Interior Castle of Lions Control room

5 years previously

"I don't care what anyone else says the Lions were sabotaged!" Pidge shouts. The shout echoes through the Control Room.

Hunk growls in agreement. "We went over the lions ourselves before we left Arus for the ceremony. Nothing was wrong!"

Keith backs up his teammates, "The question is not what went wrong, but who caused it?" As always the commander cuts right to the heart of the matter. His question causes a silence to fall over the control room. Only the beeping and whirring of the communication monitors are heard.

"We have to find out." Keith continues.

Allura agrees. "Until we know what happened and who did it we can't risk using the lions or Voltron to rebuild Arus."

Another silence falls. This one is heavier and sadder. They all know that the people of Arus were counting on Voltron and the lions to speed up construction on their homes and remove some of the remnants of the decade long battle with Planet Doom.

Coran steps into the room having heard the Princess's last words. "I have just spoken to the Garrison council and they all agreed that the lions and Voltron cannot be used. Your Highness, in order to remain a member of the Alliance and receive help to rebuild our world we have to agree to never use the lions again."

His words are like a bomb dropped in the middle of the room. Pidge's jaw hangs open in shock. Lance's eyes are narrowed in anger. Keith's expression grows cold and remote with anger and Hunk punches one fist into another.

Allura recovers first. "Never? Than how are we to rebuild a planet totally destroyed by war? Voltron is our best hope and what happens if the Drules rise again?" Her usually soft voice hardens as she continues, "How are we expected to defend ourselves?"

Coran bows his head. "I pointed all this out to the council and they were not swayed. And I fear that is not the worst part. In order to make sure Arus complies with their ruling, one lion is to be moved off-world. Thus guaranteeing Voltron cannot be reformed in violation of the order."

The Princess's temper flares. "Never! The lions belong to Arus. I will never agree to such a term."

"Don't worry Princess we will fight anyone who tries," Lance states. He emphasizes his words by activating his Voltcom. Two glowing red laser pistols appear in his hands.

"Coran, what lion has to be moved?" Keith asks resignedly.

The diplomat sighs heavily. "I'm afraid they insisted on Black Lion."

Again his words fall like a bomb. But this time the shock results in an explosion of noise. Curses and shouts blend together making it impossible to hear what anyone is saying.

"Again, Your Highness, I tried to dissuade the council, but they were very insistent. Especially one high ranking member of the fleet named Wade."

Lance and Keith exchange startled glances at hearing the name.

Hunk growls and his huge hands clench into fists.

Allura looks at her four friends in confusion. "Who is Wade?" The Princess has not heard of him and wonders why he can provoke such a reaction from the team.

Keith, Lance, Hunk and Pidge look around at each other and finally Keith explains

"Wade, or as we knew him Commander Wade, was one of our flight instructors at the Academy. He was a good pilot." Keith begins.

Pidge snorts.

"But he wasn't a good instructor," Keith continues. "He liked to belittle the cadets, make you lose your temper under pressure and then you made mistakes which he would mark you down for."

The team turns to look at Lance.

"Once. It happened once," he defends himself.

Hunk chuckles. "And you ended up on probation for the rest of the year."

Goaded, Lance turns on Hunk. "Well, what about what he did to you?"

Allura and Coran look at Hunk. He reddens at their scrutiny.

Hunk coughs in embarrassment. "I was working in the shop garage and he came in. He ruined one of my mechanical projects. He said it was non-regulation and I had to build it all over again and missed the grading deadline."

Pidge's voice has an edge of anger when he clarifies the problem Wade causes for Hunk, "Hunk was nearly flunked out of the Academy, because of that!"

"Yeah, but he hated Keith the most," Lance adds. "Keith was a better pilot than Wade and some of the other cadets would go to Keith for help."

Allura smiles at the Commander. "Of course you helped them, Keith."

She has the rare satisfaction of seeing him blush.

He shrugs. "They wouldn't have been there if they couldn't do the job. I didn't do that much."

Allura sees the looks pass between the rest of the team and suspects Keith did more than he will admit to. She smiles again.

"But the worst was when we discovered the lions." Pidge continues. "You know that the Garrison didn't expect us to be successful." He pauses at Coran and Allura's nods. "When we did find them and reactivated Voltron, they wanted to put someone more experienced and higher ranking on the team."

"To make sure the Alliance could control Voltron." Allura remembers. Her mouth tightens at the memory. "Coran and I refused on the grounds that Voltron was strictly Arusian technology and only partially understood by our scientists even before we needed it for defense."

Coran picks up the thread of her tale. "And since the lions obviously chose all of you we couldn't jeopardize that connection for someone else."

"Well, you didn't know that Wade was one of the pilots the Garrison was going to send when you refused." Pidge relates.

The rest of the room stares at Pidge. He shrugs and grins slyly. "It's amazing how insecure the alliance network is, really. And what you can find if you happen to accidentally stumble onto someone's personnel file."

"So all this means is that Wade has a grudge against all of us. For one reason or another," Coran sums up neatly.

The Voltron Force realizes the same thing at the same time. As usual Lance expresses the thought first.

"Wade set us up!"

Keith is the calm voice of reason. "We don't know that, Lance."

"You mean we can't prove it!" Lance retorts hotly. "We all know he'd do anything to destroy your career."

Allura's quiet voice adds to the debate. "I think since they want Black Lion that means Lance is right. It is the heart of Voltron, as well as your lion. They could have asked for any other lion to make sure we can't form Voltron. But Coran says they insisted- Wade insisted- on Black Lion. That seems to be personal."

Coran nods in agreement. "It sounded like it. We have to consider the possibility that he had a hand in sabotaging the lions during the celebration. The question is why?"

Hunk blurts out, "Because he's jealous of us all!"

"Yeah!" Pidge agrees.

Coran smiles calmly. "You misunderstand me. He may very well have done that, because he is jealous and wants to harm you. But to risk people's lives during a victory celebration? For some petty revenge?" He shakes his head. "It makes no sense. He could stall promotions, transfer you to other assignments that are less visible. He has the ability to work through the military channels for revenge. There must be another motive."

Coran has the room's full attention now. He smiles at them all. "Do you think the King kept me around just because we were friends?"

Keith nods. "You're right Coran. He can do all that. And he has. Lance was denied a promotion right before we left for Arus because Wade had written him up during the Academy incident. They thought he was too reckless and undisciplined to make a good Lt. Commander. And Hunk was scheduled for an outpost assignment, but Admiral Graham insisted he be on the team with us. I heard that Wade argued with the Admiral about it before we left."

Later that night the Voltron Force meet in the common lounge after dinner. They re-hash the events of the day, but no one has a solution to the immediate problem to keep the lions on Arus and in use without sacrificing Arus' membership in the Alliance.

Finally exhausted and frustrated they give up and head to bed. For the first time in years they don't have to monitor Castle Control for invasions. There is a crew of newly recruited Royal Guards that have taken on that duty.

As is his habit, Keith escorts the Princess back to her quarters.

"Really Keith, I'm safe now," Allura protests. "Lotor is dead. No spies, no robeasts in the castle. You can go to bed."

"Humor me, Princess." He grins down at her. Allura feels her heart skip a beat at that smile. In all the years they have known each other she can count on one hand the times she's seen him smile with such joy and freedom. And even fewer times he's directed that expression at her.

"I swore to protect you, remember?" Her heart sinks at those words. "Was the smile just relief that the war is over? Did he still see her as his duty?"

Keith continues, "I also like spending this time with you. Just the two of us."

Allura's eyes sparkle with happiness. "Oh Keith. Sometimes this was the only part of my day that I looked forward to."

"Mine too, Allura." Again he smiles down at her with that joy she has so rarely seen. "It's even better tonight."

"Oh? Why?" She looks up at him with a hint of confusion. "Because the war is over?"

"No. Because of this." With that he leans down and brushes his lips over hers. The softness of their kiss causes Allura to shudder with pleasure.

Keith kisses her again. This time he caresses her mouth with his. Keith explores her lips until she gasps and his tongue touches hers.

Allura is suddenly weak and leans into Keith for strength as the pleasure races through her.

At last, they part a few inches.

"I promised myself that," Keith's voice cracks with passion.

"Oh," she whispers. "When?"

"About the same time I kissed your hand," he whispers back.

She smiles as she remembers that day. It seems so long ago. Since then she has experienced things she never dreamed of and some she never wanted to.

Footsteps behind the door to her suite have them jerking apart. "Meet me in the exercise room tomorrow morning before everyone else," Keith quickly whispers.

Allura nods. They step away from each other as the door slides open and Nanny looks out.

She sees Keith and nods at him. She appreciates the escort Keith gives her Princess, but she doesn't fully trust him.

"Come Princess." Nanny hustles her charge into the suite without a backward glance at the Commander.

Allura does look back and rolls her eyes in a very un-Princess like manner at Keith. He grins at her again and mouths "tomorrow."