#ig-12

Grogu cooed in reluctant agreement and lowered his hand while the side of Din’s helmet gently tapped against the side of her head. The sound of drums filled the air as the clan of three stepped into the cavernous chamber that housed the Living Waters of Mandalore, which was now illuminated by several lanterns and adorned with tribal banners; Mandalorians stood at attention on either side of the chamber, and all were wearing their helmets as a sign of respect. The Armorer stood knee-high in the dark water and held a small stone basin in her gloved hands, turning around to watch Ragnar, the foundling of their fallen ally and friend, kneel on the steps before her. (Y/N)’s heart clenched in sympathy for the child and while they waited by the entrance of the chamber, Din’s hand subtly flexed against her waist; everyone here owes their life to Paz Vizsla, she thought to herself as she recalled the Mandalorian’s noble sacrifice, and everyone will repay that debt by ensuring Ragnar grows up safe and protected.

“I swear on my name and the names of the Ancestors…”

“I swear on my name and the names of the Ancestors…” Ragnar recited.

“That I shall walk the Way of the Mand’alor…”

“That I shall walk the Way of the Mand’alor…”

“And the words of the Creed shall be forever forged in my heart.”

“And the words of the Creed shall be forever forged in my heart.”

When he finished, he bowed his head and the Armorer poured the basin of water onto his beskar helmet. “This is the Way.”

“This is the Way,” The assembled Mandalorians echoed.

Sharing a reassuring look, (Y/N) and Din waited for Ragnar to join the others before starting forward towards the steps. Bo-Katan, whose helmet was already decorated with droplets of water, gave them a nod of respect when they passed her and (Y/N) flashed her friend a nervous smile. They descended the steps together and her husband made sure she was stable before letting go of her waist and bending down to set Grogu down on the damp steps.

“Grogu is my apprentice. He is no longer a foundling.” Din’s modulated voice was filled with self-assurance as he continued. “Add him to the Song.”

The Armorer shook her head. “He is too young to speak, so he is too young to take the Creed. He must remain a foundling.”

Grogu cooed and lowered his head in disappointment and (Y/N) struggled to resist the overwhelming urge to scoop him up into her arms, but Din was seemingly unperturbed by the Armorer’s words. “If his parent gave permission, couldn’t he then become a Mandalorian apprentice?”

“Yes, but his parents are far from here, if they are even alive.”

In that instant, realization dawned on (Y/N) and her head whipped around to meet the visor of her husband’s helmet; although she couldn’t see his face, she knew the Mandalorian well enough to determine exactly what he was thinking and after a moment, a bright smile spread across her face. “Then we will adopt him as our own,” She replied, her eyes remaining fixed on Din’s covered gaze as she reached over to slip her hand into his.

In her peripheral vision, she watched the Armorer give them both a deep nod. “This is the Way.”

“This is the Way,” Din and (Y/N) replied in unison and when she glanced down, Grogu was beaming up at them both.

“Let it be written in Song that Din Djarin and (Y/N) (Y/L/N) are accepting this foundling as their son.” With a hint of pride in her modulated voice, the Armorer looked out at the gathered Mandalorians and addressed the child. “You are now Din Grogu, Mandalorian apprentice.”

“This is the Way.”

Grogu happily nodded and the Armorer turned to face Din. “You must leave Mandalore and take your apprentice on his journeys, just as your teacher did for you.”

Din nodded. “This is the Way.” Bending down, he scooped Grogu up and (Y/N) smiled when his clawed hand rested against the beskar covering Din’s cheek. “Grogu. Ni kyr’tayl gai sa’ad.” When he noticed (Y/N)’s confused expression, he softly explained, “It’s a Mandalorian adoption vow; it means ‘I know your name as my child.’ It’s something…something I should’ve spoken a long, long time ago.”

(Y/N)’s eyes prickled with unshed tears as she smoothed a hand over the child’s wrinkled head and met his gaze. “Ni kyr’tayl gai sa’ad, Grogu.” Beside her, Din released a shuddering breath and she nervously bit her lip. “Did I say that right? Mando’a’s pretty difficult to pronounce-”

“It was perfect, alor’ad.” While the Mandalorians began to file out of the chamber, Din pressed his forehead against hers in a Keldabe Kiss and gently squeezed her hand. “Ni kar’tayl gar darasumm, ner cyar’ika riduur.”

She brushed her lips against the beskar covering his mouth as her free hand cradled the side of his helmet. “And I love you too, my honorable Mandalorian.”

“So, I guess this is it.” They looked over to see Bo-Katan standing at the top of the steps, her helmet resting against her hip as a smile played on her lips. “What’re you guys gonna do now?”

(Y/N) tilted her head to the side and considered the Nite Owl’s question. “We haven’t really decided yet, but I suppose we’ll have plenty of time to figure it out on our way to Adelphi.”

“A lot of rumors are gonna start spreading about what happened here, and it’ll be good for Mandalore if Captain Teva and the New Republic hears the truth before the stories,” Din added before helping (Y/N) ascend the damp steps to where Bo-Katan stood. “Thanks to the leadership of Bo-Katan Kryze, Mandalore once again belongs to the Mandalorians and the galaxy is free of Moff Gideon’s influence once and for all.”

Bo-Katan’s cheeks flushed pink as she scoffed at Din’s words. “Well, don’t sell yourselves too short on my account. All of this? It just wouldn’t be possible without you three landing on Kalevala and showing me that I still had a purpose. I don’t know if I can ever repay you for that.”

Taking a step forward, (Y/N) wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug and smiled to herself when she immediately returned her embrace. “There’s nothing to repay, Bo. You were meant to lead your people, just as we were meant to help you reclaim Mandalore.”

When (Y/N) pulled away, Din offered the Nite Owl his hand and nodded as she tightly clasped it. “Take care of yourself, Bo. If you need anything, we’re only a holo-call away.”

Grogu cooed and gave Bo-Katan a small wave, and she chuckled as she blinked away her tears. “I’ll miss you too, kid. May the Force be with you.”

With one final smile, Bo-Katan turned and strode out of the chamber after the rest of the Mandalorians, radiating self-assurance with each step she took and looking every bit the leader that Mandalore deserved.

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After their long week on Mandalore, the sunshine and warm air of Adelphi was a treat and as (Y/N) piloted the N-1 starfighter down onto the New Republic’s landing pad, she admired the waves gently lapping at the sandy beaches and the lush green foliage framing the rocky hills in the distance. It’s not hard to see why the New Republic established an outpost on this planet, she thought to herself as Din helped her descend from the starfighter.

“We’ll be back in a few, R5!” (Y/N) called out to the astromech droid and gave him a small wave before accepting her husband’s gloved hand and gesturing for Grogu to follow them as they walked towards the Quonset hut that housed a lounge bar for the New Republic pilots. “Captain Teva’s X-Wing is here, so that’s good. Do you think he’s expecting us?”

“I’d be surprised if he wasn’t.” Din matched her slower pace and glanced down at the child toddling happily beside them. “The kid’s gonna get a real surprise when we land on Nevarro and don’t immediately leave.”

(Y/N) chuckled. “The little guy’s definitely spent more time in space than on any one planet, but I think he’ll be okay. He’s our son, after all.”

Her husband’s fingers threaded around her own and gave her hand a loving squeeze as the Quonset doors slid open to reveal the lounge bar. New Republic X-Wing pilots were drinking and chatting amongst themselves at the tables, playing table games and changing the music on the jukebox in the back, and Captain Carson Teva was nursing a glass of spotchka as he leaned against the bar and gave them a jaunty smile. “Let me buy you a drink.”

(Y/N) shook her head and allowed Din to help her slide onto one of the nearby barstools. “Thanks, but we’re here on business.”

“We really appreciate what you two did.” Captain Teva watched in amusement as Grogu jumped up onto the bar and began snacking on a bowl of nuts. “You made our jobs a lot easier.”

Din merely shrugged his armored shoulders. “We’ve all been chasing Moff Gideon. You would’ve gotten him eventually; my wife and I just got there first.”

A string of excited babbles drew their attention towards Grogu, who was pointing at the helmets and severed droid heads suspended above the bar, and (Y/N) realized why he was so enthusiastic when she spotted the old IG-11 head resting beside a slashed Stormtrooper helmet. “Your kid sure likes the trophies.”

“It’s not him, kid.” Din turned back to face the officer and explained, “One of them reminds him of someone he knew.” Captain Teva nodded in understanding and after seeing the encouraging smile on (Y/N)’s face, the Mandalorian continued. “We have a business proposition.”

The officer’s brow arched. “Shoot.”

“This youngling is my apprentice.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“I’m a bounty hunter by trade; now that he’s with us, I’ll be more selective in my assignments.” One of Din’s hands rested on the small of (Y/N)’s back as he leaned against the bar beside her. “We were offered a tract of land on Nevarro by High Magistrate Karga, and we’ve decided to accept it.”

“Go on.”

“You don’t have the resources to protect the Outer Rim, let alone hunt down Imperial remnants.” (Y/N)’s smile widened when the officer reluctantly nodded in agreement. “And we need work.”

Captain Teva smirked at that. “Let me get this straight: you two want to work for the New Republic?”

“On a case-by-case basis,” Din corrected. “Independent contractors.”

(Y/N) nodded. “I’m a seamstress by trade and now that we’re settling down on Nevarro, I was considering taking commissions. That way, I can split my time between my sewing and our assignments.”

“You and I both know this is against regulation, Captain (Y/L/N). It’ll never get approved.”

There was amusement in Din’s modulated voice as he replied, “Which is why you won’t tell them.”

The officer sighed and finished off the rest of his spotchka. “Let me think about it.”

“You already did,” Din chuckled. “It’s a good deal and you know it.”

“Is that so?”

“My husband is the most skilled bounty hunter on this side of the galaxy, and I couldn’t have saved as many civilians as I did during the Rebellion without being one hell of a smuggler.” Leaning back in her seat, (Y/N) crossed her arms over her chest and didn’t bother masking her confident grin with a more modest expression. “In the meantime, all we require is a small advance.”

Din, catching onto what (Y/N) was planning, nodded in agreement and pointed to the severed IG-11 head. “What we want in return is that.”

Captain Teva’s brow furrowed. “A scrap assassin droid head?”

“Mm-hmm, we need it for parts.”

With a small head-shake, the officer slid off his barstool and after a quick word with the bartender, he retrieved the severed IG-11 head for them and they bid their friend goodbye, all three of them comprehending the unspoken arrangement that had just taken place: (Y/N) and Din would selectively accept assignments secretly sent to them by Captain Teva, and their apprehension of rogue Imperial commanders and destruction of any remnants of the Empire would help bring security to the fledgling New Republic. A peaceful life on Nevarro sprinkled with adventure and a little bit of danger, she thought as she cradled the droid’s head against her chest and walked alongside her husband and son towards the starfighter, sounds like a perfect work-life balance to me.

“…So, you really think I’m the most skilled bounty hunter on this side of the galaxy?”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and heaved an exasperated sigh even as her lips curved into a reluctant smile. “I do…but that doesn’t mean I suddenly think that bounty hunters are better than smugglers. I guess all those rumors about bounty hunters needing their skills validated all the time must be true.”

“And I can’t believe that smugglers’ egos are so easily threatened by some competition.”

Grogu giggled and jumped up into the cockpit as (Y/N) shot Din a playful glare. “Mir’sheb.”

“I love you too, alor’ad.” With a chuckle, Din’s gloved hand caressed her cheek before moving to rest on the small of her back to help her climb into the cockpit. “Now, let’s go home…”

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Mando’a Translations:

Alor’ad-Captain Ni kyr’tayl gai sa’ad-I know your name as my child (adoption vow) Ni kyr’tayl gar darasuum, ner cyar’ika riduur-I love you, my darling wife Mir’sheb-Smart-ass

A/N: And now we’ve only got one more chapter to go! Thank you all so much for reading and commenting! Oh, and I’ve created a Spotify playlist of all my favorite music from the world of Star Wars, so if you’re interested in checking it out the link is down below!

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2KuSKJhVOPPvxdJ9YHeo4M?si=2977ff31bf0c4bdd

Chapter Forty-Four Taking Care of Business Masterlist