Ask Chandrila Kill Your Heart

[Song Wren]

“Just wait until you meet my father. You will be begging to get eaten by a sarlacc again.” She shared in his laughter, but Song couldn’t deny the danger posed against the Ranger. If her father was holding out a grudge, knowing him, he would do everything in his power to make her regret leaving Krownest.

But she didn’t want to think about him right now. Only Kanan.

As she hobbled after him and Nina, she whispered over his shoulder. “I don’t know about admiration. I almost killed her mother, remember?”

It was difficult wrapping her head around the fact that they weren’t enemies anymore. Only hours ago, she’d tried to murder the poor woman, and now they would be sharing a cup of tea, pretending as if nothing had happened. Talk about a rapid turn of events. Perhaps it was the armor, or River’s helmet. For years she’d worn it, allowing it to shape her every thought and action, and now that she was free of its weight, Song felt like a completely different person.

No, she was a completely different person.

Amita was resting in one of the sofa chairs, the one Song had pretty much thrown her out of during their last fight. She’d managed to clean up the worst of plaster and broken glass, returning the cottage to its original state—save for the gaping hole in the wall, of course. The Mandalorian felt a thorn of guilt in her side.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Amita, catching her staring at the gap between rooms. She smiled. “You can pay me back another time.”

Song slumped into where she sat last time. This time, she accepted the tea waiting for her on the nearby table, taking a long sip as she did. She didn’t really want to talk with Amita. The whole scenario was strange and unbearably awkward. What more could she say? What more could she do?

Once she was finished, Song rose and offered a bow. It was something unlike a Mandalorian, but after everything that had transpired, it was the least she could do. “I… don’t know if I can repay you for what I’ve done.”

“Neither can I,” said Amita. “But at the least, we can move on. We can rebuild. I know you may not completely forgive me for what I did to your brother, but know that if you ever need my help, my hand is yours.”

Song cleared her throat, a little taken aback, but grateful all the same. “Thank you.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” Amita asked.

She glanced at Kanan and smiled. “I appreciate it, but him and I have some work to do. We’ve got a long trip ahead of us.”

@llamallove

 

[Kanan Marek]

Kanan's laughter slowly faded. He would be begging to get eaten by that sarlacc? Song was making a joke, of course, but he couldn't deny that there was a certain amount of candor to her words. This trip is getting better all the time, he thought to himself.

"I haven't forgotten," the Ranger replied. If Nina was anything like her mother, she was forgiving to a fault. "But she seems to watch you a lot."

Not that I can blame her... he added to himself, throwing a brief glance over his shoulder at Song. He pushed that thought aside. Now was certainly not the time to be thinking about that.

The pair followed Nina into the living room where her mother was patiently waiting, comfortably seated in an armchair. Song slumped into the same chair she had occupied earlier that day, or yesterday to be correcy. Nina sat near her mother, the pair of them seemingly the perfect mother and daughter. The bond they shared was one of a kind, that much was evident.

Kanan chose not to sit down and opted instead to lean against the doorframe leading into the kitchen. He was afraid that if he sat down on the plush sofa he would pass out from exhaustion. He hadn't slept since before Serenno, one.. no, two days ago. Two days ago? He couldn't remember.

The silence that followed was not uncomfortable, at least not for Kanan, but it did make him sleepy. It was a good thing he had decided not to sit down. Only the sound of tea being sipped and the ocean outside filled the small cottage until Song finished her cup of tea and stood up.

The smile the Mandalorian threw his way woke him up. Apologies had already been made, regrets voiced. There wasn't anything left to say now other than thank you. That was the least Amita Ghafa deserved.

"We can't thank you enough," Kanan agreed after Song, extending a hand to Amita. She was one of the kindest people he had ever met in his travels throughout the galaxy, and he wouldn't forget her. "I hope you won't hesitate to reach out to me if you ever need anything, anything at all. Regardless, I'll be in touch."

@Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

“Thank you.” Amita nodded, but only when Song was out of earshot, nearing the front door of the cottage, did she lean forward and say, “You two remind me of when I first met my husband, you know.” She winked. “Keep her safe, Kanan Marek.”

How Amita may have known his full name would remain a mystery as she guided him toward the door, shortly behind Song, who swept it open to let the midnight air through. A smile tugged the Mandalorian’s lips. She would soon be home again, and she would not be going back alone.

With a nod back to Amita, Song stepped out into the night. She made sure to take the rest of the armor pieces she’d been stripped of, including River’s chest plate and gauntlets, having slung them in a bag over her shoulder. They should be returned to Krownest. But most importantly, they should be returned to her brother, buried in the permafrost, as mementos for him to carry into the afterlife.

As for his helmet, it stayed beyond the thicket, where the meadow of poppies sprawled out to the sea, resting in the grass. She could almost spot the glint of beskar under the moonlight. It would remain there as a grave marker. A memorial. Not only for him, but for the bounty hunter Song had been before.

This is where she would rest, while the true Song, daughter of Ghent Wren, would journey back home.

She looked over her shoulder at Amita and her daughter. The little girl was waving, wishing them goodbye, and Song couldn’t resist nodding back. Just as she turned to Kanan, however, she caught Nina whisper to her mother, a little too loud for Song’s liking. “Are they in love or something?”

Amita nudged the girl. “Oh, hush.”

Song wasn’t sure whether to scowl or break into laughter, but she did neither. She only bit back a smile and continued trudging down the gravel path, toward the cluster of forest where she’d hidden her ship.

@llamallove

 

[Kanan Marek]

"Oh, no. We're... we're not," he started to explain, his ears beginning to turn red. It was an occurrence so unlikely to happen to the Sector Ranger that he couldn't even remember the last time he had been embarrassed, much less shown actual signs of embarrassment. He didn't enjoy this feeling, and realizing that his stammering did nothing but solidify Amita's statement, he moved toward the front door.

"Thank you again, Amita. And I will. Keep her safe, I mean," he added sincerely, wondering how she knew his last name since he had never told her. Amita Ghafa was a woman of many mysteries, and perhaps it was fitting to leave it that way.

Kanan followed Song out of the cottage, welcoming the cool night air on his skin and the relief it brought. It had been too warm in the cottage for his liking, and it had nothing to do with the cottage's temperature. That uncomfortable moment was behind him now though, or so he thought.

"Are they in love or something?" Nina asked her mother from the cottage doorway. Kanan's stomach felt as hard as a lylek's exoskeleton, and he rubbed at the back of his neck. As grateful as he was to Amita and her daughter for everything they had done and all of the kindness they had shown, the Ranger couldn't get away from that cottage soon enough. He offered the mother and daughter one parting wave.

Song was up ahead of him, striding along with all of the confidence in the world. A weight had been lifted from her that day, and it showed in every movement she made. Kanan caught up with her, sincerely hoping she had not overheard the young girl's question. It was hard not to overhear as loudly as Nina had "whispered" to her mother.

"Here, let me carry that," he said, reaching for the sack slung over the Mandalorian's shoulder that carried her brother's armor. "You're acting as if you didn't get stabbed a few hours ago."

@Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

Song slapped his hand away the way she might a child’s. “And you’re acting as if I’m not a Mandalorian bred for battle. I think I can carry a few dozen pounds of armor, Kanan. Believe me, that wound was just a scratch.”

It really wasn’t. Each step she made hurt. Her stomach was churning at the pain in her side, and every now and then, a headache would surface until she blinked it away. Although the bacta spray had mended the broken skin, leaving little more than a fading scar, the blood loss she’d experienced earlier would take some time to get over.

Still, she did not want to appear weak. Song would not accept his pity. The old her might have gladly handed the bag over, if only out of a lazy sense of entitlement, but she was Ghent’s daughter again. A Wren, a Steel Sister, a Daughter of Ice. If she hoped to survive her father and Krownest, she’d have to start getting in shape. She couldn’t stay dependent on Kanan forever.

Even if a small part of her wanted to do nothing more.

The two of them eventually reached the edge of the forest, where her ship was camouflaged among the oaks. As she stepped over the roots, light filtering through the canopy, Song continued, “You never did tell me how you got off Serenno. If I remember right, I’d taken the ship with me.”

It was an odd question to ask now, but she was curious. Had he hitched a ride off the planet? Hells, had he gone back to Demidov’s estate, fought through his soldiers, and stolen a ship right out from under the man? She almost wished that was the case. Now that she fully understood his role in River’s death, the crime lord deserved some retribution his way.

But she would not be the one do it. Her days of revenge were over. Now, it was time to live.

@llamallove

 

[Kanan Marek]

Kanan pulled his hand back to himself, shaking his head as he muttered, "Sometimes you're too stubborn for your own good, Song."

He was not upset with her as his tone might imply, nor did his hand hurt. He only wished she wasn't so headstrong so he could lend her a hand. Surely she knew that he didn't underestimate her? He never had. Sometimes she could be so infuriating. He smiled to himself, knowing full well that was one of the many, many things he loved about her.

The pair continued to walk toward Song's ship, the sounds of the ocean growing more distant with each step they took. As they walked along in silence, Kanan's thoughts drifted to Krownest. He wondered what the planet would be like and if he would adjust well to the planet's frigid temperatures. It would certainly be a change from Chandrila or Serenno, or even from his home planet of Yavin 4.

Eventually Song's YT-2400 Light Freighter came into view, nestled among the trees at the edge of the forest. Kanan followed Song toward the boarding ramp, stopping short of it when she asked him how he had managed to get off of Serenno.

That was a question he did not want to answer. There were no public transports leaving for Chandrila, and he didn't have time to call in a ride from the Sector Rangers. That would have taken too long. No, there had only been one option available to him. Unfortunately. A traveling group of Twi'lek dancers who had offered to drop him off on Chandrila, provided he give them his contact information in case they wanted to call in a favor sometime from a Sector Ranger. The ride to Chandrila had been long and uncomfortable. An experience he never wanted to repeat.

"Um... I hitched a ride," he finally answered honestly, offering no further explanation. That was a story for another day. He had already endured enough embarrassment for one day.

"Ladies first," he said, gesturing toward the boarding ramp, hoping to rile her up as payback for slapping his hand.

@Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

“Hitched a ride?” she repeated, raising a brow at him curiously. The fact he said nothing else about it told her there was so much more to this “ride” than he let on. But she wouldn’t press for details. Whatever he’d done to get to Chandrila, she didn’t mind it staying a secret. As long as it did not involve a drug lord or a barge of Twi’lek strippers—crazy as that may sound—she was perfectly content with his answer.

Once they reached the ship, Song ignored his little jab and climbed aboard the ship. “Look at you, being a gentleman. Glad to know someone still has a sense of chivalry.”

She snorted a laugh, plunging into the dim light of the cabin. Dropping the sack of armor onto the floor in a loud prattle, she ventured into the cockpit and with a flick of a switch, the dashboard whirred to life, buttons and levers blinking with light. She slid into the driver’s seat. Although she desperately needed rest, she didn’t want to risk Kanan losing their way to Krownest.

Still, silly as he was, she was grateful to have him.

For so long, Song had only pain and death for company. Under the Guild, she’d captured dozens of bounties, whether good or bad, innocent or deserving. It was not until she met Kanan that she saw the right and wrong in justice. Through him was a lens to a new world and a bright future. Back on Serenno, she’d been too stupid to see it. Only now did she realize just how much she needed him by her side.

She smirked. “Take a seat,” she told him, gesturing to the passenger side. “And fair warning, if you kick your feet up onto the dashboard, I will cut them off.”

end thread.​