Friend or Enemy?

Din turned his head right as he saw Boba Fett taking large steps through the woods, approaching them fast, and as he turned to look back at Aria, he saw her standing in the fighting stance holding her golden saber. He moved Grogu's pouch to the side of his leg as he took a deep breath in before walking a few steps ahead.

"Fett!"Din called out but there was no response other than a few blaster shots in their direction. Din takes a few on his armor as he became the human shield between Aria and Boba.

"Step away, Mandalorian! I want her and her only. "We have no reason to have this quarrel over an enemy," Fett roared as he ceased the fire for a few moments.

Din looks behind him to check if Aria was alright, she looks up at him. For the first time, Din senses something strange inside him, some tingle in his palm that was leading him to move the Dark Saber. He sways it side to side as he moved to her side, both of them standing in a fighting stance.

"She is no enemy, Fett! If you want to take her, you will need to defeat me first! " But as he said that, his eyes shot up in the direction of a blaster shot that came from the top of one of the trees.

"I don't think so!" Boba replied coldly. Din took a few moments to process what had happened as he turned to look at Aria.

Aria was shot and the spurts of blood washed down her arm. Din moves towards her, holding her before she hits the ground. He examines the wound quickly, it was on her shoulder but due to the sudden forceful impact, she lost her consciousness.

"You are going to regret this, Fett!" Din stood up after laying her down and placing Grogu beside her. He prepares to charge, but another shot flies down in his direction, missing Grogu by a few inches.

"Stand down or next it will be him! You know her. If she missed, consider that as a warning," Fett threatened again.

"Why do you want her?" Din asked as he breathed heavily and tried his best to keep himself calm.

"She has a high bounty on her. And she's a Jedi! Whoever wants her, wants her alive. That's why she still breathes!" Din turned to look at her for a moment and finds her still breathing but unsteady. He knew she needed to be patched up immediately if he did need her alive.

"Din!" He hears her whispering as he feels torn and forsaken. He didn't move or speak for a few moments.

"You can take her but after I patch her up!" Din's voice was steady and calm. He made sure that Boba wouldn't get an idea of the emotional attachment he felt for her. Not that he would understand. A Barbarian, bounty hunter who never really had any social connections in his life other than his father who was brutally murdered by a Jedi. He had every reason to hate Jedis without question.

Boba turned in the direction of the trees, signaling to cease the attack and that Fennec could join him in the clearing. Din quickly moved to pick Grogu up, placing him safely in the pouch, and then picked Aria up in his arms, effortlessly before taking her inside the cabin. He quickly fished through the medical kit, picking up everything he needed.

He tore open her sleeve to reveal her left shoulder that was bleeding out. He cleaned the wound, removing all the injured tissues before pouring in the bacta spray making her squirm in pain. She held on to him as he finished sewing her wound even if she lay unconscious.

Her breathing was getting steadier as he dressed the wound and looked outside the window to see Boba waiting along with Fennec. He held her hand for a moment before looking at her face as he promised himself that he will find her and bring her back.

-------

The Hutt palace celebrated the victory of Boba Fett with a celebration as they arrived with the Jedi that they were looking for since the news about Luke Skywalker was heard.

Aria opened her eyes to find herself confined in the cells, her shoulder patched up and hands chained with a brace around her neck. She struggled a little to sit herself up on the bench that was laying before she tried to free herself from the chains.

But as she focuses on the force and tries to open the chains, her brace around the neck begins to beep alerting her that it's probably an energy bomb that would go off if she uses the force. She didn't know where she was nor how she arrived here. The last she remembered was preparing for a fight against a bounty hunter with Din, which made her mind cloud even more.

"Din gave me up?" She thought to herself as she looked around to see if there are any ways to escape. The walls were made of mud and one of the walls was made of iron rods that she knew she could bend if she could use the force. "Hey! Is anybody here?" She called out.

Two droids appear on the cell door looking at her, "You are in the prisoner quarters of Jabba's Palace, my lady! Please stay calm."

"Calm? Why am I brought here? Who are you working for?" Aria's voice raised as she tries to stand up, grunting in pain.

"Please stay calm!" one of the droids answered.

Soon the droids were alerted by the footsteps that approached the cell door. "Master!" Both droids bowed to a silhouette that stood a few inches away from her cell. She craned her head forward to take a glimpse of the man.

"Aria..." A hissing voice pierces through the humid air in the cell. Aria tried her best to look at the man clearly but all she saw was a tall, well-built man, his cape covering most of his body and weapons protruding from his figure.

"Who are you?" She asked in anguish.

I fought your father once, a long, long time ago! Your true father!" The voice replied as he stood in the center of the cell door. Her face turned dark in confusion, unsure what the man was talking about and what he meant.

"My true father?" She asked.

"The man paused as he lifted his hand over the cell door and opened it using force. He approached her calmly, but each step he took made her heart jump in fear. She had never felt this helpless since her father sacrificed his life to protect her.

"Aria Kenobi..." The man hisses as he steps closer to her revealing his masked face that was covered in a hood entirely. The mask looked scarier than anything she had seen in her life. A black metal, with several runic markings on them.

But she recognized the name immediately. Kenobi? Obi-Wan Kenobi? It can't be! She was shaken and in shock as she stared at the masked figure.