After Koran explained about the situation and what happened during the visit of Allura's late father, everyone was quiet for a second. Arus's young heir and VOLTRON's team commander were especially silent, an unusual situation for all involved. Even the space mice noticed the discomfort.

Hunk spoke first. "So? What are we all doing here pouting, people?"

"Yeah, why don't we at least try to find this mystery prince?" Pidge added.

"Besides, if I remember right," Lance continued, "the betrothal was made with the option of leaving without consequence."

"So you might not even have to marry him if you don't want, and Arus and Saphiria would still have an alliance. Right?" Sierra concluded for the group.

"Perhaps," Allura sighed. She knew her teammates were trying to cheer her up, but somehow she still felt obligated to go through with the promise her father had made with the Saphirian royalty. And this was despite the fact that her heart already belonged to Keith, and apparently vice versa, from what Koran had just told them.

Keith, on the other hand, though he looked resolved, was still tasting the bitterness of heartbreak. He had had such hopes that Koran could help find a way to allow him and Allura to have their dream come true, only to find them dashed against the shore of reality. It can't just end this way, he thought. But aloud, he asked, "Did King Alfor say whether we would find this prince on Saphiria?"

The older man shook his head. "No, he only said that you might learn of his whereabouts. I'm assuming that the king of Saphiria would know something about it, if I heard His Majesty correctly. Other than that, I have not the slightest idea."

"Well, there's something," Allura stated. Then, with a little more enthusiasm, "All right--let's go, then."

"Right," Keith added. "And Allura, since Sierra's cruiser is in the repair bay, would you mind letting her ride in Blue Lion with you?"

Here, the Princess cheered up a bit. "That sounds good to me."

"What do you say, Sis?" Keith asked his older sibling.

Sierra and Keith had patched things up earlier, so she smiled. "I'm all for it."

"Okay then, everyone--let's take the rest of the afternoon to pack. We'll need to have everything ready and in the Lions before dinner, so that we can head to Saphiria immediately after we eat. If we make good time, we should arrive there by early morning our time, mid-afternoon their's. Any questions? Comments?" Keith was in full Commander Mode now.

"Actually, I brought some pocky with me from Earth, if anyone wants some for the trip," Sierra offered.

Pidge, Hunk, Lance, and even Keith started laughing heartily.

"I think 'some' is an understatement with you, Si," Lance chuckled, using his nickname for her. Sierra started blushing a little bit.

Pidge was on the verge of hyperventilating. "Yeah, it's more like you've got several pounds of the stuff!"

"What's 'pocky'," Allura asked inquisitively.

"It's a popular dessert on Earth," Keith replied after he calmed down, "made of long, thin cracker sticks with one end dipped in a flavored coating. Sierra usually gets either the strawberry or chocolate ones."

Hunk said, "Either? It's usually both!"

"Sounds nice--I'd like to try some," the Princess stated.

"You'll like them a lot--even the mice are addicted to them already!" Sierra laughed.

Keith then kindly, yet firmly, reminded them of their plans, and everyone proceeded to do as instructed. Coba, meanwhile, had watched them from the safety of the shadows, and had informed Hagar of all that had transpired before slinking out of the castle.

Most of the group had remained unaware of it's presence. Lance, however, had felt the evil cat's eyes upon them during their meeting, and he was officially on full alert. It wasn't that he didn't like cats--he just couldn't stand the witch's minions, regardless of its' size or shape. Okay, so he definitely wasn't a cat person, but that wasn't the point.

Sierra had noticed the sudden tension that had shown up on his face. "The witch's cat?" she asked. She shared the same disdain for the creature. She actually liked cats herself (at least, she liked them better in pictures than in real life), but whenever something just seemed wrong, her proverbial radar went off like a bat out of--well, you get the idea.

"Yeah--how did you guess?" he replied.

She shrugged. "My allergies are pretty bad around cats, but that weird thing makes them go haywire. Just call me oversensitive, if you want."

Lance smiled. "Nah--you're okay. Come on, let's go pack."

___________________________________________________________________________________

"What?!" Lotor raged at Hagar, having stopped pacing to face her. "You let those fools slip up?! Now Galaxy Garrison will certainly find us out!"

The witch, who had just told him about the Garrison's suspicions, showed her vile smile once again. "But not if they discover the spies' corpses first, Sire. I made certain of that myself once I had found out about it. Any tracks they left leading to your majesty have been duly erased."

"Good work, Hagar--I do not appreciate being served by bumbling idiots. But as for the rest of the plans, what are we to do now?" he demanded, sitting on his throne. "There is certainly no point in trying to corner the Princess now that she and the VOLTRON Force know about the spies."

"True, at least not on Arus," Hagar replied, keenly aware of her master's quickly rebuilding anger. "For Coba tells me that the pretty princess and her five escorts will be going to the long-lost planet of Saphiria to find her betrothed. But we'll make sure to kill him before she can fulfill the promise, won't we?"

The despised prince caught on immediately and slowly smiled his own cruel smirk. "And so we will. All we really need to do is follow VOLTRON to Saphiria, wait for the right time, and then strike that planet fiercely. You are truly a beautifully wicked witch, Hagar--it is quite a pity that your features are so ugly."

"Thank you, Sire--I live only to please you," she answered. But she thought, Soon, though, my latest potion will be completed--one that will grant me eternal outward beauty. And then you, Prince Lotor, will bow to me and me alone, not that wretched princess.