He's seen us. He's seen it all.
He was going to take out his wrath on her and there wasn't anything she or Kylo Ren could do to stop it.
Kylo... she thought as if a thought could will the man into existence. She'd made herself clear, brushed him off—why would he concern himself with her any further? Rey tried to put some distance between herself and the Emperor, but Hux advanced on her, his wiry but surprisingly strong body caging her in against the wall.
"So, you shirk the advances of your Emperor, but fall willingly into the arms of a criminal?" Hux breathed down on her, reeking of wine.
Wrong, wrong, wrong! All of this is wrong! She was a fool for letting herself get caught up by the whims of these men. Even as her heart called for one of them, her mind told her that she was the reason all of this was happening.
I'm no one if not a priestess of Vesta. My vow is everything. If I hadn't forgotten it…
But it had been Vesta herself who'd wanted Kylo saved, hadn't it? Or had she been given a false vision? No, she knew in her heart the feeling of love and the force of her Goddess, so what was this meant to do?
All at once, Rey realized—We're meant to kill Hux and save the Empire from his hand.
She had known he was evil, known it all along, but somehow she seemed to think her position as a priestess absolved her of any responsibility. Priestesses of Vesta were the protectors of Rome itself, though, not the Emperor. If an Emperor was on the precipice of destroying all that had been built up, the Gods would step in.
And they had—through her. Through Kylo Ren.
Now, all that remained to be seen was whether Rey's life would be the ultimate sacrifice for that peace—or Kylo's. She'd damned them both if this didn't play out right.
No. We're damned together, her mind rebuked her. Two people, two choices, one outcome. Yet she couldn't bring herself to regret any moment of it.
"Priestess slut," he slurred. "I never thought I'd be pining after Kylo Ren's seconds. No matter, that. Your body and your position are under my supreme control and you will bow before your Emperor and his desires."
Rey raised her chin and counted her breaths before answering. "I belong to no man and my body belongs to the goddess Vesta."
"You belong, you exist, because of my will!" Hux seethed as his hands dug into the meat of her shoulders. He dragged her outside of the villa and into the heat of the late afternoon. But Rey only felt the calming presence of the force of her Goddess as it flowed with her, directing her as Rey acted out Her will for the good of all the empire.
"I belong to no man," she repeated with a placid smile. If she was going to die, she would go out on her own terms.
"You will submit to me. Or you will die," he spat, close enough that she could smell the wine on his breath.
"You are drunk, Caesar. You know not what you say," Rey said while taking a step back, but Hux snatched out with surprising quickness and latched a hand into her veil and hair.
"Listen, you little whore. I know what you are. And I know what you've done. If you think you can get away with letting him touch you, but deny your Emperor, you are mad."
Rey reached up to clutch at her hair, trying to keep Hux from tearing it out. She was strong, but he was stronger and he was angry.
She knew then that he meant to kill her.
You imagine an ocean... I see it... I see the island…
She'd been here before, in her dreams, in her nightmares. His voice called to her, called her to this very spot, this very moment. It all came together in a flash as she realized that she had all the power here. The power to bring an Emperor to his knees.
The power to save Rome from his strange and terrible tyranny.
"This was your choice, priestess."
"And what a choice—betray my vows and be with you and face the wrath of my goddess and Rome or the wrath of my Emperor."
Rey backed away, but Hux closed in on her. Though he was slight in stature, his temper and fits of rage frightened Rey to her core. He only ever did something to bring himself more power and eliminating her would bring him power over Kylo Ren- it just might destroy him.
"You know how this ends, Caesar," Rey said, voice clear and calm even as the fear threatened to overwhelm her.
"Hmm. I think you overestimate your power, Priestess," he hissed, close enough that she could feel his breath and spit on her face.
Repulsive man.
Rome was under constant threat, from without and within, and sometimes the Gods saw fit to intervene and put the Empire back on the right path, using the force of their power. Had they chosen right with Rey? She didn't know, but she wasn't about to go down easy.
"I think you underestimate the power of the Gods," she growled, trying to ignore the way he dug his fingers into her flesh.
"We shall see. Guards!" he shrieked and as the men came into view, Rey blanched.
No... Not this.
But it was exactly as she'd foreseen. Two guards dragged Kylo before them both, bleeding and bruised, and dumped him before Hux. It was all so familiar—too familiar. She knew how this would end, Kylo and her were both going to pay for their sins unless she could stop this—somehow she'd change the outcome. She'd save them both. She had to.
Hux's gaze grew vicious as he locked eyes with Rey. From beneath his robes, Hux drew out a wicked looking blade and smiled at Rey before turning to Kylo. The Emperor stalked towards where Kylo slumped, fighting to remain upright.
"You are worth it," Kylo said with obvious effort. "Rey. All of this. Was worth it for you."
It was the wrong thing to say and only seemed to empower Hux, fueling his rage.
"For the annoyance you've been to me," he murmured, leaning close to where Kylo knelt. The blade glinted in the lingering light of the day, a flash, and before Rey could cry out it was embedded in Kylo's side.
"No!" Rey screamed as she dashed towards him this time, too late.
The guards stepped away as she skidded before him, her arms reaching out to steady his large body as he fell forward.
"You should have never come here. Why did you come here?" she cried.
Why had she let him? She'd known that Hux had only ever wanted his death, and away from the prying eyes of Lady Organa, the Emperor could do whatever he wanted to whomever he wanted.
"And leave you to Hux? Even I'm not that much of a scoundrel," he choked out.
Even with the blade still embedded in his side, he was bleeding out too much. He wouldn't make it much longer.
"You foolish man. You're no good to me dead!"
Kylo tried to laugh, but it sent him into a sputtering spasm. "Believe me, priestess. It's the only way I'm good to you."
My life for yours. More than a fair trade, his eyes seemed to say to her.
No. Never. How am I supposed to live without you now?
In an instant, Rey was ripped from Kylo's side and dragged bodily towards the Emperor, his guards reveling in her misery.
"Now that your protector has been vanquished, perhaps you'll reconsider my offer. Stand by my side, or die," Hux said with a simpering smirk.
"Never," Rey said as she was thrust cruelly into the Emperor's arms.
"Then you'll die, but not before I have a little fun first..." Hux's fingers dug into her back and the pain brought her a moment of clarity.
Of course. She'd been thinking about it the wrong way all along. She wasn't the Emperor's slave and she never would be. She was not powerless—she had the force. In a rush, the power and wisdom of her Goddess flowed through Rey, giving her strength and resolve. She could do this. She would do this. She was the Goddess, was that great and terrible power that preserved Rome and held their world intact. And this man, this so called emperor, would destroy everything they held dear if she refused to act.
"No man shall defile one of my virgins," Rey said with a wicked smile as her power pushed Hux back. The Emperor staggered as Rey stepped towards Kylo, hand outstretched as he slid his hand into hers, and she pulled him up with inhuman strength.
"My lady...?" he said, choking a little around the pain.
Rey looked up at him, but her eyes were not her own. Glowing faintly, her irises seemed to reflect the light of the galaxy back at him. Rey lifted a hand to his face and Kylo felt an eerie tingling as the knife slid out of his body and the seam of his wound stitched itself back together.
"Kylo Ren," she sighed, her voice taking on a deep, resonant tenor. "She is mine. For now. But one day….One day."
A promise. And a warning.
I love her.
I know, her ancient gaze seemed to thrum with understanding. But a vow made...
Rey turned her head towards Hux and her face split into a gleeful grin. "And now, your power and influence ends."
The sky crackled, and the air seemed to hum with an unnatural energy. A shiver ran up Kylo's spine as his hair stood on end. Rey appeared to channel a great and ancient force, and Kylo finally came to realize there was no greater power in the galaxy than the force of the Gods.
As their power flowed through Rey, he understood they couldn't have picked a better champion.
With a power she did not realize she possessed, Rey stalked close to Hux and gazed into his vicious, crystalline eyes. Hux could only stare, mouth slack, as she pulled a blade into view—the very blade he'd stabbed Kylo with—as her power held Hux and his guards immobile. When she spoke, her voice was not her own. She was more than Rey. She was pure power and a force of nature to be reckoned with.
"You played with the Gods, Hux, and now you will pay for your trespasses," she said, her voice strangely deep.
Even at the end, he was a coward. "Please," he managed to squeak out as she rested the blade between the outline of his ribs.
"Maybe in another life," she offered as the blade pierced his skin and stole the life from his body.
Hux let out a pitiful, pained gasp while the blood flowed from his heart and over her hands. This was an offering to her Goddess, made on behalf of one that had wronged her in the past and would have kept spreading his blasphemy unless stopped. Turning away, Hux slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground as the force of Vesta's powers flowed through Rey's body.
Rey stared down at the blood on her hands, a part of herself, but not wholly her own.
The guards stared on, frozen by her power and terror.
"Leave and forget what you've seen here," she commanded them.
Their fear melted away as their eyes glazed. Without another word, the guards turned and left Kylo and Rey alone with the body of the Emperor.
Rey slid her bloody palms over her white gown, trailing vicious streaks down the fabric before turning her attention to Kylo. Her power expended, Rey collapsed in the dirt as Kylo scrambled forward, his eyes and hands searching for any wounds on her body.
Rey stared up at him and gave a little shake of her head. "I just killed the Emperor."
She'd always known that Capri would end with death, but she hadn't realized it would be the Emperor's. What were they going to do now? Rey took deep, calming breaths as she tried to believe that her Goddess had a plan for them, but at the moment, she seemed to be coming up short.
"We need to dispose of the body," Rey finally said.
"The cliffs," Kylo suggested before walking over to the fallen Hux.
As if he weighed nothing, Kylo hefted the man over his shoulders as he and Rey made their way towards the treacherous edge. Without grace or ceremony, Kylo dropped Emperor Hux over the cliff—the same way that so many others had been forced to die before at the Emperor's hands.
"A fitting end, I suppose," Kylo finally said.
"We need to get out of here," Rey replied while indicating the blood on her priestess' robes.
"Get to my carriage and let no one see you. I'll have my man bring you your things. Take it and get to the harbor. I have a man there, Lucian, he'll provide you safe passage across the bay."
He was going to take the fall for this, wasn't he?
"I'm not about to let you get blamed for this, Kylo," Rey started to argue.
"I won't. I'll follow soon after on horseback. The Emperor wasn't loved; if we can make it to Rome and before the senate, then I have faith that all will be well."
So many ifs. So little time to make a good decision. It felt like the world was driving a wedge between them both and forcing their separation. Maybe it was all for the best.
"Kylo...," Rey started, searching for the words that her heart longed to say.
I could have... We could have...
"If only everything had been different," she finally said with a calmness she didn't feel.
The corner of Kylo's mouth turned a little as he replied, "I wouldn't have changed this for the world. Even a moment in this life with you is worth a thousand lifetimes without. You are safe and alive, as am I. We cannot ask for more from the Gods than that."
Rey's smile was sad as she stared up into his dark eyes. "No, I suppose not."
Kylo brushed his fingers along the line of her cheek. "Priestess."
"Kylo," she said while turning her head upwards. Kylo leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, soft, gentle, lingering…
"Go," he whispered against her mouth, even as his hands slid to her hips, holding her in place.
With great reluctance, Rey pulled away, one final caress along his palm as she turned and ran. One evil had been vanquished, but what world would they return to in Rome?
The empire endured as it had during so many other tumultuous times. The Emperor's death was regarded as a blessing and the next in the line of succession happened to be a battle tested but wise former General of Hux's father.
As if under the influence of divine intervention, none of the guards asked any questions nor raised an alarm. It was all treated as if Hux, who'd been known for his excesses, had misjudged the edge of the cliff and fallen into the water below, only to be swept up and broken against the unforgiving coast. Only Rey and Kylo knew the truth, but they kept it to themselves as they traveled back to the city separately.
The Emperor's loyal followers were few and harshly dealt with—in private. Publicly, it was announced that the Emperor had been taken by the Gods for his hubris and, as it was well in line with what people knew of him, the public largely accepted this change without much ire—especially given that commerce, and with that food, had started to flow back into the city once more.
As the city settled into a new normal, Rey had tried to do the same, but still, her mind lingered on the thrilling and alluring Kylo Ren. She'd never be able to get the taste of his lips out of her mind, the way his hands had felt—so strong, so sure—on her body. For the first time in her life, she'd considered breaking her vow for him.
But it was not to be. Not now and probably not ever.
Weeks passed and Rey threw herself into her work with a renewed sense of devotion. She was nearly able to banish her almost-lover from her mind until he showed up again at her temple and found her in the relatively private gardens. Except this time, it wasn't to tease or bait her—no. Rey knew why he was there to see her. Every motion of his sizable body gave him away.
She'd thought that this day might come, but had hoped to delay it—to imagine that he was just out there, somewhere, waiting to visit her. To come and tease her, to make her laugh. To just be there, outside of her reach, but never far from her heart.
He looked as if he hadn't slept in weeks. Dark circles framed his brown eyes, giving his face a hollow, drained look.
Rey drew in a deep breath, but Kylo spoke first.
"I have come to say goodbye," he said, and even though they were the very words she'd been expecting they still felt like a knife in her gut. "I can't live like this. Knowing you're here..." And not with me.
Rey let her anger surface. He was almost as bad as Hux, acting like she should just give up her vow because a man wanted her. That wasn't how her life was going to work. She made the choice to be a priestess of Vesta and she was going to honor her vow because she wanted to.
"I am not a treasure you can claim for your own. I am a person and I have made my choice."
"Do I mean nothing to you?" he asked, his lip trembling.
He'd break her heart if she let him, but this was for the best. They were from different worlds and he'd never think of her as anything other than a prize to claim.
She was her own person.
A priestess.
And she would have love, on her terms.
"Does my vow mean nothing to you?"
"What right do the gods have to hold your life in their hands?"
"The way you wish to? This is my choice. This is my life. I will honor my vow or my word would be worth nothing. Would you have me break a vow that would make me a fugitive of Rome? Break a vow that would divorce me from the city that I love? Kylo, do I mean nothing to you?"
And there it was, that dawn of understanding.
He loved her.
She loved him, but it wasn't enough. Not the way they both still were.
Kylo had lived so long with only ever getting what he desired that he never stopped to think that maybe the things he wanted weren't worth the trouble. Sometimes, completion only came with patience.
His broad chest expanded as he inhaled deeply, choosing his words carefully. "I can't stay here. This city is no good for me and caters to my vices."
They both knew what he was saying—if he left, he wouldn't be back.
Rey nodded stiffly. "I understand."
Even if she wished it could be different, there was no happy ending for them, not now. Not so cheaply. Still, she stepped close and let him wrap his arms around her body.
For the first time, Kylo seemed to shy under her gaze.
"Will you grant me this small boon?" he asked, voice choked.
Tears filled her eyes as she turned her face up towards his.
"Kiss me. And then leave me," she directed. It was what they both needed. There could be no alternative.
Kylo gently brushed the wisps of hair back from her face, his fingers lingering along her jaw before trailing downward. The rough skin of his hand scraped along the column of her throat before settling behind her neck.
Rey arched into his touch. It would have to be enough. It would have to last a lifetime. His lips brushed hers once, twice, as his arms encircled her waist, held her tight and exactly where he wanted her. Kylo's full mouth teased hers, sucking, nibbling, lingering in a way that reminded her of all that he'd done to her and all that he'd do, if she only let him. This was a reminder, a punishment for them both, even as it was goodbye.
Her hand slid along his sculpted chest and clutched at the fabric of his robes as he deepened the kiss, tongue darting between lips to tangle sweetly with her own.
She wanted him. Wanted him more than she'd ever wanted anything in her life, but she couldn't have him. And as she returned his passionate kiss, she put everything she had into her answering touch—her longing, her sadness, her desire, the need that only ever seemed to increase between them with each passing moment.
Rey wasn't sure who pulled away first, but Kylo rests his forehead against hers as tears streamed down his cheeks. Her hand gently brushed his tears away.
"I would have loved you until the end of my days," he admitted, voice choked.
"Keep me in your heart," she shakily replied. "You will always be in mine."
His hands slid to Rey's shoulders, holding her in place. He stared down at her, tears filling those beautiful brown eyes and she thought he was going to pull back and leave, but he pulled her tight again—and held her like he never wanted to let her go.
His lips brushed against her brow as he murmured, "You will always be in my heart. Always."
And then, he did pull back and step away—her whole body feeling the loss of his contact. It felt wrong. It broke her heart. But hers was the life of a priestess, and he... he was meant to live the life of a wealthy nobleman. She repeated how wrong they were for each other, over and over in her mind, but the only thing that felt wrong was how he was leaving her and she was going to let him.
Ren stepped back. And then another step. His body turned, and he walked towards the exit to the temple.
Now or never. Now or never. Now or never! Her heart and her mind cried.
And never wins.
And as he stepped over the threshold and into the busy, brilliant city, her heart broke.
He paused as if waiting for her to call out to him, but didn't look back. Waited a moment longer before taking another step down, and then another, and another before he finally disappeared from view. Her hand clasped to her chest as the pain became a physical manifestation of her psyche. A choked cry escaped her lungs and resonated strangely throughout the empty garden, echoing through her very soul.
My vow. My vow. My vow.
It was meant to keep her safe—keep her heart safe—but Rey's life had been built for pain and it felt as if her suffering was to be as intrinsically linked to her vow as her celibacy or dedication to Rome.
She would live, she would serve, but she would never forget.
His eyes. That smile. It would haunt her.
Until the end of her days.