Happy Holidays! I couldn't leave it hanging for too long and I'm loving the reviews so keep 'em coming!
Chapter 5
Rey felt faint
"Y-You knew my mother?" Rey asked, feeling quite breathless
"Of course I did, dear. She was a dear friend of mine" Leia smiled sadly "You look just like her" Leia said fondly
"I don't understand" Rey's mind was going too fast for her to process. This woman knew her Mother!
"I know, my dear. I have been dying to tell you. Poor Ben hasn't made the connection either. He loved having you and your mother here" Leia laughed
"W-We used to come here?" Rey managed
"Every couple of months you and your mother would come and visit. Of course, your father was left with your younger sister. When you started showing signs of magic she sought my help" Leia looked at her knowingly and Rey went pale "Now, let's get you into that dress, or my son shall starve"
"I really don't think this is my size" Rey gasped and Leia tugged on the laces at the back of the dress, tightening them to the point that Rey couldn't breathe
"Trust me, it's meant to be like this" Leia laughed and finished tying the corset. It didn't feel as tight as it had when it was being tightened, much to Rey's relief "A simple spell can make it easier to breathe" Leia said cheekily, coming round to fix the front of Rey's dress. Rey flushed as Leia placed her hands on the underneath of her breasts through the dress, and pushed them up "Don't look like that Rey" She laughed "It is the utmost of fashion. Women aren't taken seriously, so how else are we to get our own way" Leia winked, then laughed as Rey started sputtering
"I-I don't know why this is really necessary" Rey managed, looking down at the bossom that was starting to spill out of her dress
"Because, he may be my son, but he is still a man. And he needs bringing back down off his pedestal. What other way than to remind him that he is, in fact, still a man" Leia shrugged and asked Rey what shoes she owned, settling on a white pair of shoes with a slight heel. Next, Leia had her sit so she could sort her untamable hair.
When Rey looked at herself in the mirror she gasped, she looked beautiful. Leia had managed to get her hair to be tame with a braid from the front to one side, then had left the rest of her hair down, using the braid to keep her hair out of her face on one side, pinning it with some pins she found in Rey's dresser. The dress looked lovely against her skin, and she felt a tad emotional as she thought she looked a little like her mother, but refused to let the tears fall. She fought them back and stood up tall
"Thank you" Rey said, turning to Leia and embracing her in a hug
"It was no problem. I always dreamed of helping my daughter with things like this, but I was only blessed with a moody son" Leia laughed, Rey joining her
"Speaking of, don't we have a breakfast to get to?" Rey mentioned and Leia nodded, leading Rey down to the main dining hall.
When they walked in, Kylo was already sitting with his back to them. Rose stood on the opposite side of the room, waiting for whenever the Master would need anything. She looked up with glee, expecting Leia, but her mouth dropped open when she saw Rey entering with her arm linked with Leia's
"Finally. What took you so long?" Kylo grumbled, not even bothering to stand. Leia tutted, but ignored him, leading Rey to sit beside her on Kylo's right side
"I was imparting my knowledge on young Rey" Leia said simply
"Of course you were" Kylo grumbled, not looking up as the 2 ladies took their seats. Rose rushed to pour them drinks. Rey had never felt more uncomfortable
"Oh, no rose. It's fine, you don't have to wait on me" Rey smiled at her friend, who just rolled her eyes and continued pouring Rey a drink
"Of course I do. Especially when you look like that. You look beautiful Rey" Rose complimented. It was at that point Kylo looked up. Unfortunately, he was drinking at the time. He sucked in a breath as he laid eyes on Rey, causing the liquid to go down the wrong pipe and a coughing fit commenced. Everyone looked at Kylo in shock. Everyone except Leia, who simply looked smug.
When the coughs had subsided, he took another sip of his drink
"Are you okay Son?" Leia asked, faking concern
"Fine" Kylo managed, refusing to even look at Rey. Rey however, felt rather foolish. Leia said that she would knock Kylo off his pedestal, but he could barely even look at her. She felt Leia grasp her hand and squeeze it in comfort, but she just felt stupid. Why had she gone along with this in the first place? Leia obviously didn't know her Son as well as she thought.
Breakfast continued with awkwardness hanging in the air like a big pink elephant. Leia tried to start conversations, and Rey tried to join in, but Kylo obviously wasn't in the mood to talk. Rey had just about had enough and she couldn't wait to head out onto the ground with Leia. So when everyone had finished their food, Leia stood, and Rey stood with her, relief flooding her. But when Kylo stood too, Rey felt the anxiety crawl back up her body.
"Why is it I have to accompany you both?" Kylo asked as they left the dining hall
"Because I asked you to" Leia said, causing Ben to frown, but he kept quiet until they reached the grounds
"Where are we going?" Ben asked as they approached the maze. He couldn't help but shoot a glance at Rey, who was already watching him. She quickly diverted her eyes down, which made Ben frown. Why was she watching him? Leia lead them past the maze and down towards the lake, coming to a stop in front of it
"This has always been my favourite part of the grounds" Leia sighed, then turned to Rey and pulled her to the edge to look at the great expanse of the lake. Suddenly Rey felt a hand on her back, and she was falling forward
"Mother!" Kylo exclaimed and rushed forward, using his magic to catch her before she hit the water. Rey was breathless. She could feel Kylo's magic surrounding her, keeping her up, instantly recognising that it was so much different to when Leia had placed the breathing charm on her. Leia's magic was soft and gentle, and barely there, but Kylo's magic engulfed her fully and made her feel warm and safe. He slowly pulled her to stand up, then approached her and put an arm around her waist to help her back onto the grass. Rey gripped onto the fabric of his jacket as he held her to his side "What in God's name is wrong with you?" Kylo growled, his arm still around Rey's waist. Rey was thankful for it as she needed something to ground her while she caught up with what had happened. Had Leia tried to push her in the lake?
"I wasn't going to let her fall in you stupid boy. I was testing your magic. Making sure you weren't getting rusty in your seclusion" Leia rolled her eyes then eyed the arm her son still had around Rey's cinched waist. She saw the way his hand flexed against her side subconsciously. Kylo rolled his eyes at his mother's observations. Let her think what she liked. He focused on Rey, untangling his arm from around her and her hand from his jacket. He grabbed her shoulders as she lost her balance
"Are you okay?" He asked
"It seems this is the second time you've stopped me from falling" Rey tried to joke, and Kylo actually chuckled, both of them missing the way Leia raised a questioning eyebrow, wondering what she had missed
"Let's not go for a third" He said and allowed her to stand by herself. He shot a glare at his mother, before they continued walking around the edge of the lake
"I'm sorry to use you as a practise dummy Rey" Leia said sheepishly, and Rey waved her off
"It's fine. I trust that one of you would have saved this dress" Rey joked and Leia chuckled
"See, she has a sense of humour, Ben" Leia scoffed
"I have a sense of humour. It's just more than pushing young, innocent girls into cold lakes" Kylo shook his head.
After their walk around the vast grounds, Leia stopped them back by the lake, conjuring a blanket on the ground. She sat and motioned for Rey and Kylo to do the same. Rey sat on her knees, hands folded politely in her lap, copying Leia's position, but Kylo hesitated. When his mother produced a basket of food, he quickly made his way down onto the ground, sitting along the edge with one leg straight out in front of him, the other bent at the knee beside it
"We used to have lunch like this many times when Ben was younger" Leia explained, setting out the food for everyone to dig into
"I've never done anything like this" Rey beamed
"Well, you should do so often while you're here. The summer is fantastic for sitting out here with a good book" Leia gushed and Rey's eyes lit up
"I love to read" Rey gushed back, and so Kylo observed the conversation, taking in all the information he could about the stunning woman sitting beside him. He could admit that she had shocked him at breakfast, but now he could see how she was simply made to wear clothes like that. And he couldn't keep his eyes from straying to the exposed bossom she had on display, no doubt courtesy of his mother. She certainly had her own unique way of involving herself.
"Ben, dear?" His mother asked him a little while later, after a long silence where everybody basked in the sun
"Yes Mother?" Kylo answered through gritted teeth. Why did she insist on calling him that?
"Do you remember your Aunt Miramir?" She asked and Rey froze up. Miramir was her Mother's name
"Aunt Miramir?" Kylo frowned
"Well, she wasn't really your Aunt. She was a dear friend and you used to call her your Aunt" Leia said throwing her Son a fond smile
"I don't remember" Kylo shook his head, and Rey felt her body relax
"I didn't expect so, you were only 5 when she stopped visiting as much" Leia shrugged
"What brought this on?" Kylo asked
"Nothing really. I was looking through some of the family portraits and saw one of me and your father, with you, and Miramir and her husband, with their first little girl, before she fell pregnant again and stopped visiting. All of us together. It got me thinking, that's all" Rey looked at Leia with intrigue. She had a portrait of her mother and father with her? Rey also found herself curious as to what a younger Ben would look like
"Hm" Kylo hummed in acknowledgement "Well, I'm sorry I don't remember. Her family must have been close if we got a portrait together"
"They were. So close" Rey felt Leia lean across and tuck some hair behind her ear. She looked up and saw that the older woman was looking at her, her eyes filling with nothing but love. Both failed to notice that Kylo was watching them in fascination. His Mother had never taken to anyone this well before. Rey was simply a maid, albeit a pretty one, but Kylo had no interest in her, so he didn't understand his Mother's interest… Or so he tried to tell himself. Deep inside he knew that Rey was a likeable character and exactly the type of woman his Mother had wished for in a daughter, but she had been stuck with him. Kylo knew it pained her that she couldn't have any more children after him, and it made Kylo's childhood very lonely, which is why he ended up the way he did; Dark and secluded.
"Oh, it seems I have forgotten the lemonade!" Leia exclaimed suddenly, dropping her hand from Rey's face as she stood
"Allow me to-" Rey started, but Leia was already on her feet
"Nonsense. Enjoy the sun, I will be right back" Leia said with a smile and a wink, before shooting her Son a pointed look, and turning to head back to the manor, leaving Kylo and Rey to sit in awkward silence.
The silence stretched on until Rey couldn't take it anymore
"Your Mother is delightful" She said and Kylo's eyes, which had previously been glaring out towards the manor, snapped to hers
"She has her moments" He managed, never having been very good at small talk "She's a menace. Always has to interfere in my life. Treats me like a child who can't do things myself" He grumbled, hoping his Mother was watching through his eyes
"I find her quite charming… She paints you in a very flattering light" Rey admitted. Kylo raised an eyebrow at her in a way which made her heart skip a beat
"Flattering?" He asked, and Rey nodded, avoiding his gaze "That's surprising. She's always painted me in a bad light in the past. I was always the troublesome Son she never wanted" He laughed without humour and Rey looked at him horrified
"Oh. No!" She exclaimed "She speaks quite highly of you to me" Rey insists, sitting higher on her knees "Perhaps she just didn't want to feed your ego?" Rey suggested and Kylo scoffed
"You think I have an ego?" Kylo asked with a smirk, and Rey flushed
"N-No!... Well, maybe a little" Rey said quietly,then startled when the man opposite her let out a loud laugh
"It is quite refreshing to not have people lying to appease me" He smirked at Rey
"Well, that's one thing I will never do" Rey smiled a small smile
"What else do you think of me?" He asked curiously, leaning towards Rey slightly
"Oh no. I may not lie to you, but I shan't incriminate myself" Rey laughed
"Please do" Kylo smirked to her and she flushed as his voice dropped only slightly, really catching Kylo's attention. The flush ran from her cheek down her slender neck, making it seem longer than her work clothes made it seem. Her dark hair shone as it caught the sun and cascaded over her shoulders. Her lips were naturally quite pink and plump, only heightened as her face filled with colour in a way that had something stirring deep inside him.
He averted his eyes quickly, scolding himself internally for letting himself look. He had taken this girl from her home to clean his house. That was all. He didn't like people, didn't want them close to him. He was better off alone. He didn't have the need for women in his life. He had let his guard down too much around this woman already, and he couldn't afford to grow attached. Attachment was a weakness he simply couldn't have. Besides, who would want to be around a monster like him?
"Sorry I took so long, Rose had to find where she had stored the lemonade" Leia called as she made her way down to them with a pitcher of liquid and some glasses. When she was settled she took a look at the pair, both refusing to make eye contact, Ben looking down at the ground, Rey looking up to the sky with a flush on her cheeks. She smirked as she poured out glasses of lemonade for them all
"It's not a problem Ma'am" Rey smiled, her blush fading ever so slightly
"Honestly Rey, after our tryst getting you into that dress this morning you can call me Leia" She laughed and Rey flushed again with a nod "Anyway, it was worth the effort, you look lovely" Leia asked with a knowing smile, which only made Rey blush deeper and look down to hide her deep red cheeks. She then turned on her son "Doesn't she Ben?" Leia asked, putting her Son on the spot, which she knew he hated
"I-I guess" He shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant, but even after all these years, his Mother could still read him like a book
"Yes. Much better than the clothes my son put you in" Leia shook her head, choosing to return to the picnic, relishing in the awkward silence that spanned between the 2.
So not as long as I would like, but much longer than the last! I'll update again soon, but we haven't heard the last of Rey's Mother!
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