A/N: Enjoy!

Marrying the Monster

Chapter 9: Monster

Kylo sighed as he stomped down the hallway. He was enraged at Hux and Vicrul both. He understood that Vicrul was just acting out of a contract, but he should never have taken it from that man. He could deal with Vicrul later, but the thought of Hux embezzling money from him over the years and using it to pay one of his Knights to assassinate his future wife was beyond irreparable. He felt his brow twitch at the mere thought of having to confront the redheaded weasel.

He made his way down the main staircase and veered off to the right under the west wing stair case. He opened a door to reveal another set of stairs with torches lining the staircase. The dungeon. Though rarely used, he was glad he had the foresight to have it built. He glared down into the darkness. He heard voices coming from down below, pausing only a moment to listen to the conversation.

"How is the Duchess?" Vicrul asked, apprehension in his voice.

Kylo heard a heavy sigh and the rustling of clothes. He assumed the man down below as shaking his head. "She'll most likely have bruising. I haven't checked on her and I haven't received word from Kylo on her well being." Kylo recognized the other voice as Trudgen. "Why did you betray the Knights, Vicrul?"

There was a strained silence as Kylo waited to hear what he was going to say. He heard a heavy sigh and a thunk, he assumed he leaned his head against the stone wall. "At first, it was because I didn't want the war to end. I knew that if the Duchess died, there would be no truce, and we could give the south what they deserved."

"That's not your call to make," Trudgen reminded him. "It's Kylo's. He's the leader now."

"I'm aware of that. But you can't tell me that you haven't felt a shift since her arrival." Trudgen remained silent and Kylo grew more curious as to what they meant. "Kylo's going soft. We can't have that. I did this to try to wake him up and make him see that he had to go harder if he had any hope of accomplishing the goal he set before us."

"Killing the Duchess at that snake's behest is not the way to go about reminding him of his resolve. If anything, you made him angrier. Vicrul, he could very well kill you for this."

"I am aware."

Trudgen sighed in irritation. Kylo quietly leaned against the wall of the staircase, listening further. "I think the Duchess coming here is a good thing."

Vicrul scoffed at his comrade. "Et tu Brute?" he mocked.

"I'm serious. Instead of leading an all out frenzied attack on the south, Rey can help offer strategical advice. I sense her intelligence. She's not stupid. She was able to recognize a war even when I told her there wasn't one. She's privy to how others feel about her, and she's even more aware of people as a whole." Trudgen snickered for a moment. "Did I ever tell you how she pointed out Hux? She called him a weasel. Before even knowing him, she picked him out just at a glance."

"I'm right here, you know," Hux said, clearly aggravated that the two Knights were talking as if he weren't there.

"Sorry.. I don't speak weasel," Trudgen said, goading him to respond so he could kill him on the spot.

Kylo had enough of the banter, he decided. He went to descend the stairs some more to grab Hux, but then Vicrul started speaking again. "Maybe there is more to Rey than meets the eye," he said thoughtfully. "At the very least, I owe her an apology."

Trudgen guffawed at Vicrul's words. "The great Vicrul wants to apologize to a woman? I never thought I'd see the day."

"Shut it," Vicrul growled. "For what it's worth, I had no intention of killing her."

"Then why make it look that way?"

Vicrul hesitated, and so did Kylo as he waited anxiously for Vicrul's answer. "I suppose I was testing her to see what she would do. To say she exceeded my expectations would be a huge understatement." He shifted, as was evident at the scraping of his boots on the floor. "The initiation into the Knights of Ren isn't exactly easy. Being married to one isn't any easier. I wanted to see what she was made of. If she could truly stomach it."

Kylo stepped out of the shadows then, arms crossed over his chest. "Did she pass?" he asked, his glare intense at the Knight in the cell.

Vicrul just stared in silence for a moment and then snickered. "With flying colors, Ren. With flying colors."

Kylo nodded as he turned his attention to Trudgen. "Let him out." He turned his sight back to Vicrul. "For the record, if you pull something like this again, I won't spare you."

"Understood." Trudgen unlocked the cell and Vicrul stepped out in silence. Kylo nodded for the Knights to be dismissed, but Vicrul stopped at Kylo's side. "Ren... about the Duchess," he said, earning Kylo's attention. "I think she may be a manipulator of the force." Kylo's head jerked to look at the man beside him, as if scanning him for any treachery. "I can't explain it, but when I held her underwater, I felt it. It was crude, and untrained... but it was there. Maybe look into it," he said as he headed up the stairs behind Trudgen.

Kylo followed him with his eyes, but stayed glued in the same spot, processing what Vicrul had said. How had he missed that? Usually, he could pick up on stuff like that, but he completely missed anything with Rey. He'd have to look into it himself to know for sure. In the meantime, he turned his glare to Hux, a murderous look in his dark eyes. "Get up," he hissed, making the redhead sigh in contempt. Kylo walked over to the cell and opened it, reaching in to snatch the man up by his hair. Once he was on his feet, Kylo grabbed him by his shirt and pinned him against the cell wall, the same murderous look claiming him for the moment. "I should kill you now for what you did."

"You haven't the spine," Hux mocked, glaring down at him with his own soulless eyes.

"We'll see," Kylo said as he shoved Hux out the cell, making the smaller man stumble ahead and fall onto the stairs with a grunt. "Move. Back garden," he ordered, his voice authoritative and deadly, not offering any room for compromise. Hux did as he was told, climbing the stairs silently, furiously racking his brain for an escape route. He knew that he would never outrun Kylo Ren. He knew that if he were to take off, he'd be on him quicker than flies to manure.

They walked through the castle and as they did, Kylo nodded at Trudgen and Vicrul to follow him. They were on his six without a word between them. Kylo flicked his eyes over at the rest of the Knights. "Guard the door. Make sure no one is allowed out back," he ordered. Ushar and Ap'lek stationed themselves at the back door, exchanging a glance as the four walked outside. They shut the doors behind them silently. Trudgen and Vicrul stood at the other side of the door as Kylo shoved Hux down the steps, causing him to stumble forward and catch himself on the fountain.

"I didn't take you as someone who ejoyed midnight strolls, Ren," Hux said condescendingly as he stood and turned to face him. What he was greeted with was a sword pointed at his neck. He hadn't even heard Kylo advance! He flicked his eyes up at the other man and huffed. "Well then. Someone's in a mood."

"Shut your mouth." Kylo straightened up as he tossed a sword at the redhead unceremoniously. The lesser man barely caught it as he positioned it in his hand curiously. Anyone with eyes could tell that holding a sword was foreign to this weasel. "Here's how it's going to go," Kylo said as he drew another sword, swinging it as he paced in front of Hux. "A duel will decide your fate. If you win, you may do as you wish. Kill the Duchess, take over the Ren castle... Whatever. However, if you lose the duel... you lose your life. Those are my terms. Do you accept?"

"Do I have a choice?" Hux scoffed.

"Yes. If you refuse to fight, you forfeit. If you forfeit, you die."

Hux scoffed again and shook his head. "This is preposterous. I'm not well versed in swordplay. How is this duel even fair?!"

Kylo shrugged. "Sounds like forfeit then," he said as he took a step toward Hux.

"Wait, wait!" he cried as he put his hands up, causing Kylo to stop. "Fine. I accept."

Kylo nodded as he backed up a few paces, readying his sword for the duel. Hux hesitantly held the sword from basic training, completely uneasy with how things were going. "Your move," Kylo said nonchalantly. Hux dashed at the man, swords clashing with a sickening rasp. It was then that Hux noticed Kylo was only using one hand, the other being behind his back. This was simply humiliating! He pushed against the leader, only to be pushed back himself, stumbling backwards into the fountain again. He grunted when his hand caught an edge, distracting him for a split second, which was more than enough time for Kylo to advance and slash, knocking the sword from his hand. The metal flew through the air and landed in the grass some ways away. There was a blade at Hux's neck again. "Pity. You lose," he growled before punching Hux in the jaw.

Hux grunted in pain and barely recovered before Kylo decked him again. He grabbed at Hux's shirt, holding him in place. He reared back again and again, landing blow after blow to Hux's already ugly face. When Kylo saw blood, he was satisfied. "You made a grave error, Hux," Kylo growled.

"I-I know... I'm s-sorry," he stuttered, coughing up blood from his mouth. He was pretty sure he had some broken facial bones, a bloody lip and a busted eyebrow. And that wasn't even a full report, he was sure.

"You're only sorry you got caught!" Hux flinched and whimpered in Kylo's grasp. "You think I didn't know about your embezzlement? That you tried to pay off one of my Knights to kill her? That you didn't want her taking over your responsibilities because your game would end!?" he hissed, landing another punch to the man's face and receiving a loud crack as a reward. He was pretty sure he broke his nose just then as Hux cried out in pain and grabbed at his face like a wounded dog. "You've overstayed your welcome, Armitage," he said as he released him, only to grab him by the back of the neck and force his head to the surface of the fountain. "Now you get to experience what you made her go through," he whispered dangerously close to the redhead's ear.

Without warning, he shoved the man's head underwater, earning lots of struggle from the man beneath him. It was then that he heard the door fling open and his name being called desperately behind him. Rey had shown up. She'd finally seen him act like the monster he was rumored to be. Oh, well. If she had to witness his cruelty, then so be it. He would make sure Hux was out of the picture so he wouldn't be able to hurt her again.

"Kylo! Stop!" she cried, being held back by Trudgen as the other three Knights looked on at her desperate pleas for him to stop. "Don't prove them right! Don't kill him!" she cried, struggling against Trudgen to get to Kylo. He held firm though, not letting her through, just as he was ordered.

"I told you to stay upstairs!" he growled, not releasing Hux as he continued to struggle beneath him. He kept his back to her as he tightened his grip on Hux's neck.

"How do you expect me to relax when I knew what you were planning!? I can't just sit by as you kill someone!" she screamed, falling to her knees in a desperate attempt to try to elude Trudgen's hold.

"This has been a long time coming, Rey. This doesn't concern you."

"If I'm to be Duchess, it does!" she cried, struggling to get to her feet as she glared at Kylo's back. "You're better than this," she said softly, holding back more tears that threatened to fall. "Please let him go."

Kylo turned his head to look at her over his shoulder. "No," he replied, a bit of pain laced in his voice as Hux finally quit struggling and gave way to the sweet embrace of death. Kylo held him underwater for a few moments more before tossing his lifeless body on the ground. He turned on his heel and looked at the sight before him.

Rey's eyes grew wide as she stared at Hux's lifeless body, paler than normal as the color drained from his lifeless corpse. Tears finally fell down her cheeks then. Her breath came out in hushed sobs. As Kylo took a step toward her, she lifted her pained green eyes up to him. "You..." she whispered as she stood and backed away as he advanced. "You really are a monster." Kylo hesitated then as he stared into her face, the word paining him even more as he allowed a little emotion to show on his features. That truly cut him to the core. She realized what she'd said as she backed away, her breathing hitching and then coming out again as sobs and cries. She abruptly turned on her heel and darted for her room, leaving the five men to stand in silence.

Trudgen slowly stood, fists balled at his sides. Ushar and Ap'lek looked on in silence, knowing they'd just made a mistake that Kylo was sure to deal with when he was no longer stunned from her words. He remained silent though as he schooled his features, putting on the same emotionless mask the men were so used to seeing. "Get rid of this eyesore," he said as he trudged past them and inside the castle, avoiding the looks from the four men. Tomorrow would be really awkward...

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

She hadn't gotten a wink of sleep as she barricaded herself in her room, curled up on her bed. She cried herself into numbness, wondering why he resorted to such steps. Sure, Hux had it coming with her assassination attempt, but did he really have to go so far? He could have just kept him in prison for a while so he couldn't do any harm, so why kill him?! Were the rumors really true? She'd witnessed first hand what he'd done to Hux. Sure, he had a reason to do so, but he didn't have to!

She heard yet another knock at her door, Rose begging her to let her in or at least answer her from the other side. She pulled her knees tighter against her chest, refusing to acknowledge her. She was in hell. The man she was due to marry today was a monster. A real monster. The rumors were true. He killed because he wanted to; not because he had to. She thought they were building a connection. She thought she could help him through whatever was being said about him. She thought they were all false accusations based on slanderous rumors.

But they weren't. They were all true.

Her heart ached as she felt another wave of sadness wash over her. Tears leaked down her face without her consent as she tried to will herself to stop. She shouldn't be feeling this sad over him showing his true colors. And the make matters worse, she wasn't even scared of him. She'd just witnessed him kill a man right in front of her, but she wasn't scared of him. Sure, she detested the action, but she couldn't bring herself to hate him. She wanted to see him. She wanted to speak with him and work things out, but the thought of him touching her caused her body to enter survival mode.

She buried her head in her arms before sighing and walking over to the bench seat at the second window. She curled up on that, leaning against the wall as she stared out the window, down into the courtyard. She was supposed to get married today. Her hand absently went up to touch her neck and found it wasn't painful. The only pain was in her heart as she thought how he carefully and gently helped her wrap it up. The touch of his rough fingers on her neck as he gently applied the ointment to get rid of the bruising. And then her mind went to those same fingers that held a man's head underwater until his body gave out.

She shuddered violently at the mere memory. Yet another knock came at the door. She wished they'd leave her alone. She just needed time. She just needed to process things. She couldn't very well go on a run. No, she'd almost certainly run into him. And then he'd want to talk. And then she'd be reminded that she'd started to cozy up to the monster of the north. She heard something flit under the door, drawing her attention only momentarily. She hesitantly got up from where she was sitting and walked over to the door. When she knelt down, she saw bandages, ointment and a note. Her eyes glanced up to the door, sensing someone standing on the other side quietly. It was almost as if she could feel their warmth through the door.

She grabbed the note and opened it, noticing an unfamiliar script. Was this Kylo's?

"Rey,

I understand you don't want to see me right now, but don't neglect your health either. When you are ready, come find me and we can talk. I've pushed the wedding out a few days, though the guests are going to be arriving later this evening. I'm truly sorry for what you've witnessed and what my actions made you feel.

Don't shut me out.

Kylo"

Rey frowned as she traced her fingers idly over his name. His handwriting was beautiful. It was so elegant yet unrefined. She could tell he gripped the pen harshly, and where he didn't press down as hard when writing. She let a small smile grace her features as she looked down at the supplies he'd given her. She sighed softly to herself as she stood with resolve. Her hand went to the door and hesitated only a moment before opening the door to see him standing there. When their eyes met, she took in a shaky breath. She didn't want to think he'd harm her, but she couldn't be sure. Neither spoke as they stood together in the doorway. Neither moved for fear of causing some misunderstanding.

Every fiber of her being wanted to reach out and tell him it was all right, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead, she just stared at him, wondering what he was thinking. He'd made the first step in offering her the bandages, but could she reciprocate? Was she ready? She could tell he was growing uncomfortable as he shifted his eyes away from her, focusing on what looked like the doorway or the floor, she wasn't certain. He cleared his throat quietly. "Have you eaten?"

Rey pressed her lips into a thin line. "I'm not hungry." Her words came out harsher than intended, but she made no move to push him away.

"Rey," he started as he moved his hand to grab hers, but she jerked away from him involuntarily, shrinking back into the room as fear and confusion marred her otherwise beautiful features. He sighed softly at her reaction, not sure what he was expecting, but he had hoped it wasn't that. He muttered a soft apology as his hand dropped to his side. "You can't hole yourself up in here without eating. I'll have Rose bring something."

"I said I'm not hungry!" Kylo stilled, and so did Rey. It was irrational for her to be treating him this way, she told herself. But the man had just killed someone in front of her, despite her desperate pleas not to. Her voice didn't matter. Her words didn't matter. Not to him. Not to Luke. Not to anyone. She was useless and disposable. She felt tears threatening to spill over all over again, but she pushed them back and straightened herself out as she stood tall. "I, uh... I'm going for a run," she said as she walked past him, able to squeeze between him and the doorframe without touching him.

All he could do was watch her go. He knew that if he made a move to stop her, he'd only cause more damage, so he let her go. There was a small part of him that was pained to let her go like that. To know that he couldn't do anything to make her feel better. To know that he'd broken a strong woman simply by not listening to her. Maybe she was right. Maybe the south was right. Maybe he really was nothing more than a monster.