ash'ad | the mandalorian

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"And then, my covert revealed themselves and fought off the bounty hunters so we could escape," Din recounted, holding the little green boy in his lap.

"Kandosii'la (amazing)," Beth said softly, leaning into her husband as she stroked Grogu's ear lovingly.

The couple sat comfortably on the blue carpet, still in the privacy of Grogu's room. Luke had left them alone to catch up, promising to return after his lesson with the other students.

"I've never been prouder to be a Mandalorian," Din admitted. He had hardly taken his eyes off his son since they arrived, still overwhelmed at the sight of him.

He had recounted the odd story to Beth, explaining how he came into possession of his foundling. She listened intently to the story, totally engrossed by his happiness.

She too couldn't remove her gaze from the small creature. Even though she had only held him once, that was all it took for her motherly instinct to kick in more than ever before.

"You have a very loving father, ad'ika (little one)," she said. His tiny hand reached for her finger and she happily obliged, letting him grip it tightly.

Just then, a voice came from outside the corridor.

"May I come in?" Luke asked, waiting out in the hall as to not see their faces.

"One moment!" Beth called, quickly returning the beskar to her head and watching Din do the same.

"Come in," she called again. They watched as his figure came into eyeshot from the hall, smiling at the sight of his happy apprentice. Grogu's eyes wandered up to his Master, cooing eagerly as he read his mind.

"I thought that you would like to see what your son has learned since he's been here," he offered, making the couple look to each other.

"You ready to show us some cool Jedi tricks, buddy?" Din smiled down at him. The baby nodded, panting as he crawled out of his father's lap and reached for his pram. The Mandalorian lifted him up earning a small "wee!".

Once he was inside, Grogu willed the pram to move, feeling the force push him forward and out of the room. Din let out a small chuckle before resting his hand on Beth's back and walking them back into the grand hall.

"Amazing, isn't it?" he said, watching her helmet as it looked forward.

Luke maintained a steady pace ahead of them, allowing them to talk privately, but also making sure Grogu didn't run into a wall which he had been known to do when excited.

"What part? The beautiful architecture or the fact that our son can move things with his mind?" she whispered, clearly emphasizing the second part.

"You'll adjust to it after a while," he promised, moving his arm to wrap around her waist. Beth hummed at the contact, looking over to him briefly before following the hovering pram and Luke into the training room.

There were already children practicing, some blocking shots from floating orbs with their lightsabers, and some focusing on their force abilities.

"Hi Grogu!" a few greeted as they saw him entering the room.

The baby did not reply, focusing his attention on floating over to the dummies on the back wall. When Luke followed him in, the children turned their attention to him as if waiting for instruction.

"Carry on, padawans," he said, walking calmly after the pram.

Most obeyed, but some turned their heads in curiosity as the Mandalorians passed, wondering about the guests. No one had ever been allowed in the temple before, besides Republic officers and politicians. They would routinely check in on the place, knowing they had a powerful ally in Luke Skywalker. It would be catastrophic to lose him, even if the war against the Empire was over.