Falling for a Mandalorian

Chapter 15

Cara began to stir about an hour into their journey. She groaned and then sat up, rubbing her head. 

“What the hell happened?” She asked in a bleary voice.

Elara turned to face her and Cara let out a startled scream. Elara had tried her best to wipe the blood from herself, but had only succeeded in smearing it further. 

“Elara, are you okay?” Cara questioned, ignoring the pain in her chest as she reached toward her friend. 

Elara nodded. 

“You were stunned with a blaster. I-I had to stab him with your knife.” Elara explained and then looked away. 

“Oh El,” Cara said sympathetically. 

Both Cara and the Mandalorian lived their lives fighting others and killing when they needed to, but they understood just how hard a first kill could be. They all sat in silence for the rest of the journey. When they reached the village, Cara climbed from the back of the transporter and stood beside Elara. She rubbed her back gently and whispered in her ear.

“You did what you had to. If you want to talk about it later, let me know.” 

Elara nodded. 

“I’ll go work out how to get their landspeeders back to them.” Cara told the Mandalorian as she patted him on the shoulder.

He nodded and walked to Elara. She kept her head down and refused to look up at him. He picked her up from the transporter and carried her to their lodging. Villagers hushed as they passed by. They saw her stained with blood and the empty look in her eyes. Many of them carried similar burdens from the fight the previous night. Omera held the child as she looked out the doorway of her home. She would keep him for now, Elara would need some time to heal from her ordeal. 

The Mandalorian set her down on a chair and stepped into the small bathroom. He filled the bathtub with water. It wasn’t warm but it would do. He pulled Elara to her feet and guided her into the bathroom. 

He slowly pulled her tank top up and waited for her consent to take it off completely. She gave him a slight nod and lifted her arms. He pushed it over her head and tossed the blood soaked garment on the ground. His hands moved to the waistband of her pants and he once again waited for her permission. With a small nod, he pulled them down to her ankles. 

She held his shoulders to help her balance as she stepped out of them. She pulled off her underclothes and stepped into the water. The Mandalorian peeled his gloves off and grabbed soap. He dunked it in the water and rubbed it in his hands, creating a lather. Then he tilted her chin up and began to gently wash her face. She closed her eyes as his hands softly scrubbed the dried blood from her skin. He gently rinsed the suds off.  

“May I?” He asked.

Elara opened her eyes to see him gesturing to the blood on her neck and shoulders. She nodded. As he worked quietly, she looked down to see the bathwater turning red. She shivered involuntarily and tried to focus on the sensations of his hands on her skin. After a few minutes, he rinsed the soap from her. 

Elara stood as he turned and grabbed a towel. She stepped from the tub and he wrapped it around her. He dried her gently and then grabbed a black shirt and pulled it over her head. She realized it was one of his. She took a step forward and the Mandalorian hugged her body to his. She leaned against his armor, wishing he wasn’t wearing it. It wasn’t quite dark yet, but it would be soon.   

“Din?” She whispered. 

“Yes?” 

“If I promise to keep my eyes closed, will you take off your armor?” She asked softly.