Ӈalf an hour later, the door opened and Christopher came in. He came over to stand behind Rey, looking down at Ben, concerned.

"I heard what happened, how is he my lady?"

"He's... he's fine for now but I fear that he won't be if he doesn't have help soon," Rey replied.

Christopher placed some bandages and healing ointment on the bed next to Ben. "Do you need anything else?"

Rey nodded. "Would it be possible for you to bring a doctor, without getting caught? This injury is beyond my ability."

"I can try," Christopher replied.

"Please hurry," Rey added as she noticed how bloody the cloth beneath her hand had became.

Christopher nodded and left quickly to find the doctor.

Rey noticed that he had forgotten to lock the door, but she didn't care. Right now, taking care of Ben was the only thing that mattered to her.

A few moments later, Christopher returned with the royal doctor who was locked up in the dungeon.

The doctor hurried over to Ben's side. "Let me see," the doctor said.

Rey moved her hand that was covering his wound, but she kept Ben's hand held tightly in hers.

The doctor carefully lifted the piece of cloth that was covering the stab wound. Rey watched the doctor's expression as he looked at Ben's wound, trying to read his expression. The doctor was clearly very experienced at keeping a blank, unreadable expression as he examined his patients.

"Is he going to be okay?" Rey asked.

The doctor didn't reply, instead he began to look down into the wound, trying to see how serious the damage was. "He's lucky, it missed his liver," the doctor said not paying her much attention as he continued to examine him. "I think he'll be fine as soon as we stop the bleeding. However, he has lost a lot of blood, he will be weak for a little while and he will need a lot of rest and attention."

Rey nodded.

"And I need to check him fully, after I've finished stitching this," the doctor added as he noticed how badly he had been beaten.

Rey nodded, she couldn't imagine what Snoke had done to him. Inwardly she blamed herself for not going with Ben regardless of what anyone thought of it.

The doctor took the cloth and healing ointment that Christopher had brought, then he began to clean the wound. It sizzled slightly as the ointment came in contact with the blood and Rey squeezed Ben's hand gently, knowing that it must hurt. But Ben hadn't even flinched, she looked at him, he lay unmoving seeming at peace.

She lifted his hand to her mouth and placed several soft kisses in his palm.

The doctor took out a needle and some thread, then turned to Rey who now held Ben's hand against her cheek. "I need you to hold him down while I stitch this," he told her. "He's unconscious, so hopefully he won't feel anything, or move too much, but just incase."

Rey nodded and moved to hold Ben down in case he should move, or regain consciousness suddenly. Rey felt Ben's arms tighten and she saw his muscles tense as the doctor pushed the needle through his skin. He could feel it, she realized. His breathing rose and fell in short quick gasps and she knew that he was in a lot of pain, despite his unconscious state. She gently moved her hands up and down along his arms, hoping that the feeling of her touch would enter his subconscious and soothe him.

She felt his muscles slowly begin to relax, as she continued to gently touch him. "It will be over soon, darling," she whispered, hoping that hearing her voice would calm him even more. It seemed to work, his breathing returned to normal.

"Keep talking to him," the doctor instructed. "I can do a far better job on the prince's stitches when his muscles were relaxed."

Rey nodded, and continued to speak to Ben in a soft soothing voice until the doctor had finished with his stitches. She continued touching him gently to comfort him. The doctor pierced his skin once again, and this time Ben let out a loud cry, and began to squirm. She had to think quickly to get him to be quiet or the guards might come and find out that Christopher had brought the doctor. She leaned down and kissed his lips passionately, despite his unconscious state, he returned the kiss fervently.

She pulled away, pressing her forehead against his. "Hush now my baby, hush now my darling, you'll be safe in my arms 'til morning's light. And even if I am not by your side, you will be in my heart forevermore. If you feel alone ... look at the stars and remember you're in my heart and you always will be," she sung softly.

The doctor looked at her and smiled. Then he wrapped bandages around his torso to cover the wound.

"May I take a look at him?" the doctor asked Rey, she was still holding Ben's hand.

Rey nodded and stepped aside so that the doctor could do his work. But she stayed close, not wanting to leave Ben's side.

The doctor looked at his ribs, which were reddened and beginning to turn blue from the terrible bruises. "I don't think his rib's are broken, but they're badly bruised and there's a possibility that they could be fractured slightly."

He looked at the red mark on Ben's neck. "May I ask who did this to him, my lady?"

"Snoke," she answered simply, the anger all too obvious in her voice, but she had every right to be angry after what Snoke had done to her husband. It was obvious that he'd badly beaten him before Snoke attempted to kill him. But the question was, if Snoke was so intent on killing him, why had he let him live? Why hadn't he just finished killing him or just leave him to die?

"But...why? I thought that he was working for Snoke," the doctor said as he looked at Ben's head. His black hair was wet with blood where Snoke had struck him.

"Only to protect me and his parents," she explained.

The doctor looked away from her as he bandaged Ben's head, seeming to feel slightly guilty. "I thought he was a corrupt, heartless beast," the doctor confessed. "He's nothing like what everyone said he was. They said that he betrayed his parents, but if he went through all of this to save them, then he clearly loves them very much."

Rey nodded.

The doctor smiled. "He loves you too," he added. "I could tell by how much he seemed to relax at the sound of your voice, like your presence was the air to him."

Rey smiled. "I feel the same about him."

The doctor smiled. "I'm glad to hear that he isn't what they said he was, that he has grown to become a good man. I have worked for the king and queen since before he was born, I brought him into this world. And as he was born, I prayed that he would become a good man, and a great king one day."

Rey smiled at him. She found herself trying to imagine Ben as a baby, he was probably adorable, she thought.

"Believe it or not he was very small when he was born, he was born too early. He nearly died at birth ... but I've said too much, I promised his mother and father that I would never tell anyone what happened that day," the doctor cut off abruptly.

"Why?" Rey asked confused. Why would the events of Ben's birth be such a big secret? She had overheard Han and Leia talking about it, that Ben had nearly died and because of whatever had happened Leia was unable to have anymore children. That was all she knew, it was the only story about Ben that Leia would never tell her.

The doctor ignored her as he continued to look at all of Ben's injuries and treat the cuts. Then he came to his feet, not answering her. "Make sure he gets plenty of rest, and make sure he doesn't move around too much when he comes too or he'll tear his stitches.That won't be good at all, especially because I may not be able to restitch them. And try to help him drink as much as you can, he's lost a lot of blood."

Rey nodded. "I will. Thank you for your help."

"It's what I do your highness, there's no need to thank me."

"There is to me, you saved the man I love...I could never thank you enough," she answered. "I wish there was some way I could repay you."

The doctor smiled. "Seeing that he has grown into the kind of man I prayed he would be on the day he was born is more than enough for me."

Rey smiled at him again, and hugged him.

The doctor returned the hug then stepped out of the cell where Christopher stood guard.

"Do you think that you could bring some warm water back for Rey? And tell her to place a warm cloth over the worst of his bruises to stop any swelling," the doctor told him.

Christopher nodded, then led the doctor back to his cell.