Leia sighed as she lay on top of her most uncomfortable bed stashed away in the royal suite she now called home while she continued her royalty training. Angelica interrupted the strict regimen every so often to provide an update on the status of the creation of a new society.

It would serve as the replacement for the repressive and totalitarian government that they had just defeated, with the last of the prisoners of war heading off to the salt mines of the Dragoman system. Good riddance, she thought as images of them slaving in meager attire under the blazing twin suns for the rest of their lives filled her mind.

But she had met with the ad hoc council this morning and they had agreed that they must avoid the mistakes made by the leaders of the Old Republic, meaning that they needed to remain a vibrant democratic republic and not turn into a bureaucratic and corrupt political entity that would gradually erode until it too was overthrown by a fascist regime.

She though more of her time needed to be spent working on the development of the new government which would be of parliamentarian style rather than waste precious hours each day relearning how to be a member of royalty. There had been talk of restructuring the new galactic society as a circle of monarchies consisting of the surviving royal families including that of Alderaan. But Leia knew the pitfalls of such practices first hand and though she had dearly loved her adoptive family, she had no desire to be part of that system.

All her life she had been the dutiful and responsible daughter of Bail Organa, matured by experience and training and wise beyond her years…but something had been missing. She had given all of her energy, her time and nearly her life to the rebellion but now that it had ended, she discovered she wanted more from her life than just adhering to the regime assigned to her by her birth.

Or what most of the galaxy thought had been the circumstances of her entrance into a royal family. Her adoption still remained a secret known by few survivors mainly Han and Luke and she had decided to keep it under wraps. Besides if everyone around her who looked at her as a leader knew she was the secret child of Darth Vader and a dead woman who'd once been a queen, her life would be ruined. It would be almost as bad if anyone knew she and Luke were blood relatives. Now Luke was viewed by nearly everyone in their organization as a true galactic hero, an icon for the new age but people also viewed him as being more than a bit eccentric. Just as many people viewed the whole Jedi Knight deal as more than a bit suspect.

She didn't need that to rub off on her…not right now. Not with so many decisions to make, not to mention what her new wardrobe would look like, which seasonal balls she would attend and what to call the new system of planets.

Not to mention that there were some unenlightened men out there who believed that her only meaningful contribution despite her leadership would be to marry into a powerful royal family and cement the band of kingdoms into a powerful player in the government's new format.

Angelica seemed pressed in that direction and Leia grew weary of the pressure her assistant put on her to think of her future, which for Angelica met dolling herself up and marrying some prince of a planet somewhere. But that just sounded so archaic to Leia who after all had a smoking hot ex-pirate turned rebellion hero who'd fallen in love with her. She sighed trying to get comfortable, remembering how it had felt when she'd kissed Han for the first time inside his spaceship, just the two of them fumbling their way to each other and when his lips had touched hers, it had sent heat searing inside of her snowsuit. Damn C3PO for interrupting him just when he'd been about to slip his hand up her jacket.

Not that his roaming fingers hadn't already met her breasts, which happened when they were making out inside their little tree hut on the Endor moon. He'd wanted to go all the way and she knew how much when he placed his body on top of hers but she just couldn't do it. Not that she didn't want to feel his lips on her mouth and his hardness inside of her but the responsibilities which had weighed on her shoulders for so long hadn't left.

She couldn't park him just because he wanted to get horizontal with her and she with him. Maybe later when the political situation calmed down somewhat, until then she'd have to rely on her skill at pleasing herself, while imagining the dark haired pirate's hands were stroking her skin, sending her to new heights.

"Princess Leia…"

Angelica had entered the room and Leia just looked at her irritated.

"Don't call me that…only Han can do that and only when….oh never mind."

Her assistant just sighed.

"Where is that scoundrel anyway," she said, "I heard he was gambling with that Lando character and drinking up a shipload of quaff."

Leia frowned.

"I called the bar," she said, "They said he wasn't there. He took off after the game."

Angelica shook her head.

"How long are you going to let that…that gigolo hang around you…he's nothing but trouble."

"He saved our rebellion more than once," Leia said, "Really Angelica, this snobby side of you isn't very pleasant."

Angelica looked anything but apologetic.

"I'm just looking out for you and your future," she said, "and I don't see a place for him in it.'"

Leia sat up straight on her bed and folded her arms, looking defiant.

"Well I do. He and I…we love each other and we're going to get married…some day."

Angelica wrinkled her forehead.

"Oh really…I wasn't aware he'd proposed."

Leia sighed.

"Well he hasn't but he knows we can't get married now anyway, not with everything that's going on with the government being formed."

Angelica just fumed and really Leia felt like slapping her for her words against the man she loved who was…where was he anyway?

After her assistant walked out, she realized she needed an answer to that question.


Han sighed after getting his first installment for his modeling gig and he swore to himself he'd save it to pay off his debts and not take it to the next gambling match. While heading back towards the civic hall to hopefully meet up with Leia for some quiet time, he passed the mediation garden where he saw a robed figure who could only be one person.

Luke.

He walked over there and saw the younger man his hands clasped, his face reflective and his lips moving, uttering some unintelligible words.

"What's going on Luke?"

The man ignored him and Han just shrugged as he sat on a nearby bench.

"Okay then…you want to hear about my day."

Luke didn't answer so Han figured that he hadn't objected.

"You know I love Leia more than I can breathe…but all these responsibilities and titles that are being thrust on her all at once…it's a bit much Luke. I mean I knew what I was getting myself into by shacking up with her…well living together because there's no…well never mind I'm not sure you've gotten any lately either…'

Luke smiled but Han didn't know why so he just took it as encouragement to keep talking.

"Well anyway, I was thinking about popping the question but I'm a bit short on cash flow paying that line of creditors off and she's…she's used to a certain style of living so I got myself another job…"

Luke looked up at him, his wizened face peeking from his hood and Han swore for a moment there, he looked just like that crazy old coot who had hired him to fly him to Aldernaan so long ago.

"Leia must be trained in the force just as I was…or this government will not last."

Han looked taken aback. He hadn't even gotten to the part on how weird he thought the whole Jedi deal was and Leia's whole relationship with her brother where they didn't even have to talk to each other, they could just read each other's minds.

"Luke, I don't know if she has the time for that on her busy schedule," Han said, "She barely has time for me."

The Jedi looked troubled then.

"Then we'll all die…millions upon millions of people dead if she renounces her familial heritage.

What Luke said just overwhelmed Han and he just stood there staring at him not believing that the fate of the universe rested on his girlfriend becoming a Jedi knight. No way, no how, especially since it was a very isolated existence which apparently included a celibacy clause.

No, that definitely wouldn't work out in their relationship, but if Luke told her the fate of the galaxy lay in her hands would she bite?

Han sighed as he sat in the meditation garden thinking she just might.