THE ARC OF SKYWALKER | a star wars story✔️

13 | escaping the guild

—DIN FELT HIS HEART DROP WHEN HE SAW THE STATE ASA WAS IN.

He holstered his blaster and rushed to her, his gloved hands gently caressing her bloody cheeks. He noticed the contraption on her head and the pins which buried themselves into her scalp. Dried blood was crusted in the woman's wavy hair and stained the collar of her shirt.

Her face was bruised and there were small marks in her exposed arms which indicated signs of injection. The desire to make the ones who did this to her pay for what they did increased as he undid her restraints.

"Asa, wake up! We have to get the kid." He spoke urgently, but his tone remained soft.

Asa mumbled under her breath and moved her head sluggishly, groaning and continuing to mumble to herself. Her eyes opened slightly as Din wrapped her arm around his shoulders and hoisted her up.

"Mando..." she said breathily as he helped her walk out of the room. She blinked a few times as she focused on his helmet.

"Don't struggle. You need all the strength you have left."

"You came back for me." She muttered. "Why?"

Din didn't answer as he pushed her behind a pillar and shot at a few stormtroopers. He heard the woman groan in pain as she clutched her head.

"Why did you come back for me and the kid?" She asked again once Mando grabbed her again and helped her walk with him.

Din sighed, not wanting to answer her question. He didn't want to admit she was right or that it was her words that made him feel guilty. He didn't want to tell her he felt pity or even a hint of friendliness toward her even after the amount of times she's tried to kill him.

It was that damn smile, Din thought with frustration as he pulled her along.

He hated the attachments but he also felt a new sense of belonging...

"I guess you could say you deserve a second chance and the kid doesn't need to be handed a life he can't choose."

Asa's lips quirked as a grin graced her face. He couldn't help but grin too.

"I also thought you'd want this back."Din stated and held up her lightsaber. The woman's eyes lit up with relief as she reached to grab it, her slender fingers wrapping around the hilt. He loosened his grip on her arm and waist and let her stand by herself. He could tell she was weakened by the injuries and physical trauma she endured, but she did a fair job at hiding it well.

"Hey, Mando?"

She stopped his by grabbing the sleeve of his shirt, her gaze shifting towards the ground and she seemed...apologetic, but also uncomfortable? He tilted his head, his muscles tensing when he felt her fingers touch him through the sleeve of his shirt.

"Um...Thank you...for coming back for me and the kid."

He stood in shock, his eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did the woman—the one who tried killing him multiple times, called him "an excuse for a life", and was independent to the point of being stubborn and annoying—thank him for helping her? He could form a sentence as he watched her scratch the back of her neck awkwardly.

"You didn't have to come back, especially after all I've done and said to you. I don't deserve your kindness and mercy, much less your partnership. But if we're going to be partners now, we gotta be there for the kid. So...thank you."

The word seemed to be foreign to her since she forced the two-worded phrase out of her mouth. Asa exhaled to fill the awkward silence between them and patted his armored shoulder. As she walked ahead of him, she pulled her hair back to be out of her face. Strands of hair framed her round face. Din couldn't help but admire her.