Chapter 28


Ruby had been lost in the depths of sleep, her body finally surrendering to rest in the luxurious chambers Tony had provided. The knock jolted her from dreams of home, of Kylo's last kneeling form. She sighed, the sound heavy with exhaustion. What could possibly demand attention at this hour?

With a graceful flick of her wrist, she used the Force to unlatch the door, simultaneously reaching for one of the silk robes draped nearby. The fabric whispered against her skin as she pulled it on, its deep imperial purple a small reminder of her station even here, so far from her throne.

Xaden and Elijah entered, their familiar faces bright with their usual morning energy – though something in their expressions hinted at underlying tension. Elijah executed a perfect bow, his diplomatic training evident in every measured movement.

"Morning, Your Highness," he said, straightening with practiced grace. "There have been some... calls from your planet." His tone carried careful neutrality, but his eyes conveyed the urgency of the situation.

Ruby stiffened, her body going as rigid as durasteel. Kylo, she thought, his name echoing through her mind like a bell toll. Ice seemed to spread through her veins as realization hit: Shit, I've forgotten to tell him where I am.

The Force rippled around her with sudden anxiety – her usually impeccable control wavering as she imagined her apprentice, her newly appointed Prince Regent, trying to maintain calm while his master had seemingly vanished into the unknown reaches of space. Their bond, stretched thin by distance, thrummed with distant worry she was only now allowing herself to feel.

Ruby reached out instinctively for the commlink, her imperial authority automatically asserting itself. But Elijah's smirk stopped her cold – an expression so different from his usual diplomatic smile that it transformed his entire face into something alien and dangerous.

Xaden stepped forward, his movement predatory rather than respectful now. The morning light streaming through the windows cast harsh shadows across his features, highlighting the cruel twist of his lips. "Oh no, Your Highness," he said, mockery dripping from the title. "You don't understand your situation." His voice carried the satisfaction of a trap finally springing shut. "You're not allowed to go home, nor make any calls with your old friends."

The final pieces clicked into place in Ruby's mind as Xaden's smirk widened. "You're in Nevarro now." He spread his arms in a grotesque parody of welcome. "Here you stay with your people."

The air in the room grew heavy with tension as the true nature of her "diplomatic visit" became clear. She wasn't a guest – she was a prisoner. Through her Force bond with Kylo, despite the distance, she could feel an echo of his growing concern, unaware that his master had walked into an elaborate trap.

Ruby's fingers twitched at her sides, her mind rapidly calculating odds and options. The robe suddenly felt less like silk and more like chains, and the luxurious chamber revealed itself for what it truly was – a gilded cage.

"Father wouldn't want this," Ruby breathed, the words escaping before she could stop them. Then she stiffened, shock rippling through her at her own unconscious slip. The Force around her trembled with her sudden realization.

What am I thinking? The thought cut through her mind like a blade. The Elidran weren't her father – they never had been. That title belonged to Palpatine, a man who would sooner watch galaxies burn than spare a thought for her wellbeing. He'd care less about her current predicament than he did about his own reflection. The bitter truth of it tasted like ash in her mouth.

Xaden and Elijah exchanged knowing looks, clearly savoring her moment of vulnerability. Their facades of loyal servants had completely dropped now, revealing the predators beneath. The morning sunlight that had seemed so gentle moments ago now felt harsh and exposing, highlighting every crack in her carefully maintained imperial composure.

The reality of her situation crashed over her like a cold wave: she'd let herself be lulled into a false sense of security, allowed old attachments and wishful thinking to cloud her judgment. She, the Empress, who'd fought so hard to break free of Palpatine's shadow, had walked right into a trap because part of her still yearned for the family she'd once thought she had.

Through her bond with Kylo, parsecs away, she felt a surge of intense concern. Her apprentice could sense her distress, even across the vast distance between them. The irony wasn't lost on her – the one person who truly cared about her welfare was the one she couldn't reach.

Ruby bared her teeth, a feral gesture that transformed her refined imperial features into something dangerous and wild. Through the Force, her anger crackled like lightning. "We were classmates, Elijah," she spat, raw hurt bleeding into her fury. "Why are you betraying me like this?" The words tasted bitter – memories of shared lessons, whispered jokes, and childhood trust turned to poison.

Elijah sighed, and for a fleeting moment, something like regret flickered across his features before being replaced by cold determination. "I might have cared for you before, Ruby," he said, her name falling from his lips like something discarded. He straightened his spine, assuming the pose of the perfect politician he'd been trained to be. "Now I don't. King Elidan allowed us to do this to you."

His lips curved into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "You aren't his child, maybe, but you're the one who'll take your place at his throne." The words carried layers of meaning – jealousy, ambition, and calculated cruelty wrapped in diplomatic precision. The boy who had once shared his lunch with her in the academy was gone, replaced by this cold-eyed stranger.

The morning light caught the imperial purple of her robe, a cruel reminder of the power she wielded elsewhere – power that meant nothing in this carefully constructed trap. Through her Force bond, she could feel Kylo's growing agitation, like distant thunder on the horizon, unaware yet that his master was facing betrayal from those she once called friends.

Ruby rose to her full height, the silk robe barely preserving her modesty, but dignity radiated from her like a supernova. In that moment, her near-nakedness wasn't vulnerability – it was primal power. The Force surged around her, dark and terrible, making the very air crackle with energy.

Suddenly, both men's hands flew to their throats, clawing desperately at invisible grips. Their feet lifted inches off the ground as Ruby's power manifested. The morning light caught her silhouette, casting her in stark relief – no longer the betrayed friend but something ancient and terrifying.

Her green eyes blazed with otherworldly fury, transforming from their usual emerald to something molten and predatory. Her fangs lengthened, sharpening to deadly points as her true nature emerged. The temperature in the room plummeted, frost crystallizing on the windows despite the morning sun.

"You have defied me," she snarled, her voice resonating with power that made the walls tremble, "for the last time in your lives, mortals." Each word dripped with centuries of imperial might. The Force tightened around their throats as she took a step forward, her bare feet leaving frost prints on the floor. "I am the Empress of the galaxy. I am your Queen."

The last word echoed with supernatural power, shattering the nearby mirrors and sending sparks cascading from the light fixtures. This wasn't the Ruby they'd grown up with – this was an ancient force of nature they'd foolishly thought they could cage.

Ruby strode from the chamber, corpses of her former friends cooling behind her. Her empress regalia materialized around her through the Force, black and purple fabric swirling like living shadows, transforming her from prisoner to vengeful deity. The distant sound of Kylo's concern through their bond fueled her rage – they had tried to separate her from everything that was hers.

Guards rushed forward, their shouts about the king's schedule dying in their throats as her purple lightsaber ignited with a vengeful hiss. One sweep of the blade painted the corridor in violet light and death, bodies falling like autumn leaves. Their weapons clattered uselessly against the marble floors, never even drawn.

She stormed toward the throne room, the Force preceding her like a tidal wave of darkness. The massive doors burst open before her touch, revealing King Eldarian holding court with his conspirators. Her entrance brought sudden silence, followed by gasps of horror as courtiers began to drop dead where they stood, their life force crushed by her mere presence.

Ruby ascended the steps toward the throne, each footfall echoing with deadly purpose. Her green eyes blazed with supernatural fire, fangs fully extended, the very air around her distorting with power. "Traitor," she snarled, the word carrying enough venom to kill. "For too long have I allowed Nevarro to flourish, to flower, to breed its dragons." Her voice rose, heavy with bitter revelation. "Now I see where I was mistaken. Dragons weren't the ones who would betray me – it was you."

With a flick of her wrist, her lightsaber flew forward, humming menacingly at the king's throat. The purple glow cast ghastly shadows across his suddenly pale face.

King Eldarian swallowed hard, his composed facade cracking. "What... what's the meaning of this?" he stammered, all pretense of authority evaporating in the face of her unleashed fury.

The Force swirled around them like a gathering storm, the very foundations of the palace trembling with Ruby's barely contained rage. The man who had once claimed to be like a father to her now cowered before her true power, his betrayal laid bare in the graveyard his throne room had become.

Ruby stalked around Eldarian in a slow, predatory circle, her steps measured and graceful as a nexu cornering its prey. The hem of her imperial robes whispered across the blood-stained marble floor, leaving crimson footprints in her wake. The king turned with her movement, his fear palpable in the Force like spoiled meat.

"I know your little games, Eldarian," she purred, her voice carrying the deadly softness of an avalanche's first rumble. "You wish to cage me, like everyone who ever thought they could." The Force crackled around them, making the remaining intact windows vibrate with her contained fury.

She paused behind him, a shadow of death at his back. Her next words carried the weight of centuries of wisdom, dripping with lethal promise: "When men try to corner a beast, they often die, you know."

The purple blade hummed once, a musical note of execution. There was no ceremony, no further accusation – just the clean sweep of plasma through flesh and bone. Eldarian's head toppled from his shoulders before he could respond, the crown clattering across the floor with a hollow ring.

Ruby stood motionless in the silent throne room, surrounded by the aftermath of her vengeance. Bodies lay strewn across the ornate floor like discarded dolls, their blood pooling and mingling in elaborate patterns between the marble tiles. The metallic scent of death hung heavy in the air, mixing with the ozone smell of her lightsaber.

She inhaled deeply through her nose, taking in the scene of her handiwork with cold detachment. Then, with a soft click, her lightsaber deactivated. The sudden absence of its purple glow left only the morning sunlight to illuminate the carnage.

Without a backward glance, Ruby turned and walked away, leaving the throne room and its dead conspirators to rot. Her footsteps echoed through the empty corridors, marking the passage of an empress who had reminded the galaxy why even dragons feared her reign.


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