𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐩𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐧 is her kingdom's only hope. Bound by duty and honour, she must save her people from the great evil that has overtaken her planet and restore the peace that once was all while training with...
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As she and the commander duelled, she could've sworn that she had seen the ghost of a smile form on his lips, and for a reason unbeknownst to her, she grinned back.
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Training with the commander had gotten considerably more enjoyable and Riel was thankful. He had been teaching her how to properly fight in hand-to-hand combat and had promised that they would begin training with a lightsaber before the month was up.
Ever since she had witnessed the pure power of the lightsaber, she hadn't been able to remove that sense of strength from her mind. She desperately wanted to hold it again, to use it and soon she would. She wondered if she would be able to engage the commander in a duel, but in order for them to battle, she would need a lightsaber of her own. Her mind then wandered to the thought of having her own saber, then to what colour it would be, what it would look like, and if it would be more powerful than the commander's.
A while back, she had longed to fashion her own lightsaber out of scrap materials laying around the ship, but she had quickly realized that she didn't have a clue as to where to start. Lightsabers were complicated pieces of technology and would take someone highly skilled to make, and then there was the problem of making it actually work. When she had held the commander's saber, she had sensed that there was something more than machinery making it light.
She glanced at the chronometer on her bedside table, eager for the numbers to change to eight o'clock. It was only 7:36. Riel paced her room and fiddled with her fingers in a poor attempt to pass the time. Only eleven minutes had passed. Now fed up, she decided to head down early. She might as well make use of her time and begin her training, even without the commander.
Riel quickly made it to the training, practically knowing all of the shortcuts to take by heart. She noticed a few soldiers around, each stretching, or fighting. Standing there, she began to realize that she should have just waited since she had no clue where to start. She set down against one of the walls and tried to keep from disturbing the others. Somewhere in her haze of embarrassment, she fell asleep, only to be woken by the commander.
"You're late." He told her.
Riel blinked a few times. "But aren't I already here?" "Maybe so, but at exactly eight o'clock, I expect you to be ready to train, not taking a nap."
"Oh." She said. "It won't happen again."
The commander merely nodded and walked away. "So, what's the plan for today?" Riel asked, her excitement returning.
"Training in hand-to-hand combat."
"Of course. Maybe I can actually beat you this time." She grinned.
"That is highly unlikely. However, if you did somehow manage to defeat me, that would be indicative that your training has been successful." He stated matter-of-factly.
Riel laughed a bit, the sound cutting through the awkward atmosphere. "You know, commander, it would do you good to not be so serious all of the time. Lighten up a bit?"
"Lighten up a bit?" He asked. "What use would lightening up a bit do me?"
"For one, it could make you seem more approachable. Every single person on this ship is afraid of you, including me. And ruling others by fear almost never works out well." As soon as she said it, she mentally kicked herself for being so blunt.
His face was blank and Riel wasn't sure how he would react. "You're afraid of me?"
In his eyes, Riel saw that he seemed genuinely confused by her. As she continued to stare, she saw that he was struggling to decide if he should be troubled by this or not. She quickly shook her head, freeing herself from his thoughts.
"I am sorry for frightening you."
Riel's jaw practically dropped, but she kept herself in check. "Let's just... ahem.. begin training."
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Riel felt like death. That in the sense that she was both mentally and physically exhausted. Fighting someone so physically able was bound to take its toll on anyone. After training with Captain Phasma, Riel had expected her physical capabilities to match those of the commander, but she was sorely mistaken.
"We aren't done yet, princess. I thought you were going to defeat me?" The commander said, the corner of his mouth quirking upwards.
"Oh, I'm far from done, Ren." She said, leaping at him, hoping to score a hit.
Success. He stood there stunned. She didn't stop there though. She kept up her attacks, slowly winning over her skilled partner and before she knew it, he was on the ground.
"I win." Riel smiled triumphantly.
"Did you intentionally call me that to throw me off guard?"
She looked at him quizzically. "What?"
"You called me Ren. It was so informal and you've always called me by my full title." He stared hard at her.
"It just sort of.. Slipped out I guess." She responded, now confused as well. "I'm sorry."
Kylo Ren swallowed. "It's... fine."
"If you would like, you could call me Riel."
"Riel." He spoke her name like it was some foreign tongue that he couldn't quite wrap his head around. "Well then, Riel, I believe our training session is done for today. You may go."
Riel turned around and left the training hall as fast as she dared, careful not to make it seem like she was running away. Soldiers she passed while making her escape gave her strange looks, but she paid them no mind. The only gaze she could feel was Kylo Ren's as he kept his eyes trained on her back. She desperately wished to be invisible, to be able to hide from his stares so she could have some peace of mind. Her head was already buzzing, thinking of what he would have meant. If Kylo Ren had told her that only a few short weeks ago, she would've known exactly what he meant by it. But now, she was unsure.
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A/N
I realize this is a bit of a shorter chapter, but I hope you all like it <3
