Betrothed


Chapter Four

...

Forty-two hours had passed since Lotor had last entered the brig. Forty-two hours since he had fled from the princess's fury. Forty-two hours of torturously debating whether or not he was giving Allura enough time to mentally and emotionally recover herself from their last encounter.

But alas, he could wait no longer.

The hour for supper was near at hand, yet Lotor dared not order for a meal to be brought to the cell. He was not entirely certain a second attempt at having a civil dinner would be appreciated. As it was, he was risking a lot entering the cell without a set of guards to accompany him. The princess could very well try to attack him again. How wild she had become at the very thought of ever wedding him! Lotor couldn't understand it. Was he so much of a monster to her? All due to his origin of birth? Lotor stood just outside the brig entrance and took a deep, nerve settling breath, clenching and unclenching his fists.

I will not allow her to see me out of sorts. I must be utterly composed, he lectured himself. I will be as gentle and non-threatening as possible, and hopefully she will permit me to finish speaking without flying into another frenzy.

Thus resolved, Lotor entered the brig. He paused only for another moment at the security control panel in order to shut down all live feed running to and from the princess's cell. What Lotor intended to speak about with his future bride did not need to be heard by anyone else. Once the cameras were deactivated, he resumed his pace down the hall, coming at last to the correct cell. His hand reached out to unlock the door, but stopped suddenly. He'd heard something. Eyes sharpening, Lotor waited. When no other sound was heard, he pursed his lips.

Very well. If she refused to come out willingly...

"Come forth, Ezor," he commanded, "You know very well your little games don't work on me."

Ezor let forth a sigh of defeat just before materializing into view by his side.

"Explain yourself," Lotor demanded, facing her squarely with a steep frown. Out of all his generals, Ezor was perhaps the greatest potential threat to his command ship should she betray him. Her tactical knowledge of espionage, as well as her ability to completely disappear from sight was absolutely invaluable. Therefore, even the slightest hint of insubordination on her part was treated swiftly and surely. It was no secret how angry Lotor could become should he detect any trace of deception from his crew, thus, Ezor's expression was decidedly anxious when she revealed herself. It was ironic really, how little Ezor was able to hide of her thoughts and feelings, when her largest asset to the team was that of making herself invisible.

"Sir," she saluted, mustering her courage, "I- well- it was my sole intention to remain discreetly present for the off-handed circumstance that you should need any assistance with the prisoner."

"If I'd thought I would be needing assistance I would have requested for it," Lotor replied sharply.

"Yes but, since Acxa happened to mention some of the particulars from the other night... I just thought you would appreciate my being there in case-"

"Don't you dare lie to me!" Lotor roared. "Had you come here with pure intentions, you would have approached me on the subject instead of sneaking about! Now for the last time, explain yourself," he ordered, taking a threatening step forward and effectively backing Ezor into the closest wall. Her large, expressive eyes widened still further and her pink skin paled.

"I-I..." she uttered helplessly. Then, looking down in shame, she murmured, "You turned off the security feed to her cell... And...well... I wanted to know why."

Lotor weighed her confession carefully in his mind, judging it as truth or folly. Luckily for her, he did not detect any lie in her words.

"Because, Ezor," he answered measuredly, "whatever happens in that cell is no one else's business by my own. Understand?"

Ezor nodded once, still looking down at the ground, as if afraid of whatever consequence would come to her should she meet his gaze. Lotor sighed, no longer feeling angry with her. She was a curious creature by nature. Could he blame her for being anything but what she was? Raising a hand, Lotor slowly lifted Ezor's chin, bringing her face level with his own. Only when she finally risked giving him her eye contact did he speak.

"You are forgiven this indiscretion. But I fully expect your mistake won't ever be repeated. Are we clear?"

"Oh, yes," she breathed.

A strange kind of whimsical look came into Ezor's eyes as she stared up at him. Gratitude was indeed there, but also adoration, and it poured forth so powerfully that Lotor was forced to break physical contact with her, putting a swift end to the moment.

"Now go," he commanded, pointing at the brig exit. Ezor darted away without another word.

...

Princess Allura could hear voices, but they were muffled and indistinct. She couldn't make out a thing of what was being said, only that there seemed to be two persons conversing, and one sounded upset at the other. Curious, she walked over to press her ear to the door, trying in vain to decipher what was being talked of.

Allura had never been one to eavesdrop on private conversations. She hadn't ever the need to do such a thing before in her privileged life. But these were the first voices she had heard for two long days, besides that of her own! She spoke to herself often, but that was only because she was far too used to having her mice about to listen to her nonsense. Needless to say, her loneliness and boredom provided ample reason enough to resort to such a childish thing as trying to listen in on other people's conversation. If nothing else, it would make for some good entertainment. Anything to get her mind off of her current situation.

Perhaps it is two servants arguing over who forgot some dish or other in the kitchen, she mused.

One thing she could say for her terrible predicament, was that at least she had the pleasure of eating fancy meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She never thought she could look forward to eating so much, but she did. Not only did it provide her with something to do other than pacing around her cell endlessly with pent up frustrations, but it was so incredibly delicious! Lotor must have had a professional five star chef under his command, because without fail, every meal catered to her was a new delicacy she'd never seen or tasted before. And each meal seemed to surpass the last. It got her wondering, was this some Galra courting tradition? Winning the female's hand by dazzling her with delicious food? Because if that were the case, she wasn't entirely opposed to this kind of courtship! Of course, it would all come to nothing in the end, since she had absolutely no intentions of wedding Lotor. Not now or in another million years. She would rot in this cell before she allowed herself to stoop so low.

She still couldn't help but laugh out loud at the very thought. She becoming wife to the leader of the very race who had wiped her people from the face of existence? An empire that was still terrorizing other worlds and destroying nations by the hour? It was utterly absurd! Why, her good father would roll over in his grave! If only he had one.

The voices were getting quieter now, and all hope of making out any words was lost. Allura frowned.

So much for that.

Allura had just begun to back away from the door when it suddenly opened, and she stood face to face with the imposing form of Prince Lotor. She blinked, taken completely off guard. She wasn't sure why, but after two days of not seeing him, she had come to assume that she would not be seeing him again anytime soon. She had liked that arrangement. Yet, here he was.

Splendid.

She eyed him critically, placing her hands on her hips. Today, Lotor was wearing a different formal suit of cool purple and gray tones. His black boots were practically sparkling with cleanliness and he wore a fine white cape that draped down from his shoulders and reached his heels. Allura couldn't help but become suddenly aware of how completely informal she appeared in comparison. Her clothes were shabby from living and sleeping in them these past two days, and her white hair was wild and free, having taken it out of her tight bun for the sake of being more comfortable. Now however, she felt like a slob in his presence, and she inwardly suffered at the idea that she had lost some dignity in his eyes. Oh well. It couldn't be helped now.

After a moment in which both parties simply surveyed one another, Lotor stepped forward and bowed. Allura didn't return the polite gesture, and instead, with all the impudence of a snotty teenager, asked,

"What, no flowers?"