Chapter 16: The Ball
"So, there's going be a few guards around the house. Just in the main hall."
"You don't want them anywhere else?"
"I may have you and one other walk around the rest of the house from time to time. However, since the events are mainly going to take place in the dining room and grand hall, I see no need for increased efforts."
Satine was speaking with the Mandalorian about the security details of the party. She didn't plan on having too many guards, but it was better to still be safe. No other news about the former Councilman came, so she began to feel less scared and paranoid. And she was rather looking forward to blowing off some steam after a long week of work.
"Do you need me anywhere else, ma'am?" Djarin asked.
"Just patrol the outside every now and then," she ordered. "But feel free to come inside if you feel it's safe."
"Understood."
"Wonderful. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to make some confirmations about the number of guests." Satine left towards her office, leaving Djarin to his duties. But before she got far, she quickly remembered something. "Oh, Djarin! Just a moment."
The Mandalorian quickly turned around. "Yes?"
"That bandit tribe you're looking for... You said it was the Branwen tribe, right?"
"That's right."
"Then I have good news. I've heard reports at work about them. From what I've seen and heard, they seem to operate in the western side of Anima."
Djarin was surprised to hear this. He had finally gotten what he needed. "Thank you," he replied. "But that means... I'll have to go soon."
"I understand. You've done a wonderful job here, and I appreciate all you've done. Just let me know when you decide to leave."
"Of course." With that, Satine left Djarin to his work. Every now and then, he would do a quick sweep of the house, making sure nothing looked dangerous or out of place. But he was able to do that while the Councilwoman was talking to him. So, he decided to head back to his room. He needed to talk to Cinder. When he opened the door, he came across an unexpected sight.
Cinder was in front of a mirror, shifting her feet and holding her arms in front of her. She kept shifting her position, spinning and twirling in place. It was as if she was dancing with an invisible partner. And she didn't even notice the Mandalorian had walked in.
"Am I interrupting?" he asked.
"GAH!" Cinder yelled and turned to see him staring her. "Oh, Mando!" She began to blush. "I... I was just... Why didn't you-?"
Djarin chuckled at the situation. "Don't worry, I'm not judging." He walked over to a chair and sat down. "You're really looking forward to that party, aren't you?"
"Of course! From what the Councilwoman said, it sounds incredible."
Djarin sighed. "Yeah, I guess so."
Cinder seemed to notice he was hiding something. "Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine." Djarin took a moment to collect his thoughts. "It's just... the Councilwoman found out the Branwen tribe operates in western Anima. I know where we need to go."
"Oh." Her excitement suddenly disappeared, she looked down and twirled her hair. "That's...that's good. Does that mean...we'll be leaving soon?"
"Yes. But if it will make you feel better, you can choose when we leave."
She looked up at him. "Would it be okay if we left the day after the party?"
"That sounds fine."
"I mean... I can still go, right?"
"I don't see why not."
Cinder smiled at his answer. "Thanks. Because I've been practicing this dancing for a while."
Djarin chuckled again. "I can see that."
She looked back in the mirror and Djarin got up from his chair. He began to walk over to the bed. "The only thing is, I heard it's more of a formal party," said Cinder. "I think I may have to wear something else. Would it be okay if we go into town today to look for something?"
"Beat you to it."
Cinder turned around to see Djarin pull out a package from under his bed. She walked over and had a look at it. "What's this?"
"I figured you'd need something else other than what you're wearing, so I thought I'd help."
Cinder smiled at him. "You didn't have to do that."
"I know, but I thought you'd like this one."
Cinder carefully opened the box and gasped at the sight. She pulled out an long red dress with gold edges on the collar and sleeve openings. The right side opened from the hip down and had two golden straps while the chest had golden designs. Also in the box was a set of black gloves. Carefully putting the dress on the bed, Cinder looked back up at the Mandalorian. "Mando, this is so sweet! But... it must have cost a fortune."
"It did," he replied. "But I got a bonus from the councilwoman for helping her with Jacques, so I was able to buy it no problem. I didn't know your dress size, so I guessed from the clothes we bought earlier. I kept the receipt in case it was too large or small."
"In that case, I should try it on."
The Mandalorian stepped outside the room so Cinder could change. He was glad he made her happy with this, he still felt a little bad about what happened the other day. He just hoped the dress would make the whole incident water under the bridge. And there was something else he was feeling too. Djarin had been starting to take Satine's earlier advice to heart, which was another reason he bought the dress. He had been thinking a lot about what it was Cinder might need him for. The look on her face when he gave her the dress and helped her with Winter's problem was one of... fulfillment. It seemed that she was happy that Djarin began to act like how she actually saw him. Maybe Auntie Em was right; it didn't hurt seeing himself in her eyes.
The advice he had been getting and thinking about had also given Djarin a new idea. Something that he knew would help him properly take care of Cinder. He had given it a lot of thought, and he felt that it would be the right thing to do. All he needed was a confirmation from Cinder before making any decisions. But he was feeling that he would need some sign from her, to see if his plan would be the right decision.
"Everything fits good," Cinder called out from the other side of the door. "I don't think you need to return it."
"Good," he replied. "What do you think? How does it look?"
"It's... beautiful."
"Mind if I see?"
"Come on in."
Djarin opened the door and his eyes landed on the young girl. It only took him a second to realize that "beautiful" was an understatement. Cinder looked angelic in that dress, the red and gold seemed to bring out a new life in the young girl. She looked like a completely different person, the only reminders of her old self were her eyes and smile.
"What do you think?" she asked.
"I... What can I say?" he asked with a chuckle.
CInder blushed at his apparent speechlessness and looked back in the mirror. Djarin could see by Cinder's reflection just how much the dress meant to her. And it wasn't just the dress, she seemed really excited to go in general. He was never a 'people-person', so the idea of going to a party like this wasn't the Mandalorian's thing. But Cinder had been talking about it nonstop, as if there was more to it than just a party. And for some reason, he was curious as to what is was.
"Cinder, can I ask you something?" he asked.
She turned around. "Sure, what is it?"
"I couldn't help but notice how excited you seem for this ball. I was just wondering... what's got you so excited?"
Cinder's smile slowly faded as she walked over to the bed. "Well... I'm sure you know about my time at the Glass Unicorn."
Djarin immediately regretted asking. "You don't need to talk about it."
"No, it's fine." Cinder sat down. "There were only a few times when I was happy there. Every once in a while, the hotel would be reserved for parties like the one that's going to happen soon. I had to put cloths on the tables, help the Madame's daughters get ready to join everyone, and serve all the guests. So, it was just an average day for me." Oddly enough, Cinder began to smile. "But I'm glad I was able to work days like those. The Madame took time to sort out other things around the hotel while her daughters flirted with some boys. They left me alone, to see that everyone was having fun. They were dancing, laughing, just... having the time of their lives. Seeing all of that was... enjoyable."
Djarin was starting to understand. "Now it's your turn to be like them."
"Yeah." Cinder laughed. "I know it sounds silly, but it's why I can't wait to go."
Djarin rubbed her head. "I think it sounds great."
Cinder really appreciated his support. Both the dress and his acknowledgment meant the world to her, and she embraced him in a hug to show it. "Thank you." Djarin returned the hug, and saw this as the confirmation he needed to ask his next question. But given what Cinder went through by remembering her time at the Glass Unicorn, he decided to wait until later.
The night of the party had arrived. Satine's main hall was crowded with guests, all in exquisite suits and dresses. All the food and drinks were being properly set, and everyone was enjoying themselves while they were waiting.
Cinder had just put on her dress and Djarin was about to go start his patrol of the house. But before he left, he noticed something... different about Cinder.
"Cinder, did you get taller?" he asked.
Cinder laughed at the question. "Not exactly," she said. Slightly raising her dress, Djarin could see that she was wearing black high heels.
"I don't remember the dress coming with those."
"They didn't." Cinder began to blush. "I didn't really think my old shoes matched the dress, so... I made these ones."
Djarin walked closer when he heard this. "Made them? What do you mean you made them?" He wasn't concerned, just confused about how this feat was possible.
"It's a little trick I taught myself to do." She took off one shoe. As she did, the shoe began to disintegrate into red embers, which then turned into dust. "You know how I can turn sand into knives? Well, that was just my Semblance. I decided to see what else I could do with my fire powers." Small embers began to appear in the air, and they began to take form, making another black shoe. She held it out to the Mandalorian. "What do you think?"
Djarin took the shoe and looked at it closely. He immediately realized this shoe wasn't leather, but... something else. "Is this glass?" he guessed.
"Yeah. They're still comfortable, but... kind of hard to walk in." She put her hand on the railings to balance herself.
"Impressive. Really impressive." He handed the glass shoe back to her. "Have fun tonight."
Cinder blushed again. "Thanks." She looked down the banister to see all the people downstairs. Taking a deep breath, she looked back to the Mandalorian. "Well... here goes nothing." Before she walked down the stairs, Djarin gently took her arm.
"Cinder, wait." She looked up at him. "Before we go, can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
Djarin kneeled down to her level. "All this time, we've been focused on finding Ozma. But, we haven't thought about what happens after."
"No... I guess we haven't."
"Right. But, I think I know what to do." Cinder could feel his hands start to shake on her shoulders. He seemed to be nervous about asking his question. "Cinder... can I... I mean, would you-?"
Cinder gasped as she looked down the banister. "She's here!" Djarin followed her gaze to see Winter in a blue dress with her father in the same white suit he always wore. "Sorry, Mando. I gotta see her." She held the railing as she walked down the stairs. "I'm sorry, we can talk later." She made the rest of her way down the stairs, leaving Djarin all alone.
"...Sure," he said with a sigh. "Later."
"That's precisely my point. We offer Faunus the exact same wages given to the rest of our mining staff. Their argument's completely invalid right out of the gate."
"Well, I think the bigger issue is society as a whole."
"What, you mean Atlas?"
"Atlas, Mantle, you can't deny the economic disparity between the two."
Winter wasn't liking how the party was going. Before it officially started, the guests were talking among themselves, and Jacques had found some businessmen to mingle with. It was already starting to turn into every other social gathering she went to. But things immediately got better when she saw a beautiful Cinder waving at her. Smiling and waving back, Winter began to walk towards her friend. A hand suddenly grabbing her arm caused her to stop and look back at her father.
"Where are you going?" Jacques angrily asked. The businesspeople he were talking to were distracted by a conversation they were having themselves.
"I... I wanted to talk to one of my friends," said Winter. She pointed to Cinder, and Jacques made eye contact with her.
"Well, you can talk with her over here." Jacques put up his hand to call Cinder over, but Winter stopped him.
"What? No, she's shy around other people." Jacques looked down at her. "I won't go anywhere, I promise."
"..."
The two locked their gazes on each other for what felt like an eternity to Winter. After a few more seconds, he looked back at his acquaintances. "I'm sorry, I tuned out for a second, but sounds like I'm the good guy again?" They all shared a laugh as Winter rushed over to see Cinder, who immediately embraced her in a hug.
"Oh, I'm so happy to see you!" Cinder cried out.
Winter relaxed into the hug and returned it. "It's good to see you too. Sorry about my father."
"Don't worry about it." Cinder let go and got a look at Winter's floor length blue dress. "Wow, that dress is beautiful."
Winter smiled. "Thank you." She looked at Cinder's dress. "But I think you beat me with that."
Cinder laughed and looked down at the gown she was wearing. "I was a little nervous, to be honest. I wasn't sure if red was really my color."
"No, it definitely is." Winter looked around the room, seeing various different people, but not the one she was looking for. "Where's Korkie?"
Cinder looked around, not seeing him either. "I don't know. Maybe he's still getting ready. His aunt's not here either." Winter nodded and looked around. But just before she could move, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Winter, did you forget your manners?"
Cinder and Winter quickly turned around and came face-to-face with a serious Jacques Schnee. Cinder looked away, in case he could recognize her.
"Excuse me?" Winter asked calmly.
"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" Jacques gestured to the young girl.
"Oh. Um... of course. Father, this is Cinder." Cinder looked up to see Jacques smiling and extending his hand. Cinder reluctantly shook but didn't make eye contact.
"I must say, your dress looks ravishing," said Jacques. "And... rather expensive."
"Um... thank you?" Cinder awkwardly said.
"I don't think I've met your parents, dear. They must be quite the talk around Mistral, if they can afford something like that."
"Oh... Um..."
"Tell me, are they here now?"
"I... Um..."
"Go on, speak up."
Cinder was really unconformable with this conversation, as well as risking her presence in front of Winter's father. Luckily, she was saved from any further risk as a familiar voice called out to the guests.
"Good evening, everyone."
The guests looked up to see Satine wearing a long teal and blue dress. Her hair was tied behind her head and she was wearing an extravagant headdress with cobalt earrings. Everyone was in awe at the sight, even Cinder was surprised.
"I know, I seem a little overdressed," said the Councilwoman. Everyone laughed at the joke, but weren't making fun of how she looked. "Thank you all for coming. I hope you were able to enjoy the day's festivities before coming here. But now, I feel the real fun can begin. Food and drinks will be brought out momentarily, because I'd like to start off with all of us enjoying ourselves... a little differently." She stepped to the side to let a well dressed Korkie walk down the stairs. "I'm sure you all know my nephew, Korkie. He'd like to start tonight's party with a demonstration of the Waltz. Mistralian style."
The room filled with a soft applause as Satine made room for Korkie to move. He caught a glimpse of Cinder in her red dress and he smiled. After she returned the smile, Korkie turned to face the rest of the guests. Clearing his throat, he began a short speech.
"The Waltz isn't a complicated dance, really. The lady takes her place slightly to the left of the leading gentleman. Six basic steps, and that's all." He began to walk towards the side of the circle his aunt prepared for him. "However, it's been said that the true test of the perfect Waltz is for it to be so swift. So delicate, and so smooth." Cinder was feeling excited by what Korkie was describing, it certainly sounded like he knew what he was doing. And the demonstration would be a sight to behold.
Korkie walked closer to the side of the circle. "Now, that requires... the perfect partner."
Cinder looked around to see other girls her age whispering among themselves, no doubt wondering who this "perfect partner" would be. She was wondering as well, some of the girls looked like they would be good dancers. Suddenly, her curiosity turned into confusion when all eyes seemed to shift on her. When one of the girls pointed in front of her, Cinder turned around and gasped at the sight of Korkie extending his hand to her. "Cinder... would you be mine?"
Cinder could feel heat rise to her face, amazed and nervous that Korkie was asking her to dance. It took her a few seconds to collect her thoughts. "I've... I've never danced before," she said. Of course, the idea of dancing with him sounded like a dream come true, but Cinder was in no way the perfect partner.
"Let me teach you," Korkie softly requested.
Cinder looked around the rest of the room, people were gesturing her to go on. One woman even spoke up. "Go on, dear. Take a chance."
With that, Cinder deeply inhaled and gently took Korkie's hand. They walked in the center of the room, and took a dancing position. Cinder held Korkie's left hand with her right, and placed her left hand on his shoulder. Korkie gently held his partner's waist and whispered something.
"I'm sorry for surprising you," he said. "You were the first person that came to mind."
"I'm sorry too," said Cinder. Her hands were shaking. "I'm just a little nervous."
"Just follow my lead. And you can close your eyes if you want. It helps."
Cinder considered the idea, it seemed that it would help her feel like nobody was staring at her. But before she did, she took one look into her partner's blue eyes. And suddenly, all her worries were cast aside, they had been replaced with a sense of tranquility. And confidence.
"I want to keep them open," she said. "I'm ready." Korkie looked to his aunt, who was standing next to musicians who were holding violins and cellos.
[Play 'Fernando Velázquez - Valse sur une berceuse anglaise' on YouTube]
The musicians began to play their instruments, and Korkie led Cinder through the steps of the dance. The young boy led Cinder from left to right, occasionally twirling around, and repeating the steps. At first, Cinder was watching her feet, careful not to step on his toes or fumble. She was quite comfortable in the glass, and began to feel her movements come naturally.
Cinder looked back up at Korkie, mindlessly moving her feet. She looked into his eyes again, and felt the same tranquility and confidence. She also felt a sense of joy, the night had started off really well. She remembered watching people do this at the Glass Unicorn, how they would dance like this and have fun. Now it was her turn, and it was everything she dreamed it would be.
Korkie was enjoying himself too. He had been planning this for a while, even practicing the Waltz himself. Satine suggested having Winter be his partner, but he couldn't picture a better partner than Cinder. He had been wanting to make this party different than the ones he always went to, and he knew dancing with Cinder would make it special.
He began to feel the same joy as Cinder, truly enjoying the dance and the company of his partner. He was able to hide his initial anxiety well, and that anxiety disappeared when he saw Cinder smile.
All eyes in the room didn't leave the two for a second. Everyone was transfixed and almost hypnotized by the demonstration of the Waltz. Here was a young girl who claimed to have no prior dancing experience that was moving so naturally and in tune with the music. Nobody knew who she was or why Korkie had chosen her, but they didn't care at the moment. All that they were focused on was the work of art being created in front of them.
The dance ended when Cinder and Korkie let go of their shoulder and waist, the only connection being their entwined hands. Everyone applauded as the two remained stationary. And with that, the ball had officially begun.
Djarin had also watched the dance Korkie and Cinder performed. He was feeling a little upset about not being able to talk to Cinder earlier, but seeing her smile like she was put his worries aside. He was just glad Cinder was enjoying herself. When the rest of the guests joined in with their dancing, Djarin left the room to patrol the house. The solitude he found outside gave him time to reflect on what he wanted to ask Cinder.
When he was doing work on the Razor Crest a few days ago, Djarin accidentally knocked over the Mandalorian book Cinder had been reading. When it fell over, the book opened to a page titled Gai Bal Manda. He had learned about it before; it was the traditional adoption ritual in Mandalorian culture. Seeing that phrase made Djarin think about his time with Cinder. Every up and down, every friend and foe they encountered. Their adventure was far from perfect, but it was more than either of them had ever imagined happening to them. And a part of Djarin didn't want it to end when they would find Ozma.
"Don't... Don't let her go. Give her... what she... deserves."
"You are as her father."
"And it wouldn't hurt seeing yourself in her eyes every once in a while."
Looking back on what everyone said made Djarin realize that being Cinder's father may be who he really is, who he had to be. He knew he hadn't done everything perfect, and that he didn't know everything about being a father. But his doubts didn't matter. What mattered was Cinder. She deserved to have a father. And by proving her mettle to the Mandalorians and showing fierce loyalty to whoever she called her friends, Djarin thought she had also proven herself worthy of having a father.
The only question is... did she want Djarin to be that person?
*CRASH*
A sound on the other side of the house snapped Djarin back to reality. Quickly rushing over, he saw nothing. Just a closed door to the basement.
"Was that the sound of a door closing?" Djarin wondered to himself. Pulling out his blaster, he slowly opened the door and went inside.
Winter watched Cinder's dance with Korkie, and was just as impressed as everyone else. When they stopped, Winter wanted to go talk to Cinder, ask her how she learned to dance like that. But before she could, a finger tapped her shoulder. Looking up, she saw the businessman from before looking down at her.
"Sorry to bother you, dear, but I was just wondering where your father went," he said.
Winter looked around the room, but she couldn't see him amongst the crowd. It seemed everyone had started to dance and enjoy the party, but Jacques was nowhere to be seen. "That's a good question," said Winter. "Maybe he went to the restroom."
"Alright. If you see him, let him know I wanted to ask him something."
Winter turned back to where Cinder and Korkie were dancing, but they were gone. Cinder was talking to other girls her age while Korkie was nowhere to be seen. After a few minutes of looking, she decided to leave the main hall. She was feeling disinterested in the party without Cinder and Korkie. They were the only children in the room she could call her friends, and she wanted to spend the majority of the night with them. So with Cinder occupied, she decided to look for Korkie. Knowing he wasn't in the main hall, she decided to look somewhere else.
Winter's search took her throughout the first part of the house. Once she was about to enter the library, she caught a glimpse of white out of the corner of her eye. Turning down a hall, Winter could see her father go into a room where two waiters were preparing to bring out some wine.
"Can I help you, sir?" asked one of the waiters.
Jacques coughed into his hand before replying. "I'm sorry, I was just looking for the restroom. I must have gotten turned around."
"Down the hall to the left." The waiter moved aside with a tray of drinks while the other brought out some food. Jacques went the other way, but stopped after a few feet. Looking back at the disappearing waiters, Jacques went back into the wine room. Winter began to have an uneasy feeling and followed him inside. Hiding behind a clothed table, Winter saw her father standing next to a door, doing absolutely nothing. It was clear he wasn't looking for a bathroom. He looked like he was waiting for someone.
The sound of a message coming to his Scroll and him opening a door confirmed the theory.
Five people came inside, each of them dressed as the waiters who just left the room. One of them turned to Jacques and shook his hand. "I take it you're the people Arthur sent?" asked Jacques.
"We are," he replied. "He says 'Thanks for the help.' We got in without a hitch."
"Well, you can thank my daughter as well. I told her to find places like this."
Winter's heart sunk into her chest when she heard this. That's why he wanted her looking for entrances around the house, to let these intruders inside. But what did they want?
"What do you want here, anyway?" Jacques asked. Winter missed part of the conversation when she realized what she had done, but was able to regain her focus.
"That's not your concern," said the leader. He placed a hand on Jacques' shoulder and led him to the door, not noticing Winter hiding. "For now, just enjoy yourself. The doctor will reward you tomorrow morning. Oh, he also said not to drink anything tonight. Might hamper the surgery."
"Of course." Jacques went back into the hall and smirked. "In that case, I bid you all farewell." As he left, the intruders began to fill up glasses of wine and other alcohol.
"Okay, the Schnee's kid said we'll find Kryze's office down the hall," he said as he looked to a brunette woman. "Find her and bring her to the office." She nodded and left, also not noticing Winter. The leader turned back to everyone else. "Okay, we all know the plan? Everyone ready?"
"I just need a minute," said one of the waiters, who was pouring glasses of wine. "Go on without me." The rest obeyed and left the room. As soon as the fake waiter finished pouring the wine, he poured a substance from his pocket into each glass. Once each glass was ready, he began to walk back towards the main hall. Winter quickly moved her head behind her hiding place, but she hit her head while doing so. The table began to wobble, and a bottle of wine fell off the surface. Hearing the bottle crash and break, the fake waiter quickly turned around. Seeing the wine, he moved closer to the table, and found a scared and shaking Winter.
"Hey, you there!" he called out. "What are you doing?"
"Um... I... I didn't..." Winter couldn't even make a complete sentence out of fear of what she just saw. The waiter looked back at the glasses, then back at Winter.
"Shit," he said to himself. "Alright, gotta be quick." He grabbed Winter, who suddenly began to scream. But the intruder grabbed her mouth to keep her quiet. Just as Winter went silent, the man wrapped his arm around her neck and applied pressure. Winter suddenly had trouble breathing and tried to break his grip by scratching him and kicking him. Nothing worked, and he only applied more pressure. Winter's arms stopped flailing and legs stopped kicking as everything around her turned black.
*BANG*
A red blast hit the intruder in the back and he let go of Winter. She took a deep breath and began to cough. She saw a figure kneel down to her and a familiar voice ask a question. "Are you okay?"
Winter looked up to see the Mandalorian staring back at her. "F... Fine," she choked out. After taking another second to catch her breath, she stood up. "How did you-?"
"I followed them in here. What happened?"
"I saw him put something in the wine." Winter pointed towards the glasses by the dead intruder. Djarin immediately looked at one glass closely. He couldn't see anything wrong, but given what almost happened to Winter, he knew something was going on. "There were a few others here," Winter continued. "They may be going towards the hall."
Djarin took Winter's hand, walked out of the wine room and looked down to her. "Winter, I need your help. Go back to the hall and find Cinder. Tell her what's going on, but be quiet about it. If the others find out their cover's blown, they might start taking hostages. Can you do that?"
"I... I'll do it. What about you?"
"Satine might be in danger. I need to warn her. If I'm not at Cinder's room when you find her, lock the door and wait." He pulled out his blaster and began to run in the other direction. "Go!"
"So, yeah. My mom runs the dress shop where you bought that one. That's how I recognized it."
"Really? That's pretty impressive. Tell your mom I really like it."
"She's always had good taste in design. It's how she actually chose this one for me."
"It certainly knows how to turn people's heads."
The girl Cinder was talking to laughed at the joke. After her dance with Korkie, most of the girls wanted to talk with Cinder, impressed at a girl capturing the attention of the councilwoman's nephew. Most of them left after a few words, but one dark haired girl in a green and white dress stayed to talk after she recognized Cinder's dress.
"So, that's it for me. What's your story?" the girl asked. "How'd you get to come here?"
"Oh, I've been staying here for a while."
"In Mistral?"
"In the house."
The young girl laughed at the answer. "Okay, very funny. But seriously, how'd you get to come here?"
"No, I'm serious. I've been traveling with a friend of mine, and he got a job as the councilwoman's security guard. As a perk, we got to stay here."
"No way!"
Cinder gave a short laugh. "Yeah. And because of that, I got to know Korkie better."
"Cinder, you have no idea how lucky you are." The girl gestured to the rest of the young ladies at the party. "You know how many of them would do almost anything to get where you are?"
Cinder began to blush. "I haven't really thought of that. But I see what you mean."
"If you don't mind me asking, what's he like?"
"Korkie's... Korkie's great." Cinder began to smile as she continued to describe him. "I haven't met a lot of boys that treat me the way he does. He's kind, smart, and really interesting. You should hear him play the piano. His talent is..." Cinder sighed. "Just wonderful."
The girl smiled. "Like I said, you're really lucky."
"Yeah, I guess so." Cinder began to look around the room. "Huh. You know what else Korkie is?"
The girl followed her gaze, but didn't see anything strange. "What's that?"
"Not here." Cinder looked around the entire room, but didn't see him anywhere. "I wonder where he is?" She looked back to the girl. "I'm gonna go find him. It was nice talking to you..."
"Oh, I'm sorry!" The girl extended her hand. "I'm Tiana, nice to meet you." After they shook hands, Tiana made her way to some other children.
Cinder didn't see Korkie anywhere in the hall, so she figured he went somewhere else in the house. Going up the stairs, she started to make her way back to her room. As soon as she walked in, she saw it was empty. But a small light from the window caught her attention. Moving closer, she saw Korkie in the garden, reading a book next to a lantern. Cinder made her way down to the garden and caught Korkie's attention with the sound of glass hitting stone.
"Hi, Korkie," said Cinder.
"Hello, Cinder." Korkie put down his book and stood up. "What are you doing out here?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing." Cinder walked up closer to him. "You're missing out on a good party."
"I doubt that." Korkie chuckled as he sat back down. "But you're having fun, aren't you?"
"Of course. This is actually my first time coming to something like this."
"Well, I think tonight would count as... my millionth." He chuckled again, Cinder joining him. "Auntie Satine hosts parties like this a lot, so I've been to all of them."
"I guess I understand," said Cinder, who sat down on the bench next to him. "But, I hope I didn't bore you tonight."
"What?" Korkie took Cinder's hand. "Cinder, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. You didn't bore me at all. Tonight was actually the first time I enjoyed dancing in a while. And you moved so naturally back there."
"I couldn't really explain it. I never danced a Waltz, or any dance for that matter until tonight." Cinder looked back at Korkie with a smile. "I guess... I had the right partner."
"Well, thank you." Korkie stood up and looked at some of the plants. "Well, while I'm out here, I may need to water some of the plants."
Cinder stood up and walked over to where he was. "Actually, let me help you." Closing her eyes and concentrating, a small piece of ice appeared in her hand. Once it did, she activated her Semblance, melting the ice and spreading the water across some of the plants. Korkie was in awe at the miracle he just witnessed.
"You never told me you had a Semblance," he said once he regained his thoughts.
"Well, travelling with a Mandalorian has some perks," Cinder said with a laugh.
"Indeed they do." Korkie walked closer. "You never cease to amaze me, Cinder."
Her heart skipped a beat. Did Korkie just call her "amazing'? No way, the young boy was the amazing one here. Smart, talented, and right now, incredibly handsome in the moonlight. She looked down to hide her red cheeks and smile. "Heh. I bet you say that to all the girls."
"No." Korkie placed two fingers on her chin and gently pushed her head back. "Just the special ones." Cinder blushed even more, and she could feel her heart begin to beat even faster.
"Look who's talking," she said with a smile. Korkie began to feel heat rise to his face as well. He was telling the truth a second ago, he had never met someone like Cinder. Smart, loyal to her friends, and full of surprises. One surprise being how cute she looked in the moonlight.
"Well, maybe we can see what else is special about each other." Cinder moved back and held out her hand. "Would you like to teach me another dance?"
"I could." Korkie took her hand, and walked closer to Cinder. However, rather than placing a hand on her waist, he put it on her cheek. "But I think there are better things to do right now than dance."
Cinder wordlessly agreed, and the two leaned closer and closer. Once their lips touched, every light, sound, everything in the world faded, as if nothing but this moment existed for the both of them.
They pulled away and smiled. Cinder suddenly heard what sounded like soft bells in the distance. Taking out her Scroll, she looked at the time.
12:00. Midnight.
Seeing this caused Cinder to remember that she left Atlas the second time at midnight. She never forgot that time. Now, she wouldn't forget this one either. She looked back at a smiling Korkie and kissed him again.
"CINDER! KORKIE!"
The two pulled away and turned to the house entrance to see Winter running towards them. She tripped when she came outside, and the two immediately rushed over to help her up. "Winter, are you alright?" Korkie asked.
"What are you doing out here?" Cinder asked.
"Looking for you!" Winter yelled as she grabbed Cinder's hand. "We have to go! Korkie, follow me!"
"Winter, what's-GAH!" Cinder didn't get to finish as Winter dragged her into the house and started running. Korkie kept up with the two of them. Once they stopped outside Cinder's room, Winter looked inside.
"He's not here," said Winter, her voice beginning to shake. "Oh, no. Please be here."
"Winter, what is going on?!" Korkie yelled. "Who are you looking for?"
Cinder took a closer look at Winter, and noticed a big red mark on her neck. "Winter, what happened? Did your father hurt you?"
"Not my father." Winter stepped inside the room and gestured for Korkie and Cinder to come in. "A group of people broke into the house. They tried to kill me."
"What?! Are you alright?" Korkie got a look at her neck.
Cinder looked outside the hallway. "I'll go find Mando. You two stay here."
"No, wait!" Cinder turned around. "He's the one who saved me. He said he's going to find Korkie's aunt, see if she's alright."
"What else did he say?"
"To bring you here. And to lock ourselves in the room until he comes."
Cinder took a look outside the hall. "Korkie, where do you think your aunt is?"
"Um... I think she said something about going to her office."
"Which room?"
"Down the hall, take three lefts, door at the end."
Cinder looked back. "Okay, I'm going to find him. Winter, do what Mando said. Lock the door and wait for one or both of us to come back." She began to walk outside, but felt a hand grab her arm, which caused her to slightly trip.
"Cinder, no!" She looked back to see a fear ridden Winter. "It's too dangerous."
"I'd feel a lot safer if I'm with him," Cinder retorted.
"But you could be killed!" Korkie protested with great concern.
"Trust me, I faced worse. Look after each other, I'll be back." Cinder took off running down the hall. But in her hurry, she didn't notice that she lost one of her shoes when she tripped. Korkie picked it up and was about to call out to her, but Winter stopped him.
"She'll get it when she comes back." Winter pulled him inside and locked the door.
"Well... what do you want?"
"A few favors from the Mistral council."
"You're insane."
Satine had been told that someone was waiting for her in her office. Figuring it was someone she had been expecting to see since the party began, she quickly made her way to the office. But when she walked inside, she was met with two waiters, one of them pointing a pistol at her head. Unable to call for help, Satine sat down and decided to see what they were doing in her house. And she had just found her answer.
"I urge you to reconsider," said the man sitting in front of her. "Otherwise, we may have to consider other methods of persuasion."
"You believe I'm scared for my life?"
"Not just your life." He leaned closer. "But you're not like most members of the council, are you? I've seen your work, come to understand your motivation. Your attempts to make right by the Faunus, demilitarize the kingdom. You really hate guns, don't you?"
"Just because I'm a pacifist doesn't mean I won't defend myself."
"I'm sure you would. But I'd advise against that, given you'll be responsible for what happens next."
When Satine walked into the room, she tried to take control of the situation. But she knew her resolve was just a mask for her fears. This idea was the only thing about Mandalorian culture she believed in, to hide her fear. But the intruder's statement had just sent a chill down her spine. "What are you saying?" she asked.
The intruder responded by holding up his Scroll. "Tell me, did your wine taste a little off tonight?"
Cold sweat ran down her cheek. "What did you do?"
The man held up a small vial. "Not my fault. My hand just slipped." He gave a short laugh and his partner did the same thing. "But seriously, this is a little something we got from a good doctor. With the press of a button, it'll begin to attack your body, and everyone else we served tonight."
"You're bluffing."
"Try me."
"..."
The man smiled. "Good. Now, let's talk business. I was first thinking about getting something for Doctor Watts. He needs you to-"
*BANG*
A red blast just missed Satine's head and made contact with the man's arm, causing him to drop his Scroll. When his partner turned around, he saw a black "T" and a fist hit his face. The man dropped his pistol and fell to the ground. Satine quickly grabbed the gun and pointed it at the first man, who threw a picture of Satine and Korkie at the Mandalorian. Even though she was armed, Satine couldn't find it within herself to pull the trigger.
When Djarin lost his blaster, he felt a quick kick to his gut. His armor protected him from the force, and he grabbed the man with his wire. As the intruder began to choke, Djarin didn't notice someone come up behind him with a knife.
*BANG*
Djarin quickly turned around to see a body hit the floor, Cinder right behind it with the blaster. Once the man who was choking gave out one last breath, Djarin called back his wire and ran over to Cinder. She hugged him in an instant.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Are you?" Cinder asked.
"I'm fine." He looked back at the Councilwoman, who looked back at the gun she was holding. She threw it away in an instant. "Ma'am, are you alright?"
"I'm alright," said Satine, quickly standing back up. "I need to find my nephew."
"He's fine," said Cinder. "He's with Winter in my room." She looked up to the Mandalorian. "I know you said to be with them, but finding you would be safer. For both of us."
Djarin simply nodded, not wanting to start an argument. And besides, it would be better to keep tabs on Cinder in case these people were who he thought they were.
"Sir, we're in the hall and serving the guests. What's your status?"
Everyone turned to the body of the man Cinder shot. Looking closer, they saw he dropped some kind of radio from his ear. The voice on the other end was clear as day, since it was out of his ear. When nobody responded, the voice called out again.
"Sir?"
Everyone looked at each other, not saying a word. Djarin walked up to the device and picked it up.
"Jason? Jason, what's going on?"
Djarin looked at the councilwoman. "Winter mentioned there were more of them. They're dangerous."
"Guys? Jason isn't responding."
"Move to Plan B."
The guests had begun to panic at the sight of two men with guns shoot the masked security guards in the room. They immediately fell to the floor and covered their heads. The two gunmen walked up to each other while pointing their weapons at the crowd.
"So, what do we do?" one of them asked his partner.
"Plan B," he said.
"Which is?"
The man pulled out his Scroll and pressed a few buttons. "Activate the poison. Then run." Just as he was about to press another button, a hand grabbed the Scroll and threw it away. Djarin had teleported into the main hall and found the other intruders. He punched the man in the face and grabbed the other one by the throat.
"Talk," Djarin ordered. "Why are you here?"
"Use... Use..." the man choked out.
"What?"
The man looked back at his partner. "Use... Semblance!"
Djarin turned around to see the other intruder press his hand on the ground. Suddenly, every shadow in the room began to move off the walls and floor. The shadows met in the center of the room and formed a black circle. Suddenly, pieces of the circle began to rise off the floor, taking human form, faceless and black. The shadow men suddenly rushed towards the Mandalorian and tackled him to the ground. The fake waiter managed to recover from the Mandalorian's attack and he ran to his partner.
He suddenly saw Cinder and Satine at the top of the stairs. Just as he raised his pistol to fire, one of the security guards recovered and jumped in front of the councilwoman, saving her life. The guard wasn't hurt, the bullet had scratched the armor on his chest.
More shadow men came up the stairs and charged towards the trio. The security guard ran in front of the councilwoman and fought off each one, some of them moving unnaturally when they got hit, flying to the walls and ceiling. Cinder was holding her own as well, using her combat training as well as some of her fire power. But once she had an opening, she sent a glass knife towards the intruder, killing him in an instant.
Djarin saw the other one run inside the dining room, but couldn't follow him inside, since more shadows grabbed him.
"Control, this is Delta Squad. The mission has failed, our squad has been taken out by the unexpected arrival of the Mandalorian. Please advise."
The Mandalorian could hear the man talking, but couldn't hear what the person on the other end was saying. But the soldier could hear every word.
"Can you confirm this is the Mandalorian we've faced before?" a voice on his earpiece asked.
"Yes. He's here."
"The Major believes it would be best for you to retreat. But first, see if you can find his ship."
"Understood."
*CRASH*
Cinder used more fire and hand-to-hand to get the shadows off Djarin. He rushed inside to find an empty dining room and a broken window. The last intruder had escaped.
Once emergency services had arrived, most of the guests were being treated for any wounds they received. The wine was being examined to see what kind of poison the intruders managed to slip. While that was being taken care of, the unharmed guests and their families were leaving the house, but not before thanking their saviors.
"You saved my wife and myself," a man in a suit was saying to the Mandalorian. "I can't thank you enough." Djarin simply nodded as the family walked away, leaving another grateful family to thank him. But their young daughter was talking to Cinder rather than the Mandalorian.
"What you did back there was amazing!" Tiana said as she hugged Cinder. "Thank you!" Cinder as surprised by all the praise she was receiving and blushed in embarrassment. But she returned the girl's hug and the family left. Once they did, Cinder looked up at Djarin.
"I've never been used to all of this praise before," she said honestly.
"I've had my fair share of it," Djarin said, remembering how some of the bounties he hunted and the jobs he did resulted in doing some good for others. "But I'm never used to it either. And I got something else on my mind."
Cinder nodded. "What we did tonight was great..."
"But why was it necessary?" Djarin finished. "I heard one of them mention Watts."
Cinder turned away to see one of the attackers being led outside by the police. "Did you figure out how he was able to find us?"
"...He didn't."
Cinder was confused by the Mandalorian's guess, but he explained some more as he knelt down to her. "When I was in the dining room, I heard one of them make a call. He said we were here and asked what to do. If they knew we were here all along, they would've planned ahead. But this was different."
Cinder couldn't argue with his logic, but this left one unanswered question. "So what were they after?" she asked.
"Not what." Djarin looked behind Cinder to see Satine talking to Korkie. "Who." The young girl followed his gaze to see Satine, and she understood. Watts wanted something to do with the councilwoman, perhaps get rid of her. The two decided to seek confirmation about this, and walked over to Satine. She turned to see them once she heard them walking towards her.
"Djarin, Cinder. Are you two alright?" she asked calmly.
"We're fine," said Djarin. "What about you two?"
"We'll be alright. But just to be safe, I'm going to have extra security around the house."
"Good. This may have been an attempt on your life, as well as everyone else here."
"I have no doubts about that. But I just don't understand how they could have slipped in."
Before Djarin or Cinder could provide any ideas, a new voice cut in. "Perhaps it's best if some mysteries are better left unsolved." Everyone turned around to see Jacques and Winter walking behind them. Jacques coughed into his hand before speaking again. "The important thing is that it's over and we're all safe."
"Tonight may be over, but Korkie and I may not be safe at the moment." Satine looked over to Djarin. "I know we talked about the Branwen tribe, but is there a chance you might reconsider staying?"
"I'm afraid not," said Djarin. "It's important that I..."
The rest of the conversation faded out for Cinder as she felt something tug her dress. Slightly turning to her left, she saw Winter shift her head and eyes towards Jacques. Cinder had a feeling something was going on, and that it involved Jacques. Unfortunately, there was nothing Cinder could do to help her. Winter knew what was going on, and only she could bring the truth to light. But the one thing Cinder was able to do was shift her head towards the Mandalorian and whisper two words to her friend.
"Be brave."
Winter understood, but wasn't looking forward to what was going to happen. She knew she would be able to prove what happened, but she wished someone else could help her. But she also knew she would be the only who could do this. And when she saw Cinder take her hand and nod, she took a deep breath. "I know how I can help," she blurted out.
Everyone looked at Winter. Satine and Djarin were confused, but Jacques saw an opportunity and smirked. "Winter's right," he said as he put a hand on her shoulder. "The Schnee family is on your side." He put two hands on his heart. "We are all victims of this tragedy tonight."
Winter realized that her father was turning the situation around. Taking another deep breath, she decided to be more direct. "May I handle this, Father?"
"Of course." He gestured to the Councilwoman. "As the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, I have every confidence you have some ideas on what to do. Why don't you share them with the Councilwoman?" His smile grew even wider.
Looking back at Cinder, who nodded, Winter took one more deep breath before speaking. "...This is all his fault!" She pointed at her father.
"Precisely, my-WHAT?!" Jacques dropped his facade and locked his eyes on Winter. The Mandalorian and Satine shared a quick glance with each other before looking back on Winter, who continued her bold accusation and pulled out a Scroll.
"When I was here all week, with Korkie and Cinder, my father told me to look for any doors, windows, or any other possible entrances here. I didn't know why at first." She placed the Scroll on a table and a screen of Jacques in the wine room with one of Watts' men appeared. Winter had managed to record the whole transaction on the camera Djarin had given her. When Jacques saw this, the rage built within him transformed into fear.
"...Play it," said the Mandalorian.
Winter obeyed, and everyone saw Jacques speaking with the imposter. They saw him tell the intruders where the councilwoman was, how her security was spread out, and how long it would be wise to carry out their work. They also heard the imposters warn Jacques not to drink any of the wine tonight, although he didn't say why. But it didn't take a genius for them to know they had already poisoned the wine. Once the video stopped, everyone turned to the scared businessman, who was failing to get the situation back under control.
"Um... That is... I... I can explain that." Cold sweat was coming down his forehead and he pulled his collar before speaking again. "That... isn't real."
Nobody in the room bought the poor explanation. But Satine was ready to properly take care of this. "Jacques... sit down." She gestured to an empty chair. But rather than sitting down, Jacques made a cowardly dash for the main door. He only took three steps before a wire wrapped around his right leg and pulled him to the floor. The Mandalorian stomped on his chest and pointed his blaster at the man's face.
"Talk," he ordered.
"How dare you! This is highly unnecessary."
Jacques was being escorted out of the house by two Mistral police officers. Satine and the children were watching him go and complain throughout the entire time.
"I will not stand for this. Don't touch me like that!"
Cinder rolled her eyes at his pathetic attempts to make his arrest easier. Winter looked at the ground while Satine and Korkie watched him be pushed into a prison transport.
"Finally," said Cinder, who thought his prattle would never end.
"Good riddance," said Satine. She immediately regretted saying that when she saw Winter rub her eye, drying a tear. She wanted to say something to the young girl, but Cinder said something first.
"Are you okay?" she asked her friend.
Winter looked up and dried another tear. "I'll be fine." She looked up at Satine. "I'm so sorry about all this. I should have-"
Satine kneeled down to her. "Winter, don't be sorry for anything. You did the right thing."
Cinder put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "You should be proud tonight. What you did was probably the bravest thing I've seen anyone do."
Winter smiled at Cinder's compliment. She was starting to feel proud of herself. Ever since she met the girl, Winter felt a little envious of Cinder's bravery. After what she saw happen to her father and Cinder's immediate reaction to him slapping her, Winter wished she had the courage her friend had. And tonight, she got her wish.
The Mandalorian walked up behind Satine. "I searched the area, it seems the one from the dining room managed to escape."
"Thank you, Djarin. I appreciate your concern," Satine confessed.
Djarin nodded and looked back to Cinder. "Cinder... I think it's time to say goodbye."
Cinder nodded. She understood that with the insurrection close by, they wouldn't be safe around Mistral anymore. It was time to go. "Can I have a few minutes?" she asked.
"Take all the time you need. I'll be at the ship." Djarin began to walk toward the Razor Crest.
"Djarin, just a moment!" He turned around to see Satine pull out her Scroll and type something. His gauntlet beeped and he looked to see a blue screen. The screen was showing him that an amount of 10,000 Lien had been wired to him. He looked back to Satine. "It's for what you did tonight," she said. "You earned it."
"Thank you."
"No. Thank you."
Djarin nodded and walked back to the Razor Crest, leaving Cinder to say goodbye to her friends.
"Do you really have to go?" asked Winter. "I just got to see you again."
"I do," Cinder sadly said. She took Winter's hand. "But if I'm ever in Atlas, I'll be sure to find you."
Winter smiled. "I hope it'll be soon." She hugged Cinder, who reciprocated the embrace. "Goodbye, Cinder. Thank you for being my friend."
"Thanks for being mine." Cinder turned to the councilwoman and extended her hand. "Thank you for letting us stay here."
Satine eagerly shook the hand. "You're more than welcome. If you and Djarin are ever in Mistral again, you'll be welcome to stay here again." The two dropped their hands and Cinder turned to Korkie.
"Korkie... I'm really glad I met you." She looked to the side and blushed. "I... I-"
"I know, Cinder." He put a hand on her cheek. "I'm glad I met you too. You're... really special."
She took his hand and smiled. "So are you."
"Before you go, I want to give you something." Korkie held out a small book. "I saw you reading this a few times. I don't read it as much, so I'd like you to have it."
Cinder smiled and took the book. "Oh, I loved reading this one. Thank you."
"Ah, one more thing." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black shoe. "You dropped this when you went to find the Mandalorian."
Cinder pulled up her dress to see that she was indeed missing one of her shoes, and gave a short laugh. "I didn't even notice."
"Allow me." Korkie kneeled down and placed the glass shoe on Cinder's foot. He stood up and faced her, staring into her amber eyes. "I hope we see each other again."
"Me too." Cinder placed a kiss on his cheek and walked away. "Goodbye."
When Cinder walked into the ship, she saw Djarin reading from the Mandalorian book he gave her. He quickly closed the book and put it aside. "You ready?" he asked her.
"When you are," she answered. Djarin took the ship off the ground and set a course for western Anima. As the ship made its way through the open sky, Cinder was staring back out the window, watching the manor become smaller and smaller.
"Sorry things went sideways," said Djarin. "I hope you enjoyed it while you could."
Cinder looked back and chuckled. "Don't worry," she said. "I had a great time. Besides..." She started to rub her knuckles. "I think I needed the practice." She turned her head back out to the window, oblivious to the fact that Djarin had reopened the book and was looking at a certain page. He was rereading the page on the Gai Bal Manda.
"Not yet," he thought to himself as he closed the book. "But soon."
After everyone left, Satine needed time to herself. Korkie had decided to go to bed, so Satine had the house to herself. She went into the dining room and began to pour out the glasses and bottles of contaminated wine. She would clean the rest of the house tomorrow, Satine really needed to focus on this right now.
As soon as she came back from the kitchen to empty more glasses, she saw a masked security guard sitting in one of the chairs. She gasped and nearly dropped one of the bottles.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought everyone had left," she said. The guard merely nodded and stood up. Satine noticed a scratch on the chest of his uniform and recognized him. This was the guard who saved her from being shot, who was almost wounded as well. "Thank you for saving my life," she said. The guard didn't say anything, but looked around the room and windows. Satine was confused by his silence, but asked another question. "Are you here to do more of the council's bidding?"
This time, the security guard removed his mask, revealing a brown haired man with blue eyes and a beard. Smiling, he finally spoke. "I do my own bidding."
Satine gasped again and dropped the wine bottle she was holding. "Obi-Wan!"
She rushed over and hugged her savior, who eagerly returned the hug. Her depression of the night and fear for her life had finally been replaced with joy at the sight of an old promise finally being kept. As she let go, she asked another question. "Are you alone?"
"Yes," he replied. "I was able to give everyone the slip and come here." He rubbed a hand on her cheek. "It's good to see you again, Satine."
"Trust me, the feeing is more than mutual. I just wish this meeting was under better circumstances." She looked around the dining room and remembered the events from earlier, how the attackers seemed to fly into walls and the ceiling on their own. "I take it you had a rescue plan for tonight?"
"As always, my dear." The man known as 'Obi-Wan' wasn't being entirely truthful, but Satine didn't need to know that. "But it didn't seem one was entirely necessary. With that Mandalorian and young girl here."
"I hired the Mandalorian as my security guard. I know what you're thinking, but he's not with Bo." She looked down at the ground. "No, she's still... doing her own thing."
Obi-Wan was feeling slightly guilty about not being there for Satine, he knew how Mandalorians brought up bad memories of her sister. "I'm sorry I couldn't be here for you, but Oz-"
"I know," Satine reassured him. "Ozpin needs you. And given what you told me... there's a bigger picture that matters more than... well, more than us."
Obi-Wan put a hand on her cheek again. "I wouldn't go that far. True, what Oz and I are facing is... well, extreme. But... if you say the word, I would leave it behind. You know that, right?"
Satine smiled. "I do. But... we can't always get what we want. I'm just glad I can savor what we have right now."
"As am I."
Satine's Scroll buzzed and she pulled it out of her pocket. She sighed reading the message. "Oh, great. Duty calls." She began to press a few buttons, and looked back to Obi-Wan. "I trust you wouldn't want to hear this."
"Oh, no. I'm not brave enough for politics," he joked as he pulled out his own Scroll. "Besides, Oz might be wondering where I am." Obi-Wan began to walk out. "I'm sorry about tonight. My reveal would have been earlier, but-"
"I know." Satine smiled. "Like I said, I'm glad I can savor what we have. No matter how small."
Obi-Wan smiled and put his disguise back on. "I'll be back again soon. Goodbye."
The Razor Crest had just landed close to a village in the center of western Anima. Djarin said that they would hunt down the Branwen tribe tomorrow, as it was still past midnight. But once the ship had landed, Cinder was still wide awake.
"I figured you'd fall into your bed right about now," said Djarin.
"Me too," Cinder said with a chuckle. "I don't know, I guess a night full of dancing, unexpected fighting, and locking up terrible people is enough to keep you wide awake."
"Probably the adrenaline. But, we need to get some sleep." Djarin suddenly had an idea. "How about this? When you're ready to go to bed, I'll read you a story."
"Okay!" Cinder quickly walked into the cargo hold to change out her dress, excited to hear Djarin read to her again. He knew that she had fun tonight, but he still felt bad that the evening was ruined thanks to Watts and the fact they had to leave. Even though Cinder said she had fun and that she was fine, he still wanted to make it up to her. "Ready!" she called out.
Djarin walked inside to find Cinder's dress laying next to her and the young girl in her makeshift bed. He walked over to the Mandalorian book and flipped through the pages. "I think I know a story in here that you'd like," he said.
"Um, actually..." Cinder held out the book that Korkie had given her. "Would you mind reading a story from here?"
"Sure." Djarin put down the other book and took Cinder's. "Fairy Tales of Remnant. Sounds like a good read." He began to flip through the stories. "Let's see, there's... The Warrior in the Woods, The Shallow Sea..."
"Could you read this one?" Cinder pointed to a story called The Story of the Seasons.
"Sure."
Cinder laid back down as the Mandalorian read the fairy tale. She listened about an old wizard who lived alone in a forest, who was unexpectedly visited by four young maidens. She listened about the gifts they gave the old man out of the kindness of their hearts, expecting no reward. As she listened to each part, Cinder began thinking about Bo-Katan and how other Mandalorians called her a "Maiden". They seemed to think she was like those four sisters who did selfless acts out the kindness of their hearts, and that she was blessed with this wizard's magic. If that was true... it wouldn't hurt to live up to their expectations.
The last thing Cinder heard before she drifted off was the promise that all the sisters would return to visit the old wizard. As soon as he saw she was asleep, Djarin put the book down next to the other one. He stood up and was ready to head back to the cockpit, but something felt... wrong. It was as if something was telling the Mandalorian he had forgotten to do one last thing.
It didn't take Djarin long to realize what it was.
He walked back to Cinder and knelt down. Taking off his helmet, he gently kissed the top of her head and stood back up. "Good night, Cinder." He put his helmet back on and went back to the cockpit, failing to notice the soft smile that had formed on Cinder's face.
"Let me through."
"Ma'am, you can't go in just yet."
"My daughter's in there, let me through now!"
The Mistralian police officer was pushed aside by a white haired woman in a white cravat, covered by a purple jacket, and pencil skirt. Her high heels crashed against the floor like thunder as she rushed inside the police station looking for her daughter.
"Mother?" a little girl called out.
The woman immediately rushed to the young girl and wrapped her arms around her. "Winter, thank goodness!" She let go of her daughter and looked her over. "Are you alright? Did anyone hurt you?"
"No... I'm fine," said Winter. "Do you know-?"
"I was told everything, Winter. And I want you to know how proud I am of what you did tonight. You were very brave, coming forward like that."
Winter's eyes began to tear up. "But... this was my fault. I did-"
"What your father forced you to do, Winter. Don't worry about that, I'm going to talk to him right now. Klein's outside with your brother and sister, I want you to wait for me with them."
"...Alright."
Winter was lead back to the front door by her mother, where the police officer from before escorted her to the family butler. Willow Schnee, on the other hand, demanded to see her husband immediately. Another officer escorted her to the holding cells, where other criminals and degenerates were calling out to the woman and whistling. The officer yelled at them to be quiet and stopped in front of the cell at the end of the hall. Inside was a furious Jacques Schnee, who was coughing and pacing across the room. He stopped as he saw his wife and the officer.
"It's about time," he said. "You there, get this door open!" The officer didn't move.
Willow stepped forward and spoke. "I'm not here to pay your bail, Jacques. I'm here to talk."
"I beg your pardon?!"
The officer turned to Willow. "Five minutes," he said. "I mean it."
"I won't be here long," Willow said. The officer left the spouses alone.
"Willow, where's my legal team?" Jacques asked.
"They're not here. It's just me."
"Alright, let me rephrase the question. Why didn't you do as you were told?"
"I was considering it. Then I saw what you made Winter do, what you almost let criminals do to innocent people."
"Me? I am a victim!"
"Oh, really? A victim?"
"I'll admit I was duped. Used! And although my hands my not be clean, at least I'm not a murderer.
Willow got closer to the bars. "You know who else was duped, who else was used? Your own daughter. By none other than her father of all people." She blinked back tears as she continued. "How could you? What makes you think you had the right to do that to our child?"
"Is it really a crime for a father to tell his children what and what not to do?"
"Not like this! You don't get to use Winter for your dirty work!"
"Don't you dare tell me how to treat my children! Winter is the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, she needs to start acting like it!"
Winter was starting to note how Jacques kept referring to Winter, Weiss, and Whitley as "his" children, not 'their' children. But that was besides the point. "Is that all you have to say for yourself? That all of this was for the company? Why can't you for once care more about your family than the 'Schnee family name'?!"
"Why do you think I married you?!"
"..."
Willow backed away from the bars in shock. She had her suspicions about this claim for a while, but now the truth finally came out. She felt betrayed, knowing that everything he did for her and creating a family was all a lie. But the sight of Jacques in a powerless position gave Willow a new resolve. Two can play this game.
"You only care about the Schnee name?" she asked. "Fine. It's yours now."
Jacques smiled in his apparent triumph. "Now then, go call my-"
"You can take it with you to your grave. Which, according to your doctors, won't be be too long now." Jacques smile faded. "And once you're in the ground, the name will be back where it belongs."
A scowl came to Jacques' face as soon as he saw his wife walk away from the bars. "Come back here!" he yelled. "We're not finished yet!"
Willow stopped. She turned around and walked back to the bars. But before Jacques could say anything, the wall behind him began to spawn multiple glyphs. And out of those glyphs began to spawn large icicles. Jacques' back was pressed against the bars and he felt an arm wrap around his neck. "I have no intention of letting you out of this cell," she said. "But if by some miracle, you end up back at my father's home again, it won't be an iron lung that kills you." The glyphs disappeared and she pushed Jacques away from the bars. She walked away from the holding cells, holding her head high. As soon as she walked out of the police station, she got into a car driven by her butler, with her three children waiting for her.
"Mother, what happened?" Winter asked.
Willow faked a smile and placed a hand on her eldest daughter's cheek. "Nothing, sweetheart. Everything's going to be okay." She was still heartbroken over what her husband had said, but tonight showed Willow she was stronger than him. And it would be hard being a single mother of three, but she needed to be strong for her children. Besides, after what happened in the station, she still had her pride.
"Mother, I'm so sorry about all this, I didn't mean-"
"Winter, everything's alright." Willow hugged her daughter. "I promise, your father won't hurt you again."
"Mommy?"
Winter and Willow turned to a young girl with a long white ponytail sitting next to a crying white haired baby. "I can't get Whitley to stop," the girl said.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Weiss." Willow took a pacifier out of a bag and put it in the baby's mouth. The crying stopped and the baby began to fall asleep. "I forgot to give this to you. Thank you for watching your brother."
"Are we going home now?"
"Don't worry, we'll be home soon."
"What do you have for me?"
"I followed Gideon's order to the letter. The device has been planted."
"Good. Standby for retrieval."
A uniformed officer cut her communication with the undercover soldier who escaped the manor. She walked across the metal halls to find her superior officer. She came across a metal door guarded by two soldiers in black armor. Once the door opened, the officer saw Major Gideon and his Mandalorian ally about to address a new group of soldiers.
"Major Gideon." The officer and the Mandalorian turned around. "The tracking beacon has been installed on the Razor Crest."
"You're sure he has the asset?" Gar Saxon asked.
"Yes. Our forces confirmed it."
"And we will be ready," said Gideon. The communications officer nodded and walked away.
"Our new soldiers don't seem up to par," the leader of Clan Saxon observed.
"Then it's time for them to remember their place." Gideon walked over to his new soldiers; a group of Mandalorians in black and white armor. Their helmets had a branch with red petals on it. Gideon had found this clan in the Forever Fall, and knew he had an opportunity to increase his forces. But Gideon needed to reaffirm his position as leader.
One of the Mandalorians removed his helmet to reveal a blonde man. "So, you found our brother?" he asked.
"Yes," said Gideon.
"And you intend for us to kill him?"
"I trust there are no objections?"
The Mandalorian gritted his teeth, he couldn't stand to be talked down like this. But he lowered his head and spoke. "...No."
Gideon wasn't satisfied with this answer. So, he reached to his belt and pulled out a metal handle. Gideon pressed a button on the side and a dark blade extended from the handle. Holding it close to the Mandalorian's throat and smiling, Gideon asked a question. "No, what?"
The Mandalorian gritted his teeth again. "No... Mand'alor."
Gideon deactivated the blade. "Good." He left the clan alone with their thoughts. As soon as the door closed, the leader turned back to his people.
"Are we... really doing this, Pax?" a female Mandalorian asked her leader. "Attacking one of our own and a child?"
"...We are," Pax Vizsla replied. "I'm sorry, but this is our duty to the Mand'alor. And we cannot change his mind."
"There has to be something we can do."
The clan leader sighed. "All we can do now... is hope they escape again." He began to walk away.
"Gideon has more soldiers and Mandalorians than we can count," his colleague continued. "They won't be lucky this time."
"...I pray that you're wrong."
Author's notes: hey everyone, I'm really sorry this chapter took so long. On one hand, I have a lot going on with work and school and everything, so that doesn't leave a whole lot of room to write. On the other hand, I made this chapter really long. Either way, thank you for being patient, I really appreciate it. As of right now, I don't have a schedule for writing, so I need to apologize for that as well. I just hope you're still enjoying the story.
Also, I know having Obi-Wan in here might be a little weird. A part of me was thinking of replacing him or not using him, but having Satine in here without Obi-Wan just didn't feel right. Even though this story is based more on Disney's The Mandalorian, I still felt I should include him. I hope you understand and liked how I used him. He'll be in the story more, this isn't just a one time thing.
To aklike95, thank you for the support. I'm glad you like how I use Korkie and Satine, hope you like Obi-Wan here. I don't know if I'm going to include Maul, but I have some more ideas for more Star Wars characters. Hope you like the chapter.
To Mandalorian00, I think Jacques will take your letter VERY seriously right now. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
To I Frederic I, I don't blame you for wanting to punch Jacques. Glad you thought last chapter was smooth, but I can understand why you might think differently about this one. Hope you still enjoyed, thank you for your support.
To The Avenging Titan, I also feel bad for Winter. But everything that happened made here a different person. And don't worry, I understand why you hate Jacques. I also hope you like what I did with Willow, and that you liked this chapter. Thank you for reading.
To 54godamora, you're absolutely right about Weiss and Whitely. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
To Arsenal, I could see Djarin having a Mandalorian ship, that's a good question. If you have any more questions like that, ask in my Q & A story. Leave a comment on one chapter and I'll write a response in a chapter. Hope you're enjoying this story.
To Marc Ello-Re Yes, hope you like what I did with Mando here. I'm glad you like Cinder here as well, and I hope you like Obi-Wan here. Glad you liked the last chapter, hope you enjoyed this one!
To Rook435, I'm really glad you like how I write the characters, thank you for saying all that. I hope you enjoyed Obi-Wan here as well. As for your Jacques question, I was mainly talking about his lung problem. People were comparing him to Vader with the lung, but I saw it more as Grievous' problem, I'm sorry I confused you. And seeing how he failed and is now arrested, I think you can guess what happens. Hope you liked the chapter.
To Jctherebel, thank you! I hope you liked this chapter.
To GojirraFan455515, hope you liked this chapter. Thanks for your support.
Again, I'm really sorry this took so long. I wanted my chapters to be longer and I've been busy with everything else. Also, my idea with Obi-Wan is still up in the air, so let me know if you enjoyed it. If not, I'll rewrite the chapter. I really hope you enjoyed, and thank your for reading. See you next time!