Thank you for coming back! I am so humbled by the likes and kudos and follows.
As for warnings, it's mostly healing past abuse and dealing with the attackers. I hope you like it!
The sun is high in the sky when they get to the ruins of what was Ben's ancestral home.
"Damn," Poe swears. "I didn't realize-"
"I didn't know it was this bad," Ben finishes. When they'd left, the castle was still perfect, used as the capital of Alderaan. His mother and father ruled here. Papa Anakin and Nana Padme were long retired and were living at the castle part of the year, and with Luke the rest of the time.
"Is this what Snoke did?" Queen Jyn asks.
"He tricked us into leaving," Poe answers. "Once Ben and I were in Exegol, he destroyed Alderaan, driving the king and queen into hiding. Many of their friends and families went with them. while others went to Naboo and beyond. Some of our people even went to sea, searching out their fortunes that way."
Ben slides off his horse. But as soon as his feet touch the ground, his old guard appears, the Knight's who-used-to-call-themselves-Ren.
"And to think, I thought this would be easy," he mutters.
There's only five of them, but they still circle them.
"What about the queen?" Poe asks.
"Don't worry about us," Queen Jyn says. A quick glance shows that her and Rose both have their bows in their hands, arrows notched and ready to fly.
"How did I not notice their quivers?" Poe murmurs.
"Her majesty is very sneaky when she wants to be," Finn says with a smile.
"You flatter me," Queen Jyn answers.
But then one of the former Knights of Ren moves, drawing his sword on Finn. An arrow sails through the air, sinking deep into one of the vents cut out of his helmet. He stiffens and falls back.
Ben looks at the ladies still on their horses, and it's Rose who notches another arrow, not the queen.
Another arrow flies, another knight goes down. Ben doesn't have time to look back because Ap'lek has his sword drawn coming towards him.
"Where did they come from?" Rose asks. He looks up for a moment to see even more men with Snoke's crest across their chests as they march to meet them from behind the ruins.
"Dear ones who've gone before us, grant Rose and Queen Jyn the gift of arrows," Poe wishes. He holds his sword, as if he's whispering to the kyber crystal at the end of the hilt. And indeed he is, for it's his family's crystal. It's green and glowing as its owner prays. He looks up at the ladies. "Do your worst," he says before he blocks a hit from Ushar.
Arrows fly, swords clash, but all Ben can think about is Rey. Just a short distance away but for the ones he must fight to get to her.
Rose must hear his thoughts because she's shouting over the clash of metal, "I'm covering you, go get Rey."
But as soon as Ben starts to advance, it feels like the men he's fighting not only grow stronger but increase in numbers. He raises his sword and manages to nick the man in front of him. As he prepares to attack again, that's when he notices that the man, well isn't bleeding. At all. He blocks his sword as he calls out, "Poe! These aren't real men."
Just as Ben shouts his revelation, Finn slices an arm off, and Poe decapitates his man. No one bleeds. "Snoke!" Poe shouts. "He's behind this."
"Do you recognize the spell?" Ben bellows as he cuts down another dead soldier.
Poe doesn't answer. He already has his crystals in his hands as he chants. One by one the dead men go up in a poof of smoke. Even the former Knights of Ren they just fought.
Ben doesn't even wait for a path to open before him when he's running towards the ruins. His sword is out as he cuts down several of the dead men who haven't disappeared as he makes his way.
He's able to find the staircase easily in the midday sun.
But it's not until he sees the barrel in the same corner that his heart leaps.
"Rey! Princess!"
He runs down the hallway. The door to the last cell where he left her last is standing open- "Ben!"
"Rey! I told-"
"-you're here, he didn't take you-" He collapses on his knees beside her cot. He gently picks up her hands and presses a kiss to her palms. "Ben-" she sobs. "Can we go home now?"
He tenses when he hears more footsteps behind him. But when his Princess breathes, "Aunt Jyn-" he stands. Rose stops in the doorway to the cell, bow still in her hands, arrow notched ready to fly. When she sees the cell is safe, she turns so she can see the stairs, and anyone who may or may not be coming down.
The queen brushes past him. She drops to her knees and cries, "Oh Lamb. who did this to you?"
"Snoke's alive." Rey pulls his cape tighter that still covers her. She's completely hidden from them but for her head. "Get me out of here, then we can discuss everything."
"Can I pick you up?" Ben whispers.
"Why couldn't you-" Jyn begins. But when Rey pulls aside the part of his cloak that covers her legs, showing her aunt her welts, cuts and bruises. "What in the world. Snoke did this to you? I'll kill him myself." Jyn sinks down so she's eye level with her niece. "Let me see the rest of you."
Ben didn't let himself look at her body when he was here last night, but when Rey shows them the black, blue and green that decorates her body, all he can see is red.
He sinks to his knees beside the cot and Queen Jyn. "I am so sorry that this happened to you. Please forgive me."
"Why do you need forgiveness? You didn't do this to me." Rey reaches for him. He knows that every movement is so painful that the darkness tries to overtake her. Even now he can see how she's trying not to give in to the pain. And even though she should be mad at him, ready to annul their fragile joining, she still reaches for him.
His heart does something strange in his chest as her bruised hand touches his face. He wants to hold her until she's healed. He wants to hide them from the enemy. He wants to feel her in his arms again. He wants her to look at him the way she did on their wedding night.
Wonder and grace spilling over touching everything around her including him and his wretched life.
Is this the beginning of his love for her?
Could she love him back?
He watches as she shuts her eyes. But it's not in peaceful, restful sleep. Instead, he can see how tight her face is. Around her eyes, her mouth. Even her nose is wrinkled.
He would do anything to take this pain from her.
"Rey? Can you look at me?" Her breath is ragged as she slowly does what he asks. "I'm going to be as gentle as I can, but I'm going to pick you up and get you out of here. Is that, ok?"
"Please Ben- the rats are so loud at night."
He hears a sob, and it takes him a minute to realize that it might have come from him, but then her Aunt Jyn is crying again, too. He bends anyway and sweeps her up into his arms.
A quick look at her face tells him that she passed out from the pain.
He pulls her close and kisses her on the forehead. "Queen Jyn, is she covered still? I know she-"
The queen adjusts his cloak, recovering his bride. "Get her in the sun and out of this darkness."
His long legs eat the distance between them and the outside. When he feels the soft grass under his feet instead of the stone floor of the dungeon, that's when his tears start. A gentle hand grips his elbow, leading him to the campfire someone must have started.
Someone else had spread out their tartans and that's where he heads to but someone new has joined them, someone he hasn't seen in years. "Your majesty, I have a place for her to rest if you'd like to bring her."
"Harter Kalonia," Poe greets her. She was the royal family's physician for years before Snoke burned and separated them.
"Poe Dameron," she her smile is tight as if she knows the shape his wife is in. Ben can't say anything, he knows tears still run down his cheeks.
"That's fine," Queen Jyn adds. "This is my niece, I'm-"
"The queen of Naboo. My cottage is just through there. I can help," Kalonia adds.
Ben doesn't wait but starts to walk on the path that appears. When he sees the thatched rooftop, he speeds up. He knows how much this hurts Rey even though she's still passed out.
The cottage is humble, only three rooms it seems. Kalonia leads him to a bed in the room just off the kitchen. There he eases her down on a set of fresh sheets. The doctor and the queen both pass him to help his wife. His knees buckle underneath him but it's Poe who catches him.
"Let's give them some privacy so they can help her. Didn't you say that there's fairy water?"
Ben lets Poe lead him back outside into the early summer sun. "Yeah, that last batch we made. The barrel is in the dungeon."
"Let's go fetch it then. You know that will help her more than anything, besides your prayers." Poe walks back towards the clearing and the ruins. Ben glances at the camp but instead of seeing the bodies of the Knights of Snoke, there's nothing.
"Where did the bodies go?"
"When the dead men disappeared, so did the Knights. I've seen some weird stuff but that had to be oddest," Poe pauses when he gets to the top of the stairs that leads down. Ben takes a deep breath, before he follows his friend. Poe's waiting at the bottom. "Where did he have the Princess at?"
"Come on," he whispers as he walks to the end of the dungeon. The door is still open, and they walk in. Vicrul's body is still gone. That doesn't bother him, it's the bloody rag that was the only thing between his former friend and his bride.
He picks it up not sure what to do with it, but it's got her blood on it and that alone makes it too precious to leave down here. How many times did Luke tell him that life is in the blood? Not willing to linger in the room any longer, Ben walks back to the barrel.
While they secure the lid, Poe, who normally talks to fill the silence, is quiet. Together, they get the barrel of water back to the clearing.
The campfire is still burning, but Hux, Bodhi and Finn are nowhere to be seen. Ben meets Poe's eyes. "Are they checking on the Princess?" Poe asks.
Before Ben can answer, the sound of many horses reaches them. With Uncle Luke leading the way, the rest of the men from the gypsy camp, along with half of Naboo's knights come riding up.
And he's never been so glad to see his family. But who takes his breath away is who is riding beside his uncle, his Father, King Han Solo of Alderaan. And of course, Queen Leia is beside him on her own horse.
Leia is off her horse before anyone else, wrapping her arms around her son. "Luke told us what happened to Rey, did you find her?"
"She's in the cottage with Dr. Kalonia."
"Will you take me to her?" Leia whispers.
"Of course." His mother slides her hand through his arm, and he leads her through the trees. "She's been-"
"Did Snoke beat her?" Leia asks.
"He had the former Knights of Ren do it," he pauses. "The men I trained and called my friends beat my bride."
"You'll have your chance for revenge. For now, let's be grateful that she's alive."
The ladies in the cottage must have heard them because Kalonia comes out to greet them. "Your majesty! If I'd known you were coming, I would have had tea prepared."
"Kalonia, my old friend. We're at the end of a horrible war. We'll have plenty of time for tea later. How is the Princess?"
"We were able to get her cleaned up," Kalonia takes them to Rey's beside. She's lying still under a light summer blanket. The dried blood is gone, but now he can see the true extent of her bruises and cuts. Just when he starts to plan exactly how he's going to kill snoke for the last time, he hears Kalonia say, "-pregnant."
"What did you say?" He whispers. That's when he notices his mother and Queen Jyn. Both ladies are wide eyed and mouths open.
"The Princess is pregnant." Dr. Kalonia pulls a crystal out of her pocket. "This was handed down to me from my grandmother, who was the healer for your grandmother, Padme. This is a rare black crystal."
"But the crystal is pink?" Ben asks.
"It changes colors when there is a pregnant woman close." Kalonia smiles. "I don't think Queen Leia or Queen Jyn are pregnant."
"They just got married about three weeks ago," Leia says.
"The crystal works that soon. Remember it told us that you were pregnant with the Prince."
Leia's quick inhale tells the rest of them that Kalonia is right.
"But how? even after all he's been through, she's still pregnant? The baby will alright?" Queen Jyn asks.
"It's the water," Ben murmurs.
"What water?" Kalonia asks.
"It's this water that Snoke taught Poe and I to make. We were the only ones who could make it because we still had some light left in us, no matter what Snoke did to us. He wanted us to drink it after battle or after he beat us so we wouldn't die. The guard that was guarding her, that's what he gave her to drink. After I killed him, I was able to heal her broken nose with a rag and the water."
"I need you and Poe to make some of this water-"
"We have the barrel that we made the last batch in."
A knock on the door shows Poe, Hux and Bodhi with the barrel between them. "The chalice. You can only drink the water from a golden cup," Ben adds.
It's Hux who produces the tankard from a bag at his side. In a matter of moments, the knights have the magic water ready for their Princess.
The ladies all watch with tears in their eyes as he sits on the edge of the bed next to her. He leans over to whisper, "Princess, you're safe now. I need you to drink some more of the magic water."
"Safe? Did you rescue me, husband?"
"I did. Can I help you to drink?"
She nods but before she can accept what he's offering, she notices her aunt over his shoulder. "Aunt Jyn, you're not a dream!" she cries as she bursts into tears.
"No, Lamb, you're safe now." Jyn comes to crouch by Rey's head. She kisses her niece's forehead. "Ben was telling us about this water he's been giving you. It's truly miraculous."
Rey looks up. Her eyes meet his. "You keep on saving me, husband." She reaches out to him, and he catches her hand in his.
Brbrbrbrbr
"He gets that from his father." Rey looks up at the new lady in the cottage. She looks sort of familiar when she continues, "I'm Ben's mother, Leia."
Rey smiles. "I'm his wife, Rey."
"Welcome to the family." Leia says. "I'm sorry this happened to you."
"You were at our handfasting," Rey whispers.
"We were. I wanted to meet you then, but my son had other ideas," Leia says with a wink.
Even though Rey is certain that she's running a fever from all her wounds, her face still heats up at her mother-in-law's wink. She was given a fair amount of willow bark to help with the pain, but she closes her eyes to rest for a moment because parts of her still ache. "I'm just glad that no one is mad that I married Ben instead of the Black Knight. What did he say when he found out that I was kidnapped." Her eyes flutter open for a moment. "Did you tell him that you married me instead of him." Her eyes close because she can't keep them open any longer. "Was he mad or didn't care like you said?"
"Ben?" His mother asks.
"Rey?" Aunt Jyn replies.
"Princess?" Ben chokes. "How would you feel if I told you that I'm the Black Knight?"
She hurts so bad all over, even her eyeballs hurt. But she manages to open her eyes. "Oh, that's funny. Now he makes a joke." she mutters.
He gently picks up her hand. "Rey, Princess, I need you to hear me. You married the Black Knight after all. Please don't be mad. I saw you in the great hall and wanted to much to talk to you. Then when I saw you shimming down your wall, I knew that I had to talk to you," he pleads, not sure if she can actually hear him.
"He saw you climbing out your window? We agreed that you wouldn't do that anymore. Rey, you're not fourteen anymore." Aunt Jyn fusses.
"Ben, why were you not honest with your bride before she married you?" Leia asks.
"It's ok, just tell them." Her eyes flutter shut.
"She thought she was marrying Hux. He said rude things to Rose, so I followed her when she left-"
"Did you know that she was the Princess?" Queen Jyn asks.
Ben shakes his head. "I thought she was a thief escaping from the castle." He watches his wife. "I'm just glad that we found her."
"How did you know where she was? I thought Luke cast a spell where Snoke couldn't linger in Alderaan or Naboo?" Leia asks.
"He did. That's why while I was serving Snoke, I couldn't come back home. Several years ago, Snoke asked me to train a group of men. He called them the Knights of Ren. They served with Poe, Hux, Bodhi and me. When I went to tell King Cassian that we were going to help take down Snoke, they found out-" that's when the truth hits him. Snoke knew all along.
A cold chill dances down his spine.
That's how Snoke survived.
But who told Snoke that his Black Knight was betraying him?
Author's note… Kalonia couldn't get to Rey because of them guarding her. And because Ben was on the way! I hope you enjoyed it!