The Knights Pet

Chapter 29

The first thing she heard upon waking was the sound of her own breathing echoing off concrete walls. It was a sound that was familiar to her, a sound that she had become accustomed to in the pit, a sound that she wouldn't be hearing if she was where she was supposed to be. Her eyes snapped open upon the realization that she was no longer on the ship. There was no comforting hum of engines, no quiet breathing of knights nearby, only the irritating dripping noise of water hitting cement.

Her gaze snapped from side to side as she tried to get her bearings. She quickly noticed how badly her head was pounding, likely from that resistance soldier slamming it into the flooring of the throne room. She hissed in pain, trying to reach for her skull to soothe the throbbing. That was when she noticed the restraints. Her arms were buckled down at her sides, metal biting into the skin as she tried and failed to pry them free.

"That won't work. They are made of durasteel. Strong enough to hold a Wookiee." A deep voice carried from across the cell, the sound making her tense. "I told the general we should just get rid of you. But apparently you're important. Why? I don't know. But she seems certain that space cowboy Kylo will come looking for you." Pet's eyes locked on the man as he stepped into the room, inching closer and closer as he spoke. She didn't respond, not with words. The only sound she released was a low guttural growl.

"Some of the men seem to think you're some kind of weapon. They were scared to check on you through the night. But you don't look like much of anything to me." He was so close now that Pet could smell him. Ozone and sweat. She turned away, hoping her lack of response would deter him. It didn't. He reached toward her, grabbing her face and forcing her to look at him once again. "So what's the secret, huh? Why are the knights and Kylo Ren so fond of a little nobody like you?" She grimaced at his words. Nobody. It made her want to tear his flesh from his bones, to pull his teeth out one by one so he could never mutter that word again. "I am not nobody," Pet hissed, but her anger only seemed to amuse him.

"Then what are you? Some kind of force-sensitive assassin? I hear you've taken out some of our best men... I'm going to have to make you pay for that." His words were filled with hate and anger. She could hear it in his voice. She yanked away from his unforgiving grip on her face. "I only kill men who do bad things," she huffed in reply. There was a moment of stillness between the two of them before he reared his arm back and let his fist meet her face in a punishing blow. The movement startled her so much she let out a guttural scream. The pain in her head increased with every moment.

"Some of those men you killed were my friends." He reared back once again and threw another punch, even harder. This one hit her square in the nose. She felt hot blood pour down her face, dripping off her chin and onto her shirt. She didn't care about the pain. She was used to it. What he was doing to her now was nothing compared to the beatings she received in the pit. She let out a sound almost like a laugh, her voice hoarse. "Your friends were fucking cowards." It wasn't like her to say such things, but in moments like these it made her feel like she held the power.

Another punch, and another, and another.

Her vision was starting to blur at the edges, unconsciousness threatening to drown her at any moment. "What's wrong? Does it hurt?" The man let out a chuckle. The sound made it just that much clearer how satisfied he was with himself. "You'd better do something. I'm ruining that pretty face of yours. I'm sure the knights won't want you back now. I thought you were a force user. Why don't you stop me then?" Pet tried to slow her breathing, to seem as unbothered as she wished she felt.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I am not a force user. I am a knight of Ren and nothing more," she spat. Blood dripped its way down her chin as her split lip throbbed painfully from the harsh actions of the man before her. "You are no knight. You're just a girl. A weak, helpless, useless little girl." He growled, wrenching his arm back and making a fist as if he meant to strike her again. She grimaced, bracing herself for impact, not having any way to shield herself with her arms pinned down.

"That's enough!" A female voice called from the doorway, stopping the man before he had the chance to land another shot. An older woman, petite in size, made her way into the room. Her face seemed kind and her movements non-threatening, but Pet couldn't help but keep her guard up, chest heaving in fear as she tried her best to assess what was to happen next. "Do not be afraid, child. I mean you no harm. My men, they can be harsh. I should have come to check on you sooner. I apologize for Elock's lack of hospitality." She waved the large man away, giving him a threatening look as he made his way out of the room. With that, the woman moved toward her. Her fingers reached out in Pet's direction, making her tense.

Instead of causing any harm, she simply pressed the button to release Pet's restraints, causing her to tumble to the cold flooring below. The girl scrambled to her feet, wiping her blood-stained face with the back of her hand. The movement made her groan in pain from even the slightest of touches. "Who are you? What do you want?" Pet questioned. Her back found the concrete wall behind her as she did what she could to increase the distance between herself and the unknown woman.

"What do I want?" She let out a sound that almost resembled a laugh. "If only things were that simple." The woman tutted, clasping her hands together as she looked at the girl with sympathy. "My son, he is the main thing that I long to have back. You may know him. To me he will always be Ben, but he goes by another name now, not the one I gave him. He calls himself Kylo." Pet's brows furrowed in confusion. This woman was Kylo's mother? He rarely ever spoke of anything personal, and never about his family.

"Then why take me? I belong to the knights, not Kylo." The woman nodded. Clearly she already knew that. "I'm aware. You see, we intercepted a communication about you. Apparently Kylo, Ben, seems to think you're more sensitive to the force than they had first thought." Pet stayed quiet. She didn't know what to say to that. Kylo had never said anything to her about this, and she was sure that he wouldn't have kept something like that from her. Would he? "You must be mistaken. That couldn't have been about me. It wasn't about me." The woman stepped closer, making Pet coil, ready to spring if she needed to defend herself.

"Oh child, it was. You are much more powerful than you know."