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In honor of marriage protection week.
From "Inconveniences" a WIP
"As preparations for the Skywalker/Solo joining enter their final week, the two men have entered the ritual solitary seclusion demanded by the Naboo faith of Skywalker's mother.
"Our past viewers may recall that Queen Padme Naberrie, Amidala of the Naboo joined Jedi Anakin Skywalker in a highly publicized ceremony twenty-five years ago. We think it significant her son has chosen the same day for his own. Jedi Skywalker was, of course, murdered in the Jedi purges of Palpatine."
Han turned off the newsnet, disgruntled at hearing the same lie told yet again, stretched and paced a little. The week of seclusion was taking its toll. He was not a man who liked being cooped up planetside. The rules said he was to spend the week rehearsing the promises he would make, planning the changes to take place in his life and meditating on the wonder of his intended.
It all sounded like a good idea, until he figured out it meant pacing the luxury hotel room incommunicado, spending way too much time with Threepio, wondering if he would ever get to take the Falcon up again, and missing Luke. In the last hundred days, the Jedi had been a fixture at his side. They hadn't spent so much time together since Hoth. He'd gotten used to having Luke there again, whether to touch or joke with or talk of trivial things. The touching was addictive. They'd started as a show for "their public," as Han mockingly called those following their bonding saga. But over the last weeks, Han had come to realize just how much he liked touching Luke: hugging him, ruffling his hair (and hearing Luke tease him about his bad Wookiee habits), sitting close beside him and walking together with an arm draped around his shoulders. Sleeping together was going to be a pleasure, an
awkward pleasure, but a pleasure none the less. Luke had made it pretty clear already that he wasn't interested, so Han would keep his distance.
Distance was nothing new to Han, who was a fairly gregarious person, while never letting anyone get in too close. Luke was different now, deeper, more experienced, and better educated than he had been when they met. The years had at least done that for him besides turning a gorgeous youth into a handsome man. Hardly fair payment for the burdens they had laid on him: all the deaths, the weight of
being the last of the Jedi. Han knew what it was to be alone, hells, he'd made a career and a name out of it, but some things were just too heavy for one person. If nothing else, during this time, he could bethe second set of shoulders to help Luke carry it all.
Memories seemed to be pouncing on him these days, like hungry womprats. Han had spent much of his life avoiding his past, and now it was taking its revenge. He remembered his first sight of Luke, the immediate dismissal of the light-clad boy as a farmhand in town to spend his pay. Then the way his temper had flared across the table, his eyes glowing and his mouth saying one thing and his body another.
He shook that thought off rapidly. During the last few days, he'd finally admitted to himself he wanted Luke. Now, if his memory wasn't playing tricks, he was coming to the realization he'd wanted Luke all along. Five years of waiting. That had to be worth something, he decided. Especially from Han Solo who'd never waited a week for anyone.
Five years of waiting, five years of nothing but trouble and danger. And worst of all, he'd missed some of it. He'd wakened from the emptiness, to find a grim-voiced warrior where he had left a barely convalescent kid. When his sight came back, the haunted, hunted quality that had been in Luke's voice stalked his face as well, turning his young friend into a stern Jedi with seemingly little of the sunny youth
left in him. In the last hundred days, he'd begun to see the youth again, and he wanted to help Luke see that growing up didn't mean becoming rigid.
He sighed and checked the chrono. Another hour until his next session with Threepio. The droid kept assuring him that the words he had written were fine, but he still worried. He fought down the wave of panic that washed over him, resisting the urge to bolt for the door, escape to the launch pad and lift as fast and far as the Falcon could take him. The mere thought of bonding, even by the Moons, terrified
him. Two days earlier, he'd only managed to stop as he was stepping out the door of the suite. He calmed, but the adrenaline still burned in his veins, readying him for one of the three primal responses.
A wry grin crossed his face at that. No one to fight, no way he was going to run out on Luke, and the hotel staff was already complaining about the number of towels he was using, so a cold shower was out too. He paced a little to work off some of the edge, then opted to make himself useful. He punched up a com number he'd called a dozen times this week, one of the few he was allowed from sheer necessity.
"Ah, General Solo," the jeweler greeted him. "Your ring has just been completed." She held it up to the screen so he could see it. "A very sentimental token, I must say. I don't often work in durasteel. Where did you find that inert metallic dust?"
"Nice," he commented, deliberately not answering her question. "My co-pilot will be over to pick it up. Thanks." He cut the connection.
Luke had some really good friends, he reflected. Wedge had been willing to fly to Yavin and run a samplescoop to get some of the Death Star debris. The rogue had decontaminated it and made sure it was safe to be used in the ring.
At loose ends, the last useful task completed, he watched the newsnet, but all they wanted to talk about was him, Luke, and their families. And he was so tired of the lie that Luke's father had died in the purges, even as he knew that no one needed to know the truth of Vader's origin. He watched part of an interview with Leia filmed three weeks before, barely noticing his hand had slipped under his shirt to touch the faint scars that still marked his chest from the scan grid. In his log, the only good Vader ever accomplished had been Luke and Leia. For the rest, he wished the bastard an especially unpleasant afterlife, like the horror stories his sisters had told him as a child.
Luke meditated in his hotel suite, levitating slightly, and experiencing his mother's world through the Force. It was, as all worlds were, unique. The Naboo were latent Force-sensitives. They did not produce Jedi children even in the Old Republic, but they did have an intuitive understanding of the Force. The Gungans were an odd people. They knew the Force as they knew the water around them,
giving both the same amount of thought. The memory-sphere of his parents' wedding that Boss Binks had given him upon his arrival rested on his desk. He was extremely grateful for the rare gift and pleased to have images of his parents.
He hoped his gift for Han would be as treasured. Chewie had arranged with Han's oldest sister to acquire the stone for the ring. Luke had provided both the wires for the filagree and the design to the jeweler. She had completed and delivered it the day before. He looked at the glossy black ring in its box next to the memory sphere, his future and his past, side by side.
He'd played the sphere several times in the past few days, watching the tall young man in the Jedi robes pledge forever to the small dark-haired woman. He'd had Threepio incorporate some details of the ceremony into his own, in their honor.
Now he tapped it again, and watched, looking for some more clues to his past, or maybe to his future. His parents looked very much in love, joy radiating from his mother's face, and his father's eyes nearly glowing with happiness. He wanted to look that happy, that young...that much in love. Yes, in love, he realized.
He missed Han terribly and actively. The isolated week was pure frustration, focusing on promises that weren't going to get any more memorized. It was just a paper-bond, he reminded himself before setting the sphere aside to find something to eat, and he wouldn't pressure Han into making more of it than they'd intended. They whole incident on Coruscant had been just that, an isolated incident. Both had
gotten caught in the moment, and believed their own publicity. That was all there was to it.
But he wanted to glow as his father had, if only for one day.
*****
The Cascade of Naboo was a wonder of the galaxy, miles high, with the city of Theed built atop it. The roar of the water was surprisingly absent, and the water above the falls was still as glass. It was bizarre, as if the whole scene was a holo.
The Sacred Place was at the base of the falls, a lush green bowl of a dell. The crowd gathered at the traditional time of just before sunset.
As the first clouds began to tint orange, Leia rose and walked to the front center of the Place. She held up her hands for silence and beckoned the men forward to join her.
"Dear Friends," Leia's amplified voice rang across the huge natural amphitheater, "we come here today to celebrate a joy all too often overlooked in the crucible of war in which we lived for so long. Today, I stand here, not only as Chairman Organa, leader of the New Republic, to solemnize this event, but as
Leia, to bless my brother as he takes a tremendous step in his life." She beamed at the entire assembly, and turned a very special smile on Han and Luke. They remembered seeing it years before as she hung medals around their necks. "I welcome you to this Bonding ceremony, which will join House Skywalker of Tatooine and Naboo with Clan Solo of Corellia."
A tall dark-haired woman from the front row rose and moved to stand beside Han, followed by two men and another woman. "As the eldest member of the clan here today, I claim the right to stand for my brother. My mates," she gestured at the other three, "also bear witness. She turned to the crowd and repeated, "I, Seska naAhna, claim the right to stand witness for my brother Han."
Leia nodded. "Seska naAhna, I acknowledge your claim. I cannot stand for my brother. Who will stand for him?"
Chewbacca rose and came to stand by Luke's side. Threepio translated since few of the crowd spoke Wookiee. "I bear this cub a life-debt, and will stand witness as his adopted uncle."
The witnessing had been a point of contention. Chewbacca had maintained that he was committed first to stand for Han, until both men had pointed out that Han had family, and Luke didn't. The Wookiee had distributed rib-cracking hugs to both men, and agreed.
"My brother," began Seska, "what is it you wish to do here today?"
Feeling awkward and tongue-tied in front of the crowd, Han focused on Leia and answered with the speech he had written. "Today, I wish to join my life to that of my chosen mate. I wish to share joy and sorrow, strength and pain, shelter and uncertainty with him."
He hoped the words sounded as fine as they had when he'd written them. The three of them had agreed on the basic format of the ceremony, but in classic Naboo tradition, neither man knew exactly what the other would say. The pleased smile that spread across Luke's face told him he was on the mark.
Leia nodded to Chewie. He asked the same question, with Threepio translating: "Young Luke, please state your purpose here today."
Luke took a deep breath, calming the glowflitters that were batting around in his stomach and also addressed his sister as the ritual prescribed. "Today, I would claim my chosen mate as my own. With him at my side, we shall endure all hardship, share all happiness, and continue to grow with each other and the Force."
He snuck a quick glance at Han and was rewarded with a warm smile that relaxed him completely. The glowflitters migrated, leaving him in peace. They could do this together, and he knew everything would be all right.
Leia beamed again. "We have heard their declarations of intent." She held up a golden cord. "When the rulers of Naboo married, their right hands were bound to those of their mates. As Skywalker is the son of the late Padme, Amidala of the Naboo, we honor this, our mother's custom."
Seska and Chewie stepped forward and each took one end of the cord from Leia. Facing each other, Han and Luke raised their hands to chest height and clasped them, palm-to-palm, fingers interlaced. Their witnesses gently tied the cord loosely around their wrists, twining it between their fingers, and ending it in the symbolic knot.
"Now, make your promises to each other."
The men dropped to their knees before each other on the grassy field. Han spoke first, as they had agreed. The words were the traditional Corellian words, with a few alterations.
"Luke, today I claim you as my own.
At my side, in my heart.
To stand beside me, to fly with me,
to share all I have and be uplifted by my love.
This I swear by the three moons of Corellia."
Seska handed him the ring made of durasteel, decoratively marked with carbon scoring. "This ring is made from debris of the first Death Star, encased in hull-plating from the Millennium Falcon herself. It symbolizes the joining of our two lives. Wear it always as a symbol of my faithfulness and love." He slid the ring onto Luke's index finger. "When we are parted, see it and think of me. When we are
together, let it remind you of today. I claim you as my own."
Luke looked at his mate, amazed at a sudden rush of feeling. Even if this was all for show, he still loved this man. A deep inner sense of connectedness, as if it was right that they should be here, pledging to stand beside each other forever, filled him.
"Han, today I claim you as my own.
At my side, in my heart.
To stand beside me, to journey with me
to share all I have and be uplifted by my love.
This I swear by the Force that surrounds us all."
Chewbacca handed him a ring carved of dark stone and inlaid in an odd metal alloy wire. "This ring is made from the stone that forms the cliffs below your parents' home. The Sea tumbled it smooth. It is bound round with the wire that forms the main conductor of my lightsaber. It symbolizes the joining of our two lives. Wear it always as a symbol of my faithfulness and love." He slipped the stone ring onto
Han's index finger. "When we are parted, see it and think of me. When we are together, let it remind you of today. I claim you as my own."
They looked to the crowd. "This we promise," they said in unison. "And you, our friends, witness it."
Leia spoke again. "I call upon all of you to witness that Han and Luke are bonded from this day forward." She looked at the men in front of her, their right hands still bound by the golden cord, placed one hand on the fair head and one on the dark, saying, "Luke, Han, let me express the feeling of all here in the words of an Alderaani blessing:
"If one walks alone, how can he bear the storms?
Now you will feel no rain,
for each of you will be shelter to the other.
If one lies down alone, how can he stay warm?
Now you will feel no cold,
for each of you will be warmth to the other."
They glanced knowingly at each other, remembering Hoth. No one else would notice the look, or they would take it for newly bound joy.
"If one stumbles on the road, who is there to aid him?
Now there is no more loneliness.
You are two persons but now a single path lies before you.
Walk it together.
Go now to your dwelling place,
to begin the days of your life together.
And may your days be good,
and long among the stars.
"By the power vested in me by the New Republic, I declare you bound to each other. Seal your pledges, then turn and receive the approbation of your people."
They carefully wrapped their unbound left arms around each other and drew in close, off-balance on their knees, each supporting the other so they didn't fall over. Luke could feel the increased heat of his bondmate's body and racing pulse through their bound hands. Carefully, their mouths met, slowly, savoring each point of contact. Luke's lips parted slightly and he gave himself over to the kiss. He let
the knowing mouth warm his, not opening completely since this was a public and ceremonial kiss. Yet, he wished it could be more. The glowflitters seemed to have mutated into slitherlings that were working their way slowly up his chest to writhe on his arms and neck and down his belly, to coil in his groin. Not wishing to embarrass himself, Luke broke the kiss gently.
Han looked at his friend for a moment, studying his face, printing it on his mind. He wanted nothing more than to kiss Luke again, and then take him somewhere private and see where else he liked to be kissed. There would be time later, he hoped. For now, he was looking at his newly bound mate, fighting the reflexive wave of panic that thought brought, sublimating it in the affection Luke was radiating at him. He became aware he was grinning like an idiot. They stood and turned as one to
meet the applause of the crowd.
Each brought his free hand into play as they untied the cord, the rings feeling awkward and too heavy. They turned back to Leia, and bowed, laying it at her feet, before joining hands to lead the guests to the place where the party was laid out and waiting.
The New Republic had spared no expense, and Chewbacca had let his sense of humor run wild in the decorating. The glen was lit with thousands of tiny lights strung in the trees. Larger lanterns of paplas, nearly as tall as a man and painted with mythical Corellian scenes, framed the edges of the clearing. Huge jars of flowers had been placed everywhere the lights and food left room for them, and Luke
caught himself staring again.
The pale pink flowers were lushly petalled, and opened wide and flat to reveal a projecting scarlet stamen the exact shape of an erect human penis. Others sported a bright purple stamen dangling obscenely over a single flat white petal. Other buds, these sandy tan, were closed into cleft spheres with a dimple where the petals would begin to unfurl. And green and gold flamepetals, the traditional Corellian love-tokens, filled in all the edges and formed the cover for the ritual bread.
Hands still linked, they walked to the High Table, and seated themselves to wait for everyone to arrive. When Seska and her mate Brant gave the signal that everyone was there, they rose and went to where the last ritual awaited them.
Luke lifted the flowered basket woven from the flamepetals' stems off of the loaf of bread and Han picked it up. "Life is unpredictable," Han said, beginning the final step of the ritual, his clan's private ceremony. "Sometimes we will have abundance. I will share the abundance with you." He offered Luke the loaf, and Luke took a bite from it. Han took one at the same time, and together they ate. The
crowd cheered.
Luke tore a small piece from the loaf. "Sometimes, we will have almost nothing," he said. "Even then, I will share it with you." He took the bread in his teeth and leaned toward Han. Han bit a portion from it, and together they ate. The crowd cheered again. "And today, we have abundance. So good friends, enjoy it!"
The guests gravitated to the food tables, where delicacies and more substantial fare had been set out for every appetite. A small musical group began with light music to accompany the dinner. They would give way to more rhythmic music for dancing later.
As the efficient staff cleared the dishes, Han rose and reached down a hand to Luke. He led his newly bonded mate to the edge of the dancing lawn and wrapped him into a close, standard dance position. The musicians began a gentle love song, and they made one complete circuit of the lawn before the guests joined them.
The music played, first lively, then slow, and everyone wanted a turn with the honored couple. To Han, each cut-in felt like another extension of the week of isolation. All he wanted was to hold Luke, feel the warm, solid body pressed against his, as they moved to the music. He watched as Leia danced with
her brother.
"Hey, you get him for the rest of the year. I just get you until the end of the song," his sister teased. "I haven't seen you in seven years." She stretched a little and kissed his cheek. "'Sall right, baby. He's your mate."
"I'm amazed you dragged Grandad along on this," Han commented, changing the subject as he moved Wila through a box-four. He looked over to where the old man was holding court under a yellow flowering tree, Chewbacca at his side, and several of the older dignitaries of the Republic paying their respects.
"Are you tweaking me, kiddo?" Wila's laugh was as sweet as he remembered. He hoped Luke would get a chance to hear it. "As if we could have kept him away! He damn near booted Seska's Yohz from the pilot seat and flew us here himself. He keeps sayin' he's only ninety and that his father was flying at the age of a hundred- thirty." She creaked her voice in imitation of the old man. "My only grandson is getting bonded, and I'm going and Sea and Stars help anyone who gets in my way. And
that goes for you, missy-Elka-knows-best. I remember when you were no more than a bump under Ahna's shirt." She chuckled. "You know how he gets."
"Don't I just."
"He's a little disappointed you swore by the moons. Are you planning to split?"
"Leaving our options open if it doesn't work out," Han said carefully. A tap on his shoulder let him know that someone wanted in.
"May we?" Luke asked, as he moved parallel to his mate with his own sister. "Leia would like a few words with you."
The ladies changed places in a neat twirl past each other as the music changed to something even slower. Luke spared a brief stroke for his mate's face before wrapping the rangy dark-haired woman into his arms.
"Don't let her step on your feet," Han winked, the touch burning like a brand on his cheek.
"You'll be good for him, I think," Wila told Luke softly as they danced. "Work toward that side of the field. I want to introduce you to someone."
"Now, you're Wila, right? There are so many faces I'm having trouble remembering everyone."
"Right I'm the one closest to Han's age. Seska's the oldest here, and Ingi and Hele are between us. Ingi is the blond one. And Hele is short. You and your sister don't look much alike."
"I look like our father, while she looks like Mother."
"Did Han ask her to join you in the bond? It's pretty common, and a lot of the family would be happier if he did."
"Why?" Luke carefully kept the surprise out of his voice, letting only curiosity come through.
"There's a lot of pressure for Han to carry on Dad's name, 'specially since us girls all carry Mom's. Don't let them get you down. They've been after me and Ingi for years, me to bond, and Ingi and Elge to add a male partner. Buncha control freaks, every one of us, Luke. You got more than you bargained for, I suspect." She brushed a light butterfly of a kiss over Luke's cheek. "Frankly, I think it's pretty amazing that he's settled down enough to consider bonding to anyone. If he loves you enough to do that, you can tell the breeding crowd to space off. "
Han noticed what Wila was up to, and pressed Leia firmly and swiftly in that direction. She looked up at him and opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off with a look. They intercepted Luke and Wila, and Han twirled Leia into Wila's arms as he reclaimed his mate. The taller woman smiled at the princess and then her brother.
"I'll make the introductions, sis," Han said. Wila took the hint and kissed Leia with the same butterfly touch she'd used on Luke, before sweeping her back toward the center of the crowd. "Grandad! This is Luke, my mate." He bent over to hug the old man.
"Good, good. Going to tame our wild boy, are you?" Grandad ruffled Han's hair, then patted the bench beside him. "Sit here with me for a minute, lads. I'm getting too old for this dancing nonsense."
"I'm very honored to meet you, sir."
The old man chuckled at the formality. "Grandad, please, Luke. All the kids and their mates call me that." He looked at Han on his other side. "Boy, if you've got the sense the Sea gave a spinefish, you'll keep this one." Han scowled and his eyes flashed. "You look like your grandmother when you do that, son. And your Grandfather Dolf when you jut your chin."
Seeing he couldn't win, Han gave up and grinned at the old man. Grandad leaned conspiratorially over to Luke and said softly, "And that's the most dangerous look of all, 'cause he gets it from me. Seeing you two up there reminded me of my own bonding. Now, Han's grandmother, she was quite a woman, lad. Hair as red as Mount Birstin, eyes like the Sea in a storm and a temper just as changeable. Lucky
for me, our other mate was even-tempered. Your Han," Grandad indicated him with a nod, "he gets those Sea-storm eyes from her, you know. Her temper too. My Marta's long gone and Dolf with her, but she could out-swear and out-fight both of us together when she wanted."
Luke gave Han a quick smile. Han managed half of one back. At least Grandad wasn't going to embarrass him by telling Luke tales of his juvenile delinquent years.
"I ain't supposed to monopolize you on your Bonding day. Seska and Elka both reminded me like I'm a senile old poop who can't remember. Sea save me from meddling granddaughters. Han, your Wook is signaling you."
Indeed, Chewie was beckoning from the corner of the field. Han got up, patted Luke's shoulder and said, "I'll be right back."
Once Han was out of earshot, the old man caught Luke's hands in his own, and looked him straight in the eye. "Love him well, young Luke. He needs you more than you can imagine. He must love you very much to swear even by the moons." Before Luke could say anything to this, Grandad let go and planted one hand in his back, motioning him off the bench. "Now go dance with Seska and make her send poor Lina over here to talk to an old man. What were they thinking, dragging her along so
pregnant?"
Half-lost in contemplation of Grandad's words, Luke approached the two women locked in a slow, stately pavane step. He tapped the slight brown-haired girl out, and sent her to where Grandad awaited her. The tall blonde smiled down at him as he slipped in on the beat, without missing a step.
"You dance well, honey. Grandad bent your ear for while, hunh? Bet he didn't tell you he's responsible for a lot of how Han is. Elka sent him to live with Granded after Mom died."
"Really? I can only imagine. Grandad is quite a character." The words were faint and distracted. He loves me, echoed in Luke's mind. Very much, his family keeps saying.
"Han was trouble even before he lived with Grandad. He's the baby, and we all spoiled him. But after a year with Grandad, he was ungovernable. Elka sent him to me, and the four of us got him straightened out enough to make the Academy. I'm glad he's finally decided to settle down, and grow up. Just wish he'd made it permanent, though. "
Luke wasn't sure what to do with this information. He spun Seska under his arm, and then whirled them through eight counts of the music, covering confusion with motion. Too busy thinking about what Wila and Grandad had said, he didn't notice when a new song started, and he automatically moved into the standard patterns of it. He glanced across the lawn and felt his stomach give a funny clench when
he saw Han dancing with an auburn-haired man. A millisecond later, he recognized Brant, Seska's mate, and calmed. He watched for a moment, and Seska noticed.
"And here I am monopolizing you, just like we told Grandad not to. How unfair of me. And how unfair of you. I'm dancing with an accomplished clotheshanger, you're so distracted." She winked to let him know the affront she had put on was a joke. She smiled, her face softening. "It's all right. I'm glad you love him so much. It's almost time for you and Han to make your escape for the Shakedown."
"Shakedown?"
"The trip where you work the bugs out of your relationship away from the pressures of everyday life. Like the first cruise in a new boat or a new starship." The band started a jizz tune. "Whoops, that's the cue!" Seska let out a ululation that startled Luke. He and Han were even more startled when the male members of Han's family and Luke's pilot friends seized them and carried them bodily to the Falcon
which had landed not too far away. Chewie was at the controls.
"Away! Away!" cried Yohz in a voice that carried clearly through the clearing. "Be gone, before the Wicked Ones come to curse the party. We shall stay here and defend against them. Be away!"
They carried the couple up the ramp and dropped them in the cockpit. Chewie hugged them both and explained to Han that he had taken care of everything. He dashed off, and they heard the ramp close.
"I guess the party's over for us. Let's go." Han lifted off in a slow, stately fashion, Luke handling the copilot duties. They were out of Naboo's atmosphere in seconds.
***
"As preparations for the Skywalker/Solo joining enter their final week, the two men have entered the ritual solitary seclusion demanded by the Naboo faith of Skywalker's mother.
"Our past viewers may recall that Queen Padme Naberrie, Amidala of the Naboo joined Jedi Anakin Skywalker in a highly publicized ceremony twenty-five years ago. We think it significant her son has chosen the same day for his own. Jedi Skywalker was, of course, murdered in the Jedi purges of Palpatine."
Han turned off the newsnet, disgruntled at hearing the same lie told yet again, stretched and paced a little. The week of seclusion was taking its toll. He was not a man who liked being cooped up planetside. The rules said he was to spend the week rehearsing the promises he would make, planning the changes to take place in his life and meditating on the wonder of his intended.
It all sounded like a good idea, until he figured out it meant pacing the luxury hotel room incommunicado, spending way too much time with Threepio, wondering if he would ever get to take the Falcon up again, and missing Luke. In the last hundred days, the Jedi had been a fixture at his side. They hadn't spent so much time together since Hoth. He'd gotten used to having Luke there again, whether to touch or joke with or talk of trivial things. The touching was addictive. They'd started as a show for "their public," as Han mockingly called those following their bonding saga. But over the last weeks, Han had come to realize just how much he liked touching Luke: hugging him, ruffling his hair (and hearing Luke tease him about his bad Wookiee habits), sitting close beside him and walking together with an arm draped around his shoulders. Sleeping together was going to be a pleasure, an
awkward pleasure, but a pleasure none the less. Luke had made it pretty clear already that he wasn't interested, so Han would keep his distance.
Distance was nothing new to Han, who was a fairly gregarious person, while never letting anyone get in too close. Luke was different now, deeper, more experienced, and better educated than he had been when they met. The years had at least done that for him besides turning a gorgeous youth into a handsome man. Hardly fair payment for the burdens they had laid on him: all the deaths, the weight of
being the last of the Jedi. Han knew what it was to be alone, hells, he'd made a career and a name out of it, but some things were just too heavy for one person. If nothing else, during this time, he could bethe second set of shoulders to help Luke carry it all.
Memories seemed to be pouncing on him these days, like hungry womprats. Han had spent much of his life avoiding his past, and now it was taking its revenge. He remembered his first sight of Luke, the immediate dismissal of the light-clad boy as a farmhand in town to spend his pay. Then the way his temper had flared across the table, his eyes glowing and his mouth saying one thing and his body another.
He shook that thought off rapidly. During the last few days, he'd finally admitted to himself he wanted Luke. Now, if his memory wasn't playing tricks, he was coming to the realization he'd wanted Luke all along. Five years of waiting. That had to be worth something, he decided. Especially from Han Solo who'd never waited a week for anyone.
Five years of waiting, five years of nothing but trouble and danger. And worst of all, he'd missed some of it. He'd wakened from the emptiness, to find a grim-voiced warrior where he had left a barely convalescent kid. When his sight came back, the haunted, hunted quality that had been in Luke's voice stalked his face as well, turning his young friend into a stern Jedi with seemingly little of the sunny youth
left in him. In the last hundred days, he'd begun to see the youth again, and he wanted to help Luke see that growing up didn't mean becoming rigid.
He sighed and checked the chrono. Another hour until his next session with Threepio. The droid kept assuring him that the words he had written were fine, but he still worried. He fought down the wave of panic that washed over him, resisting the urge to bolt for the door, escape to the launch pad and lift as fast and far as the Falcon could take him. The mere thought of bonding, even by the Moons, terrified
him. Two days earlier, he'd only managed to stop as he was stepping out the door of the suite. He calmed, but the adrenaline still burned in his veins, readying him for one of the three primal responses.
A wry grin crossed his face at that. No one to fight, no way he was going to run out on Luke, and the hotel staff was already complaining about the number of towels he was using, so a cold shower was out too. He paced a little to work off some of the edge, then opted to make himself useful. He punched up a com number he'd called a dozen times this week, one of the few he was allowed from sheer necessity.
"Ah, General Solo," the jeweler greeted him. "Your ring has just been completed." She held it up to the screen so he could see it. "A very sentimental token, I must say. I don't often work in durasteel. Where did you find that inert metallic dust?"
"Nice," he commented, deliberately not answering her question. "My co-pilot will be over to pick it up. Thanks." He cut the connection.
Luke had some really good friends, he reflected. Wedge had been willing to fly to Yavin and run a samplescoop to get some of the Death Star debris. The rogue had decontaminated it and made sure it was safe to be used in the ring.
At loose ends, the last useful task completed, he watched the newsnet, but all they wanted to talk about was him, Luke, and their families. And he was so tired of the lie that Luke's father had died in the purges, even as he knew that no one needed to know the truth of Vader's origin. He watched part of an interview with Leia filmed three weeks before, barely noticing his hand had slipped under his shirt to touch the faint scars that still marked his chest from the scan grid. In his log, the only good Vader ever accomplished had been Luke and Leia. For the rest, he wished the bastard an especially unpleasant afterlife, like the horror stories his sisters had told him as a child.
Luke meditated in his hotel suite, levitating slightly, and experiencing his mother's world through the Force. It was, as all worlds were, unique. The Naboo were latent Force-sensitives. They did not produce Jedi children even in the Old Republic, but they did have an intuitive understanding of the Force. The Gungans were an odd people. They knew the Force as they knew the water around them,
giving both the same amount of thought. The memory-sphere of his parents' wedding that Boss Binks had given him upon his arrival rested on his desk. He was extremely grateful for the rare gift and pleased to have images of his parents.
He hoped his gift for Han would be as treasured. Chewie had arranged with Han's oldest sister to acquire the stone for the ring. Luke had provided both the wires for the filagree and the design to the jeweler. She had completed and delivered it the day before. He looked at the glossy black ring in its box next to the memory sphere, his future and his past, side by side.
He'd played the sphere several times in the past few days, watching the tall young man in the Jedi robes pledge forever to the small dark-haired woman. He'd had Threepio incorporate some details of the ceremony into his own, in their honor.
Now he tapped it again, and watched, looking for some more clues to his past, or maybe to his future. His parents looked very much in love, joy radiating from his mother's face, and his father's eyes nearly glowing with happiness. He wanted to look that happy, that young...that much in love. Yes, in love, he realized.
He missed Han terribly and actively. The isolated week was pure frustration, focusing on promises that weren't going to get any more memorized. It was just a paper-bond, he reminded himself before setting the sphere aside to find something to eat, and he wouldn't pressure Han into making more of it than they'd intended. They whole incident on Coruscant had been just that, an isolated incident. Both had
gotten caught in the moment, and believed their own publicity. That was all there was to it.
But he wanted to glow as his father had, if only for one day.
*****
The Cascade of Naboo was a wonder of the galaxy, miles high, with the city of Theed built atop it. The roar of the water was surprisingly absent, and the water above the falls was still as glass. It was bizarre, as if the whole scene was a holo.
The Sacred Place was at the base of the falls, a lush green bowl of a dell. The crowd gathered at the traditional time of just before sunset.
As the first clouds began to tint orange, Leia rose and walked to the front center of the Place. She held up her hands for silence and beckoned the men forward to join her.
"Dear Friends," Leia's amplified voice rang across the huge natural amphitheater, "we come here today to celebrate a joy all too often overlooked in the crucible of war in which we lived for so long. Today, I stand here, not only as Chairman Organa, leader of the New Republic, to solemnize this event, but as
Leia, to bless my brother as he takes a tremendous step in his life." She beamed at the entire assembly, and turned a very special smile on Han and Luke. They remembered seeing it years before as she hung medals around their necks. "I welcome you to this Bonding ceremony, which will join House Skywalker of Tatooine and Naboo with Clan Solo of Corellia."
A tall dark-haired woman from the front row rose and moved to stand beside Han, followed by two men and another woman. "As the eldest member of the clan here today, I claim the right to stand for my brother. My mates," she gestured at the other three, "also bear witness. She turned to the crowd and repeated, "I, Seska naAhna, claim the right to stand witness for my brother Han."
Leia nodded. "Seska naAhna, I acknowledge your claim. I cannot stand for my brother. Who will stand for him?"
Chewbacca rose and came to stand by Luke's side. Threepio translated since few of the crowd spoke Wookiee. "I bear this cub a life-debt, and will stand witness as his adopted uncle."
The witnessing had been a point of contention. Chewbacca had maintained that he was committed first to stand for Han, until both men had pointed out that Han had family, and Luke didn't. The Wookiee had distributed rib-cracking hugs to both men, and agreed.
"My brother," began Seska, "what is it you wish to do here today?"
Feeling awkward and tongue-tied in front of the crowd, Han focused on Leia and answered with the speech he had written. "Today, I wish to join my life to that of my chosen mate. I wish to share joy and sorrow, strength and pain, shelter and uncertainty with him."
He hoped the words sounded as fine as they had when he'd written them. The three of them had agreed on the basic format of the ceremony, but in classic Naboo tradition, neither man knew exactly what the other would say. The pleased smile that spread across Luke's face told him he was on the mark.
Leia nodded to Chewie. He asked the same question, with Threepio translating: "Young Luke, please state your purpose here today."
Luke took a deep breath, calming the glowflitters that were batting around in his stomach and also addressed his sister as the ritual prescribed. "Today, I would claim my chosen mate as my own. With him at my side, we shall endure all hardship, share all happiness, and continue to grow with each other and the Force."
He snuck a quick glance at Han and was rewarded with a warm smile that relaxed him completely. The glowflitters migrated, leaving him in peace. They could do this together, and he knew everything would be all right.
Leia beamed again. "We have heard their declarations of intent." She held up a golden cord. "When the rulers of Naboo married, their right hands were bound to those of their mates. As Skywalker is the son of the late Padme, Amidala of the Naboo, we honor this, our mother's custom."
Seska and Chewie stepped forward and each took one end of the cord from Leia. Facing each other, Han and Luke raised their hands to chest height and clasped them, palm-to-palm, fingers interlaced. Their witnesses gently tied the cord loosely around their wrists, twining it between their fingers, and ending it in the symbolic knot.
"Now, make your promises to each other."
The men dropped to their knees before each other on the grassy field. Han spoke first, as they had agreed. The words were the traditional Corellian words, with a few alterations.
"Luke, today I claim you as my own.
At my side, in my heart.
To stand beside me, to fly with me,
to share all I have and be uplifted by my love.
This I swear by the three moons of Corellia."
Seska handed him the ring made of durasteel, decoratively marked with carbon scoring. "This ring is made from debris of the first Death Star, encased in hull-plating from the Millennium Falcon herself. It symbolizes the joining of our two lives. Wear it always as a symbol of my faithfulness and love." He slid the ring onto Luke's index finger. "When we are parted, see it and think of me. When we are
together, let it remind you of today. I claim you as my own."
Luke looked at his mate, amazed at a sudden rush of feeling. Even if this was all for show, he still loved this man. A deep inner sense of connectedness, as if it was right that they should be here, pledging to stand beside each other forever, filled him.
"Han, today I claim you as my own.
At my side, in my heart.
To stand beside me, to journey with me
to share all I have and be uplifted by my love.
This I swear by the Force that surrounds us all."
Chewbacca handed him a ring carved of dark stone and inlaid in an odd metal alloy wire. "This ring is made from the stone that forms the cliffs below your parents' home. The Sea tumbled it smooth. It is bound round with the wire that forms the main conductor of my lightsaber. It symbolizes the joining of our two lives. Wear it always as a symbol of my faithfulness and love." He slipped the stone ring onto
Han's index finger. "When we are parted, see it and think of me. When we are together, let it remind you of today. I claim you as my own."
They looked to the crowd. "This we promise," they said in unison. "And you, our friends, witness it."
Leia spoke again. "I call upon all of you to witness that Han and Luke are bonded from this day forward." She looked at the men in front of her, their right hands still bound by the golden cord, placed one hand on the fair head and one on the dark, saying, "Luke, Han, let me express the feeling of all here in the words of an Alderaani blessing:
"If one walks alone, how can he bear the storms?
Now you will feel no rain,
for each of you will be shelter to the other.
If one lies down alone, how can he stay warm?
Now you will feel no cold,
for each of you will be warmth to the other."
They glanced knowingly at each other, remembering Hoth. No one else would notice the look, or they would take it for newly bound joy.
"If one stumbles on the road, who is there to aid him?
Now there is no more loneliness.
You are two persons but now a single path lies before you.
Walk it together.
Go now to your dwelling place,
to begin the days of your life together.
And may your days be good,
and long among the stars.
"By the power vested in me by the New Republic, I declare you bound to each other. Seal your pledges, then turn and receive the approbation of your people."
They carefully wrapped their unbound left arms around each other and drew in close, off-balance on their knees, each supporting the other so they didn't fall over. Luke could feel the increased heat of his bondmate's body and racing pulse through their bound hands. Carefully, their mouths met, slowly, savoring each point of contact. Luke's lips parted slightly and he gave himself over to the kiss. He let
the knowing mouth warm his, not opening completely since this was a public and ceremonial kiss. Yet, he wished it could be more. The glowflitters seemed to have mutated into slitherlings that were working their way slowly up his chest to writhe on his arms and neck and down his belly, to coil in his groin. Not wishing to embarrass himself, Luke broke the kiss gently.
Han looked at his friend for a moment, studying his face, printing it on his mind. He wanted nothing more than to kiss Luke again, and then take him somewhere private and see where else he liked to be kissed. There would be time later, he hoped. For now, he was looking at his newly bound mate, fighting the reflexive wave of panic that thought brought, sublimating it in the affection Luke was radiating at him. He became aware he was grinning like an idiot. They stood and turned as one to
meet the applause of the crowd.
Each brought his free hand into play as they untied the cord, the rings feeling awkward and too heavy. They turned back to Leia, and bowed, laying it at her feet, before joining hands to lead the guests to the place where the party was laid out and waiting.
The New Republic had spared no expense, and Chewbacca had let his sense of humor run wild in the decorating. The glen was lit with thousands of tiny lights strung in the trees. Larger lanterns of paplas, nearly as tall as a man and painted with mythical Corellian scenes, framed the edges of the clearing. Huge jars of flowers had been placed everywhere the lights and food left room for them, and Luke
caught himself staring again.
The pale pink flowers were lushly petalled, and opened wide and flat to reveal a projecting scarlet stamen the exact shape of an erect human penis. Others sported a bright purple stamen dangling obscenely over a single flat white petal. Other buds, these sandy tan, were closed into cleft spheres with a dimple where the petals would begin to unfurl. And green and gold flamepetals, the traditional Corellian love-tokens, filled in all the edges and formed the cover for the ritual bread.
Hands still linked, they walked to the High Table, and seated themselves to wait for everyone to arrive. When Seska and her mate Brant gave the signal that everyone was there, they rose and went to where the last ritual awaited them.
Luke lifted the flowered basket woven from the flamepetals' stems off of the loaf of bread and Han picked it up. "Life is unpredictable," Han said, beginning the final step of the ritual, his clan's private ceremony. "Sometimes we will have abundance. I will share the abundance with you." He offered Luke the loaf, and Luke took a bite from it. Han took one at the same time, and together they ate. The
crowd cheered.
Luke tore a small piece from the loaf. "Sometimes, we will have almost nothing," he said. "Even then, I will share it with you." He took the bread in his teeth and leaned toward Han. Han bit a portion from it, and together they ate. The crowd cheered again. "And today, we have abundance. So good friends, enjoy it!"
The guests gravitated to the food tables, where delicacies and more substantial fare had been set out for every appetite. A small musical group began with light music to accompany the dinner. They would give way to more rhythmic music for dancing later.
As the efficient staff cleared the dishes, Han rose and reached down a hand to Luke. He led his newly bonded mate to the edge of the dancing lawn and wrapped him into a close, standard dance position. The musicians began a gentle love song, and they made one complete circuit of the lawn before the guests joined them.
The music played, first lively, then slow, and everyone wanted a turn with the honored couple. To Han, each cut-in felt like another extension of the week of isolation. All he wanted was to hold Luke, feel the warm, solid body pressed against his, as they moved to the music. He watched as Leia danced with
her brother.
"Hey, you get him for the rest of the year. I just get you until the end of the song," his sister teased. "I haven't seen you in seven years." She stretched a little and kissed his cheek. "'Sall right, baby. He's your mate."
"I'm amazed you dragged Grandad along on this," Han commented, changing the subject as he moved Wila through a box-four. He looked over to where the old man was holding court under a yellow flowering tree, Chewbacca at his side, and several of the older dignitaries of the Republic paying their respects.
"Are you tweaking me, kiddo?" Wila's laugh was as sweet as he remembered. He hoped Luke would get a chance to hear it. "As if we could have kept him away! He damn near booted Seska's Yohz from the pilot seat and flew us here himself. He keeps sayin' he's only ninety and that his father was flying at the age of a hundred- thirty." She creaked her voice in imitation of the old man. "My only grandson is getting bonded, and I'm going and Sea and Stars help anyone who gets in my way. And
that goes for you, missy-Elka-knows-best. I remember when you were no more than a bump under Ahna's shirt." She chuckled. "You know how he gets."
"Don't I just."
"He's a little disappointed you swore by the moons. Are you planning to split?"
"Leaving our options open if it doesn't work out," Han said carefully. A tap on his shoulder let him know that someone wanted in.
"May we?" Luke asked, as he moved parallel to his mate with his own sister. "Leia would like a few words with you."
The ladies changed places in a neat twirl past each other as the music changed to something even slower. Luke spared a brief stroke for his mate's face before wrapping the rangy dark-haired woman into his arms.
"Don't let her step on your feet," Han winked, the touch burning like a brand on his cheek.
"You'll be good for him, I think," Wila told Luke softly as they danced. "Work toward that side of the field. I want to introduce you to someone."
"Now, you're Wila, right? There are so many faces I'm having trouble remembering everyone."
"Right I'm the one closest to Han's age. Seska's the oldest here, and Ingi and Hele are between us. Ingi is the blond one. And Hele is short. You and your sister don't look much alike."
"I look like our father, while she looks like Mother."
"Did Han ask her to join you in the bond? It's pretty common, and a lot of the family would be happier if he did."
"Why?" Luke carefully kept the surprise out of his voice, letting only curiosity come through.
"There's a lot of pressure for Han to carry on Dad's name, 'specially since us girls all carry Mom's. Don't let them get you down. They've been after me and Ingi for years, me to bond, and Ingi and Elge to add a male partner. Buncha control freaks, every one of us, Luke. You got more than you bargained for, I suspect." She brushed a light butterfly of a kiss over Luke's cheek. "Frankly, I think it's pretty amazing that he's settled down enough to consider bonding to anyone. If he loves you enough to do that, you can tell the breeding crowd to space off. "
Han noticed what Wila was up to, and pressed Leia firmly and swiftly in that direction. She looked up at him and opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off with a look. They intercepted Luke and Wila, and Han twirled Leia into Wila's arms as he reclaimed his mate. The taller woman smiled at the princess and then her brother.
"I'll make the introductions, sis," Han said. Wila took the hint and kissed Leia with the same butterfly touch she'd used on Luke, before sweeping her back toward the center of the crowd. "Grandad! This is Luke, my mate." He bent over to hug the old man.
"Good, good. Going to tame our wild boy, are you?" Grandad ruffled Han's hair, then patted the bench beside him. "Sit here with me for a minute, lads. I'm getting too old for this dancing nonsense."
"I'm very honored to meet you, sir."
The old man chuckled at the formality. "Grandad, please, Luke. All the kids and their mates call me that." He looked at Han on his other side. "Boy, if you've got the sense the Sea gave a spinefish, you'll keep this one." Han scowled and his eyes flashed. "You look like your grandmother when you do that, son. And your Grandfather Dolf when you jut your chin."
Seeing he couldn't win, Han gave up and grinned at the old man. Grandad leaned conspiratorially over to Luke and said softly, "And that's the most dangerous look of all, 'cause he gets it from me. Seeing you two up there reminded me of my own bonding. Now, Han's grandmother, she was quite a woman, lad. Hair as red as Mount Birstin, eyes like the Sea in a storm and a temper just as changeable. Lucky
for me, our other mate was even-tempered. Your Han," Grandad indicated him with a nod, "he gets those Sea-storm eyes from her, you know. Her temper too. My Marta's long gone and Dolf with her, but she could out-swear and out-fight both of us together when she wanted."
Luke gave Han a quick smile. Han managed half of one back. At least Grandad wasn't going to embarrass him by telling Luke tales of his juvenile delinquent years.
"I ain't supposed to monopolize you on your Bonding day. Seska and Elka both reminded me like I'm a senile old poop who can't remember. Sea save me from meddling granddaughters. Han, your Wook is signaling you."
Indeed, Chewie was beckoning from the corner of the field. Han got up, patted Luke's shoulder and said, "I'll be right back."
Once Han was out of earshot, the old man caught Luke's hands in his own, and looked him straight in the eye. "Love him well, young Luke. He needs you more than you can imagine. He must love you very much to swear even by the moons." Before Luke could say anything to this, Grandad let go and planted one hand in his back, motioning him off the bench. "Now go dance with Seska and make her send poor Lina over here to talk to an old man. What were they thinking, dragging her along so
pregnant?"
Half-lost in contemplation of Grandad's words, Luke approached the two women locked in a slow, stately pavane step. He tapped the slight brown-haired girl out, and sent her to where Grandad awaited her. The tall blonde smiled down at him as he slipped in on the beat, without missing a step.
"You dance well, honey. Grandad bent your ear for while, hunh? Bet he didn't tell you he's responsible for a lot of how Han is. Elka sent him to live with Granded after Mom died."
"Really? I can only imagine. Grandad is quite a character." The words were faint and distracted. He loves me, echoed in Luke's mind. Very much, his family keeps saying.
"Han was trouble even before he lived with Grandad. He's the baby, and we all spoiled him. But after a year with Grandad, he was ungovernable. Elka sent him to me, and the four of us got him straightened out enough to make the Academy. I'm glad he's finally decided to settle down, and grow up. Just wish he'd made it permanent, though. "
Luke wasn't sure what to do with this information. He spun Seska under his arm, and then whirled them through eight counts of the music, covering confusion with motion. Too busy thinking about what Wila and Grandad had said, he didn't notice when a new song started, and he automatically moved into the standard patterns of it. He glanced across the lawn and felt his stomach give a funny clench when
he saw Han dancing with an auburn-haired man. A millisecond later, he recognized Brant, Seska's mate, and calmed. He watched for a moment, and Seska noticed.
"And here I am monopolizing you, just like we told Grandad not to. How unfair of me. And how unfair of you. I'm dancing with an accomplished clotheshanger, you're so distracted." She winked to let him know the affront she had put on was a joke. She smiled, her face softening. "It's all right. I'm glad you love him so much. It's almost time for you and Han to make your escape for the Shakedown."
"Shakedown?"
"The trip where you work the bugs out of your relationship away from the pressures of everyday life. Like the first cruise in a new boat or a new starship." The band started a jizz tune. "Whoops, that's the cue!" Seska let out a ululation that startled Luke. He and Han were even more startled when the male members of Han's family and Luke's pilot friends seized them and carried them bodily to the Falcon
which had landed not too far away. Chewie was at the controls.
"Away! Away!" cried Yohz in a voice that carried clearly through the clearing. "Be gone, before the Wicked Ones come to curse the party. We shall stay here and defend against them. Be away!"
They carried the couple up the ramp and dropped them in the cockpit. Chewie hugged them both and explained to Han that he had taken care of everything. He dashed off, and they heard the ramp close.
"I guess the party's over for us. Let's go." Han lifted off in a slow, stately fashion, Luke handling the copilot duties. They were out of Naboo's atmosphere in seconds.
***