You guys!
I am so humbled by your response! Thank you so much! All of you have blessed me, you just don't know how much.
I'm finishing up chapter seven and even I'm surprised where this story is taking us. I think you will too.
Rey sits in front of what used to be her mother's mirror staring at her second-best dress hanging on the wall behind her. Aunt Jyn insisted that she wear it this evening to greet her betrothed in.
And all she wants to do is run.
Run until her legs can't anymore.
Run until no one needs her anymore.
Run until she finds her place.
Instead she has to go fulfill some duty that even after all this time, she doesn't understand. Or ever wished for. Her feet carry her to the window that faces the town. Even from here she can see the fire from the gypsies.
Why did I think this was a good idea? As much as I love my family, I can't do this.
"Rey?" A soft knock at her door distracts her. Jyn comes into the room. As soon as Rey sees her aunt, her tears start. "Oh Lamb," Jyn murmurs as she comes over to sit with her on the little bench. She wraps an arm around Rey's shoulders and Rey lays her head on Jyn's. "I'm not sure what to say to make any of this any better. But know that we love you so much. And I think if there was any inkling that you wouldn't be happy with Lord Ren, Cassian wouldn't have spoken to him about you. He's a good man, Lamb."
Rey doesn't know what to say.
"Do you believe me?" Rey's quiet so Jyn continues, "I remember when we got word that there was an accident with your parents. No one told us what happened, I was imagining the worst every minute it took us to get here. I know I cried the whole way. But your uncle, my sweet Cassian, he held me together somehow. He said you can cry all you want, but you also better be praying that our little sunshine is alive. And we did. Rode together all day but we got here. When Maz brought you out, your little four-year-old self, you didn't let go of me or Cassian for weeks. Your nightmares had already started so naturally, we kept you with us, even letting you sleep with us."
By now, they are both crying.
"So, believe me when I say, that man, your uncle, your king would rather die than have anything happen to you. Don't you understand? You're the only family we have left. My family is gone too. Cassian just had your father, his brother. In you, we have our hope."
"I know. I know all this, but I guess I was hoping that I'd find a love match like you and Cassian."
"I wasn't supposed to marry him," Jyn mutters.
"What?" Rey asks as she picks up her head. "But you-"
"All we ever said was that we were a love match." Jyn's smile is small but happy. "My father was the black smith and I would come with him to the castle to tend to your father's horses. Cassian was always in the stables and we struck up a happy friendship. He's always been-"
"Amazing? Handsome?"
"All that and so much more," Jyn says. The silence stretches between them. "Please come meet him?"
Rey's exhale is loud in her room. "I will."
"Do you want me to send Rose to help you get ready?"
"That's fine. Thank you.
Jyn kisses her temple. Then goes to the door. "I'll see you downstairs."
"Are you alright?" Rose whispers as they descend the grand staircase.
"No," Rey murmurs. "But I don't have a choice. Will you stay close?"
"Of course." They pause on the landing about halfway down the stairs. From there, they can see into the great hall without anyone noticing them. "I wonder which one is the Black Knight?"
"I truly have no idea. They arrived and I was upstairs. Then I just had to get away-"
"It's alright," Rose interrupts. "We'll meet him now?"
"I suppose," Rey exhales. They continue descending and the closer they get, the more they can hear their friends and family and the strangers dining. "They started without us?"
"That might be a good thing?" Rose asks. They stop at the wide entrance of the great hall. Normally, they would be eating just off the kitchens, since the dining room was destroyed years ago in a battle.
Thankfully, no one notices that they've arrived.
"This is a good thing," Rey affirms. "Come on, I have an idea."
Rose follows her down a hallway until they reach the inside kitchen. The heat just grows stronger as summer increases, so most of the cooking is done in the outside kitchen. Talle, one of the villagers who comes to help when there are guests at the castle, comes rushing by.
"Princess! What are you doing here?"
Rey gives Rose a look and her friend shakes her head as if she already knows what she is thinking.
"Hello Talle. We came to help-" Talle starts to protest. "It's alright. Besides, I'm supposed to marry one of them on Sunday, and I'd like to see what he looks like before I do." Rey blinks fast trying to stop the tears that are threatening to fall.
"Of course!" Talle shakes her head. "It's not fair, really. I can marry anyone I wish, but not you and you're a princess!" As she mutters, Talle opens a wardrobe. "Here are the dresses. Hurry though, Cook is ready to start serving."
"Why do I let you talk me into doing stuff like this?" Rose grumbles as they carry out tankards full of ale.
"Because you love me? And secretly love it too?" Rey asks hopefully.
"That's probably it," Rose pauses. "Now what happens if someone recognizes you?"
"We've done this enough that they know to go along with whatever we're doing."
"From your mouth to God's ear," Rose half prays.
"Amen,'' Rey agrees. Before they walk out, that's when Finn sees them. He narrows his eyes at the two, but both young ladies start to shake their heads. He looks like he wants to come and talk to them, but he's also in the middle of the knights, both hers and the Black Knights'.
She knows he won't get up.
A friendly smile adorns her face as she moves amongst the tables. Her own men are too distracted to notice her and Rose helping. The ones who do notice them, knows that they don't mind helping when needed.
They just don't realize that she's in fact hiding.
The Black Knight's men, they have no idea who she or Rose is. She sneaks glances at them but they seem too busy bragging with her men to even notice the serving wenches until they need more dinner or ale. She doesn't speak to any of them, but she does see Rose talking to the red-headed knight.
But for the one.
He sits there, his attention focused on her aunt and uncle instead of the rest of the hall. The red-headed man says something to him, but he doesn't say anything, instead just shrugs.
Someone calls her from the kitchen so she's not able to linger.
"Girl! What are you doing?" Maz fusses. She's waiting for Rey in the breezeway between the castle and the outdoor kitchen.
"Maz! I thought you were gone to find-"
"Well I found them and now I'm back. Why are you not out there getting to know your future husband?"
"Maz- you know I need to see him first-"
"Come here, child." When Rey steps closer, her old teacher wraps her in a hug. "Come, let's sit." She guides her to a table someone set outside with some chairs. "I know this boy- man, the one they call the Black Knight."
"You do?"
"I was his nursemaid as I was yours. He comes from a good family. I have not seen him since he left to join Snoke. Does he seem in good spirits?"
"I have not met him yet," Rey admits
"And you don't want to!" Rose interrupts. "He is awful and rude and hateful and everything vile."
Even Maz's chin drops.
"What happened?" Rey asks.
"I went to serve him more ale and I heard him talking to his friends. Then he- he- suggested that we meet in the stables after everyone's gone to bed. It took everything I had not to slap him."
"I'm glad you didn't." They aren't married yet, so his words to Rose shouldn't bother her. But she's already looking for an excuse and how dare he talk to a lady or even a servant in her house like that. "Could you please tell aunt and uncle- anything. I don't care anymore." She stands and Rose and Maz both try to say something but she holds up her hand. "I'm just going to my room. Goodnight."
She stops in front of the wardrobe, but instead of changing back into the clothes she had on before, she grabs her dress and creeps back to the staircase.
But before she can make it to the safety of her room, something tells her to turn and look towards the great hall. Everyone is still feasting all but one.
It's the same man who was watching her aunt and uncle. This time, his attention is focused on her.
It feels like she can't stop her feet as they close the distance between this stranger and her. He must feel something too because he's now on his feet, and is walking towards her. His other men try to talk to him, but he waves them off.
When he is several feet away, he stops. Even as he takes her in, she watches as she looks at him. Eyes the color of amber never leave hers. Inky waves frame his eyes and she feels like she cannot look away.
Before she can take another step, something crashes behind him. The sound makes them both stop the dance they were beginning to dance. They can't be more than ten feet apart but when he turns back towards the great hall, she runs up the stairs.
Unlike in other kingdoms, King Cassian and Queen Jyn's table is not separate from their people. They sit with them and join their people for dinner.
Lord Ren comes to their table, and sits on the bench across from them. They greet him with a smile.
"Where is your niece?" Lord Ren grumbles.
"You have not met her yet?" Jyn asks, looking to her king.
"I apologize, Ren," Cassian offers.
"Please excuse me, I will go look for her," Jyn says as she stands.
Cassian waits until she's out of earshot before he says, "I'm not sure what happened to Rey. She might be nervous."
"Yes, I can see that."
"How was your meal? Did you get enough to eat? To drink?"
"It was quite good. But then I'm also to the point where anything I didn't have to hunt myself or cook over a campfire is amazing. You have excellent cooks here."
Jyn hurries back but instead of speaking to Lord Ren directly, she leans over to whisper in her husband's ear. It must be distressing news because of the look at passes over the king's face. "Rey's not in her room," he offers, "but my queen asked several of our people to look for her."
Lord Ren, the famous and fearful Black Knight of the past couple of years, wonders where in the world did his bride go?
Rey figures that she only has a matter of seconds before someone comes to look for her.
But she also knows that she needs to do this now.
And honestly, she hasn't thought about what's going to happen come morning, but she supposes she'll worry about that then. And she'll come back. One day. If they still need her even if they don't find her after…
She hid her second-best dress, and put on her squire clothes. After she tugs on her boots, she goes to find the rope Finn put here when the war started. Before she casts the rope out the window, she wishes that there was a way to sneak down to the stables to get B.B. She tries not to worry about him. She'll be back sometime after the midsommar celebration after all. She just needs to prove to them that she can make her own choices.
A voice in her head tells her that she's being stupid and her uncle would never marry her to a man who is a monster. But even as she straps her sword on her thigh, she knows that even if the voice inside her head is right, she still wants to maintain some control… why doesn't anyone understand that deep down, she just wants to be needed and understood. To have a conversation with him and see if in ten years, they'll have something to talk about besides his castle in Alderaan and hers in Naboo.
So, she ties the rope to the hook under the window that Finn put in just for this reason, and steps onto her window seat. Finn and her used to practice this more before the battle came to them. It's been a little while, but after throwing her bag down the two stories to the ground, she pulls her leather gloves.
A deep breath, and she steps off the ledge. The rope holds her, and step-by-step she lowers herself down until she's crouching in the bushes. A flick of her wrist, the rope falls beside her into the bushes. A flick of her wrist, and she has the rope coiled and tucked in her bag.
The sun is just starting to set, and by the way it looks in the sky, she has time enough to do what she has planned. She peeks out, but before she straightens, she hears, "I saw you climbing down. That was quite impressive for a young lady such as yourself."
She stands, and meets the same amber colored eyes that were watching her in the great hall.
Her heart sinks as she realizes that he is one of the knights. At least it's not the one picked for her, that's the red-headed slimy piece of worm-ridden filth.
"What are you doing here?" Her whisper is harsh.
"Might I ask the same of you?" He mutters back.
"No- you may not," she hisses back. She walks until she's out of the bushes. "Now, if you'll excuse me-" she says as she strides past him.
"Where are you going?" He asks, following after her.
"Nowhere," she answers, before muttering under her breath, "like I'd really tell you anyway-"
"I heard that," he replies behind her.
"I don't care." After several footsteps, she stops. "Why are you accompanying me?"
Something she can't name flits across his face, and it makes her heart flutter in her chest. As much as she'd like to find out what is on his mind, she also knows that she needs to get away from the castle. Too bad uncle picked the red-headed son of a Bantha for her to marry. If this raven-haired knight was to be her groom instead, perhaps she wouldn't be planning her escape.
"Why did you leave the castle in this manor? Are you hiding from someone?"
She stomps away from him but still he follows. "Why are you still here?"
"I am concerned for my lady's safety-" without thinking, she grabs her sword from its sheath. She then turns and points the tip to his throat. Yes, she was aiming higher, but she could slice his neck easier than driving her sword in between his eyes. Surprise makes his brow raise so far that it disappears under his midnight waves. Those amber eyes of his widen as he throws up his hands in surrender.
"And I can take care of myself," she replies.
"I can see that," he says, his voice deeper than it was moments ago.
"Now, if you'll pardon me, I must be going."
"You are no serving wench," he accuses trailing along with her. "Are you a lady or are you the princess?"