Mandalorian Revived

Chapter 2

Present Day

It's official. Naboo is my favorite planet in the galaxy. I pull in a breath of fresh air through my nose, basking in the pleasant, clean scent of meadow flowers and the wetness that lingers from an afternoon rain. The light dances in dappled splotches across my eyelids as the grass sways in the evening breeze. The sky is golden by now. Even with my eyes closed, I've become familiar with Naboo's skies after our month of staying here.

I let out a breath through my nose and my body sinks further into the grassy meadow. Laying here, surrounded by nature and light and beauty, I feel at peace. I feel the force buzzing around me in every creature, every blade of grass, every whistling note on the breeze. I feel it in Grogu's presence nearby. I feel it in the footsteps approaching behind my head.

"What have I told you about sleeping out here alone with the ship open?"

I can't help but smile at the sound of Din's voice above me. The light disappears from my eyelids and I open them. A helmet looms above me, upside down from my view. We've been in this position before.

"I wasn't sleeping," I say, shrugging my shoulders against the ground. "I was meditating. It's easier here."

My gaze travels to the green child sitting in the crook of Din's elbow. He coos, reaching for me, and I reach my arms up to meet him. Din lowers him until I can take hold of him and set him in the grass beside me. He blinks brightly at me, and I notice the little pastry in his clawed hand.

"Did Mando get you a treat in town?" I ask, rolling to the side and propping myself up on my elbow to face him. He squeals, taking a bite and spraying crumbs everywhere. I let out a laugh and he tries to copy it.

I feel Din settle onto the ground behind me. The now familiar hiss of his helmet sounds and suddenly his face is hovering above my cheek. He kisses it, gently as ever, and hums. "He was persistent."

I sit up, raising an eyebrow at him. "You can't resist the charm of a little kid?"

He almost smiles. Now that the helmet comes off more and more, I've noticed his reluctance to smile. Almost as if he's afraid it will look too vulnerable after years of living the isolated bounty-hunting life. "Kaysh guur' skraan," he says, nodding toward the child.

My nose scrunches up as I concentrate on his words. I break them down, mulling them around in my mind before I look back into his brown eyes. "He...loves his...boots?"

His reluctant smile grows as he shakes his head. "His food," he corrects my translation. My Mando'a lessons have been a little slow going.

He captures my eyes with his, a power he seems to have perfected in our time on Naboo. It freezes me. One of his thumbs comes up to brush a few stray hairs from my face as we sit in the calm stillness of the early evening. He looks more relaxed in this light. The soft glow of the setting sun softens the lines of his face. And it brings out the honey in his eyes.

Grogu lets out a loud yawn, interrupting our quiet moment, and I turn to him. "Tired, buddy?" I pluck him from the ground and haul myself to my feet, sighing as I look down at Din. "I'll take him in for a little nap before dinner."

He's quiet as I turn to walk up the ramp back into my ship. The trusty U-wing sits proudly in our meadow beside Din's N-1. We rarely use his little starfighter. I've taken it for a spin around the planet once or twice, after begging Din until he looked ready to lock me in my room to give himself some peace, but otherwise, we haven't left the planet since Din brought us here a month ago.

Grogu goes into his compartment willingly and I kiss the top of his head before closing it. He's been sleeping a lot more lately, but I suppose that's part of growing up. At least, I hope it is. I never planned to be a parent.