Hello, this chapter will give us some monologue between Constance and Kylo. I just didn't feel comfortable marrying the two without them having spoken. The next chapter is nearly finished but needs some polishing, the wedding and wedding night will be next so it is going to be lengthy but worth it. I will try not to make it to boring for you all. If Kylo and Constance's behavior around one another seems a little odd or not what you were expecting there is a reason for this that will be brought up in the next chapter or possibly in some deleted scenes I'm thinking of posting once the story is over. Please review, the more reviews and thoughts I get the quicker I work to get chapters out. If I stop getting feedback I tend to become less driven to write because I think people aren't interested, so the best thing you can do for your updates is tell me how you feel. Don't be afraid to ask me questions about the story or anything you want to know directly, I will answer. I will also be working on one-shots, so don't be afraid to make a request. Ok, I'm done rambling. Please enjoy the update and seeing how our couple engage each other!
Love,
Finxy, ECS
Chapter Text
Constance woke up to a pounding feeling her head and a tight pain in her side. Cracking her eyes open she hissed when light assaulted her senses. As soon as she made sound several nurses and servants came to her side, hands checked her pulse and temperature while others injected medicine and assisted the nurses. Wow, who knew a girl could get so much attention. After a few moments of poking and prodding the nurses backed off to give Constance some air and take in her surroundings. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the light she looked around. The room was massive and as ornately decorated as the rest of the palace. The bed she was in was the biggest she had seen and carved intricately into four posters on each end, the dressers and tables around the room matched the bed in detail and beauty. There was a large wall that was covered in drapes, what she could only assume was a wall of windows. All alone in the room now, she sat up and began munching on some fruit that the nurses had left on the bedside table, the wound not hurting as bad since they had given her something for the pain that would also help speed the healing process along. Nibbling away she leaned against the giant head board and let her eyes close. She only had a few moments to herself before she heard the door open and close, she didn't bother opening her eyes since she figured that it was just another nurse coming to check in on her. But she was mistaken.
Hearing a chair being pulled to her bedside and someone sitting she opened her eyes and almost choked on the berry she had just popped in her mouth. Sitting in a char right at the side of the bed looking stiff and cold as ever was none other than Prince Kylo. He wore the same outfit from dinner the night before minus the mask, even his gloves were back on his hands. He had a file of papers sitting on his lap. All Constance could do was stare, waiting for-well-something. For the love of god it didn't even look like the man was breathing he sat so still. She wanted to poke him to see if he would flinch or something. Suddenly a smirk played across his face and his dark eyes left her face.
"I would not suggest poking me." Dear fucking god the rumors were true. He could read minds. "Yes, I can. So please, try to think quietly, when we are married I will teach you to build up walls around your mind to even up the playing field."
Now Constance did cough. "M-married? Us?" She gestured between the two of them, making the prince look up from where we was looking down at the file in his hands and quirk an eyebrow. She wanted to flick the amused look off of his face.
"I would take as kindly to flicking as I would to poking." Was he fucking teasing her. "I'm not one to tease, and you really should clean that vocabulary up, Ms. Payne. Or should I go ahead and start calling you Mrs. Ren?"
"Wait? Us? We are getting married?" Constance asked once more, earning a nod. "B-but Why?" She asked incredulously. She was not wife material.
"Well I don't care. You are educated politically and know the weight of what is riding on this union between our planets." He said flatly. It was like he was discussing business and not the rest of their lives. "Isn't this union business?"
"Will you stay out of my head? Gods, how am I supposed to sort my thoughts if you know what I'm thinking before I do?" It really pissed her off that she was so exposed around a stranger she couldn't hide anything from. Right now the last thing she wanted to do was marry him.
Leaning forward he set the file of what she could only assume was her information down on the table. "Listen, this contract is important between our planets. We both know that. Do I want to get married to some simple Naboo girl?" She resented that. "No. I don't. Just like you don't want to marry me, whatever it is you think of me."
"What? Can't read my mind on that?" Constance couldn't help but snap back at him.
"No, I pick up little things you are projecting at the moment, but that is involuntary on my part. If I wanted to though," His eyes darkened in a way that scared Constance, suddenly she was not very ok with being alone with him. "I could reach into your mind and pick out whatever I wanted." To emphasize his point he ran a cold, gloved hand down the side of her face. Constance couldn't help her heart beat racing even faster at the touch and a chill ran through her body. His dark eyes read her face, moving over her features slowly, before he leaned back in his chair and Constance let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. This man was terrifying. He sighed and moved his eyes towards nothing in particular at his right side. "Stop being so damn scared. I'm not going to force choke you are tear you down with my saber right in this room. I am the one who took down an assassin who tried to kill you, remember?
Yes, she did remember. "Thank you for that by the way."
"The least I could do since you jumped across a table and took a stab wound to save my mother. Very impressive by the way. Another reason I chose you and not the other girls, especially that N'ria girl." He grimaced at he name. "She saw that assassin before we did and didn't do a thing."
Of course she didn't, selfish bitch wanted to be queen. "How do you know she saw him before we did?"
"Had to interrogate everyone in the room for information, which involved getting in some peoples heads. The other girls were to scared out of their minds to even pay attention, but that brat saw and didn't warn anyone." Kylo seemed to get angry.
"Is that what you're here for now? Asking me questions about what happened?"
"No. You did your part. Now I'm just here to give you the warning that we will be getting married but the date has been moved, to give you time to heal and us time to..." he grimaced for the second time. "Get to know each other as my mother puts it. She wants to make sure we get along well."
"I don't see why it matters. You chose me for gods only know what reason and now I have to marry you."
"You don't have to. I could pick a runner up and you could turn me down." Something about that option didn't set well with Constance. "It doesn't set well with me either." She rolled her eyes, he really needed to stop that. "I can't trust you, I don't trust anyone outside of my immediate family, but you saved my mother. No one else there noticed what you did, you moved even faster than I did, and you handled the situation swiftly. I need a queen that can act this way when I am away at war. Someone who can hold down Furia. You can do that."
Yes, she could. "But what about the other...wifey things?" She couldn't bring herself to mention certain things between the two of them that came to her mind.
Sighing again Kylo shrugged. "We can figure those things out later."
"No. If there's something I've learned its not to put things off. I know what expected of our marriage, I know what they want." Constance was trying not to get angry. This wasn't Kylo's fault, he didn't write the contract.
Kylo, however, didn't hide his anger. "If I could help it we wouldn't even be getting married let alone being forced to have children at some point." He seemed to choke a little on the word 'children,' as though is hurt to come out.
"Well I don't want to be having children with a guy that doesn't even want to be married to me, now do I?! Let alone doing the things that people have to do to have children!" Constance blushed just talking about sex. She had only kissed a boy one time when she was 13. She had never even thought about sex and now she had to think about children. "I want to do what I can to help our planets, I know the First Order army is getting more aggressive."
Kylo seemed to be confused at how she could know such information. "How-"
Constance held up a hand. "I'm not dumb. Our planets have been negotiating some sort of merger for years and suddenly its taken care of in only a couple of months? Not to mention quiet a few of your troops have made a home of my capitol city. It doesn't take a genius to see shit is about to hit the fan in this war. The First order wants our planets desperately."
He seemed so please with her answer. "And do you know why they want our planets?"
Constance rolled her eyes. "These are grade school questions. They want Furia and Naboo because they would be perfect breeding ground for their troopers. They are close together and have multiple terrains for training. And they are easily guarded given their positions. It may be a 6 day trip in a large, luxury ship, but fighters would only take a couple of hours to get there for reinforcement."
Again, Kylo seemed pleased. "I can't help but be impressed. You will indeed make a good queen. as far as the other parts, we can work that out, there are ways. There is a part of the contract I think we should both be aware of, though. Something I'm not sure you will like to much."
She gave him a droll stare. "What? Worse than having to have children with someone who's basically a stranger?"
"Well," Did Kylo Ren seem...nervous. "I'm not nervous, damnit. I'm just not sure how to deliver such...information to a woman who is soon to be my wife."
"Well spit it out." Constance urged him.
"A doctor will be coming tomorrow to check...your status as far as virginity goes. It is not a requirement, but it is to ensure we consummate the marriage on our wedding night." Though his face was as flat as usual, his voice gave away his frustration. He didn't want this just as much as she didn't. But they had to.
"And how is checking the validity of my virginity going to let them know we consummated?" Constance didn't get it.
"Tomorrow they will come and check you out. And then the day after our wedding they will check you again to make sure I-we-that things are taken care of." Kylo seemed a little uncomfortable, but still stoic. She wondered about his experience in such things. He gave a chuckle. "Don't worry, I have experience. It's your lack of experience that worries me. I don't need you backing out the night of and failing the doctors exams. Our planets would see that as the contract being void and everything we have worked for would be gone in an instant."
Damn his mind reading. "Fine. We will figure that out the night of. It's obvious it has to happen, so be it."
Kylo opened his mouth to speak when suddenly the door opened. A pale red headed man poked his head inside. "Yes General Hux?" Kylo said though his teeth.
"Sir, something has come through the transmitters. You really should check it out. We believe the First order just circled our shields." The man spoke and Kylo let out a low curse that Constance had to strain to hear.
"Fine, I'll be up in a moment." Giving a curt nod the general turned and left the room. Kylo turned back to her. "Think about everything we have spoken about. If this isn't what you want no hard feelings. Chances are if there is First Order activity I will be away for a bit, which shouldn't be a problem because I think I already heard our mighty Queen Leia talking to wedding planner. You have about two days before that wound is nothing but a scar and my mother have you trying on dresses and picking colors or whatever weddings consist of." Constance nodded and Kylo stood to leave, turning one last time. "I'll see you at the alter Ms. Payne." It was as though he was talking about meeting her on the battlefield. He gave a laugh. "Same thing isn't it?"
He turned to leave and Constance couldn't help herself, wanting to see if her future husband took kindly to teasing. "I thought it was Mrs. Ren now, Prince Kylo?"
The Prince stopped where he stood and she swore she saw the corner of his mouth quirk up before he spoke. "The answer is no, Ms. Payne, I do not take kindly to teasing." Then he was gone.
Well, damn, what was Constance going to do for fun now?
Kylo didn't lie. The next day a doctor came in first thing to check her wounds and spread her legs. Luckily it was private and the doctor made quick work. Unfortunately "privately" in this instance meant the Queen and Prince being present. Kylo was only able to stay during the part that the contract specified. Apparently the girl he married didn't have to be virginal, but the doctor must confirm in front of her betrothed that they would be able to tell whether or not they had intercourse. Constance couldn't stop the way her body turned beat red. Even though a screen separated them and Kylo wore his mask, she felt so exposed.
The doctors words cut through her, though. "I will definitely be able to tell. She is most definitely a virgin so there will be...tearing."
Once that nightmare was over wedding books were brought to the bed she was still in. While she could move about without so much pain now, the wound was still fresh enough and the solution for healing hadn't closed it enough that she wouldn't tear it open. The Queen thanked her over and over again for saving her, telling Constance that she would make sure she had absolutely everything she wanted for her wedding. By the time the day was over Constance was buried in books full of materials, colors, patterns, and shit she really didn't care about. But the Queen seemed excited, so Constance entertained her and played along. Now, looking at everything she wondered what she was truly getting herself into with the grumpy prince and his giddy mother.