Muffled by his helmet, Din sighed as he stood with the others in the guest wing at the Wren Stronghold. His transition has been slow and difficult, but he is aware that he's been raised to be proud and stubborn with his creed. Even though he has not yet assumed the leadership role, nevertheless he understands that the support and resources here are necessary in order to begin the difficult task of reuniting the clans.

But the mission has been made slightly more challenging. Kia had contacted her friend in the senate, who had offered to assist them with building an alliance with the New Republic. But they have yet to made a decision on their position in the formation of Mandalorian Independence.

Yet so far, the leaders of Clan Wren have been nothing but cordial and welcoming. So perhaps earning their favor may not be as difficult as Kia originally thought. But, there's a pressing issue that has been left unspoken as they stand together in the long, dark hallway.

"Din," Kia's soft voice is heard, disrupting the deafening silence of these vast corridors.

"Hm?" Din hummed, his voice rumbled through his helmet's modulator.

"Are you going to — uh — " Kia started to say, but stopped to clear her throat. "Well, I mean — join us or — be in private?"

It was an honest question, one that did not surprise Din at all. He knew this was coming the moment they were invited to dinner. If he's going to be carrying around the Darksaber, which identifies him as the next Manda'lore, then it would be best for people to see him. His real face. Show everyone he that is not made of beskar. He is not a mechanical droid, mercilessly capturing bounties with no purpose other than his own, selfish needs. He is a man and a father with a family.

"I — " he began to speak, but there was something deep inside him that he still could not break free from. It was a voice telling him that he is no longer worthy of wearing the armor. Even though he has revealed himself to Kia and the rest of this new clan of his, but these others are total strangers. Just the idea of these people looking at his face makes him uneasy.

Pretender. Traitor. False.

He took a deep breath, realizing that he has, once again, seen more Mandalorians who do not follow the old ways. He has never truly liked narrow-mindedness, but right now, he's the outcast still wearing his helmet. He had devoted his entire life on the idea that you can never show your face to any living being. An idea that, clearly, only his tribe followed. He didn't have a chance to give a response when a short, plump older woman appeared from further down the dark corridor.

"Good evening, my name is Liane. I am the head housekeeper here. If everyone is ready, please follow me," the woman says as she gestured to the group. When Din turned his head towards the bedroom with Grogu and Alina, the housekeeper noticed. "Oh, don't worry about the children, the other servants will provide them with their dinners shortly."

"It's okay, sir. The kids will be alright," Vax reassured Din with a firm pat on his back. With a long exhale, Din stepped up to follow Liane as the rest of the party trailed behind. The woman led the way through the long halls, and the rooms they passed were all mostly empty and dark. Once they had come down a long grey hall, Liane stopped before a large double door.

"Here is the dining hall," the housekeeper says as she opened the tall, massive doors. "Go ahead inside. The Wren's will join everyone in a moment."

Once the group stepped inside, they head down the corridor towards an intersection at the end of the hall. Once they rounded a corner, they see a large room with vaulted ceilings and a long rectangular table taking up the center area. Decorated with tall candlesticks, silvery utensils and bright red placemats, the table was huge and could easily seat a least a dozen guests.

A headdress of a large white bear hung above the clan leader's seat. A group of Wren helmets furnished a shelf on the right, one of which was clearly designed for a non-human warrior. With frosted windows encircling around the great hall, and a lit fireplace on the opposite end, the space was stunningly beautiful.

Then suddenly, the double doors opened to reveal Ursa and Alrich Wren as they stepped into the enormous hall. At first, everyone was silent as the hosts bowed. Alrich was an odd sight amongst the rest of the armored warriors. Decorated in formal wear rather than beskar'gam, he wasn't what any would think of when considering the spouse of Countess Ursa.

Alrich is a diplomat and an artist by trade, so being equipped with weapons and armor would be a obstacle in his career. It was hard to see such an aristocratic ambassador, dressed in brightly colored robes and an almost too friendly of a personality, managed to become the spouse of such a cold and stoic warrior like Ursa. It is plausible that Alrich is not from the Mandalor sector, which made their marriage even stranger.

"Ah-hem," Alrich broke the silence by clearing his throat. "If everyone could please take a seat, our kitchen staff will be serving the meal shortly."

Ursa quietly walked over to take her chair at the head of the table, with her husband by her side on the right. Fenn took his place in the empty seat between himself and Alrich. As Mia and Vax moved to sit next to Fenn, Din sat on the other side of the table next to Ursa with Kia at his side.

As everyone removed their gloves, Kia felt Din's apprehension and placed her bare hand on his lap under the table. She watched him take a deep breath, before reaching up to remove his helmet. His facial expression was a mixture of pain, discomfort and anxiety.

"So — Din Djarin," Ursa breathed out as she shifted her gaze towards him, obviously she already knew his true name. "I must ask — I heard that you are a child of the Watch?"

"I was," Din replied, but he kept his eyes down onto his lap. "Not anymore."

"How did this occur?" The countess pressed on.

"I took off my helmet to be scanned by an Imperial terminal to access information. I needed the location of Moff Gideon's cruiser to rescue my foundling. That was how I won the Darksaber."

"He must be very important for you to abandon your creed."

"He is like a son to me," Din's voice was soft and dejected.

"Still," Ursa hedged, "you're a follower of the ancient ways. However, someone once asked me if I valued my traditions over my own daughter. At the time, I discovered I did not," Ursa says as she looks over at her husband before returning her gaze back to Din, "Therefore, you have our support."

Alrich then voiced his approval as well, "We appreciate your defeat and capture of Moff Gideon. We're eager to see him stand trial for his crimes."

After hearing their confessions, Din still wasn't sure if he is worthy to be considered a Mandalorian anymore. "My creed states that no one living thing can ever see my face. Yet I took my helmet off twice. Once to rescue my foundling, and then again to say goodbye to him."

"If I may ask, who trained you in the Way?" Alrich asked curiously.

"Kan Saxon."

"Saxon," Ursa sneered at the name.

"If I may," Fenn says as he raised a hand. "Kan was nothing like his uncle. I knew him. He served in the Protectors for a time. Although we disagreed on many things, he was a great soldier and an honorable man. He only joined the Watch due to his contempt for his clan's actions in supporting the Empire."

"Thank you," Din said softly as he looked up at Fenn.

"But the child is now back in your care?" Ursa asked Din puzzlingly.

"He is," Din replied shortly.

"How?"

"Uh, that would be me," Kia finally says as she raised her hand up. "Din gave up Grogu to the Jedi. The child was in our care to be trained in the Force. However — " Kia paused briefly as she looked over at Din, who's now looking back down at his lap. "The child has chosen to be reunited with his buir, and had asked me to train him."

"A Jedi, huh?" Alrich blurted out with surprise.

"That's right. My name is Kia Starflier of the New Jedi Order and we —" she says and gestures to the group. "— are now Clan Mudhorn."

"It's been a long time since we've had a Jedi in our presence," Ursa says. "Have you heard the names Ezra Bridger or Kenan Jarrus?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Our daughter, Sabine, was out looking for her friend, Ezra. But when we told her that the new owner of the Darksaber will be here, she and our son immediately wanted to come meet him," Ursa explained.

"So Fenn, does this mean you're no longer the leader of the Protectors?" Alrich abruptly asked.

"That is correct. I was the last one," Fenn replied. "So I decided to join the remnants of Clan Eldar and the Manda'lore."

"I have not — " Din spat out unexpectedly, but stopped briefly to take a deep breath, then continued in a more calmer tone. "I have not officially accepted the title yet."

"Well, that can always be a topic of another conversation," Ursa smiled as three servers enter with bottles of wine. "Right now, it is important that the saber is back in the hands of a Mandalorian."

Once everyone's glasses were filled, Alrich raised his glass and said, "May I propose a toast?" He paused for a moment as he waited for the party's attention. "To new beginnings."

"To new beginnings," everyone repeats as a team of servants began placing plates of food on the table. A large animal, which resembled a large deer or an elk, was the main dish, along with several bowls of vegetables and fruits as side dishes, as well as two loaves of bread. It was a feast that the Wren's had organized specifically for the Manda'lore and his clan.