Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.
"Here they are, Your Highness! The medals for the ceremony about to begin!
Princess Leia smiled as the royal guard placed the case he was carrying into her hands. She gazed down towards it as she set it on the table. The young princess knew before being told inside were three medals. In a few moments, she would be presenting them before a cheering crowd to hanging them around the necks of the three heroes who they were to be awarded to.
Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Chewbacca the Wookie.
"Those three really earned these medals," Leia murmured to herself. "They truly saved the Galaxy by destroying the Death Star. Who'd have thought it would take a scrawny young farm boy, a smug, smuggling scoundrel - and a big walking carpet?"
"Hadn't we better check on the medals, Your Highness?"
Nodding at the guard's suggestion, Leia lifted the lid of the case. Her brown eyes twinkled at the sight of the gold medals inside, about to hung around the neck's of the heroes.
"Here they are!" Leia exclaimed. "One for Luke, one for Han and one for - huh? Hold on!"
"Something wrong, Your Highness?!"
Leia lifted her horrified gaze from inside the casing. She looked at the guard with wide eyes full of alarm as she pointed to an empty space inside the box that should have been occupied by what she was about to present.
"One of the medals is missing!" she cried. "Where's the one for Chewie?"
The guard stared at the princess, bemused. "You mean, the Wookie, Ma'am!"
"That's right! His medal is missing!" Leia pointed at the vacant spot inside the case that was below a brass plate which displayed Chewbacca's name. "Bring me another medal at once!"
"We don't have time to look for a new medal, Your Highness! The ceremony is about to begin!"
"But Chewie helped to destroy the Death Star!" Leia protested. "He earned himself a medal! He can't be present at this ceremony if there's no medal for him!"
"Oh who's going to notice?! It's only a Wookie!" The guard shrugged and began to walk away. "Who's going to complain about a Wookie not getting a medal? Absolutely no one!"
"I suppose…"
Leia watched the guard strode away before looking towards the empty spot in the case where Chewie's medal should have been. Her brown eyes rolled onto the plate that showed the Wookiee's name. She would have loved to have presented him with a medal. She felt he had really earned it for helping Han and Luke to blow up the Death Star - as well as assisting them in rescuing her from the clutches of Darth Vader.
"What did happen to that medal, I wonder?" Leia asked herself.
"Chewie!" Han shouted. "Quit stuffing your face! We're about to start the ceremony!"
Peering up towards his human companion, Chewie roared in protest upon hearing what Han had shouted at him.
"I don't care if you found something good to eat!" Han huffed. "We're about to go on stage to receive our medals for blowing up that hunk of junk space station!"
"Yeah, come on, Chewie! There'll be one there for you as well!" Luke urged. "You don't want to miss receiving your own medal!"
Chewie watched the pair head towards the door that led to the ceremony hall. Then he looked at the object he had been munching away on. Finishing it off was going to have to wait to attend his award presentation.
What this thing he had been eating was, Chewie had no idea. All he knew that it had been meant for him. He had found it inside a casing along with two others. They had been underneath nameplates that showed his, Han and Luke's names respectively. Believing they were some kind of treats for blowing up the Death Star, Chewie had taken the one underneath his name - before starting to devour it.
He was determined to eat up the rest of this treat - even if it did taste funny. He would have preferred something a little more chewy.
Still, he was going to finish it off once the medal ceremony had ended.
How little anyone knew there was no longer a symbol of recognition to be presented for the Wookie…
…for Chewbacca had eaten his own medal.
The end.