Hey everyone!
This is it! Here is the fifth and final installment of this little fanfic. Thank you sooo much for reading and reviewing! It has been really encouraging and meant a ton to me!
I hope that you enjoy!
~V~
The walls and floor were of sterile white, and in one corner of the room parked a bed. Off to the side was a small chair that could become a bed so that the mentors could be near their ailing apprentices at night.
Pierce dragged the chair over to the bed, settled himself in the chair, and began to study his Foundling's features, all the while trying to avoid looking at the numerous lines that led from the boy to the rack of monitors. But after a moment, his eyes drifted up to the monitors, and with a stab of guilt, he was reminded that it was his fault that Din was laying in bed hooked up to the monitors. If he hadn't tried to keep his distance, he would of noticed that something had been wrong with the boy sooner. Even with the boy's shy and very quiet demeanor, he knew that he had no excuse for spacing himself from his apprentice.
"Din?" the mentor leaned over the still Foundling. In fact, he thought, grinning at himself, the boy was being too tense and still to actually be sleeping. "Din, I know that you're awake," he whispered in the boy's ear.
Pierce saw the pale face colour slightly, the corner of the mouth twitched slightly, and a moment later, the boy's eyelids flicked open.
Din hesitated for a moment, just staring up at his mentor, and then dropped his gaze back down to the sheet as he tried to sit up. He winced as he dragged his sore body into a sitting position, while his mentor quickly aided his Foundling by helping him to reposition the pillows behind his back.
"Thanks," he murmured leaning back against the pillows, his eyes still on the sheets which he soon found very interesting.
"Are you alright, Foundling?" Pierce asked, willing his apprentice to look up at him.
"I'm fine," came the small reply.
"Are you sure?" Is there anything that I can help you with?" The Mandalorian asked, desperate to find out what might be wrong, sensing that the boy was not truly "fine".
"It's nothing. Nothing that you can help me with," Din muttered, twirling the sheet around his fingers.
Pierce reached out and cupped the small chin into his hands, and tilted it up towards his face so that the boy was forced to look at him. "Why can't I help, Foundling?" He asked softly, his voice caught slightly. "I want to help. You can't keep going on like this on your own."
"I-" the boy hesitated, dropping his gaze despite the fingers under his chin. Silence fell in the room. Only the rhythmic beeps of the monitors broke it.
The Mandalorian lowered his hand and rested it on the boy's shoulder. Realising the reason for his Foundling's hesitancy to speak, he spoke to the boy in a quiet tone, "I know that it may be difficult to tell me, but I need to know what is going on. I can't help you if you don't tell me what is wrong. Don't be afraid to speak, I would never hold what you say against you."
"I don't know where to begin," choked Din and a tear trickled down his flushed cheeks.
When the mentor reached up to wipe the tear away, something beneath the eyes caught his attention, and when he leaned forward to have a better look, he noticed the dark rings below the eyes. "When was the last time you've had a good night's sleep, Foundling?" He asked quietly.
"When I first came. I kept having nightmares when...about it" mumbled Din and the Mandalorian stared at him, completely lost for words at the silence that his Foundling had held during the seemingly traumatic nights. Was he that intimidating to approach?
"Would you like to tell me about it?" He asked softly.
Din shook his head quickly.
"You know, sometimes it doesn't hurt to talk about bit," Pierce continued.
A long silence followed his last statement, and he patiently waited recognising that his apprentice needed time to gather his thoughts together. He watched the fingers play and twist the sheets and the boy's eyes as they darted around, as if looking for something.
"I remember screaming and yelling," began Din softly. "There were people everywhere, running, falling, dying... And these robots-droids, whatever you call them, marching in as if they owned the place, and we were simply small creatures worth nothing. They killed everyone-everything that moved. There wasn't any mercy-lives didn't matter to them. Blood...everywhere and the dead bodies on the ground... I don't know how my parents got through. My dad was carrying me, and when we reached the storm shelter, one of the droids was already following us..." His voice trailed away and he shuddered at the memory.
Pierce closed his eyes, he already knew what happened next, even without his apprentice finishing the story. He could already imagine the gruesome scene and did not want Din to have to relive it again. Instead, he turned to the question that had been nagging at his mind ever since the boy had started telling him. "Why didn't you come to me earlier and told me that you were having nightmares about this? I could have helped you."
He reached out to embrace the boy. To Pierce's surprise, Din shrank away from him slightly, and looked up at him, his eyes now brimming with tears and had a fearful look. "I thought that you didn't want me. I was afraid that you would leave me and that I would have to be brainwashed because I didn't pass the tests." He whispered after a moment.
Pierce stared at the boy aghast that his apprentice thought that he would leave him, abandon him with no memory. How had he let the boy come to this point? Was he really that bad at being a mentor and father to this young boy, who's hardships and loss seemed almost too much for the little boy to carry? "Oh, little one," he began, his voice cracking. "I would never leave you alone out there in the galaxy to fend for yourself."
"You wouldn't?" Asked the boy looking up eagerly.
"Of course not, little one. Never." replied Pierce, hurt that the boy had to question his love for the Foundling. He moved closure to the bed and wrapped a comforting arm around the small shoulders, all the while careful to keep clear of the lines. "How did you deal with this burden alone?" He asked quietly releasing the boy after a moment.
Din glanced down at the sheet again, and he seemed to try to figure out the right words. Finally, he spoke again, "I spent time outside. I know, it's been raining a lot," he mumbled while keeping his eyes on the knot that he was making. That explained the pneumonia problem.
"But why?"
"It was a place to go where I didn't feel unwanted," he replied.
"Unwanted?" He asked horrified at the idea of his apprentice outside alone and soaked to the skin feeling so abandoned. He turned and faced his apprentice, desiring to take his helmet off but kept it on instead, knowing the consequence if he took it off. "Din, it is my fault that you feel this way. I am to blame for all of this. I shouldn't have kept myself away from you; I thought that it would be better for you. But I see now that I'm wrong-an old mentor's mistake. Will you forgive me and let me try again?"
Din nodded slowly, then, to his mentor's surprise, he flung his arms around the Mandalorian's neck and hugged him tightly despite the lines attached to him. "Of course!" He whispered into the Mandalorian's ear who smiled and embraced his apprentice.
Suddenly the monitors sensing the strain on the lines began to angrily scold loudly, and the two broke away.
"You better get under those covers before the monitors cause more racket," Pierce said, helping his Foundling under his sheets. "Healer Kalin will most definitely kill me if she sees you out of bed. If you need anything, please let me know. I'll be nearby"
Din nodded and then snuggled under the covers more, his eyes already drooping slightly. The Mandalorian turned away to flick off the switch.
"Pierce?"
"Hmm?" Grunted the Mandalorian as he fumbled with the light switch.
"Thank you."
Pierce turned and saw that his apprentice was already asleep, exhaustion having taken over the small boy. He smiled and fondly brushed aside the stray unruly locks of hair from his Foundling's peaceful face. "I'll always be there for you Din," he promised. "No matter what happens, or what terms we are on, I'll always be there."
Questions, comments, critiques?
Let me know!
Blessings!
~MJ DeWile
