•Broken and Beskar• The Mandalorian

Chapter XXII: If He'll Have Me

They ventured deeper into the sewers and Nylah, at some point, stopped struggling. She shook in Cara's grip and that's when Cara realized something was wrong. Nylah's eyes darkened and stared into the blank stone floor.

The group stopped and Cara attempted to lower Nylah to the ground but at the last second Nylah pushed off her and landed with a thud.

Muffled talking entered her right ear. Karga, who was holding the child, started discussing with Cara the next steps. An escape plan.

"Nylah," Cara said. She didn't respond. Her fingers tangled in her hair, pulling at the roots until her scalp burned. She wanted to feel something. Something other than guilt and sorrow. She needed the pain. It was her fault. It was all her fault.

A hand rested gently on her shoulder. Nylah's hand pushed out and shoved the person away. It was Cara.

"My fault. My fault. It was my fault," Nylah muttered, tears brimming her eyes. She crawled away from them, pushing herself into the stone wall as if she was trying to escape into it.

"All my fault. My fault," she repeated,

"What's wrong with her?" Karga asked.

"She's having an attack. We just need to give her some space." Cara said, ushering Karga and the child away.

"Nylah," Cara called again. Gasps of sobs left Nylah, sounding painful as they tore her throat raw.

"My fault," Nylah repeated. "My fault. My fault." She breathed in but nothing entered her mouth. She gasped and gasped again. Black spots entered her vision. She squeezed her eyes hard, trying to make them go away but when she opened, the floor was moving. She looked over to see a blurry Cara before she saw nothing.

"Nylah? Nylah? Hey," a gentle hand grasped her shoulder. Her eyes opened, taking in the darkness and minimal lighting.

"Can you hear me? Nylah," Cara's voice started muffled but slowly cleared in her right ear. Her left hearer was gone, she remembered.

"Hey, take it easy. It was a doozy."

"What happened?" Nylah asked. She looked past Cara to Karga and the child in his arms.

"You had an attack. Then you hyperventilated and passed out. Just hang out here for a second. But we have to get going soon. They're gonna come after us. Okay?" She bent to meet Nylah's red eyes.

"Nylah, okay?"

"Okay," she said softly. She was exhausted. Her mind was clouded. Reality was a blur.

Footsteps sounded at the door they recently walked through. Nylah barely noticed. Or maybe she wasn't as interested in the footsteps as she was the floor. She continued to stare ahead, even if those footsteps meant their death.

Mando stepped out from behind a wall, holding his arm close to him. He took in the sight before him: Karga holding the child, Cara kneeling in front of Nylah, then Nylah, staring blankly into space. Her face lacked emotion, lacked feeling.

He limped past Karga toward Nylah. Cara stood to her full height and stepped out of his way. He knelt in front of his comrade, trying to meet her lightless eyes.

"Nylah," He said, gently. She blinked and her eyes shifted up to meet his shiny helmet. Her eyes widened and she let out a shaky breath, followed by a sharp inhale.

"He's real," Cara said, urgently. "He's real. You're not imagining him."

"You're alive?"

He nodded, "Yes."