Days passed by slowly, with Leia barely looking at her new guard. Every time she left her room, she made a point of not looking his way, as a slight form of nonconformance to her fathers wish. It didn't work very well. Asger noticed the action every time and only smirked. He wasn't offended or irritated, knowing he would probably behave the same way if he were in her shoes.
Then the worst thing Leia could have imagined at that time occurred. Her mother and father left the planet, leaving the advisors and the head of security in charge. Well, Leia held higher rank than they did, but even she knew she wasn't ready to run a planet. So instead the princess made plans to stay as far away from her new bodyguard as possible. Leia knew the Organa estate better than anyone, even her parents, simply from her spending an incredible amount of time running away from her aunts.
The moment Leia, Asger, the advisors, and Celchu had finished bidding the two heads of Alderaan farewell for their journey to a summit on Corellia, Leia ditched her personnel. It was difficult. She walked briskly, trying not to draw too much attention. Asger followed her, per his duties, but lost her in one of the many halls. Technically, Asger wouldn't have lost her if there wasn't a hidden door that he didn't know of, but there it was.
He stopped dead in his tracks, unsure of what to do. The princess had successfully dropped him. Asger's jaw clenched in frustration. In the beginning her stubbornness was funny and understandable, now it was starting to get on his nerves. He shook his head and made his way through the estate, trying to find his charge.
Leia beamed proudly as she ran through the hidden tunnels and passageways, making her way outside to the backyard, where a beautiful fountain had been installed. It was one of her favorite places on the grounds because it was quiet and secluded, surrounded by a hedge maze.
The sky was bright and blue with the sun glaring down on the planet. Golden rays filtered through the trees on the edges of the estate. The air was warm with a cool summer breeze. Leia laughed to herself as the wind flicked her hair as she pulled it out of the two buns. There weren't many instances where she could let her hair flow free, but in the maze and by the fountain were some of them. Leia stripped off her shoes so she could feel the freshly cut grass inbetween her toes. She loved Alderaan, and she wouldn't trade it for the whole galaxy.
In a chest underneath one of the benches, Leia had books hidden, just for moments like this. She didn't have any royal duties, no senatorial duties, and no one around. It was perfect.
But it didn't last long.
Shortly after sitting on the grass, leaning against the edge of the fountain, and getting deeply entrenched in her book, Leia was attacked. The first thing she did was something she would never reveal to anyone: she yelped. Leia dove to the side of the bench, narrowly escaping the edge of a vibroblade.
The dark red clothing of the assassin contrasted starkly with the lush green of Alderaan. The assassin stood slowly from where they had landed in the grass. The mercenary was unfamiliar to Leia, not that she knew many personally, but she knew of the major ones. This one was new, and female. The hood and mask hid any defining details, but the clothing was skin-tight, outlining every curve she had. If Leia hadn't known better, she'd assume it was a Nightsister, but the Nightsisters had been massacred during the Clone Wars.
"There's a nice price on your head, Princess," the assassin said, her voice muffled by the mask. "Maybe your family shouldn't play with the rebellion."
Leia's heart sank. How did a low-life assassin know the Organa's were part of the rebellion? No one would know that besides other rebels. Does that mean the Empire knows?
"Oh, don't look so surprised," the assassin remarked, stalking closer to Leia. "You don't exactly hide it very well. Alderaan just loves losing ships." Leia lifted herself off the ground, still holding her book in hand. It was better than nothing.
Then the assassin attacked. Leia blocked the vibroblade with her book. Ignoring the vibrations coming from the blade that made it deadlier, Leia ripped the blade from her attackers hand as it was stuck in the book. She threw the book over one of the hedges so neither of them could get to it. The assassin simply unsheathed another one.
Blast, Leia thought. How could she have missed that? Leia dodged the next attack while mentally berating herself. After an intricacy of attacks and dodges, the assassin leaped. She pinned the princess to the ground, the vibroblade hovering in the air above Leia's heart. Leia gripped the assassin's wrists tight, holding them as far away as she could, barely keeping herself alive.
The assassin was tackled, ripping away the blade from the vicinity of Leia. Taking deep breaths, Leia sits up and watches as her new bodyguard quickly incapacitates the assassin. With the assassin unconcious, Asger turns to the princess with an eyebrow raised. "This is what happens when you run away, Your Highness," Asger stressed.
Leia stood up, brushing away Asger's outstretched hand. "I had everything under control," she countered, placing her hands on her hips.
Asger's eyes widened, not believing it for a second. "That's why a vibroblade was about to go through your heart?"
"It was under control." Leia enunciated each particular syllable.
"Of course, Your Highness." Asger matched her tone perfectly. "Is that what I should tell your father? That you were attacked and almost killed but everything was going well? I can assure you, he won't share the same sentiment."
Leia's eyes narrowed as she stepped closer to him. "He won't because he won't be hearing about it."
Scoffing, Asger replied, "He won't be hearing about this? You must be joking. I'm to report to him about your wellbeing and safety. When it comes down to it, princess, I work for your father, the Viceroy, above anyone else. If you have a problem with that, you can tell him exactly why you do. Regardless, he will be told of this incident."
Leia was fuming as she pointed at him. "You dare question my authority? In my own home? You're a guard. You've forsaken your right as a marquess so long as you work for House Organa. If you'd like your authority back, you can return to House Serrus anytime you'd like. But even then you answer to me. You will not tell my father about what has transpired here today. Question me again and I will make sure you never find your way back."
He had never been threatened by a princess before, or anyone for that matter. It threw him for a loop. Especially more so when she stalked off without so much as another word, leaving Asger with the assassin. Or so he thought. Asger turned around to find that the assassin had disappeared. He grabbed the vibroblades from the ground and quickly followed Leia inside. This probably wasn't be the first attempt on the princess's life, and it won't be the last.
Leia shut herself in her room, so Asger went to his own as a palace guard is always stationed outside of her room anyway. This left Asger alone to think of what he had heard the assassin say as he had travelled through the maze to find Leia. Maybe your family shouldn't play with the rebellion.
Now, the voice was muffled by a mask, and Asger wasn't exactly right next to them when she said it, but he was completely sure that what he had heard was correct. The Organa's are part of the rebellion? Alderaan did have a lot of defectors, but is House Organa itself actually helping the rebellion? It would make sense if the Empire had suspicions. The Empire had deployed more stormtroopers to Alderaan's cities. Maybe that's why the Viceroy was gone more often, and why they got a lot of their ships taken. In that case, the ships were essentially being given away and not actually stolen.
Asger made up his mind. They were part of the rebellion. And he'd be damned if he didn't help. Asger got up from his chair and left his room, heading towards Leia's. He nodded to the security guard as he knocked on Leia's door. "Come in," Leia's voice rang out. Asger opened the door and entered, ignoring the roll of her eyes when she noticed who had joined her.
Leia sat at her desk reading a book, not acknowledging Asger's presence. Though childish is may be, the act didn't phase the boy. "Is it true that you and your father are members of the Rebel Alliance?" Asger asked after the door closed.
"What makes you think that ridiculous thing?" Leia countered, trying to hint that she had no part in the rebellion.
Asger didn't look convinced and walked closer to the princess. "The rumor has spread all across Alderaan, in full force," Asger explained. "And many members of my house, dignitaries, commoners, and security personnel alike, have joined. More Alderaanians have joined the rebellion than any other planet. It's less like a rumor and more like a call to action for more to join."
She still didn't look up at him. "That means our people don't see eye to eye with the Emperor, not my father and I."
Asger narrowed his eyes. "Are you ever going to drop the politician mask when you're with me? You can trust me. I'm your personal bodyguard. Whether you are part of the rebellion or not, I won't disclose anything you've told me in confidence."
Leia looked him straight in the eyes and saw nothing but earnest warmth. She believed him. She didn't exactly trust him, but he was right. And he did save her life. "Yes."
"Wait, what?" That took him back.
The princess rolled her eyes at Asger and closed her book. She wasn't going to be able to continue reading. "Yes, we're part of the Rebel Alliance."
Asger's face lit up. "Is that why so many Alderaanian ship have been stolen?"
"Yes."
"And why more stormtroopers are being stationed on Alderaan?"
"Yes."
"The Emperor and his lackeys think you are aiding the rebellion?"
"Yes. All the answers are yes, now please stop." He didn't want to, this was the first real conversation the two had had. They've only argued.
"Wait, one more, one more. Why?"
Leia's eyebrows furrowed. "Excuse me?" She had never heard that question before.
Asger reworded the question. "Why have you joined the rebellion?"
Her gaze shifted downward, an act of vulnerability that Asger hadn't seen from her since they'd met. "We are in a position of power, a position we can use to make a difference. My father remembers the time of the Republic, a time of peace, a time of the Jedi."
Asger's shoulders slumped slightly. He'd heard about the Jedi, too, but not in a way in which they should be revered. "But the Jedi betrayed the Republic."
Leia shook her head. "Not according to my father," she corrected. "He's always told me wonderful stories about them and their heroics, how they would do anything to help innocent people. He grew fairly close to a few of them. Then he watched as troopers gunned down a padawan with no mercy. He also told me he helped rescue a few. Two, if I remember correctly."
"Are they part of the rebellion as well?"
"No, they are in exile. My father only knows where one of them is. He swears on his life that something was at work behind the scenes of the war, and that the Jedi were the ones betrayed. I believe him. I've read a lot about them. Although they were technically religious fanatics, they hardly wavered in their duty to protect. That's why we're part of the rebellion. The Empire has made the galaxy a terrible place. With the Jedi gone, it is our duty to protect the people no matter the cost."
He had one more question. "Can I join you?"