GOING BACK TO YESTERDAY #20
The Later Adventures of Han Solo
Leia Organa Solo slowly opened her eyes to see the first rays of morning sunlight peeking
above the distant hills. The lapping of the lake's gentle waves reminded her where she was…wrapped tightly in the arms of her husband. Another night was spent in the rock shelter; their cove room. She smiled as she listened to her two favorite sounds in the universe; Han's breathing and heartbeat.
Disentangling herself quietly from his arms she looked around at her sleeping mate. He still
retained his boyish, lediv-may-care looks. 'I love you, Han.' She mouthed as she slipped out
of her gown, knotted her hair and dressed, then quietly left the shelter. This time, she wanted to surprise him with the morning meal.
Stretching in the warming air, she looked toward the 'bushes' and made her way there to
take care of the necessary.
Washing her hands in the lake, she searched around to find some edible foods. Seeing something that looked like gnoat-stools, she made her way there and picked several from the ground, carrying them in the tail of her shirt. Then, again, spotting something in the distance, she walked to where fist-sized, pointed stemmed, green, fuzzy balls sat on the moss and picked several. Smiling and confident her surprise would please Han.
Back at the shell room, she laid her find on the sand and glanced inside. Han was sitting up, bare-chested and absently scratching his sleep mussed hair.
"You awake, sleepyhead?" Leia teased easing into the room and sitting on the covers.
"I feel so relaxed, I could sleep all day." He told her. "Catch up on years of missed sleep."
"What do you mean 'years of missed sleep'"?
"How quickly you forgot those eighteen standard months we fed, walked, changed, rocked
and took care of a sick child in the wee hours of the morning. I got up as much as you did."
Leia gave a short laugh. "You were a good baby's father."
Han gave her a crooked smile. "I didn't know I had it in me."
"You don't give yourself enough credit for who you are and what you can do."
Han stood and pulled on his clothes and strapped on his blaster. The weapon as much
a part of him as an arm or leg.
"I brought the morning food." Leia proudly told him.
"YOU? You went and got food? How did you know what to get?"
Leia rose, straightened the covers. "Follow me."
They walked to where Leia had laid the provisions. Han took one look and started laughing.
"What's wrong?" Leia asked.
"Did you eat any of this yet?" Han asked.
"No. I wanted you to see what I got before I washed it."
Han squatted down and picked up what Leia thought was a gnoat-stool. "This is a mud tube." Han told her. "And this." He picked up the green ball, " is a weed." Leia's face fell.
"Ah, hon," Han stood and took her into his arms, resting his chin on top of her head, "You are a great survivalist, but you just don't know this place."
"I guess we better go get some more bark." Her muffled voice told him.
Munching on a square rind and dangling her feet over the ivy veined wall Leia said. "I
hate leaving this place tomorrow morning. Oh, I miss Ben, want to be with him, but this
is so nice…just you and me…free to talk any time, take a walk without being interrupted."
She looked up at Han, "and to have time to love each other, not just grab an hour or two
here and there."
"That's the way we can have it when I earn enough to get a private place of our own."
Han commented around a mouthfull.
Leia was silent for a moment. "You mean you're going back to regular cargo hauling?
Being away from Ben and me?"
"I don't want to be away from you and Ben, but it's no different than other men..husbands..fathers leaving for a job, or the women either…like you helping set up
a working government.
"It IS different, Han. We're not completely free to live that kind of life yet…not while the
new government is in its infant stages…danger still possible…"
Han gave a deep sigh. "Let's not discuss this now. We have time to work it out, make plans
when we get back home."
Han jumped down from the rock wall. "Let's take a walk." He lifted his arms to catch Leia as she scooted to the edge.
Walking in a different direction, Han pointed out the yellow-budded ivy arch, the silky, spun web columns and the tree bridge, which crossed another small, running stream.
"Let's sit under here." Leia said tugging Han beneath the willowy fronds of a sorrow tree.
Scooting back to lean against the massive tree trunk, Leia mused. "I would have loved this as
a playhouse when I was a child.
"I can't imagine you playing house." Han said with a smile, crooking up one knee, tugging
at the rim of his boot.
"I didn't always have to be so responsible… politically motivated. That came as I studied in school and took my place as Princess and Senator."
"That's a lot of pressure for one so young." Han stated, squeezing her hand with his.
"That was my life…what I was brought up to be."
"I told you what my life was like before I attended the Academy." Han rubbed his cheek.
"Wanted to be the best pilot and soldier there. But that ended pretty quickly.
You know diplomacy, how to negotiate a treaty, to help put governing bodies into place, make it
work. I know how to fight the battles and defeat the enemy, run blockades, carry contraband, so people like you can do the government thing." Han said.
"We had different paths to follow." Leia mused.
Han leaned toward his wife, placed a finger under her chin and drew her face to his, "We are
on the same path now." He kissed her longingly, sweetly. Leia raised her arms to circle Han's shoulders and together they sank to the sun-warmed, ground moss.
It was late afternoon when they walked back, hand and hand, toward the snow tree.
"Let's sit here." Han pulled her to the leaf covered slope.
"Wonder if something like this would grow where we live if I took a cutting?" Leia wondered aloud, then, 'No, I want it to be special here, just for us." Han smiled at her.
"You asked about that second present." Han teased.
"I don't think there is one." She teased back, "it was just a temptation to get me to come here."
Han reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a small box. "Back all those solar years ago,
when Luke and the old man hired me to take them to Alderaan and then rescued you…when we were onboard the Falcon I asked Luke 'Do you think a Princess and a guy like me…'"
Leia blinked her eyes in surprise…
Han slowly opened the box…. "well, after all this time together… having a son…
I guess a Princess and a guy like me…" Han let his voice trail as he held the box out for
Leia to see. Nestled in the soft lining were two gold rings. She looked closer and when she recognized what they were, tears sprang into her eyes. "Oh, Han!" She took the
box from him. "Where did you ever find these?"
"I had them made." He told her, watching her reaction.
Leia took a ring in each hand. In her left hand she held the ring that had the world crest
of Alderaan…the ring in her right hand had the world crest of Corellia. She shook her head in wonder. Looking at Han, she felt him remove the ring from her right hand and slide it on
to the third finger of her left hand. "This takes you into my world." He whispered to her.
Following his lead, Leia took the larger ring and slid it on to Han's left hand third finger.
"This takes you into my world." Leia whispered back.
"Together, we'll make a world of our own." Was the last thing Han said before he
kissed her.
MORE TO COME… Dec. 29th.