The next couple of weeks were nothing like what Xia had anticipated. Instead of serving as a slave to Kylo Ren, she became his student, all while still remaining an unknown asset to General Hux and the others. Xia doubted that the rest of the First Order knew what he was up to.
The training was very strenuous, and yet, after the sessions were over, she always felt energized - full of adrenaline and...life.
On the first day, in his chambers, he had her break a drinking glass with no more than the will of The Force. It took her over an hour to crack it, then only a couple of moments later would it shatter altogether. He had her do it again with another, and by the end of her practice, her head throbbed from the strain.
Day two, she would move a scrap of metal - a rather large one that was practically her size. Each day that probably progressed, the tasks became a little easier for her as she harnessed her energy.
Day eight was when things began to change. Kylo led her onto a transporter that would take them away from The Finalizer. The two of them would arrive on the nearby Crait, where he would train her to use the lightsaber of her second-great uncle. At least here, they wouldn't be disturbed.
The was a harder task than the others he had given her, and it took her another couple of days to learn the swordsmanship. After that, she was to learn how to pair it with The Force.
The transporter was large enough to allow them to rest throughout the next week, though it was somewhat strange to sleep in the same room as her master. She got used to it after a couple of days - perhaps she even found it comforting at that point.
On the last day of her training, though she hadn't reached perfection, she surprised herself. They were dueling with their lightsabers, random patterns of red abstract drawn across the ground from their shifting feet as they pushed aside snow.
The lightsaber came towards her face, and instead of ducking out of the way, she quickly held up her hand, determined to keep it from coming any further. The red glow of the saber colored her face, and even Kylo Ren seemed quite impressed when he struggled to push it forward. He pulled back, and Xia thought she caught a glimpse of a smile.
"Good work," he said, putting on his mask. "I think it's time we return to the flagship. You deserve a break."
Xia panted, following him onto the transporter's ramp. "Thank you, sir."
When they finally returned to the hallway outside of their rooms, BB-3 wheeled into view, squealing in cheer to see Xia for the first time in two weeks. She kneeled down in front of the Droid with a smile.
"Good to see you, too."
She looked at Kylo Ren, who was prying off his headpiece once more.
"Is there anything you need from me before I go clean up?"
His next words were quite predictable as he nodded. "Draw a bath, and you may rest for tonight and tomorrow."
A whole day to herself without any tasks? What was she going to do with herself?
"Yes, sir." She only smiled after she turned away from him and headed into Kylo Ren's washroom to start the bath. She collected a towel, neatly folding it on the marble counter close by.
Once the water level and temperature were just right, she shut off the faucet. As she turned to leave, her master was already entering, exposed from the waist up. It wasn't a sight she was unfamiliar with; she rarely even gave it a second thought, though wouldn't deny he was built nicely.
"It's ready, sir. Is there anything else you need?"
"Just to take care of yourself for the rest of evening. You deserve it."
She gave him a bow before excusing herself. "Thank you, sir."
She closed the door behind her, and as she reunited with BB-3 in her own chambers, she practically collapsed into the chair with a sigh. "What a long, two weeks," she huffed. "But it was... interesting."
"Bwooop?"
"Okay, okay. It was...kind of fun, actually."
BB-3 made another inquiry, his tone almost teasing, and immediately, Xia's eyes got big.
"What!?" she exclaimed. "No. Absolutely not. Our relationship is strictly professional. I wouldn't jeopardize that."
It had never been a concept to her before that Kylo Ren would be anything more to her than her master. She respected him and admired him as a strong, fearless leader, and very recently, a great teacher, but...
She inhaled. She was a young woman, and though regrettably not a virgin, she never had an exchange that was mutual. Ivan had only once claimed her when she was fifteen, and that had been nothing but a nightmare.
But Kylo Ren, while he was much more respectful than Ivan, surely wasn't that sort of man, was he?
He was just always so serious.
Xiamara tried not to muse over it any longer as she got herself cleaned up and changed into a clean set of plain, black clothes. Meanwhile, the droid was quietly making a series of beeps and boops in a sing-songy fashion, and she wasn't so sure if he was doing it to entertain her or himself.
As soon as her head hit the pillow, Xia was out like a light, that she couldn't even remember hearing BB-3's song coming to an end.
She had the most beautiful dream.
She was in a vast field of lavender and yellow blossoms, and a bright, warm sun was beating down on the top of her head. Nothing was holding her back, and no one was keeping her from going further. She would roll down a hill that took her to a glistening lake. She wanted to drink the water, which was as clear as blue glass.
She propped herself onto her knees, and she cupped her hands together to collect the water into them. It felt cold, but refreshing on her tongue, and as she swallowed, it was as if at that moment, she suddenly had never known thirst.
She dipped her hands into the water again, and suddenly, she couldn't pull them back out. It was as if the soil at the bottom had grown vines and wrapped itself around her wrists. She gasped, trying to pull away, but it was too strong. The vines trailed further up her arms, pulling her lower and lower towards the surface of the water.
They were trying to pull her in.
She pulled as hard as she could, but soon, her face was submerged, and she struggled to hold her breath.
Wake up!
Lucid, her eyes shot open, but the inability to catch her breath still remained. In the darkness of her room, a figure loomed over her, a hand clamped over her mouth.
"Make a sound, and I will end you slowly."
The deep voice was unmistakable, and it immediately struck terror into Xia. Ivan had found her, as it seemed his lackies couldn't retrieve her for him.
"I was about to give up on finding you, but when the others I sent never returned, I imagined they were probably already dead. So, an eye for an eye, if you will..."
He was going to kill her, regardless. He wasn't here to claim her back. He was here for revenge. The bastard didn't give up easily, that was for sure.
Behind him, BB-3 tried to zap him with electricity, but the current only seemed to piss him off more than anything else. The droid squealed as Ivan kicked it away and into the hallway, grumbling irritably. "Damn heap of trash. Always a nuisance..."
What was fear rapidly evolved into something else. She had never really felt it before, but she knew it was fueling her, and she needed to use it if she was going to survive this night.
She bit down on his finger. Hard. The bitter taste of copper filled her mouth, but all she could focus on was climbing out of that bed before he could recover.
"Bitch!" he yelled in pain, holding his injured hand with the other, blood trickling onto the hard, polished floor. "You've never known pain like what I am about to-"
His voice cracked, and he began to choke on the air. His hands went to his throat as if to pull away whatever was wrapped around it, but there was nothing there. Then, as Ivan's body lifted from the ground, and he struggled for breath, Xia spotted Kylo Ren at the doorway, his hand held up towards the intruder. Behind him, the damaged droid rolled into view. It seemed that BB-3 had gone to get help. Most cases, the young woman might have felt hesitant about displaying such violence, but in this case...
She outstretched her arm to one side, and with her focus and teachings, and her heart filled with a raging fire from her past, she willed a saber to her. It took only a moment, as a hilt came flying into the room at incredible speed, through the doorway and into her grasp.
"No," she muttered, hatred slithering through the single word, as well as the ones that followed. She pushed the end of the hilt against his throat. "You will not put me through that suffering ever again."
A crimson light shed onto her face as two beams shot from the hilt, one on both ends. Only a very brief lapse of surprise struck her as she realized she had summoned a lightstaff. The other end had already embedded itself into his skull, protruding from the top of his head before it would disappear. The staff fell from her shaking hand, hitting the hard floor with a heavy clang!
As Ivan's lifeless body collapsed, it was as if Xia hadn't realized what she had done until that moment. "What have I done...?" Blood coated her arm and shoulder, and the sight nearly made her ill. She couldn't imagine where else the blood had reached to.
She had never killed anyone before - never even dreamt that she would be capable of it. Despite what her former master had put her through, she was feeling as though she had gone too far.
"It needed to be done. He abused you for such a long time. It was only a matter of time before he got what he deserved."
Kylo Ren approached her calmly, cupping her face into his hands. They were strangely soft - just enough to calm her mind and stop her body from shaking. She didn't say it out loud, but he was right. She hated that beast of a man with every fiber she had; he had it coming.
"I don't think I can go to sleep right now," she confessed. He nodded in understanding.
"Go to my quarters while I take care of the mess. I won't be long."
She hesitated for a moment, but watching BB-3 roll out of view and into the direction of Ren's bedroom, she abided.
As BB-3 quietly led her into the chamber, Xiamara tried to wrap her head around the past, few minutes. Not just the fact that she had killed the creature that owned her for years and once molested her, but how had he managed to get here undetected?
She remembered the night when the other two of the clan had attacked her. She could only imagine he arrived with them at the time, but managed to stay hidden aboard the ship and try to throw her off guard.
She exhaled, and finally, the droid made a reluctant, somwhat concerned series of beeps, inquiring if she was okay.
"I... don't know, buddy." She looked at BB-3, noticing the shiny, black paint had chipped in a spot where it had been kicked. Recalling how the droid had not exactly been treated fairly since they got acquainted either, she smiled sadly, kneeling by her friend and using her sleeve to try and polish the blemish. "I'll make sure to fix you up, okay?"
Vriiip broooop!
Seemingly more cheery by the promise she made, BB-3 pivoted before it would roll in place, doing a full circle.
"I should have something to touch up the droid."
Kylo Ren was at the doorway, and for a moment, Xia was surprised that he had taken so little time in taking care of Ivan's body. She was ready to ask questions, but stopped herself. He was still her master. It was no good to get too curious and come off as sassy.
"That was quick." She then noticed blood on his arm and clothes. It hadn't been exactly the cleanest process, she could tell. So, she was ready to do what she did best, despite her own anxiety. "Would you like me to draw a bath?"
"Please."
She did so eagerly. As she went into the bathroom to start the hot water, it didn't take long for steam to rise from the white basin. For a moment, she would close her eyes, clear her mind, and simply feel the heat smother her face. She had done this long enough time where she knew when to shut off the running water, even without looking at the level.
Once it was silent, behind her, the door opened, which slightly alarmed her. She usually would leave the room before he came in, but instead, he was holding two, white towels in his arms.
"Undress."
She froze, her heart beating faster. "I'm sorry?"
No. She definitely heard that right.
"Would you like for me to turn away?"
"I..."
She cleared her throat. Even though the air in the washroom was humid, she knew she was blushing.
"I'll let you decide, master."
Out of politeness, he turned his back to her. Xia began taking off her clothes. The water was very hot, but waiting for it to cool down wasn't exactly an option. Feeling obligated to hurry in, she winced until she was submerged to the shoulders. Her skin adjusted quickly to it, and soon, it felt blissful just to sink into the bathwater. Soon, Ivan's blood began to wash away from her skin.
Ren was positioned behind her, and she hadn't known until he was kneeling by the tub, rolling up his sleeves, that he had turned back around. Before she could protest, a clean rag was dipped into the water and brushed up her arm.
Trying to distract herself from this whole, strange situation, she tried to make small talk. "Will we be training more, sir?"
"Perhaps, after a few days. I wouldn't want to strain you beyond repair. Besides, you've been through a great deal tonight."
He seemed so calm. Xia tried to keep herself from simply melting underneath the touch. This was... completely unexpected
A few minutes slipped by, and Xia found herself getting more comfortable. He moved to her back, and she felt a thumb trace a line near her spine. "What happened here?"
Xia didn't feel any pain, but she knew he was indicating to an old scar. One of Ivan's trophies that would forever be branded upon her skin. It went beneath the waterline and further down her back.
"A reminder that I'm in much better hands now than I was a couple of years ago."
"Is that so? Did the Feeorin hybrid do this to you?"
"A long time ago."
She inhaled, and soon, Kylo Ren's voice took a different tone, hardening with what seemed to be anger.
"He won't hurt you anymore. That I can promise."
"I've never killed anyone before. I don't know if I can live with that." Did this mean she was doomed to the Dark Side? She acted out of revenge, no matter how much she tried to tell herself it was self-defense. She was disgusted with herself, and yet, at the same time...
"You have to. The beast has done nothing but hold you back. Doesn't it make you feel more alive to know he can't do this to you again? You're free, Xia."
As his fingertips stroked her back, Xia's next move came completely without plan. She stood up from the basin, naked and wet as she shot off.
"Fine. I'm glad I killed him. It felt good to thrust that saber through his fucking skull. Is that what you wanted to hear!?"
Shit.
That was probably a bad idea. The galaxy seemed to stop entirely. She stared at him as he stared back, her heart beating so hard, she thought it might break through her chest, but to her surprise, she soon realized it wasn't anger in his eyes. Somehow, she felt what he felt, and it became primal lust.
"Yes," he said, rising slowly.
With ease, he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her out of the tub. Once she was on her feet in front of him, there was a few seconds longer that she just stared up at him.
She couldn't stand it anymore. Throwing all caution to the wind, she crushed his lips with hers. She felt his hand at the back of her neck, squeezing slightly as if to indicate he was all for this. Xia sounded the moan that had been trapped inside of her, and soon, she was scooped up and carried back into the chilly bedchambers.
Thankfully, it seemed that the droid had already excused himself from the area.
With her skin still slick from the bathwater, she shivered even as he laid her on the black sheets. Her nipples were hard like rubies, and it took all she had not to make it visible that she was cold.
Kylo Ren pulled his damp shirt over his head and tossed it aside, and the girl found herself biting her lip in response. She had never felt this sort of excitement before, and even the vulnerability she felt didn't dampen that, oddly enough.
He crawled over her like a predator, one hand drawing an invisible, straight line from her belly and up between her breasts. She trembled in anticipation, and her body felt like it floated on the ocean of silk beneath her. She felt weightless, and her tongue tingled with anticipation to taste him again.
He kissed her, his hands exploring her curves, fingers picking up cool droplets of water along the way. It was as though the events of earlier had been completely forgotten, though in a way, perhaps they had awoken something else entirely.
Something dark, and yet, as he had said, something free.