Disclaimer: I do not own Voltron or any of its characters.I didn't want to own Nanny anyway.
Rating/Setting: Rating is T. Setting is DotU but is definitely AU – see challenge info below.
Response to Cheetoy's KAEX Challenge "A Royal Twist." "What if Keith was the surviving Arusian Royal Prince and Allura was an Earth born hometown girl turned GA Starpilot? How will the prim and proper Prince deal with falling for a strong-willed GA pilot of no royal line? Sadly, Nanny and Coran insist on a Princess for our dear Kogane... But how shall they deal with the Drule Prince(ss)? Can they find their Happy Ever After?"
Author's Notes: Thanks for reading! Since I'm off for the MLK holiday, and have more time to write, I thought I'd post another chapter. : - D You'll see part of the variant here. Hope it works for you like it did for me!
Chapter Three
Coran watched Keith walk away from him. Keith would be flying Black Lion? What was the Prince thinking? How did he think he could do that? He didn't even know how to fly! Realizing that he was standing there by himself with his mouth slightly open, he hurried from the room. Seeing the prince turn a corner, he called after him, "Wait, Keith!"
Keith was still smiling as Coran caught up to him and grabbed his arm, stopping him in the empty stone corridor. "Yes, Coran?" Keith asked innocently.
Dropping his hand so that he could cross his arms over his chest, Coran frowned at his charge. "What did you mean, Your Majesty? You can't fly Black Lion."
Winking at Coran, Keith said, "Oh, but I can."
Pointing back in the direction of the entryway, Coran said, "Black Lion has been encased in stone since he was placed on the pedestal. There is no way that you could have flown him." Dropping his hand to his side, Coran said in a calmer tone, "What game are you playing, Keith?"
Seeing that Coran was genuinely concerned and confused, Keith relented. "You know that I go and sit in the Lions. I've told you that they speak to me." He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know if they did this in the past or not, but they do it with me. I understand how they work."
Coran looked with wonder at the prince and asked, "How do they work?"
Keith took Coran's arm and walked with him down the corridor towards the underground living spaces. "The keys power up the Lions and activate their systems. I guess you could say that the keys are like an 'on switch' of sorts. And while the Lions have little control with the switch off, they have a lot of control with the switch on." Keith scratched his head. It was difficult to explain the knowledge the Lions gave him. They spoke to his mind and gave him images and visions. Putting that into words wasn't easy. "I guess you could say that the Lion and the pilot work together. The Lions can't fly by themselves, but they can make slight modifications to actions – like turns or speed. They tell me they will only do such things if there is danger or if they do not like their pilot."
"The Lions have feelings?" Coran asked with some shock.
"In a way, but they are like self-sufficient entities. They can communicate with each other at their current distance and though they have been stationary for a long time, it has not bothered them." Keith smiled, "But they have told me they look forward to stretching their legs."
Coran looked at Keith with disbelief. The prince had been having these 'conversations' for some time and yet had told him nothing. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"
"I didn't see a need to and in reality, I wasn't sure you'd believe me. Fear that you'd forbid me to visit the mechas again was another reason."
Coran couldn't refute that. He might have done that very thing. "Granted, you had your reasons. No harm was done. But why do you think you can fly Black Lion with no training?"
Keith's face became serious. "The Black Lion is the one that has primary control over Voltron. I have spent the most time with Black and he has told me that one day I would be his pilot. I laughed when he sent that message to my mind. Before I could even think something back to him, my mind was flooded with images and visions of how to fly the Lion. It was like a download of information. Somehow, the Lion sent the knowledge I'd need to my mind. I think I blacked out for an hour or so. When I came to, Black told me that the time for me to fly was not far away." Keith looked into Coran's eyes. "That time is now, with these pilots. I can fly Black Lion and I will do it, Coran. This is what I was meant to do."
Looking into the serious dark eyes of the prince, Coran knew he was right. He was afraid for the prince, but he knew that the Lions wouldn't have given him the knowledge if he wasn't meant to fly. Coran also thought that King Alfor knew this would happen. Perhaps this was part of the reason he had returned. "But Keith, there are five Alliance pilots and only five mechas. One of them won't be able to fly."
Shrugging, Keith said, "That will be Commander Holgersson's problem, not mine. I will fly that Lion or the Lions won't fly at all." Looking down the corridor, the prince said, "I'm going to see Black. I need to find out if he knows about the pilots arriving."
Coran watched the young man walk away. Who would fly the Lions might be the Commander's problem, but he had a feeling that it would also become Keith's problem as well. It was certain that none of the Alliance pilots would want to give up a spot flying a giant mecha to some untrained prince. Yes, Keith was too young in this regard. The problem would indeed be his. Hopefully Keith would be as diplomatic about flying the Lions as he was in talking with the team today. He hoped so, but it was too much to ask of a twenty year old that had no experience to compare this to.
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A few hours later, Sven got off the communication system. Having just finished a lengthy conversation with Admiral Graham he rubbed the bridge of his nose. Without opening his eyes, he asked his second, "What do you think, Lance?"
"It was almost too easy, Sven. It was almost like the Admiral expected this call. If they were willing to second the seventh fleet to the neighboring system AND supply machinery and workers after an attack on Doom, why didn't they just send us with that plan to start with? I mean, as much as the attitude of the prince grated on my nerves, he was right. Our taking Voltron would be a slap in Zarkon's face and the Arusians would bear the brunt with nothing to really protect themselves with."
"Well, I'm hoping there's no underlying agenda. These people need help. Hell, they needed it eight years ago. I'm just sorry that it took this long to get it here and that we're asking them for something instead of just helping them." Sven looked over to Lance. "Right now, I'm not really feeling like one of the good guys."
"Maybe when you relay the news to the Prince and his advisor, you'll feel better."
"Perhaps." Standing, Sven said, "Get some sleep. We'll contact the castle tomorrow about meeting again."
"Nah, I'll take first watch, you get some sleep."
Looking out the windscreen, nothing was moving in the evening light. "Sure. Wake me for the next shift." With that he left Lance in the cockpit.
Lance did a quick sensor sweep and finding nothing, settled back in his seat to think on the events of the day. This mission was definitely all it was billed to be and more.
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Keith sat in Black's dimly lit cockpit. The trip through the tubes was a little bit of a hike, but nothing like going out to Yellow or Red. The tubes and the whole complex underground that went to the Lions was a bit of a mystery. There was some kind of track system that went into the tubes but not cars or vehicles to ride in and the tracks began at a solid metal wall. It was almost like there should be a door there… or like the wall wasn't supposed to be there at all. Keith knew that his father and mother had been partly responsible for the building of the underground complex. He just wished they had had a chance to explain it to him before… before… tears stung his eyes. Tears that he thought he was past. A hum sounded in the cockpit that brought him out of his melancholy musings. Reaching a hand out to the console he said, "What is it?"
Then the baritone voice of the Black Lion came to him. It is time. We have chosen.
"I don't understand. Chosen what? What time is it?"
Soon. Soon we will fly again. You must be ready for the consequences.
"You mean Zarkon's response?"
Yes. The response of Doom. The response of the Alliance. The response of your people. The response of… your heart.
Keith frowned in the dim light. "Can you see the future? Do you know what the responses are?"
Our vision is not far. We did not know of the pilots until just before they arrived. Our warning is more that of our time spent across a millennia. While we have not felt as you feel, we know about relationships.
This wasn't getting any clearer for Keith. He decided to go back to something Black said that he might be able to understand. "What did you mean that you have chosen?"
We have chosen our pilots. It is up to you to make our wishes known.
Keith was speechless. Not that long ago he had told Coran that the decision of who would fly what Lion would be Holgersson's problem. Now Black was telling him that he would have to relay the decision. "Um, does it really matter?" The Lion shook a little and Keith lifted his hands. "Okay, okay, so it matters." Leaning back and letting out a sigh, he thought, let it be the teenager or the girl, they'll handle it better. Has Black changed his mind about me now that he has trained pilots available? With some trepidation, he asked, "So who have you chosen?"
My choice stands. You shall be my pilot.
Keith breathed a sigh of relief as the Lion continued.
Red has chosen Holgersson. Green has chosen Stoker. Blue has chosen Altaire and Yellow has chosen Garrett.
"No one wanted McClain?" Keith dreaded that the Lieutenant wasn't selected. The looks and comments of the pilot had indicated that he wasn't the most laid back of the group.
Red was undecided about Hogersson or McClain. There is a shimmering aura around them as if they were in flux.
The frown returned to Keith's face. Aura? Flux? He shook his head. Could the Lion see him? "I'll relay your message. Do we have a timeframe for when we can fly?"
No. That will be up to you and your team.
Keith thought of the words the Lion uttered. 'Your team.' 'You and your team.' He doubted that Commander Holgersson would see it that way. However, if the Black Lion wanted to think of them that way, he wouldn't try to convince him otherwise. "Thank you," he said softly.
For what?
"For keeping me even when you could have a trained pilot." It was almost as if Keith could feel the Lion smile. Was that even possible?
There is no one else I want besides you, Keith, son of Alfor. Don't discount the knowledge I gave you or your own innate instincts. This is what you were meant to do. This is who you were meant to be.
Keith smiled to himself. At least Black was confident in his abilities. Coran wasn't and he knew that the Alliance wouldn't be either. "Thanks for your confidence, Black." A slight vibration went through the Lion and Keith knew the conversation was at an end for the day. Standing up and picking up his lantern, he began to make his way back to the castle.
