Forever Drawn to You-A Reylo Story

Chapter 4- Ominous Invaders

Rey's father Stranton Palpatine & mother Ryna were working in their market stall in the process of trading goods with a group of nomads when a small army of marauders came across the dunes. Arrows started flying everywhere.

One arrow hitting Ryna directly in the chest. Her husband was also grazed in the left arm and fell to the ground to cradle his wife. Tears streamed down his face as her life slowly faded away. Ryna was able to get out a few last words in a whisper to her distraught husband. "Stranton, I will love you forever." "P-Please go find Rey and hide her." "Don't let them hurt our precious baby." with that she took her last breath and passed. He looked down in shock at his wife and wept holding her body close to his. He did not even realize there was a fire igniting in the stalls above his head or hear the screaming villagers running in all directions. All he saw and felt in that moment was his lifeless wife in his arms. To him the world just stopped. He kissed her lips one last time, and thought aloud; "I love you too, my beautiful Ryna." Tears poured down his face. 

He finally rested his wife gently on the ground and peered up to see if there was a quick escape route to his home. He did not want to leave his wife behind. Just then their neighbor (Finn's Father) crawled next to him with an arrow sticking out his right thigh, blood oozing out of the gash. The neighbor told Stranton to; "Go find your Daughter and Finn." "Hide them somewhere safe." "If you have time to find my wife, please get her to safety as well." "I will stay here with Ryna until you return." Stranton looked at his friend with sympathetic eyes before darting off towards an empty alley. 

 Rey's father was running on pure adrenaline. He had to find his child. It was Ryna's dying wish and he had  to honor her. He stopped at edge of the alley behind a large clay barrel where he witnessed Finn's mother being slaughtered in front of a terrified and screaming Finn right on the main road. Still in shock, he looked all around to see if Rey was with them and he did not see her.

Feeling sorry for his neighbor, he watched as a trooper took Finn roughly by the arm and put the boy in a caged rolling cart several yards away. The invaders were gathering up all the children they could find. There were several carts already full of screaming weeping children, which included some of Plutt's slaves.

Rey's father searched the cages from afar with squinted eyes looking for his daughter who he knew would not be taken easily, as she was a fighter. Stranton taught her to fight as soon as she could walk. He affectionately called her his 'Little Warrior Princess'. Rey had taken to staff combat naturally, so Stranton built her a sturdy quarterstaff which she never went anywhere without. It has protected her young life several times already.

He did not see Rey anywhere, nor did he hear her. He assumed she is hiding which he told her to do if such an invasion were to ever happen. They had a spot already planned just in case and that is where he needed to get to. However, the marauders were everywhere, it would be to dangerous to free the children in the carts now. He thought he could go after them in the dark tonight once he knew Rey was safe. He looked around again, the road was too open and full of armed guardsmen to just dash across safely. He would need to find another way around.

He finally realized who these troops belonged to and opened his eyes wide with the panic of why they were here. He absolutely had to find Rey now, it was more than a matter of life and death. They were looking for him and his Family. As he turned back down the sandy passageway to start to run a stray arrow caught him in the back and he went face down with a shriek. As his body was now paralyzed from the arrow in his spine. His final thoughts to himself as he closed his eyes for the last time were; "Rey, my darling little warrior princess, please be okay." "Please be strong and know your mother and I will always love you..."   

Finn's father watched helplessly from the floor of the market stall as Stranton fell into the sand face first. His heart ached for his long time friends. His own eyes grew heavy as the loss of blood overtook him and he passed out. 

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Notes: Hope you are enjoying the story so far. Leave a comment if you like it.