Welcome to my newest story! Thank you to all my faithful reader for returning and to any new readers, thank you for checking this out! This is an AU where Han and Leia meet when she is 16.
Thank you so much to my wonderful beta-reader, Sofie C.! I don't normally use a beta but I found it a bit difficult to judge my own perspective of Leia at the age of 16. Sofie C. helped me fine tune the details and I appreciate her help so much! Thank you, Sofie :)
On to the fun...
I'm finding my way back to sanity again
Though I don't know what I'm gonna do what I get there...
Breathing, by Lifehouse
###
Dawn to Dusk
by Dant Solo
The cantina was disturbingly clean. For that matter, everything on Alderaan was disturbingly clean. Every planet had its seedy underbelly…but, if Alderaan had one, it was impossible to find.
The lights in the cantina were too bright, the atmosphere too pleasant, and the drinks too weak. Rarely was Han the most dangerous patron in a cantina…but, in this place, he most definitely was.
It had been a huge mistake selling his services to Chatta the Great, as he liked to call himself. The Hutt had offered him a large sum to travel on the freighter, Lorki's Moon, with three other smugglers. He had left both the Falcon and Chewie behind, which had been his second mistake. His co-pilot had expressed his concern but Han had stupidly ignored him.
They weren't supposed to touch down on Alderaan, they were only to enter the air space for the drop. Han had heard that Alderaan was a sickeningly clean planet, but he had no idea how hard they came down on smuggling. Han and his temporary colleagues had been lucky to flee in the escape pod, but now he was stuck with no ship, very little credits, and three companions he did not trust one bit.
Now, Han needed to earn some money to get off planet and pay back the Hutt. Chatta would expect Han to pay one quarter of the money lost on the run. He had been asking around about work, but it seemed as if there were no illegal dealings on Alderaan. If there were, they were a secret kept well-guarded.
Han glanced up to see the bartender trying to catch his eye. His head gestured aside for Han to approach. Surprised, he placed his ale on the table and meandered to the corner of the bar, where the human male waited.
Leaning casually against the counter, Han raised a questioning eyebrow.
"You still looking for work?" The bartender was perhaps a few years older than him and was, by far, the most clean-cut attendant he had ever seen.
He nodded affirmative, feeling intrinsically suspicious.
"I happen to know that the Viceroy is looking for an off-worlder to be a bodyguard to the Princess."
Viceroy? Princess? "Why an off-worlder?"
"He needs someone who knows how to handle himself. And can maintain a weapon in secret."
Han had been forced to stash his blaster due to the planet's 'no weapons' policy. But, he still had the holdout blaster in his boot and the vibroblade tucked under his arm in a sheath. "What makes you think that's me?"
The man on the other side of the counter gave him a quick look up and down. "It's not?"
Han smirked. "I dunno about this. How do I know it's on the up-and-up?"
He shrugged. "I guess you don't. But, there's not much on this planet that isn't."
"How do you know all this?"
"My brother works in the Palace. He knows a lot of spacers come in here. Told me to keep an eye out. You interested?"
It seemed a bit of a crazy endeavor. But, it was in his best interest to at least check it out. After three days on this boring planet, he was about to go out of his mind. "All right. Maybe."
"Let me get my brother on the comm."
Han took a seat at the bar, hoping he wasn't making a mistake. This could be some sort of set-up. But, with few options available to him, he had to look into it. The ruler of Alderaan and his Princess Daughter. Not exactly his choice of employers.
The bartender returned and spoke in a low voice. "My brother will be here soon to bring you to the Palace to meet the Viceroy."
Han nodded, keeping his expression impassive. He waited patiently, simply because he wasn't looking forward to this venture one bit. Han Solo was going to a Palace. Chewie wasn't going to believe this.
He hated to admit it, as he hated to admit feelings of any sort, but he missed the big Wookiee. He had grown used to his presence at his side, having his back at all times. It had taken Han a long time to accept this life debt. It was disconcerting to have someone insist they owe their life to you and have them follow you everywhere. He had fought it at first, had tried to get the big Furball to go away. But, he had stubbornly refused, had lingered no matter how much Han protested or tried to sneak away.
A grin threatened to tug at his mouth, but Han bit it back. He could recall damning that keen Wookiee sense of smell numerous times.
Had the Falcon not been in desperate need of expensive repairs at the time, this job never would have happened. Never again. Never again would he go anywhere without his ship or his co-pilot.
The brother arrived, introduced himself as Perzi, and rushed Han to a very modern, expensive-looking hovercar. As they lifted into the air, Perzi spoke with far more enthusiasm than Han felt.
"You ever do bodyguard work before?"
"Some."
"That's great. You got a concealed weapon?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, keep it that way. The Viceroy wants someone who can protect his daughter without everyone knowing she's being protected."
Han said nothing.
"The Viceroy is a real stand-up guy, especially for royalty. Just relax when he interviews you."
Han would do nothing else. He allowed the driver to chatter on, interjecting one-word answers as needed. When they began to descend, Han caught sight of what could only be the Royal Palace of Alderaan.
It was tremendous, all white and gray, sleek lines, filled with more balconies and landing pads than he had ever seen. He felt his jaw spill open, wondering how many rooms this place must hold. A thousand?
The Palace overlooked a huge, sprawling lake and in the background stood an array of snow-capped mountains. Han had traveled the galaxy, had thought himself fairly jaded. But, he had never seen anything like this.
Perzi caught his look of astonishment. "Amazing, huh?"
Han snapped his jaw shut. "Pretty much."
"The Royal Family doesn't find use for most of the place." He angled the hovercar down to one of the smaller landing pads and parked it delicately.
Han jumped out, feeling very out of his element. Perzi motioned him to follow and they entered a long corridor that Han could only think of as white, formal, and vast. They descended a long, marble staircase and he couldn't help but wonder how much that marble had cost. The opulence was mind-blowing.
Perzi spoke into a wrist comlink. "Your Majesty, I have arrived with the candidate."
Candidate? Han didn't hear a reply and assumed there was a link to an ear piece.
"Right away, Sir," Perzi spoke into the comm again. He turned to Han with a gesture of the hand. "Come, this way."
They strolled through several more corridors, through a large, wide room with many lush sofas and countless pieces of valuable art work, until the room ended at a rounded balcony with a semi-circle viewport that gaped upon the lake and mountains. A tall man in formal dress stood with his back to them, legs planted firmly, gazing forward with his hands joined behind his back.
Perzi spoke to the man's back. "Your Highness, Viceroy of Alderaan, Bail Organa, I present to you, Han Solo."
The formality hurt Han's teeth. He waited as the Viceroy turned to face him. Was he supposed to bow or something? Because that was not happening.
The man was, perhaps, twenty years older than Han, with an olive complexion, a small, well-trimmed beard, and sharp eyebrows that rose to a point. Not too many human males exceeded Han's height, but this man did, by about an inch.
He extended a hand to Han and presented an amicable smile. "A pleasure, Han Solo. Thank you for coming out to meet me."
He shook the offered hand and found the man's shake to be just right, not too strong nor too weak. "Thanks for seein' me." He knew he was way out of his element, but he would not pretend to be anything he wasn't.
The man stood with feet apart, radiating quiet confidence. "Have you done bodyguard work before?"
"Some."
"You know how to handle a blaster?"
Han smirked. "Yes."
The Viceroy ran his eyes over Han's form. "Are you carrying now?"
"Yes." Han saw the eyes scan him again.
Organa dismissed Perzi with a casual wave of the hand and the two men were left alone. "Come, Han." He gestured onto the balcony and Han followed. The Viceroy turned towards the view and Han saw that it was as spectacular as he imagined.
He surveyed the lake and mountains that dominated the scene. He noticed the Viceroy's gaze bent downward and he glanced to see two people sparring on a lower balcony. His eyes returned to the scenery.
From beside him, the deep, gentle voice spoke steadily. "I have been receiving death threats against my daughter. That, in itself, is not so troublesome. It's happened many times over. What concerns me is, these threats seem to be originating from somewhere inside the Palace."
That was disconcerting, Han thought. He glanced over to find urgency in the man's eyes.
"I have the best investigators searching for the source of the threats," he continued. "In the meantime, what is most important is the Princess' safety." He turned to face Han. "I'm sure you know that Alderaan is a peaceful planet that has outlawed weapons."
Han squirmed silently under his scrutiny, thinking of the blaster and vibroblade he currently had on his person.
"Only a small number of residents know how to use a blaster. My daughter, my wife, and I are among those few. It became a necessity. But, we are far from experts. I need someone who I can rely on to keep my Leia safe."
Contrary to his expectations, Han found himself liking the Viceroy. He needed the money and the timing was perfect. This seemed to be a pretty easy job and he was surprised to find he actually wanted it. He smiled. "I'm sure I'm the fastest draw you've seen. And I've gotten myself out of some tight scrapes."
Organa stared hard at him. "Obviously, I can't ask for references."
Han swallowed a chuckle.
"I'm not going to ask what it is that you normally do for a living."
Now, Han couldn't help the smile that pulled at one corner of his mouth.
"There's an aura of capability about you."
Aura?
"I can offer you ten thousand credits per standard week. I will give you one thousand up-front, the rest when the job is completed."
Han's chin almost fell to the floor, but he managed to maintain his composure. "How long are we talking about?"
"Impossible to say. When it has been determined that my daughter is safe."
With a nod, Han reached a hand out. "I accept the job, Viceroy."
They shook and smiled, both pleased. Organa gestured below them. "I shall have Leia come meet you. I warn you, she is very…spirited. And she is against the idea of a bodyguard." He pulled a comlink from somewhere inside his formal, blue robes and spoke into it. "Leia, My Darling. Leia!" Comm in hand, he gazed below them to the balcony with the sparring partners.
They were both clad in white, with gray, grated masks covering their faces. It hit Han suddenly that the smaller of the two was female. Both partners suddenly lowered their fists and relaxed their stances. The small female reached up and lifted the mask from her face. It was impossible to see her features from where they stood; Han only saw a spill of dark hair.
The girl raised her hands to shoulder-level in a gesture of impatience then strode quickly to a nearby table to retrieve her comlink. The voice that filtered through was deeper than expected.
"Yes, Father?" Although the words were perfectly polite, they contained a tone of indignance.
The Viceroy's lips curved int a small smile. "Leia, there is someone here I wish you to meet. Please make yourself presentable and join us in the Great Room."
The comm picked up her sigh of annoyance and Han laughed silently. This spoiled little brat was going to be a Royal Pain in the Ass.
"Yes, Father."
Organa pocketed the comm and turned back to Han with a smile. "As I said…spirited."
Han smiled congenially as the older man placed an arm about his shoulders and guided him inside.
"Han, my daughter is everything to me. As you will see, she's very smart and rather hard-headed. She's argued endlessly about hiring protection. Thinks she can take care of herself. But, she's still young. I just want to prepare you that she won't receive you with good humor."
Han flashed a confident smile. "I'm sure I can hold my own with her."
They stopped walking once they were in a large, formal room. Organa's arm dropped to his side. "Which brings me to another thing I must mention. Leia is a beautiful, young lady. Let me remind you that she is still very young, and in some ways, has led a sheltered existence. She is a bit naïve when it comes to…" He struggled for a word. "Interpersonal relationships. If you understand my meaning." He raised a brow.
Han understood all too well. There was nothing he was less interested in than getting involved with some young, rich girl. "Nothing to worry about, Viceroy. I understand perfectly."
Glancing at their surroundings, he decided this must be the 'Great Room." He could see why it was called such. It was enormous, with several seating areas that contained fancy, comfortable-looking sofas that had gold piping down the sides. Was that real gold?
The Viceroy began to explain his expectations of Han, the layout of the Palace, and the Princess' daily schedule. This was going to be a cushy job. The worst part would be putting up with some bratty kid.
