85 years post ROTJ
Another Winter Fete season was upon the galaxy and Leia Organa-Solo could not help but smile to herself as she sat on the couch sipping hot cocoa in the house she shared with her husband General Han Solo. Taking another sip, she hummed feeling beyond grateful that this was her life now. After Alderann she never would have imagined that she would be able to feel joy again, the loss of her planet, her home, her family, Mama and Father she thought. But then a man with a lopsided grin had walked into her life and nothing would be the same. And of course Luke, Leia chuckled. She couldn't imagine life without her brother now.
"Hey Leia! She's getting a little fussy, can you look for her blanket? I think I tossed it in our room." Han's voice broke Leia out of her reverie as she got up to look for her daughter's beloved blanket.
Daughter, I have a daughter Leia mused. Jaina Solo, named after Han's mother, had been born a few weeks ago, an early Winter Fete present. The small new family had been adjusting since then and had discovered that Jaina could not sleep without her favorite pink blanket, a present from her Uncle Chewie. Leia entered her and Han's room and began searching for the pink fleece. Going through drawers in their closet, Leia moved onto Han's side and began searching through them one by one. She reached the last one and began digging through it. A bold gold and white fabric caught her eye while she was looking and she pulled out the soft thick fabric and came face to face with an ugly holdiday sweater, an ugly holiday sweater she hadn't seen for many many years….
Echo Base - Hoth (2 ABY)
Leia Organa was stumped. The rogues had decided to put together a holiday exchange where everybody is assigned somebody to get a gift for. And Leia, with her luck, more like cursed she thought, had been given Han's name. And boy oh boy did Han get a kick out of that.
"You know your worshipfulness, if you don't have any ideas, you could always put a bow on your head and make yourself the present," was his cheeky response.
Leia of course had turned bright red and sputtered out, "In your dreams flyboy."
If only she knew, Han thought.
Leia had tried to trade, went to Luke begging him to exchange names. Luke had gotten Mon Mothma of all people. But Luke had refused, saying it wouldn't be in the holiday spirit to trade.
"You'll think of something Leia, I can feel it." was Luke's reply before he went off to start working on Mon's gift.
So there Leia was, one week before the holiday exchange and no idea what to get Han. It wasn't like there was a store she could go to or put in an order. Han had been doing supply runs so she couldn't exactly tell him to pick up his own gift. The command meeting she was in droned on and all Leia could think of is that she had nothing to get Han. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize the meeting had ended leaving only her and General Rieekan in the room. Rieekan had gotten Chewie in the gift exchange but knew that Leia had been struggling with ideas on what to give the smuggler.
"Credit for your thoughts?"
Leia startled, seeing only her and Rieeken, and sighed, "I'm sorry Carlist, I just -"
"Don't know what to get Han?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"You've been lost in thought since assignments went out weeks ago."
"I'm going to kill Wedge for coming up with this idea. Where does he think people are supposed to get presents? We're in the middle of nowhere on an ice planet!"
"Lelila, when did you get to be such a grouch? I remember a little girl who used to get so excited for Winter Fete. She went ice skating with her mother, drank hot cocoa with her father in the library, and counted down the days until she could open up all of the presents under the tree."
Leia felt the corners of her mouth turn up at the memory.
"You know," Rieekan continued, "I think I have an idea of what you can get Han for the gift exchange, come with me to my room."
With that Rieeken got up from the room, leaving Leia no choice but to follow him down the icy corridors to his quarters. Upon arrival, Rieekan began rummaging through the tiny closet before he pulled out bright red and green fabrics along with white, gold, and silver colored Alderaanian fabrics. Leia gasped upon recognition of what Rieekan was suggesting she make for Han, an Alderaanian holiday sweater. They were worn around Winter Fete back on her home planet, and they all required two things upon making, they had to be handmade and they had to be ugly. But Leia was dumbfounded as to how Carlist had gotten the fabric.
"Carlist...how did you…"
"Get all of this fabric? When the rogues announced they were doing this gift exchange I had placed an order with Chewie to pick some up."
Leia was struggling with her emotions seeing the fabric that came from a cotton plant that only grew on Alderaan, "But how is this possible? I thought the plant was extinct after…."
"So did I, but Chewie said he had recognized this plant growing off world on some planet, someone must have distributed the seeds, so the tradition can live on."
"I don't know Carlist. I only have a week, and the sweater would have to be hand made. Who knows if he would even care, I doubt Han would understand the significance of an Alderanian holiday sweater," Leia lamented while crossing her arms.
"Lelila, I think you underestimate Han. Sure he doesn't really know Alderaanian culture, but how can he if you don't explain it to him. You can't let Alderaan die out Leia, it's still alive, it lives in you and in me, and in all its surviving members."
Leia thought it over to herself. She remembered her family exchanging holiday sweaters with her family. She had given her father a bright green sweater with Taun Tauns on it. And deep down, in a part of herself she doesn't like acknowledging, she knew that Han would appreciate the gesture.
"Well it is awfully cold here, I think I can scrounge up a sweater for Han with everything you have!"
"That's the spirit Leia! I look forward to seeing your sweater at the party." With that Rieekan deposited the fabric to Leia's arms and made his way to exit the room.
1 Week Later
Leia found herself walking towards the racous noise emanating from the mess hall. Wth her lumpy package in her arms, a lump in her throat, and a nervous heartbeat, Leia let her feet guide her towards the party. Upon entering, she saw that the rogues had truly outdone themselves. There were giant paper snowflakes hanging from the ceiling, lights strung up along the walls, and a tree? Leia didn't even want to know how they managed to get that from this desolate planet. Scanning the area, Leia spot Han talking to Rieeken. She made her way over to the pair and saw Han hand Rieekan over a large container.
"Hey sweetheart, fashionably late I see."
"For your information flyboy, I was busy finishing up your present."
Before the banter could continue any further Rieekan interrupted the pair, "Well thank you for the present Han, I'll have to see if your cooking skills live up to Leia's stories," with a wink Rieekan departed the pair, leaving them alone in the crowd.
Han had a smug grin on his face, "So, you like my cooking huh?"
Leia blushed, "It is quite good, I've always been a fan of Corellian spices."
"In that case, I've got something spicy that you might want to-"
Not wanting him to finish, Leia thrust the package to him, "Here, Merry Winter Fete Han."
Han was about to make another smart remark but noticed that Leia was chewing on her thumb and bouncing on the balls of her feet, was she nervous? Glancing at Leia he carefully tore off the wrapping paper and was left face to face with a gold and silver colored Alderaanian ugly holiday sweater. Looking closer at it he noticed it was decorated with red and green Taun Tauns. He also noticed while feeling it that the sweater was definitely hand made.
"Leia...this is….wow…" Han was speechless for once in his life.
Unfortunately, Leia mistook his loss of words for distaste.
"It's not one of my best ones, the last one I was sewed was for my father, and that was years ago."
Shaking his head, "S'not what I meant, Leia this is amazing, it must have taken you hours to make this."
Realizing that Han liked her present Leia felt relieved and began to smile, "Do you know what it is?"
"It's a handmade sweater, right?"
"Well yes, but it's so much more than that," Leia trailed off and looked at Han who gestured for her to continue.
"It's an Alderaanian ugly holiday sweater. It's supposed to look like it's ugly. All of the sweaters are handmade, made from a special cotton plant that only grows on Alderaan. The colors represent different things. My family and I would exchange sweaters every year for Winter Fete."
Han was struggling to form words. He was absolutely touched that the princess would make something for him from her culture, he didn't feel worthy, espeically since she told him the last one she made was for her father.
"Leia…" she let out a small gasp as he pulled her into a hug, which she returned after a brief hesitation. He feels soft and hard all over Leia thought to herself.
"Thank you Leia, this means a lot to me," Han's voice was muffled as he spoke into her hair.
"You'll have to thank Carlist, he gave me the idea."
Pulling back, Han pulled the sweater over his head and modeled it for the blushing princess.
"Well, what do you think?"
Leia laughed, "You've never looked better, and I'll have to thank Chewie for giving me your measurements."
"I see, you and that furball were conspiring against me," joked Han.
"You're just jealous I was conspiring with him and not with you," Leia quipped back.
Han was about to retort before Rieekan interrupted him, "Ah, I see Lelila gifted you one of our famous sweaters."
Han grinned, "She sure did."
Smiling between the two Leia was going thank Rieekan again for the idea before Wedge spotted her and waved her over, "Princess! I have your gift! Come on over!"
"Well if you boys will excuse me," Leia shot one last grin at Han before turning on her heel and walking over to Wedge.
"Hey Rieekan, Leia was mentioning that the colors represent something, do the gold and silver fabrics have a special meaning?"
Rieekan did a double take at the sweater Han was wearing, taking in the metallic colors of the sweater and the red and green patterned Taun Tauns before a grin spread across his face, "Did Leia not mention the meanings?"
"All she said was that they had one."
Rieekan let out a short laugh, "Just know that Leia really cares about you." Not wanting to reveal anymore of Lelila's feelings to the smuggler before she was ready, Rieekan left Han with a puzzled expression on his face as he made his way over to one of the tables to grab some hot chocolate. Leave it to Leia to state her feelings in a way that keeps Han from knowing how she really feels. After all, silver and gold combined on an Alderaanian ugly holiday sweaters are only reserved for those that you love.
Present Day
"It's still one of my favorite gifts from you," Han stated, drawing Leia out of her reverie, "besides the one that's sleeping down the hall."
Han was looking at Leia with pure adoration and love on his face.
"Come here flyboy," Leia grabbed Han by the front of his shirt and drew him in for a sweet but passionate kiss. Han pulled away with a mischevious look on his face,
"Hey sweetheart, you never did tell me what the colors on the sweater represented."
"I guess I have avoided that little detail. Well I guess you deserve the truth now. A red and green sweater represents a family love, I always made my father's and mother's sweaters that color."
"And gold and silver?"
Leia blushed, "Gold and silver are given to those who you love, and not in family way."
"I knew it! I knew you had feelings for me back then!" Han had a triumphant grin on his face as he pulled Leia in for a side hug.
"Okay flyboy, don't let it go to your head."
"Who me?" Han shot her his famous lopsided grin and began to pull the sweater over his head, "I figured I'd put it on for old times sake."
"It still suits you."
"You'll have to make one for Jaina! Winter Fete is two weeks away."
"It would be nice to introduce her to Alderaan culture, even if she's too young to understand the significance."
"She'll know where she comes from Leia, we'll make sure of it."
With that, the pair exited the bedroom and made their way to cuddle on the couch by the Winter Fete tree.