Ghost - A Star Wars Fanfic

Chapter 5

Leia agitatedly paced back and forth in her assigned quarters on Cloud City, her previous white and beige Hoth fatigues having been replaced by a long, burgundy, silken dress accompanied by a puffy white shawl with intricate Bespin designs resting on her shoulders and flowing to her feet that had been donned with small black flats. Her hair had also been redone into two circular braids behind her hair, tied back with ribbons and framing the petite, lovely features on her face. Not only had the people of Bespin picked out their most lavish clothes for her, but they had also dolled up her face with their most exquisite makeup, making Leia feel more fussed over than she had been while growing up as a princess on Alderaan.

However, despite all the fuss over her appearance, Leia's mind was far away, her concerns and suspicions rising as the moments passed. Her brown eyes stared out the large window before her and watched several speeders zooming through the city towards their destinations. She sighed and suddenly thought about Luke...was he ok? Did he even make it off of Hoth?

Somehow, despite all her worries about her friend, she had a small voice nudging her at the back of her mind that continued to reassure her that Luke was safe for the time being. Safe and alive.

However, that same voice also warned her about Lando Calrissian and his expressive kindness. Surely it couldn't be that easy to store fugitives of the Empire onto a planet that was gambling a lot with its mining project. Besides, what really worried her was the sudden disappearance of their protocol droid, See-Threepio. It hadn't taken her long to notice that the consistently jabbering, accented voice behind her was missing. And no one knew where he had gone...

"Leia?" A voice startled Leia to turn around, the door opening and revealing Han, the only new things about his appearance being that his hair was much neater than the ruffled mess he had acquired from darting back and forth on the Hoth base and the Falcon. Leia smiled at him minutely and ran a hand over herself to brush off non-existent dust. Han simply smiled radiantly at her and her new outfit, the expression molding his handsome features even further. "The ship is almost finished. Two or three more things and we're in great shape."

Leia let loose a sigh of relief, not noticing how stiff her shoulders had been. She marched towards Han with a determined scowl set on her face. "The sooner the better. Something's wrong here." She moved back towards the topic she had worrying a bit about a few moments ago, "No one has seen or knows anything about Threepio. He's been gone too long to have gotten lost."

Han smiled down at her, his height besting her by at least a foot, and placed his large hands on her tiny shoulders. He leaned forward and brushed his lips over her forehead, the fluttery affection making Leia sigh slowly. Han pulled back and brushed his hand down her face, trying to get her to stop being so tense. He knew the main reason she was worried, and he was worried too. Neither of them had any idea if Luke was alright. They had practically left him in the medbay right before they were attacked by the Empire after all.

"Relax. I'll talk to Lando and see what I can find out." Han explained. Next to Luke, he also shared his concerns about the missing goldenrod.

However, Leia simply scowled at him, pulling suddenly out of Han's gentle grasp. "I don't trust Lando." She snapped, her chocolate brown eyes ablaze.

Han sighed, "Well, I don't trust him, either. But he is my friend." Leia rolled her eyes and looked up as Han grabbed her shoulders again, his fingers absently tracing the hem on the silk shawl she was wearing. "Besides, we'll soon be gone."

Leia watched Han's conflicted hazel eyes and how they refused to meet her gaze, his face resembling that of a lost puppy. Leia knew exactly what he was thinking, "And then you're as good as gone, aren't you?"