The days dragged by and there was no sign of hope for you. Your spirits were completely diminished and you couldn't seem to find the light in the situation. It felt as though there was nothing left for you in the galaxy. Only fear and pain existed within you now. The other girls tried their best to cheer you up, but it was nearly impossible when they too were stuck in the same place as you. As your week slowly winds to a close, you were being put through the works. You only got the cantina position one more time, before the doors were shut in your face. The next few days consisted of you scrubbing the greasy kitchen floors with Krina and Vami. Fortunately it gave you more time to talk and you would rather be cleaning than offering your body to cruel strangers.

The slave trade had always bothered you when you heard stories growing up, but this experience had opened your eyes wider than before. Everything these girls went through was some form of torture. Krina let you see her scars from her days of rebellion against the guards. They had whipped her back raw and now she was seen as undesirable to many customers. Her sister cried for days straight when she couldn't see the one person she had left in the world. Do'lona was the one to comfort her. Lani showed you the horrible welt on her ankle from where she had been prodded with a glowing hot metal rod. Even if they weren't physically punished, they were forced to endure countless hours of sexual assault. All you wanted to do was escape with them and burn the Black Sun to the ground.

Finally it came. It was the day just before the one you had been dreading during your time here. Tomorrow was auction day. If you were sold off to Gido, the chances of your rescue became even slimmer. You were sure that Dorno wouldn't sell you to anyone except for that sleazebag. He held too much power to be denied of something he wanted. You weren't sure if staying here or being sold off was worse. From what you had seen of Gido, you expected it to be the ladder. He could do anything he wanted to you and nobody could stop him. Hopefully he would only use you as a servant, but you highly doubted it. He was the type of man to have too many servants to count. The moment you were useless to him, Gido would kill you. That was something you did not doubt in the slightest.

"Hey," a soft voice halts your train of thought on its tracks. "You've been scrubbing that same tile for the last five minutes."

You slowly rock back on your heels, staring down at the spot on the grimy tiles that was much shinier than anywhere else. All you could say was "oh," before you dunk the sponge into the sudsy bucket and move to the next tile. You and Do'lona had been working in that damned kitchen all morning. It wasn't too bad and you had it clean within the first hour, but the cook proceeded to throw a massive fit and mess everything up again. Your hands and arms were aching from scrubbing the floor for so long and your back hurt from being bent over.

"What were you thinking about? I know that look." Do'lona looks up at you as she dries off the tile she had just finished with a clean rag.

You sigh softly. "Auction day is tomorrow. Gido is going to buy me and then all of this is going to be over. I'd... rather stay than be with that horrible man. Stars, how did I get here?"

The Twi'lek scoffs and wipes the sweat from her pale blue skin. "Bad luck. Just like the rest of us."

"I never asked you how you ended up here." You set the sponge down and sit down contently, as if telling her you were ready to listen.

Do'lona lowers her sponge and bites her lip. "My parents passed away when I was young. I practically raised my little sister. We lived on Corellia. I was finally making us some real credits because of this singing gig I took at a local cantina. I took a shortcut home from work one night... I wanted to surprise my sister with dinner. A real dinner. None of that mushy slop she had been forced to eat for so long. That's when they grabbed me and it was all over." Her voice breaks. "I still think about my sister. She must have been so scared just sitting at home and waiting for me. I have no idea how long she waited before she called for help. I don't even know if anyone would help her. She was only twelve at the time."

You tuck your messy hair behind your ear. "I'm sorry... I really am. You don't deserve this. Nobody deserves this. Just once I want to give those bastards a taste of their own medicine. How would they like it if they were chained up all day? I'm so sick of this place and I've only been here for about a week. I can't imagine-" you catch yourself.

"It's alright. I'm used to it." Do'lona says miserably, hanging her head. She chuckles weakly. "I had this fantasy of getting married to the bartender at that cantina. He was always so kind. He always defended me." She lifts her eyes. "What about you? Did you have anyone?"

The way she said it made it sound like you were going to die. That you were already dead. You might as well be. You smile softly. "Yes. I hated him with every fiber in my body, but I couldn't help myself. We were connected by the Force. We used to train together before my master told me he was killed. He survived and... and recaptured me." You pause, checking for her reaction. "I sound insane, don't I?"

She laughs. "A little bit, yes." Do'lona picks at her nails, chewing on the inside of her cheek. "Love is weird."

Love. Is that what it was with Kylo? That's what it had been with Ben. You had never really thought about it again. Everything just came so naturally with Kylo now. Now that you were on the cusp of never seeing him again or death, everything was getting put into perspective. Did he love you? Did you love him? You didn't know if you did, but that didn't stop you from wishing you had said it at least once before you ended up here. What were you supposed to do now? You would spend your last few days, weeks, or months thinking about him. You craved his touch, but not in the way you would expect. You just wanted him to hold you and tell you that he was coming for you. You wanted to turn around and see him standing there through your Force connection. It always jump-scared you, but now you missed it. You missed him. His voice, his eyes, his arms, and the warmth of his body.

Tears spring to your eyes and you cover your mouth with the back of your hand, unable to push them away this time. A soft sob escapes your lips and Do'lona looks up. Her gaze softens at the sight of your struggle. She shifts towards you and leans in, tightly wrapping her arms around you. You could feel her own body trembling in your grasp and you knew she was on the verge of tears as well.

"I promise you," you whisper, eyes scrunched shut and face slick with tears. "If the Order comes for me I'll help you. No matter what."

Do'lona pulls away and wipes at her tears, laughing weakly. "I'll take you up on that promise."

You pick up the sponge and scrub at the floor through your blur of tears. Do'lona needed to take a moment, so she sat back and took a few deep breaths.

"Hey!" A voice barks sharply.

You both wince and look up as a guard storms inside, his whip already in hand. You had a feeling this was going to end badly for either one of you.

"You're not here to chat!" The guard snaps, but he was only looking at Do'lona. "Turn around, you little slave bitch."

She whimpers. "I-I didn't-"

"NOW!"

Do'lona sobs and slowly turns her back to face him. She falls forward onto her hands and knee, preparing herself for the harsh impact of the leather whip.

"Stop!" You gasp. "It wasn't her fault. I swear it wasn't her-"

The guard glares at you. "Shut up! You stay out of this!" He adjusts his grip on the whip and angles his wrist above her back, pulling back to deliver the first blow.

Unable to sit and watch, you fly to your feet and rush forward, grabbing him tightly by the wrist. Do'lona scrambles away as the bucket is knocked over in the struggle, the sudsy water spilling over the floor. She stares at you in horror and in shock. The guard hisses in surprise but quickly gains his footing. He sends his fist flying towards your face, striking you right in the cheekbone. You stumble and he grabs a fistful of your hair, ripping you back up to look at him.

"I'll teach you not to interfere with a guard!" He snarls.

The guard shoves you down onto the ground. You wail as his whip comes down onto your back swiftly. The sharp sting and the loud cracking noise made you nearly collapse. You sob as another strike comes. Then another and another. You could feel your back already turning red and springing up welts where he was striking you.

"Stop it! Stop it! Please!" Do'lona stumbles over and tries to grab his forearm in a weak attempt to wrestle the whip away.

You helplessly fall to the ground and crawl away, looking back in horror through a visor of pain and fear. The guard shoves Do'lona with all of his might and she slams into the metal counter head first with a sickening crack. Her limp body slides to the ground as the guard releases you from his iron grip.

"No!" You gasp, trying to crawl back towards her. Your stomach churns when you realize she isn't moving anymore.

The guard shoves his foot in between your shoulder blades, forcing you flat down on the ground with your cheek pressing against the wet tiles. You were sobbing, in pain, and utterly horrified. You manage to look up, your hair sticking to your cheek from the soap water and the tears on your face. Another heartbroken wail wracks your body when you see Do'lona's body sprawled on the ground. There was blood seeping from the side of her head, painting the water a vicious crimson color.

"You idiot!" A furious voice bellows. Dorno bursts into the kitchen with a Blaster in hand, apparently having heard the struggle. He looks down at you sobbing on the floor beside Do'lona's body. "You've marked the slave I was supposed to sell to Gido! And you've killed this one!" He nudges her body with the toe of his boot.

"They were interfering! They fought back!" The guard argues. "Her death was unintentional."

Dorno pinches the bridge of his nose with two fingers. He sighs. "Alright. I just... Why would you do this? You know how much this is going to fucking cost me? You know what-" he raises the Blaster "-fuck you." He pulls the trigger and the guard yelps, falling to the floor and clutching his injured foot.

The only sound overpowering the guard's moans of pain was you still crying on the kitchen floor. Your back was bright red, welted, and stinging from the impact of the whip. You were sure the punch he landed on your cheekbone was going to leave a nasty bruise.

Dorno pushes a hand through his hair and slams his fist against the counter. "Dammit! You really messed up this time, slave. Look at her! Look what you did!" He bends down and rips your head up by your hair, forcing you to look at Do'lona's dead body and pulling another horrible wail from your lungs at the sight of it. "Look at it!"

"I'm sorry!" You scream. "I didn't do it! I didn't do it! I swear! Please!"

"I'm supposed to sell you today, you know." Dorno pulls you to your feet. "Gido was supposed to come tomorrow but we have another buyer. Slaves go to the highest bidder. They're going to have their fun with you, but they're going to be furious when they see the mess you've made of yourself. You won't last a day."

You sob as Dorno drags you down the hallway. You felt nauseous and your heart was rapidly beating in your chest. You must have looked like a mess. Sopping wet, eyes puffy with tears, marked face, beaten back, and blood on your hands from the water Do'lona was lying in. And now you were going to be sold to a group you had never met or seen. It was over. Everything was over. You would never see Kylo or the light of day again. Your crying goes silent as your body goes weak and accepts its fate. The hot tears streaming down your cheeks didn't seem to stop. Not even Dorno was scolding you for your appearance. He was quietly muttering under his breath, but it was not directed towards you. It was about how mad Gido was going to be when he found out his slave was sold off just the day he was supposed to come.

Dorno yanks you into a room off to the side, practically slamming his fist against the panel to get the door open. He throws you onto the ground at the buyer's feet and crosses his arm, standing just behind you. You couldn't even be bothered to look up at the man before you. You never wanted to see or feel anything ever again. You could feel his eyes on you, taking in your wounds and your heartbroken, crying state. There were other men around him and you felt their disgust. Please don't take me, you think with a whimper.

"I understand if you want another." Dorno spits coldly. "Look at her. She's made a mess of things. One of my slaves is dead because she just had to interfere. Little brat. I'd be glad to get rid of her, but if you-"

"No." The man's deep voice replies. "I'll take it."

You didn't even react to him calling you 'it.' You were nothing anymore. To Dorno, you were just profit. To them you were just a little girl they could use however they pleased. There was only one person you knew you truly meant something to and he wasn't here. The chances of him ever finding you were slim to none. If by some miracle he could, what would be left of you? You felt defeated. Your spirits were broken and your hopes were shattered. There was nothing left within you. No fight to put up and no emotions left to waste. You remain sprawled on the ground in a pool of your own nonstop tears of self-pity.

"Are you sure?" Dorno raises his eyebrows in surprise. "We have plenty of girls here who are in much better condition than this one. She won't be much fun to you anymore now that her spirit is broken." He nudges you with the toe of his boot and you flinch. "Just look at her."

A pause. The man speaks again. "I have better things to do than argue. I'll take it."

"Alright then, I don't want any trouble. Will that be all?"

The man moves forward, stepping over you. "No. I have you to deal with now."

Then you hear it. The vicious roar of a lightsaber and heat filling the room. Dorno's muffled, pained cry and the hiss of the blade cutting through skin. You let out a sob as the weapon deactivates. He kneels beside you, pulling you into his strong arms.

"Shh," he whispers. "I'm here."

You grip onto the front of Kylo's robes tightly, never wanting to let go. Was this a dream? Was this real? It couldn't be. You open your puffy eyes and meet his honey-brown ones. Kylo lifts his free hand and gently grazes your drained face with his rough thumb. You were an absolute blubbering, broken mess in his arms. He deactivated his saber and brung his other hand up to your face, lightly touching the bruises.

"What have they done to you?" He furrows his brow. "It's alright. I'm right here... it's over... I found you. Can you stand?" Kylo doesn't wait for your answer.

He scoops you into his arms, carrying you carefully through the Black Sun compound, ignoring the curious looks he was receiving. From in the position you were being held, you could see the blurry figures of the black-clad Knights of Ren following closely behind with their weapons poised readily. The passing slaves and guards spring out of the way, pressing their backs against the walls. The slaves.

"The others..." you manage to breathe when you remember the girls.

"Not now. Not now, Butterfly." His deep voice sends vibrations through his broad chest. "You've been through enough. Let go."

And you do. You let go of the last precious drops of your strength and fall limp in his arms, inviting the dark comfort of rest. You knew you were safe again in his grip. Kylo looks down at your beaten figure, a lump forming in his throat as it swells. He swallows and keeps his eyes trained on the shuttle up ahead.

"It's going to be alright," he whispers, although he knew you were out cold. "I'm here..."