Leia couldn't remember walking down the stairs. She supposed she did. She didn't remember being marched across the courtyard, or to the main gate. None of the stories in her fairy tale books ever ended like this. The lovers weren't supposed to be separated. The prince was supposed to be kissed, not carried off by the evil sorcerer. She almost hoped Luke would stab Vader in where his heart wasn't. It was a terrible thing to wish upon one's father, but after what happened in the tower, she no longer considered him to be any relation of hers.
She hadn't even noticed the other men surrounding them, or taking the weapons of the Imperial guards. She didn't really pay attention to much of anything until a bow and a quiver of arrows were thrust into her arms...and she saw the determined look on Baron Calarissian's face. “Can you handle these?” He asked quickly.
She blinked. “Wha...what?” She hadn't even realized that the men in the blue and gold Cloud Village uniforms had bound the Imperial guards with strong rope. “What do you think you're doing?”
“We're getting out of here.” Lando slung his own bow and quiver of arrows over his shoulder. He turned to the tall man with the hearing aids. “Laurence, tell the City Council to begin evacuating Cloud Village, before more Imperial troops arrive.”
The former Baron had just started towards the gate when a small but sturdy fist swung out of nowhere. It hit him directly in the eye, knocking him backwards several feet into a pile of barrels. “I've been wanting to do that ever since the ball.” Leia held her bow and arrow on his chest. “Do you think that after what you did to Han that I'll trust you?”
“Your Highness, I'm sorry, but I had no choice.” Lando nodded towards the back of the prison complex. “I'm the only one who knows where Fett went with Han.”
Leia lowered the bow, still wary. “What?”
Two of Lando's men helped him to his feet. “He's at the East Stables. He should be loading Han on his carriage now.”
As Lando rubbed his bruised eye, a familiar carriage, now emblazoned with brighter red, yellow, and white paint and a repaired side door, came careening across the courtyard, knocking guards and Imperial troops helter-skelter. Chewbacca and Tauntaun flew across the cobblestones, their brown and yellow-gray manes snapping in the wind. Cecil and Arthur were perched on the driver's seat, Cecil clutching the reins for dear life.
Cecil's already large brown-gold eyes were even bigger than usual. “Whoa! Whoa, I say! Chewbacca, Tauntaun, please stop! My stomach can't handle going this fast!” He shook the reins as hard as he could, but the carriage kept rolling. Arthur finally snatched the reins and pulled them up, almost over his head. The butler groaned, rubbing his rear. “This is most undignified!”
“I thought you were very dashing, Cecil,” Leia said with a grin. “You came to our rescue at the last moment, like a real hero.” She patted Arthur's shoulder. “So did you.”
“Why, thank you, Your Highness.” He gave her a shy grin. “It's so rare that a servant gets to be a hero.” Arthur's fingers twisted so quickly, they were practically a blur. “Yes, Arthur, I was coming to that. Arthur and Tauntaun were waiting for Sir Luke to descend the tower. I encountered them on my way to the stables. Arthur tricked the guards into running into each other, while I found Chewbacca and got him and Tauntaun to the Falcon. He hitched them to the carriage, and we rode out to search for the Princess.” Arthur's fingers flew with relief. “And I agree. I'm so glad we found you! Now we can all escape together.”
Lando started to stroke Chewie's nose...but the horse tried to bite him instead. “Yow! What was that for, you old glue factory reject? I'm sorry I'm not Han, but we're going to get him in a minute! I swear!”
Leia was already climbing into the driver's seat. “I'm tempted to bite you myself.” She yanked Lando next to her as the two servants scrambled into the back. “But that won't help anyone find Luke and Han.”
“Luke?” Lando was already loading his bow. “The blond kid who took down Vader's spell? What did he do to get on His Lordship's bad side?”
Leia flicked the reins, sending Chewie trotting across the courtyard. “He liberated his dragons.”
“He stole the dragons from Lord Vader?” Lando grinned. “I heard about that. I'm impressed. I don't know many people who can steal a pack of dragons from under the nose of a demon.”
Leia flicked the reins harder. “He didn't steal them. Most of them went with him willingly. He healed the head dragon's wing.”
“So he is the new Force Knight.” Lando let off two arrows at Imperials who were trying to impede their progress. “I thought that was just a myth.”
Leia ducked another arrow. “So did I, until Luke started learning from one.” As they sped down the cobblestones, another, larger carriage painted in dull shades of brick red and olive green passed them. The crystal coffin containing Han was securely nestled between crates in the back. “No! We have to catch them!” She flicked the reins as hard as she could. “Chewie, go as fast as you can! As fast as the wind!”
The two carriages raced across the cobblestone courtyard, the horses' metal shoes clattering on the hard surface. No matter how fast they were, Chewbacca and Tauntaun just couldn't catch up with the green and red carriage and the two red stallions pulling it. They got over the main gate, just as it was clanged shut.
Lando grabbed the reins and turned them around. “There's nothing we can do here, Leia. We can't get past that main gate now. I'm sorry.”
Leia bit her lip...then her eyes went blank for a minute. She heard a familiar voice in her head...
He was clutching a flagpole on the security tower for dear life. His blue sword fell to the ground, clanging on the flagstones. His blue eyes were haunted, fearful, lost.
Hear me...Leia...
She whipped her head at Lando. “We have to go back. I know where Luke is.”
The man next to her just barely ducked an arrow as she turned the carriage around. “What about those troops?”
Leia flicked the reins harder. “It won't take long.”
As the Falcon raced towards the tower, Leia could clearly see two figures on the roof of the tower silhouetted against the waning moon. Swords clanged. Crystals flashed blue and red, sending sparks into the last of the inky night. The smaller figure was finally knocked back. The red and black sword flashed. She heard a scream; something soared in a sharp arc, only to fall to the mountainside the tower overlooked. The smaller one finally stepped into the moonlight as the darker one threw off his armor.
Leia gasped. Lando threw a hand over his mouth. Few people had seen Vader without his full armor in the years since he'd become the Black Knight. Muscles rippled under sharp spikes that lined his arms and back. The skin was black glimmering scales, making him resemble the dragons Luke had freed at Yavin Woods. Sharp claws and a heavy jaw filled with needle-like teeth roared into the moon, seemingly drawing its energy as the red and black glow intensified. The claws curled into a fist, beckoning to Luke. Leia thought she heard Luke yell something like “NEVER!” The claws beckoned again before the younger knight finally stepped off the edge of the roof.
Leia flicked the reins harder as Luke just managed to catch the flagpole she'd seen in her mind earlier. “Lando, get on top of the Falcon.” She leaned in the driver's end window. “Cecil, hand me a couple of blankets.”
Cecil hurriedly tossed two gray wool blankets into her arms. She handed them to Lando, and he shimmied onto the roof, just as Luke's grip gave way.
The moment Lando caught Luke, Leia turned the carriage back towards the gate. Leia heard something swishing behind them. It was too early for birds...
“Vader!” Lando scrambled back onto the driver's seat. “Vader's coming this way.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “I'm sorry, but I kind of put a hole in the roof climbing up there. I managed to hand your friend off to the servants through it.” Lando's grin evaporated as they galloped past surprised Imperial carriages. “He's not in good shape. He looks like someone took a meat cleaver to his head, among other things. Not to mention, he was scared to death and shivering like a leaf.”
“Given he just went up against a demon, I'm not surprised.” Leia slowed the horses as the carriage reached the gate. “How are we going to get out of here? I don't think I have enough power to lift all five of us, the two horses, and the Falcon on my own. Luke's in no condition to be doing anything.”
That was when Arthur hopped out of the carriage. “Arthur, what are you doing?” Cecil called. “We've already done our heroics for the night!” The little blacksmith held one of the tools from his belt. He unscrewed the bolts that held each of the doors together.
Leia looked over her shoulder. “Arthur, hurry! Vader's getting closer!”
The last door fell off it's hinge just as Vader swooped down, his claws and sword aiming for the Falcon's back end. Leia got the horses moving again before Vader could take a swipe at them. Cecil reached out and yanked Arthur into the back of the dilapidated vehicle as it went flying out the gate and into the main village.
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