I've had a few friends needling me for a while now for my next "epic" tale. Not sure this one can be defined as epic, but it's the best I can do right now. Around Christmas, an old story idea took root in my head and wouldn't let go. I opened the idea file from 2010, cringed at the head hopping and bad grammar, and decided to play with it. It's been a long time since a story has flowed out of me as fast as this one has. When it comes to writing, a general rule of thumb, if it flows out that fast, it's usually sh*t. I don't feel that with this story though. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Consider this a teaser chapter while some of my friends beta the story for content. I'll post more when they've gotten me their feedback and I've made any necessary changes.

Note for readers: I use the 80s Defender of the Universe version of characters. This means, Pidge is a boy, Keith is the commander and Shiro doesn't exist. Sorry if that disappoints some of you, but no, I'm not going to change it.

I make no claims to Voltron or any WEP characters.

Voltron – Resurrection

It is a cloudy, moonless night on Arus. The air reeks of death and decay. The screams from the year before still echo in the air. In a small meadow, hidden in the forest near the edge of the mountains, lies a simple graveyard. No names mark the lonely stones. Only a small bouquet of wilted wild flowers in front of the largest stone gives a clue to one of the inhabitants. In this sad grave, lies the former queen of Arus. The flowers, a memento from the loved ones she left behind.

A bright white orb forms above the grave. The light growing brighter until the entire area becomes illuminated. The brightness grows until nothing can be seen but the light. All at once, it streaks into the air then flies back down and disappears into the ground of the queen's grave.

Suddenly the wind begins to gust, causing the tree branches to creak and groan as they threaten to break. Thunderclouds fill the dark sky, obliterating the light from the moons and stars. Lightning streaks from cloud to cloud before shooting down and striking the grave of the queen. Dirt and grass fly through the air, landing everywhere. Another bolt strikes the coffin and the lid shatters into pieces. The winds increase, whirling about the grave. The body of the queen lifts into the air, her long golden hair whipping about her by the strength of the winds. A final bolt of lightning comes crashing down and strikes the queen. Her sapphire blue eyes open and she screams. The wind dies away and she falls to the ground, gasping for air.

Her fingers dig into the earth as she pushes herself up to her knees. The storm ends, the clouds part, and the light of the twin moons shine down upon her. She looks about dazed and confused. Rising, she stumbles at first, catching herself against a low hanging branch then pushes forward and walks between the trees.

"ALLURA!"

Keith Kogane gasps as he sits upright in his bed. The book he was reading before he fell asleep falls to the floor, landing with a hard thud. Sitting up, he runs a hand over his short hair. What the hell? Another dream, nightmare, whatever you want to call it. He is sick to death of them. Damn it, it has been a year. When will they end?

Sighing, he bends down, picks up his book, and sets it down beside him on the bed. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, only to relax for a bit before his shift. He uses two fingers to wipe the sleep from his eyes.

"Keith, you there?"

Dropping his hand, Keith picks up his communicator. He takes a deep breath and releases it before replying in his normal tone, "This is Kogane."

"You might want to get up here. Something weird is going on."

"I'm on my way."

He rises and heads for the water pitcher. Pouring a small amount of water in the basin, he sets the pitcher aside then bends over to wash his face. The cool water does a lot to erase the last images remaining of his dream. Grabbing the towel beside the basin, he dries his face then leaves.

Walking down the long rocky corridors, he nods to the people he passes. Entering the control room, Keith approaches his second-in-command, "What's up?"

Lance twists in the chair to look at him, "A weird storm hit us."

"What's so weird about a storm?"

Lance snorts and turns around in the chair. He presses buttons to bring the playback video up on the screen, "See how it pops up suddenly? Looks nasty, lots of thunder and lightning, like it should last all night."

"And?" Keith prompts, his irritation shining in his tone.

"And, it lasted for like three minutes, hardly rained at all, and then dissipated, like nothing happened."

Taken aback, Keith says, "What?"

"Exactly. Weird shit, man."

Alarms go off, ending their conversation. Lance presses more buttons and brings up a map, "We've got movement in the northwest quadrant. Something triggered the motion sensors. A little too close to home for comfort."

"Send some men to check it out," Keith orders, his gaze on the red dot on the map.

"Will do."

Wandering through the woods, the woman moves from tree to tree. Pausing to catch her breath, she looks about the unfamiliar terrain. What happened? Where is she? The longer she walked, the more the fog in her mind cleared. Yet, nothing makes sense. Why is she in the middle of some woods? Where is everyone?

Her other senses come alive and she starts to shiver with cold. Tears threaten to flood her eyes as she becomes aware of the hard ground digging into her bare feet.

"Freeze."

Twisting about as light illuminates the area, she turns to face the voice. The light hurts her eyes, as if she has been in the dark for too long. Holding up her hand to block the light, she demands, "Who are you?"

"That's our question. Who are you and what are you doing wandering around here?"

Dropping her hand and straightening her stance, she stares down the men as she replies, "I am Allura, Queen of Arus. Where am I and where is my husband, Keith Kogane?"