Han & Leia | Galaxy of Us

Chapter 9

"...but from now, you'll do as I tell you, okay?" – Leia Organa, Episode IV

Leia was feeling unaccountably snug and warm in her cabin that morning. She yawned sleepily, even half-awake she assumed that perhaps there were temperature fluctuations in the base, but surely it would be fixed soon, she could take advantage of it while she could...

She sat bolt upright, banging her head against a low shelf in the process. This wasn't her cabin...she groaned, what exactly had she gotten herself into last night? She searched her memory – which was thankfully still intact – and heaved a sigh of relief. Han was perhaps not quite the scoundrel she'd initially taken him for after all.

Then came another conundrum...how was she to leave the ship without anyone else seeing her and presuming she'd spent the night with the rogue? She groaned. Well, there was nothing to it. She got up, pulled on her snowsuit and pants and tentatively opened the door. It was fairly quiet, she supposed the rest had gone about on their duties while she'd been slumbering as peacefully as an infant. This was what came of fooling about, she reminded herself sternly. Now she was woefully behind schedule with a reputation to maintain.

She stopped still. She'd found the Captain. He was sitting at his chair, yet he was definitely asleep. Feet propped up, leaning back with his eyes closed, he looked remarkably younger in repose. He'd lost the hard lines, the smirk...it made her wonder what kind of life he'd had before his smuggling days...what he'd been like as an innocent child...what he was hiding beneath his coarse layers of easy charm and arrogance.

He half-stirred and she took a step back. Better he didn't catch her watching him as he slept, she thought wryly. That'd do wonders for his already inflated ego.

Letting the ramp out of the ship down, she peeked out to find the space mostly empty. Not completely. She gave herself a little mental shake. Was she a Princess or was she not a Princess? She carried herself straight, eyes facing forward and confidently strode out in her regular brisk walk. If she made this look natural, she'd have no cause for concern, no one would suspect a thing.

"Did I forget to shave this morning or did something happen recently that I haven't been informed of yet?" Han inquired of Luke as they went out on a parole on the tauntauns.

Luke sighed audibly through the mouthpiece, "They saw Leia coming out of the Falcon this morning. Word spreads fast around here."

"Ah. So they think I've melted the ice and corrupted the incorruptible, so to speak?" Han quipped.

"It's not funny, Han. They have a lot of respect for her and well...I mean...there're bound to be problems if a Princess sleeps with a soldier. She could give him favouritism, hold him back, distract him from his duties and vice versa."

"I'm not one of her rebels," Han pointed out, simply to be contrary.

"Right now, there's not much of a difference between you and me," Luke countered, "Look, I know as well as you and Leia that nothing happened. But no one else does. And that's gonna cause problems."

"Well, maybe they'll get rid of me and I'll be gone from this hellhole," Han muttered gruffly through an onslaught of snow.

"You and I both know you like being here well enough."

"So what am I supposed to do now?" Han demanded.

"Stay out of trouble," Luke advised, "And prove yourself to the rest of them that you've as much of a right to be here as everyone else. Prove that you care about this fight and aren't sticking around for the joyride."