Chapter 7: Keith

Allura's letter was a kick in the pants. Literally.

I don't know how long I sat in the darkness of my office before I carefully placed the letter in my desk drawer, stood up and started making myself presentable. A shower and a shave later, I was as ready as I was ever going to be.

I open my door and trip over Hunk, who had set up shop outside my office with camp chair and table loaded with food. I glare at him but he pointedly ignores me as he picks up a pack of potato chips and fell into step behind me, munching away.

At this time of the night, the Castle is so quiet that all I hear is the sound of our footsteps and rustling and crunching from Hunk's snack. The munching sounds grate on my already strained nerves. I strive for a semblance of civility. "It's late, Hunk. You should turn in. I'll be fine."

"You will be. Eventually." he agreed mildly. "And we have your back until you are."

We come to a halt outside the nursery. I hesitate for a long moment. I feel the familiar urge to retreat to the safety of my study — the Fortress of Solitude, as Lance calls it — but I take a deep breath to gather my courage and push the door open.

Hunk dismisses the nursery maid with a quick gesture while I step inside and look around. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. There were no frills or pink in sight. The nursery had three pale creamy walls and one with a mural depicting a rolling meadow, a blue lake, and a leafy forest.

"The crib was Allura's," Hunk says from the doorway, drawing my attention to the dark wood slats. "Nanny found it packed away in a storeroom and had a master woodworker restore it and bring it up to code."

I edge closer and peered into the crib. Allys was asleep, swaddled in a pink blanket.

"You can pick her up, you know." Hunk tells me as he comes inside the room to stand by my side. "Babies need to be carried. It's good for them too. It helps them feel loved and safe… Here, support her neck."

Before I could protest or say anything otherwise, I find myself cradling Allys in my arms and settled in the rocking chair in the corner of the room. Hunk stands over me, using his large bulk to keep me seated. I fight the panicked urge to hand her back to him and run. He looks at me with a sad smile. "You need her and she needs you too."

And with that, he left the room, leaving me alone with my daughter.

Her eyes were closed. I traced my fingers gently over her soft cheek. Most of the newborns I've seen were bald, but Allys already had some pale fuzz on her head, much like the baby pictures of Allura that I had seen. Her eyes flutter open. Blue. Would they stay that way or turn green?

Allys chose that moment to give me a sleepy smile — Allura's smile! — before scrunching up her little face and yawning. I felt a lump form in my throat and I tighten my arms around her, mindful of how delicate she is. I inhaled deeply and take in her sweet baby smell.

I wish Allura were here. She would know what to do, what to say. I don't so I'm just going to have to muddle along. Hell, I'm probably going to screw things up beyond all comprehension but giving up is not an option.

Allys is mine. She's all I have left of Allura.

I don't know anything about babies — or being a father for that matter, but that doesn't matter. The one thing I do know is that you will never be prepared for anything you do, ever. Not the first time. Training and book knowledge are well and good, but they mean nothing when things get FUBAR as things do.

But things do get better. I have subjective yet ironclad knowledge of this.

I think back to our first days on Arus — after we crash-landed, were captured by Zarkon and escaped only to crash-land back on Arus. I felt the same terror. I longed for the same retreat. And somehow I sort of half breathed in and took a few steps forward and a few steps back. Eventually, I got the hang of it and we managed to get our act together.

Somehow, and I'm not exactly sure how… I managed to make a princess fall in love with me. She was so far above my paygrade, it was crazy. She was beautiful, sassy, spunky, smart, compassionate and brave. Every prince in the galaxy wanted her but she only wanted me. I couldn't believe it. I tried to run away from it. But my Princess was nothing but stubborn. She waited until I ran out of excuses. Ran of of reasons to push her away.

We had it. Our version of it.

And so, to honor what we had, I'm going to do what my Princess would want me to do. Continue what we started and see it through. Allura refused to spend her life looking at what could have been. That's the kind of person she was. She lived her life moving forward.

Just like I have a feeling Allys will.

So that's what I'm going to do. I'm not going to hide. I'm going to wake up every morning and deal with each day as it comes. I'm going to be here with you if you need me, Allys. Because God knows, I'm going to need you.

I can do it.

I know can do it.

Because of you, Allys.

-end-