Under the Helmet ~ (The Mandalorian x Male OC)

Chapter 33: The Years Past

The past two years had been...long.
Shortly after Daedalus and his team left the New Republic, Alis unfortunately passed in her sleep. Her death wore down on Gayle for a few weeks, but staying in the bounty hunting action had easily gotten her mind onto other things.
Daedalus had taken the time to go see his dad again. He told him everything, how he embraced his Mandalorian heritage, and even wield the Darksaber. He even confessed to his father about his relationship with Din. He took it well, and was more upset that he hadn't reached out sooner.
Verid was an on and off member of the team. He still had family on his home world, and every few weeks he would take some days off to spend time with them.
Wally turned out to be the most beneficial addition to the team. Besides eating the crew out of house and home with his seemingly bottomless appetite, his sheer strength and size made many hunts a lot easier.
Although Daedalus had tried to stay in contact with Din, they had only talked once or twice since they went their separate ways. The Mandalorian had tried to reach out more, but Daedalus simply didn't feel the need to talk to him. The Foundling had tried getting with other people, but after pointless one-nighters and shameful first dates, the simple desire for a relationship just wasn't there. What he had with Din was once in a lifetime, and he wasn't about to go force something with someone who didn't feel the same desire for a relationship.
Gayle, Verid, and Wally had evolved into the bounty hunting lifestyle fairly easily. Their combat skills were all there, and being a New Republic soldier wasn't all that different than hunting. Gayle had become the pilot of the group, as Verid had become the team's comic relief/techie, and Wally was the muscle. Daedalus enjoyed their company thoroughly, and had developed a unique sibling-type bond with each of them. They had become a well-oiled machine, each having their own strong suits.
Daedalus had naturally taken over the leadership role. He definitely couldn't call himself an expert on bounty hunting, as his introduction to the occupation with Din had comprised of far too many near misses and failed attempts, but he knew enough to get the team by. One of their first missions as a team involved a reward of pure Beskar steel, which he had smelted and used to complete his armor. Now donning matching crimson and white armor, the Foundling truly embodied a Mandalorian. He had even had the Mudhorn signet welded onto his shoulder pad. With enough beskar left over, he had a Beskar-plated jetpack. It wasn't quite as streamlined and efficient as Din's was, but it worked.
For his latest job, he had to lose the armor, though. Every once in a while, a bounty comes up that cannot be ignored, no matter the consequence. The bounty was for one million credits, and quite rightfully so. The task necessary to complete the task involved kidnapping a Zygerrian princess. Zygerria was infamously known for their slave trades, and after the fall of the Empire, they had been forced to abandon some of their ways, but a select few had such prominence in the galaxy's economy that the New Republic had no choice but to allow their harsh business to continue.
Her name was Rotella, and she was next in line for the throne. Daedalus had sold himself into the trade, and after enough bartering with what wages his team had, he had worked his way up to becoming Rotella's personal servant. It was an oddly rewarding job. He was allowed almost free-roam of the kingdom, as long as he was present when the princess needed him. He had donned the traditional Zygerrian servant attire, which consisted of a brown armor, with yellow lines adorning the chest. He also wore a bulky helmet, which was flat across the top and sloped on the sides. It was nothing compared to his Mandalorian helmet, but it's what the job required.
He had been the princess's servant for almost two weeks now, and he had formed a weird bond with her. He wouldn't call them 'friends', but she was fairly sympathetic to him. Instead of treating him as a slave, she treated him as an accomplice. She gave him off early each night, and even gave him some of her own food portions so he wouldn't have to eat the slave gruel.
Daedalus was unsure why anyone would want to kidnap her. As far as he had seen, she wanted very little to do with the slave trade portion of her family's empire.
It was early morning, and Daedalus had woken up early to tend to Rotella, as he did every morning. Slipping into his Zygerrian attire, he made his way to the Princess's chambers, where he was to wait outside until she awoke. He waited for about half an hour until she could he heard shuffling to the door.
Opening it slightly, she stuck her head out. "Good morning Daedalus, how did you sleep?", Rotella asked, her voice dry after a long night's sleep.
It was uncustomary for the slave's master to even treat their property as an equal, and the question slightly surprised Daedalus.
"I slept fine, thanks. Is there anything I can do for you m'lady?", he asked.
"Please, call me Rotella, and if you'd be so kind as to fetch my breakfast for me, I would be very appreciative."
"Of course ma'am—," Daedalus caught himself, "Rotella."
The princess closed the door behind her, and the Foundling headed to the kitchen to retrieve his master's customary breakfast. On his way, he saw a helmeted figure attacking a palace guard. The sentry was quickly taken down by his assailant, and as much as Daedalus didn't want to get involved, perhaps it would lessen any suspicion of his plan to abduct the princess if he helped bring in a criminal.
"Hey! What are you doing?!", Daedalus exclaimed, running down the hall to confront the aggressor. The figure stood from over the guard's unconscious body and turned to face Daedalus.
He couldn't believe it. All these years, all this hoping that their paths would cross again, and this was when it happened.
"Din?!", Daedalus marveled as the Mandalorian's iconic unpainted helmet came into view.