A/N: Moving right along to chapter 5! Looks like Rey will finally get to know who Kylo Ren is! Enjoy!


Marrying the Monster

Chapter 5: Meeting the Monster


Rey had lost track of time. Before she knew it, Rose was knocking on her door calling her for a bath. She dazedly got up and went to the door, following Rose to the bath in silence as the girl chatted away. She couldn't tell you what she was talking about. She was too lost in her own thoughts to be a part of the conversation. Ren kissed her. Ren, Kylo's faithful Knight, kissed her. And he asked her to keep it a secret. She was mentally anguishing over this, but at the same time, she found she welcomed it.

"Rey?" Rose called, turning back to her with evident concern.

"Hm?"

"Are you ok? Do you need to talk about something?"

"No!" Rey said hurriedly. She felt her face reddening at the very thought of disclosing that information to Rose. She didn't even know how she felt about it yet, so how could she talk to Rose about it? "It's not important..."

Rose looked at her curiously. "Ok... if you're sure..." Rey absently nodded, retracting back into herself against her better judgment. "Well... as I was saying, we ran out of rose petals and rose oil, so I used lavender instead. I hope you'll like it." Rey averted her sight to the side. Rose sighed as she undid Rey's dress to help her get into the bath. "Listen... I know it's none of my business... but I consider you my friend. And when I see my friend acting so downhearted and anxious, I worry." Rey sighed softly. "I'm worried about you, Rey. Will you please tell me what happened?"

Rey slipped out of her dress and undergarments before walking to the bath. She set her feet in the hot water, hissing as the heat started to melt away some of the worries of the day. "I... don't know what I'm doing here."

"You're marrying the Duke...?" Rose asked as she sat down on the corner of the square bath.

Rey shook her head. "No... I don't think I should..." she said softly.

"Ok... you're not making sense, Rey. What happened between you and..." Rose thought for a moment. "Ren, was it?"

Rey sighed and buried her face in her hands. "I had a good time at the market with him."

"That's a good thing!"

"No, Rose, it's not!" she shouted as tears started to form in her eyes again.

"I'm... confused..."

Rey sighed as she slipped further into the water, letting the water ease up to her belly now. She shuddered at the heat, the scent of lavender filing her nose and dispelling some of her irritations and stresses. She loved aromatherapy! She stood hip deep in the water as she looked Rose, her eyes full of pain and confusion. "Rose... I had a good time with Ren. Ren is Kylo's Knight. He's not my... betrothed." Rose stared at her, as if waiting for her to continue the explanation past what she already knew. Rey sighed with a small whimper then. She just wanted to disappear. "I like Ren, Rose."

Rose's eyes widened. "Oh..." she breathed in a small voice. Rey was silently grateful that Rose finally caught on to what she was trying to say. She sank the rest of herself into the bath, sitting and pulling her knees to her chest. Rose moved closer to Rey and gently put her hand on her shoulder in reassurance. "Well... how do you know you don't like Kylo? You said you haven't even met him yet, right?" Rey nodded. "So, then, what if Kylo is better?"

Rey looked up at Rose then. "Is he? Because all I've heard is that he's a blood thirsty monster that was abandoned by his own family."

Rose sighed and looked off to the side. "That's true... but... Circumstances don't define a person, right?" Rey thought hard on what Rose was saying. She was telling the truth. Circumstances didn't define someone; it was what they chose to do with those circumstances and how they let it mold them that mattered. "Listen... didn't Ren say that he was going to arrange a meeting with you and Kylo tonight?" Rey nodded silently. "Ok, then problem solved. Tonight, you'll meet your future husband and you'll get to talk to him and-"

"But what if I don't like him more than I like Ren? What then?"

Rose faltered for a moment. "Um... how do I say this nicely...?" she said as she furrowed her brows in concentration. "There's no better way to say this... may I speak freely?"

"Rose, you don't have to ask that... you're my friend."

Rose nodded. "If you don't feel the same about Kylo as you do Ren, it's in your best interest to choose Kylo anyway." Rey flinched at that. She knew it was true, but it still hurt to hear nonetheless. "Honestly, I don't think it will be a problem, Rey. If you like Ren, you'll like Kylo." Rey decided not to push it, so she just nodded her head in agreement. There was a nagging feeling that she wouldn't like Kylo more than Ren though. She didn't know how she would be able to reconcile that within herself, but she knew she had to if she had any hope of this marriage working out. "So... what happened at the market today?"

Rey scoffed with a small smile. "He bought me the book I wanted." Rose raised a brow at that, but gave her a small smile. Rey only giggled in return. "I like to read. I asked him if I could get it and he paid for it for me," she said with a small smile. "I know it's silly..."

"No, not at all. It's sweet."

Rey's smile grew a little and became filled with affection. "We also went to the booth of Amilyn, the textile merchant."

"Oh, right! How is she doing? It's been a while since I've seen her."

Rey shrugged. "She seemed happy enough. Ren paid for a dress, a shirt, and pants for me." She blushed then. "A-and he helped me get something for Kylo, too..."

Rose giggled as she playfully nudged Rey. "What did you get your husband to be?"

Rey nonchalantly shrugged. "A couple of vests, shirts and pants... Nothing too fancy..."

"I'm sure he'll love that you thought about him."

Rey smiled with uncertainty. "Yeah..."

"What else did you do?"

"Ren got us some food."

"Ohh! What did he get?" Rose asked excitedly.

Rey tried to remember what he said it was. "Um... it was a skewer... with peppers, squash, lamb and," she smiled softly, "zucchini." Rose didn't miss the look as she giggled next to her friend. "Oh, and Strawberry Rhubarb wine."

"Oh, that's back in season already, huh?" Rose said thoughtfully. Rey nodded. "That sounds like a nice time."

Rey giggled a little as she uncurled a little, leaning her head back against the tub, hair out of the water. "Before he left me to go on his mission, he gave me a gift."

Rose's eyes widened. "A gift? Ren usually doesn't give gifts..."

Rey blushed and felt even worse knowing what she had to do. Knowing that he didn't usually give out gifts just made her heart ache to have to tell him that she couldn't pursue her affections for him. She felt a hand on her shoulder again, causing her to look up at Rose, who's eyes shone with pity. "Sorry," Rey breathed as she rushed to wipe her eyes from the unfallen tears.

Rose shook her head. "It'll be all right, Rey. Trust me." Rey nodded quietly as she held her friend's hand. After a few moments, Rose decided she would go get Rey some clothes to change into. "I'll be back. I'm going to get you some fresh clothes."

Rey nodded as Rose left the bathroom, leaving her to her thoughts. She looked up at the night sky pouring in through the skylight. She let out a soft sob as she quietly mourned the loss of what could have been with Ren. She'd never been in love before and she'd never felt loved before. But for some reason, he was the one she could imagine herself with. It would be very difficult for her to give him up, especially knowing that they'd be living together. The only thing that kept her going was thinking that after the year, maybe she would be able to be with him. She frowned at that thought and sighed in irritation at herself.

She hadn't even married Kylo yet, and she was already tossing him aside. "I'm such a horrible person," she whispered to herself as she held her head and closed her eyes.

"I doubt that."

Rey jumped and quickly covered herself when she heard a man's voice. Her eyes were wide, feeling extremely exposed at the moment. She narrowed and squinted her eyes to see the man's face, but she couldn't see very well with him staying in the shadows. "W-who-"

"I heard you had a good time today." Rey flinched as she looked down. "There's no need to be ashamed of it. Or am I misreading you?"

Rey shook her head. "Are you... Kylo Ren?" she asked as she lifted her sight to look at the shadow that resembled a man.

Before he could answer, there was a knock at the door. "Rey, I brought your- oh!" Rose cowered a little as she curtsied carefully. "M-master Kylo... I'm sorry for intruding." He remained silent and held his hand out to accept what Rose had brought. "H-have a good evening, master," she said as she curtsied, cast a small smile to Rey, and quickly retreated.

"I suppose I have my answer then..." Rey mumbled under her breath.

"Are you disappointed?"

Rey shook her head. "Ren said I'd be meeting you this evening, but I didn't know when."

"My apologies. I had urgent matters to attend to."

Rey shook her head and offered a small smile. "I understand. But..." She lowered her head to stare at the lavender leaves in her bath. "Why didn't you come sooner?"

"I had urgent matters to attend to," he repeated.

She sighed softly and shook her head. "Never mind. It doesn't matter." She sat with her back turned to him against the tub wall, her body thankfully hidden under the lavender leaves that situated atop the water.

"Are you afraid of me?"

His voice was closer than she'd anticipated, causing her to look over her shoulder. She came face to face with a helmet. He smelled of the forest trees and a hint of grass. But also... metal? She stared into the darkened eye holes of the mask, half expecting to be able to see his eyes through the mask, but to no avail. "No," she said softly.

He hummed softly and sat on the edge of the tub at her side. "Did you have a good time with Ren?"

Rey nodded quietly. "He offered a lot of insight. He's good company. I see why you keep him around."

"Do you feel that way of the rest of the Knights, or just him?" Kylo asked, his voice deeper and reverberating under the mask.

Rey's brows pulled together. "What are you insinuating?"

"Nothing. Just curious."

She didn't like the undertone to his question. Was she already accusing her of being an adulteress? "I haven't gotten to know the rest of the Knights. They're not exactly approachable."

"Is that so?" he said as he adjusted his sight to the door. "Do I make you uncomfortable?"

Rey scoffed and rolled her eyes. "It's not everyday that a man I know nothing about, save the rumors circulating, invades my bath time while I'm naked and hiding under lavender leaves. What's there to be uncomfortable about?"

He snickered at her response. "We can talk later if you wish."

Rey thought about it for a moment. "You can... stay..."

Kylo turned his sight to her, seeing her sink a little further into the water with a small blush on her face. "Is there anything you'd like to ask me?"

She thought about it for a moment. "When can I see your face?"

He couldn't help but snicker at that. "That's your first question? When you can see my face?" Her blush darkened as she pouted a little. She was so cute. "Let's play a game." She shot her look up at him then. "I'll take my helmet off... I'll blindfold you... tell me what I look like."

She blushed as she bit her lip quietly. That sounded a bit... intimate... didn't it? "How do I know you won't get an eyeful while I'm blinded?"

He scoffed. His voice sounded like he was smirking though. "If I wanted to do something underhanded like that, I would have already done so. But if it would make you feel better, you can put a robe on or cover up with a towel."

She thought about it for a moment, but nodded quietly. "Ok."

"Good. I'll call for Rose and I'll wait for you in the Duchess' chambers."

Rey nodded as she watched Kylo get up. He stumbled for a moment and grabbed at his side with a hiss of pain. "Are you-"

"I'm fine. Once it heals, it will be a small battle scar, just like the others." He steadied himself and sighed softly. "Wait here."

She watched him leave, worry, though she didn't know why, following behind him. She looked down at the floor and gasped when she saw the blood by the bath. He was bleeding pretty heavily. Her eyes widened at the possibility that he could die. Though she didn't know him, she wasn't inhumane. She still worried for him. He was very clearly hurt. A few moments went by and Rose knocked at the door, entering silently. "Rey-"

"Rose, Kylo's hurt," she said hurriedly as she pointed at the blood on the floor.

Rose's eyes widened a little. "I-I know... Ren's... patching him up before he sees you in your room." Rey could tell she wasn't telling her everything, but her worry for Kylo overtook all reason. "Let's get you dressed," she said with a forced smile.

Rey stood up and allowed Rose to hand her a towel to dry off with. She stared at the blood spot, then she noticed that there was a trail coming and going from the door. It was worse than she thought. She chewed her lip in thought. If he'd bled that much in such a short time... how long had he been bleeding that way? She quickly dried off and snatched the robe from Rose, slipping it on and tearing off out of the bathroom. She followed the blood down the hall, pausing at the Duchess' chambers. She hesitated for a moment, seeing blood on the door knob. It didn't look like the blood went in there though. She followed the trail down the hall a ways and saw it veering off into the Duke's chambers. She chewed her lip a little more as she hesitantly made a move to go to his room. "Rey!" called Rose.

Rey hesitated and flinched as she stood in front of her room, but staring off towards Kylo's. "I-is he-"

"He'll be fine, Rey. Wait in your room like he suggested. I'll go check on him to make sure he's all right."

Rey frowned, but did as she was told. She used her towel to clean off the knob and entered her room. She paced uneasily at the foot of her bed, wringing her hair in thought. She couldn't place why she was so anxious for this man. A man she didn't know at all! And here she was worrying herself to death. She sighed heavily as she sat down on the bench at the foot of the bed. If he'd been bleeding like that for longer than an hour, surely, he was fatigued. Yet, the only sign he showed when he was with her was a wince and a sigh of pain. Her brows pulled together at that. Either he had a high pain tolerance, or he was extremely stubborn.

She heard the handle jiggle before the door to her room opened. What she was greeted with horrified her. The color drained from her face as Ren stumbled in, holding his side. "Rey..." he breathed before falling onto the floor. She rushed to his side and rolled him over, concern marring her features. He opened his eyes as he looked up at her. "I'm sorry," he said weakly as he drifted off into unconsciousness.

"Ren!" Rey called as she gently shook him. "Ren, what happened!?" she asked before looking down at his side he was clutching. She gasped as her eyes widened in realization. That's... the same side Kylo was grasping earlier. Tears came to her eyes, both of betrayal and of concern and of relief. Things started to come together. She gently held him against her as she let out a shaky sigh. No time to waste. "Rose!" she called loudly. It was only a few seconds before she heard loud footsteps down the hallway toward her room. Rose gasped as she saw the scene before her. "Get me gauze, antiseptic, rags, a needle, thread and lots of warm water. Hurry!"

Rose darted out of the room as quickly as she'd entered and Rey looked down at Ren, or rather... Kylo. She looked down at his side and saw the wetness seeping through his shirt. Whatever happened, he was in bad shape. She huffed as she tried to lift him. To no avail. He was way too heavy for her. She groaned in frustration as she tried again, managing to sit him up as she wrapped her arm around his back under his shoulders. "Ren, you need to help me," she grunted in his ear. She didn't receive a response. She heard lots of footsteps darting down the hallway then. Great! Rose brought help! Rose came into the room first, holding the supplies necessary, followed by a few of the Knights. Rey didn't have time to assess which ones. "Help me get him to the bed!" she hissed as she tried to lift him. The Knights all but shoved her out of the way as they lifted Kylo and dragged him to her bed. They unceremoniously dropped him onto the mattress, earning a small hiss from the man in pain. "Thank you," she said to them, gently touching their arms to make her way through to him.

She ripped his shirt and saw the damage. A deep gash in his side, from what looked like a blade. She frowned before looking to Rose. "Wet one rag with warm water and another with antiseptic," she demanded. Rose quickly complied and handed them to Rey. Rey quickly went to work, cleaning around the wound with the warm water rag and then pressing the antiseptic rag directly to the wound. Kylo grunted in pain beneath her. She gently shushed him as she applied pressure, earning a louder growl in return. She looked to Rose again. "Go get me more fresh rags and a bowl of cold water." Rose hurried out of the room, followed by one of the Knights. Rey looked down at the wound as she peeled away the antiseptic rag. The bleeding had slowed, but it was definitely not a good wound. She bit her lips for a minute. "Were you with him when he got this injury?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of the wound.

"Yes."

"Was he stabbed with a sword?" she asked again, dabbing at the wound and pressing the antiseptic to it again.

"Yes."

"How often do the tips break off of the swords?" she asked as she turned her attention to the Knight before her.

The Knight shrugged. "It's possible, but not very common, unless it hit a rib."

Rey looked down at the wound and tried to imagine the angle. She pressed her lips together into a thin line. She knew she had to check to see if there was anything inside of him before she stitched him up. With a sigh, she pointed at the bottle of antiseptic. "Hand me that," she said sternly, not in the mood for formalities. The Knight did as he was told and Rey squirted some onto her hand up to her wrist. She let out a steadying sigh before plunging her fingers into the wound, feeling around and trying to keep Kylo still. "Hold him down! I need to see if there's anything in the wound!" she hissed, wrestling with the man. The Knight quickly went to action and held him down as instructed. Kylo thrashed and squirmed with ferocity as he growled under his breath in pain. "Ren, calm down. Just another minute," she gently purred into his ear. He calmed down a fraction, hesitating for a moment, which was long enough for her to feel around all she needed. She quickly retracted her fingers from the wound, holding a small triangular piece between her two fingers.

The Knight holding him down snickered. "You got guts, girl."

Rey paid him no mind as she set the piece on a rag on the nightstand. She quickly pressed a warm water rag to the wound and grabbed the antiseptic bottle again. She peeled it away from the wound and squirted some antiseptic into the wound, grabbing a new rag to soak it up with. The gash was pretty large, but she was confident she'd be able to sew him up. She looked up at the Knight again. "I'm going to need you to hold him down again. I need to sew him up." The Knight nodded and held Kylo down again firmly. Rey readied the needle and thread, thankful Rose found the perfect embroidery thread to keep him closed. She poured antiseptic onto the needle and thread and faced Kylo again. With another sigh, she went to stitching him up, Kylo jerking when she went into the wound. She gently shushed him, but kept focused on her work. After about the third one, Kylo had grown accustomed to it, she assumed. That, or he passed out from the pain and/or bloodloss.

After a few moments, the Knight and Rose returned to see Rey clipping the thread and the Knight releasing Kylo. The Knight put his hand on her shoulder and gently shook her as if praising her. She smiled up at him as she grabbed the gauze and tape. She placed it on top of the stitches and gently adhered it. Once she was done, she sat back with a sigh. She looked up at the Knight with a small smile. "Thank you for your help, Trudgen."

"How did you-"

"I remember the introductions," she said with a small laugh.

Trudgen snickered under his helmet and shook his head. "You're definitely different, I give you that."

She smiled up at him and looked back at Ren. "Can you help me take his shirt off the rest of the way?" Trudgen nodded and snatched it off the rest of the way, much to Rey's amazement. "Uh... th-thanks!" she laughed.

"He won't be too happy about that, but I enjoyed it," he snickered, tossing a goodbye wave over his shoulder as he and the other Knight left the three alone.

Rey smiled at their backs as they left before turning her sight to Rose. "Thank you, Rose."

Rose smiled affectionately at her. "You saved him."

Rey looked down at him and saw his breathing level out. She sighed in relief. "Why did he lie?" she whispered as she gently moved the hair from his face.

Rose remained silent for a moment. "He... didn't technically..." Rey shot a look over at her. "I mean... he didn't proclaim to not be Kylo... right?"

Rey huffed and shrugged. "I suppose not... but why the games? Why put on the facade?"

"My lady... he was just as curious about you as you were about him. But maybe you should ask him when he wakes up." Rey hesitantly nodded as she settled in at his bedside, setting her head in her hands. "Rey, why don't you-"

"I'm staying here tonight." She glanced over at Rose to see her smiling warmly at her. "I need to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't get a fever."

Rose smiled and nodded. "Of course. Would you like me to bring you anything?"

Rey thought about it for a moment. "Actually... can you bring me my book and..." she looked down at herself. "Another robe...?"

X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

Minutes bled into hours as she sat by his bedside. She dutifully wet and replaced the cold rag on his forehead throughout the night. Ultimately, she decided to get into the bed with him, realizing it was a lot easier and more comfortable. Unfortunately, it was more comfortable. She found it hard to stay awake as she changed the last rag. She let her head touch the pillow, staring at his peaceful face. His color had gotten a little better, she noticed. She'd been holding his hand because she read that if there was someone sick, it would help them recover faster if they knew someone was there that cared. At least that's what she told herself. She laid her head, gently touching his bare arm as she closed her eyes and snuggled into the cloak Rose brought for her. Coincidentally, it was Ren's. She smiled as she let sleep claim her as the sun rose in the sky.

X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

A few hours later, Ren opened his eyes with a soft sigh. He flinched as he felt the pain in his side. He supposed his consciousness succumbed to his injuries. His eyes widened when he realized it was morning time and he had forgotten to meet with Rey. Then his body started to wake up, too. He stilled when he felt a warmth against his arm. He hesitantly looked to see what it was and saw Rey holding his hand, curled up in his cloak with her forehead pressed ever-so gently against his arm. Had she been there the whole night? He looked at her sleeping form and saw her cradling a book against her chest. The book he'd gotten her at the market yesterday.

He heard a knock at the door, but didn't want to answer for fear of waking her up. He didn't know how long she'd been sleeping. After a few moments, the door opened, revealing Rose peaking in. Kylo looked at her and motioned for her to be quiet. Rose nodded as she quietly walked into the room to gather the used medical supplies and linens. She was careful not to be too loud as she gathered. Kylo said nothing as Rose peaked over and smiled to see a sleeping Rey. "Master Ren, if I may..." Kylo nodded. "She truly was amazing last night, sir. She'd seen you were injured and jumped to action." Kylo stared at Rose incredulously, encouraging her to go further. Rose only smiled in return. "She patched you up herself. Sir Trudgen helped a little and Sir Ushar helped me gather supplies. But... Lady Rey is responsible for making sure you made it through the night." Kylo looked down at the sleeping girl next to him. "Sir, can I bring you two breakfast in bed?" Kylo thought about it for a moment and nodded quietly. Rose curtsied respectfully and took her leave, carefully shutting the door.

He tried to adjust himself in bed, but as he tried to push himself up, he hissed in pain. Her eyes flew open as she sat up quickly. "You're supposed to lie down," she said as she put her hand on his chest and pushed him back down. Looking at her, he could tell she was tired. But there was also another emotion there. One he couldn't quite place. "How are you feeling?" she asked as she stretched, accidentally dropping her book between them.

"I'll live." Rey nodded as she swung her legs over the bed and walked to the opposite side so she could sit in the chair beside him. She pulled the blankets down to check the wound. "Thanks to you," he added.

She blushed quietly and cleared her throat. "Yes, well... perhaps I am some use to you after all."

Kylo's brows knitted together at that statement. "What is that supposed to-"

"Why did you deceive me?" His eyes widened a hair at her tone. "You made me believe that you were just another Knight. Why?" He didn't really know how to answer that. "And that kiss, and the tease afterwards. What was the point in that? Are you messing with me?" she asked, her tone getting angrier and angrier as the seconds dragged on. "Do you realize-" She stopped herself for fear of letting her true emotions come out. "Never mind. It doesn't matter," she hissed as she took the rag off his head and flung it into the bowl of cold water. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared out the window, tears shimmering in her eyes. She'd been made a fool of. She'd developed some sort of feelings for Ren, who ended up being Kylo. She should be happy! But she wasn't. She'd been deceived. Would he continue to deceive her? Would he continue to toy with her?

"It wasn't my intention to deceive you." She turned her glare to him then. "I wanted..." He paused as he sighed irritably. "I wanted to know how you felt about this whole arrangement. I wanted to know what I was to expect."

"We could have figured that out together. I wanted to know the same thing. But instead, you tricked me into speaking with you as if you were a friend."

"Am I not? Can I not be?" he countered.

Rey hesitated. "Friends don't deceive each other."

Kylo understood that. He nodded as he forced himself to try to sit up again. He hissed in pain again and Rey gently tried to get him to lay back down. But he persevered. He managed to sit up as Rey held onto his shoulder to steady him. He hesitantly brought his hand up to hold her hand, looking into her beautiful green eyes. "Let's start over."

Rey frowned. "You can't just hit a reset button and expect it all to be fixed."

"You can if you let it happen." She hesitated for a moment, wondering what was in store for them exactly. "Rey... I'm sorry."

Rey visibly slackened and nodded. "No more lies."

"I didn't lie. I've never lied to you." Rey glared at him. "Think back. I have never once lied to you. You came to your own conclusions and believed what you wanted to believe. I just went along with it. That's not technically a lie."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Is this how you are? Coming out on top due to a technicality?"

Kylo grinned at her. "We'll have to wait and see, I suppose."

Rey smiled and shook her head. She sat down in the chair again, having risen to help steady him before. "I'm glad you're ok..." she said softly, barely above a whisper.

He only nodded in return. "I had a good nurse from what I'm told."

She smirked at that. A few moments of silence fell between them. "Will you be able to walk down the aisle?"

He shrugged. "You may need to carry me."

"Uh... no. I'll leave that to Trudgen." They both shared a brief laugh before settling back down into silence.

He glanced over at her then and noticed she was still wearing his cloak. He'd noticed it before the tiff, but it came back to his mind again. He felt himself swell with masked pride. "Maybe we should have gotten you your own cloak at the market."

She shrugged and wrapped the cloak tighter around herself with a smirk. "I wear it better, I think."

He snickered. "You do."

Rey smiled at him. "I think you owe me something."

"And what would that be?"

"A proper introduction, for starters." He snickered softly and shook his head. "I mean... it's only fair. I don't just let any man into my bed at night," she teased.

"Fair enough." He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, offering his hand to her. She took it, but remained seated as she looked up at him. "Kylo Ren, leader of the Knights of Ren. A pleasure to meet you, Lady Rey," he said as he kissed her hand.

She blushed and smiled up at him with a gracious nod. "Pleasure's all mine." And now she can officially say she's met the monster.