Chapter 3: The Girl
The Mandalorian led the young girl out of the cave and approached the side of the cliff. Rethinking his plan to get down the mountain, Djarin turned to see his new companion staring at each body, frozen in place. "Try not to stare at them," he suggested as the girl quickly looked up at him. "How did you get up here?"
The girl pointed at Lila's corpse. "She... She took me here," she shyly explained.
Djarin figured Lila used her Semblance to fly up the mountain with her allies and the girl. So flying down wasn't an option. Looking at his Aura levels and down the mountain, he made up his mind.
"Come here," the Mandalorian said with an extended hand. The girl quickly took it and he looked down. "No matter what happens, don't let go."
"What are you doing?" the girl asked.
The Mandalorian responded by wrapping another arm around her and jumping off the cliff.
The girl began to scream in fear as a sharp rock approached closer and closer. The Mandalorian used his Semblance to teleport to a smoother piece of the mountain and jump again.
After the process repeated two more times, the child started to enjoy what was happening, the wind blowing in her face and the constant change of surroundings gave her a rush of excitement and she started to laugh. The ground was closer as Djarin made another jump. Before he could teleport again, a gray light around his body shattered. His Aura had been used up and he hit the surface of the mountain.
"Hold on!" he yelled as the duo slid down the rest of the way. They came to an abrupt halt as they hit the ground and flew forward a few feet.
Djarin quickly recovered and saw the girl lying a few feet from him. Standing up and walking to her, Djarin saw the girl kneel and continue to laugh. This wasn't the first time Djarin tried something like this, he was used to relying on his Semblance to get out of tricky situations. But the sight of the girl enjoying herself brought a small smile to his face and caused a small laugh to escape his throat. "Not too bad, huh kid?" he asked.
"No, that was-"
The girl couldn't finish her sentence as she vomited on the ground, the rush and constant teleporting had made her sick.
"Oh boy," Djarin mumbled to himself as he helped her stand.
The duo began to walk towards the woods, back to Pietro's cabin. The Mandalorian stopped at the edge of the trees and sat down. The scratch on his arm from the bullet began to hurt more than it did before. Without his Aura to heal him, the Mandalorian would have to use a different method. So, he removed a bottle of aloe and a small prod from his belt and got to work. The prod was supposed to seal the wound, but it didn't seem to be working at the moment.
"I..."
Djarin looked up to see the girl approach him with an extended hand. "I can help," she said.
"Unless you have a new tool like this, I don't think so," Djarin replied as he continued to try to heal his cut.
The girl ignored him, kneeling down and placing her hand on his arm. "This... might burn."
Djarin could feel his arm begin to slightly burn at her touch. After a few seconds, the girl let go to reveal a cauterized wound. She took the aloe and gently rubbed it on his arm, the pain slowly fading. "Your Semblance?" Djarin assumed.
"I can heat things just by touching them," she replied.
Djarin looked at his arm, impressed by her work. "Thank you."
The girl quickly stood up, a serious face staring into the Mandalorian's visor. "Now that I helped you, you're helping me," she spoke with confidence, her shy demeanor vanishing without a trace.
"What?" Djarin asked in confusion. The situation had changed drastically, but he was prepared. He doubted it would grow physical, but he listened as the girl made her demand.
"You won't send me back. You're taking me wherever you go."
"...I don't think you're in the position to make demands." Djarin slowly stood up.
"But I helped you!" The girl looked up at him. "That's how it works, right? I help you, you help me."
"I think you're forgetting about me saving you from the droid."
"..."
The girl slowly lowered her head, a tear hitting the ground. "...You're sending me back, aren't you?"
That was the Mandalorian's plan when he first laid eyes on the girl. But remembering what was waiting for her, Djarin sat back down and presented a different idea. "I don't have a good reason to," he said. "Not yet, anyways." The girl looked at him as he gestured her to sit. As she sat down, Djarin decided to get to know the girl, and then figure out what to do. "What's your name?"
"I don't... I don't have one," the girl answered, a scowl of annoyance and lingering anger on her face.
"The people at the hotel have to call you something."
"Other than 'girl'... they call me 'Cinder.' As a joke."
"A joke?"
"I was at an orphanage before the hotel. I slept by the fireplace for warmth. Everyone called me 'Cinder' after finding me covered in the ash and cinders from the fireplace. I guess my guardians liked the idea once they heard it."
"Doesn't sound very funny."
"It's not." Another tear fell down her face.
"Can I call you that?" Djarin asked. The girl took a moment to consider the idea, and took a risk by slowly nodding. "How old are you, Cinder?"
Cinder looked to the side. "Ten."
Djarin had just one more question, one he felt was important. "How did a ten year old girl happen to find her way from Atlas to Vale in only a day?"
Earlier
"...Without you... I am nothing."
The Madame of the hotel lowered the remote and began to walk away from Cinder, whose neck was still burning. "Get back to your chores," she ordered. "The fourth floor looks filthy."
Cinder sadly took her bucket and brush where she left it last. She would clean the muddy footprints her stepsisters made later, the Madame wanted the fourth floor cleaned.
As she exited the elevator and began to clean, Cinder's mind was focused on the armored man who entered the lobby. Everyone, including herself, was in a trance when he walked to the desk. Most of the patrons looked at him with fear and suspicion. Cinder was filled with wonder at the sight. He seemed to be the type of man who had something incredible: freedom. He could go wherever he wanted, do whatever he wanted, and nobody would stand in his way.
Her thoughts returned to the floor when she hit a foot with her brush.
"You're in the way," she said. When the feet refused to move, Cinder looked up to speak again. Her jaw dropped and she gasped at the sight of the armored hunter. Her heart rate increased when he lowered himself to her level. Before she could say anything, he took her shock collar and examined the circuitry with his hands.
"It won't hurt you anymore," he said as he dropped the crystal. "Fake a reaction when she activates it again."
With that, the man left and Cinder looked at her crystal. As she wondered what he did to it, Cinder realized the only way to know for sure was to test it.
After she finished the fourth floor and the muddy footprints, Cinder began to dust a small glass statue on a table. Seeing the Madame approach her, Cinder lightly dusted the statue and gestured to the Madame. Realizing that she would be displeased once her finger ran up the statue, Cinder remembered the man's words while bracing herself for pain.
The Madame pressed the button and saw Cinder spasm for a moment. Coldly smiling and walking away, the Madame was oblivious to the fact that the collar didn't hurt her servant.
Cinder was amazed. The shock collar gave off its light and sound, but she felt no pain. A smile ran up her face as she felt grateful for the man's gift. He freed her from part of the suffering she faced every day. She could make a mistake at any time and the Madame couldn't hurt her.
In fact... there was nothing to stop Cinder from leaving. No collar, no consequences.
Looking back and realizing the Madame and her daughters were nowhere to be seen, Cinder rushed to the door and continued to run away from the hotel.
She stopped running after a minute and marveled at the sight of Atlas. The buildings, the people, the technology. It was all new and amazing to Cinder. She never left the hotel, never got to see how beautiful the city was. But the beauty of Atlas was nothing in comparison to the freedom Cinder felt.
Tears flowed down her cheeks as she spun around, embracing the feeling of finally walking the streets. She didn't care who saw or who talked about a strange little girl running and playing in the streets. Nothing could take this feeling from her.
And it only got better when she saw the armored man from before walking towards a building.
She followed him to a hanger and saw him talking to a mechanic outside a large ship. Cinder realized that the man might be leaving Atlas. And if she played her cards right, she could go with him.
After she snuck by the two, Cinder went inside a lower part of the ship. It took off not long after she got comfortable, and she got a good look out the window as Atlas became smaller and smaller. She was free.
Present
"So you snuck onto my ship and left not long after I did?" Djarin calmly assumed, impressed that a young girl had managed to sneak past him and hide away on his ship. He was also disappointed to see that his senses were starting to fail him, but he didn't bring that up.
"I got hungry after you left," Cinder replied. "I found an apple tree not far from your ship and ate up there. Before I could climb down, a Grimm was circling the base, leaving me trapped. I must have been up there for hours before she found me."
"Lila Birch."
Cinder nodded and pointed back to the mountain. "She took me up there and gave me a place to sleep. When you came, she hid me away and told me not to worry."
"..."
It seemed Lila was trying to protect Cinder from the hunters. Fortunately, the Mandalorian had no intention of hurting her.
"Did I give you a reason yet?" Cinder asked. "To send me back?"
"No," Djarin replied. "All I know is that you shouldn't be traveling with me." He began to walk back to the forest.
"Why not?" Cinder asked as she quickly joined him. "You can do whatever you want. Go wherever you want."
Djarin sighed at this remark. "...Not all the time."
Pietro was looking over new blueprints for a new project, since his earlier idea had failed. He put them down and looked out his window to see the Mandalorian arrive with a young girl.
He exited the cabin and sat down on the stairs. The Mandalorian said something to the girl and walked over to Pietro.
"Well, that was fast," Pietro remarked as the Mandalorian walked up to him.
"I work as quickly as possible," Djarin responded.
"I can see that. Sorry about the Grimm."
"It did its job, I wasn't hurt."
Pietro looked behind his guest to get a good look at the young girl sitting by a tree, a look of worry on his face. "Now don't tell me that's who you were hunting."
"My target's dead," the Mandalorian replied. "I found the kid hiding in a cave."
"I thought you wanted your target alive. What happened?"
"A droid killed her before I could take her away."
"A droid?"
"It was hunting my target as well."
Pietro put a hand to his chin before speaking again. "I can't imagine many droids that could fly or climb. Could you describe it?"
"Thin arms and legs with a cylinder-like head. It carried two guns and was able to spin its torso around."
"I might know about something like that. Do you have it with you?"
"No, it's still on the mountain."
Pietro, being the curious scientist he was, decided to offer his services to the bounty hunter once again. "Well, I could have a look at it if you bring it back."
"No need," Djarin quickly remarked. "My target's dead and I have some explaining to do." He began to walk towards the girl, thinking about what his client would say when he heard someone killed his target before him.
"From the sound of that, it seems you won't be rewarded," Pietro called out.
Djarin turned around. "Seems that way."
Pietro reached a hand into his pocket. "Well, I could use that droid for spare parts. If you could get it for me..." He held out a few Lien from his pocket. "I could make up for your loss."
Djarin walked over and took the money. Pietro was willing to pay five hundred Lien for that droid. It wasn't Beskar, but Djarin could use the extra money. "Alright. Is it fine if she stays with you?"
"Of course. Let me get her something to eat." Pietro walked back inside his cabin and Djarin walked to Cinder.
"Where are we going?" she asked him.
"I'm going back up the mountain," Djarin replied. "Pietro wants me to bring him that droid."
"You want me to stay here?"
"That's right. If it looks important or dangerous, don't touch anything. I'll be back soon."
"Is there a reason I can't go?"
"Other people slow me down."
Djarin made his way back to the Razor Crest. He made it back in five minutes to see the ship right where he left it, untouched and in one piece.
And to see Cinder standing in front of the door.
"Who's slow now?" she asked with a smirk. She was out of breath, it was clear she ran back to the ship.
Djarin sighed before replying. "Oh, what the hell?" he asked himself sarcastically. "Come on."
The Razor Crest landed just above the camp site, Cinder and the Mandalorian had to walk the rest of the way down.
"What were you talking about?" Cinder asked.
"What?" Djarin turned to her.
"You said you couldn't do anything you want all the time. What were you talking about?"
The girl was a curious one, and she wouldn't be satisfied without an answer to her question. Seeing no harm in the question, Djarin answered her. "When I was about your age... I swore a creed."
"What kind of creed?"
"The Way of the Mandalore."
"And you chose to take it?"
"I did."
"Doesn't sound like it stops you from living your life."
"I never said it did. But there are things I can't do."
"Like what?"
"Show my face."
Cinder stopped and looked at the Mandalorian.
"No living thing has seen my face since I swore the creed. This is the Way."
He began to walk inside the cave. Cinder had one final question for him. "Can't show it... or won't?"
Djarin turned back to his curious companion before continuing. "Same thing."
Djarin walked into the cave and found the droid on the ground. Picking it up by the arms, Djarin noticed it was lighter than it looked. He began to walk out but stopped when he tripped. He stopped himself from falling by quickly landing his other foot on the ground. The Mandalorian turned around to see a white curve sticking up from the ground. Before turning back, Djarin caught a glimpse of the curve... moving?
The Mandalorian lowered the droid and took a closer look at the curve, noticing the pattern of it moving up and down. He also noticed the dirt around it moving up and down. Moving the dirt, Djarin could see white curves that looked like ribs. Touching one, Djarin recognized the curve wasn't a natural stone. It felt like... bone.
He moved more dirt to see a black surface that contrasted with the natural gray ground. A red eye suddenly opened, staring at the Mandalorian.
The realization came to Djarin quickly. He was standing on top of a Grimm.
The Mandalorian wasted no time running back to the entrance of the cave, but a blow to his back pushed him the rest of the way.
Cinder saw the Mandalorian land a few feet away from the cave. She ran up to him. "Are you okay?" she asked.
The rocks near the cave entrance exploded and shot towards the duo, who had a good look at the creature. It was standing on all fours, a large body with visible ribs. Its red eyes were right under a large horn that curved at the top of its head. Its mouth was oozing saliva under its large teeth.
"A Rinocer," Djarin realized. He turned back to Cinder. "Run."
Cinder ran back up the hill as the Grimm charged at Djarin. Before it could make contact, Djarin teleported away. The Grimm quickly stopped running before it got close to the edge. The Mandalorian had witnessed this act, disappointed that his plan to make the Grimm run off the cliff had failed. He would have to rethink his plan of attack.
The Rinocer charged again and Djarin teleported to its side, stabbing its flank with the electric end of his rifle. He pressed the button and a jolt of electricity ran through its body.
The electricity abruptly stopped.
Djarin remembered that his weapon suffered some damage in his fight with Lila's allies. His mistake earned him a large strike to his body, with his rifle sticking out the Grimm's side.
Djarin took out his knife and stepped to the side as the Grimm ran again. This time, Djarin sliced the beast's side with the knife, which was able to cut into the thick skin. The beast turned around and slid its lower right leg into the ground, preparing to make another attack.
Djarin ran toward the Rinocer and prepared to strike again. Before he could stab its head, the Grimm picked itself up on its hind legs. Djarin looked up at the Grimm's surprising feat of strength, but couldn't get out of the way of its other legs.
The Rinocer's feet crushed the Mandalorian into the ground. It stomped its foot three times before pushing its prey away with its horn. If it wasn't for his Aura and Beskar, Djarin would be dead. However, as he slowly stood up again, the Mandalorian realized he couldn't use both anymore. His Aura had broken and the breastplate on his armor had broken. It was held by the stitching on the side, leaving his chest wide open.
Djarin was having trouble thinking straight. His head was pounding, his legs felt heavy as he fell to his knees. Without his rifle to disintegrate the beast and his armor or Aura to protect him, chances of winning were slim.
It seemed... chances of survival were slim as well.
And the Grimm was preparing to charge again, unfazed by any of the Mandalorian's previous attacks.
This was it. Djarin had lost. The shame he felt weighed heavier than the armor he was wearing. But he wasn't going to keel over and die. Taking out his knife and lowering his head, the Mandalorian prepared to make his final stand. The Grimm charged again, ready to finish what it started.
All the Mandalorian could do was wait. And whisper a prayer in the language of the Mandalorians.
"Oya'cye. Kyr'am. Mare'cye. Darasuum. Ni cuy' tsikala." (Life. Death. Revelation. Eternity. I am ready.)
"No!"
A burst of fire engulfed the Grimm as it stopped its charge and roared in pain. The Mandalorian looked up to see the miracle that had saved him. Following the trail of flame, Djarin could see Cinder with her arms extended, fire erupting from her hands. It died down and the Grimm shifted its focus to the young girl.
Cinder retaliated by creating a gust of wind that sent the Grimm close to the Mandalorian, who took the opportunity to stab it in the head.
The Rinocer let out one more roar of pain and defiance, before falling to the ground and turning to dust. It's killer stood victorious over his kill and turned to the girl who saved his life.
"We... We did it," Cinder said with a smile.
She fell to the ground.
"She'll be fine, just needs rest."
The Mandalorian was sitting in Pietro's living room. He brought the droid back, but Djarin was more concerned about the girl who passed out after saving his life.
"Tell me again what happened," the old man requested. "It seems strange for a girl her age to have such a powerful Semblance."
"No, Pietro. I told you, it wasn't her Semblance," Djarin said. "That power, whatever it is, used to belong to my target."
"How can you tell?"
"Cinder was able to... summon elemental powers from her hands. But she told me her real Semblance can heat anything she touches."
"Are you sure her Semblance didn't just evolve?"
"It didn't. There was something else that happened. Her eyes were... on fire. Just like my target's eyes were when she attacked us."
Pietro scratched his head as he took in what the Mandalorian had told him. "This is... I might need to think about this some more."
Djarin walked over to Pietro's workbench and examined the droid. "What can you tell me about this droid?"
"Well, let's see."
Pietro plugged a wire into the droid's chest and plugged the other end into his computer. After typing on his keyboard for a few seconds, Pietro studied the screen.
"This is old. Seems to be... Yes, that's it."
"What is it?" Djarin asked as he approached the computer.
"This droid appears to be an IG-unit," Pietro replied, his eyes glued to the screen.
"IG?"
"Inmate Guardian. This is a prison security droid."
"You've heard of them?"
"I have. It was part of a project to replace humans and Atlesian Knights as security for prison and Dust transports. One of the droids malfunctioned and started killing every inmate in a high security prison. It killed twenty inmates and ten guards before they could shut it down. Before the project was terminated, fifteen units were built."
"What unit was this one?"
"This was unit... eleven."
"Can you find out who sent it here?"
Pietro pressed more keys on the board and looked at the screen.
"All I can see are its orders, I can't see who programmed it. Let me try accessing its memory logs." Pietro pressed more keys and the screen turned to a dirt path. The screen continued to move until it reached a camp site. The same camp site Lila Birch was at before she died.
"No good," Djarin said. "This was the time the droid and I met."
Pietro turned the screen off and the Mandalorian walked over to IG-11. "What are you thinking, Mando?" he asked.
"There isn't much I can do now," Djarin confessed. He suddenly remembered something the client gave him and he moved his hand around his belt. He took out the card the client had given him. "Except call my client."
"I'll give you some privacy." Pietro left the room and went to go check on Cinder.
A blue screen activated from Djarin's gauntlet and he entered the client's phone number. It rang twice before someone answered.
"Greetings, bounty hunter. I have to admit, I was expecting to hear from you sooner."
"...I would imagine so," Djarin replied. "It's been a busy few hours. And... I have bad news."
"Let me guess, you want to tell me that Lila Birch was killed by an old IG-unit?"
Djarin's eyes grew wide with surprise under his helmet. He was expecting the client to be disappointed and cancel his reward. This was the last thing the Mandalorian expected to hear. "How do you know that?" he quickly asked.
"Never mind that. I also understand a young girl was at the scene of your battle?"
"...She was."
"Then I have good news for you, Mandalorian. If you bring that girl to me, I'm willing to reward you in the same way I would have if you brought Lila Birch. And a bonus for your inconvenience with the droid. You know where to find me."
The call ended.
Djarin was dumbfounded by the news.
And the surprise he received made him oblivious to the presence of a certain girl who had heard the final part of his call.
Author's notes: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry about the similarities with the show. Like I said, I'm not trying to make this story an exact copy of the show, but this story will share some ideas with the show. But I promise I'll make it as original as possible.
I hope you like my original Grimm. "Rinocer" is the Romanian word for "rhino."
To 23debal01, no problem. It's one of the reasons I make these notes.
To 54godamora, thanks for the no-spoilers. I don't want to ruin any upcoming surprises. Hope you like the story.
To MrSauce906, thank you for the words of support. I'm glad you like my idea, the potential "butterflies," and your idea was cool. I have an idea where to take this story, but I can't say anything yet. I understand your concern and problem, and I tried to expand my writing in this chapter. Sorry if it's not meeting your expectations, I'm still new to writing fanfic. Hope you enjoy this one!
To olympian3, you have the right idea. The Mandalorians take Foundlings of very young ages (Grogu was still a baby when he became a foundling and Din Djarin was really young too).
To Rook435, I'm glad you like my idea. You also have the right idea for the strength of the Mandalorians. You'll see what culture survived and what each clan follows, so I hope you're excited. As for your theory, I'm sorry to prove you wrong. The Maiden powers are now with a young Cinder, but you'll like what I have planned for her.
To Mandalorian00, that is true.
To TheAvengingTitan (cool name btw, is that inspired by Attack on Titan?), Cinder is now a Maiden.
To D.N Works, I never said Cinder travelled by foot to Vale. But I hope this chapter answered your question.
To GojiraFan455515, it's Cinder.
Thank you for all the reviews and new favorites/follows. If you haven't left a review, nobody's stopping you. Also, if you have anymore questions, feel free to ask in your reviews or my "Q & A story."
That's all I have, hope you enjoyed!