𝐀𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐍 || The Mandalorian

𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦.

The whole village was silent and the only thing you could hear was the crushing sound of tree leaves as the wind blew softly. The stars were shining brightly that night, as if they were sending codes to one another.

It was peaceful.

But not for Aeryn.

That night, a memory-a dreaded memory-visited her in her dreams. It was the memory that never failed to keep her up at night and miss her sleep.

"Din!" a young version of Aeryn yelled as chaos struck their city.

Explosions were everywhere, blaster shots, droids-everything around her was pure chaos. Everyone around her was dying.

Aeryn's red cloak flew behind her as she tried to run and look for her friend. A droid's shot almost hit her but luckily, she was able to duck.

Making one turn, she saw Din being carried by his parents, placing him inside an underground storage.

"Din!" she called for his name but he wasn't able to hear her.

Aeryn tried to get closer but she was stopped. As the storage's hatch was shut by Din's parents, an explosion followed.

The violet-eyed girl was thrown at least a few feet away from where she was before, hitting the cold ground.

Sharp pain radiated throughout her body as she opened her eyes. Aeryn felt every inch of her body throb in every attempt of standing up that she did.

For a child like her, it was unbearable.

Din.

Thinking of her close friend, she slowly tried to stand up but it was no use. She only managed to get a blurry glimpse of where Din was and it wasn't a good sight.

There was a huge droid standing in front of the open hatch, about to kill Din.

All Aeryn could remember was the droid being shot by something-someone-and it collapsed to the ground.

Then everything around her went black.

"No." Aeryn bolted awake, gasping for air. She was panting as she observed her surroundings. "I'm safe." she whispered to herself.

Everything around her was dark but she knew she was safe.

After a few deep breaths, Aeryn was finally able to calm herself down. She slowly headed towards the window, careful not to wake Mando or the child.

Aeryn carefully sat a feet away from the window as she watched the starry sky.

It was beautiful. It was mesmerizing.

The stars shone differently compared to previous nights and she noticed that. The cool midnight air coming from the window brushed against her face, sending her some chills.

It was peaceful.

And yet, tears started streaming down her face. She covered her lips with both of her hands as she tried to silence her sobs. Aeryn's tears flowed like a river.

Silently, she cried.

Those memories have haunted her for years. It never failed to awaken the voices that whispered inside her head. The voices that she never wanted to hear.

"You will never find him."

"You don't even know if he's alive

"You will never know who you truly are."

Those words never left her head as she cried. It sent an incredible amount of pain to her heart.

Again, again, and again.

She heard them.

"You okay?" Mando's voice suddenly spoke from behind her.

Aeryn quickly wiped the tears off her face and ignored the fact that Mando's voice sounded different.

It wasn't slightly robotic.

It sounded...normal

"H-huh? Y-yes, I'm okay." Aeryn answered as she continued wiping her tears.

Mando knew it was a lie.

He was awake the whole evening, hearing Aeryn mumble things in her sleep. No, it was a name. Mando heard her call for his real name; Din.

It has been a long time ever since he heard that name and when he did, he finally figured out why Aeryn's eyes felt familiar.

The reason behind the hole he always felt in his chest whenever she saw Aeryn's eyes.

Ryn.

That was what he remembered calling her. That was why Aeryn's name didn't ring a bell when he first heard it.

To him, it was her special name.

"No, you're not." Mando replied as he slowly headed for Aeryn's back. He sat behind her, not wanting for her to see his bare face.

After all, he wasn't wearing his beskar helmet.

"Can I trust you?" Aeryn asked him, covering her eyes that were filled with tears.

"Yes." Mando answered and this time, his voice felt closer to Aeryn.

"Do you think I'll ever find the person I'm looking for?" she asked. "Do you think I'll find him even though I don't know if he's alive or not?" she continued, her voice slightly cracking.

"Mando, do you think-"

Aeryn was cut off as she felt Mando bury his face on the right crook of her neck. He gently reached for her hands that was covering her eyes and held them.

Mando hugged Aeryn from behind as he held onto her hands.

Aeryn's eyes widened at the realization that Mando wasn't wearing his beskar helmet.

"Mando, stop. You're not weari-"

"I trust you, Aeryn." Mando whispered, still burying his face on the crook of Aeryn's neck . "And trust me, you will find him."

"I trust you too, Mando."

The pair stayed like that for a while. They were both certain that something felt different.

For the pair, it felt like the missing pieces of them were finally found.