Chandrilan Nights // A Reylo AU

Chapter 5

Ben Solo never really liked Armitage Hux, and being escorted to his room by him was probably more infuriating than being led to his chamber by any other servant of the royal palace.

There was just something about the red-headed man's smug face and cold blue eyes that gave Ben the feeling he shouldn't keep him so close to his business. And besides, Hux repeating and reminding Ben that he wouldn't be in this situation if he had only listened to his mother and finally found a suitor did not make the prince reconsider his feelings towards the man following him.

Ben really had to try to maintain calm to not dislocate Armitage's jaw with his fist as the latter droned on and on about how the prince was supposed to follow orders and how it could look like he didn't care about his kingdom on the outside. But it was getting really hard for Ben to control his temper.

The prince quickly turned on his heel to stand before the pain-in-his-ass and snarled, "How should I know what it looks like to outsiders when I'm not allowed to leave the palace? And how are outsiders to know what it looks like when they don't even know how I look like?"

The prince glared at Hux for a while longer before turning around and stalking along the hallway by himself until he reached his room while the red-headed servant stood frozen in place by Ben's threatening air.

Ben sighed relieved as soon as he shut the door behind him and was finally in the safe haven of his own space where he was not confronted with Hux's ignorant and slightly arrogant remarks and where he was not told how to act.

In his room, he could more or less be himself. He could practice his calligraphy, he could lounge around on his bed and dream about the city outside of the palace walls and most importantly, he could talk freely about his thoughts with his best friend without being judged or told that he had to focus on his duties and not on what he thought was best.

At least he could do so for a while before he had to head into the courtyard to train with his Uncle Luke.

Ben started to rub at his temples to try to avoid getting a migraine again.

"That bad, huh?" Ben Solo heard his best friend ask.

"You have no idea," he replied as he ran a hand through his dark hair and glanced at Poe lounging on one of the sofas in the room.

"So, what was wrong with this one?" Poe asked and sat upright.

Ben chuckled and shook his head. "You know exactly what was wrong. I don't want to marry anyone just because I have to, especially not a woman who only wants the throne."

Ben then felt a nudge against his thigh and a sad beep, and when he took a glance at the origin of the sound he saw Poe's droid BB-8 seeking Ben's attention.

But Ben didn't feel like playing around with the droid, so he just gave him a small pat on his metal dome and began to head to his bed. He wanted to at least relax a little before Jedi training.

Yet before he could find his way to his bed, Ben tripped over the black robes he had tossed onto the floor before heading into the throne room to scare off Princess Phasma.

They were the black robes he had worn out to sneak out of the palace, to wander the streets of Chandrila.

They were the robes he had worn when he had met Rey, the scavenger from the market.

Ben hadn't noticed he was smiling at the memory until Poe pointed out, "But I see there was something good about today."

"Hm?" Ben glanced back at his friend and hung up the discarded clothing.

BB-8 rolled his way to his owner where he knew he would get more attention than from Ben and was welcomed with a grin and several pats before Poe said, "I'm guessing the secret trip was worth it."

The prince opened his dresser and picked out his training garments—a black sweater and black pants—and simply replied, "Yes." He disappeared into the refresher to change his clothes and appeared back into the room and mentioned casually, "I met a girl."

This sparked Poe Dameron's interest and he leaned forward as if he could catch every word Ben would say. "You did? Tell me more."

"She actually saved me today. She scammed a salesman to save my ass. And then we ran away from the guards and she hid me at her place," he told his friend. "It was... fun."

Ben could see Poe trying to hide a smirk. "What did she look like?"

He couldn't help but roll his eyes, yet still considered how to describe Rey to his best and only friend. But no matter how long Ben thought about it, he couldn't find the words to describe how soft and silky her hair looked or how bright her hazel eyes were or how pink her lips were and how he had considered brushing his lips against hers and running his hands through her hair and caressing her smooth freckled skin with his fingers.

Ben felt his cheeks redden at the latter thought and nervously brushed his hair out of his face. "She was..." he began and considered his words carefully. "She was like nothing I have ever seen."

Poe nodded understandingly. "That beautiful, huh?"

Ben decided not to answer. He didn't believe that the word would do Rey justice.

But he did smile unconsciously and that really caught Poe's attention. And that was revealed in the broad grin on his friend's face.

"What are you smiling about?" Ben asked suspiciously as sat down on his mattress.

Poe answered, "It just seems like you are smitten, Ben. It looks good on you."

"I'm not smitten," Ben Solo snorted and shook his head as he tried to convince himself that he was not "smitten."

"You are so smitten, Benjamin Organa-Solo. I've known you long enough to peek through your hard and cold exterior. You like this woman and you cannot hide it from me," Poe explained with smug triumph.

Ben slumped against his bed and thought his friend's words over. He did like Rey. A lot actually. He liked her so much he even considered getting in trouble again by sneaking out of the palace again just to see and talk to her.

So maybe he was a little smitten.

"Even if it were true," Ben mentioned carefully so Poe couldn't bask in his triumph, "there isn't anything I could do about it. I'm a prince and she's a... scavenger. I shouldn't even consider liking her that way because 'it would go against my royal duties.'"

Poe Dameron got up from the sofa to sit down next to his friend as comfort. "Yeah, I wish you had it easier. Then again, I wish I had it easier, too. Being the prince's servant doesn't get a lot of dates either you know."

Ben scoffed, "I know," and got up to retrieve his lightsaber from his belt. He might as well start training now. It could take his mind off of Rey and that was what he needed right now.

But as Ben found his belt, he realized that it was saber-less.

"Shit!" Prince Ben cursed and pinched the bridge of his nose out of annoyance.

"What's wrong?" Poe wondered.

"I must've left my lightsaber with Rey," Ben told him a little concerned over how Luke would react to Ben's forgetfulness.

Yet Poe somehow didn't share Ben's concern. Instead he smirked and mentioned, "Well, I guess that would be a reason to see her again."

And with that, Ben's thoughts about how Luke might scold him vanished into thin air and were replaced by the hope of seeing Rey again.