An awkward silence lingered between them after their last conversation.

Rapunzel wasn't sure why.

Meanwhile, Din was trying to organize the slew of thoughts bouncing around his head:

Rapunzel needed to know how dangerous droids were.

Babies. Sex. Ugh.

She needed a real weapon and needed to learn how to use it. That opened into self-defense.

He had to figure out the weird droid.

How did he explain cantinas or the convent or anything?

His head pulsed with pain as tension wrapped tight around his head. Maybe he should take Rapunzel back to Corona. He hurt people; he didn't help them.

Rapunzel kept glancing over at Din as they walked. "Is something wrong?" She asked lightly. "You got all tense and quiet."

Din sighed. "I just don't think I'm what you need." He watched the merchants nearby. The conflict between approaching Rapunzel warred with the desire to avoid him clearly depicted on their faces.

Her eyebrows furrowed. Her lips twitched down in irritation. "I think I can decide what I need for myself, thanks." She snapped. She didn't need a keeper. She just wanted...wanted- well a friend would be nice, and maybe even more than a friend. "I don't need you to fix things for me. I- I like your company and you explain things without implying that I'm stupid and I think that's about all I want right now." Rapunzel's thoughts were less fierce and made her chest ache. Please don't send me away. I need you. I want you to need me too.

"Alright." Din cleared his throat. Well, at least he knew she had a strong backbone. He paused and just decided to move on. Maybe Rapunzel had the right of it. Maybe he didn't need to parent her, but let her learn as we went, like most of us did. "I got you some clothes from over there." He gestured to the stall with racks of cloths as they passed it. Din went over there when she was looking over the books. "The sizing might be off. Most people buy a general size and then alter it for their needs."

Rapunzel beamed at him. "Thank you. For all of it. I know how to alter clothes. It works like that on Corona, unless you can afford to get it done for you."

Din nodded his chin toward the rest of the market. "Go on. You still have a little time before they close."

Rapunzel grinned. She lunged at him and gave his arm a fierce hug before walking toward the rest of the stalls.

Din released a long breath and let his muscles relax with it. She really needed to stop doing that. One of these days she might get an instinctual punch to the face.

He sedately watched Rapunzel flit through the rest of the market. Suprisenly, she lingered the longest at stalls with tools or parts. Unsurprisingly she talked to everyone who greeted her with a bright smile and unwavering attention. The people here regarded her with a strange mix of wary, bemused, and adoring looks.

Din could oddly understand why Gothel felt the need to talk down Rapunzel. She needed to keep her weak and insecure and needy.

Because Rapunzel, in her own right, wasn't anything Gothel called her. She was charismatic, beautiful, caring and kind. Sharp too. She picked up on things fast and reacted faster. Strong to a startling degree, though after seeing her pull Gothel up the side of the tower, he saw why.

Not that she didn't have her faults, he pondered. And her faults worried him the most with the life he lived.

She trusted easily and questioned no one, taking whatever they said as truth. Almost no situation awareness. An extreme naivety. Impulsive. Coupled with a need to do and see everything. He didn't see her, alone in the universe, working out in her favor.

Din strolled toward Rapunzel, and she turned toward him with a soft easy smile, clearly done looking at the wares. Pascal slumped over her shoulder, asleep, with a piece of her hair tied around his body. Something settled in his chest with the show of such easy familiarity, and he realized that he wouldn't mind having someone look at him like that forever.

Well, he thought, with all the headache induced pondering in mind, he couldn't just let her wonder off with no aid.

His lips turned up unconsciously when he got closer. Her hair was a frizzy mess with dirt-stained bare feet.

Rapunzel grazed her fingers along the outside of Din's forearm. "I feel like we could be on this planet for weeks and still not see everything."

He nodded backwards to the trees leading to the ship and she followed without protest. Her eyes still slid over everything, but a deep fatigue had set in. She noticed it happening ever since she left the tower. Her eyes would start to ache, a heaviness would settle on her shoulders and her muscles became sore. Even if all she did was walk and look at things or explore the ship.

Rapunzel still wanted to explore but found it hard to fight the need for Din's bed and a pile of blankets. For four walls and something to hold onto. So she lagged behind, her shoulders slumped, and kept her eyes locked on Din's back so she didn't lose her way.

His helmet turned to the right, looking over his shoulder at her, she realized. "Neither of us has eaten, so we'll stop briefly, before we get back."

She nodded absently and brushed the small frizzy baby hairs out of her face. "I thought I saw you get something from that table with the pot."

Din hummed. "Just some bread and meat, sometimes it's nice to get something other than rations."

Rapunzel could wholeheartedly agree. She went from fresh food, though lean on the meat, to the ration bars and meal bags on the ships. There was no comparison. The rations weren't bad, she thought, just tasted like eating nothing.

They came upon the little clearing from before. The sun bounced off the guard droid as it stalked forward from the other direction. "I have delivered your new belongings to the ship, my lady."

Din tensed. "What." He snapped. "No, you didn't. There's no way you got through the crest's defenses unharmed."

The droid somehow scoffed. "Yes, I did. As if an outdated Razer Crest could defeat me, meatbag."

Din stamped forward with a growl.

Rapunzel watched on in bemusement. A glitter of something in the corner of her eye drew her attention away from the bickering. She fully faced it. Her head tilted.

It came from the trees. Another glimpse. That time with a flash of pale skin and midnight black curly hair.

Mother?

Rapunzel moved forward without thought and on learned behavior. Din and the guard faded in the background as her focus went to the figure in the trees.

It seemed like she blinked and somehow followed the shape through the trees and into the shadows. An uneasy feeling filled Rapunzel at that notion. One hand came up to rub her upper arm, wishing for those clothes Din got. She felt bare all of the sudden, in her thin purple dress.

The shape finally stepped closer to form curves, features, and color. A shapely woman in a heavy cloak with shiny black hair and beautiful delicate features.

Rapunzel gasped. "Mother."

Mother Gothel smiled when Rapunzel rushed over and hugged her arms around her torso, her head rested on Mother's shoulder. Rapunzel felt a soft familiar pressure on her head and smiled as Mother stroked her hair.

"I'm so glad I finally got you away from that beast and back to me, my flower." Mother cooed. She pulled away. Her hands on Rapunzel's shoulders with the a practiced smile fixed on her face. She urged Rapunzel forward and pressed a hard kiss to the crown of her hair. Mother's hands squeezed her shoulders. "Come now, quickly. Before they notice you're gone." Mother's hand took turned into a vise grip on her wrist and pulled.

Everything rushed to the forefront of Rapunzel's head. It was so hard to think. She almost couldn't breath for the pressure of everything baring down. "W-wait." She yanked her arm out of Mother's grip. Not seeing the narrowed eyes or quickly hidden snarl at her disobedience. "I can't just leave and-"

Mother drew herself up tall. Her face was cold and unyielding. She recognized the look. It usually was enough to stop Rapunzel in her tracks and crush whatever resistance she had. "Of course, you can. I've come to save you. God knows what he's been doing to you." Mother said.

"No!" Rapunzel exclaimed. Her eyes wide and angry. "He would never, never hurt me."

She paused. Her lips rolled in on each other. "I think he likes me." Rapunzel admitted. Her voice shy and soft. Still tentative in her faith in whatever her and Din were building. She honestly didn't know what it was most of the time, but she knew it was good and warm.

And that it was worth protecting, even from Mother.

"Likes you?" Mother scoffed. "Please, Rapunzel, that's demented."

Rapunzel's face fell.

Mother kept going. Her arm swept upward to gesture toward Rapunzel. "Why would he like you? Come on now-really!" She flicked a strand of tangled hair with the back of her hand. "Look at you, you think that he's impressed?"

Rapunzel flinched at the movement. Her shoulders curled inward as every word slashed through her.

Mother Gothel's smile turned vicious at the flinch. She stepped closer, towering over Rapunzel's slight form. "This is why you never should have left." She shook her head in mock sympathy. "Dear, this whole romance that you've invented just proves you're too naive to be here. Come on. Don't be dim. Come with mummy."

The old doubts and words seeped deep into Rapunzel's head, into her very bones. The need to fold was almost overwhelming. But she was so happy before. What happened? Where did it go? It seemed like only a moment ago, the whole world waited for her. There were things she needed to see; she just knew it.

Din knew it. Why not Mother?

Rapunzel pulled away again. Her movements were stilted and cautious. "No."

Mother looked stunned, before it shifted to an anger she hadn't seen for some time. "No." She said. Her voice was low and dangerous. "Oh. I see how it is."

Rapunzel shielded away when Mother circled her.

"Rapunzel knows best. Rapunzel's so mature now, such a clever grown-up miss." Her tone mocking, she patted Rapunzel on the head. "Fine, if you're so sure. Go ahead, then give him this." She shoved a small, ragged bag into her chest.

Rapunzel grabbed in. Her hands fumbled and small plates of heavy metal armor clanged together in the bag.

Mother pointed at the bag. "Don't let him deceive you. Give it to him. Watch and see."

Rapunzel's eyes flickered from Mother to the armor pieces, worn and blood stained. Why would Din leave her for these? She straightened her shoulders.

He wouldn't.

"I will." She said in a firm voice. Her eyes met Mother's in challenge, but Mother only smirked as if amused.

"Trust me, my dear." Mother's voice lost some of its edge, but she still spoke in a mocking sweet tone. "He'll leave you at the first port to return the armor back to his people. And he'll leave you even faster with the promise of the rest."

Mother shrugged and brushed by Rapunzel. "So if he's such a dreamboat go and put him to the test." She disappeared in the darkness.

Rapunzel shallowed hard. Her breathing rough. She clamped her mouth shut as she inhaled hard through her nose with shaky exhales.

"Hey." Rapunzel squeaked at the sudden male voice. She pushed the bag into her satchel and spun around.

Din stood there staring at her. "You disappeared back there." He seemed closed off. His voice guarded and wary.

Rapunzel gave a hesitant smile and for some reason she didn't understand, she lied. "Sorry. I had to pee. You and Maxamius looked like you'd be arguing for a while."

Din startled. "Who's Maxamius?"

Raupnzel barked out a short laugh with a fond, real smile. "The guard droid."

He shook his head, with a glance over his shoulder.

"Din. It's printed on his shoulder and chest."

Din shrugged. "Droids don't have names."

Rapunzel hummed. Every droid she knew had a name, but maybe that's a Corona thing.

"You ready?"

Rapunzel smiled. "Yeah." She said. She walked toward him. The weight of the bag in her satchel seemed to grow with each step. Why did she lie? Why doesn't she give it Din? The weight bore hard on her shoulders. And a pit formed in her chest. It felt familiar. It felt like fear.