Chapter Text
It was almost three months that Bo-Katan didn’t go to visit Din Djarin and Grogu on Nevarro. Her duties as the Duchess of Mandalore consumed every waking moment of her life and left her too exhausted at the end of the day.
Every night she tried to have a holo call with him and his son but it turned out she fell asleep the first 20 minutes into their call. Din’s voice easily lured her to sleep. As if his voice alone could calm her, making her feel safe and finally let go of everything. She would apologize to him and being the loving man that he was, Din would tell her it was okay and he completely understood that she was too tired. Then being the pain in the ass that he was, he always teased her about it from time to time.
Overall, their distant relationship was working out well. Better than both of them expected. To be really honest with herself, Bo-Katan thought they would end it within the first month. She wasn’t really good at romantic relationships to begin with. She had a lot of baggage. She knew her troubled past would come back to haunt her relationship with Din some day. Or maybe herself would be the cause of all the problems in their relationship.
She was afraid. She was afraid that she might ruin their friendship. She was afraid that this romantic relationship with him would be the biggest mistake she ever made. She was afraid of losing him and Grogu for eternity if she fucked it up beyond repair.
But her only mistake was that she was afraid. Din always exceeded all her expectations. All those things didn’t mean anything to him and they made this relationship work.
Maybe this was her first real mature, healthy relationship and she loved every minute of it.
But there was someone who thought her relationship was missing something, something very important in every relationship as they claimed. Those were her two closest friends, Koska Reeves and Axe Woves.
The three of them were having lunch together at the main dining hall of the Civic Center. Bo-Katan was eating her food quietly while scrolling through reports on her datapad. Axe and Koska were chatting away until their attention shifted to her.
“Bo, where’s your man and his son anyway? What have they been up to this day?” Koska asked. “I miss the little guy. He is always a joy to have around.”
“From what Din told me last night, they are heading off for another mission.” Bo-Katan replied. “Grogu has improved a lot during his adventure with his father.”
“That is good to hear. When will they return to Mandalore anyway?”
“I’m not sure. The New Republic keeps feeding him new bounties and my man is too eager to take them out.” Bo-Katan replied, mimicking her lover’s voice and manner. “ ‘This is how I help protect you and Mandalore. ’”
“You know what’s weird about your relationship with the Tin Can Man?” Axe chimed in. “You guys never get jealous. Like ever.”
The Mand’alor frowned at her friend, completely at lost as to why he would say that. “Why do I need to be jealous?”
“He is traveling the galaxy right now…”
“Yes, training his son.”
“I mean, he probably meets a lot of people.”
“Mostly Imps or his bounties… but go on…”
“He could have someone on the side that you may not know or having a random one night stand with someone.”
Bo-Katan laughed. To think that Din would do that to her would be completely out of his character. The man she grew to love was loyal, honest, honorable, and devoted. He wouldn’t cheat on her. That was one thing she knew for sure. If he wanted to end the relationship, he would be brave enough to tell it to her face.
“You are very imaginative, Axe Woves. Your speculation may be possible if Din didn’t spend most of his post-mission time on a holo call with me.”
“You are no fun.”
“We are mature adults, not teenagers. Jealousy is such a childish concept. I completely trust my boyfriend.”
“There is betting going on in Sundari. About which one of you will get jealous first and what’s the reason.” Koska said.
“Interesting…”
“Axe said you will be the one who get jealous first over Djarin’s past relationship.”
“That’s not going to happen. I am sure of it.”
“My bet is that he will be the one who gets jealous over your potential suitors.” Koska continued. “And yes, your council is still trying to find someone for you to marry. If I remember correctly, you will have another meeting with the head of all the clans this afternoon.”
Bo-Katan rolled her eyes. “I told them a hundred times that I’m with Din! For kriff’s sake!!”
Axe shrugged his shoulders. “But he isn’t here with you, is he?”
“Maybe you should call him home and take the next step together.” Koska advised. “You know you love each other, so why the wait?”
“Yeah, I should do that. If I survive the clan meeting this afternoon.”
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Bo-Katan felt like throwing herself off the windows of the throne room. The clan were united as one when it came to the matter of finding her a husband.
Should she be proud of herself that she could make them work together harmoniously like this?
“But Duchess, we insist you choose your consort within this month. You are the last of your line. Mandalore needs an heir to the throne to secure the future. Both the planet and your house.”
“For the hundredth time, you do not need to find me suitors!” Bo-Katan yelled over the clamoring argument of the clan leaders. “As you are all aware, I’m in a relationship with Din Djarin…”
“Mandalore needs an heir to the throne. An heir with the right blood line, the right clan.” Braic Saxon countered. “A pure Mandalorian blood.”
Those words made Bo-Katan’s blood boil with anger. How dare they insult Din, questioning his worth because of his bloodline? Her hands fisted tightly under the table, trying her best to contain herself from unleashing hell on Saxon.
“So you are saying the man who gave me full support while all of you abandoned me, the man who fought by my side while we retake our homeworld, the man that I love, is not worthy enough to marry me?”
The Armorer didn’t seem pleased to hear that as well. She turned her helmeted head towards Braic Saxon. “Even Din Djarin does not have a single Mandalorian blood in his vein, he lives by the creed that many have forsaken.”
“He is as Mandalorian as any of us.”
“Of course not, Your Majesty, Lady Armorer, I mean no disrespect to Lord Djarin. We all know of his great deeds. But you have to admit, Duchess Bo-Katan needs a strong political alliance, preferably with a mighty clan who can support her with funding and troops.”
“Please listen to us, Duchess. This is for the greater good to Mandalore.”
“Please reconsider your decision and meet with suitors from all the clan.”
Bo-Katan had enough of it and said, “Fine! I will meet with potential suitors from each clan. I will hear what they have to offer Mandalore and my decision will be final.”
“I will make sure all clan leaders will be presented at the gathering, Mand’alor.” The Armorer spoke up to end the discussion. “Two weeks should be enough time for all of them to be back on the planet.”
“Thank you, Armorer.”
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Bo-Katan didn’t have the appetite for dinner that night, even Axe and Koska relentlessly insisted that she needed to eat something. The Mand’alor just wanted to retreat back to her chamber after the clan meeting.
She was so sick of everyone that confiding herself in the room seemed to be a better option or she might actually punch someone in the face.
Once she was inside her room, Bo-Katan got on the holo-call with the only person she wanted to talk to. And Din Djarin answered her call immediately.
“Good evening, my love.” He greeted with a warm smile but then suddenly noticed her tired face. “Bo, are you alright?” His voice was laced with worry.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit tired from today’s work.” She lied. She wasn’t fine. She just didn’t know how to begin the awkward conversation she wanted to have with him.
Din tilted his head, questioning her. He didn’t buy it but she was grateful he let go of the topic and switched the conversation to something else. He was talking about what Grogu did today in front of him and Greef Kraga. The child was able to levitate himself midair now, indicating he had a better control of the force. Bo could only wish she could witness it with her own eyes. She missed both of them so much and she had missed so much of Grogu’s improvement.
Din’s voice calmed her like it always did. It calmed the raging fire from the afternoon meeting. He proceeded to tell her about his recent missions, the ones he didn’t have a chance to tell her because she always was already fast asleep.
“Did you eat your dinner yet?” He asked, “And don’t bother to lie because my spy in Sundari already reported to me.”
“Urgh…” Bo-Katan rolled her eyes at him. She was pretty sure it was Koska who snitched her out. “I’m not hungry.”
“You need to eat something, Bo. I don’t want you to get sick.”
“Fine, I will heat up some pog soup.”
Then she moved to the small kitchen and Din watched as she moved around, trying to prepare food for herself. He always loved watching her cooking while they talked about everything and nothing. The domestic feeling came so easily and now he missed home more than ever.
“So… I have an interesting conversation with Axe Woves today.” Bo-Katan spoke up to break the silence as she moved to sit at the table with her bowl of pog soup.
“I imagined he would be all over our relationship again.”
Bo-Katan snorted as she practically heard him roll his eyes so hard in his voice.
“He said we are weird and that we are never jealous of each other.”
He tilted his head, looking confused. “Why do we need to be jealous?”
“Because we are not physically together so he assumed that you might have someone on the side to cure loneliness. I have many potential suitors that the council was trying to make them my husband. And the list of scenarios went on and on.”
“That makes no sense at all. Why would I betray your trust with some random woman? Well, the way Axe behaved I shouldn’t be surprised he would think all men are like him.”
“You wouldn’t believe who his latest conquest is.”
“I really do not want to know, Bo.”
“Do you believe he would charm his way to get a woman from your covert?”
Din groaned loudly. He felt bad for the poor soul that carelessly gave herself to Axe Woves. Bo-Katan laughed at his reaction to this news but then met with an endless rant from her boyfriend who said that he will punch Axe Woves in the face and then he will have a serious talk with his female fellow Children of the Watch.
“Din…” Bo-Katan decided to interrupt her boyfriend.
The seriousness in her tone made him stop his rant mid sentence. “Yes, Bo?”
Then he noticed her expression and he knew they were about to have the conversation she was trying to avoid in the beginning.
“Can you come home? I need you here.” She said solemnly.
He became worried at that instance. “What’s wrong? Has anything happened?”
Bo-katan knew she must have shown all of her emotions on her face but she attempted to cover everything up. She didn’t want to worry or get spooked. “No, nothing has happened. I just need you here. I miss you and Grogu.”
Din sighed. “Bo… I know there is something. You can’t lie to me the same way I can’t lie to you.”
“We are that attuned to each other, huh?”
“Back at the covert when I couldn’t see your face anymore, I need to learn to read your body language.”
“The council of Mandalore wants me to get married and produce an heir. They feared I might pass my child bearing period soon.”
Din wasn’t pleased at all when he heard that. He narrowed his eyes. Brows frowned. “May I know their names so I can punch them in the face when I return?”
“Din, but in all seriousness, if you don’t want to do this, I will not force you. If you are not comfortable, I understand. If you want to break…”
“Don’t you dare say it, Bo.”
“I need you to know, Din. That I will not force you. And you are free to end this relationship and I will have no ill feelings towards you and your son. You have a choice, my love. This is not an easy life, to be married to the ruler of a planet.”
He went silent after she finished her sentence and Bo-Katan held her breath. The silence was deafening. The longer Din paused, the more her heart began to shatter. He was actually considering her words and what it meant to be married to her. Her fear started to take over. Her worst fear began to take shape, she would lose Din Djarin. Bo-Katan looked away from his holo-image, trying to blink away tears that began to form.
Then she heard him inhaling slowly. “Bo, cyar'ika, look at me…” Din pleaded but she kept looking away from him, trying to hide her weakness. “Please…”
Bo-Katan choked back her sobbing, wiping away her tears before she turned to face him.
“Bo-Katan Kryze, I pledge to serve you until your song is written, then I pledge my love to you until the last star in the galaxy turns to dust. I know you will be the only one I want to spend the rest of my life with, the only one I want to share all, the only one I want to raise warriors with. If we can defeat the Imps and Gideon together, I think we can handle your council members.”
“Din…”
“We love each other, Bo-Katan. I will not back down without a fight. Especially the fight I know I can win. I don’t want you to doubt my love and my devotion to you ever again.”
That did lift a mountain out of her chest. Her worries were all gone with his words of reassurance. His answer only made her love him more and more. How could she get so lucky to meet this man and have him as her lover?
“Thank you, Din. This means so much. I want you to know that.”
“I mean, we can say our vows right now if you want to.”
Bo chuckled. “I would love to. But I want to do that with you in person.”
“We will go back to Mandalore in a couple days. I’m stuck on Tatooine now, helping Boba and Fennec with something.”
“I see. Stay safe, okay?”
“Always.”
“Send my regards to Boba and Fennec too.”
“I will.”
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Three days had gone by and Bo-Katan couldn’t be more bored. She couldn’t wait to see Din and Grogu again. The clans started to arrive at the capital city and as their Mand’alor, she had to be there to greet all of them in the throne room. While she was trying her best to avoid having dinner with the clan leader, either Koska or the Armorer was there to drag her out of her bedroom so she could fulfill her duty.
Din sent a holo-message last night, saying that he had left Tatooine and they will head to Mandalore right away. Bo-Katan spent the whole day waiting for the control tower to report the sight of an N1 entering the atmosphere. She moved all her schedule in the afternoon to another day so she could spend time with him and Grogu.
Once the control tower sent word of N1 sighting and gave her the landing pad number, the Mand’alor ended her meeting and jetpack herself out of the palace immediately. Koska followed close behind, complaining that Bo-Katan should have waited for her bodyguards.
Din had already landed the N1 and once he opened the canopy, Grogu summersaulted himself into her arms and Bo-Katan giggled happily that she finally got to see the two people who meant the galaxy to her. She hugged the boy tightly and kissed his forehead repeatedly.
“Hey there, kiddo. How are you? I missed you so much. I will never let you out of my sight again.”
Grogu snuggled more closely and his little hands clutched at her flight suit. A moment later, Din joined them after he powered down his ship and instructed the crew to take his belongings to Bo-Katan’s chamber. The Mandalorian gave his girlfriend a tight hug to show how much he had missed her.
“And I missed you too, my love.” Bo whispered.
“I missed you more.” He replied, leaning his helmet against her forehead. “I miss our home.””
She pulled away a little. Her green eyes looked at his visor as if she was searching for his eyes. “Then you should be away for too long.”
He chuckled but didn’t reply to anything. Then he resumed leaning in and rested his helmeted forehead against hers. They relished in the brief moment of tenderness, and didn't care if there were witnesses to their display of affection. The whole of Mandalore already knew their hearts belonged to each other.
“What is it?’ He asked when he noticed her keep staring at him. Bo-Katan only pointed at her lips and Din let out a sigh of annoyance at his girlfriend. “Bo…”
“I didn’t get to kiss you for three months, Din Djarin!” She protested.
She knew that behind his helmet, Din was rolling his eyes at her. “Fine…”
Bo-Katan smiled brightly at the man she loved before closing the space between them, pulling her man into a hug by his hips. Din tipped his helmet up, just enough to reveal his mouth. Bo-Katan tiptoed up to place a soft, gentle kiss on his lips. The man hummed in the back of his throat, indicating that he was enjoying this as well.
When Bo-Katan pulled away, Din noticed the sly smile on her face. Her green eyes gleamed mischievously, he knew there was a plan brewing in her beautiful head.
“What do you think about going straight back to my room right now?”
“I would love to, cyar'ika. But I have to report to the Armorer first. She wants to see Grogu.”
And the mighty warrior queen pouted at him, pulling away from his body and crossing her arms. She looked adorable to him but he wasn’t going to tell her that. “You are reporting to your Mand’alor.”
“I promise it will be short and straight to the point. I will see you in an hour.”
“You will be sleeping on the couch if you don’t”
Din laughed and then leaned his helmet forehead against hers. “One hour.” He promised. “Your chamber?”
A sly smile donned her beautiful face as she replied suggestively. “We can do it in the throne room if you want. Of course, meet me at my room.”
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Lucky for Din that he didn’t have to spend his night on the couch because his meeting with the Armorer ended up earlier than he thought. She praised Grogu for his improvement from traveling off world with his father.
“Are you going to see Lady Kryze after this?”
“Yes, I am.”
“I believe you know the reason why she summoned you home?”
“I do.”
“Then you know how important this reunion is and what to be expected of you?”
“I do know.”
“You are the Head of Clan Mudhorn and a representative of Children of the Watch. We know how serious your relationship to Lady Kryze is and everyone from the Tribe respects that. This is the way.”
Din nodded his head. “This is the way. Thank you, Armorer.”
“Go see her now. Do not keep her waiting.”
Din took Grogu back to Bo’s chamber at the palace of Sundari and saw that the Duchess was already waiting for them. She was preparing meals in the kitchen and the aromatic smell of pog soup was already making their stomach growling. They had missed her freshly made pog soup, even Bo-Katan had made the dehydrated version for them. (She made them a six month worth of pog soup provision for them. They should have gotten bored of it by now but they didn’t. They wanted it even more, as much as they missed the person who made it for them.)
Din took off his helmet and put it on the kitchen island. “That smells nice.” Din spoke up in a soft voice, trying not to startle his warrior queen.
“I’ve cooked everything you like.” She replied before ladling the soup into three bowls. “And extra pog soup for you, ad'ika.”
Grogu squealed and reached his grabby hands out as if he couldn’t wait to eat it. Din let out a huff of amusement and sat his son down on the kitchen island.
“You’re going to spoil him rotten.”
She smiled mischievously at him. “I thought I already did.”
They sat down together for a hearty meal Bo-Katan cooked for them. The adults exchanged small talks while Grogu happily devoured his food and listened to them talking. His big brown eyes shifted between his two parents and noticed how happy they were to be together again.
He was happy too that he got to come home to his mom. He missed her so much.
“I made an appointment with the tailor for you. They will be here at my chamber tomorrow afternoon.”
Din frowned, tilting his head at her. “Tailor?”
“You will need formal clothing for the clan gathering. I have already picked some of the fabric that you would like.”
He sighed. “I will wear my beskar'gam. That is the only thing I ask of you.”
“Fine. But I want you to know this. I want to see you wear noble clothes.”
“You know how I used to make fun of those who wear those kinds of outfits. Especially Greef Kraga.”
“I know, I know. You hate them. You can wear whatever you want, my love.”
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They got to spend their time together even though Bo-Katan was a busy woman. She always took Din to one of her meetings so he could understand how boring it was. Just one meeting and the mighty Mandalorian bounty hunter said he would rather do something else with his life if she didn’t require him to join. Bo-Katan just laughed and kissed him before saying that he didn’t have to join her anymore.
When she had some free time during the day, she always joined Din and Grogu on their little lunch time in one of the garden caves. Or they would stroll around town, showing Din new buildings and projects that had been going on since he left. Grogu was very happy to see new people, the people that would give him all the attention. Or the couple would join Koska and Axe during the younglings training, watching over Grogu.
Overall they were more than happy to spend time together. But they couldn’t hide their worry when it came to the clan gathering. The day Bo-Katan needed to decide who she wanted to marry and take as her consort. She was worried that the choice she made would shatter the fragile unity of all Mandalorian clans.
“There is nothing to worry, Bo.” Din reassured her as he hugged her from behind. “We will get through this together no matter what.”
Bo-Katan leaned back into his chest and sighed. “What if they do not approve of us? What if they force me to abdicate the throne because of my choice of consort?
“It will not come down to that, my love. But if they do, you can always leave all of this behind. They do not deserve you. If you want to fight for the throne, Grogu and I will be there by your side too. No matter what.”
“Let’s hope it will not come down to another bloodshed.”
“I assure you, it will not.” Din kissed her shoulder and felt her lithe form relax against him.
They had a short silent peaceful moment together until her handmaidens arrived with the tailor. They were here to get her ready for tonight’s clan gathering. Din excused himself to go get ready as well.
“I will see you tonight, Lady Kryze.” He said before kissing her hand and left for his own chamber.
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Din was having fun watching Bo-Katan struggle with all of her potential suitors. He was just chilling in the corner, watching, sipping his drinks from the straw and trying very hard to contain his laughter when he saw how uncomfortable she was. Grogu was staying by his side in his pram, watching the Duchess of Mandalore as well. But his son was not as amused as he was. The little guy was narrowing his eyes at every potential suitor who was talking to his mother. He could sense their intention and he knew they wanted to take his mother away from his father.
Then a strong hand rubbed gently on his head. Grogu looked up and saw that his father didn’t seem to be concerned with any of this. “Don’t worry, Grogu. No one is going to take her away from us. I will make sure of it.”
“Patu…”
“Yeah, she has her role to play. It’s a part of her duty.”
“And you also have a role to play.” A voice came from behind the father and the son. The Dins turned to see Koska Reeves walking toward them before stopping beside Din. “You should go and make your proposal to her too, my Lord. Keep up appearances as if she isn’t going to choose you.”
Din huffed in annoyance, rolling his eyes behind his helmet. “Please don’t call me that, Koska.”
Koska shrugged her shoulders. “You are the clan leader so you are a Lord whether you like it or not.”
“Who is she talking to? He looks too young to be a suitor.”
“If I am not mistaken, he’s Tuleec Ordo, son of Chernan Ordo. Only sixteen years old from what I heard.”
“A father selling his own son for political marriage?”
Koska shrugged. “It’s the way this galaxy works.”
“I will never understand the political world.”
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Bo-Katan was almost at her wit's end now, having to deal with potential suitors from various clans. All offered the same thing, stability, military support, and financial support, but all failed to understand that she didn’t want any of them. The only man she ever wanted was hiding in the corner somewhere that she couldn’t see him.
And she thought this will be the last suitor she will talk to tonight. She might as well stop playing along and end the evening so she could go back to her room with Din and Grogu.
The young man she was currently talking to was Tuleec of Clan Ordo, sixteen of age, son of Charnan Ordo. Clan Ordo was a famed and one of the most prestigious clans with a long history. One would be foolish not to join a political alliance such as this.
“You don’t have to be nervous, Tuleec.” Bo-Katan spoke up when she noticed the young man’s hands were twitching and he couldn’t look her in the eyes. She put her hand on his upper arm, hoping to help Tuleec relax. “Just think of this as a normal conversation with your friend.”
“I’m sorry, Lady Kryze. It was hard for me to do that.”
“Poor boy. Did your father force you to do this?”
“I am here on the behest of my father, Your Majesty.” The young man replied shyly. “I really do not want to be here.”
“I can see that.”
“I mean no disrespect. It would be an honor if you would choose me and my clan.”
“I sense there is a ‘but’.”
“But I already love someone else. Someone my father does not approve of.” Tuleec admitted, looking down at his feet.
Bo-Katan chuckled. “That makes the two of us. I am also in love with someone else. Someone my council doesn’t approve of.”
Tuleec shifted his gaze at her. She could sense his shift of emotions. Those words seemed to trigger something in him. Something defiant that she didn’t see in the boy before. “I mean, you are the Duchess of Mandalore. You retook Mandalore for all of us. No one should tell you who you should marry.”
“That should go to everyone in the galaxy. Not just us.”
Tuleec seemed to relax and the two of them continued with their conversation but nothing related to what Clan Ordo had to offer her. It was about his life on his homeworld of Ordo and the young girl of the same age that he fell in love deeply with. She was from a lesser clan, insignificant one, but they had been trained together from a young age and formed a close bond with each other. Bo-Katan gave him her word that she will not choose him and told him to follow his heart.
Tuleec thanked her and went back to his father. She was thinking about finding a certain Mandalorian to talk to and then she heard the familiar footsteps and the sound of beskar armor clanking.
“Lady Kryze, do you have a moment for me?” A low, modulated voice sounded from behind her.
Bo-Katan tried to suppress her smile before turning to face the man she was hoping to talk to.
“Of course, Lord Djarin. I always have time for you.”
Din bowed his head before offering her his arm. Bo-Katan took it without hesitation as they walked out of the throne room to the balcony outside overlooking the city of Sundari at night. They could feel all eyes were on them and whispers came from all directions as they were speculating what conversation that Duchess might be having with the famous leader of Clan Mudhorn.
“You take your time, huh?” She spoke up immediately once they were alone together. “You can rescue me earlier than this.”
Din chuckled. “I was having fun watching you being nice to those suitors.”
“You mudscuffer.” Bo-Katan muttered under her breath. “The night will end sooner for us if you come to talk to me.”
He tilted his head at her. “You have to keep up your appearances, Lady Kryze.”
“Everyone in that room knows I will choose you the moment you step into the throne room.”
“From the way I see it, there will be someone who may want to challenge me for your hand in marriage.”
Bo-Katan frowned. “Like who?”
“The Saxon, maybe the Kast, and the Bralor. Those old, prestigious clans would not swallow their pride and let me marry you that easily.”
“They will. I will make sure of it.” She promised. Her green eyes were resolute, nothing but pure determination. Something that he loved so much about Bo-Katan, something that attracted him to her since the beginning.
Din leaned his helmeted forehead against hers. Bo-Katan closed her eyes and held his hands tightly as if to draw strength and courage from the man she loved.
They could get through this together, just like every time.
Their short private moment was interrupted by a cough. They turned around to see the armorer standing at the doorway.
“Pardon my interruption, Duchess.” The Armorer spoke up. “It is time for the decision.”
Bo-Katan gave a nod before the couple walked back into the throne room. The crowd began together in front of the throne where Bo-Katan stood. Next to her was the Armorer and Lord Tollan Eldar, head of the council.
“Thank you everyone for gathering here tonight to ensure the future and stability of Mandalore. My decision for tonight might displease many of you but all I ask is for you to respect my decision and my choice of consort. I do not reclaim our homeworld for us to begin another civil war and I do hope that it will not come down to that.” Bo-Katan looked around the room to ensure that everyone got her words across their mind. “I chose Din Djarin of Clan Mudhorn as my consort.”
And that met with a full on protest erupted from every corner of the throne room. Most of them disagreed with her choice and took it as an insult. Axe and Koska immediately moved to stand between the Mand’alor and the angry crowd. Nite Owls on duty tonight moved into their positions, highly alert of the situation.
“How dare you choose that lowly bounty hunter and not my son whose blood is pure Mandalorian?” Charnan Ordo yelled at her, pointing his finger at her face.
“You send me your 16 years old son? Seriously? I can be his mother! Have you ever asked your son if he really wants this, Lord Ordo?”
“He has a duty to his clan. He knows what he has to do.”
“You neglected his feelings, his wants and needs were something that you should be ashamed of yourself.”
“He does not have a single drop of Mandalorian blood! He has nothing to offer you!”
“Din Djarin offered me a place among his covert when my home on Kalevala was destroyed. He offered me his full support on my quest to retake Mandalore. He stood by my side, fighting by my side, sharing blood, sweat and tears with me while we defeated Moff Gideon. Where were all of you then?”
The crowd went quiet. Bo-Katan looked at Din and signaled for him to come forward to stand next to her.
“I choose Din Djarin as my consort. This is my final decision. If you have a problem with this, speak now and we will settle this issue by combat.”
“Or if anyone thinks they are more suitable to Lady Kryze than myself, speak now and we will fight for her hand in marriage.” Din spoke up from his place next to her.
The crowd didn’t move nor make any eye contact with the two of them. But then a tall young man pushed the crowd away and stepped forward.
“I will fight you for her hand in marriage, Din Djarin. Who do you think you are? You do not have a single drop of Mandalorian blood.” Kolas Bralor stepped up in front of Din. The young man donned his Mandalorian armor as well. “Yet you dare to mingle your blood with her. I challenge you, Din Djarin of Clan Mudhorn, for our Mand’alor’s hand in marriage.”
“Alright then.” Din gave a slight nod, acknowledging the challenge before pulling out his vibroblade. “We will fight to death or exile.”
“What?” Bo-Katan gasped from beside him.
The same went with the father of the challenger. “What? You cannot do this. He’s my only son. You cannot do this.”
“Only death or exile is suitable for this kind of challenge. I will not stand knowing my challenger is still alive or lives in the same star system as my wife.” Din replied, showing no concern of the consequences. He knew he could beat this foolish boy who thought he could fight a seasoned warrior like him. “This is your last chance to back down.”
“Don’t do this, son.” The father urged. “You know who he is and his reputation. Kolas, you will not win this fight.”
“Listen to your father, Kolas. Do not make foolish decisions that would put you in an early grave or worse, you will never get to see your family again.” Bo-Katan spoke up, hoping she could reason with the young man. Enough Mandalorian blood spilled in the past, she certainly was not going to let more blood spill because of her. “Stand down. Clan Bralor needs you.”
The room seemed to hold their breath, waiting for Kolas’s answer. The young man stared at Din, defiance clearly showed in his eyes. He was acting like a true Mandalorian warrior, Din had to give him that.
“Son, please…”
Kolas let out a sigh. “Fine. I will not fight you.”
“You are making the right choice. There is no shame in this.” Bo-Katan declared. “You are the future of your clan. Keep living, Kolas, maybe one day you will find a wife who is worthy of you.”
The young man bowed his head at the Mand’alor and backed away from Din Djarin and Bo-Katan. The whole room went quiet after that.
“I guess that concludes this matter.” The Armorer spoke up when no one else rose to challenge Din Djarin. “Mand’alor, when do you prefer to have the wedding ceremony?”
“The sooner the better. Din and I would love a simple wedding. Maybe next week?”
“We will arrange it, my Lady.”
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And their wedding was as Mandalorian as it could be. Just three days before their wedding, there was another pirate raid. Since the news that Mandalorians had retook their homeworld spreaded across the galaxy, many pirates had tried to test the Mandalorian’s might and each time they had failed spectacularly.
Bo-Katan’s Nite Owls had become really efficient in boarding and seizing the battleship. Each pirate raid they would gain more starfighters and battleships to their growing fleet.
It was always a wonder for Bo-Katan that the pirates kept on trying.
The Mand’alor was leading her army as usual. This time they were fighting just outside the domed city. Axe was leading the fight in the air while Bo was leading the ground defense.
“They pick just the right time to raid us. All of the clans and their forces are here.” Din sighed once he slided himself into the large boulder that Bo-Katan was taking cover.
“Intelligence is not their forte.” Bo-Katan replied as she peaked over to take a shot. “They should stop after their second attack.”
Din got up and lassoed one of the pirates behind the boulder and Bo-Katan delivered a killing blow with a vibroblade. “Well, beskar ore is always a tempting prize for anyone.”
“They will need a bigger fleet and bigger army than this.”
“If the army was any bigger…” Din stopped mid sentence to punch a guy in the face before shooting him in the chest. “We might have a problem and maybe our wedding has to be postponed! Maybe we should have our wedding right here and now.”
“Din, we have faced worse than this.” Bo-Katan replied, turning her helmeted head to look at him. “And we are not going to marry here! This is not how I picture our wedding to be.”
He laughed. “I know. I just don’t want to wait any longer! And we are getting married the same way our ancestors did, just think about it. We love each other so why wait any longer.”
Bo-Katan stabbed a pirate in the neck before turning towards the figure with a horn helmet.
“Armorer!” The Mand’alor called. “Marry us!”
The Armorer swung her hammer at the enemy, knocking him down on the ground before stabbing the tong in the chest. “I am a little bit busy right now.”
“Bo-Katan, I have prepared a long speech to proclaim my love for you on our wedding day but I guess that will have to wait.”
“It can wait.” She nodded. “It can wait until we are not trying to get out of the fight alive.”
“SAY YOUR VOWS!” The Armorer shouted from above them as she was locked in battle mid air with a pirate.
The couple looked at each other before locking each other’s forearms. Din pulled her close so he could rest his forehead against her in a keldabe kiss.
"Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar'tome, mhi me'dinui an, mhi ba'juri verde."
“Congratulations, Bo-Katan Kryze and Din Djarin. Your songs are now joined as one.”
The Mandalorian warriors nearby cheered loudly to celebrate the union of their Mand’alor and her consort even though the fighting was still raging around. They couldn’t be bothered by this minor setback.
Once the dust was settled and the Mandalorians emerged victoriously, everyone came to congratulate and wish the union would bring peace, stability, and prosperity to their planet.
“Well, nothing like breaking some sweat early in the morning and getting married to the love of my life.” Bo-Katan spoke up. They were standing on the landing dock, overseeing the prisoner transportation back to the prison.
“Maybe today can be even more perfect. You can adopt Grogu today.” Din suggested.
Bo-Katan smiled brightly at the idea. “My riduur, your good idea keeps on rolling. Let’s do it.”
The two of them went to get the Armorer to officiate the ceremony and also getting Koska, Axe, and Ragnar to be the witnesses in the process.
“You are now Din Grogu Kryze. The Mandalorian apprentice and the Prince of Mandalore.” The Armorer announced.
Needless to say, Grogu was beyond elated to officially being adopted by his other favorite Mandalorian who he already considered as his mother. Bo-Katan was over the moon that they were finally and officially became a clan of three.
Later that night, when Grogu finally got to sleep, the two parents finally had time to themselves. Din made love to his wife and once they were done, they snuggled close, holding each other in their arms.
“At least there is something good that came out of this mess.” Bo sighed contentedly, tracing her finger on his chest absentmindedly.
“Yes, I got to marry you. And now Grogu has his mom.”
“Thank you… for doing this for me. I know we said we wanted to take things slow, giving each other and Grogu time to adjust.”
“My love, I would do anything for you. You just have to ask.”
“And I would do anything for you too.”
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