The Mandalorian's Bounties | Din Djarin

Chapter 4 | Sanctuary (Part 3)

"You cannot fight that thing." She says.

"Unless we show them how." Din says. Cordelia smiles at him as Cara turns to look at him.

***

Cordelia sits in front of the Child's crib, feeding him dinner. She hears footsteps approaching and turns to see Din entering the barn.

"Can I talk to you?" He asks. She nods and stands, moving to join him near the doorway.

"What's wrong?" She asks. He shakes his head.

"Cara and I leave soon to bring the raiders to the village. We want you to take the children to the hut farthest away from the fighting." He explains. Cordelia opens her mouth to argue and he places a hand on her shoulder. "It's nonnegotiable, Delia. You're the person we trust to protect those who are unable to fight." He says. She looks over at the Child in his crib and sighs.

"Fine. But the second the fighting is over, you come get me." She says. He chuckles, but nods. They turn when footsteps approach, seeing Cara. They turn back to each other and Cordelia wraps her arms around him. "Be careful." She says. After a moment, Din hugs her back.

"Let's go, Mando." Cara says. They pull away and he walks down the steps. Cordelia watches them disappear into the forest before grabbing the Child. She walks through the village towards the hut Din mentioned and sees Omera waiting outside.

"Thank you." Omera says. Cordelia smiles and shakes her head.

"There's no need to thank us. Be careful out there." She replies. Omera nods and leaves to join the others. Cordelia checks that her blaster is on her hip before entering the hut.

Once the fighting starts and the sounds grow loud, Cordelia does her best to distract the children. She begins to sing them the song that she remembered, which calms them all almost instantly. She sings as loud as she can, trying to cover the sounds of the blasters and explosions outside.

After a while, the sounds quiet and she shushes the children. She hovers a hand over her blaster as she looks at the door. Footsteps approach and then there's a knock on the door.

"Delia?" Din's voice says. She sighs in relief and opens the door, letting him and the group of parents see the children unharmed.

***

Cordelia sits with the children, watching the Child as he chases a frog. He eventually catches it and starts eating it, making the children exclaim in disgust. Cordelia laughs at their expressions, and the Child spits the frog out.

"I told you, he'll eat anything!" She says.

"That's gross!" Winta says. 

"Frog's aren't that gross, they're just a little slimy." She says. Winta shakes her head.

"They're disgusting!" She and the children say. 

Cordelia spots a frog hopping nearby and quickly catches it. She holds it out and the children scream, running away. She laughs and lets the frog go. Winta runs back and grabs her sleeve, tugging her to her feet.

"You need to wash your hands and get that frog slime off!" She exclaims, tugging Cordelia towards the nearest pond. She rinses her hands in the water and Winta sighs in relief.  Suddenly, there's a loud bang of a blaster firing.

"We need to get inside!" Cordelia tells Winta, scooping up the Child. She herds the children into the nearest hut and Omera joins them after a minute. She hands the Child to the woman. "Do you know where Mando went?" She asks, moving towards the door.

"He ran into the forest. That way." Omera says, pointing in the direction he ran in.

Cordelia takes off, running in the direction she pointed in. She hears voices and then a stomp and runs faster. She finds Din and Cara standing together over the body of a bounty hunter.

"We're leaving, aren't we?" She asks. Din nods and she sighs. Cara heads back towards the village as Din approaches Cordelia.

"I'm sorry." He says. She shakes her head and wraps her arms around him.

"It doesn't matter. I'm just glad you're all right." She says. He hugs her back, wrapping his arms tight around her.

"Is the Child all right?" Din asks. She nods.

"Yes. He's with Omera and the other kids." She answers. He nods and pulls away.

"We need to get back and pack." He tells her. She nods and they make their way back to the village.

They quickly say their goodbyes and pack their belongings back on the cart. The village watches sadly as they finish.

"Are you sure you don't want an escort?" Cara asks.

"We appreciate the offer, but we're gonna bypass the town and head right to the Razor Crest." Din answers.

"Well then, until our paths cross." She says, slinging her bag over her shoulder and putting her hand out.

"Until our paths cross." He says, locking hands with her. She moves away.

Winta runs forward and throws her arms around the Child, then Cordelia.

"I'm gonna miss you both so much." Winta says.

"We'll be back. I don't know how soon, but we will. I promise." She tells the girl, smiling at her. Winta pulls away and nods. She moves back to her mother's side as Cordelia sits on the cart next to the Child. Din joins them and the cart starts moving away.