The air was still and warm, breezeless but comfortable. It occurred to her about the same time she realized her helmet wasn't on. Hadn't they just been just outside the atmosphere of this planet, this Earth? That wasn't safe. She could hear the gentle chastisement of Coran in her head now.
Allura's eyes fluttered open, mind registering that she was laying on her side as she worked to clear afterimages from her sight. The golden white lingered for a few breaths, hazing everything with a slight film that eventually faded like mist.
Blue the color of twilight surrounded her, that special shade when the sun has barely left the sky and stars begin to take over. An asteroid belt was faintly visible stretching across the median of the sky. None of the constellations were familiar to her, but she had a nameless feeling that it wasn't important. A series of comets streaked the sky, one after another, from horizon to horizon.
Pushing herself up to a sitting position, Allura gazed around at the azure celestial expanse and simply listened to herself breathe for a moment. One hand stole it's way up to her chest for a moment, feeling her heart beneath her armor in its standard Altean rhythm. A quick turn of her head sent a lock of her hair dancing across her newly-cleared vision and she caught the soft streak of blue that followed its movement. She didn't need to glance down to gather that the blue outlined her as she sat on this plain.
"Paladins? Is anyone there?" she called softly, "Keith? Lance? Pidge? Hunk?" The stillness gave up no answer and she frowned slightly. She'd even accept Coran's almost fatherly chastisement for getting separated from the others at this moment. She'd finally gotten used to it not being just herself and the older Altean and the lack of any other noticeable presence was a little unsettling.
Looking at the glow that encased her and exhaling softly, Allura settled herself with legs crossed and thought for a moment. Perhaps calling some of her still-new alchemist knowledge would give her some answers here. She closed her eyes and let her focus go inward, mentally preparing herself for whatever knowledge Oriande could assist her with…
The cold damp nose on the back of her neck was most unexpected indeed. The shock of it shattered her concentration and the faint teal glow between her hands fizzled into a poof of sparks and a perfectly inelegant squeak escaped her lips. Then came the rumbled purr in a soft, familiar tone. 'No'.
She turned as much as she could in her seated position, earrings bouncing against her neck until she came face to face with a pair of glowing golden eyes in a blue-furred face. As if to make up for the indignancy of its greeting, Blue companionably head-butted the Princess, rubbing it's glowing form against her cheek. 'That is not needed. You are safe. We succeeded. All are well.'
Blinking rapidly, it entered into Allura's mind for a moment that Lance's prankish nature must have rubbed off on Blue at some point for the lion to startle her like that. "Where is… this? It seems familiar and yet not… and I can't see or hear the other Paladins. Are we…?" The butterflies in her stomach seemed to make an ache that she hoped the lion would assuage.
'Alive, pretty one. Alive and well are all. I keep your mindself safe while your body heals. The others are the same. And before you pester me with the question, no, you are not trapped here.' Blue rumbled with an amused-sounding note as it padded around to her front and reclined with its belly against her leg. 'There will be no need for your skills as with Black's second paladin.'
Allura frowned again and let her hands fall in her lap, eyeing the lion with some measure of doubt despite its familiarity. Of course there were no notes from her father about any of this… space within the lions. Or perhaps things had never gotten this dire with Alfor and his comrades that they had ever needed it.
"If I'm not trapped here… then what must I do to be released from it? It's… not entirely unpleasant, but there are so many things I must do. The other Paladins, finding the Alteans that Romelle came from, making sure the people of this young planet are prepa-" she cut off abruptly as a glowing blue paw landed with a soft *paff* on her lips. Blue stared at her with open amusement, its tail flicking excitedly at the tip before it let the paw drop to rest atop Allura's hands in her lap.
'You rest. Stop thinking. Stop Princessing. Stop leading. Just. Rest.' came the purr, half-suggestion, half-commanding, from her lion. 'Time is meaningless here. It exists differently than your physical body. When both are ready and healed, you will awaken, but not before. Fight it not, it will do you good.'
Shaking her head slowly, Allura sighed and gave a weak smile and patted the paw. "If only it was so easy. I am guilty of so much. I let so much happen and I was led so astray by what I thought were good intentions. I have so much to make right…" Her heart twinged, recalling so freshly how deeply Lotor's manipulations wounded her, her doubts about his sincerity when their lips met coloring everything in muddy hues.
She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she failed to notice the paw withdraw from her lap and Blue rising. With a soft growl in her head of 'Stop that.' she was knocked onto her back by a firm head-butt from the lion who promptly proceeded to lay its surprisingly nonexistent weight on top of her. While the lion wasn't heavy, she still found she couldn't precisely move either. Covered head to toe in blue fur, gazing up into golden eyes, Allura felt very much like a chastised child and her expression wilted.
'It was not your fault. Did my previous Paladin not tell you that?' Blue stared down into the light turquoise of its Paladin's eyes unflinchingly and nosed her cheek. 'He doesn't blame you. Stop blaming yourself and stop trying to hold up half the universe with your bare hands. Your other Paladins respect and support you, and so do I.'
Allura swallowed hard as the lion radiated warmth, love, and support and her mind recalled countless moments in their time that the other Paladins had done the same. Freshest was the pep talk from Lance as they tried to revive the Castle. Wrapping her arms around the lion atop her, she nosed into its sleek fur and closed her eyes. Silent tears were soaked into the deep blue and a glowing pink tongue swiped the rest away.
'That's good. Soon we'll go find the others. They should be ready soon.'
