Ezra gave Sabine a one-over from behind his borrowed Mandalorian helmet.
He hadn't seen her for weeks, and by the force was she still beautiful.
Sure, she hadn't really changed her appearance at all from what Ezra could tell, her hair was still the light pink color it had been, and her armor was still painted the same colors as before. Her eyes still held that same glint of mischief and beneath her armor, her body was as lean and powerful as he remembered it.
Force, she was perfect.
Fenn Rau gestured to him and introduced him to Sabine.
"Sabine Wren, this is Jocaster Aldine, and he is the first person to show up here to compete in our little contest.
Ezra groaned internally, who in blazes was Jocaster Aldine?
Well for right now, it was him apparently.
"I thought the Protectors were all wiped out," Sabine pointed out, not failing to miss the distinct blue of the armor that the newcomer wore.
"Not all of us," said Fenn, "After we, ahem, made the mistake of attacking your force of A-wings when we first encountered you, we ended up salvaging some of the fighters. I gave one of them to Jocaster here, as we were low on ships. Jocaster was off world when the massacre happened."
Sabine thought about this for a second, then seemed to accept his answer with a shrug.
Ezra breathed a sigh of relief. Who knew Fenn Rau was so good at bullshitting his way out of things? Then again considering how long he dealt with the Empire, it probably shouldn't have been a surprise.
"Does he speak?" asked Sabine, eyeing the newcomer with apprehension.
Ezra was suddenly jolted away from his thoughts as Sabine looked at him expectantly.
Think Bridger, think!
"Terribly sorry," he said, silently thanking the force that his new helmet masked his voice enough to sound different, "I was distracted."
That should buy me enough time to think of a proper excuse.
"By what?" asked Sabine.
Ezra frowned, he had known Sabine long enough that he could make out her moods. And right now, she seemed…annoyed.
She must think I'm going to say I was distracted by her beauty or something!
Truth be told, he was considering it, but then memories of Sabine giving him the cold shoulder gave him pause.
What would leave a good first impression?
"I was observing your… armor. I've never seen a more unique set in the entirety of my life!" he said instead.
Sabine kept her impassive face, but the corners of her mouth twitched upward slightly, and Ezra could feel her twinge slightly with delight through the force at his compliment.
If there was one thing that Sabine loved, it was her individuality and art, and often times the two went hand in hand.
And Sabine had not expected to be complimented on it.
Score one for Ezra.
"You know, after all the meatheads I was just forced to greet, I didn't expect that," admitted Sabine holding her hand out for Ezra to shake which he obliged her.
"Meatheads?" asked Fenn.
Sabine nodded, "Yes, meatheads," she pointed to Ezra, "He's not the first competitor to arrive."
"Really?" asked Fenn, "How many are there so far?"
"About twenty," said Sabine, "And so far, none of them have really impressed, well all except for you," she indicated Ezra.
Seizing the opportunity, Ezra decided to pour on the classic Ezra charm.
"Wait, you thought I was gonna say something corny like that too?" asked Ezra in a mock offended tone.
Ezra got on one knee and put a hand to his heart in an exaggerated, "My lady, your beauty blots out the sun!" he gasped sarcastically.
Sabine actually let out a laugh at that, it was a short, girly laugh that you didn't hear. Getting Sabine to smile was sometimes tough and laughs were a rare commodity indeed.
Score two for Ezra.
"Well, I have to say, it's been like that for about thirty minutes."
"That sounds terrible," he said, and he meant it too.
"So, why have you decided to compete for my, well, heart?" asked Sabine, now closing herself off again as she seemed to remember the reason he was here.
Hmmm.
"Well, aside from your looks, I have no love for the Empire and I've heard about your exploits with the rebels. After Clan Wren's revolt and the destruction of the Protectors, well let's just say I want to help. And in hearing about your unfortunate situation, I decided I'd join this contest to see if I can't give you a husband who's not a complete idiot."
"I see," said Sabine nodding and apparently accepting his answer, "Well Fenn, since you are partly responsible for putting me in this, you get to meet everyone else!"
"Very well," said Fenn with a sigh, "Lead the way then Sabine."
Sabine then turned and walked out Fenn's front door, trailed closely by Fenn and Ezra.
As they walked down the snowy pathway, Ezra stayed silent as the two argued about something.
So far, Ezra had made a pretty good impression, especially after hearing what Sabine thought about the others.
Man, he was pretty good at this wasn't he?
Yeah, keep telling yourself that Bridger, his internal voice teased, if you were good at it, then Sabine wouldn't have continually shown you the door.
Still, he had made some progress and Sabine seemingly didn't hate him.
Now all he had to do was not get killed in this tournament.
The Wren stronghold was just as Ezra had remembered it. The room that housed Sabine's mothers chair was filled to the brim with Mandalorians, only this time, there were Mandalorians from several different clans. There were of course plenty of Mandos from Clan Wren, but judging by all the different colors and armor designs, not all of them were.
Fenn, instead of talking elected to drag Sabine to the elevated position of Ursa's throne and motioned for her to take a seat.
Ezra stood near the bottom, slightly away from all the others, though he could feel some of them giving him looks.
"Alright!" shouted Fenn, "Our tournament will be beginning in three days and I'd like for you to know the rules."
The chatter amongst the warriors, mercenaries, and bounty hunters died down as they gave Fenn full attention.
"Now, I don't think I need to remind you of what will happen if you are to win this tournament, not only will you get the esteemed position of next in line to the position of Count, but you will get Sabine's hand in marriage."
Whoops and hollers sounded out through the hall and Ezra had to keep himself from cringing.
Not a single one of these people were here because they loved Sabine, they all wanted the promise of a pretty girl and a position of power.
Of course, Ezra had sort of been like that when he had first met Sabine, but even when he was at his youngest and most foolish he still had a healthy respect for her.
Not a single one of these Mandos cared about her for real.
Sabine could tell too, and though her face was hidden behind her mask, Ezra could feel her seething with anger and agitation.
She absolutely hated this.
This in turn filled Ezra with more determination.
He could not, no would not fail here.
Hesitating, Ezra sent her a wave of calm and reassurance through the force and was pleased to find that she received it well, her anger beginning to subside.
But then Sabine turned and stared directly at him.
And Ezra stared back.
Though they couldn't see each other's eyes, they were still trapped in some sort of strange spell.
It was as if she knew that he was responsible for her sudden calm.
For a while they were like that as Fenn Rau discussed the rules of the tournament.
Eventually though, the spell was broken when Fenn nudged her and motioned that they were done.
And with that, Ezra decided to take a look at his competition.
They all looked like typical Mandalorians, all clumped together by clan.
Yet, a few of them stood apart from the rest of the warriors.
One of them was larger, bulkier than the rest and he had a few other members of his respected clan around him as the others eyed him.
Cuts and various other marks littered his armor and he had an air of superiority that surrounded him, as if he knew he was the best of them.
I've got to keep an eye on him for sure, thought Ezra.
Another one that Ezra noticed was also wearing the same red markings as the large man, except this one was smaller, and leaner in appearance. Similar cuts were on his armor and he had several blades attached to his armor.
The force flowed dangerously around this guy though.
Strange…
"Hey, Protector!"
With a jolt of surprise, Ezra realized he was being spoken too.
Turning around slowly, the hulk that Ezra had spotted earlier was shouting at him, his large hands holding his now removed helmet
The man looked at Ezra with slanted eyes, "Don't see many of your kind around Protector. Rau was supposed to be the last of his kind. Though looking at you, Rau may soon find himself as the last of his kind once more."
His last words could have been taken as a banter, but judging by the mans very real loathing in the force and his harsh tone of voice, that wasn't the case.
Ezra had no idea what this guys problem was, so he went for a more passive approach.
"I have no quarrel with you, besides this tournament," he said trying to potentially diffuse a situation.
The man snorted, "Oh, I've got a bone to pick with you Protector scum."
Ezra began to panic slightly as the whole of the clan gave him dirty looks.
In any other context, Ezra would have laughed at the strangeness of the situation. An entire group of mighty Mandalorian warriors angry at him because he was a Protector, when in fact he wasn't.
Why these orange armored warriors didn't like the Protectors was beyond Ezra's knowledge, and even if he had the knowledge, he probably still wouldn't understand.
As the first Mandalorian he had met, Ezra had always thought Sabine was confusing and had chalked it up to her being a girl. That particular bit of wisdom stemmed from an old memory of his father jokingly shrugging and exclaiming, "women!" on the rare occasion he witnessed the two of his parents get into an argument (arguments his mother would always win, he had to add).
But now, after spending time with her peers, Ezra could now definitively say that Sabine's confusing nature came about because of her Mandalorian heritage.
Before things could get out of hand, Fenn Rau suddenly reappeared and stepped in between Ezra and the orange-tinged Mandalorians.
"Is there a problem here?" he asked.
"Not at all, Rau," the hulking man replied, saying the name Rau as distastefully as possible.
Fenn expression darkened, "Just remember, I have the power to remove you from this planet," he threatened with a menacing glare.
The small band of Mandalorians soon found themselves receiving dirty looks in turn from the members of Clan Wren that were also assembled.
"I understand Rau," the man responded, backing down from his aggressive stance, he then gave a sinister looking grin, "Just a little, friendly, competition, that's all."
Fenn's expression of distrust did not waver, "I'm sure."
The man put his helmet back on and motioned for his fellow clan member to follow him, and they all exited the building single file.
With that, the tension in the room died down and Ezra gave out a sigh of relief.
"Fenn-," he began to ask, but the older man quickly shook his head.
"Not here, lets get back to my place and I'll explain some things to you."
Shrugging, Ezra complied and trotted after Fenn as he began to navigate his way back to where Ezra had first greeted him.
"Well, I met the candidates today Hera," said Sabine over the holocall.
Seeing as how her mother was currently gone on a mission, Fenn Rau was doing who knows what, and Tristan was organizing a cell on Mandalore proper, Sabine had been left alone.
Only problem was, Sabine needed to talk to someone, even for a short amount of time, about what was going on.
So, like what happened yesterday, she decided to call up Hera again and was pleased to find that Hera had a free moment, though the Twilek informed her that she didn't have much time to talk.
"So, what did you think?" asked Hera.
Sabine huffed, "They've all pretended like they care, but none of them really do."
"Not one of them?" asked Hera.
"They're all fakes, hacks! Even some from my own Clan!" exclaimed Sabine, "I couldn't believe it."
Then Sabine hesitated, as if she was forgetting something.
"Well, actually Hera, now that I think about, there was one guy who was a little different."
Hera gave her a neutral expression, "What do you mean Sabine?"
"I found him with Fenn Rau actually, he was wearing Protector armor. His name was Jocaster I think, and he was surprisingly nice, he even complimented the art on my armor."
Hera gave an almost… knowing smile?
"He sounds like quite the charmer," she said.
Sabine scoffed, "They're all quite the charmers, but this guy felt, I don't know, genuine I guess?" Sabine then put a hand to her chin in thought, "He also felt really familiar for some reason, I can't think of why though."
"Well, maybe he'll be the one to win?"
Sabine thought about that for a minute. The Protectors were known for their competence on the battlefield, and she suspected that this Jocaster fellow was no different.
She was then brought back to the little staring contest with him and how his presence seemingly calmed her down. Why was this guy so strangely familiar?
Karabast, but Sabine was confused.
"I guess, I mean, I hardly know anything about the guy at all, so I'm not sure if I would be happy," Sabine began, "But, so far he's a lot better than all the others."
"Have you seen what he looks like? Is he handsome?" asked Hera, probing for more info.
"I actually haven't seen his face yet," Sabine admitted, then she shook her head, "I suppose it doesn't really matter anyway."
"As you say Sabine."
Seemingly done with this direction the conversation was going in, Sabine abruptly changed it.
"So, where is everyone else?"
"Well, Kanan and Zeb are out with Rex repairing some sensor nodes," Hera gestured behind her, "And Chopper is recalibrating the steering on the Ghost."
"What about Ezra?" asked Sabine.
"He's out scouting the perimeter, he won't be back for a little while," Hera responded.
"Oh, I see," Sabine replied, desperately hoping the disappointment in her voice didn't show.
Unfortunately for Sabine, Hera definitely noticed as she gave Sabine a knowing smile.
"I can tell that you still really miss him," she pointed out.
Sabine sighed, "Well, yeah! I miss all you guys!"
Hera raised her eyebrow, "That's not what I meant, and I think you know that."
Sabine chewed on her lip in silence as she tried to figure out how to worm her way out of this conversation.
"I just wish he was here," Sabine finally admitted, "It would be nice to have somebody that I truly depend on," then realizing her mistake, she quickly added, "Not that I can't depend on you guys or anything."
"I understand," said Hera, "He is the closest to your age after all."
"Glad you understand," said Sabine, pausing again for a second before asking another question, "Speaking of Ezra, how did he take the news of my, well, situation?"
"Well, it's part of the reason he's out right now."
Sabine let her smile drop, "Not taking it very well?"
"He's angry about the whole situation, but he'll be fine, I know it."
Sabine noted that Hera had left out whether he was angry that Sabine was in this situation, or if he was angry that he didn't get to marry Sabine.
Ezra's raging crush on Sabine had seemingly died down and for a while Sabine had thought the blue-haired teenager was over her. However, as the two of them got closer, Sabine began to catch little things that hinted that he still had an attraction to her. Things like a gaze that was held to long, a compliment that was way too complimentary, him intentionally showing off to impress her, and him pretending that he wasn't staring at her, when he very clearly was.
Sabine had to guess it was a mixture of the two aforementioned reasons that Ezra was seemingly upset.
Truth be told, a part of her liked that fact that Ezra still well, liked her. Ezra was a hell of a lot shyer than he let on, though he was nowhere near how closed off Sabine was. And that seemed to especially apply in regard to his feelings.
So, when Ezra did one of the little things that hinted at his feelings for her, she was secretly pleased.
She supposed it was only natural after all, a cute boy was pining after her.
Wait, what did I just say Ezra was?
"Well, I'm afraid our time is up right now," Hera suddenly pulled her out of her thoughts and back to reality, "I know the others wanted to say something, but we really have to get going. Duty calls."
"See you all around!" said Sabine as the feed abruptly cut and she was left alone with her conflicted feelings.
A/N: This one was weirdly hard to write for some reason, I had a bad case of writers block, which shouldn't surprise me considering the fact that I started this story with only the concept, a few of the circumstances, and of course the ending all figured out.
Even still, let me know what you thought about this chapter.
If you're following me as an author, there should be an update for my other story Operation: Brave New World that will be up either Monday (technically today) or Tuesday, that one will also contain some Sabine and Ezra moments lol.
Thanks for the love!