Han and Leia's "Soulmate meeting" from Leia's POV. Some quotes have been borrowed from Star Wars: A New Hope. I own nothing.
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When Leia was truly old enough to consider the meaning of her Words...they scared her. And when she finally learned of her parent's involvement in the Rebellion, her Words truly frightened her. Oh, they didn't stop her from wanting to join the Rebellion, to fight, to help, as her parents were doing, but they still frightened her. Because they meant that one day she would be captured, and most likely she would be captured by the Empire.
Still, she was never one to back down from a fight, especially when the fate of the galaxy was at stake. So she plunged ahead with joining the Rebellion, and she gave it her all. Princess of Alderaan or not, she would be just as involved, go on just as many missions as everyone else.
And then the day came. Her "diplomatic mission to Alderaan" failed. She could only pray that the plans she had hidden away with R2-D2 would still reach General Kenobi. Otherwise…
When the door closed on her cell for the first time, she felt panic swell beneath her chest. This was real; the Words across her hip really had foretold her future. She was a prisoner of the Empire - of Governor Tarkin - and who knew what story had been leaked to the Senate, to her parents! Would they think her dead? And what of her Soulmate? Did this mean they were an Imperial?
She couldn't stomach the thought.
Taking several deep breaths, she pushed all panic aside. She couldn't afford to panic now. She knew what would come next. Darth Vader believed her to be a member of the Rebel Alliance, and she could not, would not, let him learn that he was right. If she was right, and torture was indeed their aim, she had to be ready. She would not fail her parents. She would not fail the Rebellion.
And then the pain came. So much pain. The torture...and Alderaan. Her people, her home, her culture, her parents. Gone. And it was all her fault. She hadn't broken, hadn't given in. She had stayed true to the Rebellion, and now the blood of millions was on her hands. Perhaps that would have been her final breaking point if not for...
"Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper?" Sarcasm. That's how she was dealing with her grief in this hour. The Trooper stared back at her, head tilted as though trying to figure out how to respond. Leia felt her breath catch, wondering if this was finally the moment, on top of everything else, that she would hear her Words finally spoken aloud.
"Huh? Oh, the uniform!" And then he was actually removing his helmet to reveal a man - boy? - just as young as she was, with the bluest eyes. Familiar eyes. "I'm Luke Skywalker, I'm here to rescue you!"
"You're who?" Leia asked as she slid off her so-called bed. She had not been expecting that response!
"I'm Luke Skywalker, I've got your R2 unit. I'm here with Ben Kenobi!" Luke explained eagerly.
And with those words and a little prompting, she was finally leaving that dark cell behind. Of course, they immediately ran into blaster fire from the true Stormtroopers, because breaking a Princess out the Detention Center of an Imperial Space Station just couldn't go smoothly.
Luke led her to whom she assumed were his partners, and the other human shouted something about there not being any other way out.
Again, her sarcasm reigned. "Looks like you've managed to cut off our only escape route!" Great. Not that she wasn't grateful for the rescue, but really, couldn't they have planned it out a little more carefully?
The man turned around to glare at her, but it wasn't threatening. More-so challenging. There was a fire, a spirit, in his eyes that she had so rarely seen in others. She would soon come to realize that it would rival even her own.
"Maybe you'd like it back in your cell, Your Highness?" he questioned, and her world stopped for the second time that day at his Words. Her Words.
Their eyes met, and an understanding passed between them. The secret was out, but there were more important things to focus on. Fight for their lives now, figure this Soulmate thing out later.
They had been talking (bickering, bantering?) during this whole silent exchange; they couldn't afford to waste even a second with more Stormtroopers arriving and adding to the confusion. But they were well and truly trapped with nowhere to go.
An idea entered her mind so quickly, she wondered if someone else hadn't thrust it in there. But she didn't think. Reaching over, she seized Luke's blaster, oblivious to his protests. At her Soulmate's protests, she snarked back, "Someone has to save our skins. Into the garbage chute, flyboy!"
And as she followed her own orders and dove past him (there would be time to learn his name later), she caught a glimpse of a smirk and a look in his eyes that may have been admiration. Maybe, just maybe, this whole Soulmate thing would work out for them.
