Wrest Pin | The Mandalorian

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Fragile

Warning: This chapter is very mature.

Also Note: Mandalorian culture/history is vast, and I have dove into legends as well as canon to gather what I can. Some of these traditions are from Star Wars itself. But I also sprinkled in some things from our own history here on earth concerning Empires of the past. I hope you all enjoy!

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Evangeline did not speak to him for three days.

She felt the silence annoyed him more than anything, but she kept her mouth clamped shut in a sort of silent protest against his decision to bring them to Mandalore. She didn't think she had gone ever so long, being so close to him and refusing to speak to him. He had gotten the bounty the day after the decision was made with ease, he didn't want to waste time bringing them to Nevarro or to their payers, so he sent them on a transport ship to be brought in. Apparently, when the payers received their bounties, Karga would be informed. There was the issue of the ship, and Din still owing money in technicality, his labor for the bounties not covering all of the cost, but it seemed he had other plans to pay Karga back and in her silence, she could not ask what those plans were.

Evangeline had petulantly taken to sleeping on the floor of the cockpit, refusing to lie with him in their bed. She had considered bringing the baby to bed with her as well each night, but she did not want to disturb his routine and instead left him to sleep in his compartment. Din did not touch her, did not attempt to kiss her – maybe knowing she would only reject the affection even if she craved it so deeply. Craved for him to look at her and believe her when she said everything would be okay. That they would be alright, and there was no need to go to Bo-Katan or to Mandalore.

She dreaded the day of their arrival, which she knew would be the next to come. It was late, and they had gone to their respective sleeping places some time ago, but she could not sleep and instead opted to sit in the corner of all of her blankets and pillows on the floor of the cockpit, her legs pulled as close as they could get. The growing child in the way of most things now. She chewed on her thumb nail, staring at the opposite wall, contemplating what could possibly happen when they got there...What could possibly come of all this. While she did not think Bo-Katan would hurt them, she did not think her intentions were pure...And she had read of royalty, how it worked to be a king or queen, the control that often went into it. While the king might be a sole ruler, there were always others involved behind closed doors, people to please, people to impress, the wealthy that could donate funds towards soldiers and other necessities.

Din had said she wanted to re-establish old traditions, but Evangeline knew very little of such things. It seemed Din did...That he knew of old holidays and rules, and she was afraid. She was not a Mandalorian, and yet if Din did this she would surely be shoved into a life she had very little knowledge of...And was not prepared to handle. She was already going to become a mother...She had been forced to become a wife by Gideon. She had lived a relatively carefree life before everything and now she was expected to perform duties that required years beyond what she had lived in her life.

She wondered if Din realized how all of this worked, or if in his emotional state he didn't think about it. She had never seen him truly break down before, but she knew this was what was happening. She couldn't even find the will to be angry, she had broken down so many times, it was only a matter of time before she saw it in him as well. And she wanted to comfort him, but he had pushed her away and instead turned to something so rash she could hardly catch up – as if he had started running without assessing the situation fully. Or maybe he had, and he had figured this was the best option – but taking over an entire planet was such an extreme way to break down. But she found Din often dealt in extremes.

Maybe they both did.

Having her baby on Mandalore had never crossed her mind. When she had imagined the places they could go, that wasn't it. She had spent some time being afraid of who they were – being afraid of how her child would be raised and whether or not it would need to be a Mandalorian and it seemed now the answer had been chosen for her. Din had been a foundling, not even he himself had been born on the planet's surface. She was pretty sure he had never even been there before. Being a Mandalorian was a creed – not a race. But it made normalcy for her child and Grogu feel further away.