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CHAPTER 9 - Arun Codex
It was an unprecedented meeting of galactic proportions.
For some of the attendees at the holo-conference, this opportunity to finally meet Her Royal Highness Princess Allura of Arus, as well as the legendary Commander Keith Kogane of the Voltron Force, was a moment for which they had waited all their lives.
Their sighs of awe filled the air as they saw the Princess and her champion enter the holo-conference accompanied by Lady Governor Jiaan. This famous young couple had yet to fully realise their true importance, but for the attendees it was an honour to be in the same room with them, and they showed their respect by genuflecting and bowing deeply. They swelled with pride, knowing that the impending landmark moment in galactic history would come to pass within their lifetimes.
There were at least twenty holo-figures facing the regal couple. Coran reintroduced the three Arusian governors who had visited the Castle of Lions with Lady Jiaan the previous week. When everyone had settled, Lord Braerion began to address the fully attentive couple before them.
"We would like to introduce the nameless group in front of you today. We exist, and are bound, to protect you and the Voltron Force. Our mission was awakened by fate the moment Princess Allura wore the blue-stoned circlet that had been uncovered from its centuries-old slumber. Our group has come from all over the galaxy and in time you will get to know who all its members are. For now, most of us are here to witness this meeting and for some, to finally to be able to meet you both. Your births have long been foretold, as well as your meeting and bonding to each other. This much-anticipated gathering is a direct result of that prophecy being fulfilled.
"This is only the second time we have met as a group. The first was yesterday, immediately after Princess Allura began wearing the blue circlet of office.
Our mission is to protect and assist you in your hour of need in order to fulfil your destinies, which were written in the stars long before any of us here were born. There are indeed several prophecies that have mentioned both of you by name, as individuals, as a bonded pair, or as a member of Voltron Force.
And these clusters of prophecies, written by ancient Arusians a millennium ago, were called The Arun Codex. This ancient compilation is a significant piece of writing for Arus because it prophesied much about the entwined destinies of the Arusian royal house, its leaders and our beloved Voltron. The Arun Codex is written in a cryptic language and has been miraculously preserved across time, kept deep in the northern region of Arus.
We also have scholars from across the galaxy whom have had copies of certain passages from the Codex, and their sole purpose has been to decipher these specific extracts," explained Governor Braerion.
Then it was Lord Governor Mataso's turn to further elaborate. "Arus may have lost much of its history during the Zarkonian wars; however we in the northern region have kept the most treasured artefacts in a hidden vault deep within the planet. Unfortunately, much of the ancient language and writings have been lost to us, and decryption has been such a tedious process. In fact, only a handful of us are still able to read the ancient texts. But what we have translated so far involves two important sections of the Arun Codex." Mataso then opened a holo-screen showing the ancient text converting it to readable Terran language.
"Before I go any further, I just want to remind everyone, that these are just highlights. The details are quite lengthy, and we would like to invite Your Highness, and you, Commander, to our region in the north and show you the Arun Codex and its elaborate details.
"This was the first extraction from the ancient texts of the Arun Codex:
when one
is gone
the five
shall divide
amidst old soldier's gleam
is darkness unseen
Black will disappear
thou shalt not fear
with evil defeated
ally becomes enemy
decorated stars and sky
marshal the tired and weary
their bonds never silent
their love ever patient
Despite the remoteness yawning
Their love ever remaining
remember they will
that with lions of steel
unity is their core
when one returns to the four
"Now, here is the second extraction," continued Lord Mataso. "We recently completed this translation and, while still quite rough, it has a different tone altogether."
Find the Heart
And You shall Find
The Fifth Planet Dweller and your Kind
New and the old shall merge
Wait For Them
Pedagogue. Prodigy.
Patience.
Your Time Will Come
Have Faith For What and Who You Seek
Singularity and Convergence
Two Missions Shall Unite
To Arus Shall Voltron Be Reborn With Might
Allura and Keith re-read the cryptic message with knitted brows. What in the seven hells is this? Where is this all leading to? As one, their bonds swirled in confusion.
Lord Rueben interrupted their puzzled reverie. "Based on the analysis by our Codex scholars and experts, they believe the Codex was referring to you two and Voltron. If you read the third verse again:
"…their bonds shan't be silent
their love shall be patient
Despite the remoteness yawning
Their love forever remaining…
"Lady Jiaan has confirmed with us that you two share a special psychic and telepathic bond, the same as the rest of us in this unique band of misfits. Our abilities do vary, of course: some of us can commune with the rest of the group, while some of us can only speak with one or two. Others can move objects with a thought. You may have already discovered a few of your own latent abilities as well.
"It appears that this particular section of the Arun Codex was referring to you both, of your link to each other through your telepathic bonds, as well as to your lions. But because of this particular mission that you are about to face, there have been rather unusual discussions about how far your bonds can further connect," Rueben concluded.
Princess Allura quietly spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, "I heard Keith telepathically from as far away as Balto."
Their audience gasped. Keith simply nodded in agreement with Allura, and was surprised by the astonished reaction.
Lady Jiaan spoke, "As far as our research has shown, telepathic communication is possible when on the same planet, but until yesterday, the concept of telepathic links connecting across the vast reaches of space was simply unheard of. But then again, you're the only two people we know of in this galaxy that pilot robot lions to which you are also telepathically linked."
Allura and Keith looked at each other and nodded silently. Keith gave Allura's hand a reassuring squeeze.
Lady Jiaan continued, "We beg your pardon, Your Royal Highness and Commander, but in our initial meeting we had a different interpretation of the strength of your psychic bonds. We believed that in order to complete this mission, the maturation of your psychic bonds had to be a hundred per cent, meaning there had to be a consummated love."
The couple blushed while Coran let out an embarrassed cough.
"But now that Princess Allura has mentioned that she and Commander Keith were actually able to make a psychic connection across space, then the previous discussion is moot," smiled Governor Jiaan.
Allura stifled a giggle and Keith threw a bemused look at the princess beside him.
Lord Mataso then proceeded, "The Codex also spoke of two missions, and that finding or fulfilling these missions would be similar to what happened these last two days: converging events that led to this moment.
"There will be a new evil, and to defeat this new evil you need to look for this 'fifth planet dweller'. And when do you find this individual, you will find Black Lion. It would seem that these two future occurrences are intertwined, to bring about the rebirth of a stronger Voltron…"
"But Lord Rueben, Black Lion is here with us," interjected Allura.
"And why would we want to let go of the Black Lion?" asked Keith, with a growing scowl on his face.
"You have needed Voltron to fight the visible threat of Zarkon and his Drule forces, but unfortunately, evil is constantly evolving. The hidden adversary that you will face in the future is not what or who you think it will be, and will require a different action or strategy on your part. The battles and trials you will face will challenge you, both as individuals as well as a team. It will be the human aspect of Voltron that will be tested in the near future," explained Lord Rueben.
"And how do you think we are to accomplish all this?" Keith strongly gestured with a sweeping hand as he pointed at the holo-screen's view of the Arun Codex.
"You will have resources at your disposal. All you need is to ask, and the person you'd be approaching for assistance is closer to you than you could imagine, Commander Kogane," Lord Braerion replied. "Commander, your unique empath connection with Princess Allura will play an important role in all of this. You have the best knowledge of both Arus and Earth. Your brilliant tactical mind and strategic intellect, coupled with your bond with Princess Allura is the most unique combination ever found in this universe. You have an intrinsically better perspective of what is to come. Unfortunately, it is quite an enormous task to be placed on your shoulders and you will need Princess Allura to fulfil your quest. You will not be alone as the rest of the Voltron Force will have their roles in these tasks as well."
"So, let me get this straight, our future adversary won't be robeasts or Drule armadas?" clarified Allura.
"You are correct, Your Royal Highness. The Arun Codex's prediction did not mention anything Drule. And no harm will come to you. You will be safe. There will be no Lotor to hound you," assured Lady Jiaan, sensing Allura's trepidation. Lotor's rabid fixation on Allura was legendary, as equally renowned as Commander Kogane's devotion to protect the Royal Princess of Arus with his life.
"I concur, Your Highness," added Lord Rueben. "Your quests will require a different tactical approach, more like individually updating your skills in combat, reconnaissance, and even special operations. "
Allura was suddenly reminded of her recent dream as well as Keith's suggestion about something similar.
"And what will Coran's role be in all of this?" Allura had to ask about her former guardian and now royal advisor.
"Your Highness, Coran shall always be your eyes and ears," replied Lord Braerion. "He shall still be your advisor, but on a more galactic perspective, a higher diplomatic arena in whose twists and turns Coran is well versed," he concluded. Coran nodded in agreement.
"So, bottom line, we need to be prepared," a taciturn Keith quipped, trying to summarise what had just been discussed.
"Indeed, Commander Kogane," answered Lord Mataso. "For now, this is all we can impart to you both. The Arun Codex is a vast collection of cryptic writings. We feel we have only scratched the surface, and there is more information deep within the Codex that has yet to be discovered, especially regarding your future individual legacies." And your Arusian heritage as our future king, thought Mataso.
Unbeknownst to the couple, Lord Mataso had discovered a section of the Codex stating that Allura and Keith's future would be far bigger and greater than anyone could possibly imagine. Arus will be the centre of the universe under their reign. This separate section of the Codex had specific instructions not to reveal any of it. The commander would need to discover his heritage on his own, at a time chosen by Fate. The Codex spoke volumes of the legacy that he would leave in the future. Though it pained him to do so, Mataso clamped down on his insights about the future monarchs of his planet.
"We shall adjourn for now. If we acquire more information, we will be in contact with you," concluded Lord Braerion. "If you wish to speak with us again, you know how and where to get in touch with us, Your Highness, Commander." They bowed in reverence, and one by one, the holo-attendees disappeared.
"Oh, by the way Keith," said Coran, before leaving the holo-conference. "We received a message from your uncle Kensan on Earth, about your request for the martial arts curriculum modules. He would like to speak with you when you're available."
"Thank you Coran, I'll give him a buzz when I get back to Black," replied Keith with a grateful tone.
With that, Coran's holo-image disappeared, and the room was once again dark and quiet.
vvvvVvvvvVvvvv
It was late afternoon by then. Black Lion was the only remaining sentinel on the island. Everyone else had gone back to the Castle of Lions. While Keith headed back to Black to prepare for pre-launch, Jiaan and Allura returned to the guest villa to retrieve her backpack.
"Thank you, Lady Jiaan. It was a very interesting three days," Allura spoke solemnly.
"It was an honour to have you here, Allura. Please, if you feel you need more time off in the future, our islands are at your disposal. It's a pity we didn't have time to give Commander Kogane a tour of our underwater facilities. I wanted to tell him that we recently installed cloaking capabilities. Neither sonar nor satellite can detect our underwater stronghold," said Jiaan as Allura packed her things. Then suddenly Lady Jiaan noticed something.
"Not packing the dresses we had for you? Please, do indulge us Allura, take them with you. You can change into another one now if you like," smiled Jiaan.
"Oh Lady Jiaan, it's too much for me to have these dresses. Thank you though. How about I leave them with you so that the next time we visit, you don't need to grab a new set? But I do admit I like this one…" Allura went to the clothing rack. It was a short forest-green sundress with dainty pink flowers. It was easier to put on as there were only four large buttons on the front.
"I think I'll try this on now," said Allura with a secret smile as she stepped behind the change partition. I know Keith would love this dress too. Despite a looming worrisome feeling, her bond danced in anticipation.
"Ah, wonderful choice Allura, the dress matches the colour of your eyes," assured Lady Jiaan as Allura emerged. "It is so beautiful on you! I just know Keith will like it too."
"You think so?" Allura grinned.
"Allura, I can't emphasise enough, whatever happens in the future, we your people - all of Arus, love you both. Always remember that. Your empathic energies are already deeply entwined and almost move as one." Almost. Jiaan silently thought.
"And remember, we're here for you. Just call us when you need help and the governors and I will be there to support you," reassured Jiaan as she walked Allura out of the villa.
"Thank you, Lady Jiaan. Your words mean so much to me." Allura gave Lady Jiaan one last hug, then grabbed her backpack and headed towards Black Lion.
vvvvVvvvvVvvvv
Keith was running the meeting in his head as he walked towards Black Lion. He had yet to come to terms with the revelation of an unnamed group that prophesied the future of Black Lion and Voltron.
Unseen adversary. Who the world would it be, if not Drules?
Keith brow had remained tensely knitted since the unusual meeting had adjourned. Of everything they'd discussed, the only thing he truly accepted and of which he felt truly certain was his psychic and telepathic bond with Allura.
Hearing the empaths tell them they were actually predestined and betrothed even before they were born, had cemented that feeling deep within his heart.
He had always felt a connection with Allura, from the moment their eyes met on that fateful day at the bottom of the stairs in the old Castle of Lions. With that sense of instant familiarity and closeness, it had felt as if that they had known each other all their lives. Allura reminded him of that young girl with golden hair from his recurring dream during his youth. He remembered seeing her running in the murky swamp chased by robeasts, and the invisible barrier that prevented him from reaching out and protecting the young girl. His relatively-new psychic ability made him aware that it had been Allura all along.
His awakened psychic wave of Knight Protector, at the moment Allura had worn the blue-stoned circlet, had suddenly turned into a new realisation. He had put her on a pedestal, held her at arm's length, and kept his passion for her at bay far too long. Until King Alfor had finally given his blessing and Allura became his girlfriend three months ago, Keith had wanted much more in his steady relationship with Allura. There was always that fervent desire to protect her.
The psychic and telepathic connection they'd had for the last few months was instrumental to his peace of mind. Knowing she was safe and well, even when they were physically apart, gave Keith a great sense of relief and calm. And when Keith had inhaled Allura's intoxicating scent of cherry blossoms last night when they lay down together in each other's arms, it had been the most tranquil sleep he'd had in a long time.
To Keith, she meant more than life itself. It was both a physical and a metaphysical attraction. He wanted to hold her close and keep her safe. Keith wanted to make Allura happy and answer all her needs. Listen to me… I sound like those sappy romantic comedies that Hunk denies enjoying…
He chuckled at the truth of it. Allura truly was the missing half of his once-incomplete life, and her soothing presence now made him whole. He simply couldn't live without her.
Allura…
Mine…
And with that single unadulterated thought came a great physical and primal need.
He knew what he wanted to do and his resolve was now finally clear as day.
Today was his carpe diem. It's now or never.
Reaching Black Lion's cockpit, he wasted no time in contacting his Uncle Kensan about bringing something he needed from Earth, from an exclusive well-known jeweller called Tiffany's.
vvvvVvvvVvvvv
As Allura slowly walked towards the Black Lion, images of what had transpired during the unusual meeting suddenly flashed through her mind. Prophecies and challenges? Allura thought in annoyance. What is it with ancient writings? Why are they always full of ominous warnings?
Then a worrisome thought appeared out of nowhere: To lose Black Lion… is to lose Voltron? But… it can't be! Allura unconsciously shook her head. Voltron is Arus' beloved treasure! Our birthright! Voltron is ours! Allura began to feel rather furious that someone would want to take her planet's sovereign treasure away. Her train of thought led her to a more horrible possibility: And to lose Black Lion… is to lose its pilot?! Does this mean I will lose Keith as well?
KEITH!
Allura's heart suddenly lurched as she remembered her nightmare of Black Lion and Keith falling into a dark abyss.
No! It can't be! Not Keith... I won't let it happen! I won't lose Keith! Not now, after I waited a lifetime for him! Not now, after he declared he loves me! And definitely not now that… we have just begun to…
The tears came unbidden as she broke into a run. She tried to shake the heavy pang in her heart. Then came the bleak realisation that if Black Lion did indeed go missing, Keith himself would go off to try and retrieve it, and who knew how long that would take? How long would they have to be apart? Allura couldn't breathe, her cheeks were flushed and damp as she reached Black Lion's cockpit.
Keith, my love…
vvvvVvvvVvvvv
Keith grinned to himself as he disconnected the comm call to his uncle Kensan. He was eager to share the good news with Allura when he saw her literally stumbling into Black's cockpit. She clumsily came to an abrupt halt, blinded both by her aching thoughts and her heavy tears.
"Allura?" Keith was taken aback to see her in such a state of distress. He got up from the pilot's seat and quickly gathered the shaking princess into his arms. Allura buried her tear-streaked face in his chest and fiercely held him tight. Her bond emitted a sad blue and grey aura.
He's here… Keith… My Keith…
"Of course I'm here, where would I be?" Keith wryly smiled as he wrapped his arms around his beloved princess. He was surprised to sense the pain, sadness and fear in her bond. Allura was inconsolable as a wave of dread washed over her. Incoherent, she sent images of her thoughts through their bond.
Keith closed his eyes and took in all that Allura was sending him, trying to understand how these thoughts came about. "So, is that what's troubling you? The fear of losing Black and… me?" Keith asked in a surprised tone. Allura sniffled in reply.
"Look at me, Allura." Keith said softly, as he gently lifted her chin.
"I... don't… want… to… lose… you…" Allura's voice quavered between sobs. Her face was flushed, her red-rimmed eyes filled with sorrow and dread.
"You won't lose me. I promise," Keith tried to reassure his princess. He sat back in the command seat and pulled Allura onto his lap. She continued to quietly sob, gingerly curling up and tucking her head under his chin.
Keith whispered soothingly as he wrapped his arms tightly around her and kissed the top of her head.
:: Why are you so worried, Allura? :: Keith smiled gently as he stroked Allura's now-very-straight golden hair.
:: Promise me Keith… promise me you won't leave me! :: came her panic-stricken plea.
Keith enveloped their psychic bond with calm and soothing energy. Her sobs slowly settled as she curled contentedly in his lap. Her breathing grew soft and steady as the exhausted princess drifted off to sleep, her head buried his chest. Keith let out a deep sigh, gently stroked her flushed cheek and kissed her head again. He looked down at Allura, now in peaceful slumber.
Despite her earlier distraught state, he thought Allura was still absolutely stunning. She was warm and soft and he couldn't help himself as his eyes inadvertently trailed down to her chest, which rose and fell in rhythmic breathing. Allura's dress had a low-cut neckline and its top button was enticingly undone, providing ample view of the creamy skin of her bosom… Wait a minute… she was wearing a different dress this morning… Keith arched an eyebrow.
His gaze travelled further down and saw that this new dress was much, much shorter than the previous one, and he suddenly realised that his other hand was just beneath her equally-luscious backside, and a generous amount of bare smooth thighs were pressed up against him as well.
Breathe…Kogane… Breathe…
Keith closed his eyes for a moment, and with another deep breath, he grappled Black Lion's control yoke with one hand, punched in a series of coordinates, and smoothly and expertly launched Black Lion into the afternoon sky. Once levelled amongst the clouds Keith toggled the autopilot to take over.
(To Be Continued…)
Author's Endnotes:
1) Next chapter has a MATURE Rating. It was originally part of this chapter, but due to the mature content, I decided to separate it and give it its own chapter. *wink* *giggles*
2) OC (other characters) the four governors of Arus are my original design. Their names particularly Jiaan (was based from my 6year-old daughter's name) while Rueben and Mataso were based from my friends' sons' names (*waves to Leah and Nyree*). While the name 'Braerion was derived from Briareos of Appleseed, (the dvd was lent by my friend Sarah who loves anime as much as I do.)