Beau was in the kitchen when I came downstairs the next morning, her autumn red hair hanging in a single braid over onto one shoulder. Music blared out of a tiny speaker on the counter top and she sang along, dancing as she searched the drawers and cabinets.
"Morning." I said, and she whirled, nearly losing her balance, then laughed.
"You are unnervingly quiet for a man as massive as you are." She said.
"I'm not quiet." I argued. "The indie rock girl band that you insist on listening to makes it easy to sneak up on you." I went to the fridge and pulled it open, grabbing the orange juice and taking a long drink directly from the carton.
She rolled her eyes. "I would warn you that Vic has been drinking out of that, but I don't think you'd care."
"Not a bit." I assured her, and turned it up again.
"I guess it's not the worst thing you two have shared, based on some of the stories I've heard."
It wasn't even in the same realm of the worst things we'd shared, but she wasn't ready for that tidbit of insight. I put the carton back and closed the door, stealing a look at the clock above the stove. Rey was being released in an hour, and I needed to stop being such a little bitch and just tell Beau the truth. I'd put it off until the last minute, and couldn't think of a way to break it to her gently.
Vic padded into the kitchen, rubbing his face. He was in a pair of sleep pants with a cartoon character print, but nothing else, a hundred battles marked permanently in the white scars that crossed his torso and arms. The newer, darker scars on his right shoulder were harder for me to look at, and I averted my eyes to the floor.
"What are you making?" He asked, looking at the ingredients laid out on the counter.
She gave him an annoyed glare. "A giant, steaming bowl of none of your business."
His hazel eyes lit up with the challenge, and he gave her a half smile, his cheek creasing with his one dimple. "Sounds delicious."
"Beau," I called, and they both looked up at me. "I need to talk to you."
Vic gave me an incredulous look over her shoulder. 'Now?' He mouthed.
I ignored him and he rolled his eyes, reaching over to turn the music off.
She turned to face me fully, her red eyebrows drawn into a thin line. "What is it?"
"I wanted to tell you before I went to the Officials." I said, and watched the color drain from her face.
"The Officials?" She breathed. "Surely they aren't wanting to void the contract, it hasn't been six months."
"This wouldn't be about what they want." I told her. "The contract will be dissolved either way." They had no say in the matter.
Confusion flashed in her russet eyes before her face fell with realization. "Rey's pregnant."
I nodded in confirmation. "She is."
Her hands went to her stomach, clutching it as if it pained her. "You're sending me back." She whispered.
I swallowed, lowering my gaze, my chest tightening. "I don't want to."
"But you will." She accused, her voice shaking. "You get your wife and your baby and your happy ending, and you'll send me back to be locked up again!"
I looked up to see her eyes glistening. Vic stood several feet behind her, his arms crossed over his chest, his face void of expression and his gaze lowered.
"I will have this entire practice outlawed." I said. "I promise-"
"Just like you promised to do anything you had to do to keep me from being sold again?" She spat.
"I did promise you that." I agreed. "I haven't forgotten."
"Then I can't go back." She said, her voice pleading. "Because once he finds out I'm still intact, he will sell me to another King."
Vic flinched, and squeezed his eyes shut as if he'd seen something he couldn't bear. Through the Bond, I could feel his anxiety, his conflict, and it was eating him alive. I'd underestimated his feelings for her, and his fear, his genuine terror of losing her, of anything happening to her, it hit me like a battering ram.
"I will talk to Elmi." I insisted. "I'll pay your maidens price if that's what he's concerned about." Not the health, happiness and well-being of his only daughter. I shook my head in disgust, hating that I'd have to play nice with him to keep the peace.
"Don't bother." She said, her tone frigid. "Just take me back."
Vic and I both looked at her.
"I'm not your problem, and I'm not your responsibility." She turned toward the stairs. "Just give me time to pack."
Vic caught her arm, stopping her. "Please." He begged. I'd never heard his voice so vulnerable, so raw.
"Let go of me." She growled between clenched teeth, and the muscles in his jaw feathered as he looked away and obeyed. Her footsteps sounded up the stairs and over our heads, ending with the loud bang of the bedroom door.
We stood in silence for a long moment before he cast his gaze over to me, his eyes blazing. "I'm going with you to Cyrilla."
I wasn't stupid enough to argue.
oOo
Rey turned when I walked out of the bathing room, and looked me up, then down. She'd said once that I wore my finery like armor when I needed to be King and today, I'd picked the finest suit that I owned.
"I'm sorry." I said. I hated that I had to leave her.
"I'll be fine." She assured me, "I already have plans to train with Ushar."
My brow furrowed. Not because I didn't trust Ushar, I trusted him with my life, but because I didn't want her to find herself in a situation where she was overwhelmed or uncomfortable. I wanted to ask her if she was sure she was ready, but reminded myself that I also needed to trust her judgment, so I said nothing, picking up my tie to put it on.
"I'm trying." She said in a small voice, and I looked over at her.
I knew she was trying, and I knew how hard she was trying, pushing herself to move closer, to stay longer, plastering on a pretty smile because she thought it was what I wanted to see. But, I didn't. Because I knew it wasn't real.
I didn't know what had happened during the three months she was gone. I didn't ask, and never would because I knew all too well what it felt like to have people who meant well only make things worse with their probing questions. When Rey was ready to talk, if she was ever ready to talk, I'd listen. Until then, I'd keep my distance, and let the therapists do their jobs.
"I know you're trying." I told her. "You have to let yourself heal. It takes time." I turned toward the mirror to line up my tie.
I felt her hand on my shoulder and froze, even my breath catching in my throat.
"Let me." She said, tugging me gently.
I swallowed with an audible gulp, and faced her, keeping my hands at my sides as she took the ends of the tie and crossed them.
She stepped closer, her brow lowering as she concentrated, and I had to remind myself to breathe, my heart quickening, throbbing in my ears. She was so close that her scent filled my nose, threatening to take my knees out from under me. I closed my eyes, inhaling deep. Fuck, I missed that smell.
Her fingers brushed my throat as she tightened the knot and smoothed the collar into place, then she looked up, her hazel eyes locking with mine. "When will you be back?" She asked, her gaze shifting to my lips, and coming back up.
I swallowed again. "Uh," My voice squeaked, and I cleared my throat. "I'm not sure. Tonight, hopefully. Tomorrow at the absolute latest."
Her eyebrows lifted. "You'll call me if you end up staying?"
"If you want."
She nodded, and gave my tie one last adjustment, then stepped back.
It took a moment for my head to clear, for my body to obey the commands my brain sent, but I moved to pick my jacket off of the foot of the bed, and folded it over my arm.
"Kylo." Rey called, just as my hand touched the door knob. I stopped, and looked over at her. "I love you." She told me.
My heart swelled so I thought it would burst, my throat growing painfully thick. I took a breath, and another, my eyes stinging with wetness that I blinked away. "I love you, too."
A hysterical giggle erupted out of her and she clapped both of her hands over her mouth. "I'm sorry." She said with the first genuine smile I'd seen from her since getting her back. "It is just so weird hearing you say that."
I frowned. "I should have said it everyday." I hadn't. And, I had no one to blame but myself for every missed opportunity.
Her face sombered as she lowered her hands. "You did." She assured me, and then smiled softly. "Even when you didn't."
I turned back to the door, and pulled it open.
Vic was waiting in the hangar in his black on black uniform instead of fighting leathers and armor. He looked pale, his face drawn and his jaw clenched tight.
My eyebrows pulled together when I saw him. "Are you alright?"
He started up the ramp of the ship. "Let's just get this over with."
Beau was already on board, and did not look up when we came to sit next to her. She was in an emerald green gown, her hair twisted into an elaborate knot high on her head. Her eyes were red rimmed, the angles of her face sharpened with despair. For the first time since meeting her, I actually saw her.
The silence between us was thick with awkward tension, with Beau and Vic facing away from each other the entire trip, and she stood as soon as we landed, her skirts hissing as she moved without acknowledging either of us. We followed, her back ramrod straight as she led us through the corridors to the massive double doors of the throne room.
I loosened the leash on my power and signed, some tightness in my chest also relaxing minutely.
Elmi was tall and broad, wearing a finely tailored suit that accentuated a physique that had to have been obsessively maintained. An elaborate gold crown adorned with several massive rubies sat atop his head.
"Supreme Leader." He laughed, lounging back in his throne. "I must say, I'm not entirely surprised to see you." His gaze flicked to Vicrul on my right and recognition danced across his features. "Though I am surprised you brought your War-Chief."
I took note of a single red cushioned chair that sat empty across from him.
Beau moved forward and dipped into a low curtsey at his feet, her eyes lowered. "Father." She greeted, her tone icy.
He sneered, waving her away with obvious indifference and I felt Vic tense at my side.
'Easy.' I warned, through the Bond.
Elmi raised a hand to signal to his servants. "Bring the General a chair." His request was carried out immediately, an identical chair placed next to the empty one, though neither of us moved to sit.
"You were expecting us?" I asked, and Elmi's mouth turned down.
"Yes, well, your officials called to tell me that our contract has been nullified, and why." He sucked on his teeth. "It appears that congratulations are in order."
The fact that he knew about Rey's pregnancy had every instinct that had ever been beaten into me snapping to attention. "Thank you." I replied, curtly.
"The King of Stewjon paid me a visit not two weeks ago and he had the most interesting tale to tell." He said, cocking his head to the side. "He said you claimed to have never consummated your marriage with my daughter." His cold, brown eyes went to Beau, then back up to me.
I remembered what Beau had said, that he would sell her as soon as he learned that she was still intact, and said nothing.
"Soon after this declaration at the meetings of the Kings, I started to receive offers for her." Elmi said. "I have a few contracts lined up, provided of course an examination can confirm what you've claimed to be true."
Fuck.
"And, if it proves to be false?" I asked. "If our marriage was consummated?"
He shrugged. "I also have contracts with Kings who are willing to overlook that, considering you're the Supreme Leader, and she was contracted to you at the time."
Beau's gaze shot up to him, and she squeezed her eyes shut, silent tears streaking down her face. He was selling her either way.
"The money that you paid for her has already been refunded." He said as he stood. "And, given the circumstances, I'd say we're done here."
"I'll give it all back." I said, and he stopped. "Every cent of her bride's price if you'll let her leave with us in peace."
His graying eyebrows rose. "That's a curious offer from a man who is trying to outlaw the…" His eyes narrowed. "What did you call it? The barbaric practice of buying women."
"It's not curious." Vic snarled. "Considering you think she's only worth what someone else will pay you for her."
Elmi leveled a flat, bored stare at Vic. "They're all only worth what someone will pay for them." He told him.
I threw a shield over Vic barely in time to stop the blast of power that he hurled at Elmi, and I had to jump in front of him to keep him from charging, from ripping him apart.
Elmi laughed, waving at us dismissively. "Always a pleasure, Supreme Leader."
"You can't sell her!" Vic yelled, and her father glanced at him, the smug smile still on his face.
"And, why not?"
"Because she's not a virgin!" Beau and I both gave him the same confused look. "And the Supreme Leader never took her to bed." He raised his chin. "I did."
My mouth fell open, my eyes going wide, and Elmi, seeing my reaction, set his jaw, his face darkening with rage. He turned his volatile gaze to Beau. "Is this true?" He demanded.
She seemed to shrink under the weight of that gaze. "I - uh -" Then, she paused, and looked up, defiance clearly written across the fierce beauty of her face. "Yes." She said, firmly.
Disgust twisted his features as he motioned to me. "He's already fucked most Kings wives anyway, and you were married to him so some wouldn't have cared, they'd buy you anyway, but him?" His face was nearly violet. "You've defiled yourself with the bastard of a Corellian whore!"
Little was known about Vic's parentage. Most children who were dumped off at war-camps were the unwanted results of prostitution. His records stated that he was Corellian, but nothing else. The fact that I'd given him, and Ap'lek, who had similar records, such high ranking positions in my court had caused a stir because it meant that two bastards outranked princes and nobles' sons who'd had their positions handed to them because of their last names.
"That bastard," Beau's voice shook as she stared at her father. "Is a better man than you will ever be."
Elmi roared, lunging for her, his hand raised to strike, and Vic was there, shoving himself between them and catching his wrist as he pushed Beau behind him.
"Try that again, old man, I'll lay you the fuck out." He seethed, and shoved his arm away.
The King considered as he stared at him, and Beau behind him. While I had no doubt that Elmi trained to look like a warrior, Vic was a warrior, and had been most his life, and could, in fact, lay him out with minimal effort.
"You can have her." Elmi said, stepping back. "Go." His eyes focused on Beau. "And never again call yourself a princess of Cyrilla. As of now, you have no connection to me, or my family name."
I could've sworn I saw her bottom lip trimble, but she curtseyed to him again, and headed toward the exit. We'd just made it to the hangar when we heard a soft voice call for Beau. She stopped so abruptly Vic, who was just behind her, nearly lost his balance side stepping to avoid her. I looked, and saw a woman walk toward us. She wore a gown of rust colored crushed velvet, her autumn red hair streaked with silver and hanging in soft waves down to her slender waist. Her sad, russet brown eyes told me that she was Beau's mother, Lady Hawa.
Beau rushed toward her and they embraced.
"Where are you going?" Her mother asked.
"Back to Mustafar." She told her.
Hawa's expression changed, softened into a look of awed surprise. "You're not being sold again?"
Beau shook her head. "No, but-" Her voice caught. "But I won't be able to ever come home."
Hawa sighed and reached up to wipe the tears that streaked down Beau's face. "If that's the condition to your freedom, to a life different from the one I was sold into, you take it, Beautryze."
Beau nodded. "I wish that things could have been better for you, Mom."
Something in my chest tightened, because I understood that statement all too well. I'd wanted better for my mom. The fact that I hadn't been able to make that happen haunted me.
Her mother gave her a sad smile. "But, knowing that things will be better for you, it makes it worth it." She pulled her into a tight hug.
"I'll miss you." Beau whispered.
Hawa's eyes glistened. "I'll miss you, too." She said, her voice breaking. "Go on, now." She pulled away. "And, don't look back."
Beau turned, barely keeping herself together as she walked the rest of the way to the ship, falling apart as soon as we jumped into drive. Vic was pale as he helplessly stood nearby. Crying women were his Achilles heel. Charge into battle, outnumbered and unarmed? No sweat. He'd rather face that than this.
Which was why when he knelt down in front of her and pulled her into his arms, I could only stare in shock.
"You…lied." She gasped, between sobs.
He'd what? Vic was many things, but he wasn't a liar. In fact, his brand of honesty was particularly brutal, and I'd never known him to even stretch the truth. Yet, he'd lied for her…
I'd severely underestimated his feelings for her.
"I know I lied." He said. "I panicked. I'm sorry."
The words that came out of her were nothing but an incoherent mess and he held her, stoking her back as she emptied herself. After a while, her wet sobs turned to chalky gasps, and she pulled away to wipe her nose with the back of her hand.
"You…saved…me." She said, hiccups consuming her as she tried to catch her breath.
He reached up and tenderly wiped her face with his hand, smudging the black streaks of wayward makeup. "I had to."
Her chin trembled. "Why?"
He swallowed thickly. "Because I meant it when I said I couldn't live another day without you."