Rescue for a Sith Princess

Chapter 8

As she was about to swing back her weapon, she faintly heard him say over the hum of her lightsaber, "Princess Leia."

There was only one person on the Death Star who ever referred to her as "Princess Leia." Her arms stopped abruptly, her eyes widened, and she whispered shakily, "Number One?"

A shiver ran down Leia's spine as the stormtrooper slightly nodded his head.

Emperor Palpatine was not pleased with Leia's hesitation and snarled, "Do it, Tochter! He is expendable!"

But this particular stormtrooper was not expendable to Leia. He was the one person who cared about her well-being. He tended to her wounds in a physical and emotional manner; he was her last glimmer of hope. Some part of her still needed someone to care about her. Leia's whole body trembled as she made her decision. She slowly lowered her lightsaber and braced herself for her punishment.

"I cannot do it, my master," she mumbled shamefully.

Anger flashed across the Emperor's face. "How will you ever kill your brother if you cannot end the life of this worthless stormtrooper? You are weak!" He bellowed. "Once again, I will have to find new ways to create anger in you..."

Han so desperately wanted to take out his blaster and shoot the Emperor right there. How dare he talk to Leia that way? Leia was the strongest person he'd ever met.

"Get her out of my sight! The stormtrooper as well!" Palpatine yelled to his guards.

Leia's mouth dropped open. "You're not going to punish me?"

The Emperor gave her a pitiful laugh. "Not yet, my dear...not yet."

~~~

Leia crouched on her bed in fear, mulling over all the different ways that Emperor Palpatine could tease and torture her to complete her turn to the Dark Side. She was also concerned that Number One may not come by her quarters because of what happened in the throne room.

To her joy, there came a knock at the door in the wee hours of the morning. However, she headed to the door prepared for a verbal assault, knowing full well she almost killed him.

What happened next shocked her. The second the door opened, Han grabbed Leia and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Thank you. Just, thank you," he mumbled into her hair.

"For what? I almost murdered you today!"

"No, you saved me. You gave me a chance."

Han noticed that he was affectionally stroking her hair, admiring how soft and silky it felt. He was more surprised that Leia didn't mind. Eventually, they separated their hug and sat down on the bed.

"Honestly, I don't like calling you Number One. It sounds so...inhuman. Only having a number to identify with makes it easy for the Emperor to treat you like you're expendable. You don't have any other name to go by?" Leia pressed him.

Han knew he was treading on thin ice, but he desperately wanted the princess to speak his name on her lips.

"You can call me Han."

Leia's face cracked into one of rare happiness and she spoke, "Han. I like that."

Han could feel his heart bursting with joy. His name sounded like music when she said it. Now he had another wrong to right.

"Would it be all right if I called you by your real name? Not Tochter?"

Leia's face fell and she said, "I am Tochter now. The princess is gone."

"No she isn't! You haven't even completely turned to the Dark Side yet. So use of your old name is still applicable. It's uh...in the Sith Code!" Han exclaimed.

"The Sith Code? Are you sure?"

"Definitely. It's in the fine print."

Leia eyed Han warily. "How are you familiar with the Sith Code?"

Han stared at her blankly before continuing, "Lord Vader has all stormtroopers learn the Sith Code. Cause he's a Sith."

"I suppose that makes sense..." Leia pondered. "Well then, you can call me by my old name."

"Leia," he murmured.

"Leia," she repeated reverently.

The pair stayed deep in conversation for a long time, mostly talking about random subjects, but also discussing Leia's condition while aboard the Death Star. Han's heart ached for the conflict she felt between the Dark and the Light. But it was in these moments that Han knew the passionate Rebel Leia was still there.

"Now that you have a name, I wish you had a face," Leia stated suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Han asked.

"I mean, I wish I could put a face to your name. You do have a face underneath that helmet don't you?"

Han laughed jovially. "Yeah, I do. But stormtroopers aren't typically allowed to take off their helmets in front of people."

"Oh," Leia muttered. She stared at her feet, biting her lower lip. "But I'd say you're not really like a stormtrooper when we're together. You're like...my friend. Aren't you?" She said shyly.

A huge grin broke out on Han's face under his armor. "Of course. We're friends."

"I want to see the face of my friend. I won't tell anyone you removed your helmet in front of me."

Han nodded, his heart beating rapidly at the thought of finally seeing Leia with his own eyes. The thought of her finally looking at his real face. He lifted up his hands and slowly removed the helmet.

Leia let out a small gasp at the sight of the attractive man before her. She always expected stormtroopers to look fresh and artificial, like humans who had never truly experienced life. But Han had the walks of life written all over, carved and etched into every line of his face. His eyes were sparkling and deep, and he was giving her this lopsided grin that sent her heart racing.

"What is it?" Han broke Leia out of her trance.

Leia fumbled for words to describe her emotions. "I uh...didn't expect...um...you're very handsome!" Leia chastised herself inwardly for sounding like such a fool. 

But Han just laughed. Gosh, I'm crazy about this girl, he thought. He felt an even stronger connection to Leia now that their eyes truly met for the first time. Instinctively, he timidly reached out his hand to cup her cheek. Leia didn't flinch, didn't break eye contact, but touched Han's cheek as well. Han drew her face near to his and the two kissed each other gently, like it was a privilege to do so.

Leia felt a whirlwind of emotions inside of her, conflicting feelings of affection for Han and loyalty to the Dark Side. But as her lips met Han's, Leia decided she could allow herself to be good again. Just this once.