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When she opened her eyes, it was dark.
So dark.
She could feel the ship moving, but had no other indication of where she was. She was bound and gagged so she couldn’t move or scream. Her memory of how she ended up in this predicament was hazy. One moment, she’d been reading in her favorite spot in the Alderaan Mountains, just outside her family’s manor, the next, there were pirates rampaging through the mountains, waving a flag with a six spoked wheel as they tried to breach the Manor. They were unsuccessful due to the security her father had in place, but they’d rallied and captured her instead.
All she could think of now was how to get out of here. She moved her wrists, feeling the pain of the ropes that bound her, but the ropes moved.
Aha, she thought.
She wasn’t sure how long it took but she managed to free her wrists, and then removed her gag. A beam of light flowed into the brig where she was imprisoned and she looked around sharply for its source. There was a tiny window, affixed with bars (of course) across the hold, this dark emptiness, that she now crossed. She peered out, but all she could see was the vast ocean with no indicators of where she was or where she was being taken. She tried to send a message into the universe to the only person who was brave enough to come for her and the only one whom she had a strong enough mystic connection with. “Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.”
***
An old man jerked awake in a seaside village, many nautical miles away. At first he didn’t know why but he sifted through his thoughts and memories.
Leia.
Leia needed him.
And Leia wouldn’t ask for help on a whim. She was smart as a whip and too independent for her own good. What kind of trouble was she in? He knew Bail Organa had run afoul of the Imperial Army, the pirates that ran a lucrative slave trade and were rapidly taking control of the Atlantic Ocean. But how would that involve Leia? Unless they were using her to get to Bail. That would be a successful tactic, Obi Wan knew. He knew how close Bail and Leia were, and how if she were threatened, it was likely that he would acquiesce to their demands.
***
Pounding on the door woke her. She’s fallen into an uneasy sleep, on the rocking floor of the brig where she was locked in. One of her captors pushed a plate of bread, hard tack by the look of it, and a bowl of soup into the cell. Leia got up and looked at the meager provisions. The faceless pirate grunted at her and withdrew. She sighed and picked at it. Upon smelling it, her stomach gave an undignified rumble so against her better judgment, she began to eat, wondering how someone of her station could have sunk so low.
***
Obi Wan rode his horse out to Organa Manor in the morning. It was several miles inland but still overlooked the sea. When he gave his name to the butler, he gave a slight bow and said, “ Lord Organa was hoping you would come.” He was led into the drawing room, where he found a distraught Bail pacing back and forth.
“They have her. They have Leia,” he said, by way of greeting.
“Who?” Obi Wan asked. “What happened?”
“My political enemies. The Imperial Army. They’ve kidnapped her and are holding her for ransom.”
“What are you going to do?” Obi Wan asked, carefully watching Bail.
“You have to help me get her back.”
Obi Wan knew he was going to ask and that he would agree. Of course he would. He’d known Leia since she was a little girl. But he was certainly too old for such adventures. Plus he would need transportation.
***
Some time later there was another knock on the door before a different crew member entered. They all looked the same to her, dressed as they were in white uniforms. Leia stood up, lifting her chin in defiance and standing with as much dignity as her tattered clothing and general unkempt appearance would allow “Admiral Vader wants to see you,” grunted the pirate.
“Why?” she asked, eyes flashing in the darkness.
“Ask him.”
“I will.” The crew member gripped her elbow. “I can walk, you know.” He shrugged and let go, causing her to stumble a little, gesturing for her to follow him to the Admiral’s quarters.
***
Obi Wan left the castle deep in thought. He did know of a tavern in town where crews with the ships for hire went when they docked. Perhaps he could hire one such ship to help track down Leia and her captors. Bail had said there would be a reward and perhaps this would entice someone to help him.
He went to the bartender and asked for a pint of ale. Sitting at the bar, he surveyed the clientele thoughtfully. There were very few other people and they all appeared to be a surly, antisocial lot.
Obi Wan waved over the bartender. “Do you know if any of these men have a ship for hire?”
The bartender looked around thoughtfully and then gestured toward a table where two men were sitting. One was average height, sort of rough around the edges with light brown hair and darker brown eyes. The other was very tall and had a great quantity of honey colored hair, both on his head and on his face. They seemed to be deep in conversation as Obi Wan approached. They both stopped talking and stared as Obi Wan approached.
“Good afternoon,” Obi Wan said pleasantly. The shorter man nodded as he hovered, unsure, before sitting on the empty chair at the table.
“What can we do for you?” the shorter man asked.
“I am in need of a ship for hire.”
The two men exchanged glances. “Is that so?”
“It is.”
“Where are you looking to go?”
Obi Wan knew this question was coming but he didn’t know how to answer it. Who would be willing to help him go on a possible wild goose chase?
“Have you heard that Lord Organa’s daughter is missing?”
“What interest is that of ours?” the shorter man demanded with a smirk.
“Well - I’m sorry…what’s your name?”
“Who’s asking?”
“Obi Wan Kenobi.”
“Han Solo.” Obi Wan looked over at the silent other man. Han spoke up for him. “This is Chewie. He doesn’t speak. Anyway, Opie, you were saying?”
“Obi Wan,” he said, liking this man less and less as their interaction continued.
“Right.”
“I’ve been enlisted to help find Lord Organa’s daughter. There is a handsome reward for your trouble.”
“And what if we don’t find her? What if Chewie and I expends all this time and energy and-”
At that moment, the doors of the tavern burst open and burly men in red bandanas and various weapons burst in. Han’s eyes dilated and he stood up so quickly, he knocked his chair over. “We gotta get outta here,” he said, grabbing Chewie’s arm. To Obi Wan, he said, “Yeah, ok. We’re on. C’mon. Ship's this way,” he said as he snuck out of the tavern, Chewie at his heels.
Obi Wan was a good deal older and slower so he fell behind quickly as Han and Chewie ran ahead to their…ship? He looked around uncertainly. This vessel looked as if it had seen better days, but he needed the ride and it would appear that Han and Chewie needed to make a quick getaway. The nameplate on the boat read The Falcon and Obi Wan privately thought this was too grand a name for such a well traveled craft.
He gingerly boarded as he saw them raising the sails and untying the ropes. Han consulted his compass and they set off as quickly as they could. Obi Wan was not sure if it was good or bad fortune to be aboard this ship, but he was determined to find Leia either way.
Han appeared to be an experienced sailor, Obi Wan thought with relief. He clearly knew what he was doing, even if his boat left something to be desired. “Who are we running from?” Obi Wan asked mildly, as they steered toward open water.
“Pirate crew called the Hutts. They think I owe them money,” Han said shortly.
“Do you?”
Han shrugged. “Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t. It’s none of your business, old man.”
“It will be my business if they’re chasing us and I’m on your boat.”
“Ship,” Han corrected. “Chewie and I can take care of it.” Obi Wan nodded slowly. He knew a dismissal when he saw one. Han checked the compass again and turned the wheel.
***
The door opened and the crew member shoved Leia into the Admiral’s cabin. She stumbled a bit, but then drew herself up to her full height, jutting her chin out defiantly.
“Lady Organa. How lovely of you to join me,” Admiral Vader said. She wondered if he’d earned that title, or if he’d just taken it himself, like he seemed to do everything else.
“I don’t believe I was given a choice,” she said.
The Admiral chuckled. It was a cold, humorless sound. “Ah yes. You are a spirited one, aren’t you? Your father should be proud.”
“And yet you hold me here as a prisoner.”
“Come. Eat with me.” He gestured toward the table, laden with food. Leia was about to say she wasn’t hungry but her stomach gave a betraying growl. Hard tack and watery soup had done little but take the edge off of her appetite for the last few days.
“How long are you going to keep me here?” Leia asked as the Captain passed her her plate of food.
“That depends.”
“On?”
“It’s just politics, Lady Organa. Nothing for you to worry your pretty head about.”
Leia narrowed her eyes. “Try me.”
“Your father has been very vocal about regulations that make it difficult for my crew to conduct our business. Perhaps he can be persuaded to see our side of things.”
“By kidnapping his daughter? I assure you, you know nothing of my father.”
“We’ll see.”
***
“Did Lord Organa even tell you what ship we’re looking for?” Han asked, looking through his spyglass.
Obi Wan was silent for a moment. “He said she was captured by the Imperial Army.”
Han sat up a little straighter and Chewie made a noise in his throat. “Well, I hope you have a plan for how we’re going to board the ship of the most notorious pirates in the Atlantic, old man.”
“Create a diversion. One of us gets her. Easy enough.”
“Oh and who will do that?”
“Me.” The three turned around to see a younger man climb nimbly out of the hold.
“Luke…what are you doing here?” Obi Wan asked, trying to stay calm. Luke had been eager to learn the ways of Eastern Mysticism so Obi Wan had taken him on as an apprentice. But he had not expected him to show up on their rescue mission.
Luke scowled and crossed his arms. “I went to meet you this morning like you said. But then I saw you getting on this…boat.”
“Ship,” Han interjected.
“Whatever. I want to help,” Luke said. Obi Wan watched this boy and thought again of his parents, of his history that he didn’t know. He would never say no to him.
“So you stowed away?”
“Yeah,” Luke said, his shoulders slumping.
Han looked annoyed but he didn’t say anything. “Well…I suppose if you’re here, you can help,” Obi Wan said slowly. “Lord Organa said to look for six spokes. The ship with a wheel and six spokes on the sails…the Imperial seal. That will be where we find Leia.”
Han and Chewie exchanged a skeptical look. “So what, we just wait for this ship to cross our path?” Han asked. “Changing course. Got it,” Han muttered and Chewie grunted in agreement.
***
When Leia finished eating, Admiral Vader nodded to the crew member to take her back down to the brig. He led her to a cabin instead. She looked at him questioningly.
“You’re putting me in here?”
“Do you want to go back down to the brig?” he asked menacingly.
“No.” She stepped over the threshold and she heard the door lock behind her. She was no less a prisoner up here than she was down there. At least here there was a small bed and a bigger window. It gave her more light to ponder her fate.
She supported her father’s political positions. She shared them. But she knew Admiral Vader wanted to exert his power and show he did not have to bend to the likes of politicians such as Bail Organa. She sifted through her memories but could not recall anything about Admiral Vader except he ran a renegade group called the Imperial Army and was slowly taking over the Atlantic Ocean. Many small islands had flown the Imperial flag and her father viewed them as lost causes.
She was certain of one thing. That Bail Organa was not going to bend to Admiral Vader’s will and that she would have to find her own way home. Looking out the window, all she could see was the vast blue ocean. There were no identifying features anywhere.
***
Obi Wan felt the pull of meditation come over him as Chewie steered the ship and Han climbed the rigging as the lookout.
He spread a sleeping mat on the deck and sat down, legs crossed and eyes closed. He concentrated on Leia. On the need he felt in his dream the previous night.
Where are you? he thought.
He wasn’t sure how long he sat there.
But finally, finally, a blurry vision came back to him, deep in his meditation. He could see a ship toward the Isle of Tatooine. He saw Leia’s face and started out of the vision. Luke sat down next to him.
“I saw her, Luke…we have to head to Tatooine.”
When he told Han, Han listened with a skeptical expression. “So you want me to go to Tatooine because of a vision you had?”
“Obi Wan’s visions are legendary, “ Luke piped up.
“Is that so?”
Luke looked back and forth between Han and Obi Wan and he desisted.
“Fine. We’ll go. But I’m upping our fee.”
“Can you change course faster?”
Han huffed in annoyance. “It’s not like we can move at the speed of light, kid.”
***
Leia could see land coming into view through the window, and the ship stopped abruptly. She stood up and listened at the door.
Nothing.
She stepped back, thinking hard. Had Admiral Vader left anyone behind to make sure she didn’t run for it? Did she care?
She had scoured the room looking for something, anything, she could use as a weapon but all she was able to do was unscrew a leg of the bed. She picked up the piece of wood and crept toward the door. She heard a commotion outside and the door was wrenched open. “There she is!”
She found herself face to face with Obi Wan Kenobi. As relief flooded through her, she didn’t notice three other men who were with him.
“We’ve gotta go now , Princess". At this, she snapped from her reverie.
“Do I know you?”
“Captain Han Solo. and the words you’re looking for are ‘ thank you for rescuing me .’”
Obi Wan took her arm and handed her a revolver, which she gratefully tucked in the bodice of her gown.
“So…let’s go then.”
***
To say Han had been reluctant to follow Obi Wan’s vision was an understatement. He kept throwing barbed comments Obi Wan’s way about voodoo and witchcraft. Luke had been ready to fight him several times, but cooler heads prevailed as they sailed through the ocean in search of the ship Obi Wan had seen. Besides, there was no way scrappy Luke was going to best Han in a fight. The man had years of experience on his side, and even if he wasn't physically imposing, he still had a worldliness that Luke did not.
A few days later, land came into view. Chewie was studying the map, trying to figure out which island they found when they saw another ship docked. A ship with a six spoke flag. Obi Wan went still as he stared at the other ship. He knew there were other ships in the Imperial Fleet. Is this really the one where they’d find Leia?
He closed his eyes again, trying to conjure his vision from earlier. He felt the pull toward the ship.
“Well? Is she on that ship, or should we keep looking as you conjure spirits?” Han demanded.
Obi Wan nodded slowly. “This is the one.”
“You’re sure?” Han asked as he nodded to Chewie to begin docking the ship.
“You don’t have to accompany me, Captain. You’ve fulfilled your obligation,” Obi Wan pointed out.
“You look like one good fight can finish you off,” Hand said, bluntly.
Obi Wan snorted. “I’m stronger than I look. But if you want to help me…us,” he said with a glance at Luke. “That’s up to you.”
Chewie tossed Han his holster, with the revolver tucked into it. He strapped it around his waist and hid a knife in his boot.
They trooped off of the Falcon and looked around at the island fishing village. There were some small shops and taverns, along with the dock along the water.
There was no sign of Admiral Vader or his crew.
Han and Chewie seemed to be communicating solely by hand gestures as they nimbly boarded the pirate ship. Obi Wan vaguely wondered how many times these two might have done this before as he followed their lead. Luke was covering them from behind.
Once on the pirate ship, they scouted the deck, and found no one except a lookout who’d fallen asleep on the job. Chewie grunted and gestured toward the lookout. Han shrugged and Chewie smacked him with the butt of his pistol, knocking him out. Obi Wan listened carefully, and heard a rattling at the end of the deck. Just then, a few of the pirates were coming aboard, chattering and laughing until they laid eyes on their unconscious lookout and stopped talking.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Han muttered to himself as the pirates drew closer.
Obi Wan flattened himself into the shadows, his breath came quickly. This hadn’t been part of his vision. He could see Han crouched behind a pile of barrels and Chewie hidden on the other side of the deck. Luke was nowhere to be seen.
“Who’s there?” one of the crew members called out. No one responded. Obi Wan inched along the deck, so he could get closer to where he felt Leia’s energy. Someone moved and the deck creaked. The crew hurried over, with their weapons out. Han shot his pistol into the barrels and took off toward Obi Wan.
There was sudden mayhem as the confused crew started shooting.
“C’mon,” Han said, grabbing Obi Wan’s arm. “Where’s the kid?”
“I don’t know,” Obi Wan shouted over the din.
Just then, they saw someone swing by on one of the ropes and hop down, running toward the last door on the deck. The crew took off after Luke, as he cleared the way for Obi Wan. He wrenched at the door, but it was locked. Han pulled a pin out of his pocket. “Allow me,” he said, picking the lock.
There was Leia, in the doorway, holding up a piece of wood like a bat. “There she is!”
***
Leia led the way out of the cabin and straight into the rest of the crew. They grabbed her roughly and she could see Captain Han Solo being manhandled into some ropes. Their eyes met and Leia elbowed the pirate in the stomach, and stepped on his foot roughly before grabbing Han’s arm and running toward the stern of the ship. With the crew hot on her heels, she made a split second decision and jumped into the water.
“Princess!” she heard behind her. She started swimming further away from the dock.
On the deck, the crew was still in chaos as Han, Chewie, Luke and Obi Wan sprinted toward the Falcon. Without any discussion, Han and Chewie took the rescue boat and untied it quickly. “Hey, kid…you gotta take my place and help Chewie so I can get the princess out of the water.” For once, Luke obeyed without question and Han clambered into the boat as Chewie and Luke lowered him into the water. He looked around, and saw a flash of movement and paddled over as quickly as he could. Leia stopped swimming and bobbed in the water until he was able to help her into the rowboat.
They sat across from each other for a moment. “Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome,” Han said. He looked her over. She didn’t seem injured, just wet. “You ok?”
“Fine.”
“Well, good.”
She glanced at him quickly. “How did Obi Wan convince you to come here?”
Han’s gaze flicked up at her, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Maybe I’m just a good deed doer who goes around rescuing princesses.”
“I’m not a princess,” she pointed out.
“So what should I call you?”
“Technically Lady Organa...but Leia is fine,” she said, shifting on the bench in the boat.
“Well, your worship…lovely to make your acquaintance.”
“Same to you, Captain Solo,” she said. She gazed at him impassively for a moment. “So you’re a pirate?”
“A mercenary,” Han said. She watched his powerful hands flex over the oars. He caught her watching him and she looked away, embarrassed.
“Is there a difference?”
Han shrugged. “I don’t go out and steal other peoples’ cargo. However…if someone were to pay me to bring it back…I would.”
“I see. An opportunist.”
“That’s one way of looking at it.”
“Is there another?”
A smile twitched on Han’s lips. “I suppose not.”
It took about an hour to make it back to the Falcon. When they reached it, Leia looked at Han skeptically but didn’t comment as he and Chewie helped her onto the deck. Obi Wan approached and she grinned at him. “I knew you’d come for me,” she said as he handed her a dry sailor’s uniform.
Obi Wan looked away, embarrassed. It was true he and Leia had known each other for a long time, and that he’d rescued her before. He wasn’t used to being the focus of such attention. “Let’s get you dried off,” he said.
A bit later, Leia was sipping some hot coffee on the deck. She had finally shooed Obi Wan away since she was fine and didn’t need anyone hovering over her. She was watching Han as he steered the ship and communicated with Chewie, who was up in the rigging. The way he moved around the ship was so practiced and sure, she couldn’t help admiring his confidence. He was clearly an accomplished sailor, so she wondered why he did mercenary work rather than something more stable. But she supposed it didn’t matter. It was sailing either way.
“Feeling warmer, Princess?” Han asked from a few feet away as he stood at the wheel.
“Yes, thank you,” Leia said.
“Want to see where we’re going?” Han asked, offering the spyglass to her.
“How do I do that?” He beckoned and she went over. “I don’t think I’m tall enough to see over the wheel,” she pointed out.
“You can look next to it,” Han said, pointing. “You just need to look in the direction the ship is heading.” He handed her the sea glass and rested his hand on her back. The touch was unexpected and she tensed for a second as he guided her.
“What do you see?”
“Water,” Leia said drily, handing the spyglass back to him. He gave a surprised chuckle as their hands brushed again. Leia snatched her hand away when Obi Wan joined them.
“How long do you think it will take to return to the Isle of Alderaan?” Obi Wan asked.
“Not long. Probably a day and a half,” Han replied. “That’s enough time for you to recover, isn’t it, Princess?”
“Of course,” Leia said coolly. She felt warmer now that she was dry and more like herself since she’d been able to eat some food that did not come from Admiral Vader’s table. On her way to the cabin, she passed Luke who was writing on a small tablet of paper.
“Are you drawing?” she asked, sitting down next to Luke. She knew little about him; he spent a lot of time with Obi Wan as his apprentice but otherwise he was unknown to her.
“Yes,” he said, offering her the paper. She looked at it, a detailed study of the barrels on the deck.
“It’s lovely,” she said, handing it back to him.
“Obi Wan says my mother was good at drawing,” Luke said, looking at her shyly. It was clear he didn’t often talk about this.
“Well, if that’s the case, then you certainly inherited her abilities,” Leia said. “I’m…surprised you’re here.”
Luke shrugged. “It’s important to help people who need it, you know?”
Leia smiled. “Thank you.”
True to his word, the Isle of Alderaan was spotted about a day later. Han and Chewie docked the Falcon not too far from where they’d started out before their rescue mission. Leia could tell Han was on edge as they disembarked but she did not push for an explanation. When he jumped and hid in a doorway at the sight of some unfamiliar sailors, Leia had enough.
“What is going on?” she whispered as they made their way through the seaside village.
“Whatever do you mean, your worship?”
“Fine. Don’t tell me. But if what you’re so spooked about gets me kidnapped again, it’s not going to be pretty,” she snapped.
“You know, there are people out there that would do worse than just kidnap you.”
“I know that. I assume Vader didn’t kill me because he needed me as leverage to get to my father,” Leia pointed out. “Don’t think I don’t know that. Who’s after you?”
“These other pirates think I stole from them and they're looking to collect the debt,” Han said, reluctantly.
“Did you steal from them?”
“They see it that way. I don’t,” Han said, shortly. Leia desisted as they came upon the livery to hire horses to ride out to Organa Manor. Obi Wan handed her the reins of a dappled gray mare who sniffed her hand curiously. She stroked her nose.
“Will the reward be enough to cover your supposed debt?” Leia asked as he helped her onto the horse.
“We’ll see,” Han said as he handed her the reins and climbed onto his own horse. “Lead the way, Princess.”
The ride out to Organa Manor was uneventful. Someone must have alerted Bail and Leia’s mother, Breha, of their approach because they were waiting on the veranda to meet them. Han went to help Leia off the horse but she leapt down on her own and ran to her parents.
Leia bit her lip as she breathed in her parents’ familiar scents and felt their familiar touch. She had been more worried than she’d let on to any of her rescuers that she’d never see them again. In her audience with Admiral Vader, he’d made it clear that was a possibility. They let her go and Bail straightened up.
“Obi Wan, thank you for returning our daughter to us.”
Obi Wan stepped forward, offering a shallow bow before saying. “I didn’t do it alone, my lord. In fact, I would not have been able to find her without the help of Captain Solo, Chewie, and my apprentice, Luke.”
“Then you all have our gratitude. Tonight, we will have a fest in your honor.”
Leia glanced at Han, from between her parents. She expected him to demure, to make an excuse to leave but he didn’t. Instead, he and Chewie shook hands with her father and followed them inside.
That evening, Bail and Breha presided over the heavily laden table in the Grand Banquet Hall. Leia was just relieved to be able to change her clothes. It felt strange after being imprisoned to have maids fussing over her again. They gave her a bath, put clean clothes on her, and did her hair. She wondered how necessary all of this was. Before, it was what she was used to. Even though she’d always been independent minded, she was used to living in the Manor and being waited upon. Maybe she didn’t really need that after all.
In the break between dinner and dessert, she drifted outside to the veranda overlooking the mountains that stood in the center of the island. She used to play there when she was younger, blithely evading the maids and her nanny. It had been where she was sitting when the Imperial Army had stormed Organa Manor and taken her hostage. She shivered a little at the memory that she was trying to repress.
“Cold, Princess?” She started a little at Han’s voice, surprised he found her out here.
“I’m alright.”
He came over and leaned against the veranda railing. “It must be good to be home.”
“It is,” Leia said, leaning against the railing next to him. “I’m a little surprised you’re still here,” she admitted.
Han grinned. “It would have been rude to take the money and run.”
“That seems like something you’re used to doing,” she pointed out.
Han shrugged. “Maybe I wanted a good dinner before sailing off into the sunset.” He looked at her meaningfully. “Maybe I wanted something else.”
Leia’s breath caught. She couldn’t explain it. These feelings that bubbled up inside in the row boat, on the Falcon and now here, in her home. “Oh?” was all she could manage.
He touched her hand lightly, giving her the opportunity to pull away if she wanted to. She didn’t. Instead she threaded their fingers together.
“I still can’t believe you boarded Vader’s ship looking for me.”
Han smirked. “To fair, I wasn’t certain it was his ship to begin with. Besides, I’ve never been known to be smart about these decisions.”
Leia shrugged. “You do what you have to do.”
“Something like that.” They looked at each other and smiled softly. The air between them felt thick, charged. They started to lean in when they heard footsteps approaching and pulled back abruptly as they saw Obi Wan looking for them.
“You father is looking for you,” he said pointedly to Leia. She nodded and went inside. Obi Wan watched Han for a moment before retreating inside.
When the feast was over, Han and Chewie shook hands all around and headed toward the exit. Leia watched them before following them out to the front porch.
“Be careful,” she said.
Han smirked. “I’ll do my best.”
“You’ll be back?”
He took her hand again and brushed it with his lips. “Why Princess, are you growing fond of me?”
She narrowed her eyes at him but didn’t snatch her hand back. “Something like that.”
He tipped her chin up and kissed her softly. “Well, then I’ll have to be careful so I can come back.”