Beauties and the Frogs, Part 1

Beauties and the Frogs

Rating: PG (fantasy violence)

Pairings: Han/Leia, Finn/Rey, Poe/Rose, Snap/Kaydel

Disclaimer: The franchise belongs to George Lucas and the Walt Disney Company. I just got back into this fandom after more than a decade away and decided I wanted to play, too.

Once upon a time, King Han Solo and his adored Queen Leia ruled in a shining palace in the Kingdom of Alderaan, which had been Leia's ancestral home for generations. Leia's brother Sir Luke of the Skywalkers was a wizard-knight, the member of their royal Jedi Guards, who kept the kingdom safe from foreign invaders. Their only unhappiness was the loss of their son, Prince Benjamin. The young man had run away from Millennium Palace one cold, cruel night, leaving his training with his uncle without so much as a word to anyone.

The King, Queen, and knight sent out many search parties, seeking the boy here and there, in every nook and cranny. He could not be found. The young man had simply vanished into thin air, without leaving a trace. The strong-willed queen and her loyal husband never gave up hope that her son would return to her, even as others believed him to be dead, or fallen to evil magic.

A few years later, Alderaan fell under attack by vicious invaders from the north. The First Order Clan had risen out of the ashes of the old Kingdom of the Empire, with armies that were stronger and more vicious than their predecessors. It was said that their leader, the ancient warlock King Snoke, was no less than the devil himself, and that his army was composed of children and young people cruelly snatched from their homes and transformed into mindless beasts.

Sir Luke and his Jedi Guards valiantly fought these vicious invaders, but they were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. Luke's powers, strong though they were, were not enough to defeat Snoke and his vicious black-garbed hoard, the Knights of Ren. Kylo Ren was the most cruel of all Snoke's knights, cutting the guilty and the innocent to the ground without mercy.

King Han declared that he and his manservant Chewbacca would seek help in the other kingdoms to drive away this new menace. The day he left, he kissed his wife's brow as they stood together on the marble steps of the Millennium Palace. “I'll be back as soon as I can, with more guards to aid Luke, including magic-users.”

Leia pulled him closer, snuggling into his warm chest one last time. “I love you, my dear sheep herder.” She ran her fingers through his shaggy mane of silver-white hair. Her adored husband was still an attractive man, with a ruggedly tanned face and noble chin slashed by a jagged scar. His hazel eyes, with their gold flecks, always seemed to twinkle with mischief.

Han kissed her tenderly. “I know.” Chewbacca finally had to drag his master from his wife's arms and onto their fine steeds, Falcon and Malla. Leia watched her beloved Han ride into the woods for as long as he was visible.

It took Han years of persuasion, coaxing, and searching to find kingdoms willing to send armies that would ride against the First Order Clan. Few wished to gain the enmity of the wicked Snoke and his terrible black magic. The former monarch finally gathered three fine princes from outlying kingdoms who would lead their armies to victory.

“This will be a wonderful adventure!” Prince Temmin of the Wexley prairies, often called “Snap” by his close friends and family, announced. He was a plump, merry lad, with a soft brown beard and round countenance that belay his vast strength and witty nature.

Prince Poe of the tiny jungle Kingdom of Yavin nodded. “My parents were friends and allies of Alderaan for many years. We may not have the resources of the larger kingdoms, but we're willing to stand up to those who threaten us.” Poe may have been smaller in stature, but he was strong and handsome, with tousled sable curls and flashing brown eyes that won him as many admirers as his outspoken nature.

Prince Finn of the cloudy mountain kingdom of Bespin blushed behind them. His uncle, King Lando, had been a good friend of King Han's in his younger years. The king was too old and frail to fight and sent his nephew in his stead. “I'm not sure I should have agreed to this,” the dark-skinned youth fretted. “Bespin was briefly part of the First Order Clan, before we learned that they destroy each kingdom they invade, burning the villages and poisoning the land until it lays fallow. I was a human member of their army, but I couldn't stand the killing and stealing. I would rather help people than hurt them.” Finn had a kind smile in a wide, open face, with soft eyes like hot cocoa.

“You'll do fine, my boy.” Han patted his shoulder as their horses rode close. He had grown fond of all three young men during their journey, but Finn most of all had become as close as a son to him. “You'll find yourself a good sweetheart in our kingdom, and your uncle will send aid for us shortly after.”

Chewbacca, who towered over the others, threw his arms around the boy. “Me lad Lando, he no be raisin' bad children. Ye knew ye had to flee such madness. Ye have better hearts than any of the idiots who follow Snoke,” he growled beneath his thick, dark beard and mass of black hair braided with beads and pearls.

“When will we arrive at the Millennium Palace?” Snap craned his thick neck, as if he could see around the many trees on their path.

“Soon.” The king gave them the same lopsided grin that had sent many a female heart racing. “I've ridden home along this path for many a year. I know my way.”

But hours later, even he was becoming concerned. The path was becoming narrower, the shadows longer and deeper. The molten glow of a deep red sunset melded with the brilliant red and gold of the leaves on the trees overhead. Poe's beloved mount, a beautiful orange, black, and white painted pony, nuzzled his master's hand. “What is it, Bee Bee?”

Finn shuddered as the wind picked up, rustling the remaining crimson leaves. “Your Majesty, I feel darkness coming nearer and nearer. Terrible creatures live in these woods. If they find us, they'll take our lives, or worse.”

“Enough.” The King stopped alongside Finn, next to a glassy lake by a decaying old mansion. “We'll give our horses a drink, then Chewie can take them to the stables at the mansion. Perhaps there's someone home who could give us shelter for the night.”

Chewbacca got close to his master. “I don' be likin' this, sir. That manor is fallin' apart. Besides, I be feelin' how Finn feels. I can smell them in the shadows, I can.”

Han pulled back as the sound of splintering trees and screeching howls reached their ears. The King drew a long arrow from the richly engraved quiver on his back. “Caution, my lads! Your weapons!”

Each quickly withdrew a sword from a scabbard on his hip. Finn had just reached for his blade when a black creature, garbed in white, leaped out from the trees. “Snoke's demon army!” He ducked away as a set of razor-sharp demon claws nearly took off his head. “They were once men, until Snoke and his dark magic got a hold of them. Now they're his mindless slaves, who do nothing but fight for him.”

The King shot as many demons as he could, but they kept coming, their hairy bodies dripping with saliva and sweat. “We have to get to the house.”

There were too many of them. For every demon the five attacked, four more took their place. The five men were outnumbered and overwhelmed. Even the King, long Alderaan's finest archer, couldn't pierce their thick hides. The demons finally surrounded them and grabbed their arms, relieving them of their swords and bows. The horses, frightened by these terrifying monsters, took off into the forest.

“Snoke.” Han, his wrists bound with thick vines, lunged for the white figure of the black wizard strode into view. “You still look like a ghoul from the stories I read Benjamin as a child.” The evil dark wizard was all skin and bones, dead-white wrinkles and jagged red veins. His rusty velvet and silk robes hung off him like a shroud over his painfully thin frame. Sharp, bony fingers clutched a long cane with a single red crystal globe on the end.

Snoke managed to smirk. “Yet even at your age, you think you're the gallant prince.”

“My wife still thinks so.” The King of Alderaan matched Snoke's villanous smirk with his lazy one. “At least I can walk into town without my face scaring children.”

“We can change that, Father.” Han's almond-shaped eyes flicked up towards the long shadow of his missing son. The lanky young man had his mother's smoky brown eyes and father's strong chin and towering presence. His smirk, however, was bitter and malicious as his father's was laughing. He wore fine armor made of heavy black crystal that made him even more intimidating. “You were going to replace me. You brought these useless fools from the outlying kingdoms to take my rightful place on the throne!”

“No, Ben!” Han's hazel eyes were pleading. “They're not replacements! We want you to come home. Your mother and uncle and I are worried sick about you!”

“Home?” The young man snorted. “Home, where only Uncle Luke and his dusty books pay the slightest attention to me? Home, where my poor, scared uncle refuses to teach me the dark magic? Magic that could be faster and more powerful...”

“And more harmful!” Han ground out. “You know why Luke didn't want to teach you that. Black magic kills people, son. It destroyed your mother's kingdom and your grandparents' lives and marriage.”

“No, Father, you're wrong! You were always wrong. You never believed me. Never listened to me. Never paid attention to a single thing I did or said. Never loved me.” The three youths and the furry-bearded giant yelped angrily as the man in the black armor grabbed a handful of the king's silver hair and whipped his head back. “You'll pay for taking my throne from me! You and these silly idiots!”

“Ben,” Han choked, “please...you're my son...”

“My name,” the young man hissed, “is Kylo Ren.”

Snoke waved his crooked fingers over the blood-red stone on his cane, causing it to with an unearthly light. “Perhaps we can teach the former ruler of Alderaan a lesson in respect.”

“Punish them!” Kylo Ren whined to Snoke petulantly. “Make them all pay for taking my kingdom from me!” He stomped on the ground like a spoiled child. “I want them to pay!”

Poe leaned over Snap with a small grin. “What a baby!” Snap snickered. Finn just nudged Poe, hoping his concerned look would encourage him to stop his witty rejoinders.

Kylo Ren slapped Poe hard across his tanned cheekbone, leaving a flaming red welt. “There! Perhaps you won't be so pretty to all the girls in the kingdoms now!”

Snoke stroked his narrow chin. “An excellent idea, my apprentice.” He lifted the king's chin with his crystal ball. “You're a striking, intelligent, and witty man, Your Majesty.” He drew the ball's light down the king's chin, letting it flow in circles on his throat. “But what if you weren't so handsome or brilliant? How would your dear wife feel about you then?”

“She wouldn't care!” Han tried to shout. The princes and Chewbacca all stared at him in horror. His gruff voice had come out as a frog's scratchy croak, overlaid with human words. “What have you done to me?” Snoke's fingers trailed across his cheek, leaving his tanned skin covered in warts and slime.

“You are no longer the ruler of this land, Solo. You will never return to your throne and your pretty little queen. My apprentice and I are far more suited to govern Alderaan than a former thief and smuggler.” The three princes all lunged at once, but a red light from Kylo Ren's own jagged sword, with its ruby ball on the hilt, froze them in their tracks. “First they will watch what I turn you into...and then, you'll watch what I'll do with them.”

“No!” Han croaked, struggling as hard as he could. “Let my servant and the boys go!”

As the scarlet beams writhed around the horrified king, then the young men and the giant, their shrieks of anguish and pain were eventually replaced by the croaks of frogs and toads...and the shadow of a great hairy beast and four enormous green amphibians darting into the brush.