Chapter Text
“I don’t feel comfortable doing this,” you reiterated. But you knew what had to be done.
After you revealed your suspicions to Lady Organa that the man you’d met the day before was likely the representative sent on the ship en route to America by King Ren, she immediately began devising a plan to figure out exactly what their intentions were, and to stop them before they got too far. This plan, as it came to fruition, involved you acting as though you had no involvement in the battle against the Kingdom of Ren in order to get close to the General and gather intel. While there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for Leia and The Resistance, it hurt you to know that the beautiful afternoon you’d had before had been spent with the enemy - and for some reason, against your better judgement, it hurt even more to know that the romantic feelings you’d felt budding for him would have to be squashed.
“I know,” Leia said, helping you into your dress. “You’re a good person, it's not in your nature to lie. But I appreciate you doing this for me. For us.”
“I understand how important this is.” Your voice lowered to a whisper. “But he seemed so kind.”
Leia gave you a sad look.
“You mustn’t let that distract you. You know who he is, and what he fights for.”
“If you could meet him though… I just can’t imagine him to be the same man who’s slaughtered hundreds. He didn’t seem the type.”
“Neither did my son.”
She had you there.
You sighed, looking down. Really, you knew better than to push this matter further. Lady Organa had been through enough tragedy in her life. When she had been your age, her own father had destroyed her kingdom in his rise to power, and now her son was attempting to follow in his footsteps. She couldn’t afford to lose another battle like this. Even though the prospect of going undercover was frightening to say the least, you know that with Leia as your mentor you could be strong enough.
“Remember,” she said, putting the final pin in your hair, “he can’t see us together. He surely knows who I am and will recognize my face. If he finds out who you are, he could hurt you.
Or worse.”
“Worse?”
“He could do to us what we’re doing to him.”
With that, she sent you out the door to meet Armitage Hux for your lunch date.
****
You nearly forgot yourself as you emerged onto the deck, the seasalt air filling your lungs and the sun squinting your eyes. The sun made it easy to the bright red hair of your target, his back to you as he stared out onto the ocean, the churning water beneath the ship mirroring the unease in your stomach. This unease you wish you could blame on the innocent excitement of a second date, nerves lit up at the potential of magic and romance but instead were dulled with the knowledge of the truth behind your actions.
You swallowed hard in an attempt to regain your composure before approaching Hux. This is war, you reminded yourself, this is what you signed up for. And what did you really know about him anyways? One lovely evening with a man is enough for a date, but what did that envision of your future? What besides charismatic small talk could you say you knew his opinion on? Who’s to say that had this been a normal situation, the spark would have lasted, anyways? You emphasized this to yourself as you shook your nerves away and walked up, placing a hand on Hux’s shoulder. He jumped.
“Oh! My dear, you startled me!” he laughed.
“I’m sorry,” you apologized with a smile.
“It's alright. It’s so easy to get lost in thought out here. The ocean’s beauty can be distracting… much like yours.”
This was going to be hard. As a pink flush blossomed onto your cheeks, you thought to yourself that at least this predisposition would aid in convincing Hux that your feelings were genuine, though you had trouble convincing yourself of the opposite. As he stared into your eyes, you noticed how much they looked like the water around you, just as deep and hypnotizing. Yes, the beauty could be distracting.
Hux took your hand in his.
“I could stare at this view all day,” he said. “Especially with you here by my side. But perhaps if you’d like, we could take advantage of some of the amenities on board?”
“I don’t mind, as long as I get to talk to you”
“What do you wish to know?”
“Anything!” you replied, not quite yet wanting to give your intentions away. Although it would be easier on your heart to get this over and done with, gather your information, remind yourself that he was your enemy, secure a win for The Resistance and never have to subject yourself to his charm and beauty again, you knew a delicate mission like this would have to be prolonged, to your secret delight.
“You can’t just say anything!” Armitage said with a chuckle. “Otherwise I’d probably just bore you to death with political blather.”
You tried not to look too optimistic at the prospect.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t mind,” you said. “Believe it or not, I find myself quite fascinated with that sort of thing.”
“Oh no, really I’d rather not. You don’t deserve to hear me go off on a tangent, not when we’ve only just met,” he smiled.
“I promise, I wouldn’t think any different of you.” A lie. You knew once he confirmed his status as General of the Kingdom of Ren, once he proudly declared himself against everything you’d dedicated your life to, there was no way you could fall in love with him. You wished he’d just get it over with.
“Not today, my darling. Let's not focus on the stress of my job now, instead let’s just enjoy each other’s company in the beauty of this ship, the sun, and the sea, and if tomorrow you decide you’re still willing to put up with me, I’ll tell you every boring detail of my military career.”
Yes, this would be harder than you thought.
****
How you wished this were your reality, that when you looped your arm in his, your actions were not guided by deceit. What harm could come of pretending? As he held a firm hand fast to your waist, you allowed yourself a guilty moment of imagining that this was all there was to it. A song on string quintet swaying the dining room, soft above the chatter of fellow passengers, clinking of glassware, and the beating of your own heart. You closed your eyes, willing away all thoughts of the war and the mission, at least for now. Leia would never have to know.
Dusk had fallen over the ship, the passengers retreating one by one back to their rooms to end the day. You and Armitage remained still, hand in hand as the band finished their final song. You wondered how a man who held you so gently could be associated with the devastation wrought by Ren and his Kingdom. His fingers were soft, uncalloused by combat; his face was so young, so optimistic, the only indication of a soldier’s life a crinkle in his eye and a slightly sunken cheek. His voice as he whispered in your ear was gentle and kind, how could this be the very same voice that commanded the massacres of innocent villages. A small something in the back of your mind let you hope that maybe you’d misheard him the day before, that whoever Ren had really sent aboard Titanic was off on another deck, in another dining hall, and you were simply falling in love with someone you’d be able to keep.
“I’m afraid we’re closing for the evening.”
A crew member's voice broke your train of thought, to your relief. You had an excuse to put a few inches of distance between Armitage and yourself. You nodded to the maître d', apologizing as you left hand in hand and stepped out into the hallway. Armitage stopped you with a gentle kiss on your lips.
“My darling,” he said. “This day has been so magnificent, I know you feel this too.”
“I do,” you whispered to him.
“If it's not too impetuous of me to suggest, I should like to spend every day of this voyage with you.”
You smiled coyly.
“And then you’ll tell me all about your boring political endeavours?”
Armitage laughed.
“Yes, I’d say you earned that,” he joked. “You’ve proven to me I’m worth your time.”
“And it was such hard work!” you quipped in return, guilt settling over you of both the truth and the irony of the situation.
You began the walk back to your cabin, silently, subtly falling into a routine already. As you approached the door, Armitage once again stopped you, taking your hand in his.
“We’ll meet once again at the deck where we first knew each other, where I interrupted your reading the gripping tale of Peter Rabbit.” He smiled, setting a delicate kiss to the corner of your mouth. “And then I’ll tell you anything you want to know about being General of the Kingdom of Ren.”
And with that he turned and left.