Destiny

Chapter 2

Din looked up towards the ledge. He could have sworn he'd seen something there, but maybe his imagination was playing tricks on him. There was nobody there now.

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Cara and Emmelia packed up quickly and ran off into the desert. 
They'd been walking for a little over half an hour when Emmelia asked, "Who was that person?"

Cara looked down at her. "A bounty hunter."

It was true. Din was a bounty hunter again. It wasn't lying...not really.

Emmelia looked confused. "But...but were you scared of him?"

Cara thought for a moment. Was she scared of Din? No. At least, not of what he could do to her, which was basically nothing. But she was still wanted by the Empire. So no, she wasn't scared of what he could do to her. But she was scared of what she might do to him. 

It was too complicated to explain to a six-year-old. So instead, Cara just said, "No."

"But you ran away from him. You never run away from anyone." Emmelia pressed. Cara sighed. 

"I just don't like him. Anyways, let's go into town. We can get a ride to another planet, and maybe you can have some ice cream."

Seeming satisfied with this answer, Emmelia perked up and started skipping.

Cara sighed again. She'd flat-out lied to Emmelia when she'd said that she didn't like Din.

Lying to a six-year-old. Nice move, Cara.

But still...she'd worried about Din. People had told her that he was alive, and she had never quite believed them. 

But now she knew, because she'd seen him, and he was very much alive. She wasn't sure what to feel. She was happy, of course, but seeing him had also triggered memories that she tried to keep locked up.

When we saved the village.

When he insisted that I come with him to kill the Client.

When we had to give up Grogu.

When he was dying after the explosion.

How he told us to leave him. How he would never take off his helmet. 

When he gave me the necklace.

Cara sighed. No. She didn't want to see him again. After she left, he'd sent her messages. She'd ignored every one of them.

Was that a mistake?

No. It wasn't. She couldn't think about him right now. Or ever.

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Din crouched down among the rocks on the ledge. Behind him, Aiden was eating a piece of bantha jerky, grumbling about the heat and the sun. Din held up a hand.

"Don't worry. We'll go to town soon."

Aiden's grumbling subsided.

Din stood up, prepared to admit defeat, when he noticed something shining against the rocks.

A tiny piece of blue metal armor.

Din had spent years looking for Cara. 

Maybe he was finally on the right track.