The Adventures of the Crimson Hawk, Part 8

“Welcome to the river, Your Worship.” Charles helped Leia into a lovely white and red row boat, then gently lowered Henry in. Luke stepped in afterwards. Breha and Charles were traveling in a second row boat with the picnic basket, blanket, and chairs. It was a beautiful day for a picnic, sunny, bright, and hot. A soft breeze ruffled the glossy green leaves on the trees and the blue and lavender wildflowers in the meadows along the river banks.

Breha protested Leia traveling without a chaperon, but Henry just waved his hand. “We'll be perfect gentlemen, Your Grace. Besides, you'll be right behind us. There will be no funny business.”

“There better not be.” Leia glared at them under her wide-brimmed white straw hat, with its big pink blossoms and lace netting trim. Her cotton dress was white with a dainty pink flower print, tight lace sleeves, and a large bow in the back. “My parasols are specially made to be weapons. Either of you try anything, this will be on your head in an instant.”

Henry's smirk was out in full force as Luke began rowing. “Wouldn't dream of it, Your Worship.”

Leia glared at him. “Would you please stop calling me that?!”

“Sure, Leia.” He shrugged. “You could be a little nicer, you know. Admit it. Sometimes, you think I'm all right.”

“Occasionally, maybe.” She made a face. “When you're not acting like a scoundrel.”

“Scoundrel?” Henry's grin widened. “I like the sound of that.”

“Ok, ok, you two.” Luke chuckled and shook his head. “Enough with the flirting.”

“Flirting? Me? With him? Never.” Leia turned her back on Henry, concentrating on the sights around them. “It really is beautiful here. It's hard to believe this land has been the sight of so much war. It seems so peaceful.”

“It does, until you see the ruins. Some of them are pretty recent.” Luke nodded at the view before them. The meadows gave way to what appeared to be, at first, an extravagant abbey. As they drew closer, Leia realized with a shock that the wall was all that was standing. A few other walls, three stone arches, and a tower remained, enough to give the impression that this had once been a place of importance and considerable refinement.

“What happened here?” Leia whispered. Even Henry fell silent as the boat floated by.

Luke's voice was quiet. “This was the main headquarters of the Jedi Guards. It was where they lived, where they trained and taught new guards. Ben told us what happened. When Coruscant marched in, this is one of the first place they attacked. Prime Minister Palpatine claimed the Jedi had betrayed the people and the Royal Family to the Coruscant Empire. All of them but a few died that night, in the fire or defending the Royal Family.”

Leia's brown eyes darkened. “Uncle Bail told me about this. He was friends with several Jedi. He saw the children they were training die. He tried to save as many as he could, but most were killed by Palpatine's top man.”

“Yeah.” Henry coughed. “Hey kid, are we going to get to the Great Meadow one of these days, or what?”

“Huh?” Luke's blue eyes had a far-away look to them. He shook his head, bringing himself down to Earth. “Oh, yeah, right. We should be there in a few minutes. It's just around the next bend.”

The Great Meadow was aptly named. It stretched on forever, rolling hills laden with nothing but flowers, a dirt road, and the occasional tree. The colorful wildflowers carpeted the vibrant green grass with a wave of royal purple, deep magenta, snow white, sun gold, poppy red, and cornflower blue. Despite his protests, Charles insisted on carrying Henry to a wooden folding chair he'd brought in the other boat. Breha occupied the other chair. Leia and Luke spread out an old, faded pink calico quilt.

The Grand Duchess pulled off her pale blue jacket, letting the breeze ruffle the lace collar of her white blouse. “I'm glad we did this. It's much cooler here by the river than at the manors or in town.”

“Food tastes better when it's eaten outdoors, anyway.” Leia dropped a watercress and chicken sandwich in her lap as she took in the view. “This is gorgeous. It's like one of those postcards they sell at gift shops in Aldra of Switzerland or France.”

“Ain't been there in a long time.” Henry leaned back in his chair. “Switzerland was a good country. Lotta mercenaries come from there. I once had to take a shipment of cheese from Bergen down to Germany.” He looked over his shoulder at his former shipmate. “Remember that, Charles? Remember the time we hauled cheese in Switzerland?”

“How could I forget?” Charles rolled his eyes under his mass of brown hair. “We almost lost our cargo to pirates who thought we were carrying real gold wheels, rather than the edible kind.”

“Yeah,” Henry laughed, “and Lance tossed one of the crates right in their faces. One of the men left it open, and oh boy, was it ripe! You could smell it half-way down the Rhine. Got rid of those pirates pretty quick.”

Charles wrinkled his long nose. “We also had to all sleep on the top deck for the rest of that voyage because the cheese stank up the hold, and then the cabins.”

“But we got most of it where is was going.” Henry bit into an apple. “Made some pretty decent cash on that trip, too.”

Leia smiled as she poured herself a glass of lemonade. “I'll bet you have some great stories about your pirating days.”

“Oh, he does.” Luke took the jar from Leia and poured himself one. “Charles and I have probably heard each and every one six times.”

“Mate,” the towering manservant reminded him between bites of chicken sandwich, “I don't need to hear them. I lived most of 'em!”

“Leia and I haven't!” Breha bit into a strawberry. “I wouldn't mind hearing them. I loved it when my father told me stories of how he fought pirates in the Aldra Navy as a young man.”

“I wouldn't mind hearing them.” Leia handed Luke an apple when he tried to reach across the blanket.

“Ok, then.” Henry took a jam and butter sandwich. “There she was, the Falcon caught between the Sullust Navy and the personal barge of Jenkins Huttman, the lowest and ugliest scum ever to ply the Rivers of the Alliance...”

It was a truly delightful afternoon. They listened to Henry's stories of his many adventures as a pirate, escaping the royal navies, other pirates, and bounty hunters after the price on their heads. Charles would pop in with his own observations from time to time.

After lunch, Breha, Charles, Luke, and Leia played badminton, using a fallen log as a net. Leia hadn't laughed so hard in years. Luke would leap, jump, and lunge dramatically every time the birdie came his way. More often than not, he'd trip over his feet and tumble into the wildflowers. Charles' swings were long and powerful. He often forgot his own strength, hitting the birdie over Luke and Leia's heads and into the woods or the grass. They'd have to call the game briefly to search for it.

Henry remained where he was, either sitting on the chair or, with Luke and Charles' help, on the blanket. He laughed as much as anyone when Luke missed the birdie again and ended up with a face full of daisies, or Leia nearly fell over trying to hit one of Charles' massive returns. Leia watched him out of the corner of her eye. The only time she'd ever seen him look this happy was when he'd talked about his beloved engine at the party last week.

They all ended the day back on the blankets as the sun slowly began sinking behind the pine trees on the hills. “Gentlemen, I can't thank you enough.” Breha smiled as she helped Charles gather the picnic things. “This was a wonderful outing.”

Leia was picking wildflowers. “I can't remember the last time I had this much fun.” She gathered two more daisies. “These will look so nice in the main parlor at Chalindria Court, or in my bedroom.”

“I had a nice time, too. It feels good to get away from the office for a while.” Henry gave Leia his lazy grin. “You know, you haven't really seen the town yet, Your Grace.” He turned to Breha. “You either, Grand Duchess. My boys and I could show you Naboo from top to bottom.”

Luke nodded eagerly. “There's so many wonderful places we could visit! There's the ruins of the old Bast Castle near the coal mines at Mufasar and the big Gothic church in Dantoonie and the amusement park at Ord Mandell and...”

“Whoa, Junior!” Henry laughed. “We'll catch it all. Might as well see the sights before Charles an' I leave.”

“Do you really have to go?” Leia glanced up from her bouquet. “Can't you send Charles to the US?”

Henry leaned back in the chair. “Sorry, Your Grace, but I have some old debts I need to pay off, not to mention a few enemies from my pirating days I wouldn't mind avoiding.”

“But that was years ago!” Breha gathered her folding chair. “Surely none of them would be after you now.”

“You'd be surprised how long these fellows hold a grudge.” Charles lifted Henry easily into his sinewy arms. “I once knew a man who was dunked in a block of cement ten years after he'd run out on a deal with one of the mobsters in Tatoonie.”

“Tatoonie?” Leia set her bouquet in the basket. “The Tatoonie Islands? You've been there? Is it really as wild and lawless as everyone says it is? It did start as Naboo's penal colony.”

“Yes, it is.” Luke looked up from folding the blanket. “I was raised there by my Uncle Owen and Aunt Berta. They had a little grain farm a few miles outside of Anchorhead. It was a rough life, and kind of boring. I wanted to go to school, but Uncle Owen never had the money. Prime Minister Huttman took most of it for taxes.”

The younger duchess shivered as she pulled a light knitted wrap around her shoulders. Though the days were much warmer, the evenings remained chilly. “What happened to them, Luke? How did you come to live with Henry?” She saw Luke's eyes darken. “I'm sorry. I know that's a personal question, but...”

“They died.” Luke's voice broke, caught in his throat. “Rusty was a handyman, used to work for a couple of different farms, including ours. One day, we went out into the desert to deliver some parts to Ben. He kind of a hermit in those days. When I got back to the farm, there was nothing left.”

The tears flowed, unbidden, down his rosy cheeks. Henry handed him a clean cotton handkerchief, which he took gratefully. “The Coruscant Army burned it to the ground. They knew who I was...who they were. My aunt and uncle hadn't been able to pay their taxes in months. Ben and I found their bodies in the rubble, filled with bullet holes.” Leia put her arms around him as he sobbed. “I wasn't there...never had the chance to stop them, or even say good-bye...”

“You poor boy!” Breha's motherly instinct took over as she made her way to Luke, throwing her arms around him. “That must have been terrible, coming home one day to find everything you'd ever known gone.”

“I lost my parents, too,” Leia admitted. “Uncle Bail and Aunt Breha took me and Mother in when I was an infant. Mother died of fever less than a year later. Father was killed when Coruscant invaded Naboo.”

Breha hugged both of them. “We won't let anyone else die they way your aunt and uncle did. Bail's seeing to it even now.”

“Like he...heck we won't.” Henry lifted his chin stubbornly as Charles gathered the slender man into his arms. “I'll see to it that you get everythin' you deserve, Junior. Charles, too.”

“Thanks, everyone.” Luke blew his nose. “It was three years ago, but I guess I never got over it.”

“I keep tellin' ya, kid. You gotta move forward.” Charles gently set Henry in the larger row boat. “And speaking of movin' forward, it's getting dark. The river's not as romantic at night.” He gave Leia the famous grin as she climbed in on the other side. “But it can be during the day. We could take the Rogue down to Theed and Lothal and start our exploration of Naboo there tomorrow.”

“I'd love to.” Leia looked over her shoulder at her aunt. “If you don't mind, Aunt Breha.”

Her aunt nodded as Charles helped her in. “I've been wanting to do some shopping in Theed, anyway. I heard their dress shops are second to none in Naboo.”

“All right, then.” Henry nodded as Luke climbed in. “We'll meet you ladies at the docks at 10 AM.”

“Henry,” Leia began as Luke took the oars, “there's something I've been wanting to ask you.”

“Yeah, sweetheart?” He put his cane aside, settling on a pillow on the bench.

“Could I...see your engine again?” Leia gave him her most charming smile. “I didn't really get to inspect it at the fair.”

“Sure, Your Worshipfulness.” He gently took her hand and rubbed it.

Leia gave him her most charming smile. “I want to know everything about what you've been doing. A lot of people are asking questions. They want to know why you keep to yourself, why you won't join any of the people who are fighting to make change in this country. You could be a great asset.”

“Because the only business I care about is my own.” Henry dropped her hand, turning away. “I just want to help a friend and leave, that's all. I already lost the best manager I ever had to Vader.” Luke snorted, but said nothing. Henry shook Luke's shoulder. “Hey kid, why don't you speed things up a little? We don't have a lantern on us. If we run into anything after dark, it's on you.”

Luke rolled his eyes. “Henry, I've been navigating the rivers for years. I know where we're going.”

“Yeah, but you're usually with your buddy Wedge.” Henry's grin plainly indicated that he was aware of his ward's relationship with the captain. “By the way, how is Wedge? What's he up to today?”

“He was hired by old Admiral Ackbar to take him out to Hoth Harbor to start preparing for the Royal Regatta next month.” Luke's smile was dreamy. “We're going to get together tomorrow evening for dinner on board his ship. He makes such a good fish and chips! And then, we might even enjoy time in his stateroom...” The young man blinked when he realized Henry and Leia were both staring at him. “I mean,” Luke stammered, “we enjoy each others' company when we're together.”

“Have fun, Junior. You know I don't care what you do with Antilles. He's a good man.” Henry turned brazenly to Leia, leering at her. “I know who I'd rather be spending my dinner with.”

“Maybe someday,” Leia retorted, “you'll find the type of woman who enjoys your singular company.”

Henry leaned back, that grin still on his face. “I think I already have.”