Princess Leia and the Merman, Part 5

The maze wound down through a series of deep caves and gorges. Leia was becoming increasingly worried that they were lost. Every trail seemed to lead them right back into the network of boulders. All they found was enveloping, suffocating darkness. Inky black night was everywhere.

Leia had never been so cold in her life. Even with the jacket she'd filched from Lando, she was absolutely frozen. Luke, clad only in the remains of his Naboo Navy uniform, wrapped his arms around his torso to keep himself warm. The dogfish constantly shivered.

She took a left turn, then a right...and found herself staring at a jagged rock wall. There was nothing else behind her, and only the wall in front of her. It's hopeless, she thought. How could I get out of here when countless merfolk couldn't? She felt around her, looking for Luke, or the dogfish, or something living. Rough stone brushed against her legs and poked into her jacket.

“Well,” she said to herself with a sigh, “it looks like I'm stuck here.” The young princess settled down in a corner, yawning. “I'm tired. I have no idea what time it is.” Her hands finally found the shell necklace. It was already starting to flicker. “I need to get going...but I'm so tired.” She curled up in the soft sand. “I'll just sleep for five minutes. Not a minute more.” She sighed as she pulled the jacket more tightly around her. “Oh Han...” Shortly after she closed her eyes, the sea-green shell flickered its last. Only the pink shell continued to provide a tiny flame in the darkness...

~*~*~*~*~*~

Maz looked out over the ocean on the jetty. It looked to the average eye like she had been collecting shells and sea glass all day. This wasn't entirely a lie. One bucket was filled with interesting shells and large pieces of colorful sea glass. That was only part of the reason for her to be out here, especially at this hour of the night.

The moon had just risen to its full height. It was still fairly bright, its light glowing pale and soft on the rippling waters. Maz held the other bucket in her lap, stirring it with a spoon. “That girl,” Maz sighed. “She thinks she's lost. She's really just cold and confused. She needs to warm up a little and remember what she really wants.” Her deeply furrowed reddish fingers poured what appeared to be pale blue rocks in the water. “This should help give her good dreams. She'll need them. She's so close to solving the maze...but she'll never free Solo if she doesn't start looking under the surface.”

Blue and green pebbles floated down, down, down, into the deep currents, dissolving instantly in the waters that flowed through the Naboo Sea...and the maze. It flowed around Leia, caressed her head, her shoulders. A tiny smile played on her lips as she dreamed.

~*~*~*~*~*~

In the center of the maze, among the silver and gold coral and the piles of treasure, there was a single, bell-shaped cage. Steel bars were covered in seaweed and barnacles, sheltering the misshapen form within. The Beast was wrapped tightly in a ball, his jagged tail curled around his barbed skin and the fungi-crusted black slime that all but obscured the red in his tentacles. His tail flicked as he shivered.

He was a stupid Beast who obeyed orders. Master said so. Still...there was something...someone...a human girl...someone he...loved? The girl...in the white gown that flowed like the ripples in a calm sea...she was beautiful...kind...smart. He was a monster. Or was he? What was he, before? There was a big spotted shark...he was his friend...did he have friends? Could someone love a monster?

Leia. His fractured mind managed to unearth that one, glorious name before the blue and green magic flowed around him. Magic stroked his ridged back, ran across each horn on his head, danced around his throat and tail. He was finally lulled into a peaceful, hopeful sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~

She was looking for someone. An elusive figure with gold hair...or was it reddish brown? Her feet, clad in soft satin dance slippers, made no noise as they flitted along the hallway in Naboo Castle. The moonlight showed cool and pale through the windows. She could see the sea sparkling in the distance. Something about the sea made Leia want to reach out and touch it. It looked so blue, so pure...

She caressed something solid. A tanned hand wrapped around her slender fingers. His warm smile lit up the dark hallway. Han was there, clad in the same white blouse, black silk vest, and navy trousers he'd worn at the ball. When she looked down at herself, she realized her gown was even more elaborate than her ball outfit, a creamy dance dress with layers of delicate gold lace trim, ruffled sleeves, a plunging neckline, and a tulle skirt that swished as they twirled. The shells in her necklace glowed like they were on fire.

They swirled out of the dark hall and into the brilliantly lit ballroom. Everyone in the kingdom was there. Lando, his gold and blue cape swishing as he flirted with three ladies of the court. Luke waved, a big sunshine smile lighting up his sweet face. He too wore cream and gold, nearly a match to his gold hair. Her parents, both of them, beamed proudly. Couples clad in every color of the rainbow danced around them...and yet, time seemed to stop as their dances became even more elaborate.

She only had eyes for the man in her arms. “I thought I'd never see you again. When Jabba took you away, it was like my heart stopped. I haven't felt this way about anyone since I lost Luke.” She leaned on his shoulder. “Everyone leaves me in the end. Mother left me. Luke left me. Father barely has time for me. He just thinks of me as a thing he can marry off to the nearest nobleman.”

“How could you love me?” Han whispered. “I'm no one. I'm not royalty. I'm not even human! Jabba was right. I'm a no-good mer-crook. I stole the jewels from your father's house and helped lure humans to their death in the water, then took their treasures to sell to Jabba.”

“You didn't let Jabba have me.” Her snub nose nuzzled his strong chest. “And you carried me to the cove. You saved me. Now, let me save you.”

“I want you to save me. I need you.” He cupped his hands around her chin, pulling it to look into his almond-shaped hazel eyes. “Leia, please. Help me.”

Leia's brown eyes locked with his. “Jabba told me a beast was holding you prisoner in the center of the maze. How can I defeat a beast?”

Han's eyes grew so sad, Leia nearly wanted to cry. “Don't believe everything you see...or hear. Follow your heart. Maybe the beast ain't so bad.”

“Han,” she breathed, “I...” The dancers continued to whirl around them, a blur of color and movement, but the world stood still as she gazed up at his lips. What was real? Could this be real? Was it a dream? If it was a dream, she didn't want to awaken. “I...”

He looked so hopeful. “Yes?”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Oh, no.” Jabba was watching the two slumber in his magic pearl. “Why does that sea witch have to interfere with everything? I can't have Solo giving up the game before it's done!”

He uncorked a bottle, sending its powder black and red contents into the water. “This should take care of that witch's magic. They won't be feeling so romantic when my spell gets through with them!”

~*~*~*~*~*~

No sooner did Leia open her mouth to tell Han that she loved him then the music suddenly stopped. The dancers and musicians vanished. Her parents, Lando...they all seemed to melt away. When she looked down at her feet, she realized she was ankle-deep in moonlit water that was rising fast.

“Leia!” Luke rushed over to his sister. “We have to hurry. If we stay, we may drown!”

Han tried to push her towards the exit. “Get out of here! Leave me!”

“I won't leave either of you! Han, Luke,” she exclaimed, wading towards the windows, “cover these! We can't let the moonlight get near Han's legs!”

They shut the curtain of every window in the room, but their efforts were in vain. A thin sliver of moonlight trickled through the largest curtain. Beams crawled along the now knee-height water, until they encircled Han. She and Luke turned around just in time to see him collapse into the lake forming at their feet.

“Le...Leia...” he choked, “follow...your...he....” His last words were drowned out by anguished screams. Black light writhed around him, binding his arms, rubbing his throat until he disappeared all together in a burst of moonlight. His handsome figure was replaced by the shadow of a monster. Three-inch-long claws that were as sharp as broken shells reached out to slash her to ribbons. She let out a scream and ducked away, wading over to Luke.

It was too late. To her horror, the moonlight was transforming Luke, too. Slime writhed around him, turning his gold hair green, rendering his human form unrecognizable. Other barnacle-covered, almost-human creatures followed him, all of them silent and menacing, all reaching for her...they wanted to take her away...

“NO!” She burst out of the ballroom...but she could see nothing but water for miles. No beach, no castle. Just miles and miles of gray ocean. “Luke!” she screamed. “Han! Where are you?”

A familiar brown-spotted nose poked Leia in the side. She grinned at her dogfish friend. “Where have you been?” She grabbed hold of his dorsal fin, and they swam away.

They weren't quick enough. The dogfish was an expert swimmer, but the barnacle slaves were surprisingly fast. They surrounded them, reaching out for them as kelp tangled the two. Leia could no longer move or run. The dogfish was barely visible in all the seaweed.

She looked up...and into the jaws of the most hideous beast that had ever existed under the sea. The last thing she saw before she screamed was a mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth...and very human almond-shaped hazel eyes filled with anguish and sorrow. The strong claws held her beneath the waves as the last light in the necklace went out...

~*~*~*~*~*~

“NOOOOO!”

Leia's eyes finally snapped open. Luke held one her arms. Chewie nudged her with his nose. Both had concern in their wide eyes. “Sis...ter,” her brother croaked, “you...scared. Scared me. You yelled.” He stroked her hair. “Better?”

“A little.” They helped her into a sitting position. Luke draped a heavy old coat from a wreck around her shoulders. “I had a horrible nightmare! We were at Father's ball, and Luke, you were there, and Lando, and Father. And Han...”

“Han?” Luke looked confused, even as the dogfish seemed to perk up a bit. She swore the shark grinned at the mention of that name. Her brother frowned. “He is...merman. With...Jabba. One of...his...workers.”

“Not anymore.” She got to her feet with the dogfish's help, holding onto his fin. “He was captured by Jabba, and now he's being held prisoner by some beast in the center of the maze. We have to rescue him. I won't leave without him.” The dogfish bobbed up and down, its eyes bright at the mention of Han's name.

“If...your friend...” Luke gave her a small version of one of his sunny smiles. “Then he is...my friend. I will...help...you.”

“Good.” Leia smiled back at him. “Why don't we go find some breakfast? I haven't eaten since I was on Lando's yacht yesterday. I'm starved!”

Luke raised an eyebrow. “Lando? Is he...friend...too?”

“Sort of. It's long story.” She put an arm around Luke. The dogfish somehow managed to put his fin around his other shoulder. “I'll tell you about it after we eat.”

Princess Leia and the Merman, Part 6

They finally came out of the darkness and into a series of coral reefs, these a little brighter than the ones they'd been trapped in. She had never seen so much coral, in such amazingly bright colors! It was like swimming though a rainbow. “If...when I get back,” Leia said, “I'll have to write a book about this place!”

The trail came to a stop at an enormous mound of purple, pink, and green coral. It seemed to go on forever, blocking everything in its path. “Maybe we could try climbing over it,” Leia started.

“Or we swim,” Luke added. “It...just coral. Not...so scary.”

The dogfish didn't agree. He moved back from the coral, whimpering. A tentacle shot out when he touched it with a fin. No matter how much Leia and Luke tried, their friend just would not budge.

Leia shrugged and started climbing over the coral. She was careful not to break anything or get caught in it, after the incident in the low-lying mound. Her fingers had only pulled her up a few steps when, to her shock, the mound started moving. It moved...and it growled.

“Leia!” Luke managed push off, ignoring his ruined boots. “Watch...out!”

Moving coral was a new one on Leia. Her tutor told her that coral moved when it was young, before it developed its hard outer skeleton, but this...this was something else. This coral had long, hard tentacles that stretched very slowly in all directions. Pink and purple jaws opened to reveal a yawning gap between branches. Two pinkish stalks popped out, glaring at Leia. The mound rose to fill every single crevasse of the coral garden's exit.

“What...do we...do?” Luke looked genuinely concerned. “Not...bad. We woke it...up. Just...mad.”

“Mad? It's just angry?” Leia's hand slid over something cool and smooth in her waistband. “Maybe we can play for it. They say music soothes the savage beast.” She held out the flute. “I only hope this works underwater.”

“I could...play.” Luke took it. “I can...play...I think. You sing. You were...good...singer.”

“Thank you.” She smiled. “Do you remember that lullaby, the one Mother used to sing for us? She used to put us to sleep with it when we were little.”

Luke shrugged. “I could...try.”

Leia started to sing the slow, gentle tune. Luke followed along, playing the flute. It didn't make much sound, but it seemed to work on the coral. The stalks drooped and fell back into the branches. The tentacles dropped to the ocean floor. She swore, the moment the mound fell against the ground, it started to snore. Even the dogfish helped, patting it with its fin to calm the creature.

Tiny flashes of light streamed overhead the moment the mound was down and sleeping. The trio swam slowly and as quietly as possible over it. The dogfish stuck two pieces of seaweed on either side of the mound, presumably where its “ears” were.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Jabba was roaring with anger in his throne room. The pearl showed the trio swimming over the living mound, as clear as the sea on a summer day. “Fett!” he snarled.

Fett was already there, standing behind the throne, mechanical trident in hand. “You bellowed, oh mighty one?”

“I don't want any of your sass!” His boss smacked the pearl. “I want you to detain the princess. Don't kill her. If you kill her, so help me, you'll be the one who ends up getting fed to the sharks. Bring her to me. Do what you want with the dogfish and the slave. I already have the slave's soul. They're of no use to me.”

“Good.” He patted the mechanical trident. “I just want to have a little fun.”

“Have all the fun you want.” Jabba glared at him. “Just bring me the girl alive. I want her soul.”

Boba bowed mockingly before his employer. “As you wish.” Jabba uncorked a bottle, allowing the yellowish liquid to flow around Fett. When it disappeared, he too was gone.

Jabba turned with satisfaction to the pearl. “If Fett doesn't get her, the Stone Cliffs will. No merfolk can make it over that. They're sheer rock. This is the end of the line for you, Little Beauty, and that brother of yours!”

His hoots of laughter could be heard for miles throughout the ship's graveyard.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Now what do we do?”

The rock wall in front of them was sheer granite. It seemed to go on forever. Leia couldn't see the top of it, not even standing on Luke's shoulders and the dogfish's back. “We can't...swim.” Luke shook his head. “Too...far. Too...long.”

Leia brushed her fingers against one narrow ledge. “Could we climb it?” She placed one foot against it. It held. She grabbed hold of a rock and pulled herself to the next ledge.

The dogfish whimpered, upset over being left behind. Leia looked over her shoulder as she propelled her feet to the next ledge. “Oh, stop. You're a much better swimmer than we are. You could probably swim up there faster than we could climbing.”

“Leia,” Luke called when she was already a quarter of the way up, “wait...for...me!”

“Don't be a slowpoke!” His sister laughed and pushed herself onto the next ledge.

It wasn't an easy climb. The ledges were narrow, and many of them were eroded by years of seawater tumbling over them. There were a few times she almost lost hold of the rock, or the minerals under her feet crumbled, leaving her barely able to hold on. “Be...careful!” Luke called under her. The dogfish propelled himself past her, his tail swishing like crazy.

She was more than half-way up the rocks when the first boulder came crashing down. She just managed to avoid it by swimming to another ledge. “Luke, watch out!” She waved a hand where her brother could see it. “I think someone's up there!” Indeed, she swore she could see something green, red, and silvery in the light at the top of the cliff.

Another series of rocks rained down over them. One just scraped Leia on her left, leaving her side red and torn. It hurt like hell, but there was no way she wasn't going to continue. She had to find Han and get to the end of this maze. She wasn't going to lose him, and she sure as hell wasn't going to give up her soul the way Luke lost his.

Her legs and arms became more and more sore the higher she went. Her fingers cramped. It was becoming harder to hold on. Two fingers just grasped the craggy top when two sharp needles stabbed them. She screamed...then threw up the other hand, trying to grab at the thing that stabbed her.

Three wicked-looking prongs easily lifted her up to the top, dropping her on her rear on the ocean floor. “You!” It was the oddest trident she'd ever seen, more liked a three-pronged-crossbow...and it was aimed right at her. “You're one of Jabba's shark men. You were the one who helped capture Han!”

The half-shark, half-armored man bowed before her as she floated upright. “Seems I'm well-known, even among human princesses.” He raised his mechanical trident. “My boss sent me to bring you back alive. He didn't say just how much alive.”

“You bastard!” Leia pulled out her sword. “The only way I'm going back to Jabba is with Han...and with Jabba's head on a pole. I won't let him get away with this anymore!”

Fett's mechanical trident was faster than Leia expected. One grazed her left shoulder as she swam out of its reach. She screamed, but still went at him with her sword. The girl got as close as she could, slashing at his tail. He hissed when she left a deep cut in his tail, just under his torso.

“You little bitch!” Fett smacked her across the face, his armor leaving a stinging cut on her cheek. “I don't care what Jabba wants. For that, you die.”

The bounty hunter was about to shoot her again when a familiar set of dogfish jaws clamped onto his fin. He shrieked like a girl as Luke grabbed his arms, yanking him back hard. Leia swept the sword into her hand, stabbing him in the tail.

“Son of a...” He tried to swim back, but the ragged cut in his tail limited his mobility. “You'll pay for that!”

“Later.” She glared at him. “I know Jabba's been sending his boys after me ever since I entered the maze. I saw them at least twice. That mummy-fish man was his, wasn't he? So was the lizard-man. Tell Jabba I'm going to make it through this maze whether he likes it or not. If he sends anyone else to stop me, they'll end up in far worse shape than just being hit on the head with a rock. I will hack their tails off and feed them to the nearest sea monster!”

Luke's glare was nearly as frightening. “I...not...slave. Not...go...back. Ever.” The dogfish just opted for looking menacing.

“I won't forget this.” Fett finally limped down the cliff, his tail not moving. The others turned towards the exit just as a yellow light engulfed the defeated bounty hunter.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“YOU IMBECILE! HOW COULD YOU LET THEM GO?”

Fett had never seen his boss this angry. He'd fed at least six slaves to his pet tiger sharks, sending the others scurrying to opposite sides of the wreck. He slammed his fat fist down on the throne and turned a whole school of angelfish into very ugly snails.

“Look, boss,” Fett complained, clutching his sore tail, “it's not a total loss. I got the girl on the arm and on the side with a rock when she was on the cliff. She's injured. The slave's still weak from your spells. He won't be able to help her forever.”

Jabba turned to his potion shelves. “You were going to kill her.”

The bounty hunter clutched his sore tail. “Yeah, and?”

“You're my best man.” He handed one of the bottles to Boba Fett. “Get to the center. Most of these bottles will help you stun those creatures blocking the paths. The last one will take care of Solo and Prince Luke. Don't bother with the girl. She's no longer your concern.”

Fett tried to bow again, but he wound up settling for a quick “As you wish” before sauntering out. He nearly lost two bottles on his way out and had to go back for them, cursing loudly.

As soon as he left, Jabba swept another bottle into his hands. “I can see I'm going to have to deal with this myself.” He popped open the green glass vessel. “It'll be worth becoming this ugly to get that soul.” He swallowed the contents of the bottle in one gulp.

The same green liquid that consumed Han wreathed around Jabba. He screamed at first...but his screams became wild laughter as he saw what was happening to him. His fat limbs stretched out, became strong and slender. The heavy torso and body metamorphosed into a broad, muscular chest. His short, stubby tail became long and smooth, with gold and green scales that glittered like a scavenger's treasure. Thick golden hair grew from the top of his head.

“Now,” he boomed, “for the final touch.” Among the bottles and jars on his shelf of evil magic was a single lavender clam shell. He'd used this enchanted shell to trap Solo's voice after he'd agreed to trade it for human legs. He flipped the shell open, allowing a white light to flow into his mouth.

“Well, sweetheart,” he sneered, watching the trio in the pearl, “let's see how well you do when you're dealing with the master.”

Princess Leia and the Merman, Part 7

Leia, Luke, and their dogfish friend found themselves in a glowing garden of sea crystals and colorful sea glass. Everything shimmered, from the rather slippery floor to the jagged ceiling. The glass rippled into strange shapes as they passed.

“I like this one,” Leia said as she passed a long green glass. “It makes me look taller.” Indeed, she looked nearly as tall as Han in his human form. She couldn't resist putting the injured hand wrapped in seaweed on her hip and posing.

Luke laughed at a wide glass. “This one makes me look fat!”

The dogfish admired his face in a bluish glass, turning his head this way and that. He reached out to touch the similar creature before him, thinking it was another dogfish. The twins giggled when he growled and fussed at other fish in the mirror.

Leia patted him. “Silly boy. That's just your reflection. It's not another fish. It won't hurt you.” The dogfish snorted at the glass and gave it a smack with his tail, just to make certain.

“Luke,” she began as they continued around a corner filled with sharp white and orange crystals, “how did you end up down here? We haven't heard from you since the night of the storm that sank the Twin Sunset. And how can you breathe underwater? You're not a merman.”

“I don't...know.” Her brother closed his sky blue eyes, trying to remember. “Went down...crew was in a life boat...something turned it over. Sharks...took us away. Master...” Luke rubbed his head. “Master had drinks...could breathe...” He groaned painfully. “Nothing else.”

“Damn that Jabba!” Leia cursed as she swam under a low-lying ceiling made of delicate white quartz. “I wish I could turn him into a pig, or worse!”

“He is Master.” Luke looked worried. “You must watch for him. He has many tricks.”

“Oh, I'm wise to his tricks now.” They were now swimming across a bright, sparkling valley of white and lavender rocks that glowed like jewels against the deep blue of the ocean. “After what happened with those nasty creatures he sent after us, I'm ready for anything...hey!”

She wasn't looking where she was going and had swum right into something solid, but...slender. Crab traps and fishermen's nets were anchored on the crystal or hanging just under the surface. No sooner did Leia cut herself free from one net than another seemed to take its place. The dogfish was trying to bite its way out. Luke writhed like a fish desperate to avoid ending up on a dinner plate.

Leia was about to cut Luke free when another net was thrown over her. This one glowed gold, like the light of the sun. The moment it touched her, she vanished.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The princess appeared in the most beautiful room she'd ever seen. It wasn't a shipwreck. It looked like an underwater ruin, perhaps the remains of an ancient temple or castle. Leia wondered if it was the fabled original home of her Skywalker ancestors, which was said to have been swept into the sea after an especially violent hurricane. The room she was in must have been an ancient ballroom or dining hall at one time. She could see the remains of once-fine tapestries and flags. Rusted swords and shields hung on the walls.

An enormous meal was laid out before her on a long wooden table that was in excellent shape for having been underwater for likely hundreds of years. Everything the sea could offer – shrimp, plankton, seaweed, sea cucumbers, scallops, fish, even some vegetables, along with a covered pitcher of pure water – was laid before her on the table. It was even cooked, boiled on a thermal springs, perhaps.

That was when she saw herself in a mirror on the other side of the room. Her gown draped around her like lacy kelp, clinging to her shapely legs. The plunging neckline was covered in pearls and white crystals, with soft, puffed foamy short sleeves. The color looked like the sea at twilight, when the setting sun made it shimmer. She even had a delicate tiara made of coral that wound around her head. Her thick brown locks were down around her shoulders, entwined with tiny pearls. In fact, she looked rather like the traditional mermaids seen in fairy tales.

“Forgive me, Your Highness,” said a familiar voice, “but you are the most beautiful mermaid I have ever laid eyes on. You look more like an enchantress.”

She gasped and turned around in delight. She knew that voice! It was...to her disappointment, it wasn't Han. It was a merman. Hair flowed around his arms like a golden river. His full, pink lips were curled into a slight leer. He had very tan skin and a yellow tail that glittered like the treasure from a pirate yarn, with wide emerald-green fins. His broad chest was barely contained by a fine sailcloth blouse with abalone buttons.

“Ahh, Little Beauty,” he said in a familiar gruff voice, “I fell in love with you the moment I saw you.” He kissed her hand. “You're most exquisite jewel in my collection.”

“Thank you,” Leia said, “but...who are you? I know your voice, but I thought it belonged to Ha...to someone else.” She frowned. “And you're not the first creature I've heard to call me 'Little Beauty.'”

“My name is Jab...Jasper, my lady. I'm the lord of this castle. All of the merfolk in this area work for me.” He gazed into her eyes. His eyes were the only part of him that weren't unnaturally beautiful. They were a rather unattractive shade of mustard-yellow, a great contrast to his ruggedly handsome face. “Shall we eat? My people have worked to provide us a very fine meal. It would be a shame not to do it justice.”

“Well, all right.” Leia sat on a boulder that had been carved into chair. It was quite comfortable, for a rock. Jasper clapped, bringing mermaids and merman rushing in to fill their plates. “You have a very fine home, Jasper. I've never seen anything like this.”

“It's an old castle, my lady.” The golden merman sat next to her, leaning close enough to breathe in her ear. “I'm glad I found it. It's full of romance.” The deft fingers reached into his meal, slurping the seaweed and shrimp rather rudely. “This was once a great manor house, but the cliff it was on was washed out to see in a storm. It's mine now.” He put a great big hand on hers. “And yours. Yours if you'll be my queen. Stay with me forever, Little Beauty.”

The princess pushed him away. “How could you ask me to marry you? You don't know me!” She squinted at him. “There's something...familiar...about you. We've met before, and it wasn't pleasant.”

“Nonsense!” The gallant merman bowed. “Forgive me if I'm being forward, but your beauty has taken my breath away. I can't help myself around you.”

She tried to concentrate on the food in front of her, but a sour feeling was gnawing in the pit of her stomach. “You're trying too hard to impress me. I don't need all this.”

“Of course.” His thigh brushed her half-clad leg. “I could give you the one thing you don't have.” The muscular, tanned fingers gently stroked her hip. “You don't have a good man to take care of you.”

She tried to pull away, but he wrapped his arms around her. “I don't need anyone to take care of me. I can take care of myself.”

Round yellow eyes gazed into hers. “No, Little Beauty. Someone will have to help you rule your father's kingdom when he's gone. That someone should be me.” Perfect lips breathed into her ear. “You like the sound of my voice, don't you? It calls to you.” His grin became even wider...and more evil...as she nodded in agreement. “You're too beautiful to cover in algae. I'll take your voice and your legs, and you'll be my most prized pet. A dainty little angelfish intended to be seen, but never heard.”

She was too busy listening to notice his fingers softly stroking the back of her neck. Her head drooped slightly. “What...” she murmured, “what was I doing?”

Jasper swept her into his arms and onto his lap. “You were going to kiss me, my love.”

Wide brown eyes were as cloudy as polluted water. “Yes...” The murmur was tempered by a giggle. “My head feels so light...”

He nibbled on her ear. “It's because you're in love with me.” She opened her mouth to talk again, but Jasper covered it with his fingers. “You must kiss me, and then say you love me. I want to hear those words. They will be your last.”

“I...” Her head swam, caught in the pool of his strange yellow eyes. “I can't...I don't...”

He leaned her back, his right fingers running through her long, waving brown hair. “You can't help yourself. You, like your brother, are now mine.”

Just as Leia opened her lips again, a brown-spotted blur crashed through the wall. Sharp teeth bit down on Jasper's shoulder. He let out a noisy screech and ducked away. A slightly greenish hand smacked his. The lavender shell floated back onto the table with a small thump.

Luke held a long, sharp piece of driftwood at Jasper's back. “You leave my sister alone!” He hurried to Leia and shook her as hard as he could. “You can't tell him you love him. He'll take your soul, just like he took mine!”

She shook her head, trying to clear the chowder in it. “Luke...what happened? One minute, I was eating dinner, and the next...”

“He stole a merman's voice and used it to lure you into a trap.” The small blond youth glared poison daggers at the larger merman. “I know that voice. It's the last one I heard before something yanked me out of the lifeboat and into the water. Next thing I knew, I was covered in algae and and bringing plankton for some ugly slug.”

Leia seized the merman by his white blouse. “Who are you, what did you do to my brother, and why are you talking with another merman's voice?”

The merman's eyes drifted down to her hands on his chest. “You know, I enjoy a little foreplay, but this really isn't what...urgh!”

His siren's call was cut off by a chain Leia had taken from the wall and thrust tightly around his neck. “Tell me how you got Han's voice, or I'll take it from you bodily. And get your mind out of whatever the nautical equivalent of the gutter is. I'm not interested.”

“I can...see...urk!” His face was beginning to turn a shade of blue considerably darker than the water around him. “You'll ruin Solo's voice...if you keep doing...this...”

“How did you get that voice?” Leia yanked harder at the chain, her eyes lit with angry fire. “Tell me!”

“That's...for...me...to know.” The merman's hands grabbed at the lavender shell. “I'm not...really...” he gasped “...hungry...right now...anyway.” His fist shot out and managed to hit Leia in the arm. It was enough of a distraction for him to pull the chain from around his neck. He took off into the castle before anyone could stop him.

Luke put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you ok, sis?”

The princess nodded. “I'm fine. In fact, I'm even better.” She threw her arms around her beloved sibling. “Thanks to you, brother.”

He gave her one of his sunniest grins. “Hey, what are twins for?”

The dogfish swam over and wrapped his wide fins around both of them. Leia hugged him back. “You too, boy. You and Luke really got me out of a tight spot there.” She gave the shark a kiss on his nose and swore the skin around his mouth turned bright red.

She gathered the chain and swung it over her shoulder. “Might be able to use this.” Her laughter echoed in the hall. The two were busy gobbling the remains of the banquet. The dogfish had plowed through all of the plankton and most of the shrimp. Luke was slurping up seaweed. “Come on, you two. Let's get to the center. We have a merman to rescue!”

Princess Leia and the Merman, Part 8

Leia held onto the dogfish's fin as they followed the sharp currents through the castle. Luke went after Jasper and find out what his plans were. He'd meet them in the center of the maze. His sister gave him the sword from the Twin Sunset to keep him protected in the crystal caves.

The back door of the castle lead to what had once been a walled labyrinth. The old rocks were now crumbling, but she could still see the outline of the maze. Gold and silver trees and ivory coral was covered in lichen and kelp. Narrow stone arches lead the way around sharp quartz corners.

She fingered her necklace. The blue shell had been blinking for a while now. “Dogfish, please hurry! I have to find Han before the light in the shell goes out. I won't be able to breathe underwater anymore.”

Coral and rock walls became a blur as they sped past them, riding the fast-moving currents. Leia would have enjoyed the ride if she hadn't been so worried. What if they couldn't find Han in time? What if he was hurt? Maz did say Jabba had cast some kind of spell on him. What did she mean, he wasn't the merman she met at the ball? What had Jabba done to him?

They were swept right into a square-shaped garden that was surrounded by walls on all sides. “This must be the center of the maze!” It could be no other place. The gold and silver coral trees were enormous here. Beams of light made them sparkle like crystal. The seaweed and flowers draped around them gave them the appearance of land trees in the spring. Huge heaps of gold, jewels, armor, weapons, and coins lay on the ground before them. Flowers grew along the walls like vines; kelp resembled Spanish moss.

“Isn't it beautiful here?” She picked up a slightly tarnished shield. “This is our family crest. Two suns over the ocean.” A fingernail scratched lightly down the surface, scraping up sand and slime. “This is the missing treasure from the Twin Sunset!” Her brown eyes darted around, searching for her dogfish friend. “Dogfish? Where are you?”

His whimpers lead her to the very center of the maze. A rusted cage sat in the middle of the room on a stone pedestal. It's lock looked like it was only recently broken. “What is it, boy? What do you see?” The dogfish's nose perked up as he felt the currents change. Leia heard the breaking coral. Someone...or something...was coming for them.

“The Beast,” Leia breathed. She had just enough time to grab her knife before two long, sharp limbs enveloped her waist. A spiny tail wrapped around her legs. Absurdly long, sharp claws cut into her soft flesh. She finally gave the Beast's ribs a hard jab with her elbow, enough for him to let her go.

It was the ugliest thing she'd ever laid eyes on. She couldn't help her horrified gasp. Spines ran the length of its body, from the three-pronged tail to the two horns that sprouted from its jagged head. Its skin was a harsh mass of navy-blue ridges. The teeth were two rows of needles that could crush her head in an instant. Instead of hair, blood red tentacles waved in the currents.

What made Leia pause was its eyes. They were hazel with gold flecks, and to her surprise, very human and very sad. She knew those eyes. She kept her knife raised as the creature looked her over, as if trying to remember something...or decide where to stick his claws next.

“Who are you?” She held the sharp knife in front of her, jumping away from the claws that swiped at her face. “Where's Han? Where's your prisoner?”

The Beast lunged for her, trying to shove her away from the treasure. He covered as much of it as he could with his body, blocking it from her. “Tell me where Han is! He's the only treasure I really want.”

It looked up at her in surprise. “You thought I was after the treasure.” She lowered the knife. “I'm glad I found it, but it's not the reason I'm here. I came for the man...well, the merman...I love.”

The dogfish nudged the Beast with its nose. He sensed that this thing was familiar. It smelled like his good friend...but it didn't look like him. He let out a bark, hoping his friend would recognize it. The Beast ran his clawed, webbed hands down the spotted shark's back, his rigid, lipless mouth somehow twisting into a small smile.

“You...know him?” Leia finally lowered her knife. “Dogfish, is this your missing friend?”

The dogfish bobbed, the closest thing he could do to nodding, and threw his fins around the Beast. The monster returned the hug, leaning into the happy shark. She swam over to them, her own brown eyes wide with amazement. “I thought...I guess I assumed your friend was a merman.”

A clawed finger gently touched her cheek. “I won't hurt you, if you don't hurt us.” The Beast threw his body over the chests of gold and jewels again. “I don't know what Jabba told you, but that isn't yours.” She joined him on the pile of coins. “You know,” she said, “you're awfully quiet, for a Beast. I thought you'd roar, or growl, or something.”

The Beast gently touched his throat. He'd tried, but he couldn't make any noise. He opened the toothy mouth, but nothing emerged. The expression on his face when he realized his voice failed him...he looked so lost, so heartbroken. So much like the last time she'd seen Han, when Jabba locked the chain on his collar. The Beast wore a similar collar, a heavy gold circle around his thick neck. There was a chain on his collar as well, dragging behind him. He clutched his head, his face a mask of pain.

“That collar...I know that collar. It's the same one Han and Luke wear. You're a slave, like them.” The dogfish rubbed his side. Leia put her hand against his. “We're...we're not so different, you and me. I'm just a little smaller than you are, that's all. It doesn't matter what you look like.”

His claws gently moved up her neck, trailing down her cheeks. “I want to help you.” The dogfish patted his tail. “We both do. My friend likes you...and that makes you my friend, too.”

Hazel eyes gazed down at the dogfish, then at Leia. He swam back and forth between the treasure and the human girl, his claws outstretched but unsteady. He didn't know what to do.

“Little Beauty!” Leia looked up just in time to see Jasper, now fatter and more wrinkled, dragging Luke into the center garden. He held the silver and blue Skywalker sword to her brother's throat. “I found another treasure I think you'll be interested in outside in the maze.” He growled at the Beast. “Well, stupid, what are you waiting for? Slash her to ribbons! Why do you think you have those claws?”

“I knew there was something wrong with you.” She reached for her knife. “Let Luke go, or I'm going to find out if mermen have a soft underbelly like crabs.”

“He's still my slave, Little Beauty.” His long fingers stroked Luke's chest. “And a very pretty one, too. I wouldn't have made him one of the house slaves if he wasn't so well-known.” He wore a belt of glass beads, a lavender ruffled shell, and an enormous pale orange conch shell. “The purple one is where I keep Solo's voice when he's underwater. The conch has the souls of every human I've had lured down here. Most of them are dead now, but some members of his crew are still making excellent waiters at my ship.”

“Leia!” Luke kicked as hard as he could. “Get to the surface! Go get Father!”

“I'm not leaving you, or any of you!” Leia held the knife level with Jasper's neck. “Where's Han Solo? You said he was a prisoner in the center!”

Her eyes widened at the familiar booming laughter. “That's rich! You humans think you know everything. The trouble with you is, you only see with your eyes.”

Boba Fett emerged from a silver coral tree, his mechanical trident raised. “Want me to kill her, boss?”

“No.” Jasper shoved Luke at the shark man. “Take care of the prince. I'll deal with the Beast and the girl myself.” Leia couldn't believe she'd even considered the merman to be handsome. His face was twisted into a hideous leer. Lengthy fingers clutched a red glass bottle. “Now, dear girl, I just need to get you to drink this, and your soul will be mine. Just like your brother's.”

“Never!” She lunged at him, her knife drawn. “I'll never let you have my soul!”

He grabbed a gold knife from the pile of treasures and aimed for her side. She just got out of his way in time. The knife left a tear in her sea-green gown. The two tussled, wrestling each other to the sandy floor. “Beast,” he snarled, “you damn moron, get her off me! I can't get her soul while she's on top!”

Leia held her breath when the Beast yanked her away from him, his claws around her waist. She lay on the pile of coins where he dropped her, certain that her soul was as good as gone. Instead, the Beast stabbed his claws into Jasper's side. The golden merman screamed and sagged into the sand. He held his bleeding, wrinkled side, his bulging yellow eyes glaring poison daggers at the creature that turned on him.

“Beast!” She hurried to his side, Luke following. “You saved me” He gave her another small smile, drawing her face into his hands. “I think...I know.” The princess threw her arms around him, ignoring the ridges cutting into her skin. “Thank you...Han.”

They were going to kiss when Han suddenly reared back, a knife embedded deeply in his side. Jasper was looking fatter and more bloated by the minute. His deep laugh filled the coral garden. “You had your last chance to be useful, Beast, and you blew it. Did you honestly think she could want an ugly dimwit like you, when she had someone like me?”

“No!” Leia screamed at the top of her lungs – at least as well as she could underwater – but Fett blocked her from the duo. “Get out of my way, you overgrown bait! You don't want to see what I can do when I'm mad!”

“I'm shaking.” The shark man jabbed her with his mechanical trident. “My boss said he had something to give you. I think you'd better take it now.”

“That's what you think, buddy!” A knife sliced through the water, hacking the end off of Fett's trident. Lando swam gracefully towards them, sending Fett into the coral with a fierce kick. His cape flowed around his slender brown body like waves on the shore. “I'd believe this lady when she says you don't want to upset her. It's not a good idea to upset a princess.” Fett yanked at his arms, but Lando kicked out. The two ended up grappling, tumbling over and over in the water.

Jasper...or Jabba...was breathing heavily. “You're too late!” He held out the red bottle. “Her soul is already as good as mine. Just like her brother's...ow!” The dogfish clamped down on Jasper's hand. The moment the bloated merman-slug lost the bottle, the shark grabbed it with a flipper, quickly floating it on a current to Leia, who grabbed it the moment it went past her. “Damn you, Chewbacca!” Jabba snarled. “If I get teeth marks, you and Solo are paying for my medical bills!”

Luke yanked the belt off Jabba's waist, both shells falling into his hands. He handed the lavender one to Leia. “I think you should have the honor of breaking this one.”

“Likewise,” she handed him the conch shell, “this is yours.”

They swam as one to the wall on the side of the center garden. Lando, Fett, and Jabba all looked up...in time to see the twins swing the shells against the wall, shattering both into a thousand pieces.

“NOOOO!” Jabba screamed and bellowed, but he couldn't stop the white light from leaving his larynx and entering the Beast's. His voice became deeper and more of a growl as Beast coughed and sputtered. Chewbacca nudged him, whimpering.

Hundreds of blood-red lights escaped from the conch shell. One streamed into Luke's chest. It pushed him back into the wall briefly, his blue eyes pained. Leia put her arms around him. “Luke? Luke, are you all right?”

He looked up at her...and there was a light in his bottomless blue eyes that she hadn't seen since the day she said good-bye to him on the Naval docks. “I'm better than all right, Leia.” He hugged her. “I'm not a slave anymore. I'm great!” She hugged him back as hard as she could.

Jabba gasped, still holding his side. The magic had been slowly fading. He was fleshy and wrinkled, more like his former sea-slug self than a merman. “You're too late, Princess. You may have saved your brother, but Solo's about to become seafoam!”

“You...you bastard!” Leia grabbed the chain from around her shoulder. “Han's not a monster! You are!” She swung the chains around his thick neck, just as she'd done in the ruined dining hall. It was harder to strangle him when his neck was fatter, but he also moved slower. She strained with all her might at the creature, not stopping until his eyes closed and his tongue flopped out of his rubbery mouth.

The twins both glided to Han at the same time, Luke to one side, Leia to the other. Chewbacca stuffed sea flowers under his head to give him a soft place to rest. “Good work, Leia,” Han croaked, “Your Worship...I'm a siren...I lure humans to the water...got Luke. Jabba had me over a boulder...had Chewie...I lost his shipment...had to trade my voice for legs to pay him. I could only... talk to...get you. Human souls live forever. Merfolk...become foam.” He shook his head. “But I couldn't...hurt you...not ever...”

“Shh.” She took his misshapen head on her lap. Luke held his hand. Chewbacca licked his cheek. “Please don't leave me. Don't leave us. You can't.” Her arms wrapped tenderly around him. “I love you.”

He gave her one last tiny cocky grin. “I know.”

Even as she kissed him, his eyelids closed. She held him tighter, not caring that his ridged skin was cutting into her arms, her body wracked with great, heaving sobs. She wouldn't let him fade away. Luke put his arms comfortingly around his sister. Chewbacca leaned into her, letting out a mournful growl.

Lando left Boba Fett on the ground, a trident through his stomach. He went to Leia, putting his arms around her shoulders. “I'm sorry,” he said gently. As Leia sobbed, the last light in her shell necklace went out.

Chewbacca was the first one to see the sea foam gathering around Han. He nudged Leia and pointed with his fin. Luke saw it, too. “Uh, sis.” He shook her arm. “You might want to open your eyes. There's something really strange going on.”

Foam swirled around Han...but it wasn't consuming him. It was transforming him. His claws shortened, became human fingers. The tail lost its spines, the back its ridges. Needle-like teeth became smaller and rounded. His horns vanished. The tentacles softened into unruly auburn hair.

“Han?” Leia gasped. “It's you!”

“Yeah, Your Worship.” He stared at his hands, then his tail in shock. “I'm alive. I'm not seafoam.” He threw his arms around her. “I'm alive! I'm ok!” She yanked him into another, more passionate kiss.

Chewbacca managed to hug them both with his flippers. Han hugged his friend back. “Thanks for coming for me, old pal.” He looked up at Leia and Luke. “You two, both of you. I owe you one.”

Luke was turning a slight shade of purple. “This is great, but we can't stay down here. I'm not under Jabba's spell anymore. I can't breathe!”

Lando nodded. “We have to go. King Anakin's fleet is on the surface, waiting for you, but I don't know for how much longer. There's another storm brewing” He put an arm around Luke. “So, what's your story? I heard you were lost at sea.”

“I was.” Luke grinned at his sister. “Leia found me.”

Leia held onto Han hard. “I won't leave you.”

“Your Worship, I'm not like you. I wish I was. I'd give anything...” He shook his head. “Go to the surface. You belong there, with your family.” He held out the same oilskin bag he'd had at the ball. “This is what I stole from your dad. Tell him there's a ton more where that came from in the coral garden just outside of the ruin of the original Nabarrie Castle.”

She frowned. “And you?”

“I'm a merman.” His cocky grin emerged. “I belong wherever the currents take me. I'm not going to raid shipwrecks or lure humans to their death anymore, if that's what you're worried about.”

The human girl was having a hard time holding her breath. Han put his arms around her. “Come on. I know a shortcut to the land.”

She grabbed Chewbacca's fin, and they swam across the ocean. The water felt warm and comforting at first. She kept one hand on Chewie's fin, and the other in Han's. Fish swam by them, waving their fins. The mound of living coral waved one tentacle, then went back to sleep. Even the giant squid bobbed at them, almost inking himself as they nearly knocked him into a ditch.

The closer they got to land, the more difficult the currents became to navigate. She was having a tough time holding onto Chewie's fin. Han squeezed her hand harder. “Hold on, Your Worship. We're goin' for a ride!”

The currents battered and tossed them to and fro, trying to push her away from the dogfish and the merman. Leia's human fingers weren't meant to deal with fast-moving undertows. Her hands slipped from Chewie's fin, the undertow drawing her back. She gasped, trying hard to hold her breath and fight the currents.

“Leia!” Han's sleek navy tail shot through the currents. “Take my hand! You rescued me, and I'm sure as hell ain't gonna let you die!”

She grabbed his hand, holding on for dear life as they sped past ship wrecks and reefs and coral mounds. “I can't hold on much longer!” she panted.

Within seconds, a vicious current wrenched her from Han's grasp. “Leia! NO!”

“HAN!” She tried to swim for it, but she needed air. Her lungs felt like they would burst. The riptide held her in its clutches. Delicate legs trashed in the currents, but were too weak to go anywhere. “Tell Luke...I love him...Han...”

Darkness claimed her as the swirling waters dragged her down...down...

The last thing she remembered was a feeling she was floating...something around her waist was taking her to the light. Maybe she'd finally meet her mother, or her grandmother, her father's beloved late mother. Take me to the light...

~*~*~*~*~*~

Her fingers touched sand, wet, grainy sand. There's sand in heaven? Something sharp poked her elbow. She moved it, hearing a little splash. Her breathing was greedy, heavy. She gulped air like child drinking chocolate milk. Gentle fingers ran through her long, salt-dried hair. A soothing male voice sang a Naboo sea shanty. It sounded like a choir of angels to her.

“Leia!” Voices cut through the salty air. Lips pressed an intense, heartbroken kiss on her vibrant red mouth, before her eyes fluttered open. She saw two heartbroken hazel eyes and the sun glinting off a red and navy tail before it dove into the ocean.

“Sis!” Luke and Lando hurried over. They were both dry now, but otherwise looked as they had when she'd last seen them. “What happened? We thought you were following us!”

Her eyes slid towards the water. “Han took me home. We got caught in the undertow, but he...he must have gotten me to safety, somehow.”

Lando made a face. “Han? The thief?”

“Not anymore.” She handed the oilskin bag around her shoulder to Luke. “This is what Han stole at the ball. He gave it back.”

Luke and Lando put their arms around her. “Come on, sis. I've already talked to Father. He's worried to death about you!”

She gave him a shaky grin. “I wish I could have seen the look on his face when you turned up alive.”

Luke graced her with one of his sunny smiles in return. “He nearly passed out when I hugged him.”

The two men lifted Leia to her feet. “Come on, Your Highness.” Lando grinned smoothly at her. “Let's get you home.”

Princess Leia and the Merman - Epilogue

It was nearly two weeks before Leia was deemed well enough to return to Maz's house. Her father was so happy to have both his children home, he only grounded her for a week for running out. Neither she nor Luke would have been going anywhere in any case. They were both taken to their beds, treated for water inhalation and possible lung damage.

Anakin ordered his trawlers to bring up the treasure within days of his children revealing its final resting place. He also had men dive for the remaining family heirlooms on the Twin Sunset. His scientists were delighted with all the information the Skywalker Twins brought back with them about the bottom of the ocean floor. They vowed to make more extensive studies of deep-sea coral and the animals who lived there.

Leia and Luke told their father what they could, making sure to leave out any mention of magic or mermen. Leia claimed Han Solo had vanished, but she had found the oilskin bag, and evidence that he'd been strong-armed into committing robbery to help a friend. Luke corroborated his sister's story, adding that the evil nobleman Han had worked for was now dead, thanks to Leia's quick thinking.

Lando spent a great deal of time with Leia in those two weeks. She found him a wonderful, charming man. He took her out on the Lady Luck, held extravagant picnics on the beach, and bought her all manner of gifts and trinkets. She liked him a lot, and she appreciated his help with Jabba and Boba Fett.

She just wasn't sure it was love.

“I'm not ready to get married yet,” she told him one day, as he drove her back from a trip into Theed Town. “Just give me some time to decide.” Her eyes, as always, roamed to the sea, searching for a flash of a bright navy fish tail. “Father's fleet has found most of his treasure. We're not in quite as desperate of need as we were before.”

Lando nodded and kissed her hand. “I can wait, Your Highness. I don't care how much money you have. I still want you to be my bride.”

“We'll see.” She smiled as they pulled up at Maz's shack. “I need to stop here. I have to return something I borrowed to a friend, and Luke said he had something he wanted to show me.”

“I'll go in with you.” He helped her out of the carriage. “I might be able to buy you a necklace that's even nicer than that shell one you're wearing.”

Leia's hand went to the necklace Maz gave her, the one she still wore. “Oh, this is what I borrowed. I don't need it anymore.”

“Then you'll have the most beautiful shell necklace in the entire shop.” He opened the door for her. “You'll have dozens.”

She shook her head. “I don't need dozens. I just need to return this one.”

Maz was sitting behind her work bench, stringing a dangling earring made of purple sea crystals, when they walked in. “Leia!” The elderly woman went right to her. “Well, did you find what you were looking for?”

“Yes, but he...it didn't work out for me.” She put the necklace in Maz's hand. “Here. Thank you for your help. You did more for me than you could ever know.”

Maz pushed it back at her. “Keep it. It won't help you breathe underwater anymore, but it does look good on you.”

Leia shook her head. “It reminds me too much of it...and him...and everything.” She sighed. “We're too different, Maz. It would never have worked out.”

“Maybe not. Maybe so.” She gave the girl a gap-toothed grin. “Oh, you haven't met my new apprentice yet!” Maz winced as the sound of boxes toppling onto the floor could be heard in the next room. “Don't mind him. He's just getting his sea legs.”

Luke nodded. “I ran into him a week ago. I'll go get him.”

Leia had turned around to let Lando put the necklace back on her when she heard a familiar, cheeky voice. “Hi there, Your Worship. How can I help you?”

“Han!” It was him...only now, he stood on two legs, clad in tight brown and yellow trousers. He wore a navy jacket over his white shirt and had tools on a belt at his hip. Luke grinned at his side. She threw her arms around him. “What happened? How...”

Maz patted her arm. “Jabba's not the only one who knows a little magic.”

“Went to Maz a week ago. I'm tired of swimming. I had nothing under the water. My home is here.” He put his hand against hers. “We're not so different anymore.”

She smiled at him. “No. Not anymore.”

Lando put an arm around him. “Hey there. Welcome back.” He grinned at them. “You're a lucky man, Solo. She's really one of a kind.”

“Yeah, she is.” Han looked over his shoulder as a bark sounded in the back room. “Hey Chewie, Leia's here! Let her see you now!”

“Chewie” turned out to be an enormous, brown-spotted mountain with more fur than seen in an entire zoo. He sniffed at her with his long, cold black nose. She laughed as he gave her a bark of recognition. “Hi there, boy.”

Chewie nearly knocked Luke over, slobbering him with kisses. “Easy, boy.” He looked up from under the piles of brown fuzz. “You be good to my sister. She's the strongest person I know. If it wasn't for her, I'd still be stuck as a slimy yes-thing to Jabba.”

“That's right,” Han added. “And I'd still be luring good people to their death.” He nodded at the shack. “Maz said she'd exchange my tail for helping her in the shop. I've got a good job now, Leia. I'm going to take Maz's jewelry all over the kingdom and sell it. It'll triple her sales.” He hugged her close, as hard as he could. “I'm never going to let you go again. I love you.”

She smiled up at him. “I know.” Maz grinned, Luke whistled, and Chewbacca barked as they leaned in for a kiss.

The End