A/N Hey all. So, I have decided to slow down my update pace to two a week for the time being. I am currently 11 weeks pregnant with my fourth and this first trimester has been kicking my ass. Not sleeping well, sick all the time. THEN last week we had our annual spring cold and well my writing pace has slowed a lot due to not having time and mental energy but I haven't written anything in over a week. I wasn't happy with the last few chapters really either. Last night, with the help of my beautiful and wonderful beta Excited-Insomniac, I was able to decide how to change the things I didn't like and close this story with a nice bang. I just need some time in between homeschooling, working part time, taking care of my toddler and sleeping to write. I know where we are going and what I need to fix. I just don't want to catch up to myself if it takes me a while to finish. Thank you all for understanding and thank you to everyone that has been commenting, especially katiedz. Your comments are so awesome and since I can't reply personally, I just wanted to say thank you! those always make my day when I see them! much love!

Chapter 37

-creed-

Omera and Vismay were waiting when they made it back. Paz, Cara and Winta and several others from the tribe had gathered to welcome the newcomers too. Din came to a stop beside Omera and turned to face the small crowd, his hand resting on the small of her back.

Vismay immediately started walking around asking the newcomers about family groups and assigning living spaces. A handful of the older children helped them to their new apartments and before long, the Armorer was visible amongst the dwindling crowd. Paz, who had made his way to Din's side reached a hand out to his shoulder and looked down at him in shock.

"Din… is that?" Din only nodded as she approached them. She carried a large, heavy pack on her back and another in her right hand that Din could tell carried the tools of her forge. However she had survived, she hadn't fled the covert in a hurry.

"I am pleased to see you still alive, Din Djarin."

He nodded. "Likewise."

She turned her helmet to Omera and Paz briefly before looking back to him. "Tell me, did you complete the quest you had been charged with?"

"I did."

"This is the way."

"This is the way." It felt almost wrong to say it back to her. Now that as far as she was concerned, he had no right to the words or to his beskar.

"Bo-Katan Kryze tells us we have a new Mand'alor and that his name is Din Djarin." She looked to Omera again, her voice only holding a hint of disappointment. "It would seem you have been on quite the adventure since we parted ways."

Sighing, he looked down at Omera. She stared right through his visor. "It's a long story. This is Omera, my riduur."

He hadn't spoken of the Armorer much to Omera, but she seemed to understand the weight of this moment. Turning to the Armorer, she inclined her head respectfully and greeted her in Mando'a.

"Su cuy'gar."

After a brief pause in which she seemed to make her mind up about something, she nodded and responded in kind.

"Su cuy'gar, Omera."

Paz looked between Din and the Armorer, tension practically radiating off of him. Sympathy for his vod filled him suddenly. Din had chosen to take off his helmet, to live a less strict interpretation of his creed. Paz had had that choice made for him when his beskar'gam was stolen. He still hadn't shared that story. Din realized he wouldn't be the only one having uncomfortable conversations tonight.

Omera glanced up at Din and around him to Paz, seeming to sense their anxiety. A soft smile lit her face as she turned back to the Armorer.

"Once you've settled in, if you'd like you are welcome in our apartment. I'm sure you have much to discuss."

The Armorer nodded once but before she could reply, Vismay appeared at her side. "Are you alone or have you foundlings in your care?"

"I am alone."

Vismay nodded. "Very well. Follow me."

With a final tilt of her helmet in Din's direction, she followed the older woman.

As soon as she was gone, Paz let out a tense sigh. "Would I be welcome too, Omera?"

Leaning into Din, she reached across him to squeeze Paz's forearm. "Of course, Paz."

Din shook his head and wrapped his arms around Omera. Looking around and spotting Winta, he called to her and the four of them headed to their temporary home.

After only a moment's deliberation, Din took his helmet off and set it on the small table in the main room of their apartment. Paz caught his eye and they shared a heavy look before he nodded and looked back to his lap. Tugging off his gloves and throwing them down on the table too, he turned to Omera.

She was proud of him, he could tell. Stepping up to her, he ran his right knuckle along her cheek. His left hand smoothed across her stomach, a small smile spreading up his face when he felt a kick. "This conversation we need to have… I don't know if… I don't want to ask you to leave but I don't know how it's going to go. I'm not ashamed of you, or our family or the choices I've made. But…"

Understanding, she covered his hand with hers and leaned up to kiss him. "You don't have to explain. I understand, Din. I'll take Winta to stay with Cara. Come get me and bring me to bed when you're done, ok?"

He nodded, kissing her back. "I love you, Omera."

She smirked as she pulled away. "I know."

Sighing, he turned around and leaned against the table as he waited. After another five minutes, Omera and Winta were getting ready to leave when there was a knock on the door. Omera glanced back at him with an encouraging smile and opened the door.

"Hello again." She pulled Winta around to stand in front of her. "We were just on the way out. Winta, this is someone from Dad's tribe."

"Like Paz?"

Omera nodded but Din could tell from where he was that the Armorer was surprised even as she took Winta's arm.

"Su cuy'gar. My name's Winta."

"Su cuy'gar, Winta. You may call me Armorer."

Her little head cocked to the side curiously before nodding. The Armorer inclined her helmet to Omera as they stepped past her and left. Just like when he'd first seen her step off the ship, her gaze felt heavy as she stared across the room at him. Unlike before though, he wasn't filled with guilt for the choices he had made. He'd meant what he told Omera.

When she finally stepped into the room, the door hissing closed behind her, Din crossed his arms.

"You've broken your creed, Din Djarin. I inferred as much from Bo-Katan but I had to see it for myself."

Din shrugged. "I don't see it that way anymore."

"Why would you when your betrayal has been so well rewarded?"

Clenching his jaw, Din refused to rise to the bait. Instead, he nodded to one of the empty seats at the table and walked around to sit in one himself. "Like I said, I don't see it that way. I can't force you to stay, but there's no one else with your skills here. We could really use your help."

Her helmet cocked to the side and she seemed to study him. "You were always so faithful to your creed. For you to have broken it so completely and yet still consider yourself worthy of your beskar… I imagine you had your reasons. I would like to hear them."

Nodding, he watched her turn to Paz. "What became of your buir's beskar. I want to hear that story first."

Paz tensed, shame and anger flashing across his face in turn. Heaving a great sigh, he looked away from both of them but relented.

"After I managed to escape Nevarro, I traveled around for a while looking for others that might have survived. I followed a lead to Eriadu." Din perked up at that. He had followed that same rumor. "An Abyssin gangster called Gor Koresh supposedly knew where to find Mandalorians. I should have known nothing on a wasted industry planet like that would be worth anything."

He shook his head and looked down at his hands. "I took several of his men down before they got me but… it was close quarters and there were just too many of them. They thought I was dead and the bastards peeled my beskar'gam off my body and dumped me outside the city. I mean to go back and kill him for it."

Hot anger at the bastard he had killed almost a year ago flared. How dare he take something so precious from any Mandalorian? Din wished he had known where to look after he'd killed him for any beskar he had already stolen.

"I'm sorry, Paz. I stole that vengeance from you."

His head jerked up and he stared at Din. The Armorer too had cocked her head to look at him. "I followed that same rumor. He bragged about all the credits he made slaughtering our people." Taking a breath, Din spread his tense fist out on the table. "Gor Koresh is dead, strung up and left for the wild beasts that scavenge the streets at night. I might have relished his dying screams more than I should have."

"Knowing what he did to our brothers and sisters I think you were justified." She tapped a finger against the edge of her helmet as she watched Din. "Tell me, Paz, have you heard his story?"

Still angry that Din had killed an enemy that had beaten him, Paz scoffed and shook his head. "Sure. The greatest warrior in our tribe gave up our strict creed to crawl between the legs of a woman." Din was out of his chair and in Paz's face, fists full of his shirt before the other man could move. His voice came out rough and furious around clenched teeth.

"What has my riduur done to warrant your contempt? Think carefully before answering if you want to escape this conversation in one piece."

Shame flashed across his face before anger replaced it and he stood, attempting in vain to push Din off. Standing over him like he was, Din had the advantage and shoved him back into his seat. "Get off me dik'ut!"

"Omera's been nothing but kind to you Paz and you swore your clan to me. I will not let such disrespect go, brother or not. Take it back or I'll take it out of your bare skin."

Growling in frustration, Paz pushed at him again. "Fine! Ni'm ni ceta, Mand'alor." He sighed and met his eyes for only a moment but it was enough for Din to see that he was sincere. "Din… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

Relenting, Din let him go and pulled back, still frowning down at him. The Armorer stood and put herself between them. "Do not be angry your brother succeeded where you failed. You have each always had your different strengths. Be grateful he survived too."

When he nodded, she turned back to Din. "He swore his clan to you? Hmm. Please tell me your story, Djarin."

Sitting down again, Din realized that he was getting sick of telling this story. Parts of it were painful to relive, the most important parts. Sighing and running his hand through his hair, he told her the same story he told Paz.

She listened silently, not interrupting or or asking any questions. Her visor never wavered from his face as he spoke. Din had always found her difficult to read. He wished he had some way to gauge her reaction but by the time he finished, he found he couldn't care less what she thought of him. It had been a long day and he just wanted to wrap himself around his wife and go to sleep.

"You did what you had to on Morak." She looked down at his helmet on the table between them and was quiet again for a long moment before she tipped her head back to him. "I can see how your experiences have changed your relationship with your creed. It has been so long since we left Concordia and the rest of Mandalorian society. When we were banished from Mandalore we rejected their pacifism and their weakness. Perhaps we dug into our creed with extreme zeal but after the purge it kept us alive."

Din shook his head. "I understand after the purge, but before? I never even saw my father's face. My buir, the man that saved my life and raised me as his son until he died protecting me during the purge. When I think of him I picture cold beskar, his helmet. I never even got to see him in death or wear his beskar'gam because we had to flee so fast."

He paused, overcome with emotions for memories he hadn't realized he still grieved.

"I want my children to know my face. To see the things I feel for them and never question if I'm pleased with them or upset behind my visor. I want my riduur to see my face and I want to see hers. And as for anyone else, I want to make a place for our people again where we can be safe and not have to hide our faces, our very existence."

Surprising him, she sighed and nodded.

"Our creed was strict and in our exile and isolation we clung to it and became even more strict than we started out. It was not necessarily wrong, but it is not the only way to live our creed, to be Mandalorian. These other Mandalorians, the individuals that you've met and these people here in these two tribes, they are Mandalorian. You show your face but you have never betrayed the Resol'nare.

"You educate your daughter in our ways, our history and our language. You defend yourself and your clan and your people. You stood before us today in your beskar'gam as a leader. As Mand'alor."

Din fought to keep his shock from his face as she stood. Even though he was at peace with his choices, it meant more to him than he'd realized it could to have her approval. Since his buir had died, she was the closest thing he had to another one.

"It is a grievous loss Paz, your clan's beskar'gam. I cannot retrieve it for you but I can forge you a new suit. After our tribe was attacked I kept the beskar from our fallen brethren out of the hands of our enemies and melted it down. It was a sorrowful task but I've brought it with me. All I need is a place to build a forge and our lost tribe can provide you a new cuirass."

Paz stared intently at his hands but he nodded. "Thank you… thank you Armorer."

Nodding, she turned back to Din and he stood too. "I will stay and I will offer my forge and my hammer to our people. I will pledge myself and my clan to you, Din Djarin, Mand'alor.

When she knelt before him, Din stood straighter and swallowed down the emotions that lodged in his throat.

"Haat, Ijaa, Haa'it. For Mandalore."

He repeated the words back, his voice sure.

"Haat, Ijaa, Haa'it. For Mandalore."