Baylan Skoll stood before the entrance to a cave in Peridea's snowy mountains, the wind at this altitude almost deafening. After many weeks of searching he had finally found the location that the enormous statue of the Father of Mortis had been pointing towards. This was the secret that would allow him to achieve his goals. He entered the cave and found a small pedestal at the far end, ominously illuminated by a beam of light coming down from a hole in the ceiling like some sort of natural spotlight. Upon the pedestal rested a small metallic sphere, not all that dissimilar from the map they had used to reach this galaxy in the first place. The former Jedi reached down and grabbed the sphere, examining it quizzically.

"What secrets do you hold for me?"

He focused his mind and concentrated on the sphere as hard as he could, searching through the Force to see what knowledge this object contained. He saw visions of sorrow, anger, trepidation, and chaos, all punctuated by one message, spoken by what sounded like a dying old man:

"Beware... your... heart..."

After everything subsided, Baylan opened his eyes.

"She is the answer."

"So... Ezra and I are basically... bonded for life?", Sabine asked as she and Ahsoka sat around a fire in the middle of the Noti camp. The Togruta nodded as she nibbled on the small fish that one of the crustacean-like aliens had caught earlier that afternoon. "That's the fifth time you've asked." The Mandalorian sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"I guess I'm still processing... that's big news..."

Ahsoka wiped her mouth and placed a comforting hand on her Padawan's shoulder. "I know that look. Something else is on your mind. What's bothering you?"

"I... I don't know what comes next... for Ezra and me, I mean. I don't know if I'm ever going to see him in person again or..."

"...or if you'll ever get to tell him you love him?", Ahsoka teased. Sabine blushed deeply and turned her face away. "J-Jedi aren't allowed to love... so I guess even if I did get the opportunity, it would be breaking the rules." Ahsoka frowned, knowing that these words were a paraphrase of something she had once told the Mandalorian.

"Sabine... when I said that, I was still haunted by what happened to my Master... what I saw as my own failure... I think I have some explaining to do."

"I'm all ears", Sabine snapped back.

Ahsoka took a deep breath and proceeded to lay out the entire story: Anakin's falling in love with Padmé Amidala, his frustration with having to keep their marriage a secret, the fact that Ahsoka blamed herself for not seeing the truth and supporting Anakin when no one else would, everything.

"I became so hardened after what happened... I pushed away what few friends I had in the aftermath of the rise of the Empire... I loved someone once... but I told him that I couldn't risk growing attached and falling to the Dark Side over him... but now I know that love wasn't to blame. Love is what saved Anakin, what defeated the Emperor... and besides, it's not like we're the most traditional Jedi."

Huyang was quick to chime in after that. "No, Lady Tano, you most certainly are not. In fact, given that Lady Wren is one of only two Mandalorian Jedi to ever exist, I'd say that she is the least traditional Jedi I have ever seen, beating out even your Master." Ahsoka and Sabine both laughed before Sabine sipped her tea.

"Well... I guess it's good to know I have your support if... if I ever see Ezra again... I hope he's okay."

"You need some time alone?", Ahsoka asked, "I know you like to think in private."

"I... I think that would help. Thanks, Ahsoka."

The Togruta smiled and nodded respectfully, giving her Padawan permission to retire for the night to Ezra's old pod. The Mandalorian stepped inside and sat down on the bed, flexing her fingers as she started mentally kicking herself.

"You karking idiot... you told him you karking loved him in Mando'a?! How braindead are you?!", she scolded herself as she facepalmed. She prayed to the Force that Ezra hadn't somehow been studying her mother tongue during his absence, because if he had, then she had basically given him almost two decades worth of questions to ask her if... no, when they saw each other again.

"I... I hope... I hope he feels the same..."