xxvi. you know I want you,
its not a secret I try to hide
THEY WALKED DOWN THE BROKEN halls of the mandalorian mines and Allana looked around, wondering what it had been like all those years ago, "It looks like it's been centuries,"
"The empire set out to punish us, to wipe away our memory," Bo-Katan explained.
She nodded, "It must pain you to see it like this after you say its beauty," she stated, looking at the woman.
"It pains me to see out kind fighting each other. It made us weak. We had to hope to resist being smashed by the empire," she said, silence falling on the group, "There's the entrance,"
They go inside and Allana looked at the new set of caverns they entered, "This area looks much older,"
She nodded, memories flooding her, "The mines have been there for thousands of years," she explained.
"Have you been there?" Din asked, finally breaking his silence.
"When I was a child, I was aprr of the Royal family. I took the creed and was shrouded by gifts but the rituals were theatre for our people," she said.
There was a sad sense of nostalgia on Bo-Katans face as she grieved the family she had lost and the world she had lost as well.
"My father was proud, I didn't embarrass him in front of everyone," she said, shaking her head.
Allana smiled, "He sounds like an interesting man,' she said and the woman nodded.
"He was a great man, he died defending Mandalore," she explained, a melancholy tone to her voice.
When they get there, she loomed at the large room and the giant pool in front of it that she assumed was the waters in the mines of mandalore.
Bo-Katan laughed to herself as she recited some story off of a rock aboit the first mandalorian who killed a Mythosaur that lived in the water.
Allana looked at him, her hand reaching for his, "Din, are you going to do this?" She asked one last time.
In her mind, he didnt have to do anything. He did what he had to do to save Grogu and that should be celebrated. He didn't need their stuffy religions to feel good about himself.
"I have to," he said and she sighed, nodding her head
"Okay, you know I support any devision you make," Allana said, a smile on her face as she brushed a hand over the beskar helmet.
She watched as he took off his neck scarf and his weapons, setting them down on the floor before taking a few steps forward into the water.
He began to recite the creed but before he could finish his sentence, he dropped down into the waters.
Allana sat there for a second, wide eyed and in shock as she tried to figure out what to do and where he was going but when his head didn't pop back out of the water, she looked at Bo-Katan
The woman put on her helmet, diving down and pulling him back up but every minute he was down there scared her more ahd more.
When he came back up, Bo-Katan placing him down on the ground, Allana rushed over to him, Grogus little feet carrying him to him as well.
"Oh maker, Din," she said, hand on his arm as he sat up, coughing slightly.
"I am redeemed,"he stated, looking around.
She scoffed, clearly annoyed, "You nearly drowned," she stated.
"I witnessed it, you bathed in the living eaters, you're Mandalorian again. Can we leave now," bo-katan said, ignoring Allanas grievances.
He reached down, collecting a vial of the water and handing it to Allana ho placed it in one of his pockets, listening to Bo-Katan ask if he saw anything.
"I saw a chasm passing me as I fell, I didn't realise it was so deep," he stated.
Allana looked over at him, "None of us did," she stated, clearly still annoyed.
"It wasn't, the bombings from the purge must have done that," She explained vacantly, almost as if she was lost in thought.
☆☆☆
THEY FLEW OFF ON BO-KATANS SHIP, back towards the Mandalorian sector and Din and Allana still hadn't spoken about his two near death experiences and he could tell she was annoyed.
"I would invite you in for a feast but I guess that helmets not coming off for a while," Bo-Katan said, trying to break the tension somehow
He noddd, "This is the way," he stated.
When Grogu tried to speak, probably to say the words he heard his father say often, her head whipped round and she looked at her with him.
She looked over at Din, a smile on her face and she could only assume there was a smile on his.
Just as soon as they looked at each other, another ship started shooting at their ship and they all looked through the front window to see tie interceptors heading towards them.
Bo-Katan shook her head, "We took a hit, it looks like tie interceptors," she explained.
"If we get back to your planet, I'll reinforce from the N-1," Din suggested.
"Our shields aren't going to hold, I'll need you to back them off," Bo-Katan said, looking back at the shooter spot.
"Let me, I was a rebellion shooter, I've shot enough Ties to know how to do this," Allana suggested.
Bo-Katan nodded, trusting her judgement. She rushed over to the shooting seat, starting to fire at the tower fighters.
"Where'd they come from?" Din asked, looking at Bo-Katan.
She chuckled to herself, "I've stolen from many imperial warlords," she stated.
Allana laughed too, "They tend to get mad when you steal from their ships," she said, squinting slightly as she looked at the ships, managing to shoot one down.
"Good job," Bo-Katan said before turning to Din, "Get ready, you won't be able to slow down for the drop,"
She tried to shoot another one down, swearing under her breath as she barely missed the ship that was heading towards them.
"Good luck," Allana said over her shoulder as she saw Din leaving.
He placed a hand on her shoulder, thumb brushing over the exposed skin of her neck that was a non-verbal promise that he'd come back.
Bo-Katan pulled the ship closer to thr ground and she could hear the hatch opening as he jumped out before closing it again.
She had to ignore the worry in the pit of her stomach as she tried to shoot down the ties. She didn't know that he had gotten into thr N1 until another on got shot down and it wasn't from her.
"I made it to the N-1, heading to you," he said, his voice coming through the comms. She let out a sigh of relief at the sound of his voice.
"I grew up flying these Cliffe," Bo-Katan said as she flew around the cliffs before scraping up against one, "Of course, it's been a while,"
Allana managed ro shoot anotjer one down, listening to Bo ask if shes okay, "It's hard to shoot in the cliffs, the angles not great," she explained.
She heard another ship go down and realised it was Din shooting it down and she nodded, calling out through the comms, "Thanks for the backup,"
"Two more to go," She said, aiming again and looking around for another one.
Bo-Katan told Din over the comms to go left while they went right and its
worked when she heard Din shooting down another ship.
"One down, one more to go," he said.
"I've got this one," Allana said, angling it just right to shoot down the last tie interceptors.
Before any of them had a real chance to congratulate each other, Bo-Katan stoped, "Hang on, I'm seeing something on the scope,"
They watched in shock as they bombed Bo-Katans Castle, the woman gasping in horror as they destroyed one of the only homes she'd ever had.
When Din realisd that they were going to get shot too if they stayed around, he called out to them, "We have to get out of here, there's too many of them!"
Still in a slight state of shock, Bo-Katan jumped into lightspeed with the jump coordinates that Din had given them, taking them to the Mandalorian covert
☆☆☆
WHEN THEY ARRIVED AT THE COVERT, Bo-Katan stepping out of her ship and walking over to Din, Allana just behind, she looked at him confused, "This is a mandalorian covert?"
"It's a secret location and you are mine and Allanas guest," Din stated, walking over to Allana.
Bo-Katan scoffed, "They still keep the the old ways? Do they accept Allana?" She questioned.
"No, but they will," Din said, her heart racing at the fact, she liked that he would defy the rules for her, "Also, you should keep your helmet on, it will go smoother,"
Allana walked towards the cave entrance with them, a sad smile on her face, "They hate me there," she said, feeling Dins hand reassuringly rubbing her lower back.
He was going to stand up for her if he had to. He was ready to do it again and again and again if needs must. She was his and he was hers and thats all that mattered.
Paz Vizsla walked through the cave entrance, other Mandalorians walking our and looking at them, eyes narrowed at the three.
"Come no further, you are an apostate," he proclaimed, looking at Din.
"No longer. I have been to the mines of Mandalore," he said and whilst everyone was silent, he assumed they were a little shocked.
Paz made a noise at that statemented, "Impossible, they were collapsed in the purge. The planet was curse," he said.
"These are lies meant to keep us in exile," Din explained and they were ushered into the cave along with other Mandalorians.
"How do we know its not you that's lying?" A Mandalorian in the back asked, a crowd gathering.
"It's true, I watched the whole thing," Allana stated and Paz scoffed at the idea.
"An aruetti? At the sacred mines of Mandalore," he questioned and she shrunk back into herself, ashamed of something that she couldn't quite figure out.
"I too witness it," Bo-Katan said and her words already carried more say.
"And who are you? A Nite Owl?" He questioned, Paz probably glaring at hr from under the helmet.
"I am Bo-Katan of Clan Kryze," she stated.
"Your house has fallen from the way, you too are an apostate," Paz said, making a noise of disdain.
"We have been to the living waters, i brinf proof," Din said, bored of the back and forth arguing, "And she is not an aruetti, she's my riduur,"
Paz scoffed at the words, "We shall see," he said, the armourer walking out, "Din Djarin claims to have vatged in the living water,"
"Is this true?" She asked, looking at the man.
He nodded, "It is, I have proof," he said, gesturing to Allana who pulled the vial out of her bag, giving it to her.
"I was witness, he fell into the depths and I pulled him out," Bo-Katan said.
They all watched as she poured the liquid into another bowl of liquid before turning around, "He speaks the truth, these are indeed the living waters," she said, "Din Djarin, you are redeemed, this is the way,"
"This is the way," the words echoed through the halls and Allana squeezed his hand, glad he was back where he belonged.
"And Bo-Katan Kryze, you too are redeemed," The armourer said.
Bo-Katan let out a noise similar to a splutter, shaking her head, "But I do not walk the way,"
"But you did go in thr living waters, and you have not removed your helmet since?" She questioned.
There was a long silence as Bo-Katan tried to figure out what to say as technically, she had been redeemed.
'Then you may join our covert, you may leave any time you wish but until then, you are one of us," she explained.
There was another resounding echo of, 'This is the way' through the room as they accepted her into the group