Chapter 27
Vaguely, Leia heard the sounds of commotion behind her as the handmaidens all dropped their weapons and the soldiers approached her and Soruna. Her entire attention, however, was dedicated to the trembling girl she held in her arms; the girl whom she had mangled so brutally. Reaching out to her through the Force, Leia managed to sooth Soruna slightly by releasing some of her pain, siphoning it to herself instead. Grimacing, Leia didn't look up when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Your highness, we know where Commander Skywalker is," someone said. "Chancellor Rumè has agreed to release him."
Leia nodded absently, her eyes still fixed on Soruna. "Are any of your men wounded?" she asked in a whisper.
"No ma'am. Just General Solo."
Remembering that Han had been injured, Leia looked up from Soruna to meet the grim gaze of Sergeant Fischer. "Take him and the Queen to the nearest hospital," she ordered. "And be discreet. I don't want anyone to find out what happened here, at least not yet."
Nodding, the Sergeant turned around and barked an order to his troops. Two men came scurrying over carrying a stretcher. Using the Force to lighten Soruna's weight, Leia lifted the now semi-conscious Queen up into the air and laid her softly onto the stretcher. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Han had been placed on a stretcher as well.
"Shall we escort you to Commander Skywalker, your highness?"
"No," Leia said. "I will go with the Queen. You can retrieve Commander Skywalker without me."
If he was confused by this turn of events, the sergeant didn't show it. Instead he turned around and selected four men to accompany him to get Luke. "The rest of you, escort the casualties and Princess Leia to the nearest hospital." The men saluted and turned to perform their various tasks.
"Your highness, allow me to –"
"No, I can manage," Leia said, dismissing the young soldier who stepped forward to push Soruna's stretcher. Acquiescing, the young man stepped aside and allowed Leia to guide Soruna out of the throne room.
Leia was just about to drift off to sleep when she heard Han groan. Sitting up quickly, Leia acclimated with her surroundings. She was in the hospital in Theed, sitting in an armchair beside Han's bed. Bleary-eyed, Leia stood up and walked over towards Han.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Like Hell," he said, reaching over to find that his right shoulder was heavily bandaged. "What happened?"
"You saved me," she said softly, brushing some of his hair away from his eyes. "I turned my back on Soruna and she drew a blaster. She hit you in the shoulder." Han tried to sit up, but Leia pushed him back down. "You need to rest," she said sternly. "They told me they're going to put you in the bacta tank as soon as you woke up."
Han groaned. "I hate those blasted tanks," he muttered.
Leia smiled and leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. Han sighed deeply and closed his eyes again, the conversation clearly having exhausted him. Backing away quietly, Leia slipped off into the hallway.
Looking around to see if anyone was watching her, Leia snuck down the hall. Stopping in front of the room next to Han's, she peered through the glass wall. On the other side lay Queen Soruna, her right arm wrapped in a gauze. Noticing that none of her handmaidens were with her, Leia slipped into the room silently after a brief moments hesitation.
Soruna was staring down mournfully at her right arm and didn't notice Leia enter. Her voice caught in her throat as she saw how devastated the young Queen looked, so instead she simply stood in the corner of the room watching. After about a minute, Soruna seemed to notice that she was no longer alone and looked up. Seeing Leia, she recoiled immediately, pulling her knees into her chest.
"What are you doing here?" she asked fiercely. Leia paused, recognizing herself in the young girl. This had been how she had greeted Vader when he appeared at her bedside just the day prior. Closing her eyes, Leia took a deep breath as a wave of self-loathing cascaded over her. She was the same as Vader in Soruna's eyes, she had committed such a heinous and barbaric act of violence that she had become what she sought to destroy.
"My brother lost his hand when he was just a few years older than you," she said softly. Leia was ashamed to realize that there were tears in her eyes. She wiped them away in frustration, not allowing herself to act as if she deserved forgiveness for she knew that she didn't.
Soruna said nothing, her eyes shining with fear and loathing. "They make incredible prosthetics nowadays," she added lamely.
"What do you want?" Soruna asked, her eyes darting around the room as if trying to find an escape route.
"To apologize," Leia said, taking a bold step forward and sitting down on the edge of Soruna's bed. Soruna backed up as far as she could, her back pressed firmly to the bed's headrest. "Even though I don't expect you to accept it."
"Will you have me imprisoned or executed?" Soruna asked in a strong voice.
Startled by the question, Leia blinked a few times before responding. "What do you mean?" she asked.
Soruna snorted. "I may be young but I'm not a fool," she said. "I know you plan to install Skywalker as King. The only question is what will you do with the spare?"
"No, Soruna we don't –"
"I am a Queen and you will address me as such!" she interjected shrilly.
Taken aback yet nonetheless impressed by Soruna's attitude, Leia couldn't help but smile.
"You think I'm a fool?" she asked, evidently offended by Leia's smile.
"No, you just remind me of myself," Leia said calmly.
Momentarily surprised, Soruna recovered quickly. "I'm nothing like you," she said with a savage bitterness. Leia's smile widened in spite of herself. This must be how Vader felt when he talked to her, she realized.
"The Republic has no intention of overthrowing you, your majesty," Leia said. Technically, she couldn't be sure of this since she wasn't actually a part of the Republic, but she felt it highly unlikely that Mothma would ever resort to such methods.
"Is that so?" Soruna said skeptically.
"I was not sent here to install a puppet regime," Leia said forcefully, determined to convince Soruna of this. "I am here to rescue my brother, that is all."
"Your brother?" she repeated incredulously. As soon as she said it, however, realization dawned on her face. "You are the daughter of Amidala," she said. Leia nodded. "Then you shall succeed me."
Leia raised an eyebrow, sure she had misheard her. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"Surely you must know I am finished," Soruna said in a hollow voice. "The Republic will not allow me to continue to rule after this. The people will elect you as their next Queen after I am gone."
Leia opened her mouth to correct her, but then closed it again realizing that Soruna was at least partially correct. She had imprisoned a hero of the Rebellion and opened fire on Republican troops. Her political career was all but finished. "I do not seek to become Queen of Naboo," Leia said finally. "I am from Alderaan, after all. Not Naboo." Soruna shrugged, apparently apathetic to this point.
Leia looked away, disheartened by how devastated the young Queen looked. She had done this to her, Leia reminded herself. She had ruined this young woman's life singlehandedly…
Leia looked up suddenly as an idea struck her. "Soruna, look… I mean your majesty," she corrected when Soruna gave her an angry look. "Perhaps I can help you." Soruna's indignant expression told Leia what she thought of this proposition, but Leia ignored it and continued. "What if I was able to secure you a pardon?" she said.
"And how would you manage that?" Soruna asked.
"Never mind how," Leia said impatiently. "If I were able to pardon you, you would able to remain as Queen, would you not?"
Soruna shrugged noncommittedly. "Legally, perhaps. But this hypothetical is of no importance. I will resign either way."
Irritated at Soruna's despair, Leia stood up off the bed abruptly. "Don't you see? You wouldn't have to resign!"
Soruna shook her head morosely, her eyes fixated on her lap. "You don't understand, Leia Skywalker." Leia flinched as if she had been slapped, but Soruna didn't seem to notice this visceral reaction and continued. "I am not like your mother. I am a relic of a previous era. The people no longer respect me. Perhaps they never did. The people will cease to accept me if I choose to rule after being pardoned."
Leia felt her irritation seep away as she realized that Soruna was right; whenever the people looked at her they would always associate her with Palpatine and with tyranny. A pardon wouldn't help her at this stage. "Well you'll still need a pardon anyway. You'll be branded as a traitor to the Republic the moment the story leaks. The Senate will call for your head."
"And why do you wish to help me?" she asked, seemingly uninterested by the prospect of being sentenced to death.
"Because I want a favor," she said. In truth, she would have sought to grant Soruna a pardon regardless since she wanted to do everything in her power to save this young girl and prove that she wasn't like Vader after all.
"A favor?" she said. "What could I possibly do for you?"
"Grant my brother's request. Allow him to build a Jedi temple on Naboo."
Soruna's eyes narrowed as she gave Leia a curious look. "You speak as if this would not be to your benefit. You are a Jedi as well, are you not?"
Leia shook her head and glanced downward at Soruna's heavily bandaged right arm. "I am no Jedi," she said solemnly. "Not anymore."