Ɯhen they reached the throne room, Snoke walked towards the king and queen's thrones. He turned, sitting in the king's throne, then he looked at Ben. "You have failed me, Kylo."

As he spoke the words, two knights moved to grab Ben's arms.

"But I thought that he was working for you," Rey said confused.

"He was... until he was taken prisoner and brought here. After he married you, he betrayed me and my cause," Snoke answered. "Besides, I know that you weren't really captured. You turned yourself in to save that foolish boy of your's."

Rey looked at Ben. "Why didn't you say that you weren't working for him?"

"I didn't have any proof, no one would have believed me."

"I would have," she whispered. "I love you, Ben. I trust you."

They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, before Snoke spoke pulling their gaze back to him.

"Because of his treachery, he deserves to be punished." Snoke nodded to his knights and eight of them moved to grab Ben, while the two remaining knights continued to hold Rey back. The knights removed first Ben's armor then his shirt, then they aggressively pulled him forward, throwing him to the floor and keeping him pinned down.

"No," Rey said.

Snoke watched for a moment, then he rose from the throne and moved his cloak aside to reveal a leather whip. He pulled it out and stepped towards Ben.

Rey let out a wail and began to squirm in the knights' grasp, trying to free herself to help Ben. She couldn't let Snoke do this to him, she had promised Ben that she wouldn't let Snoke hurt him.

Snoke stood over him, drawing the whip back before lashing it down on Ben's back.

Ben screamed in pain, Rey was filled anger and a sudden burst of strength. She pulled herself free of the knights's vice-like grasps and ran forward. Snoke had already drawn the whip back and was whipping it forward. Rey stepped between Snoke and Ben, reaching her hand out. The whip came down, and she caught it in her hand. She felt a sharp, stinging pain as the the whip sliced the palm of her hand open, but she didn't allow the pain to show on her face. Instead she looked at Snoke with a brave, determined expression and fire in her hazel eyes.

"Don't. Hurt. My. Husband," she said in a stern voice, taking brief pauses between each word.

"She's a feisty one, I can see why you like her so much," Snoke told Ben. Then he tried to pull the whip from her grasp, but she had wrapped it around her wrist to prevent him from doing so.

"I won't let you hurt him," she said.

"He deserves to be punished," Snoke answered.

"Rey... I'll be okay," Ben muttered, but Rey didn't listen.

"Then I'll take his punishment," Rey replied.

"Rey... no," Ben said, struggling to free himself from the knights grasp.

"Please, give me his punishment," Rey begged. "I promised him that I wouldn't let you hurt him anymore, and I intend to keep that promise."

"No!" Ben yelled.

Snoke smirked. "Very well... I think that watching you be whipped will be a far greater punishment than the lashes he would have received. He's used to being tortured, but watching his beloved wife be tortured will rip his heart from his chest. Besides, it was you who helped to sway him."

The knights drug Ben up from the floor, to a standing position so that he could watch.

Rey released her hold on the whip, then she laid down on the floor, belly down. She was prepared to take this pain for Ben. She laid down willingly for him, and she promised herself that she wouldn't move or cry. She would show no sign of pain, for Ben's sake.

As if to test her willingness, Snoke ordered no knights to keep her down.

Snoke lifted the whip and lashed it down on her back. She could feel the whip rip the back of her dress and sting her skin like fire as it broke her skin. It hurt but she stopped herself from screaming or crying in pain, she didn't want Ben to know how much pain she was in, even though she knew that he had felt the same pain many times. But she couldn't stop a sharp inhale as the whip struck her, and she allowed silent tears to slip from her eyes.

She closed her eyes and thought of Ben, this was for him. She focused on thoughts of him, it seemed to soothe the pain away, and what pain she did feel was worth it.

Ben was already trying free himself from the knights' hold on him. But as he saw Snoke strike Rey with the whip, he began to fight them with all of his strength. He punched, kicked and elbowed the ten knights struggling to free himself. He couldn't let Snoke do this to Rey.

The knights began striking him back, and for a moment they had him under control. But as he heard the whip strike Rey again, he became more violent in his fight to free himself.

Rey whimpered quietly as Snoke struck her again, and it was all that Ben could take. He fought with all of his strength and finally freed himself. He ran over to Rey laying down on top of her, covering her with his body. Just as he did, he felt the whip strike his bare back.

He wrapped his arms around her waist so that no one would be able to pull him away from her. He gently rested his head on her shoulder.

"Ben... don't do this," Rey whispered. "I promised that I wouldn't let him hurt you. I love you."

"I love you too, that's why I'm not going to let you do this," Ben answered.

Rey heard the whip lash Ben, she felt him squeeze her waist slightly and she could hear him groan quietly in pain. All she wanted to was hug him and take the pain away from him.

Ben nuzzled her neck and shoulder, trying to focus on the feeling of being so close to her instead of the pain.

Rey sighed at his touch, but tears stung her eyes knowing what he was feeling in that moment. He let out a small cry of pain against her neck as the whip struck him again. She wanted to do something to stop it, she wanted to comfort him somehow, but with him laying on top of her she couldn't move. She wanted to protect him. She couldn't make Snoke stop, she couldn't even stroke Ben's hair or caress his cheek to bring him some comfort. In this moment she was powerless.

She started crying. "Ben please. It's my turn to show you that I love you. Please let me do this."

"No, I love you, I can't bare to watch you get hurt because of me. I deserve this, you don't. You are kind and innocent," he answered.

"You don't deserve this. You shouldn't be punished just because you saved your brother's life. And part of it is my fault, he's punishing you because of me," she cried. "Please let me protect you for once."

"I'm not moving. I love you too much, remember what I told you. I'm not afraid of him hurting me, I'm afraid of him hurting you," he whispered. He placed a kiss on the side of her neck.

Normally being pinned to the floor like this would have made her feel claustrophobic and uncomfortable, but if the circumstances were different she had to admit that she would have enjoyed the feeling of being so close to him. But now all she felt was powerless, he was doing this to save her when she was the one who had been trying to save him.

When Snoke finally stopped, her shoulder was wet with his tears.

"Get him up," Snoke ordered his knights.

The knights went over and grabbed Ben, pulling him up from the floor. His grasp on Rey was so strong that they had to pull her up with him. They attempted to pull Rey from his arms again, but he was determined not to let them do so this time. And despite the fact that the pain of the lashes had weakened him, his hold on her was unyielding.

Rey turned in his arms to face him, holding him tightly. She didn't want to let them pull him away from her and take a chance of them being separated.

The knights continued to attempt to pry them apart, but they were failing miserably.

"Enough!" Snoke yelled. "Just throw them both in a cell together. She has earned it, I have not witnessed such love since the death of my beloved."

The knights nodded and stepped away.

Snoke stepped towards them. "Tend to each other's wounds, " he ordered them.

They both nodded, but they were confused by why he would even care.

"Get them to their cell, " Snoke ordered his knights.

The knights grabbed them and drug them out of the throne room.