PURPOSE | The Mandalorian

XXXXV

Last surviving heir to the Clan of Ryn.

I was the last of my clan. My heart wrenched at the thought of my childhood home, once bustling with my large family sworn together by Creed, completely barren and void of life.

I slowly stepped forward, approaching the table one cautious step at a time. When I finally halted before the table, I grasped the golden pauldron with my trembling fingers and held my breath. Tears stinging my eyes as I turned it over and saw the white Mythosaur painted on it, smeared with age-old dried blood.

Riona's armor. I snapped my gaze up to the Armorer again. "Where did you get this?" I demanded, holding the golden beskar tight in my hands.

The Armorer exhaled another breath. "A Jedi gave it to me," She revealed, and I immediately knew it was Soleil. But how the Jedi got ahold of my family's armor, I had no idea. The Armorer continued, "She also told me to tell you that Marcella and Riona were captured during the Siege, and that your parents died in battle on the plains. They are all buried with honor on Mandalore, should you ever choose to go back and visit."

I continued to stare at the Armorer as she walked across the Forge floor, stopping just before her opened vault of forging tools.

"You said things," I reminded her, swallowing hard. "Is this not all you have to give me?"

The Armorer hummed. "No," She answered, holding a lidded bowl in her hand. "My sister, long ago, gave you the color black to signify your pursuit of justice. But once you complete your mission here, use this to finish your colors."

She gently handed me the bowl, and I carefully removed the lid to reveal a pot of golden paint.

Vengeance.

"Avenge your family," The Armorer commanded, and pride and little bit of bloodlust speared through my veins. "Avenge your clan. Become the leader Mandalore needs." She approached me, taking my sister's pauldron out of my hand as she swiftly removed my own black pauldron. She then quickly replaced it with the gold one. "Let this be a reminder of your task," She said in a low whisper that only I could hear. "Find the Darksaber and become the Mand'alor. You are the only one strong enough to bring our people back together."

The Darksaber? Become the Mand'alor?

How the fuck was I supposed to find the most highly respected and revered weapon of the Mandalorian religion and not get killed in the process?

My mind turned to static. There were plenty of other Mandalorians who have spent their whole life searching for the missing saber. And none of them scared me except for one.

But the Armorer pulled me out of my own mind as she slipped something over my head. I glanced down, and I blinked at the Mythosaur pendant now dangling between my breasts. "You are always welcomed here, Jeyna Ryn," The Armorer said as she nodded, placing her hand on my shoulder and giving it a tight squeeze. "This is the Way."

I stared blankly at her visor. "This is the Way," I replied with a nod.

The Armorer glanced over my shoulder at my friends, searching for something. She called out, rolling her shoulders back, "Now show me the one who's safety deemed such destruction."

I flicked my gaze to Din while I tucked my new pendant under my shirt. He quickly sidestepped IG, allowing the child to be visible to the Armorer. "This is the one," He said, motioning the the little green child. He was awake now, albeit a bit dazed, and no longer drained and unconscious.