Chapter 13
As fiery as the stars
A relatively large-scale attack is imminent, yet Kylo Ren and Arya are unaware of it at the moment. Back at Starkiller Base, the master and his apprentice gathered in a training room. Nevertheless, Kylo Ren wasn't looking to train Arya today.
"What have you planned, master?" the young woman says, withdrawing her lightsaber.
"You can put your saber away; I just have something I'd like to discuss with you."
Surprised, Arya reattaches her lightsaber to her hip and looks at her master. Kylo Ren removes his helmet and places it on a stand.
"What can you tell me about the group that held you on Mustafar?" he asks.
"Master... it's been over five years. Why are you bringing this up now?"
Kylo Ren shows a more than serious face, leaving Arya almost no choice.
"Just answer me, that's all I ask." he says on a calm tone.
The young woman takes a light breath.
"They called themselves The Visionaries. Their leader was the Jedi man, I don't remember his name."
"Grael. His name was Grael." Kylo Ren says, almost cutting Arya off. "I know him because he was one of Skywalker's students at his academy. He ran away the day everything changed."
This day. Arya has heard a lot about it, but only on the surface. Her master has mentioned it several times, but she doesn't know what happened, apart from the fact that this day marked the destruction of the Jedi Academy founded by Luke Skywalker.
"What about the girl? I'd never seen her before." he says suddenly, breaking out a short silence.
"Her name was Raya, I think, and she was in a relationship with the Jedi. But I don't really know much more than that; this group found me a few days before you arrived, master. All I can say is that she seemed a lot closer to the dark side than the other one. Or maybe she had some kind of balance."
Kylo Ren listens attentively to everything Arya has to say.
"And why did they pick you up?"
"The Jedi sought to found a new kind of order, different from the traditional ones as I understood it. He wanted to rely on the Sith rule of two, a master and his apprentice. But since he was in a relationship with this girl, he was looking for an apprentice for her. And when I ran away from my family after a war broke out inside for the throne of Mustafar, they found me. I never knew why they came to my home planet, but they were planning to leave the day after you came to save me."
He shows slight surprise at these words.
"Save you?"
"Yes, master. I wouldn't have had a future with them, or at least much different from what you offered me. I owe you everything and I thank you for it." replies Arya.
"You don't have to thank me. I may have given you a hand, but you proved yourself worthy and strong enough to become what you are today. You know I'm proud of your efforts."
Arya nods slightly in respect.
"I should have trusted you from the start, master."
"You did it by taking my hand and accepting the lightsaber I offered you. From the start, you've seen that glow in me. You knew I was good for you."
The young woman sketches a light, pure smile. Kylo Ren gently grasps Arya's right hand, removing his gloves for skin-to-skin contact. He looks deep into her light-gray eyes, which, despite their color, sparkle.
"You're probably the best thing that's ever happened to me." Kylo murmurs in an honest voice, almost at odds with the coldness he normally displays.
Caught off guard, Arya seems relatively surprised. She's seen her master soften towards her over time, he's shown her kindness and care on many occasions over the last five years, but she's never heard him say such things. She opens her mouth to answer but the words don't come out. Instead, they mess around in her head.
Kylo Ren looks at her, rather tenderly. It's certainly not the look a master would give his apprentice. Even though he knows it, he doesn't seem to want to pay attention. His family, Snoke or even the First Order, nothing matters right now. He leans toward Arya's face.
"Master…" she whispers, her breath almost touching her master's lips.
Before she can say anything else, Kylo Ren takes her firmly in his arms. Everything she's ever known seems to be crumbling around her, not that she cares about what she knew in her youth. You have to destroy to rebuild. You have to kill the past to become who you are meant to be. His master has taught her this mantra well enough, and if the future is to take shape with him, would now be the time to accept it?
But as this question nagged at the back of her mind, she felt a strange and unfamiliar sensation. It's as if a combination of surprise, shock and every other word that can describe this feeling were overwhelming Arya. Kylo, the master of the Knights of Ren, the dark warrior of the First Order, the master who teaches her the ways of the force, THIS Kylo Ren... he's kissing her. He kind of stole that kiss from her and, even though her surprise extends to the far reaches of the galaxy right now, she can't deny that it's a damn good kiss.
One of her hands finds its way into her hair, almost as big as her head. She might feel frail, but instead, a soft, comforting warmth slowly takes possession of her body. Arya's hands wander down Kylo's back, looking for a place to rest. He seems to be relatively experienced; she's just going through the motions.
As the kiss intensifies, she can feel how hot his lips are. That's an understatement for a native of Mustafar, but this heat is hard for her to handle. As for the warmth in her body, it's in stark contrast to the chill running across the surface of her body. And finally, Arya's hands slide down her master's back. The path seems so long until she reaches his shoulders and gently places her right hand here and her left at the hollow of his neck.
Kylo Ren smiles against Arya's lips, appreciating her gesture. And then, after about 30 seconds that seemed to last an eternity, he gently withdraws. As he raises his head slightly, Arya can finally see his face again. She can see a smile and raw sincerity.
"I love you, Arya." he tells her, in the simplest of terms, and yet the impact of these words is immense.
She looks at him, her mouth still slightly open after that intense kiss. She only has four words to say, it's not a lot and yet it's also so much.
"I… love you too." Arya finally answers, in a trembling but honest voice.
He smirks back at her, then leaps at her like a Nexu swooping down on its prey. Kylo lifts Arya effortlessly, as if she weighed nothing, and presses her firmly but carefully against the wall beside her bed. His piercing gaze plunges into her eyes and, without a word, he kisses her again.
He starts softly but soon changes to a more intense style that surprises Arya, forcing her to cling to her hair and his tunic as it's the only solid thing she can hold onto. His mouth finds its way between her lips and his tongue invades her internal space. She lets him do, and returns what she can, falling into the pleasure of this passionate kiss.
"Master- this is too much... please!" her voice is interrupted by gasps, as she tries to regulate her breath.
"But maybe I want it to be too much. I want you to feel that intensity and you're going to feel that intensity." Kylo replies in a deep, almost commanding voice. He's in control and he wants her to know it.
He plunges her back into a third kiss, just as intense as the last. Holding her against the wall, hands under her thighs, he curls his tongue with hers while she has her arms around his neck. No longer trembling, Arya kisses Kylo Ren back as best as she can, even though it's all still very new to her.
Simultaneously, miles above their heads, Shon prepares his strategy. Watching a holographic reconstruction of the Battle of Yavin, Colonel Drayen carefully analyzes the Rebel Alliance assault.
"Having to plunge back into that day..."
In what would later become the year O BBY, in a relatively well-off clinic, medical droids help a young woman give birth. As she screams and does her best to expel the child, her husband holds her hand. And as the baby emerges, beautiful blue eyes and a few blond hairs on his head, his mother finally relaxes and takes him in her arms. The child's father, for his part, simply smiles.
At the same time, on the screen opposite the bed, a special flash interrupts a concert the couple had put on for background music.
"Ladies, gentlemen, species of all kinds and droid friends, we interrupt your program for a most urgent piece of news. After the tragic news of Alderaan's destruction, we learn that the cause of this atrocity, the weapon used by the Empire, has just been destroyed by a group of starships!" a droid announcer says on screen "We have it on good authority that these ships come from the group calling itself the Rebel Alliance, which seeks to start an open conflict against the rule of the Empire."
The parents of newborn Shon Drayen are stunned by the news.
"So... all these poor people have been avenged?" says his father.
"Darling... let's not let this war enter our lives, today less than ever." his mother replies holding the little baby "He will be our pride and joy."
Scrolling through small holograms representing the rebels' X-wings, Shon snaps out of his thoughts, or at least the way he assumes events have unfolded. Thirty-four years ago, he was born during an assault that marked the first victory of the Rebel Alliance. Today, as he will be the officer in charge of a similar assault, he will not let history repeat itself.
Suddenly, an officer enters the room.
"Colonel, you have a transmission from General Hux."
"Tell him to wait a minute. I have something important to finish."
In Arya's room, she and her master look into each other's eyes. His hand is on her cheek, warm and tender. She savors the moment, despite its significance. The young woman can't stop thinking about how this will change her future.
"Master... does this mean that we are- "
"Shhh there's time for that. For now, let's keep it to ourselves."
The apprentice nods in reply before placing her head gently on her master's chest. She can hear his heartbeat perfectly, it's like a comforting melody to her. Kylo takes her in his arms and the two remain in this position.
Just as they were savoring the moment, a sudden knock at the door almost startled them.
"WHO IS THERE?" Arya shouts.
"The Supreme Leader is asking for you and Kylo Ren. Someone has been looking for him in his quarters." the man replies from behind the door.
Arya exchanges a look with her master.
"Don't worry, it's not about us." he whispers softly.
She nods before answering the officer.
"I'm coming!"
A little later, master and apprentice meet in Snoke's Hologram Room. The Supreme Leader's gigantic silhouette appears in holographic form a few seconds later.
"Ah my young apprentice and his protege, I wanted to see you. Somehow, you've missed out on information of the utmost importance. Our enemies are preparing an attack against us. Colonel Drayen has made his defense plan perfectly clear to me, and he'll be taking full responsibility for this battle."
"An attack? How can the Resistance anticipate such an onslaught?" Kylo Ren asks.
"They were able to carry out a recon scan of Starkiller Base a short while ago, but their mission was futile. They will soon be crushed by the might of the First Order."
Arya remains silent as she watches Snoke's holographic silhouette. The Supreme Leader turns to her.
"I sense trouble in your mind, my child. Does this concern your master?"
Hearing these words, Kylo Ren turns to his apprentice, his helmet concealing all emotion.
"Not at all." replies Arya "I'm just thinking of a way to crush these idiots from the Resistance."
"Good. I like to hear such conviction. Your master has trained you well, young lady. You two will remain on the surface, and I'm counting on you to eliminate any intruders who might attempt a terrestrial approach."
With that, the hologram dissipates, leaving only a faint beam of light in the darkened room. Arya and Kylo Ren look at each other as he removes his helmet.
"I'm counting on you, we probably won't have much to do, but I know you won't hesitate." he says.
"Of course, master. You trained me for this. Killing is not a problem."
As the two were approaching each other, someone entered the huge room. Kylo Ren puts his mask back on before seeing that it's General Hux.
"I see the Supreme Leader has given you his instructions. We won't let the Resistance weaken our base."
"Their ships will only skim the surface. Starkiller Base will remain operational." Kylo Ren replies on a firm tone.
Hux glances almost haughtily at Arya as usual.
"I hope you have confidence in your apprentice, Ren."
"More than in you, General. But I doubt you can understand that" he replies quite coldly before stepping forward.
Arya follows him and the two force users leave the room. As they walk through the corridors of the base, she can't help but look at Kylo out of the corner of her eye. She recalls the moment, wondering if it could go any further. She had never been kissed by anyone, and her master just did that to her. Not that she didn't like it, but it was pretty intense for a first. It seems that even in moments like these, Kylo Ren goes all out. Surely they'll have time to talk about this after the Resistance assault, for now there are more important things to think about. While she was lost in thought, she realized that her master was watching her.
"Are you all right, Arya? Is it the impending attack that's bothering you?"
"Not at all, it will be a formality. It's just- about us."
He stops and places a delicate hand on the young woman's shoulder.
"I care about you, I always will. I'll always be on your side."
She smiles at these words. It's what she needed to hear.
"I love you, master."