The Lady of Ren

Three

They weren't identical; though from an outsider's perspective it was as probable as gravity that, eventually, they would become impossible to distinguish from one another. In fact, the two girls, Oya and Enyos, each have a hairstyle considerably different from the other's in order to aid strangers' perception.

Oya is the eldest by two minutes and her personality has not been deemed otherwise. At seven months old, she has already proven herself as dominant over both Enyos and Shiva. Her locks reflect this, chopped at her pudgy chin – a suggestion from Kylo himself. Like Oya, the short hair was low maintenance.

Shiva, the middle child, bears his father's looks yet lacks the fervor that douses Kylo's energy. He, unlike his sisters, is very aloof and tends to reflect upon himself more than the world around him. And while his father might be considered self-reliant, Shiva's instinct is to behave well and only well. You've noticed his taking comfort in the warmth of your embrace is more appealing to him than it seems to be with the girls.

Not to say that the girls aren't affectionate. In fact, Enyos (who is the smallest) rarely leaves her father alone. Whenever she wakes in the middle of the night, whether it be from a bad dream or a dirty cloth, her cry echoes throughout the whole of the base. It is only when her father comes home after the cycle that she is genuinely content, quiet, and forgiving. She'd rather tot around with Kylo than with you and seemed to favor his company more than yours.

Alright, so you were jealous. Enyos is stubborn – a challenge. Shiva constantly hankers for your attention and Oya is naturally independent so her distancing herself from you is to be taken with a grain of salt. But Enyos was different. Something about her was simply different.

Her birth was the hardest and you had pushed her for much longer than the other two. While her siblings had already been bathed, swaddled, and documented, Enyos was just being delivered.

"She'll be small her whole life." Orion had inspected her shortly after her birth. She said this with a smile while measuring her femur bone. "The runt."

You watch with great anticipation as Nyx comes through the bedroom doors; a raven-haired boy and a watchful baby girl in both her arms. Following suit is Orx, still in her pale blue nightgown, and toting Enyos (who looks rather annoyed, her little mouth curling downwards and dark eyes scrutinizing the scene – still, she looked very cute, even with her pouting).

Your heart leaps as Shiva's expression grows into a state of bliss, his wide eyes growing even larger upon seeing you. He shrieks with delight, fat cheeks pressing against, what are now, slits for eyes.

"Good morning, my love!" you laugh, the two of you reaching out for one another. Nyx has to scuffle in a hurry to you, lest he jump from her arms and into yours.

"Oh mama's!" you twitter, taking him into your embrace. He tosses his head back, a jolly grin beaming back at you. "Look at you! In such a good mood!" You kiss him on the cheek; once, twice, three times.

"All of us went for a walk around the base. Nowhere dangerous, of course. We stayed far from the training facilities." Nyx sets Oya in the play pen next to your bed. Behind her, Orx settles Enyos in beside her sister.

The two girls immediately busy themselves with each other's company. Enyos crawls towards Oya and taps her hands against her sister's face (she pats things she loves – an adorable quirk of hers). The eldest sister looks upon her with indifference but lacks the element of surprise when she sits there and takes it.

"Has the commander woken up? We just ran into the General in the hall and..." Nyx begins.

You sigh. "Yes, he's in the refresher now."

Kylo had (very obviously) made sure to leave before the two maidens came into the bedroom. While he retired wearing his mask – breaking it in a fit of rage and refusing to make another – he never let anyone see him without his official robes on. You suppose you should do the same in regards to the General, though he had an awful habit of showing up at the most inconvenient times.

You change the subject on a matter more pressing. "How is her ear?" You motion towards Enyos on the floor who continues to bug her sister.

Orx folds her arms against her chest. "She's okay. Better than this morning." She shakes her head, her head of curls glimmering in the sunlight that seeps through the windows. "She's very resilient."

This is true. Enyos is tough so when you found her sobbing in her crib this morning with a pair of red, wetted, eyes and a small hand tugging at her ear, you were brought to tears. It was the first real illness out of any of them.

You shift Shiva in your arms (your dominant had fallen asleep – he was pretty heavy for his age) and he picks at the hem of your nightgown with great curiosity. "Orion will be here soon. I'll have her take a look at it."

Ah, yes. It was a huge weight being lifted off your shoulders; Orion was visiting. She was to arrive with the queen today. Though she would only be here for a few weeks, the stress would surely recede. You needed a mother figure now more than ever. It was only after two weeks after the birth of the children that you were separated from her and taken back to Yanni.

While they weren't Orion, you were allowed permission to bring two maidens back home with you; Nyx (of course) and Orx (who had proved herself worthy during your pregnancy and your stay on Baeline). Their transfer was to be approved by Hux (unfortunately) but he was easy to persuade after you convinced him Kylo would be in an even more foul mood if he had to stay up all night with three, screaming newborns. You needed two extra set of hands – no exceptions.

"You'd better leave before the commander is done," you tell them both. You fix the sock that had been falling off Shiva's foot for a good five minutes. "I'll send for you later."

The young women nod.

"Yes, milady." Nyx bows and the two of the maidens disappear after blowing each of the children a kiss.

Once the two of them are out of sight, you hear the door of the refresher open. Kylo walks out, now dressed in his robes rather than his night-wear. He his menacing, dark, brooding; he could scare off a thousand men and his walk is heavy – too heavy to ever be friendly.

But still, the moment Enyos turns to see him, she shrieks with glee and abandons her attention on Oya. The knight, cold as ice, melts like vapor in the sun at her delight. He kisses Oya on the head, careful to not neglect, and scoops the youngest in his arms.

Enyos places her palms against her father's cheeks and brings her forehead to his.

That's when you see it.

Ben Solo.