Chapter 11

Han paced back and forth in front of the large wooden doors which were the entrance to a small chapel. Leia had told him to meet her here, but she was running late, at least that is what he hoped. Maybe she had decided this wasn't such a great idea after all. Maybe she was leaving him at the alter. Han rung his hands and continued his pacing, his boots clacking against the synthstone floor in repetition.

"If you don't sit," Lando said with a smile that only a friend could give, "you are going to wear a hole in the floor!"

Han shot Lando a sour look and then went to sit next to the man. Lando was always so in control even when the pressure was on, but Han didn't know how he was keeping it together now. Getting married, that was a pretty big deal, even for Lando. Han knew this meant the end of some of their most famous shenanigans. It was like the closing of a chapter in many people's lives.

"What if she doesn't show up?" Han asked trying to look down the corridor to see if anyone was coming in this direction. The corridor was completely empty except for the two men.

"Do you think she wouldn't show up for you? She loves you. She's doing this against her father's will," Lando asked and smoothed the black dress pants he was wearing.

Han grimaced. It wasn't that he didn't think that Leia loved him. He knew she did or she wouldn't be so willing to go against everything to be with him. But trying to sneak out and get married without her father knowing was a completely different thing. He was a jedi and a good one at that. He would be able to feel her intentions. He thought it best that Leia avoid going home all together because he knew that she would somehow give it away. That all their planning, would somehow be fruitless. She had insisted that there was something she couldn't get married without. Han had never really ever been able to refuse her, so he had given in.

"It's not that," Han said nervously, feeling the sweat pool in the small of his back. "It's just that she might be having trouble getting here without the jedi in her family figuring it out."

Lando clamped Han on the shoulder in a friendly gesture that was meant to calm his friend. "I doubt it buddy," he said. "she's a politician and they are about as smooth as me."

Han rolled his eyes and craned his neck to look down the corridor again, wishing that somehow she would just appear. He checked his chrono. She was only five time units late and that wasn't really anything to worry about with the traffic on the planet. It was sometimes very difficult to get from one place to another especially during the evening hours.

"I'm starting to think that I'm going to be cut in two by a lightsaber after all this," Han said and stood again. He resumed the pacing he had been doing earlier. It was the only things that made him feel better. The nervous energy just seemed to melt away as his boots walked back and forth.

Lando rolled his eyes and sat comfortably on the bench next to the door. This was nothing to get worked up about, he thought. Let Han do all the worrying. It was the best way not to wrinkle the new tunic he had purchased for the special occasion. It wasn't everyday you were Han Solo's best man. It wasn't everyday that Han Solo got married. Leia was truly something special to tame the smuggler. Lando turned to look down the hall and saw Leia approaching, with someone else.

"Well she didn't stand you up," Lando said getting Han's attention and pointing down the corridor. "It seems she's brought a guest."

Han froze. It appeared that the things Leia couldn't get married without was her twin brother, Luke. If Han didn't die in the next few minutes from the lightsaber of a jedi, he would be a very lucky smuggler. Han put on his best sabacc face and waited for Leia. It felt like she took forever to get there.

"This is what you couldn't get married without?" Han asked and pointed at Luke. Luke smiled and bowed respectfully.

"Oh," Leia said, "No, I mean yes, but no this ring."

Leia pulled from her pocket a lovely ring that shown brightly in the light. It had a large fire gem set into a wide golden band. Han's eyes widened as he thought about just how much that ring must have cost. It was the smuggler in him that made him assess the price of everything beautiful, including Leia.

"Where did you get that?" Han asked his voice almost a gasp as he held out his hand to touch it.

"Well it was my mother's," Leia said and laid it in Han's hand. "I want to get married with it. It was the ring that my father gave her after their marriage was sanctioned by the jedi council. It is very special."

Han closed his fingers around the ring carefully. It felt like he was holding the most precious thing, next to Leia, that he had ever seen. And he had seen some really great stuff. The life of a smuggler was filled with baubles and gems that were worth a lot of credits. It was amazing that the sentimentality of this ring seemed so much more precious.

"Does she know it's gone?" Han asked his eyes getting wide at the thought of Leia's mother telling Leia's father and what that would mean. Han's head was swimming at the thought.

"She knows it's gone," Leia sighed, "but she promised that she wouldn't say anything until we got back to the house."

Han felt himself getting light headed and he swore that the floor was tilting under his feet. They were going to have to go back to her parents house and tell Master Skywalker. This would not be good.

"It's okay Han," Luke said putting a hand under his elbow and motioning for Lando to grab the other side. They led him to the bench.

"You saw how they treated me," Han said once he was sitting and his head was in his hands.

Leia moved to kneel in front of him and took his face in her hands. She gently kissed the bridge of Han's nose and then smiled.

"It's alright," Leia soothed him. "This is just the wake up call that he needs. My father will have to accept you now."

Han was not too thrilled with the prospects of forcing Master Skywalker to do anything.