Chapter 23: Shopping
"All right, you are going to be late to go shopping, you can take up to ten hours, no longer though."
"Ten hours." Luke mouthed to Leia.
Leia laughed, "As I said, Aunt Rogue is very looks oriented." She mouthed back, "ten hours is NOTHING for her."
Rogue gave Leia a purse full of credits. "I know outfits are expensive," she said sympathetically, "so each member of your honor guard is carrying another purse full."
"Thanks, Aunt Rogue." Leia said, using all of her diplomatic skills to keep a straight face. In the last few years, Leia had been slightly hard-pressed for credits. She hadn't told her aunt this, because she would've been outraged, the entire House had thought she had been taking credits with her on her mission, just in case she had gotten stranded, but she hadn't taken any, "but, I don't need an honor guard, I've been taking care of myself pretty well on my own."
Rogue gave Leia a firm look, "Get used to them again, and don't worry, in case you've forgotten the Honor guard has taken an oath that anything they hear of private conversations while guarding, that do not put a life at danger will not be repeated."
Leia opened her mouth to argue, but realized it would be futile, and Luke nudged her and told her, to drop it. "Honor guard detail at alert, General Saum, I am, your highness." The leader of Leia's honor guard said, saluting Leia. Leia inclined her head regally. "Thank you, General Saum."
Then she regally inclined her head again, "thank you, all."
Leia didn't know it, Luke did, through the Force, but didn't mention it, Rogue, Tia, and Rainier, Stephaine, and Narel were watching excitedly from the doorway. They noticed, that Leia did better in real life situations then in tests, with her regality. "Well, "Luke said in an undertone, "are more regalities left, or are we free to proceed."
Leia grinned, "we are free to proceed, but now, with the Alderaanian media following us, more of this regality on the way."
Leia was kind of hoping Luke would groan, but he didn't.
In 5 minutes they reached the first store. "First dress, a dress that gives off an aura of power, and grace at the same time." Leia said.
Luke looked around, brother and sister found it at the same time. "How about that one." Leia and Luke said at the same time, pointing to the same dress, a long white one.
Leia went into the fitting room, where a droid helped fit it. "Wow," Luke, joked, "the aura is blinding me."
"I will take it." She told the droid.
She chose 5 princess-like dresses including the first one. More then anything else, this was a brother and sister bonding period. Then… "Well, now its time to get the dress that will KNOCK HAN'S SHOES OFF." Leia said.
Leia went up, paid for the dresses, which cost surprisingly less, only 2 credit chips total (the credit chips where worth 100 each, and so 40 credits for a regal dress, which usually cost close to 100 per dress)
They were headed to a slightly less reputable store, only slightly less as Alderaanian media were watching. But Luke 'accidentally' led her into another store, the jewelry store. "Luke, what are we doing here."
"Well, "Luke said, not wanting to lie, but not able to say the entire truth, "Just look around."
After about 15 mins. "Which ring do you think looks the nicest."
"That one, definitely." Leia, who had been entranced by one of the rings, said.
"Well, we should probably get your dress now." Luke said, after another half an hour in the store.
"Oh, my, look who is there." Luke said, 'just seeing' Han.
"Han." Leia called out, running over to him, pulling
Luke with her.
"Hey, Leia, what a
surprise." He said, with a lopsided grin at Luke.
Leia gave Han a big hug, which Han
returned. Luke cleared his throat, "If u guys want me to disappear for a
little bit...I will oblige."
"Nah." Leia and Han said,
"as long as you can put up with us, you can stay."
"So, you guy's have been
shopping, I take it." Han said, gesturing to the bags Luke was holding.
"Yup, supposedly, they saved
the House Organa fortune, and Aunt Rogue positively freaked when she looked at
my wardrobe, I need more princes-like outfits."
Han laughed. "All of yours
where on Hoth."
"Mostly, yes, the rest died
with Alderaan."
Luke noticed that Leia was mostly in
Han's arms throughout there meeting. Then, a few minutes later his eyes strayed
to the door, where camera's suddenly appeared. "General Saum," he
whispered, "is that the Alderaanian media."
Saum looked outside, "Yes, Jedi
Skywalker."
"Would they make something out
of the princess being in a jewelry shop..."
"If I may be so frank, yes,
they would maintain the Princess Organa was considering marriage, or wasting
money, and if they saw her with General Solo, well....lets just say there would
be a field day."
"How long can you and your men
stall them."
"3 minutes, safely."
"Han, Leia." Luke
whispered urgently.
"What." Leia, asked.
Luke gestured outside, "I was
talking to General Saum, he and his men will stall them, so they don't see you,
and if asked, they will say they are on break, and as General Saum is
married...he is getting a present for his wife, which is true, the present for
his wife part, anyhow. I also maintained there, is an entrance in the back, if
we can convince the manager to open it for us."
Luke had a hurried chat with the
manager, who agreed. Leia, and Han slipped out. Luke paused a minute to signal
General Saum, who gracefully exited from the conversation, and joined Leia, Han,
and Luke outside the store.
"They will probably get
suspicious now." Leia said nervously, "and we were planning to go to
a less-reputable store now."
"Well, we can go to a reputable
one, then, I guess, you could buy another princess-like-outfit, or accessory
for your hair."
"General Solo," Princess
Leia's PR director said, "forgive me, I have nothing against you, in fact,
I admire you, but if the media saw you with The Princess....especially if they
are in a sour mood, and some of there most vicious tabvid people are out
there."
"Bye, Leia." Han said,
giving Leia a hug, and walking away "bye, kid."
"Bye, Han." Leia and Luke
chorused.
Han turned around and stared,
"You guys, are scaring me now, starting to act like REAL twins." Then
he backpedaled away, still staring.
Luke and Leia stared at each other
for a moment, "where we really."
"Pardon me, Your Highness, but
you were." General Saum said, hiding a grin behind an honor guard's mask.
Saum, who had been Princess Leia's
honor guard since he had graduated with honors from the Alderaanian Military
and Politics training academy. It was a great honor to be asked to be the honor
guard, especially for the Princess Organa, remembered the pride when he had
been trusted with The House's gravest secret, the Princess was the adopted
daughter of Anakin Skywalker who was now Lord Vader, he also remembered how all
the House Organa members tried to avoid having Leia and Luke meet, because
Obi-wan Kenobi ( the Jedi Master, and Jedi Knight who first trained Luke, and
Anakin Skywalker, as well as was Amidala and Anakin's friend) had warned of a
special connection between force-strong twins, he had said, it might be
possible to extinguish it so that if one twin was caught, and Vader used to
force to analyze his mind he wouldn't see the connection, if they stayed apart
in childhood. He remembered how the Jedi Master had been so sad, when he had to
say that. Then he remembered when the House Organa members where forced to take
Leia on a trip to Tatooine, because there was an important summit there, and if
Leia didn't attend then it would look like a snub. He also remembered how, in
the middle of the summit little, three- year-old Leia Organa had shouted,
"Luke." and pointed in the direction, which they found out later, was
where Luke was.
He remembered how all House Organa
members got panicky for a moment, then calmed down, remembering that she was
young enough, and Luke sounded enough like look, that people might think she
had seen a sight she liked, especially since she had pointed to a building. He
also remembered hearing, directly of course, General Saum never eavesdropped,
that Luke had been at play group, then, and shouted Leia and pointed in the
direction of Leia. (Luckily for Luke, Owen hadn't been there, only Beru, who
was more understanding, and the other parents and kids, were)
Then, the Princess's voice, brought
him back to the present. "So a respectable shop it is."
"Janie," she said,
addressing the PR specialist," would you handle the media and
statements."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Janie said bowing.
Leia and Luke headed into the store,
looked around for a little bit, Leia not finding anything she liked.
"Luke," Leia said, loosing her temper at the fact that she REALLY
wanted to get the dress in the 'less- reputable store', "I am desperate,
can you somehow handle it, so we can go into the other store."
"Leia, you are the expert in
this area, what would it take for you to feel like you can go into the other
store."
"THE MEDIA NOT FOLLOWING
ME." Leia said.
"All right, we can set up a
deception, a car with the Honor Guard in it, I think they figured out the trick
with the store, so they know you are out. The honor guard positions itself, so
it looks like there are two people in the car, who are being hidden from view.
In the meantime, you and I slip off into the other store."
"It might work." Leia
said, clearly doubtful.
They set it up with the honor guard
and car, so the car would do decoy, luckily, the honor guard members where so
tall, no one would catch on, hopefully, and even if they did, the Coruscant
shopping plaza was so large...they might not track Leia down.
"May the Force be with
you." Luke whispered to the honor guard.
"Same to you." A younger
member answered for the group.
Luke went first, so he could do a
force scan of the area.
"All clear," Luke announced.
When they stepped into the store,
Leia realized all the pain was worth it, she found the PERFECT dress. "How
does it look." Leia said, modeling it, after she put it on in the dressing
room.
"Han isn't going to know what
hit him."
"Promise me on a Jedi Oath that
you won't tell Han about this dress."
Luke raised his right hand, knowing
perfectly well Han would ask, "On a Jedi oath I solemnly swear I will not,
consciously reveal the existence of this dress to Han Solo."
Leia giggled, "I guess I should
except that."
"Thank you." Leia said.
"Well, we shouldn't push our
luck, want to go get a bite, and a drink." She asked.
"All right, lets just have the
honor guard meet us close to there, so we can slip in, and so the Media doesn't
know about this trick and we can use it again."
Leia made a face, "You are getting good at
foresight."
Luckily, The two were able to pull of the trick of of getting back, and the
media was indeed following the car, though.