#were!rex

He also was excited to be helping his little brother, Rex, with his plan for you.

 Rex had been planning this night for months now and Cody was happy to see his brother be in such high spirits considering the current situation with the war.  

 As Cody walked down the main road of the town, he passed by villagers who were setting up tables and areas for the games that would take place during the festival. He walked past the huge area in the town square where a bonfire would be lit as soon as the sun went down up until it came back up again the next day. Turing his eyes toward the sky, he saw the clouds rolling in from way on the horizon.

 “Cody!” He looked down to see you walking toward him wearing your apron with flour covering your face and hair. You had just finished bringing many loafs of bread to the tavern so they could be distributed the next day. “I didn’t expect to see you until tonight. I thought that all of you were still on duty today?”

 A smug smile crept its way onto Cody’s face. “No. I thought that I would skip duty today and come steal one of your famous pies. I mean, Rex just goes on and on about how amazing his girlfriend’s pies are, I just couldn’t wait for the festival to try one.” His voice was laced with sarcasm as he leaned toward you sticking his tongue out.

 You put your hand to your chest, feigning surprise as you gasped. “Well,” you said breathily, “I guess you wasted yourself a trip then. I’m sorry to tell you that you’ll just have to wait.” You scrunched up your face and began to giggle as you wiped the remainder of the flour on your hands onto your apron.

 Cody chuckled. “Damn. I really thought I had you.” He crossed his arms and began to slowly continue walking. “In all seriousness though, I am still technically on duty. Fox is drowning in work from the Chancellor so while the other commanders of the guard help him, I volunteered to take their patrol duty.”

 “You should think about getting some rest too you know. Every time I come over to see Rex, I only ever see you working.” You stop and turn to look at him. “You look tired. Have for a few months now.”

 Cody slouched a bit and thought of all of the work that he still had to do in preparation for the day after the festival. How he needed to make sure that everything else was done so that he could focus on bigger issues. He reached up and grabbed the back of his neck. “I am. But being a high-ranking officer comes with extra work. Especially when my and Rex’s generals are constantly doing things that have only been a quarter of the way thought out.”

 “Oh yeah,” you said, “Rex had told me all about those missions.” You look up at Cody and put your right hand on his cheek. “You should still get some rest though,” you said as you inspected the dark circles under his eyes. “You wouldn’t want General Kenobi to think you don’t enjoy having tea with him anymore because you’re falling asleep.” You smiled at the annoyed look on his face.

 “Ha ha. Very funny Y/N,” he said as he pulled his face away and rolled his eyes.

 You proudly looked back at him. “I know,” you smiled. “I do have to get going though if I am going to finish all of my baking before the festival starts tomorrow morning.” You turned and began walking back towards your bakery as you waved bye to him. “Make sure you get some rest tonight so that you can enjoy tomorrow,” you said as you smiled at him.

 “I’ll be fine Y/N.” He waved as you began turning your head back forward. “Oh, and you might want to bundle up tonight! It looks like there is a snowstorm on its way.”

 You looked up at the sky and then back down to meet his eyes. You gave him a warm smile and nodded before continuing on your way.

 Cody continued walking his patrol route and smiled to himself. Ha. Rex is lucky to have someone sweet like her. He turned a corner and thought about how he would not have to do anything tomorrow except relax and have fun.

 Cody smiled. He really could not wait for the festival to begin.

 *******************************************************************************************

 Cody and Rex laughed as they watched their little brothers playing in the snow that had blanketed the town the night before. Fives was chasing after Echo after he had just stuffed a snowball down the back of Fives’ shirt. The two of them were standing next to one of the smaller fires that had been lit as they drank the hot apple citer that Generals Kenobi and Plo had made in celebration.

 Wolffe had opted to stay in bed and sleep longer into the day so that he would be more rested for the games that would take place once the sun went down. His legion had been the last to arrive out of the three that had been selected for leave and he had been exhausted when he got back just three days prior. The 212th and 501st had been back for a couple of months now due to some trouble that they had faced on their last mission to the outer territories.

 You had just walked up to where Rex and Cody stood and could see the happiness and relief on their faces from being able to take time off. The sun had started to go down and it was casting a beautiful pink and orange glow on their faces. The clouds had begun moving out toward mid-day and it looked like there would be a clear sky during the nighttime portion of the festival.

 You walked up to Rex’s side and pressed yourself into him, laying your head on his shoulder. He looked at you and placed a soft kiss to the top of your head as you pushed your hands toward the fire to heat them up.

 “I’m glad to see you two having a good time.” You smiled and lifted your head to look at Cody. “Was my pie worth waiting one more day for Cody?” You smiled smugly at him as you felt Rex lightly chuckle from watching your teasing.

 Cody shot an annoyed look at Rex and then smiled at you. “I would say so ner burc’ya. Rex really wasn’t exaggerating when he said that you made the best.”

 Rex beamed proudly and then gave a curt nod to Cody, a serious look briefly washing over his face. He then turned to face you as his face softened once again. “Would you care to take a walk with me cyar’ika?” He held his arm out for you to take and looked at you lovingly.

 You took his arm and gave him a mischievous and adoring smile. “Why of course my Captain. How could I ever say no to you when you look at me like that?” The two of you began walking toward the other end of town where your bakery is. It would be quieter there and Rex wanted to make sure that everything was perfect.

 Cody smiled as he watched the two of you huddle together as you walked, glad that his brother had found someone so loving. He continued to watch his little brothers play in the snow while he drank his cider. He sat there for what felt like forever, happy that his brothers got a chance to act like kids for once.

 As the sun finished setting, Cody looked up at the sky. He saw the clouds parting and could see the first few stars start to already peak out through the sky.

 “Ah! Enjoying your night off Commander?” Cody looked down to address the booming voice.

 “Admiral Yularen sir.” Cody gave him a nod. “I am. It is nice to have a break from everything.”

 The Admiral nodded in agreement. “Indeed.” He looked up toward the sky just like Cody was when he approached him. “It sure will be nice once the clouds finally dissipate all of the way. It shouldn’t be long now until we are able to see the full moon.”

 Cody whipped his head to face the Admiral, dread quickly creeping onto his face. “Excuse me sir?” He felt himself start to panic as the Admiral brought his face to look back at Cody.

 “The full moon Commander. It will give the festival a nice atmosphere don’t you think?”

 Cody swallowed nervously. “But sir, the full moon isn’t until tomorrow.” Cody could hear the fear rising in his voice as he silently begged for the Admiral to be wrong.

 Admiral Yularen looked at him confused. “I’m afraid that you are a day behind Commander.” He shrugged. “I can’t say that I blame you though. Never-ending battles tend to make one lose track of time.”

 Cody felt like everything around him had just shattered. He looked up to the sky and saw that the sun had finally sunken below the horizon and that the clouds had finally parted to begin to reveal the slivery moon in the sky. “Sir,” he said while trying to keep his voice firm, “will you please excuse me?”

 “Of course, Commander.”

 Before the Admiral could finish his sentence, Cody had turned around and was sprinting in the direction of your bakery. As he ran, he heard the sound of his footsteps echoing off of the cobblestone streets and the houses that lined it. His heart was pounding in his ears and his mouth had gone completely dry.

 “No no no no no. This can’t be happening. It was tomorrow.”

 He looked up at the sky and saw that the clouds had completely uncovered the bright moon. His breathing was ragged, and his muscles ached from how hard he was trying to get himself to move faster. Your bakery was completely on the other side of the huge town from the festival and having to run on the icy road was slowing him down.

 “Please,” he said as he breathed heavily. “Please let them be alright.”

Jesse poked his head in, and his eyes widened as he looked at you. You were wearing a white dress that had blue accents curling up from the bottom hem. It hung off of your shoulders and the sleeves came down to your mid forearms. The front of the dress came down to your knees, revealing the white flats you had on while the back fell all the way to the floor. Your hair was pinned up, keeping it off of your neck, and was adorned with tiny blue crystals. Your white veil also had blue that faded up from the bottom and it was attached to a colorful flower crown that delicately sat on top of your head.

 He smiled widely at you before clearing his throat. “It’s time. You ready?”

 Ahsoka looked back at you and smiled. She picked up your flowers as she walked back across the room and handed the bouquet filled with a rainbow of colors to you. You grabbed them and took a deep breath before you nodded your head.

 Jesse gave you one last reassuring smile before leaving to go back to outside.

 You took a couple of steps toward the door before Ahsoka grabbed your arm. “Wait!” She stepped in front of you and reached up to the flower crown on your head. She straightened it before stepping back and looking you over. “There,” she said smiling. “Now you’re ready.”

 You pulled her into a quick hug before starting to follow her outside. The two of you walked down the main road toward the forest and stopped just before rounding the corner of the building that was at the end of the road. Ahsoka gave you one last hug before running ahead, finding her place among your friends.

 You took another deep breath in and rounded the corner.

 Everyone stands up and you look down the aisle to see Rex. He was framed by Cody and Lord Organa, his best man and the officiator.  His eyes widen and he sucks in a breath as he looks at you. A huge smile breaks out across his face and you start walking toward him.

 He is wearing his dress whites. A blue stripe that matches the color on your dress trails up the side of his arms. He has his hands crossed in front of him and his eyes never leave yours as you get closer to him.

 You come to a stop in front of him and widely smile.

 It was late in the afternoon and the golden sun was shining through the trees casting a beautiful glow on his face as he lovingly gazed at you. His face was framed by the beautiful green of spring and the colorful flowers all around you reflected in his eyes.

 You heart was pounding, and you couldn’t be happier as Lord Organa began to speak.

 “It has been said, that in times of conflict it can be impossible to find peace. That when peace is absent, it takes hope away with it. But, we stand here today with two people who despite the odds and the conflict around them, found peace within each other’s arms. We stand here today to celebrate that peace, and to solidify a promise that these two have given to each other.” He briefly looks between the two of you before looking back to the audience. “A promise to love each other unconditionally. A promise to protect each other no matter the cost. A promise to cherish each other. A promise to always be the peace that the other needs.”

 He turns to Rex and you hear him suck in a small breath. “Captain Rex,” he said, his smile widening. “What promise do you give?”

 Rex looks at you and grabs your hands. “I vow to always love and cherish every moment that I have by your side. To give you the peace that you have given me in my darkest times. I vow to give you the unshakable faith that you have given me and to protect you as you have protected me. I vow to always show you the love that you have shown me. Now, until the end of time. To you Y/N, I do so make this promise.”

 Organa gives a satisfied nod and turns to you. “Ms. Y/N,” he said as you felt Rex lightly squeeze you hand. “What promise do you give?”

 You look back at Rex and squeeze his hand back. “I vow to always love and cherish you unconditionally. To stay by your side throughout all of life’s adventures, both the good and the bad. I vow to always give you the everlasting devotion and respect that you have given me and to fight for you as you have fought for me. I vow to always show you the everlasting love that you have shown me. Now, until the end of time. To you Rex, I do so make this promise.”

 You felt tears begin to well up in your eyes as you saw Rex fighting to keep his from falling as well. You squeezed his hand with your right and felt him do the same to your left. A silent “I love you” as Organa continued on.

 “Today we have witnessed your promise and celebrate the love that you share.” He turned to Cody and held out his hand. “The rings?”

 Cody smiled and placed the silver bands into Organa’s hand as he quickly wiped the tears off of his face.

 Organa turned back to you and Rex and held up the rings. “With these rings, you solidify your bond and showcase your love to the world.” He placed yours in Rex’s hand and Rex’s in yours. “As you put them onto each other, you will become one in the same heart.” He smiled as Rex lifted your hand and began to put the ring onto your finger. “And you will officially be husband and wife.”

 You lifted Rex’s hand and slid the silver band onto his finger before bringing both hands back between the two of you. Rex squeezed both of your hands once more.

 Organa looked between you, smiling at the happiness he saw on both of your faces. He gave you a small nod before looking directly at Rex. “You may now kiss the bride.”

 Rex looked at you, beaming with happiness and brought his right hand up to cup your cheek before bringing his lips to yours. He tenderly kissed you and you brought your arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Cheers from the audience surrounded you, but all you could focus on was Rex and how your heart was beating out of your chest with pure happiness.

 Rex pulled away and brought his forehead to yours. “I love you Y/N.” He hugged you closer and placed another small kiss to your lips before returning to the keldabe kiss.

 You pulled back slightly and looked up into his beautiful brown eyes. You smiled and pulled him in for another kiss. “I love you too Rex.”

 The two of you pulled away from each other and held hands as you walked through your cheering friends down the aisle. You gave Rex’s hand a small squeeze when you reached the end. You turned and looked back at all of your friends before turning back to face him, his eyes gazing adoringly at you as happiness covered his entire face. You smiled lovingly. “You ready for our next adventure?”

 He smiled and pulled you into another kiss. “With you my love? Always.”

“It’s good to finally see you awake Y/N. You have been out for a quite a while now. How are you feeling?”

 You looked down at yourself and saw that your left leg had been wrapped and was also propped up on some pillows. The events of the night came flashing back into your mind and you looked down to find both of your forearms wrapped, your ring still on your left hand. You reached up, wincing slightly and felt the patch that had been put on your now stitched up cheek. You were in new clothes, the torn and blood-soaked dress that you had on the night before being replaced with a soft cotton robe.

 You gave a small smile. “I’m a bit sore and have a raging headache, but I’m alright.”

 Kenobi’s smile widened. “I’m glad. Based on what Cody here was telling me, you all had quite the night.”

 You bolted upright and winced. “Rex! The others! Are they alright? What happened to them? Where’s Rex? Tarkin! The Chancellor! Cody did you—”

 “Woah, woah, woah,” Kenobi walked toward you and put his hand lightly on your shoulder, cutting off your frenzied line of questions. “They’re all fine. Rex is being tended to by the head Jedi healer in the next room.”

 You sighed in relief and smiled at him. “And Wolffe and Kix? Are they alright?”

“Thanks to your effort to get them somewhere warm they are. Kix woke up first and reacted almost the same way you did, albeit a bit more confrontational when he didn’t see any of you in the room. He is sleeping again but is going to completely recover from all of his wounds.” He moved to the table that was closest to Cody’s bed and began to pour you a cup of hot tea. “And Wolffe has already briefed myself and Master Plo Koon on what happened. He did have a few broken ribs and a concussion, but he is going to recover completely as well.” He walked back over to you and lightly pushed the tea into your hands.

 “So,” you looked up at him questioningly, “What about Tarkin? And what he said about the Chancellor? What’s going to happen after all of that?”

 Kenobi held up his hands. “Cody and Wolffe told us everything. We did a bit of digging and discovered that the Chancellor was the Sith that we have been looking for. The one that orchestrated the war.” He looked at you and motioned to the cup of tea in your hands. “Drink. You’ll feel better.”

 You brought the cup up to your lips and took a sip as he continued. “The Jedi Council met with the Lords and Ladies of the Republic, and there was a peaceful transition of power to Bail Organa and Padme Amidala. The Chancellor has been removed and is in prison. The war, is over.”

 You breathed out in disbelief, feeling a weight being lifted off of your chest. “It’s… It’s really over?”

 Kenobi gently smiled and nodded, understanding your disbelief. Your eyes widened and you whipped your head to look at Cody, thinking that you may still be dreaming. His face softened and he nodded, a peaceful and relieved smile making its way onto his face.

 You stared down at the tea in your hands, not knowing what to say. You felt tears in your eyes, and you looked back up at Cody. You widely smiled and let out a laugh as tears started streaming their way down you face.

 “Does Rex know yet?”

 They both nodded to you.

 “Can I see him,” you asked softly, wiping the tears off of your face. You wanted nothing more than to be in his arms. To feel his warmth and hear his heartbeat as you held each other. He was alright, and now, you knew you could both live the rest of your lives happily. Together.

 Kenobi and Cody smiled at you as the Jedi held out his hand. “I’ll take you to him.”

 You set the cup of tea on the table next to your bed and pulled the blanket off of yourself. You swung your legs over the side of the bed and Kenobi gently helped you lower yourself onto the floor. You grabbed onto his shoulder, taking the weight off of your injured leg.

 As you began to slowly hop out of the room with Kenobi’s assistance, you stopped when you heard Cody speak, both of you turning your heads to look at him. “He’ll be excited to see you.” He smiled as he exchanged a glance with Kenobi. “He’s been asking for you since he woke up.” He began to settle back into his pillows before he spoke again. “Oh, and Y/N! I never got the chance to formally congratulate you with everything that was happening.” He gestured to the hand that you had on Kenobi’s shoulder and gently smiled at you. “Congratulations. And welcome to the family.”

 Kenobi looked back at you with a delighted smile on his face. “I am truly happy for both you and Rex. Congratulations Y/N.”

 Warmth blossomed in your chest and you beamed at both of them happily. “Thank you both so much.”

 Cody nodded and Kenobi continued to slowly escort you down the hall to the next room. When you got to the door, he knocked. You heard a faint voice say, “come in” and he turned the nob, slowly pushing the door open. You hopped through and quickly looked around for Rex. He was talking to Master Cilghal, when he turned his head to see who had come in.

 “Y/N!” He sat up quickly and winced, his smile at seeing you never leaving his face.

 Master Cilghal turned to you and smiled. “Y/N, I’m glad to see that you’re awake.” She turned back and looked at Rex before looking back at you. “My congratulations to you both.” She held her hand out and helped you over to the bed. “I’ll let you two have some privacy. The first thing he asked for when he woke up was you.” She turned her head to Kenobi. “I’m assuming she had a similar request?”

 He chuckled and nodded. “Of course.”

 She turned to you and smiled. “Be careful with each other. Neither of you are fully healed.”

 “Thank you,” you said smiling.

 She nodded before leaving the room with Kenobi.

 Rex looked at you lovingly and opened his arms. You smiled and began to carefully get up onto the bed. Once you were seated on the edge, you leaned forward, and kissed all over Rex’s face before pulling back to look into his eyes. “How are you feeling?”

 Rex gazed at you in admiration before bringing his hand up to lightly cup your uninjured cheek. He brought you forward and lightly kissed the tip of your nose. “Better now that you’re here,” he smiled before his face became lightly concerned. “How are you feeling? Are you alright?”

 You readjust yourself so that you are lying down next to him before lightly placing your head on his chest. His arms wrap around you protectively and he placed a kiss to the top of your head. “I’m alright. Thanks to you.” You feel his thumb start to gently rub your arm where he is holding you. “Rex,” you ask hesitantly.

 “Hmm?” You hear the hum of his voice in his chest, his heart beating as his chest rises and falls under your head.

 You take a deep breath. “What… What happened out there? I mean… What changed?”

 You feel his thumb stop as he lightly pushes you up so that he can look at you. “You mean how did I know who you were out in the forest?”

 You lightly nod, watching as he looks back on the night’s events.

 He takes a deep breath, looking down at where your hands are clasped in front of you. “I… I remember proposing to you in the bakery. How happy I was and how beautiful you looked in the moonlight. But then… Everything came rushing at me. I got dizzy and felt like I was going to pass out. The world started to blend together, and everything went dark.” He looked up at you and saw your face laced with concern. “It… It almost felt like I was dreaming. Like I was aware that I was asleep. But then, I heard your scream, echoing in the back of my mind. You sounded so terrified and everything in me was yelling to go find you. To protect you.”

 He closed his eyes and started to shake as he tried to steady his breathing. You brought your hand up to his face and gently brought his forehead to yours. “Hey,” you whispered pulling back to look in his eyes. “It’s alright. I’m here.”

 He leaned into your touch before turning to press a kiss to your palm. Taking in a deep breath, he pulled your hand down into his chest, holding it there for comfort before he continued. “After that, everything was dark again. I was wandering endlessly in my mind, not hearing or feeling anything that was going on around me.”

 You began to run your thumb along the back of his hand trying to ground him.

 “I don’t know how much time passed, but after a while, I just felt numb. I thought that I was in a dream, so I just kept wandering through the darkness, looking for some kind of answer until…” He trailed of, taking in a shaky breath.

 You put your hand on his arm. He looked up at you with tear filled eyes, desperately trying to keep himself from falling apart. “It’s alright,” you whispered. “We don’t have to keep talking about this if you don’t want to.”

 He shook his head, taking in a deep breath. “No. I… I need you to know what happened.” He took another deep breath as you wiped the tears off of his face. “Everything was black and cold. Until I heard you screaming again. I… I felt something in me click and just knew that you were in danger and that I had to get to you. That I had to protect you.” He looked at you and gave your hand a small squeeze. “I was thrust back into reality and felt myself running. I saw a bright light and could hear you screaming as some thing roared. I ran as fast as I could and when I saw you pinned against the ground, with that things teeth just inches away from your face, everything just... finally fell into place.”

 You had started quietly crying and Rex pulled you into his chest, resting his head on top of yours. “You are the one who save me cyare. You are the reason that all of us are still here.” He placed a long kiss to the top of your head. “You were my cure. You saved me, who saved all of us, not the other way around.” He held you tighter. “You were the thing inside me that was missing.”

 You pulled back with tears in your eyes. “Rex… I…”

 He pulled you forward and put your foreheads together before tenderly kissing you. You hugged him tightly and broke away, nestling your face in the crook of his neck. He kissed the top of your head once again. “I love you cyare. Like I promised. Now, until the end of time.”

 You pulled back, tears lightly falling from your face, and started tenderly placing kisses all over his face, trailing over his features. You brought your hands up and lightly turned his head, placing one final kiss to the small cut on the side of his head from your ring before returning to his lips. You kissed him deeply before pulling away into a keldabe kiss. “I love you too Rex. And I always will.”

As you rode along, he put his arm around you and you had put your head on his shoulder, listening to the click of the horse’s hooves reverberate off of the cobblestone road. After a while you began to recognize the setting around you. You were heading toward the edge of town. When the carriage finally stopped, you sat up and looked around.

 You turned to Rex, a confused look on your face. “My bakery?” You tilted your head to the side as he only chuckled.

 He got out and came over to your side of the carriage once again, extending his hand to help you down. He looked at you lovingly as you slowly grabbed his hand. “Trust me.”

 You had walked up to the door and unlocked it, but before you could open it, Rex lightly grabbed your hand and took it off of the handle. “Wait.” He looked back at the door to make sure it had not opened at all. “Close your eyes.”

 You shot him a confused look but did as he said. You heard the door open and then felt his hands over your eyes as he guided you into the building from behind. You heard him kick the door shut as you passed through and stopped once you felt his hands come down to your shoulders. “Alright,” he said. You could hear him smiling as he spoke. “Open.”

 You opened your eyes and gasped, your hands coming up to your mouth. The main room of your bakery had been completely cleaned and was covered in autumnal colored decorations. Dozens of candles were placed around the room giving it a warm glow. You turned back to Rex with tears in your eyes. “You did this for me?”

 He took a step toward you and took your hands in his. “Of course, my love.” He brought your hands up to his mouth and kissed them both before bringing them to his chest. “Do you know why this place is so special?”

 You shook your head.

 “When I first came to Coruscant, I was sent here by General Skywalker to pick up the supplies report from this bakery. He said that yours had been one of the ones selected to help make the rations for the army. I remember it like it was yesterday.” He looked around the room and then focused back on your face. “The second I walked though those doors, I gazed upon the most beautiful being I had ever seen. You were wearing a blue dress and an old apron that were both covered in flour and frosting. You had your sleeves rolled up and wore the kindest and warmest smile I had ever seen on your face.” He continued to lovingly look down at you and had started slowly rubbing his thumb over your knuckles. “When you finally noticed me, you came up to me and spoke with a voice that sounded like pure music. I was so caught up in it, that I didn’t hear a word that you had said.”

 He brought one of his hands up to cradle your face as he gave you a small kiss. “Y/N, this place is so special because it is where I met the love of my life. Ever since that day, I have been so incredibly happy, even in the blackest of times.” He brought his hand back down to hold yours. “Ever since I met you, you have been the calm within my storm. You have been the warmth in my winter. The serenity within my madness. The moon that lights my darkest night.”

 You looked up at him as you felt tears begin to fall down your face. You felt warmth blossoming in your chest but could not get any words out of the catch in your throat.

 He lovingly smiled down at you as he continued. “I know that I cannot promise you much and I know that I cannot even promise you a certainty that I will always come back to you from battle. But I can promise you my undying love, now until the end of time.” He let go of your hands and reached into his pocket as he got down onto one knee. He held up a small ring and looked into your eyes. “So now my love, I make you that promise. Miss Y/N L/N, will you marry me?”

 You brought your hands up to your face and started wiping away your tears as you swiftly nodded. “Yes,” you wept out. “Yes!” Rex immediately jumped up and picked you up from around the waist as he enthusiastically kissed you. He hugged you tighter as he spun the two of you around.

 When he pulled away from the kiss, he set you back onto the ground and put his forehead against yours with his eyes closed. “I love you cyare.”

 You smiled, “I love you too Rex.”

 He kissed you again and then you felt him pull away. He tenderly smiled at you and then grabbed your left hand. “May I,” he said as he held up the silver ring.

 You nodded and beamed as he put the ring onto your finger. It was not much. A simple silver band with jaig eyes carved on the outside, but you loved it like it was the most intricately crafted band in the world. Once it was on your finger, you watched as it sparkled in the moonlight that had just begun to pour in through the window.

 Suddenly, Rex stumbled back from you and brought his hand up to his head. You could see that the blood had drained from his face and his pupils had become pinpoints in his rapidly blinking eyes. “Woah, Rex!” You reached out for his shoulders to steady him. “Are you alright?”

 He shook his head, trying to clear the daze that had just washed over him when he collapsed to the floor. His breathing was ragged and heavy and he was barely able to hold himself up with his hands. He began to sway as you saw the muscles in his body began to contract. His fingers began to clench at the rough wooden floor as a sheen of sweat began to cover his body.

 “Rex?”

 He began to groan and wail as you felt the muscles under your hand on his shoulder enlarge. You looked down at him and saw as his body began to get bigger and bigger, his clothes beginning to tear at the seams. You took your hand off of him and began to scoot back until your back had hit the cabinet. “Rex,” you said, your voice trembling with fear. “You’re scaring me.”

 Rex began to claw at his chest and let out a blood curdling scream as you saw blond fur being to slowly cover his body, his face beginning to morph into something not entirely human.

 Suddenly, the door burst open to reveal Cody, his chest heaving and his eyes wide. The wind blowing out any artificial light that was inside the room. “Y/N!”

 “Cody!” You looked up at him as he ran over to you and started to pull you up off of the floor.

 He threw a glance over his shoulder and then looked at you with a face of terror that you had never seen him wear. “We need to go. Now.” He began to pull you toward the exit when a huge leg kicked him in the chest, knocking him back. You both fell to the floor against the cabinet and turned your heads toward a rough bark that had just thundered throughout the room. You froze and gazed in terror at the huge blond wolf that stared right at the two of you, bloodlust in its eyes.

 Cody threw as much of himself over you as he could and pressed you flat up against the cabinet. “Rex!” You saw the wolf raise its paw to strike and Cody brought his arm around the back of him to hold you behind his trembling form. “Rex! No!” The wolf slashed at Cody and you heard him scream in pain as he fell to the side. His hands desperately trying to keep himself latched to you as a barrier.

 The wolf looked at Cody on the floor but turned to you as it heard you whimper in fear. As it brought up its paw again you screamed and brought your arms up in front of your face to try and shield yourself. You saw it freeze for a moment when it heard your cry, and you closed your eyes. Its claws scraping against the wooden floor rang out through the room and then you felt Cody grabbing your arms.

 “Y/N?” He shook you so that you would open your eyes. “Y/N!” You open your eyes and saw blood flowing down the left side of his face, a huge gash running from his forehead down to his cheek. “Are you alright?” His voice was panicked, and his face was plastered with fear. He looked almost like a terrified child.

 You looked up at him and opened your mouth to try to answer but nothing came out. The adrenaline coursing through you catching every sound in your throat as you shook in terror.

 “Y/N! Please, answer me! I need to know that you are alright!”

 You swallowed and felt tears well up in your eyes as you trembled. “What… What… happened?” Your voice began to break as the tears started spilling from your eyes. “What happened to Rex?” You were sobbing, taking a deep breath in between each word.

 Cody stared at you and quickly pulled you into a tight hug. He put his head on top of yours as you sobbed into his chest. “I’m… I’m so sorry.” He rubbed your back, trying to get you to calm down. “I… I should have told you sooner, but I thought… I thought I could fix it.” You felt wet drops of blood and tears begin to land in your hair as Cody rocked the two of you back and forth.

 You both just sat there, filling the room with your cries until your throats had gone raw. When you had finally calmed down, you pulled away from Cody. “Can,” your breath hitched as your voice broke. “Can we help him?”

 Cody stared at you in shock as guilt and sadness came across his face. He blinked at you and looked down at the floor, thinking it over in his mind. “I… I don’t know,” he said as he peered up at you with still tear-filled eyes.

 “Is there anyone who can?” Your voice was barely above a whisper as you looked between the floor and Cody.

 Cody took a deep breath in and tried to still himself. He slowly got up off of the floor and held his hand out to help you up. “Maybe.”

Tarkin turned fully around to face you and growled. He leapt at you; his claws outstretched. You swung your blade into one of his paws, blocking it, and rolled away, narrowly missing the other paw that was aimed at your head.

 You quickly turned around to see him swiping at you again. You leaned back but felt two sharp drags across your left cheek. He hadn’t missed you that time. You felt blood start to quickly run down your face as you brought your sword back up to block his incoming strikes.

 Two arrows came to hit Tarkin in his right shoulder as he stalked down on you. “Hey!” Wolffe reloaded his bows as he stared defiantly at Tarkin.

 Tarkin briefly turned his head to address Wolffe and you sprung forward, slashing your blade along his face. Tarkin yelped as you jumped to his side, out of his path. There was a small cut that was about a quarter of the size of your sword where your blade had landed.

 Another two arrows stuck into Tarkin as Wolffe yelled again to gain his attention. “Those were for Kix,” he hollered as he reloaded his bows once again. He raised them and shot another two at Tarkin, only one of them successfully piercing his hide.

 Another arrow stuck itself in Tarkins back as Cody ran along his side, trying to get around the huge wolf. “And that was for Rex,” he shouted.

 Tarkin growled and put his full attention on Wolffe as he ran toward him. Wolffe shot his arrows at Tarkins head, but Tarkin quickly dodged. He swiped his claws at Wolffe and threw him completely across the clearing into a tree, knocking him out.

 “Wolffe!” You and Cody both shout Wolffe’s name as you watch his body crash to the ground.

 You start to run up to Tarkin to try and strike him while his back is turned. He lets out a brief yelp as your blade makes contact and then refocused, his head turning toward Cody.

 Tarkin fully spins around and concentrates on Cody. He begins charging Cody and leaps at him. Cody dives to the side and shoots another arrow into Tarkins shoulder. He quickly reloads his bow as he gets up. He starts running to the side as he tries to get behind Tarkin and fires another into Tarkins back.

 Tarkin lets out a roar and quickly pounces over Cody, landing behind him. Cody turns around and raises his crossbow, but Tarkin hits it out of his hand. Cody tries to dive for his weapon but Tarkin leaps so that he is in Cody’s path. He jumps at Cody narrowly missing him as he rolls to the side. Cody then jumps up and kicks Tarkin in the head as he tries to move past him.

 When Cody lands, he loses his balance, but quickly regains it. Tarkin uses that split second to jump behind Cody and lash out at his back. Cody screams as the sharp claws drag across his back, leaving four deep bloody cuts in their wake. He falls to the ground and turns over so that he is looking up at Tarkin. Tarkin grabs Cody by the midsection in his mouth and throws him into the tree next to Kix.

 You hear something snap as Cody shrieks in pain, his hands moving to clutch his leg.

 “Cody!” You start running over to him when Tarkin jumps into your path. He stalks toward you, his mouth dripping with drool as his lips curl up to reveal his sharp teeth.

 “I tried to warn you,” he snarled out. “You should have left well enough alone.” His voice was deep and gravely as he spoke. “You had your half-breed. You were no threat to me, so I let you stoop down to their level. I would have let you waste your miserable life with these pawns, but you got in my way!” He continued to growl at you with his inhuman voice as you raised your blade, your eyes staring defiantly back at him.

 You squared your feet and leapt at him, bringing your sword down on the spot on his shoulder where the arrows had already opened it up. Tarkin growled out in pain as you rolled to his side, bringing your blade down to stab into his back leg. He yelped and spun around to face you.

 You brought your bloodied sword up into a defensive position and blocked his paw that lashed out at you. His claws caught your left leg, tearing your dress and ripping into the flesh there. You kept carefully taking steps back, making him come to you. When you thought you saw him falter, you brought your sword up, ready to strike, when he quickly swiped at you. You screamed and his claws raked across the flesh on your forearms. He knocked the sword from your hands and pounced at you, pinning you down.

 With your back pressed up against the cold snow, you looked up at the form that towered above you, its teeth just inches from your face. You were shaking as you tried to push yourself further into the ground, fear becoming the only thing that you could process.

 Tarkin opened his mouth and roared as he looked down at you with murder in his eyes. You closed your eyes, turned your head to the side and screamed as he continued to roar into your ear, getting ready to clamp his jaws down on your throat.

 “Y/N!” Cody screamed your name as he desperately tried to reach you, his hands clawing at the ground as he dragged himself.

 Suddenly, you heard a loud roar come from the trees as a blond wolf leapt onto Tarkins back, biting fiercely into his neck. Tarkin stumbled off of you and you frantically crawled over to Cody, tears falling from your eyes.

 You looked up and saw Cody staring behind you in shock. You turned around to see Tarkin bucking around wildly with a blond wolf on his back, biting and tearing into him with its claws.

 “Rex,” you said in awe.

 He was tearing into Tarkins back with pure ferocity and rage. His eyes were wild, and his teeth were bared as his fur quickly became stained with blood.

 Tarkin reached up and threw Rex off of him. Rex landed on his back but quickly sprang up to his legs. He stood defensively in front of you, shielding you from Tarkin. He forcefully snarled and threw himself at Tarkin again, lashing out with his claws.

 You watched in awe as Rex attacked the wolf that was twice his size with pure fury. He swiped at Tarkins face, adding to the small mark across his snout that you had made earlier.

 Tarkin clawed at Rex and drove his sharp talons into his shoulder, making him bleed. Rex grunted and took a step back. He then pounced, leaping behind Tarkin, and slashed at the damage that you and Cody had done to his leg.

 Tarkin slowly turned around and growled at Rex once again. He was getting tired, and the wounds that the three of you had given him were slowing him down. He jumped at Rex and bit into the same shoulder that he had already injured with his claws.

 Rex roared in pain and clawed at Tarkins eye, blinding him on his right side. Tarkin released his grip on Rex and stumbled back in pain shaking his head to try and regain himself.

 Rex tackled Tarkin, pinning him down before sinking his teeth into Tarkins neck. Tarkin howled in anguish and began to struggle underneath Rex, wildly swiping his claws at Rex to try and remove him. Rex held him in place, wincing as Tarkins claws kept ripping into his body. He stood firm and continued to sink his teeth in deeper until Tarkin finally stilled under him.

 Rex released his grip on Tarkin and turned his blood-soaked form to face you. He looked into your eyes and whimpered. He started limping over to you and you flinched back slightly, afraid that he was still under the influence of the moon.

 He stopped for a moment and looked down at the ground. He looked back up at you and you gazed into his warm brown eyes.

 “Rex,” you whispered out.

 He continued limping toward you slowly and bowed his head.

 You hesitantly brought your forehead to his and placed both your hands on either side of his huge head.

 You heard a small hiss and he yelped, pulling away from you slightly. You looked at him and he turned his head to the side. You saw that your ring had made a small horizontal cut appear on the right side of his head.

 You pulled your hand back and gazed into the wolfs grief filled eyes. Into Rex’s eyes.

 You gave him a small smile and put your right hand on his forehead, softly stroking the fur there.

 He pulled away and looked at you again, bowing down to you.

You rushed to Rex’s side and began checking him for any sign of life.

 Breathing.  

 A pulse.

 Something.

 As you desperately looked for a sign of life, your sobs grew louder. “Rex! Rex, please! You have to be alright!” You began shaking him. “Please! Please, you have to wake up!” Your hysterical sobs rang out through the forest as Cody stared at you from the edge of the clearing, his eyes welling up with tears as realization swept through him.

 “Please! We know how to help you; you just have to wake up!” You pulled the small vine out of your pocket as the light of the moon started to disappear with the morning sun about to come up over the horizon. “Rex, please!” You shook him again. “You just have to wake up and we can help you! Please! We can go home and be together!” You scraped one of the small thorns against his paw, making it bleed as you ran your hand over the fur on the side of his head. “Rex… please.”

 You sat there, quietly sobbing as you desperately waited for his chest to rise and fall once again.

 The sun began to rise and cast warm orange light on the blood-soaked blond fur of Rex’s body.

 “Y/N…” You looked up toward Cody seeing his heartbroken, tear stained face being framed by the sun that was rising behind him. “He’s… he’s gone,” he choked out, his tears falling faster.

 You looked back down at Rex, seeing that his form had started to shrink and that the fur the covering body was slowly receding to once again show you the face of the man you loved. You desperately shook your head and gazed back at Cody. “No… No, he… he can’t be.” As you kept trying to deny the heavy weight that just fell onto you, your words got caught in your throat, now only coming out as a strangled sob.

 Cody had closed his eyes, and was facing the ground, his shoulders bobbing as he quietly wept for his little brother.

 You had fallen from where you stood on your knees, down to sit by Rex’s side. You looked down at his face as he lay flat on the snow-covered ground. He was covered in blood, but yet, the warm glow of the sun on his face made him look so peaceful.

 You continued sobbing as you buried your face in his chest, your hands falling beside your head as you cried out into the cold morning air. “Rex… please… I love you… Don’t leave me…”

 You sat there, pouring out every emotion you were feeling as your blood and tears trailed down your face. Every part of you had gone numb. Whether it was from the cold or the pain you didn’t care. You only cared about Rex.

 The warmth of the sun began to hit you as you pressed your face into Rex, not wanting to ever leave his side. Your sobs continued, the birds in the trees beginning to accompany your cries.

 You sat there, letting your grief consume you, when you felt a hand come up to your head and smooth down your hair. You sucked a breath in and stilled as your eyes shot open. You felt the chest underneath you rise and fall in a shallow breath.

 You bolted upright, looking at Rex’s face. His eyes were barely open, and he was looking at you with a small smile. The sun was casting a beautiful warm glow on his face as the two of you stared back at each other, neither moving afraid of what would happen.

 “Rex?” You said his name softly, afraid that if you said it too loud, he would be taken away from you, away from this moment, forever.

 His hand shakily came up to wipe the tears off of your uninjured cheek. “I’m here cyare,” he said, his voice weak and broken. “I’m here.”

 “Rex!” You wrapped your arms around his neck and started sobbing into him. He slowly buried his face in your neck and gently squeezed you closer to him.

 You held each other tightly as your tears fell onto one another’s shoulders. You pulled back from him and took his face in your hands, putting his forehead to yours. “I,” you choked out. “I thought I lost you.” Tears continued to cascade down your face and he brought his hand up to where your neck met your hairline.

 “You’ll never lose me Y/N.” He careful leaned forward to press a kiss to your lips. “I made you a promise.”

 You pulled back and looked into his warm and loving eyes, tears slowly falling from them.

 He smiled softly at you. “I love you. Now until the end of time.”

 You softly choked out another sob and he tenderly brought your forehead back to his, silently reaffirming his promise.

 “Rex?” The two of you pulled apart to face Cody who had been looking at you both with happiness, the tears still falling from his eyes. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again.” Cody let out a brief laugh. “Welcome back vod’ika,” he said with a small smile.

 You and Rex chuckled as you looked back at each other, love for each other completely covering your faces.

 Rex shivered and you looked down at his body. All of his clothes had been ripped off of him in your bakery.

 You quickly took off your coat and tenderly draped it over him. You looked back at him and smiled. “What do you say we go home?”

 *******************************************************************************************

Jesse was walking down the main road toward your bakery. The last time he had seen Rex was when he secretly gave the signal to him that he had finished lighting candles in your bakery and he was eager to hear your reaction to what Rex had set up for you.

 It was early, and he had wanted to come later in the day, but General Skywalker needed Rex for something, and no one had seen him since the two of you walked off together the night before. He smiled to himself, knowing that if no one had seen him, that was probably a good sign that things had gone well.

 He walked up to the door of your bakery to find it cracked open, hanging off the hinges slightly. He stopped and drew his crossbow before slowly pushing it open.

 Its cold, rusty hinges creaked and reveled the destruction that had completely covered the main room of your bakery. Jesse looked around, his heartrate rising as he took in the scene.

 Huge, deep scratched covered the wooden floor. Pieces of shredded clothes were scattered around the room and there was a pool of dried blood over by the counter.

 He took a step inside, the snow that had blown in throughout the night crunching under his feet. “Y/N? Rex?” There was no response.

 He turned around and began to run back toward the castle in the center of town when he heard his name faintly called out from behind him.

 “Jesse!”

 He spun around and saw you emerging from the forest with his brothers. Wolffe was stumbling along as he helped you hold up Cody. He was gripping your left shoulder and Wolffe’s right as he hopped forward only using his left leg. Rex was using your right shoulder to walk along as he carried Kix over his less injured shoulder.

 Jesse’s eyes widened as he saw how you were each covered in blood and barely conscious. He ran up to the five of you and took Kix off of Rex’s shoulder, relieving him of the extra weight.

 “What happened?”

 You looked from Rex to Cody. You turned your head back to face Jesse’s shocked and worried expression. You gave a small laugh. “It’s a long story.”

 Jesse’s brow furrowed as his eyes continued to dart between all of you.

 “Jesse.” He focused on you. “Can you help me get them to my bakery so that we are at least out of the cold before going to get some help from the castle?”

 He quickly nodded and started walking Kix toward your bakery. He quickly returned and took Rex from you while you and Wolffe kept helping Cody make his way there.

 As soon as you were all inside and Wolffe, Cody, Rex, and Kix were sat down, you moved to start a fire in the fireplace before Jesse stopped you. “Y/N, sit down. I’ll take care of it, alright? You need to rest just as much as they do.”

 You looked at Jesse in exhaustion before handing the materials that you had in your hand to him. You collapsed next to Rex on the floor as the fire slowly started crackling to life. Your eyelids were getting heavy and Rex was pulling you close to him as you head came down on his less injured right shoulder.

 Jesse looked at Rex and Kix before crouching down in front of you. He spoke softly. “Do you have any blankets that I can give them? It will take a while for it to start warming up in here and I don’t want them to get anymore frozen than they already are.” He looked at you with care as you began to slowly lift your head off of Rex’s shoulder.

 “There is a trunk in the back room that should have a few,” you said, your voice laced with tiredness.

 Jesse got up and went to go find the blankets. Your eyes drifted shut and you heard his steps as he came back into the main room. You felt a heavy blanket being placed over you and Rex and you opened your eyes slightly.

 Jesse crouched down in front of you again. “I’m going to go get medics and transport back to the castle for all of you as fast as I can, alright? Will you all be safe here until I get back?”

 You nodded your head and took a deep breath. “Thank you, Jesse. I promise we’ll explain everything later.”

 Jesse shook his head. “Don’t worry about that right now. Just get some rest and I’ll see you in a bit.” He got up and walked to the door, running full speed toward the castle once it was shut.

 *******************************************************************************************

You had fallen asleep in the short time that Jesse was gone and woke up to the sound of your door opening. You sat up quickly, wincing as you reached for your sword before seeing Jesse, followed by Generals Skywalker and Kenobi. You relaxed and fell back against Rex, being reminded of your exhaustion.

 You looked at Generals Skywalker and Kenobi with a small smile and giving a small nod of thanks. Their eyes had gone wide at seeing the state you were all in and Skywalkers mouth was hanging open.

 “Good lord, what happened to all of you?” General Kenobi’s face was covered in shock as two medics rushed past him, running up to crouch in front of all of you.

 You looked up at him and drowsily responded. “I promise that we will explain everything, but can it wait until we get back?” You felt yourself slowly drifting back into unconsciousness.

 As your eyes started slowly closing you saw him straighten and put his hands behind his back as he gave you a small bow. “Of course. Rest now and we will figure everything out when you have all been tended to.”