Hope you all have been enjoying this story so far. I worked hard on this chapter over the Easter/Passover holidays, so I hope that you all enjoy it.
Big Thank You to Darksidefan5 for her awesome Beta Skills and helping me work through some issues that I had with this chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. Disney and George Lucas own it. I just like to play in their sandbox and create chaos. Enjoy.
Wind blows through the trees of Yavin IV and Poe can't help but to smile. The smell of a coming rainstorm fills his nose with each breath he takes. This is the smell of home to him; one of the few things that helps him to relax completely. Opening his eyes, Poe sees his parents' house in the distance. His smile grows bigger as he looks down and discovers that he is sitting on a thick branch of the force tree. In his mind, the memories of him and his mother spending time together fill Poe with a bittersweet joy. The picnics they shared together. Being told stories about how Poe uttered his first words while hugging the growing tree. Taking his first steps beneath its branches which drew him away from his mum trying to direct him towards his kneeling father. Nearly giving his dad a heart attack by climbing to the top of the tree. Laughter from his mum as she climbed up to retrieve him since his father didn't like heights.
"It doesn't surprise me to find you up there, sweetheart."
Twisting his upper body to face the owner of the voice, Poe has to take hold of a nearby branch to keep himself from falling out of the tree.
"Don't move so fast or you'll fall." The voice calls out again from near the base of the tree.
Keeping himself upright, Poe quickly begins to look towards the trunk of the tree, searching.
"Mom?" Poe whispers out before calling out. "Mom!"
"There is no need to shout, sweetheart." Comes the reply before the woman comes around the trunk. She gives him a bright smile as she looks up at him. The woman who taught him how to fly, his mother Shara Bey, is standing several feet below where he is sitting. She looks nearly the same as when he last saw her.
"Mom." Poe gushes out and begins to quickly climb down from the tree. "Mom!"
His mother's laughter fills the air and this cause Poe to jump the last few feet out from the tree. He lands on the ground, and notices that he doesn't feel the small amount of pain he should from the impact. Not knowing what else to do, Poe begins to run towards where his mother should be.
"Poe."
Hearing his name come from behind him, Poe spins around and comes face-to-face with his mother. Not waiting another second, Poe practically throws himself at her. The feeling of being wrapped up in warmth is what Poe is feeling as he embraces his mother. He burrows his face into her neck, like he used to when he was a child, and a soothing hand begins to thread itself through his dark curls.
"My son. You're all grown up now." Shara whispers to her son before pressing a gentle kiss into his hair.
"Mom." Poe softly says before slowly stepping out of their embrace. Yet he takes hold of his mother's hand. "Is this even real? I haven't dreamt of you in years."
His mother chuckles and gives her son's hand a squeeze. "My son. My little Poe. I've always been watching you. I'm so proud of you, Poe. So proud."
"Dad and I-" Poe chokes on his words, tears building in his brown eyes. "We miss you so much, mom."
Shara places her free hand against her son's cheek and a sad smile slowly appears on her face.
"Poe, sweetheart, listen. Things are about to change for the galaxy and you must be ready. They'll be needing you. She will be needing you. Protect Rey. Protect them all."
"Mom?" Poe asks, wondering what it is that his mother is trying to tell him.
Shara pulls her son into another hug, albeit a quick one before stepping away from him. "Promise me."
"Mom?"
"Promise me!"
"I promise. But what change? What's going to happen?"
"You will find out soon enough."
With her last words, Shara begins to disappear before Poe's eyes, and he is trying hard not to panic. However, he can't help but want his mother to stay with him.
"Mom!" Poe cries out, but it's in vain. Shara is gone.
Suddenly, the ground begins to shake and the skies over Yavin IV turn into violent shades of reds and golden yellows. Trees begin falling all around Poe and the ground shakes so harshly that he is finding it difficult to stay standing. A bright flash fills the sky before the world around him begins to turn dark. Poe looks up at the sky and sees a series of large metallic objects in the sky, firing down upon the planet. A roaring sound pulls his attention back to the ground as it begins to split apart.
"Mama!"
Whipping around, a wave of fear nearly overwhelms him. But this isn't his fear. There is a house, near his parents' home, sitting unaffected by the turmoil around it. Another scream echoes and Poe finds himself charging toward the house, his blaster drawn.
"Help! Mama! No! Mama!" the little voice screams out in terror.
As Poe rounds the back corner of the home, the sight before him causes him to stop. Silhouettes, in black, huddle around something on the ground. Time seems to slow down around Poe and a small breeze blows past him. With the breeze comes the smell of burnt flesh along with the sounds of a child's whimpering. In slow motion, Poe watches as the group turns to leave, and that is when his eyes zero-in on a familiar form gasping for life on the grass covered ground. It hits him like a punch in the gut when he realizes who it is.
"Rey." Poe gasps out in shock as time seems to surge back to normal. "No."
Somehow Rey hears him and turns her head to look at him. Her chest heaves several times, and blood is beginning to pool beneath her battered and broken body. The white shirt she is wearing is quickly turning red from the gaping hole in her stomach.
"Rey!" Poe yells out and starts to run towards her. His hand tightens around his blaster as he gets closer to her. Dropping to his knees once he gets Rey's side, Poe can see just how severe Rey's injuries are.
"Papa! Papa!"
Hearing the child's voice calling out pulls Poe's attention from Rey. Upon turning his head towards the child's cries, Poe feels his stomach drop and his chest tighten. There, being held by one of the members of the group, is a child. Through familiar brown, wavy locks, the little boy's hazel eyes catch Poe's.
"Papa!" The small child cries out, tears falling down his red cheeks.
Before Poe can stand up from where he is kneeling, a sudden burst of heat scorches through his chest. It is followed by pain unlike anything Poe has ever felt before and drops his blaster to the ground. He looks down at his chest and sees the red blade of a lightsaber coming out of his chest. The lightsaber extinguishes just as suddenly as it ignited and Poe finds himself falling towards the ground. Yet, the cries of the child calling out for his father, gives Poe enough resolve to twist his body into landing on his side. Fighting against the pain, Poe attempts to reach out for the blaster he dropped.
Before he is able to wrap his hand around the blaster, a black boot steps on his hand with enough force to crush several bones. However, Poe doesn't scream out in pain but he looks up at the owner of the boot. His eyes widen in recognition while at the same time Poe takes his last breath.
"I told you they were mine, Pilot."
~~~SW~~~
After having gone to her chambers, Rey had changed into her more comfortable attire that she wore back on Ahch-To. Then she had taken a short nap which was followed by some meditation. However, Rey's attempts at meditation had not gone smoothly.
First, her Hapian wardrobe had been too distracting and all around uncomfortable.
Second, there was the ever-present glare. The sun seemed to shine directly into her chambers and the golden monstrosities they called décor were eager to reflect that bright, bright light. Despite keeping her eyes shut, it was very much distracting. She finally threw a blanket over her head since no amount of curtains, blinds, or moving spots seemed to work.
In the darkness of the blanket and the comfort of her own clothes, Rey had finally managed to settle into her meditation. After a time, she began to sense that something was wrong. Reaching out further into the force, Rey could feel waves of joy along with sadness emanating from Poe's chambers as he slept. She wasn't too concerned by the two emotions since it was common place for her to feel them during their flight here.
Just as Rey retreats to continue her meditations, something shifts within the force. This time, however, Rey begins to feel her connection to Kylo Ren start to flare up. Scrambling out of the blanket, Rey doesn't see Kylo Ren anywhere in the bedroom. Instead, she hears a child's voice echo through her mind.
"Mama!"
The distress emanating from Poe's chambers becomes so strong that Rey feels as if she is starting to be compressed in the force. Worried about what is happening to Poe, and the continued presence of the connection, Rey leaps off of her bed and runs to her bedroom door. There, she comes face-to-face with BB-8, who's beeping and trilling in distress.
"What's wrong with Poe?"
The little droid lets out several more beeps before quickly rolling away.
"BB-8!" Rey rushes after the droid, who is heading straight for the chambers where Poe is staying.
As she follows the droid into the sitting room of Poe's chambers, she is immediately hit by a tidal wave of despair. The air practically crackles with dark energy. It's choking and it causes her to stumble as she pushes her way to the door of the bedchamber.
She can hear him before BB-8 even opens the door.
"Rey!" he screams.
Hearing the desperation in Poe's voice, she doesn't hesitate to climb into the bed and cupping Poe's face. She feels fresh tears under her thumbs.
"Poe! Poe wake up!"
Trapped in his nightmare, he continues to thrash, his breath becoming increasingly quick and shallow.
The edges of her vision begin to dim as she feels the remaining light in the room start to disappear around her. A new panic, her own this time, threatens to overtake her. Light. She just needed light. Closing her eyes, Rey calls on the Force. It's there, far away and hidden behind thick, black clouds. She sees the edges of it peeking through the darkness. She calls to it again. The flickers of light start to grow stronger, and she calls on it again. And again, and again.
Poe jolts awake with a gasp, rolls away from Rey, and violently tumbles off of the bed.
"Poe!" Rey hurries to the other side of the bed where she finds Poe pushing himself up into a seated position on the ground. "Poe, are you alright?"
Poe looks up at Rey with eyes that are just beginning to clear up from the haziness of sleep. His breathing is still short and quick, as if he was scared.
"Poe?" Rey asks, carefully kneeling in front of him. From behind her, Rey can hear BB-8 ask after his master's health. "Poe?"
Poe blinks a couple more times before his deep brown eyes focus on Rey. Very carefully Poe begins to get up from where he is at on the floor with a groan.
"Are you all right?" Rey asks, following Poe to stand up.
"Yeah, just a dream. Nightmare really." Poe replies as he runs his hands up his face and into his sleep mused hair.
"But it wasn't just a nightmare, was it?" Rey says before reaching out to take hold of Poe's hand. "I felt your distress while I was meditating. Then I felt my connection with Kylo Ren come to life, but I didn't see him. In fact, I didn't even hear him. But I could still feel him through the connection and feel your emotions through the Force. The connection is no longer open as of right now between him and I. Will you tell me what happened? What you saw in your nightmare?"
"Rey..."
"It must have been horrible for you to..."
"Rey..."
"And why did you call my name?"
"You died, alright." Poe shouts at her, feeling vulnerable, frustrated, and angry about the situation. "Kylo's kriffing Knights of Ren killed you and I couldn't stop them. Then the smug bastard decided to kill me after having watched you die."
Rey is shocked to hear the grave news about Poe's dream, and she feels a small shiver come from the Force as well. She isn't sure what Poe's dream may mean or if it even means anything at all. Feeling Poe pull away from her, she watches as Poe begins to pace back and forth, trying to alleviate his pent-up anger over the dream.
"I just wanna punch something. Beat the crap out of him and his groupies, you know?" Poe growls out, his hands turning into fists.
"I know. Though I doubt the Queen Mother would take kindly to you beating the crap out of their things. Why don't we spar?"
"Rey, I don't think that's a promising idea right now." Poe stops his pacing and looks directly at her.
"I think it's a good idea. You get to punch something, we both get some exercise, and you don't get in trouble for destroying Hapian property."
"I'm not going to hit you, Rey."
"Who says you could even land a hit on me?" She is happy to note that most of Poe's tension has now lessened to a smaller degree thanks to her teasing.
Poe, knowing how stubborn Rey can be, nods his head and moves towards the large closet to find some clothes to wear for sparring. He finds a pair of tan cargo pants and a black tank in among the rest of the clothes that were sent with them for this trip.
"I'll meet you in the hallway." Rey calls out as she leaves the bedroom.
As Poe starts to undress, BB-8 lets out several whirls and beeps at his master. Keeping close to Poe's heels.
"I'm fine, buddy. Just a bad dream." Poe softly tells his droid while pulling the black tank over his head.
The droid lets out sad beep at Poe's response before letting out several other beeps as well. This causes Poe to chuckle and look down at his droid.
"Buddy, I'm sure our impromptu sparring session won't interfere with their rules or with our going to dinner tonight with the queen. And no, I'm not afraid of Rey using the Force during our spar. I'm sure if she did harm me then she'd fix me up too, buddy." Poe gives his droid a cheeky smile before changing into the tan cargo pants.
Once he is dressed, Poe and BB-8 head out to meet up with Rey in the hallway between their two separate guest chambers. Poe allows Rey to lead him into her own guest chambers, and he has a challenging time trying not to gawk at the overly decorated sitting room.
"Went a bit overboard with the gold…" Poe comments with seeing all the gold colored finishes in the room. Even the white fabric chairs and couches have gold finishes for the armrests and footings.
"Really? I hadn't noticed," there is a small upturn of Rey's lips as she says this.
"Must be trying to over compensate for something." Poe mumbles to himself as he follows Rey through the room.
Out on the large balcony, Rey turns around to face Poe. She watches as he takes in the gaudy outdoor furnishings that match the ones inside. He makes to say something, then seems to opt to keep his mouth shut. For the time being at least.
"So, where should we begin?" Poe asks, beginning to do warm up stretches.
"I don't really know. I've never done… formal… sparring before." Rey explains with her cheeks starting to feel hot with embarrassment.
"Makes sense, I guess. My Dad taught me how to fight. He was assigned to General Solo's Pathfinders unit just before the evacuation of Yavin to Hoth. With all the trouble the General caused at any cantina dive, Dad and his fellow pathfinders were always on their toes. Especially after the bounty hunter incident on Ord Mantell. Mom would never tell me why it was that General Solo would send Dad a case of Corellian Ale once a month, but I think the two were linked. Anyways, once Mom died, Dad taught me everything he knew about hand-to-hand combat. We can take it slow at first. What do you say?" Poe replies finishing up with his stretches.
Rey had smiled while listening to Poe speak about his father. Through the Force, Rey felt happiness and humor radiating off of him. She couldn't help but feel a little jealous of his childhood memories which are so different from her own. Then reality catches up with her on what it is that Poe just told her.
"You know hand-to-hand combat techniques?"
Poe lets out a chuckle before moving into a defensive position. "Enough with the questions and show me what you got."
Rey decides to begin with a feint attack towards his right side before spinning to his left in an attempt to hit his ribs with her elbow. Poe, however, isn't easily fooled and steps out of reach before striking back with a quick jab towards her face. Rey backs away from Poe's hand so that his blow doesn't hit her in the face. Seeing Poe advance, Rey attempts a roundhouse kick. However, Poe is quick to take hold of her foot and drops to his knees before kicking Rey's other foot out from beneath her. Rey falls to the ground, but uses the Force to keep the impact from being too hard.
Poe releases Rey's foot and stands up back into a defensive position. He gives her a cheeky grin with a wink, which causes Rey to scowl at him. Not one to back down from a fight, Rey gets back up and takes up a defensive position which is similar to Poe's. The pair start to move in a circle, Rey mimicking Poe's steps. They make several attempts at attacking each other for quite a while, until Poe realizes that Rey is actually using his own attacks on him. This gives him an idea.
"Don't cheat by using the Force, Rey." Poe teases, switching up the movement of his feet so that his left now leads where he wants to go.
"I'm not cheating."
"Oh really?" Poe decides to change things up a bit, and goes on the offensive with a four-step combo that his father once taught him.
This causes Rey to shift herself out of the combination attack; however, what she doesn't realize is that her moving is exactly what Poe wanted. Suddenly she finds her hand in a tight grip before being pulled towards Poe. Trying to free herself, Rey doesn't notice that both feet are no longer touching the ground. Her lower back hits the ground first and this is all Rey needs to feel before allowing instinct to kick in. She uses her feet to throw her body, causing Poe to lose balance and topple over. Knowing that she has him down, she tries to find a way to hold onto him with her hands. Both of her legs are able to wrap around his and again Rey uses her body to shift them so that she can pin him to the ground. However, in her efforts to pin Poe, he has both of her wrists held tightly in one hand against his chest. Rey doesn't know where his other hand has gone till she feels something grab the back of her neck, causing the instinctual response for her to go stiff.
Both of them are breathing heavily as they stare at each other. As Rey continues to stare at Poe, the air between them starts to become thick with energy and their breathing patterns begin to synchronize with the other. Rey can feel a warm pool begin to spread out from deep within her stomach and a dull ache starts to make itself known too.
Feeling something change between them, Poe slowly releases his hold on the back of Rey's neck. However, his hand doesn't move too far as it begins to comb through the loose strands of Rey's hair that isn't held in the half-ponytail. With their faces only inches apart, Poe finds himself leaning upwards till his lips brush softly against Rey's. They become lost in their own little bubble that they don't hear BB-8 let out a series of beeps from where he was watching.
"I hope I am not interrupting anything." The Hapian Princess calls out from the archway of the balcony.
Hearing the princess's voice causes Rey and Poe to startle and they quickly scramble to away from each other.
"You weren't." Rey says quickly, her face turning beet red. She doesn't dare look at Poe while feeling this flustered.
"Just sparring." Poe answers as he rocks himself up onto his feet. "Did you need anything, your highness?"
Tenel Ka gives the two a knowing smirk before giving her reply. "Dinner's been rescheduled."
"To when?" Poe asks.
"In exactly 43 minutes from now. You better clean up quick. I suspect my grandmother has an ulterior motive for changing the time." Tenel Ka replies before looking over at Rey. "If you are not busy tomorrow morning, I would gladly offer to be your sparring partner. Perhaps even teach you a few things that Master Skywalker taught me long ago."
"Thank you."
"Now," Tenel Ka says as she moves to take hold of Rey's hand. "we best get you dressed for dinner. Excuse us."
Rey finds herself being dragged away from Poe and back inside of her chambers then to her bedroom. She is forced to sit down on the bed and watch as the princess digs into Rey's closet like it was her own. Though Tenel Ka seemed to have a better idea of what all was in there since Rey could have sworn there hadn't been that many dresses in there earlier.
"So, have you mated with your male yet?" Tenel Ka asks as she pulls out a cream-colored dress, which she wrinkles her nose at before tossing it aside to go digging for another.
It takes a moment for Rey to process what she had been nonchalantly asked. "Mated?! No. Not that it is any of your concern."
The princess stops her searching to give Rey a scrutinizing look. "Have you ever mated with anyone or are you still unclaimed?"
"Unclaim-? That's none or your business. Or anyone else's for that matter." Rey snaps back, wondering what sort of game Tenel Ka is playing with her.
"Hmm." Tenel Ka pulls out a shimmering teal ballgown from the closet.
Tenel Ka brings the gown to where Rey is seated. She reaches out and pulls on Rey's arm to force the young woman to stand. Then she holds the gown up against Rey's body before turning Rey to face away from her, with a little help from the Force.
"Be cautious of what you and your male drink tonight." Tenel Ka whispers in warning into Rey's ear. "Many saw you sparring on the balcony together. A few of the women made comments about your male's potential prowess in bed, and now those rumors have begun circling the palace. Your position is quite envious in that regard.""
Rey opens and closes her mouth several times before finally managing to form a response. "Why are you… Why are you telling me this and not Poe?"
Tenel Ka suddenly runs her fingers through Rey's hair, pulling it out of its half-ponytail. Whispering, she says, "If I could, I would. But it would arouse suspicion upon my character and dignity. However, he isn't the only one who needs to be warned. As with any group of females, they will try to remove a threat or hindrance to get what they desire. You and your male appear close, but not enough to keep others from desiring him or yourself."
"Does this include you?" Rey asks, spinning around to face Tenel Ka.
"I have no interest in your male. The one my heart desires was murdered at the hand of his brother several years ago." The other woman's eyes flick to the ceiling. Rey can see the shine of tears that threaten to fall. Tenel Ka seems to shake them away and continues on. "Plus, I'm not into women. Though there are a few here who are. But you are the one with the larger target on your back than your male."
Rey ponders Tenel Ka's words for a moment before asking, "Is your…"
"Grandmother targeting you? Yes, but it is you because you have Force abilities." Tenel Ka reveals before heading back over to the large wardrobe. "She may even try to entice one of our male relatives into seeking a courtship with you. Possibly even manipulate a situation so that your male leaves you here on Hapes."
"That'll never happen. Leia would skin him alive if he were to leave me here." Rey comments before tossing the teal ballgown onto the bed. Slowly she heads over to the wardrobe.
"Just promise me that you and your male will take precautions. I wouldn't want you to lose each other." When Rey gives Tenel Ka a confused look, the princess explains further. "There is something between you both, and I could sense it from the moment you two came down the ships' ramp. Perhaps there is a bond forming between the two of you. It can be a very positive experience for you both because you desire each other and the Force accepts this."
With that said, Tenel Ka hands Rey a pair of strappy high heeled sandals with a smile and then leaves.
Rey's mind is working on overdrive as it tries to make sense of everything Tenel Ka has told her. Not just about others desiring her and Poe, or the fact that someone may try something at dinner, but of the fact that Tenel Ka knows about Force bonds. Maybe Tenel Ka is the one who can help Rey with understanding the bond she shares with Kylo Ren.
The time passes quickly for Rey as she gets dressed and thinks about what tomorrow morning may bring with sparring with Tenel Ka. She doesn't even care that her ballgown dress has no back to it, and that the front only has two wide straps which tie together at the back of her neck. Nor does she care that the sandal high heels are causing her ankles to protest at wearing such painful things.
Sitting on her bead, musing over everything, a knock at the bedroom door grabs Rey's attention. Before she can stand up to answer it, the door opens a crack and a familiar voice calls out.
"Rey? Are you decent?" Poe calls out from behind the door. "Need any help? Ouch! Buddy, stop it."
Rey lets out a chuckle at hearing BB-8 chastising his master while at the same time running into Poe's legs.
"Let him in, BB-8" Rey stands up and watches as Poe enters the bedroom with BB-8 following closely behind. A blush begins to grow on her cheeks as Poe slows down his stride towards her while his eyes roam over her not once, not twice, but three times.
"You…You look… nice." Poe stammers out while trying very hard not to let his imagination run wild at the sight of so much skin being bared on Rey's torso.
"Thanks." Rey self-consciously crosses her arms over her chest. "You don't look half bad yourself, Commander."
"My name is Poe. And thanks, but I'd prefer to be in a flight suit than this getup." Poe states, looking down. The top he has on is a silver and teal brocade open-chested vest which sits over top of a sheer silver shirt. At his waist sits a thick belt made of the same silver and teal brocade. The black pants that he wears are so tight that every time Poe moves it feels like he is about to be on the receiving end of a wedgie. Inside of his silver boots, Poe has hidden away two vibro-blades. Just in case.
"At least your torso isn't nearly naked for everyone to see."
"Yeah, I think these people are a bit perverted in their clothing attire choices." Poe finds that he really doesn't have a problem with Rey's attire. But her expression tells him that he probably should. Feeling the weight of his mother's ring hanging around his neck, and the comfort it brings him, Poe gets an idea in his head.
Coming closer to Rey, Poe removes the chain from around his neck. Seeing that Rey still is looking at him, Poe gently places the chain that carries his mother's ring on Rey. He watches as Rey looks up at him after feeling the chain and ring against her skin, and he gives her a shy smile.
"It was my mother's ring, and it's always brought me comfort, peace even. I'll let you borrow it for the night. You need it more than me, I think, to get through tonight's dinner with the queen and her court."
"Thank you, but that really isn't necessary." Rey states, fingering the ring subconsciously like she's seen him do many times before.
"Yes, it is. You're as nervous as a male Loth-cat without balls and claws. Now, you need to do something about your hair." Poe teases as he allows one of his hands to comb through her brown hair.
The pair fall into a silence as Rey sits down to allow Poe to help style her hair. Though she won't ask how he knows how to do hair, something about Poe doing her hair causes her stomach to get butterflies. It doesn't take long for Poe to style her hair. He makes sure that most of Rey's hair is left loose while pulling the two sides back into twists which create a bun at the back of her head. BB-8 lets out a whirl before opening up and holding out two silver hair combs which have embellished floral designs.
"Thanks buddy." Poe tells his droid as he watches Rey reach down to take them from the droid.
"Thank you, little one." Rey gives the droid a smile before looking down at the two combs. "They're beautiful. Where did you get these?"
The droid lets out a few short beeps in reply and watches as Rey hands the combs to Poe. After Poe places them into the bun, BB-8 lets out a few more beeps and trills before leaving the pair alone.
"We'll have to get something nice for Leia while we are here." Poe states as he stands up. He offers a hand to Rey and helps the young woman to her feet. "Ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be."
"Don't worry, I won't let you fall. Promised I wouldn't, and a Dameron always keeps his promises."
Poe tucks Rey's hand into his elbow and the pair leave Rey's bedroom and chambers. In the hallway, they run into Risla, who will be escorting the pair to the dining rooms. The handmaiden shows them the way down to the Queen's dining rooms in silence.
Upon reaching the doors that lead to the dining rooms, Risla leaves the pair and heads off elsewhere.
"Deep breaths. We can do this." Poe mumbles out, trying not just to keep himself calm but Rey as well.
The large doors open and the pair enter into the dining rooms. There are already a good amount of people loitering about. Some of them are talking in whispers, while others are boisterous in their conversations.
Poe and Rey make their way over to one of the several columns that decorate the elaborately decorated room. When they've reached the column, a male servant approaches carrying a tray of goblets filled with green liquid. Both of them take a goblet and the male servant leaves them alone. As Poe raises his goblet towards him, Rey suddenly remembers the warning that Tenel Ka gave her earlier. She glides her hand, which was still holding on to his arm, up to his wrist before giving it a good squeeze to keep his hand from moving any closer towards his lips. Then she moves her head so that she can whisper into his ear.
"Tenel Ka gave me a warning earlier about any drinks or food we may have. It would appear that you and I may have some people who would do anything to remove us from each other." Rey confides.
Poe turns his head to look at Rey, not considering just how close their faces are to each other. "So, we already have made some enemies. Did she tell you anything else? Or are you going to hold back till the last second?"
"Only that we had an audience during our sparring session this afternoon. It would appear that many find us… desirable."
"Wouldn't be the first time I've heard that said about me." Poe cheekily retorts as his eyes move about the room. "Picking up anything through the Force?"
Rey shakes her head and watches as Poe leans away from her while scanning the room. She can feel his muscles tighten, from just how close she is pressed against his side, as he looks for possible threats. Before she can say or do anything, the sound of a gong echoes throughout the room. The main doors open to reveal the Queen Mother, Isolder, and Tenel Ka standing together. Taking their que from everyone else, Rey and Poe bow as the three royals enter the room.
"I bid you welcome this evening." Queen Mother Ta'a Chume states, signaling for everyone to rise from their bows. "It is with immense pleasure that I will be dining with you all this evening, and I apologize for any inconveniences that came from starting earlier than normal."
The Queen Mother then turns and begins walking towards another set of doors. These doors open to unveil an extremely large room filled with several large tables which are covered in white silks and fine table settings in the colors of the royal household. The royal family head off to the head table while everyone else make their way to the rest of the tables. As Rey and Poe enter the room, they spot Dash Rendar waving them over to one of the tables closest to the head table.
"Fancy shindig, huh?" Dash tells the pair as he watches Poe pull out a chair for Rey to sit in. "Nice dress, Rey. If any trouble comes about, at least you'll be able have free movement of your arms."
Poe gives Dash a glare from over top of Rey's head as he helps Rey move the chair in towards the table.
"Nice necklace you got there too." Dash comments, pointing at the ring which rests against Rey's breast bone. He then looks over at Poe and gives him a knowing smile.
As Poe sits down next to Rey, the sound of trumpets fills the air and dinner is served. Several trays, carried by servants, are brought in with several types of food. The room begins to fill with the clanking of silverware, and the endless chattering from the occupants. At their own table, Poe and Rey sit quietly as Dash and a few members of court talk across the table.
This goes on for a few hours, which by the time dinner and dessert are finished Poe and Rey are exhausted by the experience. Especially Rey since she has never attended a meal that has lasted for so long. Once the meal had ended, Rey had opted to stay at their table while Poe and Dash left to mingle with the locals. Not realizing that her glass has been refilled with a different type of wine by one of the servants, Rey takes a sip from it as she listens to a female courtier talk to her about the weapons training of the Hapian people.
After several minutes Rey starts to feel a fuzzy sensation in her lower stomach. She tries hard not to focus on it, but it starts to change to a low burning. Realization dawns on Rey that something must have been added to her wine, but couldn't pinpoint when she had been given the change in drink. As carefully as she can Rey tries to gently shift in her chair, which causes the low burning to grow in intensity.
"Excuse me." Rey says to the Hapian woman before getting up from her chair.
Rey's movement catches Poe's attention, who was talking with Dash and two other males from across the room. He notices the Rey is biting her lower lip as she walks and there is a flush on her cheeks and one beginning to form on her chest. Poe excuses himself from the group and makes his way to follow after Rey.
Once he is out in the hallway, Poe turns to see that Rey is doubled over and leaning against the wall.
"Rey!" Poe calls out and quickly runs towards her.
"Something... feels off." Rey pants out as she hears Poe come to a stop next to her. She looks up at him and her vision blurs in and out. "Something is... wrong. The wine…"
"Don't worry about how, right now. Can you walk?"
Rey is barely able to shake her head as her vision is still blurring in and out. Her reply is mumbled out and not very coherent. "Hhhurts...it…t…toooo…"
"Kriff." Poe lets out under his breath before looking at their surroundings. He notices that there are no guards anywhere, nor anyone for that matter which is odd. Tucking that little bit of information into the back of his mind, Poe focuses his attention back on Rey.
"I've got you." He whispers to Rey.
Being as careful as he can, Poe lifts Rey into his arms and is surprised by the whimper she lets slip from her lips as one of his hands rests against the skin on her side. He can feel heat radiating from her flesh, and Poe begins to worry. As fast as he can, Poe makes his way back to his chambers in the guest wing, not giving a damn about royal protocol or laws. There is no way he is going to be leaving her side. Especially after she'd told him the warning that Tenel Ka gave her earlier. The thought of someone doing this to Rey, purposefully, makes Poe's blood boil.
"BB-8!" Poe calls out as he enters the sitting room of his chambers.
Having heard Poe call out, the droid rolls into the room from the bedroom where he had been plugged into a charging port. Taking in the sight of Poe carrying a whimpering Rey towards him, the droid lets out several concerned beeps. Following Poe as he enters the bedroom and sets Rey down on the bed, BB-8 continues beeping out several concerned comments about Rey.
"I need you to do a quick scan of Rey." Poe tells his droid before rushing towards the bathing room for a water and towel.
BB-8 does as Poe asks and begins scanning Rey the best he can. The little droid has a tough time of it since organic lifeforms aren't what he usually is scanning. Having the information that Poe needs, BB-8 beeps out his findings out to his master.
"Keep monitoring her body temperature, buddy." Poe comes back into the bedroom with a full pitcher of cool water and a cloth. He sets the pitcher on floor and dunks the cloth into the water. Ringing out the cloth, Poe quickly folds it and begins pressing it against Rey's forehead.
"Poe." Rey moans out as she curls up, tucking her legs against her stomach which doesn't bring any relief to the burning in her lower stomach.
"I'm right here, Rey. Not going anywhere." Poe softly tells her as he wets the cloth, rings it out, and presses it against her forehead again.
"It hurts. Burning…" Rey mumbles out before clutching at the bed-sheets with one hand while the other presses against her lower belly.
"BB-8, think you can check her for poisoning? Use a sample of her blood by running a diagnostic through the charging station's interface module?" Poe asks his droid, and listens intently to the answer. "Then do it, buddy."
"It's… okay." Rey moans out to BB-8 as she offer out an arm. She bites hard on her bottom lip as BB-8 does a quick pin prick to draw a small blood sample from her. Normally, she isn't this wimpy, but thanks to whatever is in her system her skin is very hypersensitive.
It only takes a few moments before the droid shares his findings with Rey and Poe. Hearing the information causes Poe to let out a string of swear words that Rey has never heard before. While Rey wants to scream out in refusal over what BB-8 has told them. There has to be something which is causing Rey to feel this unwell.
"She's clearly being affected by something, buddy. How else can you explain what's happening?" Poe shouts at BB-8. "Unless… BB instead of a chemical scan for a foreign substance, what about scanning for an elevated level of natural occurring chemicals. Think you can do that?"
The little droid beeps out an affirmative and begins running another scan using the interface. It doesn't take long for BB-8 to find what it is that his master had eluded to and is quick to report the latest information to Poe.
"Figures." Poe growls out, moving to sit on the edge the bed near Rey. He can't help but feel sorry for the young woman and what she is going through. His thoughts must have shown on his face because he finds one of Rey's hands has taken hold of his own hand.
"Not your... fault." Rey groans out to Poe. Sweat is building on her forehead again, and she sighs as the cool damp cloth once again wipes it away. Thanks to Poe's ministrations, the fog that had nearly consumed her mind is slowly clearing.
"You were warned that something like this could happen. But for it to happen this soon…" Poe states as he keeps wiping away the sweat from Rey's face.
"I'll… survive… this, Poe." Rey gasps out as another wave of heat rolls through her lower stomach.
"I know you will survive this, Rey, but that doesn't mean I like that they gave it to you."
"And you'd… prefer it if… it was you… in this position? Don't get to play… martyr on me… Poe Dameron." Rey groans out before shifting gently to deepen the fetal position she is already in.
"Neither of us should be in this position. You think using the Force would help?" Poe suggests to Rey as he dampens the cloth yet again. Then he gently brushes Rey hair away from the back of her neck so that he can mop up the sweat that has accumulated there.
"Been trying…" Rey lets out a gasp as she feels the cloth against her neck. "Difficult to focus…"
Poe removes the cloth and rinses it out. He can't help the concerned look that appears on his face as he watches Rey shift her body. Then she bites her bottom lip in a failed attempt to hold back a deep, guttural moan. It's a sound that Poe hasn't heard since his days back at the Republic Academy. His reckless years as Leia would call them. Yet, he tries his best to temper his body's response to hearing that sound.
Suddenly a noise coming from the hallway, outside of the guest chambers, captures Poe's attention. Poe quickly looks down at his droid as he leans down to pull one of his hidden vibro-blades from his boot. He doesn't have to say a word to the little droid, and stands up from the bed as BB-8 heads out of the bedroom to see what is happening out in the hallway.
"Poe?" Rey mumbles out, noticing just how alert Poe is. Her eyes look at the vibro-blade in his hand before looking up at him. "Poe?"
"Shhh." Poe slowly makes his way towards the bedroom door, and presses his back against the wall. He keeps his attention on the door and tries his hardest to stay calm while many different scenarios fly through his head.
It only takes a few minutes before BB-8 re-enters the bedroom and trills out what he had discovered.
"Kriff." Poe growls out after hearing that several females had gone into Rey's chambers and were currently ransacking the place. Then he looks over at Rey, who has shifted so that her bare back is facing him. Knowing that Rey is in a vulnerable state, Poe makes a choice which may cause backlash from their hosts.
"Go ahead and return to the charging port." Poe softly says to BB-8. "But make sure to keep your scanners up and running. Any sign of danger and you let me know."
BB-8 lets out low beep and rolls over to the charging station in the corner of the bedroom.
Poe, having watched BB-8 plug in to the charging port, makes his way over to the bed. He does another round of wiping away the sweat that has returned to Rey's neck and face. Then he lifts the sheet and lays it over Rey's body. When she looks up at him, he simply shakes his head.
"You're going to sleep in here tonight, Rey." Poe whispers to her before reaching down to pull out the second vibro-blade out from his other boot. "I'll keep watch tonight."
Poe makes his way around the circular bed and takes a seat on the floor. With his back resting against the bed, Poe keeps both the door to his bedroom and the door to the promenade deck in clear view. No one is going to sneak in to this bedroom and harm Rey without having to go through him and BB-8 first.
Reviews are well-loved and cherished.
Selene