Din's POV

This is his new life now. In the past he was a clan of one, before he rediscovered the survivors of his old tribe living on that the space station. Then after the Armorer so harshly banished him without question, a woman he has known for his entire life, Din thought he was never going to feel the same way again. He no longer left like a Mandaorian anymore, until he met Kia and her clan.

He had been hardened at a very young age, silently watchful and wrathfully grieving. For most of his life he wanted revenge, but he did not know for what. Perhaps the murder of his parents by the Separatist army, but his disdain for droids quickly shifted to anyone not part of his tribe. The Empire, the Rebel Alliance, the New Republic, pirates or smugglers, were all the same in his eyes. He put his expertise to good use and made a name for himself in the Bounty Hunters' Guild. All others saw him as the enigmatic armored warrior who enjoyed seizing people for money, and mercilessly killing anyone who stood in his way. Maybe they were right about him. He was a cruel man back then.

He had never once reconsidered what his purpose in life was. Over the years, his motives became only himself and his covert. After his parents were killed, and being rescued by Death Watch, he had been trained to survive and avoid becoming prey. When he was in the Fighting Corps, he pushed beyond his normal limits, always getting back to his feet whenever the more experienced youngsters thought he had enough. Due to his ability to master his techniques and quickly learn, he eventually became one of the most experienced fighters in his covert. Yet it was his persistence that had made him an intimating adversary.

Now that he is part of a new clan who supports his beliefs, even though they don't necessarily agree with it, has caused him to rethink what it truly means to be a Mandalorian. Those who raised him had so effortlessly casted him out without any shred of doubt. Which made him think - Did they ever truly care for him? This new clan is unfamiliar and he's not sure where he will fit in, but he knows the adjustment period will be long and difficult. Yet he's willing to make it work somehow.

He's still convinced that his Creed should remain intact, but he's not sure what it means to him anymore. So far, the only Mandalorians who followed The Way was his old clan, now only two of them left. He now understands that they were the outliers in their society, which made him realize just how little he actually knows of the culture and history of his people. Kia and her clan has altered the way he views his faith and how he was raised. Maybe one day, he could be like the rest of them, to be free to reveal his face in public without fear of losing his identity.

He had not dared to question his Creed after Bo-Katan had pointed out its flaws. It was Grogu who had initially tugged on his deep-rooted personal beliefs. He is no longer the same person he was when he was living on Nevarro with his old clan. He had been so cold, but the child had softened the unbreakable beskar that encased him. No longer was he a loner, and now he has a new clan, and his foundling has returned. His purpose is now bigger than himself and his Creed.

And now, as he sat by himself in one of the vacant houses in this deserted and forgotten encampment, he is struggling to think about what to make of his life now. Before, everything was simple. He went through the motions of every monotonous day in order to remain alive. For most of his life, he felt a deep disgraced, and nauseating sensation in his stomach whenever he thought of someone removing his helmet, because he would have never removed it himself. Until he met Grogu. In his eyes, his actions were justified. He is now beginning to realize that there is more to being a Mandalorian than simply covering one's face.

How much of his culture was a lie? How could The Way be worth following when it forced him to give up his foundling? That mission had nothing to do with The Way of the Mandalore. He would have reunited Grogu with his own kind regardless, because he was not equipped to train him properly. But now that the child has chosen to return to him, along with a new teacher who is also a Mandalorian. He couldn't ask for a more perfect outcome.

Although he has not known Kia for long, but being here now, and seeing her interact with the other Mandalorians, has changed him in ways he never thought was possible. He never asked for intimacy, nor did he want to start developing feelings for this woman. However, there's a cheerful mood here, a welcoming community that he is not used to.

Space was vast and lonely, which was why most travelers preferred to fly together, either with a friend or a droid to fill the deafening silence. For Din, he had preferred the comfort of his old life. Until he had a tiny green baby to snug inside his cape and coo along with his disgruntled sighing. He felt so pathetic be so desperate for companionship when he had never desired it before.

His title of Mand'alor had finally caught up to him once he met Kia and her companions. So the members of this new tribe are planning on searching across the galaxy for any remnants of their kind. They are seeking those clans whose lineage was rich in recorded ties to Mandalore, and those who were only raised to know the culture and not the home world.

For a while, Din tried to forget all about his right to rule that unluckily came with the Darksaber he accidentally won in a battle. Although he has not yet decided to step up to fulfill his duties, but having Kia around has given him a sense of encouragement and optimism that he never expected.

Retaking Mandalore and disposing of the planet's Imperial occupation would be a massive task, one that would be unattainable without many, many allies. Din knows this to be a fact and he wasn't interested in the responsibilities of leadership.

Yet the only thing he is now confident of, is that he doesn't want to be like his old tribe. He does not want to force anyone to return, nor will he force The Way on any who chose to join their cause. He wants everyone to feel welcomed to live together as Mandalorians once again.

***

Kia's POV

She could tell Din was in deep thought. He had spent most the day locked inside his sleeping quarters in one of the abandoned houses. He didn't even have the kid with him. Grogu spent most of the time with her and playing with insects in the grass. She knows Din has been through a lot in such a short period of time. After getting exiled from his old clan, the ownership of the Darksaber, the unexpected return of this foundling, and the formation of a new clan who invited him to join. She felt it was best to leave him alone to his thoughts.

The Jedi had always preached non-attachment, but her Mandalorian creed states that family and one's clan is essential, and the foundlings are the future. To find balance between her Jedi codes and her Mandalorian creed is something she continues to battle with each and every day. Most of her life was spent alone. Fighting each mission and every battle, training and exercising, day by day, month by month, year by year.

Although she has made some friends or allies throughout her life, but very few last very long and not one of them were lovers. Yet today she's back home with her clan and plenty of tasks to keep her busy. One of which included helping to train the baby. She has to keep reminding herself that she's supposed to be the advisor to the Manda'lore, in addition to being Grogu's master.

She cares for Din, and she knows it is not professional to have slept with the man who is supposed to be her superior. As she thinks back from the very first time they touched skin, her body is aching and trembling for more. It was nothing she had ever felt before. It was bold and forbidden, yet affectionate and intriguing. All she's known in her life were meaningless one-night-stands, mainly before she was knighted.

Din was not a Rebel soldier or some random stranger that she had slept with in her past. He was much like her, a strong-willed Mandalorian warrior, and although he has different beliefs than her, he is an honorable man who loves his foundling. There's a part of her that doesn't care if people found out about their affair. As long as she has her clan and Din by her side, she feels they can conquer any obstacle that is thrown at them.