I apologize for my previous misspelling of Tatooine.

I hope that didn't bother you guys too much! Anyway… let's hope I don't mess things up too much this time.

Chapter X: Han and Leia

Princess Leia and C3PO walked back to the ship, hoping that during their absence their troubles had been fixed.

When they were finally there, they saw something that could at last scare the brave princess.

When they left, the ship needed some repairs, and there were a few stormtroopers who had stayed to guard it, while others left to inform Vader of what happened. Now, the ship had been stripped of almost all of its metal, and a lot of pieces were missing. Two or three dead bodies let them know that they were now truly alone.

"Who do you think did it, Threepio?" princess Leia asked, sounding surprisingly calm, yet there were tears in her eyes.

The droid was too afraid to even answer.

"Rebels? Or just some random criminal? It's hard to say in this planet."

"My lady, what are we to do?"

She breathed loudly, and swiftly, again and again. "Let me think," though that was the last thing she wanted to do. "I don't know. We're—lost."

"Oh, no!" 3PO moaned.

"You know what? I need to rest. I just can't—this day has been long enough. And I'm deactivating you—trust me, it will be better that way. I wish I could do that to myself."

And now truly alone, she cried and then fell asleep.

When morning came she couldn't believe no stormtrooper had come back. That meant, of course—that they were killed, as well. She was lucky no one assaulted her in her sleep. She also let the droid alone, she wanted to activate him only after she already had a plan, because his complaints were definitely not going to help her. She figured that if the Empire had learned of her situation, the place of crashing is where they would look. So, for the moment, she decided to not move from there.

Great lord Vader, was that place hot!

The day before she thought of it as warm, but now it was definitely unbearable; Tatooine's twin suns were too much for her delicate skin. Especially after so many months spent in space, where it was so cold and dark. Here the day was bright, quiet, and so lonely.

She got more and more worried. What if she was left in that planet forever? What if they never find her? What if they assume that she disappeared like her brother? Oh, no, she must push the thought away! But she has to think of something. She needs a ship, she needs a pilot—and she knows one. That guy… that Han Solo. But, no. She would rather die dehydrated than asking him for help and see him again.

She then wished desperately that one of her father's teachings had been patience. She had no patience. She needed things in the moment, whether they were handed to her or she took them with force.

"Patience! Father, why didn't you teach me that before anything else! I will go crazy in this planet!"

And, oh, why didn't anyone believe she was the princess!

She had never landed on a planet where people didn't know her, where people didn't bow to her and give her presents and compliments.

This planet was too rough, the people too coarse, and the heat too much.

Leia looked at C3PO, his face off, she didn't like to see him quiet. Strange that everyone always complained about how much he talked, she didn't mind it that much. But she wouldn't activate him right now, let him be at peace, she thought, I would only drive him as desperate and crazy as I am.

After such an exhausting morning she could only wish for the night to come already, cool and with the darkness to give her a chance of resting, asleep, at peace.

But with sleep sometimes come dreams, well, not with her, actually. She very seldom had dreams and when she did she could never remember what they were. This one she would remember. This was a strange one. Because it went from vivid to blurry.

Finally she was out of Tatooine.

But, this new planet wasn't that much better, to be honest. It wasn't so hot and bright, but it was dark and so very gloomy. Green vines hanged all around, a weird lake of water almost black was next to them. And the foggy mist almost blinded them, yet Luke didn't seem uncomfortable, he seemed calmer than she ever saw him before. She remembered her twin brother as powerful and kind, but melancholic, unsatisfied and unsure. This Luke didn't have any of that—except for power. Strange that in a dream she could feel his power, and his emotions, how could she even feel them? And she felt them so in control, to the point that they almost didn't seem like emotions. And he had no anger, no fear, he was too calm and collected. "I've been waiting for you," Luke said. "I told them you would come. It was hard to contact you Leia. Without letting you know where I was, but now, I am ready. Come Leia, you must be trained. You must learn the ways of the force. And you must truly get to know the light side."

"The light?" she was confused.

"I will guide you, my dear," a man she didn't know said.

"Ready, she is," some small alien said.

She suddenly could see herself with them. And she looked and felt more conflicted than the three of them combined.

And then… she heard a name.

Luke called his master, he called him… master Kenobi. Where had she heard that name before?

"Ah!" she cried, back in Tatooine.

A sandstorm had come. It was not as bad as many, but still it frightened her. She took the little droid and hid him with her in what remained of the ship.

"I must get out of here!" she cried. "I must escape this planet before I lose my mind!"

She activated C3PO and told him that they were still alone, all the stormtroopers had disappeared, and they hadn't a ship. "But don't worry." She said, confident again, "I know a pilot, and he will get us out of here."

The droid was unsure of whether the heat had affected the princess' head or not. But he complied, and once the sandstorm was over, on they went to the Mos Eisley cantina, praying that that annoying jerk from before would be there.

"Well, you know I cannot enter," the droid said, when they were in front of the cantina.

"I don't know if they'll even let ME inside again. Wish me luck, Threepio."

"Good luck," he watched her go inside with worry.

Like the day before, all eyes landed on her lovely figure. But no matter, she walked unafraid, and asked for a man called Han Solo. A bunch of drunk guys laughed when they heard her.

"How does that low-life manage to get these young girls?" one of the drunks cried.

She tried to not lose her temper and ignore the stupid comment, but she wished she could kill everyone in sight till she found the damn pilot.

"I am here, sweetheart," and Han Solo appeared.

When she saw that smug face of a man again, she deeply regretted her decision. After all, maybe dying alone and stranded in a desert wasn't as bad as dealing with the captain of the Millennium Falcon.

"I need to talk to you," she said as haughty as she could.

"Come to my table, then," and his smile shamed her to no end.

"Chewie, leave us," he said to his companion, a tall, intimidating Wookiee.

"That won't be necessary, we don't have to be alone for what I am about to ask you."

"Have you no shame, Leia?" and he laughed, Leia thought, too loud and nastily.

"Princess…!"

"Right, sorry. So, what do you want, your Highness?"

"You don't have to call me that. I need to get out of this planet."

"I see. So it's not me what you want, but my ship?"

"Exactly."

"Well, we'll see. Where do you want to go?"

"Coruscant. I just need to get to the capital to get me my own ship."

"Well, that sounds like an easy enough mission. Just for one thing. We would be at the mercy of the Empire. And since it would be a business trip, strictly, I will have to be paid quite a lot."

"You have nothing to worry about. How much do you want?"

"How much can you offer?"

"As much as you want."

Han considered it for a moment.

"What do you think, Chewie?"

The Wookiee yelled, hurting Leia's ears.

"I think so too. Ten thousand, darling. Now what do you say? If you treat me kinder, I'll leave it at five."

The Wookiee nagged him.

"Shut up, Chewie. What do you say, sweetheart?"

"I will give you 20 thousand if you don't speak to me during the trip."

"All right. That sounds fair. Especially since I might get into trouble with the empire."

"You will not, I tell you. Though no one here believes me. I am princess Leia. How do you think I have the money to hire you?"

He looked at his partner and back at her, finally starting to take the girl seriously.

"Are you really a princess?" he sounded very surprised, and curious. "You're not crazy… are you…?"

"I tell you I am princess Leia!"

"Lower your voice! Boy, we really should've asked for more money, Chewie!"

"You will take me, then?"

"Yes. Of course, your Worship."

"Do not call me that!"

"Sorry, princess. Come, let's get out of here."

"Not so fast!" a strange, robotic voice cried.

And a strange figure came between the princess and Han Solo.

"Oh no…" Han muttered lowly, to himself. "Hello Boba."

"Who's this?" Leia asked.

This bounty hunter had been recently hired to take Han Solo to Jabba the Hutt. Han was aware of the fact, yet he acted as casual as ever, smiling comfortably. Leia could sense his fear, though, and she examined the newcomer almost as much as he examined her. Fett was more than familiar with the princess' image, though they had never met.

"Hello, your majesty," Boba Fett said.

"You know the princess?" Han's voice didn't falter. "Of course you do. You're always so well informed."

"I don't think the emperor would like to know his daughter's been with you," Boba said.

The whole air of the bounty hunter appeared very odd to the princess.

"Let's hope he never finds out," Solo was nervous yet his demeanor didn't change.

"Jabba sent me for you."

"I figured, but it's not necessary. The princess here owes me some money. And I will use that to pay Jabba, you can go tell him that."

"You can tell him yourself," Boba Fett said grimly. "I will take you with him now."

"I really hate to disagree with you, but first I have to deliver this lovely girl. I'll see you around. Give Jabba my regards, good bye!"

Boba pulled out his blaster and he would've seriously wounded the smuggler, were not for the fact that princess Leia knew what was going to happen beforehand. Han saw how behind his armor, the bounty hunter appeared to have trouble breathing, then he turned to see the princess and she had raised her hand; when Boba Fett was laying on the floor unconscious, Leia lowered her hand. What she had done Han didn't know, but he didn't care, he was quite impressed, and he and the princess quickly escaped the cantina.

"Wait," Leia cried as Han had a hold of her arm, and they were moving fast. "My droid! Threepio!"

The droid saw them and ran to them.

"Hurry, you piece of junk! Chewie, get the ship ready!"

Outside of the Millennium Falcon, princess Leia regarded the Tatooine sand for one last time.

"Are you all right, princess?" C3PO asked.

"I thought that maybe we could've gone to my grandmother's grave," princess Leia said, sadly.

"Well, maybe captain Solo would allow us a few moments…"

"No, I don't want to ask him too many favors," and she didn't want him to see her cry.

"Well, let's go inside then."

"You go, Threepio. Give me a second."

"All right, princess."

The sunset was now at its point.

Tatooine's twin suns reflected their glow on the princess' doubtful face, as she stared at the horizon. She felt very strange, as if she were a different person than the one who first left Naboo on a search for Luke Skywalker. She thought of her own twin brother, and wondered, more strongly than ever, where he could be and with who. She wondered also the reason for his escape. She was so into her ruminations, that she didn't notice somebody was watching her.

Han had gone out to call her, ready with some sharp comment that was sure to annoy her. But as he saw her, he froze, staring dumbfounded at her soft beauty.

As the two suns were getting ready to hide and welcome the dark night, most people would've said that there wasn't anything more beautiful, more enchanting than that natural phenomenon, but to Han Solo, there appeared to never been a more magical sight than that young girl's face. He could've stayed there, watching the princess in silence forever, but at last, Chewbacca came, calling the two missing passengers.

Neither Leia nor Han had any words to say, they looked at each other for a short second, and entered the ship, and they didn't spoke at all that night.

Before going to sleep, Leia couldn't help but to think: "Was he… watching me?"

But she had no time to waste her thoughts on Han Solo, she needed to focus to find her lost brother.