Before Allura could register what she was seeing Cosmo leapt forward, tail wagging, as he raced to the woman who looked eerily like Queen Melanor. The princess stood and brushed herself off, straightening her bed hair as she cautiously approached as well. She cleared her throat to call from a distance, afraid to close the gap until the situation could be better read.

"Who are you?" she asked in her most diplomatic voice. "And how do you know me?"

The woman smiled as she reached down to pat Cosmo on the head. "I'm the Goddess Fala, ruler of Oriande," she answered calmly, as if she anticipated the question. "And I'm your mother."

Allura was shocked at the response, taking two steps back as she shook her head emphatically. "You can't be," she insisted angrily. "My mother died when I was a girl!"

This time the woman- no, Goddess- approached Allura. Her steps were silent, almost as if she weren't touching the ground. When she was within arms reach she stretched out her hands once again, allowing Allura to decide if she would reach back.

Cosmo came to Allura's side, nudging her elbow with his head. Once again it seemed that the wolf understood what was happening. It also appeared that he trusted the deity. Knowing how close he was to Keith she decided to take his wordless advice.

Taking a tentative step forward, Allura moved to link arms with Fala's. Once her hands clasped the other's forearms she felt an energy pulse through her body. It was similar to what she felt when she was accepted by the white lion during her last visit.

This time, however, it felt more like home.

Closing her eyes Allura saw visions of her childhood: her first breath, her first step, even her first word.

"My precious daughter, you've grown into such a beautiful and powerful woman. I'm so proud of you."

The words should have warmed her heart but instead they felt harsh, even if they weren't meant to be. Allura thought of all the ways she'd failed as a leader.

She thought of how she failed Keith.

Right, that's why I'm here.

"Wait, where is Keith? Isn't he here?"

The goddess' countenance dimmed slightly as she gave Allura a small smile.

"Let's go into the temple, I'll explain everything to you there."

In the blink of an eye they transported into the chamber where the trials had begun so long ago. This time nothing threatening happened, however, much to her relief. Yet the room felt heavy, as if something sinister were just outside its boundaries.

The goddess directed Allura to a wall inscribed with ancient writings. Before there had been no time to inspect them but now it was apparent that these were older than the Altean language she knew. Running her fingers across the cool stone there was a sense of importance, as if her own future was imprinted there.

And her own past.

Turning to Fala she straightened her back as she began to express her doubts. "You can't possibly be my mother. You look like her, but my mother was Altean. Why are you lying to me?"

This time the deity smiled brighter as she recalled her story. "I existed long before I gave birth to you," she admitted. "Indeed I am a guardian of this universe, and I am charged with defending against the darkness that resides in other realities."

Allura was confused. "Isn't there darkness here already?"

Fala pointed to the far end of the wall, indicating where the story began. The princess walked to it, resting her palm on the hieroglyphs there. As she concentrated a blue glow began to emanate and visions of the distant past played like a movie in her mind.

There was a battle- long before Altea came to exist- between light and darkness. A powerful demon had attempted to steal the power of the light and as punishment was banished into another reality by Voltron, a mighty warrior built by the Goddess with powers greater than her own. Evil still existed in the universe but was significantly weakened. No longer needed, Voltron was broken into five lions and sealed away.

Soon the planets saved by Voltron flourished, yet the beings of those planets eventually forgot about the Defender of the Universe. Evil once again was on the rise.

In an attempt to maintain a positive force Altea was born, with the Alteans created specifically for this purpose. Alchemists connected the people to the guardians that dwelled within the temple, using their powers to enrich the inhabitants of the universe.

For thousands of years a relative peace was maintained, and all was well.

Finally the visions ended and Allura turned to the woman who claimed to be her mother. "I don't understand. Why did everything change?"

"Many came to Oriande to enhance their powers. Most had selfish reasons so they failed. But one day a handsome young king entered the trials and his heart was shown to be pure. I was enchanted by him, and decided to join him as his wife."

"So you really are my mother?"

Fala nodded, embracing her daughter for the first time in over ten-thousand years. The two women could not contain their tears, emotions both happy and sad overwhelming them. The princess felt her heart might burst as it felt full for the first time in a very long time.

Still, Allura realized that her question wasn't fully answered.

"Then why didn't you stay? If you were so happy what caused you to come back to Oriande?" she asked, her heart aching for answers. "What happened to make you leave us behind?"

"Voltron returned."