A.N. This is the last chapter, everyone! :( Thank you so much for all of the reviews, they've really warmed my heart. This is dedicated to Carrie Fisher. May she live on in the Force forever.

As the shimmering light of the Force rippled in and out of her vision, Leia found herself walking along a dirt path. She couldn't see anything else around her except light. Leia felt weightless as she continued down the path, because in the Force there were no burdens, no darkness.

In the distance, Leia thought she heard the faint sound of music. She cocked her ear to discern the tune, and gasped when she realized what the song was. It was an Alderaanian folk tune, one she hadn't heard since she was a child. The memory came to her in a flash.

Laughing harder, Leia gathered up her skirts and waded through the water to meet William on the grass. The two bowed and curtsied to one another before engaging in a wild, Alderaanian folk dance. They spun to and fro, bare feet intertwined with the lake grasses. Leia's hair danced around her shoulders in time with their feet, and pure droplets of water leapt off of their bodies and glistened in the air.

Suddenly, Leia noticed dew-soaked grass appear around the dirt path in front of her. She dipped one foot into it and curled her toes around the soft blades of grass. All around her, water droplets danced in the air, landing in her hair and settling on her eyelashes.

The water pooled at Leia's feet and she glanced down to see her reflection. A hand flew to her mouth when she saw the young face of an innocent princess from years before. Her eyes were sparkling and full of fire, not dulled by years of hardship. All of her battle scars were washed away, her face smooth and glasslike. And there was a huge smile on her face, a smile that had never turned into a frown.

Leia kept walking along the path, squinting through the bright light to see what was on the other side. The music kept getting louder and louder, and she began to hear people's voices. Some of them were speaking in a tongue she hadn't heard since...It couldn't be true, Leia thought.

Just as her disbelief was rising, Leia spotted the hazy image of a snowcapped mountain in the distance. I'm home. Leia broke into a run, her face aglow and her laugh resounding as her feet pounded the ground earnestly.

Finally, she broke through the light to the sound of applause. Millions of voices cried out, "All hail the return of Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan!" "Welcome home, Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan!"

Snowcapped mountains surrounded Leia on all sides, and she drank in a planet she thought was gone forever. Her Alderaan. Light glistened on the horizon as she saw the palace far away, a place she had long since relinquished to her childhood memory.

Leia looked all around her and saw her people once more. She recognized bakers and butchers, shopkeepers and entertainers. They were all smiling and waving at her, welcoming their princess home.

Her eyes soon landed on two people she recognized more than anyone. Leia let out a shout of joy and yelled while running into their arms, "Mama! Papa!"

Leia's parents gathered her up in an embrace that radiated love. Her mother grabbed her face and kissed her cheeks repeatedly. "We've been waiting for you," she said, tears leaking from her eyes.

"I've missed you so much," Leia choked through her tears.

Bail picked Leia up and swung her around, laughing heartily. "Lelila, Lelila..." he repeated over an over. He placed her down and stroked her nose lovingly, sending a warm feeling throughout Leia's body. She hadn't felt her father's gesture of affection in so long, and it made her truly feel back home.

"It took you quite a while to return home from that mission I sent you on," Bail said with a mischievous glint in his eye.

Leia was about to respond when a gruff voice interrupted from behind.

"Hey, Sweetheart."

Leia's eyes lit up and widened. She turned slowly to find Han Solo standing there, his holster slung on his hips and a lopsided grin on his face. He looked as young as the day she had met him, with even less weariness etched into his face.

The princess ran into his strong arms and she kissed him with more passion than she knew possible. In that moment, she could feel and remember every kiss they ever shared. She drew in a deep breath and could still smell the Falcon on his shirt. Nothing in the galaxy compared to the love she felt now.

She looked up at Han with watery eyes and stammered emotionally, "May I have this dance?"

Han laughed and stroked Leia's cheek. "You may."

Han grasped Leia's tiny hand in his own and wrapped his other arm around her waist, drawing Leia close. She could feel him trembling slightly in her arms.

"You okay?"

He nodded. "I'm just a little nervous. I haven't danced with anyone in a long time. Since you."

THE END