The Blood Queen

Prologue: Star-Crossed

Kylo Ren had insisted on flying back to the Finalizer alone after his visit to check Hux's progress with the Starkiller base on Ilum. He reached out to send the ship into hyperspace, setting the controls to autopilot and standing to stretch his legs. It had been a long year since that fateful day on Arkanis, but the grief that constricted his chest was still raw. It wasn't often that he had the chance to let it all out, to breathe, to allow himself to think of her, but here, utterly alone, he could. His fury grew.

Kylo had tried to talk himself out of this trip for months now; if Snoke found out, he would pay dearly. He felt a lump form in the back of his throat, and all of his muscles tensed, hands balling into fists. Fuck Snoke, fuck the First Order, fuck everyone and everything that stood in his way. Kylo knew his power was outgrowing that of his master, it was the only explanation for how he was able to keep his true feelings hidden so deeply that Snoke was unable to detect them. Kylo returned to the pilot's chair, staring with contempt at the red blinking light of the tracking beacon, installed into his command shuttle at Snoke's behest, and without another moment's hesitation, he smashed it with his fist. His leather gloves were undamaged as glass shattered and the metal snapped, spilling into the floor by his feet. He double checked the navigational system, sat back, and closed his eyes. He would need all of his strength for what he was about to do.

When Kylo came out of hyperspace, his breath caught at the large, red planet that came into view. It had become a habit to reach out with his mind, following the thread of the Force that led him to her, to feel the tantalizing darkness of her energy, the invisible hold she had over him, even when she wasn't aware she was doing it. He'd found himself following that thread more times than he could count over the last year, knowing what he would find at the end, a frayed rope that led into the empty void. He knew she was gone, he'd watched her die. But if there was a way to get her back, he would do it. He would pay the price, whatever it was.

Kylo knew what became of desperate men, his own grandfather had been one. His twisted, burnt helmet sitting in his bedroom on the Finalizer was proof of what happened to someone who valued another's life more than their own. But as the ship descended through the thick, rust-colored clouds and the red cliffs came into view, the outcome started to matter less and less.

His ship was conspicuous, the slick, shiny black wings standing prominently out against the backdrop, and Kylo donned his helmet, lightsaber in hand as his feet sunk into the dirt. He half expected the Nightbrother clan to come out of the shadows and stop him, to demand to know what he was doing here. The landscape was silent, eerily so, as Kylo began his trek through the forest. He knew he was going in the right direction, but he had the urge to stop, to change his course entirely and walk through the Nightmare Ruins. He wanted to see the corpse of the Nydak Alpha she had taken down, to relive the way she had looked when he'd fought his way to her, tracing those damn tattoos with his eyes, then with his hands. The trees grew thicker, the sound of water echoing from a few hundred yards ahead.

"Kylo Ren." A startlingly feminine voice rippled through the air; even with the Force he couldn't tell which direction it had come from. Kylo turned, igniting his lightsaber, reaching out his hand to freeze anyone or anything that jumped out from behind the large tree trunks.

"Don't play games with me, Laxaka." A small laugh echoed on his right, then drifted to his left.

"You have a lot of nerve to show your face here." She finally made herself known, Kylo felt her step out of the trees behind him. He turned slowly; stowing his lightsaber. He had known the sight of her would both enrage him and make his knees weak. For a moment the latter won out: all he could see was her. He could pretend that it was the curve of her body under the fitted red suit, he could see himself ripping it off of her, hear her whining and whimpering as the sweet taste of her filled his mouth. But then Kylo's eyes drifted to her face, and the heat in his blood changed, becoming volatile, murderous. Laxaka stepped closer to him, a smirk on her face. She knew; she could feel the desperation seeping from his every pore. "Where is the daughter of Maul?"

"As if you don't know why I'm here." Kylo's eyes tracked her as she circled him, staying utterly still even as her magick probed into his mind. He let her explore a small cavern at her leisure, allowing her to watch the scene that haunted his nightmares, clenching his teeth as he saw her fall to the ground, blood bubbling up over her lips. He shoved her out, nearly physically tackling her, as she tried to delve further, to pry into their time together before.

"No need to get so touchy," Laxaka taunted, eyes swooping over his tensed muscles, quaking hands. "I respect boundaries." She crossed her arms. "You have a little bit of trouble with that though, don't you?" Kylo bared his teeth, fist poised to strike, but he held back. He needed her.

"I know why you sought me out, Kylo Ren." She continued, holding up her hand, palm to the sky, and letting green flames flicker and dance upon it. "It can be done, but the price is steep."

"I don't care what it is." Kylo's throat swelled, his voice distorted. "I'll pay it."

"I know you will." He watched the flame in her hand so intently that he started seeing her face inside of it. He tore his gaze away, back to Laxaka's sharp smile. "It must be done here, on Dathomir, where the Sisters are the strongest. Where she is the strongest."

"Tell me how to find her body." Laxaka pursed her lips, giving him a strange look that he couldn't interpret. He itched to dig his talons into her mind, but refrained. If he offended her, she could refuse him.

"You'll need your former Knight." Kylo clenched his fists.

"Vicrul," He muttered, the mere thought of him turning his blood to magma.

"Yes," Laxaka continued, extinguishing the flames in her hand and stepping close to him, nearly chest to chest. "He simply goes by 'the Knight' now." Kylo looked down at the Nightsister, the too-sweet scent of her making him wrinkle his nose in disgust. "He's working for a very skilled assassin right here in the Outer Rim."

"That's impossible. I've had spies in the Outer Rim for months. If he were here, I would have found him by now." Laxaka laughed, and Kylo almost snapped.

"Oh, Kylo, your Supreme Leader is hiding things from you." Kylo stiffened, but he wasn't surprised. Snoke's distrust was apparent, ever since he had returned, he had been privy to very little ahead of time. No more than Hux was told. "Begin your search for the Blood Queen. You'll find the Knight at her side."

"The Blood Queen?" Kylo repeated incredulously, clenching his teeth and trying to keep his temper in check. "Can't you just tell me where they are?" Kylo couldn't help but glare down at the Nightsister. "I told you, I'm not here to play games."

"We cannot predict the future. They are constantly on the move." Laxaka huffed, her gaze roaming hungrily over his face. "You find the Blood Queen, you find what you're looking for."

"Fine." Kylo turned to leave, to begin the long trek back to his ship. Laxaka called out to him, and he hesitated.

"Aren't you going to ask about the cost?" She called, a lilting taunt in her tone.

"Does it matter?" He replied, not turning to face her.

"It might." She paused, then added, "To her." Kylo considered her words for a moment, then shook his head.

"The galaxy can burn. I just want her back." Kylo Ren returned to his ship, red dust sticking to the edge of his black cloak, and began his journey back to the Finalizer.