Written for the Hunk's Corner (thenewhrh dot weebly dotcom) drabble challenge using the prompt "toast"
For years Zarkon's constant bombardment led many Arusians to believe their planet cursed. From the moment Haggar broke Voltron into five lions, sending them tumbling limply to the surface, the besieged world found itself unable to mount much resistance. The royal family was decimated; the only survivor a young princess. Barely old enough for formal schooling, she was hidden away by her father's closest friend and advisor.
Over a decade later the arrival of five strangers, space explorers from planet Terra, signaled a change in fortune for the decimated world. They awoke the lions from their hidden lairs and drove away the enemy forces. At long last, people emerged from the safety of the caves dotting the barren landscape and began rebuilding their world. Voltron had returned and brought the possibility of peace with him.
But even with the mighty robot defending them, achieving peace didn't prove easy. The loss of one space explorer nearly derailed the quest before it began. It was only the selfless bravery of the princess and the tireless dedication of the remaining space explorers that kept that dream from becoming a nightmare.
Then, after years of fighting, sacrifice, and countless sleepless nights, it all finally came to fruition. The forces of Doom were routed. Lotor and Haggar were in custody. Zarkon was dead, his body recovered and verified by the Alliance. For the first time since arriving on Arus, the Voltron Force could celebrate without the specter of attack lurking in the shadows. And Allura made sure that celebrate they did. Platter upon platter of food bowed the trestle tables in the banquet hall. Glasses of honey nectar were raised in toast after toast to the accomplishments and losses without which peace would have been impossible.
Allura surveyed the men who'd become so important to her planet, her people, and especially to her. They'd been barely more than boys when they arrived. Now they were men; shoulders broadened, bodies hardened with muscle, postures confidently straightened. And if they all sported shadows beneath their eyes, those would fade in time without the constant need to be on guard.
Lance's arm lay draped over the shoulders of a young handmaiden, his intentions clear now that his interest no longer made her a target. Hunk talked about spending more time building the sports program at a local school, while Pidge discussed the possibility of combining teaching with furthering his own education. Allura smiled in joy at her friends' optimism for the future. Then there was Keith. A small frown pulled at the corners of her mouth as she realized that he alone had yet to give any indication of his plans going forward. Chewing her lip absently, she failed to notice when he came around the table toward her. It wasn't until his hand grasped hers that she saw he was kneeling before her, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. She beamed back at him, knowing in that moment that her future would be forever entwined with his.
