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The moonlight of Mandalore casted a pale light over the ruins, fractured walls glowing faintly where durasteel still held strong. The wind whispered through the broken city like a low, mournful sound.
Din Djarin stumbled through the rubble, the flood flowing down at the back of his head. Oh he hated explosions. So much. His vision swam, his whole body felt warm. Too warm. Not the warmth of a motherly hug or a fireplace when it got cold. No the kind of warmth that felt like you were the fire that lit up candles or forests.
He could barely feel his legs, having to hold onto ruins more than once.
He'd left the N-1 behind, Grogu asleep and unaware in his little cradle. Din couldn't let him see this, couldn't let him see his father like this.
There was only one person he trusted enough to see him like this. The Armorer. The one that had raised him when he was brought to the Children of the Watch. The one that had taken him as her apprentice, teaching him to fight, to survive and everything else he knows.
He found the old buildings that became the new Mandalorian camp. Their first plan was to reconstruct these back into actual apartments. They were very lucky most if the roofs were still intact.
Luckily for him many Mandalorians were asleep. He was almost sure he could not have handled the looks and faces of the others. He had visited Mandalore a lot of times since he and Grogu had gotten the house back on Nevarro.
So he knew where her Quarters were. Good for him. He did not know what he would've done without knowing it. Probably he would have knocked onto some random door, hoping for the best.
Din raised a trembling hand and knocked once.
The sound echoed.
A few seconds later the door opened. Din smiled under the helmet. Oh how happy he was to see her again.
"Din Djarin," she said, quiet but firm.
His knees nearly gave out at the sound of her voice. He tried to speak "I'm fine, I don't need help," but the words didn't come.
Instead, he took one unsteady step forward.
"I..." His voice cracked under the modulator. "I need-"
He didn't finish. The world tilted, darkness creeping in at the edges of his visor. He had gotten where he wanted. She surely would take care of him now.
The last thing he saw was the Armorer reaching out to him.
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He woke up to the comforting feeling of someone rubbing a hand up and down on his arm. How long had he been out? Not very long he guessed if the helmet was still on.
"You are awake," the Armorer said quietly, her hand leaving his arm and if Din hadn‘t been an adult he would have winced at the loss of touch. "I have just finished treating the wounds on your abdomen. Now that you are awake I get to ask you if you can turn around so i can treat your headwound. The Creed does not say i am not allowed to see the back of your head," She explained.
Din nodded. The fever was still there. He felt cold and hot at the same time and he was sure he looked like garbage under that helmet. His moth- the Armorer helped him sit up, making him face the wall. She then slowly removed his helmet, placing it next to Din.
She took one look at the headwound, slowly reaching for the the bacta spray. Normally she would have bandaged the person since Bacta Spray was not very common here and it had all been used when they had taken Mandalore back and treated the wounded. But at that headwound Din it was more than necessary. And Din was very glad the Armorer liked him that much. She was much more gentle than any medic could have been.
Paz had often teased him about the fact that he was the Armorers favorite. "Of course i am," he said back then. "I am her apprentice."
Mando smiled at the memory but hissed at the sudden pain when the bacta spray hit the wound. He was 90% sure he heard her shushing him but it was quickly forgotten when she moved a hand through his sweaty hair. A comforting feeling he had not felt in years.
The Armorer had only been 16 when she was announced as the Armorer. Before her, her father had been it, teaching her everything he knew. It was rare that a teenager was given such high rank.
Almost 2 years had passed and she was one month away from turning 18 when Din was brought to the Moon where the children of watch lived.
He hadn't talked the first weeks. Barely eating and barely sleeping. That was until one night he found the forge where she was currently working on some armor. She had not said anything and just pointed to a chair on which Din sat down.
The sound of her work brought back what happened the day he was found and he found himself crying silently while she worked. His eyes had been on the floor until he felt a hand on his cheek, wiping the tears away. "Dry your tears, little one. Don't let the past haunt you," she had said. Then she had walked back to the forge and contiuned working.
After that night he returned every other. Eating and also sometimes sleeping. He started talking. Telling her about everything that came into his mind. Her responses were rare but she at least listened. Other Mandalorians teased her for it but the Armorer had ignored it. Her stare was enough for them to keep their mouth shut.
A year later he spoke the Creed, took a helmet and the Armorer had taken him as her apprentice.
The memory ended as Din felt the dizziness taking over again and he would have fallen backwards if his moth- the Armorer hadn't stood behind him, catching his body, quickly facing the wall to not see his face. She laid him down as best as she could without looking.
With her eyes closed she stroked his hair for a few minutes longer until he was lulled to sleep by the act. Now. Where was the child? Surely back on the ship. She contacted a fellow Mandalorian to get it. Otherwise she was sure Din would freak out if he wasn't there in the morning. She put his helmet back on, which was luckily very easy before looking at the other wounds.
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Soon she had two sleeping children in her Quarters. Grogu sleeping soundly in his cradle next to the bed where Din rested. She was currently treating the small wounds on his arm which brought back another memory.
Din had been with the Mandalorians about two months. He was weaker and smaller than the other foundlings who often took advantage of that. One day he came into the forge with tears in his eyes. The Armorer had immediately looked him up and down to check for injuries, finding several scratches on his right arm and his right knee.
Turns out some other kids had pushed him to the ground, taking all the food and also the necklace his father once gave him. Oh how much Din had cried as soon as she started treating them. Not because of the pain but because of the feeling of not belonging there. She had dried his tears as usual and promised herself to get that necklace back.
And oh— she would not forget the looks of the other foundlings when she raised her voice at them. A rare thing. But all she felt was rage. How dare they to harm one of their own. How dare they? The audacity!
She swore she still felt that anger. Now she had to wait until Din woke up. She took his hand, stroking his knuckles with her hand. No one would harm him in her presence. Not as long she was able to avoid it.