GALDANA || the mandalorian

PART TWENTY-FIVE

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Fwega felt the fear hit her as soon as the creature was first hit, the confidence soon turning to terror as he thrashed, bombs exploding under him. She tried to look somewhere else, anywhere else, but she stood there, frozen, as the fear of both the dragon and the villagers washed over her.

Fwega put a hand on the speeder to steady herself, wavering slightly.

"I don't think it's dead." Mando looked at Cobb, who nodded in agreement.

"Me either."

The drahon spat acid onto the villagers and tuskens, vaporizing them on the spot.

"It's picking us off like womp rats. Let's go after it!" Mando looked at Fwega and paused, but nodded as she waved him off.

"I'll take care of him, don't worry Din." Fwega watched Cobb and Mando jetpack up to the top of the mountain, attempting to shoot at it. It didn't work.

The krayt dragon dove under the mountain and Fwega tried to pinpoint where its emotions were coming from, feeling it travel deep under her feet before-

"Mando! There!" She predicted its breaching point seconds before it surfaced, giving Mando a split second to form a plan. His eyes found the bantha and he paused to look at Cobb.

"You still have the detonator?" His voice was slightly panicked.

"Take it! What's the plan?" Cobb yelled back.

"Take care of them."

"What are you gonna do?"

"I don't know, but wish me luck." Mando shot at Cobb's jetpack causing him to shoot upwards, spiraling out of the way of the incoming dragon.

Cobb landed hard next to the speeder where Fwega was watching carefully, distress written across her face.

"Fwega-"

"What is he going to do?" Her eyes met his, tearful and scared. She felt the nervousness ripple off of Cobb in waves.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?! I-"

The krayt dragon swept itself downward, taking the bantha and Mando with it.

The next few second felt like hours.

Fwega felt herself fall to her knees, crying out as the creature didn't resurface. She tried to pinpoint Mando's distinct emotional path but couldn't, her sorrow too strong. This couldn't be the end. After everything they had gone through-

Cobb stood there and watched her weep, not knowing what to do to comfort her. He watched the sand ripple for a moment, yelling out Fwega's name as the creature resurfaced.

She looked up just in time to see Mando emerge from the dragon, waves of electricity behind him. He paused for a moment than clicked the detonator.

The creature went down.

He landed, saliva coating his armor but Fwega didn't care. She ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his clothed neck.

"You complete idiot!" She drew away, about to give him a scolding, but he hugged her back to him, wishing he could feel her face in his neck and body against his. He settled for this faux intimacy, armor against cloth.

"You-"

"Fwega." His voice was firm.

"I thought you died-"

" I didn't." For every reprimand she had for him, he had an answer.

They broke away, but held each other at an arm's length.

"Oh, you're so dirty."

"I did just get eaten."

She laughed gently and he marveled at her smile. It was that smile he thought of as he was engulfed by the dragon's mouth, flashes of her face and eyes.

The cheers of the villagers and tuskens faded around them.

He pushed her hair behind her ear and walked away, breaking their temporary solace.

The child cooed from the ground beside her, tugging at her pant leg and meeting her eyes. Fwega smiled and picked it up, kissing the top of its head and hugging it to her.

°°°

Fwega tried not to look at the krayt dragon's remains, leaning on the side of the speeder and looking off into the array of dunes that melted into a stark blue sky. She felt Mando's sympathy before she felt his hand touch her shoulder.

"You ready to leave?"

She turned towards him and nodded, hugging him again. She didn't meet his eyes.

"You okay?"

"It's sad." She closed her eyes and rested her head on the side of his helmet. "It felt so much." Fwega's eyes widened when she realized something but hesitated, not knowing what the Mandalorian's reaction would be.

"I- there's a tradition. Well, it was a tradition. On Galdana."

He prompted her to continue.

She broke away to look at his helmet, placing a hand on the side of it.

"Linking. Have you heard of it?"

He shook his head.

She panicked slightly. "Nevermind, it doesn't matter-"

"Tell me," he requested gently, pulling her closer to stand between his legs as he leaned against the speeder. Fwega pushed him away self-consciously as she felt the stares around them but he pulled her back towards him, uncaring of what anyone else thought.

"It means I could only feel your emotions, and you could feel mine. It's like attaching yourself to someone. Forever."

He studied her face. He could tell she was nervous, refusing to meet his eyes.

"How do you do it?"

Her green eyes scanned his helmet, not finding any of the anger or regret she was expecting. "You'd do it?"

"I love you. Of course I would do it."

She beamed and nodded at him, tracing the line in the center of his chestplate. He grabbed her hand and she jumped, reminding her of his question once more.

"Oh, I just have to concentrate for an hour or two a day. It's not a very short process, which makes sense since, y'know, you're going to be spending your life with them-" she paused as she was pulled closer to Din, lopping his arms further around her waist. "So, is that a yes?"

"Yes."

She beamed again and kissed the front of his helmet triumphantly before falling back into his arms once more.

Someone cleared their throat behind them and Mando looked over Fwega's shoulder, spotting Cobb standing there awkwardly with the mandalorian armor in his hands.

"Ah." Mando pushed off the speeder and walked forward, keeping Fwega tucked into his side. "Sorry, I didn't have time to explain."

"No need." Cobb's eyes trailed Fwega before returning to Mando, nodding. "This was well earned."

"It was my pleasure."

"I hope our paths cross again." He held out a hand and Mando shook it.

"As do I."

Cobb walked away but paused, gesturing to the suit. "Oh, and you tell your people I wasn't the one who broke that."

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Hope you all enjoyed!!