Leia stepped out of the Falcon and took in the view. How she had missed this… so much nature and beauty. It somehow seemed unreal, this planet that once offered hope. It still felt the same…
'Chewie, I'll meet you back here later.' She turned to her old friend, who growled back an argument. She waved her hand, 'I'll be fine,' she dismissed his concerns. 'Nothing ever happens here,' she smiled. It was true… and it was the fifth planet they'd been to in as many days. She hadn't taken Chewie with her on any other excursions and she wasn't going to start now… not when there was a chance Ben was on the surface. Chewie had made his feelings about her son known, in detail.
'Ben…' Leia whispered on the wind, '… are you here?' Her link with him used to be so strong but years had passed… and things changed. She made her way to their old house, feelings of anticipation rising in her gut.
She rarely allowed herself the luxury of regret, too concerned with striving forward, no matter what…but this planet reminded her of a life that might have been, paths not taken… and precious moments of happiness and contentment. Those days had been truly brief, torn apart by a darkness she'd never appreciated.
'Funny that, with Darth Vader as my father you'd think I'd know the power of the dark side…'
But that was the problem, she never thought of Vader as her father. She'd had a happy childhood, in most part. She'd always known what was right and fought for it…. Meeting Han, falling in love, had thrown a spanner in her plans. Not that she thought of Ben as a spanner… but she was so young when he was born… regret… there it was…
Leia walked past the orchard and caught sight of the house, so modest on the outside but full of surprises inside. She stopped as she spotted a narrow path through the overgrown grass… someone had been here recently… she felt an inkling of hope rise.
The door opened quietly. The colourful inside took her breath away; she'd forgotten how stunning it looked. The blue corridor, she wanted the blue corridor… but the house felt empty. She saw signs someone had been there… but they were gone…
