The Chieftain (Star Wars)

Chapter 11: The Dawn Temple

He then took off his helmet, revealing his face covered in scars both fresh and old. The back of his head was soaked in blood. Rasanna then placed her left hand behind his head before reaching out to the Force. She focused on the wound, healing the back on of his head until there was no blood. In a heartbeat, the scars on his face then disappeared.

Despite not being Force-sensitive, the Mandalorian could feel the connection between Rasanna and himself. He sensed Rasanna's emotions of fear, guilt, and love. He looked at her in awe as he realized that those emotions were directed towards him. As she continued to concentrate on healing him, Rasanna began to hum a lullaby. It was the same one her mother sang when she was just a baby. He continued to stare at her as a smile grew on his face. Once he was healed, Rasanna stopped humming. The Mandalorian raised a hand, resting it on Rasanna's cheek.

"Can I kiss you?" He blurted out.

Rasanna was taken back by his sudden question. Her heart fluttered at his words. The Mandalorian's smile faltered when she didn't answer right away. Had I stepped over the line, he asked himself. She quickly nodded. "Yes, I'd love that."

With that, they both leaned in. As soon as their lips clashed, they felt as though a plethora of firecracker pinwheels from Republic Day were set off all at once. Once they pulled away from the kiss, they were both grinning like a pair of Loth-cats. After a few moments of silence, Rasanna spoke. "Your wound is healed, Mando."

"Din, my name is Din Djarin." He informed her. "You can call me that when we're alone."

"Din, I like it." She said with a smile on her face. "Din Djarin." 

Rasanna couldn't help but repeat the name. She wore a sheepish smile, causing Din's heart to flutter. He still couldn't believe what just happened. It's like he was in a dream, one he didn't want to wake up from. One thing he was certain of, he was deeply in love with Rasanna.

•••

After Din and Rasanna rested a bit, they made their way to Mountain Tellec, where the Dawn Temple lied on the plateau of the mountain. Once the three of them reached the snowy mountain, they saw the temple. The temple was still intact, but Rasanna feared it would be completely abandoned. The temple was smaller in size than the Jedi temple on Coruscant. There was one tower instead of four. There were a small flight of stairs leading up to the two giant doors of the temple. As they walked inside, they found the long hallways empty. This place reminded Rasanna of the meditation gardens from the Coruscant Jedi Temple.

This place was meant as a sanctuary for those to strengthen their connection with the Force. The beautiful plants, trees, and flowers were all gone. There were only a few left that were withered. They walked through countless empty rooms. Rasanna was devastated upon finding no one. Was she the only survivor from the Jedi Purge? They walked through a hallway filled with empty cells. However, Rasanna's breath caught in her throat when she saw one of them wasn't empty. Her eyes fell on Rav Naaran, who was in a stasis field inside a cell. The man had light skin and black robes. His eyes were closed, yet he still seemed to frighten Rasanna.

"Rav Naaran..." She whispered. She quickly turned to face Din. "We need to leave now."

"What? Why?" He asked, rather baffled.

The child, who was trailing behind them, walked over towards the control panel. The control panel lied not too far from Rav's cell. Once he climbed up on the control panel, he accidentally stepped on a button, releasing Rav from his stasis field. In a heartbeat, his glowing yellow eyes opened.

"Din, you need to take the child and leave." Rasanna urged.

Din shook his head. "No, I'm not leaving. Not without you, Rasanna."