Once Jon and Leia returned inside Jabba's palace, he was given permission to go into the sleeping quarters. He also refilled his canteen with fresh, cold water. After that, he'd settled down for a nap. Sleep surprisingly came very easy to him. When he'd next woke, it was nighttime. Leia appeared, now wearing her bounty hunter helmet once more. She brought her finger to the the mouth of her mask, motioning for Jon to keep quiet.
Mother and son slowly went back into the throne room. Jabba was nowhere to be seen. The party was over. The stench of alcohol, sweat and who knew what else hung in the air. It made the throne room seem even creepier than it had in broad daylight. Leia had accidentally bumped into a wind-chime, which clattered. That made Jon nervous, but his mother quickly recovered, and the two of them continued on their way. Leia was careful to look around to see if anyone had spotted them, but no one had.
The Carbonite block that encased Han Solo loomed up ahead. This was it. At last, it was really happening. Jon was finally going to get his father back. The boy wanted nothing more than to rush up there and free Han. But he knew he had to remain patient and quiet. He followed behind Leia. She ducked into one side of the alcove. Jon took the other side.
Leia pressed a button near her, which lowered the Carbonite to the ground with a thud. Jon's heart thundered in his chest. That was pretty loud. Surely someone would have heard. But the throne room remained quiet. Jon made his way over to Leia. She pressed the buttons on the control panel to begin the melting process. Then she and Jon stepped back from the alcove as Han's body was lit up by a red glow. There was suddenly the flash of a bright white light. Slowly, Han's body became free. After that, he fell to the ground. Jon was reminded of his dream where this had happened, but Han had died. Was his worst fear about to come true in real life?
Leia knelt close to Han, checking for signs of life. She took hold of Jon's hand, placing it on Han's chest. That's when the boy felt it-the beat of his father's heart. Sure, it seemed a tad quicker than Jon thought it should be, but he and Leia could worry about that later. What mattered now was that Han Solo was alive. Jon had gotten his father back. The boy helped Leia get Han into a sitting position. The elder Solo was shaking and trembling. He also panted as he tried to breathe. That's when it occurred to Jon that his father really would need some serious medical attention. And the best way for that to happen was to get Han back to the Falcon's sick-bay as soon as possible.
"Just relax for a moment," Leia consoled. Under the mask of Boushh the bounty hunter, her voice was distorted. Jon wondered if that might scare his father. "You are free of the Carbonite. Shh. You have Hibernation Sickness." Leia was using the name of the condition Jon had told her about earlier. Han rubbed his eyes.
"I can't see," he said. On the one hand, Jon was so happy to finally his father's voice again after a year. But on the other hand, Han was indeed blind. Worry filled the boy once more.
"Your eyesight will return in time," Leia explained. The information Jon had looked up on the HoloNet about Hibernation Sickness had said that the blindness was only temporary. And now, he wondered when his father would actually be able to see again.
"Where am I?" asked Han. He still continued to shiver, but whether it was because of his illness, or the throne room having become considerably cooler in the the nighttime, Jon couldn't tell.
"Jabba's palace," Leia answered. Han seemed to recoil at this piece of information. He reached out to touch Leia's mask, curious about the person next to him.
"Who are you?" asked Han. Leia took off her mask, revealing her beautiful face.
"Someone who loves you," she said.
"Leia!" Han gasped. She pulled him into a kiss.
Mom, Dad, this is no time for love, Jon thought wryly. But seeing his parents finally together again made him smile.
"We gotta get you outta here," said Leia. She and Jon both helped get Han back on this feet.
"We?" asked Han. "Wait a second, I feel two pairs of hands on me. Leia, who else is here with you?"
"Hi, Dad," said Jon. These were the first words Jon had spoken to his father since the Carbon-Freezing chamber on Bespin. And doing so made him feel as if a great wight had been lifted from his shoulders.
"Jon!" Han exclaimed. Despite being not being able to see, just hearing his son's voice lifted Han's spirits. "Is it really you? You're actually here?"
"Yeah, Dad," Jon replied. "It's me. I'm here. And I've really, really missed you."
"I've missed you, too, son," said Han. "I only wish I could actually see you right now."
"So do I," said Jon. "But we're finally together again. And things are gonna be better now."
"As much as I hate to interrupt father-son bonding time, we really do need to leave right now," said Leia. Time was, of course, of the essence. But Leia just couldn't hide her happiness as father and son were reunited.
"Sure, Mo-," Jon started to say before he stopped himself. "Uh, I mean, sure, Leia." Why was he suddenly nervous about calling Leia "Mom" in his father's presence? "Come on, Dad, let's go."
[Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho!] Chills went through Jon's spine as he once again heard what was perhaps the most unpleasant laugh in the entire Galaxy.
"What's that?" asked Han.
"Why would you even need to ask something like that, Dad?" Jon questioned in reply. "We're in Jabba's palace, remember?" The laughter continued.
"Oh, I know that laugh," Han realized. A curtain parted, revealing Jabba, 3-PO, Bib Fortuna, Salacious Crumb and the rest of the Hutt's entourage.
[Oh, look at this!] Jabba taunted. [The smuggler awakes! And he has company!]
"Hey, Jabba," Han started. But because he couldn't see, Jon and Leia had to turn him around, so he was at least facing in Jabba's direction. "Look, Jabba. I was just on my way to pay you back, and I got a little side-tracked. It's not my fault!" Though the Hibernation Sickness had majorly impacted Han in a physical way, his personality appeared to be intact. And Jon found this be quite comforting.
[It's too late for that, Solo!] Jabba boasted. [You may have been a good smuggler, but now you're Bantha fodder!] He and his minions laughed.
"Don't talk about my dad like that, you slimy, slithering turd!" Jon yelled. He could just tell that Leia was about to scold him for his language, when Han spoke up again.
"Look!" he said.
[Take him and his son away!] Jabba interrupted. Guards grabbed hold of both Han's and Jon's arms, which angered the boy.
"Jabba, I'll pay you triple!" Han pleaded. "You're throwing away a fortune here! Don't be a fool!" He and his son were yanked out the throne room. Leia was left there. And she was entirely at Jabba's mercy.
[Bring her to me!] Jon was able to hear Jabba order.
"We have powerful friends," Leia snarled defiantly. Jon knew that his mother wouldn't back down without a fight. "You're gonna regret this."
[I'm sure,] Jabba said menacingly. He licked his lips suggestively. The sight of it made Leia recoil in disgust.
"Oh, I can't bear to watch!" 3-PO exclaimed. Jon, of course, didn't see any of this. But he wondered if Jabba was hurting Leia. That thought scared him. He couldn't imagine the idea of getting his father back, but also possibly loosing his mother, all on the same day.
"Just so you know, Dad, we're about to go down a flight of stairs," said Jon, as he was faced with the prospect of once again going back to the dungeons.
"Oh, thanks, Jon," said Han.
"Here," said Jon. He wriggled out of the grasp of the guard who'd been holding onto him, then linked his arm through Han's "It's ok, Dad. I've got you. I've got you." All through his life, Jon had heard his father tell him those words countless times. And now, he was returning the favor.
They'd come to the end of the stairs. After a short walk down the corridor, a Gamorean guard opened a cell, roughly shoving Han and Jon inside. Then the door slammed shut. The two Solos were alone. And the younger one was left to wonder what would happen next.
End of Chapter 3.
Author's Notes:
1.) Welcome back, Han! We've all missed you! Of course, this book is far from over. And getting him out of the Carbonite is only half the battle. Still, the reunion between Han, Jon and Leia was something I'd been looking forward to writing ever since I wrote the Carbonite scene in The Empire Strikes Back. And now that's it's finally happened, I'm just so happy with myself!
2.) When Jon thinks "No time for love" to himself, it's a reference to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
3.) Jon and Han's reunion with Chewie will take place in the next chapter.