The place that Leia had crashed was not too far from the clearing that Anna and Han had been waiting at. The path that the speeders had taken never meant that they were traveling in one direction for very long, and were always twisting around, trying to lose their pursuers. Anna stayed back with the droids while Han and Luke reached for any sign of the other girl.

"Anything?" she asked Artoo, who was actively monitoring the area around them. The little droid beeped at her, and she dropped her eyes to the forest floor. Leia was such an integral piece of the team, and if anything were to happen, the entire Alliance would suffer from it.

"Luke!" Han called. "Luke!"

Anna raised her head from the forest floor and saw Han standing over the wreckage of a speeder, not far from where she stood. "Let's go," she said to the droids, and they walked with her to where Han and Luke stood. Chewie followed soon after.

"Oh, Master Luke," Threepio said.

"There are two more wrecked speeders back there," Luke said. "And I found this."

He tossed something to Han, and he caught it, turning it over in his hands. Leia's helmet.

"I'm afraid Artoo's sensors can find no trace of Princess Leia," Threepio said.

"I hope she's all right," Han said gravely.

Chewie growled, sniffing the air. Anna looked up at the wookiee, and he barked, taking off into the bush.

"What Chewie? What? Chewie!" Han called, pushing through the leaves after the wookiee. The rest all rushed through the bush, trying to keep up with him. Artoo whistled nervously.

They reached a break in the bushes, and saw what had set Chewie off. A tall stake was firmly planted into he ground, and a dead animal hung from it.

"Hey, I don't get it," Han said as the rest of the small group reached the stake. "Nah, it's just a dead animal, Chewie."

The wookiee, however, didn't seem to care what Han said. He reached for it, pulling it off of the stake.

"Chewie wait don't!" Luke called but it was too late. A net snapped up from the ground, trapping all of them and hoisting them high into the air.

"Nice work," Han growled. "Great, Chewie, great! Always thinking with your stomach."

"Will you take it easy?" Luke called. "Let's just figure out a way to get out of this thing. Han,c an you reach my lightsaber?"

"Yeah, sure," he said, grabbing onto the net where Luke was pinned, making it start to spin. Anna glanced down below her, seeing that Artoo had extended his cutting appendage. She prepared herself, knowing that the fall was coming.

"Artoo, I'm not sure that's a good idea," Threepio said. "It's a very long dro—op!"

With that, the group fell from the trap and onto the grass below. Anna sat up quickly, trying to regain her senses, glancing around the clearing. Han and Luke sat up too, then Chewie. She looked around at everyone, seeing that they were no worse for wear, and was about to stand up when the edges of the clearing were suddenly outlined in little furry creatures, each one holding a spear, pointed straight at the group.

Ewoks, she thought to herself.

The Ewoks closed in on them, and Han glanced around.

"What?" he asked, confused. He looked down at one of the spears that was being pointed right in his face. "Hey! Point that thing somewhere else."

He pushed the spear out of his face, and two of the Ewoks started arguing in a language Anna couldn't understand. The spear returned to being pointed in Han's face, which he did not take very well.

"Hey!" Han hissed, grabbing the spear angrily and reaching for his blaster. Luke reached out to him.

"Han, don't," he said. "It'll be all right."

The Ewoks began to swarm, and two of them walked up to Anna, pulling on her lightsaber. She let them take it off of her belt, as did Luke. Chewie was not happy about having to hand over his crossbow, and he growled as the Ewoks tried to pull it away from him.

"Chewie, give them your crossbow," Luke said. The wookiee gave one final growl before he let them take his weapon, and Anna looked over at Luke. Both of them exchanged confused glances.

"Oh, my head!" Threepio's voice said from behind her. "Oh my goodness!"

She turned as the droid sat up, and the Ewoks gasped. Chatter echoed from around them, and the three humans all looked equally as confused. The Ewok that was nearest to Threepio dropped his spear as began to bow and in front of him, the others following suit. Chewie let out a confused bark.

"Do you understand anything they're saying?" Luke asked Threepio.

"Oh yes, Master Luke!" Threepio said proudly. "Remember that I am fluent in over six million forms of communication."

"What are you telling them?" Han asked, annoyance creeping into his voice.

"Hello I think," Threepio said, looking around at the Ewoks. "I could be mistaken. They're using a very primitive dialect, but I do believe that they think I am some sort of god."

Both Chewie and Artoo couldn't hide their amusement. Han and Luke looked at each other, trying to figure out what to do next.

"Well why don't you use your divine influence, and get us out of this?" Han said, not even trying to mask his sarcastic tone.

"I beg your pardon, General Solo, but that just wouldn't be proper," Threepio said.

"Proper?" Han asked in a challenging tone. Anna and Luke both exchanged smirks, tying to mask them.

"It's against my programming to impersonate a deity," Threepio said simply.

"Why you—," Han said, shifting toward Threepio threateningly. Luke reached out and grabbed Han's shoulder, trying to hold the General back. The Ewoks did not take kindly to Han's threat, and their spears were in his face once again. He jumped back, startled.

"My mistake," Han said, holding his hands up. "He's an old friend of mine."

Anna suddenly felt fury paws in her shoulder. She shifted to get away from them, but they were not ready to give up.

"Go with them," Luke said. "We'll be fine."

"I'll hold you to that," she said as she stood up.

The village of the Ewoks was unlike anything Anna had ever seen before. They walked on narrow walkways, and she was slightly put off by the amount they creaked under her weight. The sound of horns and drums echoed around them, and the chants of the Ewoks themselves also carried through the trees. The large group of the little creatures returned the calls as they travelled along the wooden walkways.

She was walking near the back of the procession; for whatever reason, the Ewoks had spared her from the situation Luke, Han, Chewie, and Artoo found themselves in. The astromech droid was wrapped in vines, almost like a cocoon. Han, Luke, and Chewie were all tied to poles, carried by several Ewoks. Threepio was being carried on a wooden chair, much like a king. Anna was behind him, and as much as she wanted to ask why she was not being treated as a prisoner like the others, she did not want to put Threepio in a tough spot. He knew that they needed to be freed, but there was no sense in trying to get free until they knew what they were up against.

They were brought into what looked to be the village square, where huts lined an open space. Some of the mother Ewoks hid their babies as they passed by, and Anna turned her focus to what was directly in front of her. She glanced down at the Ewoks as they pushed her legs to follow the group that literally carried Threepio on their shoulders. She looked over at Luke, obviously concerned, but he tried to give her a reassuring look. It seemed that he wasn't too confident in getting out of their situation.

Threepio was set down overlooking the open space, and he seemed to be impressed with everything going on around him. He was the only one that seemed to think that way, as the only thing that Anna could think of now was getting out of this village. Han was lifted up over a barbecue pit, and he glanced down at it, then his head shot back up. "I have a really bad feeling about this," he said. Luke and Chewie were leaned up against a tree, and the wookiee growled in concern for his friend. Anna was brought to the large hut, and was suddenly barred from reaching the rest of the group as Ewoks formed a wall of sorts with their bodies. She looked over her shoulder as she was led into the hut, and for the first time since Jabba's Palace, she felt truly worried. She turned her gaze back to the front once the walls of the hut blocked her view of the group, and her eyes widened.

"Leia?" she asked.

The other girl lifted her head. "Anna! You're okay!" she said, standing up.

"I was about to say the same thing," Anna said as she looked over Leia, surprised. The former princess was no long redressed in the standard scout clothes, and was now wearing an animal-skin dress, her hair down and braided. "What happened?"

"It's a long story," Leia said. "I'll have to tell you later. Where is everyone else?"

"Go see for yourself," Anna said as the Ewoks sat her down.

Leia rushed outside of the hut, and Anna turned to she could see what was going on. At that moment, the drums started beating.

"Leia!" Han and Luke called. She paused only for a moment, then walked forward, but was met by several spears all pointing directly at her.

"Oh!" she said, staggering back.

"Your Royal Highness!" Threepio called out to her. Artoo and Chewie also acknowledged her.

Leia looked down at the Ewoks threatening her and sighed. "But these are my friends!" she said to them, almost in a pleading tone. "Threepio, tell them they must be set free!"

Threepio turned to one of the Ewoks, and being speaking in their native language. Behind Anna, a couple of Ewoks were trying to braid her hair, but she hissed at them, pulling it out of their paws. They jumped back at her aggression, and she regretted it, but her friends were in danger. She walked out to where Leia stood.

"What's going on?" Anna asked.

"Threepio doesn't seem to be getting through to them," Leia said, watching as the Ewoks piled more wood under Han. He looked up at the raised platform that Threepio sat on.

"Somehow, I got the feeling that didn't help us very much," he growled.

"Threepio," Luke said. "Tell them that if they don't do as you wish, you shall become angry as use your magic."

Threepio answered in a surprised tone. "But Master Luke, what magic?" he responded. "I couldn't possibly—"

"Just tell them," Luke said, cutting him off. Even in all of the chaos, he was still keeping a level head, not letting fear get to him the same way it was getting to Han.

Threepio began to converse with the same Ewok once again, and Anna looked over at Luke, trying to read what he was planning.
"You see Master Luke, they didn't believe me," Threepio said solemnly. "Just as I said they wouldn't."

The chair that the protocol droid sat on began to slowly rise. He cried out for help, and Anna turned to look at Luke, seeing that he had fallen into his state of concentration. She couldn't help but grin.

The Ewoks descended into fear, not knowing that it was Luke who was controlling the one they thought to be a god. The same Ewok that Threepio had been talking too, who seemed to be the chief of this tribe, started shouting commands to those that were cowering. Quickly, they began to untie the prisoners, and Luke set threepio back down onto the raised platform, right where he had come from. Artoo was the only one who wasn't happy about what had just happened and a blue electric charge crackled out from him. Han ran over to Leia, embracing her, much to the surprise of the Ewoks. Luke walked over and embraced the princess as well, and looked over at the protocol droid who was still trying to calm himself down.

"Thanks Threepio," he said with a smile.

"I… never knew I had it in me," the droid said, shaking his head.

Anna walked over to where the rest of the group stood, finally reunited. "Now is as good a time as any to tell us that long story," Anna said with a smile.

"I was thrown from my speeder bike," she said. "It crashed, so the Imperial scout that was pursuing me must've thought I was dead," she said. "I was unconscious for a while, and when I woke up, one of these guys was nudging me. I was able to win his trust through food."

"Amazing," Han said. Leia smiled.

"Anyway, two scouts found me," she continued. "I thought I was done for, but that little guy saved me by surprising one of them. We ran from the area, and he led me here."

"Not really a long story," Anna commented. "I'm glad you're okay."

"No kidding," Han said, pulling Leia up against him.

"Where's the rest of the team?" she asked.

"I told them to go ahead while we were out looking for you," he said. "Don't worry, I have it all under control."

"Funny," she said. "Last time you said something like that, you stepped on a twig and gave us away."

Han just shook his head and began to walk toward where Threepio still sat. Anna turned to face Luke.

"Now what?" she asked. He looked up at her, as if he had been somewhere else. He just shrugged. Their confrontation on the shuttle still hung in the air between them, even if Luke had settled down a bit.

"Look," she said. "If he knew we were here, I'm sure they would've found us."

"He's not here yet," he said. "They're coming."

"Luke," she said weakly, not wanting to argue. It never ended well for anyone.

He said nothing. He was completely withdrawn inside of his own mind. "Please," she said. "If we move fast, we can get out of here before he can find you."

"It's too late," Luke said, shaking his head, then brushed by her to follow Han. She sighed, looking across the village square. There had been a brief moment when she had felt genuinely worried for him, even more than when he had been fighting the Rancor in Jabba's Palace not long ago. Whatever moment that had been had been short-lived, and she ran her hand through her hair, ruffling it as she thought. He had a valid reason to worry, but he was strong. He would find a way.

Daily updates! I'm trying to get into writing once a day, no matter if it's NaNo season or not, so I'm writing one chapter per day. Maybe I'll be able to finish this story before the end of the month? Who knows.

We have a new cover! The old one was pretty hacked together and as my skills as an artist grew I decided to draw a new one. It's not complete yet, as these are just the lines, and I might add shading and colour once my human skills get better (this is what happens when you only know how to draw one thing!) I'm trying to decide if I want to colour it realistically or just shade with white (sort of like how I did the hair, just with more realistic highlights). What do you guys think?