A/N: This story's moving along nicely! I think this may be a slow burn lol Idk yet. We'll have to see how this goes. Hope you're enjoying it so far!


Marrying the Monster

Chapter 4: Market


Rey and Ren walked through the market together. Her eyes were full of wonder as he watched her flit between the booths. He couldn't help but watch as he saw the pure joy on her face. It was refreshing to see someone so happy. She truly was a ray of sunshine in his life. He only hoped she'd stay that way when she knew the truth. "Ren!" she called as she showed off something to him.

He walked up to her silently, easing his way through the crowd, not really liking to be touched. "What's that?"

She couldn't help but laugh. "It's a book. Don't you read?" He shot her a look, but remained silent. "Can I?" she asked as she offered it to him. He blinked in surprise. The future Duchess was asking him if she could purchase something? Why would a Duchess ask a Knight for permission? He supposed it was because she wasn't technically married yet. That had to be it. He reached down and retrieved the credits from his pouch to give to the merchant with a nod.

The merchant graciously accepted with a smile and Rey squealed happily. "Thank you!" she giggled as she held the book close, still looking at the different booths with amazement. Her eyes went to a textile booth and she darted through the crowd to it. He kept his eye on her and followed closely behind. "Ren, look at the colors!" she said as she gently ran her fingers across the different silks and fabrics. "They don't have colors like these in the south."

Ren remained silent as he looked from her face to the fabrics, then back at her face again. "Would you like a dress made?" Her eyes flickered over to him in shock. "Or... should we have some pants made?"

Rey blushed as she darted her eyes back down to the fabric. "N-no... that's ok..."

Ren rolled his eyes just as the woman running the booth came up to ask if she could help. He leaned over Rey and told the woman, "Could you measure her for a dress, pants and a shirt of her choosing?"

The woman nodded happily and led Rey over to the changing stall. "R-Ren!" she called as she was ushered behind a curtain. He crossed his arms with a satisfied smirk, waiting patiently for the two to be finished. His eyes lazily leapt from booth to booth, wondering what else they had here. He'd never really ventured into the market. That's what he had Hux for. Truth be told, he was having a decent time. His eyes landed on another booth. He made his way over there and looked at the wares silently.

"How may I-" the man stopped mid-sentence when he recognized Ren. "O-oh, Sir Kylo Ren! How may I help you?"

Ren noticed the instant fear in the man's voice and couldn't help but frown. Well... he supposed that decent time was short lived. "Just this," he said as he lifted something off of the table.

The man nodded and trembled. "Y-yes, sir. Please take it."

Ren's brows knitted together. "That's called stealing," he gently reminded him. The merchant's color drained from his face at the implications. Ren reached into his pouch and gave the man more than enough credits to pay for the items he selected. "Thank you. I'm sure I'll be back. Don't tell anyone my identity," he said as he allowed the merchant to box up his gift. He nodded his thanks and walked back to the textile booth just as Rey and the merchant woman had finished up. The women walked back giggling and laughing quietly. It was only when Rey's eyes landed on Ren that she blushed and curtsied at the merchant.

"Thank you, Amilyn."

"It was a pleasure, Lady Rey. Now, about the fabric...?"

"O-oh!" Rey looked at the different colors before grabbing Ren's arm and yanking him to the booth. "Which color should I choose?" she asked, unsure of how to go about the selection.

Ren looked down at her curiously. "What color do you like?"

Rey blushed and hesitantly shook her head. "I've never picked out my own colors before... Poe and Finn usually took care of the dresses at Luke's order..."

He had a little sympathy for her when she said that. He sighed softly to himself and looked at the colors the woman was offering. He pointed to a soft green. "For a dress. And for a shirt." He then pointed to a dark brown. "For pants."

She smiled up at him. "Thank you."

He shrugged it off. "Are you only getting one of each, or-"

"Yes. I don't want to spend a lot of money on myself..." Her cheeks were a little flushed as she said those words. "Um... Ren... do you..." He looked down at her curiously. "Do you know Kylo's measurements?"

His eyes widened a hair. "Why?"

"I wanted to get him an outfit, too. Will you help me?"

He blinked in confusion and looked at the woman known as Amilyn. The pink haired woman wore a knowing smile, but said nothing. He looked back down at Rey, who was silently pleading with him to help before sighing in defeat. He dug through his pocket for a moment and handed Amilyn a piece of paper. "These are the measurements." He looked down at Rey. "I have to warn you... he doesn't really like colors for himself."

"What would he like?" she asked as she looked at the fabrics Amilyn had to offer.

Ren hesitantly looked through what she had and tapped a black color and a navy blue color and a grey color. "What would you like made, my lady?" Amilyn asked with a smile.

Rey thought for a moment. "Grey vest, black vest... grey shirt, blue shirt... all three pants, please." She hesitated before looking up at Ren. "Is that... too much?"

Ren felt his heart flutter for a moment and he had to resist the urge to smile at her. His lips twitched in a small smirk. "He'll like it," he said as he reached into the pouch and handed Amilyn the total. "Two days?"

Amilyn nodded with a smile. "As usual, sir."

Ren nodded and ushered Rey on as the two exchanged their goodbyes. Rey smiled happily as she walked through the market, peacefully looking around at the different booths. "Are you getting hungry?" Ren asked as he smelled food.

"A little..."

He nodded and walked to a bench for her to sit at. "I would ask what you would like, but you don't know much about the north," he teased. She smiled at him then. "I'll be back," he promised, nodding his head and disappearing into the crowd.

She sat back a little and looked around at all the people walking by. There were some wearing a dress like hers, other women wore pants and a nice peasant shirt. The men were dressed nicely in shirts and pants, not really much variation, except in color. She would have expected the north to be full of dreary colors, but it was pleasantly bright. It was funny, really. The south was full of dreary colors, with only women wearing the colors while the men wore monochromatic or dark colors. But here in the north... everyone was colorful. She wondered if the reason Kylo wore such dark, uninteresting colors, was because of his origin in the south. The more she thought about him, the more she wondered how he was and what his preferences were again.

But then her mind made the mistake of putting Ren's face with Kylo's mystery. She blushed as she snapped herself from her reverie. She couldn't fall for Ren. He was the Knight. He wasn't her betrothed! Her gut wrenched within her as she realized that she was being too careless with her emotions. Ren was just being cordial as he took her out to see the north and what the culture was like. It didn't mean anything. Ren was only here to make sure she transitioned well into the north's customs. And here she was thinking too highly of herself. "Rey?" he called, making her attention snap to him again. He held out a skewer filled with colorful vegetables and meat as he cradled two drinks in his arms. It was then that she noticed what he was wearing. He wore a black, form-fitting top, much like the Knights earlier today. He didn't have any armor though. It was just a long-sleeved, form-fitting black top that hugged every muscle that threatened to burst out of the shirt at any moment. His pants were the normal black pants the other Knights wore, too, along with black boots. She noticed a sword at his hip, sheathed in its proper place. Nothing out of the sorts for a Knight, but he made it look good. "Are you going to stare at it? Or are you going to take it?"

Rey blushed as she realized she'd been staring off into space (and his chest). She took the skewer from him with a soft thanks. He sat down next to her and offered her a drink as well. "Are you unwell?" he asked.

Ohhhh, if only he knew... She shook her head silently, trying to reconcile her thoughts to come back to the realm of propriety. "What is this?" she asked as she looked at the skewer.

"Peppers, squash, lamb... I think that's zucchini? I don't know," he said as he shrugged. She couldn't help but laugh as she bit into the red pepper at the top.

"It's good... Thank you," she said with a smile. He nodded as he ate his own in silence. "And... thank you for taking me out today. It's been nice. I never knew the north was so... colorful."

"Not what you were expecting, I take it," he stated, rather than asked as he took a sip from his drink.

She gave him a small hesitant smile. "No... No it wasn't," she said as she sipped her drink, too. The delightful taste of strawberries met her tongue and she smiled wide. "This is delicious!"

He snickered then. "It's a seasonal drink. Strawberry Rhubarb wine."

She smiled at him. "It's good."

"I'm glad you like it," he snickered as he continued to eat.

A comfortable silence fell between them as they ate in silence and watched the different people pass. Some were on a date and as in love as they could be. Others looked to be close friends. Others were nervous, like it was their first outing together. "I'm sorry for earlier," she said softly as she turned the cup in her hands. He glanced over at her quietly. "I... shouldn't have assumed Kylo Ren was so terrible based off of what I'd heard. I truly am sorry. And I shouldn't have put you in that position either. You're clearly loyal to him, and you seem like a good person, so if you're loyal to him, he mustn't be too awful." Ren felt his cheeks heat up just slightly as he averted his sight from her. He hid behind his drink as she continued to speak. "I just don't know why I'm here. If the south treated him that badly... maybe the south does need to lose the war. After all, they made him into what he is today."

Ren was quiet for a few more moments, thinking about what he'd say. He sighed softly as he stared down at the cup in his hands. "Luke was terrible to him... but the whole region shouldn't suffer for the actions of a few. If marriage is the only way to end this war... then I don't see a reason to stop it."

"But what if it doesn't work? What if people from the north or people from the south are heavily against it and start an uprising?"

"I thought about that, too. But that's not something we should worry about until it's an actual threat. If we spent all the time we had worrying about the what-if's, we would never get anywhere. Don't you agree?" he asked as he turned his sight to her.

She gave him a small smile. "You're right." She looked up at the sky and realized it was probably mid afternoon. "Have we really been gone that long?" she said with a sigh.

He looked at the sky as well. "I suppose so. We should probably head back. I need to assist Kylo with that mission." Rey nodded quietly as Ren helped her up. They walked back to the carriage quietly, comfortably. When they made it back, Rey leaned her head against the window with a sigh and closed her eyes. Ren hesitantly sat next to her and offered his shoulder as he crossed his arms. "I'm probably more comfortable than the window." She gave a tired laugh as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

The ride went quickly as she quietly slept against his shoulder and he stared out the window, thinking about their time together today. No doubt about it, he'd started to develop some feelings for her. He didn't know what he would describe them as, but he could definitely tell he didn't detest her. She was fiery, truthful, determined... She was refreshing. He found he didn't mind her company. He found he was actually excited to get up this morning. To have a day where they could spend time together, uninterrupted, and just talk. Sure, the conversation hadn't gone exactly how he thought it would, but she seemed to have handled his outburst pretty well. After all, she didn't shy away and grovel. She sincerely thought about what he'd said and apologized for her lack of understanding. Truthfully, that was all he wanted from anyone: understanding. He'd never been understood his whole life. Luke cast him aside without trying to help him. He'd tried to extinguish him as some kind of threatening ember that would cause a wildfire one day.

But Luke didn't understand how powerful he'd become. Now that he had his anger to go off of, he was flourishing. He'd backed Luke into a corner this time. He'd made Luke feel helpless in such a way that Luke felt he was out of options. So he sent away his only adopted child. All in the name of a truce. But this girl was no idiot. She knew the war wouldn't just stop. He'd underestimated her. Maybe Kylo could use this to his advantage. Maybe if he could get this girl to get Luke to surrender...

He shook his head quietly. He wouldn't be like Luke. He wouldn't use her like Luke did. No, she was worth more than that. She deserved to be treated like a person and not some bargaining chip. He glared out the window as he thought about his dear uncle. How he'd deserted him. Left him for dead as he shipped him off to the north. How he'd had to fight to get to where he was now. He had himself to thank for the success and reputation he'd acquired over the years. Sure, Luke was the catalyst, but Kylo Ren had forged his own path. He'd discovered supernatural things about himself, too. Maybe that was what Luke was trying to hide about him. Maybe that was why he was so scared of him.

Kylo looked down at his hand as he played with the gift box he'd gotten at the market. He lifted it into the air inches off of his hand as it levitated there. He caught it a few moments later, glaring at it. He'd done some research into what had happened to him. Apparently, there were only a handful of individuals that could move things with their minds. He was fortunate enough to be one of them. He, and the Knights of Ren, were able to do it. According to the books, they were called Manipulators of the Force. While the name was boring, he found the ability to be thrilling. He and the Knights had become sneaky in their ways of manipulating it. In battle, they'd use it just enough to make the enemy trip up or swing a fraction off so they could gain the upper hand. It became especially useful in hand to hand combat, too. They could manipulate it to make their punches harder, their feet faster, their accuracy higher. It was a very well kept secret. No one knew about it.

But he knew Rey would learn about it soon enough. Especially with her love of reading. All she'd had to do was go to the library and do some reading. And he wouldn't bother to stop her. Heck, he'd probably show her what he could do. When he was doing research, he'd read that the powers came through certain bloodlines. Only two known families were written down: the Skywalkers, and the Palpatines. Everything else was blank. The books had told him that there were several other families that had once gained access to these powers, but their bloodlines, over time, slowly died out. But there were still some in the Skywalkers and Palpatines that had some heirs to the force. Kylo Ren just happened to be one of them from the Skywalker line. The rest of the Knights were mixed from the Skywalkers and Palpatines.

He looked down at the woman leaning against his shoulder and gently moved the hair from her face, causing her to squirm a little. Her eyes fluttered open as she looked up at him. She sat up and stretched silently, looking out the window for a brief moment, then back at him. "How long was I out?"

"We're pulling up to the house now," he said as he nodded out the window on his side.

Her eyes widened as she blushed. "I was out that long!? Why didn't you wake me?"

"To do what? Sit here in boredom and stare at each other while we rode?" he teased.

She felt her lips pull up in a grin as she playfully punched his arm. He snickered then as they pulled up to the house. He got out the carriage and helped her out quietly. When she went to walk off, he tightened his grip on her hand for a moment. With his back to the front door, he gave her the small package he'd had prepared. She looked at the box in his hand before looking up at him. "What-"

"A gift," he said as he offered it to her.

She took it hesitantly and opened the box to reveal a green peridot necklace and matching earrings surrounded with silver. She smiled warmly at the gift. "Ren, thank you. It's beautiful."

He leaned forward and kissed her cheek quickly, not even allowing her time to react. Her mouth hung agape as she stared up at him, blushing. "Now we both have secrets to keep from the Duke," he teased as he retreated into the stables.

She stood there in silence as she tried to process what had happened. The kiss was so light; had she imagined it? Was she still sleepy? Surely that had to be it! He wouldn't risk his position as a Knight of Ren for her. And he especially wouldn't make a move on the Duke of Destruction's woman, would he?! She ran her hand over her face as she made her way inside, her thoughts a tumultuous tempest wrapped in a whirlwind of uncertainty.