Two Months Since The Battle of Myrkrið Holur

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Kylo Ren was nervous. The fact that he was nervous made him irritable, but the irritation was not quite enough to smother his nerves.

Unfortunately for him, his mother had gotten wind of his planned nuptials, (he strongly suspected Luke was the culprit but he wouldn't put it past Phasma to interfere either), and she was due to arrive today, likely with his father in tow, though that wasn't always guaranteed.

It wasn't that he was ashamed of his bride to be, no, it was that he didn't want his parents to scare her off.

Rey was already a bit overwhelmed with the attention that had come to her after what had been dubbed The Battle of Myrkrið Holur. Many had seen her duel with him, others had seen her decapitate Hux and more had seen her bring men back from the brink of death. Then there were the ex-slaves, who despite her best efforts still seemed in awe of her for merely existing, and that awe rubbed off on other people.

Rose and three others of her countrymen had set up an infirmary with the help of Luke and with the reluctant assistance of Eyðun. While Rey remained Luke's wrangler, she spent some of her time with Rose, helping out with her special brand of healing, and much to her discomfort, her fame spread. People who had shunned her before for being a savage now smiled and spoke to her or requested her help specifically.

It only became worse when Kylo asked Luke, for want of a better person, to grant their betrothal. Word soon got out and it caused a huge stir. Kylo's plans to do a small, quiet ceremony as soon as possible were ruled out by Luke's housekeeper, who insisted the affair be given the proper amount of attention, and Luke, because he was a complete pushover when it came to his housekeeper, acquiesced.

The irony was that the housekeeper still thought of Rey as a savage, despite the fact that she was marrying Kylo.

A lot had happened in the last two months and a lot had changed. He and the other Knights were not as they were when they had arrived in the Slør. They all bore scars, larger and more gruesome than any they had received in action before. They had grown up, become more than just young fighters looking to increase their prowess and gain glory.

Any battle or challenge they had untaken before had paled in comparison to the Battle of Myrkrið Holur. And they carried the burden of knowledge as well, the knowledge that beyond the mountains were several species that could likely raze the whole of Tokuni to the ground. It was a sobering secret to keep.

Along with that secret was another, one kept just between the Knights and Rey, and that was the sharing of blood…

Once the dust had settled after the battle, while everyone was healing and coming to terms with the aftermath of such death, he and Leonmar made a discovery - their senses were heightened. Their reflexes were quicker. Their muscles were slower to tire and stronger than before… and they could both sense Rey. For Kylo, that had not come as too much of a shock, because they had the Dyadic Bond, (as Maz called it, when she showed him how to find Rey's golden thread again) but for Leonmar it was another story entirely and after one very uncomfortable night for him, Kylo had to help him work on blocking his mind.

Rey had had no idea that this could happen. She had known only of the use of blood to seal wounds made by weapons of Naragrethel, and that had only been used on Deyði-eta. Clearly on humans, and especially humans with the Force, it changed them. When it became clear that what she had done had not harmed Leonmar or Kylo, she agreed to let the other Knights have some of her blood.

And so now, they were all six bound by the highest honour, grave secrets, blessed blood, and a tiny savage Trollskïr whom they all cared for, in their own different ways.

When Kylo told them of his plans to set down roots in the Slør with Rey, the other's had surprised him by choosing to remain too. Along with Luke, they were in the process of drawing up plans for an academy, of sorts. It was to be a place young men and women could come to to train and learn the ways of war, but also how to keep the peace. They planned for it to be accessible to all, no matter their station in life or the coins in their purse. Phasma was particularly keen on encouraging girls and women to explore possibilities they may not have considered until now.

The Knights would still go on campaigns, they were not exiling themselves, but they were broadening their horizons… and with the blood they had spilled to protect it, the Slør had become dear to them all.

Despite both Luke's and Maz's disapproval, Rey had kept the black sword of Naragrethel (he still could not pronounce the name she used for it) and had accepted Kylo's offer to teach her to properly wield it. In less than two months she was a master already, though he liked to think that was in part due to his teaching as well as the gifts of her species. Unfortunately their sparring sessions drew quite a crowd. It didn't bother Kylo, this had happened all the time when he was training at court and at the academy there - he was Luke Skywalker's nephew after all, and he had natural talent in spades, but Rey felt rather differently. He hoped she got a little more used to it with time as he was hoping she would agree to teach a few classes for the Ljósur academy on the use of weapons like kurambiks, which none of the Knights could claim mastery of.

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Luke himself had turned into a bit of a hero, too. By now the loss of his hand and the fact he not only survived but continued to fight on, had already passed into legend. Added to that, with some clever black-smithing and some help from the Gívur, Luke now had a mechanical right hand that moved. His recovery was quick, thanks to his own actions, the Force and some help from Rey and Maz. He was still adjusting to the new hand, but with a glove covering the metal, you could hardly tell it was not part of him and as he was adept with his left hand as well as his right, he could still train in weapons and ride horses with the best of them. Kylo suspected that in a few months time, his right hand would be working as well as it's fleshy predecessor ever did.

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"They're here!" Leonmar called, and Kylo snapped out of his thoughts and peered down into the valley from his vantage point.

The green banner was unmistakable even at this distance and he realised that he had never actually told Rey that his mother happened to be a princess. A princess without a throne to inherit, but a princess nonetheless. He wondered what Luke had told his mother about Rey and decided that perhaps it would be best to intercept the party before they reached the castle…

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Unfortunately for him, he met Rey coming up the hill as he rode down.

"Kylo?" she frowned as she slowed Ljós to stop beside Silencer, "Where do you go?"

He sighed in defeat and jerked his chin down the hill, "My mother is on her way here, I was going to meet her."

There was a pause as she processed, then her eyes widened in what looked like alarm and she twisted in her seat to look back, "Your mother, she is here? You did not tell this to me!"

Kylo winced, "I was only made aware of her coming a few hours ago."

"Oh," Rey settled back down and nervously patted Ljós's neck, "She is here for our ritual?"

"I assume so, yes," he answered a little drily but Rey didn't comment, instead chewing her lip and eying the position of the sun in a way that made him feel suspicious - she still had a tendency to disappear at inopportune moments, despite his dislike of her doing so.

He leaned over slightly so he could take one of her hands, "Shall we ride down together to meet them?"

Rey looked at him doubtfully then down at her simple tunic and leggings, "Rose, she says that to meet people like this I must change," she grimaced, "Iris and Mallow have made robes, Lily and Fern have made dresses."

Kylo bit back a laugh, but from Rey's narrowed eyes he knew she had detected it. "You wear whatever you are happy in, Kærleiki," he said, quite honestly. If his mother didn't like what Rey was wearing she could simply turn around again and leave.

Rey huffed but seemed at least a little mollified.

He sighed "Come, let us get this over with. If it is too much you can go for a ride before dinner."

This idea was accepted, and they both rode down together and through the village, along the main road. It was strange to think back upon their first meeting on that very road, how different he had been. He was very glad Rey had chosen that moment to ride across his path, though perhaps the Force had had a hand in that. They would have met eventually if not then, but any variance and he might be different, she may not be his and he might not be hers; and that would not have been a life worth living.

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This was much later than it should have been, sorry for the delay, 2023 has been hellish if I'm honest. Wherever you are, I hope you're safe and well, and that 2024 is better for all of us.

Re: Luke's hand - there were really quite impressive prostheses available in the medieval period (if you had money and survived the amputation) and some even before that. If you are curious, goggle "The Evolution of Prosthetics" and "Medieval Knights and Mechanised Prostheses".

Thanks to DyadamDriver for helping me with the research.