A/N: This is a bit longer than the other stories here, but I thought it fit. It's young Princess Leia. For those waiting on updates to my other stories, I do intend to finish them someday. Unfortunately, I can't always choose what wants to be written and when...

Somehow, I've Always Known

Twelve-year-old Leia Organa ducked beneath the ocean of elbows and brushed past rounded hips as she darted through the milling crowd. Left in her wake were the curses and cries of aggravated gentlemen and offended ladies, respectfully. She stopped, her eyes scanning the market square for any and all means of escape. The weekend faire was in full swing and where there weren't people standing and chatting or walking and watching, there were tables and booths haphazardly arranged in every and any available piece of real estate imaginable. Through a gap in the pedestrian traffic, Leia eyed a large table displaying necklaces and rings with a colorful damask fabric tablecloth that hung low and pooled against the whitewashed pavement. She bit her lip in deep thought, her eyes feverishly raking the crowd as she stomped her foot in frustration.

"Oooh," she growled. "Ori, where are you?"

The pitch of the commotion behind her changed perceptibly and she looked back, momentarily paralyzed in fear. The stubborn swarm of meandering shoppers that just moments prior had refused to budge in deference to her hurried prodding, began to part quite orderly and amicably in the wake of the two domed heads of Alderaanian Security officers as they made their way through the ruckus quite easily.

Leia uttered a curse and made a run towards the cover of the table, rolling and slipping beneath it in one agile move. The table rocked, causing the jewelry to tinkle and shake and for its owner to bite out a curse of her own.

"What the devil?" The old woman's voice came from above. "You there," the woman merchant said, lifting the cloth and revealing her squat legs and chubby feet to Princess Leia. "Get out from there. What are you doing?"

"Quiet," Leia hissed and reading the expression on the merchant's face, she amended, "Please."

"Shush me, will you?" The woman replied crossly and Leia watched as her eyes lifted toward the crowd and she said, "Hey, over here, you there. Is this what you're looking for?"

"Devil take me," Leia seethed, dropping her head down to her knees and shutting her eyes as if that might help make her invisible.

"Aha," a male voice boomed above her as the other side of the table cloth was lifted. "There you are, you little wench. Grab her, Carson."

Strong hands encircled her bicep and Leia was unceremoniously dragged from her hiding place, causing the jewelry and the merchant to once again protest at the foul treatment.

"That's enough," the captain, Leia surmised by the patches on his uniform, snapped at the complaining merchant. "No damage done."

"No reward, either?" The old lady asked impertinently. "I did help you catch the base felon."

"She's hardly a felon," the captain replied and then leaned down so that he was eye-to-eye with the princess. "A downright pain in the arse is more like it."

The hand holding onto her arm wrenched tighter and her captor chimed in, "A right pain," he said. "Like making us chase you all over town, do you?"

Leia didn't speak, although she desperately wanted to scream at him to let her go. She made a point of keeping her head down so the two men would not get a good look at her as she busily tried to figure her way out of her predicament. All is not lost, she thought, albeit a tad pitifully, at least Ori got away. Her frequent and often unwilling accomplice was not very likely to withstand any kind of interrogation for long.

The guards were pulling her away from the merchant and the curious onlookers in the crowd. "What's your name, girly?" Her captor asked once they were off on a side street.

"Bella Nadia Rouse," Leia blurted out. It was the name of a popular…entertainer in the lower districts of Aldera. One she had seen advertisements for and had heard whispered jokes about at her parents' parties.

"Oh, we've caught a jester, I see," he replied, tightening his grip yet again and causing Leia to wince.

"Ow," she cried and when the guard loosened his grip she wriggled and tried to get free.

"Stop your squirming and tell us who you are. I'm growing tired of you," the captain stated as he pulled out his communicator, obviously preparing to call for backup, or a wagon to toss her in…or worst of all, her parents.

Leia pressed her lips together yet again. She would go to the dungeon before she let them call her parents. Let them bury me beneath the jail before I tell them who I am! Just as she had bolstered her resolve, envisioning eating gruel slid beneath a heavy iron door and marking the passing of time on the wall with tiny scratches of her fingernails and still agreeing that it was better than the alternative, her face fell as she caught sight of someone very familiar approaching. It was who she had been separated from and was searching for but now didn't want to be found. It was Ori.

It had been Ori, his guilty conscience getting the better of him and breaking out in a run at the first sign of men in uniforms, that had set this whole predicament in motion. Leia had only wanted to enjoy the market for a few hours alone, to spend her money on trinkets without being taught the value of a crown and the finer points of fine jewelry making. She wanted to stuff her belly full of sugared pastries and fried foods and not be lectured about the importance of moderation and proper diet and her complexion. As she watched Ori approaching she began to shake her head and glare at him, silently begging him off. But he continued to mill around the edges of the crowd watching her with that worried expression that both infuriated her and…and at times confused her. The guards, reacting to her body language and following her line of sight, spotted the boy and called out to him.

"Hey, you there! Come here," the captain ordered.

Ori. Ori. Ori. Leia shook her head while she closed her eyes and cursed yet again.

"Ye-yes, sir? Sirs?" She heard Ori say timidly.

"Do you know this little wench?" The captain asked. "Know her name so we can call her parents?"

"No, he doesn't know me. I don't know him," Leia answered. "I've never seen him before and I…I don't have any parents."

"Not likely," her captor sneered. "These aren't exactly rags you two are wearing. Your mum here shopping at the market? C'mon, let's get this over with. I'm hungry, it's lunchtime and playtime's over."

"Mind your stomach," the captain said tersely and then turning to the boy, he asked, "I ask you again and I must warn you how much I despise repeating myself: Who. Is. This. Girl?"

"The-the-the Prin-"

"No! Ori, no! Don't you dare!" Leia screamed, struggling against the hand that held her.

"The Princess," Ori blurted out. "Heir to the throne and daughter to His Serene Highness, Prince Bail Organa and Alderaan's Queen. Queen Breha Organa."

Leia's jaw dropped open in horror and disbelief. He couldn't have ratted her out more stunningly unless he had given her exact date and time of birth along with the alignment of the stars in the solar system. She glared at her former partner-in-crime and, to the best of her ability, poured her anger and disappointment with him into her heavy stare. Ori, for his part, at least had the decency to blush darkly and hang his head down in shame.

"Bollocks," her captor said doubtfully and squeezed her arm more tightly.

The captain, however, had gone silent, the stormy expression on his face turning slowly to stone. "Hold a minute," he said, his voice just above a whisper as he reached out and tore the snug beret off of Leia's head releasing the tail of long-braided hair that had been tucked beneath it.

Admitting and accepting defeat in that one swift moment, Leia then straightened her spine, reared her shoulders back and lifted her chin as she eyed the two soldiers haughtily.

"Frak me," her captor cursed under his breath, relaxing his grip on her arm but not letting go.

The captain's eyes nervously scanned the crowd and then looked back down at Leia. "Your Highness," he said, in a tone he had not yet utilized while speaking to her. "What're you doing running around the streets of Aldera?"

"I suggest," Leia replied, also in a tone she had not yet utilized. "You save your questions for my father."

Leia felt for the temperature of her bath with her big toe before stepping in and sinking beneath the layer of small bubbles. She took the washcloth, vigorously rubbed it with soap until it foamed up and then began to feverishly scrub at her forearms and elbows.

"Use the brush for your fingernails and toes," her mother instructed, walking towards her and sitting on the edge of the large tub.

"I will," Leia replied contritely. The scene with her parents and the guardsmen went about as well as to be expected. Although, she had yet to allow herself to be caught alone with her father and poor Ori's fate was, at this point, anyone's guess.

Breha Organa reached out and trailed her finger along Leia's right bicep. Upon hearing the heavy sigh of her mother, Leia followed her gaze and looked down at her arm. Long, angry red marks were still evident where the policeman had held her. Leia quickly dropped her arm into the water so that it disappeared beneath the bubbles. "I'm sorry, Mother," she said.

The Princess of Alderaan was by no means a baby and she wasn't usually accompanied for baths by anyone any longer, but the Queen Mother hadn't let her out of her sight since the day's earlier events had transpired. It was not the first time Leia had snuck out of the palace but her return hadn't ever been quite as spectacular as it had been today. She could feel the turmoil swirling like a cyclone within her mother and she felt guilty and repentant much more so than a good scolding from her father could've produced. She never withered when dealing with Bail, even though he spoke to her as an equal with hard eyes and a stern voice. Her mother was another matter and had quite a different affect on her. Breha was all soft tones and sorrowful expressions that, with an unrelenting swiftness and certainty, cut Leia to the quick.

"When I received you," Breha said quietly, her eyes still looking down at the small arm beneath the water. "All those years ago. Your skin was so soft and sweet. Unmarked. Perfect."

Leia looked up at her mother, the Queen's hair was down and held back only by a small clip at the base of her neck and she was dressed in a gown of the type she only wore in the private, family chambers on the upper floors of the palace. To Leia she wasn't the Queen, even when she was all dressed up in her regal attire – she was her mother and right now her mother looked sad and worried and Leia knew that it was at her expense. She bit her lip and looked down at the soapy cloth in her hands.

"I promised I would never let anything happen to you," Breha whispered.

"It didn't," Leia replied stubbornly, but her voice had become softened by guilt. "I'm fine."

"That's not the point," Breha answered with an edge to her tone that surprised Leia. "It's dangerous outside of these walls and you're…you're special."

"I know, I know," Leia responded, rolling her eyes and dipping the cloth beneath the water. All her life she had been groomed and trained to embody the role of the Princess of Alderaan. There were days that she enjoyed and appreciated the life that she had and the life that awaited her. But there were days when this future seemed too big for her, weighing heavily upon her, dragging her down and making her feel helpless, like that time when she had tried on her father's battle armor - only this feeling could not be shed as easily.

"Leia," Breha said to get her attention. The princess looked up so that her eyes met with her mother's. "No, sweetheart, you don't know. You have to trust me. We've talked about this before. You must mind your governess and stay with your sentinels. This," she said, taking Leia's arm and indicating the bruising, "is nothing." The Queen's voice broke. "It's nothing compared to-," she stopped, dropped her hand from Leia's arm and pressed it against her mouth.

It was moments like this one when Leia thought that she was being groomed for something other than the role of a princess. She knew that she had been adopted, knew her real mother had disappeared from her life when she was very young. Some days she felt as if she, too would be sent away to suffer whatever fate became of the woman that had given birth to her, the woman with the perpetual sad eyes and beautiful face. Leia secretly feared yet anxiously awaited that mysterious, terrible fate that lied before her, she felt her life would not truly begin until that day came.

"Mother," she said, trying to sound soothing.

"You must trust me on this, Leia. Promise me you will."

She did. She did trust her mother and father about the evils that awaited her outside of the castle walls, but she did not trust them enough to tell them that she was in a hurry to face them, to start this new and real life. "I will. I promise," Leia said. "I truly and sincerely promise."

"Okay, okay," Breha soothed, bending down and kissing Leia on top of the head. "That's good, my sweet. That's very good."

Leia bathed herself quietly, using the hard brush to get the line of dark dirt from beneath her nails while feeling her mother's eyes watching her thoughtfully. She dunked the brush beneath the water and brought it back up. "What…," she began casually. "What's going to happen to Ori?"

Ori was the son of her mother's assistant. They were close in age and often together. Ori was timid and pliable and often found himself wrapped up in one scheme or another of Leia's doing. For a shy boy, he impressed Leia with the courage he showed when he fought against his normal nature and tested his limits under her not-so-gentle coaxing. For all her shenanigans might cost her, she really did sincerely hope that she had not gotten him into too much trouble.

"His mother is having a similar conversation with him," Breha replied. And before Leia could finish the sigh of relief she was blowing out, her mother added, "And we have discussed sending him away to the Academy."

"No," Leia cried, feeling the tears come to her eyes quickly; real genuine tears that just wouldn't come when it came to the worry of her own predicament. "Mother, please. You can't, you can't send him away. It was all my fault, my idea, not Ori's."

Breha took Leia's chin in her hand and encouraged the young girl to look up to her. "I can see the defiance in your eyes, Leia. Even when you don't think I can."

Leia cast her eyes down and away from her mother, wondering how much she could really possibly know.

"No, look at me," Breha demanded and Leia obeyed. "I want you to remember this," her mother said calmly. "Remember this feeling of panic and grief that you feel for your friend and his fate. Remember, always remember, the effect your actions have on others. It will become more and more important as you get older."

Leia nodded and sniffed, feeling heavy tears streak down her cheeks. Bail and Breha always talked to her in riddles, giving advice and guidance that never seemed to correctly align with the current situation or reality. It was confusing and disconcerting but asking about it had long ago proved fruitless, so Leia resigned herself to try and make her own sense out of it. But she felt that it was a lot to expect of her and she worried that she was getting it all wrong, that she would get it all wrong. And then wouldn't they be sorry for being so unclear?

"There are always consequences for the things that we do," Breha continued. "We've taught you this as well. Haven't we?"

"Yes," she replied dutifully.

Breha let go of her chin and caressed the side of Leia's face. "You're not a child any longer, my dear. You must begin to make better decisions. Do you understand that now?"

Leia cast her eyes down to the evaporating bubbles in the bathtub. No, she didn't understand any of it but that didn't seem to matter to anyone. Someday she would look back on this and it would all make sense. One day, she imagined, she would be able to sit with Bail and Breha like adults often do and reminisce about these times and what they were trying to impart and prepare her for because she will have found out and lived it by then. She imagined her mother as she was now, dressed casually and talking with her not as a queen, but by then, a friend. They would laugh and joke and tease one another at their silliness, because nothing ever turns out as bad as it is feared, especially the often irrational and overblown fears of parents.

Leia nodded again and smiled weakly as she replied, "Yes, mother. I understand."

Endor's Moon, approximately ten years later…

There was a noise that had awoken Leia and her eyes fluttered open, shaking the remnants of the dream away. Glancing around the room, she remembered that she had fallen into Han's bunk onboard the Falcon, weak and exhausted after the initial elation and celebration of their apparent victory. Finding herself alone, she quickly dressed, wincing at the pain from the blaster wound on her arm.

She found Han outside, gazing up at the missing sensor dish on his ship, his face lighting up at the sight of her. Leia approached him slowly, remembering bits of her dream and the significance of it. She would never get the opportunity to look back on her childhood with Bail and Breha, she thought. She would never, with anyone, laugh and dismiss the fears that they had held inside of them for her future.

"Hey," Han whispered as she stepped into his arms and he kissed the top of her head. "How'd you sleep?"

Leia closed her eyes and pressed herself against him, reveling in the strength and security he exuded so naturally. She recalled more of her dream and then she remembered everything that had happened in the last few days. Her parents' fears had been as awful and unreal as any she could've ever imagined. The Force is strong in my family.

"Hey," Han said again, this time extricating her from his arms just enough so that he could look down at her with worry and concern.

"Hey," she replied softly and then swallowed. She heard her mother's voice saying, "You're special" and she shuddered. She looked up at Han. "There's something," she began and then faltered. Somehow, I've always known. She swallowed again, steeling her resolve as she continued, "There's something that I need to tell you."