Promises and Deals | The Mandalorian

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"Please, help us," one of them begs as a shock runs through their system.

Mando and Alora wait patiently for the inner gate to open, revealing another gate. Alora is the first to step into the transitional space, her tense shoulders shuddering as the back one closes behind them. "I don't like this," she mutters.

He does not get a chance to respond before the second gate opens, and they walk into a magnificent garden with a woman tending to a small bush. "Come forward," she says.

Alora stays a step behind him as they follow her order, though his wrist remains in her grasp.

"You are a Mandalorian?" The Magistrate asks as she turns to face them.

"Yes."

"I have a proposition that may interest you."

Mando narrows his eyes. "My price is high."

The Magistrate pauses as she moves into the center of the small bridge they all walk on. "This target is priceless. A Jedi plagues me. I want you to kill her."

A small part of him wants to smile, but Alora's grip no longer radiates the heat it did before. She shifts beside him as he says, "That's a difficult task."

"One that you are well suited for. The Jedi are the ancient enemy of Mandalore."

"As he said," Alora replies. "The price is high."

The Magistrate motions for a droid to come forward and place a long spear in her hands. Mando watches as she runs her hands over the spear almost protectively before turning back to the pair. "What do you make of this?"

Alora lets go of his wrist as he steps forward to inspect the spear. He weighs it in his hands, recognizing the material quickly after gently hitting it against his armor. "Beskar."

"Pure beskar. Like your armor. Kill the Jedi, and it's yours."

Handing back the spear, Mando glances back at Alora. He wants to see her face, her reaction, but she gives away nothing as her cloak flicks in the gentle breeze. Tilting her head, she asks, "Where do we find this Jedi?"

✦✧✦✧✦

If there's one thing Alora hates more than dreams, it's walking with no destination. Sure, they have an idea of where this Jedi will be, but it truly is another chase.

Since waking up, Alora's mind has been spinning with the memory her head decided to show her in her sleep. Remembering why she stopped speaking and how destructive her departure was makes it difficult to remember why she started talking again in the first place.

Her body stopped allowing her to speak because Alora Naftiri ceased to exist. She did not deserve to exist in the same way she did before; she rebelled against everything she was taught and everything she lived for—what she was made for. The High General did not deserve or want to remain real.

Speaking again was a sign. She had felt worthy for the first time in so long to bear a voice, to share her thoughts and ideas with another person, even if she will never see his face. Finding her voice, becoming Tiri—it showed her that she can exist without the princess and who she was before. She is not just some lap dog who takes orders because of how she was raised; Alora is her own person.

At least, she hopes she is. The dream reminded her that she had left Leia—severed that connection—only to make a new one with the Child and Mando. She set out to find herself, to complete her promise and find who Alora Naftiri is without the princess by her side, not attach herself to the two people beside her as she did before.