Forget Me Not (Kylo Ren Story)

Never Was There a Story...

Calloused fingertips traced invisible lines against Athena's smooth skin, causing her to faintly stir in her deep sleep. They were hot against her face as the person mumbled incoherent words, something her fogged mind could not pick apart. She felt them slip away, the warm presence next to her disappearing from the bed as well, her eyes never opening. She barely registered it at all as she fell back into a light sleep.

A door slid open, waking Athena from her short sleep. Her eyes fluttering open at the noise and watched as a blurry silhouette exit the bathroom. Blinking rapidly, her eyes focused in on a fully dressed Kylo heading towards the main door. It was barely dawn where was he going? "Slipping out before daylight huh?" Athena teased, her words stopping the silent man. He turned to find her staring at him from the mass of covers, looking nothing short of comfortable and extremely inviting. A part of him was not positive as to why he thought to leave the comforts of the bed in the first place. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Athena denied it as she propped herself up on an elbow, her sleep hooded eyes never faltering from his. "Where are you going?" Kylo stepped away from the door and moved closer to her. "Why you miss me already?" Athena smiled, she loved his humorous side that was breaking through his once icy and stiff persona he had adapted as Kylo Ren. Although she knew he had to, to survive. "Something like that." Kylo let out a short chuckle now hovering above her. "I'm going to meditate." His answer was timid as if it seemed unreasonable for him to do so. Even the Dark side Force users were known to meditate and Kylo was not just purely dark. "May I accompany you?" A small eager smile grew on his face, "Of course." With that, he pulled her out of bed.

Athena walked towards the area in between the garden and the lake where Kylo sat waiting for her. She was now cleaned, dressed, and ready to tap back into the Force fully. Eager to connect to another lost part of herself, a circumstantial part in indicating where her place was. She sat down cross legged beside Kylo, who she mirrored, the palm of his hands pressed firmly against his knees. "You'll need to clear your mind and focus inward." He instructed his eyes never opening. Athena nodded even though he could not see it. She closed her eyes and attempted to will away all her thoughts, focusing on her heartbeat, but little thoughts would slip back into her mind just as she began to reflect inward. They were tiny nothing thoughts, nothing on the grand scale of things she had to worry about, but they intruded anyways keeping her from her state of peace. "Are you in need of assistance?" Athena peeked one eye open to see Kylo observing her restlessness and inability to submerge herself into a state of inner stillness. "Maybe, only if you care to." He snickered under his breath and moved to rest on his knees, facing her. His hands extended outwards, his calloused fingertips pressing gently against her temple, and Athena closed her eyes. Her mind quieted down, allowing for her to slip into a state that was completely still and one pointed, her soul awakening. She was fully aware of her surroundings: of Kylo removing his hands and sitting back down, of the gentle breeze caressing the surface of the blue water, and of the soft melodies performed by surrounding birds. She felt the flow of the Force: life, decay, rebirth, the Light and the Dark. She could feel the Light surfacing in Kylo, her heart swelling in response. He was changing, he was starting the path to saving himself. Athena focused on a middle ground in between the two sides when she felt something strange. The Dark was not beckoning to her, promising enticing impossible things, no it was creeping forward reaching for her instead.

Athena was little kneeling in her small bed, small arms pressed against the window sill. Her bright eyes watching the bright crackling lightning through the small window, enjoying the cool night breeze that floated in with the sweet smell of the garden just beyond the walls. She witnessed the same breeze dance through the surrounding trees, each leave twirling along. Athena was content and happy. With another bolt of lightning erupting across the sky, lighting the otherwise dark Nayli, a strange twisted feeling entered her soul. Filling her with only fear. The sweet smell of the garden faded, replaced with a strong scent that burned in her nose with each inhale, smoke. She coughed out the strange twist in smell as she slid off her bed. Confusion and frightfulness replacing her previous contentedness, even she, at such a young age, knew something was wrong. Athena walked towards the door across her room, a strange orange hue sneaking in through the bottom slit. As her tiny hand reached for the door panel, the door abruptly shot up. Her mother looked down with frantic eyes, the blackest of smoke already clinging to her skin and nightgown. "Mamma?" She was silent as she scooped Athena up into her arms, a hand cradling her head, pushing the child down into her mother's clothed shoulder to prevent the inhalation of fumes. Her mother rushed through the flame coated hallway, hurrying towards the front door. A loud cracking noise sounded, followed by a crashing sound. Her mother halted in her motions, tucking Athena closer. "No!" Her mother cried out. Athena tore her head away from the shoulder to see some of the large lumber supports had fallen from the ceiling and now obstructed their escape. "Mysa!" A deep voice bellowed out from the other side of the blockage. "Baron we're trapped!" Her mother called back seeing her husband's face poking through a small opening left in between the lumber. "Go out one of the windows!" Athena and her mother turned to find the hallway behind the consumed with even more flames. The two turned back to the obstacle, her mother eyeing the small opening, small enough for a child to fit through. "No you're going to have to grab Athena!" She concluded. "What about you?" Athena's father called back in a frantic. "I'll figure something out, but you have to save her, she's too important!" A loud defeated sigh was heard, "I know. I'm ready when you are." Athena was pulled away from her mother's body, leveling the small girl with her mother's face. Pressing a tearful kiss to her cheek, her mother instructed her carefully, "Keep your head down honey." Athena obeyed and felt as she was maneuvered through the small opening into her father's hands.