You hadn't known there were castles in Nevarro.
The behemoth structure before you had your heart leaping into your throat and to say it was huge would've been a severe understatement. How could no one have seen this place? It was not far enough out of the town to be unreachable. Though maybe it actually had been discovered and the poor person had never lived long enough to tell the tale.
The speeder slowed as it pulled through the gnarled gates and nausea racketed in your stomach as they slid shut behind you.
An impending sense of doom gripped you tightly by the neck.
The grounds were unkempt, but you suspected that once upon a time they had been beautiful. There were garden beds sectioned off and cobble-stone pathways that had been choked and devoid of life because of the Beast's negligence.
You wouldn't even get a pretty view before you died.
You weren't even granted an entrance through the front door.
The soldiers gripped your biceps tightly, dragging you through a back entrance in grim silence. The door was reinforced steel and you immediately knew this was the dungeon by the lifeless interior and concrete flooring. Soon enough, the cells and cages came into view, furnished with the bare minimum to survive and a tattered stretcher. Murderers and rapists awaiting their trial in a jailhouse had better accommodation.
You swallowed heavily.
"You're cowards," you murmured to your handlers as one of them opened the nearest cage.
If you were going to die, there was no need to stand on formalities. Your body and mind were numb and it was like you existed on a different plane, one where you felt none of the panic that you should have.
"This is an honor," the soldier waiting by the cell stated robotically, but the one holding your arm shook his head.
"Don't be afraid," he said, guiding you through the doorway into your new home. You bit your tongue, fighting the urge to resist, the urge to run. If you disappeared before giving the Beast what he wanted they might go back for Kalea and everything would have been for nothing. But you couldn't do this, you couldn't wait here knowing that you'd be called for a needless execution. A violent death to appease a cursed creature. You didn't deserve this, you weren't a model citizen but you paid your taxes and you worked hard to build a life for yourself and your sister after your parents passed. This was not how the story was meant to end.
The soldier straightened suddenly and let go of your arms. His breath was shaky as he stepped away from your frozen body, maneuvering himself towards the exit. You could barely see him retreat in the darkness of the dungeon and neither of them said anything to inform you of what was happening.
"Wait-" You choked, scrambling forward. What had happened to the light? You couldn't see, you couldn't breathe, you couldn't think. "Wait! Please!"
There was no response other than the distant sound of a door closing.
Had they just left?
The light had gone out completely and there was no noise, nothing to indicate that you had company anymore. You couldn't see anything other than where a crack in the wall shone a strip of light at your cell door… the door that was open.
You blinked.
The door was open.
Why would they leave the cell unlocked?
You took a careful step forward, heart drumming against your rib cage as if it were also screaming to be freed from it's prison. It was clearly a trap, too good to be true. There was no way this had been an accident, especially not when the stakes were so high, not when you were delivering cargo to the Beskar Beast. There's no room for error… and yet, right there in front of you, was a beautiful error.
You reached out slowly for the door, your hand crossing into that one, hopeful stream of light.
"I wouldn't."
You gasped as the glinting chest plate of the Beast appeared only an inch away from your fingertips.
Your mouth felt as though it had been stuffed with cotton.
With every inch of his frame slowly entering the light you stepped back into the darkness, seeking solace, seeking protection. But the Beast was a creature of the night, and how could you have known that he could see you better in the dark than you could see during the day?
Every atom in your body told you to run, and every nerve beneath your skin was on fire. This was it, he had come to kill you in this dingy dungeon. Your story would end here in a bloody tangle of limbs and screams.
For the first time since you had been taken, the severity of the situation had begun to hit you.
"Please," you whispered. You didn't know what you were asking, but as your back brushed against the cement wall behind you, you decided that it was a prayer. A plea for help from any divine intervention that was bored enough to help you.
As the monster took a slow step toward you, your body dumped adrenaline into your system. Your heart beat against your ribs and you could hear the blood rushing through your ears.
"You never let me say goodbye," the words were nothing more than a murmur but you knew he had heard them. Every syllable was shaky and drunk off of your terror and he had listened to them all. "Even in death, there will be no peace."
The Beast hesitated for a split second.
You closed your eyes tight as he gradually approached, you didn't want to see how he would kill you. Hopefully, it would be a quick and painless death, something less horrible than what you had imagined.
You heard the monster come to a soft halt, his boots inches away from your curled figure. Gloved fingers gripped your chin and you jolted with a pathetic whimper. But the Beast didn't let go, his touch so gentle that you thought you might already be dead.
"You will not die if you do what I ask."
That raspy voice, composed of smoke and whispers, still surprised you. He was close and even though it was dark you couldn't trust that you wouldn't be forced to look at him. So you kept your eyes closed, praying that the monster couldn't see the tears wetting your cheeks.
"Just kill me," your sob was quiet, but it racked your body in a way that you couldn't control. You had never felt so afraid, you'd never felt so vulnerable- making your own choices was the last thing you had control over and he wanted to take that. You would not make a deal with the god of death, you would not indebt yourself to the Beast of Nevarro.
"You don't even know what I'm about to ask from you."
There was a lilt to his tone, almost amusement but strangely similar to hope. You hated it, you hated that your life was entertainment to this creature.
"I don't care!" You snapped, but the words were watery and you knew he saw through your bravery. The fingers gripping your chin tightened fractionally, and you weren't sure whether your defiance had excited him or angered him. Both of those options spilled fear down the length of your spine like a cold chill.
"You sacrificed your life to me," the reminder was spoken through gritted teeth, "you can either listen or I can tear your throat out right here. Make your choice."
Your body trembled beneath his grip and the words you wanted to spit at him played on the tip of your tongue. Fat tears rolled onto his gloved fingers, wetting the material thoroughly as you bit your lip hard. His hold softened as you sniffled.
"I'll do what you want but on two conditions," you whispered, core tensing at the risk you were taking. It took a monstrous amount of audacity to make demands from the Beskar Beast, but you had nothing to lose.
There was a long pause before he spoke again, "I'm listening."
He always was.
You opened your mouth but your courage shriveled as soon as you took a breath. The Beast let go of your face as if he were giving you room to breathe and speak, but you could feel the brush of his cape against your arm. He was so, so close.
"I want to know what you want from me." Your first demand was barely a sentence, shaky and incoherent. There was a low hum of deliberation that you knew was only a courtesy, it was the devil letting you know that he understood this part of your terms. "And I want you to show me what you are."
The silence that followed was long and heavy and you could feel your blood turn cold. What if you had pushed too hard? He'd let you make your silly demands knowing full well that he could have made you do whatever he wanted regardless.
"That's it?" The Beast questioned, almost amused.
Your eyes shot open in surprise, blinking dumbly into the darkness.
"Yes?" You stuttered, the statement was more of a question than anything else. It was unnerving to know that he was right there, and yet you couldn't see a single shadow of his figure.
"Deal."
His voice came from directly in front of you and you bit your lip from making a noise, staring into the darkness with wide eyes. A hand gripped your bicep firmly and you startled, gasping as you instinctively tried to pull away. You were pulled to your feet smoothly and you forced your feet steady to hold you up. Crisp, white sparkles skittered across your eyes and you felt your body sway at the sharp movement.
The Beast did not move or drag you across the room like you thought he would have, instead it was as if he were waiting for you to get your bearings before moving.
"What're you doing?" You breathed, tugging lightly on your arm in his hold.
"I can't meet your demands down here," he said roughly, guiding you towards the cell door with less grace than before. "I'll show you to your room."
Your eyes widened as the Beast approached the sliver of light, that one ray of hope that you had clung to so tightly earlier.
"My room?" You questioned, startled. "But, I thought…"
The both of you had come to an abrupt halt by the door and he whirled on you as you stumbled against his chest. You tried to straighten yourself, pressing your splayed hand against the beskar plate to create distance. The Beast's fingers tightened against your arm as he watched you from above, his presence towering over you in a way you hadn't truly acknowledged until now.
"You wanna stay in the dungeon?" He gestured to the cell with his free hand, voice breathless with frustration.
"No." You said instantly, feeling scolded.
"Then follow me," the words were softer. The Beast pushed a piece of heavy fabric into your hands, "it's cold in the castle."
You would have scoffed were you not in a literal life-or-death situation.
It was Nevarro, it was never cold, it was called a desert planet for a reason. But when the monster guided you out of the dungeon and into the long hallway, you realized that he had been right. He had let go of your arm as soon as there was enough light for you to see where you were going and you threw the sheet across your shoulders. You realized, the longer you inspected it, that it was one of the Beast's capes. Your heart skipped a beat and the monster looked over his pauldron at you as if he had heard it. Maybe he had heard it.
Fear ran down your spine at the thought, how far did the "beastliness" go? Was he just a Mandalorian shrouded in rumors and legends because of his skill or was he truly a creature of myth?
When he audibly sighed, you prayed that it was the former.
"This castle is your home now," the Beast said over his shoulder, barely turning his head to address you. "You can go anywhere you want, just not the West Wing."
"What's in the West Wing?" You asked softly, lifting your eyes to observe the grand carvings in the ceiling. A hand gripped your shoulder tightly and you jolted when you realized that the monster had stopped in front of a door. You were inches away from him, his hand stopping you from walking straight into his beskar.
The Beast watched you through that menacing helmet, his fingers hard on your body.
"The West Wing holds the kind of death that you were begging for."
You stared at him with wide eyes, entranced by the darkness of the helmet. Your lips trembled at the words and you made the mental note to never enter any part of the castle that wasn't the main hallway.
He pressed his fist against the button on the wall and the door hissed open, but his gaze never left yours. After what seemed like a lifetime of being frozen in his thrall, he finally inclined his head towards the room. He was telling you to go in.
Slowly, you crept past him into your quarters, never turning your back towards the Beast.
"The servants will tend to your needs," the monster said, looming in the doorway like something out of a horror story.
You nodded your head but you suspected that it looked like you had just flinched.
"You will join me for dinner," the Beast added with a growl, stepping out of the doorway and back into the hall. "That's not a request."
The door slammed shut but you could still feel the heat of his gaze linger on your skin.
You had not truly been left alone since you'd been taken, and as you turned to the room you could feel your body tremble. The events of the day were starting to sink in and your body was coming down from the fear-fuelled high that came with the Beast's presence. The room was large and dark and that same sense of impending doom came back to choke you.
You'd begun to weep before you'd even reached the bed.