Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep - Being revamped!

Chapter 8: Whores and Nightmares

They arrived at the capital late in the afternoon. Vader studied her before they disembarked, taking in the way the pearly veil drifted down over her shoulders and back, effectively hiding her face, but giving a tantalizing glimpse of the beauty beneath. He nodded his approval and instructed her to walk by his side.

Crimson-robed guards lined the way from the landing pad to the Imperial Palace. Ree found their anonymous red figures even more menacing than the white-armored troopers who had invaded her village.

The sight of the troopers on Lord Vader’s ship had been shocking at first, a jolt from a painful past. But even as she edged closer to Vader, hastening her steps, he had motioned them to back away from her. It had been a welcome, and unexpected, kindness.

They passed by the Imperial guards; Ree striving to keep her head held high and her stride even with the Sith Lord’s long one. Vader strode by the guards without acknowledging them in any way and their reactions were hidden beneath their scarlet masks.

Into the palace they went, and through the vast corridors that made even Lord Vader’s castle look like a modest dwelling. Rich crimson and royal blue vied with each other, set off by oceans of shining gold. All of it assaulted her eyes and she began to appreciate why Vader’s home was almost stark in comparison.

A group of Imperial cadets passed by in grey uniforms and one whey-faced young man glanced at her, smirked at her veil, turned and muttered something she did not understand to the man next to him. Whatever he said made the older man turn pale and cast a wary eye toward Lord Vader.

Vader came to an abrupt halt, his hand shooting out to push Ree behind him. He barked something to the young man in a language Ree did not understand. But she understood well enough the man’s gasp of fear. He tried to stammer out a response, but Vader had his jaw clenched and his hand extended.

Ree’s hand came to her own throat in memory. At last, she understood that the young man must have made some disparaging comment about her and Lord Vader had heard it. She could not bear for someone to be harmed on her behalf and it looked like Lord Vader was going to mete out the ultimate punishment for the young cadet’s indiscretion.

Laying a soft hand on his arm, she drew Vader’s attention away from the young cadet, who had fallen to his knees. “Milord, please…”

His head snapped around, his nostrils flaring. “He called you a whore,” he said quietly between his gritted teeth.

Blinking back the tears that had sprung to her eyes, she knew he sensed her reaction even behind the veil. “He should not be punished for stating the truth, milord,” she replied softly, noticing that Vader’s invisible grip on the man’s throat had eased.

The man bent forward, now on his hands and knees as Lord Vader turned toward Samri. “You are not a whore,” he said harshly. “And this piece of bantha fodder has no right-“

“Please, milord,” she begged. “For me…”

He stared at her for a moment and then jerked his head in a nod. “Very well,” he snapped. Turning back to the cadet who was rubbing his bruised throat, he commanded, “I grant you mercy at the lady’s request. You will apologize to the Lady Samri.”

Nodding desperately, he started to get to his feet. “No,” Vader growled with a cold smile. “On your knees.”

The young man’s eyes widened, but he remained where he was. Ree touched Vader’s arm again, distressed by the scene. But he jerked away from her touch and kept his eyes on the humiliated cadet. “He will apologize and he will do it on his knees,” he repeated and his voice as cold as Hoth.

Bowing her head, she acquiesced to his unspoken order that she interfere no more. Samri sensed that further violence lurked just beneath Lord Vader’s control and she had no wish to infuriate him any more.

“I...am sorry…Lady Samri,” the young man gasped out.

Vader gave a negligent flick of his hand and the cadet went flying back. “You will display better manners they next time you are in my presence or you shall find your career in His Majesty’s service a very short one indeed,” the Sith Lord said calmly. “Because dead men are of no use to His Majesty – or to me.”

With that warning, he stalked away, dragging Ree behind him. Struggling to keep up with his long strides, she finally gave his hand a tug.

“Please…” she panted.

Immediately, he slowed. Now walking at a more leisurely pace, she glanced up at him. “Thank you, milord, but we both know I am not a lady of quality. I am, in fact, exactly what he called me.”

He came to an abrupt halt and whirled her around to face him. Flinging back the veil, he cradled her face in his hands. “You are what I make you,” he told her in a voice that could only be described as… tender.

************************************************

His nightmares started their first night in the capital.

They were sharing the largest and most luxurious bedchamber in his apartment. He had muttered something about her safety when he ordered her to do so. They were sleeping together in the huge bed. He had noticed her fatigue that night and had done no more than to pull her into his arms before they fell asleep.

Then Vader cried out in the night, a low plaintive sound that spoke of loss and grief.

“No, Master…please…NO!” Then there was a wail of utter despair ripped from him and he began to sob. He never woke.

Unsure of what she should do, Ree murmured soothingly, drawing him into her arms. She brushed back the hair from his sweaty brow and rained gentle kisses on his face. He turned into her embrace and the sounds of agony turned to cries of relief. His tears fell on her throat, his hands clutching her to him tightly.

Finally, words poured from him, in between the kisses he began trailing down the side of her neck. “Oh gods, I’m so sorry… I didn’t save you… Please forgive me…"

She did not know where the words came from, but she murmured them without hesitation. “It’s all right, my love,” she told him, taking his hand. “I forgive you.”

He shuddered once and then all the tension left his body, leaving him drained and limp. Lord Vader’s nightmare had been vanquished – for the moment.

*****************************************

The next morning, Ree woke to find him lying beside her, his eyes slowly tracing her features. When he spoke at last, his voice had an edge to it that she could not identify. “Did something happen last night?” His voice was husky and made a shiver run down her spine, a pleasant shiver of remembrance.

“You had a nightmare, milord,” she answered.

“Did I say anything?” His eyes narrowed.

“Nothing I could understand, milord,” she replied, which was the truth from a certain point of view. His words had made no sense, but his pain – that had been all too real.

His jaw briefly clenched as he studied her. Then he grunted and stood up, unashamedly nude. Unable to help herself, she let her eyes roam over his body. His shoulders were broad, even more so than they appeared in his tunics and cloak. His skin was a dusky gold, as if he wandered about outdoors with no clothes on, inviting the sun’s kiss all over his flesh.

Vader’s belly was lean and flat, with swells of muscle that felt both silky and hard when she touched them. As she watched, his buttocks flexed as he walked toward the ‘fresher. His legs were long and powerfully muscled. He moved with the deadly grace of a sand cat and the confidence of a born leader.

His blonde hair was long, hanging just below his shoulder blades, and was usually tied back in an attempt to subdue the waves in it. When his smile was not cold and mocking, it could be quite charming. His eyes were a vibrant blue and could spark with a hot fire that made her knees weak, or glow with a cold anger that caused icy fingers to trail down her spine.

All things considered, her fate was not so bad, certainly better than the girls from her village who had been bound for the pleasure houses serving His Majesty’s troops. Lord Vader had frightened her badly during those first few days, but now she sensed she need have no fear of him – as long as she did not betray him. How a humble slave could betray a great lord, she did not know. She sensed, however, that he valued loyalty above all else.

When Vader returned, she saw he had rumpled his hair and it was a wild mass of curls. Laughter escaped her. “Your hair… It’s so curly! Like a school girl’s!” She said disbelievingly.

He grimaced and tried in vain to smooth down his rebellious hair. He gave up and looked at her, his lips quirking. “Don’t tell anyone,” he said in his deep voice. “It’s a state secret.”

Ree nodded solemnly, though her eyes shone with laughter. “I assure you, milord, I shall take your secret to my grave.” Then she could no longer hold in her laughter and covered her face, giving into to it fully.

She did not see him studying her, a half smile tugging at his lips.