•two journeys• din djarin

X

The ground was still smoking as we approached the embers of the once lived-in village. From the outskirts, I could see the outlines of bodies covered in the ash. I swallowed hard and looked away; the sight made my stomach twist in knots, if I had eaten today, I would've thrown up.

"We should start by looking under the sheets of the tents, there could be maps, details, in them," Din said. I nodded my head and let out a deep breath as I started on the left side. The cloth of the fallen tents was burnt and heavy; my body was covered in the ash as I heaved them off. One by one, we pulled off the covers and searched for anything; books, scrolls, maps, anything. On my sixth tent, I pulled off the cover to reveal two cribs, side by side. One empty, and the other with the burnt remains of a child. I felt a scream pass through my lips before my hand slapped on my mouth.

"Sindre! Sindre!" I heard Din scream. My body was shaking as shock took over my body. These children, most likely twins, and their parents had to decide which one to save. Din stood by my side, shaking my shoulders, before following my gaze to what was below. I felt his arms wrap around me, his hand holding my head into his shoulder as I sobbed. After my discovery, I couldn't bring myself to help anymore. I sat in the center of the remains hugging my knees and looking out into the horizon. The suns were low, just about to touch the ground; soon it was going to get very dark. "Sindre! I think I found something," Din called out. I stood from my spot slowly and walked towards his voice. In a tent in the far back, he was holding an envelope. He handed me the paper and I glanced over it.

"It's signed EMH, that's how they sign things jointly, but nothing in this makes sense, it sounds fictional," I said as I shrugged my shoulders.

"Just, read it again," he urged. I sighed and brought the letter back to my eyes.

"Run far, into a free town, one not talked about, one that is barely a blip on any map. Okay, so they were dreaming about escaping? I don't see how this helps."

"It's not a free town, it's Freetown, Mos Pelgo. It was turned upside down years ago by the Mining Collective."

"I'm sorry, but how the hell would I, a stranger to this planet, know that?" His posture straightened and his helmet tilted. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm just shaken up. I apologize."

"I understand Sindre, I won't take it to heart." The sky around us was a dark purple, the suns were nowhere in sight. "It's late, we should settle in somewhere. It's not safe to be exposed out here at night."

"I... can't be here. This place is just draining."

"We can travel west towards Mos Pelgo for a little while. I'll find a nice enough sheet to prop up a makeshift tent. We don't have to stay in this village." I walked behind Din as he searched for an intact cover and a few sticks to use to hold the sheet up. We walked over to our speeders and I helped Din strap on the items he had collected. I mounted mine and he did the same to his. He pulled off in front of me, traveling slowly so I wouldn't lose him. We only traveled for maybe five minutes; just enough for the village to be out of sight. "Over here, we'll set up against this rock pile, so we aren't out in the open." I slowed down and stopped the speeder beside his. I watched as he set up our small camp. It was late and I wanted nothing more than to sleep, but I know that as soon as I close my eyes, images of the child will flood my brain.

"Do you need any help?" I called out to him.

"Could you grab that side of the sheet and help me slide it over?" I walked over and grabbed a corner, pulling that side over the sticks he had placed to hold it. The air around us was cold; my jaw was shaking, and I could feel the goosebumps form on my exposed back. Mando pulled back the sheet back for me to walk in, him following closely behind me. Once inside, he turned around and pinned the flaps of the doorway back, and started a fire with the leftover sticks just outside the tent. The faint glow of the fire lit up the room just enough for me to see the outlines of his armor and body. "Are you cold?" He asked.