Han opened his eyes to find giant golden orbs looming just above his head. Jumping up and reaching for his blaster, he came face to face with a protocol droid. He hated droids.
Sitting up with his back against the pillows, Han's voice was gruff from having just been awakened, and in such a manner. "Can I help you?"
The droid looked alarmed by Han's tone, but answered right away. "Oh yes, sir. Captain Solo, let me introduce myself. I am C-3PO, human cyborg relations to the Royal House of Organa."
Han stared at him. "What the kest are you doing in my room?"
"I am quite sorry sir, but Princess Leia asked me to come in here and wake you up. The two of you must soon get ready for the press conference."
With an incredulous expression, Han rolled his eyes. "The princess told you to come in here?"
"Yes, sir. The wookiee Chewbacca seemed quite happy to awaken you himself, but the princess insisted it be me. Of course, I do not mind it as I am here to assist you in any way now that you are to become a part of the House of Organa."
Waving him off, Han went to stand up from the bed. "Yeah, yeah. Get out of here, I have to get dressed." He made it halfway to the fresher when he stopped and turned back towards the droid. He raised his finger as he spoke. "And from now on, if Chewie says he'll wake me up, just let him."
3-PO looked alarmed. "But sir! I cannot ignore a direct order-"
Han pointed his finger at the door. "Out!"
As he slammed the door to the fresher, he could hear the droid blubbering to himself. When he heard the door to the bedroom close, Han peaked out to make sure the droid had really left.
Standing in front of the sink, he turned the water on and looked at himself in the mirror. He had to admit, he hadn't slept so well in years. He loved the Falcon, it was his home, but after sleeping in the castle last night, he knew it was time to invest in a new mattress.
It did not take him long to get ready for the day because he figured the princess would want to have a say in dressing him. He took his time though in retaliation for her sending the droid to wake him up. Han had no idea how she could have known about his distaste for droids, but he was certain the princess had done it on purpose.
Han had no idea what to expect from the press conference. He knew that the Organas were important to the planet, they were the planet. He was sure that everyone was expecting her to marry a prince and join the royal house to another, and one day, she would probably do just that. But until this whole thing was over, he was going to have to pretend like he wanted to spend the rest of his life with the princess. And he needed to charm the people of Alderaan.
Compared to the object of his false affections, he thought that part was easy.
He was wondering why the princess hadn't barged in yet to yell at him in her manic tone to get ready faster, when there was a pounding at the door.
Han smirked, walked over to the door, and leaned against it. In a calm voice, he answered, "Can I help you?"
His smirk turned into a full-faced grin when he heard Leia's voice answer him. "Captain Solo, are you almost ready? It took me less time to get ready and I had to do my hair!"
While she sounded like she was trying to remain calm, Han detected a trace of panic in her voice.
He spoke his words in a slow, deliberate voice. "Morning, princess. Sure, I'm almost ready. I'll be out real soon. Just you wai-Hey!"
Leia pushed open the door and almost knocked him over in the process. Han growled at her, "What do you think you're doing? Just because you own the place doesn't mean you and your droid can come barging in here whenever you'd like. I'm supposed to be your guest."
The look she gave him in return was one of reprimand for acting so childish. She rolled her eyes, but answered in a sweet voice. "Sorry, hunny, but I was just so anxious to see you." Closing the door behind her, she turned on him.
"Grandmother is lurking. I think she wants to catch you before you got dressed. Mentioned something about hoping you slept in the nude."
Han and Leia shared a grimace, but looked away quickly. He noticed that while her hair was wound up in an elaborate braid that was thrown up in a bun on the back of her head, she was just wearing a robe.
She continued and he looked back up at her face. "Anyways, I wanted to wake you up early so we can get a head's start on prepping for the press conference. After breakfast, we'll get dressed and father can talk to you about public speaking."
Han eyed her suspiciously. "I thought you said all I had to do was sit and look pretty? I don't want to talk."
"Yes, well, you have to. Trust me, this was not my idea. Father seems to think that you will better endear yourself to the people of Alderaan if you, what did he call it? Oh, right. Just act like yourself." She rolled her eyes. "I don't know why he seems intent on blowing this as it was his idea in the first place."
Han lowered his eyes at her. "Give me some credit here, sweetheart. Just because I said I didn't want to talk doesn't mean I can't talk. I happen to be quite the charmer. You're the only female in this castle who doesn't think so."
"Is that right?" Leia laughed. "How many other women have you ran into in the castle so far?"
"Two," Han said proudly. "Winter and your grandmother."
Leia laughed louder. "Winter bursts into a fit of giggles at any man that comes near her. And grandmother barely counts-"
"Counts more than you do, sweetheart. At least she appreciates when such a gorgeous guy like me is in her presence." He puffed his chest out and gave her a wink. "Can we eat breakfast now, princess? Kest, you're slow."
He walked out of the bedroom smiling to himself, leaving a glowering princess in his wake.
Much to Leia's dismay, Grandmother Organa joined them at breakfast. It had only been her and Han for the first few minutes, so when the door to the dining hall opened, Leia turned around in gratitude. When she saw it was her grandmother though, she knew things could only get worse. Grandmother Organa stood in the doorway with a wide smile on her face. Leia thought she looked devious. She gave her a suspicious look.
"Morning grandmother."
"Morning dear. Oh! Captain Solo! A good morning to you as well. I trust you slept well in such a comfortable bed?"
Leia heard "in your skivvies" in her head and looked down mortified. When she looked up, Han was smirking again. She hated when he did that.
"Ah yes, definitely. Won't you join us for breakfast?"
Leia implored him with her eyes that it was a bad idea. He ignored her. They both looked up at Grandmother Organa who looked incredibly happy to see the two supposed lovers alone together.
"Oh no, I couldn't possibly interrupt."
"It's breakfast, grandmother. You're not interrupting anything. Besides, we have a busy day ahead of us."
Grandmother Organa looked disappointed as she took a seat beside Leia at the table. "The press conference, yes I remember. Are the two of you excited for sharing your love with the rest of the galaxy?"
She emphasized her point by throwing her arms up in the air, one of which was holding a fork, the other a knife. Leia ducked out of the way.
"Of course." Leia's nod was stiff. Han just shrugged.
Grandmother Organa was not appeased. "For such a torrid love affair, the two of you are awfully reserved in your affection towards one another."
Leia was in the middle of lifting her spoon of oatmeal towards her mouth when she froze. Han choked on his kaffe. "I-I, well. We just-"
"We prefer our privacy," Han intervened. "When we're together, we know that we're in love, we don't have to show it off to anyone else."
Leia smiled at him gratefully. Grandmother Organa looked touched, but she responded, "Nicely put, Captain Solo. I thought I did hear some scurrying in the hallway last night. Someone sneaked into a special someone else's bedroom." She winked at them again.
She looked so gleeful that neither had the heart to dissuade her. Leia continued eating her oatmeal and Han gave Grandmother Organa a wink.
"By the way, Grandma, call me Han. No need for formalities between friends."
Leia thought her grandmother would take offense at being called "grandma" as her and her cousins had always been dissuaded from using such a colloquial term. Her parents had said that it was disrespectful for a queen. Grandmother Organa, however, just beamed brighter.
"Of course, dear. You are a part of our family now."
The rest of breakfast passed by in comfortable silence. Grandmother Organa kept looking between the two of them with a small smile on her face. Leia herself was looking at Han a little differently than she had before. And, she thought,maybe the press conference might just go over better than she expected.
They finished breakfast and made Grandmother Organa's day when Han took her hand as they walked out, but immediately pulled away once they were out of her view.
Hurrying him along, Leia was all business. He didn't argue when she asked him to wear a navy blue button down shirt and even traded in his bloodstripe pants for a much more professional looking pair of black slacks. She sent him into the fresher and waited patiently, sitting on the edge of his bed.
She was a nervous wreck already. Not only was this moment something she had envisioned since she was a child, but it was also a lie, and one that was pivotal to keep to insure the safety of her, her family and friends, and the planet. If there was any doubt in the minds' of the people of the galaxy that her and Han Solo were in love, they would need to act quickly. She preferred to convince them all in one swoop.
Though Han's response at breakfast had been charming, Grandmother Organa was right. The people of Alderaan would want to see their princess so in love with her new suitor. It would not do for them just to hear about it.
She sighed deeply, tapping her foot in growing impatience. Leia supposed that after the press conference, her and Han would truly need to get to know one another better. They had spent the majority of their limited time together, alone and with others, prepping for every single second of the press conference. Perhaps she would find he was less irritating when the pressure wasn't so high. Today, he had already proved himself tolerable.
But the man was slow. Leia opened her mouth to speak. "Han, I don't mean to rush you, but really we need to meet with father."
The door to the fresher opened and Leia stared at him in shock. He looked devastatingly handsome in the simple outfit. She found herself wondering how he might look in the special royal military uniform he would have to wear at their wedding. She shook the thought of her head. They would never make it that far.
Eyeing him from head to toe, she nodded in appreciation. While Leia liked it when his hair was a bit scruffy and out of place, it didn't look half bad gelled back either. "My, Captain Solo, who knew? You do clean up nicely. We might just be able to charm all of Alderaan and the rest of the galaxy into believing us."
Though handsome, Han looked uncomfortable. "How much longer till we can get this thing over with?"
Leia responded in a mock-soothing voice. "Not much longer, just a few hours. We have about an hour before the press conference that will be held in the royal garden. If you look outside on your way to father's office, you will see they have already set up. Apparently, the town is buzzing in excitement. They have already been talking about the hero who saved their king and now they think some big announcement is coming."
Han scratched at the back of his head and looked down at his new shiny black shoes. "Don't worry, Your Royalness, I still got plenty left in me to mess things up."
"That you do," Leia said, but she offered him a small smile. "Do you remember your way to father's office?"
Han nodded.
"Excellent. Then if you won't mind heading down there on your own, I need to finish getting ready."
Han nodded again and they stepped to the door. He watched as she walked down the hallway and turned into her was the next one down, but the rooms were so big, she seemed like a light year's away. This press conference and mission were not exactly something he was thrilled about, but he figured he'd done a lot worse in much less hospitable conditions. Though he wouldn't admit it, even to himself, he was comforted by the fact that he and Leia were in this together.
Walking down the hallway to the offices, Han couldn't help but feel a little guilty and a lot pressured. If they didn't pull it off today, then security would be shot to hell. If they did somehow convince everyone that they were lovers, then they would be lying to the people Leia held most dear. This was why Han liked to keep at a distance. He didn't have to think about everyone else's feelings.
When he got to Bail's office, he was relieved to find Chewie there. "Hey, ya big lug. Where've you been?"
The wookiee waved at him good naturedly. "Been helping set up for the press conference."
Han was surprised by this. "Yeah? I thought you were supposed to be a guest? Not some random worker."
Chewie chortled. "Don't worry, cub, they're not working me too hard. There've just been a few things up high that are done a lot easier by someone with height. Anyways, I like to help."
Han patted his friend on his shoulder. It was nice to know that he would have someone on his side, no matter what happened.
"I know you do, Chew. Where's the king?"
A voice spoke behind them. "Right here, Captain Solo. My apologies, but I've been hounded with questions all morning."
Han turned around as Bail was speaking. The king looked like he hadn't slept, but was still immaculate and royal.
"I'm sure it's a big day for Alderaan. Do people know what announcement is being made?"
Bail stepped further into the room and walked over to his desk. "Officially, no. But I think they suspect. There have been rumors ever since you saved my life yesterday. Our offices have been spreading a few ourselves, talking about you being Leia's pilot and possibly falling in love."He smiled brilliantly. "I haven't seen Alderaan this excited in a long time."
Han didn't know what to say.
"But enough about such matters as anticipation and speculation. We must go over what you need to say."
Forty-five minutes later, Han felt even less confident than he had been. The words coming out of the king's mouth seemed genuine. He was an excellent, well-trained speaker. When Han tried, the words sounded false coming off his tongue.
Bail assured him that no matter how it was said, so long as Alderaan was under the impression that he was deeply in love with their princess, everything would be fine. The king led the way out of the office and towards the gardens. Before stepping outside, Chewie patted him carefully on the shoulder so as not to mess with his appearance.
"Think I can do this, Chewie?" Han looked up at his friend for reassurance.
Chewie laughed and looked down on him. "No, but you've been known to surprise from time to time."
With that, the doors opened and Han was met with the flickering of lights.