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As Master of the Knights of Ren, Kylo Ren often received letters requesting his services. He ignored almost every plea that he escort a member of nobility or kill a dragon or avenge a dead man, it was all far below his pay grade. A journey across the countryside or a few dead sheep or a murderer were not of his concern. One of his knights could take those jobs if they liked, but his time was more valuable than that.
He preferred that his work contain some sort of excitement or intrigue alongside the hefty pay he demanded, so naturally this letter caught his attention.
To the Master of the Knights of Ren,
I am the caretaker of the bastard heir of the Arkanis throne. I have hidden him from his father, who has sworn to kill him once a true heir is born. For the sake of my ward, I beg that you discreetly kill King Brendol Hux of Arkanis before he can procure a wife. I will pay you one million belrings once the job is done.
Signed,
Rae Sloane
Captain of the King’s Shields
How could he resist regicide at the bidding of the head of the king’s personal guard? He mounted his steed, a sturdy black horse named Silence, and rode to Arkanis, sending word ahead by raven that he was coming.
Arkanis was a peninsula kingdom in the northeast, cold and wet, with stunning cliffsides over the salty ocean. Kylo had never been there himself, but the tales he heard described an eerie place where the fog never lifts, the waters howl with songs of merfolk, and the people have bright red hair and fey blood in their veins.
As he drew closer to his destination, the rumors began to feel more and more like truth. He could almost hear voices in the howls of the winds coming in from the ocean, and the fog was indeed quite thick.
When he finally approached the capitol city, Aeseri, he was impressed at the sight. Three of its four sides were surrounded by steep cliffs over the ocean, and a grand wall built from white stone circled the city. At the center sat a castle made from the same white stone as the wall. Unlike the current fashion of lofty spires popularized by Coruscanti palaces, Aeseri's castle looked like a place built to survive bloody war.
He entered the gates without much trouble and bought a room in an inn nearby for the night, planning to enter the palace the next day. He found a restaurant and bought lunch, keeping his hood up and turning his face from the crowd. He hated eating in public. He wore a scarf mask pulled up over his nose to hide his face, but he couldn't exactly eat with it on.
When he felt someone take a seat next to him, he growled, "Sit somewhere else."
"I don't think I will," the person next to him teased. It was a man's voice with a local accent, but different from every other accent he'd heard in the country. It was more refined, the sounds more clearly enunciated.
"What do you want?" He pulled up his mask and turned to the man with an icy glare. The man had bright red hair and sea green eyes. He knew that face in an instant.
"Armitage!"
"Good to see you, old friend." Armitage smiled.
"What are you doing here? Last time I saw you was…"
"Summer in Jakku." Armitage rubbed his shoulder, recalling the hideous sunburns he got. "I prefer the cold. It's home."
"I didn't know you were Arkanisian."
"You didn't? I must have told you."
"No, you never did. Though it makes sense, all the legends of redheads with fey blood in their veins were clearly written about you."
Armitage laughed, covering his face with his hands to hide his blush. "Your flattery is as exaggerated as ever, Kylo." He took a breath. "So what brings you to this humble peninsula?"
"Captain Rae Sloane sent for me."
"Ahh, the captain of the Shields? What need would she have for a vagabond like you?" Armitage elbowed his side.
"That's confidential information, you know that."
Armitage nodded. "Yes, yes, I know. Listen, if it's Sloane you're looking for, I can discreetly get you into the castle. There's a tunnel under the bookshop that takes you straight into a secret room."
"But I've already paid for board tonight."
"All the better! Perfect cover, and you can let your horse stay in the stables." He stood and tugged at Kylo's sleeve. "Let's go, it'll be just like old times!"
Kylo rolled his eyes. He couldn't resist that smile.
As they walked through the tunnel below the city, Kylo marveled at the tapestries decorating the walls. "A very lively secret tunnel."
"Isn't it?" Armitage's fingers traced the gold embroidery woven into a unicorn's hair. "It's a royal escape route in case of siege. There are passages that lead outside the city walls as well. I learned of it in an ancient record of the castle that I found in the library here. A fascinating read, but so old and dusty I doubt even the king himself knows about it."
Kylo nodded. That was good. A truly secret passage of escape in and out of the city was good cover.
When they reached the end of the tunnel, Armitage guided Kylo to an empty bedroom. "You can stay here tonight. I'll keep you company if you wish."
"I do wish." Kylo grinned and pulled Armitage close, latching his lips onto that lovely lily-white neck.
"Oh, you never change, do you?" Armitage squealed.
"You know it, darling." He squeezed Armitage's ass. "I just have a few things I need to take care of before we retire tonight."
"Oh you do, do you?" Armitage raised an eyebrow. "I'll be here when you're done."
"You know it." He winked and threw on his invisibility cloak before leaving.
Casing the king's bedroom was easy work. He had Shields stationed outside his door and guard dogs in his bedroom. Slipping sleeping potion into the dogs' dinner bowls wouldn't harm the beasts, they'd sleep hard all night and wake in the morning a bit groggy.
When night fell, he climbed up the side of the king's tower and slunk in through the window. King Brendol was asleep in his bed. The dogs were out cold by the door.
He drew a dagger and plunged it into the throat of the king, whose eyes burst open in shock. He tried to scream, but all he could muster was a wet gurgle, causing his wound to bubble with frothy blood.
Kylo brought down the dagger a few more times, puncturing his lungs to ensure there was no chance of survival. When the down from the shredded duvet settled, the king was dead.
He prowled the castle on the way back to Armitage, and he heard the beginnings of commotion.
A Shield saluted another and reported, "The king has been found murdered in his bed."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes, sir. The dogs were drugged. Shields are searching the castle for the murderer."
"I will send word to Captain Pryde."
...Captain Pryde?
He pulled aside a lone Shield and growled, "I thought the captain was Rae Sloane."
The Shield looked around, frightened by the disembodied voice and invisible hands gripping him. "I don't know who you are, spirit, but Captain Sloane has been dead for almost nine years."
Kylo took a step back. "What do you mean?! This is her seal and signature, isn't it?!" He took the letter from his pocket and showed it to the Shield.
The Shield paled. "That's Captain Pryde's seal."
"Well, what is this Pryde fellow doing sending me a letter from a dead woman?!"
"I assure you I do not know, but I will get to the bottom of this mystery."
Kylo scoffed and stormed off to find Armitage.
He threw the bedroom door open, threw off his cloak, and hissed, "I just found out Rae Sloane has been dead for nine years. You lied to me. Explain yourself."
Armitage, who sat at the foot of the bed, calmly turned to face him. His shirt was off, so Kylo saw the familiar scars from belt strikes and cigar burns. "Kylo, do you know the meaning of the name Arkanis?"
"I'm afraid I do not." Kylo growled through clenched teeth. "What's this all about?"
Armitage stood and walked to the window, gazing down at the city below. "Many assume it comes from the word arcanus, but that couldn't be further from the truth. We would not name ourselves after a Coruscanti word. No, the name Arkanis comes from our ancient tongue's word for king. Ardcheannas. The literal translation is supremacy, seat of command. Every ruler who sits on the silver throne is expected to be a grand ruler, to guide Arkanis to greatness. To embody the spirit of the country itself. To live up to the name Ardcheannas."
Kylo nodded, understanding. "You're no ordinary scholar, are you?"
Armitage shook his head. "No. Did you just now realize?"
"I don't know. There was always something different about you."
"Everything in the letter I sent you was true. He was going to kill me the moment he had a true heir. I had to do something, so I sent for the one man I know I can trust."
"Why the deception?" Kylo knelt at Armitage's feet. "If you trust me, why hide yourself from me?"
Armitage knelt, face to face with Kylo, and caressed his face. "I wanted to, but there are spies everywhere. I couldn't reveal myself to you until he was dead and I was king. Believe me when I say it broke my heart to conceal the truth."
Kylo leaned in to Armitage's touch. "It's funny," he laughed, "I can't tell you how many times I'd fantasized about murdering your father after seeing the stripes on your back and the scars on your shoulders."
Arkanis prospered under King Armitage Hux. His first edict as king was the execution of Captain Enric Pryde for the murder of the late King Brendol Hux. He ruled with a gentle hand, and his loyal knight never left his side.