Chapter Text
“You think this is a good idea? It’s your family,” Ezra asked, walking next to Sabine. A steam escaped his lips as he breathed. At this season and time, the Krownest had extremely low temperature, which was uncomfortable to Ezra. He wasn’t used to the winter environments. The path to the Wren stronghold was completely covered in snow, which crunched under their boots. This was Ezra's a very first Life Day with Sabine’s family. For now he was always only spending time with the Ghost’s crew. But after the war, things were different, and spending Life Day with Sabine’s parents was a bit terrifying for him
“Don’t panic, Ezra. You already know them, they won’t hurt you,” Sabine said. She put her hand on his shoulder, guiding him along the snowy path. Ezra was just about to fall over on the icy surface. “Just be yourself and don’t say anything stupid,” she added.
“I know, I know, but… what if they won’t like me? What if I won’t really fit with them?” Ezra responded, worried. Sabine felt his body tensing under her touch. He had only known them for a brief moment, when he had supported them during their fights on the Mandalore. Ezra didn't know what they were like, when they stopped being warriors for a moment, and were normal people, he was afraid they wouldn't accept him.
"Be yourself and don't say anything stupid," Sabine's words echoed in Ezra's head. Ezra still remembered when he suggested that Mandalorians should make their armor out of a material other than beskar, which was proving to be vulnerable to the Duchess. Thankfully the situation had been eased and the weapon has been destroyed, but Ezra will never forget the way Ursa and the other Mandalorians were looking at him back then. Those dirty looks they were giving him.
Sabine sighed. It was a good thing she was wearing her helmet and Ezra didn't see her roll her eyes at his concerns. From what Tristan had told her, Ezra was rather liked by her Clan. Or at least that was what Tristan told her. During her first return to Krownest, Tristan was teasing Sabine, and asked her questions about her romantic interest, namely Ezra. And of course, Sabine had had a long talk with Ursa.
Stepping inside the fortress, Sabine braced herself for the amount of questions from her mother and the incoming teasing from Tristan. Sabine was sure he had something planned and wouldn't let her stay on Krownest that easily.
"Chill, Ezra. You've earned their respect," Sabine said, dusting the snow off her boots. The visor of her helmet was fogging up due to the fact that it was much warmer inside than the cold temperatures outside. Sabine grimaced under her helmet and huffed, irritated by the limited visibility. She took off her helmet and holded it under her arm.
Ezra nodded in agreement, though his heart was racing at the thought of having dinner with the Wren family. Like Sabine, Ezra made sure his boots were clean and didn't leave any dirty marks on the floor. He wanted to make a good first impression, show that he had a good manners.
Sabine looked around as she made her way down the hallway to the front door. The sight of the familiar decorations on the walls and hanging paintings brought a smile to her face. She was glad that she would finally be able to spend Life Day with her family, in her home. She loved spending the Life Days with Hera, Kanan and the others, but it wasn’t the same. She missed her family, and now she wanted to make this Life Day feel more special.
Ezra followed close behind her. He was here before, but his previous visit had a way different meaning that day. They both stopped in front of the main door. Sabine put her hand on the handle and looked at Ezra. “Ready for the Life Day with Wren?” she asked, smiling slightly.
Ezra took a deep breath. He couldn’t now back away. “Yeah.”
Sabine pushed the door forward, opening it. She took a step forward and immediately heard familiar laughter, conversations, and voices. Ezra followed her inside, and closed the door behind him. He could smell the aromas of food being prepared in the air, though he couldn’t name them. That was probably some traditional Mandalorian food and cuisine, he wasn't familiar with yet. It seemed during this stay he would not only spend time with Sabine, but also explore his culinary horizons and taste Mandalorian food.
"So... where's your family gathering?" Ezra asked, unsure where to go. The last thing he wanted, was to get lost in the stronghold.
"Everybody will be probably in the dining room, but there's still a plenty of time before the dinner," Sabine said, holding out her hand to him. "We better let them know we're here. Then I'll show you my room upstairs," she added, taking his hand.
Ezra smiled, though unlike Sabine, he wasn't really bold with showing affection, especially inside of the home of her family. Walking towards the kitchen, where Ursa and Alrich's conversations could be heard, Ezra felt a little uneasy. He was in a Mandalorian fortress, and he was supposed to eat dinner here. With Sabine. And her parents. Ezra hoped he wouldn't embarrass himself and his manners were good enough.
Sabine must have noticed his stress, because Ezra felt her fingers brush against his hand, holding it tighter. Ezra looked at Sabine. She smiled at him reassuringly, but then the moment was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Sabine! You came!"
They both stopped, as they saw Tristan leaning against the wall.
"Tristan... I'm happy to see you," Sabine said, releasing Ezra's hand from her grip for a moment. She was happy to see her brother, although she was still expecting Tristan to do something to tease her, because she was with Ezra.
Tristan moved away from the wall and walked over to Sabine and Ezra, who was watching them in silence for now. "Aren't you going to hug your brother?" he asked jokingly and opened his arms to hug his sister.
"Oh, Tristan. Come here, vod’ika," Sabine replied, shaking her head in amusement. She gave Tristan a quick hug before pulling away from him.
"Good to see you again too, Ezra," Tristan said, holding out his hand to him.
"Hey Tristan," Ezra greeted, shaking Tristan's hand.
Sabine breathed a sigh of relief for a moment, although she couldn't believe that Tristan wasn't making any jokes or teasing her about Ezra. But her peace didn't last long. When Tristan finished greeting Ezra, he turned to Sabine, adding. "It's great that your boyfriend will be spending the Life Day with us."
"Tristan!" Sabine said with raised voice and felt a blush on her cheeks. Meanwhile, Tristan just laughed and said jokingly, pointing to her blush. “Did your cheeks just turn a bit red?"
Just as Sabine was about to answer him, she heard footsteps and someone coming out of the kitchen. It seemed that their banters were loud enough for Alrich to hear them. Seeing his daughter, Alrich's face lit up, and a small warm smile appeared on his lips.
"Hi, ad’ika," Alrich said, hugging Sabine.
"Buir, it’s been a while," Sabine replied as she snuggled into her father's chest. After a moment, Alrich released her and looked at her hair. The last time they saw each other, Sabine's hair was in a shade of brown, with a hint of purple. Now, her hair was completely purple, and was much shorter.
“Did you change your color again?” he asked, even though he knew the answer would be ‘yes’. He placed his hand on Sabine’s head and tenderly ran his hand through her short hair. Ezra smiled, watching this moment between Sabine and her father. He couldn’t help it, there was something charming about it. Or maybe it was just the family warmth and affection that Ezra had never experienced.
He watched her smile, that sparkle in her eye, as she was talking with Alrich and Tristan. Sabine was happy. And seeing her happy made Ezra feel better, even if he couldn’t experience it with his own, real parents. Sabine’s happiness was the most important thing to him.
“I’m glad Sabine brought you here,” Alrich said, offering Ezra his hand in greeting. As they shook hands, a light, friendly smile formed on his lips. “The more of us at the table, the better,” he added.
Perhaps Ezra's panic was unnecessary and staying at the Wren fortress would be a wonderful experience for him. It seemed that Sabine was right and Ezra was indeed liked by her family, which didn't really surprise him. After all, he had earned their respect for his help. Ezra nodded politely and replied. "Thank you for letting me to spend my Life Day here."
But then he noticed another familiar figure join them in the hallway. It was Ursa. She was looking confident, as always, but Ezra noticed a bit of weariness on her face. Her black hair was tied back with a clip. Ursa glanced at Ezra but didn't say anything yet.
Instead, she turned to Sabine. Her lips twitched and curved into a warm smile as she said. "Welcome back, Sabine. We missed you." Ursa hugged Sabine, who was probably wondering how many more hugs she would get during their stay with her family.
“I missed you too, mom,” Sabine replied quietly, resting her head against her chest.
At least Ursa was a way more friendlier than when they arrived here for the first time. Ezra still remembered the moment, when she had almost arrested Sabine, and how she struggled to tolerate his presence, because of him being a Jedi.
Ursa looked at Ezra, his eyes widening slightly. He smiled nervously as he felt her gaze roaming over his body, from head to his toes. “It’s you again? My daughter mentioned you’d be with her. Ezra… right?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. She remembered his name, it was a good sign.
“Yes… um, Countess Wren,” Ezra mumbled. He wanted to wave his hand at her, but quickly regained his composure. He was now talking to not only the person who was Sabine’s mother, but also the leader of the entire Clan Wren. Therefore, Ezra decided that giving her a slight bow would be much more respectful than waving his hand. Kanan once told him, that the Jedi in his time used to greet people by giving them simple bows or nod.
And Ezra did so. He bowed slightly, his heart skipping a beat in his chest. He carefully raised his gaze upwards, looking Ursa straight in the eyes. Her expression was serious, not softening even after his small bow. Then she crossed her arms and finally spoke. “That wasn’t necessary, but I appreciate it.”
Ezra blushed. Did he he just do something more than he should have? Did that mean he could greet Ursa the same way he greeted Tristan and Alrich? Ezra had a feeling he had just acted like a fool in front of Sabine and her family. There was something about Ursa that made Ezra feel very small, when he was standing before her.
But then Ursa smiled slightly, though the smile came probably more from her amusement of his reaction, but there was also something reassuring about it. Maybe she had accepted him in her home. Ezra looked at Sabine, seeking some support in this conversation, but she only smiled at him, as if trying to tell him that he should feel comfortable here.
"And where are you going to sleep?" Ursa asked, giving Ezra a knowing look.
"What? I mean, hehe..." Ezra scratched the back of his head, thinking of a way to get out of that question. He hadn't even thought about it before, because he knew Sabine would probably let him stay in her room. She shouldn't mind that. Unless he was wrong.
"I think I'll be sharing a room with Sa-"
"Just as I’ve thought," Ursa interjected, cutting him off. "Of course you meant the guest room, right?" she asked and deadpanned him. Her eyebrow rose even higher than before as she awaited his response. Meanwhile Sabine frowned, when she heard that Ezra would be staying in the guest room. She opened her mouth, trying to say something, to protest, but Ursa held up a hand, silencing her.
“Yes, Countess,” Ezra replied, gulping.
Ursa’s expression softened. She stepped closer to him and patted his shoulder in a friendly manner. Then she turned to Tristan. “Take Ezra to the room where he’ll be sleeping.”
“Yes, mom,” Tristan replied, gesturing for Ezra to follow him. Sabine joined them and accompanied Ezra to his room, where he would stay. Ursa watched the three of them as they walked down the hallway, heading to Ezra’s new room. She had a satisfied smile on her lips, something that was usually a rare sight on her serious face.
“You didn’t have to do that, they’re both adults. They wouldn’t do anything stupid,” Alrich said. Ursa turned to her husband, who added. “And I have a feeling Ezra will sneak into her room anyway.”
“A little caution wouldn’t hurt, and Ezra is a guest. He should be well rested,” she responded firmly to his words.
Alrich smiled as he felt a bit of nostalgia after seeing Sabine and Ezra together. He placed his hand on Ursa’s shoulder, adding with some playfulness in his tone “We were just like them when we were their age, if you remember.”
Her cheeks flushed slightly as she knew her husband was right. Ursa remembered everything, their first meeting, their date, and the many awkward moments that sometimes happened between them. Ursa knew Sabine was almost an adult now and her feelings for Ezra could be a beginning of something great. But she still felt the need to protect her. Sabine was her daughter, and as her mother, she wanted her to be happy and safe.
Ursa placed her hand on Alrich's, her fingers brushing against his. She had built a happy relationship with him and together they had raised Sabine and Tristan. Ursa hoped that one day Sabine would achieve the same as she had. She looked at the chronometer on her wrist and said to Alrich.
"Okay, okay, enough of these memories. You better help me finish making dinner, we don't have much time."
*
Meanwhile, Ezra stood in front of the door to the room he would be sleeping in during his stay with Sabine and her family. Tristan opened the door and let him in. The room was rather plainly decorated. It contained a wardrobe and a cabinet for personal belongings, as well as a single bed that was already made and ready to use. Ezra sat on the edge of the bed and looked around the room.
“Do you like it?” Tristan asked.
“Yes,” Ezra replied with a small smile. Sitting on the edge, he bounced slightly, liking the soft mattress beneath him.
Sabine walked over to the window, which overlooked a frozen lake surrounded by snowy trees. The ice had cracks in a few places, indicating that it was thin and that something or someone was trying to walk on it. It reminded Sabine of the same spot where she had defeated Saxon. She did this thanks to Ezra’s help. He had given her his lightsaber to defend herself with.
She could always count on him, and now she would help him spend time with her family and accommodate in the fortress. She moved away from the window and walked over to Ezra, who was exchanging a few words with her brother.
“I'll lend you some of my clothes, you can't wear the same clothes all the time,” she said, sitting down on the bed next to Ezra. Sabine nudged him playfully with her arm, while a small, shy smile appeared on her lips. “I hope they fit you,” she added.
“Thanks…” Ezra replied.
They both sat in silence for a moment, looking into each other's eyes. They both finally had a moment of peace, without the curious and overprotective Ursa checking on Sabine every now and then. Nothing else mattered at the moment. Her hand brushed lightly against Ezra's forearm, until her palm slid down, and finally grabbed his hand.
Their romantic and quiet moment was interrupted by Tristan's loud “ahem.” They had forgotten that he had been in the same room with them the whole time. They both slowly turned their heads towards him. “You can leave us alone, Tristan,” Sabine said, dismissing her brother. Tristan nodded, smirking, and then left the room. Sabine shook her head as she watched him leave.
“Come on, I'll show you where is refresher, and show you around, so you won’t wake up the whole fortress in the middle of the night because you got lost,” Sabine said, as she stood yp and pulled Ezra with her.
“Yeah... that's a good idea,” Ezra agreed with her and let Sabine to show him around the fortress. He didn't want to imagine the look on Sabine's, or worse what was worse, Ursa's face if he woke her up in the middle of the night, because he struggled to find a way to his room.
*
After showing him the fortress, Sabine led Ezra to her room. They still had a few minutes before dinner and Sabine wanted to spend some time with Ezra and show him the latest project of the sketch she was working on. But then, as she was about to open the door, Sabine's gaze shot up. A familiar plant hung in the center of the doorway to her room. Mistletoe. Sabine knew there was only one person who could have hung it.
Ezra seemed completely unaware of the situation as he waited patiently for Sabine to open the door and show him her room. Sabine felt her cheeks heating up and turning in a shade of red. Tradition was tradition, and as a Mandalorian, she knew she had to follow it, even if it meant kissing Ezra.
"Ezra... look up," Sabine said.
Ezra did as she said and looked at the hanging plant. Sabine expected him to be surprised and to know what that meant. Sabine took a step closer and leaned in, expecting a kiss. However, that didn’t happen. To her disappointment, Ezra was standing confused, not knowing what to do about that.
"What's this?" he asked, not really paying attention to how close Sabine was standing to him.
Sabine sighed. She hadn't expected Ezra to not know what mistletoe was or what it meant. "It's mistletoe, you idiot. When two people stand under it, then..." Sabine trailed off and didn't finish her sentence, hoping that Ezra would notice the hints she was giving him and understand what he had to do. Her lips formed a gentle smile as her arm wrapped around Ezra.
"And then what?" Ezra asked again, not understanding what she exactly meant.
"You’ve got to kiss her."
They both heard Tristan's voice as he walked down the corridor next to them. Tristan smacked his lips together, making kissing sounds.
"Thank you very much, Tristan," Sabine reacted with irritation at her younger brother's behavior. At least he had explained to Ezra what he had to do, and he surely understood now. After Tristan left them alone, Sabine stood with Ezra in silence. He was stunned by what he had heard and it seemed like he needed a moment to process all words.
"Wow, are we really going to kiss?" Ezra asked after a moment, trying to make sure he had heard Tristan correctly. His jaw dropped slightly and Ezra blushed because of the excitement of the kiss and the embarrassment of not knowing the meaning of the mistletoe. Sabine just nodded silently, confirming.
Ezra's gaze focused on her brown eyes, then her lips. It wasn't like this was their first kiss or any display of affection, but kissing Sabine, in her parents' house, made Ezra feel a unsettled.
"On the lips?" Ezra whispered, leaning in.
"Yes..." Sabine purred, leaving him no doubt.
Their lips finally met, in a kiss Sabine had been waiting for and longing for. He kissed her gently, but Sabine deepened the kiss after a moment, her arms wrapping around Ezra's neck, her hand curling around the back of his head.
After a moment, Sabine pulled away slightly, but still held him close. She nuzzled her nose against his, giggling, and then her hand rested on his cheek, holding it.
"Happy Life Day," she said quietly.
"Happy Life Day," Ezra repeated her words, leaning in for another kiss. Just as his lips brushed against hers, they heard footsteps. Someone was coming up the stairs. Sabine's eyes widened as she realized it was probably her mother, coming to call them for dinner. They both pulled away from each other and tried to act normal, like nothing had happened.
As she had predicted, Ursa approached them. She raised her eyebrows as she looked at Ezra, who was standing next to Sabine with a slightly embarrassed smile. Ursa looked up, noticing the hanging mistletoe, but didn't say anything about it. She probably guessed that she had almost caught them kissing, but decided not to make a big deal out of it. At least not for now.
"What are you doing here?" Ursa asked in a firm but still friendly tone, placing her hands on her hips. Her gaze flickered from Sabine to Ezra as she waited for their explanation.
"I just wanted to show Ezra the sketch I was recently working on," Sabine replied carefully.
"Yeah, Sabine was going to show me her new sketch," Ezra agreed, biting his lip. The way he said it sounded very enthusiastic, or rather Ezra was just trying to sound believably, hoping Ursa wouldn't throw him out of the fortress. Ezra chuckled nervously, glancing at Sabine who was shifting her weight from one foot on another.
Ursa raised an eyebrow, looking ominously at Ezra. He gulped. Ursa knew them too well and didn't really believe it. "So I interrupted you? I'm sorry then," Ursa said in a mockingly cold tone. Then her gaze moved to Sabine and her face softened a bit. "We’re starting dinner now, you can show him your... sketch later.”
"Okay, mom," Sabine replied. She tugged Ezra by the hand and began to lead him to the dining room.
Ursa looked at the hanging mistletoe and tapped her chin, thinking. After a moment, she smiled to herself as an idea came to her. "I wonder if I could lure Alrich under it..." Ursa thought, then began to walk. She needed to make sure Ezra wasn't too comfortable in her fortress and keep an eye on him while he was sitting at the table next to her daughter.