Chapter 5: Matters of Attachment and Loyalty
Matters of Attachment and Loyalty:
D3/1 BBY, Mandalore
Ezra was drowning in Sabine.
He was overwhelmed by her sweet taste. Her scent of flowers and paint. The feel of her weight on him. The feel of her slender curves under his hands that had lost the ability to stay still. The way she moaned and hummed her pleasure in tiny sounds in her throat as he worshipped her cute little ears and neck with his lips and teeth and tongue, careful of the small bandage on one side.
When he did manage to open his eyes, he drowned in the sight of her passion-filled features, so exotically beautiful. The skin of her face was exquisitely soft, making a mockery of his own somewhat stubbled and scar-covered one. Her eyebrows arched just so over the amber eyes he'd never get tired of looking into. Her cheekbones were high and well defined in her delicate face, a flush of pleasure coloring them, even in the dark. Her nose was adorable. Her chin and jawline, proud and pointed. Her lips were the perfect pillows for his own, parted right now as she gasped in air.
Somehow, he was managing to maintain enough control over his flaming body to keep from shooting off in his underwear, but he wasn't sure how.
Sabine could barely think, Ezra was doing such a good job turning her brain to mush. Who knew her neck was so sensitive? Or her ears? And her clit was practically singing from all the grinding she'd been doing against the large bulge in his pants. She loved the fire he brought to life in her and wanted more, so much more.
Deciding that he needed to feel this too, Sabine grabbed the sides of his face, since he didn't have enough hair to hang on to, and pulled his mouth away from her neck, and plastered her lips to his in another mind-blowing kiss. She had the passing thought that they'd wasted a lot of kissing time over the last four years, but it quickly flittered away.
Putting her hands on his shoulders, she pushed his back down to the ground so she was completely perched over him and in control. "You're mine, Ez'ika," she said teasingly.
Of course, I am, Ezra thought in dazed acceptance. She looked like a goddess with the moonlight outlining her face and figure. "I always have been," he murmured, smiling with a flash of white in the dark. "No one before you and certainly never anyone after you. I'll love you until the end of this life and into the next."
Haar'chak, Ezra, you're killing me. How am I supposed to respond to that? This is all so new for me. He reached up a hand and pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear in a gentle caress that sent another shiver through her. Frag it, I'll just show him how I feel. And so she smiled at him with a predatory baring of teeth before she swooped down and pressed her mouth to his neck just like he'd been doing to her a couple of minutes before.
Ezra's eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head. No wonder she'd been making little pleasure noises. This was GOOD. Bite my neck as much as you want. "Sabiiiinnnneee," he moaned.
In response, one of her hands snaked down his chest and then back up again, but this time under his t-shirt. Ezra sucked in his breath at the feel of her little hand on his bare skin and almost forgot to let it out again. Every exploratory sweep of her hand left him feeling more lightheaded than the last as even more blood traveled south and stayed there. He was literally going to combust from the delicious torture and he never wanted it to stop.
Oooooooo, hard. Me likey. Sabine couldn't help but be impressed by the toned muscles she was feeling. There wasn't an ounce of fat on him. His skin was smooth and soft over a layer of Dura-steel in a complete contradiction of sensations. His abs and ribs were like little waves below the gentle hills of his pectorals. And this is his teenage body. His mature male body is probably going to blow my mind. After teasingly skimming over his tiny little nipples, her hand came to rest over his heart, feeling it pound under her palm. She found that incredibly intimate and thrilling, her core seeming to pulse in time with his heart. She nipped his ear and then kissed a path down the slightly rough texture of his jawline and returned to kissing, delving her tongue in his mouth once again, yet another little moan escaping her throat at the raw pleasure of the carnal act.
All he could do was groan back, tangling his tongue with hers. Never wanna stop. Kiss her forever. Love. Love. Love.
"EZRA! Put up your fragging shields!" a thought that wasn't his own blasted into Ezra's mind.
Oh, frag, karabast, and shabla! Totally freaking out, Ezra pushed Sabine back as his eyes popped open, and he gulped in horror "I'm so sorry, Kanan," he thought back, then slammed his shields closed between him and Kanan, completely mortified.
But that also closed him off from Sabine. Ezra gulped in some air as his sense of her disappeared. But even without his link to her emotions, it didn't take a genius to comprehend the wounded look on her face. Shit. Why can't I ever do anything right?
Sabine stared down at Ezra in befuddled hurt. Did I do something offensive? Is it possible to be too aggressive with a tongue? Maybe his Jedi conscience just kicked in? No. It was probably me. "What's wrong? What did I do?"
The disappointment on her expressive face was killing him. Ezra sat up quickly, pushing her back so she sat on his thighs and away from his rapidly deflating erection. He hugged her and kissed her forehead in apology, his passionate mood lost to the flaming embarrassment. "It's not you, I swear. You were perfect. It's me. I forgot to keep my shields up between me and Kanan and he just yelled at me, clearly aware of what we were doing."
Sabine blinked a couple of times and then her own cheeks burst with heat as well. Her frisky mood shrank down like someone had just thrown a bucket of ice on her. Unfortunately, she still had the damp underwear to remind her of how close she'd been to climaxing just from the friction of rubbing against him. "Oh, kriff, that's embarrassing!"
Ezra buried his face in her shoulder. "I know, right?" he mumbled into her bodysuit.
Sabine sighed and wrapped her arms around his back, putting her forehead on his shoulder in return. "Oh well. Just imagine it as repayment for all the times we've stumbled upon Kanan and Hera making out," she muttered against his jacket.
Ezra's head popped up as he chuckled. He kissed her hair before encouraging her to look up at him with a finger under her chin. "You mean like the time Zeb and I practically fell on them in the cargo hold when we were chasing Chopper?"
Sabine laughed. "Which time?"
Ezra smirked. "The day we stole that TIE fighter, years ago."
"I remember that day. You still have the painting I made in your room." This had always pleased her.
Ezra grinned bashfully. "And I always will. Or at least as long as Hera lets me call that room my own, despite the fact that I have my own ship now. I don't care how stupid it makes me look. You painted it, so it's staying. I've had a lot of battles with Zeb over it, by the way. Captain Smelly thinks we should have painted over it years ago. I threatened to sic Chopper on him if he so much as dared cover a corner. Once, I even had to hold his bo-rifle hostage." Ezra's mouth curled ruefully. "He didn't like that very much, and didn't talk to me for a week, but it was worth it. Keeping any sort of connection to you is worth it; even living with a sulking, hulking, molting, purple Lasat."
Thank the Manda I didn't have to share a room with a Lasat. Sabine snorted in amusement, beaming at him, and kissed his cheek, letting her lips linger, whispering against it, "You keep saying things like that Bridger, and I might just have to fall in love with you." Her tone was light and teasing, but Sabine could feel the truth of her own words in her heart. She really was falling in love with him. Maybe she was already there. Maybe she'd been there for years and just refused to see it.
What did she just say?! Ezra lost his breath once again. He pulled back a little as he studied her face. "Do you really mean that?" he asked quietly. Hopefully. Nearly begging, in fact.
Seeing his open expression that looked so incredibly vulnerable right now, Sabine knew she could never break his heart. She cupped his face in her hands, fingers resting on the sexy dual scars on his cheek, and met his eyes, willing him to feel her sincerity. "Yes, Ez'ika. I do mean it. You're my everything too."
Thank the Force. Ezra gulped and worked up the courage to say what had wanted to tumble off his tongue for years. He raised his hands and cupped her face in return. "I love you, Sabine. I have since the first day I met you. I saw you blow up a bike right under the noses of the Imps. You jumped off a roof onto a moving bike like it was nothing. You didn't shoot me when you could have. You literally picked me up and tossed me out of your chair. You blew up some TIEs like it was fun. You were relatively nice to me compared to most people who encounter a street rat. And of course, there was how beautiful you are, but that's just the icing on the puff-cake. By the end of that first day, I loved your colorful hair. I loved your big amber eyes. I loved your feisty spirit. I loved your warrior's heart. I love you. With everything I am; heart, body, soul, and mind. Even my connection with the Force loves you, letting me bond with you. You are perfection. To me at least. There is NOTHING you could do that would make me stop loving you, do you hear me?" He willed her to understand that he didn't blame her for the deaths her invention had caused, something that he'd sensed earlier that she needed more confirmation on.
Oh, stars, Ezra. Sabine gawked and blinked at the boy who'd just taken her shattered heart and glued it back together even stronger than before. That was an incredible speech, and she'd never felt more like she was actually worth something in her life. She felt special because she understood now that Ezra thought she was. Looking at herself through his eyes helped heal a broken piece inside of her that her mother had caused when she was banished from the clan all those years ago. His words healed the piece of her that had been fractured when Ketsu abandoned her. His love restored the faith in herself that had been lost when the Duchess was used again against her family.
His words were exactly what she needed and she nearly burst into tears all over again because of them. She swallowed the urge back with difficulty and somehow managed to speak past the lump in her throat. "I do hear you, Ezra. I do." With every ounce of the ever-growing love in her heart, she pressed her mouth to his in a very gentle kiss that expressed everything she was feeling. Gratitude. Love. Acceptance. Need. Want. Home. "Thank you," she whispered against his lips, and then she pressed her forehead to his and they just breathed together, no more words needed between them.
Ezra didn't need his new bond with her to feel how much she loved him too, she was radiating it so clearly into the Force for anyone to sense, and he was humbled by it. And so grateful that she was letting him see her vulnerable side because it meant that she trusted him implicitly. He pressed a very loving kiss to her forehead, sighing in contentment as he moved his arms around her back to hug her closer. She copied him, the strong grip of her arms feeling like the most secure place in the galaxy to be.
They sat like that for a while, wrapped around each other, their heads eventually finding a comfy place on the other's shoulder. Soon enough, Sabine's breathing settled into a deep and slow pattern that indicated she'd fallen asleep.
Knowing that she needed her rest, Ezra didn't move for a long time. Not even when more arriving ships flew past or when a cold breeze picked up. He just ignored it all, pulling a little Force to him to warm them up as needed. He basked in her presence in his arms, having thought for years that this moment would never happen. At some point, his legs fell asleep, but he didn't care about that either. Sabine was all that mattered.
Ezra eventually fell into something that resembled a meditative trance, the Force swirling happily around and through him. He used the time to figure out how to separate his shields so he could feel Sabine and not Kanan, or vice versa, or both, in varying degrees. He knew it was possible because Kanan had a bond with Hera too, so Ezra set to work with determination and started very carefully experimenting.
As the moon drew near to setting in the distant horizon, Ezra felt Kanan approaching, but he still didn't move. At this point, he wasn't even sure he could.
A minute later, his Master appeared out of the gloom. He stopped and looked down at them with a raised brow, amusement, and something that felt a lot like pride and approval in their bond for him to feel. Ezra still flushed with embarrassment anyway. "Hi."
"You look comfy." Kanan teased.
Ezra snorted mentally. "One would think. But you try putting a hundred pounds on your thighs for a few hours and let me know if you can still feel your toes at the end of it."
Kanan's mouth twitched and a strangled laugh could just be heard. "Want some help?"
"Please."
He knelt down beside them and very carefully extracted her from Ezra's arms, standing and holding her small form in his while Ezra grimaced through the process of rubbing circulation back into his legs. Force. Kriff! Ow! Ow! Ow! The tingling was awful, but Ezra breathed through it while Kanan did a valiant job of not laughing out loud. Mentally though…
Ezra glared at him.
"Was it worth it?" the bearded man laughed.
"That's a stupid question. Of course, she's worth a little pain."
"Then get your shebs off the ground, as Rex would say, and let's roll. The meeting starts in twenty minutes."
"I'm moving, I'm moving," Ezra grumbled but gave it a few more seconds anyway.
Once the blood flow had been restored to his feet and he could wiggle his toes inside his boots again, the boy felt confident he could stand without promptly falling right back down. Sucking in a deep breath, he got to his feet in a less than graceful, but successful move. Ha.
Ezra took Sabine back, cuddling her against his chest. She hummed happily in her sleep, wrapping her arms around his neck and snuggling back into his shoulder.
Kanan chuckled mentally again as they started walking. "Well, we know who she prefers in her sleep."
Ezra grinned like a dork. "Mine. She loves me, Kanan." Ezra kissed the silky hair on top of her head adoringly.
"I know. I'm very happy for the two of you. Treasure her. Love her. But never become dependent on her because you must always be ready to let her go if the Force wills it."
Ezra nodded once in resignation. "I know. We've already had this discussion about our views on attachments. I understand that my duty is to the Force first and my loved ones second. But that doesn't stop me from loving you all with everything I have."
Kanan smiled a little mistily. He reached over squeezed Ezra's shoulder fondly. "Love you too, kid. I remembered something a little while ago that made me think we weren't the only Jedi with more liberal views on the 'no attachments' rule."
"What's that?" Ezra asked curiously as Sabine rubbed her face into his neck and made a tiny little sound that was almost a purr. He wanted to hear it some more. Preferably when they were alone.
"Master Fisto once said to me and a group of other younglings, 'Never be afraid to enjoy every experience you are given to the fullest because no matter what impressions you are given at the Temple. Life is meant to be lived, not endured.'"
"Wow. I like that one."
"Yeah. Me too. Even though I forgot his words for decades, I think my subconscious didn't because I've never had a problem with changing the 'no attachment' rule to better suit how we live now."
"I think our method works just fine. We know our duty, but we live and love. How hard is that?"
Kanan grinned down at him, his face mostly hidden by his dark green Jaig eye mask, but his mouth could express so much, it didn't even bother Ezra all that much anymore. "Exactly. Most of the old Jedi Masters were a bunch of stuffy old idiots."
Ezra snorted with amusement, prompting a stirring from the girl in his arms. Oops. Oh well, we're almost there anyway. She should probably wake up.
He looked down at her sleepily blinking face and then up to his Master, walking quietly beside him, their bonds humming softly in his soul. My family. Not all of them, but the ones I love and need the most, no question. Ezra was incredibly content in that moment, and he would file it away as one to treasure forever.
Sabine woke up gradually to the sensation of smooth movement, feeling very safe and loved. It was a feeling she had rarely ever felt, bringing back vague memories from her early childhood of being carried to bed by her father after he had let her stay up way too late painting with him.
Her eyes fluttered open as her arms tightened reflexively around Ezra's neck and she realized she actually was being carried. Ever stronger than I thought if he can carry me so effortlessly. He's not breathing hard or anything. She had to admit it felt incredibly nice, but it wasn't in her nature to be carried anywhere. "Ezra," she murmured.
He glanced down at her and his teeth flashed in the dark as he smiled at her. "Down?"
Sabine nodded slightly, rubbing her cheek against his jacket just because. Soft over hard. Yum. But later. "This is nice and all, but I have legs and they work just fine."
Ezra chuckled lightly and so did Kanan, which made Sabine tense, because she hadn't realized they weren't alone. She craned her neck around, seeing the older Jedi walking beside Ezra on her blind side, and her cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment. Curse him and his silent Jedi feet. Now she really wanted down. "Ezra," she said warningly as she wiggled and his arms held her tighter teasingly.
I can't help myself. I really can't. Ezra's eyes shone with mirth as he came to a stop, swooped down and kissed her warm cheek, and then let her down. Slowly. Sliding her down his front as much as possible.
Sabine gave him her best glare, which just made him smile wider. Come on, you like it, admit it.
Her glare somehow intensified. Or not.
Ezra looked at Kanan. "You let a girl sit on you for hours till your legs go to sleep and then you carry her for a kilometer or two and this is the thanks you get?"
Kanan shrugged, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Females. There's just no pleasing them sometimes. Get used to it."
Sabine huffed at the two males who were blatantly making fun of her while she stood right there. "Di'kute," she muttered and started marching in the direction of the camp that was much closer than before. Actually, it was close enough that the guard probably could have seen her being carried like a child. That just wasn't acceptable at all. Thank the Force I woke up. She was going to have to talk to Ezra about making sure her status as a badass was never questioned. A warrior Countess does NOT get carried unless they were unconscious and had two broken legs.
She called back over her shoulder at the men who were chuckling over her stomping figure. "Don't think I won't tell Hera what you just said, Kanan Jarrus. I'm sure she won't appreciate it. And Ezra, if you think there's going to be any more cuddling in the near future, you might want to hold your breath waiting for it." The chuckling came to an immediate end, making Sabine smirk to herself.
Ach! What have I done? Ezra jogged to catch up, then matched his strides to hers. His eyes were wide in fear and remorse as he gazed at her. "Please don't say that. I was just teasing. I've waited forever for cuddling privileges; you wouldn't take them away already, would you?"
Sabine glanced at him and her lips twitched before she snorted with suppressed laughter. He actually believed me. He's already better trained than I thought. Taking pity on him, she laced her fingers with his and squeezed lightly. "Ezra, you're not the only one who can tease, you know."
He blinked a couple of times and then he looked vastly relieved, shaking his head at himself. "I can't believe I fell for that."
Sabine grinned. "I can."
Kanan grinned at Sabine as he appeared on Ezra's other side. "So can I."
Sabine smiled at her second father conspiratorially. "He is incredibly gullible, isn't he?" She ignored Ezra's, 'Hey!' and continued talking to Kanan. "But I wasn't kidding about telling Hera. Us girls have to stick together when it comes to keeping the Men Folk in line."
Now Ezra and Kanan both said, "Hey!"
Sabine grinned at them, let go of Ezra's hand, and marched up to and past the guard like she owned the world, happy she couldn't see his face to know if he was smirking at her or not. If he was smart though, he'd keep quiet about seeing her being carried. She memorized the markings on his armor just in case rumors started flying around the camp about her so she knew who to beat up for it.
After a quick stop at the portable refresher facilities, she walked briskly to their borrowed tent, attached her armor, and strapped on her second belt.
Ezra more or less followed Sabine, but Kanan broke off to join Fenn and Alrich when he spotted them.
The young Jedi waited just inside the doorway of their tent while he watched Sabine finish getting dressed in less than a minute flat with practiced ease. Even this simple act turned him on. Who am I kidding? Just watching her breathe turns me on. He was envisioning her doing the opposite of adding layers when she walked up to him with a raised brow, her helmet tucked under her arm.
"What's got that look in your eyes this time?" Sabine asked with a knowing smirk, noting his slightly increased inhalations and the hint of dilation in his pupils.
Ezra snaked an arm around her waist and kissed her nose playfully. "Just picturing you removing your armor instead."
She rested her hand against his chest, laughing softly as she looked up at him with amused eyes. "And everything else as well?" She deliberately leaned her hips into his and wasn't surprised at all to feel the bulge in his trousers twitch against her. Later for that too, big boy.
He grinned even as he flushed, pupils, expanding further. Tease. "Oh yeah." He swooped down and stole her mouth in a brief but very thorough kiss that had her purring again.
When he pulled back, Ezra was pleased to see her eyes had gone much darker than normal. At least I'm not alone in my misery now. He swept an arm towards the door. "Shall we get this over with?"
Sabine took a deep breath to control her suddenly raging hormones and then inclined her head regally. "We shall." She swept out of the tent with squared shoulders and a bounce to her step.
Ezra smiled to himself as he bounded after her, catching her free hand with his own and lacing their fingers together, grateful there was no one around to see his flustered state.
Sabine looked down at their joined hands and then smiled up at him. Kriff it. I don't care if people see that I'm with him. They can all go take a leap out of an airlock if they don't like my adorable, loyal, and handsome Jetti.
They walked to the command tent in companionable silence, not exactly in a hurry as they kept glancing at each other and smiling dopily.
Literally, everyone was already there when Sabine and Ezra arrived, making her wince mentally, including the leaders of the various other clans that had come to help with the mission at the front of each group of similarly colored warriors. They squished their way past way too many judgemental people and joined Kanan, Fenn, and her father right at the front of the crowd.
Bo-Katan raised an imperious brow at Sabine and Ezra. "So glad you decided to join us. We were starting to wonder."
Sabine shrugged slightly, playing it cool. "I couldn't sleep, so Ezra and I took a walk. We went further than planned. I apologize if we kept you waiting."
Bo-Katan's red eyebrows rose further, glancing from her to Ezra, who was, for once, doing a good job of keeping his mouth shut and not fidgeting, but his face was certainly darkening across the cheekbones. "I see," Bo-Katan said, her tone clearly stating that she did, indeed, see.
Sabine sighed internally. If it hadn't been obvious already, she'd basically just confirmed her intention to take Ezra as her husband. One does not simply just go for a 'walk' with a boy in the dark for hours on a desert and then let it be known to everyone unless you intended to follow through with the implications. Not that they hadn't already been open about their relationship at dinner last night, but the whole being alone thing pretty much sealed the deal.
Sabine glanced at the expressions of everyone in the tent at the implied declaration. Only her father, Fenn, and Bo-Katan portrayed actual acceptance. The others all looked either skeptical, were withholding judgment for the time being, or outright displeased. Count Onyo, in particular, looked vaguely murderous, his purple eyes flashing from his dark face. Never did like that bastard. But no one made any moves to draw a blaster, so Sabine considered that a win. She focused on Bo-Katan again. "I'm glad you do. Now. On to the small matter of getting rid of the Duchess once and for all..."
Bo's eyes widened and she stared at Sabine in shock. "Wait. Did you name your weapon after my sister?!"
Sabine winced. Oops, should have kept that one to myself. "It was a series of bad decisions that I'm not proud of. We can call it something else if you want?"
Bo was speechless for at least ten seconds as she glared at Sabine. How dare she dishonor Satine like that! I'm going to eviscerate that little brat. She's not going to be able to walk for a week after I'm done pounding some respect into her. How could she insult her own family like that? Okay, sort of family, but still... A touch from Fenn on her arm brought her out of her mental snit. She sucked in a breath and forcibly calmed herself. "There's no point. We're getting rid of that thing and that will be the end of it. I just have to say that Satine was a pacifist until the very end and she would be appalled to find out that a weapon of mass destruction was named after her. I don't know what you were thinking."
Sabine glanced down at her helmet for a moment, deciding. Feeling Ezra lean a fraction closer to her gave her the courage to say her piece. She looked back at the red-haired woman, meeting the piercing green eyes steadily. "I was thinking that your sister's pacifist ways led to the fall of Mandalore. She caused a civil war for shabla's sake! It was your sister's views on politics that eventually allowed the Imperials to take hold of our planet. She destroyed our people's spirit just as much as any weapon ever has. If she hadn't been a pacifist, there would never have been a need for the Republic to help our people. Maul and Death Watch should never have had the opportunity to take control. Clan Saxon should never have felt the need to ally with the Imperials just so what's left of our people weren't completely subjugated. It was your sister that was the catalyst for everything that is happening now. I don't claim to think that I could ever lead Mandalore better than anyone else, but Mandalore should never have been in the hands of a pacifist. And I know you know it. I know you were part of Death Watch because my mother was as well. I know you didn't believe in your sister's ideals, so you'd be a hypocrite if you said otherwise now." So please don't. That won't go well for either of us.
Everyone in the tent was basically holding their breath as they looked from Sabine to Bo-Katan, waiting for her response. This could go one of two ways. Bo-Katan could be seriously offended and challenge Sabine to a duel to the death or she would agree with Sabine and let her words against her sister slide.
Bo's fists were clenched and she was barely breathing while proverbial steam rose from her. But as she stared into Sabine's steady and resolute eyes, her shoulders dropped ever so slightly and her fists unclenched. Everyone in the room breathed again. "You're right," Bo admitted quietly. "I didn't agree with my sister. It's the reason we hardly ever spoke to each other. We were on two different sides, and in the end, we both lost and the Empire won. It's time to fix that. It's time to return Mandalore to being the home of people who are proud to call themselves Mandalorians. Proud of our warrior heritage. Proud to fight for what we believe in. And we will WIN!" Her voice rang with power and authority at the end and the tent erupted in cheers from the warriors packed within.
Sabine sighed in relief that that had turned out the way she'd hoped. Thank the Manda. Ezra nudged her with his foot and she glanced at him. He winked at her and smiled slightly, glancing down as she fingered the Darksaber hanging off the side of her belt. Should I? she asked with her eyes. He nodded back with his own in agreement and Sabine felt an invisible weight lift from her shoulders.
She'd found the leader she sought.
Sabine had always known it wasn't herself. Bo-Katan was the rightful leader of Mandalore based on heritage. It was gratifying to know the woman lived up to Sabine's expectations.
Sabine stepped forward, holding the Darksaber out to Bo-Katan and the space instantly went silent again. "This belongs to you, My Lady. You are the true Mand'alor. The Mand'alor our people should have had leading us all along. I can't rightfully keep this anymore when I know I don't deserve to wield it. I now know that I found it so that I could pass it on to you."
Bo glanced from the sword hilt to Sabine's eyes and back again, indecision clear upon her face.
"Take it," Fenn said from beside her. "Sabine is right. You are a true leader of people and you uphold the original Mandalorian beliefs. I can think of no one better to be Mand'alor aside from Sabine, despite the fact that she doesn't believe it of herself."
Bo glanced at him, this man she'd barely known for a day but felt so connected to. Seeing the sincerity and belief in his eyes, she reached forward – the tent inhaled in anticipation - and grasped the Darksaber. It instantly felt right in her hand, like a missing piece of her soul had been returned. Bo ignited the dark blade and held it above her head triumphantly, staring at her people. "I accept this sword as vengeance for my sister from the monster who stole her and this blade from us. For my clan. And for all of Mandalore."
In the gust of relief that was exhaled by nearly everyone, Sabine went down to one knee in front of her, head bowed. "Clan Wren vows loyalty to Duchess Bo-Katan of Clan and House Kryze, our new and rightful Mand'alor."
Fenn Rau sank to a knee as well, looking up adoringly at the woman who had so thoroughly captured his heart. "As the sole remaining Protector, I pledge my loyalty to you and vow to remain in your service for as long as I am of able body and mind like the Protectors originally did for previous Mand'alors."
One by one, the leaders of every clan knelt, their members following suit immediately.
"Clan and House Vizsla vows our loyalty."
"Clan Awuad also vows loyalty."
"Clan Onyo vows loyalty."
"Clan Elder vows loyalty."
"Clan Rook vows loyalty."
And so it continued until every clan leader in the tent had their say.
Bo looked down at all the bowed heads and felt somewhat overwhelmed. The only two people left in the tent not kneeling were the Jedi, but as she glanced at them, they both nodded at her respectfully, even the blind one. How DID he do that? That was good enough, she supposed. Her sister's Jedi, Kenobi, had been a reasonable sort as well. Fenn's example of showing support for the Jedi was something she would follow. Mandalore needed to give up their hatred of the Jedi; especially with so few of them left. Supporting Sabine's choice to marry one would be a good first step.
"I accept your loyalty. Thank you." Bo-Katan's voice rang through the tent and everyone stood as one and cheered again. She slashed the Darksaber through the air, getting their attention before turning it off and hooking it to her belt. "Now is not the time for celebrating. We have a battle to win first and no more time to waste standing here. To your ships!"
There was a mass exodus out of the tent in a vaguely orderly fashion with a feeling of excitement in the air. Sabine, Ezra, and Kanan waited patiently for the majority to exit. Bo-Katan swept past them with Fenn Rau at her side. "You three are with me," she said as she passed.
They dutifully followed. Sort of.
Sabine glanced back at her father, who was staying behind, with a few others, keeping an eye on their progress from the Command Center. His eyes were worried. "I will come back, Father. Please believe that."
He smiled wanly. "I believe you will always try your hardest."
Sabine gave him an equally sad smile. "That has ever been the truth." Their identical eyes met for one more heartfelt second before Sabine turned and left the tent.
Ezra was waiting for her just outside. They walked together as they followed in the wake of the others. (Kanan had caught up to Fenn and Bo-Katan.) "I can tell you feel better now, now that you don't have the Darksaber anymore," he said quietly.
Sabine glanced at him and nodded slightly. "I was never comfortable with the thought of ruling the entirety of the Mandalorian people. It's going to be hard enough for me to adjust to the idea that I'm now the ruler of my clan. I know Father will help where he can, but he's not from the Wren line, so, no matter how wise he is, our clan can choose not to follow him. They'll listen to him, but they could disobey a direct order from him if they wished. From me? Not a chance. Unless someone challenges me to take the position. And that's usually a fight to the death."
Ezra gasped. "Please tell me you're kidding this time too."
She shook her head once. "No. I'm afraid not. But I wouldn't worry about it too much. I have no intention of being taken down in a duel."
As they walked up the ramp of Bo-Katan's Kom'rk fighter, Ezra gave her his best disbelieving eyes. "Not worry? Of course, I'm going to worry. I always worry about you when you're doing something dangerous."
Sabine laughed softly and patted his cheek as they stopped in front of a closed door. "You're so cute." Since they were the only ones in the cargo hold, she grabbed his jacket with her free hand in a repeat of yesterday's move and pulled him down to her, kissing him hard, finishing with a nip to his lower lip. So much better now that we know what we're doing. Letting him go, she smirked at his wide-eyed look. "Don't get yourself killed either, Bridger. It would make me very, very unhappy."
Ezra nodded dumbly as Sabine hit the button to close the ramp and another button to open the door and walked through, leaving Ezra floundering on his feet as he tried to follow her. Does she even know how much she rocks my world when she kisses me? And not just a peck either. Her tongue had definitely been in his mouth. And to more or less declare that she worried about him too, but in her own badass way, was enough to send a jolt to his heart and have all of his blood cells diving southwards.
Finally getting his brain to more or less communicate with his lower limbs, Ezra stumbled down the hallway after her, eyes glued to her perfect ass in that skintight bodysuit. She strolled into the common area like nothing was going on. Ezra couldn't say the same; his pants were excessively tight in the crotch area again and he had no desire to go in there looking like that.
As the ship's engines rumbled under his feet as they warmed up, Ezra leaned against a wall for a moment, taking deep breaths to calm himself back down. He started thinking of every non-sexy thing he could imagine; death, slime, nerfs, cold showers, Vader.
He glanced down a few seconds later. Yep. We're good to go.
Ezra stepped around the corner and to the doorway, immediately bouncing off of Kanan, who'd just been about to come out.
Ezra almost fell over.
Kanan caught him with the Force in a swift move that no one would ever see and then handed his Padawan his helmet and jetpack that he'd left in the ship yesterday as if Ezra hadn't almost just fallen right back out of the common room.
"Thanks. I'm a klutz today."
"No problem. I can tell you're a little preoccupied."
"Understatement. That girl is driving me nuts."
"You'll learn to think past it. Eventually." Kanan smirked at him knowingly.
"Thanks," Ezra said, mentally rolling his eyes. He lifted the jetpack over his head and settled it onto his shoulders with an uncomfortable roll.
They moved further into the common room, to join the large group of warriors wearing blue and silver. Fenn fit right in. Sabine stood out like a sore thumb in both outlandish colors and lack of height. Ezra loved it. Perfect, beautiful girl.
As they walked, Kanan pointed with a thumb over his shoulder at the jetpack already sitting on his back. "You have any tips for me?" he asked glibly. "It looks like I get to wear one now too."
Ezra felt the ship take off, engines still sounding not quite right, but someone obviously thought they would do for now. (Hera would be appalled.) He grinned at Kanan, eyes twinkling for the benefit of their now listening audience of Mandos. "My only advice is to use the Force to steer. I don't know how they do it without it. These things should be classified as suicide attempts."
Kanan snorted, bumping him with his shoulder. "I'll keep that in mind."
Sabine bumped him from the other side as he stopped beside her. The corner of her mouth was drawn up into an amused smirk. "Hey. We're just more talented than you," she said with a teasing wiggle of her brows.
Ezra smirked back, looking at Sabine's artistic armor pointedly. "That is very true. I can barely draw a stick person."
It only took a few seconds for everyone to be laughing to the point of tears, grateful for the little bit of humor in a time of way too much seriousness.
Of course, ten minutes later, when everyone but the pilot on Bo-Katan's ship jumped out of the cargo hold, Kanan flew straight and true in his jetpack. Ezra growled in disgust. "Why do I always look like a bumbling idiot compared to everyone else?" he muttered under his breath. Sabine and Chopper heard him, of course, since she'd linked them via the comms in their helmets.
Chopper beeped something along the lines of, "Because you're a foolish Meatbag too pathetic to figure anything out?"
Ezra tried not to take that one too much to heart, since Chopper had been insulting him for years, but it still hurt.
"Leave him alone, Chopper or I'll take you apart and toss something vital out an airlock," Sabine warned.
The droid grumbled out a "Fine. Sorry, Sabine."
How come he only listens to the girls? Ezra whined to himself.
But then her next words brought his mood up drastically and the annoying Astro-mech from who-knew-which of the seven hells was forgotten.
"I think your occasional awkwardness is cute, babe. Don't stress over it. You're graceful when you really need to be. Have you seen yourself with a Lightsaber lately? It's Kriffin' hot."
Ezra flushed with pleasure while Chopper made the equivalent of gagging noises. Ezra turned off the link to the droid menace and just basked in the pleasure of Sabine's words. "Thank you, Sabine. If you were trying to make me love you more, you just succeeded."
Not really, but I'll take it. Now Sabine was feeling all warm and glowy inside. "You keep talking like that, Ezra, and you're going to find yourself a very happy boy next time we get some alone time."
Ezra gulped, about a hundred different fantasies of him and Sabine doing naughty things all trying to take precedence at once and his pants getting rather tight yet again. At least this time, he'd remembered to keep his shields up between him and Kanan. With a little effort, he consciously lowered his voice to something he hoped sounded sexy. "Everyone knows a true gentleman takes care of the lady first. It would be my greatest pleasure to do so."
Sabine blinked as his rumbled words went straight to her core and she practically trembled with want. Holy nerf-herders, who would have thought a day ago that Ezra could do that to me? She cleared her throat. "Maybe we should shelve this conversation for later. We're almost at Saxon's Star Destroyer anyway."
Ezra glanced at the ISD that was dwarfed by the massive dome surrounding the City of Sundari, before looking back at Sabine, who flew just ahead of him. Her slender figure was much more pleasant to look at, hands down. He could stare at her for hours and be perfectly content. (He'd actually done so while she was painting or sketching and not paying attention to him, so he knew this for a fact.) "Sure, Cyar'ika. But there's no way I'm forgetting to take this up where we left off when I get the chance."
Sabine smiled like a very satisfied Tooka inside her helmet. Neither am I. Now that she'd decided she wanted Ezra, the young woman didn't see any reason to take it slow. If the last four years hadn't been enough of a test of the strength of their friendship, then nothing was. "I'm holding you to that, Bridger."
The words were like a fortifying promise between them as they flew the last few meters to their next, possibly deadly, mission.
Mando'a translations:
Shebs - butt, ass, etc.
Di'kute – idiots.
All Writing Credits belong to The Lone Rebel's Stories for 13 Chapters for them, all I did was edit and correct grammar and spelling in small areas
