Cyra| a Mandalorian/Star Wars Fan Fiction

2. Inside the Homestead

We sit opposite each other in the hollowed out section of the homestead used as a dining room. Grogu sits not too far away in the courtyard, playing with the various metalled junk that laid about.

'How long have you been here?' Din asks.

'Almost three years. The past two alone,' I reply a little bluntly. It was a combination of my lengthy lack of socialisation, and having not seen Din in an even greater amount of time.

'When I dropped you off, you-

'Had just turned sixteen.'

'And now you're...'

'Almost 22.'

The conversation pauses. Six years remains a significant amount of time, but the events that occurred within those years makes it feel much, much longer. We sit in silence, unsure of where to lead the conversation.

'You've grown,' Din breaks the silent, awkwardly.

'Yeah,' I scoff.

Silence falls between us once more. I stare over to the right, watching Grogu play.

'He's not changed much,' I remark, realising I'm coming off a little stand-offish. 'Looks practically the same as he did at the Temple.'

'Yeah,' Din replies, turning round to also face Grogu. His face was covered by his helmet, but a sense of pride radiated off of him.

We turn to face each other once more.

'So, why are you here, Din?'

'I've been sent to collect you.'

'Collect me?' I raise my eyebrows suspiciously. 'Not to kill me?

Din shakes his head.

'It's been a good few months since a bounty hunter came looking for me.'

'Well, you have a reputation,' Din leans back in his chair. 'Despite the high bounty, most don't consider you worth the hassle.'

'How high a bounty?' I had to admit, I was intrigued.

'You don't want to know,' Din leans forwards again. 'You've scared most of them off though. A lot don't even bother come to Tatooine anymore, whether they're looking for you or not.'

I'm not sure how to react. I don't want to appear too smug, as the reason I have a bounty on my head is not something to be proud of.

'So, why did you decide to accept this offer to come and get me?' I try to change the subject slightly.

Din sighed, and shrugged his shoulders slightly.

'Thought it would be nice to catch up,' He replies in a casual, sarcastic tone. 'And the person who sent me had specifically sought me out. It was an offer I couldn't refuse.'

I squint my eyes questioningly.

'Who sent you, Din?'

'You know I can't say.'

'Was it them?'

'I don't know who you mean.'

I move my head sideways, dissatisfied with Din's answer.

'Din. There's only so many people that know that you were my Guardian when I was younger,' I lean in closer, trying to stare into his eyes through the mask. 'It was them, wasn't it? They want me back?'

I try to reign it in. I don't want to appear that desperate for the others' company again. They were the ones that left me on Tatooine.

'You know I can't say.'

'Then what makes you think I'm going to leave,' I reply adamantly, leaning abruptly back in my chair. 'I have  no desire to leave this place.'

'Don't make it difficult, Cy,' Din sighs once again.

I pause. No one had called me by my nickname in years. It felt very odd hearing it again.

'Then tell me who sent you,' I exclaimed, starting to lose patience. 'Or leave.'

'I already said, I can't!' I could tell by Din's tone of voice he was also starting to lose patience. 'You know that anonymity can be largest part of any agreement. Look-' Din took a deep breathe in, and leaned forwards across the table towards me. 'I told you, they chose me for a reason. They sought me out. Is that not enough to trust me? They're not going to hurt you. Do you really think I would've accepted the job if they were going to harm you?'

I stare at him, stubbornly. I may have trusted him once. But now I was older. I knew how to take care of myself. I needed to see him properly.

'Take off your helmet, Din.'

Din paused.

'Cyra, is that-'

'Take it off.'

There was another pause. It was as though I could hear the cogs turn inside Din's helmet as he considered my demand. Hesitantly, he places his hands either side, and the helmet is lifted off. He places it next to him on the table, and turns to look at me.

The past few years look like they had taken a slight toll. Underneath the helmet, Din looked wearier. His eyes were slightly more sunken, and there were more wrinkles etched on his face. His hair was streaked with a few grey stands, as was his beard and moustache. For the first time since saying goodbye when I was sixteen, I stared into Din's eyes. They stared back at me intensely, as deep and trusting as ever. But it wasn't enough.

'You need to understand I am not the same person, Din. You don't know me anymore. You knew sixteen year old me. You don't know what's happened to me over the past six years. What I've been through,' I pause. I can feel my breathing intensify. 'I've lost everything. Everyone's left me. I have no reason to believe anything you say. I have no reason to trust you. And I have no reason to ever leave this place. So, if you won't answer my questions, I'm forced to ask you to leave.'

There's a heavy tension in the air. I can feel my breathing begin to quiver, as a lump in my throat swells. I can feel my body begin to shake, and tears well in my eyes. Din just looks back at me blank faced.

'Cyra, please-'

'Leave, Din. Please.'

I get up, and rush across the courtyard to pace up the stairs into the outside.