CODA 2
AN: This chapter is an alternate end to chapter 1, just as Coda 1 was
It is not a continuation of Coda 1 and instead should be seen as directly following chapter 1
That does not change anything, I let others see my true self, I can never rightfully ..' He fumbled for words as his hands motioned to his armour, his buy'ce "This Is the way."
"No"
He looked at her with a tilt of his helmet.
"That was the way" she took another step forward placing a gloved hand on his shoulder. "The question is Mandalore , will it remain so?"
He flinched backwards until her hand no longer remained on his shoulder. She was supposed to be angry at him.
He wanted her to be angry at him.
Instead, she was accepting, telling him things could change, that as Mandalore he could change things.
He tilted his own head to the ground avoiding her line of sight, "You say the way can change" his voice was shaking. He was shaking, "That I can change it, but, how can I?" pausing momentarily trying to hold himself together "I am no longer Mandalorian."
"Are you not?" Her words caused him to whip his head up in confusion quickly averting his gaze as if that could make him disappear. She had sounded amused and to Din, there was nothing amusing about any of this.
"But.. I.. the creed" again he fumbled for words feeling so out of place.
"Was never broken, " she finished for him. He was at a loss for words, was she trying to tell him to forget what had happened? No, she wouldn't do that.. no he could not be so sure about that anymore.
Finally, he let his gaze meet hers. The armorer's hands had returned to the clasped position they had been in previously and her gaze burned through him, it disturbed him greatly. He wanted to say something, to protest, but the way she held herself told him to remain quiet.
"The way, and the creed are often spoken interchangeably and while there is much overlap, they are not the same."
"The way of the Mandalore is the all-encompassing, it is our traditions, our family, our secrecy, our everything, following Mandalore's will- protecting our future for generations to come.
Resol'nare is our creeds foundation, the taking of foundlings our future. What you once swore to uphold, the creed of the way of the Mandalore covered far more than just the resol'nare"
-Education and armor, self-defense, our tribe, our language, our leader—all help us survive-
The gears in his head slowly connected the dots though he did not see where she was going with this. The creed he had sworn was the creed of The Way, and that included Resol'nare, but Resol'nare itself did not include the other parts of his creed. It was a lot to wrap his head around.
The Way included the creed but the creed on its own did not include The Way.
"The way I see things, you may have broken a creed, but you never broke The Creed, you have upheld Resol'nare. Your funds have always helped educate our young, caring for the foundlings ensuring they would receive armor, protected our people many times over the years."
Protected his people! His tribe had been slaughtered trying to protect him!
How many foundlings had been lost? He did not know, but he knew it was far more than the one he had saved. Was it worth it? Why had he been so foolish, had he given warning they could have fled ..
-And you and the child would have died trying to escape-
He remained silent, though his body language gave his thoughts away. He was no protector of his people he was a destroyer of them.
"You had a foundling, it was our duty to protect you, you were not at fault." her words answering the unspoken question.
Din nodded slowly, unsure if to feel gratitude or shame for her words.
" Even when we became scattered, when so little was left, you by all account continued to search for us, you understood more than many - family is everything, just as foundlings are our future.
You gave the child, you're ad'ika to the enemy sorcerer, the jetii, not because you wanted to, but because you were his buir and parents must face challenges when acting in the best interests of their child."
His heart hurt at her words. It pained him to accept that handing Grogu over to the Jedi was the correct thing to do, but he could not offer the training he needed to protect himself, Grogu was not strong enough, or old enough to train as Mandalorian.
He had been so absorbed in his thought that he had not noticed that she had made her way back to the table she had previously been sitting at when he had first entered.
"Am I wrong, Mandalore? Are you truly going to tell me Resol'nare had not been met?"
".. No..." His voice barely audible over modulation,
"Then you are still Mandalorian"
"But. The" He again tried to protest, to question her logic, though he had to admit it seemed sound though he was circumspect to accept it.
"Yes the way of old may have been broken but that's not a concern Mandalore, what is a concern is the damage caused."
Damage? He did not understand.
"Explain."
The armorer's gloved hand hit the table with a loud thump
"The Dar'manda!" her voice was angry, and he flinched hearing her speak the words.
"So much pain caused over the old ways, those who followed the creed with their heart betrayed by our people exiled as dar'manda because their face was seen, even if not by choice. Was that way really fair?"
How could she say this? She had been the one so many times to uphold the Way. And now she says it's unfair….
"What of fairness! You have always made it clear things must be maintained." He countered. There was a mix of pain, anger, and confusion in his voice. Nothing had gone the way he had expected.
"We cannot go back and fix our past, is it not best to look ahead to the future?" he turned his helm away avoiding the gaze.
And anyway he could not just change things because it was seen as unfair, his religion was not the only one that required personal sacrifice.
His religion, he was unsure about everything now, she told him he never broke the creed, and by the technicality that had meant, he was not dar'manda in the literal sense.
He understood as Mandalore he could change the way, it was within his right, but he was not ready to do so. Despite all that had happened, he still believed it was safer to hide their faces, you could not be found if the enemy did not know who they were after, it gave an advantage.
"I'm not asking you to change everything you know, but think about your role as Mandalore, we are scattered, few in number.
You are our new Mandalore, you have the power to right that wrong grant those in need Cin vhetin (a clean slate), if they so wish, let them retake our creed, but in any case, let them know they are free to be Mandalorian once more."
" I don't know if that would make a difference, would granting a clean slate bring those who were cast out back?" His words betrayed him, deep down he already knew.
"It is true some may wish to stay away, but for many, I think you know the answer to that yourself."
He would take it in a heartbeat. To be a part of a family again, to have a people, to publicly be forgiven by their leader, by Mandalore, he could see people coming back.
And while the hope of this moved him, reality quickly reared its head, and just as quickly as that hope had come, it vanished.
"Why would they listen, I am not important, I come from no clan of power, the larger clans would have better chance of reuniting." In the end who was he?
"No" Her hand again smacked the table loudly.
"But I am alone," He countered in protest though his voice faltered, "I am a clan of one again." There was shame in the words. Clans were meant to grow larger, not smaller.
"This is why they will follow. You hold no ties, no family interest to push you." And no family.
"How are you so sure about this? You said that others did not follow the past Mandalore, and in turn our people did not follow Kryze." What was stopping people from not following him?
"Kryze was never a true Mandalore." The acidic tone in her voice clear.
"You have said that, but Bo-Katan has repeatedly said the darksaber belonged to her before, so she would have been Mandalore but not a true one? Why?"
"She was handed power; she did not earn it."
-She can't take it. It must be won, in battle. In order for her to wield the darksaber again, she would need to defeat you in combat- Gideon's words rang in his head
"They see us as a cult" his words struggling to come out,
A clan of one, A Child of The Watch, you will never have their respect, - the voice in his head playing at his insecurities and fear.
She raised her gloved hand to him palm facing him, indicating him to be quiet.
"You were raised Mandalorian, our last true Mandlore was not,
you may have different upbringings to those who turned their backs on us before, but you Are Mandalorian, you will have their respect"
Din nodded slowly.
She stood again from the seat at the table this time walking towards him.
"You can count on my respect."
"Thank you.." He was grateful for her words.
She did not respond but instead tilted her helm as if asking 'for what?'.
-Everything - He thought to himself, for making him see the truth. He was Mandalorian, He still had his people. And more importantly, he was Mandalore.
"I will grant Cin vhetin." They would rebuild.
She nodded to him in approval.
"I will not force any to return, I will not force the Way on any. But I shall let them know they are welcome to live as Mandalorian once again." And if they chose to retake their creed to the Way, then so be it. They were free to do as they wished.
He knew not all clans would readily accept former dar'manda into their ranks, but that did not matter he would accept them.
He put his hand on the saber at his hip, for the first time accepting his ownership over it.
"I will be Mandalore for all our people, for all Mando'a."
He would be Mandalore for those who returned, for those who did not follow The Way, for the children of foundlings who never had the chance to be Mandalorian.
And most of all, for his ad'ika, Grogu.
Family was everything - just as foundlings were the future.
Mando'a Translations
Cin vhetin - clean slate
Buir – parent
Jetii – Jedi