Don't Speak
Leia rested her head on the pillow and listened to Luke's soft voice. She was tired, more tired than usual. Their pursuit for Han was slowly taking its toll on her. Three months after Han had been frozen in carbonite, they still had not found him. Boba Fett had not taken Han to Jabba right away. He was somewhere out there, still. With Han.
"Leia?" Luke had stopped talking.
"Yes, Luke?"
"Are you alright?" It was a stupid question, under the given circumstances.
"No," Leia answered honestly, "I seem to be losing everyone I love."
Luke didn't answer. He knew she was referring to Han, to her father, to her beloved Alderaan. Then he whispered, "I'm sorry."
Leia sat up and hugged the pillow to her chest, "It is not your fault. You are not the one that made my mother sick, you are not the pilot that murdered my father, you were not the commander of the Death Star who-"
"Wait a minute!" Luke said, "Pilot who murdered your father?"
Leia stared at him for a moment and then couldn't breathe. It had dawned on her what she had just said. "Yes. My father was murdered by a traitor pilot with the Republic."
"Are you saying that the Viceroy is not your father?"
"Bail was my father!" She protested, vehemently, "He just was not the man who sired me." When Luke didn't answer she said, "My parents were citizens of Alderaan under the Republic. My father was a pilot during the Clone Wars and was later killed when he discovered a traitor within the organization. My mother lived with Bail and his wife and when a plague ripped through Alderaan both my mothers became sick and died and I became Bail's daughter."
Luke's mind blanked out on him for a moment. "Wow."
Leia had not spoken of her biological parents in many years. She never searched for them, never asked about them, never requested to see a holo of them, from Bail. Not once. Now she wished she had, because she would never get the chance to really find out who they really had been.
Leia laid back down, "I don't even know their names."
"Do you desire to know?"
"Yes. In my early years I didn't because I knew the tale and had seen a photograph and slowly those memories faded out but now I wish I did know, I wish I had inquired about them."
"Is there anyone else you could ask?"
Leia stared up at the bottom of the bed that hung above her head, "No. Bail made sure he was the only one who knew about my parents."
"Why?"
"I don't want to talk about it." With that, Leia turned herself away from her friend and tried to sleep.
Several hours later when Leia awoke she knew Luke was still there, "What do you want?"
"Leia just answer one simple question for me. That is all I want from you."
"What?"
"Why didn't you ever tell me you were adopted?"
"The only person I ever told was Han."
This startled Luke, "What? When?"
"On our way to Bespin. He already knew, somehow."
"How?"
"Luke, please can we just drop it?"
Luke turned and left as Leia buried her face in her pillow and quietly sobbed. She missed Han. She missed both her mothers, her father Bail, Han, Alderaan, all of it. They were gone and now Luke knew the truth of who she was. She never really was the Princess of Alderaan, she never deserved that title. She had merely been given it because everyone around her had died.
She was cursed. She knew it. Never would she understand her past, her parents, or Bail's choices regarding her. Never would she understand her mother's reasons for wanting to be hidden, never would she understand any of it.
Never.
THE END
Leia rested her head on the pillow and listened to Luke's soft voice. She was tired, more tired than usual. Their pursuit for Han was slowly taking its toll on her. Three months after Han had been frozen in carbonite, they still had not found him. Boba Fett had not taken Han to Jabba right away. He was somewhere out there, still. With Han.
"Leia?" Luke had stopped talking.
"Yes, Luke?"
"Are you alright?" It was a stupid question, under the given circumstances.
"No," Leia answered honestly, "I seem to be losing everyone I love."
Luke didn't answer. He knew she was referring to Han, to her father, to her beloved Alderaan. Then he whispered, "I'm sorry."
Leia sat up and hugged the pillow to her chest, "It is not your fault. You are not the one that made my mother sick, you are not the pilot that murdered my father, you were not the commander of the Death Star who-"
"Wait a minute!" Luke said, "Pilot who murdered your father?"
Leia stared at him for a moment and then couldn't breathe. It had dawned on her what she had just said. "Yes. My father was murdered by a traitor pilot with the Republic."
"Are you saying that the Viceroy is not your father?"
"Bail was my father!" She protested, vehemently, "He just was not the man who sired me." When Luke didn't answer she said, "My parents were citizens of Alderaan under the Republic. My father was a pilot during the Clone Wars and was later killed when he discovered a traitor within the organization. My mother lived with Bail and his wife and when a plague ripped through Alderaan both my mothers became sick and died and I became Bail's daughter."
Luke's mind blanked out on him for a moment. "Wow."
Leia had not spoken of her biological parents in many years. She never searched for them, never asked about them, never requested to see a holo of them, from Bail. Not once. Now she wished she had, because she would never get the chance to really find out who they really had been.
Leia laid back down, "I don't even know their names."
"Do you desire to know?"
"Yes. In my early years I didn't because I knew the tale and had seen a photograph and slowly those memories faded out but now I wish I did know, I wish I had inquired about them."
"Is there anyone else you could ask?"
Leia stared up at the bottom of the bed that hung above her head, "No. Bail made sure he was the only one who knew about my parents."
"Why?"
"I don't want to talk about it." With that, Leia turned herself away from her friend and tried to sleep.
Several hours later when Leia awoke she knew Luke was still there, "What do you want?"
"Leia just answer one simple question for me. That is all I want from you."
"What?"
"Why didn't you ever tell me you were adopted?"
"The only person I ever told was Han."
This startled Luke, "What? When?"
"On our way to Bespin. He already knew, somehow."
"How?"
"Luke, please can we just drop it?"
Luke turned and left as Leia buried her face in her pillow and quietly sobbed. She missed Han. She missed both her mothers, her father Bail, Han, Alderaan, all of it. They were gone and now Luke knew the truth of who she was. She never really was the Princess of Alderaan, she never deserved that title. She had merely been given it because everyone around her had died.
She was cursed. She knew it. Never would she understand her past, her parents, or Bail's choices regarding her. Never would she understand her mother's reasons for wanting to be hidden, never would she understand any of it.
Never.
THE END
