So this is my first Voltron fanfic I've attempted. I need more Voltron friends. I used a word prompt website to help combat my writer's block, and this evolved from the eight random words I was given. The words were: Queen, Inspire, High, Nuts, Strip, Tall, Attic & Soothe.

I had no idea how this would turn out until the end, but I kinda like it and so decided to share.

A Moment to Reflect

When Allura finished her speech to the Zetinan people, having welcomed them to the alliance and formerly declared them allies in their battle against the galra, she was met with loud applause. Had it not been for the tragic destruction of Altea, Shiro honestly believed that Allura would have become a magnificent Queen. Even in the short time the team had been together, Allura had grown and matured fully into her role as a diplomat; every word that passed her lips chosen carefully to inspire and give hope to those who had been suppressed and enslaved by the galra.

The castle of lions had landed on the now liberated planet of Zetina to partake in the celebration, held in their honour, after Voltron had driven the scattered remnants of Zarkon's Empire away into deep space. The war was still far from over, but this quadrant was finally cleared, and under the protection of the coalition. It did Shiro some good to see that, finally, they were beginning to make a difference. He couldn't be more proud of his team.

The party had been in full swing for several vargas now, and showed no signs of slowing down as night began to descend, with music still playing and plenty of food yet to be consumed. From his vantage point on a wall just a little ways out from the main crowd, Shiro could see Hunk chatting animatedly with a few locals – probably the ones who had prepared the meals. The yellow paladin was munching on a plate of what looked to be strange orange nuts, and Shiro suspected a few bags would be joining them when they left Zetina in the morning. They were definitely an improvement on food goo.

While Hunk made it his personal mission to taste test every delicacy the Zetinans had to offer, Lance was dancing merrily in front of a large fire, and had somehow managed to drag Pidge over to join him. Shiro noted with amusement that Pidge was slightly embarrassed, and could faintly hear her complaining about Lance being too tall for her as a dance partner, but it was nice to see them in high spirits and having fun. Defenders of the universe was a title that came with great honour, but the weight of responsibility could easily have crushed the group of young cadets at the first hurdle. Sometimes Shiro had to remind himself just how young they all were, and what they had been forced to endure already was more than any commanding officer could have asked of them.

These moments were definitely the most precious, and Shiro's eyes eagerly drank in the sight before him, committing it all to memory. Even Keith was getting in on the fun, laughing with another group of locals who were particularly enamoured with the red lion and its paladin. The truth about Keith's heritage had not been kept secret from any of the planets within the alliance, and so far, that was proving to have been a good decision. Knowing that someone who had galra blood was a paladin of Voltron may have been shocking to many at first, but Keith had proved himself to be trustworthy and honest time and time again. Of all of them, Shiro reckoned Keith had matured the most, under the guidance of both Princess Allura, and the Blade of Marmora. He would make a great leader someday.

Of course, the harsh reality was that the war was still ongoing, and it wouldn't be long before Voltron went up against more galra forces once again. This night was important to everyone involved in the fight, as another planet tasted freedom for the first time since the war began, but there was a long way to go yet. Shiro tilted his head back and stared towards the sky, breathing out a small sigh as he saw the first few stars begin to appear – tiny glimmering dots around the planet's twin moons. Even after everything he'd been through, he still loved space, and this life he'd tumbled into was all the adventure he could ever have dreamed of. Granted, being captured by the galra and held prisoner for a year had been far from a picnic, but he was still here at the end of it and now doing something that genuinely was making a difference. That was more than enough consolation.

"Shiro." The black paladin turned his head at the sound of his name, and blinked in mild surprise when he saw Allura standing behind him.

"Princess," he greeted quietly. "Is everything all right?"

Allura smiled and stepped closer. "You looked like you needed some company," she commented. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"Of course not," Shiro replied, a small smile on his lips. He gestured to the empty space on the wall beside him, then offered a hand to the princess to steady her as she sat down. Allura had never hesitated around his bionic arm, and gripped it confidently until she had smoothed out her dress and perched herself comfortably beside the black paladin.

"Had enough dancing?" she asked with a smile, watching fondly as Lance and Pidge dragged Keith and Hunk into the laughter and chaos.

"For the time being. I like to take a step back and watch the others enjoy themselves now and then. It's a good way for me to gauge how they're all doing mentally."

Allura chuckled, proud of her black paladin. As she had suspected from the very beginning, he was a born leader, always looking out for the welfare of those under his command – his comrades. "We have all been through a lot lately," she mused. "But don't miss out on all the fun. You deserve it as much as the rest of us, Shiro."

Shiro knew what she was doing without even having to guess. While he was watching to ensure his fellow paladins were doing okay, Allura was taking it upon herself to check up on him for the same reason. Her words were unnecessary, but they did soothe his slightly frazzled nerves, so he appreciated her efforts. "I'll go back down in a bit," he promised, while Coran approached them with a plate in his hand.

"Princess, the Zetinan ambassador insisted you try some of this taborla meat, caught by him just this morning." Coran stopped in front of the wall Shiro and Allura were perched on, and carefully set the plate down between them.

"Thank you, Coran," Allura smiled. "Please tell him it smells delicious." She watched as her fellow Altean walked back to the main party, then lifted a piece of the meat and tore a strip off. It reminded Shiro a bit of pulled pork with how easily it came apart in Allura's fingers, and the warm aroma rose up to his nose through the steam.

"Aren't your fingers getting burnt?" he asked curiously.

"Alteans aren't as sensitive to changes in temperature as you are," Allura explained, and carefully placed the meat into her mouth. She hummed in approval at the taste and tore another strip, but this time held it out towards Shiro. "Besides, the Zetinans don't use any form of cutlery, and we have to honour their customs." She lifted the meat a little closer. "Come on, open up."

Shiro blushed faintly, before letting out a soft laugh as he leaned forward and accepted the morsel, taking hold of it carefully between his teeth. As Allura withdrew her fingers he felt his taste buds get thoroughly assaulted by the rich flavours within the succulent meat. He nodded in approval. "Tastes a bit like venison. Wow, that takes me back." When Allura tilted her head curiously, he shrugged. "I used to eat meat like this whenever I went to stay with my grandparents."

Allura's bright eyes sparkled as he shared this memory of home with her, listening intently. It only then occurred to Shiro that he'd never actually told the princess much about himself – the fight against Zarkon and forming Voltron had left very little time for any walks down memory lane, and not all stories from their pasts were pleasant ones. This one however was a welcome change for them both.

"Tell me more," Allura asked of him, helping herself to another piece from the plate they were now sharing. "You spent a lot of time with your grandparents?"

Shiro nodded fondly, letting the taste of the taborla meat guide him back to his childhood. "Yeah, because my parents had to work. I loved staying over, and it was my grandfather who first got me interested in space. He converted his attic so we could use his telescope through the open sky light, and he taught me all the constellations."

Allura smiled. "I'm guessing the two of you are very close."

Shiro nodded, but a hint of sadness touched at the corners of his eyes. "We were. He passed away though, not long after I left for Kerberos. He'd been ill for some time, but he wanted me to go. I only know about his passing because Keith told me."

A warm hand came to rest of his shoulder, gripping gently. When Shiro turned his head, he found his sadness mirrored in Allura's eyes. "I'm sure he would be proud of you," she murmured. "And glad that you are with friends."

Shiro took comfort in that, and knew that the same thing could be said about Allura's father, King Alfor. He kept that thought to himself however, not wanting to voice painful memories that were equally fresh in the princess' mind. "It's nice to have found family out here," he said instead, and knew that those words were the right ones when Allura smiled warmly at him.

The conversation eased off after that, but not in a way that left either of them uncomfortable. They sat together and enjoyed what was left of the meat, basked in the companionable silence and laughed when Coran started teaching the four younger paladins a traditional Altean dance – Lance and Keith were not impressed when Coran forced them together as partners, while Hunk and Pidge took great delight in teasing them about it.

Watching all of this unfold before him, Shiro waited just long enough until he had a rough idea of how the dance was supposed to go, and then hopped off the wall. Allura looked down at him curiously at his sudden movement, and Shiro smiled as he watched her eyes widen when he held out his right hand to her. "Care to dance?"

The flash of pure joy that lit up Allura's eyes filled Shiro with happiness, and when she accepted his offer he carefully helped her down from the wall; she didn't need the help, but it was the gentlemanly thing to do and added to the experience. Some locals clapped as the princess re-joined the party with her black paladin escort, and before long the two of them were wowing the crowd with their graceful turns and perfectly synced footwork. Keith, Lance, Pidge and Hunk stared with slack jaws as their leader guided the princess expertly round the fire, while Coran had a slight tear in his eye at the sight of Allura once again laughing as she danced the steps taught to her by her beloved father.

Okay, so that's the first word prompt fic over. Thanks for reading, and feel free to drop me a review :)