It was a rough night. Din and I stayed all night by Keirah's side. The healers came regularly to check on her condition. We barely got a few words from them. And these words were not comforting. Cal hadn't come back since he left us. I guess he really wants to be alone.
When I woke up this morning, I found Din holding a round silver ball in his hand and looking at it. The pain is etched on his face. As I stir in my seat, I realize that my whole body is aching from the uncomfortable chair. As I look at the silent Din, I realize that the silver bullet he's looking at was part of Razor Crest's cockpit.
«This is the only thing that's left from the Crest. It was Grogu's favorite toy.»
Din breaks the silence. His voice becomes hoarse as he says the child's name. «Only now I realize I haven't kept anything that belonged to Keirah. She used to play with this Mithosaur pendant that was hanging above her crib. She won't remember it. She was just a baby then.»
«You took the pendant.» I respond by surprising him.
«I don't have time to explain it and I don't think I should but Keirah saw it in psychometry. She saw this memory through the Force. You took her favorite pendant. Right?»
Din nods positively and turns his gaze back to the silver sphere. «It's with Grogu. I don't know if I'll see him again, but I have the sphere to remember him, and that's something. But if... If I lose Keirah... If I lose her... I'll have nothing. Nothing to remember.»
He hides his head in his palm and bursts into tears. Every time he sobs, I feel like his soul is dying. That his heart breaks into a thousand pieces. And all I want to do is reassure him. Tell him everything's going to be okay and that Keirah will wake up, but I can't do that. I can't lie to him. Not since I don't know what's going to happen.
«Any news?» a voice asks, behind our backs, making me and Din turn our heads to the threshold of the treatment room. Bo-Katan stands glum looking at Keirah.
I'm nodding negatively.
«No.»
«I know you don't want to leave her... But you need to come with me again.»
«Why?» Din asks confused.
«I asked the Clans not to wait. We're going to hold the vote so Keirah can get the armor.»
«What if she doesn't wake up? What difference does it make if she takes the armor or not?» I ask.
«Whether she wakes up or not, the armor will be hers. If she doesn't make it, she'll be buried with it. This is the Way.»
«This is the Way.» Din responds by taking his eyes off of the sphere and looking at Keirah. Then he gets up and goes near Bo-Katan.
«The same goes for you, Aiden.» Bo-Katan says intensely.
«But I'm not one of you. They're not gonna let me in.»
«It's not up to them to decide.» she answers curtly.
I'm getting up weakly from my seat. As I get to the doorstep, I stand back and look at my best friend.
As we arrive in the conference room a small group of Mandalorians is there. Only the Leaders of the Clans. As we enter, their eyes are fixed on me. I'm waiting for someone to talk, to say I don't belong there and that I should leave, but no one's talking.
Bo-Katan heads to the center of the table with Kosca Reeves and Ax Woves flanking her. Din's sitting in one of the empty seats, and I'm standing behind him in the shadows where I meet a familiar face.
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THIS IS THE WAY (A Mandalorian / Star Wars Fanfiction Story)
FanfictionA long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... Keirah leaves a normal peaceful life when the ship of the Mandalorian Din Djarin crashes on her planet. And everything changes. Based on the Disney+ tv series "The Mandalorian", set on the Star Wars Unive...
