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"and pleasant is the fairy land,
but an eerie tale to tell,
and at the end of seven years,
we pay a tithe to hell,
I am so fair and full of flesh,
I fear it be myself."
- Tam Lin
A cold rain lashed against the train windows. The train whistled like a shrieking ghost as it sped along through the tangled vines and twisted trees of Northumberland and into the Borders. Outside, it was a bleak grey and the dark green fields and trees almost looked black. If Rey didn’t know any better she’d have thought that the rain would break the glass and flood her compartment. Some miles back she had managed to find a comfortable nook between wall and seat, sitting cross-legged, a folder filled with papers sitting on her lap that she would listlessly finger or open to read during the trip.
“I still can’t believe your grandfather left you an entire house!” Her best friend Finn cried out on the receiving end of her phone.
Rey chuckled. “I’m still rather shocked myself.” She picked up an weathered and folded photograph of an old man smiling standing in a garden with a young dark-haired girl standing beside him. “It’s been in the Kenobi family for at least several years. I used to go up there to visit him, you know."
Of course, it had been many years ago when she was still a child and her parents were still alive. When she received the call about Benjamin Kenobi’s fatal stroke, she had locked herself in her room and cried as the news weighed her down.
She had loved her grandfather dearly. He always had smiles, a kind word or a snarky remark, and stories when she came to visit. She remembered how she always hung on every syllable: his travels, his adventures in exotic places, the friends and loves he found and lost, and the wisdom he picked up along the way. She wanted to grow up and be like her grandfather, making friends and excitement all over the world.
The letter had arrived two days later from her grandfather’s lawyer. She was his only living relative left, and when he passed he left her his estate in a small village that was along heart of the Scottish Borders called Achthoul. Rey had entertained the idea to sell the property to pay for school; however, a small part of her was still reluctant to give away the piece of her grandfather.She couldn’t just drop her life in London and move three hundred mile to maintain a manor home all on her own. It was better if she sold the property and then used the money for school, bills, and whatever was left to save for travelling the world instead of holding onto sentimental value and being in debt.
“So how are you feeling about going back?”
“A little nervous. I don’t know how much has changed. Whatever happens, I’m sure it’s nothing that I can’t handle and hope to get it on the market soon.”
“Sounds great…” Rey could hear the tentative tremor in his voice. She actually heard him take in an ellipsis as a breath and sighed
“You don’t sound really enthused by the prospect.”
“Just hear me out, okay? Achthoul has about one of the largest missing persons rate in Scotland? And it’s not just locals that’ll go missing, but tourists visiting the town. I mean, from what I’ve read there have been some cases where some people that have been missing for months have turned up dead- even when rescue parties occur, even they vanish and are never heard from again. It’s weird and no one can explain it- “
“Finn, I promise you that I can take care of myself- “
“I know that, but I got a bad feeling about this.”
Rey had a comment to reassure him that everything would be fine and nothing horrible was going to happen when she heard a tap on her compartment window to see the conductor, telling her that they were getting ready to arrive at her stop.
“I gotta go. I’ll call you once I’ve settled in.”
“Okay. Just please take care of yourself out there.”
Rey gathered her carry-on and suitcase, stumbling slightly when the train lurched to a stop. The station mirrored outside’s conditions, dark and cold and empty with a small drizzle of rain still falling. She was the only person to get off. Shivering, she moved to get inside the station. The room was dark with dimly lit lights, the seats looked as though they hadn’t been sat upon in years, and it felt like that it was colder inside than it was outside. To her chagrin, there wasn’t anyone in sight who looked like a chauffeur or a cab driver to drive visitors into town waiting outside. The clock on the wall ticked quietly, the only source of sound in the station. There was a lamp lit on the ticket counter with an old man standing behind the counter.
“Can I help you?” he asked kindly.
“Do you know when the next cab should be here? I’m on my way to Carterhaugh-”
That was a mistake and Rey knew instantly it was when the stationmaster sucked in a breath, his face turn pale as a sheet. “Do not go to Carterhaugh.”
Rey stood taken aback for several moments before finally gathering herself. “I’m sorry?”
"Do not go down to Carterhaugh," the stationmaster repeated firmly. "For young dark Kylo Ren is there. There's none that go and come back alive if they dare cross him.”
If she doved in and swam deeply into where her memories were stored, Rey remembered how her grandfather told her on Halloween about the local legends and ghost stories that surrounded Achthoul and the Borders, but she never took them seriously.
The stationmaster began talking urgently. “The next train will be here in about two hours. You can rest here until it arrives. You seem like a nice girl and I don’t want the same thing that befell on Ben Kenobi to befall you-”
“Excuse me?!” Rey felt a cold chill run down her spine at mention of her grandfather’s name and ‘befall’ used in the same context.
The stationmaster spluttered for a reply to refrain himself, but was cut off when the door facing the street was creaked open. Rey gulped and mentally willed herself to calm down.
The man who had entered the station had sandy blond greying hair and beard. He was wearing a suit and had sunglasses on top of his head, which seemed rather odd to Rey because it was still pouring down rain. He directed his attention towards her and cleared his throat. “Rey Kenobi, right?”
Rey cleared her throat and nodded her head in confirmation. “Yes.”
“Great! Let’s get going!” He turned back around and headed out the door, taking her suitcase to carry. Rey followed after him, avoiding eye contact with the stationmaster.
Sunglasses put her suitcase in the back of the vintage Rolls-Royce and held the passenger door for her. She slid in and rested her carry-on on her lap. She was grateful for the dry warmth inside albeit there was a musty smell and strong aroma of cologne. The man got into the driver’s seat and pulled off. It appeared that the town was still asleep with only a couple of people outside because of the weather.
“Call me Luke, Miss Kenobi-,” Sunglasses introduced himself. “I was your grandfather’s lawyer and have been taking care of his affairs and estate for a couple of years. The drive up to Carterhaugh is not too far away from the town, so you should be able to come and go to get to town. The estate is in some disrepair, as he lived alone, but I trust you will find it a reliable and comfortable home. Also, this is one of your grandfather’s old cars- I hope you don’t mind if I borrowed it until mine’s back from the shop. There’s plenty more back the house.”
Rey shook her head and thanked him for giving her a lift, and to just address her by her first name. He seemed kind and meant well, though a little odd. She turned to look out the window and tried not to dwell on Finn’s concerns and the stationmaster’s warning about Carterhaugh. She didn’t believe in ghosts, but the old man had seemed so adamant that she began to wonder if it was common knowledge around the village. And the fact that he claimed that something sinister had caused her grandfather’s death was what unnerved her the most.
“I’ve heard concerns about the disappearances that have happened in Achthoul over the years and that some ghost named Kylo Ren and my grandfather- “
“That he killed him?” Luke replied, to which Rey mutely nodded her head. “Don’t believe a word of it. Ben was old and I guess that it was his unfortunate time to pass, for which I give you my heartfelt condolences. He had been a good friend of mine for years.”
“Don’t worry about what he said. This place is ancient and the people here are bored, so they like to give everyone a scare every once and awhile, especially around October getting ready for Halloween. It’s all just press to bring in tourists.”
Rey offered him a weak half grin and muttered an agreement, looking out to watch the village go by and changing back into autumn forests and rolling green hills and grey skies. If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve said that the atmosphere started to turn oppressive and the sky became a darker grey as a fog settled in.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Carterhaugh was nothing that Rey ever expected; more, and less, and wonderful, and fascinating in turn. A Palladian mansion, built in the mid-eighteenth century, with fifty acres of beautifully landscaped gardens and the ruins of an old medieval castle that once stood on the land, but now was overgrown by greenery and the woods that was in hidden in the heart of the forest that surrounded the estate. It was just as she remembered. The inside of the manor needed repair, but it was nothing that Rey couldn’t handle
It was magnificent. Rey felt an instant pull towards the place, as if it was welcoming her back.
The room Rey chose for herself was a quaint high ceiling accommodation with a small draped canopy bed, the walls painted a pale cream, and tall windows that was typical Palladian that gave her a view of the forest outside.
While she unpacked her suitcase, and tried to make her room feel like home away from home, her mind wandered back to the woods and ruins behind Carterhaugh. It was no longer raining, and Rey thought that it would be good for her to clear her head and enjoy the fresh air, local stories and superstition be damned. She grabbed her camera, ran down the stairs and out the door and into the woods.
The forest felt dark and deep around her. Already Rey had gone deeper into the woods than ever before, the woods getting darker. The canopy was so thick that only tiny shafts of sun pierced it, which left the interior unsettlingly dark. Anything could be living in there. It was hardly wilderness, and yet it felt like it should be. One thing was for certain - no way was she going in there at night. The ground was mostly moss and stone and little else, and the way to the ruins grew difficult with thorny thickets and roots in the worst possible position. There was nothing unusual to be seen as she snapped away until she found the ruins that made her stop in her tracks.
Roses, thousands of them, red as blood, scaled the dilapidated castle walls and tower house to the barks of trees. Entranced by the menagerie of reds and greens, Rey moved closer. She craved a rose, without knowing why, feeling almost compelled to pick it. She reached out to pick one, taking comfort in its fragrance and reveling in the quiet.
Until the sound of a branch breaking came from behind her.
And then went still when she heard someone behind her growl, “What are you doing here?”
Rey nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned, and found herself confronted with a man clad in black from head to toe, dark and intimidating in his bearing. He stood taller than either Finn or Poe. Wavy black hair tumbled around a face with a strong jaw and well-defined cheekbones. His eyes were breathtaking, cold dark brown and blazing with an implacable will that was almost unsettling.
Rey realized she hadn’t answered him. Her every instinct told her to run like a bat out of hell, but she refused to give whoever this trespasser was the satisfaction. Steeling herself, she gave a defiant glare with fire that could rival the ice in his own.
“I didn’t realize that taking a walk around one’s own property was now a crime,” she stood her ground.
“Your property?” His laugh is low and throaty, almost a threat. “You have no right roaming around on my land and stealing my roses.” He walked around her like a vulture circling its prey, enjoying how her eyes would flicker towards him as she waited for his next move while he continued to speak: “Did they not warn you away? None are allowed to come here without being granted leave of me.”
“Carterhaugh is mine,” Rey countered hotly. “These lands and estate belonged to my grandfather, Benjamin Kenobi, which he passed along to me when he died. I'll do what I want, and you won’t tell me otherwise. Therefore, you are the one trespassing.”
Eyebrows raised, he smirked at her boldness, bowing mockingly as he picked a rose from a vine and presented it to her as a token. “You must forgive me then, my lady, for clearly I have been mistaken as to who I am speaking to. Please accept this rose as a peace offering.”
Rey huffed and snatched the rose from his hands, twirling it in her hands as she regarded the strange young man staring intently at her. Granted he was handsome, but he was still rather strange and was certainly lacking in manners. “You knew my grandfather?”
“Quite well. I… watched over his house and lands and he would keep trespassers out of the woods. His death was a blow to us all.”
His voice was off as he looked away from her, making Rey suspicious. He was hiding something and before she could pry, a dark shadow loomed above her head gliding above the branches, black against the gloom of the setting sky. The dark-haired man glanced up as well and, in one quick move, he knocked her to the ground and threw himself over her, hiding her beneath his body, hissing in her ear to be quiet. Rey felt the sharp shock shoot its way through her back as she hit the earth. The temperature of his body smothered any protest or reaction that Rey could conjure to what was happening. He was so cold, and when he looked down at her wide hazel eyes something sparked, like an electric shock that then ran down her body, leaving a residual pulse in her head and chest, and she wondered if he felt the same. He lay over her no more than a moment before he rolled away. The shadow was gone.
Confusion left Rey still and shaken. She didn’t understand what that strange thing overhead had been, or why a stranger hid her from it, or anything that was happening.
“He’s looking for me. He can’t know you’re here,” he said, by way of explanation. Seeing it did nothing to reassure her, he continued, “We need to get you out of here.” He stood and held his hand out to her. He glanced upward, and then back to her. “Let’s get you home.”
“What was that thing?” Rey managed to ask, keeping the fear steady at bay.
The man kept silent, and simply grabbed her hand to leave. Rey certainly didn’t care for the action and felt her temper rise at being manhandled by some person who had just body slammed her to the ground and wouldn’t tell her what was going on. He led her along the dark paths until they came to the edge of the forest where Rey could see the outline of Carterhaugh and realized she was safe.
“I believe you can make it fine the rest of the way,” the man said from behind, turning to leave. “I must go. I’ve been summoned.”
“Wait!” Rey called back, but turned around to discover there was no trace of him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Work in Achthoul made it difficult for Rey to stay in Carterhaugh and find the mystery man in the woods, but she tried to come as often as she could. Rey discovered that she rather enjoyed her job as a library assistant. Her research loving soul made it easier for her to do background searches on Carterhaugh when there weren't any guests needing her help. The only downside of the job was when she would catch guests whispering behind their books and sneaking glances at her. On her first day of work, she was helping a young boy check out a book, when he blatantly asked her if the ghost had come and visit her, to which his embarrassed mother shushed him and led him out of the library without picking up the book. The head librarian, and one of the few and only friends made in Achthoul, Maz Kanata, made those instances bearable with a glare that sent many running with tails behind their legs. Luke would occasionally call upon her to see how she was settling in, but just as he always appeared out of nowhere he would disappear as fast.
Carterhaugh always appeared normal when she would leave and return in the evening. For the most part that is. Rey would find that rooms that were originally messy and dank would be clean or items would go missing and then show up someplace else. Rey had an inkling of who or what could be doing things around the house for her while she was gone, but she never voiced it aloud. In the evening, she would take a turn in the gardens and in the morning, she would go for a run in the woods, hoping each time to catch another glimpse of the mysterious stranger.
The man had yet to make another appearance. Rey wondered if he would. She often wondered if she was his only connection to the outside world. Rey had debated whether or not about telling Maz, Finn, or Luke about her new acquaintance, but decided to not mention him until she knew who or what she was actually dealing with.
It was not until a week later that he made himself known again. Rey had spent the afternoon cleaning the backyard of debris and returned inside for a pot of coffee to warm herself. She had been too engrossed in her work and going to and fro from the mansion to realize she was no longer alone - a throat cleared behind her. Rey nearly dropped her mug. The man from before was standing behind her.
"Way to warn a person!" Her eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?"
The man just glanced at the ruined building. "Looks like you’ve been keeping busy."
Rey rolled her eyes. “That’s what happens when you have a job and you're trying to sell a mansion. By the way, I never got to ask you what’s your name. I can’t exactly keep calling you the weird hermit that lives in the woods.”
He snickered. “I thought the villagers already told you who I was?”
“You’re really telling me that you’re the Kylo Ren that they tell stories about in the village?”
He grinned as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “The very same, my lady.”
“It’s not ‘my lady’- it’s just Rey,” Rey scowled. “And do you expect me to believe you?”
He regarded her with a silent look that made Rey want to squirm away from his imposing glance. It was as though he was peeling her layers with his dark orbs until her soul laid naked and bare before him. It left her feeling exposed. Then, he gave her what looked like an innocent and a smirk that Rey sensed that it couldn’t lead to anything good.
He brushed past her shoulder to shoulder to leave, but stopped to lean close to her ear, whispering: “We’ll see.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After finishing up late night assignments and a late night video chat with Finn, Rey settled in front of the television, and found some ghost hunting show with a stupid name to watch, just for fun. She rolled her eyes at the people on the screen, jumping at every little creak and groan like they’d never set foot in an old, not-haunted house before. People would believe anything nowadays, as evidenced by the kinds of sad sacks who would actually resort to calling in ghost hunters.
She must have nodded off at some point because she woke with a start to the television clicking off. Rey sat up, rubbing at the crick in her neck from sleeping in a recliner, and frowned at the telly. “I didn’t set a timer,” she murmured, throwing the quilt off of her to go and investigate; perhaps she’d just blown a fuse.
Although, she definitely hadn’t covered herself up before she fell asleep, either.
Rey stared at the quilt with wide eyes. She'd recognize the bold red, blue, and purple pattern anywhere—it was the one that she kept folded neatly at the foot of her bed.
Which was upstairs, at the far end of the hall.
She flung the quilt away as if it was full of spiders, leaping out of the recliner and glancing nervously around the room.
“Hello?” she called, wincing at the tremor in her voice. “If this is someone’s idea of a prank, it’s not funny and you are trespassing!”
A laugh sounded from somewhere behind her, but when Rey spun around there was no one there.
“Who are you?” she demanded, slowly edging her way toward the door. It could be a robber instead of a prank, and she didn’t particularly care to be alone with an intruder in either case. “I’m calling the police!” She was nearly to the door when a cold chill ran down her spine, and Rey turned around slowly with the knowledge that she was not going to like whatever was behind her.
There, just a meter away, stood a black shadow. Suddenly the shadow twisted and morphed until Kylo was standing in front of her. He had a cocky grin on his face and his hands resting on his hips.
He was also quite obviously transparent.
A scream crawled its way up Rey’s throat but died in her mouth, no sound emerging but a muffled squeak. If this was a prank, it was a damn good one, but she wasn’t about to stick around to find out. She took a few unsteady steps backward, closer and closer to the foyer stairs, and all the while the Kylo watched on with an amused look on his pale face.
Then, faster than a blink, he was directly in Rey’s face, so close that Rey could make out the dark brown of his eyes and the freckles dotting his translucent cheeks.
“Boo,” the apparition whispered, and Rey felt her legs giving out from under her, her world turning black.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When Rey finally came to, she was lying on the sofa, and she didn’t exactly remember how she got there or what had happened. She opened her eyes, blinking blearily, and then turned her head.
She was covered up in her quilt, carefully tucked in.
“Fuck!” Rey hissed, jerking away from the blanket and pushing it to the floor like it was possessed, scurrying along closer to a corner of the sofa, putting her feet beneath her. Then she remembered, the shadow, looked up in horror at the sound of a clearing throat –
Kylo sat in an armchair across from her. Pale, but she also noticed the translucent shimmer of his skin.
Rey was at a lost of words. She pressed her hands against her eyes because surely what she had witnessed just couldn’t be real. “Fucking hell,” she exclaimed again.
“Language,” Kylo sniggered, and when Rey uncovered her eyes, the man – ghost – had moved closer, standing in front of her. Against her better judgment, Rey looked up.
“What are you?” Rey asked harshly. She wasn’t sure if she was still afraid of whoever this was in front of her. Apprehensive still, yes, but even that sense of feeling was subsiding as curiosity and intrigue began to take over. She could feel her hands shaking, but refused to look away from the ghost who blinked a couple of times at her response.
Kylo frowned. He dropped to a crouch on the floor a few feet from Rey and tilted his head. “You’re not afraid of me,” he said finally, curious. His voice was deep and slow; morbid, almost. Rey tilted her head in the same direction as his, leaning slightly forward.
“Should I be?” She rasped out. Kylo blinked again, surprised at the question. Most humans would have screamed, fainted or run at this point. This one was… different.
“I suppose you would call me whatever,” Kylo shrugged, preferring to answer her former question than the latter. “Suppose you’d call me a ghost. A spirit. A wild shade. Whatever you want, really.”
Rey studied him. She thought of ghosts as things in white sheets, or maybe black shadows with glowing eyes, which with the black shadow was true she’d supposed, but Kylo just looked – normal. Like her, but a little bit paler. And the transparency bit, as well. He had a bit of a glow to him, but not what Rey would necessarily call supernatural.
“This can’t be real,” Rey said eventually. “You’re just a story to scare children at night.”
“Me scaring children sounds about right in my criteria, but I’m most definitely real- and dead,” Kylo remarked, his voice deadpanned. “Really though I expected this conversation to be a lot more interesting.” Rey narrowed her eyes slightly.
“So… Kylo Ren? Is that really your name?” She asked. Kylo nodded just barely, dropping her eyes slightly.
“At least that was the name that the Dark Court gave me when I was brought forth,” He responded.
“The Dark Court?” Rey furrowed her eyebrows.
“It is the Kingdom that lives in the heart of the surrounding Achtoul and it’s regions. It is where the Unseelie live and where travelers are lured in. It is the court of the darker emotions and realities; the court of temptation.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Her first order of business, after learning about her new house guest, was to head into town and find out anything about Carterhaugh and it’s history.
Hour after hour, Rey found herself still at the library after her shift deeply engrossed in her work, eyes scanning article after an article she found relating to Carterhaugh and its previous owners. She discovered the last family who lived there -- a rather a prominent family called the Solos lived there over sixty years ago.
Rey found a brief description of the family’s many accomplishments, from Leia Organa’s illustrious theater career and her social justice and political accomplishments, Han Solo’s glories and winnings as a racer, hosting numerous charity events and parties at their home, and the birth of their only son, Ben. It wasn’t until she stumbled onto a front-page cover with the headline in big bold black letters saying SOLO FAMILY KILLED IN CAR ACCIDENT HALLOWEEN NIGHT that her heart stopped in her chest.
Her eyes quickly scanned the page, stomach churning from reading about how the car lost control and swerved into a tree near Carterhaugh, the paper showing the destroyed car and the aftermath of the collision. It was said both Han and Leia died instantly upon impact; however, the story became stranger when the authorities were unable to locate the child in the backseat. Search parties were sent out to find the body or the boy if by some miracle he had survived, but they were never successful. Rey’s heart hurt at the unfortunate demise of the family, but it wasn’t until she saw a familiar name that her entire body grew numb and cold.
Luke Skywalker, twin brother of Leia, only surviving family member.
How could Luke not tell me? Rey pondered in agony. But the worst of it? It was the picture of the Solo family that followed. Because right there, plain as Rey could see, was Kylo as a little boy, his dark eyes and black hair and an innocent smile, small and blurry, staring right back at her.
*
Rey was sitting in the parlor library back at Carterhaugh, copies of the articles Maz allowed her to have spread out in front of her. She looked to her right, glancing at the roses that Kylo had brought her from the forest.
She had no idea if Kylo remembered the car accident, or even if he remembered who his family was, or even his actual name. He never once again offered any information about himself to her.
It didn’t take long before Rey saw Kylo appear in front of her, a frown on his face as he looked at her.
“Are you alright?”
Rey swallowed, hoping that what she was about to say wouldn’t end in disaster. “We need to talk.”
“What’s wrong?” Kylo blinked, confused.
“I found out who you are… who you really are,” Rey replied, licking her lips. “I also found out what happened to you.”
Kylo went still, aside from the movement of his fingers curling into his palm. “What are you talking about?”
Rey told him about her digging into Carterhaugh’s past to sell it, and then how the search turned into wanting to gather more information at the library about who he really was and leading to the previous owners before her grandfather. She explained how at first, she didn’t know if these people had any relation to him, at least not until she found the picture.
“Can I see it?” Kylo asked, voice raw.
Rey nodded, placing the folded paper so only the Solo picture showed, not the article accompanying it, in front of Kylo on the desk. She wasn’t expecting his sharp intake of breath, nor the small and sad smile playing on his lips.
“Are you okay?”
“I remember them,” Kylo said, voice nothing but a whisper.
Rey said nothing. She walked in front of the desk, standing next to him looking at the picture with their arms grazing.
“I don’t think I ever did until now, but I remember them now. That was our dog, Chewie,” Kylo said, pointing to a Brussels Griffon by the family’s feet. “And Uncle Luke’s there, too. I saw him around when he came to see your grandfather, but he never saw me.”
Rey listened as Kylo talked about his family, her heart tugged painfully inside of her chest. She couldn’t imagine what it must have been like, to be stuck as a ghost for over six decades, not even being able to remember who his family was.
“My name was Ben,” Kylo whispered, shaking his head at the picture. “What happened?”
Rey pressed her lips together, carefully taking the car accident article from the desk, and slowly handing it to him. She watched as Kylo’s expression become filled with pain, grief, and remorse as he read it.
“I’m sorry,” Rey said, not knowing what else to do. Not that saying she was sorry helped much, as she was aware. She hated when people said that to her after her parents died, and she certainly couldn’t stand it when her grandfather passed, but that was all she had in that moment.
Rey looked and up and saw her ghost was no longer beside her. She spun around to see Kylo had moved to the window, gazing out pensively to the woods. His somewhat forlorn expression concerned her.
“Kylo?”
For a moment, he didn’t say a word and his brow furrowed, as he dug through into his recollections... and into the shadows that remained. “I remember that night… I was throwing a fit at a Halloween party because I could feel him there… he was always there.”
“Who was?”
Kylo was hesitant for some time, unsure if he should continue, but he carried on. “The King of the Dark Court. I was so lonely… my parents were never around, so I always ran off to the woods and would pretend that I was a prince roaming and hunting on my grounds,” Kylo smirked sadly before it fell. “That was where he found me. He brought me to his Court where they fed me and entertained me as if I were royalty.”
“The King then took me aside and said he wanted me to be his heir, that it would always be this way. I was so compelled by everything he was offering that I agreed. They would return for me on Halloween, but as the days passed as I waited… I began to dread it. Something didn’t feel right. I begged and begged Mom and Dad to turn the car around and for us to leave… I tried to get them to believe me, but they wouldn’t listen. I could hear the horses and see his knights chasing after us- trying to catch me… and that was when they made us swerve into the tree. The last thing I remember was waking up back at the Dark Court as one of them.”
Kylo quietly looked at Rey before turning away, staring blankly at the window. Rey felt a pang in her chest, her heart breaking at his story and feeling hot anger and hatred towards the Dark Court. He was just a little boy when they took him away and killed his parents.
“Why are you still with them? Why are you here?” She couldn’t imagine ever staying with the people who killed her parents and ruined her life.
“I can’t leave,” Kylo explained. “Carterhaugh is part of the Dark Court’s realm in Achthoul. The King thought it would be rather ironic that since this had been my home, I would still guard and protect Carterhaugh. Anyone who dared cross would’ve been killed on spot or taken to the King to either be killed or become a faerie pet.”
“That explains the disappearances,” Rey realized, watching Kylo nod his head in agreement. A look of horror dawned on her face. “Is that what happened to my grandad-”
“No!” Kylo vehemently shook his head, taking her hand in his. “I swear that I didn’t kill him! Not by my hand at least-”
“At least?!” Rey hissed, the color slowly leaving her face. She tried to yank her hand away, but Kylo wouldn’t let go. “What happened to him?”
“It wasn’t me,” Kylo pleaded, his eyes begging her to listen to him. “I liked the old man. He respected and cared for my home after he bought it. He believed in the legends, so he kept tourists and villagers, his own family- you - to stay clear of eve5 going into Carterhaugh’s woods.”
Rey’s eyes widened, causing Kylo to gasp and look away. The more Rey thought about it it made sense. For as long her grandfather was alive, he never allowed her to go into the woods. She had thought that he was being overly strict, but she understood now that he was protecting her, so she wouldn’t be taken the way Kylo had. Kylo… He had known about her since she was a child. Rey’s reverie broke when she realized Kylo was still talking.
“In return for caring for Carterhaugh, I kept the faeries and the Unseelies away, so that they would never learn about Kenobi. I was successful for a very long time in keeping them in the dark about your grandfather for years… until he went to the ruins. I was summoned to return to the Dark Court, but I knew something wasn’t right. I was correct to assume when I went to the ruins and I found…”
He didn’t allow himself to finish, but Rey didn’t need him to. She clenched her eyes tight and swallow the lump in her throat, fighting the sob. A part of her wanted to be angry with Kylo, at her grandfather for doing something so reckless, but what was the point? She could rage at Kylo for not protecting and coming for him sooner, but it wouldn’t bring him back. And for some strange reason, she was relieved that Kylo hadn’t been the one who killed him, a thought that had nagged her mind since their first meeting.
“I know it will never bring him back, but I will honor him and his memory by keeping you safe,” Kylo vowed solemnly as though he were a knight and she a fair maiden. The thought made Rey laugh softly, causing Kylo to look confused by the sudden change of emotions.
“Thank you,” Rey whispered hoarsely. She turned to look at the woods, where just in the heart, she realized, was where the Dark Court resided. The king and his court sounded like they were tyrannical and cruel. Stealing young children and killing people just for sport... Rey leaned forward, impulsively touching Kylo’s arm. “Maybe I can help you.”
For the first time, he flinched away from her touch and Rey let her hand fall away.
“It’s too late. No one can help me,” Kylo half turned away from Rey, slowing vanishing away.
Kylo may have thought there was no hope, but Rey didn’t. When she returned to the library the next day, she pulled all the books she could find on fairies and folk tales of the region and started taking notes. At first, all she found were random facts and vague warnings. But the more she read, the more critical information she uncovered. There was a way to beat this king. There was a way, and Rey was going to make it happen.
She didn’t say anything to Kylo about her research. When he visited her, they talked of many things, and whenever she brought up his current plight, he pulled away, disappearing into the night. So she kept to safe topics and encouraged him to tell her old stories about the manor and, sometimes, light-hearted tales from his own past. The moments when Kylo smiled softly when remembering a happy moment were few and far between, but Rey treasured them.
He even laughed for her. Only once. That was when she admitted that she’d been smooth-talked into hosting the village Halloween party by the head librarian. She had “all the space they’d need” and “of course, you could invite your friends from London” and “it will be a jolly good time!” But she’d said yes, and a promise was a promise as October wended its way to an end.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kylo had been more morose lately, something Rey couldn’t blame him for after their last conversation. He seemed to be around less, or perhaps he was still there but he just wasn’t visible; whatever it was, Rey found herself missing his presence. As such, it was a surprise and a relief to her when Kylo appeared in her room several nights later with a determined look on his face.
“Did you find a costume yet?” Kylo asked, frowning.
“No. I haven’t given it much thought, I’m afraid,” Rey sighed. “I would prefer not to spend so much money on something that is cheaply made and I’m only going to wear once. I have no idea what to do.”
Kylo gave her another frown and looked to be in deep thinking. “I might have something,” he murmured, swallowing hard. Rey blinked and raised her eyebrows.
“Really?” she asked. “What did you have in mind?”
Kylo vanished for a several minutes before finally appearing again, carrying a small box. He set it on the bed and opened the lid, unfolding one of the most beautiful dresses Rey had ever lay eyes on.
“Go ahead and try it on,” Kylo gave her a small encouraging smile.
Rey took the dress and carefully slipped it over her head. It fit like a glove. It was an elaborate teal dress made out of velveteen in the style of the fourteenth century with dramatic, elegant wide sleeves.The dress was accentuated with small beads along the sleeves and hem. Needless to say, Rey was at a loss for words.
“It was my mom’s for a Shakespearean production,” Kylo explained.
Rey eyed him uncertainly, not wishing to cross a line. Kylo merely gave her a half smile and shrugged.
“It’s okay. I’m sure she would want you to wear it,” He said, gesturing to the floor length mirror just a few feet away. Stepping to the mirror, Rey gasped at her image. She looked like a heroine from one of the ballads and songs that she read for her medieval literature class. She now couldn’t imagine anything else to wear for the party.
“It’s perfect,” Rey gushed, still in awe. When she turned to Kylo it was to see him with a look on his face she couldn’t decipher. “And you’re perfectly alright with this?”
“Yes, Rey,” Kylo rolled his eyes.
“Thank you so much,” Rey grinned. She turned again to face the mirror and smoothed out any wrinkles. “It’s so beautiful.”
“Yes, it is,” Kylo whispered, but he wasn’t referring to the dress. Rey was so caught up in her excitement and her plans for the party that she didn’t notice the way Kylo’s gaze trailed over her body one more time, slowly, as if committing her to memory. Nor did she notice the look of pure longing that settled over his face.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
That evening Rey had gone into the village for supplies for the party and to pick up her London friends from the train station. When she returned, she'd looked so much more relaxed than when they last spoke and Kylo knew that he was making the right decision. He didn't show himself at all as Rey continued decorating and later went about her evening routine, though she called his name when the others weren’t paying attention and frowned as she looked around the mansion.
Once Rey had shown everyone where they would be sleeping, she went to her bedroom and was soon fast asleep, the light of the moon casting her in silver, Kylo leaned over her. He could feel nothing from the warm body permanently just out of his reach, but he could sense the bright spark of Rey's mind.
"Rey," he whispered. "I love you. You're brave and intelligent and strong and I cannot tell you how much it touched me when you pledged yourself to go through so much trouble to get me away from the fey.” He lifted a wisp of hair from Rey's face and allowed his hand to lightly caress her cheek before pulling it away. "But I cannot let you do this because I’m not worth it. All I am doing is holding you back. You need to live your life among those who live like you. Not like me."
Rey frowned in her sleep and tossed her head.
"No, don’t wake up," Kylo said, his voice as soft as a breeze when Rey shifted again. "Let me do this for you, Rey. You need to choose life, that's how it should be, whatever the reckoning. And that's why I'm going away and going back to them."
Kylo reached out again to touch Rey but then withdrew his hand. "I’m a selfish creature. If I had it my way I would’ve allowed you to stop the tithe or just stay here. But I don’t belong here, Rey, and I can’t keep coming here and endangering you. I would only make you miserable, confuse you, and destroy any chance you may have at happiness. And you deserve so much more than I can give you.”
Kylo paused to gather his thoughts and emotions. Settling down on the bed, careful to keep his cold manifestation from touching Rey, he held himself just above her. Rey made a little noise and Kylo soothed her more.
"Rey, I need you to listen to me." He leaned so far over he was nearly touching her forehead his lips mere centimeters from hers. "Listen to me. You've been dreaming... dreaming of a ghost who haunted Carterhaugh. You've dreamt of talks you had with him... talks about kings, monsters, and faeries… and how to save a ghost."
Rey whimpered again, but Kylo continued, pressing his words into her mind. "But none of it is real. It's been a dream, Rey, that's all. And in the morning and for all the mornings in the years to come, you'll only remember it as a dream. And, as with all dreams, it will die on waking.”
Folding in on himself, Kylo faintly kissed Rey. Slowly he rose from the bed and made his way to the window. He turned and fixed his gaze one last time at Rey, still sound asleep.
"I love you," he breathed. "Be happy in your life, Rey.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When Rey awoke early that morning, her pillow was wet and it was not from sweat.
There was an ache in her chest that would not go away and she didn't know what precipitated it. As if in a daze, she walked downstairs and looked around.
Something was missing, and she didn't know what it was. She became frantic, and when she realized she was, she stopped and took a deep breath, then another. Once calm, she began a search of the house, starting at the attic, covering every room and going outside and looking for something out of place. Something gone.
Everything was as it should be. Most of the Halloween decorations that she had put up last night for the party were still intact and the rest were still in boxes that she still needed to hang up. There was a shortage of food, but she had already known that and had planned to take care of it when she out to the village. There was nothing missing, nothing she could pinpoint; however, it still didn’t erase the feeling that something was missing. Finally, after she ended her fruitless searching, she reached the entrance hall and sat on the first step of the grand stairway and pondered when she started to realize her cheeks were wet and she was crying again. And this time she couldn’t stop herself.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Rey stepped into the decorated foyer and paused a moment to study the results of her hard work. Fake spider webs dangled from the ceiling and nestled in all the corners, giving the room a spooky air. She had even scrounged up some fake plastic spiders and had attached them to the webs for realism. Black and orange streamers also hung from the ceiling, rustling and swaying in the breeze coming in through the open door. In one corner of the room she had set up an autumn display of bright pumpkins, baskets of colorful leaves, tall cornstalks and a scarecrow. More thick bunches of cornstalks were arranged around the entire room, pressed up against the walls to leave the main floor open. The party was in full swing. Everyone attending in full costume. The children were enjoying their corner of games and activities, the adults off conversing or on the dance floor.
“Oh, there you are.” Amilyn appeared beside her, her husband trailing behind. Rey could pinpoint that he was dressed like Twin Peaks’ Dale Cooper, but for the life of her she couldn’t figure out who Amilyn was supposed to be as she only wore a long-sleeved floor length draped lilac gown and a magenta curled bob.
“Rey, I will say that I had my doubts about having the party here, but I must tell you so far everything has been a success.”
Rey blinked, unsure whether to be relieved or miffed. The latter was perhaps the best. “No problems? Enjoying your evening?”
“Most definitely,” Amilyn replied. “But it would be even better if all of us were dancing.”
“Well,” Rey laughed. “Can’t argue with that.”
*
Rey could argue with that, actually.
Because as soon as a slow song started, she was left with her back against the wall watching the dancefloor as the rest of her friends went off to enjoy the evening.
Rey sighed and turned around to go hang out near the food table. She figured she could stuff her face full of the pumpkin spice cupcakes that one of the kids brought until the song ended. And maybe while she was at it, she would be able to eat away that feeling of loneliness that was ebbing back but she was certain that wouldn’t help.
Some night this turned out to be Rey thought bitterly. Instead, she was making her way past couples and the food to go outside, feeling sorry for herself. She figured she could at least go outside and get some air. She found herself wandering away from the main event, head tilted with curiosity as she stepped towards the edge of the woods.
She was drawn to the woods. And she remembered everything.
Then she told Finn everything—from seeing Kylo with her own two eyes, to talking to him, the tithe, and just growing closer to him. She spared Finn the details of the more personal details about the strange relationship, instead explaining the emotional connection she and Kylo had managed to form over the last month.
“You’re telling me that you’re dating a ghost,” Finn said flatly once Rey had bared all, looking torn between concern and disbelief. “More specifically, a ghost who’s about to be sacrificed to Hell.”
“Wha- no! It’s not like that!I know it’s absurd, but you have to trust me,” Rey pleaded, praying that he heard the urgency in her voice and that she would explain everything when she returned. “He’s just special, Finn. I don’t know how to explain it. I can’t let him die. I have to do this on my own”
Finn was quiet for a minute, considering. Finally, he took a deep breath and sighed. He held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “Against all my better judgement, fine, go, and don’t think you won’t be doing a lot more talking later. But if you’re not back by morning, there’s going to be a search party looking for your ass. And a missing person report!”
He had to shout the last part: Rey was already out of Carterhaugh and all the way into the forest.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Running through the forest was adrenaline pumping and tense. Rey didn’t take notice of her surroundings. She felt her hot blood pumping through her veins and heard her breathing. Twigs snagged her dress,but she brushed them away from her view, and only yelped once when a tree branch pulled her hair. She didn’t stop running. Rey didn’t realize just how tense she was and how fast she was going until her foot caught a tree root and she was flying and hurling down a mound, landing on soft green earth and brown leaves to catch her fall. Her hair was wild and messy with leaves caught in it, her dress dirty and torn, and when she finally swallowed gulps of air and got up from the ground she was pretty sure all of her was shaking.
It wasn’t quite midnight. It was bitter cold and the air smelled like autumn, the dusty smell of dead leaves and the smoke of bonfires from the Halloween party. There was even the scent of warm spice and something sweet in the air, Rey thought. She breathed it in and breathed out the fear and anxiety.
Rey hid herself among the trees and waited for what seemed like an eternity. After a few minutes-or hours, she wasn't sure- everything went still. There was no sign of life from the forest; even the ever-present birds that never seemed to shut up were conspicuously quiet.
Then an uncanny eerie music filled the air, a silvery bell sound that made her feel inadequate.
Rey tensed, watching as standard bearers lead a procession, carrying jack o’lanterns on poles alight with fire to light their way. Each member of the court wore a mask of beauty and grotesquery. Leading the procession behind the bearers was a man of regal bearing that Rey guessed was the king. The King and his court were all elegant and yet disjointed as they moved. They were inhuman and yet they weren’t what Rey would call a fey. Unseelie, based on her grandfather’s stories. The first riders rode on black horses, laughing and screaming with delight. Their bloodcurdling cackles and screeching were so terrible that Rey felt that she would tear her hair out and go mad, but she held her ground and stayed where she hid. The riders rode on brown horses. Stern and vicious, they had blood on their saddles and swords in the air.
Then, just as the second riders passed, a third rider and its horse trailed behind, leading a retinue of black clad knights and grey horses. The lone animal was as pale as the moon in a starless sky. Its rider had black armor strapped to his body. He wore all-black, the hood of his cowl nearly covering his metal mask that shone in the moonlight. His long cloak billowed in the wind. Despite the mask obscuring his features, Rey felt and recognized the force of the overpowering aura of the Leader of the Knights of Ren.
Her cloak fell onto the ground. The cold was forgotten.
“Kylo!” Rey cried out. She sprang forward, ran over to the white horse, pulled Kylo down, and held him fast in her arms. His mask fallen and broken, Kylo looked around frantically and when he caught her eyes, he was unable to speak, but he looked at her, his heart in his eyes, surprised that she was there.
The Faerie troop surrounded her in an instant. The King rode forward, gleaming with an awful magnificence. His beauty faded and his true monstrous form was revealed. Balding, cheeks gaunt, with sunken socket holes for eyes and a sneering snarl, Rey tried to force herself to look away from the living corpse, but found she was unable to do so. Her knees tried to bend, yearning to bow her head and accept the judgement in that piercing scrutiny.
“You try to steal away my greatest knight of Ren from my Court?” The King sneered. “Surrender him.”
“Never! He is not your knight. He is mine,” Rey said firmly, defiant. “Where Kylo is, I am, and we two are bound forever. I shall not desert him. Do I make myself clear?”
The King drew himself up and his ugly death head roared, his visage glacial.“How dare you think he could be yours? I made him into the monster he is, and that is all he will ever be.” With a great heave and twist, Kylo almost threw himself from Rey’s arms. When Rey looked down, Kylo had turned into an adder, hissing black tongue and flat, dead eyes. The adder’s tail lashed out, winding tight around Rey’s middle. It squeezed until spots danced in Rey’s vision. She held on.
"Kylo, it's me, I've got you," she muttered soothingly – and the wriggling stopped, but then another wave of transformation shook the flesh in her clasp.
“You cannot hold a creature like him. He will rend you to shreds.”
A heavy, humid breath fell against her cheek, and the open mouth of a lion filled her sight. Its huge paws enveloped Rey, claws digging in. Rey gritted her teeth as blood ran down her sides. She held on.
I am not letting go, Rey told herself. I love him and I will not abandon him to be in the darkness with these creatures.
“He will consume you,” the King said, as calm and easy as if he’d told Rey the sun had set. The lion bursts into flame. Rey’s skin seared. The flames roared as a human torch that burned through the skin of her hands down to her bones. Rey screamed, but she held on.
She ran to the side of the Yarrow Water, tears streaming down her cheeks, and flung them both into the river. The river was painfully freezing, but she waited and held on until she knew the magic was vulnerable.
She surfaced holding a semi-conscious Kylo. Her skin throbbed, suddenly unmarred and whole. Kylo’s armor and finery had gone, leaving him naked. Shivering, Rey hurriedly swept the green cloak over his naked form. She sprinkled the garden soil and holy water in a circle around them.
It was only then she took full notice of him
He was in full color, still pale but not close to death, black hair and red cheeks. For a long moment, Rey kneeled where she was, her head spinning with what she had just witnessed. She stared in awe at the man standing in front of her. He still had the piercing brown eyes as her Kylo did, though they were now wide and filled with concern, surprise, and awe as they looked upon her tear-stained ash smudged face.
Rey’s heart felt like it would burst with joy. They both smiled and they could only laugh and hold on to each other as they took in their victory. They had done it. Their attention was suddenly called away from each other by the sound of hoofbeats stomping in front of them to see the king looking at them with unhidden contempt.
The two waited, glaring in defiance.
The King snarled at them. “Curses upon your ill-fated countenance, and an ill death may you die, for taking away the fiercest knight of my company. You have won yourself a broken blade, you fool. May it cut you with every use, and may the wounds it gives grow foul and rot!”
“As for you, Kylo Ren,” the King said, as bleak and still as marble save for the mad light in his eyes. “Had I known what now this night I see, I would have plucked out your eyes and torn that heart of ours out of your chest.”
“You tried,” Kylo said, standing to his full height. He took Rey’s hand and helped her stand. “And failed, but I have taken your heart. We stand protected by the earthen circle and blessed with holy water. You can’t touch me again.”
Then, the King staggered back slowly away from the couple, his hand clutching his chest as he howled and gasped for air as he fell to the ground, the heart they once shared now fully restored to its human owner. His dead body grew longer and shriveled until finally it stood as a newly grown tree in the forest. The riders cried out astounded at the defeat and loss of their king, retreating into the mist of night.
The sound of shouts and hooves on the ground faded, and then, abruptly, they were gone. Rey turned to Kylo. He looked at Rey, his eyes wide and alight.
“You did it,” he breathed.
“We did it,” Rey corrected him. Her hands ached, and she was chilled through and through. Linking her hand with his, she was ready to lead them home when Kylo pulled her into his embrace.
“Kylo-”
“You loved me,” he stated quietly, but matter of factly.
Still so worn from her fight, she could only give a tired smile and a whispered ‘yes’. Kylo’s hand swept over her hair, cupping her cheek. “It’s why you kept coming back. Even after what I did to make you forget and move on you came back for me.”
“Yes.” Rey raised her hand to Kylo’s face, but flinched when she felt tears. “Kylo-”
“I’m sorry,” Kylo whispers, pressing their foreheads together. “I couldn’t trust it. I couldn’t trust that someone could actually love me and be willing to put themselves at risk for me. But I loved you, too.”
Rey wrapped her hand around the back of Kylo’s neck. She pressed their lips together and smiled. “I love you. Cursed or not.”
Smiling, Kylo leaned forward to capture Rey’s lips once more,and she happily obliged. It was a long, deep kiss between two people who had seen and accepted each other’s beasts. It was just the two of them at the crossroads, in the moonlit world full of wonders.
The forest was hushed and dark as they walked back to the house. If any whispers followed them as they passed through the trees into the crowd of the party, neither of them noticed. Rey realized it was going to be a long story as to why there was a naked man clad only in her cloak, both of them damp and chilled to the bone, but she knew that if she was able to inherit a mansion with a residential half ghost that she saved from a faerie king, they could get through anything.
After all, all was fair in love and ghost stories.