Beyond - Legends Outer Rim’s Best Après-Snowball (fic-gift for Mira_Jade; H/L, Solo kids)

Author: Findswoman
Title: Outer Rim’s Best Après-Snowball
Era: Beyond—Legends
Characters: Han, Leia, Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin Solo
Genre: Fluff, humor, winter fun; two chapters
Summary: Assorted hiemal highjinks with the Solo family, in a location that will be familiar to us…
Contents: One | Two
Notes: At long last, here is @Mira_Jade ’s fic-gift for the 12th Annual Non-Denominational Winter Holiday Fic-Gift Exchange.

Spoiler: Her request was...

A story in Beyond- Legends

1. A snowball fight
2. Siblings bickering
3. Lots of Solo/Skywalker family winter-themed happiness

I don’t want: (unreasonable) quantities of angst

Characters: Han/Leia, and the Solo kids (can be just H/L since that’s more than three)

Let me begin by saying that I have zilch experience with either this era or these characters, so I have no idea how I’m going to do with this. I’m also sorry that it took so long. But I hope it will at very least bring a smile to the face of one of the luminaries of JCF Fanfic, and a writer whom I admire quite a bit!

This is looking like it will be in two chapters, and the snowball fight will be in the second, as will further sibling bickering.

Thanks again to my wonderful friend and beta @Raissa Baiard for looking this over on short notice!

---

One

“Snowsnowsnow SNOW SNOW, snowsnowsnow SNOOOOOOOW SNOW, snowsnowsnow SNOOOOOOOW SNOW, snowsnowsnow SNOOOOOOOOOOW…!” (The twins, in exuberant unison, dancing through the corridors of the Millennium Falcon.)

“Will you two knock it off?! I’m trying to concentrate here!” (Anakin, seated at the dejarik table with some light vacation reading: Principles of Hypermatter Physics, 17th edition.)

“PHBBBBBBT!” (Jaina, in her little brother’s face.)

“I’ve always wanted to come back here.” (Leia, in the copilot’s seat, gazing out the window at the blue-white orb below.)

That utterance was the only one of the four that made Han spin around in his pilot’s seat aboard the Falcon. They now were in orbit over Hoth and had just received docking clearance from that year’s family vacation spot. Han still couldn’t quite process that the massive military installation once known as Echo Base had since, in the years since the founding of the new Republic, been fully restored, renovated, and transformed into the Echo Basin Resort and Ski Lodge.

Yes, the Echo Basin Resort and Ski Lodge. The name still boggled Han’s mind. Nine Hells, why anyone would want to turn that barren iceball into a vacation spot was beyond him. And yet it had somehow had managed to become a galactically acclaimed destination for skiing, snowboarding, and various other wintertime recreations. And it was widely reputed to have the Outer Rim’s best après-ski. Han was pretty sure, however, that he was going to spend much more time après-skiing than actual skiing.

So his question to his wife was a simple one: “Why?”

“Oh, the memories, mostly,” she replied, still in a sigh. “We went through a lot here, you and I. It’s where we got our start.”

Han leaned back and shrugged. That much was true. “Well, yeah.”

“And back on Alderaan my parents used to take us skiing in the Juran Mountains each winter.” She laughed a little in reminiscence. “Ironically, Winter was the only one who hated it.”

Han just smiled in reply. He didn’t blame Winter one bit.

“So I figured, now that it’s open to the public, and now that the younglings are old enough, why not?”

Just then a series of sounds arose from the common area: a succession of loud PHBBBBBBTs, followed by a BIFF, followed by a THUD, followed by a blood-curdling “OWWWWW!! HEY!!” Jaina and Anakin’s impromptu zoochberry-blowing competition had apparently been broken up by a large stuffed bantha that had just been Force-hurled in their direction by Jacen. He was now zoochberrying his sister and younger brother simultaneously as they lay crumpled in a heap on the edge of the acceleration couch.

Han chuckled. Whatever his own feelings about winter and snow and skiing, one thing was for sure: snow-covered slopes were probably a better place for absorbing large quantities of youthful energy than the Falcon’s common area.

“Yeah, indeed,” he chuckled. “Why not?”

* * *​

The first several days at Echo Basin Resort passed happily and without problems. Thanks to the weather modification net now installed over the compound, atmospheric conditions were perfect the entire time: cold enough to keep everything snowy but not so cold as to be unbearable. The younglings took well to skiing, or at least two of the three of them; Jacen wiped out several times after trying to depend solely on the Force (and not also his ski poles) to propel him down the slope. He declined to try snowboarding the day after and was much happier the day they visited the tauntaun corral. There Jaina, in turn, spent the entire time complaining about the smell (and threw her father a what-are-you-talking-about look when he reminded her that they smelled much worse on the inside). There was snow-fortress building, snow-being building, snowshoeing through the valley, and an impromptu snow-Diathim competition, judged by Leia and declared a three-way tie. Through it all, Jacen regaled everyone with facts about the local wildlife (“did you know that wampas are matriarchal and form mating cohorts of twelve to fourteen individuals each?”), and Jaina regaled everyone with facts about the latest snowspeeder technology from the Incom Corporation (“Ooh, look, there’s one of the new T-49-Qs! Did you know it’s got a maximum speed of 1250 km/h and is equipped with three forward miniquad cannons and two Ubrikkian Model K harpoon launchers!”). Anakin mostly just let it all wash over him. Han, for his own part, was always glad to return to the lodge to enjoy a nice Whyren’s-and-chocolate in front of a roaring fire.

But on the whole he couldn’t deny that the vacation was going well. The younglings were certainly doing a bang-up job getting all that energy out. The more of that happened out here and the less of it on the Falcon, all the better.

Then, on the fifth evening or so, they were all warming themselves in the lodge after a long day on the slopes. Anakin was reading his book, the twins were engaged in a lively game of Ecumenopoly, and Leia, sitting beside Han on the large, cushion-covered couch, wondered aloud: “Do you think the underground river is still here?”

It was a completely understandable thing for her to wonder about. Han knew exactly which underground river she meant: the one flowing deep beneath the base, nestled in the planet’s bedrock and fed by rich, warm mineral springs, where he had once found her lighting and floating tiny candles in memory of her lost homeworld, in observance of the Alderaanian holiday called the Day of Remembrances. She had let him light and launch a candle of his own, in memory of his adoptive Wookiee mother, Dewlanna, and they had shared a commemorative toast afterward. But—

“—wait, didn’t we just celebrate the Day of Remembrances?” Han asked, baffled. “Back at Coruscant Park? Anakin dropped the bag of candles into the pond and the twins had to… levitate them back or whatever?”

“Yes, of course,” Leia laughed. “And the angry flock of ducks that Jacen had to calm. How could I forget?” She cast a glance over to where her children were occupying themselves happily in front of the fireplace. “No, I’m just curious to see if it’s still there, what with all the new development at all. The resort management would probably frown on my trying any funny business with candles, anyway.”

“Hey, sweetheart, you’re the head of state now. They’ll let you do anything you want.”

“Hardly.”

Han shrugged (as always). “Well, I guess you could ask at the desk.”

“That’s what I shall do.”

They were silent for a few minutes. Han sipped his Whyren’s-and-chocolate and nestled closer to his wife, enjoying the warmth of the fire, of her next to him, of the cheer and contentment radiating from his children at their various pursuits and from all the visitors who were enjoying a warm, cozy time in this warm, cozy place. And then he spoke the words he would regret later:

“Y’know, if it’s still there and they let you down there, I can watch the younglings.”

Leia’s smile lit up the room as she turned to him and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, dear, that’s very sweet of you,” she said. “But be careful of what you offer to do. You might have to actually do it.”

“Hey,” Han smiled back and returned the kiss. “It’s me.”

to be continued

Spoiler: Notes

“Snowsnowsnow SNOW SNOW….”: See if you can guess what the twins are singing at the start.

The transformation of Echo Base into Echo Basin Resort and Ski Lodge is purely fanon. Why shouldn’t skiing and snowboarding exist in the GFFA too?

Juran Mountains: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Juran_Mountains. You know there has to be skiing there, because it’s almost the same name as the Jura Mountains in Switzerland.

Diathim: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Diathim. Also known as Angels, so a snow-Diathim is… get it?

T-49-Q: The snowspeeder we know from ESB is the T-47, so I’m just extrapolating about future models and generally pulling technobabble out of my ear. Ditto with the business about wampas’ mating cohorts.

“where he had once found her lighting and floating tiny candles . . . Day of Remembrances”: This location and this custom are from Mira_Jade’s own wonderful fanon, borrowed with gratitude from her poignant and beautiful “we’ll take a cup of kindness yet.” I couldn’t have the Solo family go to Hoth without in some way recalling the events of this gorgeous story.

Coruscant Park: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Coruscant_Park. I looked up “parks on Coruscant,” and, well, this one was exactly what it said on the tin.

 

Gah! THIS! This story was every bit of what I wanted when I made my request! Just some easy breezy Solo-family happiness, with some fun in the snow to commemorate this most wonderful time of year! I can't thank you enough for stepping in to write - it was well worth the wait, in every possible way.

And, to flail over some particulars:

Bwaha! Yep, I think that I caught the melody there! What a wonderful way to break the fourth wall, and, of course, to open this up on a wholly fun, light-hearted note. I had such a smile stuck to my face from the beginning, and I didn't lose it the entire way through.

Because that's exactly what I would have chosen as some light vacation reading. Oh, Anakin.

I can't tell you how much my heart hurt - in a good, nostalgic way, of course - to see the Solo kids being, well, kids. Kids, and siblings who so clearly love and yet get on each others' nerves at the same time! It was just such a relatable, real moment of family ruckus. That is just what these characters deserve and more, in my humble opinion on the matter.

Yep - I can't say that I blamed Han there. (And I love that it was that, after everything else currently going on with his family, that managed to snare his attention.)

Throughout all of the happy family hijinks, I really appreciated the thread of reminiscing on Leia's part that was woven throughout the story. Remembering her family on Alderaan and her first Day of Remembrances with Han was bittersweet, but then there was her wholly fond memories of the beginning of their relationship on Hoth, which was of course the inception of the whole family vacation in the first place. I can certainly empathize with Leia wanting to return, and appreciate the time she's giving herself to breathe and reflect on everything she's been through for better or worse - something I know that we all agree that she doesn't usually allow herself enough of!

(Also, I loved the note of Winter hating, well, the winter and any related sports. A fun note of irony, that was. )

JACEN WIPING OUT AT SKIING!!!!! Yes, head!canon accepted!!! And of course he would love the tauntaun corral - there's our EU beast warden as he should have been.

Oh! The Solo kids are just so wonderfully in character here - so, so in character, in all the ways that I loved best. I know that you said that you're working with an unfamiliar cast and timeframe, but you really captured everything that I personally love about the Legends 'verse. Thank-you so very much.

Gah!! This little memory alone was perfect all by itself! I can't tell you how much I smiled for that. Because . . . yeah, that would totally happen.

Exactly, Han, dear - it's you, no matter how sweet you are for your intentions. I can't wait to see the encounter I think is coming between father and children in the next part. (And yay, there's a next part; I feel doubly spoiled!)

Once again, not to sound redundant or anything, but I can't thank you enough for taking on the task of writing this for me. I enjoyed every word more than I can say!


~MJ

 

Gosh, do I feel sheepish. It really has been way too long since I updated this—as in, inexcusably too long, and now we’re practically almost at next winter! My best excuse is that, well, I guess I got distracted by other projects, but I know that's a crummy excuse given the amount of time I had and the nature of a gift project like thus. All I can do is apologize, profusely and sincerely, especially to @Mira_Jade.

BUT—the main reason I'm returning and posting these responses at all is that I've actually managed to regain my groove on this story, with the result that I’VE FINISHED THE STORY NOW and that the second and final chapter is around the corner! You all will get a Solo family snowball fight in late summer—but think of it this way: it'll make for a nice respite during the dog days, no?

So, in the meantime, I'll take a moment to acknowledge and thank you wonderful readers:

Thanks so much, Nyota! Yes, I guess it would definitely have fit in with that challenge too—worked out well, then! So glad you enjoyed H/L and their kiddos in this—a new cast for me, but a really super fun one so far!

Thank you so much for this, Mira, it's much appreciated! I'm so glad this hit the spot—I'm just painfully sorry that it's taken me so long to wrap it up.

Thanks! And hey, I figure Star Wars is Star Wars is Star Wars, so why not bring in that familiar tune?

Yes, from what I've read about him, that seemed like a perfect fit!

I'm so glad to hear that came off well, because not only are the Solo kids new to me, but I'm also an only child, so the whole siblings dynamic is new to me, too. And I do get the feeling they didn't really get a lot of just sho-'nuff family time like this in the official lore—because one doesn't get a lot of that when one is portrayed as a Bombad Galactic Hero Constantly Called on to Save the Day. So I am very glad and honored I could fill that gap, in some small way.

My thinking too! All the youngling chaos is, in a way, old hat to him by now, but I figured after all he (Han) personally went through on Hoth, a comment like that would be sure to get his attention.

I really wanted to give homage in some way to "We'll Take a Cup of Kindness Yet," to the beautiful fanon custom you established there and to the deeply poignant view of Leia's emotions and memories you give us there. And indeed, as you point out, Hoth has sentimental connections to Han and Leia already, because it's where their relationship really first got its start. All reasons that I was thrilled when you requested a winter adventure and immediately said to myself, "HOTH!"

Thanks—file that one under "too perfect not to"!

Hah, I thought so too, on both counts! When I was reading about Jacen I read that one of his foibles was the tendency to depend too much on the Force for things, and then figured that plus skiing could have some... well, humorously disastrous results.

You are so very welcome, again I'm just so thrilled that I managed to get these characters right. It was so much fun getting to know them!

Thanks so much! And yes, I totally thought so too! It just seemed to make sense that the Day of Remembrances would take on a whole other dimension once the younglings were involved—life and joy in the midst of mourning, and all that!

Yep, it is Han, and that's how you know something... well, not at all boring will happen! At least I hope it will be not at all boring—and this time I mean it when I say that it is right around the corner. (Sorry again for being so, so remiss with this.)

It was, and still is, my great pleasure, and I'm so glad you're enjoying it! (And I know I sound redundant with that too, but I do mean every word, every time! )

Thank you, SiouxFan, for coming by to read—I really appreciate it and am so glad to have you here! I completely agree with you about snow and skiing in the GFFA; that's probably exactly what happened on our own Earth, after all! And once all the galactic dust has settled, Hoth would of course be the perfect place. Thanks again!

Thanks so much, I'm so glad you enjoyed this! It was just so much fun to write these characters as a sho'-nuff space!family all having fun together, and Han by this point has most certainly seen it all—after all the adventures of the OT and beyond, a little tween bickering isn't going to ruffle him in the least! I have to say that I personally feel the same way as he and Winter do as far as winter sports and vacationing and, well, winter itself is concerned; I'm much more of a warm-weather person. But that, along with the siblings dynamic that's equally a new thing for me, is precisely what made this whole story such a fun challenge! Hoth is definitely a place of mixed memories for Han and Leia; their relationship started in earnest there, but they were also fighting for their lives there. And now that Echo Basin Resort and Ski Lodge is a thing, they're going to get a whole slough of a new memories associated with the place...

...namely, of the Family Fun variety! Now that the war is over, all of that snow can be used for good, and for fun. And I would totally be Jacen if I tried to ski or even snowboard—but then again, I see where Jaina's coming from about the tauntauns, too.

Oh, they most certainly aren't without a basis, as you'll very soon see! He's definitely a (former) scoundrel with a generous heart, it's true, and he'll do the best he can, the dear old thing. (Plus, Leia deserves the alone time, and he knows it. <3 )

Oh, that it will be for sure! And of course the angry duck story-within-a-story was another case of "just can't help myself," once I found out that Jacen had an Ezra-like affinity for animals. Thanks so much once again for reading, betaing, and supporting, and stay tuned for more soon—for real, this time!

 

And here, at loooong last, is the second and final chapter, snowball fight and all! For @Mira_Jade , with great affection and admiration, and in hopes that she'll forgive me for taking so ridiculously long with this. Many thanks once again to @Raissa Baiard for beta reading and invaluable advice.

---

Two

The underground river still was indeed still there, Leia learned the next day. The resort desk manager—a very large, very friendly female Whiphid whose name tag read “Saneeth,” with “Toola, Kaelta System” in smaller type below—conducted Leia down to it personally. Han gave her a jaunty wave as she and her guide disappeared down the basement corridor. So far so good, he figured—his wife would have a nice chunk of the day to herself, exploring and reminiscing, and he and the younglings would simply head out to the lifts for yet another fun day on the slopes.

It soon became clear, however, that that would be no means as easy or as pleasant as it sounded. A fairly substantial snowstorm had managed to get through the weather modification net overnight, and the winds were so high that they knocked out power to the repulsorfield generators powering the lifts. As a result, in order to get out to the slopes, one had to rent either a tauntaun or one of the snowspeeders, and the facilities for both were located at some distance offsite. So even though there would be a good bit of extra, fresh snow for skiing and boarding, the Solos were going to have to spend some time tramping through it if they wanted to get to the actual skiing and boarding. Some was still falling, not heavily but still steadily.

And while Anakin would gladly have spent the day in the lodge curled up with his book, he was roundly overruled by his elder siblings—or at least by one of them.

“I’m not spending the whole day playing Ecumenopoly with Jacen,” sniffed Jaina. “He cheats.”

Anakin threw up his hands. “Then play Novacrown or Tactego with him instead!”

“He’d just cheat at those, too!”

“What else was I supposed to do?!” Jacen blustered. “You had, like, fifteen orbital stations on Empress Teta and Coruscant!”

“Then you could have mortgaged something!”

“ALL RIGHT, YOU THREE,” Han interposed. “Knock it off. We’re gonna head out to the slopes, somehow, someway, and we’re gonna enjoy it, got that?”

“But Da-ad!”

“No ‘but Dads,’ Ani. There’s no way I’m gonna let myself be cooped up in the lodge with you three all day. I’d go spare.” Three youthful sighs went up, as though acknowledging the justice of this statement. “Now c’mon. Get your gear on and let’s get going.”

* * *​

So they got their gear on and got going. And naturally, while tramping across the spacious resort grounds through the plentiful and steadily accumulating snow, the question arose of which conveyance they would choose for the day’s trip to the slopes. Jacen was the first to come forward with a preference.

“Tauntaun. Definitely tauntaun.”

“Eww, no,” remonstrated his sister. “It was bad enough just being in the corral with those horrible, stinky things. There’s no way anyone’s making me get on one.”

“Plus, Dad, didn’t you have one freeze on you that time?” asked Anakin.

“Yep, sure did.” Han’s eyes turned upward in reminiscence. “When I went out to rescue your Uncle Luke during the war.”

“Oh yeah! That’s right! And it was a really bad snowstorm, right? And you had to cut it open and stuff Uncle Luke inside with all the blood and guts and—”

“EWWWWW!” Jaina left her opinion of the matter in no doubt.

Jacen rolled his eyes. “Honestly, Jaya, you’re such a wimp.”

After a few more minutes of trudging, they reached the boundary wall of the resort grounds. A maintenance turret, with a blast door emblazoned EMPLOYEES ONLY set in its base, bulged out in front of them, and in front of it the main pathway (or what they could see of it in the steadily building snow) branched off in two directions.

“All right, kids,” Han announced. “Time to decide what we’re gonna do, because the tauntauns are that way and the speeders are that way.”

Jacen spoke up. “Okay, so guys, the tauntaun freezing thing? Like, definitely not going to happen.”

“And you’re so sure of this how?” rejoined his sister.

“Well, Dad, that happened at nighttime, right, Dad?” Han nodded. “Well, so, the tauntaun is uniquely adapted to survive Hoth’s daytime temperatures, so—”

“Yeah, well, so’s the Incom T-49-Q. And it’s a lot faster. And we’d only have to rent one.”

Jacen scowled. “You never did have any appreciation for the Living Force.”

“I appreciate the Living Force just fine! Just not when it smells like the ’fresher at a Hutt Space transport station!” Jaina loomed in her twin’s face. “Which, sorry not sorry, it does most of the time!”

Jacen fixed his sister with a smoldering glare. “That’s disrespectful, you know.”

“Pffft, you think I care?! You can take your Living Force and STUFF IT!”

“WHY YOU—”

Several things happened at once. Anakin burst into nervous giggles. Han rolled his eyes and attempted a rather ineffectual “All right, you two.” And Jacen, teeth gritted and eyes still smoldering, and motioned with his hand out toward the snowy landscape...

FWAPP! In a single moment wad of snow rose from the ground, coagulated into something like a ball, sailed through the air, and hit Jaina squarely in the face.

“YOU—YOU BANTHA BRAIN!” And she, too, flung her hand out over the snow, sending another snowball flying through the air to hit Jacen on the forehead. Jacen, unfazed, raised both hands to summon two snowballs in Jaina’s direction—when a sudden gust of wind sent one of them flying straight at Anakin’s ear.

“Hey! Stop that!” yelled Anakin, sending a snowball of his own flying at Jacen, who in turn sent one back at his younger brother—

BIFF! BAFF! POFF! PFFFT! WHAM! For several minutes snowballs went whizzing through the already powdery air, lent extra speed and intensity by the Force. All Han’s attempts to restore order were fruitless; the best he could do was try to dodge out of the way of the flying snow, occasionally muttering things like “oh, for the—” and “this is ridiculous.” On and on on the chaos went—PIFF! PAFF! BOFF! WHUMPH! SPLATT!—until there was one final, supreme THWAPP!, followed by—

“What’s going on here?!”

All four Solos spun around at the sound of a very familiar voice. For the diminutive, stern-faced, Human figure that had just emerged from the metal door of the maintenance turret—and at that same moment received a face full of snow—was none other than Leia Organa Solo herself.

“Er, hi, Mom,” Jaina began in tentative tones. “We weren’t expecting you…”

“I see that,” Leia replied, exuding unmistakable maternal authority even as she brushed snow from her face. “Now would someone kindly explain what this is all about?”

Anakin piped up. “OK, so my twin siblings here were just trying to decide whether to rent a speeder or tauntauns to get out to the slopes—”

“By Force-throwing snowballs at each other.” Leia cocked her head incredulously as she turned toward the twins, who just shuffled their feet sheepishly in the snow. “And have you come to a decision yet?”

“Yes,” announced Jacen. “We decided tauntauns.”

“No, we didn’t!”

“YES, WE DID!” growled Jacen, thrusting his hand out over the snow again.

“HEY! ENOUGH, ALL RIGHT?!” Han stepped between the twins, and Jacen dropped his hand. “Tell you what. Let’s let your mother decide.”

“But Dad!” came two preteen voices almost simultaneously.

“Let’s let your mother decide,” Han repeated through gritted teeth.

Leia took a deep breath in and looked around at her three breathless, flush-cheeked, and still largely snow-covered children. “Aurek,” she began, “it looks to me like you all have had enough excitement for one day. Besh”—she put an arm around Han—“your father has definitely had enough excitement for the day. He’s not getting any younger, you know.” (“Hey!” he interjected.) “Cresh, look how the snow is picking up. So I say we go back to the lodge and relax in front of a nice fire.”

There was silence for a moment as her family looked at each other, considering this.

“Well, what do you say?” Leia said again. “We can always come back out to the slopes tomorrow. The lifts will probably be fixed, and we’ll have some nice fresh powder.”

The twins looked at each other, then looked at her and shrugged an “Okay.” Han heaved a barely disguised sigh of relief. And, as the five Solos began to make their way back along the snow-thick main path, Anakin allowed himself a silent fist pump.

* * *​

Later, back at the lodge, the Solo family rested around a large, merrily crackling fire. Jacen and Jaina were immersed in a game of Tactego on the floor, Anakin was curled up in a large armchair with Principles of Hypermatter Physics, 17th edition, and Han and Leia were once again nestled together on the sofa, sipping hot drinks—Leia a decadent whip-topped Corellian caf, and Han his customary Whyren’s-and-chocolate.

“So, how was the river?” Han asked presently.

“It was wonderful,” Leia replied. “Just as I remembered it, with the blue side pools and the green and red mineral jets and all the crystals everywhere. And you were right, Saneeth let me bring a candle to float.”

Han put an arm around her. “Told you they’d let you do anything you wanted.”

“Well, just one candle,” Leia replied with a chuckle. “One of those little tea lights from the lounge. There’s still the Republic Fire Code and all that. But oh, Han, it was so beautiful, the way it lit up all the colors in the pools and the crystals on the walls… Someday we’ll have to take the younglings down there, you know.”

“Yeah, someday.” Han took a swig of his drink. “Emphasis on someday. I’ve had enough youngling chaos for… oh, a good Standard year or two.”

“Oh, it would be fine. No ducks down there.” They shared a brief laugh of reminiscence, then Leia continued. “But seriously, Han, they’re good kids—you know they are. Look at them playing so calmly and so nicely—”

Just then a loud “WOOHOO! PAR-TAY!” went up from Jaina, followed by an equally loud “SITHSPIT!” from Jacen, one of whose Battalion Commanders had just walked right into one of her Ion Mines. “But that was a Corporal!” he insisted. “I know that was a Corporal!”

“Looks like the Force wasn’t so strong with you after all, CHEA-TER!” (Jaina’s retort.)

“YOU GUYS! I’m trying to CONCENTRATE HERE!” (Anakin, looking darkly up from his physics equations.)

“PHBBBBBBT!” (The twins, simultaneously, in their little brother’s direction.)

Han and Leia smiled and snuggled together on the sofa—Han kissing his wife’s head, Leia nestling onto her husband’s shoulder, and both relishing each other’s warmth in the firelight. There might not have been any skiing that day—nor any speeders or tauntauns either—but they knew for a fact that there was no better après anywhere in the Galaxy.

the end

---

Spoiler: Notes

Whiphid: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Whiphid. This is the species of J’Quille from Jabba’s Palace; their homeworld, Toola (https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Toola/Legends, which is indeed in the Kaelta System), is another winterlocked world. Saneeth’s name tag is based on Earth hotel employee name tags that show the person’s name and the city or country they come from.

Novacrown: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Novacrown

Once again, the underground river on Hoth and its features are borrowed with immense gratitude from Mira_Jade’s “we’ll take a cup of kindness yet.” Thank you, Mira, for letting them be part of this story as well.

 

GAH!!!!!

You have to know that I enjoyed every word of this! Don't you for a second worry about how long this took, because it was a delight to read that was worth the wait! This was exactly what I wanted; I couldn't have imagined anything better - and as a bonus of winter themed fun in the summer, which is never a bad thing.

And, in particular . . .

Bwaha! And so it goes with the best laid plans of Solos and Skywalkers! Of course Hoth is having her say, no matter what the tourists have in mind.

But, where there's a will, there's a way! And Han has a surpluss of both.

It is a fact that every pair of siblings everywhere has had the great 'emucenopoly' debate. Of course Jaina always wins; of course Jacen tries to cheat.

I loved the siblings bantering here more than I can say!

And Jacen is still just such a boy here! I'm with Jaina!!

Poor Han - he's just plain outnumbered. You could see the argument spiraling beyond his control until they just had to duel it out with the snow - and the Force! I loved how your sound effects added to the writing too! I swear I got a chill just from reading.

Oh Leia. I love how regal and Mother Authority she is even after getting hit in the face with a snowball. I could perfectly envision this scene!!

ANAKIN!!! I SERIOUSLY LOST IT WHEEZING HERE. Perfect line is perfectly IC.

Wise man! But that's why Mom and Dad are a perfect team here. I loved seeing the Solo family's dynamics at their best.

Sounds like wisdom to me! Besides, it seems like the children already got their energy out having fun in the snow.

Loved how Leia got in that little dig at her husband, too - the children got their propensity for snark and banter somewhere.

Aw! I'm so glad that Leia was able to take this moment for herself. And it was wonderful to see the underground river featured again. Thank you for painting the scene so vividly through Leia's words!

Bwaha!! Can't say I blame Han there. Though this was extra bittersweet, thinking about him visiting with Jaina and Alanna years down the line.

Oh no, she said the magic words!

I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW ESSENTIAL THIS WAS TO MY SOUL!!!! Such nonstalgic Legends feels, in the best of ways.

And a lovely way to end such a lovely treat of a fic.

Thank you so much for stepping in to write this, again! It was a gift I'm definitely going to come back and savor.

 

Thank you all for reading, reviewing, and enjoying!

Thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed this! Leia really does know best, and her family knows it, too! I wish I could take credit for the beautiful river, though I can't; it was created by @Mira_Jade, and of course her "we'll take a cup of kindness yet" has absolutely beautiful H/L togetherness in that very spot. It sure would be a lovely place for the whole Solo family to go together sometime, though—and they wouldn't have to worry about any pesky ducks!

Thanks! Yep, I imagine controlling the weather is always going to be at least somewhat of an uphill battle, even with advanced galactic technology. And just as in RL, sometimes things just break. But hey, those moments when things go wrong can become some of the most memorable on a family trip (Well, once some time has passed and everyone's back home and relaxed again, that is! ) Weather modification nets are something I've seen more in the Star Trek universe than SW, but it just seemed to fit with a place like a ski resort, so I saw no harm in just shamelessly lifting it.

Now, just honestly, I have to say that for my own part I lean a bit more toward Jaina's preference on this one, though it's true that this isn't anywhere near kind of conditions under which one of the tauntauns would be likely to freeze to death. I'm glad you enjoyed their argument, though; that was one I angsted over a long time in terms of getting the transition to the snowball fight just right! At that point it was easy, as it was just a matter of coming up with more onomatopoeia.

Oh, he knows for sure what's best and how to bring order to the family, and he doesn't back down! And Leia is totally right, of course: her assessment of the situation is spot-on, both as regards her kiddos and her husband. Some nice, cozy, quiet time in front of a roaring fire will be just the thing after all the chaos and bickering.

Yep, she said the magic word, didn't she? And it's back to full circle again, indeed, which is family life for you! But even that right there is a sign that things really are perfect! And while most après are intended for winding down after a perfect day, well, in this case, the après is precisely where the day becomes a perfect day, if that makes sense!

You're so welcome, and I'm so glad you enjoyed this story! I had so much fun writing it.

Thank you so much! It makes me so happy to know that, given how sheepish I feel about not having completed it back in actual winter. I'm so glad this hit the spot for you—it was an absolutely spot-on perfect idea for a fic-gift prompt—and I really had a grand time writing it and exploring these characters and this family dynamic!

Oh yes, indeed, he's at least as stubborn as the landscape he's in; they're well matched, in a way, as they were in ESB! And, again, "sentients vs. weather" is always going to be an uphill battle, no matter how advanced the technology. (That said, maybe Corellian sentients stand a better chance, just in terms of pure pigheadedness! )

Oh yes, that's for sure! I don't have siblings, but I bickered over Monopoly many times with my friends just like this. And thanks, I'm so glad you liked how the banter turned out! Again, I always feel like I'm groping in the dark a bit when I'm writing siblings, so I'm extra glad to hear it worked well.

Yep, again, I'm afraid I am, too, in this case.

Thanks so much! This was fun to write—just a chance to let loose with some onomatopoeic fun. I too felt kind of sorry for Han, though! Being outnumbered by tweens is one thing, being outnumbered by Force-sensitive tweens, quite another.

Thanks! It takes more than one little piffling snowball to take her regal authority away! A princess who rules with snow on her face is a real princess indeed.

And thanks for this, too! He was the one of the three I felt I had the least handle on character-wise, so I'm glad to know he came off in character here.

I understand this is often how these things go!

These two really do complement each other so well—that's why they were such a blast to write!

They totally did, and in its way it was not a day wasted at all!

Oh, yes, they've had the very best teachers in that area!

You're very welcome, and thank you again for letting me borrow that absolutely wonderful location and concept! It just felt right, and she so richly deserves some nice alone time in a beautiful place. And just as a little personal aside, now that I have seen the hot springs of Yellowstone, I have newfound appreciation for just how beautiful a place like that must be! <3

Yes, good point there... that may indeed come back to haunt him a bit.

Dun dun dunnn... it was indeed bound to happen, wasn't it!

Aw, thanks! I'm so glad this little bit of repartee gave you a smile. It really was fun just writing them kicking back and goofing off and having fun and bickering a little, but always coming back to having fun.

Aw, thank you! Nothing like ending a day, and a story, with some cozy family together time and general good feelings all around, I figure.

You are very welcome, and it was my HUGE pleasure to be able to write this for you—so thank YOU for that, too!

Oh, no worries at all—there's no such thing as too late. And you're so welcome! I'm so glad you enjoyed this and stopped by to read.

Hah, isn't that the truth!

Oh my gosh, I could see where that would have been a bit scary! Vacation mishaps really are the mishappiest mishaps, aren't they? But then again, they make for the best stories afterward, too!

Oh, I would think you are definitely right about that.

You are very welcome, and thank you so much for reading and enjoying! Great to have you on board!

Thank you so much! This is the first time I've written anything with the Solo family, so I'm especially glad it pleased a Solo family aficionado such as yourself—I really appreciate it!

Thank you, I'm so glad to see you here! Confession time: I have never been skiing myself and I had to look up pretty much ALL the lingo, so that makes me doubly tickled that an experienced skier like you enjoyed this! Thanks again.

 

Sorry to be so tardy in replying to this—thank you so much, Lynda! I'm so glad you enjoyed this and really appreciated your coming by to read. It was my first time writing Han and his Legends family, so I'm especially stoked that it was enjoyed so much by a Han/Leia maven such as yourself! Hope to see you around some more.