"I hate ice!"
Han Solo spun around from his work on the Falcon to see Princess Leia limping into Echo Base from the harsh exterior of Hoth. The Rebellion had been stationed on Hoth for about three weeks now, and none of the Rebels had become used to the unforgiving environment.
Upon witnessing Leia grimace in pain as she hobbled along, Han leapt up and grabbed her elbow. Leia immediately shook his hand off violently and gave him a cold glare.
"I can walk just fine without your help, Captain Solo," she bit out.
However, Han could see the pain in her eyes, and guessed it was probably taking all of her might not to yell out in pain. Regardless, Han knew better than to challenge the princess' pride.
"What happened?" Han asked.
Leia let out an exasperated breath, as if this conversation was causing her more pain than her ankle.
"If you must know, this base is a death trap. I was simply walking outside, checking the panels for the shield doors, when it felt like the ground disappeared from underneath me."
"You slipped," Han stated.
"No!" Leia shouted. "Slipping is for bumbling idiots who don't have control over their own feet. I...I was merely a victim of this monstrous, stupid thing called ice!" Leia became flustered and began walking faster, only to have her ankle give out from underneath her.
Han reached forward and caught Leia around the waist, promptly pulling her back up to full height. Leia grudgingly mumbled a thank you and turned down a passageway.
"Where do you think you're going? Med center's this way." Han jerked a thumb back towards a different passageway.
Leia turned around with an incredulous expression on her face. She pointed towards her point of destination. "I'm going to the command center. I don't have time for treatment," she replied.
"With all due respect, Your Worship, you can barely stand," Han said.
Leia scoffed. "When have you ever given me due respect? I'm not going," Leia stated firmly, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Han rolled his eyes. "Fine. You give me no choice." He briskly approached Leia and with one fluid motion, scooped her up in his arms.
The princess yelped and struggled, thrashing about. "Put me down, you scoundrel! You are attacking an official of High Command! I will report you if you don't put. Me. Down!"
Han just smirked as he carried her to the med center. "You know, I don't think all of this protesting is helping your ankle feel any better."
Leia huffed, a cloud of cold breath escaping her lips. She hated it, but Han was right. Every small motion caused pain to shoot through her ankle, but she wouldn't let him have the satisfaction.
Once inside , Han dumped her onto a gurney. "Her Highnessness injured her ankle!" He shouted at the medical droids. "Make sure you take care of her before she escapes!"
With that, Han met Leia's disgruntled expression with his famous, lopsided grin. "Get well, Sweetheart."
— — —
Honestly, Han felt badly about Leia's injured ankle in the weeks to come. He watched Leia limp around the base, her face twisting in pain if she landed on it too harshly. Han figured the headstrong princess wasn't taking the pain medications for it, deciding to suffer in silence instead.
Han also noticed that Leia hadn't stepped outside once since her fall. Sometimes, the Rebels would blow off steam by heading outside to goof around in the snow. Even once her ankle healed, Leia would either watch forlornly from the sidelines or retreat to her quarters. It wrenched Han's heart to see Leia left out, so Han resolved to do something about it.
— — —
"Can I open my eyes now?" Leia asked, holding onto Han's upper arm for guidance. "This is absolutely ridiculous. Why I let you surprise me is beyond reason."
Han chuckled and led Leia a little further until they reached their destination. "Okay, Princess. Open your eyes."
Leia's eyes fluttered open and she gasped.
As far as the eye could see, Leia was surrounded by sparkling white. She realized she wasn't on just any snowy surface either, but a frozen pond.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Leia screamed. "We are in the middle of nowhere! I'm on a huge sheet of ice without proper footwear-"
Han placed a finger over her lips. "Not to worry about footwear," Han said with a smile. He pulled a pair of ice skates out of his bag.
Leia gasped and snatched them from his hands. "These are my boots! You're the one who stole them!"
Han grinned widely. "There are no ice skates to be found around here, even though we are on this ice rock. I had to make do. It wasn't too hard though, I just used some scrap metal from the Falcon."
The princess stared at the skates in shock, rendered speechless.
"I felt sad that you began to hate ice after your fall . Or really, that you became afraid of it. Especially since Alderaanians love ice."
Leia's head whipped up and tears pricked at her eyes. "H-how? How did you know?"
"I did some research on your home planet. Alderaan had snowcapped mountains everywhere, and within those mountains were hundreds of icy ponds. On the day of the winter solstice, every Alderaanian would go ice skating in the mountains with their family. Really, you weren't a true Alderaanian if you didn't own a pair of ice skates."
Han noticed tears starting to flow down Leia's cheeks. He reached out with his thumb and wiped a couple away. "And if I'm not mistaken, today would have been the day of the Alderaanian winter solstice."
Leia nodded slowly. "My father actually made my ice skates by hand. He painted little yellow stars on them," she said distantly, lost in a memory.
"Put them on, Leia. Love ice again," Han whispered, almost reverently.
A bright, childlike spark appeared in Leia's eyes as she put the skates on.
"It's been so long since I've skated. Since..." Her face fell slightly. "Well, you know." A stab of pain hit Han's heart. He hoped he hadn't made her too upset about her lost planet.
When Leia finished tying her shoelaces, Han grabbed her firmly under the armpits and lifted her up. Leia spun around and looked directly at Han. However, unlike the angry fire in her eyes he was usually met with, he thought he detected...love.
"No one has ever done anything this kind for me. I don't know how I could begin to thank you."
Han's face broke into a roguish grin. "How about a thank you kiss?"
Leia's complexion grew bright red. "Never, you scoundrel," she said playfully.
"Then skate for me," Han replied.
The princess' eyes lit up once again, and Han felt his heart melt in his chest. Leia leaned upwards and gave Han a quick peck on the cheek before twirling out onto the ice.
Han watched Leia as she glided gracefully around the pond. She spun and twirled, her arms outstretched and pure joy on her face. If Han wasn't sure whether he loved Leia yet, he was certain now. He loved Leia, the Ice Princess.
Soon, Leia came towards him at top speed. She pushed her foot forward to stop the motion with her toe pick, but to her dismay, discovered that Han had forgotten to craft one on the handmade skates.
"Han, watch out, I'm going to crash!" Leia shouted.
Leia warned him a little too late, and she plunged straight into him. Han tumbled backwards and Leia landed on top of him.
"Are you okay?" She asked frantically.
Leia didn't receive a reply, only the sound of Han's chuckling turning into raucous laughter.
"It's not funny!" Leia reprimanded. "I could have been hurt. Again!" Her statement only made Han laugh harder.
"It's not funny, Han," Leia said again, but this time her voice shook as it devolved into hearty laughter. The pair laid there for a long time, laughing until their stomachs hurt and tears streamed down their faces. Leia rested her head on Han's chest and could hear his quickened heartbeat due to the laughter.
Soon, Han and Leia became hyperaware of the compromising position they were in. Leia lifted her head and looked down into Han's eyes. Leia searched them and found something she didn't expect...love. The tension was palpable, and Leia desperately wanted to lean down and kiss him lightly. Just once. But the other Ice Princess, her inner Ice Princess, stopped her. She couldn't get involved with love. Or emotions. They would just cloud her judgment.
"Captain Solo, ice skates typically have toe picks, which have one essential function. They allow the skater to stop," she said jovially.
Han's eyes dimmed slightly upon hearing formality again. Still, he smiled and said, "Hand them over, Your Highness. I'll have them fixed for next winter solstice."