LOTURA WEEK 2018 Day 6

Family, Past and Future

A Mother's Gamble

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Voltron: Legendary Defender.

NOTE:

I've had some time and I still have some hopes for this pairing. The brief meeting between Haggar turned Honerva and Lotor in season 6 was so intriguing and I was disappointed that not more came out of it. Honerva definitely still has some big plains for her son and something tells me she will find a way to get him out of the quintessence rift.

And I'm still pretty certain that Allura would never let him stay there forever. She would have some role to play in his rescue. So I wanted to explore what the beginning of an uneasy alliance might be between the two Alteans.

Enjoy!

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Princess Allura."

"What are you doing here?" Allura asked angrily.

Somehow, she was not so surprised that the witch had easily bypassed security and found a way to speak to her. After all that had happened, Allura was well aware of what Haggar was capable of. And there was a sense of inevitability about this meeting. Allura had inexplicably been expecting this conversation.

"This is about Lotor, isn't it?" the princess added, when the witch said nothing. "You wouldn't risk coming to speak to me for any other reason."

"You are correct, Princess," Haggar replied, "I know what has become of him, and he cannot be left there for too long."

"He made his choices," Allura said bitterly, "So he needs to face the consequences. For all his desire not to follow in his father's footsteps, he had succumbed to the same weakness."

Haggar looked at her carefully. "That is true. But even you didn't want to leave him behind."

"I had no other choice," Allura replied, almost defensively.

Despite everything, she still felt guilty about leaving Lotor in the rift and the mere thought of what he was suffering there plagued her constantly. She had not wanted such an end for him, no matter what he had done and under what misguided notions he had done such things.

Allura sensed that Haggar saw through her and understood what she truly felt. Being in that woman's presence was always an unnerving experience and now that they were discussing such a controversial topic, the tension was palpable.

"I know that I have no right to ask," Haggar said gravely, looking more like her Altean self than the witch she had become, "But I am begging you: help me save him."

Allura started at this, her eyes widening with surprise. There was something about the tone and expression of Haggar that threw her off balance. She knew better than to trust anyone related to Lotor at this point, and yet, her instincts told her there was some sincerity in the mother's plea.

But my instincts led me astray before, Allura reminded herself harshly as a vision of Lotor's smiling face flashed in her memory.

"And why should I help you?" she retorted though with less conviction than she had hoped for.

"Because you loved him once," Haggar said simply and before Allura could protest, she added, "You cannot deny it. If only for a moment, your feelings for him were true."

Allura frowned but said nothing. She clenched her fists and struggled to keep her tears from falling. It pained her to admit it but Haggar was right. She had loved him.

And, even worse, she still cared for him, even after hearing about the colony and what had happened there. Some part of her refused to believe him capable of such atrocities and she lost sleep every night thinking about how she may not have given him a chance to truly explain his side. She and the team had acted hastily, and something in him had snapped when she had mentioned Zarkon, but somehow, he must be paying a steep price for all he had done.

"And I can confirm that, in all his life, he has never loved anyone like he loved you," Haggar continued.

"What do you know of his life?" Allura said angrily, remembering what Lotor had told her of his childhood and the absence of his parents. That part, at least, she continued to believe. "You were never really there for him."

Haggar bowed her head and Allura thought she sensed some shame there. "That is something I shall always regret," the witch said softly, "But there is no way to change the past. We can only move forward. And I must save my son from the horrors of the quintessence field."

Allura looked uncertain and Haggar took this opportunity to build her case. "You and I have the powers granted by Oriande. You can restore life and light to those consumed by darkness and I have seen and survived the corruption of quintessence. If there is any chance left for Lotor, it will have to be through our working together."

"And how can I trust either of you at this point?" Allura asked.

"You can't and I cannot force you to," Haggar said simply, "This is just a risk you will have to take, just like the risk I have just taken to speak with you today. If you want him to face some kind of justice, you can do so once he is free from the rift. But the longer he stays there, the less chance we will have of ever recovering him."

Allura said nothing for a while but Haggar could see that the princess was seriously considering her options. At length, Allura made her decision.

"I will help you," she declared firmly, "But I will have to speak to the other paladins about this. I will not be acting alone."

"As you wish," Haggar replied humbly.

The paladins of Voltron would oppose the plan, of course, but Haggar knew that look of determination in the eyes of the princess. Allura had made her decision about saving Lotor and she would not be swayed. Haggar was relieved that her gamble had worked. She expected worse, given the situation, but she was glad to see that the princess still harbored some feelings for her son.

There was still so much Allura didn't know, Haggar thought, about the true nature of Lotor's dealings with the Alteans, about how he had never intentionally brought harm to them. Haggar had thought she would have to reveal everything at once but it had not been necessary. So she was saving these truths for a more opportune moment. For now, it was enough that the princess still cared.

Even when believing him to be a monster, Allura still wanted to save Lotor. What more when the princess finds out that he was never the monster she and her teammates believed him to be, Haggar thought with satisfaction. By then, he will truly be saved and all wounds will begin to heal.