Nightmare

by Julie Horwitz

Story one of the "Hell on Doom" duology. Allura's worst nightmare comes true. Her experience changes her life forever.

1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:

The following is a work of fanfiction. All characters and situations belonging to "Voltron: Defender of the Universe" and "Voltron Force" are copyrighted to World Event Productions. Everything else is of my own creation.

Author's Notes:

This story is an AU from all of my other Voltron stories. It still takes place in the "Voltron Force" universe, but it occurs earlier in the timeline, during the period of the original series. The events of the story fall some time between the episodes "Summit Meeting" and "Return of Coran's Son." Everything up until that point is still canon except for any small changes reflected in the "Voltron Force" series, such as the mice being cybernetic and the character redesigns.
I primarily use the information provided by the cartoons for character history. Anything not recognizable has been invented for the purposes of the story. Later parts of the story will borrow some information from the "Voltron: Year One" comic mini-series, written by Brandon Thomas and Craig Cermak.
This is a very dark story. It is part one of a duology called "Hell on Doom." It is for mature readers only. It contains scenes of violence, death, and strong sexual content. I highly recommend that it is not read by younger readers or anyone who is uncomfortable with unpleasant material. There will eventually be a happy ending, but not until the second story.
The idea for this story came as a joke while I was watching the movie "Mamma Mia!". I wasn't going to write it at first, but it was suggested that I should. Although the original idea was humorous, the story itself is not.
Just to let everyone know, this is ultimately a Keith/Allura story. I know some readers do not like the pairing and I wanted to give a fair warning.
All questions and comments may be sent to me at my e-mail address. Please see my author profile for details.
Thank you and I hope you enjoy the story.

Nightmare
by
Julie Horwitz

"Incompetent nitwit!" King Zarkon roared upon receiving the news of his son's latest defeat by Voltron. "Unworthy spawn!"

Haggar calmly listened to this latest temper tantrum from her position near the throne as she mindlessly stroked the purring Coba, who was sitting on her lap as always. She knew it would not be long before Zarkon turned his rage onto her. (As if it were her fault that Voltron had destroyed her latest Robeast. She merely gave them life. She did not control them.) And once more she'd play the part of the chastised servant.

It was getting tiresome.

When she had offered Zarkon her magical services all those years ago, she had greatly underestimated his strength and intelligence. He had far surpassed any of her expectations. She had never dreamed that he'd prove to be such an excellent conqueror and leader. She had soon realized that it would be impossible to exert any influence over him. The only way she'd ever achieve the power she had hoped for was to wait for a suitable puppet to come along that she could manipulate into overthrowing Zarkon for her.

And she had found the perfect puppet in Prince Lotor.

Zarkon's son lacked every quality that made his father the strong ruler that he was. The only trait he had inherited was Zarkon's temper. Lotor was self-indulgent and entitled, believing himself to be owed greatness by the universe for doing nothing more than existing. He was impatient and easily flew into rages when things were not going his way as he expected them to naturally do. He wanted what he wanted and he wanted it now. He cared for no one but himself and was highly ambitious. In other words, the ideal figurehead to be put on the throne.

And the key to securing Lotor's eternal loyalty was to give him the one thing he wanted more than anything else in the universe: the princess of Arus.

Haggar couldn't see what Lotor found so irresistible about Allura. She was little different from the other women who populated his harem, blonde and fair skinned. And it wasn't as if he had never added a princess to his female collection before. There had been many. But if possessing this particular girl would make him more pliable to her will, then by all the dark gods above, he would have her.

And Haggar would be the one to personally make sure that he got her.

She had tried to help him several times before, but his impatience and arrogance always ruined everything. Lotor failed to understand the importance of following a plan through to conclusion before declaring victory. His need to constantly taunt his enemies gave them the opportunities they needed to defeat him. It was another of his many shortcomings. It was her hope that once he had Allura in his possession that she'd be able to focus his attention on more important matters, such as removing his father from the throne.

"This is all your fault, old witch!" Zarkon bellowed, cutting into her reverie. "This Robeast was a failure like all your others! I was foolish to believe your claim that this one was different!"

"Please, Sire!" she cried in as realistic a begging tone as she could manage. "My Robeast performed perfectly! It was just bad luck that Voltron was able to defeat it."

She had found that that it was in her best interests to always allow Zarkon to believe that he was chastising her. The more power he believed he had over her, the less he would suspect her true intentions of wanting him overthrown.

"Bad luck? Bad luck? All you ever have is bad luck, old witch! You're as pathetic as my son!" Zarkon ranted on. "I should replace the both of you!"

Haggar knocked Coba from her lap (she would make it up to him later) and fell to her knees in what Zarkon would believe to be a pose of submission.

Although she knew his threat of replacing her was empty (he needed her more than she needed him although he would never admit it), Zarkon had come very close on multiple occasions of ridding himself of Lotor. And that was not something Haggar would allow to happen.

Not unless she could find a more useful weapon against Zarkon.

"No, Sire! You can't replace your son! There is no one more loyal to you!"

She chose her words and emotional display with care. She had led Zarkon to believe that she had a special fondness for Lotor. It would be out of character for her not to be upset over his possible permanent removal from Doom.

"Bah!" Zarkon snorted. "The only one my worthless son is loyal to is himself. He cares for nothing other than pursuing that pathetic princess. He's a disgrace to the empire."

Haggar decided that it was the right time to present the scheme she had come up with for abducting the princess from Arus. She had planned it some time ago and had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to tell it to Zarkon. The predicted results alone would be enough to ensure Zarkon's support.

"His quest to marry the princess has merely caused him to lose his focus, Your Majesty," Haggar informed him, all earlier emotion gone from her voice. She resumed stroking Coba, who had returned to her side. She raised her eyes to meet his, but did not get up from the floor. She did not want to seem too eager. "As soon as he has her, he will return to the way he was before."

Zarkon gave her a look. "An interesting theory, but one I sincerely doubt will ever be tested. You know as well as I do that my pathetic son will never have Allura of Arus. She is simply out of his reach and always will be. But he'll just continue to waste his time obsessing over that lost cause. Look at how many times he's already tried and failed to take her. You've even assisted him a few times, Haggar, and he still couldn't succeed. He's become an embarrassment to my throne."

"I can get her for him, Sire," Haggar simply let him know.

Zarkon openly laughed. "You? You couldn't even eliminate her when you were in the same room with her! What makes you think you could capture her?"

Haggar ignored the insult. Zarkon was referring to her infiltration of the princess' castle more than a year ago. She had been disguised as Allura's aunt Orla. The trusting princess had accepted her as her aunt without question. Her failure, as humiliating as it was to admit, was a result of her inability to disguise her revulsion at the princess's "friends," a group of cybernetic rodents. If she hadn't made such a scene when the vermin first tried to greet her, they probably would not have kept such a close eye on her afterwards. It was her own fault that they had been there to observe her first attempt on Allura's life. They had of course interrupted and foiled the strike and then they had run off to somehow warn the Voltron Force that something was amiss. It was a hard-learned lesson, but she would be more mindful of her behavior the next time she tried impersonating someone.

"Because, unlike Lotor, I will exploit her greatest weakness," she explained. "Princess Allura possesses the single most trusting nature I have ever encountered. She believes that everyone she meets is inherently good. She will never question anyone's actions unless she is given a good reason, such as all of us here on Doom. I will use this weakness to isolate her from her protectors. Once I have her alone, it will be easy to remove her from Arus with no one being the wiser."

Haggar knew she had won Zarkon's support by the expression on his face. He was clearly intrigued.

"And you're absolutely certain this scheme will work, old witch?"

She smiled. "Allow me to return to Arus immediately. Once my plan is set into motion, Allura will be in Lotor's possession in mere days."

"Then go. And don't bother coming back unless it is with the princess."

"It will be done."

And then Haggar let out a gleeful cackle.

Zarkon had just unknowingly signed his own death warrant.

Control of the Drule Empire would soon be hers.

((()))

Keith Kogane, commander of the Voltron Force, had a very bad feeling about the man who was speaking with Allura and Coran.

The four of them were sitting in one of the Castle of Lions' many conference rooms. The stranger, who called himself Stayden, had arrived at the castle by wagon nearly a half hour ago. (Keith had taken an instant dislike to the man. He couldn't say why, as he did not appear to be a threat, but there was just something about him that did not sit right with him. He had learned many years ago to trust his feelings. They were rarely wrong...) Stayden claimed he had come as the representative for the farming community of Jancia. (A quick check of the castle database had verified Jancia's existence. It was a small settlement about five hours away from the castle in a very isolated area. About that much, at least, he was being truthful.) His purpose was to invite the princess to a festival being held in her honor.

The princess and no one else.

As soon as Stayden had said that, warning bells had gone off at the back of Keith's mind. Arusian society was very old-fashioned and traditional. Young unmarried women, royal or not, did not travel anywhere without a protective escort of some kind. What was the point of asking Allura to come without one? (The Jancian council could not be ignorant enough to believe that anyone here in the castle would entrust Allura's safety to a complete stranger.) Yet Stayden had made it very clear that his council expected her to travel with him unaccompanied, which made no sense. She was the most important living being on the entire planet. Why insist that she go out into the open unprotected? Something was clearly very wrong with this entire situation.

In his opinion, it would be a mistake for her to go at all.

But knowing Allura as well as he did (the princess would do almost anything to keep her people happy), she was going to insist on attending this festival, which was going to last three days according to Stayden. But there was no way in hell that he was going to let her go alone. He was going to make sure that at least one member of the Voltron Force went with her. (If it weren't for the mandatory Galaxy Garrison conference he had to attend the next day, he would insist on being the one to accompany her himself. But he knew there wasn't any way out of it. Not if he wanted to keep his command...) There were no others he'd trust with her life. Lance, Hunk, or Pidge would all do everything in their power to keep her safe.

The same way that he himself would...

"You've done so much for your people over the years, Your Highness," Stayden was saying. "It was the unanimous decision of our council that it was about time some of your people expressed their gratitude to you. We felt that a festival was the best way we could do that."

"Your council is too generous, Stayden," Allura told him, proving that once again she had instantly accepted and trusted a total stranger without a second thought. (She was too innocent and naïve for her own good. She never distrusted someone unless she knew they came from Doom. She believed in the innate goodness of everyone she met.) "But I don't do any of the things I do for a reward. I do them because I want nothing more than for my people to be safe and happy. Everything I do is out of love for all of you. What is a ruler without her people? There is no need to reward me for simply doing what is right."

Despite his uneasiness at the situation, Allura's words made Keith want to smile. She was so good, so generous. Everything she did exuded pure love. She truly was the best humanity had to offer. He'd never known anyone as wonderful in his entire life.

And for all those reasons and more, he had fallen deeply in love with her...

"Please say you'll come," Stayden urged. "Everyone will be so disappointed if you don't."

"Of course I'll come," Allura let him know, giving him one of her beautiful bright smiles. (The princess hated disappointing anyone, even complete strangers.) "I'd be honored to attend your festival, Stayden. I know it will be wonderful."

Stayden instantly lit up and Keith found himself questioning his doubts about the man. His emotions seemed so genuine. There didn't appear to be anything forced about them. Then again, a highly-trained agent would have to be an excellent actor to pull off an assignment that took him so deep into enemy territory. Keith knew better than to let down his guard until he knew one way or the other what Stayden's true intentions were.

"Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you!" Stayden happily cried, again making it difficult to think of him as a threat. "We are the ones who are truly honored. Your presence will be the highlight of the entire festival."

"Forgive the interruption, but there's something I don't understand," Keith interjected, unwilling to allow the conversation to go any further without addressing the all-important issue of Allura's safety. If she was going to go, this needed to be dealt with immediately. "Why is Her Highness not being allowed to bring any escorts to your festival? Does your council not realize the danger the princess is in every time she leaves the safety of her castle?"

"Keith!" Allura exclaimed, sounding mortified by his question. "How can you even ask that? These are Arusians we are talking about. My people would never put me in any danger. They aren't like that and you know it. I'm insulted you'd even think such a thing."

Before Keith could open his mouth to clarify what he had meant (he hated the fact that he had upset her, but she needed to understand that Doom was not the only source of danger in the universe), Coran jumped in to defuse the situation.

"Princess, the commander did not mean to imply that the Jancians mean you any harm," Coran told her, unaware that that was exactly what Keith had been thinking. "He is simply voicing his very valid concern for your safety. A concern we all share. You know how important you are to all of Arus. If anything were to happen to you..."

An expression of regret immediately crossed her features.

"I'm sorry, Keith," she softly apologized. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that before hearing you out. I know that you're only thinking of my safety."

"It's all right, Princess," he assured her and gave her a smile, which she weakly returned.

If they had been alone, he would have gently touched her hand as well...

He knew Allura had feelings for him, though he was unsure of how deep they actually were. He had no idea if it was just a crush, as he suspected, or if she had gone as far as to fall in love with him the way he had with her. But he had no intention of ever finding out. Her destiny to be queen made it impossible for them to ever be together. The last thing he would ever want to do would be to break her heart, which was exactly what would happen if they were a couple when the time came for her to marry a prince. He would have no choice but to end the relationship, which he knew would destroy her. It was better for both of them to remain as nothing more than friends and teammates.

He returned his attention to Stayden. "My question still stands. Why is Princess Allura not being allowed to bring an escort?"

"In all honesty, I was not given a reason by the council," he told him, his voice and demeanor not telling Keith anything new. (Either he was a superb actor, as a deep cover agent would have to be, or he really was telling the truth, something that Keith's persistent bad feeling made hard to believe.) "I was simply given my instructions and told to bring only Her Highness to the festival. I suppose I thought nothing of it because we are a very small and peaceful community. We do not possess any weapons of any kind and there has never been a recorded incident of violence in the history of our existence. Our traditions have remained unchanged for centuries. The most danger Her Majesty would most likely face is possible dizziness from the constant dancing.

"But if you feel it necessary for Her Highness to have an escort, then I will not object and I know the council will not either," Stayden ultimately consented. "We all want what's best for our princess. She is, as Minister Coran said, important to all of Arus."

Keith was surprised at how easily Stayden had given in on the issue. Perhaps he wasn't the source of his bad feeling after all...

"If I may say something?" Coran politely spoke up. "Commander, you know that normally I would defer to your assessment, but I honestly feel that a security escort is unnecessary in this situation. I am hard-pressed to see the threat to Her Highness' safety."

Keith could not believe what he was hearing. Coran didn't see the possible danger to Allura's safety? Was he as blind as the princess to the possibility of some Arusians being the enemy? (Which would explain her unwavering belief in her people's loyalty. It made sense that she would have learned it from someone else, particularly the man who had raised her.)

He found himself suddenly wishing that Nanny were there instead of on her week-long trip with Larmina. (Nanny had decided it was time for the young royal spend some time among the people instead of remaining isolated in the castle. They, of course, were traveling with a full escort.) She would scream bloody murder at the mere suggestion that her "baby" go anywhere alone and unescorted. The possibility would have died then and there.

Coran typed something into his tablet before laying it down and sliding it towards the center of the table. Seconds later, a holographic map was projected into the air, part of which Keith recognized from his earlier look at the computer's file on Jancia.

"This is a map of Jancia and the immediate surrounding area," Coran explained. "As you can see, the region is extremely isolated. I do not believe Doom would waste its resources placing spies in such an inconvenient location. Jancia has no strategic value nor is it anywhere near the castle. It's highly unlikely a visit by Her Highness to the area would be detected by Doom, especially if she is traveling without a large escort. I truly believe it would be best if she left here as she was originally asked, with no one but Stayden as her traveling companion."

Keith shook his head. "I'm sorry, Coran, but I am intensely uncomfortable with the idea of the princess traveling without someone who is trained in her protection." He looked at Stayden. "Please take no offense, but I don't know you and I don't know your capabilities as a fighter." He returned his focus to Coran. "Her Highness needs someone with her at all times who can keep her safe. I'm not suggesting she needs to take a full security unit. All I ask is that you allow me to send a member of my team with her. One person. That's all. Is that agreeable?"

Coran seemed to study him for a moment. "I suppose..."

"Keith, may I have a word with you outside for a moment?" Allura suddenly spoke up.

"Of course, Princess," he agreed, having a feeling he knew what she wanted to speak about but wondering why she wanted to say it in private.

She rose to her feet and all three men followed suit.

"Coran, Stayden," she acknowledged the others with a nod. "We will return shortly." She looked at Keith. "Come with me."

He followed her as she led him into the hall outside the conference room.

Once the door was shut, Allura turned to face him, her arms folded across her chest.

"Keith, why are you being so insistent that I have an escort?" she demanded to know. "You heard what both Coran and Stayden said. There is absolutely no danger to be found here. The Jancians don't even possess weapons. It's just a festival. What could possibly happen to me at a festival? I'll be perfectly safe. I promise."

Keith knew he had to choose his next words carefully. If he told her his true reasons for his insistence, a bad feeling, she would dismiss it as a case of his overprotectiveness and that would be the end of the discussion. He had to give her an explanation she could accept.

"I heard what they said," he began, "but you have to understand my point of view, Allura, and that is that I'm not willing to take any risks when it comes to your safety, obvious danger or not." He directly met her gaze. "I know you're tired of hearing this, but you are the most important person living on Arus and that makes you a target. I know you don't believe this, but your enemies will not always come from Doom. Some will originate closer to home. Just because something seems safe, doesn't mean it really is. I refuse to put your life at risk based on the word of a stranger. I'm only thinking of what's best for you, Princess. You can be angry with me if you like, but I'm not backing down. You are not leaving without an escort."

As he waited for her reaction, he allowed himself a moment of pride in how calm and businesslike he had been able to make himself sound. He had not given Allura even the slightest reason to suspect that his drive to protect her was being motivated by anything but duty. His love for her had remained hidden, just as it should.

As it always would...

"I could never be angry with you for wanting to keep me safe," she quietly told him, "but I just don't agree that an escort is necessary. It's just a festival, Keith. There are no dangers at a festival. You've been to enough of them during your time here to know. Anyway, it's not like I'm completely helpless." She gave him one of her amazing smiles. "I have all the self-defense skills that you and the boys taught me. I can take care of myself."

Keith returned her smile while resisting the urge to point out that having all the self-defense skills in the world wouldn't do her any good if she wasn't aware of the impending danger until it was too late. Allura was too trusting of everyone around her. As he had witnessed far too many times, she never reacted to danger until it was already upon her. Her inability to see anything less than the good in those surrounding her had resulted in her being nearly captured or killed more times that Keith cared to think about.

"But I know you well enough to see that you're not going to budge on this issue," she continued. "So I have an idea that will turn this into a winning situation for both of us."

To his surprise, she took his hands into hers.

"Come with me, Keith. Be my escort."

The unexpected request stunned him. Allura knew about the GG conference and that his attendance was mandatory. For her to ask him to skip it and go with her on a trip that was going to last three days...

"Allura, I-"

"Is this a private party or can anyone join in?"

Allura immediately released his hands as they both turned around to see Lance approaching them.

Keith immediately became concerned. How much of their conversation had Lance witnessed before making his presence known? Although he had never outright said anything, Keith knew Lance was highly suspicious of his feelings for Allura. While nothing improper had been said by either of them, their body language, especially after Allura had taken his hands and he hadn't pulled away, spoke of a more intimate relationship. It was more than enough to fuel Lance's fire.

He prayed to every god he could think of that Lance would not say anything about what he had just seen.

"I thought you two were still in the meeting with Coran and that farmer guy who showed up," Lance commented as he joined them.

To Keith's immense relief, he didn't say anything else. (For someone who was known for his big mouth, Lance could be surprisingly discreet when he wanted to be.)

"'That farmer,' as you call him, has a name and it is Stayden," Allura corrected him, "and, yes, we still are in the meeting with him. Keith and I just needed a moment alone to discuss the security arrangements for the journey I will be taking tomorrow. We were almost finished."

She turned her attention back to Keith. "Please? Will you come?"

Allura did nothing to hide the hope in her voice, which made the fact that he had to turn her down all the more painful. She wanted him to go with her. It spoke volumes of how she felt about him, which was all the more reason why he couldn't go. (It was getting harder and harder every day to keep his personal feelings for her separate from his role as her team leader and protector.) To spend three days alone with her and have to maintain his distance...

He could not risk it.

"I can't miss the conference," he finally told her, which was the truth. He really couldn't. He had been ordered to attend. "You know that. That's the only reason why I can't go with you." He glanced at Lance, who he was sure was taking mental notes and filing them away as evidence for a romance that could never be. "I'm sure Lance would be happy to accompany you in my place."

"Yeah, sure, no problem," Lance immediately agreed even though he had no way of knowing exactly what he was agreeing to. (However much he'd overheard, he still wouldn't know all the details.) "Only a complete idiot would give up the opportunity to accompany such a beautiful lady," he smirked, making Keith mentally shake his head. (It was the expected dig, but one that Allura would not pick up on-for which he was immensely grateful.) "Where are we going again?" he finally asked.

"To the farming community of Jancia," Allura informed him. "I've been invited to a festival the people are putting on and I have agreed to go. We leave first thing in the morning."

"The Jancians are specifically holding it in the princess' honor," Keith pointedly added and he could see by the subtle change in Lance's expression that he had just gotten his full attention. Lance was as protective of Allura as he was, and, like him, he would do anything in his power to keep her safe. (Lance and Allura shared a fairly close friendship themselves. And a friendship was all it was. If Lance had ever had any romantic designs on her, he would have acted on them a long time ago. And the princess had never shown that kind of interest in him, either. If anything, he was the brother she had never had.) Of his three teammates, he was the best choice to accompany her. "The invitation was actually for her alone. But I am insisting that she have an escort for security purposes."

Lance gave him a small nod to indicate that he had received the message loud and clear: there was something not right about the situation.

"Let me guess: Her Highness isn't too happy about that," he said aloud.

"Coran agrees with me that there isn't any danger," Allura pointed out, "but Keith is refusing to let this go. I can't go without one."

"Keith's right about this one, Princess," Lance supported him. "It's better to be safe than sorry." He gave her a cocky grin. "And who better to be safe with than me? Trust me, no one's going to dare come near you with me on your arm. My aura of danger alone will keep you safe."

Allura stared at him in disbelief before turning to Keith with a look of mock-indignation. "Just remember, if anything happens to me, it'll be your fault for sending him with me."

Keith grinned, confident that she was in good hands.

"I give you permission to punish me however you like when you get back if it does," he informed her.

"You have yourself a deal, Commander," she agreed. "Let's go rejoin the others. Lance, you can come too. I want to introduce you to Stayden.

"We have a lot of work to do if we're going to be ready to leave first thing in the morning."

((()))

Lance watched Keith as he watched Allura lead Stayden the farmer towards the guest wing of the castle.

He mentally shook his head. Those two had it so bad for each other that it was getting ridiculous.

He wondered what it would take to get either of them to finally make a move. The two of them had been pretending not to be head-over-heels in love with each other for the nearly two years they'd known each other. In Lance's opinion, it was getting old. They just needed to get together already.

And it wasn't like their feelings for each other were the big secret that Keith and Allura believed it was. Everyone and their brother knew they had a thing for each other. Well, everyone but the two of them. (And Nanny. If Nanny knew anything, the entire universe would have heard about it by now. She'd be hopping mad that her "baby" was completely in love with one of the "hooligans." Allura would have probably been immediately forced into a marriage with the first prince Nanny could get a hold of to make sure Keith stayed away from her.)

Lance had entertained the notion of taking matters into his own hands on more than one occasion. (It would be worth whatever punishment Keith inflicted on him for interfering in his personal business if it worked.) If anyone deserved to find some happiness, it was Keith and Allura. They'd both been through hell in their lives, Allura especially with the death of her family and the near total destruction of her world. It was long past due for them to have some joy.

If only they would realize that for themselves...

"You know, I could always attend the conference in your place," he casually suggested to Keith once Allura had disappeared from view. "I don't think the Garrison bigwigs would really care which one of us gives them the Doom intel just as long as they get it. It's been a while since you've taken any down time. You could use a couple days off. Besides, I think the princess made it very clear that she'd prefer your company to mine."

Keith gave him a look. "I've been given direct orders to attend this conference, Lance. How do you think it's going to reflect on me if I send someone in my place? I have to go. Nothing short of a planet-wide emergency is going to prevent me from being there."

Lance briefly thought about proposing they make one up, but immediately decided against it. Keith was too honest and by-the-book to even consider that kind of deception, even if it meant it would give him time alone with Allura.

"When did you decide that this trip was going to be uneventful?" Keith wanted to know. "I thought you agreed with me that the princess being invited alone was suspicious."

"I did at first," Lance confirmed, "but after spending the last twenty minutes in the same room with that Stayden guy, I can't see him posing a threat to anybody, let alone the princess. I just didn't get the impression that he could be dangerous to anyone. And if the rest of the Jancians are like him, she's got nothing to worry about."

"All right, if that's true, why the solitary invitation?" Keith pressed. "It doesn't line up with anything we've experienced on Arus. It's always been implied and accepted that Allura has an escort."

"My guess? They just weren't thinking," Lance offered. "These guys are a bunch of farmers. They don't even use any technology at all. Do you know how weird it's going to be to not have my Voltcom for days while I'm there? Plus there's that whole no weapons thing they have going on. I honestly don't think this is a trap."

"I have a very bad feeling about this," Keith simply told him, holding his gaze.

And Lance instantly understood his extreme worry. Keith had an instinct, more like a sixth sense, when it came to knowing that something wasn't right. It had saved their lives numerous times. His feelings had never been wrong as long as he'd known him and they had met as kids. If he'd gotten one about this festival...

"It started as soon as Stayden arrived," Keith explained. "He has to be the source. I can't see him as a threat either, but something about him and his story isn't adding up. All I know is that the princess has to be protected at all times. I don't want you letting her out of your sight for even a second.

"You can't let anything happen to her, Lance."

"I won't," he promised. He could hear the barely concealed emotions in Keith's voice. If he was being careless enough to forget to hide his more-than-professional feelings for the princess, he was more than a little worried about something happening to her on this trip. In fact, he sounded scared. And very few things could scare Keith... "You know I'd give my life for her."

"I know."

He wondered if Keith knew he was on to him about his love for Allura. (He'd detected it before Keith himself had probably even realized it. Until that moment, he'd toyed with the idea of pursuing the lovely princess for himself. And, in all honesty, a man would have to be either blind or crazy or both if he wasn't attracted to Allura. But as soon as he'd seen the way Keith looked at her, he'd known she was taken. And then he'd seen her look at Keith the same way. After that, there'd been no question in his mind that they were meant to be together.) It would explain not only why he was being so open with him, but why he'd selected him to go with her.

It spoke of how much Keith trusted him.

"I swear nothing will happen to her," he told him. Although he wasn't romantically interested in Allura, he still loved her with all his heart. She had become like a little sister to him over the years. And Keith he'd loved as a brother from the time they'd met. They were more than his friends and teammates. They were family.

And he would do anything to protect his family.

"You have my word."

"Thank you," Keith quietly said, sounding relieved.

Lance flashed him a grin.

"Of course."

((()))

Allura could not help but smile as she stepped out into the sunlight. It was an absolutely beautiful morning. The sky was bright blue and there was not a cloud in sight.

It was the perfect day to attend a festival.

It had been a long while since any of her people had felt like celebrating anything. The attacks from Doom came so frequently these days that they spent most of their time rebuilding what had been destroyed in the previous attack. She often feared that her people had lost their ability to feel happiness. She took it as a good sign that the Jancians were taking advantage of the small month-long reprieve Arus had been having. (She had no idea how much longer it was going to last, but she tried not to think too much about it. It was better to take things one day at a time. Otherwise she'd go crazy from wondering when the next assault was going to come.) What were she and the Voltron Force fighting for if not to give her people the freedom to enjoy their lives?

And she was planning on doing exactly that herself at the festival. It was going to be nice to get away from her castle. It had been ages since she'd traveled anywhere that wasn't battle-related. She just knew the next few days would be wonderful. And she also knew having Lance as her escort was going to be a lot of fun. (It would not take him long to realize that Keith was worried over nothing.) He had the most amazing sense of humor and she enjoyed spending time with him. He had the ability to find the fun in almost any situation. (Battles included!) She especially looked forward to watching him flirt with all the local women. No one could turn on the charm like Lance. (She knew it was wrong of her, but there was nothing funnier than watching him strike out with a pretty girl. He was always so baffled when one didn't instantly fall in love with him. Thankfully there was always another girl nearby that he could target next. He was absolutely shameless, and as he often told her, proud of it.)

She started scanning the bustling crowd for her escort. She had exited the castle by the stables, which was their departure point. (It had been Keith's suggestion. The princess usually left the castle grounds via the main entrance. No one would suspect that she was in a carriage leaving from the stables like a member of the castle staff.) There were numerous servants running back and forth with last minute preparations. She saw the luggage she had proudly packed herself (Nanny would never have let her gotten away with packing as casually as she had if she'd been here) being loaded into the waiting carriage. She also spotted Stayden speaking with the driver about his horses, both of which had already been harnessed to the vehicle. Finally, she located Lance. He was deep in conversation with Keith.

Keith...

Just the sight of him made her heart race and her stomach do all sorts of strange things.

There were no words to describe how much she loved him.

She wasn't even sure of when she had fallen in love with him. (She suspected it was from the moment they'd met. When he had taken her hand in his for the first time and...) It felt like she had known him all her life. He was the most wonderful and amazing person she had ever met. He was kind and compassionate and generous and good and so much more. (He was gorgeous too, but in her heart, she knew she would have fallen in love with this man even if he hadn't been. It was his inner beauty that had attracted her.) In her mind, no one could ever compare to him.

Especially not some prince. (She dreaded the day that Coran and Nanny would force her to find a husband. If she couldn't marry Keith, she didn't want to marry at all. She would never love anyone else as long as she lived.)

She often wondered what he felt towards her. She knew he felt something, but exactly what she could never guess. Keith kept his personal feelings private. (He spoke very little about himself. He had shared some things with her when they were alone, but those conversations were few and far between. The majority of her knowledge of him and his past had come from the others.) Yet she knew he felt things deeply. She'd seen how he reacted to each and every one of Zarkon's atrocities. Those feelings he did nothing to hide. It was only the ones that were aimed at her that she could not figure out.

Did he simply see her as a friend? Perhaps even as a sister, as she knew Lance and the others saw her? Or did he love her? Even just a tiny bit? Did he dream of her the way she dreamed of him night after night? Did he treasure every small touch they shared like she did?

She longed to ask him, but the overwhelming fear that he did not return her feelings kept her silent. Because if she asked him and he told her that he didn't feel the same way...

It was better not to know.

Safer.

She forced herself to calm her emotions. The last thing she wanted was to give herself away. (It was a daily struggle, but she worked very hard to keep her true feelings hidden. If either Coran or Nanny came to suspect that she had fallen in love...) She valued Keith's friendship too much to risk compromising their relationship. It would kill her if she ever lost him.

A sudden tug on the bottom of her dress brought her attention back to the present. She looked down to see three of her friends looking up at her with their big red eyes.

"What? One goodbye wasn't enough?" she teased them as she knelt down and extended her hand, palm up.

The little space mice leapt onto the proffered palm and scurried up her arm to her shoulders. They each planted tiny kisses on her cheeks that made her giggle.

"I love you too, but you're still not coming on this trip," she informed them. "I'm afraid I've found the one place on Arus where you little ones wouldn't be welcome. I'm very sorry."

The three cybernetic animals glared at her before running back down her arm.

"I'll bring you to the next festival. I promise," she assured them.

All three of them blew her the raspberries before running back towards the castle.

She shook her head in amusement.

"I don't think they're very happy with you right now, Princess."

Startled, Allura looked up to see Keith standing over her.

Panic immediately set in. Where had he come from and how long had he been standing there? She couldn't believe she had been too distracted to see him coming over to her. (And after she'd been openly staring at him yet! She prayed that he hadn't seen her.) But now he was here and she was unprepared emotionally to speak with him. (What if she said the wrong thing? She'd die!) What was she going to do?

"But I have a feeling they'll be over it by the time you come home," he smiled at her and she felt all her worries instantly melt away. The effect he had on her... "I'm sure Pidge can find plenty of ways to keep them busy." He held out his hand to her.

Her emotions under control once more, she returned his smile and accepted his hand.

"Thank you," she said as he pulled her to her feet.

"You're welcome."

They stood in a comfortable silence for a few moments, Keith still holding on to her hand.

She wished he'd never let go.

Suddenly, his smile faded and she instantly knew that something wasn't right. This wasn't like Keith at all. Was he still worried about her going to the festival? She was taking every precaution he had asked of her. What was left for him to be concerned about?

"Allura, I need you to promise me something," he spoke in a quiet voice that was full of undisguised worry.

"Of course," she assured him. He was visibly upset, which was something she had rarely witnessed. He usually kept his emotions under such tight control. If he was at a point where he could no longer maintain his usual mask of calmness... "Anything you want. Ask it and I'll do it."

And she meant every word. She would do anything for him.

Anything and everything.

He brought his free hand to join the one already holding one of hers and locked his gaze with hers.

"Just promise me that you'll stay safe," he said in the same emotion-filled voice as before. And this time, she also heard a hint of fear... "I know you don't believe that anything is going to happen and I want more than anything for you to be right, but I need to hear you say it for my own peace of mind. Please, Allura. Just promise me."

She searched his face, wondering where all of this was coming from. Keith had always been overprotective of her, but this went far beyond anything he'd ever expressed before. What had him so worried that he was afraid that his own security measures would not be enough to keep her safe? Why was he acting this way over a simple festival? It made no sense to her.

"I promise," she softly swore, wishing she knew what had him so afraid for her safety. Did he know something that he hadn't told her or anyone else? (No, Keith would never keep anything like that to himself. If he had evidence of a specific danger, he would have shared it with the team and prevented her from attending the festival altogether. This was something else.) His concern for her was clearly consuming him. (Had he prepared at all for his conference?) She wished she knew how to ease his fears. She didn't want to leave him like this.

She resisted the urge to reach out and touch his cheek in a comforting gesture. They were too exposed out in the open like this. If Coran or any of the staff saw her be so familiar with Keith... The last thing she wanted to do was get him in trouble. (It was times like this that she hated being the princess. All she wanted to do was comfort the man she loved, but she couldn't because of what others would think of her "improper" behavior. It wasn't fair.)

"Keith, please tell me what's really going on," she implored in the same low voice. She brought her free hand to cover both of his. "This isn't like you. Help me understand what has you so afraid for me. I want... I need to know. Please. Tell me."

He looked away from her, but did not move or withdraw his hands from hers.

"Please talk to me," she begged. "Please, Keith."

She waited patiently for him to say something to her. She refused to go anywhere until she had an answer to her question.

Finally, his face returned to hers.

"I'm afraid of losing you, Allura."

His words shook her to the core. He was afraid of losing her? Did that mean...? Could he actually...?

Her heart began to race. Was he saying what she had been wanting to hear him say for so long? Was he finally giving her the answer to her unspoken question?

"You have no idea how badly I wanted to say yes when you asked me to come with you yesterday," he continued, less emotion in his voice now. His usual control was returning and she feared the answer that she sought was once again out of her reach. "I don't like the fact that we're going to be out of contact for several days. We've never been purposely out of touch before. If anything happens to you, I won't know about it until someone from there comes and tells me. And that scares me, Allura. It scares me more than I can say."

"Keith, I..."

She wished she knew what to say to him, but she had a feeling that no words would end his pain.

"I wish there was a way I could get out of this conference."

These words, more than anything else he had said, stunned her. Keith never put his personal feelings ahead of his duties. Did this mean...?

Did she dare to hope? He had all but admitted that he had feelings for her, but were they the kind of feelings she wanted them to be? Did he in fact love her the way she loved him?

For a moment, she was tempted to ask him the question that had been in her heart for so long now, but the moment quickly passed. Despite everything he had admitted, she was too afraid that the answer would not be the one she had prayed for. Just knowing that he had feelings for her had to be enough.

It had to be.

"Maybe you could come after it was over?" she tentatively suggested. "It's only for today, isn't it?"

He gave her a weak smile. "It's supposed to be, but you never know with these things. They can go on for hours or days. It all depends on how much information will be shared and discussed."

"But if it's over before I return, will you come join me?" she asked. "I'll make sure the Jancians let you in. They won't be able to turn you away if I tell them not to."

She knew it was the only way to prove to him that there was no danger at all. He had to come.

"I promise that I'll come if I can," he offered. "That's the best I can do."

She smiled back at him. "That's all I wanted to know."

"Allura, I-"

"Your Highness!"

Allura quickly withdrew her hands from Keith's and turned in the direction Coran's voice had come from.

"Your carriage is ready now," Coran told her as he and Lance approached them. (She prayed that neither had seen how she had been holding Keith's hands. Although less intimate than other gestures she could have made, it would lead to questions that she could not answer without giving herself away.) "Whenever you would like to leave."

"Thank you, Coran," she accepted. "I'll be right there."

She returned her attention to Keith. "Don't forget your promise."

"I won't," he assured her. "And I expect you to do the same."

"I will," she let him know. "Goodbye, Keith."

"Bye, Princess."

Lance stepped forward and took Allura by the arm.

"All right, Princess, enough with the mushy stuff," he quipped. "There's a whole festival waiting for its guest of honor. Time to get this show on the road." He nodded at Keith. "Enjoy your conference, Commander."

"Just watch out for the princess, Lance," Keith replied. "And try not to hit on all of the ladies on the first day."

"I guess that'll depend on how many of them there are altogether," Lance shot back. "I can't help it if they all want some of this." He gestured at himself with his free hand.

"I hope you won't be too busy breaking hearts to remember that you're there with me," Allura teased.

"Never," he assured her. "How could I forget that my date is the prettiest one at the entire festival?"

Allura laughed. "You say that now. Just wait until you get there. I'm sure I'll be outshone by more than a few girls. Oh, and try not to get us banned from Jancia for life by flirting with the wrong person's daughter."

"Hey, what happened to the sweet princess I was supposed to be escorting?" Lance retorted.

"I think she spent too much time around you," Keith put in and Lance glared at him.

Allura laughed again and started pulling Lance towards the carriage. It relieved her that Keith was feeling better enough to make jokes. (Then again, Lance made it so easy.)

"Okay, I think we need to start going. We have a long ride ahead of us."

"I know some ways we can make the time just fly by if you catch my drift," Lance informed her with a smirk. He waggled his eyebrows.

"As long as Stayden can participate too," she sweetly replied.

"Hey, as long as he's game I say we go for it."

She shook her head before glancing over her shoulder one last time at Keith. He gave her a nod and a small smile.

She returned his smile and turned back around.

There were so many reasons for why she hoped he would join her at the festival. While the most important was of course to prove to him that he was imagining the danger, she wanted him to have time away from his duties. He took his responsibility as the leader of the Voltron Force so seriously and rarely devoted any time to himself. He was constantly pushing himself and he was always doing something, from physical training to monitoring the castle defenses. As far as Allura knew, he hardly ever relaxed. Any time spent at the festival, even if it was less than a day, would do him a world of good.

And of course there was the fact that she selfishly wanted to spend some time with him away from the prying eyes of Coran and Nanny. (Lance would be too busy wooing all the Jancian women to pay attention to her and Keith.) She wanted to be free to touch him and not worry about being judged herself or getting him into trouble even for a single day.

But there was no guarantee that he would come. Keith always put his duty first and if the conference lasted longer than expected...

But she was not going to let that possibility ruin her enjoyment. She was going to a festival! And no one could be sad or disappointed at a festival.

Pushing aside all thoughts of her beloved for the moment, she concentrated on all of the wonderful things that could be found at a festival.

She just knew she was going to have an amazing time.

((()))

Keith watched Allura as she walked away from him. Lance was still holding her by the arm and they were both smiling and laughing. Seeing them like that confirmed that he'd made the right decision in sending Lance as her escort. They got along very well with each other. It wouldn't be too long before Lance had her too distracted to think about what he had almost admitted to her.

He couldn't believe he had been so careless! He could never let himself be so open with her ever again. Not if he had any hope of keeping his love for her a secret. If he hadn't stopped himself when he had...

He had watched as Allura's feelings for him had risen to the surface in reaction to his words. No matter how deep they did or did not run, the moment she found out the truth, she would want to enter into a relationship with him. (He knew Allura too well. She'd want him to be happy even if she didn't feel exactly the same way.) He didn't know if he'd be able to say "no" to her despite knowing it would only lead to disaster and ultimately heartbreak. The only way to keep that from happening would be to prevent her from ever learning how he truly felt about her. For her own protection, she had to remain in the dark.

He blamed his carelessness on his lack of sleep. His bad feeling had grown steadily worse over the course of the day and he'd been unable to sleep because of it. He'd spent most of the night laying awake and worrying about Allura, his every thought consumed with the possible dangers she could face. He'd tried everything he could think of to get her off his mind, but to no avail. (He was more than a little concerned that his sleep deprivation would affect his presentation at the conference. He could not let his superior officers find out that his poor state was a result of his personal attachment to the princess. It could very well cost him his command.) She was all he could focus on. He doubted that would change until she was safely back in the castle where she belonged.

With him.

He continued watching as Allura and Lance arrived at the carriage. With an exaggerated flourish, Lance bowed to her before helping her board. Keith could only smile at her sheer delight at Lance's antics. He knew that she was in good hands. Lance would do everything he could to keep her safe.

But if his everything wasn't enough...

"What did you make Her Highness promise you?" Coran asked as Allura and Lance disappeared into the carriage. He had remained with Keith after they had walked away.

Keith turned to look at the royal advisor. "That she should be careful."

Coran studied him for a moment. "You're still convinced she's in danger."

"I am," he honestly answered. As he had done with Allura, he purposely omitted any mention of his bad feeling. He couldn't risk Coran figuring out the true extent of his concern. "I've made no secret that I don't like anything about this situation. The princess is going someplace where she'll have no contact with us here and we won't be able to contact her either. We won't know anything about what's going on with her until she returns. And if anything goes wrong and our help is needed, we won't find out until long after it's already happened. Nothing about this festival is sitting right with me." He paused, choosing his next words carefully. "If it weren't for this conference, I would have gone with the princess myself to make sure that nothing happened to her."

Keith knew that Coran was aware of his deep feelings for Allura though he doubted he realized their actual nature. (If he had, Keith knew he would have been removed from his command a long time ago.) He had said as much several months ago, on the first evening of the summit meeting held on Arus for all the worlds oppressed by Zarkon, when he had remarked that Keith was more concerned about her safety than he himself was. Keith had seen no reason to deny it because it was true. Being concerned about her safety, as far as Coran was concerned, was a far cry from being in love with her.

Coran seemed to ponder his words. "Do you not believe that Lance can protect her as well as you can?" he pointedly questioned.

"Not at all," Keith assured him. "Lance, for all of his mouthing off and disobedience, is one of the best soldiers I've ever known. I'd trust him with my life. The princess is well-protected under his care. It's just that..." He searched for words that would convey his worry without the true reason behind them. "I don't like not knowing where she is at all times."

Again, Coran appeared to study him.

"Her Highness is very lucky to have someone like you looking after her," he said quietly after a moment.

No, I'm the lucky one, he silently corrected.

Before Allura had come into his life, he hadn't realized how empty it had been. True, he'd had his teammates, who had become so much more over the years, and his duty, but that was all. His estrangement from his family and then the failure of his one and only relationship had left him without anyone to love or be loved by in return. And for the longest time, he had been all right with it, accepting it as how his life was going to be. Then he had met Allura...

From the moment he had first laid eyes on her, everything had changed. She had brought feelings to life in him that he hadn't believed himself capable of any longer. With her mere presence, she could soothe his every hurt. In a very short period of time, she had become everything to him. He couldn't imagine living without her.

She was his life.

The driver shook the horses' reins and the carriage began to move away from the castle.

"I should start preparing for my conference now," Keith said to break the silence that had fallen between Coran and himself as they had watched the carriage disappear into the distance. "Tell Hunk and Pidge that I'm not to be disturbed unless it's an emergency."

"Of course, Commander," Coran nodded. "Do you think the conference will take the entire day?"

"It's very possible," Keith told him. "In fact, I can guarantee it. You probably won't see very much of me for the next few days."

"I understand," Coran acknowledged. "Shall I have your meals sent to your office?"

"Thank you, but there's no need to bother," he waved him off. "I'll have the kitchen send something if I get hungry. I'll see you after the conference."

He started to walk away.

"Oh, Commander, one more thing," Coran called after him.

He turned back around.

"What did the princess have you promise her?"

"That I would join her at the festival if the conference ended early."

"Ah," Coran said knowingly.

They both knew that there was very little chance of that happening. Even if the conference did end early, which Keith seriously doubted based on past experiences, he would never leave the castle so unprotected. Three Lions were more effective than two in case of attack. Keith had only made the promise to keep her happy.

"I'll see you later, Coran."

"You too, Commander."

Keith turned away again and headed back to the castle, his bad feeling stronger than ever.

Please stay safe, my love.

((()))

Allura watched the countryside rolling by outside of her window. She had never visited this part of Arus before and she was amazed by its sheer beauty. It made her wonder what other parts of her world, the world she would one day rule as queen, she did not know about.

She understood why she had been kept hidden away for most of her life. As the sole heir to the throne, she had to be protected at all costs. Because she had been so young when she lost her parents, first her mother to illness and then her father to war, Coran and Nanny had thought it to be in her best interest to keep her isolated from both those who would harm her and those who would look to her as their leader. As a result, she had grown up not realizing that there was more to the world than caves and the ruins of her castle. Her guardians had rarely let her go outside. It wasn't until the Voltron Force arrived that she had begun to explore the planet she was destined to rule.

"You doing okay, Princess?" Lance asked from his seat across from her, interrupting her thoughts.

She turned away from the scenery to look at him. "Mm-hmm. It's just so beautiful out here." She sighed. "It makes me realize how little I know of my own world beyond my home kingdom. How can I be expected to rule what I've never seen?"

"Yeah, because you've had just so much free time to go sightseeing," Lance quipped. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Allura. No one can expect you to know everything about the entire planet. It's just way too big! You'll do just fine. Trust me." He shot her a grin. "And remember, whatever you don't feel like dealing with yourself, you can just pass off onto your king!"

Allura knew he was trying to make her feel better, but the reminder that she was expected to marry before she ascended the throne irritated her. (There was only one man she'd ever marry and if she couldn't marry him, she'd remain unwed for the rest of her life.) The notion that a woman couldn't rule by herself was so backwards! She found it highly insulting.

"I'm so tired of being told that I have to get married," she declared. "Aunt Orla does perfectly fine on her own. If she doesn't have a king, I don't see why I need one."

"Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't she a widow?" Lance questioned.

"Yes," Allura confirmed, "but my uncle died before I was born. Orla has been ruling her kingdom all on her own for over twenty years. If that's not proof that a king isn't necessary, I don't know what is."

"Okay, but when did she become queen? Before or after she was married?" Lance pressed.

"After," she conceded, "but that's beside the point. My point is that she is doing just fine as queen without a king ruling with her. Why can't I do the same? I don't think it's fair."

"Fair or not, from what I understand it's the law, Princess," he reminded her. "I'm sure Nanny or Coran would be more than happy to give you all the details."

"Ugh! The last thing I want is another lecture on how I'm not getting any younger," she said disgustedly.

"Not getting any younger?!" Lance repeated in disbelief. "Yes, because nineteen is so old!"

"It is if you're an Arusian royal," she informed him. "Sixteen is seen as the ideal age for princesses to get married and start having children. I'm considered strange to be my age and not have had a single suitor. But I refuse to marry just for the sake of marrying. If I get married, it will be to the man I... I mean, I will have to be in love with the man."

Although it hadn't exactly been a slip, as nothing had actually been said, Allura felt horrified all the same. She had all but admitted that she was already in love with someone. Of all the people to make that mistake in front of, Lance was the worst choice. He was Keith's best friend and he was not known for keeping things to himself. If he said something to Keith and Keith really did feel the same way about her as she did about him...

"And that's exactly the way it should be when you get married, Princess," Lance said, giving no indication that he'd taken notice of her near-admission. "Marrying a guy you don't love is the worst thing you could do. The two of you would be miserable together for the rest of your lives. Believe me, Earth history alone is filled with loveless royal marriages. With all the lovers the kings and queens took, things got pretty messy!"

Allura felt herself turn red at the idea of taking a lover who was not her husband. It was so very wrong for so many reasons! She could never do something like that! Not even if it was with Keith.

"Don't let Nanny or Coran pressure you into marrying just any prince," he told her. "Stick to your guns. You should only marry the guy you love."

The guy you love.

Allura tried very hard not to react. There was no mistaking the present tense of his words. Lance knew she was already in love with someone. He had in fact caught her slip-up. This was very bad. Very, very, very bad. If he said something to Keith...

She looked away from him, afraid to meet his eyes. She should have never allowed this conversation to happen. What had started out as an innocent joke was turning into a disaster. It was her own fault. Why had she said what she'd said? Now she had captured Lance's insatiable curiosity and she just knew that he wouldn't stop asking questions until he got a name from her. What was she going to do?

I'll have to lie, she decided, feeling sick at the prospect. Any name she gave was going to get back to Keith because Lance would tell him. And then Keith would...

He would...

She didn't want to even think about it.

Her eyes fell on Stayden, who was thankfully asleep. (Would she have been so careless with her words if he had been awake and listening?) If only she had fallen asleep as he had! Instead her big mouth had gotten her into a conversation she should not be having. She just wanted it to be over already.

"One more question on your favorite subject and then I'll leave you alone," Lance spoke up after several moments of silence.

She returned her gaze to him, wondering at his sudden interest in her future marriage. Why was he asking her all of these questions? Couldn't he see how uncomfortable this conversation was making her? (He probably did and just didn't care, she decided. When Lance wanted to know something, he didn't give up until he had his answers.) And what business was it of his anyway? He had no say in what she did with her life. And it wasn't as if he was interested in her romantically either. (She knew for a fact that he wasn't. She'd seen what Lance was like when he was seriously pursuing a woman. What he did with her was nothing more than playful flirting. There was no comparison.)

"Can you marry just anyone or does he have to be a prince?"

She felt a mixture of relief and pain at the question. Relief that he wasn't trying to find out who she was in love with and pain because it was yet another reminder of the fact that she and Keith could never have the life she dreamed for them to have together.

"I can only marry a prince," she told him. "My husband has to be eligible to become king at our coronation. The only way I could marry someone who wasn't would be if I gave up the throne. And since there's no one to take my place..."

She would never admit it to anyone, but she had fantasized more times than she could count about giving up everything for Keith. Of course, in those fantasies he loved her the way she loved him...

"Not even Larmina?" he asked, sounding surprised.

She shook her head. "Larmina's only royal by adoption. Only those born with royal blood can rule Arus. Any future ruler must be born of my body."

She also had fantasies in which, by some miracle, she was allowed to marry Keith and in them they had many beautiful children together. Little boys and girls whom she and Keith constantly showered with love and affection. Those dreams were her favorites. She always woke up from those with a smile.

"That's not very fair," Lance decided. "It's not like you can control who you've fallen in love with."

"No," she agreed, wishing she could find a way to change the topic of conversation. She had a feeling that he was going to start fishing for a name at any minute and she couldn't make her mind work to come up with one. She'd have to choose carefully. It couldn't be a name that-

"Whoa!"

Their carriage came to a sudden stop and Allura found herself thrown from her seat.

Lance caught her in his arms. "Are you okay, Princess?"

She nodded and looked over at Stayden, who had been abruptly jarred out of his sleep. There was a look of confusion on his face.

"What do you think-?" she started to ask.

"You there!" came the driver's voice. "What are you-"

The words were cut short by what sounded like an energy blast followed by a clear scream of pain.

Allura's eyes widened as she felt her terror begin to rise. Their driver was a complete innocent just doing his job. Why would someone hurt him? What was happening? Were they being robbed?

"It's going to be okay, Princess," Lance softly murmured into her ear, giving her a quick squeeze. "I promised Keith I wouldn't let anything happen to you and that's a promise I intend to keep."

Her fear briefly turned into surprise at his words. Why would Lance take the time to mention Keith at a time like this? But before she could ask him, he had already released her from his arms.

"Both of you stay here," he ordered as he slid towards the door. "I'm going to check this out."

"Be careful," she urged him, growing more frightened with every passing second. There had been no further sounds from outside the carriage, not even a moan of pain from the driver. (She hoped that only meant that he has been rendered unconscious.) It was unusual for a large group to be so silent. (From all her studies, she knew that robbers traveled in large groups. No single person could pull off a crime as complicated as highway robbery.) What were they doing?

Lance gave her a grin. "Aren't I always?"

Allura was too afraid to be affected by his attempt to lighten the situation. There were who-knew-how-many enemies out there and at least one of them was armed. Lance didn't have any of his weapons because of the Jancians' anti-technology lifestyle. If they moved to attack him...

Lance eased the door open and cautiously exited into the bright daylight.

Allura felt a hand on her leg and she looked at Stayden. To her surprise, he looked sad.

"I'm so sorry, Your Highness," he said, confusing her. "I didn't have a choice."

"What are you-?"

"Allura! Run!"

Startled, she didn't even waste a second thinking. She just reacted. She pulled away from Stayden and flung herself out of the carriage as there was the sound of another energy blast.

"Hello, pretty princess."

Allura didn't dare to look towards the source of that horribly familiar voice. She just started running.

Tears of fright streamed down her face as she tore down the road to get as far away from Haggar as possible. Lance and their innocent driver had already fallen to her evil power. (Oh, gods! Please don't let either of them be dead!) If she didn't get away, she would be next.

She barely registered the explosions of dirt around her as Haggar's blasts hit the ground instead of her. She just kept running, her only thought to get away.

To get back to Keith.

You were right, she thought as she continued to flee. Why didn't I listen to you?

Suddenly, the unthinkable happened: Allura's foot got caught in the hem of her dress and she tripped, her body flying uncontrollably through the air. She cried out as she hit the ground, the impact hard and painful. She felt sharp pains on her legs and hands, sure that she was bleeding from any number of cuts.

Allura struggled to push herself to her feet but froze as Haggar's blue cat stepped into view, making his horrible screeching noises. She knew that if she moved, he would attack her.

No! Oh, no!

She was trapped and she had no way of calling for help.

There would be no rescue or escape.

"Did no one teach you that it is very rude to run away from someone who is trying to speak to you?" Haggar's voice came from behind her. "Your behavior is very unbecoming for the future queen of Doom."

Allura pushed herself into a sitting position and turned around so that she was facing the horrid witch.

"I'll never marry Lotor!" she defiantly declared, anger replacing her fear. Was that what this elaborate trap was about? To capture her so she could be forced to marry Lotor? Two people had possibly died just so she could be dragged back to Doom for a wedding? There were no words to describe her horror. "I'll die first!"

"Ah, but that is the one thing I cannot allow to happen, Princess Allura," Haggar said, coming closer as Allura reflexively scooted a few inches back. "Your continued well-being is an integral part of my plan."

Allura's terror returned as Haggar raised her staff.

"Until it is no longer necessary."

There was a bright flash and her last thought before blacking out was of her beloved.

"Keith..."

((()))

Keith...

Keith was startled by the faint sound of his name being spoken in the back of his mind.

It was in her voice.

"Allura..." he breathed, not sure if he had imagined it or if he was actually hearing her. (He had been exposed to so many strange phenomena since coming to Arus that it wouldn't surprise him at all if her mind had truly reached out to his. After all, Allura had told him that not too long ago she had heard him in her mind when he wasn't even on the planet. He had believed her without question. She'd had no reason to lie. He had wondered then if she had some telepathic abilities of which she herself was not aware. He was now becoming convinced that she did.)

Suddenly, his bad feeling grew exponentially and then he knew.

Allura was in danger.

What he had heard was a cry for help.

His help.

He had to get to her.

"Commander Kogane? Is everything all right?" a voice broke into his frantic thoughts, forcing him to remember where he was and why he was there.

Keith looked up at the numerous faces being displayed on the holoscreens that were being projected above his desk. The majority of them, all men and women who had been his teachers and/or superior officers in years past, appeared concerned, though there was one or two that seemed unaffected by his distress. And one in particular actually seemed annoyed at the interruption: General Wade, whom Keith had disliked from the moment they'd met. (It was unfortunate that Wade appeared to be on-track to replace Space Marshall Graham, who was expected to announce his retirement in the next year. He feared for the future of the Alliance if Wade took over.)

"I apologize, gentlemen," he said, straightening up in his seat. "I'm afraid I'm beginning to feel unwell. I must be coming down with something. I'll have to visit the medical wing after we conclude our business here. Please, continue."

As much as he wanted to jump into Black and go searching for Allura, he knew that he could not leave the conference unless he could prove there was a dire need of his services elsewhere. And a feeling that the princess was in danger, as real and intense as it was to him, was insubstantial evidence. More importantly, he had yet to present his intel, which was a crucial part of the conference's agenda. He had to trust that Lance could protect her.

He had no other choice.

"Are you sure you're well enough to stay?" Marshall Graham wanted to know. "You can always transmit your data to us."

"I'm fine, Marshall, thank you," Keith declined though appreciative of the concern. He had first met Graham during his academy years. His outstanding performance in his classes had brought him to the Space Marshall's attention at an early age. Graham had been watching his career with interest ever since. "Continue. Please."

Graham nodded and moved onto the next item on the agenda.

Keith tried to concentrate on what was being said, but his mind kept wandering back to Allura. He knew that something was terribly wrong. Her mind wouldn't have reached out to his if it wasn't. (He would have to have a discussion with her about honing her abilities. It could be an invaluable asset to her.) He would not be able to rest until she was safely back home.

He would go to the control room as soon as the meeting was over and use the scanner to locate Allura's carriage. He hoped against hope that he would find it safely parked inside of Jancia's border. He wanted more than anything for his feeling to be wrong. But deep inside he knew that it wasn't.

Unable to do anything more for now, he forced himself to focus on the conference.

Hang on, Allura. I'll find you, my love.

((()))

The first thing Lance noticed as he opened his eyes was that he was lying flat on his back in a dimly lit room.

Wha-? Where am I?

He sat up, trying to remember where he was and how he'd gotten there, but his mind was fuzzy and he couldn't think straight. What the hell had happened to him? (Not that this was the first time he'd woken up in a strange place, but he usually knew exactly how he'd gotten there and with whom he'd arrived.)

He wondered if he had been drugged somehow. As a rule, he didn't put anything into his system that would do more than give him a minor buzz. (What was the point of a good time if you couldn't remember it? He'd figured that out a long time ago.) Had he been slipped something without his knowledge? And if so, who had done it and why?

He decided the perpetrator wasn't completely hostile as he was still in one piece and he wasn't restrained in any way. Though it was clear that someone didn't know the meaning of the term "comfortable accommodations." He had been placed on the ground on what amounted to be nothing more than a quilt with a pillow under his head. Neither one was very soft. What the hell had-

And suddenly he remembered everything.

Haggar!

Haggar had ambushed their carriage. She had killed their driver. (Lance regretted not having taken the time to ask the man his name. He would never make that mistake again. Too many lives had been already lost to take any one for granted.) And then she'd-

Oh, god, the princess!

What had happened to the princess? He remembered yelling for her to run as soon as he'd seen Haggar, but the witch had blasted him almost as soon as the words had left his mouth. Everything had gone black before Allura had even had a chance to emerge from the carriage. He hoped to all the gods in every universe that she had gotten away and somehow made it back to the castle.

Made it back to Keith...

But deep down he knew that she hadn't escaped. Allura didn't have the skills or the training to evade a determined pursuer, especially one aided by magic. Haggar would have caught her easily.

"I'm so sorry, Princess," he murmured.

He had failed her. Keith had been counting on him to keep her safe and he had blown it. Now Allura was in Doom's clutches, more likely than not already on her way to Lotor for whatever sick plans he had for her. (Despite the brave front she put on for the team, she was extremely fragile. He couldn't even begin to imagine how terrified she was at this very moment. He didn't want to.) If he made it out of this mess alive, Keith would kill him.

And speaking of being alive, he couldn't understand why he still was. Why hadn't Haggar killed him? She'd had the perfect shot. Hell, she'd taken it, but instead of ending his life, it had only knocked him out. Why? What sick, twisted plans did she have in store for him?

Lance decided it was best to try not to imagine what Haggar wanted to do with him. Whatever it was, he knew it would eventually lead to his death anyway. (A slow, painful, and torturous death, he was sure. The witch did not have a merciful bone in her body.) Instead he needed to focus on trying to get out of here before she had a chance to get started.

Of course, before he could escape, he needed to know where he was escaping from. Having already spent time in a Doom prison cell, he could scratch that one off the list. This place was way too comfortable in comparison. He also knew that he wasn't on a ship. If he was, there'd be the tell-tale vibration in the floor from the movement. Could he still be on Arus? If that was the case, it would make his next move after breaking out a hell of a lot easier. He'd go straight back to the castle and tell Keith what had happened. And then it would only be a matter of hours before Allura was back where she belonged. Keith wouldn't waste a precious second before launching a rescue.

Hopefully he'd have a chance to say goodbye to everyone after they got back before Keith murdered him for letting her get captured in the first place...

But he was getting ahead of himself. Before he could get back home and sign his own death warrant, he had to break out of this place first. He started scanning his surroundings, trying to assess what he had to work with. Without his Voltcom or his gun, he'd have to make due with whatever was in here with him. It was hard to make things out in the dim light-

He came to a complete stop as he noticed that he wasn't alone. There was another figure lying on the floor not far from where he had been placed. And there was no mistaking who it was.

"Allura," he breathed.

He quickly crawled over to her, immensely relieved to discover that she was mercifully unconscious. (The last thing he needed to deal with right now was a hysterical princess. As much as he loved Allura, he wouldn't be able to afford the precious time needed to calm her down. He didn't know how long he had before someone came to check on them and they needed to be gone before that happened. Because once Haggar returned...) Like him, she had been placed on a quilt with a pillow under her head. And also like him, she had not been restrained.

As he started gently checking her body for injuries, it occurred to him that something was off about this entire situation. Allura was the ultimate prize as far as anyone from Doom was concerned. She was not the kind of prisoner you just threw in a cell and forgot about. She should have been guarded and protected to ensure that she was given to Lotor in one piece. (He had a feeling that the prince would have the head of anyone who so much as looked at her funny.) Why had she been placed in a room with the one person who could possibly help her escape? Haggar was too smart to make such an amateur mistake. The old crone never did anything that she hadn't thought through first.

Which meant that any attempt to break out of here had already been anticipated. (There was probably an entire platoon of robots outside just waiting for him to try.)

Damn it, he inwardly cursed.

And if that wasn't bad enough, no one back at the castle would be missing them for days. By the time Keith and the others realized that something was wrong, he'd most likely been either dead or suffering some excruciating torture of Haggar's design and Lotor would have already had his way with Allura.

As he finished checking her over and, unsurprisingly, found her completely unharmed (Haggar knew better than to deliver her to Lotor with even something as minor as a scratch), he again thanked the universe in general that she was unconscious. Just the thought of telling Allura what horrible fate was in store for her made him sick to his stomach. But she did eventually have to be told. It would be so much worse for her if she went in blind. At least she'd know what to expect when Lotor bedded her. A rescue would never come in time to prevent Lotor from taking her innocence. The time to protect her from that knowledge had unfortunately come to an end.

He didn't even want to imagine how Keith would react once he found out what had been done to her.

Lotor wouldn't stand a chance the next time they met in combat. (It was a shame he wouldn't be around to see it.)

Suddenly, there was a loud sound from somewhere outside the room and a line of light appeared at the bottom of the wall directly in front of him.

Lance moved closer to the princess and made sure that she was behind him.

The line of light started growing taller, illuminating their prison and Lance was finally able to see where they were being held.

We're in a goddamn storage shed.

But all of the normal items that were usually kept in it, most of which could have been used as weapons, had been removed and the space had been converted into a sparse living area. Other than their makeshift beds and the single light on the ceiling, there was a small table with a bucket of water and a drinking ladle and by the back wall, a privacy screen had been set up, most likely as a place for them to relieve themselves.

How thoughtful, he thought sarcastically. As if they didn't have anything to worry about other than their modesty.

The door finally came to a halt and a figure appeared in the bright entrance.

Stayden.

Oh god.

He had assumed that the ambush had just been a case of incredibly bad luck. After all, Haggar's blue cat was always hanging around and he could have easily seen Allura get into a carriage and somehow told Haggar about it. (He was a witch's cat. There was no telling what abilities he had other than being incredibly creepy.) Now he knew that that hadn't been the case. The whole thing had been a set-up from the beginning.

And he'd fallen for it, hook, line, and sinker.

He didn't understand how he'd been so thoroughly fooled. He was usually a much better judge of character than that. Yet the supposed farmer hadn't tripped a single one of his mental alarms. In fact, he'd fooled just about everyone in the castle, Coran included. (Allura didn't count. She trusted everyone.)

Everyone except Keith.

Although Lance had a feeling that Keith's distrust was more than a little motivated by the fact that Allura had been invited to the probably non-existent festival alone, his instinct about the danger had been dead-on, just as it always was. Why they had chosen to ignore his warning this one time was a mystery. (Keith was always right.) And because they hadn't, they had walked right into a trap.

One that there'd be no escape from.

Stayden was carrying a tray of food and looked for all the world like a friendly host coming to serve his houseguests. The man had a lot of gall and if it weren't for Allura's presence, Lance would have gone over and decked him. It was the least he deserved for what he had done. (Death would be too good for him.)

Following after him into the shed were six Doom robots, all armed to the teeth. Lance knew he'd be wasted if he made one wrong move. (If Allura had not been there, he would have risked charging them. But the need to stay with her as long as he could enabled him to remain still. She would need him when she woke up.)

Finally (last and certainly least), and holding her ever-present cat, came Haggar herself.

And it was of course at that very moment that Allura started to stir from her sleep.

No, no, no! Stay out of it, damn it!

It would be very bad for her if she woke while Haggar was here. The witch would flat out tell her about her imminent trip to Doom and who was eagerly awaiting her arrival. Allura would completely fall apart and Lance didn't know if he'd be able to calm her down after hearing something like that. (Calming down hysterical women was not one of his strong suits. It was probably why he'd never been in a long-term relationship.)

As Stayden placed the food tray down on the table, Haggar walked right up to where Lance was sitting.

He willed himself not to react or say anything at all. Allura's safety had to remain his top priority. Insulting Haggar would only speed along his demise.

"Well, well, pussy cat," the witch spoke in a gleeful tone, "it seems my trap has worked even better than anticipated. Instead of simply catching a princess, it has brought me one of the space explorers as well. And not just any one of them either." Her creepy smile grew slightly wider. "It seems you have a habit of walking straight into my traps," she directly addressed Lance. "Too bad there is no one coming to save you this time."

Allura began to moan, signaling her inevitable coming to.

Lance remained silent, his fear for Allura warring with his anger at the reminder that Sven had been injured saving his life after he had charged straight into the very first ambush Haggar had set up for them. He was determined not to give in to his anger. Not if he wanted to continue to be in any condition to help the princess.

"You are probably wondering why I have kept you alive," Haggar continued casually as she put her cat down on the ground. The cat immediately settled down by her feet. "The reason is quite simple. I believe the princess will harm herself if she is left unsupervised. She has repeatedly stated that she would rather die than marry Lotor and that is something I cannot allow to happen. Her marriage to the prince is inevitable. She will be his wife. You are to make sure that she doesn't make any attempt to end her life before he comes to claim her. If she is in perfect condition when he arrives, I promise you a quick and relatively painless death. If she is not..."

She didn't have to say more for Lance to know how he would be punished for his "failure."

But this was actually a good thing. It meant that Haggar intended on keeping him around for a little while longer, which meant that he'd be able to tell Allura everything she needed to know before she was taken away. Now, if she'd just hold off on waking up-

"Where...where am I?"

Shit.

He looked over his shoulder to meet Allura's frightened and confused eyes.

"Lance? What's-"

"At last, the princess has awakened," Haggar announced in her disturbingly gleeful tone.

Allura's face paled and her eyes grew even bigger as she recognized the voice. She started to hyperventilate as she sat up and clutched onto Lance's back.

He wanted more than anything to tell her that everything was going to be all right, but it would be a lie. Everything wasn't going to be all right. Not for a long while. There was no telling how long it would take for Keith and the others to find her and rescue her. And she was going to suffer at Lotor's hands until he did.

"I suggest you eat something to maintain your strength," the witch continued. "You will need it once you arrive at your new home. There is much to do before your wedding."

"I'll never marry Lotor!" Allura informed her with what Lance knew to be a false bravado. He could feel her entire body trembling against his. "I won't do it! I won't! You'll either have to let us go or kill us."

Haggar gave a harsh laugh. "Does the poor princess truly believe she has a choice? You are going to be Lotor's wife and, after he ascends the throne, his queen. But more importantly, you are going to produce his heirs. A task you will begin before you are married. Your fate is sealed. You can either accept it or be miserable in it, but there is no changing it.

"And don't count on your other friends coming to your rescue," she went on. "They have no idea that anything has happened to you. You will not be missed for days. By the time they realize you are gone, you will be Lotor's wife."

"No..." Allura whimpered.

"That's enough!" Lance finally spoke up. He was relatively certain that Haggar wouldn't kill him now. As she'd said, she needed him to make sure Allura didn't hurt herself and he couldn't do that if he was dead, now could he? "You've made your point. Leave her alone."

He didn't have to see the princess to know that she had broken down. He could hear the muffled sobs as she cried against his back.

He wondered if she'd truly understood what Haggar had meant when she said that she'd begin producing heirs before the wedding. Allura was probably innocent enough to believe that Lotor would wait until after they were married to touch her. It was just another piece of bad news he was going to have to give her as gently as possible.

The blue cat growled and hissed at Haggar's feet, but the witch herself did not make any move.

Finally, she said, "Very well. The time for me to return to Doom to inform Lotor that I have his bride has come. We will return for the princess in the morning."

"Take as long as you want," Lance shot back, confident now in his temporary immunity.

"Remember your one task," Haggar warned. "Do not fail."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he retorted.

As if he'd let any harm come to Allura while he was still breathing.

Haggar snorted and turned to go.

"Come, pussy cat."

The cat made one of his distinctive screeches before trailing after his master.

Neither the robots or Stayden made a move to follow.

Ignoring their presence, Lance focused his attention on the sobbing Allura. He turned his body around and pulled her against his chest.

Allura sobbed even harder and he could feel her tears soaking through his shirt.

"She's gone now, sweetheart," he told her as he rubbed her back. "Shh. She's gone."

Allura's only response was to continue to cry.

Lance was at a loss what to do. He knew he should try to say things that would make her feel better, but there was nothing to say. Any words of comfort would be a lie and that, in his opinion, would be a cruel thing to do to her. This was by far the worst situation they had ever found themselves in.

And the first one where there would be no rescue or escape.

He wondered if even Keith would know what to say to her.

"I'm so, so very sorry."

Lance looked up to see Stayden standing above him.

"You have to believe me. I had no choice," he said. "They have my family."

"Let me guess, you were told that you and your family would live if you helped them," Lance angrily shot back. How dare he try to excuse what he had done! "Well, guess what? You're all dead anyway. You really think you'll be allowed to live since you know what happened to the princess? You and your family's death certificate was signed the moment Haggar spotted you. You're all dead."

He was rewarded with a look of pure horror on Stayden's face.

Serves you right, you bastard.

He felt Allura pull away from his chest and he looked down at her tear-streaked face.

"P-please don't be angry with h-him, Lance," she shakily managed between sniffles. "He-he didn't know any better. He-he was just trying to protect his f-family." She turned towards Stayden and held out her hand to him, which he instantly took as he crouched down to her level. She paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "I forgive you, Stayden."

Lance was unsurprised by Allura's instant forgiveness and sympathy for the man who had put them in this predicament. It was who she was and nothing, not even the impending nightmare of a life on Doom as Lotor's wife, could change that. But he was not as easily forgiving and remained infuriated.

"Oh, thank you, Your Highness! Thank you!" Stayden tearfully accepted, kissing her hand repeatedly. "I am so ashamed of what I have done. If I could take it back-"

"You should have thought of that before you did this to her," Lance pointed out heatedly. "Do you have any idea what's going to happen to her once she's taken from Arus? Do you have even the slightest clue? Because if you did-"

"Lance, enough," Allura quietly but forcefully cut him off. "Let him be. He's already suffering enough for his actions. There's no reason to make it worse for him."

Lance snorted. "I can name a thousand."

"But you won't," she insisted. She returned her attention to Stayden, who was still clutching her hand. "Go back to your family now. Tell them that you are forgiven."

"I will, Your Highness. Thank you." He kissed her hand again before releasing it. "You truly are as kind and beautiful as everyone says."

He rose to his feet and bowed before scurrying out of the shed.

Allura again buried her face against Lance's chest, but at least she was no longer sobbing uncontrollably.

He watched as the robots moved to leave as well, their guns never moving from his position.

Finally, after the last one had exited, the door began closing and they were again plunged into dimness.

"It's just you and me again, Princess," he told her after the door completely shut. "They're gone for now."

"I'm so scared, Lance," she told him.

"I know, sweetheart. I know," he assured her, stroking her back and kissing the top of her head.

He was terrified too, but not for himself. His suffering would be short.

Hers was just beginning.

((()))

Haggar smiled to herself at how extremely well things were proceeding. Her plan had succeeded far beyond her expectations. Now, not only was the weakling princess in her possession, ready to be delivered to Lotor, but she had managed to catch one of the troublesome space explorers as well. And in an ironic twist of fate, it was the same one she had nearly eliminated upon their first meeting years ago. In a single stroke, Voltron had been effectively eliminated. They could replace one pilot on short notice, but not two. Zarkon would be extremely pleased. Arus could be destroyed at his leisure.

And she could begin to focus on her own rise to power.

A journey that would start with the birth of the heir to Doom's throne.

An heir that would be completely under her control.

Lotor was too self-serving to ever be completely loyal to her. He was only interested in things that were beneficial to him. Oh, he would never betray her. Not after all the things she had done for him, such as giving him the princess of Arus, but he would never consider anything if it didn't benefit him in some way. That was why his rule would only be temporary. He would be king until his first-born child was old enough to replace him.

A child who would do anything his "beloved" Haggar, the woman who would be more of a parent to him than either of his own, asked of him.

Even kill his own father in cold blood.

Her smile briefly widened and then faded away as she approached her ship. It had been put down in the center of the farm's main field. The farm and the family who lived there had been carefully selected after weeks of observation.

General Ishmar, the officer she had hand-picked to accompany her on this mission, stood in front of the boarding ramp.

"General, have my ship prepared to return to Doom," she addressed him as she approached. "I wish to leave at once."

"It has already been done, Your Excellency," he informed her matter-of-factly. "It it only waiting for you to board."

"A most thoughtful gesture," Haggar smiled, impressed by Ishmar's anticipation of her needs. He was not much older than Lotor, but already he had ascended the ranks of Doom's military to hold one of the highest positions in an astonishingly short period of time. He had shown himself to be a brilliant officer, winning numerous victories in Zarkon's name. He had quickly become a favorite of the king. It was Haggar's intention to secure his loyalty for herself. Depending on whose side he was on, he would make either a highly valuable ally or a dangerous enemy upon the death of Zarkon. "Excellent work, General."

Coba vocalized his agreement as he circled her legs.

"Thank you, Your Excellency," Ishmar simply accepted the praise without an outward hint of emotion, but Haggar could tell that he was pleased by the compliment. "What are your orders?"

"Keep the family secured in the main house until just before sunrise," she instructed him. "No one is to leave the farm before then. At that time, you are to eliminate all evidence of our presence here, starting with the family. Leave nothing for anyone to find. I find fire to be a most effective form of removal. It will quickly spread among all the buildings. I will return with His Highness Prince Lotor at first light. Have the princess ready to board the ship."

"As you command," Ishmar said. "And what of the princess's companion?"

"Kill him when you kill the others," she told him. "I have no further use for him."

"It will be done."

"Then I will see you when I return, General," she said, nodding at him before moving past him onto the boarding ramp. To Coba, she spoke, "Come, pussy cat."

Coba meowed and trotted after her.

Haggar's smile returned.

((()))

"Come on, Princess. You have to eat something," Lance urged, but Allura remained curled up on her quilt.

The very idea of putting anything in her mouth made her want to vomit. She was sick to her stomach and felt nauseous. She didn't want to do anything except close her eyes and die.

Because if she was dead, she wouldn't have to marry Lotor.

She wouldn't have to think about him touching her...

"You have to stay strong until Keith comes for you," Lance continued as he came back to sit next to her on the quilt. He had briefly left her side to eat some of the food that Stayden had brought. (Allura was sure it was fine to eat, but the smell of it only made her feel sicker.) He laid a hand on her back and gently ran it up and down. "Because you know he will, Allura. He always does. All you need to do is hold on until then."

Fresh tears fell from her eyes at the mention of the man she loved. Despite Lance's assurances, she knew that she'd never see Keith again. She'd never have the chance to tell him how she felt... By the time he found what had happened, she'd be on Doom and married to that monster. (She had a feeling that Lotor would contact the castle to gloat about their marriage. And he would probably force her to stand beside him as proof. She could just imagine the looks of horror on everyone's faces. The look of despair on Keith's...) Her life would be over.

And to make matters even worse, once she was Lotor's wife, she would legally belong to him. Any attempt to take her from him would be seen as a direct attack against his father's throne. What she and her friends would know to be a rescue would be viewed by Doom as a kidnapping. The retaliation would be more horrible than anything the people of her world had yet seen. The current war was over territory and slaves which meant there was no desire to destroy the planet. But if Keith and the others tried to bring her home...

Arus would be wiped out.

She knew neither Keith nor Coran would allow that to happen. Of everyone, they understood that the survival of the Arusian people was more important than any one life. Even hers. They would be able to keep their emotions from dictating their actions no matter how painful the outcome would be. She trusted that they would protect Arus' future.

A future that would not have her in it.

Again, she hoped that she would die before the wedding was held. It would make things so much easier for everyone if she did.

Especially for Keith...

I love you so much, Keith. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me.

Unable to stop herself, she started to cry all over again.

She felt herself being lifted up and found herself once again in Lance's arms.

"Hey, hey," he murmured as he held her tight. "Please don't cry anymore, sweetheart. You're going to get through this, I promise. It'll be tough, but you'll do it." He began to stroke her back. "You're stronger than you think you are, Allura. You just have to hold on until Keith finds you. He'll find you and he'll bring you home and then you can put this whole nightmare behind you. It may take a little while, but it'll happen. He will come for you. Believe me."

Allura pressed her face against his chest and just let the tears flow.

"You just have to hold on," he repeated. "Hold on until Keith comes for you."

It was strange how Lance kept telling her that Keith was going to rescue them while he himself had made no attempt to find a way out of their prison. (He should know better than anyone what Keith would and would not do. It would be one thing if he learned what had happened to them before she was forced to marry Lotor, but he'd never find out in time. It would already be too late for her when he did. And he'd know that she was lost to Arus.) Lance was usually the one who took matters into his own hands. Sitting around and waiting for rescue wasn't like him. Why wasn't he even trying to discover a way to escape? Did he perhaps know something that he wasn't sharing with her? Had Haggar said something to him while she was still unconscious that made him believe trying to escape was too risky even for him? (Dying while attempting to escape was still a more appealing fate than being Lotor's wife.)

"You're wrong," she told him when her tears had finally subsided enough that she could speak in a steady voice. "Keith won't be able to save me. He won't find out what's happened to me until it's too late. Haggar and Lotor made sure of that. It will be three days before anyone realizes that we're missing and I'll already be... Already be..." She couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. Just the thought of it made her nausea worsen. "Keith will know that he can't rescue me after that. He'll just accept that I'm lost. He won't come for me and I wouldn't want him to. For the sake of Arus, he'll stay away.

"Maybe I'll be dead by then," she added. "I want to be dead."

"Allura!"

Lance pulled her away from him and sternly held her gaze.

"Don't you dare ever say that again," he ordered her. "You can't die. You hear me? You are not allowed to die."

"Why not? It would solve so many problems," she countered. "Lotor-"

"Screw Lotor," he cut her off. "Do you have any idea what it would do to Keith if you died? It would kill him, Princess. You die and it will be like he dies with you. You have to live, Allura. For both of you. Because Keith loves you.

"He's in love with you."

Allura's eyes widened in shock at his words.

Keith loved her? As in, he loved her the way she had always dreamed but never believed would become reality? Did he really? Was Lance speaking the truth or just telling her what he thought she needed to hear? And if it was true, how did he know? How could he know? If Keith couldn't bring himself to say anything to her...

She broke out of his grasp and maneuvered herself into a sitting position.

"He...loves me?" she carefully repeated, trying to sound as nonchalant as she could. She couldn't risk giving herself away. Because if he was wrong and Keith didn't feel the same way...

"Yeah," Lance confirmed. "The same way you love him."

She tried very hard not to show her shock at his casual assertion. How could he know? She had never told anyone, not even her father. It was her deepest and most cherished secret. How had Lance figured it out?

Suddenly the conversation back in the carriage began to make sense. Lance had been feeling her out, trying to gauge exactly how she felt towards Keith. It explained his emphasis on her marrying only for love. She hadn't given herself away as she'd feared. He'd somehow already known.

And if she knew about her, could he be right about Keith? Could Keith really and truly return her love?

But she couldn't let Lance know that he was right. Not when she had no way of knowing if what he said about Keith was the truth. (He could only be saying it because he knew how she felt about Keith and wanted to give her something to focus on other than their predicament. Maybe he thought if he kept her distracted with thoughts of her beloved that it would keep her from thinking about dying...) If she confessed her true feelings for Keith and then they escaped and it turned out that he didn't love her...

"Of course I love him," she said as calmly as she could manage. "The same way I love you. And Pidge. And Hunk. And-"

"No," he cut her off. "You love him."

There was something in his voice that made it clear he wasn't going to accept any more denials on her part. He knew and nothing she could say would make him believe otherwise.

He had her trapped and they both knew it.

She looked away from him, not wanting to meet his eyes.

"Yes," she finally admitted in a quiet voice, new tears running down her cheeks. "Yes, I love him. I love him so much."

"Hey," he softly said, reaching out and wiping away her tears. "It's about time one of you said something. And it only took two years! Man, I thought neither of you ever would!"

She knew he was trying to lighten the mood and she rewarded him with the tiniest of smiles.

"Promise me you'll tell Keith when he finds you," he quietly implored her as he took her hands and squeezed them, serious once more. "He needs to know."

She looked at him. "How can you be so sure he loves me? Has he...told you?"

"He didn't have to," Lance informed her. "I've known Keith a long time and I've only seen him like this once before. He was head over heels in love with..." He trailed off, releasing his hold on her hands. "He's never told you about Whitney, has he?"

Allura shook her head, incredibly curious about the one other woman who had won Keith's heart. (She was surprised to learn that there had only been one. Keith was so wonderful and kind and not to mention incredibly handsome. How had he not been in more relationships? What woman wouldn't want to be with him?) "He doesn't talk much about his past with me."

"If it makes you feel any better, he doesn't talk about his past much with anybody," he let her know. "Don't take it personally. That's just the way Keith is. Very, very private. The only reason I know so much is because I was with him when those things happened. One of the perks that came with being his roommate. The Whitney disaster is one of those things."

"The Whitney disaster." A feeling of dread came over her at his casual pronouncement. Something terrible had clearly happened between Keith and this Whitney. What could it have been and how badly had she hurt him? (Allura knew that Keith couldn't have done anything wrong. He was too good and caring a person.)

"Tell me about Whitney," she asked, needing to know everything that had happened. Whitney was a part of Keith's past, which made it important for her to know.

"I don't know, Princess," Lance said. "It's not a pretty story. There are things in it that I'm not sure you'd be comfortable hearing. It ended really badly for him."

"Lance, please," she pressed. "It's very important for me to know. Please."

And it was. She had fallen in love with Keith because of who he was. And his past was a large part of that. She wanted to know everything about him.

He sighed. "Okay, I'll tell you, but you can't say I didn't warn you, all right?"

She nodded.

"All right, here goes nothing," Lance began. "It all started when Keith met Whitney during our first year in the space explorer program at the GG academy. It was a Friday night in the middle of the first semester and I had once again had to bodily force Keith to leave the dorm for a little relaxation. If you think he's uptight now, that's nothing compared to what he was like in school. At least now he knows how to have fun. Well, on occasion anyway. But back then he was a lost cause. If it wasn't related to our studies, he didn't want to hear about it."

Allura had to smile at the description. It was so perfectly Keith. He was a very serious and focused person. (He did have a playful side, but it came out very rarely.) It was probably why he was such a strong leader. She couldn't imagine him being any other way.

"So anyway," Lance continued the story, "the two of us are sitting at a table in a club when all of a sudden this incredibly hot girl... Well, a not-as-incredibly-gorgeous-as-you hot girl," he quickly amended and Allura just shook her head, "comes over and, without even bothering to ask either of us for our permission, sits down next to Keith. Without so much as a 'hi' to me, she just starts talking to Keith. And only Keith. It was as if I didn't even exist for her, which should have been the first sign that something was seriously not right with her. I mean, come on! How could anyone ignore a guy as gorgeous as me?"

Allura couldn't help but giggle, which Lance rewarded with a smile. She knew what he was doing and she had to admit that it was working. He was a natural storyteller and for a moment, she could allow herself to forget where they were and what was going to happen to her in the morning.

"As you probably can guess," he went on, "Keith was very uncomfortable from all the attention Whitney was giving him. He kept trying to excuse himself from the table, but she wasn't having any of it. I even tried to get her to leave by offering to dance with her, but she wasn't the slightest bit interested in me. Talk about a blow to the ego! As I was saying, Whitney only wanted Keith and as we later, unfortunately, learned, Whitney was used to getting exactly what she wanted. In the end, it was our curfew that saved him. So he politely took her number, which she insisted on giving him before she'd let him leave, and that, we thought, was the end of that.

"Boy, were we ever wrong!"

Allura was fascinated. So far, this Whitney didn't sound too bad. Pushy and aggressive, but not harmful. But Lance had said that it ended badly for Keith. What could have happened? What had Whitney done to him in the end?

"Two days later, when Keith hadn't called her, she shows up on campus and starts searching for him," he continued his narrative. "That should have been the second sign that she was bad news. I mean, girls were always swooning over Keith, but this was ridiculous! Eventually, she was directed to our dorm room and that, as the saying goes, was just the beginning. Now that she knew where he lived, there was no escaping her."

Allura's eyes widened in shock. Keith had not shown an interest in her, yet she had pursued him all the way to where he lived. What had she been thinking?

"Whitney turned into a borderline stalker after that," he told her. "With the exception of class and training, he couldn't go anywhere without her showing up. She constantly called him and sent him little gifts. I think after the initial shock wore off, Keith started to feel flattered by all the attention. And to be honest, what guy wouldn't? Here was a gorgeous woman, albeit a slightly nutty one, throwing herself at him. I wasn't surprised when he finally asked her out on a date after several weeks of her pursuing him."

Allura nodded in agreement. Whitney truly hadn't left Keith any other choice. It was go out with her or continue to be smothered by her unending attention. He had made the only decision he could.

"They really hit it off on the date and Keith found that he liked her a lot," Lance continued. "Things started calming down after that and the relationship became more normal. Whitney backed off slightly and let Keith take the lead. He was the one who was doing most of the calling now and he was sending her gifts. They were going out every weekend and there was some sort of contact every day, even if it was a brief phone conversation between classes. It wasn't long before he was totally and completely in love with her."

For a moment, Allura allowed herself to wonder what it would be like if she and Keith were dating. Would he shower her with gifts and attention the way he had Whitney? Or would he be more subdued with her because she was a princess? In the end, it wouldn't matter to her which way he treated her. All that would matter was that he loved her.

And if Lance was right and he really did...

"Many months went by and everything seemed great," Lance continued. "I'd never seen Keith so happy. There was no question that he loved her deeply. He even told me that he was thinking about marrying her."

Allura knew that he had reached the part of the story where the relationship fell apart. Otherwise she was sure Whitney would have been Keith's wife...

"What happened?" she breathed, feeling nervous despite knowing that Keith came out all right.

Lance suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Oh, god, how can I put this? I'm not even sure that I should be telling you this, but I think it's important that you hear it. You'll understand why after I finish this story. She...um... She...um... Oh, hell, I'm just going to come out and say it: she started pressuring him to have sex with her," he bluntly told her.

Allura felt her face turn bright red. Just hearing the word made her uncomfortable and embarrassed. Nanny had told her all about it when she had begun her monthly cycle at age twelve. It was a private act that was only supposed to take place between a husband and his wife and therefore it should never again be discussed until a woman was about to be married. And after that one time, it never had been brought up again. With her refusal to take a suitor, marriage had never been imminent and without an impending marriage, there was no need to ever discuss what took place between a husband and wife. The little she knew was what Nanny had taught her all those years ago. (That and the few things she'd overheard the royal maids gossip about with each other on occasion. They'd made it sound so wonderful...)

Though she'd be lying if thoughts of it hadn't crossed her mind in recent years. Thoughts of experiencing it with the man she loved...

And thoughts of what would happen if she were ever married to Lotor...

Lance studied her face. "I did warn you, Allura. Do you think you'll be able to handle hearing it?"

She nodded. "You said I needed to. And, more than that, I need to know how she hurt him. Please, Lance, tell me."

She had to know what happened. Lance had made it very clear that Keith had been very much in love with Whitney. For their relationship to have ended...

"Okay," he said, continuing the story. "As I'm sure you very well know, Keith is a complete proper gentleman. He was raised to believe that a man doesn't sleep with a woman until they are married and he told Whitney in no uncertain terms that he wouldn't go to bed with her until they were. He hadn't proposed yet, but it was just expected that he was going to. They'd been together for nearly nine months by that time. He had even started looking at engagement rings."

Oh, no, Allura thought, getting an idea of what may have happened. If Whitney had broken up with him over something as important to him as his morals...

"If you remember, I told you that Whitney was used to getting her way. She couldn't stand being told no. She tried every argument she could think of, including the ever popular 'but we're getting married anyway' one. But Keith refused to budge from his position. Waiting was important to him and he believed that if she truly loved him, she would respect that. For two weeks, she pushed and pushed for him to sleep with her and finally Whitney gave him an ultimatum: go to bed with her or she was leaving him. I think you can figure out what Keith did."

Honestly, she wasn't sure what to think. Keith had been very much in love with Whitney, but she had been asking him to violate his personal moral values in order to remain in a relationship with her. It couldn't have been an easy decision to make, but he had loved her so very much...

"Did he...?"

Lance nodded and Allura realized that as with everything else, Whitney hadn't really given him any other choice. He had been deeply in love with her and wouldn't have wanted to lose her. Knowing him as well as she did, she knew that he would have been willing to do almost anything to keep her with him. It was just the way he was.

"And the next morning, she turned around and informed him that it was over anyway."

"What?!" Allura gasped. "After what he had done for her? How? Why?"

She was completely shocked. Keith had sacrificed something very important to himself for her and that was how she'd repaid him? By leaving him? It was probably one of the coldest and cruelest things she had ever heard. (Although it was nothing compared to Doom's atrocities against Arus and every other innocent world Zarkon had targeted, Whitney had hurt Keith badly and that, in Allura's mind, was equally devastating.)

"It gets worse, Princess," Lance said. "It turns out their whole relationship was part of a sick game that Whitney was playing with her friends. Every year they choose a single cadet and Whitney had to get him to have sex with her. That year they picked Keith as her target."

Allura felt ill at the revelation.

"Keith was never quite the same afterwards," he continued. "He became more introverted than he already was and just buried himself in his studies and training. Getting him to do anything on weekends was impossible and he never went anywhere on breaks either. He just stayed on campus and studied. He pretty much remained the same way even after we officially became space explorers.

"He also never went out on another date again," Lance pointedly told her. "Sven and I were always trying to set him up with nice girls, but he refused to meet them. Whitney had hurt him so badly that for a long time he was afraid that any woman who showed an interest in him would do the same thing. He didn't want to take the risk of getting hurt again. He eventually got over what Whitney had done to him, but by that point, he was so caught up in being a space explore that nothing else mattered to him. His career became everything to him.

"Until he met you."

Allura's eyes widened as she realized he had just given her her answer.

"That's how I know he really loves you, Allura," Lance stated with finality. "You did what no one else could and you did it without even trying. See why I wanted you to hear about Whitney? You two are meant for each other, sweetheart. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. So no more talk of dying before he comes to get you. You have to survive so he can rescue you and then the two of you can have your happily ever after. Have I made myself clear?"

Her eyes began to tear once more as she nodded at him, but this time they were tears of joy.

She couldn't believe it. Keith really did love her. He loved her! After all the time she had spent wondering how he felt, she finally knew the truth. He loved her!

She was about to open her mouth to thank him for everything he had told her when it occurred to her that Lance had never once said "us." Every time he spoke of rescue, it was of Keith coming for "you." Never "us," just "you."

"You keep saying 'you' and not 'us,'" she quietly spoke.

"What?"

"You've never said 'us,'" she repeated. "You keep saying that Keith is coming for me as if he'd only come to save me. He'd never do that, Lance. He'd never leave you behind. Why would you think that? It doesn't make any sense."

"Princess... I..." He looked down, not meeting her gaze.

She again wondered if Haggar had said something to him while she had been unconscious. It was the only explanation that made sense for his uncharacteristic behavior. What could she have possibly have said to him to convince him that escape or rescue wasn't possible?

"Whatever Haggar told you-"

"How much do you actually know about sex?"

"What?!"

Allura was shocked and mortified by the unexpected and highly inappropriate question. She was sure her entire body had turned red from embarrassment. Why would he ask her such a thing? And why now, of all times? Had he gone mad all of a sudden?

"We both know Keith isn't going to reach you in time to prevent Lotor from taking you to his bed," Lance bluntly told her and her embarrassment was quickly overtaken by nausea. "You heard what Haggar said. He's not going to wait until after you're married. He wants you pregnant with his child as soon as possible. So I ask you again, how much do you know about sex?"

"I know enough," she informed him, her stomach churning at the thought of Lotor seeing her naked. Of him touching her... She shuddered. Her worst nightmare was coming true and there wasn't a thing she could do to stop it.

Except die.

But that was something she could no longer do. Not after what Lance had told her. She had to live.

For Keith.

"I'm not that sheltered, Lance," she told him. "I was expected to marry and start having children at sixteen, remember? Why are you asking me this?"

"There are a lot of things you don't know about Lotor, Allura," he answered. "Things we purposely kept from you because we knew how upset you'd be if you ever learned about them. Things we hoped you'd never have to find out. But now... Now it'll be worse if I don't tell you about them."

Allura's fear began to rise. Her friends knew how terrified she was of Lotor already. If they had been keeping something from her because they knew it would frighten her even more...

"You know that we've freed a lot of slaves from Doom over the years," he continued. "We always make a point of debriefing as many of them as possible for the most up-to-date intel they can provide. We've spoken to a number of them who were either part of or stationed near Lotor's harem. And every single one of them said the same thing." He paused, taking a deep breath before reaching for her hands. His eyes never left hers. "Allura, Lotor purposely hurts his women.

"Badly."

Allura's nausea instantly intensified at his words and she wrenched her hands free of his to cover her mouth as she gasped. She was sure she was going to vomit at any moment.

Oh my gods! she thought horrified. Oh my gods!

"He inflicts pain to heighten his own pleasure," Lance quietly told her. "He'll find any excuse to hurt them. He's particularly fond of telling the woman that she's done something to displease him so he can punish her. Other times he'll beat the woman for no reason other than he felt like it. It all depends on his mood."

Allura felt herself begin to shake, her eyes again filling with tears. Why was he telling her this? Why?

Never in her darkest nightmares had she ever imagined something this terrifying. She knew Lotor was violent-she had experienced his temper first-hand when she'd repeatedly refused his advances-but this was beyond anything she'd ever thought possible. With all his proclamations of love for her, she'd thought he'd be somewhat gentle with her. In her mind, it was being married to him and being thought of as his property that had always been the worst part. Now she knew how terribly wrong she'd been.

"Oh gods..." she breathed.

"Romelle has verified all of this," he softly added. "Keith and Coran made her swear to never tell you. She agreed that it was for the best that you never knew."

Oh, Romelle!

Her poor cousin who had been Lotor's prisoner for so many months before he had finally discarded her. She had always wondered why Romelle was so silent about her time on Doom. She had just assumed it was too painful a subject to discuss. Now she knew the truth.

"It gets worse," Lance let her know. "The beatings are just the beginning. He's also very brutal during intercourse. He's been known to make a woman bleed."

Her nausea spiked and she could taste the bile in her mouth.

She didn't want to hear any more. It was too awful. She wished he would stop.

She needed him to stop.

"He has a preference for virgins because they experience the most pain," he continued. "A woman's first time is always painful. The initial entry into her body hurts her no matter who her partner is. Lotor has ways of maximizing that pain so that the woman suffers as much as possible."

"I-I don't want to hear any more," Allura finally managed to say. She hadn't known that fact about a woman's first time. Nanny had left that out all those years ago. She wished she still didn't know. "Please, Lance. Please."

"And," he went on despite her protest, "And, he calls every single one of his women by your name."

That last piece of information was too much for her and she began to retch.

But because she had not eaten since breakfast that morning, there was nothing in her stomach to come up and all she could do was dry-heave.

She felt Lance pull her back into his arms as she coughed and choked.

When she had finished, she began to sob.

Why, oh, why was he telling her all of these awful things? What purpose had there been in sharing with her the details of her own personal hell? She wished she could simply erase the unwanted knowledge from her mind. At least before he had told her anything she had been able to pretend that being bedded by Lotor would only be disgusting and uncomfortable. Now that she knew the truth she didn't know if she could survive it.

It would be better if she'd just die before she could be taken to Doom.

I'm so sorry, my love, she silently sent to Keith. I don't think I'm strong enough to hold on until you come for me. I wish I could have told you how I feel when I had the chance.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Lance soothed as he held her close and stroked her back. "I'm so sorry. But you had to be told, Allura. It would have been wrong of me to keep any of this from you. You needed to know what's going to happen to you. Believe me, it would be so much worse for you if you didn't know what to expect. This way you'll be ready for it and it won't be a complete shock. This'll make it easier for you to get through, I promise."

She wanted to ask him how he thought knowing any of this would make the experience easier to get through when all it had done was confirm that her life as she knew it was over. She was Lotor's to do with as he pleased. She understood that Lance was trying to help and meant well, but he couldn't possibly understand what she was going through. He wasn't the one who was going to be married to an abusive monster.

"You just need to hold on until Keith comes for you," Lance told her again, unaware of the pain he was causing her. "He'll come for you and then you'll finally tell each other 'I love you' and then you can begin your life together. You just have to hold on until then."

Before he had told her about Lotor's sadistic tendencies, his words about reuniting with Keith would have brought her comfort. Now all they did was remind her that she'd never again see her love.

She just wanted to die despite knowing how much it would hurt Keith.

Anything to spare her the horror of what Lotor would do to her once he had her in his bedchamber.

Finally, her sobs began to subside, leaving her feeling sick and exhausted.

"I wish you hadn't told me," she murmured through her tears. "It would have been better if I didn't know."

"No," Lance disagreed, "that's where you're wrong, Allura. I know you don't believe me now, but when you're going through it, you'll see why it was better that you knew what was coming ahead of time. He won't be able to surprise you with anything he does. It'll take away some of his power over you. That's why he hurts his women. It's to make him feel powerful and you're not going to let him get away with it. You're not going to let him destroy you, Princess. You're so much stronger than you believe. You're just going to have to trust me on this."

She didn't have the strength to argue with him. She just wanted to curl up and die.

I'm sorry, Keith.

A silence fell over them as Lance continued to hold her and rock her as she cried.

Despite everything he'd told her, she appreciated having him with her more than she could say. If Keith hadn't insisted she'd take an escort...

"Allura," Lance softly spoke after what seemed like an eternity. He ceased his rocking motion as well as his stroking of her back. "I was thinking. There's one thing I could do for you that would make...you know...easier for you. That is, if you'd let me."

She looked up at him, puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"I could be your first."

She stared at him in shock, unsure of how to respond or react.

"I know I'm not who you want," he continued. "I know you've never even thought of me that way. But Keith isn't here and I am. Your first time should be special and wonderful and memorable. It shouldn't be a...a torture session. I can give you the experience you deserve, Allura, if you'll let me. I can make you feel the way you're supposed to. I would never purposely hurt you."

"Lance, I..."

Allura was stunned. What Lance was offering to do for her...

It had always been her secret hope that when she did make love, as she'd heard that it was called, for the first time that it would be with Keith. She'd never truly believed that it would happen, especially when she wasn't sure how he felt about her, but in her mind, he was the only one she'd ever want to share it with. She would never love anyone the way she did him. He was everything to her. It was why she'd never marry anyone but him. But now that possibility had been taken away from her and she would never see Keith again.

But Lance... Lance, who she did love but in a different way and who she knew loved her in return, was offering to take what should have been Keith's place.

She knew he would never do any of the things to her that Lotor would. He was a good man, an honorable man. A man she was proud to think of as a member of her family. He had already proved numerous times today alone how much he cared for her. This proposal was just one more piece of proof. If she allowed him to make love to her, she knew it would be wonderful.

But he wasn't Keith...

"It's all right if you want to say no, Princess," he gently told her. "I won't be insulted. I just thought-"

"It's going to hurt?" she cut him off, her nervousness growing as she made the only decision that she could. If it was inevitable that she was going to lose her virginity, then she'd rather give it to someone who cared about her.

"Only for a moment," he let her know, bringing a hand to her cheek. "And then it fades and it's quickly forgotten. I promise."

"Then, yes," she said, accepting his offer. "Yes. Make love to me, Lance."

"No," he softly told her, shaking his head. "What we're about to do isn't making love. This is just sex. The first time you're with Keith... You'll know the difference."

"I don't understand."

"You will," he promised and it saddened her that she never would.

Keith was lost to her despite what Lance believed. She would never be with the man she loved again.

He used his thumb to stroke her face, his eyes searching hers. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes," she told him. She was afraid of what was about to happen, but determined to go through with it. If she couldn't be with Keith... "I don't want Lotor to be the one to first touch me."

"All right," he accepted, "but are you ready?"

"No," she honestly admitted in a whisper.

She had no idea what to expect. Her knowledge of sex was so limited. And now that she knew there was pain involved...

He gave her a knowing smile. "Everyone is nervous about their first time."

"Even you?" It was hard to imagine Lance being nervous about anything.

"Even me," he assured her. "But the woman I was with showed me that there was nothing to be nervous about. She was very patient and gentle with me. And now it's my turn to do the same for you." He slid his hand down her face and lightly took hold of her chin. "Now close your eyes, sweetheart."

She did as she was told, feeling her body begin to tremble and her heart speeding up, and she felt him gently tilt her face upwards.

And then he kissed her.

Allura started when his lips pressed against hers, but after a moment she began to relax as strange sensations started to form in her body.

Sensations she had never before experienced...

Her fears and doubts began to melt away as she found herself responding and tentatively returning the kiss.

Lance ended the kiss and pulled slightly back from her.

"Are you all right?" he quietly asked her as she opened her eyes.

Overwhelmed by what she was feeling, she only nodded.

He smiled again and ran his thumb across her lips.

"Not bad for a first kiss, huh?"

"I've never... It was..." She tried to speak but found herself at a complete loss for words.

"Amazing" was probably the most apt description for what she had just experienced.

He leaned in and gave her another kiss, this one light and quick.

"We need to stand up now," he told her, releasing his hold on her.

"O-okay," she said, rising to her feet.

She swallowed as he removed his ever-present leather jacket before standing up to tower over her.

He moved closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"You still have time to back out if you don't want to go through with this," he told her. "You need to understand that there's going to be a point where we're not going to be able to stop. So I'm going to ask you again before we go any further. Are you sure want this, Allura?"

"Yes," she told him again, her emotions swirling. She was afraid, but she would not back down.

She couldn't.

"I'm sure."

"All right."

And then he started to kiss her again.

This new kiss felt completely different from the others. It was more powerful and intense.

The sensations came back much, much stronger than before and they were centered in a part of her body that she had always shied away from exploring even in her most curious moments. (Just thinking about touching herself there had always made her turn red. She had tried once or twice while fantasizing about Keith, but her embarrassment had stopped her before she'd gone very far.) She didn't understand what was happening to her.

She was barely aware of Lance's hands as they slid down her arms and made their way on to her back. He pressed her close against his body.

Finally, after what seemed like it had been forever, he released her.

She could barely catch her breath as she looked up at him in wonder. What he was doing to her...

Would it have been like this with Keith?

"You still okay?" he asked in a murmur.

Again, she could only nod.

"You need to take off your dress," he instructed her. "Do you want me to do it for you or can you get it yourself?"

Her nervousness escalated at the thought of being seen naked. Until this moment, only Nanny had seen her without any clothes on. (She was sure her mother had as well, but she had been so young when she'd lost her that she didn't remember very much about her at all.) Again, it had been her secret hope that Keith would be the only man to view her body.

"I-I'll do it," she managed to say, her heart thudding in her chest.

She stepped back from him and, turning around to give herself the momentary illusion of privacy, she worked the dress over her head, leaving herself wearing nothing but her bra and underpants. She then removed her tiara and placed it on top of her dress. Slipping out of her shoes, she crossed her arms over her chest and turned back to face him.

Lance had taken off his shirt and boots while she had been busy with her own clothes. Although she'd seen him shirtless before (she'd seen all of the boys topless on many occasions, mostly when they went swimming), it was the first time she had really noticed how lean and muscular he was. He truly had a beautiful body.

He looked her up and down as she returned to stand near him.

"Pink?" he commented with an arched eyebrow at the color of her undergarments.

"What's wrong with that?" she wanted to know. Pink had always been her favorite color from the time she was a little girl. To her, it was the color of love and happiness. (She had become extremely fond of blue in the past two years as well. Especially any blue that matched the shade of Keith's eyes...)

"Nothing at all, Princess," Lance assured her with a smile. "I was just making an observation. It suits you."

He moved closer to her and placed a hand on her bare skin, causing her to suck in her breath.

Suddenly, the reality of what was about to happen slammed into her and she found her nervousness and fear escalating once again. Lance was going to see her. All of her. And touch her. And she was going to see him. She felt overwhelmed and scared and her breathing and heartbeat began to quicken.

"Allura, you have to relax or this isn't going to work," he told her, removing his hand from her back and stepping slightly away from her.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I do want to do this, but..."

"I understand," he let her know. "Believe me. I do. I'm not the one you're in love with."

"I'm sorry," she said again.

"You don't have to apologize, sweetheart," he assured her. "Maybe this was a bad-"

"No!" she insisted, tears beginning to fall once again. "Please! I can't have Lotor be my first time! I can't!"

As afraid as she was of being with Lance, she knew in her heart of hearts that it would be a wonderful experience. Although he hadn't come right out and said it, she knew that he had to be a skilled lover. Just the way he had kissed her...

Lotor, on the other hand, was a sadistic monster. If she didn't do this with Lance and the gods didn't grant her wish of death before Lotor got his hands on her...

"All right, Allura, all right," Lance said, coming back to her and pulling her into his arms. "We'll make this work. I promise."

"I'm sorry I'm making this so difficult," she quietly apologized. "You must be so annoyed with me."

"Never, Princess," he assured her. "I understand how hard this is for you. You're not my first 'first time', you know."

She looked up at him. "And were they all as afraid as I am?"

"Umm... They were all nervous," he admitted. "But it was different with them. It was their choice to go to bed with me. You're only going to be with me because the alternative is much worse."

His words made her feel awful. She was being terribly unfair to him in so many ways. She was amazed he was still willing to go through this with her despite her reluctance. He truly was a good man.

"I think I have an idea that's going to make this go a lot easier for you," he said. "I want you to go lay down and close your eyes."

"All-all right," she agreed and she went to do as she was told.

She laid down on the quilt and closed her eyes as instructed. Her chest heaved with every shuddering breath she took. What was Lance planning on doing?

A moment later she heard him come to lay beside her.

"Are you okay?" he quietly asked her.

She nodded.

"Good. Now, I want you to imagine that you're back in your bedroom at the castle," he said. "Can you do that for me?"

"Yes."

"Okay, you're laying in your bed and you're waiting for Keith to come and join you."

Her pulse quickened at the thought of Keith.

"From this moment on, every touch and every kiss you feel is being given to you by Keith," he continued. "Everything you feel. Can you do that?"

"Yes," she nodded again.

She was no stranger to fantasizing about Keith. She had sometimes pretended that caresses she had given herself had come from him. Caresses that had only gone so far before she became too embarrassed to continue...

"Good."

Suddenly, fingers began to lightly caress her cheek and in her mind she saw Keith laying next to her, his hand on her face.

She smiled at the image and the sensations that accompanied it in real life.

Then she felt another hand running down the side of her body, causing her to shiver, and again in her mind she visualized that it was Keith touching her.

"Keith..." she murmured contentedly, reinforcing the illusion.

The sensations she were experiencing were so nice that it was easy to forget who she was really with. She allowed her fantasy to become her reality, which in the back of her suddenly hazy mind she knew was what Lance wanted to happen.

And then she was being kissed again.

There was no hesitation this time as she eagerly returned the kiss and she quickly became lost in it.

Keith! she thought happily, having completely convinced herself that she was with her love.

She felt him pull her body against his as they kissed and the full contact introduced even more new feelings and sensations to her. Most were nice but some were...strange.

Like the pressure beginning to build deep within her.

She didn't understand what was causing it or what it meant. Was it normal? But she didn't want to break the kiss to ask.

The wonderful kissing continued and his hands were all over her.

All too soon, the kiss came to an end, leaving her breathing hard and craving more.

He released his hold on her and she was placed on her back once more.

"Keith..." she breathed, not wanting him to leave her.

And then she was being kissed again, but this time, his lips did not stay pressed against hers. They strayed from her mouth and moved onto her chin and along the side of her face.

And then he was sucking on her earlobe.

That sent a bolt of electricity straight through her body to the place where the pressure was.

She gasped at the sensation.

It was... It was...

Before her mind could even give it a description, his mouth was moving again. It was traveling down her neck, onto her shoulders...

To her chest.

When the kisses reached her breasts, they stopped. Almost immediately, hands were sliding around her sides and on to her back to unfasten her bra. When it was pulled from her body, the kisses resumed.

She gasped and moaned as her breasts were lavished with kisses and sucks. Again, her mind couldn't focus enough to describe what she was feeling.

When the treatment of her breasts came to an end, the kisses continued traveling further down her body.

"Oh, Keith..." she breathed when he reached her belly.

And then he was at the waist of her underpants and she knew that the next step was for him to remove them.

Her nervousness returned though not as strongly as before. What had already been done to her...

"Are you ready, Allura?" he spoke and through her mental fog, she recognized that it wasn't Keith's voice but ignored that fact. Who else but her beloved could be bringing her this pleasure?

"Yes."

Almost as soon as her confirmation had been spoken, her underpants were being slid down her body.

Her nervousness slightly increased, but still remained weaker than it had been. She felt safe and loved. The experience so far had been absolutely amazing...

She felt her last piece of clothing completely pulled off of her and then her legs were being slid apart.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she realized that the time had come for him to enter her for the first time and take her virginity.

It was both scary and exciting at the same time. She feared the pain but was curious about what it would feel like for him to be inside of her.

But to her surprise, he did not move over her to get into position. Instead, she felt his hands begin to explore her most intimate parts, which sent waves of exquisite pleasure through her body.

She kept her eyes tightly closed as she had been told though there was a small part of her that wanted to see what was happening.

Fingers were lightly slid over her and she felt herself being spread apart and exposed.

Again, her breath caught. What was going to happen?

Each touch increased the pressure within her. She feared what would happen when it reached the point that she couldn't take any more.

And then she felt the first finger push into her.

She cried out at the sensation.

"Oh, gods!"

She had never felt anything like it. It was... It was...

Another followed and she called out the name of the only person who could be bringing her this pleasure.

"Keith!"

She bucked and writhed under his touch as he did things to her that she could never have imagined in her wildest dreams. It felt so wonderful...

The pressure continued to build and she knew that it would soon burst.

Yet she no longer feared it. She longed for it. Her instincts told her that that was what was supposed to happen.

And then it exploded and she was lost in an exquisite maelstrom of ecstasy...

((()))

Lance smiled at the awed expression on Allura's face as she came down from her first orgasm. He'd been with many women over the years, but never before had he felt so proud of his ability to pleasure a woman. Getting the princess to allow him to touch her had been a challenge (this was probably the first and only time he wouldn't mind being repeatedly called another man's name), but it had been worth it to see her enjoy herself.

And he was not finished with her yet. He still had to join with her. But the manual stimulation had been a necessary part of the process. Not only had it had allowed him to feel how tight she was and determine her state of readiness, but it gave her the chance to get used to the feeling of something being inside of her. (Because she had been given such a sheltered upbringing, he had a feeling she had not masturbated like a normal young woman would have.)

First entry would not be easy or pleasant for her. But at least he wouldn't purposely hurt her like that bastard Lotor would.

Allura stilled beneath him and he removed his fingers from within her. While she calmed her breathing, he quickly slipped out of his remaining clothes and moved so that he was stretched over her, his weight supported above her by his elbows.

He was so very ready for her and he ignored the twinges caused by each light brush against her body.

"Open your eyes, Allura," he softly ordered her.

Her eyes fluttered open and it took her a moment to focus them on his face. There was a brief expression of surprise as she remembered who she was really with but then she gave him a tiny smile.

"Lance..." she breathed. "What was... What just..."

"You just had your first orgasm," he informed her. "That's the goal you should always reach for when you have sex. Pretty nice, wasn't it?"

"It was... It was..." She trailed off and he smiled as she was again at a loss for words.

She had truly enjoyed herself.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Let me know when you're ready to continue."

He thanked his lucky stars for his self-control and patience. He preferred his sex to be fast and intense (he'd even had a few experiences with light bondage), but that would have been the wrong approach for the innocent princess. She needed her partner to be slow and gentle and controlled and that was exactly what he was giving her.

Lotor would not have given her the same courtesy.

"I'm ready," she said. "But first I want you to answer my question."

"Afterwards," he insisted. The entire reason he had brought up sex in the first place was to avoid telling her the truth: that he was going to be executed sometime tomorrow, possibly before they left Arus. The last thing he wanted to do was burden Allura with that knowledge. He would keep it from her as long as he could. "I promise. Now put your hands on my back."

"All right," she accepted as she did as she was told. "But you can't forget you promised."

"I won't," he assured her, dreading her reaction. It had taken him so long to calm her down before. Knowing that he was going to be killed would upset her all over again.

He began to kiss her once more and she immediately began to respond. She was a quicker learner and already kissed as well as some of the most experienced women he had been with. (He hoped Keith realized how lucky he was to have won the heart of this incredible woman.)

Shifting his weight to his left elbow, he reached down with his right hand to position himself at her entrance. Keeping her distracted with the kiss, he pushed slightly into her.

Allura gasped against his mouth and her fingers dug into his skin, but he wouldn't let her pull away.

He pushed again and he realized that she was tighter than he had thought.

She cried out at the next push, breaking the kiss. Tears were clearly in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he apologized. "It won't be much longer. I'm almost there."

"It hurts," she whimpered.

"I know, Princess. I know."

He pushed twice more, pausing for a moment between them, and then he felt that he'd reached her barrier.

"This is it, sweetheart," he told her. "Brace yourself."

And then kissing her again, he plunged one final time and fully enveloped himself inside of her.

Her cry of pain was muffled by the kiss.

"You did it, sweetheart," he told her. "You did it. Congratulations, you're a woman now."

The quip had its intended effect and she weakly smiled.

"The pain will pass in a minute," he promised her. "And then it'll be time for the good part."

He watched her face as he waited for the pain to leave her. When her expression relaxed and again became one of wonder, he knew it was time to continue.

He was very close to coming himself, but he would not rush her to satisfy his own needs. This was all about her. His own pleasure was secondary to hers.

Without a word, he began to move.

She gasped, clearly surprised by what she was feeling.

He continued to watch her face as he thrust in and out of her. She wore an expression of pure ecstasy.

He easily established a rhythm and her body responded accordingly, her natural instincts guiding her.

Her gasps and moans were like music to his ears. To him, they meant that he was succeeding in what he had set out to do, which was to give her a first sexual experience that she deserved. He may not be the man she loved, but he'd be damned if she didn't enjoy herself.

Finally, she came for the second time and she wordlessly cried out her pleasure.

He thrusted twice more and then followed her over the edge.

Spent, he collapsed on top of her and then quickly moved so that he was laying on his side next to her.

For a few moments, they laid in silence, the only sound their heavy breathing.

"Allura," he finally said and she turned to him, the wonder and amazement still in her eyes. He reached out and touched her face. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," she said softly. "Lance, I..."

"You don't have to thank me, sweetheart," he told her, caressing her cheek. "It was my honor to be your first. I hope I was worthy of it."

For the first time, he felt a small twinge of guilt for taking something that should have belonged to Keith. But that had changed the moment they had been captured by Haggar. And he knew this had been the right thing to do. If Lotor had been Allura's first, she would have been scarred for life. At least now she knew what sex was supposed to be like and when she and Keith were reunited...

He was glad he had been able to do this one last service for his princess before his execution. As he had told her, it had been his honor.

"I never knew it was supposed to be like that," she told him, awe in her voice.

"Just wait until you're with Keith for the first time," he said. "This will pale in comparison."

Her face inexplicably saddened at that.

"What is it?" he asked.

She shook her head. "You promised you'd answer my question now."

"Let's get dressed first," he suggested, again trying to delay having to tell her the truth.

She shook her head again. "No. No more avoiding answering me. You'll tell me now."

Seeing that he no longer had a choice, he did.

And her reaction was everything he had feared it would be.

((()))

Keith was in a dark place. He didn't know where he was or how he'd gotten there and he couldn't see anything. The world around him was pitch black.

Suddenly, there was brightness in front of him and in the center of the light...

"Allura," he breathed.

She was laying on the ground, curled in on herself and crying.

He took a step towards her and she began to fade from view.

"Allura! No!" he cried. "Come back!"

He stayed still and she reappeared. When he tried to move towards her a second time, she again began to vanish and he instantly froze in place.

What was going on? Why wasn't he being allowed to reach Allura? Was she actually there or was he just seeing an illusion? Why was she crying? What was happening to her?

"My daughter is in great danger," came a voice from behind him.

Keith whirled around to see the ghostly form of King Alfor materialize.

"You must save her. You are the only one who can."

"I'll do anything for her," he swore. "Just tell me where she is."

"You are the only one who can save her," Alfor repeated. "Find her."

Keith didn't understand. Alfor knew she was in danger, but he didn't know where she was? Didn't a spirit know everything?

"Find her. Save her," Alfor said again. "You are the only one who can."

And with those words, Alfor began to fade from view.

"Your Highness, wait!" Keith called after him. "You need to tell me where she is! I can't find her unless you tell me where!"

Alfor did not respond and completely disappeared from view.

"Come back!" Keith begged. "Please!"

Motion behind him attracted his attention and he turned around in time to see the light where he had seen Allura go out, plunging him again into total darkness...

Keith bolted upright in his bed, his heart racing and his breathing erratic.

He placed a hand over his thudding heart as he tried to slow down his breathing.

A dream! It had been a dream! But it had seemed so real...

He was sure it had been brought on by his intense worry for Allura. Something terrible had happened to her, he knew it.

After the conference had, much to his surprise, concluded in one day, he had gone to the control room to scan for signs of Allura's carriage. To his horror, he hadn't been able to find a trace of it. And neither had Pidge when he'd asked him to check behind him with some of the more powerful satellite arrays he had developed. It made no sense and it frightened him. Where was she? And was Lance keeping her safe like he was supposed to?

A number of terrifying scenarios had come to mind, all of them ending with either Allura's death or her marriage to Lotor. He prayed with ever fiber of his being that he was wrong and there was an innocent explanation for the disappearance of the carriage.

But after this dream...

He was going to have to go searching in Black for Allura himself. If all was well and he found her in Jancia enjoying herself at the festival, he would lie to her and just tell her he was keeping his promise. But if she wasn't...

He looked over at his bedside clock. It was a little after four.

Realizing he'd never fall back to sleep after such a disturbing dream, he decided to get up for the day.

He had a lot of work to do before he could start his search.

((()))

The sound of the door of their makeshift prison opening pulled Lance from the light doze into which he'd fallen.

Shit, he silently cursed at the realization that their time had finally run out.

He looked down to where Allura lay curled up beside him in a deep sleep. She looked deceptively peaceful. If he hadn't known that she'd cried herself to sleep, he would have never been able to tell. He hated to have to wake her, but it would be worse for her if she woke up alone on a ship headed for Doom. At least this way they'd have a chance to say goodbye. (He had a feeling they were going to be separated fairly quickly.)

"Hey, Princess," he spoke in a low voice, gently shaking her shoulder. "Hey. It's time to wake up, Allura."

Allura made a groaning sound and curled up into a tighter ball.

He shook her shoulder again, a little more forcefully this time. "You need to get up, sweetheart. Come on. Wake up."

He briefly returned his attention to the rising door. It was nearing the halfway point. They didn't have long before Haggar, Lotor, and their robot henchmen would be coming in to drag poor Allura away.

He hoped they'd at least wait until she was out of hearing range before killing him.

Lance was also not the least bit surprised to see that daylight wasn't pouring in through the opening. He was sure that once Haggar had told Lotor about who was waiting for him on Arus, he probably hadn't been able to get on a ship fast enough. He should have known that a morning arrival would have been too much to hope for.

Turning back to Allura, he gave her shoulder another shake. "Allura, we're about to have company. You need to wake up now."

Allura's eyes flew open with a gasp.

"I-is...?" she tried to ask as she rose to a seated position, her voice shaking.

"I'm sure he is," he told her. Knowing Lotor, he'd want to personally oversee Allura's boarding onto his ship. He wouldn't trust anyone else with such an important job.

Tears began to fall down her cheeks. "No... Oh, no..."

He pulled her into his arms for what he knew would be the final time.

"You're going to get through this, Allura," he told her again as she cried. He knew he was sounding like a broken record, but the repetition was the only way to hammer the truth into her head. She still didn't believe Keith would come to save her despite now knowing how he felt about her. At least she wasn't talking about wanting to die anymore... "I promise you. You just have to hold on for a little while until Keith comes for you. He's going to come and rescue you and then the two of you are going to spend the rest of your lives together." He kissed the top of her head. "I don't care what the law says, the two of you are going to get married and have lots of kids. Lots and lots of kids. That reminds me. Will you do me a favor?"

"Anything," she sniffled.

"Name at least one of your kids after me."

It had been intended to make her smile, but instead it had the opposite effect and made her cry harder.

"I don't want you to die!" she wailed. "I love you, Lance! I can't lose you! Not you too! I've lost too many people I love already!"

"Easy, Allura, easy," he said in a soothing tone as he rocked her back and forth, trying to calm her down. The last thing she needed was for Lotor to find her in this worked up state. Lance didn't even want to imagine the kind of reaction it would elicit from the sadistic bastard. (It would probably turn the sick son of a bitch on.) She needed to regain control before he arrived.

He glanced again at the door, which was now almost completely raised. He could already see the silhouettes of their captors waiting to come in. Their time was nearly up.

"Allura, I need you to calm down right now," he told her in a kind but firm voice. "They're almost here and there are some things I need to say to you while I still have a chance."

She immediately quieted and looked up with him, her eyes wet and red.

He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Princess, it has been an honor and a privilege to serve you and your planet for these last two years. Being a member of the Voltron Force has been the greatest experience of my life. It's truly every space explorer's dream come true. I've done more good here on your world than on all of my previous missions combined. Thank you, Allura, for allowing me to be a part of it."

Allura's eyes widened and she started to shake her head as she recognized the goodbye for what it was.

"No, Lance..." More tears streamed from her eyes. "No..."

"I love you, sweetheart," he told her as he saw a group of robots enter into the shed.

Surprisingly, neither Lotor nor Haggar were with them, which wasn't like either of them. They liked to gloat and rub in their victories. Why were they waiting outside?

"Get up, humans," the lead robot ordered as the group reached and surrounded them, their rifles trained on them. "On your feet."

"Come on, Allura," he quietly urged her. He gave her cheek a final gentle touch before helping her to stand.

"No...no...no..." she whimpered as the same robot gestured with its rifle.

"Outside," it ordered.

Lance suddenly got a very bad feeling. This was not at all how he had envisioned Lotor's claiming of Allura. Why wasn't Lotor in here ensuring the proper handling of his "bride"? It wasn't like him to not be hovering over her. What was going on?

Holding Allura tightly against him, he walked the two of them across the floor to the door and then through it.

And as soon as he was outside and saw Stayden and several others, including crying children, being held at gunpoint, he knew.

"Allura," he said as calmly as he could manage, not wanting to set her off again, "when I tell you to, I want you to close your eyes and keep them shut. Don't open them again until you're sure you've been boarded onto a ship. You aren't to open them before under any circumstances. Do you understand me?"

She looked up at him, her expression both frightened and confused.

"I said, do you understand me, Princess?"

She nodded mutely.

She was then roughly pulled away from him by an unfamiliar Drule officer.

"No! Let me go!" Allura protested at the separation, struggling against the Drule's grasp.

"Put him with the others," the officer instructed the lead robot.

"No!" she cried as the robot pressed its rifle into his back and pushed him towards the gathered group. "Lance!"

"Close your eyes now, Allura."

"No!"

"Princess, please," he urged her, not wanting to tell her the reason why he was asking her to do this. The last thing she needed to know was that the Drules were about to tie up all of their loose ends. They didn't want to leave anyone who could even accidentally mention what had happened here. That meant that everyone had to be eliminated.

Including the children.

"No!" she refused, fighting against the officer's grip.

The officer, clearly annoyed at the struggling woman, tried to hand her off to the nearest robot, but Allura kicked out and hit the robot squarely in the chest, knocking it down to the ground.

Attagirl, Princess! Lance silently cheered, relieved to see that she hadn't given up completely.

"Tell me what's going on, Lance!" she wanted to know as she continued to fight against the officer's secure hold on her.

"Just close your eyes, Allura," he told her as the robot she had knocked down got up. He noticed the machine seemed a little unsteady and he inwardly smiled at the fact that she had caused it damage.

"No," she continued to refuse and he silently cursed her stubbornness.

He reached the others and he met Stayden's frightened eyes. To his surprise, he found that he did not feel the urge to say something nasty to the man. Although he deserved to die for what he had done to Allura, his family, especially the children, was innocent. But their fates had been sealed from the moment Haggar had spotted them. There had been no escaping this death sentence.

"Robots," the officer called out, "line up the prisoners."

"No!" Allura screamed as she finally realized what was happening. "Lance! No!"

"The princess doesn't need to see this!" he shouted at the officer as he and the others were arranged into a straight line at gunpoint, the women and children wailing. "Don't make her watch!"

The officer smiled evilly. "Our future queen needs to witness how Doom deals with its enemies."

"Oh my gods! No! No!" Allura continued to scream.

"Allura! Allura!" Lance called to draw her attention. When she met his eyes, he said, "Keep your eyes on mine."

Sobbing, she nodded.

"Take aim," the officer ordered.

"Don't look away, sweetheart," he commanded.

"Never," she promised through her tears.

"Fire!"

There was a sudden intense pain in his chest and his vision began to darken.

The last sound Lance heard before everything went black was Allura's scream.

((()))

Lotor impatiently drummed his fingers against the arm of his command chair. While he was ecstatic to have an excuse to visit Arus (his father's inexplicable ban on attacking the troublesome world had made attempting to acquire his beloved Allura impossible), he just wanted to get Haggar's "special surprise" over with. Why she had suddenly decided to be secretive instead of her usual boastful self was beyond him. He was sure this had to do with yet another Robeast. (Maybe he'd get lucky and this one would succeed where all of her others had failed, but he sincerely doubted it.)

"My prince will be very pleased with what I have to show him," Haggar smugly said as she approached him, her cat in her arms as usual.

"I'd better be," he informed her. "I don't like to have my time wasted, old witch."

Not that he ever felt that a trip to Arus was a waste of time. Just to be on the same world as his bride-to-be...

"I assure you, my prince, you will soon be thanking me."

Lotor raised an eyebrow. "Will I?"

It was a highly presumptuous thing for her to say. Haggar had never lacked in confidence in her own abilities, but this was far beyond her normal boasting. She clearly believed this Robeast to be infallible.

I'll have to see it to believe it, he snorted to himself.

The witch simply smiled in response to his question and continued to stroke that annoying cat of hers.

He turned his attention back to the ship's viewscreen just in time to see their entry into Arus' atmosphere. (It still amazed him that after so many years of war, a ship could easily enter their airspace and land without detection. It was more proof of the Arusians' inherent weakness. They truly lacked the ability to be anything more than slaves. How such a world had produced Allura he would never know.)

"Approaching landing coordinates," one of the robot pilots announced moments later.

Lotor did not recognize the landscape spread before him. This was not a part of Arus he had visited before. He wondered how far it was from the Castle of Lions.

"Where are you bringing me, hag?" he demanded to know.

"Nowhere of consequence, Your Highness," Haggar waved him off as she put her cat down on the deck. "It is not the place but who awaits you there that matters."

Who awaits you there.

It was the last thing he had expected to hear. Haggar had never referred to any of her Robeasts as anything more than a creature designed to do Doom's bidding. Did this mean she wasn't bringing him to see a Robeast after all? And, if not, what was he going to see?

"And who is that?" he pressed her.

The witch again simply smiled, her cat sitting obediently at her feet. "Patience, my prince."

Lotor groaned in frustration over her refusal to tell him anything. She was lucky that Father valued her services. He had killed slaves for less.

Disgusted, he returned his attention to the viewscreen. The ship was now skimming over a forest. In the distance, the land was flat and devoid of trees.

Farmland, he identified it.

And then he noticed the column of smoke directly in their path.

Something large was on fire. He wondered if it was related to Haggar's "surprise."

"Ah, General Ishmar follows orders well," Haggar remarked as if in answer to his unspoken question. She sounded highly pleased.

Ishmar, one of Father's current favorites, was here? Obeying the witch's orders? Did that mean-?

Lotor leapt from his chair and angrily strode over to the witch.

"Did my father arrange this?" he accused her as the cat hissed at him and ran away. "Is he trying to dispose of me? Tell me!"

It was no secret that Father had been highly disappointed in him in recent months. Although there had been rare moments of praise, most of their interactions had consisted of Zarkon blaming him personally for every failure to defeat Voltron and conquer Arus. (As if he himself did not share in any of the responsibility. It was his witch that was creating all of the incompetent Robeasts.) It would be unsurprising if his father had in fact tasked Haggar with getting rid of him. (Not that she'd succeed, of course. He would not be so easily killed.) Like him, Father did not tolerate failure.

If that was the case, the method in which it was being attempted was actually quite brilliant. Father was conveniently away to meet with some of his governors. If anything were to happen to him, say dying on Arus when he shouldn't have been there at all, Father would be blameless.

"King Zarkon merely granted me permission to enact my plans," Haggar coolly replied, unfazed by his fury. "Everything that has transpired here on Arus has been my doing and mine alone. The king only knows what I allow him to know. I have arranged this for you, my prince. And as I have said, you will be pleased."

Lotor backed away from her, his anger fading and quickly being replaced by curiosity. It seemed that the old witch was for some reason again trying to gain his favor, which was not an unusual occurrence. She had been playing him and his father against each other for years now. She switched sides as easily as a snake shed its skin. Whichever one of them served her current purposes was the one that received her support. And today, it appeared to be him. (He wondered what Father had done this time.)

He felt the ship halt its forward movement and turned to the viewscreen to see it begin its descent to the forest floor. They were not far from the black smoke, which was rising just beyond the trees.

On the ground, a small party awaited their arrival. From what he could tell, it consisted of mostly robots. Ishmar stood in front. And in his arms...

Lotor's eyes widened as he took in the unconscious woman being held by Ishmar.

"It can't be," he murmured as he turned to look at Haggar, who once again simply answered with a smile.

"Lower the ramp!" he commanded as he raced off of the bridge. He ran through the ship and bounded down the ramp, not stopping until he was standing directly in front of Ishmar and the woman.

"Allura," he breathed, recognizing his beloved at once.

Even unconscious, there wasn't a woman in the universe that was more beautiful than she was. Allura was the living embodiment of feminine perfection.

And she was finally his.

And it appeared he owed it all to Haggar.

How had the old witch done this? Allura never went anywhere without at least one of the space explorers at her side. How had Haggar finally succeeded where before the both of them had always failed? And how long would it be before Allura's absence was noticed?

Which brought him to the more important question of why. What Haggar had done went far beyond simply currying his favor. She had given him his deepest desire. It stood to reason that she wanted something from him, but what? What could she possibly equate with his unending love for Allura?

Deciding the answers to his questions could be dealt with later, he reached out to take his beloved from the general's arms.

But before she could be passed to him, Haggar interrupted the transfer.

"General, bring the princess onto the ship and take her to the living quarters," she ordered as she emerged from the ship, her cat again at her feet. "Have some of the servants clean her up. I will be along shortly to supervise. But first the prince and I must speak in private."

"As you command," Ishmar immediately accepted his orders. "Robots! With me!"

With that, he inclined his head first towards Lotor and then the witch, before moving past them to board the ship. The robots obediently followed after him.

Lotor turned to stare at the witch.

"How-?"

"Many weeks of careful planning, my prince," she told him. "It was at my request that your father ordered all hostile activity towards this planet ceased. I needed the people to fall into a false sense of security. From there, it only took a few small manipulations of the right people to achieve the desired outcome. Ultimately, it was the princess' own predictable behavior that led her into my trap."

"She better not-"

"She is completely unharmed," the witch cut him off and his momentary anger subsided.

If anything had been done to her...

"Her health is of vital importance," Haggar went on. "For the both of us."

And here it comes, Lotor noted. It would be interesting to see what kind of favor the witch felt that granting his deepest desire was worth.

"All right, old witch, what is it you want from me?"

"All I want is to see the proper king on the throne," she simply said.

It took everything he had to keep from laughing out loud. Oh, what had Father done to incur such outright betrayal? In all her years of switching loyalties, she had never spoken of unseating Zarkon. Haggar was only out for her own interests, but she'd never forgotten that it was the king that had given her her current favored position. Lotor had assumed that no matter what Zarkon did to anger her, he'd never lose her gratitude for that. But it appeared that he had been wrong. For her to finally turn on him...

"And you believe that I am that proper king?" he asked with just the right amount of incredulity.

He'd never made it a secret that he wanted the throne for himself. While he admired his father for what he'd done with his empire, he felt that he had grown too complacent. He was not actively going out and conquering world after world anymore. A few here and there, but nothing like he should be doing. If he wanted, he could own the entire galaxy. But Father did not seem to see his own potential. And, to Lotor, that meant it was time for a new king.

A king who would take that potential and make it a reality.

"I know you are, sire," Haggar said. "And you will rule with your rightful queen at your side. But first you must take the throne, which you could not do while seeking your queen. Now that she is yours, you can focus on achieving your destiny."

As hard as it was to admit, the witch had a point. Claiming Allura as his own had become his all-consuming quest. Everything else had been pushed aside in favor of marrying her. Now that he had her...

"And I suppose you want more power as well?"

Why else replace Father if not to increase her own standing? She was lucky Father had put up with her failures as long as he had. If he had been king, she would have been replaced a long time ago.

"As long as you take heed of my advice as your father now fails to do, I'll be content to remain as I am now," she claimed.

Lotor didn't buy it for a second. His father had never taken any of her advice. He'd only let her do things that would benefit him. But, since he was indebted to her for giving him his bride, he'd have to play along with her.

For now.

He could take care of her after Father was dead and he was king.

"You will also be pleased to know that Voltron is no longer a threat," she added. "The princess did not get caught in my trap alone. One of the space explorers was with her. I have already had him disposed of."

"Which one was it," he asked as calmly as he could. (It explained why Allura's absence had not yet been noticed. The others thought she was protected.) It better not have been the commander. He was to die by his hand alone.

"The Red Lion pilot," Haggar informed him. "He was the second-in-command. It will take time to train replacement pilots for both him and the princess. Time they don't have. Once you and Allura are married, Arus is yours to do with as you please."

And it was true. As Allura's husband, Arus would be under his control. But to be honest, he had never give much thought to that fact. Arus was a worthless planet, slaves its only commodity. (How Voltron had come into its possession was beyond him.) The only advantage to ruling the planet would be his ability to order Voltron destroyed once and for all and to get rid of the remaining members of the Voltron Force. They stayed on Arus at the leisure of its rulers. So if Arus' king wanted them gone... (Though it would be far more satisfying to arrest them and have them executed, he knew his beloved would never approve and if he was to ever gain her love...)

"You were right, old witch," he at last admitted. Haggar had done in a very short period of time what he had been trying for years. He was truly very impressed. (He would have to eventually ask her what Father had done to deserve this level of betrayal.) "I am very pleased with this surprise. You have proven your loyalty to me without a doubt."

It was a lie, of course. Haggar cared for no one but herself. She was only aiding him to spite his father. If he didn't watch her closely, she'd betray him too at the first perceived slight. He'd have to keep her happy until he was securely on the throne.

"You are what Doom needs," she told him. "Your dynasty will be the most powerful the universe has ever seen. Your descendants shall rule for generations."

Lotor found Haggar's excessive flattery amusing. Did she truly believe he'd trust her without question because she'd given him Allura? He sincerely doubted it. She was far too intelligent for that. But if pretending to believe her would get him everything he'd ever wanted, he'd go along with it until it was no longer necessary.

"Allura must become pregnant with your child as soon as possible," Haggar added, taking him by surprise. "It will solidify your claim on both her and her planet. Allura is the sole heir to the Arusian throne. The next ruler must be born of her body. A child fathered by you will forever link Doom with Arus. No one would ever be able to dispute your place as Arus' king."

Children were yet another thing to which he had never given much thought. Although he knew they were a necessity in continuing his family line, he was not fond of them. (To ensure that there were no illegitimate children to steal the throne from him, he had all of his harem slaves closely monitored. All pregnancies were terminated immediately upon discovery.) They were messy and bothersome. He would of course eventually have to have one or two with Allura, but that had never been one of his priorities. But Haggar raised an interesting point. His marriage to Allura alone would never be enough to force Arus to surrender to his rule. But if there were a child involved...

"You have given this a great deal of thought, haven't you, old witch?" he said, still impressed with the lengths she was going to to prove her "loyalty" to him. He wondered how long she had been planning her betrayal of his father. Based on the complexity of her scheme, it could not have been a recent decision. "I'll start working on a child as soon as we're married."

As much as he wanted to march onto the ship and take her this very instant, if he ever wanted to earn Allura's love, he would have to treat her the way she expected to be treated by her intended husband. Arusian society was very repressed and formal. (When he had realized that she was destined to be his queen, he had made a point of learning everything he could about Arusian culture. The less offensive she found his behavior, the sooner she'd learn to love him.) That meant, among other things, waiting until they were married to begin having sexual relations with her. It would be difficult and frustrating, but it would be worth it once he won her love.

"That would be a mistake, my prince," Haggar told him. "You know the marriage cannot happen without your father's presence and approval and he will not return to Doom for over a week. Unless you physically claim her now and start a pregnancy, you will not have the right to hold her when the remaining space explorers come to her rescue, as you know they will. It will only be a matter of days before they realize that she is missing. All of this will have been for nothing and you will lose her again. I'm right and you know it, sire. You must bed her immediately."

Lotor's hands balled into fists as his anger rose once again. The audacity of the hag to tell him how to treat his beloved! Allura was not a common slave. She was to be his queen! It was only right that she be treated as such. If he were to do as Haggar was urging him...

Yet, once more, he had to admit that she had a point. Until Allura was legally his wife, he did not have the authority to keep her on Doom against her will except as a prisoner of war, which she most definitely was not. If the remaining members of the Voltron Force came, it would be a fight to keep Allura from returning to Arus with them. Their deaths would be the only way to keep her where she belonged. (Deaths for which she'd never forgive him...) But if she were carrying his child, he would have authority over his own flesh and blood. Under Doom law, she could not keep him from his own child, wife or not. She would have to stay.

"All right, old witch, we'll do things your way," he at last gave in, the remains of his anger draining away. Allura would eventually forgive him for taking her before they were married. It wasn't as if it was going to be an unpleasant experience for her. She might surprise herself and enjoy it. "Have Allura taken directly to my chambers once we arrive at Doom."

"Excellent, my prince," Haggar smiled. "You are making the right decision."

"For your sake, you better pray to all the dark gods that I am."

Because if he did all of this and Allura was again prevented from becoming his queen...

"Your suffering will be unending if I lose Allura again."

((()))

"Where are you?" Keith murmured to himself as he turned Black around once again to do another flyover of the land between the castle and Jancia. In the two hours since he'd commenced his search, he hadn't found the slightest trace of Allura's carriage.

He felt the last of his hope, slender as it had been, slip away. There should have been some sign of them by now, even something as mundane as the droppings from the horses, but there was nothing. It was as if their carriage had never passed along the road.

Where was she? What had happened to her? Why was there no trace of her?

Where was his Allura?

He prayed that wherever she was, Lance was still with her and keeping her safe.

Because if they'd been separated...

There was no question that they had never arrived at the festival. Keith had had Pidge scan the entirety of Jancia with the satellite array and use a facial recognition program to search everyone there. The scan hadn't even turned up so much as a partial match. Lance and Allura were not among the people there. Something had interrupted their journey from the Castle of Lions to Jancia and they had never gotten there.

If it was who he feared it was...

Even more disturbing was the Jancians' seeming lack of concern for their missing guest of honor. From the visuals sent from the satellites, it appeared that they were all enjoying themselves. There was no indication that they were worried about anything at all. Stayden, who was also absent, had claimed that the festival was being held specifically to honor Allura. If that were true, why didn't they care that she hadn't arrived? It didn't make any sense.

Using Black Lion's vast array of sensors, he continually swept the road that the carriage would have traveled to reach Jancia as well as the surrounding area, but nothing appeared.

Nothing at all.

Keith felt sick to his stomach.

"Allura," he murmured, his heart hurting.

This was all his fault. He would never forgive himself for allowing this to happen. He should have fought harder to keep her from going. Better yet, he should have gone with her like she had wanted. Damn his sense of duty! Maybe if he'd been there, he would have been able to do something to keep her safe. Allura had needed him and he'd chosen a meeting over her. He didn't deserve any of the affection she had for him.

He'd failed to protect her.

He'd failed her.

He was a failure.

He took a deep breath to calm his churning emotions. He could not allow himself to fall apart. He wouldn't be good to anyone that way. He needed to stay in control.

For Allura's sake.

Once he felt steady enough to speak, he said aloud into the communication panel "Keith to control. I'm going to start widening the search grid. I've been over this area enough times. Lance and the princess aren't here."

"Do you want us to join you?" Pidge asked for both Hunk and himself as his image appeared on the screen.

"Please," Keith said, grateful for the offer. He would never make this an order. This search was personal. He was the one who'd failed to protect Allura, not them.

"We're on our way," Pidge promised. "Coran, control is yours."

Pidge's face disappeared and was replaced by Coran's.

"Please find her," Coran quietly implored, his eyes meeting Keith's through the screen.

"I won't rest until I do," he vowed, meaning every word of it.

And it was true. He'd never again be able to be at peace until he knew his love was safe.

He turned his attention to his navigation console and brought up a map of Jancia and the surrounding area twenty miles in each direction. There was no indication of any large settlements anywhere in that radius. Most of the land was taken up by farms.

He allowed himself to feel a new sliver of hope. Perhaps Lance and Allura had gone to one of the farms for some reason?

If they were still there...

"We're in the air and we're ready to rock and roll," Hunk announced as the Yellow and Green Lions appeared on his scopes. "What are your orders, boss man?"

"Hunk, you take the south," he directed. "Pidge, you go west. I'll start my search in the east."

"You've got it, Commander," Pidge acknowledged.

"I'm just glad I packed a few snacks," Hunk added. "We could be at this a while."

"We'll search as long as it takes," Keith seriously informed him, unable to derive any amusement from Hunk's food obsession. "We're not stopping until we find them."

Relieved that he was no longer the only pair of eyes searching, he turned Black onto an eastern heading.

And almost immediately, his sensors picked something up.

"Coran, I've got something here, he spoke up as he switched his displays. On his screen, a huge black smoke cloud was stretched for miles into the sky. "It looks like there's a huge fire about twelve miles away from my current position."

"I'm homing in on your coordinates now," Coran told him. "I'm bringing up the image on the view screen now." There was a pause and Coran's expression changed. "Oh my word..."

Keith's gut reaction was to immediately drop the search and go offer his help to anyone down there. This was of course the right thing to do. But there was a small part of him that cried out in protest at the very idea of abandoning his search for Allura for even a short while. Allura needs you, it told him. You have to keep searching!

But Keith could not allow himself to be selfish when there were lives at stake. He was a space explorer and it was his sworn duty to help those in need. And as painful as it was to admit, he had no proof that Allura was in danger, just a gut wrenching feeling. The people caught in the fire, on the other hand, were.

He had to help them.

"I'm going to go see what I can do to help," he informed the others. "Pidge, Hunk, continue the search. I'll rejoin you as soon as I've finished here."

"Copy that," Pidge responded.

Satisfied that Hunk and Pidge would keep searching, he increased Black's speed.

As he approached the smoke cloud, it became clear just how enormous it truly was. This was no small house fire. A large area was burning. Maybe a forest fire? If so, putting it completely out alone would not be easy.

I could really use Blue Lion's assistance, he thought. Blue's weapons were all water based. Allura's participation in putting the fire out would have been invaluable.

But Allura wasn't here...

Feeling his emotions beginning to once again get the better of him, he pushed them aside. This was not the time nor the place to break down. He had a job to do.

Finally he arrived at the cloud and he was able to see it's source.

It wasn't a forest fire.

It was an entire farm.

Keith felt sick as he realized that this had not been an accident.

"Oh my god."

The fires themselves had mostly died down, but everything had been destroyed. Not a single structure, including the farmer's house, remained standing. All of the crop fields had been razed. He could even see the charred corpses of the livestock.

Of the people who had lived here, there was no sign.

"Pidge, Hunk, cancel those last orders," he spoke as he slowed Black down and looked for a landing site. "I'm going to need your help."

"Keith, what is it?" Pidge asked.

"This fire wasn't an accident," he told him, feeling more and more ill with every passing second. "This farm has been totally destroyed. If I had a guess, I'd say Doom was behind this."

Who but Zarkon's minions would do something like this?

But that meant there were forces from Doom on Arus.

And if they were...

His heart dropped as he realized that Allura's disappearance couldn't be a coincidence.

It was exactly as he had feared: Lotor had Allura.

He wanted to rage and scream in protest, but such an uncontrollable emotional display was the last thing he could allow himself right now. Pidge and Hunk were counting on him to act as their commander. He had a responsibility to them to stay in control. He could fall apart after Allura was safely back where she belonged.

"I'm going to start checking for survivors," he continued. "There may be some people who escaped being taken as slaves by hiding in some of the buildings. If they did, they're going to need immediate medical assistance."

As he finished circling around the smoking ruins, he, to his utter surprise, spotted a piece of ground in the middle of the destruction that had somehow remained untouched by the fire. From his vantage point, the area appeared to contain a line of multicolored, unevenly shaped objects. It was odd that this area had been spared.

Deciding it was as good a place as any to begin the search for survivors, he put Black down in front of the objects.

And immediately recognized them for what they were.

Bodies.

And based on the way they were positioned, they had been lined up and killed where they stood.

This had been an execution.

Oh my god...

He didn't even want to allow himself to think why all these people had been killed. But in his heart he knew that this was all related to Allura's disappearance. These poor people had most likely been murdered because they knew what had happened to her.

He took a moment to steady himself before reporting the grisly find.

When he was confident that his voice wouldn't waver, he raised his Voltcom as he stood from his seat. "Coran, I have a large number of bodies here. They're in an area that wasn't touched by the fire. I'm pretty sure they were executed."

"Gods above," was Coran's response.

"Are you sure Doom is responsible for this?" Pidge spoke up as Keith exited through Black's jaws. "This seems too small scale for them. I know this sounds unlikely, but could it have been a rival farmer?"

"A rival would want the land," Keith pointed out. "Destroying it wouldn't make any sense."

"It had to be Doom," Hunk decided. "Who else could it have been? Arus doesn't have any other enemies."

Keith agreed with Hunk, but Pidge was right about this not being typical of Doom. Zarkon wanted to enslave the population of the planet. There were always casualties from one of his attacks, but that was to be expected of warfare. But this... This was not the result of a battle. This was the willful murder of a large group of people.

But if he was right and they were killed because of what they knew about Allura's disappearance...

His thoughts trailed off as he came up to the row of victims and froze as he realized that there was not just adults among the dead.

There were several children as well.

He felt like he was going to be sick.

He was of course no stranger to death. As a member of Galaxy Garrison, he had killed many enemies during his career as a space explorer and not always in combat situations. But to see children...

"Coran, I'm finding children among the dead," he reported.

"What?!" Hunk cried out, not unexpectedly. "Who would-? I'll kill every last one of them myself!"

Keith knew Hunk wasn't exaggerating. The big man had a fondness for children that matched his love of food. He did not take it well when anyone mistreated them in any way.

Keith was also not surprised when Pidge did not add any comments. At fifteen, he was barely more than a child himself, something they all tended to forget from time to time. Although he was an experienced space explorer and had himself killed on missions, seeing dead children was completely different. This had to be especially hard for him.

"Pidge, if you want to keep searching-"

"I'm fine, Commander," he cut him off. "Besides, you need me. I can look for survivors in places you and Hunk can't fit."

"Are you sure, Little Buddy?" Hunk pressed, sounding concerned for his best friend.

"I'm sure," Pidge assured him.

"You two just get here when you can," Keith said as he knelt down by the head of the nearest victim. "I'm going to see if any of these people may still be alive."

He honestly doubted that any of them were, but for his own peace of mind, he had to make sure. They appeared to have all been shot directly in the heart, which would have killed them instantly. In the unlikely event that one of them hadn't died immediately, they would most likely be dead by now. Based on the smoldering remains of the farm, the incident had occurred many hours ago, possibly before dawn. It would take a miracle for any of them to still be alive.

He looked down at the man he was going to check first and froze as recognition instantly set in.

It was Stayden.

"No, no, no..."

Allura had been here.

He immediately began to panic, all rational thought flying from his mind.

Allura had been with Stayden and Stayden had been murdered along with everyone else.

Everyone had been murdered...

"Oh, please, god, no," he begged as he frantically began to check all of the adult female bodies.

None of this was Lotor's style. He wouldn't have done anything to upset his "beloved bride-to-be." This was clearly the work someone else from Doom. Someone who may not have known what the princess was worth to their prince.

Someone who may have thought it best just to get rid of her once and for all...

It took five minutes for Keith to locate the eight women and ascertain that none of them were his Allura.

She was still alive.

"Thank god," he breathed. "Thank god."

"Keith? Keith?" Hunk's voice came over his Voltcom. "Is everything okay down there? I didn't catch the last thing you said."

"Allura was here," he replied, forcing himself to calm down. He had to keep his personal feelings for her hidden, especially now. "I just found Stayden. He's dead."

"Dead?!" Pidge cried. "But...but..."

"Allura's still alive," he assured the three men listening. "I just checked the bodies of the women. None of them were her."

"Thank the heavens," Coran spoke up.

"What about Lance?" Pidge wanted to know. "Is he...?"

Guilt surged through Keith's body as he realized he hadn't even given a second thought to the fate of his best friend. He had been completely consumed with finding Allura. It had been his idea to send Lance as Allura's bodyguard. If anything had happened to him...

"I..." Keith started to say as he scanned the line of bodies that lay before him.

And then he noticed the one at the end that didn't quite look like it belonged.

The one wearing the leather jacket...

"No..."

He rushed over and dropped to his knees next to the man he'd thought of as a brother for more years than he could remember.

Like the other victims, Lance had been shot in the chest. However, his wound didn't appear to have hit him directly in the heart as the others had been.

Maybe...

Praying for a miracle, he pressed his fingers against Lance's neck...

And found a weak pulse.

He was alive!

Thank god! he silently cried, though he knew it would be some time before the guilt went away.

"I've got him!" he announced over his Voltcom. "I found Lance! And he's still alive!"

He waited for his teammates' happy cheers of relief to die down before speaking again.

"Pidge, Hunk, when you get here, take over the search for survivors," he ordered as he picked up Lance's limp body and slung him over his shoulder. "I'm bringing Lance back to the castle. Coran, tell Doctor Gorma to be ready. He's taken severe laser damage to the chest."

"I will do so immediately," Coran promised.

Keith slowly stood up, Lance's dead weight pressing heavily down on his shoulder, and started making his way back to Black.

Although thrilled and relieved that Lance was alive, there was still only one thought on Keith's mind: where was Allura?

And the one person who could answer that question was unconscious.

Finding out Allura's fate would have to wait until Lance recovered from his wounds.

Keith prayed he could keep it together until then.

((()))

The first thing Allura noticed as she woke up was that she was wet.

It felt as if she was immersed in warm water, which was very strange. She had no recollection of being anywhere near water, so how could she be in it? Nor did she remember falling-

"Lance!" she cried, her eyes flying open as her memories came crashing over her.

The horrible image of one of her best friends in the entire world being murdered before her eyes flashed into her mind and she felt like screaming all over again.

She'd never forget that sight as long as she lived.

It would haunt her until the day she died.

Which she prayed would be very soon...

"I am so sorry, Mistress!" an unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke and Allura was instantly pulled back into the present.

And she immediately realized why she felt wet: she was in a large bathtub filled with soapy water.

A tub large enough for several people to fit comfortably in.

Oh, gods!

That meant that someone had...

She looked down at herself and to her utter embarrassment, the water only came up to right under her breasts. She was completely exposed to anyone in the room with her.

Feeling her face burning, she quickly crossed her arms over her chest.

Was she already on Doom and in Lotor's private chambers? How long had she been unconscious? How long did she have before her greatest fear became reality?

"Please forgive me!" the voice came again and suddenly a girl appeared beside her. She could not have been much younger than she was, perhaps sixteen or seventeen, and she was clutching a washcloth with both hands. "I didn't mean to wake you! Please don't tell the prince! I'll do anything you ask! Just please don't tell him!"

Allura looked sympathetically at the terrified girl, her heart going out to her. She was clearly just a slave who had been tasked with bathing her. (As embarrassed as she was by her situation, she had more important things to worry about, such as finding a way to end her life before Lotor got his hands on her. She knew that escape was impossible. Death was her only option.) Only Lotor would punish someone for something she couldn't control.

"It's all right," she assured her. "You haven't done anything wrong. I woke up on my own, I promise."

The girl seemed to relax a little at that, but not very much. Allura couldn't even begin to imagine what her instructions had been and what punishments she had been threatened with for failure to follow them completely.

"My name's Allura," she continued, wanting to put the poor girl at ease. She was innocent of any wrongdoing. She was simply a slave who had been given a job to do. None of this was her fault. "What's yours?"

"Joandra," the girl shyly answered. "I already know who you are, Mistress. There is no one here among the prince's harem who doesn't. His Highness talks of little else but you."

Allura felt ill at the words. She had greatly underestimated Lotor's sick obsession with her. It was one thing, as she had been told earlier, that he called the women he bedded by her name, but to know that he spoke about her on a regular basis...

"I am one of the servants who have been assigned to you," Joandra continued, bowing her head. "I am yours to command."

Allura found it strange that Joandra referred to herself as a servant when she was clearly a slave. There were no true servants on Doom, only poor innocent people being forced to attend to Zarkon and his minions. A real servant had a choice in the kinds of duties she'd be willing to perform. A slave, like Joandra, had to do exactly as she was told without question if she wanted to avoid punishment.

She shuddered at the thought. Slavery went against everything she believed in. On Arus, before the war, members of the castle staff had been paid for their services. Now they were there because they wanted to be. No one was forced to serve anyone else. She hated the fact that Joandra and others were being made to take care of her.

But she knew that she could not turn them away. If she did, Lotor would assume they had done something to displease her and punish them for it. So for their sake, she would have to endure their services until she found a way to die.

"Where am I?" she asked, wanting to talk about something other than Joandra's forced servitude. She wondered how much time had passed since... Since... (It was too painful to even think the words.) If she was already on Doom...

"You are on His Highness's personal flagship," another voice answered for Joandra.

Allura looked and saw two other woman approaching her. The one who had spoken appeared slightly older than Joandra, maybe in her twenties, while the woman beside her appeared to be close to Joandra's age. All three were dressed similarly, wearing outfits that left very little to the imagination.

And all three, Allura couldn't help but notice, had blonde hair.

"I am Neelyn," the older slave introduced herself. "You've already met Joandra and this is Elsee. Prince Lotor has chosen the three of us to be your personal attendants for as long as you desire us. We are here to meet your every need. Anything you want, as long as it is in our power, we will provide for you."

"All I want is to go home," Allura told her and Neelyn smiled sadly at her.

"That is the one request we cannot grant," she said. "If we could, we would all leave here. No one is here of their own free will."

"But we are treated well if we do as we are told," Elsee put in. "The prince's harem is the safest place on Doom for a female slave. No one but His Highness is allowed to touch us. It is considered an honor to be chosen."

Allura felt sick at the thought of these three women having been touched by Lotor. From what Lance had told her, the experience would have been horrific. And if that was considered an honor among the slaves...

At least she wasn't on Doom yet. That meant she had a little time to find a way to end her life. She would have to be careful in choosing her method. She did not want Lotor blaming the three women for her death.

"But you have been given the greatest honor of all," Joandra spoke up. "There are many among us in the harem who would give anything to become Lotor's queen."

"I would rather die," Allura asserted and all three woman looked shocked that she would say such a thing. "I hate him. He and his father have been trying to destroy my planet for years. Death is preferable to being his wife. What you see as an honor is my worst nightmare."

"You can't mean that, Mistress!" Joandra cried, sounded horrified.

"I mean every word of it," Allura informed her. "I've spent almost my entire life fighting against Doom. I refuse to allow myself to become a part of this world. To do so would betray everything I have ever fought for."

"That is not necessarily so," Neelyn disagreed. "It would only be a betrayal if you became like them. Why not see your marriage to the prince as an opportunity to do some good here? As his wife, you would have the power to change things for the better. You could become the voice for those who have none."

Allura understood what Neelyn was suggesting and if she was marrying anyone other than Lotor, it would have been a good idea. But Neelyn was greatly overestimating the kind of influence she would have as Lotor's wife. Lotor had no interest in anything she had to say. All he cared about was possessing her body. Her mind was nothing to him. All she was was a pretty bauble he had to have. Although he would marry her and call her his wife, she was little more than a prisoner. (If she couldn't end her life in time, maybe she would be lucky and he would grow bored with her and have her killed fairly quickly.)

"A better solution would be for me to go home and come back with Voltron to free all of you instead," she countered. "Then you'd never have to serve anyone against your will ever again."

There were so many slaves all over Zarkon's empire that the only way to truly free them all would be to defeat Zarkon once and for all. But until that day came, she knew the Voltron Force would continue to save one world at a time while Sven and Romelle kept freeing people on Doom.

With or without her.

"This talk of freedom is pointless," Neelyn decided. "You'll only upset yourself with what can never be. I know you don't want to hear this, but you'll be much happier if you simply accept your fate. It won't be a bad life, I promise. You'll be pleased to know that Lotor is away most of the time. When he's here, his stay is usually brief. You won't have to suffer his attentions for more than a few days before he leaves again. And when he's gone, you'll be free to do as you please. As his wife, your movement around the castle will not be restricted. Unlike us, you'll be able to go anywhere you want at any time. You will be able to make a good life for yourself, Allura."

Neelyn gestured to Joandra who quickly moved out of Allura's field of vision.

Almost immediately, she felt the washcloth return to scrubbing her back.

"Now, Joandra is going to finish bathing you and then Elsee and I will dress you," Neelyn continued. "There is food waiting for you after you are dressed. You'll feel better after you've eaten."

Allura didn't bother responding. What could she say to someone as accepting of her fate as Neelyn was? How long had she been a slave that she had started to see good where there wasn't any? Allura's heart ached for her. She had given up on having any other kind of life. How many other slaves on Doom felt the same way?

Not wanting to talk any more, she closed her eyes and turned her attention back to her dilemma.

How was she going to end her life before Lotor took her to his bed? What could she do that her three "attendants" wouldn't notice until it was too late? Unless there was a gun lying around somewhere, she couldn't think of any instantaneous methods that-

The guards! she suddenly realized.

Although she had been unconscious when she had been brought aboard the ship, she knew that Haggar and Lotor would have placed guards outside the room. She was, to them, very precious cargo and they wouldn't want anything happening to her. She'd bet everything she owned that they had been given orders to kill anyone unauthorized who dared come close to the door.

In fact, they were probably so focused on keeping everyone out that someone suddenly leaving from the inside would trigger an instantaneous and instinctive reaction.

Especially a naked woman.

With any luck, she'd be dead before they'd realize what they'd done.

She was surprised at how calm she felt now that she'd made the decision of how she'd die. She always been frightened at the thought of death, but compared to the horror that would be her life if she were married to Lotor, it was an easy choice. Better to die on her own terms than to be forced to endure Lotor's "affections."

Goodbye, my love, she silently sent to Keith. I'm sorry I never told you how I feel. Please forgive me.

It was her one regret. She hoped he would one day be able to find happiness without her. He deserved to be happy.

At peace with her decision, she opened her eyes to survey her situation. Neelyn and Elsee were nowhere in sight while Joandra was beside her, gently washing her left arm. The bathroom door was directly behind Joandra. What was beyond it, she didn't know, but there was no where else to go. When she started moving, she would just have to keep going until she found the door with the guards.

Taking a deep breath, she leapt to her feet, eliciting a surprised yelp from Joandra. She vaulted out of the tub and without a moment of hesitation, bolted through the bathroom door.

"Mistress!" Joandra cried after her but Allura ignored her.

Allura found herself in a large and luxurious chamber. It didn't look like it belonged on a warship, but there was no time to ponder what that said about their normal occupant. Her only focus had to be on finding the main door that was heavily guarded.

"What are you doing?" Neelyn demanded to know from across the room. "You'll catch your death standing around that way."

Allura paid no attention to her as she scanned for an exit. Clothed or not, it didn't make a difference. Her goal was to get herself killed.

It only took a few seconds, but her eyes spotted a large and ornate doorway close to where Neelyn was.

Confident that was the exit she wanted, she took off running towards it.

But before she could get there, the doors swung open and Haggar appeared in the doorway, her cat in her arms.

"No!" Allura cried as she skidded to a halt. "No!"

"Just where do you think you're going, little princess?" the witch wanted to know as she came into the room. "And in such a state of undress, no less. For a royal, you have an appalling lack of manners."

Allura sank to the floor, every last drop of hope of a merciful end draining away. Tears began to fall from her eyes.

It was over. Her one and only escape route had been taken from her. She was truly trapped.

"It's a good thing I asked the prince to remain on the bridge," Haggar casually continued, putting her cat down on the floor. "I don't think I could have prevented him from taking you to his bed as soon as he saw you. You are far too tempting this way."

Allura turned her teary gaze to the floor. Never before had she felt so empty and desolate. Never in a hundred years would she have dreamed of her life coming to this. It was her worst nightmare.

She felt a towel draped around her shoulders.

"My apologizes, Excellency," Neelyn spoke. "Her Highness took us by surprise. It won't happen again."

"I know it won't," Haggar agreed. "I believe the princess has learned that trying to escape in a fruitless endeavor. I'm sure she'll be on her best behavior from now on. Isn't that right, Princess?"

Allura didn't answer. She just continued to stare at the floor.

What was the point of arguing with Haggar? She had won. She had brought Lotor his prize. Fighting with her would only give her an opportunity to rub in her victory.

"The reason I came is to inform you that we are less than two hours from Doom," Haggar went on. "I expect the princess to be appropriately dressed for her private audience with the prince."

Allura felt nauseous at the words.

In less than two hours...

"She will be ready," Neelyn promised.

"I will return for her when it is time to disembark," Haggar said. "Come, pussy cat."

Allura looked up to see Haggar turn and walk back out the door, her cat on her heels.

No, no, no...

She had less than two hours before...

Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted to her feet.

"Come, Allura," she heard Neelyn's voice gently say. "We have much to do."

Allura allowed herself to be taken wherever Neelyn wanted her to be. She had no fight left in her. Her life as she knew it was over.

In less than two hours, she would be left alone with Lotor.

In less than two hours, he would force himself on her.

This was going to be her life from now on.

Overwhelmed by her despair, she began to sob.