Chapter XXVI: Coruscant

Princess Leia didn't know how long she had been asleep, and at that point, there was no way she could care. Slowly peeling her eyes open, she saw first the tall ceiling, she felt for her surroundings, and palpating them, knew she was still in the Millennium Falcon's bed; little by little she sat up, till she heard a quiet: "Don't."

Alert as if waiting for some danger or evil to befall her, so accustomed to it that she was expecting it, she twitched painfully till she saw Han, standing a few feet from her. "Don't rise," he said, unusually tender. "Keep sleeping."

She let her head fall into the pillows again, the action being so hurtful she groaned aloud.

She didn't turn to see him, but she heard Han's steps as he neared her. He kneeled by the bed. "I really, like you can't imagine, hate to bother you right now," he said, "but we need a destination. We need a place to go. Leia… you need medical attention."

She nodded, her facial features distorted in every single ache she had been ignoring for a while. Every past scar, every failed battle. All appeared before her now that she had nothing else to do but to focus on them.

She spoke in a weak, painful and low voice: "I had promised to pay you to take me to Corus—"she stopped a moment to gather her breath. "To Coruscant. Let's go there. My… mission is over. There's no other place to go."

Han considered this. "Wouldn't it be better," he cautiously said, "to go to your home? I can take you to Naboo."

She took a deep breath. Naboo… her home. Her birth place. No matter what Luke said—

"No," she said, the threat of tears beneath the surface. "No."

"But why—"

"I can't face them," Leia said, thinking of her parents. "I cannot face them yet. I just can't."

Han nodded. "I understand." It didn't matter if he did or not; she appreciated his attempt to soothe her. He stood up and gave a small, very soft kiss to the top of her head. Then he left.

Leia was so lucky as to constantly fall in and out of consciousness. There were no more painful thoughts and memories. When she was awaken, she could focus on nothing but physical pain; and when she fell from the conscious world, well everything went absolutely black.

In a moment in which she was screaming and moaning madly—though most certainly without being aware of it— she heard words, which she detested at the moment. "Leia! Leia!"

"Oh, Your Majesty!"

"Oohh," Leia cried tears of blood, releasing blood-curling screams. "Ahhh."

She felt a quick and sharp prickling on her left arm, after that, again a devoid black.

Opening her eyes to awareness again was less painful, mainly because she was heavily sedated. She saw golden all around. Not Sith's eyes. She immediately pushed the thought away. "Threepio," she sighed, relieved.

"Oh, Princess. Are you all right?"

She shook her head.

"Let me get Captain Solo—"

"No," Leia interrupted in a stiff voice. "Let him fly in peace."

"Oh but he specifically ordered me to inform him when you wake up."

She considered this. "Either way. I prefer to be alone right now." She wasn't sure this was the truth.

"Oh, so you want me to go?"

She very faintly managed to grin. "No. Stay."

Some time afterwards, Han walked into the cabin again. He frowned at 3PO. "Didn't I tell you…?"

"I told him to leave you alone." Leia said. "I don't want to stress you any more than necessary."

"That's kind of you, but you don't stress me at all… Leia…"

"Yes?"

He took a deep breath. "We're close to Coruscant. Should be there any minute now."

"Okay."

"It's just… Well, you see…"

She stared at him and wished she had the strength to roll her eyes.

"We're going to be asked by the Empire if we have permission to land," Han finally gathered the courage to say. "What do we do?"

She remembered for a moment what happened the last time she tried using her name and supposed influence in this type of affair. "Help me rise, please," she said, making an effort to leave the bed.

He was by her side in a second, giving her his strong arms as support. She laid her head on his shoulders, walking, looking at her feet, she realized she was leaving marks of dirt and mud everywhere she trod. She nervously lifted her glance to see him, sure that he would look angry having his so adored ship being treated thus… but he looked only anxious about what was about to happen, and when he met her eye, it was with something that could never hold anger or hate. Warm and soothing.

Chewie welcomed them into the cockpit with a loud growl. Leia was sure that she could almost understand the Wookiee now. She was sure he said something about how she shouldn't be up.

"It's just gonna be a moment, pal," Han said and helped Leia sit down behind them. "Goddamn it, let's just do this!"

A few minutes later, they heard the voice. The usual inquires the Empire demanded of those who traveled through space without its command.

At last it was the question, "Do you have permission to land?"

Leia took a moment, assured that they were all staring at her. "This is Princess Leia," she said as if unconvinced. "Princess Leia of the Skywalker Empire. Leia of Naboo. Daughter of Queen Amidala and Darth Vader." Or am I? Who am I really… "I demand to be allowed into the Capital. "I—I want to fly into the hangar of the Skywalker Castle."

"How ridiculous did I sound?" she whispered at Han's ear. "How long till they try to attack us? Will it take more than a minute to kill me?"

"Shut up," Han whispered, shaking his head.

The Empire didn't take long to respond, yet for the passengers aboard the Millennium Falcon it was agonizingly, cruelly a long time.

They were allowed to fly into Coruscant. They were allowed to direct toward the Skywalker Castle. The imperials even said a goodbye to Princess Leia

Han didn't even fly the Falcon for about half a minute, too stunned about the outcome which he had expected to be far worse…

"It's gotta be because it's the capital," the smuggler said confidently.

Oh it was more than that. Had they tried this a month back it probably would've been more difficult. But nowadays, there was not a place in the galaxy where anyone who even resembled the princess wouldn't be treated as such.

Anakin and Padmé were too desperate. The Emperor had commanded to allow anyone who called itself one of his children to travel and land wherever they pleased. Anakin could not stand hearing of another situation like the one in Corellia.

Destroyed as Coronet City was, there didn't lack establishments filled with grandeur and security for the Emperor and Empress.

Ever since they heard that horrifying recording: "This is Princess Leia of the Galactic Empire! Stop firing at this ship!" … Anakin and Padmé immediately directed themselves to Corellia, and so heartbroken Padmé was about the possibility of her young daughter being dead that she couldn't focus on anything else.

If one good thing came from all this tragedy was how closer the husband and wife grew in the past few months. It would've seemed logical to have expected for the opposite, but their constant states of fear, suffering and anger bound them together. They were always there for each other; couldn't have survived any other way.

The large mansion they've been occupying in Corellia had many great rooms, but Anakin and Padmé hardly ever left the Throne Room, keeping track of everything that happened in the galaxy that was of importance. Supposedly. Anakin often left the mansion to search the planet, though he was convinced that Leia wasn't there anymore.

Han Solo could hardly keep his cool and act his usual confident self. Landing the Millennium Falcon in the hangar of the Skywalker Castle in Coruscant, he was welcomed by a parade of soldiers and guards, whom immediately rounded them to interrogate them. Han turned to Leia, she was in his arms, barely with enough strength to stay up, let alone speaking.

"Oh but what kind of welcoming is this!" cried C-3PO, appalled. "Can't they see the Princess is so injured?"

Chewbacca growled something in agreement.

Han stood there unsure of what to do. When Leia almost slipped from his grip, he put himself together. "All right!" he cried. "Is there a medical center close by or something? Princess Leia is very ill!"

A stranger appeared before them, Han couldn't stray his eyes from the princess to inspect, but judging by C-3PO's reaction, and everyone's, this person had some level of power because everyone obeyed as she ordered for the crowd to open and for the princess to be brought inside.

Han ran after this person, the princess feeling colder and colder in his arms.

"What exactly happened to her?" the person guiding Han asked.

"Absolutely everything," Han growled, not exactly with sarcasm.

"Take her to the medical room."

Two white-clothed servants appeared, and they took Leia from Han's arms. Only after forcing him.

"Don't resist! Let her go!"

Han had no choice but to allow the princess out of his sight. He stood in the lobby, staring up at the large carpeted stairway, where just ahead, a fainted Leia, carried by many people, disappeared.

Han tried to convince himself this was a good thing. She was in one of her castles, taken to be checked, probably by the best healthcare in the galaxy. She needed this attention, and nowhere, certainly not with him, could she possibly be better.

Yet his unsteady and violently fast heartbeats were not appeased. His body kept on trembling. He could not get rid of an awful ominous feeling that something horrible was about to happen, and the feeling only grew wild, as from above, at the top of the stairway, revealed from the darkened shadowy hallways, the stranger from before that ordered Leia to be taken away, stood and looked down upon him with eyes Han didn't like nor understood. They were ablaze, astonished in all its emerald green glory. Han could perfectly distinguish them amidst the darkness in which she stood. She was finely and luxuriously dressed. Her gown was a slightly softer green, and so long that it swept the carpeted floors. Her hair was long, loose and fiery; so aflame as were her exuberant eyes.