With the arrival of The Princess and the Scoundrel, the full details of the wedding of Han and Leia have now been revealed almost 40 years after we last saw them in this part of the timeline in Return of the Jedi. In addition, we can now see just what Leia was wearing when she tied the proverbial knot, as drawn by artist Tara Phillips, and read an excerpt from the New York Times Best Selling novel by Beth Revis.
Han felt the color draining from his face. How could it already be time? But through the spiral hole in the Great Tree, Han could just see the crowds of people sitting, their eyes forward. No one talked among themselves. They were waiting. On him. To go. It was time.
He just had to walk past that curtain and take his spot in front of the tree trunk.
That’s all.
One foot in front of the other. Everyone was waiting. He just had to walk out there. He just had to go.
Han didn’t move.
Chewie prodded him, speaking as softly as he could to ask what was wrong.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Han said too quickly. “Nothing at all.”
Chewie poked him again. Han stumbled forward a step, but then his feet felt too heavy to move. He adjusted the lightweight jacket, yanking on its open front. “It’s really hot in here, isn’t it?”
Chewie growled, grabbed Han’s arm, and jerked him forward. “Hey!” Han said, running to keep up with the Wookiee’s long legs. “You don’t have to drag me!”
“Arr-gryu,” Chewie grumbled back.
“I’m going, I’m going, you don’t have to threaten to carry me,” Han said, jerking his arm free from Chewie’s grasp just as the Wookiee swung the curtain aside.
Every single eye in the entire temple turned to him. Han tried to grin, but he kept his lips closed, just in case his breakfast decided to join the party. Chewie jabbed him in the back, and Han stumbled forward, moving toward the front of the crowd and taking his spot to the side of the twisted tree trunk. He could feel the rough bark at his back; if he reached through the twisting branches, he could touch the amber orb that rested in the center.
Why was everyone looking at him? The faces blurred together—Ewok, human, droid, various other species—they were all turned toward him. Of course, Han was alone at the front of the temple, so it stood to reason that they would look at him, but still . . .
And then the door in the back opened.
There was one second—just a heartbeat—when everyone was looking toward Han, but Han was looking at the door. And in that heartbeat, Leia stepped inside.
There was no one in the entire galaxy but Leia and Han.
Her eyes met his, and her smile was brighter than any star.
And it was just for him.
Han was rooted to the floor, but it was different from when Chewie had prodded him to take his spot in the temple. Before, what he’d really wanted to do was go somewhere private. But Han couldn’t move now if he wanted to—and he never wanted to. Not with her walking between the benches toward him.
Leia wore a gown made of soft meadow green, embroidered with flowers similar to the ones bedecking the outside of the temple. It hung loose over her body, yet it wasn’t shapeless. The sides were open, giving her space to move her legs and expose the laces of her white fur boots that went all the way up to her knees. She held a bouquet of wildflowers tied with the same bit of lacing woven in her hair, and Han suspected that Leia had picked the flowers just before she’d climbed the ladder to the temple.
Leia’s long hair hung in loose waves down her back, with two small braids framing her face to keep locks out of her way. She wore flowers but no jewels. She looked more nymph than princess.
Han could barely breathe as she approached him, joy in her eyes. Leia had never looked more like herself than in this moment. She wasn’t stately or noble. She wasn’t the epitome of grace or the face of the Rebellion.
In this moment, Leia was no longer the people’s princess. She was all the more beautiful because she was only herself. Just Leia.
For more on Star Wars weddings, check out Episode 11 of Planet Leia as Johanna and Clair delve into the book, Attack of the Clones, Celebration and more as Johanna’s own wedding approaches.
Star Wars: Star Wars: The Princess & The Scoundrel (Hardcover) by Beth Revis published by Cornerstone @ ForbiddenPlanet.com – UK and Worldwide Cult Entertainment Megastore
