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Part 2: In the lane, snow is glistening
As much as Han hated to admit it, Lando had really outdone himself this time.
Perhaps the erstwhile administrator of Cloud City still felt tremendous guilt over delivering the occupants of the Falcon into Vader's waiting hands on Bespin, or maybe he wanted to make up for knocking off the Falcon's long-range sensor dish in the Battle of Endor. Whatever the motivation, as soon as Lando had learned of Han's wishes to steal away with Leia for a few days of their furlough, he'd sprung into action, tapping his contacts across the galaxy and swiftly arranging for an exclusive, luxury getaway to the tourist planet of Zalari.
Like Hoth, Zalari was a planet of endless winter, but far more picturesque and also lacking the frigid extremes of its more remote counterpart. Furthermore, with a long-standing prohibition of modern technologies and methods of communication in its tourist zones, travelling to Zalari was said to be like taking a step back in time. It purported to be a haven for those seeking a taste of a simpler way of life, and promised an off-the-grid experience like no other.
There was a spaceport, of course, on the outskirts of the bustling capital city of Carrocol, and the more densely populated areas of the planet sported the same modern conveniences as any other spacefaring civilisation. But Han and Leia hadn't come here for a tour of the cities. As soon as they'd docked and secured the Falcon, they'd boarded a sumptuously appointed private shuttle, piloted by an efficient but laconic droid—another of Lando's generous contributions—and left the city far behind.
They'd been travelling in warmth and comfort for the better part of an hour now, much of that in companionable silence as they held hands and gazed out at the stunning, snow-covered landscape, and they were fast approaching the foot of the mountains that loomed large on the horizon. At the speeder terminal there, they would transfer to what Lando had described to Han as a more rustic form of transportation for the journey up the mountain to the tiny village of Koleraine, and the private cabin on the outskirts that would serve as their vacation home for the next five days.
The pitch of the speeder's repulsors changed as the vehicle slowed, and then quieted to a low hum as it cruised to a halt outside of a snow-laden structure made of fieldstone and stripped timber. Leia gave a low laugh and then turned to Han with a wryly cocked eyebrow.
"I cannot believe we're taking a vacationin the ice and snow," she said drily. "Didn't you get enough of the cold on Hoth?"
"Hey," Han said, feigning mild affront. "Hoth wasn't all bad. I happen to have some very fond memories of Echo Base."
Leia snorted. "Name one."
"You," Han replied without missing a beat. "The way you look with snowflakes in your eyelashes. All bundled up in winter gear, with your red nose. Watching you put on that lip stuff..." He mimed the action and then waggled his eyebrows suggestively, grinning as a pink flush tinted Leia's cheeks and she lowered her eyes. "But especially the way you cuddled up to Chewie every chance you got," he added.
That earned him a huff of exasperation and an eye roll. "I did not."
"You did. Kinda made me wish I was a furry walking thermo-convector, too."
Leia laughed. "I suppose Hoth would have been a lot nicer for both of us if we'd worked things out a little sooner," she mused, covering his hand with hers on the seat between them.
"No doubt. We missed out on keeping each other warm then, but now.…" he trailed off with a wink.
Leia dark eyes sparkled as she leaned close to offer a smiling kiss. Then she gave a little gasp, drew back with her eyes wide, and nudged Han's arm. "Oh, Han," she breathed. "Look."
Han followed her gaze out the window and felt a wide smile break over his face as he caught sight of the "rustic" transport Lando had arranged. It was an archaic vehicle, all right—that much was true. Coming towards them down the snow-covered lane was an old-fashioned open sleigh, elaborately carved, and painted in an iridescent white paint that shimmered with myriad pastel colours as the sleigh moved, the graceful lines of it trimmed with gleaming metal that flashed as it caught the amber light of the late-afternoon sun. The sled was drawn by an impressive pair of creamy-white equine draught beasts, bedecked in festive finery, whose pale manes and tails streamed behind them as they angled down the wide lane towards the station. Out of the corner of his eye, Han saw Leia's mouth drop open in frank astonishment, and he felt a little spike of triumph as she turned a marvelling gaze in his direction. Impressing the princess had never been an easy task, but he reckoned he was beginning to get the hang of it.
With snorts and whinnies from the powerful equines amid a jingling of tiny harness bells, the sleigh finally pulled to a stop alongside their resting speeder, and then its driver—a native Zalarian, his thick, black-spotted fur striking the perfect contrast with his smart red jacket—hopped down from the driver's seat. Snagging his visored cap from atop his furred head, he opened the passenger door and dipped low in a bow of greeting, as first Han and then Leia stepped out from the speeder, their boots crunching crisply on the snow-covered ground, their breaths misting in the frosty air.
"Welcome, friends, to Zalari," the driver intoned in heavily accented Basic, bowing low once more. Then he straightened, and replaced his cap snugly between his short, rounded ears, meeting their gazes with a lively gleam in his ice-blue eyes.
After they'd murmured their thanks and returned his greeting, Leia introduced herself and then Han.
"I am Ermau the Younger, of Tullichewan," the Zalarian answered in his slightly rasping voice, long white whiskers twitching. "It will be my pleasure to escort you to your private accommodation on the outskirts of Koleraine."
Behind him, the beautiful creatures hitched to the sleigh snorted and shook their massive heads, blinking their dark, long-lashed eyes and then lowering their noses to the ground in search of something to eat. Their flowing white manes were woven through with iridescent ribbons in the same silver and gold as those bedecking the sleigh itself, and strings of bells on their rigging jingled as they flicked their long tails from side to side and pawed at the snowy ground with their hooves. Han slanted a glance at Leia and saw that she was still taking in the entire scene with an expression of mute wonder, her big brown eyes scanning over the graceful curves of the sleigh to the forested foothills and towering snow-covered peaks beyond. When she turned her gaze toward Han once more, her whole face was alight. He grinned back.
Leaving his passengers to beam at one another, Ermau busied himself loading their cases onto the rack beneath the sled, speaking as he worked. "You are welcome to enjoy the hospitality of our transition centre before we depart for the village," he said, gesturing toward the fieldstone structure with one paw. "Rest, and warm yourselves if you like. And, of course," he intoned, giving them a broad wink, "please ensure that you are free of any remaining encumbrances of modern civilization. There are secure lockers available inside, if required."
Leia gave a graceful nod. "We left everything of that sort behind, as instructed, and we're ready to be on our way as soon as you are."
"As you wish." Ermau peeled back furred lips from pointed teeth in the Zalarian equivalent of a smile and then hopped back up into the driver's seat with feline grace, tucking his long tail beneath him as he took up the reins. "Please step up, and make yourselves comfortable," he said over his shoulder. "There are blankets, should you need them, to keep you warm for the journey."
Once his passengers were settled, Ermau urged the draught team forward with a light flick of the reins and a soft click of his tongue. Reining with care, the Zalarian slowly turned the sleigh as they pulled away from the station, and then urged the beasts to pick up the pace as he angled their noses down the tree-lined lane toward the foothills.
Although the sleigh moved at a pace much slower than any speeder, the frigid bite of the wind became more intense as Ermau settled the team into a steady trot. Seeing Leia's involuntary shiver, Han lifted and shook out one of the colourful blankets piled on the floor of the sleigh and then swept it over her, before tucking the edges around her shoulders.
"Better?" he asked with a smile, and then slipped an arm around her and drew her close.
Leia nodded mutely in reply, her face a picture of happiness as she burrowed down into the crook of his sheltering arm. The feeling of her nestling against his body and murmuring her contentment was everything Han had hoped for in this little getaway—and they hadn't even arrived at their final destination yet. Gazing out over her head, Han drew a deep breath of the frosty air and released it in a gratified sigh.
The lane they were travelling seemed to narrow as it cut through the woods, where the air was filled with the sharp scent of pine and the heady aroma of cedar. Everywhere was snow—high banks lined the perimeter of the lane, and a thick, pristine blanket covered the ground in all directions, even deep into the forest on both sides. The branches of the tall evergreens they swept past were heavy with clumps of white that shimmered with jewel-like brilliance, reflecting the last rays of the fading sun. Clouds had begun to move in as they climbed up the slope of the mountain, casting the sky in swirling shades of pearly melon, pink and grey, with darker clouds visible in the distance carrying the promise of more wintry precipitation to come.
As they travelled deeper into the woods and farther up the mountainside, huge conifers came into view, staggered at intervals on both sides of the lane and adorned with iridescent ribbons, ropes of glittering silver garland and luminous orbs in pearlescent rainbow hues.
"How beautiful," Leia breathed.
"Yeah," Han concurred. "But strange."
Ermau glanced over his shoulder and gave a hearty laugh. "Ah, yes. Our customs must seem unusual to off-worlders," he said over the jingle of the harness bells. "You have arrived just in time to celebrate Lunasa."
Han glanced down at Leia, who gave a bewildered shrug. "What's Lunasa?" he asked, looking back at the driver.
"Lunasa is the most beloved of all our festival days," Ermau explained, keeping his eyes trained on the path ahead. The sleigh bumped over the crest of a small hill in the terrain and then sped down the next incline, dragged smoothly by the trotting white equines. The cold wind whipped the driver's words over his shoulder. "It marks the time when all three of Zalari's moons align. The result is a celestial display like no other. It is one of the most truly remarkable sights in all the galaxy, and the culmination of this year's event is in two days' time."
Leia tipped her face up to Han's, her dark eyes aglow with wonder and delight. But that wasn't all that was glowing, he noticed with a grin. He tapped a fingertip on the end of her nose and chuckled.
"That red nose," he laughed, "is so damn cute."
"It's so damn cold," Leia corrected, with a mock glower.
"Awww…" Han dipped down and pressed a kiss to the tip, and then drew back to meet her gaze.
"My cheeks are cold, too," she murmured. He could feel her lips curve into a smile as he leaned in to kiss first one side of her wind-chilled face, and then the other.
"And my chin."
Chuckling, he planted a smooch on her upturned chin, and then nibbled playfully along her jaw, sending her into a fit of helpless laughter. Shrugging one arm free of her blanket, she reached up to slide her hand around the nape of his neck. Han could hear the smile in her voice as she threaded her fingers through his hair and stretched up to offer her mouth to his.
"And my lips," she whispered, "are freezing."
Leia's dark lashes fluttered against her cheeks as her soft lips met his, first in tender invitation, then in deepening passion. Wrapped in the warmth of each other, surrounded by the scent of pines and the merry jingling of harness bells, they shared a series of deep, unhurried kisses while the frozen, sun-dappled landscape rushed by unseen.
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