Couldn't help but post it early, I'm excited to get it out! And here is Chapter 2! It wasn't as long as I would have preffered, so I combined it with
Chapter 2
Rey looked up at the giant manor as she awoke, having fallen asleep on the journey. The sun was just starting to rise up from behind it. It looked old, and barely lived in, but apparently this was his home? She startled when the man shifted behind her, only just realising that she had fallen asleep against him, and he had let her. She quickly sat up straight
"Do you really live here?" Rey asked quietly, not realising that she had even asked it aloud. The man simply grunted his affirmative, before pulling the horse to a halt. He jumped off and motioned for Rey to get off the horse. She did so with some difficulty. She heard the man cough to hide a laugh, and she turned a glare on him "Some help would have been nice" She huffed, patting down her dress angrily
"You refused my assistance earlier" The man shrugged and motioned for her to follow him up the steps to the house.
Rey found herself reluctantly in awe as she took in the entrance, the candles lighting up like magic around her. It was huge! At least the size of 3 of her houses. There was a giant chandelier in the centre of the room, then there was a set of almost regal stairs leading up to the first floor, splitting in the middle to go either way. Even in its dusty state, Rey could still see the beauty that once graced the room, and she was fearful that the whole house was in a similar state
"Your job here will be to clean" He said simply as he lead her up the stairs
"Y-You want me to clean your manor? That's why you took me from my family?" Rey asked incredulously. The man stopped halfway up the steps and took a few down so he was right in her face, forcing her to grab the bannister to stop herself from falling
"Your father stole from me" The man hissed in her face, but Rey stood her ground
"To help his daughter, my sister" She hissed back, taking a step closer to the man, even though he made her want to run away and hide in the woods they passed through
"And you surrendered yourself to me in order to save your sister, so you will do as I say" He growled, their faces now inches apart
"And… You were nice enough to help her in the first place" Rey's voice softened, and shock registered in the dark eyes in front of her, before they steeled and he turned in a flurry
"Hux!" He shouted, and a thin, ginger, sickly looking man appeared from a room to the left of the entrance hall
"Master! You've returned" Hux said and bowed low, before his eyes caught sight of Rey
"Take this girl and show her to the tower. Lock her up" He growled and Rey gasped
"You said I was to clean!" She exclaimed as Hux rushed forward, taking her arm
"You first must learn that I am the master of this house and you are lucky to even be alive" The man glared down and watched her get taken away, before he let out a frustrated huff, and made his way up the stairs and to the right.
Rey was taken back through the door that Hux had appeared from. He took her down a complex maze of corridors, before they ascended an onslaught of steps. Hux stopped her in front of an iron gate that guarded a small room
"When you are released, try to stay out of his way. For your own sake. I shall fetch you tomorrow evening and show you around" Hux said, opening the door for her to enter
"Are there many staff here?" Rey asked, reluctantly entering the room
"2 not including myself. You shall be introduced the morning after next" Hux closed and locked the gate, then walked briskly down the steps. When Rey could no longer hear his steps, she let out a roar of frustration, then sank down onto the hard, stone floor, bringing her knees up to her chest. She finally let the tears fall until she fell asleep, only to be awoken by Hux bringing her food. She ate and drifted off again.
When the following evening came, Hux released her as he had said he would. He led her back down the steps and out into the entrance hall again, before he turned to her
"As you know, you are to be a maid. There are a lot of jobs to do in the manor, but that being said, all the staff get Sunday off" Hux motioned around him "This shall be your starting point, from here you may go whichever way you see fit. Now, I shall show you to your… room" Hux sighed and lead her up the steps "There is no room in the servant's quarters, and so the master has had us prepare you a room in the main living quarters" Hux explained, stopping at the split in the stairs "You are forbidden from going up to the right. That is the Master's wing of the house" Hux didn't even give her a chance to get a word in, until he was off again. He lead her down a long corridor, stopping in front of the only door that did not have dust on the handle "This is your room" He said finally "Someone will be along to fetch you in the morning, but I suggest you get a good night's sleep" Hux bowed slightly, before he turned and stalked down the hall, leaving Rey alone outside her room
"How stiff" Rey rolled her eyes, before she let herself into her new room.
It was beautiful. The room was painted in soft creams, with wooden floors, much like the rest of the house, only lighter. There was a fireplace to the right, the fire already lit, with a royal blue rug set in front of it, and a small, cream lounge. Against the far wall, directly in the middle, was a large, 4 poster bed with soft blue sheets which seemed to be calling to her, but she resisted, choosing instead to go through a door to the left of the bed. She quickly realised that it was a small bathroom. A whole bathroom to herself. Rey tried to squash the excitement she felt, but she simply couldn't help it; as much as the situation was less than ideal, at least there were some silver linings to get her through it. When she had bathed herself, she entered the main room again, noticing a set of glass doors to the right of the bed. She opened them up and gasped as she took in the sight of the woods around the manor. It really was a stunning sight. If she looked closely, she could just about make out smoke coming from one of the many houses in the village on the far side of the woods. Her home. She quickly retired back to her room, closing the doors behind her, and pulled the curtain across to hide the doors from her view. She chose to make her way over to a set of drawers and pulled them open, surprised to see them filled with the clothes she had packed in her suitcase. She located a thin, white nightie and put it on, leaving the dress from her sister, over the back of the lounge to deal with at a later date. She then climbed into the lush bed, allowing the fire to burn as she drifted into a fitful sleep.
Ben's POV
The man watched from the shadows, as Hux led the girl to her room. He hated to admit it, but he hoped she liked it. She intrigued him, that he could admit to himself. She had surrendered herself to him too easily when he offered to save her sister. She spoke out to him, despite his best attempts to be frightening. She just didn't seem scared of him, or she was foolishly brave. Either way, he'd have to keep himself in check around her.
"Master?" Hux pulled him from his thoughts
"Hux" The man greeted reluctantly. He didn't particularly care for the man in front of him "Is she settled?" He asked, having not really been paying attention from his spot at the end of the corridor
"Yes sir" Hux bowed and the man dismissed him, choosing to retire to his own room.
The man sat on his bed, the only source of light being the fire roaring in the fireplace, illuminating the dark, bleak room
"Ben" A voice said and the man growled
"That's not my name anymore" He growled out loud, but he was alone
"I will not call you by that wretched name. You're my son" The voice of his mother rang in his head and he closed his eyes, pulling his subconscious from his body, drifting into a white expanse to join the older woman
"What do you want from me?" Ben asked moodily
"Who is the girl?" His mother asked, appearing before him, looking as regal as ever
"Just that; a girl" He huffed, crossing his arms at his mother
"Come now son, I am just trying to take an interest in your life" His mother's eyes gleamed at him "She seems only a few years younger than yourself" He didn't like what his mother was insinuating
"She is not a part of my life. She's a simple girl I took from her family, and plan to keep as a maid" Ben glared at his mother, but she didn't bat an eyelid at his harsh words as he had hoped
"But you helped her family first" His mother said with a knowing smile
"Will you stop spying on me?! " Ben threw his hands up and turned around
"What else is a mother to do when her son has cut himself off from her?" His mother was starting to get angry, he could feel it, and he knew he'd won
"Leave me be Mother. Care for Father and look after the kingdom, as you always have done" Ben closed their bond abruptly and returned to his body. He hated when she interfered in his life. As much as he had tried to cut himself off from his past, he could never escape the familial bond he shared with his Mother, due to their magic. He tried not to use large bouts of magic at all, as his mother could sense it and would always seek him out, but enchanting that damn root had brought her seeking him a mere day later, unable to keep her curiosity at bay.
Ben Solo was dead as far as he was aware. In his place stood Kylo Ren; a man to be feared by all if he so wished, but who kept to himself in his too large manor in the middle of nowhere. And that's the way he liked it. He had no friends, and he kept away from his family for reasons he kept to himself. The only contact he had with anybody, was his personal servant Armitage Hux, and he had started to grow tired of him the past few years, but this new girl, she could bring some entertainment to his life, she seemed like a real spitfire, and he found that he enjoyed her seemingly clumsy attempts to be independent, like when she tried to dismount his horse the previous morning. He hadn't laughed in years, never mind had to cough to cover one up… but he quickly shook those thoughts from his head. Those were not the words of the dark individual he had become. He made the decision to keep his distance from the girl after all, and let her clean his home in peace, only watching from a distance because he knew that he wouldn't be able to stay away from her completely… He needed to make sure she even knew how to clean to his standard…
Rey awoke from possibly the best night's sleep she had ever had, to a timid knocking on the door. It took her a moment to remember where she was, before she bid the person to enter, sitting up in her bed. A small head peeked around the door
"Oh!" A voice said, and a young girl bustled her way into her room "I'm Rose!" The girl beamed "I'm here to get you set up! I wasn't aware you would be so young" The girl babbled. She was small, smaller than Rey, but looked to be only slightly younger than her. She had her dark hair pinned up in a neat bun at the back of her head
"Uh, I'm Rey" Rey said awkwardly, not really one to get along with other girls, she much preferred to get muddy with the boys
"It's so nice to have another girl around here" Rose sighed, laying out a set of clothes beside her on the bed
"If I may ask, how long have you been here? You can't be much younger than I am" Rey questioned, climbing out of her bed
"Oh, I grew up here, my mother worked here while I was a babe, and when she passed, I took her place" Rose explained, the smile still plastered on her face
"I'm so terribly sorry. I lost my mother when I was young" Rey looked sadly at the floor, faded memories filtering into her head
"I'm sorry too, it's not an easy thing, but life goes on" Rose sighed and motioned to the clothes she had laid out "This is your uniform, I have spares that I will lay on your bed for you later on in the day. I believe you are to start in the dining room today, so we will head there if you wish" Rey decided that Rose smiled too much, but she liked her, she didn't linger in the past, she was more of an 'in the moment' kind of girl, and Rey could definitely understand that.
When Rey had gotten herself ready for the day and slipped into her uniform, which fit like a glove, Rose led her back down to the entrance hall and to the door opposite the one she had been taken through the previous morning. The door led into a gigantic dining room
"This room used to double as a ballroom… Or so I'm told… There has never really been any guests visiting in all the time I've lived here, so no use for a ballroom" Rose shrugged, and Rey frowned
"Such a regal home, and nobody visits? And the place looks like it hasn't been cleaned in years. What happened here?" Rey asked, but Rose shook her head
"Nobody really knows, nor do we talk about it" She whispered, and so Rey kept her mouth closed on the subject until she could find someone better to ask. She remembered Hux saying that there was another staff member, so she just had to find them "Now, all the things you need for cleaning I have laid out for you on the dining table, but first, come get breakfast with me" Rose took Rey's hand and Rey allowed her to drag her across the room and through a door on the right.
Rey was instantly assaulted by the smell of food cooking, and her stomach rumbled in response, bringing forth a laugh from Rose's lips
"Hey Rose!" A voice called and a man poked his head around a corner just ahead of them
"Finn!" Rose called excitedly and dragged Rey forward "Rey, this is our most fantastic chef; Finn. Finn, this is our new maid; Rey" Rose introduced and the man stuck his hand out to greet Rey, who took it in response
"Great to meet ya Rey" FInn smiled down at the girl
"How are you both so smiley when your master is just… not?" Rey asked, a slight laugh to her voice
"We just have great company. We both grew up here so we are really close" Rose explained and shot a secretive smile to Finn, who ducked his head to hide his own smile. This was not missed by Rey, who tried to hide her own smile "Apart from Hux, he's always been here. And he's always been miserable" Rose huffed
"What happened to your parents, Finn?" Rey was afraid to ask, but it may give her some insight into what happened in the manor
"Oh, I don't know, I was taken in by Rose's mother. I lived on the streets as a child, an orphan" Finn shrugged and Rey frowned. Why was everyone so nonchalant about their parents here?
After a lovely breakfast, Rose showed Rey back to the dining room and told her that if she needed anything, to seek her out, she would be in the gardens tending to the plants. Rey looked down at her new uniform; a simple black dress that went down to the ground but had layers of petticoats under it, with a white apron over the top. How was she meant to move about in such a thing? She looked around the room and sighed; would this be her entire life? She decided to start with the far end of the room, so she grabbed a duster and got to work dusting off all of the sculptures. How riveting…
"This damned skirt!" Rey exclaimed for the fifth time in the last half an hour, she simply couldn't move in such impractical and heavy clothing
"I have never known a woman to hate a dress so much… Nor to use such language" A deep voice said from behind her and she gasped in shock, turning to face the voice she recognised, but the man that stood before her, she did not; this man was tall and broad, yes, but he was also lean, and had a pale complexion, only emphasised by his soft dark hair, and his dark chocolate brown, almost black, eyes. This man was what Rey could only describe as handsome. She couldn't think of another word for him. Surely this was not the same man who had taken her from her family? She realised that she had been staring and looked down, a flush gracing her face in embarrassment
"Apologies, Sir" Rey rushed out
"I had wrongly presumed that you would have this room almost finished by now" The man said, drawing Rey's eyes back to his. There he was
"I would much rather take my time and do a good job, than rush and do a shoddy job" Rey met his eyes confidently
"Well, I would prefer you didn't answer back to me. Has your little stay in the tower taught you nothing? Perhaps you need another" The man growled and Rey's eyes widened. He had such a temper
"No… I-I shall try and work faster, Sir" Rey said from between clenched teeth. The man's eyes flashed with amusement
"What, not going to fight back? You had such fire in you when you first spoke back to me yesterday, have I broken you already? Shame" The man scoffed and turned to leave the room "Continue with your work baker's daughter" The man was teasing and she knew it
"Are you not even interested in knowing my name?" Rey growled, and the man smirked at her
"I know your name… Have a pleasant afternoon… Rey" The man spun around and closed the door behind him, while Rey stood there and wondered why her name sounded so nice when he said it
"Idiot" Rey grumbled under her breath, choosing to simply continue on with her work. If she could get the whole manor up to a standard that may be comfortable to live in, maybe she would be let go. Surely he would have no other use for her after that.
Ben's POV
Outside the dining room, Kylo Ren was cursing himself. When he had been wandering the manor aimlessly, as he did daily, he had found himself outside the one room he knew she was in, and he simply couldn't help himself. So much for staying away from her…
I'd love to hear your thoughts :) x