Chapter 3! This where things start to get a bit more romanticle! Hope you enjoy, I made this a little longer!
Chapter 3
Rey had finished the dining room the following day. After that she had spent the remaining 4 days before her day off, cleaning the entrance hall with no sign of the master of the house
"Oh my!" Rose gasped from behind where Rey was finishing polishing the intricate banister "I don't think I've ever seen the entrance hall so full of life" Rose beamed and spun around to admire Rey's work. She was pretty proud of it herself
"Where are the runners?" A gruff voice said from the top of the stairs and both girls turned to see the master of the house standing at the top of them. He had stayed well away from Rey, always keeping an eye on where she was to stay out of her way. Rose scrambled to curtsey, but Rey simply rolled her eyes at him, not noticing the amused twitch at the corner of his mouth… But Rose did
"I have hung them out to let the wind get rid of the dust" Rey explained tightly
"Don't bother. They're beyond repair…" The man eyed the girls apprehensively, before he sighed and waved his hand nonchalantly. All of a sudden, the stairs were lined with deep red runners which really made the room pop. The runners ran right to the doors which lead outside
"Such a good colour choice sir" Rose gushed and curtsied to him again. The man simply nodded, recognising the other girl as the girl who served him his meals, though he didn't know her name, but he shook his head. It was of no concern to him. The Master of the house did not mingle with the staff.
"Baker's daughter-" He started, turning to walk up the staircase, but Rey interrupted him
"You have already demonstrated that you are well aware of my name… Sir" Rey said snarkily. The man couldn't help the upturn of his lips. Even Rey noticed, choosing to ignore Rose's outraged gasp
"Rey, move down to the servant quarters next" He was glad they couldn't see him smiling as he turned and walked up to his own wing of the manor. Rey let out a breath when he had left
"Are you crazy?" Rose whisper-screamed "You can't just talk to the Master like that" Her eyes were wide
"He isn't my master. He's my captor" Rey shrugged "Besides my first night, he hasn't done much to disway me from speaking out" Rey grabbed her cleaning supplies "All I did was request that he use my actual name" Rey shook her head and Rose lead her to the servants quarters as they fell into silence.
"So stupid!" Kylo shouted when he was securely in his room "It's that stupid girl!" He slammed a fist into the wall, leaving a dent
"I've never known you to get so worked up over a girl" The teasing voice of his mother returned
"Go away Mother!" He growled out, trying to force his mother out of his head, and she let him. The girl had been there a mere week, and already his whole world had been turned upside down "She has to go" He growled, then scolded himself. He couldn't simply let her go, he had taken her fair and square as part of a deal. She was his to do with as he pleased… He could simply lock her in the tower and keep her there. Out of his way. But he had to admit she did a fantastic job in the entrance hall…
It was Rey's first day off, and she relished the feel of the fluffy duvet around her, as the sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains of the balcony. When she dragged herself out of the bed at around 10am, she changed into a simple blue dress that cinched at the waist then fell down to her ankles. Rey wasn't the kind of girl to squeeze herself into corsets and such. Just a simple dress would suit her nicely. She slipped on some white flat shoes, grabbed the only book she had thought to bring, and left her room in search of food.
"Rey!" A voice shouted and she startled, not expecting anyone to be in the kitchens, but there Finn was, cooking away
"Finn! I thought it was everyone's day off?" Rey asked, wondering if she got her days mixed up
"Oh it is, but I can't let everybody starve" Finn laughed "I'm making breakfast
"Then allow me to help" Rey beamed and Finn just couldn't say no. Although he had small flirtations with Rose, Rey was a natural beauty and he couldn't deny it. And so the 2 of them moved around the kitchen effortlessly. Rey even managed to teach Finn a few fancier dishes that he said he would try and make for the Master. They soon had an array of food ready.
Hux entered the kitchens when Rose had joined them and the 3 were seated around the small dining table, eating their breakfast. Hux made eye contact with Finn, who simply pointed to the 2 plates Rey hadn't even noticed, with covers over them on the counter. Hux took the plates and left without a word
"Well that was less than pleasant" Rey commented and Finn scoffed
"We don't really get along" He shrugged "The 2 plates were for the master and himself"
"You still make your Master food on your day off?" Rey frowned, still refusing to call him her Master
"I'm thankful to the Master. He let Rose's Mother take me in and put me to work. He didn't kick me out when she died. I owe him my life" Finn sighed
"He doesn't strike me as the kindest of people" Rey chuckled
"He's rough around the edges, but my Mother said-" Rose piped up
"I expected a warmer welcome than this" A voice shouted suddenly from the back door
"Poe!" Rose squealed and shot out of her seat, darting out the door. Finn chuckled and followed her at a more reasonable speed. Rey sat confused for a second, before leaving her breakfast to follow her new friends.
When she left through the back door, she was blinded by the sun momentarily, but when she regained her vision, she saw rose engulfing a taller man in a hug, while Finn slapped the man on the shoulder
"We didn't expect you back so soon" Finn laughed
"I've been summoned" The man said, his voice full of confidence. Then he spotted Rey "Who do we have here?" He asked dropping his arms from around Rose so he could focus fully on Rey, who blushed under his gaze, her hands clasped in front of her
"Oh! Poe, this is Rey! She's the new maid. Rey, this is Poe, he used to be the stable boy here but there are no more horses, so he's our delivery boy" Rose said excitedly from beside Poe. Rey nodded in greeting, not sure how to feel about this overly confident man as he approached her
"Master Ren has such taste. Such a pretty woman, too pretty to be cleaning silverware" He purred, making Rey cringe as he took her hand in his and bowed, placing a kiss to the back of it.
"Dameron!" A voice boomed from a little way away, before anybody else could speak. They all turned to the man stalking towards them
"Master Ren" Poe greeted with a cocky smirk, straightening up before turning and bowing again, letting go of Rey's hand. That was the first time anyone had even hinted towards a name for the man who was now Rey's captor (Not Master!). Finn also bowed, and Rose curtsied, but Rey didn't move an inch. Kylo raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything, instead turning to Poe
"Did you bring what I asked?" Kylo asked gruffly
"I did, sir" Poe said, sounding disinterested
"Take them up to my study, then I have some things for you to take back with you. Hux will escort you" Kylo finished and gave him a curt nod, dismissing him. Poe nodded back and turned to head back towards the side of the manor, where the carriages would stop, throwing Rey a wink over his shoulder. Rose grabbed Finn by the hand and dragged him back inside, but Rey decided that she would, instead, take a walk of the grounds, having not been given the chance to.
She ignored Kylo as she walked past him to venture into the stunning grounds. When she turned a corner around a hedge, she didn't miss the way he seemed to be following her at a leisurely pace. She smirked to herself as she noticed a hedged maze ahead. She slowed herself so she knew he would see her enter it, then she took off running, putting as much distance between them as possible. If he wanted to follow her around and keep an eye on her, he'd have to find her first.
Kylo quickly twigged onto her game as he entered the maze and was met with an empty path in front of him. He scoffed out loud and heard a snickering, before he heard footsteps running away from him. He smirked and followed the sound of the steps, but he quickly got turned around when he hit a dead end where he thought he could hear Rey's footsteps coming from. He hadn't been inside the maze since he was a child, so he was rusty when it came to the pathways, but still he continued, backtracking slightly before taking a different path. After about a half hour, he was ready to give up. He had stopped hearing Rey's footsteps a while back. He turned to head towards the way he had come, but a glimpse of dark hair rounding the corner caught his attention. He was quick to follow after her, making sure his footsteps were loud enough for her to know that he had spotted her. He was startled slightly when he heard a tinkling laugh come from around the corner from him. Had he caused her to laugh? He felt a twinge in his chest, and quickly shook the feeling away, continuing after her at a quickened speed.
Rey couldn't hold in the laughter as she heard him stomping around on the other side of the hedge. She'd been risky when she darted across the gap, despite knowing that he could turn and see her. And he had. She felt like a child again, hiding and playing with her sister, or with the boys from the village. She didn't expect him to play her game this long, thinking he would get tired of her 'childish games', but he was still chasing her. Was he having fun too? What would he do if he caught her? Rey didn't care all too much. It was her first day off and she wanted to at least try and enjoy herself here if this was to be her home. Rey peeked behind her as she rounded a corner, only to run into something hard. She reached her hands out and grabbed fabric as she lost her balance for a second. Soft hands grasped her elbows to steady her, and she let out a huff. He had caught her.
"Why were you running?" He asked frowning down at the girl, but Rey could see that his eyes were softer than their usual hard black
"I was trying to have fun" She shrugged
"And running around getting lost is fun?" He asked with a raised eyebrow
"It is to me" She huffed
"You have an odd sense of fun" Kylo chuckled, and Rey took the moment to study his face up close. He really was a handsome man...
Kylo didn't know why she was looking at him so intensely, but he did feel her stiff posture relax slightly. He couldn't help himself when his fingers slowly brushed across the skin of her arms. It made him feel warm so he took a cautionary step back, dropping her arms as her hands fell from within the fabric of his shirt. He turned and started walking, but found that she was following him. He didn't say anything until they were out of the maze, when he turned to her "If you insist on staying out in the gardens, there is a bench down by the lake" He said, then turned and stalked off towards the manor, rage filling him. What the hell was he playing at? He didn't converse with the staff, never mind play along with their silly games… Her laughter was bouncing around in his head for the rest of the day well into the night.
Rey stayed out by the lake until Rose came and found her for lunch. She kept the encounter with Ren to herself, but found it rather difficult to focus on the poor girl who was chattering away beside her. She saw something intriguing in the man and she couldn't stop thinking about it. Even as she bathed that night, she found her thoughts plagued by Master Ren
"Ren" She said out loud. She hadn't heard of that name. Surely a man with such a large manor would be someone important enough to warrant some kind of rumour. As she climbed into bed, she allowed thoughts of him to help her drift off to sleep.
"Baker's Daughter!" A man shouted, and Rey's eyes shot open. She was back in the maze and she could hear Master Ren's footsteps approaching. She took off running, and noticed that she was wearing a long, white, flowing dress, and her feet were bare. She could feel the grass sticking up between her toes as she ran, laughter bubbling from her lips. The maze seemed to pass in a blur, but she could hear his footsteps gaining on her. She darted left, then right, hoping to lose him, but he kept up with her perfectly, even gaining on her more, until she found her feet leaving the ground, her body being pulled up by a pair of arms around her waist. She let out a loud laugh as they came to a halt and she was spun around, before being placed back on the ground, a pair of lips falling to her ear
"Why do you run from me?" The voice chuckled, the sound vibrating through her entire body
"Because I know you love the chase" Rey responded and turned in her Master's arms
"You are stunning my love" He whispered and lowered his head down towards hers
"And you are handsome, my Prince" Rey responded, leaning up to meet him-
Rey was startled awake by a knock on the door
"It's time for breakfast!" Rose called through the door, then walked away down the corridor. Rey held a hand to her chest to calm it's rapid beating
"What was all that about?" She asked herself, shaking her head. She pushed the dream to the back of her mind, choosing instead to get ready for her day of cleaning. She'd be moving from the servants quarters to some of the rooms on her corridor.
She got ready quickly and threw her hair up in a bun, hoping Finn had left her something to eat. She was usually awake before everyone else, but today Rose had to wake her! She raced down to the kitchens to see that there was a plate full of food sat in the spare seat at the table
"Your hair looks nice today Rey" Rose commented and Rey raised a hand to her hair, it felt like a birds nest! She grabbed a clean pot and used the shiny metal to look at her reflection. Rose was right; it didn't look too bad, much better than how it felt, so she shrugged and left it. As she took her seat, the kitchen doors barged open and Poe walked in, a swagger to his step and a smirk on his face
"Morning all! Rey, you look stunning. A woman such as yourself shouldn't be cleaning this dingy place. You should be paraded for all to see on the arm of a real man" Poe commented, walking towards Rey
"Poe! Don't say such things! Rey is too good for you!" Rose said and stood to push Rey behind her
"I was only being polite" Poe laughed it off, but Rey didn't like it at all. Especially when she had the sweet words Ren had spoken in her dreams, escaping from where she had stored them in the back of her mind. Poe sat down opposite her and breakfast commenced in silence. He left after breakfast, heading back to wherever he had come from, which put Rey in a much better mood. In fact, she found herself humming a tune as she made her way back up to the corridor her room was situated in.
She started at the far end of the corridor, which held 14 other rooms beside hers, and got to work, quickly realising that all of the rooms were bedrooms
"How many people did this manor hold?" She asked herself as she stripped the bed of its dusty bedding, and placed them in a basket she had thought to bring, ready to wash
"A lot" A voice said from behind her and she jumped, dropping the basket on the floor with a clatter
"Oh! S-Sir… You startled me" Rey managed as she scrambled to pick up the basket
"Apologies" Her Master said… His hair looked especially soft to the touch…
"H-How can I help you?" She asked, the memories of her dream assaulting her mind's eye
"I was just coming to tell you not to bother stripping the beds" He said and waved his hand. The sheets she had removed were gone, and the bed was set up with fresh white sheets
"How is it you came to know magic?" Rey asked
"How is it you are not scared by it? Or at the very least shocked" He countered, taking a step into the room. Despite being alone, he dressed rather regally, in dark clothes well tailored to suit him
"I don't see how that is any of your concern" Rey huffed and continued to clean, deciding to ignore him completely. He was silent for a while
"Your Mother" He said simply, and Rey let out a gasp as her chest began to hurt
"What do you know of my mother?!" She turned and shouted, throwing down the cloth she was using to dust the bed posts "You have no right!" She continued, but Kylo didn't even flinch "You took me from my family! You keep me here as a slave against my will! What kind of life will I even be living here?!" Rey stomped right up to him, but he stood his ground, never one to be intimidated by such a small girl "What about when I'm done? What am I to do once this place is spotless? Am I to just sit around polishing the silverware everyday? What a dull existence… Is it even an existence worth living?" Her voice crept down to a whisper, until she just stopped.
Kylo kept a cool exterior, but inside he was conflicted; She was his. He traded her for her sister and her baby's lives and she came willingly. He didn't even have to force her… But she did have a point. He supposed he couldn't expect everyone to want to spend their life as he does. Instead of voicing his opinions, he leaned down and got right in her face
"You are mine to do with as I please. I will find you something to keep you busy baker's daughter" He hoped his words would scare her into place, but Rey just stared up at him, her eyes unfocused until they shifted down for a split second to glimpse at his lips, then they darted to the side of the room. Kylo stood up straight and took a step back, out of the room "J-Just get on with your work" He managed before darting back down the corridor, his blood pumping faster.
When he got to his room he slammed the door shut and paced, his breathing coming out in soft huffs
"Well, that was an odd experience" The voice of his Mother drawled
"Mother!" He roared
"That girl is something special. I shall like to meet her, perhaps I'll visit you" His mother thought aloud
"You won't go near her!" He shouted "You won't come near this place!" He amended
"That 'place' was my ancestral home until your father moved us to the kingdom" His mother reminded him, and he sighed
"Yes, I know" Kylo said between his teeth
"If I want to visit I shall… Prepare a room, I shall be there by morning" His mother cut off the bond abruptly, and Kylo roared, swiping for whatever was around him, knocking the 2 chairs that sat in front of the fire, and a chest of drawers
"HUX!" He shouted, his voice reverberating around the manor.
Rey started as she heard Ren shout for Hux. He really could be loud. It was a few minutes later that Hux found her
"Oh, there you are" Hux said from the doorway of the 5th room and she sighed, before putting on her polite face
"Mr Hux, how can I help you?" She asked
"If you would follow me, the master has a special job for you" Hux seemed stiffer than usual, so Rey kept her mouth closed and followed him when he turned to leave. He lead her out onto the staircase and started up the stairs to the right, but Rey paused
"I thought I wasn't allowed up there" Rey voiced and Hux turned, already halfway up the stairs
"You have permission. And this is the only time" Hux said sternly and continued up. Rey took the first step up and the creak was loud and echoed around the entrance hall, but she continued up the steps after Hux, who was waiting at the top. When she reached the top, she saw a corridor lined with frames that had been covered with sheets. The corridor looked cleaner, but was dim so she couldn't be sure, but she could see the doorknobs shining in the little amount of light that reached them.
She almost ran into Hux as he stopped in the middle of the hall.
"This is the room. Sheets have been left on the bed, just make it presentable" Hux said and simply left the poor girl standing in the hallway. Rey looked up and down the corridor, not even able to make out where they had come from or where Hux had gone, so she pushed open the door and let out a gasp. The room was so extravagant! The walls were painted a soft blue, and the plush carpet was white and fluffy. The four poster bed was almost regal with intricate designs in the wood. The dresser and the wardrobe were the same with intricate patterns carved into them. There was a plush, royal blue lounge in front of an unlit fire. Rey shook her head in awe and approached the bed, where royal blue bedding had been placed upon it to be made up, so she started with that, quickly moving on to polish the wood of the bed, then the wardrobe. When she came to the dresser, she was surprised to see some things sat upon it; A golden hair brush, a blue trinket box, and a small glass ball with a figure of a regal looking castle inside it. Rey didn't dare touch the glass ball, but she did admire it, moving her head to view it at different angles. She startled when the glass ball started floating. She was horrified, until it was tipped upside down, then the right way up, and little white flecks started to rain down upon the castle inside the ball
"Wow" She sighed and admired it fondly
"I made it" Her Master's voice spoke, starling Rey further
"Do you find joy in sneaking up on poor unsuspecting women who are only doing their job, twice in one day?" Rey turned and crossed her arms, watching as her Master lowered his hand. So he had tipped the glass.
"I don't mean to scare you" Kylo sighed, walking into the room and looking around
"Whose room is this?" Rey asked
"It was my Mother's" Kylo replied distractedly "She's coming to visit" He grumbles, turning back to Rey "Keep away from her… She's the interfering sort" Kylo scoffed
"Why does she not reside here with you?" Rey asked, curiosity filling her to the brim at the mention of a family
"It is of no matter. She shouldn't be here too long, just continue your work" Kylo nodded to her, and turned to depart
"Does she have magic too?" Rey asked quickly, hoping to find out more, but her Master simply stopped in his tracks and stayed silent "I know of familial magic bonds… Is she where you get your magic from, or is it your father?" Rey tried again, and he turned to her with a frown
"How do you know of familial magic bonds? They are old magic" He asked, eyeing her suspiciously
"I read it somewhere" Rey shrugged, trying to stay nonchalant, but Kylo knew something was off
"Familial bonds are not written often, only in books about magic. Who do you know that has magic?" Kylo demanded, grabbing the tops of her arms, much rougher with her than he had been in the maze a few days prior.
Rey's mind was thrown into a tizzy when he placed his hands upon her. She could feel her pulse rushing, her head was reeling, and her face was flushed. She was taken back to her dream from the night prior. To the feeling of his arms wrapped around her, his words in her ear, the endearment slipping from his lips so effortlessly that it gave her goosebumps to think about
"Tell me" Kylo said lowly, not noticing Rey's strange demeanour
"I-I" Rey struggled with her words as she tried to pull herself back to reality, but his natural scent hit her and she was helpless. He smelt of pine, musk, and old books, and it was simply too much for Rey to handle.
Kylo felt her relax into his hold, and he pulled himself back. What was wrong with this girl? He was shouting at her and she was relaxing? Kylo loosened his hold on her, but he wasn't entirely sure that she wouldn't fall down. Was she under some kind of spell?
"Rey?" He asked, ignoring the fact that that was the first time he used her name without being told to by her. She snapped out of her stupor in one heart beat, and in the next she was across the room from him, standing by the bed
"I'm fine" She said, her voice harder than he had ever heard it. She walked back to the dresser and finished polishing, before moving to set up the coal for when the fire was to be lit the following morning, leaving extra coal and a few pieces of firewood as it did get cold on a night. Kylo left her to it, vowing to bring the topic of magic up again.
News spread quickly and Rose somehow already knew that there was to be a visitor, but didn't know who
"Do you know?" Rose asked Rey at dinner that night
"It may have slipped from the Master's lips" Rey teased
"The Master?" Rose asked "When were you with the Master?" Rose's eyes lit up and Rey flushed
"He visited me when I was preparing the guest room in his wing-" Rey started to explain, but was cut off
"You were allowed in his wing?! Mr Hux is usually the one who is allowed there!" Rose grabbed Rey's hands in hers across the table
"I was only preparing the room for our guest" Rey mumbled
"So you know who it is?!" Rose pulled Rey up to stand and dragged her from the kitchens up to Rey's door, pulling her through it "Please tell me!" Rose begged, sitting down on the lounge while Rey lit the fire
"I don't think I'm supposed to" Rey sighed
"Please Rey" Rose whispered "I won't tell anyone" She tried, but Rey had a strong resolve
"The Master told me in strict confidence" She stood her ground, even though he hadn't said anything about keeping it a secret, she felt that it wasn't really her place to say
"Fine… Then we shall talk about what happened yesterday" Rose smirked devilishly, while Rey frowned "I saw you and the Master heading towards the Maze on the grounds" Rey's eyes went wide at the obvious insinuation
"Oh! No! I-" Rey started but was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Rose looked to Rey with a frown, which Rey returned. Rey stood and peeked her head around the door, her eyes widening at the dark figure that stood on the other side
"Ah, Rey" Ren greeted, his hands clasped politely behind his back
"S-Sir?" Rey asked. What would their Master want from her at this hour? He raised an eyebrow as they both heard Rose try to stifle a gasp from within the room. Rey smiled apologetically
"As you know, we have… a guest arriving tomorrow. I wish for you to greet her at the door and show her to the room you prepared earlier" Ren requested
"Of course, but I thought you told me to stay away from her?" Rey whispered the last part
"Yes, well… She requested you specifically… My newest member of staff"
"She knows of me?" Rey asked, forgetting that Rose was in the room behind her
"Yes. We have a… close bond" Ren sent Rey a knowing look and she knew that he was referring to the familial bonds they spoke of earlier before her moment
"Ah… Then of course. I would be happy to greet your… guest" Rey smiled a little. She enjoyed the conspiracy just a little too much. Ren smiled back only slightly before he schooled his expression
"Fantastic. I bid you goodnight then"
"Yes, goodnight Sir" Rey refused to bow her head, but was startled when he bowed his head to her, before he turned and headed down the corridor.
Rey quickly made her way inside and stood with her back to the, now closed, door
"I don't see the master often, but I've seen him more this past week since your arrival, than I have in a whole year!" Rose exclaimed, hanging off the edge of the lounge "And you sounded so familiar with him" Rey felt a blush come to her cheeks
"I dreamt of him last night" She found herself admitting, unable to keep it in any longer
"Rey!" Rose gasped outraged, but a smile graced her lips quickly after
"I know!" Rey groaned and stomped over to her bed, falling face first into it
"What kind of dream was it?" Rose asked and Rey pulled her head from the bedding to hit Rose with a blank face "Oh… Oh!" Rose covered her mouth to quieten her laughter "But he's our Master Rey" Rose said, almost teasingly
"He's not my Master" Rey grumbled. Rose couldn't hold her laughter in and it burst forth from her mouth. Rey soon joined in, unable to deny the infectious sound. They talked all night about everything from how Rey came to be in the manor, to Rose's Mother.
Let me know what you think! Your feedback helps me improve the story! x