August's challenge at the Han and Leia Discord site was to use the word 'first'.
The Carousel on Naboo
Leia Organa-Solo had been thrilled when her newly discovered relatives had invited her and her family to take a little vacation trip to Naboo, especially since neither Han nor Leia ever had much downtime to spend with their growing family. With their youngest, six-month-old Anakin safely under the watchful eye of Chewie, Leia hoisted herself up on the bejeweled blue bantha, reaching over to take Jaina from her husband's arms. She carefully positioned her daughter in front of her on the hard, plasteel saddle, smiling as the three-year-old eagerly grasped the shiny gold-toned post.
With his strong arms, Han held Jacen tightly against his chest while he swung his long legs over the back of the pink bordok, which was positioned directly next to Leia's bantha. "I don't know why I have to ride the pink animal," Han griped. "Me an' Jacen should be riding the blue bantha."
The Princess laughed. "I would have thought you'd pick the purple nerf."
Han grunted and shook his head as he snapped the restraining belt around Jacen's waist. "It's three rows back. You're never gonna let go of that nerf herder business, are you?"
"Never," Leia teased lightly. She smiled as she watched the other riders take their own plasteel, colorful mounts. The last time she'd been on one of these carousels had been for her tenth birthday. Her parents had rented the entire amusement park for the day, and she'd invited all of her many friends along for a day of sugary treats, greasy, deep fried snacks, and endless fun park rides. It had been a perfect, glorious party, and that birthday was something she'd never forgotten.
Glancing back over at her vaguely embarrassed husband, she asked, "Have you ever been on a carousel before?"
"Nope, this is my first time," Han admitted. "Stood around sometimes and watched other kids ride, but I never had any spare credits. 'Sides, even if I would've risked tryin' to spend some of Shrike's quota, they wouldn't have let me ride, anyway."
He couldn't add any more explanation, even if he had been inclined, since the loud, calliope music started blaring and the ride started moving, taking them up and down as the speed gradually increased, delighting their small children.
For Leia, some of the enthusiasm left her as they circled around. Han's words, 'they wouldn't have let me ride' rang in her ears. She knew what he meant - the ride operators would have seen a ragged, street child, and not only refused to allow him to ride, they probably would have threatened him as well. It was small moments like this that struck Leia down to her very core about how unfair and unequal life was throughout the galaxy.
With a tight throat and tears that threatened to spill, she glanced over at Han, who was actually smiling and laughing along with Jacen, dark hair tousled in the breeze, as their pink bordok rolled smoothly up and down. For a brief moment, Leia pictured Han as a young boy, and found herself wishing she could give him the childhood he deserved, but never had. Then, listening to Jaina's squeals of delight, Leia felt her sadness drain away as quickly as it had arrived. Maybe this was Han's first time riding a carousel, but if she had anything to do with it, it certainly wouldn't be his last.
The End