"Okay... so we do all realize how reckless it is to do this... right?" you murmur, looking over at Din. "They could die."
You're crouched on a rocky ledge, looking down at the giant cave across the canyon. A Tusken is walking towards the mouth of the cave with a bantha tied to a leash by its side. The Tusken standing by your side starts to let out a string of soft barks, trying to communicate with you while Din translates.
"They say it lives in there. They say it sleeps."
"Well, I figured it lives there," you scoff. "But, remember the last time we tried to provoke a beast that lived in a cave?" Din turns his head to stare at you, the blank expression of his visor boring into you. "It didn't end well."
Din continues with his explanation, choosing to ignore your comment. "It lives in an abandoned sarlacc pit."
"I've lived on Tatooine my whole life... there's no such thing as an abandoned sarlacc pit," Cobb shakes his head.
"There is if you eat the sarlacc," Din says bluntly.
You stare at him before turning back to look at the cave. "Oh... goodie."
Din hands you the binocs and you peer through them at the Tusken that's stopped in front of the dragon's cave.
"They're laying out a bantha to protect the settlement. They've studied its digestion cycle for generations."
You raise your brow, impressed by the Tuskens' efforts.
"They feed the dragon to make it sleep longer. Watch, the dragon will appear."
The Tusken below raises their hands to their mouth, using them to make a makeshift megaphone as they call out into the dark mouth of the cave.
Their call echoes through the canyon and you lower the binocs to watch the scene with your own eyes. There's a moment of silence as the Tusken call fades away, but it's quickly replaced by a low growl that makes the walls of the cave shake. The Tusken starts to sprint back to where you're hiding, and you grimace as you watch them struggle to close the long distance between them and the group hidden in the stone.
"They're not gonna make it," you whisper, horrified.
"The dragon is going for the bantha," Din replies softly, trying to ease your nerves.
"No, it won't."
The entire canyon rumbles as the beast starts to make its way to the front of the cave. It appears in the sunlight, its mouth already opened in a gape, and it completely passes by the oblivious bantha... eating the poor Tusken whole.
You let out a gasp, rising from your crouch as the dragon slinks its way back into the protection of the cave.
The group sits in silence, staring at the tracks the dragon had left in the sand. Not even a drop of blood was left of the Tusken... there was no evidence that they were even there to begin with.
"They might be open to some fresh ideas," Din says slowly, glancing over at Cobb.
~~~
The group returns to the camp and you watch as the Tuskens arrange a miniature model of the cave, dragon, and your group. You tilt your head as you watch them from your place by Din's side, observing the signs they use to communicate with Din and each other. You're trying to figure out what certain signs mean for them... you've learned some sign language from your time as a Padawan, but you weren't sure if they used the same dialect as what you knew.
"What are the bones?" Cobb asks, looking down at the gathered Tuskens with a frown.
"That's the krayt dragon," Din answers, pointing at it.
"And those little rocks?"
"That's us."
"It's not to scale," Cobb says grumpily, earning himself a glare from you.
"I think it is," Din shrugs.
The two continue to bicker about the scale of the model, and you roll your eyes as you analyze the layout. Recognizing one of the hand gestures from one of the Tuskens, you tap their shoulder to gain their attention. You gesture quickly with your hands, frowning in focus as you try to remember the sign.
We need more people.
The Tusken barks in agreement, their posture straightening with pride at your attempt to communicate. Another Tusken adds more stones to the model, and you smile at them for taking your comment into mind. Din watches you start to communicate with the Tuskens, pride swelling in his chest at your beginning to make connections with the Sand People.
Din's focus leaves the conversation of plans, and he watches you continue to carefully sign to the Tuskens next to you. You're smiling as the Tuskens start to understand that you can communicate mainly through signs and not through verbal cues. He hadn't even known that you knew sign, and he observes the way you slowly contort your hands to form words and meaning. Based on the way you started off shaky, Din can tell that you haven't used sign in a significantly long time, but your movements are starting to move faster and more fluently the farther that you go into conversation.
The fact that she's trying... even though she was scared of them at first... Maker... I'm falling hard...
His mind swirls with thoughts of love and devotion, momentarily forgetting the situation at hand.
It was only when Cobb elbowed him hard in the arm did Din snap back to attention.
"What?" Din grunts, trying to shake off his surprise.
"Stop staring at her, man," Cobb murmurs. "I know she's your wife and all but we have a dragon to kill."
Din just stares at the marshal in confusion, forgetting the conversation that they had had the other night concerning his relationship with you. He's racking his mind for when he had outright told them that you were his wife... and to be honest, he kinda likes the sound of the word correlating to her relationship to him... so he's choosing not to correct him.
"Where are we gonna get those reinforcements?" Cobb grumbles, his focus returning to the scale model on the sand.
Din glances down when he sees you grunt at the Tusken closest to you, repeating back their foreign words and correlating them with signs to make sure that you're communicating correctly.
Where... where do you think we can find... more?
Din smiles as he watches you pause at the last word, trying to remember how to ask your question properly.
The Tuskens sign back with a soft grunt. More people?
You nod quickly as you speak, "Yes."
The Tusken nods in return, signing in reply. You... are... Jedi.
"Yes," you sign back.
"You kill the beast."
"I can't," you frown, signing as slowly as you're choosing your words. "Not alone."
"Weapon." They gesture to the handle on your belt and you glance down at it.
"I can't," you whisper before returning to sign. "I'm sorry."
"I've volunteered your village," Din says calmly, answering Cobb's question of reinforcements.
"I don't know if the village will want to help," Cobb hisses, his face contorting into a look of discomfort.
"We don't really have much of a choice," you pipe in, looking up from your place with Tuskens. "We can't kill it alone. It'll destroy us."
"And bringing in townspeople won't cause more risk? These are people-"
"And so are they." You gesture to the camp and its inhabitants. "They're risking their lives. The most that we can do is at least ask the people of Mos Pelgo to consider helping in some way. If not... we're toast."
Cobb glances at Din to see him nodding in agreement with your words and the marshal's lips pull into a tight frown. He stands there for a few moments, thinking it over before nodding and walking back to his speeder. Din offers you a hand to help you up from the floor and you dust yourself off as you sign a quick farewell to the Sand People before making your way to the speeder. Din barks out a short explanation and soon joins you on the speeder, taking off into the Dune Sea after Cobb.
You rest your cheek against Din's shoulder, content to being back in the comfortable position, as you hide behind him from the glaring suns.
"I didn't know you could sign," Din calls back to you, turning his head slightly to look at you.
"I learned it a very... very long time ago. And I'm not fluent," you shrug. "It was just a part of my studies. Master Thorn and Kenobi always encouraged me to learn as much as I could as far as communication."
"I'm proud of you."
You sit up, leaning over his shoulder as he tries to focus on the dunes ahead of them. "What? Why are you proud of me?" you tease, smiling like an idiot.
"Because you were nervous at first but then you tried to communicate and interact anyway. I saw how you were talking with the Sand People."
You look away nervously, suddenly self-conscious of your interaction with the Tuskens... especially since Din just admitted to watching you. You've grown used to him watching you, but it doesn't change the fact that it makes you flustered all the same.
"Din..."
"I'm just saying, cyar'ika. You never fail to astound me," Din shrugs.
"Thank you, ner cyare." You smile shyly, pressing a kiss to the cheek of his helmet.
Din sighs, tilting his head towards you while still facing forward. "I love it when you speak in Mando'a."
"Why do you think I do it, Buckets?" you tease, settling back into your position behind him.
~~~
Cobb's expression of a concerned grimace hasn't wavered by the time you returned to Mos Pelgo, and he starts to hastily explain as he gets off of his speeder.
"They attacked us less than a year ago. Killed half a dozen of us by the mining camp. I'd say I took down about twice as many Tuskens."
"The town respects you," Din says calmly, watching Cobb from his perch on the speeder while you slide off the back of it. "My guess is, they'll listen to reason."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Cobb says quietly, giving you a sorrowful glance and leaving to gather the townspeople for a meeting. You wrap your arms around Din's neck, hugging him from behind as he watches Vanth leave. His gloved hand rests over your arms, welcoming the embrace.
"Hey, is there a reason that people think we're married?" you muse, giving him a teasing smile when he turns in your embrace to look at you.
"It's easier than explaining the other stuff," Din replies slowly.
"What you mean like how we met and how we hated one another and you shot me out of a tree..." you tease.
"Ugh, ner kar'ta, gedet'ye," Din pleads, leaning forward to rest his forehead on your shoulder.
"I'm just sayin'." You watch as townspeople start to enter the cantina in droves to hear what their marshal has to say.
"For the record," Din starts, looking up from your shoulder. "I never hated you."
"Well, that's refreshing to hear," you smirk.
"I'm slightly offended to hear you say 'hate', but I'm choosing to ignore it."
"I didn't hate you, Din," you scoff, brushing sand off of his cowl.
"I started falling for you the moment that you beat me at taming the blurrgs."
You pause, your face burning red at the memory. "All because I beat you, huh?" you tease, trying to deflect the butterflies that are rising in your stomach.
"Sure... you could say that." You could hear the smile in his voice as he caresses your cheek softly.
You grab his hand, lowering back down as your face burns brighter. "No wonder people think we're married, Din. You're acting like-"
"Acting like what?" he smiles, tilting his head.
Like an idiot in love.
"Come on," you tap his visor. "We need to go join the meeting." And with that, you walk into the cantina, leaving Din to chuckle about your awkwardness as he gets off the speeder.
Din joins you by the bar at the cantina, earning yourselves the stares of most of the citizens while Cobb starts with introductions.
"This here is a Mandalorian," Vanth gestures to Din. "You know what that means?"
"We've heard the stories," Weequay says from a table across the room, his hands crossed in front of him nervously.
"Then you know how good they are at killing."
All eyes were on Din and you, and you shifted the satchel on your hip to hide the kid from their view. Uneasiness sits in your stomach at the comment about Din's exceptional ability in killing, and you're trying to decide whether or not to confess your status as a Jedi, solely based on that reaction.
"Now, this one's got a problem," Vanth gestures to Din, and you turn your head to stare at him quizzically. "I got a suit o' salvaged armor and the Mandalorian Creed says it's his to take."
Murmurs and grumbles ripple through the crowd at that, and you try to keep a straight face as you meet their stares, preparing to step forward on Din's behalf.
"But," Vanth interrupts the grumblings. "I've got a problem too. A krayt dragon has been peeling off our pack animals, and sometimes, taking our mining haul with it. It's just a matter of time before it grows tired of banthas and goes after a couple of you townsfolk, or even, so help us, the school."
You grimace at the idea of it - the entire school of children being pulled down into the sands with the dragon. It's sickening. But now you can see Cobb's strategy in convincing the town: showing them how much bigger their problem is in comparison to Din's.
"As much as I've grown fond of the armor, I'm even more fond of this town."
You smile softly at his words, appreciating how he was choosing to approach the situation.
"The Mandalorian is willing to help us slay the leviathan in exchange for returning the armor to its ancestral owners."
"Well, that settles it," Weequay says gruffly.
"There's more," Cobb grimaces. "We can't take on the krayt alone... And the Sand People are willing to help."
Clamoring breaks out throughout the cantina, and several people rise from their seats as they exclaim in anger at the mere mention of the Tuskens.
"They raid our mines!"
"They're monsters!"
"I've seen the size of that thing," Din interrupts, his voice booming over the sounds of shouts and grumbles. "It will swallow your entire town when the fancy hits it. You're lucky Mos Pelgo isn't a sand field already."
The room silences, falling into an eery quiet as they imagine their town as a mere stretch of sand and ruin.
"I know these people," Din continues. "They are brutal. But so is the Dune Sea." You nod at that, emphasizing his words. "They've survived for thousands of years in these sands and they know the krayt dragon better than anyone here. They are raiders, it's true. But they also keep their word."
"We have struck a deal," you say, adding to Din's words. "If we leave them the carcass of the beast and its ichor, they will stand by our side in battle and vow to never raise a blaster against this town until one of you breaks the peace." You emphasize the word "you", your eyes traveling the crowd with a stern stare.
The townspeople look amongst themselves nervously, trying to make a decision, but you smile softly when they start to nod in agreement to the terms.
Within an hour, you're watching as the townspeople start to gather explosives from their storage units, preparing to deliver them to the dragon's lair.
The Sand People should be here soon... and then it starts.
Right on cue, the low bellowing of a bantha echoes over the sands, making everyone look up from their work. A line of banthas is making its way over the dunes with Tuskens both riding and walking alongside them.
The people of Mos Pelgo grow tense at the sight of them, but you brush the feeling aside as you move forward to greet them and try to explain the plan to the best of your ability while Din is with Vanth. The Sand People start to work with the people of Mos Pelgo, strapping explosives to banthas and other necessary weapons for the job.
You busy yourself by making sure that the explosives are properly tied to the giant creatures, petting the banthas that suddenly become stressed by the sudden amount of strange objects that are being tied to their backs.
"Shh, shh," you whisper, petting its nose as it bellows softly. "It's okay. Shh."
Din starts to make his way over to you, smiling under his helmet at your calming nature. I swear, she can soothe any animal.
He tenses when he hears an argument break out between a civilian and a Tusken, turning to break up the fight but stopping when he sees Cobb step in between them to settle it.
"Everything okay?"
Din startles when you suddenly appear by his side, jumping slightly in shock. It takes him a moment before he speaks. "... Yeah... Vanth's got it."
"Speak of the devil," you murmur, raising your brow at Cobb in a silent question about the situation as he makes his way past the two of you.
"It's gonna be great," he huffs in an unconvincing manner, and you chuckle dryly as he moves to check on the rest of the explosives.
"Are you ready to go?" Din asks quietly, reaching for your hand.
"Well, considering the fact that we could die... yeah... oddly enough, I am." You look up at him with a sigh. "You need to promise me that you're not gonna do anything reckless."
"Alora-" Din sighs.
"No." You glare into his visor. "No 'buts'. You will not do anything stupid."
"Then you need to make the same exact promise," Din says quietly.
"I'm not the one who keeps getting themselves in stupid situations," you hiss. "Do not..." you glare. "Do not do anything without properly... properly thinking about it."
Din stares at you as you wait for him to respond.
"Din! Promise me."
"I promise. I'll think before I act, I promise."
"Thank you," you huff, turning on your heel to go to the speeder.
~~~
The mass of people moves through the sand dunes, both Tusken and civilians alike. The speeders cruise alongside the line of banthas, watching over everyone as they walked and making sure that the banthas were in check. When the group arrives back at the cave, the work started immediately. People scrambled to unload the explosives from the banthas' backs, bringing out shovels and tools as they started moving to the front of the cave.
One Tusken walks ahead, a rifle tight in their grip, and they crouch at the mouth of the cave, feeling for the vibrations of the beast's breathing. The Tusken rises, turning to face you in the distance, and starts to sign back to Din.
"What'd he say?" Cobb murmurs.
"He says it's sleeping. If we listen carefully, we can hear it breathing," Din breathes.
"Well, then," you sigh. "Let's get to work.
You move forward, signaling one of the Tuskens to bring a bantha with you, and Din continues to discuss the plan as you move away.
"They say that the only weak spot is the belly, so we have to hit it from below."
You start to address the civilians and Tuskens who have started to follow you, signing to make up for what the Tuskens might not understand. "We need to bury the charges at the opening of the cave." You stop in front of the cave, gesturing to a strip of land.
The rest of the Tuskens start to prepare cannon-like weapons farther away from the mouth of the cave, making preparations to draw out and anger the beast.
"When it wakes from its sleep, we..." You gesture to the people around you, including yourself. "We need to get it angry enough to charge. Once it's far enough out and the belly of the beast is right where we are standing, the marshal will hit the detonator to set off the explosives that we're burying. Does everyone understand?"
The people nod, and you give them a nod in return. "Okay, good. Let's get going!"
And the work began. You worked to clear away the sand, helping the people to spread the explosive devices throughout the carving you've made in the earth. Hours pass by as you work in near silence, wary that too much noise would wake the sleeping dragon.
When the last of the preparations were done, you signaled for everyone to fall back - to get as far back as they possibly could. Running over to Din, you turn back to observe your work as you wipe sweat from your brow.
"It's ready... are we ready?"
"Yeah..." Din nods. "We're ready."
"Okay," you start to walk back to where the rest of the people were waiting, but Din's hand on your arm stops you.
"I want you to stay by me."
"Din-"
"I need you to stay by me," he insists.
You glance at Cobb, who awkwardly looks away and wanders off to check on something, and you look at Din with determination. "Din, I have to help on the ground."
"Alora-"
"Is this because of what I said earlier?" you tilt your head as you look up at him, brows knit together in concern. "About you doing something reckless?"
Din's silence confirms your suspicions.
"Din-"
"If you're close to me, then I won't have to worry as much and I can watch you," he argues.
"No, Din. I need to help them. I'll worry about you too, but we need to stay focused. You do not need to do anything reckless, okay? In fact, don't even allow yourself to do something that's not in the plan. Communicate with Cobb. Work as a team. I have my comms and we can communicate through that, okay?"
Din nods stiffly, frustration and worry building in his chest.
"Hey..." you whisper, reaching up to caress his beskar cheek. "It's gonna be okay."
"I know, cyare. I just don't like being separated from you."
"I don't either, but we need to."
Din sighs, pressing his forehead gently against yours. "Stay safe, sorcerer."
"You too, Buckets," you smile, pressing a kiss to his cheek before running off to stand with the civilians. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
You fall into line with the Tuskens and people of Mos Pelgo, pulling your blaster from your holster and gripping it tightly. Three Sand People have started to approach the mouth of the cave, armed with rifles, and they call out into the cave in unison.
"Come on," you whisper, gritting your teeth. You can feel Din's stare burning into the back of your head. Always watching and worrying.
Their calls echo into the void of the cave, and they are quickly greeted with a harsh growl from its depths. The Tuskens sprint back to where you stand, and your body tenses as you watch the sandy floor of the cave start to shift and swirl as the dragon moves underneath.
The dragon's high-pitched scream echoes through the canyon, calling out a warning to anyone nearby. It rears its head from the sand, exposing its enormous fangs as its scream grows louder.
"STAY IN POSITION!" you scream as the people around you start to shift nervously in their places, raising your free hand to signal to the Tuskens operating the spear cannon. "HOLD IT!" you stare at the beast, watching its every movement. "READY..." The beast roars louder, starting to creep further out of its resting place. "AND..."
Now.
"FIRE!"
Spears were fired at the dragon, digging into its tough flesh, and making it scream in anger and pain. One of the raiders running back to the group trips and falls, and you charge forward to help them as the dragon barrels forward.
"ALORA!" Din darts forward from his position in the rocky ledges above, but Cobb's arm stops him. "Move!" he growls at the marshal, desperate to get to you.
"She's gonna be fine," Cobb hisses.
Your efforts to get to the Tusken before the dragon did were in vain, and you let out a cry of desperation as you watch the poor man get captured in the jaws of the beast, with one hand reaching out to you for help.
"NO!"
The dragon starts to retreat back into the cave with its prize, hissing with satisfaction as it moves.
"Shit!" you hiss, pausing for a moment as you watch it back away.
"Dank farrick, it's going back in," Din growls. "It's retreating."
The ropes that were attached to the spears are starting to pull taut as the dragon pulls away, and the Sand People run to grab them, pulling them back with all their might. But they're yanked into the air along with the rope, dragged in after the beast. People start running forward to offer their assistance, but it all seems to be in vain.
"Oh no, you don't," you growl, raising your blaster.
"I'm gonna hit it," Cobb mutters, hovering his thumb over the trigger for the explosives.
"No! Wait! Alora is there!" Din urges, shoving his hand away from the trigger. "And we only have one shot. We've gotta get it out." His eyes narrow behind his visor as he watches you charge forward. "What is she doing?"
You let out a cry of anger as you shoot at the beast. The rest of the Tuskens and townspeople start to shoot and throw things at the krayt dragon to anger it.
"COME ON, YOU GIANT PIECE OF SHIT AND SCALES," you shriek, holding your ground and continuing fire.
The krayt dragon charges forward once again, barreling straight towards you while you continue to shoot. Your eyes narrow as the size of the beast starts to engulf your vision.
"FALL BACK!" You turn and wave your arms, screaming at people to leave as you stumble away from the charging beast. "RETREAT!" The dragon nearly snags you with its teeth when you slip over the shifting sand, but a Tusken yanks you away from harm as the beast slams its mouth shut with a deafening boom.
"ALORA!" Din's voice echoes through the canyon, and you glance up at the ledge where he's hidden when you hear it.
"NOT YET. DON'T HIT IT. NOT YET. IT'S NOT IN POSITION."
"Dammit, Alora," Din hisses, clenching his hand into a fist. "Why must you always be so focused on others and not yourself?"
"Gotta say, Mando," Cobb says through gritted teeth. "I admire your partner. She's got guts."
"That she does," Din mutters, watching as you drag someone away from the collapsing sand.
More spears are shot at the beast, and Tuskens swarm to grab onto the ropes connected to them, trying to haul the creature farther out of its cave.
"Come on!" You grab one of the ropes, helping the Tuskens in holding the dragon in position, but stumble back when the krayt dragon suddenly lifts its head into the air. The people holding the ropes are thrown into the air as you hit the sand with widened eyes in horror.
The dragon lets out a bellowed shriek, shaking the walls of the canyon and shifting the sand as it rears its head with opening jaws.
"Holy shit-"
A sickly green acid spews from its mouth and you cower in the sand, curling up into a ball to try to make yourself as small as you possibly can. Screaming fills the air as Tuskens and townspeople alike are hit with the acid, and you look up and scream in horror when you see them crumble and dissipate into nothing.
"ALORA!" Din charges forward once again, and Cobb moves to stop him again. "I need to get her. I need-"
"If you want to help her, then we need to kill the thing," Cobb says desperately, his eyes widening with the horror of what he had just witnessed.
"I need to get her away-"
"You need to focus, Mando! We are her only hope!"
"Okay... okay..." Din raises his binocs, watching as the dragon moves further into the open. You're splayed out on your back, looking up at the ginormous beast in terror.
"Oh Maker, this is not how my life was gonna end," you whisper to yourself. At least the kid is safe with Din.
"Now!" Din yells at Cobb.
You let out a scream when the bombs planted in the sand explode under the krayt dragon, and you turn to scramble away when it sends a ripple through the earth. The beast's roar nearly bursts your eardrums, and you clap your hands over your ears as you crumble to your knees. People were cowering just as you were, dropping to their knees and covering their heads as the explosion rocks the canyon.
The dragon dives into the sand, burrowing deep into the earth, and disappearing into the Dune Sea. The ground trembles from the movement, and you stay in your momentary state of shock as you watch it disappear.
The dust starts to settle, with the beast nowhere in sight, and you watch from the ground as people start to run to each other, helping them up and inspecting their wounds. A bark behind you makes you look up to see a Tusken offering you their hands, anxious growls falling from their masks as they urge you to get up.
Din watches as a Tusken helps you off of the ground, hurrying you away from where the krayt dragon had disappeared. And, for the krayt dragon... it was nowhere to be seen.
"I don't think it's dead," Cobb mutters, looking around the canyon for any signs of the beast.
"Me either," Din says gruffly, his gaze trained on you as you wipe blood and dirt away from a cut on your face from the debris.
An explosion from the top of the nearby mountain makes everyone stand at attention, their gazes ripped from the sands to stare up in horror. The dragon had dug its way through the rock, exploding out of the top. Debris and rocks flew everywhere, and you screamed at people to move as it came tumbling down. One nearly crushed a group of townspeople, and you threw your hand out to freeze it in mid-air with the Force, gritting your teeth as you did so. You throw the debris back up at the dragon just as it opened its jaws to throw up more acid, making it rain down on everyone like a hailstorm.
Another roaring in the sky, a different kind, draws your attention away from the panic for a moment, and you pause from your attempts at getting the people away from the mountain. Din and Cobb are soaring through the air, heading straight for the dragon. They land in the rocks beside the beast's head, shooting at it to try to draw its attention... but it does nothing.
You glance around, desperate to find a way to stop the dragon... at least, to stop it from throwing up acid. Focusing on a boulder at the mouth of the cave, you raise your hands and let your eyes flutter close. The boulder rises and shoots straight upward, smacking the dragon in the jaw and throwing it back to falter for a moment.
And that was all you needed.
"FALL BACK! GET AWAY!" you scream at everyone, directing them away with waving arms.
The dragon shrieks, turning its head to bite at where Din and the marshal were hiding as they continue to fire at its head.
"CYARE!" you scream, only taking a breath of relief when you watch him and Cobb appear mid-air, avoiding the creature's attack. The dragon dives back into the mountain, burrowing into the rock.
"SCATTER!" you cry out, your voice growing hoarse. "DON'T GROUP UP! SCATTER! IT'S DIVING AGAIN!"
Din and Cobb land at the mouth of the cave, spinning around to aim back up at the now-empty mountain top.
"Where is it?" you mutter, turning full circle to try to find it. "Where is the piece of shit?"
The canyon behind you shakes, and you spin around with wide eyes.
"BEHIND!"
The beast explodes from the sand, rage rippling through its scream as it dives in and out of the sand like a fish in water. Everyone starts to run and, for a moment, you're frozen where you are and staring up at the dragon.
Only when someone grabs your arm and drags you, do you start to run.
"Kriff! GO! KRIFFING GO!"
An explosion slams into the side of the dragon's face, the force of the blast sending you and everyone around you flying through the sand. Cobb had shot a missile from his pack at the beast to draw its attention away from your group. It shrieks in pain and turns to them, starting to charge at the two men.
"I got its attention!" Cobb yells, panic lancing through his voice. "Now what?"
"You still have that detonator?" Din asks, taking it from the marshal when he hands it over.
"What's the plan?"
"Take care of my family. Alora and the child."
"Wait, what?" Vanth starts to turn to look at Din, confused.
You look up to see Din slam the butt of the pulse rifle into Cobb's jetpack, sending him flying through the air and out of harm's way.
Din, what are you doing? And why are you standing in front of a bantha covered in armed explosives?
"CYARE!" you call out, your voice cracking from the strain. "CYARE, MOVE!"
But he doesn't. In fact, he turns and grabs the lead for the bantha when the bantha panics and tries to run. Din is holding the bantha in place, staring at the charging dragon.
"CYARE!"
The dragon rears its head, opens its jaws, and slams down into the sand. You let out a blood-curdling scream, running forward when Din disappears into a cloud of sand, dirt, and acid. The beast dives back into the sand, leaving absolutely nothing behind.
Not the bantha.
Not even your beloved Din...
"DIN!" you scream, your entire being shattering as you shove through people to get to where your love had made his last stand.
"CYARE!"
It feels like a meteor has crashed into your chest, the air suddenly void in your lungs.
A sudden arm around your waist drags you to a halt, knocking the breath from your lungs, and you shove at the person, trying to break away as the tears start to fall.
"Let me go! Let me go! I can... I can save him... I-"
"No, darlin', I'm sorry," Cobb whispers, holding you tighter against him. "I told him I would take care of you."
"Forget about me! Help him! Let me go!"
Your voice cracks, sobs shaking your body as your knees give out. You slump down into the sand, screaming into the dirt.
"He... he can't... he can't leave me... he promised... help him... save him... not again... I can't do this again..."
Cobb rips off his helmet, trying to rip your attention away from the disturbed sand that your beloved had disappeared into. "He did it to protect you."
"No..." you sob, anger and grief ripping at your heart as you start to drown in your pain. "No... save him..."
The ground rumbles, drawing your attention away from one another. The people murmur nervously, looking around for where the beast could come from. Rage tints your vision red, and you rise from your position on the ground, shoving Cobb aside with your lightsaber gripped in hand.
When the beast explodes from the ground in front of the cave, everyone stumbles back in surprise and fear. Blue electricity crackles over the teeth of the dragon, and its jaws open. Everyone braces for acid, starting to scatter but stops when they see a silver being fly out of the dragon's mouth.
Din turns in the air, clicking the detonator, and watches as the beast implodes. An enormous explosion of sand, flesh, and ash starts to rain down from the air as the dragon screams, collapsing into the sand. Din lands in front of its dying form, sliding over the moving sand and coming to a halt just a few meters away from you. Saliva and some disgusting substance that looks like acid is dripping from his armor, and he's heaving for breath as he watches the beast fall still.
You stand and stare in shock, your lightsaber still tight in your grip.
Cheers erupt from the Sand People and the people of Mos Pelgo as they celebrate the defeat of the beast, but they're only faint echoes in your ears as you stare at the man you had thought to be dead.
The man whose death you've dreaded since the day you started to fall for him.
The man who had pulled away from the dark and back into the light.
He had died... but now he's standing right there.
He turns toward you, starting to hurry over to check on you. All Din can see is the look of hurt and confusion etched over your face, and he's urgent to make it right. He knew that his choice would upset you, especially after he had promised not to do something exactly like this. Din watches as you clip your lightsaber back onto your belt, but kept your blaster tight in your grip.
He's a few feet away when he starts to open his arms for an embrace... but he was met with the exact opposite.
"You... you... You bastard!" You throw your blaster at him, and Din winces as the weapon slams into his cuirass and falls to his feet.
"Cyar'ika..."
"No," you shake your head, backing away from Din. "No, no, no, you don't get to call me that right now... That is the... The cruelest thing you could have ever done to me. I can't... Maker, I wish I could slap you right now..."
You turn away, wiping the tears from your eyes and crossing your arms over your chest. You couldn't handle another loss like Ari... Din knew that.
"I can't even look at you right now," you growl, storming off to the speeder to wait for your departure.
Cobb tries to grab your arm as you walk by, but you quickly rip it out of his grasp with a strangled sob.
"He was doing it to protect you... don't be too harsh on him," Cobb says softly, empathy and understanding shining in his eyes.
"Thank you, Cobb... for your help," you nod stiffly, not caring if he saw you cry.
"I should be the one thanking you, ma'am," he smiles, offering his hand, which you take. "I will forever be in your debt for the assistance and freedom you two have brought to our town," Cobbs says, raising your hand so he could kiss the top of it. "I apologize for how sour our meeting was. I hope our paths cross again."
"As do I, Cobb." You mumble a quick goodbye and continue on with your storming to the speeder bike.
Vanth raises his brows at Din in concern as you go, a deep frown darkening his normally bright expression. "You messed up, man."
"I was trying to protect my family," Din growls, not welcoming Cobb's intervention in the issue.
"That doesn't change the fact that you messed up."
Din sighs, glancing over at you with a sorrowful expression as he silently agrees with the man. He scoops up your blaster from the ground, watching as you disappear behind the cluster of rocks that were shielding the child from the dragon.
"Hey, theesa..." The anger was sucked from your voice when you catch sight of the child sitting comfortably on the speeder. "Your father's a dumbass. But I'm sure you know that already."
The child coos in confusion, its ears drooping slightly.
"Never mind," you coo, pressing a kiss to his forehead before settling into the driver's seat. Switching the machine on, you maneuver it out of the rocky enclosure, bringing it around for Din to hop on when he was ready to go.
You watch from the small distance over the sand as Cobb hands over the armor and gifts Din a piece of meat from the dragon, wrapped in cloth. A few Tuskens and townspeople approach you, thanking you and saying goodbye before hurrying off to help with the body. One Tusken in particular, the one who had dragged you to safety, approaches you with a staff. You offer him the best smile that you could muster at the moment, signing him a greeting. The Tusken rests the gaffi stick against your speeder, signing and barking in return. He gestures to the staff, pointing at you, and signing.
This belongs to you.
"Oh," you shake your head quickly, signing as you speak. "Please, I can't take that."
Take. It's yours. Thank you for saving us.
He presses the staff into your grasp, and you offer him a timid smile as you look down at it.
"Thank you," you whisper, turning the staff in your hand. "It's beautiful."
Sliding off of the bike, you strap the staff along the side of it, making sure that it won't fall during your journey back. After one more thank you, he nods, signing one final goodbye. You open your arms for an embrace, to which he hesitates for a moment, but allows you to give him a quick hug.
"Thank you for saving me," you murmur.
The Tusken nods, barking softly in farewell, and hurries off. You climb back onto the bike, glancing around at the flurry of people moving about with a small smile.
But when Din turns to you, you look away, uninterested in trying to make amends at the moment. He sighs, making his way over to the speeder after wishing Cobb farewell, and ties the dragon meat and armor to the back of the speeder. Din offers you your blaster, but you remain turned away, ignoring his attempt of reconciliation, and grunt as a way to tell him to get on the speeder.
Din tucks the blaster into your satchel and climbs onto the speeder, sighing as he does so. You keep your stare forward, your body still bristling with fury and grief as you wait for him to safely tuck the child into his satchel. You adjust the scarf around your neck, raising it to protect your face, and pull your goggles into place to prepare for departure. The moment that Din's arms start to wrap around your waist, you shoot off into the desert. Din yelps in surprise, tightening his grip on your waist as the speeder slices through the dry desert air, kicking up sand as it moves.
"Was that really necessary?" Din murmurs, not really expecting a reply but letting out a sigh anyway when he doesn't one.
Fury roars in your ears, drowning out the heartbreak that still lances through your chest as you stare at the sand dunes in front of you.
The next couple hours of travel are done in near complete silence - except for the few moments where Din tried and failed to talk to you over the roar of the wind. You had simply shrugged him away, your scowl only deepening whenever he made an attempt at peace.
The suns start to dip in the Tatooine sky, casting a cloud of purple across the evening sky. Your eyes narrow behind your goggles when you feel Din leaning forward to try to speak to you again.
"Alor-"
You slam on the brakes, making Din jolt forward as the speeder skids to a halt - his grip on your waist tightening to try to keep himself, and you, on the speeder. Din stares at you, slack-jawed with shock, as he awaits your explanation for the sudden stop. You glower at the grains of sand in front of you, trying to shove back the tidal waves of anger, sorrow, and grief that are swarming your mind and body. It feels as if a heavy cloud surrounds you, creeping ever closer and seeping into your skin through the leather on your sleeves.
"Cyare-" Din coaxes, leaning forward to get a look at your expression, but you jump off of the bike and stalk into the dunes. Ripping off your goggles and scarf, your boots kick up sand in anger as you trudge, and you can hear Din grunt in annoyance as he struggles to get off of the bike to follow you.
"Alora, I'm sorry."
Your gloved hands tighten into fists, and your next words come out like venom. "Stop."
"Alora-"
"No! Stop!" You spin around with a killing glare, ignoring the sensation of hot tears running down your cheeks.
"Cyare..." Din approaches you, reaching out to brush away the tears.
"No!" You shove his hands away, stepping back as you shake your head in disapproval. "You don't get to do that!"
"Do what?" He tilts his head in the way that you've come to adore, but the innocent action only angers you further.
"Wipe my tears away! Tell me that it's okay... that I don't need to cry. You caused them! You caused my tears! You can't say that you're sorry! That you didn't mean to! When you did!" Your voice is a growl as you glare at the Mandalorian, watching your face contort in anger in his visor's reflection. "You have no right to say anything right now..."
"I was trying to protect you and the kid-"
"By getting yourself killed?!"
"If that's what it takes!" Din's voice starts to rise to match your own. "You know what I would do to protect you-"
"That doesn't mean that you throw yourself at death at each turn we take!" you snarl, wiping your cheek with the palm of your hand. "You chose to do that."
Din pauses, eyes narrowing behind his visor as he pieces the puzzle together. Your anger. Your tears. Your words. Does she really think-
"What? Do you think I was trying to get myself killed?!"
"Well, I would hope not," you scoff in response.
Din waves his arms in exasperation. "Then what is this about?! You and I both know that we'd let ourselves die if it means that the other would live. I hate that you'd do that for me, but I can't change the fact that it's true! So, why... Why... is this so different to you?"
You shake your head, unable to comprehend his words as anger continues to run through your veins. You're not even sure what exactly you're mad at anymore. But what you do know is that the weight that had settled on your chest when he'd disappeared into those sands has not budged from its place over your heart.
Am I mad at the fact that he risked his life to keep me safe? Is it the fact that I thought he was dead? Is it the fact that I thought that I was going to be alone again? Or was it the fact that I would've ripped that damned dragon to bits if it meant that I could pull Din out of its stomach? Was it my own anger and sudden lack of morals when I thought he was gone?
All of it builds up in your chest and you shake your head, denying the emotions the control that they desire. "I... I can't... I can't even look at you anymore."
Turning on your heel, you stalk into the darkening desert, kicking up sand in anger.
Din sighs in exasperation, looking around as if he could find someone to help them properly communicate in this vast and empty desert. "Where are you going?"
"Mos Eisley," you snark over your shoulder, not bothering to show him your anger-ridden expression.
"What are you gonna do?! You're gonna walk back to Mos Eisley?!" Din scoffs, starting to follow you. The kid coos in confusion from his place strapped safely against Din, looking up at his father for an explanation.
"Yes! I will do anything if it gets me away from you!" you scream, turning around to glare at Din.
He looks frozen by your words: one arm extended in a dramatic flourish to demonstrate his emotion and the other resting against his hip like an angry parent. A flash of hurt mixes with his scowl at your harsh words, and his mouth opens silently as his mind screams with angry retaliation.
Neither of you knows what to do. You're too angry with each other to even think about what you're doing or saying, and you're just glaring at each other while your chests heave.
Frustration takes over as you spin back around, walking a few paces before letting out a scream of anger. The sand around you is shoved up and away like a tidal wave - the direct result of your anger channeling into the Force. You're left standing in a cleared-out area of sand, like a crop circle in the desert.
That release of anger was all you needed. The fury fades so quickly that you begin to wonder if it was ever really there.
Instead, sorrow and grief take a hold of your chest, tightening your throat and making it difficult to breathe. It felt like a bantha was sitting on your chest, and sobs fall from your lips as you desperately try to make the weight disappear. Your legs buckle, and you crumple to your knees in the sand, grabbing handfuls of it in your anguish.
Din straightens upon seeing your breakdown. He didn't know if you wanted him there by his side, but in reality, he doesn't really care if you'll be mad at him. The Mandalorian runs to your side, pausing right behind you when words fall from your lips in a hoarse whisper.
"You of all people know that I cannot handle losing someone again... Especially when that someone is you, Din."
Din moves to kneel in front of you, holding your face in his hands so you'd meet his eye.
"Alora..."
"I thought you were dead," you choke out, blinking back tears as Din gently wipes them away from your face. "I thought I had lost you."
"I'm sorry, cyare. I'm so..." Now Din's voice broke, and his hands shook as he ripped off his gloves to touch your face. "I'm so so sorry. I didn't want to lose you. I didn't even think, I-" He's choking back his own tears now. "All I could think about was the fact that you were in danger. I can't lose you, just as you can't lose me."
He understood now... why you had been so angry. You were still grieving from what you thought you had lost.
"If you ever... ever... do that to me again..." you whisper hoarsely.
"I won't... I won't," Din assures you, pulling you into an embrace. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking about how you'd react when I did it. I knew that you'd be angry but I didn't think..."
"You didn't think I'd be this angry," you chuckle, wiping grains of sand from his cowl.
And just like that, you could breathe again. The weight lifts, and the air is allowed back into your lungs. Din is here. Din is alive.
"I won't do it again."
"Good. I'll kill you myself if you do," you mutter, half joking.
"I believe you," Din chuckles, caressing your face as if it was made of the finest glass. As if he was afraid he would break you again. "Ni ceta, cyar'ika. Ni ceta."
"Hell, I should kill you now," you grumble to yourself, ignoring the way a spark of amusement floats through Din's mind at your grumblings. "This isn't funny, Din."
"I know it's not, cyare, I'm sorry. I swear on the Creed to never do it again," Din says in a serious tone.
You squint at him, trying to figure out if he's still joking, but let yourself relax at his words. He would never break the Creed - it was precious to him - so the fact that he swore to it helps you to accept his promise.
"You didn't have to swear to the Creed, Din..." you sigh, shaking your head sadly as guilt at your anger starts to take hold.
"I mean it, Alora." He presses his forehead against your own, raising one of your hands with his and guiding it between the gap between his helmet and his face. Din presses a soft kiss against your fingertips. "Ni ceta."
You hum in reply, finally accepting his embrace as he pulls you in close, and you wrap your arms around his neck.
"You smell like dead dragon," you mutter, a smirk pulling at your lips.
"I-" Din chuckles and holds you tighter. "Fair enough."