The Prelude – Part 2
Allura stepped out of her room, on board the spacecraft, and stopped in the hall to look out the small window. The old spacecraft, with the coat of arms of the royal house of Arus on it, made its way home to Arus. At one time it had been the proud flag ship and personal transport of the royal family but now showed signs of age and wear. Allura thought back to when she had arrived on earth, a week ago for the celebration. Coran and the Dominion Council thought it important that she arrive as a Princess, not just a space pilot. Sky Marshall Wade himself had come to greet her, and after looking over the spacecraft had made the comment "I would have thought an important planet like Arus would have had something better to transport its Princess in." Allura had wanted to retort that after ten years of non-stop war, Arus was lucky to have anything. However, being well trained she had merely smiled and replied "it gets the job done." Coran later said he was very proud of how she had handled the situation.
She thought how the ship had transported wounded soldiers home from battle. She remembered the last trip it had made to do so. Her Father had gone to pick up her brother, the Crown Prince, after he had been wounded fighting Zarkon. By that point in the war, her Mother was dead, and her other brother had also been killed, fighting the Drules in the Southern Hills. Allura knew that her Father wanted to bring the Crown Prince home before anything else could happen to their family. Allura remembered how, when the ship did come home it carried the coffins of her Father, King of Arus, and her Brother, the Crown Prince. That night Allura cried like she never had before, and then never cried again. Not that she didn't want to now.
It had been a ghastly three days since they had read Keith's letter. The first day was spent just trying to figure out why he did it, and how to stop him. Once they realized they were stuck with his decision, they decided to do what he wanted. Lance, Hunk, and Pidge had gone to Wade, and accepted his offer of service with the Galaxy Garrison Forces. When Wade heard what Keith had done, he branded him an outlaw to the Space Council and put a huge bounty on his head. Wade had given the boys five days before they needed to report for their new duties; Allura offered them a ride back to Arus with her, to collect their stuff. Sky Marshall Wade had not even come to say goodbye to her.
As Allura stepped into the main gathering area Lance, Hunk, and Pidge stood up. Lance thought how pretty she was, in spite of the strain they were all under. She wore a long skirt of some dark blue material, while her blouse was white with a high neck, and dozens of lace insets, tucks, and openwork. Her hair was pulled up and haloed around her face, highlighting her blue eyes. The glittering blue stones in her ears matched them perfectly. Maybe, Lance thought, the Arusians were on to something. After being around earth women who seemed to wear very little, it was intriguing to look at a woman and wonder what she was like under her clothes. Lance gave Allura a dazzling smile.
At that moment General Sir Halsey Brandon, Air Force Commander, came into the room and stood at attention. "Your Royal Highness, we have entered Arusian airspace. Fighter Group Six is providing the escort into Arus." Allura smiled at him, and said "Thank you General Brandon. Please extend my appreciation to Fighter Group Six and Wing Commander Harrison for their services." She inclined her head and the General left. Lance was always impressed at how Allura remembered all the names of people in service to Arus.
Allura was looking around the room for something, and saw Pidge twirling a light blue saucer, with dancing dark blue feathers. "Pidge, give me my hat! I've been looking for it!" Allura announced, stepping towards him. Lance had to admire Pidge's ingenuity at getting Allura's hat.
He moved it out of her reach and said "Princess, you have a lot to answer for here. How many birds are running around without their tail feathers?" He went on "there rules against that kind of thing." Allura lunged for the hat, but Pidge being quicker got out of her way. Allura was a little taller, but she was hampered by her tight skirt, and long sleeved blouse. She tried to lunge again, but Pidge ducked as she reached up. "Pidge give it to me" Allura said, trying not to laugh as Pidge was. Lance and Hunk looked on, smiling for the relief from the gloom they had all been over. Pidge was always the one who had the most fun with Allura, and right now they were glad for that.
Allura lunged one last time, and grabbed the hat as Pidge tried to duck and run. Allura started attacking him with the hat, making squawking noises like a bird. At that moment her maid, Dorcas, came into the room. "Your Royal Highness, stop it! We will be touching down in several minutes and Nanny will be waiting. If you don't look perfect I will never hear the end of it!" Dorcas had gone to earth with Allura, rather than Nanny who did not feel up to that much traveling. For Dorcas it was the chance she had been waiting for. Her Mother had been Lady's Maid to the late Queen, and Dorcas had assumed that she would hold the same position for the Crown Princess. However, Nanny had no intention of relinquishing the Crown Princess anytime soon.
"Dorcas, it is not my fault, Pidge had my hat!" Allura said, as if that explained why she was hitting him with it while squawking like a bird. "Well if Commander Stoker has made you smile, I forgive him. Come sit down and we'll tidy you up." Dorcas said. "Haven't you heard, Dorcas, I'm Technical Sergeant Stoker now" Pidge said, still annoyed about the demotion in rank, even though he knew he could do more this way. "Oh nonsense" Dorcas replied, and went on "do you think some putz of an earthling determines your rank? You are Arusian, and you will always be Commander Stoker to us!"
Lance looked on while the discourse was taking place. He thought it was good that Keith was not here, as he was always cross about the servants. Lance knew that from Keith's perspective, you did things for yourself, not letting other people do them. He had spent the first year on Arus annoying the servants because he would not let them do their jobs. Lance, who had grown up in a wealthy family tried to explain to Keith, that what he was doing was upsetting the servants, but Keith never got it. After a while the servants all left him alone, not really caring for him. Lance knew they liked him – partly because he understood how things worked, but also because he was charming – and knew it. The kitchen staff all liked Hunk, as he was a good customer. Pidge, they always treated deferentially – their Princess had made him an Arusian, and if it was good enough for her, it was good enough for them.
Lance put Keith out of his mind – it was his fault they were in this situation. While Lance understood some of what had probably gone into the decision, he knew Allura didn't. Lance wasn't sure he wanted to be around, when the day came, that Allura could call Keith out on what he had done. Instead of those thoughts, he watched as Dorcas smoothed Allura's gold hair; Lance truly enjoyed women, and was comfortable in all situations. She helped her into a jacket that was dark blue, to match the skirt, with light blue collars and cuffs, in the same shade as her hat. Dorcas put the hat on Allura's head and secured it with some wicked looking pins. If Allura couldn't get to her blaster she could take someone out with those pins, Lance thought.
The General came back into the room, and announced that they had landed, and could disembark. Lance smiled and said to Allura "we'll go out the back way, so you can have the glory of the royal anthem." Allura laughed and said "don't forget, we are all going to meet for dinner tonight!" With that she turned and left the room.
Dinner that night was in the Grand Dining Room. The table was set with gleaming silver, flowers, and candles. It was the first time since the war that most of the silver had been taken out of the vault. Hunk had requested a traditional Arusian meal, so the staff complied. As he looked at all the food, he thought about the first couple of years on Arus. He had been shocked, coming from earth, to see people going hungry. The team had seen to it that earth had helped to ease the shortages, but it had taken a while for them to come around. As Hunk thought about that, he wondered what Keith was doing. Change was hard for Hunk, and there had been too many changes in too short of a time.
Coran was with them, and they were all trying to put a good face on the occasion. Allura, looking very pretty in a dress of white pearlized silk with her coronet, tried not to think about the last time they had been around this table. Keith was with them, Lotor had been defeated, and they were all excited about the future. She pushed the thought out of her mind, determined to enjoy this last time with her friends. They had been on Arus for three years, but would be gone tomorrow morning.
Pidge noticed how pensive she looked and said "if it would make you feel better, I found out that birds grow their tail feathers back." Allura smiled and said "just thinking about how different it will be without you all here." "Don't worry Princess, this is my home. As soon as I get my first leave I will spend it here. Hunk and I have lots for plans for repairing the castle, as well as the planet's info structure" Pidge said.
"I won't be able to see you as much as Pidge and Hunk" Lance said, and then went on "but we will all be in touch. A conference video at least once a month, and more if we need it. We are going to need each other more than ever!" Allura replied "Lance you'll be busy with all your girl friends. You need to watch out for Sky Marshall Wade's daughter, as I hear she wants to marry a pilot." Lance laughed and said "I'm not the settling down type!"
At that moment Grand Court Marshall Count Fredericks came into the room. "Your Royal Highness, can you come to the Reception Room?" he asked. "Fredericks, what is going on?" Coran demanded. "You can come also Coran; it concerns a personal matter of the royal house and Prince Reynaud" he replied.
"Count Fredericks, my brother has been dead for over six years. You may speak in front of my friends" Allura told the old gentleman. Lance asked Allura "Prince Reynaud, the red haired devil?" Count Fredericks replied, "His Highness was one of our greatest commanders; he personally saved the Southern Hills from invasion by the Drules." Coran said "only after he had been banished there because of his behavior at home." Lance said "I've heard stories about him; I think I would have gotten along with him well. It sounds like he knew how to have a good time!" Count Fredericks gave him a disapproving look.
"What is the situation?" Allura asked. "Punashi Kweed, the Tribal Elder for the peoples of the Southern Hills is here and has requested an audience with Your Highness." Fredericks replied. "But I thought they had all been killed in the last attack by the Drules?" Allura asked. "It seems that a few survived, including His Excellency and a ten year old girl. He says that she is your niece, daughter of Prince Reynaud."
Coran stood up and said "does he have proof?" "He has some personal belongings that belonged to His Highness. He says he knows that the castle can perform a test to confirm her bloodline." Fredericks replied. Allura stood up and said "let's go to the Reception Room and talk to His Excellency." She looked at her friends sitting around the table and said "please come with us, as your expertise might be needed." Pidge said "Dr. Gorman can run the blood test and have the results quickly."
Allura entered the room and saw an elderly man wrapped in shabby rags. In spite of his attire he stood with great pride and bowed when he saw Allura. Allura's attention turned to the young child standing next to the man. Allura couldn't see what the girl looked like, as she was wrapped in rags similar to what the man wore. While the Southern Hills had not been invaded, the Drules had ravaged the countryside before they were driven away. Allura had heard that famine had decimated the people who lived there.
The older gentleman bent down to say something to the child. The child turned to face Allura, and removed her hood. Everyone in the room gasped when they saw her, especially Allura. Looking into the girl's face, Allura saw her blue eyes, and the red hair of her Mother and Brother. Hunk said to Pidge "do you really think a blood test is needed?"
"What is your name?" Allura asked the girl, who turned to look at her guardian. Punashi Kweed said to Allura "this is the Lady Larmina, your niece and my granddaughter." At that moment Nanny came marching into the room "what is going on?" she demanded. Count Fredericks straightened up and said pompously "a matter of the Arusian Royal Family." Allura smiled at Nanny and said "Nanny, this is Punashi Kweed of the Southern Hills, and his granddaughter Lady Larmina." She then turned to the old man and said "would it be all right if Nanny took Lady Larmina to the kitchen, and found her some food?" Punashi Kweed smiled a tired smile and said "she would like that." At that moment Larmina screamed and lunged at Nanny "I'm not leaving my Grandfather." He bent down and said something to her in a dialect that Allura did not completely understand. When he stood up he said "she would be glad to get something to eat." Lance whispered to Pidge and Hunk "I think Nanny has met her match in that one!"
After Nanny and Larmina had left, Punashi Kweed started his story. "My people have inhabited the Southern Hills for as long as Arus has been settled. We are nomads who protect our herds with hand to hand combat skills." Coran turned to Lance and said "The Hill People are fantastic warriors, known for martial arts and hand to hand combat." The old man went on "your brother, Prince Reynaud by was sent by your Father, His Majesty, to help us fight the Drules. He was a great general and warrior. My daughter was one of our most skilled fighters – in our tribe women fight alongside men – so they spent a lot of time together. I did not see what was happening until it was too late, and my daughter was pregnant." The old man paused for breath, while Lance went and got him some water to drink. The man took it gratefully and gulped it down.
"Lady Larmina was honorably born, Your Highness" he stopped, took a wrapped package from his pack, and went on "your brother insisted that they marry – the documents, along with his journals are inside. I am an old man, one of the last of my people. My daughter died 2 months ago, and my time is coming fast. Larmina is a daughter of Arus and should be brought up as one. I am intrusting her to you, as I won't be around long to protect her."
"Your Excellency, why we were not told of Lady Larmina's existence when Prince Reynaud's body was returned to the castle?" Coran asked. "My daughter was afraid that you would take the child from her. She loved Prince Reynaud very much, and did not want to be separated from her daughter." Punashi Kweed stopped for a moment, and then went on "I did not agree with her decision, but she was the child's mother."
"Your Excellency, thank you for coming to me, and for bringing me my niece. May we offer you a place to stay?" Allura asked. He replied "I would like to stay overnight, and then I need to head back. I want to die where my ancestors are buried. Larmina will not be happy about me leaving, but she needs to understand that it is for the best." After Fredericks had shown the old man out, Coran turned to Allura and said "are you sure?" Allura replied "we can have Dr. Gorman run the test, it doesn't take long. I don't need the test though; when I look at her I see my mother and brother." Allura hung her head, looking very sad.
Later that night, Allura was in her bedroom, about to get into bed. After the last three days, and the discovery of a lost family member, she was wiped out. However, she wanted one last time with her team members before they left. She had taken a shower by herself, and gotten into her night clothes. She was standing in front of her wardrobe, trying to decide what to wear for what she needed to do tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, tomorrow morning was going to come too soon for her. At that moment Dorcas came into the room and curtsied. "Your Royal Highness, may I help you? Nanny is worn out and has gone to bed." Allura looked at Dorcas and smiled. She had enjoyed spending time with her while they were on earth. Dorcas never once treated her as a 15 year old school girl, or lectured her about what a proper princess does or wears. Dorcas saw her as the Crown Princess of Arus, and treated her as such.
Allura thought about what she wanted to do tomorrow, and how she could get it done. She looked at Dorcas, and remembered how Dorcas had treated her on their trip. Allura took a deep breath and decided to trust her. "Dorcas, my friends are leaving in the morning and before they leave I want to talk to them one on one." Allura stopped to see what Dorcas would say about this.
Dorcas smiled and said "well of course you want to say good bye to your friends!" She then went on, "I guess they will leave early in the morning, so you will want to get dressed by yourself, right?" Allura looked at Dorcas with understanding "yes that is what I want to do." Dorcas walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a brown tweed skirt with pink and cream woven into the fabric. She also found a pink blouse that buttoned in the front, with a square collar in the back, all trimmed with cream colored lace. Dorcas said "this should do the job – pretty, but functional". Allura had to agree that it was perfect for what she wanted. Allura knew that Nanny would not have given her the response that Dorcas did. Maybe it was time for a lady's maid and not a nanny, she thought.
The next morning, very early, Allura was up and heading down to the pilot's quarters. In the three years that the pilots had been on Arus, Allura had spent more time down there than she was supposed. Nanny had warned her about never going into Keith's and Lance's room so she had not. However, Nanny had not said anything about Pidge, and since she and Pidge had planned many pranks together she was familiar with his room. He had never been in awe of her, and treated her like a friend; when she thought of the laughter and the private tears they had shed together – she shook her head and took a deep breath to gather her composure. She did not want her friends' last picture of her to be of her crying. She decided to visit Hunk first, since it was the first room she came to.
She knocked lightly on the door, and Hunk answered. He smiled at her and invited her in. "I came to say good bye" Allura said, and went on "I'm not coming to the space port; it will be too hard to see you leave." "Princess, it is hard for me too" Hunk replied "I don't want to go back to earth, Arus is my home." Allura looked a little surprised "but Hunk, what about your family? You will get to see them more often!" Allura said. Hunk smiled and said "I am the youngest in my family. If my brothers are not telling me what I'm doing wrong, my parents are." He paused, and then went on "being a Voltron pilot was the first thing I ever did that they were proud of. I did not have to listen to them tell me how to improve my life."
"Hunk, I had no idea it was like that for you!" Allura exclaimed, and went on "I was always so jealous that you had a large family. I guess we really don't know what goes on in someone's life." Hunk looked at her with grateful understanding. For him she had always been a kind, caring person. She was thoughtful with everyone, and knew just what to say to make someone feel better. "Princess, Pidge, and I will be back a lot, to help you." He said with a smile. "Just keep Pidge from getting arrested, or killed!" she replied. "He is going to miss you a lot Princess, it won't be the same for him not having you around to share jokes with" Hunk said. Allura looked at him and said "it's not going to the same with you all not around." She hugged him, and went into the hall.
Pidge's room was next, and she wasn't sure if she should do him next or last. However, since she was standing in front of his room she decided to get it over with. She didn't have to knock though, as Pidge must have sensed she was outside, and opened the door. Pidge looked at her there, and realized how much he was going to miss her. She was probably his best friend; as close as he and Hunk were, Allura was someone who enjoyed doing the same things he did. He thought about everything she had done for him, and given to him, since he came to Arus. A passage went through his mind 'He who honors me, I will honor Him'. That summed up their relationship, with laughter tossed in.
As she walked in, she looked around the place she knew well. While Hunk's room had been simple to the point of Spartan, Pidge's room had the look of someone who was constantly doing three things at once. There was a half finished robotic unit of some kind on the dresser, a visual of a solar system hanging from the ceiling, while one corner was entirely taken up by various musical equipment. Surprisingly, Pidge's bed was always made; when Allura asked him about that he said it was a holdover from his Academy days. She went and sat down on the bed, the only place to sit, and smiled at him. He came over and sat next to her. Her hair was pulled back and to the side, arranged in a braid over her shoulder. Pidge noticed several small pieces loose around her forehead and reached over to brush them back.
"You've come to say goodbye, haven't you Princess?" he asked. Allura, at the back of her mind, always wondered why, in spite of everything they had done together he never used her first name. She decided now was not the time to ask. "Yes, I have. I can't say goodbye to you all at the space port." She said, and then went on "Arus is going to be a very quiet place from now on." Pidge laughed and said "you obviously did not see that red haired spitfire going after Nanny. I don't think you will have quiet or calm with her around." Allura laughed also, thinking about the scene.
She had to hand it to Pidge, even when she was at her most down, he always had the same effect on her. She looked over at his suitcase all packed. On the top was his prayer book. She picked it up and checked to see where he was, and noticed the bookmarker was picture of the two of them. "Oh, I like this section a lot" she said, and went on "I've not looked at mine for a while; I guess I need to start again." Pidge said "backslider! I like that section too, Princess, it talks about friendship and loyalty." She had been surprised when Pidge, right after becoming an Arusian, had started asking about her religion. She knew that for most of the galaxy planets, faith and religion were out dated concepts. It was because of Pidge that she had learned more about her faith, and when he had joined the Church, she had been his sponsor. He had told her once that while science was important, it doesn't answer every question.
"I will be home as much as I can, there is a lot of work to be done" Pidge told her reassuringly "I like a challenge!" Allura smiled, and then asked "are you running out of computer systems to hack into?" "Don't worry, I won't get arrested, and I will be careful. The day will come when we will all be together again" he said. She and Pidge hugged, said their goodbyes, and she left.
At Lance's room she knocked on the door and he opened right away. "Please come in" he smiled and gave her a dazzling smile. He had to say that even at this early hour she looked good. He thought that Keith would be in a jealous fit if he knew that she was in Lance's room. "I've come to say goodbye to you" she told Lance. "I rather gathered that, from the laughter I heard next door" Lance replied. "You heard us!" Allura exclaimed, wondering what else he might have heard over the years. "Not the details, since I can't hear everything, and you and Pidge always speak Arusian when you are alone. My command of the language is not that good." He stopped, and then went on "You might want to tell Pidge that one of his first projects should be making the wall between our quarters sound proof. I can only imagine what he has heard coming from my room." As Lance said that he gave Allura a wicked grin and watched her blush. "Really Lance, must you?" she asked, thinking of all the times he had teased her in public.
Allura went over and sat in one of the chairs that Lance had set up, around a table. Lance's room was bigger than Hunk's and Pidge's room, and he had done more with it. It was comfortable and warm looking, with an interesting play of textures against browns and blues. "I'm going to miss teasing you. I'll have to do it over the video instead of in person" Lance said, sitting in the chair next to hers. "Lance, is it going to work out? Will Keith make it?" Allura asked the questions she had been wondering at the back of her mind, ever since Keith had left. Lance stretched out his long legs and thought for a moment before he replied. "I don't know Allura, I wish I had an answer for you." He said and then went on "the bounty that Wade has put on him is an attractive prize, but Keith is more determined than anyone I know. He has decided to do this, so he will do it." Lance stopped, and looking her, wondered how much more to tell her.
"I do, in a way, understand why he felt the need to do it. I just don't understand why he did it the way he did – a letter for goodness sake!" She exclaimed in dismay. Lance took a deep breath and said "he has a hard time expressing his emotions, and an especially hard time with you." He waited to see what her reaction would be. "What do you mean, especially with me?" She demanded, looking surprised. "Keith, my dear, is smitten with you; has been ever since he first saw you three years ago." Lance told her, wondering how she could have missed it. "But he's never done anything or said anything to indicate it!" she exclaimed.
"That is because Coran put the fear of death in Sven, Keith, and me, about you" Lance told her. Noticing Allura's puzzled look he went on "Coran told us that you were the last of you line, you needed to marry to carry on the house, and that you needed to be a virgin when you married. He pretty much inferred that if any of us touched you, he would kill us." " I can see Coran doing that" Allura said, and went on "so that is why Keith was always so weird around me." "Take pity on the guy – he is nuts about you, but doesn't dare to anything about it. He takes his role very seriously, so of course he took that seriously too. Now me, I don't anything too seriously, and while I like to flirt with you, and anyone else, I am not interested in 15 year old girls."
Allura looked at Lance and said "so that is why you always acted normal around me." Lance smiled at her and said "even at 18, while pretty, you are a little young for me. I think around 22 you will be great fun, but I, of course, will be too old. You will need someone who will take you out and show you a good time." "Lance, I can't imagine you ever too old for a good time!" Allura declared. With that they hugged, and Allura left the room, heading back upstairs.
A while later she stood on the balcony of the castle, watching while the transport craft left the planet. From inside the castle she heard Larmina and Nanny going at it, about something. She turned from the view and walking very slowly, she went inside to get on with life on Arus.