Chapter Eleven
Leia pulled the last dress from its hangar and tossed it on the bed. Last night, she and Han finally decided to get a transport to Bespin. Well, more like the prince was growing impatient. She couldn't blame him, though; he was stubborn, but selfless. He always wanted to do his duty for his people. It was one of the things she admired about him. She smiled to herself as she unzipped her suitcase. Maybe it was one of the reasons she fell in love with him.
Wait, what? Love? Leia, where the hell did that come from? She didn't know the answer. It just seemed so natural, so normal, so…right. Skywalker quickly pushed that thought from her mind. You can't afford to think like this now. You have a mission to do. Focus, Leia.
Amidala-Skywalker sighed and folded a pair of trousers. She still couldn't seem to get her mind off of Solo. Sure, he was infuriating, cocky and a complete pain in the ass…but Leia loved seeing his sweet-side, one that he rarely showed. She felt lucky, somehow, since she knew that she was one of the only people who got to see it.
The Jedi put the last garment into her suitcase. She hoped that they would be safe. If not her, then at least the Corellian. It was her job to protect him, and that's what she vowed that she would do. She'd protect him, no matter what the cost.
Han gave the security guard their fake IDs as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Leia had practically begged him to do the talking; she was a terrible liar. She was a politician, yes, and she was able to be quite convincing and persuasive when she wanted to be, but she couldn't lie. Especially not when their lives were at stake.
Leia released the breath she didn't realize she was holding when the guard let them onto the ship. He gave the pair's luggage to a service droid, who followed them closely to the reception area.
The Coruscanti thought that Han would just buy a new ship, something small, to replace his beloved Falcon. But no. He bought them tickets for a first-class cruiser.
"C'mon, sweetheart, lighten up!" The prince squeezed her hand.
"Han, it's totally unnecessary! You don't have to do this to impress me-" He cut her off with a passionate kiss.
"It's no big deal, Leia, really. And it'll be fun. Trust me."
"So how much do I owe you?" Amidala-Skywalker asked him casually, sticking close to his side. She kept a cautious hand on her hip, where her lightsaber was hidden under her skirts. Something was wrong here- she could sense it.
"What do you mean?" Solo inquired, grabbing her other hand.
She offered him a wry smile. "Surely you didn't think that I'd let you pay for all of this, did you?" The girl removed her hand from the hilt of her lightsaber and gestured to the extravagant furnishings in the lobby of the cruiser. Leia playfully shoved his shoulder and lowered her voice. "C'mon, Solo, you know me better than that,"
Han rolled his eyes. "You're impossible, you know that?" The Jedi beamed and nodded in response. She opened her mouth to add something, but quickly closed it when they arrived at the reception desk.
"Good morning, and welcome aboard," The receptionist greeted the pair cheerfully. Kriff, Amidala thought, he must have paid double for a ship with a human staff. "Come to check in?" The prince offered her a charming smile and nodded. Leia felt a surge of jealousy when she noticed the faint blush on the worker's cheeks. "Alright. What was the name you made the reservations under?"
"Tyrrax and Lania Selus," He replied smoothly.
The woman smiled knowingly. "Here for a honeymoon, I presume?"
"Yes, actually," Skywalker piped up, possessively taking hold of one of the prince's hands.
"A wedding on Naboo," The receptionist nodded her head. "A lovely choice," She handed the Corellian a datachip with all of the necessary information on it. She began to talk about the cruise's many features and activities onboard, but Leia tuned her out. The Jedi reached out and found the girl's Force signature. She felt some attraction towards Solo, which brought on a whole new wave of jealousy.
Amidala-Skywalker was brought back to reality when the prince brushed his lips against her cheek. "C'mon, sweetheart," He tugged on her hand and lead her to the turbolifts, the droid carrying their luggage in tow. She couldn't help throwing a smug smile over her shoulder, but the receptionist was too busy helping another guest to notice Skywalker.
"What was that all about?" Leia blurted out as the doors to the turbolift closed.
"What are you talking about?" Han asked curiously.
"You were flirting with the receptionist!" Amidala-Skywalker accused him, poking him hard in the chest.
Solo laughed, a mischievous glint in his eye. "I never thought that I'd see the day when Leia Amidala-Skywalker became jealous because I spoke to another woman,"
"It's not funny!" She protested, although she was having a hard time trying not to laugh. She turned away from him as her cheeks became bright red. She cleared her throat and attempted to change the subject. "Any idea when we take off?"
"Within the next hour, so we better hurry," The Corellian told her, just as the turbolift doors opened to the twentieth floor. Leia inwardly rolled her eyes. Yet another addition to the already overwhelming cost of their tickets. He grabbed her hand and led her to a door marked with '2098'. "Here we are," He entered the pass code and palmed the door open.
Amidala-Skywalker's jaw dropped the second she stepped inside. "A suite?" She stared at him as if he had three heads. "Han Solo, are you absolutely insane?" The droid rolled into the room and gently dropped the suitcases by the bedroom.
Han walked over to Leia and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, effectively calming her down. "Anything for you, sweetheart."