The room was dark. Empty. Almost cold.

Staring into the unlit room, Allura sat forlorn on the steps that once led to her father's AI.

She'd made the right decision. She knew that. Every fiber of her being knew that. Even the part of her that had driven her from her chambers and onto this empty room where she now sat in solitude shedding silent tears.

The universe needed Voltron. It needed the lions, and the paladins. Allura needed them too. It was a fact. It HAD been the right decision.

So why didn't it feel like it?

Allura really had meant what she had told the paladins. Voltron was her father's legacy, and she would carry it in his stead. She'd meant that.

But when left alone, Allura had felt her chest tighten. It had been impossible to express the utter feeling of loss she felt. It was especially impossible to express it in front of the others.

Coran already worried over her incessantly. She didn't want the others to do the same. And she'd come to know them well enough to know that they would do the same. It was simultaneously a comfort and a concern in and of itself. The last thing Allura needed was for the saviours of the galaxy to be distracted by worry for her.

From the hall the sound of approaching footsteps came to the princess's ears. Someone was coming down the passage towards the room.

She didn't bother to look up. It was likely Coran.

The dutiful manservant had been unwilling to leave her side ever since… ever since she'd destroyed King Alfor's AI.

The memory once again washed over her with a wave of mixed emotions.

Sadness at what she had been forced to do, anger at the galran technology that had driven her to the act, grief as the last link to her father slipped from her hands.

Against her will, a strangled sob escaped Allura's throat.

The sound of the footsteps stopped. And then quickened in pace.

Using the back of her hand, she did her best to wipe away the tears and focused on regaining her composure. Even with Coran, Allura needed to put on a brave face.

He missed Altea, King Alfor, and their people; just as much as the princess did. But he still went above and beyond to carry out his duty. The very least Allura could do in return was reign in her emotions long enough to not be a bother to him.

The footsteps stopped just outside the open door. A hesitant silence followed. As though he was deciding whether or not to proceed. Which was strange because Coran wasn't usually so hesitant. But he had his moments. This was likely one of them.

Allura decided to pretend not to have heard him. Taking the time it would take him to cross the room and address her to even out her breathing. She was thankful for the darkness of the room. At least Coran wouldn't be able to see the red around her eyes.

Seeming to have finally come to a decision, Allura could hear his footsteps cross the room and stop at the bottom of the steps.

Sighing, Allura slowly turned towards him.

"Coran, I didn't hear you come in. I was just-" she stopped short.

She blinked once. And then twice.

"Uhm," Keith's hand drifted to the back of his neck. "I-It's me… Keith. N-Not… Not Coran."

Despite knowing how rude it was, Allura couldn't help but stare at him.

A part of her had acknowledged that it might not be Coran. Coran had just been the most likely person to come look for her.

Other candidates had been Hunk, or Shiro. Maybe even Lance.

Pidge was a stretch. Though she could have come across the room while attempting to scan the castle for any lingering malware.

But she'd never even considered Keith. And she couldn't really blame herself for that.

Keith had never gone out of his way to talk to her. He acknowledged her existence, and to an extent, her authority. But he was more likely to take orders from Shiro than from her.

In return, Allura had never gone out of her way to speak to him.

It wasn't as though the two didn't get along. They just didn't talk much.

She had always felt that there was this unspoken understanding between them. Keith would reliably follow through on his responsibilities as the red paladin, and the princess would recognize his social boundaries and not cross them. They had never TALKED about this, but Allura had always assumed it to be the case.

At least until now.

"You?" The shock in her voice was impossible to hide. Which was unfortunate considering Keith wasn't the type to miss little details like that.

He frowned, eyes cast to the side as he murmured, "Yeah. Me."

"Oh. Right. Of course."

A heavy feeling of awkward tension seemed to fill the air between the two. Allura tried to look anywhere but Keith's face while he took a sudden keen interest in inspecting the ceiling.

The princess knew that this was not the way she should be addressing one of her paladins. But… it was difficult with Keith. She'd only really been alone with him once. That had been when Sendak had invaded the castle of lions leaving them both more than a little preoccupied.

It wasn't as though they deliberately avoided one another. Or at least Allura didn't.

She couldn't say the same for Keith.

He cleared his throat. "So… What are you doing here? I thought you were resting."

Allura pursed her lips. No matter what Coran said, the princess was NOT made of glass. And while she could tolerate her manservant hovering over her like a mother hen she'd be damned if any of her paladins did the same.

Straightening her posture and squaring her shoulder, Allura did her best to look the very picture of health.

"I feel perfectly rested, thank you." She said coldly. "I was just stretching my legs."

Keith did not look convinced.

Or amused.

"And you came in here? Where there's barely enough power for lighting, let alone heat, and where no one else is around because it's out of the way?"

"Y-yes." Allura replied shifting uncomfortably under Keith's gaze. "Is that a problem? Going where I choose on my own ship?"

Sighing, Keith dropped down next to her on the steps.

"You were crying."

The princess took a sharp intake of breath. Her red paladin certainly had excellent hearing.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do."

There was a tint of something like pity in Keith's voice. He had never used that tone with her before. She'd never known him to use that tone with anyone before. It was an unexpectedly soothing voice.

And for some reason… it made Allura angry.

"Is there something you want or need from me?" she demanded. The bite in her voice hanging on every syllable.

Keith looked taken aback for a moment before replying, "Well, no, there's nothing I need I was just-"

"Alright then." Allura moved to stand up. "I'll be going back to my room then."

"Hey! Wait a second!"

It took all of the princess's willpower not to stumble on the steps as she got to her feet and moved for the exit. It was imperative that she not let on how exhausted she truly felt. Her pride wouldn't allow it.

The princess could put up with everyone worrying over her. On some level she could understand why they acted that way.

But she would not allow herself to be pitied.

Not by Coran. Not by the paladins. Keith. Anyone.

She made it to the bottom of the stair sand was well on her way to the door when Keith stopped her. He grabbed her arm with a strange struggling tension. As though unsure of the gesture.

"Look I just…" Keith paused, clearly struggling with his words. "About your dad."

Allura tensed.

"Look, I know it's all stressful right now. And kinda hectic. And I know I'm probably not the person you would wanna talk to about this." He hesitated. "But I understand. I know what you're going through, and how you feel, so I thought-"

An overwhelming flood of anger overcame Allura with a force she had never before experienced.

"Understand?! You understand nothing! My home planet's destroyed, my people wiped out, the very universe as I knew it is now a thing of the past! How can you possibly say you understand how I feel!"

Keith stood in shock, his mouth slightly hanging open. He clearly had not been expecting the outburst.

"Once all is said and done you can return home anytime you wish! But I don't have anywhere anymore! I can't even look forward to seeing my father again! You and the others still HAVE your planet! You still HAVE your people! So don't you dare claim you can understand how I feel out of some misguided sense of pity!"

"I'm not pitying you!" Keith face had distorted in a sudden surge of anger.

"Yes you are! Outside of Coran, there's no one else here who could possibly understand what I've lost!"

Allura's voice had reached a shrill level of despair that echoed through the empty room and reverberated off the walls.

"You'll get to see your family again, but I never will!"

Keith's entire physique went limp.

Allura ripped her arm from his hand and ran from the room, nearly colliding with Shiro in the doorway. He reached a tentative arm towards her, but she ignore him and carried on down the hall until she reached her bedroom.

She locked the door, set handprint sensor to allow no one but her to enter, and collapsed into her bed in a fit of sobbing.

When Coran came to the door, she ignored him.

When Shiro knocked and asked to enter, she ignored him too.

She ignored Hunk's baiting for food, Lance's half-hearted attempt at cheering her up through the metallic wall, and even Pidge's threats of hacking into the lock.

Allura ignored it all as she filled the world with tears. Only stopping when sleep finally claimed her.