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wanderingjedi77 · 1 year

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Bo Katan x The Armorer (The Foundling)

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Summary: When a child and her mother are brought to the covert following a routine patrol, the lives of the Armorer and Bo Katan Kryze are forever altered.

It was Paz Vizsla who had found the girl half starved, the mother ill and unresponsive when he was patrolling Navarro. He had almost missed her, but something had made him turn his head, and he saw this small child pleading near his feet. Her mother was lying nearby on a dirty blanket.

His parental instincts had kicked in when the child asked if he had food or medicine and had quickly ordered his squad to take the mother back to the Covert.

"Come with me, child." Paz said softly. "We will help you and your mother."

"T...thank you sir."

"What is your name?"

"Satine." Satine answered quietly, and Paz picked her up like he would Ragnar, his son. Holding the child close and trying not to think about how light she was.

When they made it back to the covert, he had one of their female coverts get Satine a bath, new clothes and some food. The clothes were a little big, and she asked for her mother a few times; only to be told she was sick and needed rest as Paz contacted the Armorer and Bo. He knew they had a Jedi visiting, and wondered if she could help figure out what happened.

When Ahsoka met him outside the common area, Paz looked grim.

"The child was starving Jedi. And her mother is very sick."

Ahsoka flickers her gaze to the child and frowns. "How did you come across her?"

"She approached us." Paz answers. "I couldn't turn her away. She's so small. She needed our help."

"You did the right thing, Paz." Ahsoka answers. "I came here to pass along information, but I'll do what I can for the girl."

"Thank you." Paz answers. "I will go and check on the mother." He leaves, and Ahsoka takes a deep breath before she enters the room.

The girl couldn't be more than ten or eleven. With dark reddish hair and blue eyes that were fixated on the untouched food in front of her.

She was nervous, Ahsoka realised. Looking around like she was afraid someone would take it away at any moment. She curled her arm around the plate and looked up at Ahsoka like she sensed she was there.

"You can have seconds if you want." Ahsoka says gently as she sits across from her, tilting her head. "The covert takes care of all its foundlings." She adds, and the girl relaxes a bit, starting to eat her food. "My name is Ahsoka. You and your mother were brought in by Paz?"

The girl nods and pauses. "Mother is very sick." She looks at Ahsoka, hesitating. "You have a very pretty name. It's a lot better than mine anyway." She hesitates again as Ahsoka nods at her to continue

"My name is Satine."

Ahsoka smiled warmly. "You were named after the Duchess?" She asks, and Satine nods. "Your parents must have high hopes for you."

"I guess so." Satine shrugs. She looks at the doorway to see Paz and swallows nervously. Was something wrong?

"Young one? I need you to come with me." Paz says from the doorway, and Ahsoka is already on her feet.

"Am I in trouble?" Satine asks. She stands up and moves next to Ahsoka.

"No. It's..." Paz straightens up. "Please come with me Satine."

Ahsoka puts a hand on her shoulder. "I will come with you." She offers. Satine looks at her and nods before they follow Paz into the medical wing.

"She must go in by herself." Paz says suddenly. Ahsoka looks down at Satine and squeezes her hand. Trying to bring her comfort. She knows it's about her mother now.

He pauses at the door, and Ahsoka moves to lean against the wall as Satine lets go of her hand. She goes inside to her mother, who's been lying there for three days, and reaches out to hold her hand as Paz comes into the room.

It's cold.

"She's gone." Satine says suddenly. Her face feels hot, and she grips her mother's hand tightly. It takes a moment for Satine to realise that she's crying.

"She is with your Buir now and your ancestors." Paz replies and kneels down next to her. "But do not feel as though you are forgotten small one." He stands up. "I will be back in a moment."

Paz stands up and leaves the room, meeting Ahsoka outside; leaning against the wall. She looks at him, but death hangs in the air through the force, and she knows what Paz is about to say.

"The child's mother has died." Paz says. He looks at Ahsoka. "I will help prepare the rites, but the child must be accepted as a foundling of the tribe. You must speak to the Armorer." He looks back inside the room to Satine, who is crying quietly.

Ahsoka nods and thanks him before moving past Paz to Satine. She kneels down next to her and places a hand in her back. "Paz needs to prepare your mother for her funeral. I need you to come with me Satine."

Satine sobs, but nods; letting Ahsoka help her up. Ahsoka holds her close as they walk back to Paz, and the giant of a man places a gentle hand on Satine's head.

"It will be hard, young one, but you are not alone." Paz offers before moving away. Satine sniffs and wraps both her arms around Ahsoka tightly.

"It's going to be okay, Satine." Ahsoka tells her. She lets Satine hold onto her for as long as she needs until her tears are quiet and take her by the hand. "Come. The Armorer wishes to speak with us."

"Is she the leader around here?" Satine asks, trying to focus on anything else but her mother for a moment.

"She is." Ahsoka says, "But she has a soft spot for foundlings."

Satine nodded and didn't say anything else as they approached the forge. She kept close to Ahsoka when they approached the Armorer and a red-haired woman who had her helmet off. She didn't know Mandalorians could do that.

"This is the foundling?" The Armorer says as she puts down her hammer. She tilts her head as she looks at her, realizing she has been crying. "What has upset you adi'ka?"

"My mother..." Satine shakes her head and rubs tears from her eyes.

"...is gone." Ahsoka says. She looks at Bo, who is staring at Satine sympathetically. "Paz requested she be taken in as a foundling."

"A noble request." The Armorer answers. "You have no one else, child?" The Armorer asks softly.

Satine nodded and looked at the floor. She didn't want to look at anyone. She didn't want them to tell her it was going to be okay. Her mother was dead.

She really did have no one.

"Child, you must look me in the eyes when speaking. When you answer questions. " The Armorer explained. Satine looked at her, eyes unsure and cautious. "Good."

She turned to Bo, who had turned pale; frowning. Trying to figure out where she knew this child from. Why did she look so familiar?

"What is your name child? You're parents names?" The Armorer asked. "I must write it down so you don't forget your history."

Satine swallowed, nervous. "My name is Satine." She looked at Ahsoka, who nodded at her to continue. "My mother was Adalia, and my father was Koregan. But everyone called my buir Korkie. He died in the purge."

"He was Mandalorian?"

Satine nods. "I don't remember him though."

"You were young. It is understandable." The Armorer turned to Bo, who startled badly. She placed a hand on her arm and drew her attention. The Armorer tilted her helmet, so it touched Bo's and squeezed her arm as she pulled away.

"Are you wives?" Satine asked suddenly.

"We are." The Armorer replied, amused.

Satine brightened up. "Oh! That's so wonderful!"

Bo nodded in thanks but still didn't say anything. How could she? Not when the eyes of her late sister stared at them.

"I have to go." Bo says suddenly, ignoring the look Ahsoka sends her way. The room is suddenly too hot, too suffocating. How could no one have told her that she had a niece? That she wasn't the last Kryze.

How could they lie to her?

Satine watches as Bo leaves with a furrowed brow, her heart seizing in pain. Was she angry with her? Satine frowned. "Have I done something wrong?"

"No adi'ka. Bo is just having a rough day." The Armorer puts a hand on Satine's shoulder and draws her attention towards her. "Come. I will teach you about our funeral rights and help you through the ceremony tomorrow."

The Armorer looks at Ahsoka as she leaves with Satine, and Ahsoka nods at her. She will go and check on Bo in the meantime.

"Bye, Ahsoka." Satine waves over her shoulder and turns her attention back to the Armorer.

"I'll see you in a bit little one." Ahsoka replies gently. She watches them disapear and then reaches out with the force. Bo is outside? Upset. Angry.

Ahsoka hurries.

By the time Ahsoka finds Bo, she's thrown her helmet to the ground and is pacing. Ahsoka approaches carefully, not wanting to startle Bo but understanding that the anger she feels is coming from a place of hurt.

"Bo?" Ahsoka says, and Bo turns to her, furious.

"Nothing you say can make this better." Bo snaps at her.

"Look. You can be as mad as you want in private. But not in front of Satine." Ahsoka argues back. "She's force sensitive Bo. She knew you were upset."

Bo swallows hard and breathes hard. But the anger still lingers. "Just like Kenobi."

"He never knew about Korkie. Why would your sister tell him he had a son? She wanted him to stay with the Jedi Order." Ahsoka answers. She steps closer to Bo and holds her arm.

"That child..."

"Satine." Ahsoka corrects gently. "Has just lost her mother."

Bo turns away from Ahsoka, trying to calm down. "I won't tell the child yet."

Ahsoka sighs. "Okay."

"I need some time, Ahsoka. Please." Bo pleads with her, red hair falling in her eyes. She clenched her fist and Ahsoka turned away.

"Come inside before it gets too dark, at least." Ahsoka says. "I'll go check on Satine." She walks away, leaving Bo alone with her thoughts.

And with her regrets.

#star wars #the mandalorian #bo katan kryze #star wars mandalorian #star wars the mandalorian season 3 #the armorer #nitearmor #ahsoka tano #paz viszla #korkie is a kenobi #korkie kryze #foundling #bo katan x the armorer #i hope you like this #long term fic

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bloody-bee-tea · 2 years

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Beetober 2022 Day 16 - Foundling

Jiang Cheng know his fate has been decided when Jiang Fengmian calls him into his study.

“We have an answer from Qinghe Nie,” he tells him and Jiang Cheng sits down. “They agreed to the marriage.”

“But why them,” Jiang Cheng whispers out.

He doesn’t care about himself—being married off has always been his future and he made his peace with that long ago—but to the Nies—that is a cruelty Jiang Cheng didn’t think Jiang Fengmian to be capable of.

“You will go where I send you,” Jiang Fengmian says and Jiang Cheng is quick to nod.

“Of course I will, but they will find out. And they won’t be too happy.”

“You are a foundling, and that is all you’re ever going to be,” Jiang Fengmian sneers out and Jiang Cheng flinches. “Qinghe Nie believes in the occult; they think someone like you is a lucky sign. They are more than happy to take you and you will do your utmost to get this marriage over with. I do not have to remind you what should happen to you if the marriage falls through.”

“Understood,” Jiang Cheng mumbles but he can still barely understand Jiang Fengmian’s hate for him.

Yes, he is not his son, but Wei Wuxian is; Yu Ziyuan and he must have cheated on each other at roughly the same time after all. The story of Jiang Cheng being a foundling is just that—a story, carefully distributed throughout the world to not arise suspicion when Jiang Cheng doesn’t end up looking anything like his father.

Which happened, of course, because Jiang Cheng is the spitting image of his mother, but that in turn made new problems rise up.

Jiang Cheng is aware of the rumors going around that the foundling story is just a cover-up to hide Yu Ziyuan’s betrayal and they are not even wrong.

And Nie Mingjue is going to have his head when he finds out who Jiang Cheng’s real father is.

Jiang Cheng had hoped to be married off to one of the other Sects—even a lesser one would have been fine—because Jiang Fengmian never made it a secret that this was going to be his future.

He is not the heir and he has never been regarded as such, especially not since Wei Wuxian came to live with them. Jiang Fengmian was quick to appoint him heir and he didn’t hide the fact that Wei Wuxian was his actual son.

To this day Jiang Cheng will never understand how it’s okay that Jiang Fengmian has a bastard but should word ever get out that Jiang Cheng is a bastard as well his mother will likely be killed.

It simply makes no sense but of course he knows better than to argue against this.

Jiang Fengmian waited until the last possible moment to tell him about the marriage because not even a day later Jiang Cheng is being sent away, with the required minimum of people to follow him to not offend Qinghe Nie.

He didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to his mother or sister and Jiang Cheng knows that it’s a very deliberate move from Jiang Fengmian.

His mother probably has a thing or two to say about his marriage to Nie Mingjue after all.

By the time he arrives in front of the gates to the Unclean Realm, Jiang Cheng has his mind made up. He has met Nie Mingjue before on several occasions and he likes the other man; he is not going to lead him on about his heritage, no matter what it should mean for himself.

So when Nie Mingjue leads him to the rooms where he’ll be staying in for now, Jiang Cheng stops him with a hand to his elbow.

“I would like to talk to you about something,” Jiang Cheng says and then sends a pointed look at the people around them. “In private, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“That’s highly inappropriate,” Nie Huaisang chimes in but Nie Mingjue only rolls his eyes at him.

“And who here is going to care or breathe a word of this?” Nie Mingjue shoots back, glaring at everyone. “I thought so,” he then smugly says and points at a door just up ahead. “We can talk there.”

Jiang Cheng nods and leads the way, and he doesn’t even care that his behaviour is almost offending. His life is forfeit anyway, this should hardly make a dent in Nie Mingjue’s regard for him.

The room is a simple office, furnished with nothing more than two tables for paperwork and one to take their tea and Jiang Cheng thinks it’s perfect.

This will be over quick anyway.

“What is it you want to talk about?” Nie Mingjue asks as he closes the door behind them and Jiang Cheng sits down.

He didn’t give much thought on how he’s going to break the news to Nie Mingjue but he knows one thing.

“Before I start, there’s a condition,” he says and meets Nie Mingjue’s eyes without wavering.

“Okay,” Nie Mingjue unsurely says, clearly at a total loss as to what is happening right now.

“After I said what I want to say, you’ll no longer want to marry me. And that is fine, but you can’t send me back to Lotus Pier. So I need you to promise me that you’ll either kill me after, or you’ll help me get away.”

“Kill you,” Nie Mingjue mutters. “What the hell is going on here, Wanyin? Are you here to spy on us? To kill me to take over Qinghe?”

It’s not a bad guess all things considered but Jiang Cheng shakes his head.

“Promise me,” he insists instead of explaining and watches as Nie Mingjue presses his lips together.

“Fine, I’ll promise. I’ll either kill you or help you vanish.”

“Thank you,” Jiang Cheng breathes out and slumps over a little bit. This was the most important part, at least to him. “I am not a foundling,” he starts with and immediately Nie Mingjue frowns.

“You’re not—does that mean the rumors are true? The Violet Spider is your mother, then?”

“Yes,” Jiang Cheng nods and watches as Nie Mingjue puzzles out the rest.

“But Jiang Fengmian is not your father, then, clearly. And you think this knowledge will make me want to kill you—” he trails off there but when a surge of killing intent goes through the room Jiang Cheng knows that he figured it out so he nods.

“Wen Ruohan is my father.”

It seems as if Nie Mingjue has a hard time to calm himself down at those words, but Jiang Cheng isn’t worried. His death has always been on the table after all.

“He killed my father,” Nie Mingjue finally presses out and Jiang Cheng nods.

“I know. That’s why I had to tell you. Jiang Fengmian insisted on marrying me off and he can’t marry me off to Qishan Wen for obvious reasons. He already has alliances secured with Lanling Jin and Gusu Lan, though, so that only left you, despite my protests. He doesn’t care.”

“You are the son of that monster,” Nie Mingjue hisses and even though Jiang Cheng flinches at that, he still nods.

Wen Ruohan is a monster and Jiang Cheng is his son. Jiang Cheng didn’t chose him as a father and he has no contact to him at all but of course Nie Mingjue would not be able to see past that. Jiang Cheng knew that from the very beginning and yet it still hurts somehow.

“You are the son of the Violet Spider,” Nie Mingjue breathes out next and suddenly all the killing intent is gone.

“What?” Jiang Cheng asks because that shouldn’t even factor in here. “Listen, it doesn’t matter who my mother is. If you send me back then something worse than death is waiting for me, Jiang Fengmian will make sure of it. So either you kill me—as would be your right—or you help me get away from all of this.”

“This is why Popo Yu has always been so fond of you,” Nie Mingjue goes on as if he hasn’t heard Jiang Cheng at all.

“Mingjue, listen to me!” Jiang Cheng yells out. “Jiang Fengmian thinks you’re just a bunch of savages who believe in the occult and so you wouldn’t look more closely into this matter, but I am telling you, I am not a foundling, I do not bring luck and my father is your sworn enemy!”

“But we do believe in the occult,” Nie Mingjue says as if Jiang Cheng’s other words mean nothing. “And you are the son of the Violet Spider. Spiders do not have sons. They only birth daughters.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Jiang Cheng asks, completely puzzled by this turn of events.

“It means that you’re a miracle,” Nie Mingjue tells him. “Popo Yu dotes on you because you’re the first male Spider in centuries. We Nies do believe in the occult and a foundling has nothing against a male Spider.”

“But I am not—I haven’t received proper training,” Jiang Cheng stammers, unsure what exactly is happening right now.

“I am sure Yu Ziyuan would love to join us here under the guise of advising you through this courtship,” Nie Mingjue gives back and Jiang Cheng blinks at him.

“Mingjue, I am telling you that I am Wen Ruohan’s son and you plan to do what? Marry me?”

“Yes,” Nie Mingjue easily gives back and Jiang Cheng rears back as if Nie Mingjue has hit him.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Why not?”

“I felt the killing intent coming from you just a moment ago! How can you even ask me that, I have felt exactly how you feel about this.”

“No. You felt how I feel about Wen Ruohan,” Nie Mingjue corrects him. “You have no clue how I feel about you. And before you start again—it doesn’t matter that he is your father. It wasn’t you who killed my father and it wasn’t you who made him kill my father either. You’re just a kid who got settled with a monster for a father, but that isn’t your fault. And you do not have contact to him, as far as I know, right?”

“Right,” Jiang Cheng slowly says. “I haven’t even met him once in my life.”

“Then I don’t see how I would make you responsible for my father’s death.”

“What if I don’t want to be a Spider?” Jiang Cheng tries again, because he thought his only two options were death or banishment.

He never considered that marriage might still be on the table and now that it is, he doesn’t know how to handle it.

“Then you won’t be,” Nie Mingjue gives back with a shrug. “I just thought you’d want to learn something about your heritage. You don’t have to, though, I will marry you regardless.”

“Why though?” Jiang Cheng breathes out and Nie Mingjue smiles at him.

“Because I like you. Because I can see myself falling in love with you. Isn’t that enough reason?”

It is enough reason, of course it is, it’s just not what Jiang Cheng expected so he has a hard time wrapping his head around this.

At Jiang Cheng’s continued silence, Nie Mingjue’s smile dims.

“Of course I understand that you are an unwilling participant in all of this, so if you’d rather vanish and leave all of this behind, I will help you however I can,” he finally awkwardly says and Jiang Cheng is quick to shake his head.

“I am not entirely unwilling to marry you,” Jiang Cheng tells him immediately. “I just thought—I didn’t think that was a possibility still.”

“Well, then it’s a day full of surprises for both of us,” Nie Mingjue says, his smile making a return. “But I still need to hear if you want to marry me.”

“Yes, I want to,” Jiang Cheng rushes out, afraid to miss this one chance to maybe get some happiness in his life.

“Then we’ll proceed with everything as was planned,” Nie Mingjue decides and offers Jiang Cheng his hand to take, which of course Jiang Cheng immediately does.

This day certainly ended better than he ever dared to hope for.

Link to my kofi

#bt writes #mingcheng #the untamed #beetober2022 #mdzs #canon divergence #arrange marriage #foundling #dysfunctional family #threat of violence and death #hurt/comfort #getting together

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