Chapter 1: Arabian Knights

"You are late," the hooded figure on his horse spoke to one of his six knights with not an ounce of emotion or care in his voice.

"A thousand apologies, my liege," the late knight answered to his master with a bow of his head.

Turning to the large rocky cliffside before them, the man dismounted and looked down at the trinket in his hand. A red ruby shimmered, reflecting the clear bespectacled sky above and his own glinting dark eyes—the only feature one could see underneath his hood and his matted black cowl. He lifted the ruby up and let it reflect the crescent moon above.

A rumble shifted the sands beneath his feet. The rocky cliff crackled and shook. A face in the rock formed of an indiscernible beast with fangs as tall as the man in black robes.

"Who disturbs my slumber?" the booming voice of the creature said with such force the sand vibrated around the six knights and their leader.

"You hold something that belongs to me," the man said, raising his voice loud enough for the beast to hear.

The glowing eyes of the beast narrowed at him. "Only one may enter. One who is lesser but much more within. A diamond in the rough."

The man's temper flared. "I was told…"

"You were told wrong. Seek thee out the diamond in the rough. Begone!"

And the beast went back to sleep, their mouth closed and cutting off any other way of entering the mouth of the monster.

Anger mixed with an unnerved feeling led to the man drawing his sword and stomping off to strike at a boulder, his screams of rage shaking the night.

Failure. There was failure, and his own master would not be happy upon his return.

For how would the Prince of Alderaan be free of his chains without the lamp held within the cave?

The six knights escorted their prince back to the capital city, marching through the empty streets right up to the main gate. The guards, recognizing the seven figures in black, allowed them into the courtyard.

To greet them was the Royal Vizier, a wrinkled man in dark grey and gold robes.

The prince dismissed his six knights once he dismounted his horse. "Master Snoke," he greeted his teacher.

"Where is the lamp?" Snoke asked, his raspy voice unsettling in the early morning air.

"I did not retrieve it."

Snoke's eyes flared with anger. "Pathetic child. You were to bring the lamp to me and yet you failed. How do you even expect to get what you wish if you cannot fulfill one task!" He stomped the end of his staff onto the stone of the courtyard.

The prince froze in place, pain simmering in his blood as his muscles involuntarily clenched. He gasped in pain. "I can get the lamp! I just need your guidance," the prince pleaded. "The cave spoke about a diamond in the rough. Only one may enter… And it is not me."

Snoke released him from the hold. "Then find this diamond! Lest your dreams be crushed within the next fortnight!"

"Yes… Master Snoke," the prince answered, trying to contain the shake in his voice.

Snoke turned and walked away, his golden staff of a snake shimmering in the darkness.

The prince stood up straight and tall, his body aching from fatigue. He climbed up the columns and the small indents of the walls, balancing on white stone ledges as he pulled himself up to his own balcony.

He pushed back the sheer black curtains and stumbled into his chambers with heavy feet. Pulling off his hood and his matted scarf, he was finally able to shake out his long black locks and breathe in the clean sand-less air. Removing the rest of his rugged black garb he shoved the disguise underneath his bed and fell onto his bed.

It was a restless sleep he had, for it was only a few hours of tossing and turning was there a knock at the door.

"Your Highness, I'd hate to interrupt your beauty sleep but your mother requests your presence at once."

Prince Ben groaned, rolling over on his large, luxurious bed. He knew exactly what all this nonsense was about. It only happened five other times before. Sitting up and dressing in black silk robes lined with gold, a circlet cresting his forehead, he stepped outside of his chambers to be faced with a very annoyed Armitage Hux; his own advisor.

"The dark rings underneath your eyes will not do, Your Highness," Hux berated him as they walked through the golden gilded halls of the palace.

Ben pushed his hand through his hair, irritation prickling at the back of his neck. "Does it really matter? We all know why my mother wants me in the audience chamber."

Hux rolled his eyes. "If you're not in prime shape that reflects on me."

Ben kept his mouth shut, too tired to argue how it reflected more on Ben's presence in the kingdom, but he found he could not care one bit. Everything would change anyways once he got his hands on the lamp.

It was his only hope.

Entering the main hall, Ben tugged at his high-collared shirt as the watchful gaze of Queen Leia observed his appearance.

"Ben," she spoke to him, a mix of disapproval and concern in her voice.

Ben walked up to his mother, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. "Mom."

Leia was dressed in shimmering silver robes, her greyed hair braided back around her head in a large bun. A diadem graced her forehead. "Your eyes…"

Ben stepped to the side of her throne. "I already received a lecture from Hux."

"As you should. Were you up late again?" she said with a frown. "Ben…"

His hands formed fists. "Can we just get this over with? What princess are you going to throw at me this time?"

Leia sighed. "A duchess from the Hosnian Empire. And before you protest, she is not dull. She's well-read and…"

"Mom…"

"Ben, you know that I'm only doing this for—"

"My own good. Yes. I heard it a thousand times before."

The doors opened. Both royals straightened their spines, but Ben kept his glare and obvious disdain in his expression.

A beautiful woman in a silk green gown entered, blonde hair curled to perfection with heavy jewels adorning her neck, wrists, and earrings.

"Queen Leia," she curtsied. "It is an honor."

"Likewise Duchess Gwen. This is my son, Prince Ben."

Ben was not one to scoff at a woman's beauty, but he still was not a fan of how he was forced into this awkwardness. He politely gave a bow of his head to her as she approached the throne's stairs.

This was going to be a long day.

She was nobody. Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Rey watched from the rooftops above as the market was in full mid-afternoon swing. Rich spices, fresh catches of the day, and the soothing scents of flora graced her nose. She tucked in her loose ragged wraps, holding her trusted staff—a sturdy old carved piece of wood she had found one day in an abandoned house, and waited.

Patience was important, especially for one such as a street rat like her.

The kingdom of Alderaan was small, but it carried such beauty within. Right on the borders of their ally, Naboo, the tiny kingdom sat on the edge of the sea. The capital city bustled with life, children playing on the side of the walkways, merchants carrying their goods and cargo to and from the docks bordering the sea.

A food merchant selling fruits had his attention taken up by a woman, his back turned away from the side of the stall where mangos were precariously stacked.

Rey moved down from her perch, pulling her dusty beige hood up to obscure her three buns. She crouched down and maneuvered by the stall. The merchant was still talking to the woman. Reaching out with her staff, she gently pushed at the mangos at the bottom of the stack. One fell off the stack and into her hand. She poked at them again, another mango falling. Feeling bold, she took one more and quietly tucked herself into the back alley, mangos in her arm. Enough to feed her and then some urchins perhaps.

"Stop thief!"

Rey's eyes widened. She knew she shouldn't have taken the third one.

She broke out into a full-on sprint, leaping over boxes and bouncing off window shades until she got the high ground again. She took one look behind her to see the city guards in hot pursuit, trying to keep up with her pace. With a smug grin, she continued sprinting, leaping across the rooftops, rolling, tumbling, ducking under planks and heavy carpets on the ground to lose them.

Rey knew her speed far too well. She climbed up on a roof again, having enough time to improvise. She grabbed a rope and tied it to a pillar for support and leaped off the roof, swinging right into an open window.

A boy stared at her in surprise. She cringed. "Sorry about this." She moved out of the room through the other window. Landing on her feet on the dirt, she took off again. She couldn't hear the yells of the city guard anymore. Looking behind her and then above, Rey was about to let out a sigh of relief.

Then she ran right into someone. Someone very tall and very built.

"Ow, watch where you're going!"

Rey panicked as the man's hands grabbed her by the shoulders to steady himself. She looked up to see the man's face and was greeted with a hooded man in black, a matted cowl mostly wrapped around his neck and covering his mouth. Only his very dark eyes could be seen.

"I'm so sorry," she rushed out, nearly dropping her mangos in fear.

He still hadn't let her go. She noticed his chest was heaving, as if he was too, out of breath from extraneous activity.

"Stop thief!" guards shouted behind the man.

He took off running down an alleyway. Rey saw the guards spot her and she, of course, had no other choice but to flee as well in only one direction.

The man in black saw her right on his tail. "Why are you following me scavenger!?"

Rey didn't feel the need to justify herself to someone who called her scavenger, but she did anyway. "Because I'm not getting locked up because you got me caught!"

He leaped down to a lower path. Rey followed.

Obviously irritated with her chase, he turned immediately right and pulled her into an empty room, his gloved hand on her mouth to prevent the guards from hearing her. Footsteps passed but didn't stall, still chasing after the thieves but clearly having lost their path.

The man sighed in relief. Rey slapped his hand off her mouth. "What was that for?!" she demanded.

"You're welcome," he said in his deep voice. "I did you a favor."

She pushed herself away from him. "Did a scavenger a favor did you?"

He rolled his eyes. "An ungrateful scavenger."

"Excuse me? I was perfectly fine until I bumped into you. I never get caught and I don't plan to."

"Watch your words." He eyed the mangos still clutched in her grip. "You stole."

"Out of necessity."

She really wished she could rip that cowl off and see his face in its entirety.

"Why were you chased then, hmm?" she said, crossing her arms.

He held up a ruby in his palm. "Some idiot thought I pick-pocketed someone's precious jewel."

"Well did you?" She mocked.

He snorted. "This isn't easily owned by anyone."

She eyed the jewel. It glimmered to her, almost mesmerizing to her hazel eyes. So beautiful… So alluring.

So dull.

She looked away from the boring priceless jewel. "If you'll excuse me then, I have food to eat." Before she could even take one step out of the room he grabbed her by the waist. She forced herself to drop the mangos and pushed back, kicking at his shins.

"Wait a minute," he said, trying to stop her struggling.

She was not having it. "Let me go!"

He underestimated her strength, for she was able to turn the tides and force him off balance. The end result was her on top of him on the rough dusty floor.

In the midst of the scuffle, his hood fell off his head, and his cowl slid down his chest. Rey was rendered speechless as she gawked at him. His hair was like dark silk, finely combed through. His pale complexion was dotted with tiny moles, accompanied by a pair of very fine lips.

He was beyond gorgeous.

"W-Who are you?" Rey managed to stutter out, the reality of their position occurring to her.

"Kylo."

A/N: Yes I know the title is a pun. XD

This was inspired by a fanart by selunchen on twitter of a Reylo Aladdin role-swap AU. It's amazing (I would link it but FFN is a killjoy)