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It was weird almost—the way rumors started. Either by word of mouth or the word of a stolen letter. Some rumors are never corrected, never dissected, and some never thought about again. For Armitage Hux this meant his life and the world he built for himself would become nothing more than a page in a textbook. It’s sad really; how easily slander can destroy human beings.
Somewhere in a not so distance past, a young boy is born. Ginger hair and blue eyes are his most striking features as they were for his father before him. A true Hux, an heir to the fourtane that at this tender age he won’t understand. Like all little boys of good standing Hux is taught at home. He learns many things: the languages of the world, how to properly ride a horse, when to look someone in the eye, and the way to perfectly articulate his sentences. The Master Hux wanted nothing more than a perfect child. This seemed to be the one thing the young boy would fail at. Yes, while Armitage excelled in his studies all of his teachers would agree on one thing: the child was Odd. Most children were odd in their own way but the young boy was Odder than most. He spent his days staring out of the windows of his estate and watching the woods beyond. While riding his horse, he would veer off near the forest edge much to the chagrin of his teacher.
Any chance the boy got he was near those trees. It got to the point where his father wouldn’t even allow him outside anymore and placed heavy curtains on his windows. The locals were beginning to belief that the boy was a changeling. A feary sent to replace the real heir of the Hux family. Armitage spent the rest of his childhood indoors, and taking every chance he could to peer out of the windows. At 16 Armitage was sent to boarding school, as a child he didn’t have the opportunity to make any real friends. Instead of taking the shot to do so, he saw them as playthings. Highly manipulative the teenage boy created a cohort of sorts. It would be anywhere from 7 to 12 boys depending on the time of the year—some parents took their boys out during the holiday. Most of them were younger and starving for attention, others were more physically imposing than the lithe Hux, and some simply saw a chance to get close to the Hux boy. No matter the reason Hux used them as he saw fit. By the time he left the boarding school, the 19 year old man had a very close social circle. You would never see Armitage about without one of his “friends” near.
Five days after Armitage turned 21 his father passed. According to local sources Armitage was said to be “inconsolable and deeply saddened” by his father’s passing. This of course is where the rumors surrounding Armitage’s life began. People believed that Armitage murdered his father for his wealth. This seemed preposterous; why would Armitage kill his father if he was heir? Either way Armitage was now the head of the family. He owned companies, estates, lands, and riches. He had what any man would hope for, and he used it very well. Armitage left his childhood estate, so his mother would still run the household as she had for decades. He and his several friends moved into an estate closer to the city. They all woke at the same time, ate breakfast at the same time, left at the same time, returned at the same time, ate dinner at the same time, and went to bed at the same time. He allowed his friends to run some of his most important business. As Hux put it, “[He] wouldn’t trust anyone else with [his] fortune”.
The locals, as always, believed that Hux and his cohort were some sort of cult. That every night at midnight they prayed to Lucifer and in the mornings bathed in blood of felines. One thing in particular that stood out was Hux’s attention to his land. Now as an adult, he could leave his home whenever he felt. Most of his downtime was spent in a perfectly constructed garden right near the forest edge. There he would drink tea with his closest friend: Dopheld Mitaka. Mitaka was only a year younger than Hux. He had that of a docile nature; extremely quiet to the point where you wouldn’t hear him enter a room. Despite his demeanor, he was known for his extreme intelligence that some said was leveled with that of Armitage himself. Mitaka—as he preferred— could always be seen with Armitage. Mitaka could be seen as an advisor; he was always present in meetings, social gatherings, day trips, vacations, and anything else that Hux was in attendance at. But Armitage had another disciple, the locals referred to him as: Hux’s Shadow, The Beast, and much more ridiculous things. Armitage only knew him by one name: Kylo Ren.
Kylo Ren was a different type of enigma. He wasn’t known for many words and his very glance struck fear into many men. The most peculiar thing was that he wasn’t always like this. Just six years ago, age 17, he was known by his family name: Benjamin Amidala. An extremely distinguished family—the Royal Family. He was a shy boy with a slight ill temper, it was normal at his age, expressive and gifted in the arts. Ben was lanky; all bone, elbows, knees, and as clumsy as he wanted to be. No one knows exactly how Armitage managed to sink his claws into Benjamin but once he did there was nothing to be done. Rumor has it that during a gala at the royal courtyard, Armitage kidnapped the young Prince and brainwashed him. Others believe that they crossed paths while Armitage was at the Royal home for a meeting with the King. For many it didn’t matter how they met. Just that they did and that it would be the ruin of both of them.
Hux was an inventor and engineer, he was used to tinkering with things to see how they worked; the human mind was no different. Within 2 years of knowing Hux, Benjamin disowned his family and ran off to live with the other young man. By the third year he was carrying himself differently, he stood taller more refined. At four years, he was stronger and larger than any man in the town. No more were his long limbs and sharp joints. Six years after they met, Kylo being 23 now, he was a new person; completely reinvented in the eyes of Armitage. Kylo was a human shield. No one would dare step close to Armitage while Kylo was anywhere near. It simply was the way things were. Rumor was that Kylo never left Armitage’s side even when they were at home. Some rumors even went to say that Kylo never slept and kept watch over Armitage as the other rested. None of the other men who lived in the home would deny nor confirm anything.
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Twas the night of the annual Royal Gala, all of the royal family and man distinguished men were in attendance. Amongst those men were Armitage Hux and his seven-man cohort. All but Kylo had dates; he preferred to keep close to Hux and the women he had brought along. Her name was Phasma. She stood tall—some days her eyes were level with Hux’s—her physique was imposing. Rumor has it that in her early teens she bested three boys on her own with nothing but her bare hands and cunning wit. You could ask anyone: they were a perfect match. The night went on without a hitch until Hux swooned. His body crumpled against Phasma and she struggled, if only for a moment, to support her weight until she laid him to the ground. The party goers were in shock! What could have possibly caused such a scene. Hux’s dearest cohort came to his side as he lay unconscious. Whispers filled the air.
“Has he died?” “Is this revenge for maltreatment?” “Has his father returned from the grave?”
Kylo picked up Hux’s limp body and carried him to his old room. The doctor would be up soon enough. After Kylo lay Hux on the soft bed, he planted a soft kiss on the gingers head. Kylo left to stand guard for many men and women a like were attempting to see the ill fated Hux. At last! The doctor has arrived, Kylo stood aside to let the doctor in. Yet, the doctor only spoke five words: “There is no one here,”
Where could the infamous Armitage Hux be? There was no way for him to leave! The window was far to high for him to jump surely. Rumor has it that he really was a witch! The devil came to collect his soul once and for all. Maybe he was never unconscious and simply escaped. The whispers and rumors went on for months and months until the ideas ran dry. It was a shame. As for his cohort, rumor has it that they murdered him for his money. They they sold him out to the devil. No one knows for sure.
