Aldor's Eye - Part I

Chapter III - The Maze

Din felt like he'd slept for weeks, and woke wondering if he'd dreamed the entirety of the day before. It certainly seemed like it. When his mind began to clear, he realized Grogu was curled up next to him, and he was lying on his side rather than sitting upright in the N1. He opened his eyes, and looked down at a pale pelt underneath him. If he was looking at this shimmering hide of indulgent fur, she must have been real too. A soft coo immediately cleared his sleep-addled brain as he looked down at his son, snuggled up against his cuirass, just opening his big eyes. The brown orbs looked up at Din as he purred and cuddled closer. Din immediately knew what he was after. "You know I can't let her see my face."

Grogu pointed toward Aldor's bunk. She was nowhere to be seen. No sound or sign of her.

"Are you positive she's outside?"

Grogu bounced and nodded in excitement, pleased to have won his father over yet again.

Din sighed deeply. "Okay then, Pal. But if you sense her..."

Grogu nodded again before Din could finish. "Promise," he said.

If he was saying the word in Basic, he meant it. So Din begrudgingly took off his helmet, sliding it over his head on the floor, still lying on his side. Grogu immediately hopped up to Din's face to rub the tip of his little nose against his father's like it was the greatest thing in the galaxy. He giggled ecstatically while Din chuckled in spite of himself, smiling under the tickle at the tip of his nose. Din had no idea why Grogu loved this so much, but it was a small delight he could give to his son without question. Din had learned to cherish it too. Every morning since the boy first woke him with the gesture on Hovak 5, it had become their way of reminding each other at least one being in the Universe loved them. Grogu knew his father needed to feel that as much as he did.

Din sat up and pulled Grogu into his lap, and bowed his head to rest his forehead against his son's as he smiled down at him. "What would I do without you, Kid?" he asked quietly. "You know?"

Grogu took Din's face into his little hands and purred sweetly, repeating the morning gesture. He did know.

"And you know I'd do anything for you," Din continued. "So you need to tell me... do you want Aldor to train you?"

Grogu nodded. "Important," he said.

Din sighed, giving Grogu's head a gentle scratch. "So I've heard."

"Kind," Grogu said. "Wise."

"Yeah, she is... but..."

"Trust," Grogu insisted.

"I'll try, Kid. I promise I'll try."

Grogu pointed a claw toward the ramp, then at himself. "Care." He pointed again to the ramp, then at Din. "Care." He pointed at himself once more, then smoothed his little hand over Din's cheek, and left it at that.

It didn't happen often, but in moments like these when he had nothing to say because there were no words that could approach his feelings, Din couldn't help himself. He wrapped his arms around his tiny son, and pulled him to his chest, hoping the boy understood how much one word and a few simple gestures meant to him. He felt the tiny arms splay wide over his cuirass, trying to embrace him. Din chuckled as he fought to clear the mist from his eyes, then pressed a firm kiss to the top of Grogu's head.

"Important," Grogu cooed as Din released him and dropped his forehead again to the boy's. This word and all it implied had pulsed through the Kid like blood through his veins ever since they saw the Eye, like something told him he had to be here for the good of the Universe. The fact was, Din was inclined to believe him. As much as he hated to admit it, something about this planet felt right. There was something welcoming and familiar here that Din hadn't felt since he was a child. It was just a feeling. Something he didn't have words for that hummed through the cool wind and the warm ground. It whispered that he was exactly where he needed to be.