The Artist and the Jedi - Sabezra Oneshots

Homecoming

Set during season 3 (Towards the end of 'Legacy of Mandalore')

Summary – After defeating Gar Saxon in a tense duel, Sabine must come to terms with the uncomfortable fact that she doesn't want Ezra to leave...

Credit to Achilles453 for this idea.

Gar Saxon. An unsavoury individual at the best of times. Saxon was a seasoned war veteran, having fought under the command of Lord Maul during the Siege of Mandalore. Since then, his taste in allegiances had not improved. Nowadays, he served the Empire, determined that imperial influence will once again turn Mandalore into a galactic powerhouse, a force to be feared. While his personal beliefs were laughable, it could not be denied that he was a fearsome warrior in his own right. But Sabine, of Clan Wren, was better. She had trained for this fight for weeks on Atollon under the guidance of her friends. And with the new toys bestowed upon her by Fenn Rau, it was Saxon's turn to feel fear. The duel was short. When he had struck the ground like a feral animal, she had dodged artfully, avoiding his swipes. When he took to the skies, she deflected his shots before giving him a painful taste of her wrist-mounted flamethrower. And when the fight had taken them onto a creaking frozen lake, she had utilised every ounce of her training to disarm him within moments. The Darksaber was hers once again, as was victory, but skills with a blade weren't the only thing she'd picked up from the Jedi. Sabine showed mercy, allowing Saxon to continue breathing. However, as it turned out, he would fail to make the most of this opportunity. When Ursa Wren's blaster bolt rang out across the frozen plains, putting an end to Saxon once and for all, the start of a new era was marked. This was a rallying cry for all Mandalorians who opposed the Empire's reign. A revolution was coming, and Sabine knew that nothing would be the same again...

In the wake of the battle, a familiar vessel landed down into the snow, with a familiar grumpy droid at the helm. As he often did, Chopper had managed to avoid the worst of the conflict, arriving only after the blaster bolts had finished flying. The droid gave a typical greeting, framing himself as some sort of hero arriving to save his crew. Nobody was convinced.
"Sure...now you show up when all the fighting's over," Ezra commented, shaking his head. Chopper gave a haughty reply, the likes of which does not bear translation.
"The Empire will come for you once they find out what's happened here, the Rebellion can help," Kanan stated. Sabine folded her arms, glancing towards the floor uncomfortably. It was the most minor of reactions, but Ezra picked up on it. Through the force, he could feel a wave of uncertainty and fear radiating from her.
"The same Rebellion that sent you here for my help? No, Mandalore must rise by itself, we protect our own..." Ursa remarked. There it was again. The look of dismay on Sabine's face, the complex brew of emotions surrounding her. There was more going on within her heart than he knew, Ezra was sure of it.
"So do we. Sabine?" Kanan replied expectantly. Here it was, the moment she had been dreading. Life had never been simple for Sabine; thanks to the Empire she had two families, those she was bound to by blood and her very closest friends aboard the Ghost. It was agonising to put one above the other, but right now the Mandalorians needed her most. Since the moment Saxon had taken a bolt to the chest, she had rehearsed this in her head, preparing a speech about Mandalore and her father. But here, now, she was speechless. Fortunately, or unfortunately, she was stood before two Jedi, each of whom knew her better than she knew herself. It didn't take long for them to fathom it out.
"You're not coming with us..." Ezra concluded. He made no attempt to hide the disappointment in his voice. She had to stay strong, remain true to herself. But seeing his face, watching his features fall, Sabine found herself faltering.
"I-I have to...my father...Mandalore..." she stuttered. Kanan nodded his head in understanding while Ezra remained motionless, staring into space.
"I understand...we'll miss you while you're gone. Know that you'll always have a room aboard the Ghost. And I'm sure Hera would scold me if I didn't mention how proud we are of you," the older Jedi said. Sabine's eyes welled and her lips quivered slightly. After so many tough nights spent training in the sands of Atollon, to hear him say he was proud of her was very nearly enough to bring her to tears.
"Thank you..." she whispered. It was about all she could manage. Kanan smiled widely, pulling her into an embrace. On a great many occasions in the past, Sabine had torn herself away from his hugs, constantly claiming that she wasn't the sort of person who needed them. But now, knowing that she may not see him for a very long time, she wished she'd accepted just a few more of them. As they separated, she nodded up at him, grateful for all he'd done for her.
"If you ever need help, or even just a familiar face to talk to. Don't hesitate to call, we'll always answer," Kanan remarked. Again, Sabine was grateful, but she found her attention turning towards her other crewmate. The relationship she had with Ezra could not be put into words. They were friends, siblings even, but there was something else as well. She would miss all of the Spectres, but Ezra? Sabine was genuinely struggling to imagine her life without him.
"Ezra..." she began, though the words stopped there. How could she say all that she was feeling without taking a year to do it?
"I'll miss you too, won't be the same without you," the padawan stated in an unusually casual tone. Anyone else would take it for indifference, but Sabine knew him far better than that. He spoke like he didn't care because the truth was the opposite and if he said anymore then he wouldn't be able to stop.
"Guys...can we have a moment alone?" Sabine asked suddenly. Kanan coughed awkwardly.
"Of course. We'll get inside, out of the snow and begin making plans," Ursa stated. At her command, Rau and Tristan followed, disappearing inside the lakeside mansion.
"And I'll be on the ship. Chopper, come help me in the cockpit," Kanan said, causing the droid to grumble as he descended below. And so, within a few moments, the two were left alone, standing in silence. As seconds of quiet became minutes, clouds gathered overhead, and gentle snowflakes began to fall. After what seemed like an age, Sabine was the first to speak.
"I'm sorry..." she said simply. She was sorry, sorry that she had abandoned her blood family to the Empire in the first place, sorry that she had to leave her new family now. It was messed up. One should feel fortunate to have two groups of incredible people to call family but having to choose was pure torture.
"You have nothing to be sorry about, nothing at all. I only wish I could stay with you," Ezra remarked, finally looking her in the eyes. It was what they both wanted, but it was supposed to be impossible. A Mandalorian and a Jedi. They were ancient enemies, and each had their own commitments now. Sabine felt wrong for suggesting it, but by now she felt desperate.
"Then stay..." she whispered. It was selfish and wrong, asking him to abandon his duties for her. But as painful as it would be to lose Kanan and the others, losing Ezra was a whole new level.
"Sabine...the Rebellion, Lothal...you know I can't," he replied. Sabine could hear the pain in his voice. Why did Jedi have to be so selfless and noble? Kanan had taught him well, he was nothing like the street rat who had flirted with her the moment he'd seen her.
"I don't want to lose you, I don't want you to leave," Sabine admitted, a little reluctantly. She hated this sort of thing. She thought it made her look weak and vulnerable, but it needed saying. Ezra stared at her for some time, taking in every detail of her face. Her frowned brown eyes, her slightly quivering lips, her captivating hair. The Jedi let out a long sigh.
"Give me a reason to stay...please," he said at last. A reason? What did he mean?
"You're my best friend, isn't that reason enough?" Sabine asked. Ezra closed the gap between them, placing a hand on her shoulder. She tensed at his touch.
"Sabine...come on, after all this time. Is that all we are?" he questioned. She turned away from him, using her hair to hide her face.
"I...I don't know what you mean..." she remarked. That was a lie. She knew very well what he meant and also knew very well that he was right. Sabine couldn't put her finger on quite when it had happened, but for some time now she had thought of him as far more than a friend. Ezra placed a hand on her cheek, gently turning her back to face him.
"I think you do. You're worried, nervous, about more than your family, more than the Empire," he stated. Sabine frowned, lightly shoving him back.
"Don't use your force to read my mind, it's not right," she scowled, walking away towards the woods. Ezra brushed his chest, slowly following her.
"I didn't need the force! I could hear your heart beating through your chest!" he shouted after her. So now he had superhuman hearing as well as the ability to read thoughts and levitate rocks? Sabine gritted her teeth. There was nothing she hated more than when people understood how she was feeling better than she did. Of course, she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was right.
"Is that so? I guess you need your ears checked then," she remarked coldly. When they finally came to a halt, the pair found themselves standing in a snowy clearing in the middle of the woods. It was peaceful, serene. Out here, the chaos of the skirmish at Wren Stronghold was all but forgotten, overtaken by a new struggle. The struggle of emotions.
"Sabine. If I'm out of line here, then just say so. I was sure I'd picked up on something, but it wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong. Say the word and I'll head back to Atollon, try to set up an encrypted link as soon as I can," Ezra said, causing her heart to sink. If she was going to say something, now had to be the time.
"I don't want some hologram link...I want you here," Sabine replied softly, barely louder than the whisper of the wind.
"Then tell me why," the padawan said. Sabine turned on the spot, facing him directly.
"Because you're more than a friend, you kriffing idiot! You're my soulmate! I don't want to free Mandalore if you're not there at my side when we win. Just like I want to be by your side when we free Lothal. I can't do this without you!" she exclaimed, catching Ezra completely off guard. The sheer complexity of feelings and emotions radiating from her as she spoke almost knocked him unconscious. Months, if not years, of hidden thoughts exploded out of her all at once. And when she finally finished talking, she was left breathless and tense. Ezra stared at her silently for a few seconds and she found herself terrified by how he would react. This was what he'd wanted to hear, wasn't it? And then he smiled.
"Then the Rebellion can wait..." he stated simply. He strolled towards her, sensing the stress pulsing through her, and gently took hold of her hands.
"What? J-just like that?" she stuttered. The Mandalorian could barely catch her breath. She had been trained to fight for hours without rest if need be but now she found herself exhausted from a brief conversation.
"I had to be sure, I had to know that I wasn't holding onto something that didn't exist. But now I know you feel the same way, of course I'll stay with you. You don't even need to ask," Ezra explained, tenderly stroking her still-clenched knuckles. Gradually, Sabine lowered her shoulders, sinking into the still of the moment. Her anxiety dissipated at the kindly look on his face.
"So...you feel the same way?" she asked cautiously. Even now, as he held her hands in his own, she was careful to make sure that they were on the same page.
"Please, you were special to me the moment you took off your helmet the first time we met. I may not flirt terribly like I used to but the way I feel has never changed. I'm just relieved I turned into someone you can call your soulmate," Ezra described. It might have been the relief of the moment, but Sabine couldn't stop thinking that those were the most beautiful words she had ever heard. This affirmation was all she needed. Without a moment's hesitation, she threw her arms around him, holding him so tightly that he wheezed a little. He could not see as her head was over his shoulder, but she was crying slightly. Her wonderful friend, her Jedi was giving up his cause to help her with her own. And all because he loved her. The two stayed in one another's grip for what felt like an eternity, dwelling in the relieving knowledge that they felt the same way. When they finally broke apart, Sabine was giggling, an unusual sight Ezra had very rarely seen. It wasn't long before he joined in, chuckling light-heartedly.
"Thank you..." Sabine whispered as their foreheads touched. Two tiny words, but they represented everything she felt.
"Likewise," Ezra remarked, grinning like he used to. As they embraced again, it was a mystery to Sabine as to why she had waited so long. Ezra had often talked about Jedi meditation, about the true sense of tranquillity that came with it. She'd never been able to imagine it until this moment...

An hour had passed by the time Ezra and Sabine tore themselves away from their stolen moment and returned to reality. When they left the woods and approached the Phantom hand-in-hand, Kanan was waiting, arms folded. He wore a knowing smile, seemingly completely aware of what had held them up.
"Hey...master..." Ezra greeted awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand.
"I have taught you the complexities of the Jedi Code in the past, have I not? Specifically, the chapters regarding relationships?" Kanan questioned. Sabine remained silent but threw her soulmate a wary glance. She found herself praying that he wasn't suddenly about to remember his Jedi training and preach about how they could never be together. To her great relief, he did not.
"You have, yes," Ezra replied blankly. Kanan stared at him for a moment, before shrugging his shoulders with a wry grin.
"Well then at least the ghosts of the Jedi can say I've done my job. I'm happy for you both, it was about time. Hera's been waiting years..." he remarked, to the great surprise of the couple. Sabine gave him a confused glance.
"Years? But I've only known for a few months, maybe a year," she said.
"You have, yes. Everyone else has known far longer," Kanan stated simply.
"And...you don't have an issue with me being a Jedi with a girlfriend?" Ezra questioned. Sabine almost choked. That word sounded so...alien.
"Ezra...the Jedi Council is a thing of the past. We have all had to redefine our beliefs to survive under the Empire. It would be more than a little hypocritical for me to bar you from love," the older Jedi replied. Ezra let out a sigh of relief. Being trapped between having someone he loved and earning the disapproval of his master would have been a hellish situation. After a moment, Sabine let go of his hand and started to walk away.
"I'm going to tell my family about your decision. See you in a minute?" she explained. Ezra smiled widely, his heart still beating out of his chest.
"You bet," he replied. As he watched her walk away inside the mansion, he found it difficult to take his eyes off her. The feisty and beautiful Mandalorian he had loved for years finally felt the same way about him. It hardly felt real.
"I take it you'll be staying behind as well then," Kanan commented, tearing Ezra back into reality.
"If you'll allow it," the padawan remarked. Kanan shook his head with a smile, placing a hand on his apprentice's shoulder.
"I will. But not before I've told you how incredibly proud I am of the person you've become. You've taken on every lesson I've ever given you and, in the process, taught me a great deal as well. I feel lucky that I have an apprentice as compassionate as you," he stated in a tone Ezra hadn't really heard before.
"Our training isn't over though?" Ezra asked. It couldn't be over, he still had so much more to learn.
"Only for now. On the day you choose to return to Atollon, we'll continue training. Until then, I wish you the very best of luck with the Empire...and elsewhere," Kanan explained. With a gradual movement, he made his way towards the cargo hold of the Phantom.
"Thank you...call us the moment you need help with Thrawn," Ezra said. Kanan turned to him and smiled, saying a line he had yearned to for some time.
"May the force be with you,"

As the Phantom roared into life and took off into the air, Ezra began a new stage of his life, fighting alongside the Mandalorians of Clan Wren. They started small, with small guerrilla strikes against imperial patrols on Mandalore, scouring the planet for information on Sabine's father. And gradually, as the Empire took notice of their activities, the fighting grew more severe. Swift strikes became sustained firefights. With every victory, more Mandalorians pledged themselves to the cause. Before long, Clan Wren was leading a small army, and through it all, Ezra and Sabine remained together. Each of them had nobody they could rely on like the other. And so, when Captain Rex burst through the doors of the stronghold several months later, breathlessly explaining that Thrawn had attacked Atollon, the pair were ready. Just as they had been united in fighting for a free Mandalore, they were united in saving their friends. Nothing could stand in their way. The Jedi and the Mandalorian...