A Throne Amongst the Stars

Animus Vinculum

[A/N: Hello my lovely readers! I sincerely apologize for keeping you all waiting for the past several days. I have been dealing with some health issues and an overwhelming schedule, but thank you all for understanding. I have made this chapter long just for you all because I love you all so very much! Here is the next chapter, and I hope you all enjoy! -K🖤]

[🌌This chapter is long, contains sexual insinuations, some angst, and slight swearing.🌌]
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I hummed in blissful contentment as my teeth crunched into another portion of the fresh fruit that Poe had secured just for me. It was a fruit native to the plentiful orchard-like trees of Cor-Al, and was a delectable mixture between a hard-crusted apple and the sweetest of pears. It was round in shape and violet in color, and while it was a fruit, it truly tasted like an exotic dessert.

Poe had collected an abundant amount of fruit after he had located me experiencing the strange episode only a few minutes prior, standing just beyond a clearing of roses and thorns. After calming my erratic emotions and rapid breaths of panic, Poe had guided me to the most serene and tranquil of views I had ever had the opportunity to witness.

"Thank you, Poe." I gratefully chimed, smiling as Poe mimicked my movements by also biting into fruit that he held between his large fingers. I used my fingers to gently wipe the trailing juice that had escaped past my lips and down my chin. "It's very delicious." I licked the corners of my lips, humming at the sweet taste of the remnants of the juice itself.

His darkened eyes silently studied my fingers as I thoroughly cleaned my chin free from the dripping juices. With the back of my hand, I wiped my pouted lips free of the sticky residue. I audibly groaned as I felt the stubborn stickiness on my fingers and gently sucked them each free of the fruitful contamination. Poe licked his lips slowly and his eyes trailed from my chin to meet my eyes once more.

With a slight turn away from me, he quickly adjusted the uncomfortable fabric of his flight suit before returning back to me with reddened cheeks. I felt terribly awful that he had to wear such irritating material for a long period of time.

He cleared his throat and swallowed harshly. "Yeah, y-you're welcome, Princess," He stuttered, then directed his attention to the fruit in his hand, shaking his head vigorously, "I'm not sure what they're called, but I've been here enough times to know what's good to eat and what to avoid."

We comfortably sat near each other on an elevated grassy hill that overlooked a small pond that was inhabited by creatures I had never witnessed before.

These creatures were familiar as a graceful swan was on my own planet, and yet they had two sets of wings and a colorful plume of brightly decorated feathers that would spread extravagantly like a peacock's majestic display.

"How often do you come here?" I questioned, eyeing Poe as he wiped his hands onto his flight suit pants that he periodically adjusted. Our thighs were touching as we sat beside one another. "To experience the wonders of Cor-Al?" I bit into the fruit again, watching his expressions morph in consideration.

Poe sniffed and tossed his remaining fruit carcass down the hill where it would be consumed by the scavengers of nature. "Whenever I can. This place is my escape from the...stress of working in the Resistance. If I ever I need a moment, this is where I find myself returning to time after time." He explained, raising his knee and setting his elbow on his lifted leg. "I found it by accident, really. My navigation system failed me, as well as an engine, and I had no choice but to crash-land here."

I giggled and tilted my head, resting the half-eaten fruit in my lap. "Poe Dameron, for an esteemed pilot of the Resistance, you sure have a difficult time staying in the sky." Poe also chuckled and nudged my knee with his hand playfully.