at all.
"Why do you even care?" Athena immediately regretted her words. She scolded herself for them since she already knew the answer. The young woman evaded his questioning gaze.
"Do you want me to care? Is this what you want? I took you for more mature than that, girl."
The harshness of his words bore deeply into her heart. A coldness crept into her stomach, killing everything that had just fluttered as he had arrived.
"No, I don't. I have distracted myself with boys in the past. The distraction you provided me was just as ordinary and insignificant," her voice dripped with venomous indifference.
Was she mistaken or did Kylo flinch at her words?
"Good," he answered, staring down at her mercilessly.
"Good," she answered acidly.
Suddenly, the sharp sounds of blasters hit through the air.
Athena is still able to tap into the Light Side and Kylo is being mean. I can't wait for your feedback!