ash'ad | the mandalorian

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CHAPTER SEVEN: THE REUNION

Din lifted her from the ground and her legs instinctively wrapped around his abdomen. She secured her arms behind his neck as she drew him closer, resting her head comfortably in the crook of his neck. She felt him sigh heavily before turning into the hall and walking the short distance back to their room.

Once they were inside again, she looked up and took his helmet off, desperate to meet his eyes. He wasted no time taking hers off as well, planting soft kisses along her tear-stained cheeks. Their headgear fell with a clank as they willingly let it hit the hard floor, not caring about the damage it could cause.

Din sat on the bed, bringing his arms around her once more. Her tears had finally stopped, leaving behind a dull feeling that lingered in her heart and lungs.

"What are we going to do?" she whimpered, her face still buried in the fabric covering his neck.

He paused, mentally searching for any possible words that would make her feel better. He had dealt with grief like this before but had always suppressed it with distractions. Even now, he chose not to think about the child instead of conquering his obvious depression. Letting work overcome him was something he had just gotten used to; nothing had changed.

Though it was clear that sharing in her grief had made him feel less alone.

Maybe she'll feel the same

He would never willingly recall anything about Grogu, but he couldn't stand the sight of her sad any longer. For her, he would just have to endure it.

"Cyar'ika, let me tell you a story," he began.

He stroked her hair gently as he thought about what he was going to say next. Admittedly, he had jumped into this before he had a chance to really think.

Beth stayed silent, prompting him to continue.

"When I was given the task of returning my foundling to the Jedi, I went in search of others of our kind. It proved to be quite difficult and didn't yield many results in the end,"

He remembered his disappointment and shock when Cobb Vanth, his first lead, had removed his helmet in the Mos Pelgo Cantina. He had never even heard of a Mandalorian who showed their faces until then. Thankfully, some passive-aggressive talking and one crate dragon convinced him to give his beskar back to the Mandalorians.

"When I was last on Tatooine, I got a lead from this frog lady to go to Corvus. I had to give her passage too, sublight,"

"Why sublight?" Beth asked softly, an amused smile playing on her lips.

"Because she was carrying the last of her breed, and they would have died if I jumped to light speed," he explained, chuckling gently at the memory.

"Then what happened?" She pressed, finally looking up to meet his eyes. He took off his gloves and gently stroked her cheek, causing a content sigh to fall from her mouth.

"Well, we got to Corvus after a lot of trouble, and I met more Mandalorians,"

"You did?" Beth questioned.

"They weren't like us. They all removed their helmets. Their leader, Bo-Katan, told me that we were a subcategory of Mandalorians called the Children of the Watch. I didn't believe her at first, but she proved her honor to me when she helped protect the child," he explained.