I am sat upright in a small room. I hold my hand to my heart, and its beating normally. I notice my breathing. It is slow and relaxed. I look down and hold my hands out either side of me. I'm in a large, four poster bed with red satin sheets which my hands slowly stroke.
I look around the room. It has delicately red-patterned marbled floors, and a curved wall that leads into a balcony in front of the bed. The door to the balcony and windows stretch the entirerty of the tall walls, making the room bright with natural light. On either side of the bed sat small, white drawers. On the right hand wall sat a larger set of drawers, with a painting of a waterfall above it. On the left hand side sat a wardrobe made of the same white wood, and a small door. Next to the bed was also a larger door. I lean forwards slightly, and see at the end of my bed a chaise lounge in the same red colour as the sheets, where my lightsabre, dagger and small bag sit.
I think this is real. I can't really tell. I move the sheets off of my body, and turn to get out of bed.
'Ah...' As I go to move my legs, a pain shoots through them.
I look down. I'm wearing a pair of white linen trousers. Leaning over and lifting them up, I see that my legs are covered with bruises and scratches. I pull up on the sleeves on the white linen shirt I'm wearing, and see my arms are in a similar condition.
This must be real. There's no concievable way I'd be able to feel this pain if I was just in another vision. I try to move, and the same pain shoots up my legs. Gritting my teeth, I try to push through it.
'Hello?' I shout. Silence. An anxious bubble fills in my chest.
I try to get up again, whincing through the pain as I managed to move my legs so I'm now sitting on the bed, feet touching the floor. Grabbing onto one of the bed posters for support, I hoist myself up, breathing heavily.
I hobble slowly over to the balcony, grabbing onto the doors with their gold handles. I open them, and stand outside. I have never seen this place before. The sun illuminates all the green valleys and water in the distance. I'm obviously in a city, as for a few miles ahead there stands tall buildings with curved rooves. It's beautiful.
I close my eyes, letting the feeling of sun drench over me. Peacefulness fills me.
'Cyra!' I open my eyes suddenly to the sound of my name being called nearby. 'Cyra!' Louder this time.
'Hello?' I turn slowly around, leaning back against the balcony wall for support, struggling to stand on my feet. I move my head forwards to see into the bedroom.
'Cy-Oh!' Din Djarin stands in front of the bed, turning to face me. Armour still on. 'Cyra, when did you wake up? Why are you out of bed?' His voice filled with genuine concern and slight anxiety.
'I don't know, I-' Before I had much time to answer his questions, Din had paced quickly over to where I was on the balcony.
'You shouln't be standing...' He puts his arms round my shoulders, leading me away.
'Din, really. There's no need...' I reply, resisting his assistance. 'I don't want to get back into bed...'
'You need to.' Din grips my shoulders slightly harder, but in a caring way, forcing me towards the bed. I don't understand why he has suddenly gotten so protective.
'Din...' He ignores me. I try to stop walking, but, especially given my current incapacity, he remains much stronger than me. 'DIN!'
I shake off his assistance too abruptly and lose my balance, falling to the floor. My legs hit the marbled floor with a heavy smack.
'Cyra!' Din shouts slightly panicked, bending down to help me. I bite my lip, trying to ignore the pain and slight feeling of embarassment. I finally accept Din's help, and grab onto his arms for support as he helps lift me back to my feet. I hobble back into the bed, whincing one again as I return to the position I woke up in.
'Please, Cyra. Just stay in bed. I'll expl-' Din moves to the end of bed to sit on the small sofa that lies at the end of it. But before he has a chance to finish his sentence, there's a knock at the door.
The large door to the left of the bed opens. A petite brunette woman, wrapped in a deep brown robe with her hair swept back into a sleek bun pokes her head through.
'I have breakfast- oh!' As she steps into the room, carrying a silver tray with a small platter of various foods, she seems taken aback. 'Miss Cyra. You're awake!'
At first I thought what had startled her was Din's presence, but I was evidently mistaken. I nod politely, but before I can say anything, Din replies for me.
'Thank you, Khas. I'll take it from here.' He walks over, and takes the tray from the woman. She then nods at Din, then me, before turning and leaving the room, closing the door behind her.
'Here...' Din says, indicating with his head for me to sit up, as he places the tray on my lap. 'Usually, this is for me. But you need it more.'
'For you-what?' I ask, only getting more confused.
'I'll explain, just eat. Please.'
I look down at the tray in front of me. An array of various fruits sit in a bowl, and a china plate with some pastries sits beside it. The food was also accompanied by a glass and jug of water, as well as smaller glass of some sort of juice. Din sits at the sofa at the end of the bed, and waits patiently for me to begin eating before filling me in.
I pick up one of the fruits, and take a bite. Din starts talking.
'We crashed. Three days ago.'
'What?!' I exclaim, struggling to get the words out.
'It wasn't too bad. Grogu and I got out of it fine. But you...' Din sighs slightly. I'm beginning to sense some relief to his voice. 'Cyra, what do you remember?'
'Uh...I remember us talking about before, and then me going to the bathroom to...calm down. And then, I kind of...' I stutter slightly, trying to think how to phrase my next sentence. 'I guess I had some sort of panic attack or something, then that led into....a vision.'
Din nods. There's a silence.
'You were screaming pretty loudly,' Din added. I look at him. I'm not sure what to say. 'When you were in the bathroom. So, I got up to check on you. But I couldn't get the door open. The handle was boiling hot.'
Din says this whilst looking at the floor. It felt like he was trying to avoid meeting mine. It almost felt as though he was trying to avoid me feeling embarrassed about what had happened. I listen in silence, quietly making my way through the food.
'I didn't know what to do. And then Grogu made a sound. At first, I thought he was trying to tell me something about you. But he pointed to the front of the ship, and suddenly we were passing through the middle of an asteroid field. It didn't make any sense. Nothing on the planned route had any projections of asteroids or anything. When I'd left to check on you, we were still passing through hyperspace. I tried to get use through the asteroids, but you were still screaming,' Din paused. I didn't remember any of this. 'You...You wouln't stop screaming. I didn't know if you were in pain, or...'
Din moved his face towards the direction of the balcony, away from the bed. He couldn't even look at me. I stopped eating.
'Din, I'm so sorry. You didn't ask for th-'
'Anyway...' Din interrupted me, swallowing and then took a deep breathe. 'I thought I got us through it. I then realised we had entered the mid rim since coming out of hyperspace. In the Chommel sector. Then you started yelling "STOP." You kept repeating it, getting louder and louder. The entire ship starting shaking. Then there was a loud thump and crash, and I figured you had fallen. I was about to go and check on you again, but then the ship starting going down. I don't know how it happened. I was losing control, and realised we needed to land. I checked navigation, and the closest planet was Naboo.'
My heart jumped when he mentioned that name. Naboo. I felt like I'd heard it before. Mom had mentioned it.
'It was a rough landing. Had to go into the water. Damaged the ship pretty badly, but luckily nothing unfixable. I immediately went to the bathroom to check on you,' Din finally turned to face me. 'You were unconscious, lying with your back to the floor. Your head was bleeding pretty heavily. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I reckoned you feinted and hit your head pretty bad on the sink.'
As Din says this, I bring my hand up to touch the back of my head. I felt a massive bruised lump.
'In a rush, I grabbed a piece of old fabric and wrapped it tightly around your head to try and stop some of the bleeding. I picked you up, and tucked Grogu under my arm, and stood on top of the ship,' Din continues. 'People had already begun riding out to help us. Landed right outside the city- Theed. The Queen heard. She um...' Din began to get a little shifty. 'She knew who you were.'
My heart sunk this time.
'What do you mean?'
'Her mother was queen when your mother was with the Resistance. I assume she knows everything. Everyone has been very welcoming and accommodating,' Din looks at me seemingly in the eyes. 'You wouldn't have been so well-cared for if they either knew, or didn't have some sympathy.'
I nod, and continue eating. Although my anxieties didn't exactly feel soothed. Silence fell between us again. There was a level of guilt I felt towards Din. I felt like I should apologise.
'Din...' He looks up at me again. 'I'm sorry. I don't know what really happened, but if it was my fault, I-'
Din shook his head. 'It doesn't matter what happened, Cyra. Everything's fine. Don't apologise. Now that you're awake-' He let out a sigh of relief. 'Everything's fine.'
I nod.
'Do you know what happened to my legs? Why they're so...beaten up?'
Din shrugged his shoulders. 'We hit the water pretty hard. And you had already feinted. The ship's bathroom's tiny, so when you fell, and then we began to crash land, you probably just got shaken around a lot.'
I nod again. The only other sounds other than our talking was the thin, breezed movements from the curtains. There was a peacefulness to this planet.
'How long until the ship's ready then?' I ask.
'At least another three days, if not longer,' Din replies. I hold out my hand which has one of the pastries in it, offering it to Din, who refuses. 'The Queen has requested to meet you, by the way. And the Queen's mother.'
'Oh.'
'We have to go, I'm afraid. Need to show our gratitude. They've done so much. They both- the Queen and the Queen's mother- seemed pretty keen to meet you.'
'Guess we have no choice then,' I nod, continuing eating.
'They've already met Grogu. He's in the nursery right now.'
I smile at that thought. A peaceful silence falls between us again.
'Do you want to talk about it?'
'About what?' I reply.
'Well, what happened? In the bathroom?'
I sigh. I push the tray to the bed next to me, and shuffle a little down in the bed, trying to get more comfortable.
I don't know really. I think it started as a panic attack, but then...' I rubbed my eyes with my hands, and yawned. I kept my eyes closed, remembering. 'I think it turned into a vision. But it was weird. It was different to other visions. It was like someone else's memory.'
'What?'
'I know...I don't understand it,' I kept my eyes closed, going through what had happened. 'My head wouldn't stop showing me...things. Horrible things that I'd done or seen or witnessed. The noises...people's screams...Nothing would stop. I couldn't stop screaming. I knew I was screaming, I could feel it. But I couldn't hear anything. And then-,' I open my eyes. 'Then it was like...I woke up or something. I was on this planet made of molten lava and fire. In front of me was a woman-a pregnant woman- and a man, arguing. Loudly. I think they must've been a couple. And then, in the distance, this other man walked off the ship. This made the man arguing very angry. He felt betrayed. And was just so...angry. It was like I could feel his emotions. It was radiating off him. He held his hand up,' I imitated the motion with my hands. 'And started to choke the woman. But he didn't touch her. It was with the force. Like-'
'Darth Vader,' Din finishes for me.
'The woman called him Anakin.'
Me and Din look at each other. I could feel the shock emulating off his armour.
'Was it-'
'It must've been,' I replied. 'Luke had told us the stories when we were younger...Anakin Skywalker. The Jedi that came before Darth Vader. I think the bearded man must've been Obi Wan Kenobi. He trained Anakin.'
'What about the woman?' Din asks.
'I have no-'
Suddenly, there was another knock at the door. The same maid from a little earlier popped her head through.
'Apologies for interrupting. I have informed the Queen that you are awake, Madame Cyra. She and her mother have requested your presence for tea at midday. You also, Mandalorian. Should I tell her you accept?'
Me and Din look at each other, and he moves his head in a way that translates as it being my decision.
'Of course, thank you- what was your name again, sorry?'
'Khas, Madame. If you require fresh clothes, there are some hung in the wardrobe. I will come and collect you just before midday to take you the Queen.' She moves over the bed to collect the silver tray, and then nods, turning to leave the room.
'Oh, Khas,' Din chimes before she leaves.
'Yes, Mandalorian?' Khas replies, turning to face us once more.
'There's no need to collect Cyra for lunch. I'll take her,' Din affirms. Khas nods, and leaves, shutting the door behind her.
There's a slight awkwardness in the air. Somethings different about Din. There's a protective air to him. It's similar to the way he treated me when he was my Guardian. But the roles were different then. I was beginning to grow wary of his behaviour.
'Has she been looking after me since the crash?' I ask in a hushed whisper.
Din nods. 'The Queen has many handmaidens. They rotate, but they've all been charged to care for you,' Din stands. 'They come in the morning. Feed you. Bathe you. Then um...' Din pauses, shuffling a little uncomfortably where he stood. 'Then I come in for the rest of the day.'
'What do you mean? You've just been in here with me the past three days?'
'Well, yeah. You're under my care, you're my responsbility,' Din replied 'I just wanted to make sure you were, you know...okay.'
The awkwardness rises in the room. It's a very odd feeling to go from complete loneliness to being cared for by countless people in the span of a few days. Din seemingly used his contract to come and collect me as a way to protect himself from admitting he cared about me. I suppose I was doing the same thing- using his task of collecting me as an excuse to no longer be alone.
'Thank you,' I break. Din turns his head to me. 'You could've just left. Or not been so...caring. So, thank you.'
Although I was wary, I had learnt to be appreciative for when people stick around.
Din nods. I could feel the silent awkwardness rising again.
'Could you open the wardrobe, please. I want to see what I'll have to wear to lunch.'
Din walks over the wardrobe, and opens the door. Inside, appears dresses in various pastel shades and flowing styles.
'Right. Guess I'm wearing a dress then...' I try to stand up once more, and Din rushes over. He places his hand under my arm as I clutch onto the bed post to heave myself up. With his guidance, I hobble over to wear the wardrobe stands. The dress were all made out of light, graceful materials that drifted slightly as they ccaught the breeze from the balcony. 'Which one do you think?' I ask Din, half jokingly, half seriously.
'Uh...' I could tell my question had flummoxed him slightly. 'That one?'
He lifted the opposite hand to the one helping me stay up, and pointed to the pastel purple coloured dress that hung in the middle of all the others. I think he just pointed at which ever one his hand happened to land on, but I was in no mood to make any decisions.
'Sure. Could you lie it on the bed for me, please?' Din nodded, slowly removing his hand from my side. I clung onto the wardrobe door for support, wobbling slightly, as Din took out the dress, placing it delicately across the bed. He stood awkwardly next to the bed, as though he was waiting for some sort of next demand.
'Is there a bathroom?' I asked.
'That door,' Din replied pointing to a door next to the wardrobe. I began to waddle over to it, before Din once again rushed to my side to support me towards it. As I opened the door, and began to step inside, he didn't move.
'Din...'
'Hm?' He asked, arm still tucked around me.
'Why don't you wait outside the room, and I'll open the door when I'm ready? I think I've got it from here,' I ask.
'Oh, right. Of course,' He replied awkwardly, before shuffling out of the bathroom closing the door behind him.