Allegiance | Kylo Ren

LII

Poe was dispatched on an undisclosed mission the next day, so I was left under the careful watch of Rey. She was much harder to get along with than the pilot; she clearly still did not trust me, and seemed on edge the entire time we were together.

It was a lazy afternoon. The sun hung weightlessly in the cloudless sky, and a light breeze ruffled the trees surrounding the tarmac. I found myself drawn to a particularly tall tree with low branches—perfect for climbing.

Rey eyed me cautiously as I wandered over to it. I pulled myself easily onto the lowest branch and examined the next branch, trying to assess the best way to reach it. I heard my escort give an irritated huff as she realized what I was planning on doing, and I rolled my eyes at her.

"It's not like there's a lot to be doing." I informed her. "I might as well have some fun while I'm here."

"There are chores we could be doing—" she started, but I cut her off.

"Half of those things are not intended for me to know about, and the other half shouldn't have to be done on a day as beautiful as this one."

She glowered at me, but didn't argue, casting a quick glance over her shoulder at the main building.

"Climb with me?" I offered her a friendly smile.

"I don't think so."

I exhaled slowly as I reached for the next branch. I was now approximately fifteen feet off the ground, and I wasn't done.

"You don't like me." I observed, not intending it as a question.

"I don't trust you." Rey crossed her arms over her chest.

I glanced at her swiftly before reaching up for the next branch, adjusting my footing to stabilize myself. "Why?"

She gave me an incredulous stare. "You're a Stormtrooper."

"Yeah, but so was your friend." The next branch was just out of reach. I shuffled my feet slightly, trying to grasp it without falling.

"Finn chose to leave. Permanently." She watched me intently as I struggled. "You're going back, and you're still loyal to them."

"Can I have a little help?" I gestured towards the branch I was fighting to reach. Rey rolled her eyes, but waved her hand and lifted me just far enough to where I could grasp it firmly. I pulled myself up. "Thanks. But even if I'm loyal to the First Order, we both want the war to end. Shouldn't that mean something?"

"It doesn't—we have the same goal, but that doesn't mean I trust you. I've faced you and your kind in battle too many times to ever be able to fully believe anything you say."

I was far up enough now to where I had to increase my vocal volume to be heard. "My kind? That's a little shortsighted, don't you think? You're acting like we're clones of each other, not individual people fighting for a common goal. We're just like you, but we wear white armor." I paused, adjusting my footing. "Plus, you're the one who split my face in half that one time."

Rey wasn't able to hide the flash of guilt that crossed her features, so she stared down at her feet as it passed. "That wasn't intentional." She mumbled.

I shrugged. "But it still happened. So really, I shouldn't trust you either."

She glanced up curiously. "Do you trust me?"

I grimaced as I struggled to pull myself to the next branch, taking a moment to catch my breath before responding. "Not sure yet." I glanced over my shoulder at the view, and grinned. "You should come up here."

She stared up at me, chewing her lip briefly before she began a series of graceful leaps from branch to branch. She seemed to float through the air, clearing gaps that had taken me great effort to cross. She reached my side in only a few moments, making me burn lightly with indignation at how hard I had to work to reach this height.

I settled down onto the branch I was sitting on, and she joined me, leaving a noticeable gap between us. I gazed out at the landscape in front of us. Beyond the base, a thick forest extended to the foot of a tall mountain range. The several silvery peaks surrounded us on all sides, dappled with snow at the very tops.

"This is beautiful." I smile softly as I glanced around.

Rey hummed her agreement, her dark eyes flicking back and forth between me and the landscape around us.

"You can relax." I groaned, noticing her nervous surveillance. "Like I told Poe, I'm not going to attack anyone here. It's just not a smart thing to do." I glanced down. "Plus, we're at least forty feet off the ground, and I don't have the Force to save me if I fall."

Rey gave me a sideways glance, her shoulders relaxing slightly but not entirely. "Sorry about your face." She muttered at last.

I ran my fingers over the lightly raised skin on the side of my cheek. "No worries. It healed pretty cleanly, thanks to Kylo."

She raised her eyebrows at that, but didn't question it. Instead, we returned silently to our admiration of the mountains. Together we watched as a small dark dot in the distant sky grew larger and eventually took the shape of a jet, landing smoothly on the tarmac below us. Poe climbed out, adjusting his jacket as his feet hit the ground. He glanced up at us, flashing us a quick salute. I grinned and returned it, Rey hesitantly copying me without enthusiasm.

"We should probably go down soon." She observed, her eyes taking in the ever-sinking sun. "It'll be time for dinner soon."

I glanced down uneasily. "It might take me a while."

Rey let out a light laugh, and leapt gracefully from the limb, reaching the ground in a heartbeat. She glanced up at me from the base of the tree.

"I'll see you at dinner?" She couldn't seem to keep the smile from her face.

"Yeah, maybe." I muttered, hearing her tinkling laugh as she began to walk towards the main building.