Solstice • The Mandalorian

Chapter 8~The Bandits

   Once the villagers had found out about our plan to help, they immediately welcomed us with open arms. They had given us a wooden cabin that was comfortable in size for both the Mandalorian and I, and two large bowls of steaming hot bone broth, a set of clothes for me, along with the promise of eternal gratefulness. As I sat on the porch of the cabin sipping the bowl of bone broth, I couldn't help but admire how peaceful the village was. It was like something out of a fairytale, surrounded by tall mountains and seemingly endless forest, it was completely cut off from civilization. It was perfect. 

   "Hey, Mando," I said, watching the full bowl of bone broth beside me slowly lose it's steam to the night air. "Your food's getting cold." 

   "Is that what you're going to be calling me now?" He said.

   "Yes, now hurry."

   Mando emerged from the cabin with a dirty cloth in one hand and his pulse blaster in the other. Yup, he had definitely been polishing something. 

   "What are you doing?" he said, looking at the disregarded hood on the ground next to me. 

   "It's night time," I rolled my eyes. "No one's awake. Besides, this place is so disconnected from civilization, they're not going to know who I am." 

   "Put it on in the morning," he said and took the bone broth into the cabin. "Don't come in here."

   "I'm the one who stopped your helmet from coming off, remember? You don't have to tell me not to come in; I know," I said. Mando didn't reply, so I assumed he had taken off his helmet and was finally eating something. He probably hadn't eaten for as long as I had, if not longer. I wondered if his voice would sound the same without his helmet. I wondered how he looked. 

   Soon, Mando slid his now empty bowl outside past the entrance of the cabin. I took that as an invitation to finally enter the hut. When I did, Mando had his helmet back on and was in the middle of repairing some of the weapons I had stripped him of. It was a good thing he had brought them with us, they were definitely going to come in useful against the bandits. 

   "Hey, can I ask you something," I said. 

   "Sure."

   "How long has it been since you've taken that off... in front of someone?" 

    Mando paused what he was doing for a moment. "I was around Ahri's age." 

   "No one's seen your face since you were a boy?" 

   Mando shook his head. I had only worn Mandalorian armor for a small amount of time but just based off that I knew it wasn't easy. I couldn't even imagine how difficult it must have been for him to live his entire life behind a mask. 

   "Isn't it hard, though? Don't you ever just get tired of it?"

   "It is the way," he said, continuing to work on his armor. "You should probably get some sleep, we have bandits to visit tomorrow." 

   I nodded and laid down on one of the soft blankets and pillows that were set up on the ground. I was so tired and hadn't even realized it until I remembered what a pillow felt like. 

   "Hey, what about you?" I said, propping myself onto one arm as I suddenly realized how difficult the sleeping situation was going to be. 

   "I'll sleep with it on," he said. 

   "What? No, I'll sleep outside."

   "You can't sleep outside," he said and I smiled.

   "Awwe, you care. Don't worry, it's warm outside."