The Day of Disaster/Day of Hope: Part 1

Sabine sat in her room at her family home, she had thrown paint all over her art on her walls in rage and sadness. It was her fault, she determined as she sat on the floor looking at her Mandalorian Helmet. She had failed and it was her fault. She had cried for hours when she went to her room. In a moment of sacrifice to keep her from being killed, Ezra had taken a blaster shot meant for her. Falling into the frozen ice and disappeared into the deep water. Now she felt alone, never realizing the feelings she had for him. Now he was gone and she was left to mourn. Several of her family including Rau and Kanan had come to try to get her to leave her room to talk to them. She just wanted to be left alone. Standing she went to the mirror and looked at herself, she knew Ezra had a crush on her ever since he had joined them. He had protected her, supported her and even was there when she had problems. He was one of the reasons that she now was home. One of Gar Saxton's men used a sniper rifle and tried to shoot her when she defeated Gar, Ezra had seen the deadly bolt and pushed her out of the path and was hit instead. In one second Sabine had lost the one person other than her family that she cared about. Hearing a knock on the door, she grimaced. She did not want to be consoled, she wanted to cry and rage about the unfairness of what had happened. Answering the door, she saw her mother Ursa. Throwing her arms around her mother, Sabine started to cry again.

"Oh, my poor Sabine. I know it is hard. But you must come out and help us prepare to rescue your father." Ursa said as she held her mourning daughter.

"It is not fair, Mother. I never told him, I never let him know how important he was to me." Sabine stated as she cried. "I was hardly ever nice to him, I belittled him, I treated him like shit and now I do not know if I can go on without him."

"My dear young love is always confusing. I am sure he knew you cared about him that you loved him." Ursa said as she tried to console her grieving daughter. "Just like I know, he did what he did because he loved you."

Sniffing and feeling her mother wipe some of the tears from her face, she tried to stop crying. "Have they found him yet?"

"No, but the Lake is large and the undercurrents could have carried him almost anywhere. I have sent as many as I can spare to search for his body." Ursa replied knowing until they find the body and Sabine could conduct funeral services she would not want to think about anything else. She looked at her grieving daughter and felt the sadness and despair emanate from Sabine. Ursa remembered, the young Jedi did not just save her daughter but her as well. Taking the blaster shot that would have killed her, when it missed Sabine. She felt shame at what she intended that day, turning him and the older Jedi over to Gar Saxton. In a moment of self-sacrifice, he had given his life for her and Sabine. When he fell through the Ice after being struck, she will never forget as Sabine screamed his name in pure anguish and it took both her and Triston to pull Sabine back from the crumbling ice bellowing in despair. Wanting to plunge in after him. Ursa did not realize that her daughter had loved him and was sure that in some ways she did not realize it either until he was gone. "Come the activity will help you grieve for him."

Sabine allowed her mother to guide her to the main room, where they prepared to make an assault to rescue her father Alrich from the Imperials. Sabine just hoped that they would succeed without Ezra, who seemed to be able to do the almost impossible sometimes.

The Next two days kept her extremely busy and she had no time to grieve. First there was the fiasco at the tower, later she personally led the mission to rescue her father Alrich from the Transports that were taking him to the Capital to be executed. At the same time the Weapon System the "Empress" was deployed and later destroyed. She then turned the Dark Saber over to Bo-Katan believing that Bo would be a better focal point and leader. Leaving the other she returned to Knownest and after finding out that no one has found Ezra's Body yet. Decided to go to her room to continue to mourn and wait. Passing out as she continued to grieve.

Humming an old song, Milonis Ost pulled on her nets. She had fished here several times and it was over ten miles from Clan Wren house of Vizsla or their lake. The River that ran from the lake always had plenty of fish and Milonis was certain that her nets would pull in a great prize. As the old woman pulled she smiled, the net was extremely heavy so it must be full of fish. Grabbing her pully, she hooked it to a tree and began to pull the line that would bring the nets to shore. As the nets finally came ashore her excitement turned to shock. A young man was trapped in her nets. At first, she was tempted just to push the body back into the river and let someone else worry about it. Then she heard the low moan from the young man, looking him over she saw the blackened blaster wound on his back-right shoulder. Shaking her head, she started to move away not wanting to get involved. Exhaling she looked closely at the man and frowned, he looked somewhat like her grandson. "Why me?" She shrugged as she pulled the young man further from the raging waters and put him on her travois. She silently prayed to the Gods of her Ancestors that he was not a Mandalorian. She was not one and because of that if the young man was an enemy of the Wren's she could be in deep trouble. It could threaten her to be allowed to live on their lands. Rolling her eyes, she decided to tempt fate and take the young man back to her cave. Disappointed that fishing would have to wait, it seems that the young man needed medical care and soon or he would die after all.

In her cave, Milonis cut away the burned and charred orange shirt away from the blaster wound. Then frowned, it was an Imperial blaster wound, she could tell. Picking up one of the Herb soaked compresses she applied it to the oozing, bleeding wound. The young man moaned in pain as he slowly came to a delirious consciousness.

"Sabine." He croaked as his eyes fluttered, then closed.

"No, I am not Sabine, my name is Milonis. Who are you?" She asked but before he could say he passed out again. Making her wonder if the young man was talking about the daughter of Ursa and Alrich Wren. Removing the compress, she applied another, the Herbs would help him heal and relieve most of the pain. Placing more wood on the fire, she covered the young man and exhaled. "Well my unwelcome guest, if you do not move or strain yourself you might live." She stated as she stood and went to check her other nets, knowing that he would sleep for hours, maybe days and probably could not move even if he wanted to.

Four hours later she returned and he was still unconscious, so she removed the compress and added another. Then rinsed out the two that she had used and washed them. Checking the wound, she saw that it was no longer oozing blood. "Remarkable, he is healing faster than a normal person would." Milonis commented as she reapplied the compress. Still she doubted that he could be moved again or could move himself for at least another day.

Triston and Fenn Rau searched, using scanner and even looking visually. But they could not find Ezra Bridger's body. "This lake is too deep to big, we could search for a month and not find him." Triston stated as he flew to another shore line and began to look again.

"Do you want to go back and tell Sabine that we could not locate his body?" Rau asked as he scanned the depths with his sensors. Seeing no sign, he flew over to stand next to Triston.

"No, I do not think I could face her without finding him. I never believed that she would feel this way about anyone that was not part of her family." Triston observed as he used his blaster to make a hole in the ice to see which way the currents were flowing.

"I believe it, I have seen that she had feelings for him when we were on Concord Dawn. Then later, yes she cared for the others but most of her concern was for him." Rau stated as he watched the flow of the current as well.

"Is that why you did not ask to be her intended?" Triston saw Rau's expression and he nodded to Rau. "I could see that you once thought about it."

"Yes, at one time I was tempted. She is quite beautiful and a capable warrior. But I could tell that she already had chosen who she wanted as her intended. Any other would not even stand a chance, no matter what they did or said." Rau stated as he expanded his scanners.

"You might be able to now." Triston observed as he blasted another hole.

"No, I hate to say it but I think she will not except anyone now. Her heart has been torn out of her and I doubt that it will ever heal. She may marry but it would be of one of convenience to have an heir, but she will never love him more likely despise him." Rau replied then exhaled. "Let us next check the rivers."

"There are so many and it would be impossible that his body could come that far and if it did we will never find it. Not this time of year. The rivers are bulging and overflowed." Triston told him as he shook his head. "Alright let us check, I do not want to return until we do a thorough search." Flying to the first of twenty-two river outlets from the lake they began to search the shore and any log catches that might have snagged the body. Near dark they stopped and returned to the Fortress, promising to restart in the morning.

Sitting on the floor, Sabine could not keep her eyes open. She was near exhaustion. But every time she closed her eyes all she could see was Ezra dropping into the freezing cold water and disappearing. The small smile on his face as he looked at her until he was gone from sight. Holding his lightsaber to her, holding it tightly. The same one that he threw to her when she fought Gar Saxton. She barely moved when her mother and father came in.

"Sabine, Triston and Fenn Rau have returned they have not found his body yet. They stated that they will restart in the morning." Alrich her father told her as he sat on the bed, looking down at her. "Tell her Ursa."

"Sabine, when and if we find him. I want to add his name to the Family Honor Scrolls, listed as your intended if that is alright?" Ursa asked as she took Sabine's hand and saw her look up at her with a hint of a smile.

"Yes, I would like that. In all intents and purposes that is what he is or was to me." Sabine said then put her head down, reaching up to wipe the tears from her eyes.

Ursa had decided that if Ezra had not been killed, she believed that they owed the young man something of great value for saving her and Sabine's life. Sabine. Even if he did not want the honor, Ursa would make him at blaster point if necessary. Honor demanded it, so listing him as Sabine's intended was about all they could do. They could now lay him to rest within the Clan's Burial Grounds and proudly display his name.

"Now my daughter you must come out and return to the fight. Mandalore needs you, just like it needs Bo-Katan. Your knowledge of the Empire and Imperial tactics will benefit us greatly." Ursa stated as she knelt to take Sabine's hands. "We will allow you one more day to mourn."

"What about his body?" Sabine asked sorrowfully as she gazed at her mother. Not wanting to move on until his body was found and Funeral Rights could be observed.

"The same, one more day of searching then Triston, Fenn Rau and the others must be ready to continue the fight. I am sorry my dear, it has to be this way." Alrich her father added as he exhaled. He would have liked to have met the young man that saved both his wife and daughter.

"If it is only one more day, then I want to go and search as well." Sabine stated as she stood and picked up her helmet and jetpack. Not knowing if she could handle finding his dead body and seeing it. But she had to find it, secretly she had hope that he was still alive and until she saw his body she would not stop hoping.

Sitting up with the aid of a stuffed pillow, Ezra looked down at the sling on his right arm. He felt bone tired, exhausted and in extreme pain. The thudding in his shoulder told him that he was injured severely. Taking a cup of water from his host, he drank it greedily. "Bless you." Ezra croaked as the liquid soothed his parched throat. "I am Ezra Bridger."

"We met two and a half days ago young man, I am Milonis Ost. I fished you out of the river with my nets. You have been unconscious most of the time." She stated handing him another cup of water then a cup of fish broth. "When you first came around you asked for Sabine, would that be Sabine Wren of the House of Vizsla."

"Yes, she is a friend of mine." Ezra stated as she shook her head. Then exhaled roughly.

"Wonderful, that is just what I need. You do realize that Sabine Wren is ousted by her family and you being her friend may get me ousted off their property." Milonis said in aggravation as she sat heavily on a padded seat.

"No, I believe by now they have reconciled. Well I hope they reconciled." Ezra admitted as he thought about it. If Sabine's mother Ursa had not welcomed Sabine back then he might be in extreme danger. He was still a wanted man by the Empire and probably any Saxton Imperials. He may be a problem for the old woman that had fished him out of the river.

"But you do not know, do you?" She said as she handed him another cup of broth. "I am too old to ask another Clan to allow me to live on their land. I hope that I am not punished for aiding you."

"I hope that as well, I do not want to cause you any problems. If they come around searching for me, perhaps it would be best if I go somewhere else." He said as he wondered if he could even crawl, let alone walk.

"Unfortunately, I do not think it would be good for you to move at all for a while yet. If you strain yourself too much you could end up harming yourself more than you are now. No, you are here for at least another three four days." Milonis stated then smiled. "Of course, this is the most exciting thing that has happened to me in years. I am almost looking forward to see what happens."

"Yes, me too." Then Ezra leaned back and sleep slowly overtook him and he dozed off.

Milonis stood and went back to the river to recheck her nets. Until she was banished she still needed to haul in her catch and so when the Merchant arrives she would have something to sell to him. As she pulled her net she saw a Mandalorian in armor flying down the river. She slightly panicked as the Warrior flew closer. Believing the best approach would be to lie if asked if she had seen Ezra Bridger.