O~o~O

You tell me to hold on
Oh you tell me to hold on
But innocence is gone
And what was right is wrong

O~o~O

Rey and Kylo grew into a comfortable routine as the weeks passed. He showed her a pathway that would take her to a hidden entrance on the other side of the mountain. She sometimes spent hours basking in the sun that filtered through the trees in a small meadow not far from her new home. She fished in a nearby stream and picked apples from the trees that grew alongside it. She also made use of some soft bark and fronds to weave herself a comfortable sleeping mat. Some days, Kylo would bring her back small gifts from his treks through the woods.

Rey soon found herself with more clothing than she'd ever owned in her lifetime, along with jewelry and other random trinkets. When he returned one evening with a beautiful wooden chest, she found herself in awe of its craftsmanship.

"This is beautiful," she whispered in adoration. "Where did you get it?"

The dragon was resting, curled up in front of the fire and lazily opened one eye. "It was an offering left at the edge of the forest from one of the villages. That's where most of the things I've given you come from."

She glanced at him in surprise. She'd never given thought to where the gifts had been coming from.

"Really? I thought you had no need for tribute from the villagers?"

Kylo opened his eyes fully and watched her carefully. "I do not."

Rey cocked her head to the side. "Then why now?"

The dragon closed his eyes and rested his head on his thick arms. "You deserve beautiful things," he murmured.

Rey felt her heart stutter and chose to drop the subject as Kylo began to gently snore.

Most other evenings, she would read aloud from one of the many books that Kylo had accumulated with his treasures as tribute. He would curl up by the fire and watch her with his soulful eyes as she read to them both. Over time, he shared with her bits of his life before he'd been cursed as the dragon. The more stories he told, the more he began to remember, which in turn began to make his heart ache. He'd spent decades trying to forget the past since he saw no way to return to his life. Now he was mourning the loss of what could have been if he'd have met this beautiful, tenacious young maiden while he was still human. He could easily see himself marrying her and having a family. His dreams at night began to torture him.

In the middle of a story one night a few months into their cohabitation, Rey's reading was interrupted by Kylo's sudden jerk of his head. The movement took her by surprise, and she glanced his way, surprised to find his gaze staring off seemingly at nothing.

"Kylo, are you all right?" she asked in a soft voice. "Is something wrong?"

HIs voice took on a faraway tone as he responded. "There's something wrong in the forest, some type of disturbance."

His gaze went toward one of the larger tunnels that would allow him to take flight up and out of the mountain swiftly.

"I need to go," he said urgently.

He looked directly into her eyes and pleaded. "Rey, stay here. There is danger out in the woods. I need you to stay safely in here. I will return."

Rey sat still for a moment in surprise as Kylo took his leave, swiftly vacating the cavern. She hurriedly closed the book and scrambled to her feet, her heart beating furiously in her chest. She wondered what kind of danger would have the mountain's protector chasing off into the night, which then made her begin worrying for Kylo's safety. That she should be worried for the massive creature who purportedly possessed ancient magic was ridiculous. Rey knew this but still couldn't help the butterflies twisting in her belly. She took up the traveling cloak that Kylo had gotten for her and began to make her way through the tunnels.

The forest was unnaturally quiet and still as Rey made her way through the underbrush. She closed her eyes and tried to embrace the magic—trying to see if she could feel in which direction Kylo had traveled. After a few minutes of walking, she started to hear moans of pain, which grew to screams. Her heart raced as she picked up her pace, only to stop dead in her tracks when she came to a clearing. Kylo stood to his magnificent height and held a human male by his feet.

The stranger begged and pleaded for the dragon to let him go, but all Kylo responded with was a menacing growl. He lifted his other claw and gripped the man's head, tearing him in half.

"KYLO! NO!" Rey screamed as she fell to her knees in shock.

The dragon whipped his head toward the voice, his eyes wide and frenzied. He stalked toward her slowly, and Rey felt fear for the first time since she'd met him. She'd never seen this wild, angry side to her friend before, and she prayed these wouldn't be her last breaths.

Kylo halted his movement when he stood directly in front of Rey, his chest spattered with the man's blood.

"I told you to stay put, Rey," he rumbled in exasperation. "Do you never listen to anything?"

Rey swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I was worried."

She glanced behind him to view the clearing where she noticed not one, but two human bodies. She looked back at Kylo quickly.

"Why? Why did you kill those men?" she sobbed. "You- you're a monster."

Kylo flinched back, hurt contorting his facial features before fixing a mask of calm upon his face.

"Yes, I am, especially towards anyone who would dare to kill innocents under my watch. These men murdered a doe in front of her fawn and then attempted to torture the youngling. The forest cried out for vengeance, and I delivered."

HIs tone was cold, which caused Rey to shiver. She immediately felt chastized and guilty for calling him a monster.

"Kylo, I'm sor-"

"Save it." He cut her off, his voice sounding more sad than angry. "I will walk you back to the mountain entrance before I clean myself. Unless you wish to continue your trek through the woods?"

Rey shook her head and silently walked beside her companion. She made short work of the long tunnel back to the big cavern and went straight to her room. She lay her head upon the soft downy pillow and let her tears fall. She mourned for the doe who had lost its life as well as the fawn now without its mother. She cried for hurting her friend but not once for the hunters whose blood was spilled upon the forest floor that night. They were the true monsters in this story, and she felt horrible for lashing out at Kylo like that. He had still not returned when she finally let sleep claim her hours later.

When she awoke in the morning, the first thing she noticed was the gentle rumbling coming from across the room. She turned her head on the pillow and couldn't help but smile at the sight of Kylo's sleeping head resting just inside her room. She could just barely make out his shoulders gently rising and falling with each breath he took. She felt warmth fill her chest and tears prick at her eyes once again.

She swore right then and there that she would never hurt him again. Rey crawled over and lightly brushed her fingers against his warm skin. The feel of the heat emanating from his scaly exterior never ceased to surprise her.

Kylo blinked open his golden eyes slowly and yawned.

"Good morning, Rey," he rumbled as softly as possible for the giant creature.

She leaned forward and placed a kiss on the top of his head. "Good morning, Kylo."

The pair never spoke again about the previous night.