The most terrifying thing about Baudere wasn't the near impenetrable dark, nor the legions of hooded figures lining the ancient processional way. The most frightening thing by far, was the silence.

Baudere wasn't a name she recognized. She'd heard it as whisper passed between the Knights of Ren as they landed, and again from the hooded figure who'd approached Kylo Ren to welcome him home.

Rey doubted that she'd ever landed on a planet less deserving of being called 'home'—not even Jakku. There were no moons to cast shadows. Light came only from the open gangway of the ship and the torches that spaced out along the processional way. She could see little beyond their sickly glow, and the thought that absolutely anything might be out there in the dark, frightened her more than she cared to admit.

She followed closely behind Kylo Ren as the returning knights made their way to whatever lay at the end of the cobblestone path. Two robed figures walked in front, bearing a heavy, studded chest between them. Kylo Ren came next, followed by herself and the rest of the Knights. As they passed, one by one, each of the hooded figures standing along either side of the road, fell to their knees, and still there was silence— not a breath of wind or a murmur of a word, only the heavily shod feet of the Knights ringing against the cobblestone.

Up ahead, there were more torches. They were approaching something massive, she could tell by the way their footsteps echoed back. The strange procession slowed, and Rey tilted her head back in an attempt to see the face of the massive statue blocking their path. The torchlight gave only enough light to see the boots and the long, trailing cape of the stone figure, but she knew in an instant who it represented—Darth Vader.

As each knight passed by, they extended a hand to touch the stone boots of the statue. Rey shrank away from it, and then hurried past to catch up to Kylo Ren.

Beyond the statue, a pair of arched doors set into a wall—the dimensions of which she could only guess at—groaned open. Rey followed Kylo inside, and found that they had entered a domed Hall. Black silk banners with silver embroidery draped the walls, and long rows of columns supported the arched, glass ceiling. The group of Knights splintered, each heading in their own direction. Kylo Ren strode purposefully through the columns, through a doorway, and down a twisting hallway, with Rey keeping close behind. He did not speak, nor did he turn his head to see that she followed.

They came at last to a door set deep into a niche, and when they passed through, Rey found herself in a small, but comfortable apartment. One corner of the room was taken up by cupboards, and appeared to be a kitchen, and on the other side, a bed was pushed against the wall. Separating the space was a table with two chairs, and the floor was carpeted in woven rugs. Another door was set into the far wall, which suggested a washroom might lay beyond.

Kylo Ren removed his cloak. His hands went next to his mask, but stopped. He turned his attention to a panel on the wall, and with a touch, the lights dimmed.

"Where are we?" Rey asked, cringing at the loudness of her own voice.

"We are within the citadel of the Knights of Ren on Baudere, he replied, removing his gloves and tossing them onto the table.

"I don't know Baudere."

"No, you wouldn't."

"Is this where you live?"

"Occasionally."

"What are we doing here?"

"Training," he replied simply.

Rey scoffed.

"I won't be your student."

"You will do as I say, or you will die, he reminded her.

"Who are those people outside—the ones wearing robes?"

"Acolytes."

She waited for him to speak again, to explain more, to give directions, to say anything at all, but he did not speak. He went instead to the bed and sat down to remove his boots.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"I will sleep for a few hours."

"And what am I supposed to do?"

"What you will."

"How can you sleep with me here? I might kill you."

"You can try."

He lay back, his long frame barely accommodated by the mattress, and rested his hands on his chest. Rey glanced apprehensively to the table and chairs, but decided that it might be too far from him to risk for comfort. She would not, however, sit down on the floor beside his bed like a trained pet. How dare he sleep in her presence? As though she posed so little threat!

"How can you sleep with that mask over your face?" she demanded.

He did not answer. She doubted he had fallen so quickly to sleep, but it was impossible to tell. She leaned over his prone form, and waved her hand slowly back and forth before his mask. He did not move.

Rey sighed and her eyes again fell on the slim metal band that encircled her wrist. By his account, tampering with it would activate the poison, as would removing it, or moving too far away from him. If she killed him, she would have to take the body with her, which given his size, would prove nearly impossible. However, if he was telling the truth, and the band on her arm could measure distance from him, it likely worked by honing in on a signal sent from something on his person.

He was not wearing a matching bracelet—that would be too obvious. She scanned him visually for any bit of metal, any small token that might match the simple craftsmanship of her wristband, but discovered nothing. The fingers of his right hand were slightly curled against his chest, as though he might be holding something loosely.

"Monster?" she whispered. "Are you awake?"

The only answer was the steady rise and fall of his chest. Slowly, she reached out and brushed her fingers lightly against the back of his hand. She froze and waited for him to react. He did not move. His breathing continued as steadily as before.

Rey lifted his hand, ever so slightly, and swept her fingers swiftly across the palm of his hand. She came up empty. With a defeated sigh she dropped his hand, and leaned back. She wasn't even entirely certain what she was looking for. It could be something under his clothes or it could be…

She glanced again at his mask. Before, when she had been his prisoner on Starkiller Base, he had removed the mask almost immediately. She remembered the moment quite vividly. The face beneath the mask had fooled her, but only for an instant. She had looked at him and thought him handsome, and then felt immediate shock and disgust at herself. She wondered sometimes if he had seen that one moment of unguarded thought in her head as well.

This time, he was different. He did not remove the mask, even to sleep, and though she assumed it was done to intimidate her, she secretly wondered if it meant something more. She had wounded him after all. In the forest she had struck him across the face with her light saber, and doubtless, it had let a scar. Perhaps he didn't want her to see a reminder of his defeat by her own hand, or perhaps… perhaps it was the mask itself which signaled her wristband.

It would be impossible to remove without waking him, of course. If only there were some way to…

She could restrain him! If she was careful and slow, she might be able to bind his wrists and ankles. He would be helpless then, entirely at her mercy. She would force him to remove the band, and then… well, she would sort the rest out later.

Rey scanned the area around the bed. There were no obvious materials she could use to tie him up with. Perhaps the cupboards or the washroom held something that might work, but that was too far away from him. If he weren't laying on top of the blanket, she might have been able to find a way to rip it up and use it for bindings, but to attempt that would surely wake him. There was nothing—nothing but her own damp clothing!

Swifly, Rey unwound her arm bands. She would tie his hands first. She leaned over him, carefully lifted his wrist and slid the cloth band under it. She tossed the other end over his opposite wrist, wrapped it around, and—

His hand shot up and snatched her wrist, yanking her forward, as he sat bolt upright. She smashed against his chest and immediately struggled to free herself, but his hands moved up to clamp around her shoulders holding her firmly in place. Her face was close enough to his mask that she could see the reflection of her own terrified eyes in his visor.

"Do not test my patience, scavenger," he said, his words spoken calmly and slow. "You will find I have very little of it."

"I WILL find a way to free myself, monster! I will not stop try-"

He let go of her shoulder and swiftly raised one hand to her face. Rey flinched, expecting him to strike her, but instead, the room went black and her terrified, racing, mind stilled.

Rey sat up with a terrified gasp, her last thoughts spiraling to the surface as she opened her eyes. She expected to see him—his masked visage inches from her own face. She expected to feel his long fingers wrapped securely around her arms, but her position was all wrong. He was not there.

Disoriented, she leaned back on her elbows, and shook her head to clear it. She recognized the small apartment as the one she had recently entered. The bed was his, but now she was laid out on it, and covering her body, was a heavy black cloak—his cloak! She snatched the collar and flung it onto the floor in disgust.

"Hardly necessary," remarked a cold voice at her side.

She turned her head to see Kylo Ren sitting on a chair beside her.

"What did you do to me?" she hissed.

"I allowed you to rest. You'll be grateful for it soon enough. Get up."

He stood and retrieved his cloak from the floor, fastening it over his shoulder before walking away from her. Rey jumped to her feet and followed, careful not to let him stride too far away. He stopped at the door where a bundle of cloth lay folded.

"You may change into something clean if you wish," he offered. When he lifted the bundle, Rey could see that it was comprised of a simple grey tunic, a pair of leggings, and a heavy cloak.

"I don't wish," she snapped.

"Very well. Wear this, you'll need it," he said and tossed the cloak at her.

"Why?"

"It's cold where we're going."

"Where are we going?"

"To the eastern ridge of the Morfell Mountain Range."

"Why?"

"To begin your training as one of my Knights."

Rey followed him into the outer hall, still fastening the cloak about her. It was slightly overlarge, made for someone of about her height, but with much broader shoulders. She fought the urge to tell him that she did not want to train as one of his knights. He would simply remind her that he could kill her any time he liked.

"You're wasting your time with me. I'll never be like you," she said, flinging the last few words with the intent of insulting him.

"We'll see."

When they reached the Hall beneath the high glass ceiling, Rey was shocked to see that the sky was still dark, yet her body felt well-rested, as though she had slept for hours.

"The nights last a long time on this planet," she realized.

"The night lasts forever on Baudere," he corrected.

Outside the boots of the giant statue gleamed dully in the flickering torchlight. The acolytes had gone, and the cobblestone road lay deserted. Kylo Ren paused long enough to lay his hand reverently against the base of the statue, before reaching under his robe, and removing a lightsaber.

He tossed it at her, and she caught it with one hand, immediately activating it. The green blade cast an eerie glow around them. For a split second, she imagined swinging it at him, cutting his head from his shoulders and watching the mask roll to a stop at her feet. Kylo Ren gave a cold laugh.

"You will be a formidable dark force user," he taunted.

"I won't," she switched the blade off and held the saber out to him. "This isn't mine."

"The one you carried wasn't yours either. Keep it. You'll need it very soon."

Rey clipped it onto her belt and again fell into step behind him.

"It's a jedi blade," she realized. "Which jedi? Who did you kill to take this blade? Was it one of Master Luke's padawans?"

Kylo Ren stopped again. His fist clenched, and for a moment she wondered if would turn around and hit her. She didn't care. The monster had murdered innocent children. She hoped it hurt him to remember, hoped it made him angry to be reminded at least.

"It was mine," he said at last. "My first blade."

He began walking again. Rey hurried to catch up.