In Dark Places

After the intimate moment Kylo Ren and (Y/N) had shared, it was time to make big steps. It was perfect while it lasted, but that’s why it couldn’t last long. Now they were headed with heavy steps for the hologram room. The two strongest masters of the dark arts, walking side by side with their capes dragging at their feet. They entered the hologram room and bowed down in front of the majestic hologram figure.

“Do you have the map?” Supreme Leader Snoke asked impatiently.

“That’s why we’re here, Supreme Leader. The girl that we were supposed to extract the map from, she is strong with the Force, stronger than she knows. We were unable to reach deep enough into her mind.” Kylo Ren explained calmly, but somewhat guiltily.

“The scavenger resisted you?!” Snoke hissed through his teeth, clenching his fists angrily. “What about you, Lord Edenia?”

“I’m sorry, Supreme Leader. I almost succeeded, but with a risk. Even if I could, she would see our battle plans. I can’t take that risk. If she manages to see them, a weak spot could be found.” (Y/N) set her argument down on the table, but that wasn’t making it up for the lack of results.

“What about the droid?”

“I decided we could get what we need from the girl and that the droid no longer must be pursued.” Ren answered with a look of guilt, but that was enough of a punishment for his actions taken. The tall man’s pride couldn’t allow him to feel guilty.

“If this girl is as strong as you present her to be, bring her to me!” Snoke barked.

“Yes, Supreme Leader.” The two dark lords answered in one voice and turned around to walk out, but Snoke’s voice echoed behind them and they stopped.

“Ren, I have to speak to you in private.” He hissed.

“Wait for me in front of the door, Lord Edenia.” Ren whispered.

“Yes, my lord.” (Y/N) obeyed and walked out. Ren turned around to face Snoke.

“Edenia seems to be turning into a weakness of yours, Lord Ren.”

“I’m afraid you’re mistaken, Supreme Leader. On the contrary, she’s been of much help to the operation and her skills are of much use to us.”

“I’m aware of that, Lord Ren, but don’t think I’m oblivious to the rest. You seem to be taking everything concerning her very personally. And that’s why indeed she’s a weakness of yours. You’ve gotten much too close to her, I can sense it.”

“And you find this to be a problem, Supreme Leader?” The tall man looked down to the ground.

“Not necessarily a problem, Lord Ren, but be careful. Don’t get too attached. Don’t forget whose weakness was also a loved one.”

“I won’t forget, Supreme Leader.”

“Don’t get carried away. Now bring me that scavenger!”

“Yes, Supreme Leader.” Kylo Ren walked out and grabbed (Y/N) by the arm, pulling her forward.

“What did he tell you?” (Y/N) asked worriedly. Ren pulled her aside and concernedly looked at her.

“He knows about us. Or he just…feels what’s between us.” The Knight announced and the girl’s eyes wandered to his, looking for an answer. “Don’t worry, I don’t think it’s a problem, but…he knows.” The girl’s face darkened.

“I guess it was too good to be true, wasn’t it master?” She looked into his eyes like a sad puppy.

“It is not over, (Y/N).” He confidently stated and crushed his lips on hers. It had become a habit of his to kiss her every time he wanted to assure her in something or soothe her. “Now, let’s get it done with the scavenger.” His professional tone took over his words again. (Y/N) nodded obediently and they both headed for the interrogation room, walking side by side. When the door opened and they saw both the scavenger and the guard they had left weren’t to be found, they looked to each other with confusion and maybe panic written on their faces.

“Have you given an order for transferring or something?” (Y/N) asked Ren in slight, but controlled panic.

“No, have you?” He turned to her and when she shook her head in denial they both froze, realizing what they were apprehensive of was actually true.

“Guards!” They both shouted at the top of their lungs as they came back to their senses. After a minute two stormtroopers were in front of them. Ren didn’t wait for anyone or anything so he immediately started giving orders.

“We’ve got a prisoner on the loose. She’s probably still on the base, but she’s trying to escape. Send teams to cover the whole base.”

“Watch the hangars. She might try to steal a ship.” (Y/N) added.

“Find her as fast as possible! The more time she spends in attempt to find her way out – the more dangerous she gets.”

“Yes, sir!” The stormtroopers nodded and quickly ran off to spread the orders.

“I sense some…strangely familiar presence…” The man marked thoughtfully. (Y/N) looked at him questioningly. “Han Solo!” He hissed angrily through his clenched teeth and approached the girl, stopping only lips away from her.

“Here on the base?”

“I don’t know. Our top priority now is to find that girl! You go to the command room and update Hux on what’s happening, maybe figure out a plan for action.” He put his hands on her shoulders and gripped them encouragingly.

“What about you?”

“I’ll go around the base with the teams. Keep an eye on the external entrances of the base.”

“Yes, my lord!”

“We can’t fail this time, (Y/N).”

“I know, my lord.” Ren kissed her gently, deeply and urgently, as if he was afraid this could be their last kiss.

“Now, go.” He whispered and she stormed by him like a hurricane, heading for the command room.

The tall man was feeling more and more disturbed on the inside due to feeling his own father’s presence in the base. The time had come to overcome his feelings that were conflicting inside him and prove to his own self and his master that the past is invaluable to him. He took a small crew of stormtroopers and headed for the lower levels in search for the scavenger.

(Y/N) was feeling the Knight’s inner chaos, which made her worry that he could do something foolish. However, he had given her orders she had to fulfill. The moment she entered the command room, General Hux approached her urgently.

“We have progress. Where is Ren?” Hux started impatiently.

“Lord Ren, if you please, General. Let’s have our respect.” (Y/N) corrected him and all he did to show his guilt was exhale deeply. “He is taking care of a current major, emergency problem.”

“I heard about it, everyone in the station is on edge. Could I have the details?”

“We don’t know “details”, we only have guessings, but the worst one is that we’re probably right. The girl we took instead of the droid – she’s force sensitive and we assume that she has used her psychic skills on the guards to escape…and now she’s somewhere around the base. There are the details you requested.”

“I’ve had it with all those ancient religion tricks on this base!” Hux hissed under his breath.

“Those ancient religion tricks, General, are why this base even exists, they are what keeps it going. I know you are a man of hard science and strict discipline, General Hux, and I respect that, but the facts are right in front your eyes, like it or not. The reason you don’t get along with master Ren is the same reason we don’t get along with you. But remember why you deserved this post in the first place, General. Like it or not, we have to work together and you have to honor your father’s name by keeping your current title. It’s in your interest to get along with just the two people on this base who happen to possess the ancient religion tricks you so passionately despise.”

“My father, Lord Edenia?”

“Yes, General. I’m aware your father used to be a general, serving for the old Empire and this way – marking the path for you. Do we have everything cleared out now?”

“I suppose so, Lord Edenia.” Hux gulped.

“Good. Now tell me what progress we have!” (Y/N) ordered sternly and Hux took a deep breath in order to rid of the tension before he started talking.

“Thanks to your pursuit of the Millennium Falcon with Lord Ren and the tracking device we were able to plant on Takodana, we now have the rebels’ base location. It’s in the Ileenium system.” The general explained proudly.

“Ileenium? Are we allowed to activate the weapon?”

“Yes, I even have an order from the Supreme Leader to do it.”

“Is the station operational?”

“Of course it is. We already used it.” Hux answered confusedly.

“I know, I know. I mean fully operational – no errors, no malfunctions, everything intact.”

“Yes, Lord Edenia. I assure you it is fully operational.”

“Good. There’s no place for mistakes this time.”

“Of course not. Do I have your permission to heat up the weapon, Lord Edenia?”

“Yes, General.” The girl said confidently. After their little conversation, which was ruthlessly direct and straight in the face, Hux started feeling more respect for the young Sith Lord.

While Ren was climbing down the lower levels, he couldn’t stop thinking if he had the strength to face his father after such a long time. Behind the mask, no one could see both the fear and hatred written on his face. Well, maybe no one except one person.

“Search the level!” Ren ordered to the small team of troops he had brought along with him. He could feel the enemy is near, but he still had to capture the scavenger, so he went forward to the bridge leading to the other side of the level.

Han Solo – Ren’s own father and also a part of the Resistance was now on the base and happened to be on the same level as his son. He was sent by the Resistance with a mission to destroy the oscillator of the weapon, which was located on that very level. He was planting the explosives on the columns when he saw a tall black figure on the metal bridge. He froze. He knew that was none other, but his very own son.

“Ben!” Han Solo shouted after his son as he approached him and the stormtroopers took him on gun point. Ren froze on his place. It was time and yet he couldn’t bear to face his father in fear he could feel the call to the light again. It was his own insecurity that made him weak.

“Han Solo.” The modulated voice echoed and the Dark Lord turned around to face the other man. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.”

“Take off that mask. You don’t need it.” Han approached his son.

“What do you think you’ll see if I do?”

“The face of my son.” Han barked sternly, determined to bring his son back to the light as he had promised Leia. Ren thought over his father’s request for a moment and decided that’s a wish he could allow himself to fulfill. He unsealed his helmet after a short hesitation and let it drop to the ground.

“Your son is gone. He was weak and foolish like his father, so I destroyed him.” The younger man stated proudly and his father wished nothing of that was real.

“That’s what Snoke wants you to believe, but it’s not true. My son is alive.”

“No. The Supreme Leader is wise.” Ren said determinedly, but Han’s words made him recall what (Y/N) had said when he asked her for her opinion on Snoke. *Something’s not right around him.* - she had said and he wondered if she meant the same as Han.

“Snoke is using you for your power. When he gets what he wants he’ll crush you. You know it’s true.” Han held on to every possible argument he had just to change his son’s mind.

“It’s too late.”

“No, it’s not. Leave here with me. Come home. We miss you.”

“I’m being torn apart. I want to be free of this pain. I know what I have to do, but I don’t know if I have the strength to do it. Will you help me?” Ren was already determined and he indeed knew what he had to do. His anger was already beyond control and he was going to use it.

“Yes. Anything.” Han replied impatiently, convinced he had succeeded. The infamous smuggler was never a person of sentimentalities, something his son took after him, but when it came to his family things were different. Kylo Ren pulled out his lightsaber, confusing his father, but his father was ready to do whatever his son wanted him to, without suspecting anything. Ren looked in his eyes as if he was looking for an answer and as if he was doubting if that was the right thing to do. He suppressed his weakness and gave freedom to his anger. He turned on his lightsaber and drove it through his father’s abdomen without a second thought. Han froze. The psychical pain he felt was much stronger that the physical one that was cutting through his flesh. After all, what pain is more unbearable than the pain from dying from your own son’s hand?

“Thank you.” The Knight whispered. Han reached out to touch his son’s face for the last time as he looked into his eyes before falling off the walkway down into the reactor’s shaft. Ren was too carried away in thoughts to feel the laser ray coming from Chewbacca and he got shot in the abdomen area. The pain made him bend double, falling on one knee and he looked up to see where the shot had come from. There stood the scavenger along with Chewbacca and the stormtrooper that had betrayed him. Ren clenched his teeth in anger and since someone had turned on the detonator, the walls of the oscillator started cracking from the explosions, the damage spreading slowly to the rest of the base.

In the meantime, back in the command room, everyone was waiting impatiently for the weapon to heat up. (Y/N) was almost shaking in anticipation to see the rebels’ base burn to ashes. She felt it when Ren was hurt, but she didn’t know he was hurt, it was just a little quake in the Force.

“Two minutes until the weapon is heated completely.” One of the sergeants announced.

“The scavenger!” (Y/N) hissed as she saw Rey leaving the base together with the Wookie and the stormtrooper traitor. She checked if she had her lightsaber. A slight quake could be felt and the system alarms were turned on.

“The oscillator is damaged, but still working.” The sergeant explained but (Y/N) stormed out of the command room, pushing herself away from the walls as the ground was pulsating violently under her feet.

The fugitives were making their way through the snowy forest when (Y/N) cut off their way thanks to her skills. She pulled out her lightsaber and turned it on, standing in a confident defense position. Her anger was growing deep in her bones.

“Where do you think you’re going?” The redhead barked at the younger girl. Rey was about to use a blaster against (Y/N), but the Sith Lord threw her into a tree with just the wave of her hand. The ex-stormtrooper pulled out the Jedi lightsaber and took a threatening position. “Traitor!” (Y/N) barked at him angrily and smirked as she felt his unease. “Show me what you’ve got, traitor!” She hissed at him and he attacked. However, he wasn’t force sensitive and only after a few swings of the saber, the Sith Lord had him heavily wounded on the ground. She smirked. Suddenly, she felt movement nearby. Before she could realize it, the Jedi lightsaber flew by her and directly in the hand of the scavenger. The soon-to-be-Jedi rose to her feet and took fighting position. (Y/N) clenched her teeth, tightening her grip around her lightsaber and her stern look was speaking for her that she had long accepted the challenge. The girls ran to each other, holding up high their lightsabers and they blocked each other’s attack. It was quite a fight as they both were strong with the Force, but the fierce fight reached its end when (Y/N) lost concentration. Suddenly, she felt Kylo Ren’s sharp physical pain and his close presence. Getting carried away by her worry, she lost track of the fight and the last thing she felt was a lightsaber driven through her abdomen. The last thing she saw as she fell heavily wounded on the ground, coloring the snow with her blood, was a tall black figure approaching. Rey, knowing the danger in the face of the redheaded Sith Lord, pointed the lightsaber to the half-conscious woman, determined to finish her while she could, but then a voice echoed from behind her.

“Edenia!” The figure barked panicked and started approaching faster. It was Ren. He was late because of his bleeding wound. A little too late. He pulled out his lightsaber and turned it on. “That girl belongs to me!” He hissed angrily through his clenched teeth, pointing to the fallen girl in the snow with his lightsaber. “And so does that lightsaber!” He looked to the lightsaber which Rey was now holding doubtfully and insecurely with a lost look on her face and tears streaming down her face. “We’re not done yet!”

“You’re a monster!” Rey hissed through her tightly clenched teeth, trying to swallow the tears.

“It’s just us. Han Solo can’t save you now.” The ground cracked open and Rey attacked Ren in her anger and suffering. The Knight was also angered. The only person he actually cared about and loved was lying in the snow in her blood, which was as red as her hairs. His anger was so blinding that his severe wound now felt like just a simple scratch. The fight wasn’t any less fierce than the previous. Ren was swinging the heavy lightsaber expertly and dangerously, while the scavenger was doing it a little insecurely, yet she had no choice but to fight. Suddenly, as they were blocking each other’s lightsabers, Ren was pushing her towards a cracked opening in the ground where rivers of lava were running underneath. “You need a teacher. I can show you the ways of the Force!” Ren explained as the scavenger was hardly holding him back.

“The Force?” She whispered, closing her eyes, which made the Knight disturbingly confused. The girl let the Force run through her and became one with it. She opened her eyes and Ren could read in them the same determination and ruthlessness (Y/N) had, until she pushed him back away. This sudden overflow of power somehow discouraged the tall man, but he kept fighting. It wasn’t long before his strength started leaving him again and Rey swung her saber, slightly wounding his leg and cutting off a piece of his cape. Another swing and his shoulder was the next wounded part of his body. He tried defending himself, but his wounds were weakening him and after the next blocked attack along with a crucial strike from Rey’s lightsaber, Ren was lying in the snow with a wound across his face. The girl wanted and could have killed him right there, but she drew the line like she did with (Y/N), knowing this could only lead her to the Dark Side. Chewbacca hovered over her with the Millennium Falcon. They took the wounded stormtrooper on board and took off.

The two dark Lords were both lying wounded on the ground as the cracked openings in it threatened to swallow them in their rivers of lava. Kylo Ren, even though wounded in many places, was still in a better condition than (Y/N). Even though Rey didn’t mean to kill her, she wounded her in a way which caused severe blood loss. Ren was weakened, but his fear of losing (Y/N) was greater than his wounds and he used all his remaining strength to reach the girl. He hardly rose to his feet and headed her way, but on the half of the way he fell to his knees. The other half he had to crawl in the snow. He reached the girl and propped himself on his elbow beside her, reaching out to caress her cheek.

“(Y/N)!” Ren whispered worriedly in hope she would wake up. A small sigh escaped from the girl’s parted lips and she slowly turned her head to face him.

“I’m sorry master, I have failed.” The girl hardly whispered and reached out to touch his face, marking him with her blood.

“No, no, no, (Y/N). Your order now is not to give up.” Ren’s eyes teared up as he put a hand over hers to stop the blood.

“Are those tears in yours eyes, my lord? As much as I am happy they’re for me, I don’t want to see them.” (Y/N) smiled, caressing his cheek and he held back the tears. “Look what we’ve become. We’re the same, yet at the same time we’re completely different. At least I was able to teach you something too.”

“But if you die, what I have become dies with you, remember?” Ren sat up and pulled (Y/N) into his arms, holding her tightly.

“Oh, but I can’t allow that.”

“Then you can’t die! If you leave me I won’t know what to do and where to go.” (Y/N)’s face darkened. The ground kept cracking and quaking around them.

“You’re hurt.” The girl cried as she felt the wound in his abdomen. “I knew something bad had happened. And that wound across your face…” Her lips quivered as her eyes teared up.

“I’ll be alright. We’ll talk about this later. Now I want you to relax.” Ren ran a finger along her cheek and he saw the command shuttle lowering down to them. He picked her up carefully bridal style and waited for the walkway to lower. Holding her in his arms that way, Ren recalled the first time he saw her face. He was holding her the same way and entering the shuttle just like he was doing now. By the time he had thought of her as a possible threat. Little did he know back then that he’d be holding her again and she would mean so much to him. With these thoughts on his mind and the girl in his arms, Ren entered the shuttle, hardly standing on his feet, just to be greeted by general Hux with his hands crossed behind his back. “We need a medical droid immediately! She’s losing a lot of blood.”

“We’re lucky to have one on board. You don’t seem to be in your best condition either, Lord Ren.”

“Her case is an emergency, I can wait.” The tall man laid her down and hoped the droid could save her. “What’s the course?”

“The course is set for Cloud city. There we can give both of you better treatment without being recognized. Until then we can only keep her stabilized.”

“It doesn’t matter as long as she lives.” Ren exhaled deeply in some relief.

The survivors after the destruction of the Star Killer base had arrived at their destination. Kylo Ren’s wounds were taken care of and despite the pain in his abdomen he was feeling almost as good as new. (Y/N)’s condition was stabilized, but she was still required to stay in bed and rest. Ren was hardly leaving her side. She had been sleeping for days and when she finally woke up Ren exhaled deeply in relief.

“Finally awake.” Kylo Ren gave her a slight smile. She smiled back sleepily.

“It’s nice to see you, master.” She shifted around in bed and winced from the sharp pain that pierced through her abdomen.

“Do not move! You have to stay in bed for some time.”

“Where are we?”

“Away.” Ren simply replied and (Y/N) smiled. She gestured him to lean in closer and the tips of her fingers brushed against the wound across his face ever so gently like a ghost’s touch.

“What happened?” She asked with the shadow of darkness fallen upon her face. Ren gulped as he heard the question. He sat down on the bed beside her and looked down.

“I killed Han Solo…I killed my father.” He whispered almost proudly and the girl’s eyes teared up.

“And now, I see you’re feeling guilty.” She noted with a tone of disappointment and slight blame in her voice.

“No, I’m not. I’m not sorry, neither feeling guilty. I’m only guilty in front of you.” He raised his eyes to hers confidently. She exhaled long and deep, accepting reality. She cupped his cheek as if this little gesture was meant to show forgiveness.

“And now what? Look at us.”

“No, no. We’re not done yet. This is just the beginning.”

“But Star Killer base is nothing but space junk now. Besides, they have probably found Skywalker by now.”

“Where did your fighting spirit go? When I met you, you had determination which you could take over the whole galaxy with. Where is it now when you need it most?”

“It’s not gone. I’m just disappointed of myself.”

“I don’t want to hear it. I want my warrior back.” Ren said almost as a command.

“You’ll have it back as soon as I’m out of this bed.”

“This means you’ll have that same draconian look in your eyes when I’m back.”

“Back? Back from where? Where are you going?” The girl’s face darkened once more.

“Supreme Leader Snoke wants to finish my training, so I’ll be away for a while along with Hux. I just couldn’t leave before you wake up. I wanted to make sure you will wake up and that you won’t have to wait for the answers you require.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you, I appreciate it.”

“When I’m back we’re starting over with everything.” Ren put his forehead to (Y/N)’s, looking in her eyes and cupping her cheek.

“Don’t be long.” She whispered.

“I’ll come back for you as soon as possible.” He whispered against her lips and crushed his lips on hers. He slipped his tongue inside her mouth, kissing her hungrily, deeply and urgently.

“May the Force be with you, my Lord.” (Y/N) whispered gently and softly bit his bottom lip.

“May the Force be with you too, (Y/N).” Ren smooched her lips and stormed out. His cape dragged after his feet. He had to finish his training and (Y/N) understood that. She could wait for him forever. He had changed a lot because of her and the challenges they went through together. She couldn’t wait for the moment she would bury her fingers in his raven black hair again.

When Kylo Ren returned from his final training, (Y/N) was already back on her feet. He found her working on her new mask. She was just too used to wearing the stormtrooper helmet. A coincidence, since he had alerted the other knights of Ren that they will be gathering in the secret temple for her welcoming ceremony.

“How is it?” (Y/N) asked with the mask on.

“Creative. Why the voice modulator though?” Ren smirked slightly.

“Because it is precious to watch your enemies’ faces when they have been slayed, fooled that they fought a man, while it was actually a woman. Besides, at times I’d rather remain unidentified.”

“How are you feeling?” Ren removed her mask and put his hands on her waist.

“Much better. And even better, now that you’re back.”

The two dark lords got on board of the command shuttle and set course for the secret temple.

“You are now a Knight of Ren.” Kylo Ren announced as (Y/N) had knelt in front of him with her mask on in the presence of the other knights of Ren. “Rise!” Ren ordered. (Y/N) rose to her feet, turning around to face them and slowly took off her mask, her blood red locks falling down her shoulders. This once again reminded Ren of the first time he saw her face.

The two knights had already gone through a lot together. Now a bigger challenge was standing in their way and they were determined to live through it together.