As Commander Keith Kagone approached the control room, he heard two voices from within; one, the soft, melodic tone of Princess Allura, the other the deep, wizened Koran. It seemed like they either were arguing or were on the verge of it. At any rate, their discussion, or what he could hear of it, was getting nowhere.
"Your Highness, you of all people should know the consequences of disobeying the law," the royal advisor stated gravely.
"Surely there must be some way, Koran—a loophole, an exception, anything! It couldn't be as chiseled in stone as it seems," she replied, obviously desperate. "I cannot endure another line of princes that are interested in nothing more than gaining Arus and Voltron. It is understandable that the people of Arus are eager for me to wed and produce an heir—that would be as much to their benefit as it would be to mine. But I'm not just looking for a prince that will accept an alliance and marriage. Arus needs a strong ruler who will lead well, who will look out for the people and their needs. And he's the only person who has and will do that. He has almost died on more than a few occasions to ensure everyone's safety, even mine!"
The elder man sighed. "And I agree with you, Allura. But I must admit that I do have somewhat of a selfish motive for objecting. I fear the results of going against the law, not only for you, but for myself, also. As your royal advisor, I would be held accountable for your decision just as much as you, if not more so. I'm sorry."
Keith could almost picture Allura bowing her head in sad resolve as she said, "I guess it was a waste of my time to try, then. I had hoped things would end differently..." He heard her approach the door as it opened and watched her coming his direction. She looked defeated, tired, and hurt until she saw him standing there. Then, a sad smile came to her face as she whispered, "You heard?"
"Only the last bit, Princess," he replied just as softly. The pressure on Allura for her to marry and have children had been cranked up to an almost unbearable level, and neither of them was very pleased about it. In an effort to comfort her, he placed his hands gently on her shoulders, and continued, "And I won't tell a soul about it, all right?" A smile and nod in return was all he needed to confirm that she believed he would keep his promise.
"Commander," Koran's voice called from the control desk, "may I speak with you alone for a minute?" Translation: "Commander, I need to speak with you alone at once."
"Yes, sir," Keith replied, letting Allura's shoulders go and giving her a reassuring smile before he entered the room, standing at attention.
As soon as the door closed behind him, his friend turned around at the desk. Koran looked at him straight in the eyes, brow furrowed with worry, and said, "How much of our conversation did you overhear, Keith?"
"I think I listened for about a minute before she left, sir," he replied.
"What do you think about the situation? And please relax—I do not bite as often as people may tell you," the older man chuckled.
Keith grinned. Koran's not anywhere near as angry as I thought he might be, he thought. Well, here goes nothing! "Well, sir, she was right in saying what she did. You, Allura, and I all know that the law was written to protect not only the royal family, but also the people of Arus. But there are times when it can become a hindrance, such as now. What if there is someone even more qualified to lead Arus than a prince, but he was forbidden to marry the princess simply because he isn't of royal lineage?"
Koran nodded. "I know that. And I've been reading through the laws, policies, procedures, anything and everything that I could in hopes that I could find the loophole that is necessary to permit a marriage between the two of you to happen. Thus far, however, I have not found one law that has been a path to that dream of yours'."
Black Lion's pilot started. "How did you—"
His friend smiled knowingly. "I have observed the two of you long enough to know that you really love and care about each other, and I do not doubt that you should be allowed to reign alongside her majesty. And were it not for the law, you would be—even I know that much."
Keith shook his head in amazement; "I can't believe how much I've underestimated you, Koran. All this time I've been warning everyone else not to believe everything that comes their way, and yet here I've been this entire time doing that same thing myself."
The older man held up his hand and said, "Think nothing of it this time. At any rate, I will continue to research the matter and let you know if anything crops up. Please be patient with this—it might take a long time. I get the feeling that somehow I might have missed something. However, Keith, you should know that there is no guarantee of my success. And I trust you will accept whatever may come of it."
The realization that, despite his help, Koran might still not find what they sought so desperately sobered Keith's mood easily. "Yes, sir—I understand."
Just then, a small silvery-blue cruiser unlike any Keith had seen before came into focus on the monitor.
"I wonder who it is," Koran said, confused. "We weren't expecting any visitors today. I'll see if I can make contact with the pilot." After pressing some buttons on the console, he spoke, hoping to get feedback from the visitor. "This is Koran, advisor to her majesty Princess Allura of Arus, trying to make contact with you. Please identify yourselves, or we will have to shoot you down."
Suddenly, a girl that looked a little bit like Keith with her hair in a braid over one shoulder came into view on the monitor. "It's all right, sir—I'm alone and unarmed," she politely responded. Then, in an excited tone, she laughed, "What in the heck? Keith! Is that really you?"
"Sierra?" Keith asked, astonished.
"Commander, you know this young lady?" Koran asked, his eyes darting between the two of them.
"Yes, sir," Keith replied, somewhat embarrassed. "She's my older sister."
