Chapter Text
Growing up as Heiress to Clan Wren didn't come without it's downsides. Sabine knew that all too well. There were rules, restrictions and regulations she had to abide by and certainly no time to simply just be a kid. Her only window to the world around her was from her room, in the Wren stronghold.
To her fellow Mandalorians, she was an honorable, disciplined and noble member of the Clan and they were confident they would be in safe hands under her rule someday.
What they didn't know however was that she could care less about being the future Countess.
Sabine was steadfast on being her own person; much to her mother's chagrin. She was a fine warrior; brave and courageous, just like her mother had raised her to be but she was also reckless and craved adventure.
A day came when Sabine had had enough of being cooped away and was determined to go out and explore. She armoured up and grabbed her helmet before walking swiftly down the grand staircase.
"And just where do you think you're going in such a hurry?"
Sabine stopped dead in her tracks and slowly twisted on her heel to see her mother, the Countess standing in the shadows beside the staircase
"I was just uh -," Sabine faltered, "Going for a walk,"
Ursa was not convinced; she knew her daughter inside out.
"Oh really? May I ask why?"
Sabine squirmed inside. Her mother had warned her about the dangers out on Krownest and that their enemies lurked around every corner and if they spotted young Sabine, they would use her to their advantage.
"I just wanted some fresh air," she shrugged, "I've been cooped up in that room ever since we arrived here,"
"It's dangerous," Ursa replied firmly.
Sabine rolled her eyes, frustrated that her own mother didn't trust her. She had proved herself time and again; she was more than capable of looking after herself.
"Mother, please, if we're planning on staying here for a while then I at least have to know where abouts in the galaxy I am,"
"Sabine, are you listening to me? Our enemies are all around us, you could get -,"
"Kidnapped, hurt or even killed, I know," Sabine groaned, mimicking the spill her mother would recite to her every time she made a run for it.
"Sabine," Ursa warned, giving her daughter a pointed glare.
The young Mandalorian exhaled, her breath blowing through her colourful bangs. The deflated look on Sabine's face had Ursa contemplating for a moment. She was almost eighteen and if she was anything like Ursa was when she was that age, sooner or later she would end up rebelling.
"Alright," Ursa sighed, "You may leave the stronghold, but you are to stay within the grounds at all times,"
Sabine smiled brightly, excitement coursing through her veins.
"Thank you, mother,"
"And if you see any strangers, you are not to speak to them, you come straight back, do you understand?"
By strangers, Ursa meant Jedi. A long standing enemy of the Mandalorian's and Clan Wren itself.
"Yes, mother,"
Just then, Sabine's father, Alrich Wren appeared, hands behind his back and a kind smile on his face.
"Off on another adventure, Sabine?" He smiled.
"If you count staying within the strongholds perimeter as an advenure, then sure Father," Sabine shrugged with a lopsided smile before legging it out of the door.
Alrich chuckled and gave his wife and knowing look.
"We can't protect her forever, Ursa,"
The Countess pursed her lips as she watched her only daughter disappear from view.
"I know - and that's what worries me,"
-
Sabine hadn't expected it be as cold as it was once she got outside but she didn't mind too much. Her body glove and beskar were doing their best at keeping the chill at bay while she trunched down the snowy hill towards the forests below. She knew she had promised her mother she wouldn't stray away from the grounds of the stronghold but her curiosity had a way of getting the best of her. As she reached the bottom of the hill, she cleared a few branches from her path and gasped at the view before her. A long stretch of river ran through it, separating a small town from the outskirts.
"Wow,"
She knew she shouldn't advance any further but she was intrigued at what or who was out there. Apart from her parents, brother and a few of the other Clan members, she hadn't had any interaction for weeks, especially with anyone her own age.
Sabine looked back at the might of glass and steel, the place that was currently giving her and her family shelter and sanctuary and pondered for a moment. If she disobeyed her mother's wishes, she would most certainly never be allowed out again, at least not unattended.
She thought better of it and turned her back at the world behind her and decided to take a walk through the forest instead. As she walked deeper within, her ears pricked up at an all too familiar sound. Her heartbeat picked up as she knew the sound to be the thrumming of lightsabers; the weapon of their enemy. She had to think quickly and get back to headquarters but she had walked too far and was now deep inside the forest, unsure of which way to turn. There was a small gap through the trees that looked as though it could be an escape route and so she made her way towards it briskly, careful not to draw the attention of the Jedi that seemed to be closer than she first predicted.
"Oh, Kriff!" She exclaimed.
The gap in the trees had only led her to a frozen over lake and there was no way she was going to be able to go around it. She looked all over, trying to find another way but she was at a loose end. Accepting the fact that she was going have to brave it and cross the lake in order to get home, she cursed herself for not strapping her jetpack to her back before being so eager to leave.
Hesitantly, she set her left foot onto the ice, careful not to add too much pressure before placing her right beside it.
"Phew," she exhaled.
Sabine was confident that she would get back without a hitch and perhaps her mother could trust her to be independent a little more. A few more steps and she was already half way across and the intense sound of the lightsabers had began to fade away.
That was until it was replaced with a loud crack. With her next assured step, Sabine's boot went straight through the ice and her body was suddenly submerged in the frosty water. The ice around her broke away, making any hope of pulling herself to safety virtually impossible. The weight of her beskar began to pull her down and no matter how hard she kicked her feet to stay afloat, she kept going under, her helmet filling with water.
As she began to falter, blackness was starting to cloud her vision and before long she'd passed out; her body hurtling towards the bottom of the lake. She never heard the frantic voice calling to her from above or the strong arms that scooped down to grab her, pulling her to safety.
The young Jedi had seen the whole thing from where he was training. When she fell through the ice, he'd rushed over to help; diving in to save the Mandalorian in distress and managed to get her to the shore quickly. He put his ear to her chest and heard her strong heartbeat pounding through her chest plate and so removed her helmet. It hissed and the water that had made its way inside trickled out revealing the angelic features of the Heiress of Clan Wren. He caught his breath as he realised he'd just saved one of his sworn enemies and wondered what his master would think if he ever found out.
Since he and his master had arrived on the planet, he'd never seen a Mandalorian without their helmet and up until now never imagined he would - especially a girl. He couldn't help but admire her beauty as she began to stir.
Suddenly, Sabine coughed and spluttered and bolted upright.
"Hey, hey, you're okay, you're safe," the Jedi told her as she did her best to catch her breath.
She was freezing and soaking wet, so he grabed his jacket and wrapped it around her shuddering shoulders to keep her warm.
Sabine began to regain her composure, as she became aware of her surroundings. She had only been out for a five minutes at most but the sheer numbing effect of the water had knocked the breath out of her and she was out cold.
"Are you alright?"
Sabine blinked, slowly coming back to consciousness and was met with sapphire eyes and a concerned smile.
She flinched and moved away from him a little; her eyes fierce and cautious.
"Woah, hey, it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," he said, putting his hands up.
Sabine put her hand on one of her blasters, ready to defend herself as she did her best to scoot away from the boy.
"Stay back! I'll shoot!" She warned him.
She looked down at his waist and noticed the lightsaber hanging from his belt and immediately pointed her blaster straight at him.
"Wait, wait, look there's really no need for that, okay, I promise I'm not going to hurt you,"
"Why would I trust a Jedi?" Sabine scoffed.
He unclipped his lightsaber and made it clear to her that he was not going to use it by placing it on the snowy ground beneath his feet. Sabine was still unsure and stood her ground.
"Funny, I could say the same thing about you Mandalorian's," he chuckled, stopping when her glare on him intensified.
After she was sure he was unarmed, Sabine hesitantly lowered her weapon, keeping it close to her leg.
"I just wanted to make sure you were alright," he said sincerely.
"Who do you think you are?" She hissed.
"Uh - I think I'm the one who just saved your life?" He replied, irritated at how unpleasant she was being towards him.
"I didn't need saving, I had everything under control,"
"It certainly didn't look like it from here,"
Sabine opened her mouth to argue but nothing came out.
"I have to get home, don't even think about following me!"
"Wait -,"
Sabine spun around again, this time with both her blasters raised.
"Can I at least have my jacket back?" He asked timidly.
She hadn't even realised she had another item of clothing on her shoulders. Her bodyglove was soaked through and she could feel the cold starting to bite against her skin. All that was keeping her from completely freezing over was the lightweight, orange jacket that was wrapped around her.
Sabine surrendered and put her blasters back in their holsters before pulling off the garment and handed it back to him.
"Thanks," she mumbled in response, feeling slightly foolish for acting so defensively.
"I'm Ezra by the way," he smiled lightly, "And you are?"
Sabine frowned. This was hardly the time for introductions. Instead, she wrapped her arms around herself and began to find her bearings, hoping the walk back wasn't too far from where they were stood.
"What were you doing out here all by yourself anyway?"
"I hardly think that concerns you," she spat, desperately looking for the nearest and quickest route out of there.
"Kriff, you Mandalorian's sure don't hold back, huh," Ezra scoffed.
"And you Jedi sure like to stick your noses into things that don't concern you, huh," she shot back, mimicking him.
Ezra couldn't help but smile. He wasn't sure why but something about her bluntness was kind of attractive.
"You're right, I shouldn't have gotten involved, I'm sure someone would've found you eventually, the thawing out stage would've been a tad difficult though,"
He was really starting to get on her nerves. Not only had he been in territories unallocated to his kind, but he'd had the gawl to act like the big hero, just like every Jedi she'd had the misfortune to meet.
"I really should be going now,"
She wrapped her arms around her a little tighter and began her ascent up the hill, trying desperately to conserve her energy for the walk home.
"Hey!"
This kid didn't know when to quit. Sabine let out a frustrated huff and turned back to him.
"Look, maybe we got off on the wrong foot but I genuinely hope you're okay, you took quite the fall and it's freezing out here, not to mention dangerous, especially by yourself and you're bleeding -,"
Sabine frowned again, but this time it more due to confusion.
"I am?"
Ezra took a few steps towards her and inspected her lip that was sporting a deep cut.
"Let me help you with that,"
Sabine was about to tell him where to stick it but when she raised her hand to touch her mouth, she realised the severity of the wound. Although she wore her helmet, she wouldn't have been surprised if she had bitten down hard on her lip when she slipped through the ice.
Ezra rummaged through his pocket and pulled out some bacta gel that he kept on his person when training with his master. He was always getting into some sort of accident, especially in the early days of his training.
"This might sting a little," he warned her as he lifted his finger to her mouth, "May I?"
Sabine nodded and said nothing, letting him tend to her. His touch was surprisingly gentle as he applied the bacta along her wound.
As he concentrated, she took the opportunity to really look at him. Crystal blue eyes and dark hair were the first thing she noticed as well as the two twin scars that acquired his left cheekbone. He was surprisingly handsome, not much older than herself, give or take a year or two.
"So, will I live?" Sabine asked.
"I think the odds are most definitely in your favour," he smiled as he finished up, "There, that should start to feel better soon,"
He popped the gel back into his pocket and a comfortable silence surrounded them.
"Thank you," Sabine said softly.
"You're welcome,"
They both shuffled their feet and Sabine began to shiver again, aware that she needed to get home before nightfall.
"Here, you need this more than I do,"
Ezra handed her back his jacket and Sabine took it willingly this time and wrapped it around her shoulders tightly.
"Come on, I'll uh, walk you home, you'll catch your death out here," Ezra offered as he began to walk up the hill away from the lake.
Sabine stayed standing for a moment longer as a warm feeling flowed through her. She wasn't sure what it was but it felt pleasant and she sensed it may have something to do with Ezra.
Breaking out of her thoughts, she caught him up as they walked side by side through the thick forest towards the Wren stronghold and it wasn't long before they'd made it back.
Sabine took a deep breath and prepared for the absolute lambasting she was about to recieve from her mother. She turned to Ezra and gave him a timid smile.
"You sure you going to be okay?"
"I'll be fine," she lied, knowing that as soon as she walked though those doors she would probably never be allowed to walk out of them again, "Thank you - y'know, for rescuing me today, I'm sorry I was so -,"
Ezra held up his hand to silence her and smiled.
"Don't mention it,"
Sabine nodded, feeling a little awkward.
"Well, thanks again," she said turning back towards her home, "My name's Sabine by the way "
And with that, she continued her walk back to the stronghold.
"Will I ever see you again?"
Those words stopped her and she tried her best to hold the smile that began to play at her lips at bay.
"Perhaps - someday," she called back to him, "Goodnight, Ezra,"
"So long, Sabine,"
Can we all appreciate this stunning art work of Sabine and Ezra at the end of this chapter!
Thank you to PadmeNaberrie for creating these and bringing my story to life 🥹 💜 🧡
