Sunrise came early to the little moon of Yavin 4, with the blue light of dawn shining through the window of Sabine's room in the Great Temple, bathing the two sleeping lovers in the warmth of the morning.
Sabine was the first to stir awake, although a better part of her still wanted to sleep comfortably in Ezra's strong arms; her knight acted as a blanket of security and reassurance for her, a safe haven from her doubts and fears.
More specifically, her fear of returning home and confronting her mother.
She sighed, in part content and in part anxious, for today was the day they were leaving for Krownest. She wondered how her family would react to her returning. Would it be with tears in their eyes? Hardly likely. More probable would be that her mother, at the very least, would treat her with scorn and contempt. She did not know how her brother or father would react, though she did not imagine it to be all rainbows and lollipops with her brother, as he was closer to her mother than she was. She was always her father's daughter.
She released her hold on Ezra, throwing off the blankets that covered their naked forms, and swung herself out of bed, stifling a yawn as she stretched her limbs out and put on a bathrobe, intent on getting a shower before everyone else in the base did.
She took one last look at her lover still sleeping soundly on the bed, with their two now rather large wolves curled up at the foot. She smiled at them and turned to head out the door, wanting to get cleaned up and ready for this big day.
Hours later, just as the sun was nearing its height at noon, the Starbird was nearing preparations for the journey to Krownest. As there was not enough room in the Phantom II for the number of passengers plus their two wolves- who had now grown to the size of ponies- Sabine had elected to take her own ship, even if it wasn't as stealthy as the shuttle was.
Perhaps it was for the best, anyway. She needed to be seen as not a lackey for the Rebellion, but as a Mandalorian righting her wrongs and helping her people throw off the shackles of oppressive Imperial rule. Making amends with her mother was the first step in that, and her mother was one who only respected honor and tradition. Therefore, taking the Starbird wasn't a choice- it was a necessity.
She absentmindedly thumbed the hilt of the Darksaber on her belt. Over the previous months, she had grown attached to the blade, and she was almost loath to give it up. However, she knew that she was not the right leader for Mandalore. Far from it, in fact. She needed to give this blade to whoever was worthy enough to be the ruler, and so far, the only person that came into mind for her was Bo-Katan of House Kryze, leader of the Nite Owls and Mandalorian patriot par excellence.
However, doubt crept into the back of her mind. Bo-Katan had ruled Mandalore previously, only to be overthrown swiftly by the Saxons and the Empire. Her resistance movement, although notable, had not generated the support that was needed, as most Mandalorians elected to stay put and "ride the tide", not wanting to risk hearth and home fighting the battered-but-still-powerful Empire. Would the last heir of the Kryzes truly be a good ruler of Mandalore?
So many doubts and thoughts plagued her mind that she nearly didn't see Robb walk up from behind out of the corner of her eye. Startled from her musings, she turned to face the older man, who was wearing his grim mask once more, his eyes stony and determined. He was planning something, that much was certain, but what he was plotting Sabine could only guess at. The man had become increasingly at odds with Mon Mothma and the rest of the senators who made up the Alliance High Council, save for Bail and his daughter. Sabine could not blame him, however. The council acted in the complete opposite way from the violent and often reckless Saw Gerrera- they were rather timid, overcautious, and a paranoid lot.
"Hope everything's in order for your journey to Krownest," Robb asked her.
"Ship's prepped and fueled. Got enough food to last us for months, and I'm bringing some of the closest people I know with me," she said to him. So far, it was her, Ezra, Uncle Jo, Rau, Kanan, Chopper, HK, and their two wolves going on this trip to meet her birth family. Hera was busy with carrying Jacen and working on new stratagems for the Alliance, Cal and his crew were occupied with an important mission of their own, and she knew that Robb and Theon were plotting something big; something that they had not designed to share with the rest of them. If she had to hazard a guess, though, their plans involved the use of the Katana Fleet… and that their plans did decidedly not have the approval of Mon Mothma.
She had wanted Rex to come with them, as he was also familiar with her mother, having fought alongside her during the Siege of Mandalore nearly two decades prior, but he was far too busy training the new recruits and organizing the special forces branch of their military. Plus, as she discovered, going back to Mandalore would remind him of the last time when he had fought side-by-side with Ahsoka, his dearest companion, and she did not want to reopen the old man's unseen wounds.
She suppressed a sigh. It seemed everyone could have used her counsel right about now. Out of everyone she had known, she was by far the wisest and most patient person that she had met. Now, though, Ahsoka Tano was nothing more than dust on the wind, as dead as the old order she once served.
"It pains me that I cannot go with you, but we all have duties of our own," Robb lamented. "With any luck, Theon and I will finally manage to convince those oafs in the council that this war can be won. That's all I can say, though."
Sabine's eyebrow shot up at that. "Why can't you say anymore? Something going on?" she asked.
"Drevan has too many eyes and ears on base," was Robb's answer. "Only a select few know of our plans, and they've been sworn to secrecy. Just know that when you get back, the Alliance isn't going to be looked upon as the weaker and junior partner of our coalition with the Arcadians."
"If I get back…" Sabine joked. With emotion welling inside her, she wrapped her friend in a hug. "Farewell, Stark," she softly spoke.
"You too, Wren," Robb said back, "Old gods bear steel with you."
With that, the two warriors broke the hug, and Sabine turned to head inside the Starbird, beginning the preparations to head to her home… and to a past, she did not know if she was truly capable of facing.
Many of the worlds in this galaxy could be described as 'frozen'. Hoth, for example, was the very definition of an icy hell. It was rare, however, to find such a cold world that was capable of supporting extensive life, let alone have a sizable sentient presence.
Krownest was just such a world.
Thanks to its elongated orbit, the planet saw short, mild summers during which most of the planting and harvesting was done, and long, cold, harsh winters, where the only method for survival was either by the ancient ways of hunting and gathering or by outside resupply from more fertile worlds. Such hard places bred hardy people, and Krownest had been no exception to that rule. Even before they had converted to the Mandalorian way, the Wrens of Krownest had ruled as their lords since before there even was the concept of Mandalore. After the great expansion under Mandalore the Great, the Wrens of Krownest had sworn fealty to the Vizlas of Concordia and had been loyal bannermen to them for nearly five thousand years, now. Wherever the Dukes of Concordia lead, the Counts of Krownest followed, bringing the wrath of winter with them, as their raven banners and their silver-and-gold standards flew in the heat of battle. Such friendship had lasted until the dark days of the Clone Wars, and the bitter strife caused by Maul's coup.
Among friend and foe alike, the Wrens were renowned for their honorable conduct, steadfast courage, and unwavering commitment to justice, and among the notable Wrens throughout history, there were none quite as honorable or dutiful as the current lady and countess of their clan- Ursa Wren, known also as the Quiet Raven. Both Rau and Johannes spoke of her mother in glowing terms, and from what little Sabine knew, she had fought alongside Rex, Ahsoka, and Bo-Katan in the Siege of Mandalore with valor and stubbornness that was very typical of Mandalorians.
Sabine knew all too well that her mother had a dark side, however. Every human did after all. Ursa was ambitious to a fault, prone to rash judgments, quick to anger and slow to forgive a slight, and doggedly refused to admit a mistake or change her ways, even if it was for the better.
Now that she thought of it, her mother sounded a lot like a Stark, from what Robb described of his family.
As the twelve-hour journey from Yavin to Krownest was nearing its end, she looked at the three men in the crew cabin sitting in the chairs around her, with her boyfriend sitting in the co-pilot's chair next to her, and Rau and Uncle Jo sitting behind them. Kanan was in the back with the droids in deep meditation, most likely trying to concentrate as the two were chatting with themselves about the ways in which it was the most pleasurable to put Imps out of their misery.
Those two should have never been paired up like this, she realized.
The navigation lights flashed green on the control panel, indicating that they had reached their destination. She flipped the switch, and the kaleidoscope of hyperspace gave way to the black of real space. In the distance among the backdrop of stars and nebulae was the winter-covered world of Krownest.
Home.
"Well...here we are…" Sabine announced to everyone who had just come up to the cockpit, "home sweet home," she sighed out more quietly, her nervousness and anxiety coming back to her like a flood, now.
"Do you really think it will be that bad?" Ezra questioned her.
"I haven't been to Krownest since I left for the Imperial Academy, Ez," she answered him, "and I didn't exactly part with my mother on good terms, remember?"
"Well…" he offered, "maybe things have changed. Perhaps they'll be happy to see you," he offered. Sabine knew that he was trying to offer her a bit of encouragement, but right now she very much doubted that the ever-stubborn and proud Ursa Wren was capable of changing her mind.
"You don't know my family, Ezra," she said in a forlorn tone.
"But I do," Rau spoke up. "Your mother is the leader of Clan Wren, and her word is respected by all our people. She might appear to be loyal to the Empire, but I've always suspected that her true loyalty has always been to Mandalore and to her family."
Sabine sighed, "Even if it were true, she still thinks I'm a traitor, Fenn."
"That maybe so, but if you can convince your mother of your cause, the entirety of Mandalore could follow you and the Darksaber," Fenn proclaimed.
Sabine grabbed the hilt of the now-familiar blade. There it was again. The dreaded prospect of ruling an entire nation and an entire nation of unruly warriors hyped up on honor and combat at that. She did not know what Fenn saw in her to be worthy of a queen, but as far as Sabine was concerned, there had to be someone better out there. Someone who wasn't hated, but loved, and could truly unite the clans.
"Well...uh...I better let them know we're coming," she uneasily proclaimed, desperate to change the subject away from her. She flipped on the external comms and dialed them to the stronghold's frequency.
"Su'cuy aliit Wren. Ibic Sabine Wren. Ara'novor gedet'ye. Me'vaar ti gar?" she spoke into the receiver. Only a second later, she received a terse response, one that made her suspicious.
"Elek, Sabine Wren. Ke parer."
As if to confirm every bit of her suspicions on what kind of welcome she received, the comms suddenly went dead, emitting only static. Great, just great.
"What just happened?" Ezra asked warily as they began to enter the atmosphere.
"They're jamming us," Sabine responded through gritted teeth, just as Chopper beeped out a warning to them.
"Cautionary: Mandalorian meat bag, I don't wish to be the bearer of obvious news, but my fellow murderer is picking up five hostiles bearing down on our position, and closing rather fast, might I add," HK pointed out. Sabine looked out the cockpit windows and saw the shapes the assassin droid was referring to- five Mandalorian warriors, all bearing Clan Wren colors, and to make matters worse, Sabine immediately recognized who was leading them when she zoomed in on them using the scopes. A certain cousin of hers who had it in for her.
Karking hells. Should have figured Sasha would try to kill me when I got back.
"Hang on tight! This is going to get rough!" she yelled into the back, making sure everyone had themselves strapped in before going in for a steep dive, trying to shake off Sasha and her little group of hardliner warriors.
Try as she might, though, Sabine quickly discovered that she wasn't even close to Hera or Rau in terms of piloting skill, as the metallic clump on the hull of the ship confirmed to everyone in there that someone had landed on the ship.
Red lights on the console flared up, as an incessant beeping sounded on the speakers, indicating to Sabine that Sasha had found and taken out the ship's gyrostabilizers, which meant that Sasha was under strict orders from Ursa not to kill Sabine, but to apprehend her. Still, though, it wouldn't mean much if they crashed and burned, which means that there was only one thing left to do.
"They've taken out our stabilizers!" she announced to everyone else in the cabin. "I'm going to have to go in for a hard landing. Strap yourselves in."
The ship rocked violently as Sabine struggled to control the descent of the vessel, noticing the smoke coming from the aft side. Fortunately, this was her home, and in her youth she had explored it extensively, and thus she knew a particular spot with soft ground about five kilometers outside the keep. To their extra benefit, they were in the middle of winter, and thus this soft ground was blanketed by an extra meter of snow, which would further soften their otherwise hard landing.
Thinking fast, she aimed for that spot, gripping the controller so tight that she felt her knuckles starting to pop, as she tried to slow their descent to an appropriate speed. And it was just in the nick of time, as well.
The Starbird plowed hard into the snow, rattling the occupants inside the vessel and causing the wolves to whine as they skid through the snow and dirt. The craft slowly ground to a halt, coming to rest near a grove of pine trees.
Sabine panted for a bit, and catching her breath, turned to look at everyone else. "Is everyone alright?" she asked.
"Had rougher landings," Fenn deadpanned.
"Could have been worse," Kanan agreed.
"We're all alive and in one piece, so I'd call this one a happy landing," Ezra joked.
"Still have to deal with my sister-in-law," Johannes muttered.
"Statement: Not the first crash I've been in, and I somehow doubt that this will be the last," HK stated, as Chopper just bleeped out a complaint about letting Fenn fly the ship next time and the wolves just pawed at the door, wanting to get out and see just what awaited them, be it friend or foe.
Sabine stood up, and walking past the men, she put on her helmet, and stepped outside, with Ezra doing much the same, wearing his signature armor. Their wolves rushed outside, sniffing the ground and sticking close by their masters.
Kanan and uncle Jo exited next, followed by HK. Rau elected to stay with the ship for the moment with Chopper, partially due to his knowledge of Komr'k class ships and how to repair them, and partially because he was now considered a wanted criminal by the Saxons, and as of now they could not be too sure if Ursa would sell him out to save her family. Thus, it would be better if he remained hidden for the time being.
As expected, several Mandalorian warriors bearing Clan Wren colors surrounded their position, including one particularly tall and bulky Imperial Supercommando, all leveling their blasters at them. To that end, Ezra attempted to grab his lightsaber, but Sabine stayed her lover's hand in the nick of time. Damn what her clan thought of her, she would have no more of their blood spilled on her count, nor would she see her boyfriend or her closest companions die here and now without need. She turned to the other Mandalorians present.
"I am Sabine, daughter of Lady Ursa of Clan Wren," she announced to them. "I demand an audience with my mother."
"Sabine?" the one wearing Imperial Supercommando armor questioned, and she swore at that point that his voice was very familiar to her. "Shakajiir!" he shouted to the other warriors, who did as they were commanded, and lowered their rifles, though Sabine knew that behind their helms they likely were glaring at her.
She wasn't exactly welcome here, after all.
She removed her helmet, and as Ezra and Jo did the same with theirs, so too did the Imperial Supercommando, and it all clicked for Sabine.
It was none other than her little brother, Tristan, now all grown up.
"Been a long time, big sister," he said, giving a half-smile down at her. She was quite amazed at just how tall and strong he grew in her absence- the very spitting image of a young Mandalorian warrior. "See you changed your hair color again." he complimented her.
"Well, you know me," Sabine snarked back, flicking her white-and-magenta hair some.
"Do I?" Tristan asked her, his smile fading somewhat. Of course, she realized. He was still hurt by her leaving, even if he didn't resent her as much as their mother did. He sighed. "I can take you to mom, but don't expect a warm welcome. I don't think you should have returned right now."
Sabine shook her head. "I wouldn't have, but I need to speak to mom regardless. It's important."
Tristan nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Alright, then. Follow me. I would just ask that your Jedi companions leave their lightsabers behind in the ship. Don't need a fight on our hands right now."
"Tell that to Sasha," Sabine muttered under her breath. Thankfully, however, Ezra and Kanan did as they were asked, putting their lightsabers back inside the ship, knowing that Rau would give them their blades if they needed them.
As soon as they did so, they were off to the keep, escorted by Tristan and his squad. Noticeably, Sasha was absent from the group, though Sabine figured that her cousin would likely try to confront her during her audience with her mother- if Ursa was willing to grant them an audience instead of just having them thrown into the keep's prison cells.
After an hour or so of walking, they finally arrived at the keep, and nothing much had changed about it- it was still the same building of Mandalorian cubist design, replete with automated defenses and hundreds of household guards keeping a vigil eye over the abode of the Wrens, with the banners of Clan Wren flying proudly over the stronghold, the black raven ascending over a silver field and a gold bar.
This place, she achingly remembered, was once the place she called home.
She had never thought about it until now, but she was suddenly struck by how similar her home and Robb's old home of Winterfell were. From the colors to the cold, and everything in between. It was almost uncanny, now that she thought about it.
She put aside such thoughts for now, however, for just as they reached the entrance to the keep, the guards at the door nodded, and one of them stepped inside. A few moments later, the same guard stepped out and following not more or less than five paces behind him was the figure Sabine had been dreading to meet with again all this time. This figure- a human woman in her late thirties- wore ornate armor, colored similarly to the other guards but more finely decorated. Her helm was different as well, for it featured two "ears" that formed part of the top, making the helm look like the head of some great avian creature. The most striking thing about this woman, however, was the sheer authority she could command through just her gaze alone.
Finally, the figure turned to look at Sabine, and the younger warrior found herself staring into the older, colder, sterner, and plainer version of herself, with her hair tied back in a bun and her brows furrowed in disappointment.
This was the Countess of Krownest and Lady of Clan Wren. The Quiet Raven herself, Ursa Wren.
Ursa regarded her daughter with apparent contempt in her cold, brown eyes. "So…" she began slowly, her voice edged with discontent, "you've returned."
"Mother, I…" Sabine began to say, but she was immediately cut off by her mother, who did not appear to want to hear any of it.
"Throw them all in the cells. They'll face trail come the morning," she commanded.
Something then erupted inside Sabine. A kind of hot fury that had been building all these years. No! She would not be denied here and now, not when she's come so damned far, and especially not by her mother, of all people!
"Mother...MOTHER!" she yelled out, shoving past Tristan and grabbing the hilt of her blade. "We need to talk, now!" she implored, activating the ancient sword, as the black blade sprang to life.
Every Mandalorian present save for Jo stood in shock and awe, but none was apparently more dumbfounded than Ursa, who could only whisper out two words in amazement.
"The Darksaber…"
Sabine smirked in this small victory. She had her mother's attention. Now she would just have to hold it…
And hope to the gods that Sasha did not try to murder her in the meantime.
A/N: And so, we begin our Mando Civil War arc, at long last.
Next up- an Ursa POV, followed by Malleus plots, Rae struggles, Pellaeon commands, and Robb and Theon go behind the back of Mon Mothma, all leading to climactic conclusions…
And as for Sabine remarking on how similar Winterfell and Krownest are...keep this in mind. It ties into the origin of the Mandalorians and the ultimate fate of the Westerosi remnants.
Till the next time we meet, and may the Allfather guide you.
