Chapter Text
Feemor sighed as he parked the speeder in the apartment building hangar in Little Keldable. It had only been a day since he offered to help Obi-wan with Manda’lor Mereel and Maul. The tiny zabrak, who was now his new little brother.
Maul had been through a lot. Much more than a normal five-year-old should. The Darkside of the Force was not something to be trifled with. The fact that there was a Darksider that kidnapped young Force-sensitives was really something he should bring to the council.
Feemor couldn’t get out of his head Obi-wan’s desperate pleas for him to keep quiet. Her grey eyes had widened in her begging and she looked worried.
He knew there was a difference between worried and scared. If she had looked scared he would have told the council regardless of her promises. Nothing hurt his family. Speaking of family…
Feemor turned off the idling speeder and stepped out. He walked casually to the apartment that the Manda’lor and Myles had rented. He wasn’t entirely oblivious to the glares he was getting from some people. He knew very well the hatred that some Mandalorians had for his people.
Feemor knocked on the door politely. He ignored the dirty look that he got from the neighbor.
Manda’lor Mereel opened the door and stepped out into the hall. Feemor could hear the screams of Maul inside before the Manda’lor shut the door.
“Mereel.” Feemor inclined his head. “I have come for your first lesson and… to meet the newest member of my family.”
Mereel only tilted his head in question.
“Maul.” Feemor clarified. “Obi-wan has adopted him as her little brother which makes him my little brother.”
“I thought Jedi don’t have families.” Mereel barely winced but Feemor caught the action.
“Some of us tend to gravitate towards others and then there’s Obi-wan.” Feemor gave a shrug at Mereel. “May I come in?”
“Oh. Sure.” Mereel turned around and opened the front door.
Maul’s shouts had tempered into soft cries and whimpers.
Feemor looked around to see Myles holding the red zabrak as he panted against the heat.
The room was stifling. Heat burst from every vent the place owned and Maul was wrapped in huge fluffy blankets and still, the boy cried.
“Mau’ika. It’s okay. We have all these warm things.” Myles was murmured.
Feemor automatically knew that Maul’s coldness was not physical. The Darkside was an oily cold black shadow. It seeped into everything and left you feeling cold for days afterward. Maul must be absolutely freezing.
Feemor walked over to the two zabraks. “May I? I know what’s wrong.”
Maul shook his head and clung to Myles.
Feemor lifted his shields and let his Force presence reach out to the little boy. He wasn’t as bright and as warm as Obi-wan but maybe it will be enough for now.
Maul’s head snapped up and he lunged for Feemor almost making Myles drop him.
Feemor expertly caught the little boy. “Hey there. That’s better, isn’t it?” Feemor walked around the room. Gently swaying the boy to soothe him.
Maul hiccuped on a sob and buried his face in Feemor’s chest. His tiny body was sweating as he shoved as close to Feemor as he could get. Feemor adjusted his grip and hugged the zabrak closer, careful of the horns on his head. Feemor deftly unwrapped the blankets surrounding Maul.
“You can turn down the heat,” Feemor told Myles. “His coldness is not physical.”
Myles and Mereel seemed confused but Myles went to the heating/cooling unit and turned down the temperature.
Feemor sat on the couch in the living space as he hummed an old creche song to the shaking boy in his arms.
“Can you please explain what you meant when you said ‘his coldness is not physical’?” Myles looked over at Maul with concern.
Feemor sighed as he thought about how to explain the different sides of the Force to these non-force-sensitive beings. “There are two sides of the Force. The Darkside and the Lightside. The Lightside is warmth, home, love, brightness. The Darkside is cold, oily, black shadows. When a Force-sensitive comes in contact with a Darksider it leaves some feeling cold for days. I don’t mean a physical cold. I mean a soul-deep cold.”
Myles seemed to be catching on. “So when you say it isn’t physical you mean…”
“I’m saying that the Darkside left its scars on Maul’s…” Feemor noticed the shudder and fear coming off Maul. He frowned.
“Call him Mau’ika.” Mereel carefully pronounced the word so Feemor could catch it.
“Mau’ika.” Feemor tried to say. He was sure he didn’t get it quite right but the Mandalorians in front of him didn’t say anything about it. “The Darksider left quite a few scars on Mau’ika’s own Force presence. To do that much damage to it… well… Jedi aren’t supposed to kill but I might make an exception to this one. I’m afraid that Mau’ika will always be cold. It won’t be physical because the damage was done to his soul.”
“How do we help him then?” Myles sat forward. His eyes were watching Feemor intently.
“I can teach you some tricks to open yourself up more. But I’m currently flooding him with my own Force presence. Lightsiders presences are very warm.” Feemor looked down as he felt Maul’s worry through the Force. “Does he speak out loud?”
Myles shook his head. “No. I’ve tried but he won’t speak.”
“Let me try something.” Feemor lowered his mental shields and offered Maul a greeting. ‘Hello, little one.’
‘Where is she? The one who is so warm.’ Mau’ika’s voice in his head was distraught.
“Obi-wan will be here this afternoon. But for now. You have me. I’m Feemor. Obi-wan’s big brother.” Feemor gazed back as Maul studied him with some interest.
‘Brother? I like the brothers. When will brother Obi be here again?’
Feemor frowned. That wording seemed a bit off. “Obi-wan wouldn’t be your brother. She would be your sister.”
Feemor lurched as Mau’ika let out a hoarse cry and flung himself around to face him. Feemor winced as Mau’ika’s horns scratched his cheek and blood welled up.
‘No! Obi can’t be a sister! Sisters are mean and they hurt us and yell at us! Obi is not a sister. She’s a brother. She has to be.’
Feemor tried hard to settle the frantic child. Feemor thought back to the Mando’a words Obi-wan used on a daily basis. There was one she called him and Xan specifically. Ore something…
“She can be your ore’vod!” Feemor nearly yelled over the boy’s own mental shouting.
The new word calmed down Mau’ika some. ‘What’s that?’
“Ori’vod is what we call an older sibling. It doesn’t matter if they are a girl or a boy. Ori’vod is for all.” Mereel cut in. “Mau’ika? Why don’t you go with Myles and cook us some lunch?”
Maul lit up. He nodded his head and reached out for Myles. Feemor transferred him safely to the older’s arms.
“Mereel we can get started-” Feemor began to speak.
“Call me Jaster.” Jaster leaned forward. “What do we do to start this meditation?”
Feemor winced as the stinging in his cheek made itself known. He carefully prodded the cut. It had stopped bleeding. It wasn’t a deep cut or one that needed medical attention. “I would like to start after lunch. Once we get going it’s very easy to lose track of time.”
*****
Lunch was a calm affair. Myles and Maul heated up some kind of spicy stew with vegetables and grain. Feemor ate as much as he could from the bowl. He didn’t know how Obi-wan could stand all this spice. His mouth was on fire.
And was still on fire when he settled down to teach Jaster some meditation. It was hard to know exactly why he needed this but Jaster was a quick student and he managed to empty his mind by the time Feemor had to leave to pick up Obi-wan.
Mau’ika barely complained when Feemor left. A few distressed whimpers but when Feemor told him he would be back with Obi-wan he calmed down and let him leave.
All in all. It was a good first official visit as Mau’ika’s ore’vod.