Han Solo sat back and kicked up his feet, watching all of the members of the Rebel Alliance dance, laugh, and party. High Command decided that a little celebration for the destruction of the Death Star was in order, and Han Solo was not one to miss out on a party. But tomorrow, he and Chewie would be flying out of there.
The celebration had quickly turned into a raucous party, with drinks flowing freely and loud noise constantly. All of sudden, Luke Skywalker stumbled over and landed in Han's lap.
"Hey Kid, watch where you going! You almost spilled my drink!" Han chastised the youth.
Luke merely giggled as he ungracefully stood up. "You almost spilled my drink," he slurred.
Han could see that the kid was thoroughly toasted. His annoyance faded into amusement as he watched Luke try to fix an askew button on his shirt.
"Hey Han?!" He shouted. "Do you know where Leia is? I want to find her."
"I think Her Royal Highnessness went to bed a while ago," Han replied. To be completely honest, Han had no clue where the princess was. He remembered seeing her in a corner holding a drink at the beginning of the celebration, but had not seen her since. But he figured it was probably best that Luke didn't find Leia and make a dumb decision under the influence.
"Han, you're so mean, you always call her names," Luke whined. "I wish I could find her. She's reaaaaallllly pretty."
Han smirked and led Luke over to a group of pilots. "I know, she is. But these guys really want to see you do a Force trick, isn't that right guys?"
His question was answered by a chorus of drunken cheers.
"Oh all right, fellas!" Luke yelled, and he was welcomed into the group.
Han retreated back to the outskirts of the party. He began to worry slightly about the princess. She was an integral part of the destruction of the Death Star, and she deserved to celebrate. Where was she? He made his way down the hallway to her cabin, hoping to find her there.
Wait, why do I care? Han thought. I'm just the mercenary who doesn't care about anything or anybody, in the Princess' words. Just as Han was about to turn back, he saw Leia at the end of the hallway, crouched against the wall with the drink in her hand.
Han approached her slowly and crouched down beside her. She seemed to be in a trance, staring down at the ground in front of her. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
Leia nearly jumped out of her skin, dropping her empty bottle on the floor. "I won't tell you anything!" She shouted.
"Whoa, whoa, Princess, it's me!" Han held up his hands as if in surrender. A glint of recognition came into Leia's eyes, followed quickly by despair. She blushed, embarrassed by her reaction.
"I'm sorry, Han. I'm just...not myself right now."
Han could tell that Leia was in a bad place, so he sat down beside her against the wall. "Well, who are you then?" He quipped.
"Just another one of the hundreds of prisoners on the Death Star. Worthless in their eyes," she said hoarsely.
A surge of anger filled Han towards the Empire, towards everything they subjected her to, all the pain they caused in her tiny frame.
"Hey, now you listen to me! You are not worthless. You are Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan. You mean a lot to a lot of people. The Rebellion, Luke, me." The last word slipped out before he could stop it. But Leia did not seem to notice. Han continued, "And the Death Star is gone now, so none of that matters anymore."
Leia whispered, "And Alderaan is gone too."
The weight of Leia's words sunk to the pit of Han's stomach. The two sat in silence for moment, letting the sentence hang in the air.
"I don't know who I am anymore. I don't have a home or a family. What's the point of being Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan when it doesn't even exist? I'm just...Leia."
"Just Leia is pretty great too. You're really smart and determined. You have unbelievable bravery and an extraordinary amount of sass." Leia let out a small laugh.
She breathed in deeply. "I just can't celebrate right now. But I can't grieve either. I'm in this agonizing middle ground that feels completely empty and torn. I want to sob, but I can't sum up tears. I want to scream, but my voice goes silent."
Han felt an immense amount of sadness for the young woman beside him. He instinctively wrapped his arm around Leia's shoulders. To his surprise, she didn't resist but rather fell into his embrace.
"Everyone grieves in their own way. Some people cry and scream. And others are silent. But it doesn't mean you don't feel anything. It means that you feel so much that mere tears can't express how you feel."
Leia looked up into Han's eyes with her deep, brown ones. "That was rather beautiful, Han Solo. Have you considered a life of poetry?" She grinned at him, the first time she'd really smiled since he met her. No sass, no sarcasm.
"Never. Too boring, smuggling keeps me on my toes."
Leia's face turned serious again and she said, "Fighting with the Rebellion would keep you on your toes too. Please stay, we need you. You're the best pilot I've ever seen."
The smuggler stared into Leia's pleading eyes. He found himself momentarily lost in her eyes. They were so deep, Han felt like they went on infinitely. So much of Leia's story was hidden in her eyes. Her joy, her determination, her pain, and now her desperation. Within that moment, he knew he couldn't leave the Rebel Alliance. Not just yet.
"All right. I'll stay," he told her.
The princess' face lit up even more than before. "Now that's a reason to celebrate!" She exclaimed.
Han laughed heartily. He realized that he hadn't laughed like that in a while. Gosh, this princess brought out sides of him he thought were long gone.
He gave her a mischievous look and said, "We could return to the party for a dance. To celebrate my staying."
Leia looked away from Han shyly, and Han immediately fell in love with this coy side of Princess Leia Organa.
"I suppose I could do one dance."
Han took Leia lightly by the hand and led her back to the celebration. The second they walked in the music happened to change to a slow song. From the look on Leia's face, she was only prepared to do a fast dance with Han. However, she did not let go of Han's hand and allowed him to take her onto the dance floor.
The smuggler flashed his classic, lopsided grin at the princess, bowed, and stated in his most regal sounding voice, "May I have this dance?"
Leia rolled her eyes, but played along with Han's game and curtsied. "You may."
Han grasped Leia's tiny hand in his own and wrapped his other arm around her waist, drawing Leia close. He could feel her trembling slightly in his arms.
"You okay?"
She nodded. "I'm just a little nervous. I haven't danced with a man in a long time. Since my early teens. And it wasn't with a scoundrel smuggler like you!"
Han laughed again. "You think I'm a scoundrel?"
"No doubt in my mind."
The two swayed in time with the music, both losing sense of the world and only focusing on each other. Han noticed that having the princess in his arms felt so natural, like two pieces of a puzzle fitting together. Little did he know that Leia felt the same way.