"I love you!"
"I know."
That was their final exchange before he was lowered into the carbon-freezing chamber on Bespin.
Princess Leia Organa had known Han Solo since she was nineteen years old, and what had begun as a typical teenage crush recently developed into love. Except now, she had no one to love. Han was a chunk of carbonite being shipped off to Jabba the Hutt, and she was alone. Not entirely alone, considering she still had Luke and the droids, but there was an empty feeling inside her.
As Luke and Leia stood in the medical center of their Rebel star cruiser, she stared out into space. Neither of them said anything—they didn't have to. Even the droids were silent.
Hours passed, and Leia tried to sleep in her quarters. She began to dream Han was still with her…they were admiring the mountain ranges on Alderaan when suddenly she woke with a start. Two things she loved were now gone.
Leia got up from her bed, put her hair up into a simple bun, and donned a sleek white dressing gown. She paced restlessly, knowing she wouldn't be sleeping any time soon. She remembered what Han had told her shortly after his return to the Rebellion—"We're two lost, lonely kids trying to make it in this galaxy." Lonely. She didn't like that word, and what she liked less was when that was how she felt.
I wonder if Luke is still awake at this hour, she pondered. Without giving it any further thought, she left her room and headed straight for Luke Skywalker's.
Knocking on the door softly and peering her head inside, she whispered, "Luke?" She thought she saw something move in the shadows, so she spoke again. "Luke? Are you awake?"
"Leia?" He was standing in the darkness and started to walk toward the door. "Come on in."
She entered and turned the light on, coming face-to-face with her friend. "I didn't know if you'd still be up," she said.
"I've got a lot on my mind," the tow-headed pilot replied. Luke sat down on his bed as Leia took a seat on a bench across from him. "What are you doing, awake at a time like this?"
"There's a lot on my mind, too."
"Oh, yeah…Han…" Luke's voice trailed off. Lando and Leia had informed him of Captain Solo's fate. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be."
"Leia," he said. "Did anybody ever tell you something, but even though you knew it couldn't be true, there was…well, a part of you that thought, maybe, that it was?"
She chuckled. "I suppose. What are you trying to say?"
"It's nothing, I guess," Luke replied, though he knew quite well he was lying. Leia stood up and walked over to him, sitting down next to her friend.
"It's not about Obi-Wan, is it?" she whispered. General Kenobi was a tender subject for Luke. She spoke cautiously, trying not to offend him.
Darth Vader's words echoed in Luke's mind: Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.
"No. It's something else." He paused before looking her in the eye. "I'll be fine, I promise."
"I hope so," she smiled. "The same goes for me, too."
"You'll be okay. Lando, Chewie, and I are going to rescue Han, and you know it."
"Hey," Leia said, slightly annoyed. "If anybody's going to get Han out of there, it'll be me."
Luke laughed. The princess was quite a headstrong young lady. "All right, then, we'll work you into the plan! Lando thought bringing you to Jabba might be a bad idea."
"I can handle him!" Leia rose to her feet. "Let's get this plan into action soon."
"I'll send a message out to Lando—we'll see what we can do," Luke said reassuringly.
As Leia made her way to the door, she turned around and said, "Luke?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
