For the Emperor

Chapter 8

You woke up to a quiet room. Your face had been cleaned and wiped of any evidence of what had taken place. You were resting on the mountain of pillows with the covers firmly tucked around you. Glows of saber burns were evident in the walls, as if he'd lost control entirely once you'd collapsed. 

Even in his fit of rage, he looked after you, cleaned you and let you rest. It almost felt like what happened was a dream, or more specifically a sick nightmare. But you knew it was real, because as you turned to the mirror that stood tall by the bed, the red marks around your neck solidified what you went through. Fear washed over you; he had bruised and ravaged you. He had let himself be so consumed in anger that your wellbeing didn't matter, and you collapsed under his hands. How could this happen? How could he do that to you?

How were you meant to stay here, stay with him, when he treated you like this? He hurt you and wasn't even around when you awoke to see if you were alright. You began thinking of all the ways you could get away, working on a plan to escape the command tower and reach safety outside of the city. While your head said run, your heavy heart weighed you down; you knew you didn't want to leave, it was just fear.

Footsteps echoed from the hallway and your head snapped towards the door, the man who'd caused such pain and fear stood with his head pointing to the ground. No armour, no mask. Just a man full of shame exposed to you.

He'd heard you; you knew it.

In his hand, a single red flower lay limp at his side as his eyes finally left the floor to meet you. Tears streamed down your cheeks, heartbeat racing as you were frozen with fear. He began to close the distance, slowly and carefully making his way over to the bed. Every step cautious, until his knees met the edge. "I brought you this..." he placed the flower softly on the bed, your mind raced as you registered it. This wasn't just any flower; this grew on your home planet. You hadn't seen one in years; you couldn't even comprehend how he'd got it for you. But he did.

You met his eyes and your heart shattered. Never had you seen such pain in them, such fear in the man who haunted nightmares throughout the galaxy. Your words scared him, as his actions scared you. No words were exchanged for a period, each of you simply lost in the emotion of the other's eyes. 

Looking away, you reached for the flower and brought it to your face. The smell so nostalgic, your body finally relaxed as your breathed in its sweet scent. A broken smile crept across your face as you wiped a tear from your cheek, your eyes locked on the beautiful reminder of home in your hand. Your mind began to wander, you couldn't remember ever telling Kylo about your home. "You didn't, love" he spoke quietly as he sat on the bed, still keeping his distance "but your dreams speak for you. So beautiful, such happiness as you dreamt of those fields." He smiled slightly as you looked up at him. "Pack a bag, we leave in an hour." And with that, he stood and left the room. Your brow furrowed as you watched him walk away, wiping the last tear away and climbing off the bed. 

Holding the flower as if it was a child, you delicately placed it in a glass of water and proceeded to follow what you'd been told. With no idea of what was happening, you packed a few essentials and changes of clothes into a small bag and then walked to the door. Kylo stood at the exit of the chambers, armour fully in place and a bag in his hand. He nodded to you and walked out; you instinctively began to follow him.

The ship was new, sleek. It's engine almost silent as it took off. You'd never been in such a ship before, taking it all in as you sat in the passenger seat beside Kylo who had decided to pilot himself, leaving the two of you alone for the duration of the trip. 

The stars shooting past you as the ship left the atmosphere always mesmerized you, no matter how many times you saw it. Your hand touched the window as you watched the galaxy unfold before your eyes, Kylo glancing over and smiling at the childlike wonder in your expression. "Not even the stars can rival your beauty, you know" he said as he turned back to the controls, flicking the switch to autopilot, and standing from his seat. You smiled lightly and watched as he walked towards you, his hand reaching out for you to take. One last look out at the stars, before taking his hand and standing. As you stood in front of him, your hand left his and reached up to the mask still on his head. The clasps hissed as you removed them and pulled the helmet away from his face, long black curls falling as you did. Looking into his eyes was just as wondrous as the stars that passed you on your journey. There was a veil of pain that made them shine in ways you'd never seen eyes sparkle before. No one could look into your soul the same way those eyes did. You placed the mask on your seat and looked back up into those eyes, every time you did was like the first.