Hello everyone! Specter7 here. This is a one-shot of "Trials of the Darksaber" and purely a burst of inspiration! After watching this incredible episode I couldn't help but write what Sabine must have been feeling.

There was so much raw emotion in episode 15 of season 3! So much pure, unfiltered emotion that I just HAD to put it onto virtual paper!

So, I will most likely post other one-shots from future episodes or previous episodes when I feel the inspiration again. Also, all credit of the cover goes to kiharisephorah. Anyway, read and enjoy!

Season 3: Episode 15- Trials of the Darksaber:

"Sabine's Catharsis"

"The Empire wanted to destroy worlds. And they did...

...They destroyed mine."

-Sabine Wren

Sabine Wren walked over the sandy hill, her arms crossed. She passed several of the odd rock/plant formations that Atollon was famous for, the moonlight coloring everything in a dusky gray.

She stopped at the top of the rift and looked down at the three people below. Ezra seemed to have just realized she was there and was squinting through the darkness. Sabine pursed her lips and walked down the hill, crossing her arms again as she reached the bottom. After several long hours of venting and soul-searching alone, she had come back, her emotions finally cooling off. A few hours ago she'd been full of anger, impatience and helplessness. Now, there was just a numbness. She didn't want to do this, but Sabine had agreed to. And she would never quit.

She walked up to Kanan. The blind Jedi had taken his mask off and knelt on the ground, his eyes closed.

"I owe you an apology," he said quietly.

Sabine hesitated. "I can say the same," she admitted finally.

Kanan stood, holding the Darksaber reverently in two hands and offered it to the Mandalorian.

Sabine uncrossed her arms, looking wide-eyed at Kanan. He was giving her the Darksaber?

She just stared at the weapon, shocked and unsure. "Ah… maybe I should practice some more first," she said uncertainly.

"Take it," Kanan insisted softly. "It's yours."

Sabine looked at the Darksaber and hesitantly picked it up with both hands, her tan fingers wrapping around the cold metal.

She furrowed her brows, staring at the ancient weapon in her hands. I can't do this, she thought, fighting to not bite her lip. I'm not ready.

Sabine sighed, her head drooping.

But I have to.

I told Hera and Kanan and the rest that I would. I'm committed now.

Sabine steeled her nerves and determinedly lifted the Darksaber up in one hand.

"Ignite the blade," Kanan ordered in quiet respect.

Sabine got a good hold on it and pressed the button on the side of the weapon and a black beam of light shot out.

The Mandalorian's eyes widened in awe as she stared at the Darksaber. "Whoa," she breathed.

The ancient weapon was nothing short of magnificent, its jet-black blade pulsing with energy and thin, pure white laces of light dancing across the edge of the the saber. It bathed the area in glowing white light as Sabine waved the weapon around, getting familiar with her new lightsaber.

"It's heavier than I thought," she admitted, starting to smile in awe.

"Energy constantly flows through the crystal," Kanan explained. "You're not fighting with a simple blade as much as you are directing a current of power."

Sabine moved the Darksaber around as the Jedi talked, intrigued with the ancient weapon in her hands.

"Your thoughts," Kanan continued. "Your actions, they become energy. They flow through the crystal as well and become a part of the blade."

The blind Jedi took his own lightsaber off his belt and ignited it with a snap-hiss.

Sabine looked at Kanan, taking in a shaky breath. I have to fight him?! Sabine exclaimed mentally, her hands gripping the Darksaber even tighter.

"The blades will be drawn to each other," Kanan said, readying his lightsaber and putting one hand behind his back.

Sabine narrowed her eyes, holding out the Darksaber in front of her. I'm ready, she thought determinedly. I'm ready.

"Block high!" Kanan yelled.

She clenched her teeth and swung the saber just as Kanan swung his own. The lightsabers met in a blinding white flash and electricity pulsed from the connection.

Sabine gritted her teeth as the Darksaber shook violently, rattling her from the inside out. She struggled to keep the weapon in her hands.

"There's pull," Kanan said. "Can you feel it?"

Sabine nodded, even though the blind Jedi couldn't see her.

"That sword is old," Kanan said as the Darksaber let off sparks and strands of lightning. "Heavy," he continued, "but powerful. Respect its strength."

Kanan jerked away his lightsaber with a grunt and Sabine was carried with it. She pulled away and readied the Darksaber.

"Block low," the Jedi ordered.

Sabine did, her adrenaline racing.

"High!"

She brought the blade above her head, the sword slanted as it blocked Kanan's lightsaber.

"Middle!

Sabine blocked the blue beam with her black one before it could cut into her torso.

"High!" he repeated.

She did.

"Low!"

She did.

"Middle!"

Sabine brought up the Darksaber and Kanan's sword slammed into her own. She stepped closer for leverage and moved her saber horizontally. The Mandalorian's and the Jedi's faces were only a foot or two apart.

"Good," Kanan said approvingly, yet there was a note of challenge in his voice. "Let's work on a series."

The two pulled apart.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes," Sabine said immediately, starting to feel excited as her adrenaline raced.

She watched as Kanan brought his blue lightsaber up to his face, the beam of light vertical. Sabine did the same with her black one, casting everything in a white glow.

"Remember the forms Ezra taught you," the blind Jedi advised. "Take Ready Position."

Sabine spread out her feet, her right foot in front of her left and held the Darksaber out.

"We'll start slow," Kanan said, quiet amusement in his voice.

Sabine narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. Kanan was going down.

"One," the blind Jedi counted and swung his blade to her right, aimed for her legs.

She blocked.

"Two," he continued and swung it to her left in the same manner. Sabine blocked again.

"Three." This time Kanan slammed his lightsaber into her blade before it hit her side.

Kanan then spun in a circle, his sword swinging for her head. "Four." Sabine whirled the Darksaber around and blocked high.

"Five." Another middle strike.

"Six." Sabine blocked, slanting her sword.

Kanan pulled apart. "Faster," he said.

They repeated the same forms and it slowly picked up speed.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

"Four."

"Five."

"Six."

Sabine was getting the hang of this.

"One!" Kanan yelled.

"Two!"

"Three!"

Sabine gritted her teeth. He was going too fast!

"Four!"

"Five!"

Sabine blocked but wasn't able to bring her blade back fast enough as Kanan shouted out the next form. The Darksaber was too heavy!

"Six!"

The Jedi's saber slammed into her own and she was thrown to the ground with a Thud!

Sabine lay on the ground as the Darksaber deactivated. That hurt, she reflected miserably. The Mandalorian sat up and opened her eyes to see Kanan pointing his lightsaber at her.

"You're making this easy on me," he taunted.

Sabine was breathing hard as she looked up at the blind Jedi. She narrowed her eyes and clenched her jaw. Is he trying to make me angry? Sabine thought privately.

"Ready Position," Kanan growled.

Sabine barely stopped herself from growling back at him as she hoisted herself up and grabbed the Darksaber. The two opponents circled each other and Sabine steeled herself, all senses alert. I'm not getting beat this time, she told herself.

Kanan flew at her suddenly, swinging his lightsaber.

"One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six!"

Sabine blocked each one with increased speed and she suddenly realized the heavy sword wasn't so heavy anymore. She could control it even easier now.

The Jedi and Mandalorian broke apart and Sabine looked at the Darksaber.

"The blade feels lighter," she said, gripping her sword.

"You're connecting with it," Kanan explained. "It's becoming a part of you."

Sabine started to feel confident as she circled the Jedi. This… this was incredible. It was invigorating.

Kanan swung at her again. Once, twice and Sabine slammed his blade down each time. She jabbed the Darksaber at Kanan's midsection but the Jedi sidestepped easily, grabbing her hands and pushing her away.

"But you cannot rely solely on the blade."

Sabine glared at Kanan and jabbed again. The man simply dodged and pushed her.

"You must use all your skills together," Kanan taught. "Ready Position!"

Sabine moved into the form and then slashed at the blind Jedi with increasing strength. On the second swing, Kanan's lightsaber blocked and threw the Darksaber from out of her hands and the sword skidded across the dirt.

Sabine stood before the Jedi, weaponless.

Kanan looked unimpressed."You'll have to do better," he said.

The wheels were turning in the teen's mind and she glanced at Ezra and then back to Kanan. An idea suddenly came to her and she launched out the energized rope on one of her Mandalorian vambraces.

Earlier, she had used it to immobilize Kanan and the yellow beam had wrapped around him. Now, she used it to wrap around the Darksaber and the whip-like rope instantly brought the weapon back to her hands.

Sabine could here a "Whoa," from Ezra behind her as she ignited the blade and proceeded to fight Kanan again.

But after a few strikes, the blind Jedi easily kicked her feet out from under her. Sabine fell to the ground, but she didn't just fall.

She fell on the Darksaber.

The black blade cut into her right vambrace and into part of her arm.

The Mandalorian let out a guttural cry of pain and jerked her forearm upwards, cradling the wound. The vambrace was sparking and sizzling as smoke curled off the glowing gash. Sabine shut her eyes tight, wincing at the burning pain. But that was nothing compared to the raging fire of anger on the inside. Why did Kanan have to be so good at lightsaber fighting? She was losing to a blind man!

"You're not fighting me," he growled. "You're fighting yourself."

Sabine closed her eyes. She knew he was right.

"—And losing," the Jedi added.

The Mandalorian glared at him and gave an aggravated yell, grabbing the Darksaber.

"You're not committed to this." Kanan said, sounding disappointed as he dodged her blade. "You should quit."

Sabine raised the Darksaber above her head, anger fueling her. How dare he advise her to give up! She started this mess so she had to finish it!

"I don't quit!" Sabine shouted. "I never quit!"

She fell back into Ready Position and slashed at Kanan, which he dodged. She tried again and again but each strike failed to reach its mark or even fall on the blue lightsaber, which Kanan had not ignited.

"Really?" Kanan laughed. "That's not what it looks like."

He pushed her away as she swung her weapon. Sabine struck again her anger building up. Kanan thought she quit? She, Sabine Wren, quit? Never!

The Jedi pushed her away, his palm slamming against her chest plate and knocked the breath out of her.

"You did run, didn't you?" Kanan taunted.

Sabine gripped the Darksaber, trying to block the memories of her past from entering her mind.

"No!" She yelled and stabbed at Kanan but he easily dodged and grabbed her wrists.

"But that's what your people believe," the blind Jedi jeered. "Isn't it?"

Sabine tried to jerk her arms away with an aggravated grunt. Why was Kanan being such a jerk? He didn't know what she had gone through! No one did!

The Mandalorian finally did a front flip, catapulting several feet into the air and away from Kanan. She turned, Darksaber in hand.

"You ran from the Empire," he taunted as she slashed at him. "You ran from your family."

Memories flashed across Sabine's mind. The Academy, the threats, the art…

"Lies!" Sabine shouted, emotion swelling in her voice. She couldn't hold back what she'd tried so hard to forget…

"So what's the TRUTH?!" Kanan shouted back, finally igniting his lightsaber and blocking her strike.

Sabine hands were shaking as faces flashed across her eyes. Everything that happened with The Academy, with her family, with Mandalore… it all came rushing back.

"The truth," she said, her voice breaking, emotion clogging her throat. "Is that… I left to save everyone!"

Sabine was breathing hard and her heart pounded loudly in her chest.

"My mother!" she cried, slamming against Kanan's blade with every word as she began listing her family members. "My father! My brother!" her voice cracked on the last one and she pushed Kanan into the dirt with the Darksaber.

"Everything I did was for family!" Sabine shouted. "For Mandalore!"

She didn't quit! She wasn't a traitor! No one knew what she went through! What she had done! What nightmares she had made possible!

"I built weapons," Sabine said to Kanan, slashing at the Jedi and fighting back tears. "Terrible weapons!" She slammed the Darksaber against Kanan's blade on both words. "But the Empire used them on Mandalore. On friends. On family!"

So many people were dead because of Sabine! I brought death to my homeworld! Sabine thought despairingly. It's all my fault!

"People that I knew," Sabine said, emotion making her voice tremble. She had started the wave of memories. There was no stopping it now.

"They controlled us through fear," Sabine continued and jabbed the Darksaber to Kanan's face and he darted away. But she wasn't even concerned about the fight anymore. It was the one on the inside that was turning her world upside down.

Sabine laughed in bitter amusement. "Mandalore feared the weapons I helped create!"

Her breaths were coming in quick gasps now. Unseen explosions flitted across her eyes and unheard screams echoed in her ears. It was years ago, but the hurt was fresh, now. Sabine had opened an old wound. The faces she'd seen, the friends she'd known… all gone… and it was her fault.

"I helped enslave my people!" she shouted, her voice heavy with desperation.

Sabine slammed Kanan into the ground as the blind Jedi held up his lightsaber in one hand and braced himself with the other.

"I wanted to stop it," she said shakily. "I had to stop it."

Sabine was reliving her own nightmare. What she'd try to keep hidden for so long… It was too late to close the floodgates now. The words poured out of her with no intention of stopping.

"I spoke out," Sabine said, her arms trembling. She remembered that day. She remembered what she had said, what she had did. It took so much courage! So much strength! "I spoke out to save them," Sabine continued, trying hard to swallow the lump in her throat. "To save everyone!"

On the last word, she released a perfect sidekick to Kanan's chest and the Jedi tumbled down the hill with throaty cry.

Sabine jumped down the huge sand dune easily, accomplishing it in one leap. She stood above Kanan, the Darksaber raised, ready to deliver the killing blow.

Yet, everything came rushing back to her in an instant. Her mother's face as she said she was disappointed in Sabine. Her father's glare as he disowned her. Her brother's disgusted look as he turned away. After she had stuck her neck out and spoke openly against the Empire! That was her family! That was her life!

"But when I did…" she snarled, angry tears starting to well up in her eyes. When she had spoke out for what she believed in, when she warned them…

Sabine slowly lowered the Darksaber as she stared into Kanan's cloudy, sightless eyes.

"My family didn't stand with me," she admitted finally, a single tear rolling down her face. "They chose the Empire."

Sabine dropped the blade to her side and fought to keep from keeling over. Her whole family had abandoned her. They called me a traitor, she thought despairingly. They told me I was a disgrace. A dishonor.

Sabine looked down at Kanan with blurry eyes and swallowed hard. "They left me," she said, her voice quivering. "Gave me no choice."

She finally deactivated the Darksaber and stepped off of Kanan, rubbing her arm. Her family… they were so disappointed in her. Sabine was dead to them. And after everything that had happened, with the enslavement of Mandalore, and leaving The Academy—with leaving her family—she was empty now.

"The Empire wanted to destroy worlds," she continued shakily. "And they did." Sabine fell to her knees.

"They destroyed mine."

There was no holding back the tears as her voice cracked. She weeped over what she confessed. Over what she had done.

And for the first time in a very long time… Sabine felt emotionally vulnerable. She'd just spilled her guts to Kanan and Ezra and Rau. How would they react?

"The Empire rules with fear," Kanan said quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "And not everyone can be as strong as you've been."

Sabine looked up at Kanan, her eyes drying as he knelt next to her.

"Your family is in a prison," he continued. "One of their own making. It's up to you to help them out of it."

Sabine slowly stood to her feet, rubbing her arm uncomfortably. "But how?" she asked in her emotion-filled voice. "Why? Why would they believe me? Why would they follow me?"

"I know this might not be what you want to here," a voice said and Sabine turned to see Fenn Rau and Ezra walking up to them. "But for what it's worth," Rau said, "I would follow you."

Sabine's eyes widened as the adult Mandalorian got on one knee and bowed his head.

The man that had used to be her enemy… would follow her?

"So would I," Ezra added solemnly, kneeling in front of her. "And I mean it."

Ezra would follow her too? Her best friend, her annoying little almost-brother… would bow to Sabine?

"You've come a long way in a very short time," Kanan said. He was kneeling too. "Where you go from here is up to you. But know this family… will stand by you no matter what you choose."

So this was how they reacted when she finally brought her past to light. After all those years, feeling ashamed, feeling hurt, closing everyone out, afraid to trust…

Sabine looked at the Darksaber in her hand. Before, she had been scared to wield it. She didn't want the responsibility of leading her people. Before, she didn't know how she would be able to. Sabine wasn't strong enough. She couldn't do it.

And she was right.

The Mandalorian couldn't unite the clans by herself. But she would have her family—her true family—by her side the whole time.

Sabine Wren looked at the three people kneeling in front of her. And she knew, from that moment on, her life would never be the same.

Long live the new Mand'alor.