A/N - Welcome back to the story! Thanks for sticking around for another chapter!
Rey couldn't get her mouth to close for more than a few seconds at a time. Everything was so astounding and so strange. She had never seen anything like this, had never imagined it could even exist. And now she was standing smack dab in the middle of it, being openly stared at and whispered about as she was ushered into the large, rambling entry hall of the massive palace.
She'd heard stories of the palace that was the seat of the First Order's empire, heard tales of its exquisite beauty and intricate designs. She'd always assumed they were just that, stories. She'd never dreamed that such a breathtaking, opulent place could exist, let alone that she would actually be walking through it. Everything was sparkly and bright, huge and wonderful. There wasn't a speck of dirt or dust anywhere; she didn't even see a smudge or footprint on the floor.
"Ren!" Rey jumped as the word was barked harshly. Her head snapped up, tearing her attention from her surroundings to the woman in front of her dressed in full armor that she recognized as Captain Phasma. "What is this?"
"It's a girl, Phasma," Kylo replied dryly. "I thought you would be happy I finally decided to take one."
"You could have cleaned her up first. I could smell her from a mile away, and she probably has lice."
Dislike shot through Rey, her hands fisted at her sides as she glared at the woman. She may not be at her cleanest right now, but she most certainly did not have lice.
She also wondered why Kylo hadn't told the captain the truth about who she was.
"I will take care of it immediately," He assured her, as they continued on, leaving Rey fuming over the conversation. It was a nudge from the blaster of one of the stormtroopers that alerted her to the fact that they were moving once more. She hurried to catch up with Kylo, suddenly terrified that he would leave her alone in this place.
A place that she wasn't welcome in at all, a place that didn't seem nearly as magnificent now as it had two minutes ago. How could she have forgotten, even for a moment, where she was, and every horrible thing this place represented?
She didn't care to think about the fact that the only thing that made her feel safe in this strange world was Kylo Ren. It was far too disturbing of a thought and she didn't understand why she would feel that way. He'd done nothing to earn her trust; in fact, he'd done the opposite.
"Gather some women's servants," Kylo barked the command over his shoulder and one of the men broke away, heading in the opposite direction.
Rey swallowed heavily, and a crushing sense of impending doom settled over her. She was stuck here, trapped within this world of decadence, greed, brutality, and death. Though Finn planned to try and rescue her, she didn't hold out much hope for that, just as she didn't hold out much hope that she would find her own escape.
She couldn't even remember how to get out of this vast place, never mind try to escape from it or get away from the monsters living within it.
For the first time true concern for her life began to take hold. She had been too stunned, too upset and confused to truly grasp the reality of her situation. It was sinking in now, and it was not good. Her heart raced in her chest, pounding heavily against her ribs.
Swallowing nervously, she folded her hands before her as she tried to remain as docile and inconspicuous as possible. Not that it would do her much good; Kylo already knew what she was capable of.
Still, her thin build would help her appear weak and helpless while she was anything but. She itched for her lightsaber or her quarterstaff, but both had been stripped from her by the two brutes that had taken her down. She still had her speed and deftness, they couldn't take those from her. If she remained docile, then maybe they would let their guard down around her and she would be presented an opportunity to escape.
It was a slim hope, but it was the only one she had to cling to.
The stormtrooper opened a door, before stepping back to allow Kylo entrance. Rey hesitated within the hall as she stared into the darkened room.
The remaining trooper stared at her unkindly as she swallowed heavily. Then with his cold voice, he murmured. "Go."
Rey prickled at the command. She had the urge to turn and run down the hall. It didn't matter if she didn't know how to get out of here, she didn't care anymore. She simply couldn't just walk into that darkened room and give herself over to an unknown fate with the lives of Resistance members hanging in the balance.
Rey backed up a step as the trooper started toward her. Panic tore through her; she felt like a cornered animal as she came up against the wall.
A scream built within her. A large hand came at her. Rey knew instinctively that if it touched her, she would lose control of whatever composure she had left.
"I have made it clear that no one is to touch her." The threatening words, growled from the doorway of the dark room, caused the hair on Rey's neck to stand up. Her gaze traveled slowly towards Kylo, who had returned to the open door. "If I have to tell you again, I will kill you."
Rey's mouth dropped, and she could feel the violent beat of her pulse fluttering rapidly. She didn't know what to make of this whole awful, bizarre situation. The trooper looked briefly at his outstretched hand before he dropped it limply to his side and stepped away from her.
She didn't blame him; she wouldn't want to be anywhere close to her either after a threat like that.
"Come inside," Kylo quietly ordered.
Rey glanced wildly around the hall. Running was still a tempting thought, but she couldn't disgrace herself in such a way, and she was pretty sure that being tackled by Kylo Ren himself would be pretty disgraceful. Kylo had told the man not to touch her again, but that didn't mean he wouldn't come after her, and she had a feeling that if he had to chase her down the hall it wouldn't end well. She swallowed rapidly, trying to gather her rapidly diminishing courage as she stepped uncertainly toward the darkened room.
Kylo stepped away, blending within the shadows again, disappearing into the darkness for only a brief moment before light flooded the room. Rey was unable to suppress her astonishment. Without thinking, she gradually moved forward, drawn by the beauty and splendor of the lavish room. She took in the artwork and the striking hand carved furniture. The room was filled with amazing color; she'd never before seen anything like it.
She was trying to look everywhere at the same time, to see it all, but there was far too much to take in at once. Large bay windows, with a cushioned seat, overlooked the most picturesque gardens she'd ever seen. The paintings within the room were all of landscapes, scenic mountains and rivers with animals and sunsets. Handsome lamps, colorful and clear vases were spread throughout the room. The three sofas within looked cozy and inviting, and were a deep green color that reminded her of the ivy she loved in the groves of the forest.
For a moment she didn't know worry, or starvation. For just a moment, all she knew was beauty and peace, a sensation of amazement so profound that she could barely breathe.
The soft click of the door drew her attention back to Kylo Ren, and the harsh reality of her life. She might be surrounded by beautiful things, but she was in the midst of some of the vilest people - and one of their leaders was watching her fixedly.
He had removed his helmet, and she inhaled sharply at the sight of the scar she had given him. Other than that, he looked the same as when she had last faced him on Starkiller Base.
Straightening her shoulders, she defiantly met his gaze. His forehead furrowed in consternation as his head turned unhurriedly around the room. Rey frowned at him, unable to understand the strange expression on his face or what had caused it.
A faint knock on the door drew both of their attention. Kylo opened it and stepped back to allow three female First Order workers into the room.
"You sent for us, sir?" One asked. He nodded toward Rey.
"I'd like her cleaned up."
Rey bristled. She was perfectly capable of bathing and cleaning herself.
Three sets of eyes slid toward her, curiosity radiated from them as they fully noticed their presence amongst them.
"Have a droid fetch her some clothes as well."
Rey jumped back and tore her arm away as someone touched her elbow.
"Don't touch me," she growled.
The three women eyed her warily, apparently trying to decide if she would be a danger to them, something that might indeed be a possibility.
"You will allow them to clean you," Kylo ordered.
"I can clean myself!"
The women gasped, shrinking farther away from her as she deliberately, and loudly, defied their leader, a fact that could result in her instant death. She didn't care though, she was frightened and outraged and more than a little tired of being treated like something worse than an animal. She was completely as the mercy of Kylo Ren, who was staring at her as if she were something he'd never seen before. She supposed he wasn't used to being defied, but he should be used to it by now - she'd done it before and she would never stop.
She also supposed that such defiance often resulted in severe consequences, but she would prefer punishment rather than this humiliating experience. Just an hour ago she had been hoping for death, now she found that she was probably on the verge of it.
Kylo took a step toward her, using his massive size to try to intimidate her, but Rey wouldn't have it. She was grateful the mask was gone; she wanted to see his eyes when she told him to screw off.
He stepped closer to her, giving her no choice but to retreat if she was to avoid having him touch her. And she most certainly did not want him touching her.
She took another step back as he pushed closer, nearly bending over her as he loomed above.
"Stop it!" Rey hated herself for crying out in protest, for letting him see how much he rattled her, but she couldn't stop the words as her heel came up against the back of the wall and she realized she was good and trapped.
His hands slammed into the wall on either side of her head, causing her to jump in surprise as the pictures rattled. Her heart leapt and lurched as for the first time since the forest, she truly began to fear him. Until now, she hadn't known what to make of him, or what he planned to do with her.
She now knew that he didn't take well to being defied, and she was a little concerned that he might skewer her with the lightsaber hanging from his belt.
"You will either allow them to do this, or I will do it for you."
Rey gulped at the terrifying possibility that he would do exactly what he was threatening. She had no doubt that he would drag her into the bathroom, strip her, and dump her in a tub of water. There was no way she was going to allow something like that to happen.
Unfortunately, she didn't respond to him as quickly as he apparently would have liked. He grabbed a hold of her arm, practically dragging her from the room. Rey hurried to keep up with him, stumbling behind as he pulled her rapidly forward.
He led her through a side door, and she caught a brief glimpse of books, a desk, and leather chairs before she was pulled into yet another room. This one left her bewildered and gaping. There was some strange, overly large round white thing in the middle of the room. It was gleaming with its golden handles and some sort of spigot coming from the top of it.
He released her abruptly before striding across the room. He spun the handles, causing water to burst free from the spigot.
Rey's hand flew to her mouth. What kind of brilliant, strange contraption was this?
Kylo turned toward her, confusion marring his features as he studied her.
"Oh," Rey breathed as steam began to rise from the water, alerting her to the miraculous fact that the water was hot. She had seen the bottom of these things in a few larger shipwrecks before when she was a scavenger, but there had been no spigots with water coming from them. Most of the bottom parts had been broken, or so dirty that she never would have contemplated stepping foot in it, never mind actually using it to clean herself.
She hadn't known this was their intended use and it was fascinating.
Kylo was studying her, the perplexity on his face more than a little disconcerting. She couldn't meet his gaze as an unexpected wave of shame washed through her. He was studying her like that because he knew that she had so very little. He realized that she knew nothing of the galaxy beyond Jakku - and he pitied her for it.
Yet, as she looked back at him she did not see pity on his face. Instead, she saw an understanding that left her rattled and unsure. She couldn't figure out this strange man in front of her, but it seemed as though they were even, because judging by the look on his face, he couldn't figure her out either.
"Bathe yourself," He said gruffly. "A droid will bring you clothes."
Rey swallowed heavily, unable to find words for him. She simply nodded mutely before he left the room.
A/N - I've always thought it would be fun to explore Rey's reaction to all of the luxuries she never had on Jakku - I hope I did a good job!
As always, please leave a review with your thoughts, suggestions, and predictions, and I'll see you in the next chapter!
~ Elizabeth (FanOfDeliciousFlavour)