WEP owns everything except the voices in my head.
Response to the "Pick a Color" challenge on KAEX.
It takes place alongside Royal Studies and 50 Shades of Blue, but can be read without knowledge of the other two.
Standing before the large window in the study, I allow myself a few moments to indulge in the beauty of the sunset. The bright, warm sun sinks slowly beneath the horizon, bathing the entire countryside in a ruddy glow. I let my eyes roam over the landscape surrounding the castle, taking in the reds and oranges of the fading light reflecting off the smooth surface of the lake's waters. And that's when I see them. Three figures sitting on the grass, two young men and a young woman are also taking advantage of the quite solitude of the evening.
They sit close together, poses relaxed, hinting at a deep familiarity with one another. She sits between the boys, her attention split between the two. As I watch, all three laugh at some shared joke. To her left, a tawny haired man sits cross legged, a sketchpad on his lap. His right hand glides across the page every few minutes adding to the image he's creating. To her right lounges a raven haired youth, his long legs stretched before him as he leans back on his elbows. He turns to her, says something, and I watch as she hugs her legs closer to her torso and rests her chin on her knees as she takes in his words. Her other companion adds something to the conversation and her pose relaxes a little as she turns to face him. From here I can't make out all the details as well as I'd like, but I can imagine the smirk on his face and the answering smile on hers.
Suddenly the blonde woman lifts her head and practically leaps to her feet. For a split second I think that they have caught me observing them, but then I see her reach down and try to drag the figure in red to his feet. He shakes his head at first, refusing to cooperate, but then the other man taps his sketchpad and points to the slim young lady. His shoulders slumped in resignation, the tall, dark haired man rises slowly to his feet and allows her to lead him to a spot a few feet away. She points to a patch of grass before a stand of trees and he obediently sinks to the ground. A few words cause him to shift position and rearrange his limbs until she is satisfied. Smiling, she sits daintily, deftly inserting herself into his personal space, resting her head back on his shoulder and pulling his arms around her waist. I have to admit, they present a striking image, the red of his flight suit enhanced by the crimson of the fading sunlight.
Wasting no time, the other man adjusts his own position, turning to a fresh page in the sketchbook. He glances up at the couple repeatedly as he works; his pencil flying along the paper. Within minutes, he lifts his head and says something, causing the other man to scowl in return. The woman appears to scold him before turning and saying a few words to the man behind her. She resettles them both and motions to the artist to continue. He bends to his task once more, russet highlights gleaming in his chestnut hair. I watch for a while longer as he races to finish his drawing before the light is gone completely.
I move back from the window and return to my desk. Reading through the dull documents before me, I let the scene I witnessed replay in my mind. I've suspected for some time now that Princess Allura has developed feelings for one of her teammates on the Voltron Force. At first, I was bothered by this, concerned about their characters and commitment to the planet. Over time, as I have gotten to know them, my feelings have changed and I have come to realize how dedicated they are to our planet, how strongly they want to bring peace to the galaxy.
I just wish I could figure out which of the boys has caught her eye. After watching the trio by the lake this evening, I find myself believing that Keith is the one who has claimed her attention. As I start to consider the positives and negatives of a possible courtship between them, the door to my study, one of the few left in the castle that still has hinges, flies open suddenly, smashes against the wall, and sends a loud thud reverberating around the room. The impact causes a book to fall from a nearby shelf. It lands open, pages splayed on the ground, red cover facing the ceiling of the room. I stand, sighing and making a point of smoothing the wrinkled pages as I replace it on the shelf while casting a reproachful glare at the three young people now standing before me.
"Sorry, Coran," Allura says without a hint of remorse in her voice. "Lance, Keith, and I were just down by the lake and I wanted to show you the wonderful picture that Lance drew of Keith and me." She reaches out and grabs the sketchbook from Lance's unresisting hand before he can react and shoves the drawing into my field of view. These boys never cease to amaze me with their wide range of hidden talents. I would never have thought that the Red Lion pilot was such a gifted artist. The image before me captures an incredible level of realistic detail. I reach up and take the book from her, sitting down on the couch slowly and letting my eyes explore the entire image. He has captured Allura's playful smile, Keith's effort to disguise his reluctance toward the project. The colors are vivid, bright reds depicting the captain's flight suit, the dying sunbeams bringing out rosy highlights in Allura's blonde hair. The trees behind the couple appear to be alight with fire reflecting the shades of red, orange, and yellow that make up the last failing rays of daylight. The entire image seems to glow before me, captivating me with its innocence and realism. When I look up from the page, I can see that Lance's face sports a blush so deep that he could blend in with the captain's outfit.
"Isn't it wonderful, Coran?" she gushes enthusiastically, hugging the pilot's leather clad arm hard enough to bring a grimace to his face.
"It's fantastic," I agree, looking up at the trio. "I had no idea that you had this sort of talent, Lance."
He looks down, avoiding my gaze and scuffing his toe on the floor. "It's not something I share with just anyone. The Princess only found out by accident," he says quietly, aiming a glare at his captain. Keith avoids his stare, the books on the shelves at his side suddenly too interesting to resist. I raise one eyebrow wondering just what happened.
"You should be proud of your skills, Lance," Allura says, forcing him to look her in the eye. "I think it shows your tender, compassionate side. I'm glad that I found out." As she finishes speaking, she pushes up onto her toes and kisses his cheek lightly causing him to redden even further.
I begin to wonder if my earlier assessment was wrong and maybe her heart has been captured by the charming Red Lion pilot. I hand the drawing back to him and notice that he has not tried to inject any distance between himself and the clinging princess. The three make their way from my study and I find myself alone with my thoughts once more. I go back to the paperwork on my desk, determined to sort out the mystery of which pilot has the princess's attentions later.
A few days pass before I think about the situation again. Allura and I are in her room working on her daily lessons. She is unusually distracted this afternoon and I have to bring her attention back to her reading assignment more than once. Each time I need to redirect her, she blushes and mumbles something under her breath, I'm not sure, but I think it was something about 'red suits him'. This must be a reference to the pilot she is pining after, but is she referring to the pilot of the Red Lion whose drawings she gushed over recently or is she referring to the captain of the Voltron Force whose preference for red clothing is nearing legendary proportions. I look up and find her standing before the window, her hand and forehead pressed up against the glass. Taking pity on her, I let her have a few moments before I catch her attention by clearing my throat. She immediately makes her way back to her desk and resumes reading. Within moments, she is distracted again, lost in thought, no doubt longing to be with him. I clear my throat and point to the books before her again and she blushes a bright red before bending to the tome once more. I sigh softly and try to figure out what to do about this so it doesn't become a problem.
A knock on the door gets my attention and I rise to see who has come to interrupt us. To my surprise, Keith stands before me, his hair damp and more unruly than normal, a pair of deep red swim trunks clinging to his legs, his t-shirt inside out. He winces upon seeing me and I lift one eyebrow in question.
"I... I just came to see if the princess was finished studying. The rest of the team and I wanted to invite her to come swimming with us down at the lake" he manages to stammer out in a rush, his face taking on the same color as his swimwear.
Either he finds me intimidating, which I find both flattering and unlikely knowing his unwillingness to back down from anyone, or he has feelings for the princess. Since Allura has been unable to focus all afternoon, I decide to use his appearance to try to figure out whether he or Lance is the one behind her distraction lately. I school my expression to one of resignation and reluctantly provide my ok for her to join the team at the lake, provided that she is dressed appropriately, of course. I make my way from the room and into the hallway, stopping just outside the room where I can watch their interactions.
By the time I have taken up my position, Allura has abandoned her desk and flung herself at Keith, catching him completely off guard. I watch as he staggers backward and hits the wall hard enough to force the air from his lungs in a grunt. And then, before I know what has happened, they are kissing, hands tangled in each other's hair, oblivious to the world around them. Even from this distance, I can see pent up emotions flooding through the couple. It would seem that the mystery has resolved itself and to my surprise, I am not seeing red over this. A smile plays on my lips as I turn and make my way from her room leaving them to their private moment. While I won't be able to make this easy for them, I know that he makes a good match for her and decide that, at least for this one afternoon, I can allow them to have this moment.