Just going to head straight into this one; fair warning, it's shorter than usual x
Chapter 4
Rey awoke the next morning sprawled across the top of her bed. She looked around and saw Rose curled up at the bottom of it. She laughed quietly and shoved Rose gently
"Oh!" Rose squeaked as she awoke and started taking in her surroundings, finally landing her gaze on Rey
"I need to get ready for our guest" Rey chuckled, having not seen Rose so unkept
"Ah yes. The Master's special guest" Rose stretched out her limbs, before climbing from the bed "Your bed is much comfier than mine" She grumbled
"Thank you for last night" Rey said as Rose collected her shoes from beside the door "I-I haven't laughed like that since… Before I came here" Rey had told Rose her tale, but it wasn't really something she wanted to keep discussing, but she liked Rose, she reminded her of her sister
"It is nice to finally have another girl for me to talk with. Next time, it's my turn to spill all my secrets" Rose smiled, then rushed from the room to get ready for the work day.
"She's coming" Kylo was stalking the entrance way with Rey standing just inside the open door. They had just started hearing horse hooves on the dirt track leading up to the manor, and Kylo had gone from calm and collected, to a mess in a matter of seconds
"It's only your Mother, surely I should be more nervous. I'm the one greeting her" Rey sighed and rolled her eyes
"You don't understand. My Mother, she's-" Kylo was cut off as the carriage came into sight. It looked a lot more regal than Rey had expected "-Here" Kylo finished. The carriage came to a stop and Rey rushed to stand outside the door, leaving Kylo alone inside.
The carriage door was opened by the driver, and the most regal woman Rey had ever seen, stepped out. She had brown, slightly greying, hair, piled into a high bun on the top of her head, adorned with tiny jewels. Her cream dress was the height of fashion. It was pulled tight by a corset on the top half, then puffed out and fell down to her shoes, which were ruby red and matched the intricate details of the bodice of her dress. Rey found herself curtsying low as the regal woman approached
"Oh come now, there's no need to be so formal" The woman had a soft, kind voice. Rey pulled out of her curtsey
"Apologies, Ma'am. Welcome" Rey smiled to the older woman, who smiled back just as brightly
"Thank you my dear"
"I believe your Son is waiting just inside" Rey motioned for the woman to enter
"Yes, waiting and eavesdropping" The woman smirked, linking her arm around one of Rey's, bringing her inside the manor with her.
"My! I haven't seen this much life in this old place in the many years my son has resided here!" The woman exclaimed as they entered the entrance hall. She waved her hand and the door closed behind them, but Rey didn't bat an eyelid, which got the woman's attention
"Mother" Ren greeted, making himself known where he stood just to the side of them
"Ah, there you are" The woman let go of Rey's arm to sweep towards her Son, taking his face in her hands, but he struggled "Be still. I haven't seen you in 15 years, let me look at my boy" The woman's voice dripped with sadness, and Rey felt her heart clench.
"Mistress Leia!" A voice called from the door to the servants quarters and Rose came barrelling out
"Little Rose? Is that you?" The woman known as Leia, gushed, turning to embrace Rose as she reached her "You've grown into such a beautiful woman, you look just like your mother" Leia said softly, and both Ren and Rey felt like outsiders
"Thank you" Rose whispered, then took a step back "I need to get back to my work, but it was lovely to see you again" Rose beamed
"And you too Rose" Leia said and Rose rushed back off, but not before shooting Rey a knowing look, which Rey frowned at. What was that for?
"Now then, who is responsible for this miracle?" Leia motioned around the entrance hall
"That would be Rey" Kylo motioned to Rey and Leia turned on her
"You, my dear, are a godsend. God only knows, this place could use a woman's touch" Leia said cheekily, and Rey flushed. They way she had said it made it seem like she was high up enough to have a say in how the manor was decorated
"Mother" Kylo said, a warning clear in his tone, but Leia waved him away
"Shall we head up to my room then?" Leia linked her arm back through Rey's and they headed up towards Kylo's wing of the house, Kylo himself moping along behind them.
When they reached her room Leia gasped
"Hux did a better job than usual cleaning in here" Leia laughed, moving further into the room, leaving Rey and Kylo by the door
"Actually, Rey cleaned in here too" Kylo huffed, but Leia turned on him
"You let her into your wing?" Leia asked and her eyes briefly danced between the 2
"How else was she to clean your room?" Kylo drawled with a roll of his eyes
"Ben-" Leia started, but Kylo made a strangled kind of sound in his throat. Rey looked up to Kylo with a start. Ben? What a very simple name for a complicated man
"Rey, you're dismissed" Kylo said, not looking to the girl beside him
"She most certainly is not!" Leia exclaimed , but Rey didn't want to cause any trouble
"Apologies Ma'am, I will leave you to spend time with your Son" Rey curtseyed to Leia, who looked at her with despair
"You don't have to Rey" Leia tried, but Rey knew they needed time
"I have work to be getting on with" Rey smiled sadly at Leia, and made her way out of the room, and back towards the corridor where her room was to finish cleaning the other rooms.
"Why do you have to be so rude?!" Leia shouted at her son, closing the door with a wave of her hand, blocking him in. Kylo didn't answer, he simply ignored her, choosing instead to look around the room "Benjamin Solo, don't you dare ignore your mother" She said with a clipped tone. Kylo's head snapped to her
"You don't get to tell me how I treat my own staff" He growled "She is mine to do with as I please" He repeated the words he had said to Rey, but where Rey hadn't really been listening, seemingly zoned out, his Mother's eyebrows raised and her mouth curled upwards
"Yours?" His mother asked and Kylo couldn't stop his cheeks from heating
"Don't mince my words, Mother" Kylo grumbled "I can treat my staff as I wish" Leia sighed
"I suppose you can… But remember she is still a woman and should be treated as such" Leia waved her hand and the door opened "I wish to rest a while. You know I've always hated travelling" Leia sighed again and Kylo simply turned and left without another word, returning to his study to deal with the items Poe had brought him.
Rey had kept out of Leia's way, as Ren had asked (Or should she call him Ben? That was his name right?), for the following 2 days, while she continued to clean, but Leia had other plans. Rey was cleaning the final room on the corridor, when Leia swept into the room
"Well, aren't you a difficult one to find" Leia chuckled, as Rey spun around in shock
"Mistress Leia" Rey greeted, using the name Rose had used
"I wish to show you something" Leia said and held out her hand. Rey looked around the almost clean room, then took Leia's hand. Leia lead her out onto the staircase again, but Rey stopped
"I'm sorry Ma'am, I'm not permitted to enter this side of the wing" Rey said, knowing that Ren/Ben would not like her up there. And she would prefer to stay out of the tower
"Come now, I say you're allowed. My son wouldn't go up against me if you were to accompany me" Leia smiled cheekily, and Rey just couldn't say no. This woman was delightful and charismatic… What went wrong with her son?
Leia led Rey down many corridors, until they reached a set of stairs. Rey knew the manor went higher, but she had always assumed it was storage. They went up the staircase and into a new corridor which only held 1 set of double doors. Leia smiled at Rey fondly, before she pushed the doors open to reveal a beautiful ballroom. The room was accented in gold and deep reds. The floors were shiny and there wasn't a spec of dust in sight. All of the left wall was made of windows, making the room light without the use of the giant chandelier in the middle of the ceiling
"It's so light" Rey breathed, allowing her feet to take her to the middle of the room. She looked around at all the tables pushed to the side of the room with the chairs stacked on top of them. She spun around in glee. It was the most elegant and beautiful room she had ever been in. It was something out of the stories her mother used to tell her about princes and princesses "It's like a dream" Rey laughed as she spun, only to be caught around the waist by Leia
"This used to be the secondary ballroom" She said and waved her hand. Music started echoing around the hall and Rey smiled
"I was told the main dining hall downstairs was a ballroom" Rey said as Leia moved her arms around so Rey's hand sat in hers, and her hand sat comfortably on Rey's waist, while Rey's other hand took Leia's shoulder
"It was used as a more formal ballroom" Leia shrugged and started counting. She danced Rey around the ballroom, teaching her the steps to a basic waltz. Rey had never danced a day in her life, and so she tripped a few times, but she managed to at least not stand on Leia's feet, and they were soon laughing and twirling around the room.
This was how Kylo found them, having followed the sound of music. He stood in the doorway for a little while, listening as his mother and Rey laughed and giggled together. Why was his mother doing this? It warmed his cold heart just a fraction to see his mother smiling and laughing because of a girl he had brought into the manor by chance. And he had to admit that Rey wasn't ugly in any way, shape, or form. The way she threw her head back when she laughed made his mouth twitch upwards at the corners, but as they did, his Mother caught his eye, before smiling and continuing to dance with Rey, so Kylo took this as his que to interrupt. He waved his hand and the music cut off.
Rey looked around in confusion, but when her eyes met his, they widened and he could see the panic… But he couldn't bring himself to be angry with her
"What's happening here?" He asked from where he was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed across his chest. Rey thought the stance fit him; it enhanced his broad shoulders and brought attention to his muscled arms
"W-We were just-" Rey tried, but Leia came to her rescue… Kind of
"Let the girl have a bit of fun. I was teaching her to dance. She may as well learn something new while she's trapped in here" Leia huffed and stood slightly in front of Rey, as if to protect her from his words
"There's no reason to get all defensive, Mother. Finish your lesson, then make sure the rooms on your corridor are completed. I have a new job for you tomorrow" Kylo said to her and turned to leave. As he left, he waved his hand and the music resumed
"He does have a heart in there somewhere" Leia joked, and Rey laughed with her. They danced for another hour, before Rey excused herself to finish cleaning the last room.
"You… Danced?" Rose asked
"Yes! It was the most fun I've had in ages" Rey laughed at the memory. She was sat in the kitchen with Rose while Finn finished off food for Ben and Leia
"And Ben just let us! It was the nicest I've ever seen him" Rey laughed and Rose gasped
"We don't call him that" Rose whispered
"What? Why? It's the name his mother gave him" Rey frowned in confusion
"That's not his name anymore" Rose sighed "It's a story for another day. He goes by Kylo Ren now" Rose explained and Rey's frown deepened
"Where did that name come from?" Rey asked but Rose shook her head
"We don't know, but we are forbidden from mentioning his old name" Rose's tone was clipped, so Rey took that as the end of the conversation, choosing instead to continue to talk about what she learned with Leia.
The next morning, Rey had just got dressed for the day, when there was a knock at her door
"I'm just getting ready Rose" Rey called, walking to the door. When she reached it, she opened it and turned, not even looking as she let Rose enter "Do you think you could help me tame my hair? It seems awfully uncooperative this morning" Rey sighed
"I mean, I could try, but I don't think I'd be much help" A deep voice said, amusement dripping from it. Rey turned with a start
"M-Master Ren" Rey gasped, then covered her mouth
"I thought I wasn't your master?" Kylo asked with a smirk and raised eyebrow
"A slip of the tongue. Rose says it often" Rey huffed
"Oh stop teasing her Ben" Leia's voice rang out and she stepped out from around him, ignoring the way Kylo growled at the use of his name in front of Rey. Leia entered the room with a gown in her hands "You shall be joining me in the gardens today, so we wouldn't want you to dirty your work clothes" Leia said with a wink, while Kylo rolled his eyes behind his mother's back. Leia held out a gown and Rey gasped. She didn't really care for gowns, but the one that was being held out to her was beautiful. It was a lovely duck egg blue with a corset on the top half and ¾ sleeves, then it cinched at the waist and flowed down elegantly
"It should be just your size. Ben, if you would excuse us, we shall meet you for breakfast" Leia said and waved the door closed in her Son's shocked face
"Oh, I couldn't possibly join you for breakfast" Rey shook her head "And the gown is lovely, but I couldn't possibly take it. I am simply a maid" Rey could feel her heart clench. She wished she could be the kind of person who could wear things like that every day, and carry the elegance that Leia carried
"Of course you can. It would show my Son up nicely. Treating you like he is" Leia tutted and rolled her eyes, before laying the dress across Rey's made up bed "Besides, this was your Mother's dress, it would be a shame for it to go to waste" Leia smirked, while all colour left Rey's face
"Excuse me?"
I had to leave it here, I'm sorry it's so short! I won't leave you in suspense too long, I'll update again in the coming days! The next chapter has a lot more background!