Chapter Six

The Empress turned back to Ben, her eyes blazing. She reached out toward him and his body rose into the air. He gasped as his air supply was roughly cut off and grabbed at his neck. He raked at himself, his nails leaving bloody trails in the tender skin of his throat before he recognized what was happening. With Snoke dead, it had been a while since he had been Force-choked. Ben knew the best thing he could do was relax and let it pass. Without his breathing to center him, he closed his eyes and focused on the hammering of his heart. Heavy. Panicked. He tried to slow it, to delay inevitably expending the oxygen in his lungs. His chest ached. Force-choking was rarely a method of execution, but Ben felt dizzy and lightheaded. All he could sense from the Empress was unfiltered rage, no sign that she planned to ever let him go. "I…brought….food," he gasped, forcing the last bit of air out of his lungs.

Ben fell to the ground, released. He was dimly aware of an audible crack he when his foot hit the stone floor, but he was too busy coughing as he waited for his orientation to return to address it. He gasped and spluttered as the Empress stood over him, watching. Ben finally pulled himself to his feet, propping himself up against the wall. He lifted the satchel, ducked his head out of the strap, and handed it to the Empress. She looked down at the bag, then back up at him, and turned and walked away down the passage, the shoulder strap clenched in her fist.

Ben limped after her, struggling to keep up with her pace. She vanished through a doorway, and he eventually came to lean quietly against the open frame. The lighting was harsh but somehow not bright enough to reach the room's corners. The furnishings were sparse—a hard bed attached to the wall, some drawers, a closet, a small, blocky table by the bed. The Empress was busy removing the food from the bag and sorting it into piles—bread, fruits, something that looked like dried meat. She stashed one pile under the bed and then turned with the next in her arms, spotting him watching her. "Ren," she said, "I may wish for you to rule the galaxy by my side, but don't ever come into my quarters when my back is turned."

He held up his hands in defeat. "I'm still outside."

She glared at him. "I suggest getting settled into your new home. I doubt your friends are coming back for you. They've abandoned you here with me, just like everyone else."

Ben turned toward the door she was looking at across the hall, mostly so she wouldn't see the pain in his eyes. That did indeed seem to be his lot in life. It had been his father and then his uncle, and now it was Finn, who he had known for all of a day and a half, and even Rey, who, somehow, inexplicably, he trusted to be by his side when it mattered most. But he refused to abandon her. He slipped through the door, away from the eyes of the Empress.

The room inside surprised him. It looked little like that of the Empress. The bed was much larger and, Ben noted as he dropped onto it, much softer. He propped up his injured ankle on his opposite knee, then cautiously slid his boot off and unwrapped the bandages. He couldn't tell what was different, but the pain was much more intense as his fingers explored his tender flesh. He gave up and tried to assess the room instead. The bed was clothed in a thick, dark red comforter and several pillows. There was an empty shelf against the wall. Two doors other than the one he had come through led out of the room. Knowing he should explore the doors for the sake of safety at least, he limped over to them. The first was a closet, and the second lead to a private bathroom. As he opened the door, thoughts of a shower unexpectedly flooded his mind. It had been days since he had washed himself. No, he couldn't stand up for that long. Thankfully there was also a tub.

Several minutes later, Ben was soaking in hot water, his ankle propped up to keep the swelling down. The whole ankle thing was definitely going to be an issue. Ben didn't want to think about that. Instead, his mind turned to his surroundings. The knots and aches in his muscles were beginning to work themselves out. The Resistance certainly didn't have quarters so luxurious as these. Luxurious…that certainly wasn't a word he would have used to describe his life as part of the Dark side. His quarters had looked more like those of the Empress—harsh, sterile, and without the indulgence of comfort. This wasn't the Dark side way at all. Maybe, maybe, there was a little more Light left in the Empress than he had thought. Maybe staying here wasn't such a bad idea. Maybe he had a chance to turn her. He could at least keep an eye on her. It wasn't like he had a better plan. And what had she said? I may wish for you to rule the galaxy by my side. She had said it so casually, as if that revelation wouldn't have blown open his world. Kylo Ren would have adored her, he thought, nearly nostalgically. A woman who shared his goals, who wanted to be side by side. A dull ache arose in his chest. Ben knew that feeling of being wanted could lead him anywhere.

He sank lower in the water, reaching to rinse the dried blood from the scratches on his neck. After all, Finn and Chewie had left him here. Ben and the Empress, abandoned together. No, he reminded himself, he had told them to go. To protect them…that had to count for something. Unless this was what he wanted all along, to be here, alone, with her.

Ben heard someone enter the bedroom and instinctively reached for the lightsaber he had left next to his bath. He was glad when the footsteps stopped outside the door. This was far from the ideal situation to be attacked. Ben rose from the bath, gripping the unlit saber as water streamed from his body. He dried himself and dressed quickly, wincing as he pulled a pant leg over his swollen ankle. Weapon still in hand, he limped through the doorway.

The Empress was sitting on his bed. "I thought we had a rule about not entering each other's quarters," he said.

She raised an eyebrow. "I have a rule about you not entering my quarters."

"Alright," said Ben. "What do you want?"

The Empress sighed. "As much as you deserve to hobble around like that after depriving me of my chase, you are of little use to me in this state. Come here."

Ben knew it was an order rather than an invitation, and he sat down next to her. She placed her hand on his thigh, and Ben tried to control the agitated beating of his heart as the bones in his ankle realigned and the swelling subsided. "Thank you."

The Empress didn't respond. After a moment, she rose and swept out of the room, black cloak billowing behind her.

Author's Note: I realized that maybe I should clarify that I don't use "Rey" and "the Empress" interchangeably but neither is always an accurate representation of who the character is. I'm using a close third person narration style, so the name usually reflects who Ben sees her as. He sort of slips up and calls her Rey out of habit when he's startled or not thinking. Not sure if I needed to explain, but anyway I hope y'all are enjoying the story.