The prequel/sequel to Frozen in Time. It starts before Frozen and will touch on a few things in Frozen, then carry on afterwards. I know there are certain members of the Snarktron Force who are eagerly awaiting this...Here it is!
I make no claims to Voltron or any WEP characters.
Prologue – Arus - Five years before the return of Keith and the Black Lion
Allura, High Princess of Arus, ran through the darkened hallways of the Castle of Lions. She had just been in the Control Room and saw an Alliance Fractal sitting on one of the launch pads being prepped for launch. Her gut had clenched seeing the ship being readied, somehow knowing that he was leaving tonight and he wouldn't say goodbye to anyone, much less her.
She burst through the door that led to the landing pad, not even noticing the slight temperature change or that the moons were full overhead in the dark, star spangled sky. She saw him walking towards the landing pad and her heart leapt into overdrive. She only had this one chance, since he'd been avoiding her all week since they had returned from Earth. She slid to a stop on the tarmac. "Keith!" Allura cried, watching him stalk off towards the Fractal that Hunk had built out of the scrap he had out in his massive junkyard that he affectionately called 'The Hunkyard'.
Keith paused, but he didn't turn back to face her. He knew if he did, his resolve to leave would vanish completely. "I'm sorry, Princess. You know someone has to go and find where Wade hid the Black Lion. The fact that he stole it while en-route to Arus…" He shook his head. "And the keys to the other Lions…" He sighed and straightened his shoulders. "Arus won't be safe again until all five Lions are back here and the keys are back in your possession." He bowed his head. "I'll try to keep in touch when I can. Lance, Hunk and Pidge have their orders. They're going back to Earth undercover to find what they can. They'll check in with you, make sure you are safe…"
"But, why you?" she sobbed, tears filling her green eyes.
Keith's head came up. "They won't expect it. And Black is my Lion."
"But, Lance…"
Keith spun to face her, he couldn't keep talking to her with his back to her. Hell, he wouldn't do it. She was a princess and she deserved to have him face her as he spoke. He took two steps towards her. "They would expect him to run off to find Black because of who he is, Princess. He had a bad record back in the Academy. Hot headed. Impulsive. Brash. What they won't expect is for him to toe the line and for me to jump ship. We both agreed that this is how it should be."
"Let the man leave, Allura. He doesn't have much time," came Lance's voice from the nearby shadows. Slowly, he stepped into the light around the landing pad, having been standing there the whole time, his hands jammed deep into the pockets of his brown leather bomber jacket. "As much as I hate admitting he's right, he's right. My Academy record would instantly raise red flags if I vanished. Keith, not so much. We need the element of surprise here and his spotless record will give us that." He shrugged. "Besides, I have a silver tongue and infinite charm. I can ask questions and probably not raise too many questions about why."
Allura had tears streaming down her cheeks. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "No. I don't like it. I don't approve of it. I forbid…"
"Well, we weren't looking for your approval or permission, Allura," Lance stated, cutting her off and crossing his arms over his chest. "He needs to get moving or he won't get out through the window of opportunity he's created."
She opened her eyes and locked them with Keith's. "You promise to keep in touch?" Allura whispered.
Keith nodded.
Allura stepped up to Keith and gave him a fierce hug, knowing she couldn't change his mind once he had made it up. She didn't like it, not one bit, but at this point, there was no stopping him. She had to let him go. "Good luck and be safe," she whispered.
Keith held her for a brief moment before stepping back from her. "I will," he assured her. He nodded towards Lance. "Lance will help you with anything you need while I'm gone."
Allura looked back to Lance and nodded. "All right."
Lance stepped forward and shook Keith's hand briefly before pulling him in for a quick hug. "Hope you find him soon, buddy," he murmured as he stepped back from his friend.
Keith nodded. "Me, too, Lance. Me, too." He looked over Lance's shoulder to Allura. "Take care of her," he ordered. After getting a nod from Lance, he turned and ran for the Fractal, quickly taking off.
Lance glanced at Allura, who was watching the Fractal quickly disappear into the Arusian atmosphere. "He'll be all right, Allura."
She spun towards Lance and hugged him tightly, startling him and almost knocking him off his feet. "It shouldn't be this way, Lance," she sobbed into the leather of his old bomber jacket. "This should never have happened…"
Lance grimaced as he looked down at the woman clinging to him. He slowly put his arms around her. "No, it probably shouldn't, but it is something he believes in and I believe it, too." He forced out a laugh. "Come on, doll. It's Keith we're talking about here. He never loses and even when he does lose, he wins." He looked up and saw a blink in the sky, knowing that blink had been Keith engaging the Fractal's hyperdrive. "He'll be fine. Trust me. Now, let's get inside. It's cold out here," he stated and gently led her back into the Castle. "Nanny will skin me alive if you end up coming down with a cold from being out here too long."
Allura hiccupped and giggled softly, letting Lance guide her inside.
Lance grinned, knowing his little mention of the cantankerous governess was what helped Allura stop crying. You're welcome, Princess.