Darkness Within

Forever

*time jump: one month*

Rey rushes into the bathroom, placing her hands on the counter in front of her and allowing herself a moment to regain her composure. With a deep release of her breath through her nose, she looks back up at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes focusing on a figure vaguely resembling her usual self with the top half of her hair gathered in the back and cascading down to join the rest of her hair that falls around her nearly bare shoulders.

She hardly recognizes her own face after she spent what felt like hours having paints and powders applied to her skin with brushes by women with pointed faces and alarmingly long eyelashes and fingernails.

Lowering herself to the ground, she tugs the tight corset around her torso that has been constricting her breathing slightly and crosses her legs under the pile of draped fabric that makes her skirt hard to move in.

Resting her freshly manicured hands on her lap, she closes her eyes, taking a cleansing breath to allow herself to find her center again. The day has been long and stressful and she hadn't properly prepared herself for just how much of a spectacle it would be.

She struggles to relax at all, her thoughts swirling violently and keeping her teetering on the edge of a breakdown. With an exasperated huff, she grabs the ring on her hand and pulls it off roughly, throwing it to the side on the tile floor, the hard metal making a little clanking noise as it bounces and then rolls.

With the distraction of her finger, her shoulders relax, and almost immediately, a light presence pushes through the force and into her mind, wrapping her in warmth, and bringing a form of comfort she hadn't experienced for quite some time.

She sits in the warmth for a moment, allowing it to provide her a moment to calm down in her anxious state as she thinks about what the rest of her evening entails. 'Rey' a voice whispers across the force and a tear forms in the bottom of her left eye at the recognition of the voice. 'Rey' it repeats again and she pries her eyes open, the tear escaping and trailing down her chin.

'Finn,' she whispers into the empty room as the warmth leaves her again, reading her anxiety for loneliness despite the joyous occasion that the night is celebrating.

Looking to her right where she had thrown the ring, she spots the silver band where it came to rest on the floor and scoots over to it, recrossing her legs in front of her. She holds the band up in front of her, running her eyes around the endless circle of the soldered metal and the small black diamonds nestled in the polished surface.

"Ma'am?" Her servant for the night yells through the door. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Rey blurts out, realizing she has probably been in the bathroom far too long and she is probably raising suspicions.

Shoving the ring back on her finger, she stands up, teetering on her shoes for a moment and adjusting the corset and skirt of the dress again. With a heavy sigh, she swipes under her eyes with her fingers and pinches her shoulders back before opening the door.

—

Kylo stands along the side of the balcony overlooking the sleeping city lit up by warm lanterns and lights, casting the bricks in a golden hue. The click of her heels draws his attention, and he turns slowly, tugging at the dress clothes that feel unnatural on him.

Rey floats down the stairs, the draped white fabric framing her small figure and hugging her hips before trailing out behind her elegantly. A small smile spreads across her face as she looks up at Kylo once she reaches the bottom of the stairs and extends her hand to meet his which he offers in front of him.