Star Wars - The Courtship of Princess Leia

by Dave Wolverton

  "I wasn't trying to kill you when I hit you," Teneniel said, "just catch you! I wouldn't even have hurt you badly!"

  "Yet you know it is wrong to take another person captive?"

  Teneniel glared at him, fidgeted. "Ihoped to love you. And if I did not love you, then I could have sold you to someone else who wanted you more. It's not as if I were going to make you do anything bad. The daughters of Allya have always hunted for mates this way."

  Luke sighed, as if exasperated. "Do all of the daughters of Allya do this, or just some of them?"

  "If a woman is rich enough," Teneniel answered, "she can buy a man she likes. I am not rich."

  Isolder leaned forward. "These Nightsisters, what are they doing with the stormtroopers?"

  "Eight seasons ago, a leader from the stars sent stormtroopers to build a new prison. An outcast from our clans, a Nightsister named Gethzerion, took employment from the stormtroopers, helping to catch runaway slaves. At first the Imperials liked her, promised to train her as a warrior and give her glory. But when they began to see her power, they feared her and decided to strand her on Dathomir. The Imperials blew up the ships at the prison, stranding their own soldiers in the process. It is rumored that Gethzerion killed the leaders at the prison, and the stormtroopers are so terrified of her that they obey her every whim. She has promised them freedom if they will help her escape to the stars, for now that she has seen how weak the Imperials are and how much they fear her, she believes that she will someday rule worlds without end. But for now Gethzerion contents herself by making war with the clans, killing some of our sisters, enslaving others. Many of the clan sisters have joined her."

  "What does she do with the unfortunate captives there at her prison?" Luke asked.

  "She keeps them as slaves, hoping someday to barter them," Teneniel said.

  Luke half-closed his eyes. "Gethzerion knows what she is doing. She hopes to turn all of your sisters to the dark side. With an army of them at her back, she really could become a power in the galaxy." He looked at Teneniel. "How many Nightsisters are there?"

  "No more than a hundred," Teneniel answered. For a few moments she dared hope that Luke knew how to get rid of thembut he paled at her answer.

  "And how many spellcasters are in your clan?"

  Teneniel seldom visited her clan, had not been home in three months. With so many of her sisters killed recently, and so many having been captured by Gethzerion, Teneniel was afraid to give an answer, yet perhaps the Jedi would think it was enough.

  "Twenty-five or thirty."

  Chapter 16

  That evening, flames flickered in the cooking fire and juice sizzled and popped over the coals as men carved the beast and heaped it on earthenware platters with tubers, nuts, and uncooked shoots. Han sat on leather cushions on the floor with Chewbacca, Leia, and Threepio in the fortress of the Singing Mountain clan. Han found that his weariness, the coming dark, and a full stomach made it hard to keep his eyes open. Yet Chewie fed hungrily, bandages wrapped over his ribs. The Wookiee's marvelous regenerative powers let him heal more in a day than a human would in two weeks.

  Outside, through the open portals, Han could see fierce storm clouds in the distance, flashing lightning. The stars here burned fiercely above the tree-covered mountains.

  Around him, the witches laughed and taught their daughters spells in the shadows. The young girls wore shirts and pants of simple hides, not the elaborate costumes of the fully trained witches. Yet the witches seemed more casual, more cozy around their children. They removed their headdresses and let their hair down. Without their full attire, they weren't so intimidating, and reminded Han only of rugged peasants.

  The witches' husbands worked silently, dressed in tunics of woven plant fibers, serving meals to the women so quietly that Han almost felt as if they must be communicating telepathically.

  Augwynne sat nearby so that she could speak softly to Han and Leia. She noticed how Han frequently eyed the distant storm. "Do not worry yourself," she said. "That is only Gethzerion, thrashing in impotent fury. But she is too far away. There will be no Force storm tonight."

  "Gethzerion is making that lightning?" Threepio asked, his eyes suddenly bright. "Why, I wonder how much power output she can produce."

  Augwynne looked at the distant clouds, unconcerned, and a brilliant branch of orange lightning with many tongues arced up into the sky, as if expressly for her to see. "Oh, she's very powerful, and very angry. But for tonight, she will not come. She's gathering the sisters of her clan and won't move against us until they are all safely together.

  "So," she said, as if to change the subject, "this deed to Dathomir that you own. Is it really worth anything?"

  Leia said, "It will be when the New Republic wins back this sector."

  "And how soon will that be?" Augwynne asked.

  "That's hard to say," Han answered, nervously eyeing the sky. "It could be three months, it could be three decades. But it's a pretty sure thing. Zsinj is a great warrior, but he's not a good governor. The more we whittle away at his fleets, the faster his worlds will slip from his grasp. As soon as his commanders see him falter, they'll be at his throat."

  Chewbacca roared a confident agreement.

  "Chewie believes Zsinj will fall within a year," Threepio said. "But my programs indicate that at the current rate, he could hold on to his power for considerably longer than that. I estimate that he'll fall in fourteen point three years."

  "I think Chewie's guess is closer," Han said. "But things could still be rough for a while after that."

  "Tell me," Augwynne said, her voice edged with excitement. "How can I buy this planet from you? Do you value gold, gems? There are plenty of both here in the mountains." The room suddenly quieted around him, as witches nearby listened for Han's answer.

  Leia shot Han a knowing glance, waiting for him to name a price. "Well," Han hesitated. "Since I own everything on this planet, those gold and gems are pretty much mine. The planet is valued at three billion credits. Of course that's just for the real estate. That doesn't include improvementsbuildings, fixtures . . ."

  Augwynne studied his face a moment, nodded, not realizing that he was joking. She looked at the faces of her sisters. "We of the Singing Mountain clan have no money," she said, "but we would offer you our service in payment. Tell me three things you desire, and we will grant your wishes, if it lies within our power."

  "Well," Han said, looking at the expectant faces of the witches. He had not forgotten Damaya's words earlier. Though these witches were not his enemies, they had also not chosen to be his allies. That could come only with a price, and now they were naming the coin. He wasn't taking them too seriously. "The first thing I wish, is that I could get off of this planet." He looked up at the vaulted stone ceilings. "Then, I guess I'd like some of the gold and gems you were talking aboutsay as much as a grown rancor could carry. And last of all . . . if you can convince her, I want Leia's hand in marriage."

  Augwynne looked at Han and Leia, nodded thoughtfully. "Leia told us you would ask for these three things," the old woman said. "The Singing Mountain clan will do all that it can to meet your purchase price, but Leia is not part of the bargain. We cannot force her into a marriage. We will have the gold and gems by dawn. At this very moment, three sisters have gone to retrieve your ship so that you and your hairy Wooka can fix it."

  "Now wait a minute!" Han said, realizing he had spoken too soon, not realizing the witches were serious.

  "You're too late!" Leia gloated. "You've just sold yourself a planet!"

  Han began to object, and Chewie growled, but Augwynne raised a hand. "Do not regret your price, Han Solo. The sisters of the Singing Mountain clan will gladly pay it, though it cost many of us our lives. Gethzerion may fight us in hopes of capturing you and your ship. That is why the Force storm rages out over the desert. But we have already considered your terms, and we accept."

  Already considered your terms, Han wondered. So that was why Leia had spent
so much time with them earlier in the day while he had worked in the fields. The witches had been pumping her for information, scheming ways to get this planet from him, and they'd agreed to fight the Nightsisters in his behalf. They'd probably even timed it so that they brought Han and the Nightsisters upstairs together so that Han would see what the opposition was like. In other words, they had manipulated him from moment one. This Augwynne was pretty slick. Han asked, "What would you do even if you owned this planet?"

  "We would sell land to settlers," Augwynne said, "and hire teachers to come to us from the stars. We would join the New Republic and learn your ways so that in time our children will no longer be outcasts, living in these rough hills."

  She did have things planned. In fact, it sounded to Han as if Leia might have done some recruiting before Han was brought up from the fields. Threepio said, "Excuse me, but might I inquire as to how you are going to retrieve the ship?"

  Augwynne said, "The sisters took three rancors. They will cut down some trees and make a skid, then pull the ship back here. We will cast a spell and lift it up into the mountain, where we can conceal it while you work on it. Would this be adequate?"

  "I suppose," Han said, taken aback. He didn't like the idea of selling his planet, but now that he thought about it for a moment, considering the Nightsisters, he suspected this might be the best offer he could get. "If the rancors are as big as the ones I've seen, then, yeah, three or four could pull it. But I wouldn't want it banged up any more than it is."

  Augwynne pursed her lips, studied him thoughtfully. "Our sisters should have it back here by dawn. I must warn you, you will be in great danger Now that Gethzerion knows you have a starship, she will not relent in her pursuit of it. She will send the Nightsisters to capture it at the very least."

  "If the Nightsisters plan to launch an attack," Leia asked, "how long will it take?"

  "The Nightsisters are cautious," Augwynne said. "I think they will launch a full attack only if they believe that their forces can overwhelm us. We have cast spells to learn of their plans. Right now, some of the sisters are scattered and are in the process of returning to the city. Once they combine their numbers, I believe they will march as soon as possible. We have perhaps three days. You will need to repair your ship and leave before then."

  "Or what?" Han asked.

  "Or we might all die," Augwynne said seriously. "If the Nightsisters attack, I do not believe that our clan will be able to withstand them. There are a dozen other clans in the mountains, but even the nearest is a four-day march. I have sent runners to the sisters of the Frenzied River and the Red Hills clans, asking for aid, but it will come only after we retreat. You must leave before the Nightsisters can attack!"

  Han looked at Chewie, Leia, and Threepio. He'd gotten them into a real jam this time. The best thing for the clan here would be if he simply blew up the ship so that Gethzerion would have no reason to hunt him down. But if he did that, they might never get off of this planet. Han could handle being marooned here, but what of Chewbacca? The Wookiee had a family, and though he would stay here if Han required it, Han couldn't demand that kind of sacrifice from him. Threepio? Without his oil baths and spare parts, he'd fail within a year. And of course there was Leia. He'd forced her here against her will and now felt obligated to take her back. Yet he knew she would not value her freedom above the lives of others.

  Han sat cross-legged, rested his hands on his knees and rubbed his eyes. I covered my trail pretty darned good, Han thought. But sooner or later, someone is going to track us down. Omogg might figure out where he'd gone. The Drackmarian was smart. She might even sell such information to some bounty hunters. Han was sure the New Republic would put a price on his head. Sooner or later, someone would come looking. There might still be some hope for escape from this planet. "I don't really want Gethzerion trying to run off in my ship any more than you do," Han admitted. "But maybe we should just give it to her."

  Chewie roared and Augwynne said, "We can't give Gethzerion a ship. She is too powerful. You can't give her access to the stars."

  "Han," Leia said, "Augwynne has filled me in on a few things. I believe the Emperor himself was afraid of the Nightsisters. That's why he interdicted this planet. Years ago, he started a nice little penal colony here, not knowing about the Nightsisters. When he learned about them, he blew the planet's airfield from orbit and stranded hundreds of his own people here, along with the prisoners, rather than risk letting Gethzerion escape. That's how frightened he was of Gethzerion.

  "Those warships up above us were put there to keep people on this rock as much as to keep them fenced out. And now that Zsinj is in charge of this sector, he's still afraid. The Imperials who got stranded at the prison might still be able to cobble some kind of a ship together, and Zsinj has to watch out for that."

  Han sighed, "Maybe we should just blow the Falcon. Then Gethzerion wouldn't have any reason to come hunting for us."

  "Never concede to evil," Augwynne said. "That is our oldest and most sacred law. When we concede to evil, even in a small way, we feed it, and it grows stronger. Gethzerion has grown powerful because we of the clans have not challenged her for far too long. We should have fought her years ago, when we saw what she was becoming, but we always hoped that we could turn her from her ways. If we need to fight her now, then we will do it, for it is the right thing for us to do. And you must fix your ship and leave. That is the right thing for you to do. I for one will do all in my power to protect you."

  Han fumbled in his pocket, pulled out the deed for Dathomir, and extended it to Augwynne. "Here," he said, "you take this." In that moment, Han wondered how he could have ever been so deluded as to think that Leia would choose a husband based on the material goods he could offer.

  "No," she objected, pushing his hand away. "We have not earned it yet."

  "Take it for safekeeping then," Han said, "until you feel you've earned it."

  Augwynne cradled the cube in her hand, lovingly. "Someday," she whispered.

  Han sighed. He remembered the explosions as the orbiting warships pounded the wreck up by the lake, destroying any trace of it. Parts would be hard to come by. If he had all the partsthe wiring, coolant, and a nav computerthen he and Chewie could probably fix the Falcon in a few hours. But that was starting to look like a big if . He could strip wiring from anywherea couple of crushed Imperial walkers would do. He toyed with the idea of draining coolant from the walkers' hydraulics, but decided it wasn't worth the risk the mixture might not meet the rigors of trying to cool a hyperdrive generator on a spacefaring ship. Still, if the prison had had even a modest shipyard, they ought to have a couple of barrels of coolant, maybe a spare astrogation brain or even a whole R2 unit. "In the morning, I'll check out my ship, figure out exactly how damaged it is. I know right now that it's going to need some parts. We'll need to leave for the prison tomorrow to scavenge. Augwynne, can you send someone to guide us?"

  Augwynne studied him for a moment, dancing flames reflecting from her dark eyes and graying hair. "I think it is time for you to rest. You can look at your ship and make your plans in the morning."

  Han yawned, stretched. Leia watched the ground by the fire. At first, Han thought she was thinking, but he realized after a moment that she was just exhausted, half-asleep, letting her mind drift. He got up, pulled off her helm, surprised to find that it was actually quite light in his hands. "Come on. Let's go to bed."

  She looked up at him dully, a hint of anger or confusion in her eyes. "I'm not going to bed with you!"

  "I just meantI thought you'd like it if I fix a bed up for you."

  Leia looked away angrily, and said, "Oh."

  "You all look tired," Augwynne said. "I'll take you up to your room." She lit a candle in the fire and then led Han, Leia, Chewie, and Threepio away from the noisy diners, up the drafty stairs to a large sleeping chamber. An opening led from the room out to a stone parapet overlooking the valley. The room itself held dozens of straw beds spread out on t
he floor, covered with heavy blankets. Augwynne's male servant lit a fire in a small hearth, while Augwynne went out on the parapet for a moment and watched the distant lightning. She sang softly. When she returned, she muttered, "Gethzerion is restless, and she has posted Nightsisters quite close to the fortress. I'll increase the guards tonight. Sleep soundly."

  "Thank you," Threepio said, patting her back as she left. "Well, she seems hospitable enough," he remarked after she'd gone. "I wonder what they have in the way of oil around here." The droid paced the room, studying his surroundings.

  Leia took off her robe, pulled out her blaster and set it under her blanket, then lay down on a mat to sleep. Chewbacca went into a corner, put his back against a wall, then sat down with his bowcaster in hand, hung his head and closed his eyes. Han glanced around the room, took a mat by the window where the fresh mountain air blew in. His sinuses were definitely bothering him. Great, he thought, I win a planet in a card game, and to top it all off, I'm allergic to it. Outside, he could still hear the booming of thunder, the songs of the witches in their halls below, and water dripping on the parapet outside the window.

  It was quiet, and Han could not quite get to sleep. Threepio walked around the room nervously and then said, "Princess Leia, would you like some relaxing music to help you sleep?"

  The golden droid stood in the center of the stone room, eyes shining, head tilted to one side.

  "Music?" Leia asked.

  "Yes, I've written a song," Threepio said, "and I thought you might appreciate it if I sang it to you." His tone said that he'd be offended if she didn't listen.

  Leia frowned, and Han rather pitied her. He'd never heard Threepio sing, but he couldn't imagine that it would be much good. "Sure," Leia said hesitantly, "but, maybe just the first verse."

  "Oh, thank you!" Threepio said. "I've titled my song, 'The Virtues of King Han Solo'!"