A Throne Amongst the Stars

Aeternum

[A/N: Hello my lovelies! I am so excited to share this chapter with you as we continue to near the end of ATATS. There will be two chapters to follow this one. This entire story has been loosely inspired by The Phantom of the Opera, which you will see most obviously in this chapter. I have prepared this chapter for you, during which I have cried most ardently, but also smiled, so take that as you will. It is the longest chapter of this book at 16k words, so, without further ado, please enjoy. I love you all! -K 🖤]

[🌌 This chapter is EXTREMELY long, contains swearing, severe angst, extreme violence, insinuations, and dangerous situations.🌌]
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{Journey to the Cemetery - Phantom of the Opera (Instrumental). Leave it on repeat 🤭}

With every passing hour, the grounds of the castle became more chaotic with anticipatory activity. An innumerable horde of servants and personnel labored endlessly to bring the fortress to life, although the remembrance of death lingered with the raising of First Order flags and banners.

Flashbacks from the night of my gala perpetually haunted me.

The distant, phantasmal screams were just as present as they were the night that my life changed, even as they only plagued the recesses of my mind.

Would fate find it humorous to repeat such a tragic event?

"...Which is when you'll enter the throne room." A disembodied voice explained before calling repeatedly for my obviously divided attention. "Your Majesty?" It was difficult to focus on one voice when several overlapping ones conversed in my memories.

All I could imagine was the aftermath. What would happen should the counter-attack of the Resistance fail?

Inevitably, I would marry Kylo.

Inevitably, I would be crowned King.

The planet of Interitus would be the new headquarters for the regime of the First Order. Kylo, as my husband, would institute change to not only the planet, but the entire kingdom. He would seek to erase the culture and introduce his preferred Order until nothing remained except only that which was painted red.

Unable to resist him, I would have no choice but to succumb to him. According to whispers around the castle, I would be pregnant within a few months, weeks even-

I instinctively covered my dried mouth, hoping that the sudden nausea would dissipate. Pregnancy and childbirth weren't included into my lessons plans alongside battle formations and intergalactic negotiations. Because of the sacredness of intimacy and the divine nature of creating life from essentially nothing, it was taboo to discuss outside of marital relationships. It wasn't my requirement as King to worry about such matters.

But I could only assume the process happened behind closed doors.

After I produced the strongest, most powerful, and highly unconquerable heirs of the known universe, while thoroughly and mentally depleting myself in the process, I would be of no more use to Kylo or the First Order.

Inevitably, I would be buried beside my father.

"Lady Ren?" My head slowly turned towards General Hux who was still holding an itinerary, describing the necessary arrangements and proper procession of the evening. "Are you alright? You've gone pale." He was staring at me from the bottom of the stairs that led to my elevated throne.

I nodded absently, closing my eyes to combat the soul-crushing anxiety that permeated my bones and infected my cold blood.

If something went wrong tonight-

"That's when you'll enter." He motioned towards the colossal doors that harbored the insignia of the First Order. The throne room was brimming with commotion as hundreds of chairs were being prepared, decorations were still being placed meticulously, and banners were being hung. "In the meantime..."