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First, there was the silent, almost mute crack of the ice. The pressure of their boots onto the frozen ground and the hard snow breaking under their steps. Nothing remotely suspicious or unusual, no sign of alarm or panic.
She only heard the loud, heart-stopping breaking of snow and ice blocks when it had already been too late. He had only rushed her to leave a moment too late, after they had already missed their chance to run and reach for the exit, to escape in time before the entrance would be blocked by the monstrous piece of ice.
Leia stared at the mouth of the cave, now blocked by the mocking sight of the ice boulder, condemning her and Han to a slow, painful and cold fate.
A team had entered the cave before, and they declared it a safe perimeter. Sure, it was slightly – considerably – colder than on the surface of Hoth and the five cellars they had dug into its icy surface in order to lay their base there, but nothing unbearable if they weren’t to spend more than an hour or two down into the core of the planet. It was supposed to be a quick visit, anyways; a short revision of the progress done by the Rebellion so far into penetrating and (hopefully) successfully keeping the lowest levels of the planet under control. They had tripled their working hours for the past two weeks so that the Echo Base would be done until the end of the month.
It took six excavating teams into stabilizing any floor under level seven so that they wouldn’t collapse – a mission which hadn’t gone as smoothly as planned initially, and that still faced various complications. The more they dug, the closer they would get to the core of the planet and the hot geysers that made the snow unstable. Just yesterday Leia had attended a council meeting in which they discussed the possibility of canceling the Hoth project and to begin looking for an alternative as soon as possible, considering the amount of inconveniences they’ve had and the various workers who had been lost in the snow tunnels and the small caves formed below the surface.
A cave just like this one she and Han were currently stuck in.
“Hey, princess.’’ Solo hissed, something unnatural to him – panic, worry, fear – taking hold of his voice and his visible struggle into not revealing that certain something. “I don’t think this was supposed to–”
“It’s no big deal.’’ the brunette cut him off, trying not to give away too much of her very own worry. The last thing she needed now was leading Han into believing she was a scared little princess who panicked from any minor inconvenience — though she wasn’t sure how suitable the term ‘minor’ was to describe this problem. She couldn’t afford being vulnerable now, when they needed to keep themselves sane the most and to try to believe they’ll get out alive. Kriff, she had survived the Death Star! She won’t let a block of ice get her.
Leia sighed, taking out her comm and cursing when her tactile gloves refused to work properly. She slipped a clothed finger between her teeth, taking her right glove out and pressing the comm open.
“I’ll call Rieekan. He’ll get a rescue team and we’ll be out of here in no time.’’
Of course, if she happened to catch some signal.
The woman’s chapped lips parted in horror, staring at the useless device in her shaking hand – Leia wasn’t sure whether it was because of the excruciating cold or because she was, suddenly, very much terrified of meeting her possible end, but she was glad she couldn’t tell.
“Leia?” her name echoing out of Han’s lips felt like a burning razor pressed to her neck, the guilt of having no power to help themselves out choking her like salt water.
“I-I have no signal.’’ the painful truth slipped out of her mouth with a bitter reluctance, feeling her breath stuck somewhere between her lungs and throat. “We’re far too low, I can’t connect to the Alliance network.’’
The man gazed at her thoughtful for a moment, hand slipping into the sides pocket of his jacket and taking out his own comm device.
“Maybe I can reach Chewie.’’ he muttered as Leia approached him carefully, almost slipping on her way. Luckily Han had been fast enough, reaching to grab her by the arm just in time, holding her still until she regained her balance. “My comm’s connected to the Falcon’s network. But I am still not sure if I’ll be able to contact him at such a level–’’
“Just give it a try.’’ the brunette almost pleaded, slipping her hands into her own coat’s pockets, her fingers already chilled from being exposed to a moment of the cave’s cold.
The scoundrel nodded and pressed a few buttons.
For the first minute or so, there was complete and utter silence. They watched the little dial dots floating on the circular screen, waiting impatiently to see whether the comm would connect or not. Leia’s heart skipped a beat when she heard the sound of rustle and more incoherent echoes in the background, then, at least, the familiar growl of a Wookie.
“Chewie?” Han inquired in a hopeful voice, a small tear leaking down his left cheek from his frozen left eye. “Bud, it’s me. Do you copy?’’
More indecipherable noise, then the loud beep of unstable connection before they could, at last, hear Chewbacca loud and clear.
[“What have you done, Han?”] Chewie complained, and Han instantly scoffed as a response. Leia had never been more glad to hear the Wookie’s scolds until then.
“It wasn’t my fault, the kriffin’ cave collapsed. Me and the princess are safe, but we are locked like two statues in a vault. And we might actually become ice statues if somebody doesn’t–”
Leia covered her ears as the beep from earlier rang again, this time louder and mixed with a bunch of background noises. They were losing connection.
[“Han? Where are you? I can’t hear anything–’’]
“Chewie, buddy, we’re stuck in a cave in level eight–’’
The comm ran one last time before shutting down for good.
Leia let out a heavy breath as Han struggled to turn it back on unsuccessfully.
“It’s frozen.’’ he declared at last, staring helplessly at the small device in his gloved hand. “This thing wasn’t made to copy with such low degrees.’’
“Did he get our message? He said he couldn’t hear us very well.’’
Solo shifted his attention towards her, taking a moment to consider their situation before pressing his lips together and nodding.
“Chewie’s smart. He knows we’re in trouble, that’s what matters. He’ll find us, I have no doubt.’’ he reassured her, taking her hands into his own and rubbing them together, trying to warm them up a bit.
The brunette nodded, swallowing dryly.
She had no doubt Chewbacca or the Rebels would get to them.
She just hoped they’ll do it in time.
It was hard to tell how much time had passed.
Leia’s comm had frozen shortly after Han’s, when she tried contacting Carlist one last time before at last giving up. They had attempted to break the monstrous ice boulder using whatever they had at hand, but a pocket knife and their child-like kicks proved, at last, in vain.
How long had they been stuck in there? Surely two hours had passed by now, maybe even more: Leia had recorded in her mind each and every stage of the killing cold settling into her body: first, just barely scratching the surface of her skin, then slowly slipping underneath the first few layers of tissue with slightly more courage. At last, it crept inside, tangling around her bones and biting into the flesh of her muscles, making her teeth chatter and her limbs shivers.
How long until she wouldn’t be able to move herself any more? The thought only managed to send another unpleasant wave of chills down the brunette’s spines, shaking her head so as to wash away the thought. She had to keep herself focused, active and very much awake.
Awake, how silly that sounded. How heavy her eyelids felt, ready to shut closed and take her mind away on a journey to foreign lands, to lift her spirits off this world and transport her somewhere far away, where the cruel cold wouldn’t be able to reach her. . .
How long until she would fall into a sleep so deep, no one and no fairy tale like magic would be able to awake her?
Leia allowed herself to sigh, wrapping herself in her very own arms in a pathetic attempt of comfort, leaning against the ice wall behind her. She buried her frozen nose in the neck of her jacket, whimpering softly at the unpleasant sensation of her own breath being just as cold and unwelcoming as the cave.
Oh, but maybe, if she could just allow herself a moment of rest – one tiny, innocent escape from this grave they were stuck in. . .
Maybe, just a moment of sleep. . .
“Your nose’s turned red.’’ Han's soft, gentle tone felt like a much needed hard slap, bringing her back into senses and very much not asleep. She jerked her eyes open, opening her mouth to reply before finding herself wrapped in Solo’s fluffy white scarf.
Leia blinked, taken slightly aback by his gesture, shifting her gaze from the wooly piece of cloth to the scoundrel in front of her. His cheeks were awfully red, almost as if he had drunk himself until he could no longer distinguish the very face in the mirror or as if he were sick with a fever. But the woman knew better that Han was just as cold — perhaps even colder — to the touch as she felt.
Despite his frozen face, he couldn’t help but sketch a faint smile, pulling the hood of her jacket over her head.
“Never seen snow at home, princess?”
Leia frowned, still wrapped up in her own embrace.
“Of course I did.’’ she muttered, taking a moment’s time to get used to the weight of her home – of Alderaan and its beautiful yet aching memories that weighted like iron blocks tied around her heart – laying on the tip of her tongue. “Winters in Alderaan were like nothing you’ve ever seen – at least, that’s how I always saw them.’’
“But they were still cold. I don’t know about you, but I ain’t a fan of the cold.’’ he commented, clearly trying to distract her from the fact that the air was slowly becoming far too cold and heavy for their human lungs to bear. It was working, to some extent – only half of her mind was now fidgeting around the thought of their potential ending; the other half was busy recalling the pristine pictures of snow draping the castle and her beloved planet in its pure, dream-like white cloak.
“Yes, they were often very cold and sometimes not so gentle. . .’’ she paused again, sighing. “But they were. . . magic. Can’t say the same for our current situation. I’d do anything to have been trapped in a warmer place right now. But maybe I am just. . . not used to the cold anymore, I guess.’’ an amused chuckle slipped between her lips. Han seemed to have taken advantage of her considerably less rigid position, wrapping his arms around her so as to keep the both of them warm. In any other circumstances, she would have probably threatened him teasingly to get his filthy fingers off her if he valued them. But now, she could barely keep herself in a somewhat lucid state as her body only grew wearies with every passing minute. “What about you?”
“Me?” the man inquired, not quite expecting Leia’s question. The brunette nodded.
“Yes. If I recall correctly, there is snow on Corellia, right? Surely you must have experienced some wild winters yourself.’’
It was Solo’s turn to make use of the infinite silence they had at hand, his eyes lost somewhere in the nothingness in front of them, yet his mind wandering in places way farther, opening trunks and rooms of memories long passed.
“It does, but not in every region. I was lucky enough, I guess, to spend my childhood in a part of the planet that did have snow.’’ he tightened his embrace on Leia, pulling her closer to his chest as he felt her shivering all of a sudden. Han let their bodies to slip down the frozen ice wall, landing down on the soft floor of snow. He allowed Leia to curl up in his arms, wrapping his own legs around her so as to minimize the distance between their bodies as much as possible. “Winters on Corellia are beautiful, though. I recall being fairly excited with every first fall of snow. But they are cruel as well – and so fucking cold.” the scoundrel shook his head, like he had just been struck by the image of an unpleasant memory. “I remember being around. . . eight, maybe nine I guess? Not yet ten. Yes, I was nine years old, and my ma’ boots were so damaged they couldn’t keep her warm any more. She barely walked through the snow with them. And then they fell apart, and she got sick. We were low on credits, so I. . . I stole a new pair for her.’’
Leia arched an eyebrow curiously, rather intrigued by Han’s confession. She was fairly aware that he couldn’t have been farther from the cold, cruel mercenary façade he struggled to maintain – especially around her – and that deep down he was truly a good man. She hadn’t expected him to admit such a gesture of goodness, born not out of debt or obligation but love, care, genuine humanity.
She couldn’t help but let a chuckle slip between her icy lips.
“What’s so funny, princess?’’ Han asked, truly surprised by the woman’s response.
“The fact that you just willingly admitted you are not half the heartless hunter you pretend to be.’’
Han scoffed, rolling his eyes unimpressed.
“Really? And how are you so sure I didn’t just make up this little tale just to make you think so?’’ Solo inquired, his right hand covering her own united palms, rubbing them gently.
“Then I guess your made-up mother wasn’t happy to hear about her son stealing a pair of boots.’’
The scoundrel did not reply initially, confining himself with adjusting Leia’s hood and biting the inside of his cheeks, trying to distract himself from the cold slowly taking over more and more of his body. The red from Leia’s nose had faded, her face now sucked out of any existent drop of life except for the faintest shade of pink. He didn’t even want to think what he looked like.
“She never found out.’’ he replied, at last, shaking his head. “I told her I’ve been saving up for a while, wanted to buy myself some toy or something, can’t remember, but in the end I spent them on some new boots for her. ‘Cuz she needed those more than whatever trinket I wanted.’’
“Do you think she believed you?” the brunette whispered, clenching her palms into fists so as to try and warm them a bit.
Han shrugged.
“Probably not, we never spoke of it again. So, maybe? At least, for a while. I like to think she didn’t find out.’’ he spoke with a melancholy like no other, adjusting their position against the ice wall. “The guilt’s not so hard to carry this way.’’
Leia opened her mouth to say something. But before she had the chance to give life to her thoughts, the familiar, terrifying sound of ice cracking in grave-like silence, only to suddenly burst into an avalanche of horrors reaching her ears. Then came the sudden shaking of the entire cave, Han shielding her under the cover of his arms and another portion of the ceiling collapsing on top of the gigantic ice bolder, reminding the two of their sealed fates.
The brunette gasped in shock, trying to calm the race of her heart and prevent it from jumping out of her chest as the man slowly freed her from under his improvised human shield.
“Princess. . .’’ Solo whispered, the unsaid words Leia was very much aware of resting on the tip of his corpse like cold lips. She didn’t even need him to confirm them or try to view the situation from a different, perhaps slightly more hopeful, yet unrealistic perspective.
‘We’re going to die.’
“Han.’’ she replied, her voice barely louder than her breathing, suddenly too tired to even speak. “Han, I am cold.’’
The scoundrel blinked slowly, his own breath growing heavy and his teeth chattering. Leia closed her eyes, laying her head on top of his chest and burying her face in his jacket.
“Leia, sweetheart.’’ the man mumbled worried, shaking her slowly. “Leia, you can’t fall asleep–’’
“I am cold, Han.’’ the brunette cut him off in the most peaceful, almost loving tone he ever heard coming from her. She opened her little brown eyes just enough to catch a glimpse of his face – perhaps, for the last time in that life – and capture it in her memory to cherish it forever on the other side. “And I am tired.’’
Han freed a sorrowful, exhausted sigh from the hold of his lips, pressing a soft kiss on top of her head. Then one on each of her beautiful, cold cheeks, and on the tip of her adorable nose. At last, he cupped her pale face in his gloved hands, brushing his thumb against the purplish skin of her bottom lip.
“I am cold too.’’ he said just before pressing his cold mouth to her own in a deep, lasting kiss. Leia leaned in his touch, giving in to the feeling of his lips tangled with her own, using the last droplets of power she still had to respond to his kiss.
And she kissed him and wrapped her own shivering arms around his neck until her mind blacked out just to feel him close in those last moments of consciousness, until her heart began stinging inside her chest from the excruciating chill. Until they both froze.
“Solo made a smart move calling Chewbacca on the Falcon.’’ Riekan commented as he handed her a bowl of soup, the liquid still steaming hot and the aroma of herbs and boiled vegetables tickling her nose. “He was able to intercept the location of the last connection made until the comm froze, that’s how we found you two.’’ he added, pulling himself a chair and sitting down by the woman’s bedside. Leia picked up the spoon on her tray in a mechanical movement, scooping up some and blowing so as to cool it enough to eat.
According to Carlist, she had been in a coma for almost a whole day, induced by the nearly deathly hypothermia she and Han had experienced in that cave. A rescue team had found them just in time to bring them back still alive to the transport and keep the both of them stable until the nearest medical center. Han kept slipping in and out of consciousness, and it took the medics horrifyingly long to stabilize him. Leia, however, had been as still and slumbering as a corpse. She had required two Bacta baths in order to bring her body back to a normal temperature and a few other medical procedures involving blood rewarming. The thought of multiple needles piercing through her skin almost twisted her stomach upside down.
“I won’t lie.’’ Carlist’s voice suddenly dropped unusually low, and Leia couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow as she slurped her soup. He avoided her gaze for a moment, and the woman couldn’t help but notice the visible worry still lingering in his eyes. “For a moment, seeing you barely responding, we thought we were gonna lose you.’’
Leia placed her spoon down, parting her lips slowly as if thinking through her words.
“What matters now is the fact that we – me and Han – both survived.’’ she spoke gently, the older man shifting his attention towards her. “Consuming ourselves with ‘the worst that could’ve been’ won’t help us in any way.’’ she paused before continuing, biting the inside of her cheeks as if unsure whether to ask the question that has been nibbling onto her since she woke up or not. “Speaking of Captain Solo, is he alright? I understand that he is awake as well?”
Carlist couldn’t help but smile in the corner of his mouth, rising from his chair and heading towards the medical curtain that divided her from whoever was resting in the bed beside her own. Leia had been surprised to see Han collapsed against the medical bed as Riekan pulled the drape open, sleeping soundly covered with a blanket, his left hand wrapped in bandages sticking out just slightly from underneath.
“He watched over you the whole night. By dawn he could barely keep his eyes open but refused to leave your side. I had to slip a sleeping pill in his coffee, took almost an hour to take effect, but at least he’s resting.’’ the other man explained to her, closing the curtain back and resuming his position on the chair. “Are you alright? You’re crying. Did something happen, Leia?”
The woman shook her head, covering her mouth with one hand while she pulled herself back together, wiping a leaking tear from the corner of her right eye. Memories of their time in the cave came back in a rush of flashbacks and echoes: bodies coiled together trying to keep each other alive, limbs tangled not only for survival both for comfort, reassurance – in affection, in care.
And a kiss so cold yet so full of love that it kept her soul alive, kept her body fighting for her life – for their lives.
“I am just glad that we’re alive.’’