The Aliens

Allura slumped on the couch, exhausted from keeping the portal open for so long. She had been laying on Keith's lap while he stroked her hair until the rest of the Voltron Force entered the room. The team had successfully found Shiro and teleported him to the ship. Due to the Galra's ruse they'd encountered little trouble getting him out.

Someone was not going to be happy when they realized that Zarkon wasn't still manipulating him.

Coran and Romelle were taking care of Shiro, putting him in one of the pods to heal him physically. Allura knew this was going to be difficult for him to work through mentally, though, and she was happy to have the Princess of Pollux there to help him recover.

While they were relaxing, the paladins started to ask questions of Nanny. Each of them peppered her with inquiries about the Blue Lion and how she came to be on Earth herself. And, of course, Lance was itching to get some dirt on his commander.

Allura watched Keith lean forward, elbows on knees, eyebrow raised curiously. She knew that this was all he ever wanted to know and she prayed that the answers wouldn't hurt him.

"Well," Nanny spoke with consideration, "I suppose I should start at the beginning."

She wove a tale of five Paladins of Voltron, one being Zarkon and her being another. When King Alfor decided to send the lions away he also sent guards to watch the cryopods and protect them from the enemy.

The Yellow Paladin ended up on the planet where the lion was found but encountered trouble and was unable to stay. Yellow was left unprotected but luckily undetected as well.

The red lion of course ended up on Pollux with Nanny. Her guards watched her as instructed and then passed on the tradition for centuries. Eventually, security for the lion ended once the Galra took over the planet and enslaved the people. Later miners accidentally stumbled upon Red and found her in the cryopod; that was when Nanny was taken prisoner.

What she didn't know when the lions were sent away was that the pilots of the blue and green lions were in love. They were torn over the idea of being apart and went against Alfor's orders. Green was stowed away on its designated planet but the Olkari paladin left with her Altean partner to go to Earth.

"Green and Blue, huh?" Lance winked as he nudged Pidge, who rolled her eyes but had a tinge of blush on her cheeks. "Katie, would you run away to Earth with me?"

Allura smiled at his playfulness. He'd been calling her Katie ever since he met her brother, who had insisted on calling her by her real name. She'd always complain about it, but sounded less annoyed each time she did.

"So, what happened to those paladins?" Hunk was even more curious after Lance's teasing comment.

Nanny chuckled and continued her story. Granted all she had to share was what she'd found in their digital diaries that were stowed away in the cave. Still, it painted a pretty complete picture.

"So, ten-thousand years ago, human civilization was just getting started. Imagine what kind of reaction two space explorers would have gotten landing a giant mechanical beast in the middle of all of that."

Pidge's eyes lit up. She knew that cats were worshipped in ancient Egypt.

"I knew it! The Sphinx was based on Blue!"

A nod and a grin confirmed her suspicions and she sat back with a satisfied smile. "But they changed the head so as not to advertise their location, right?"

"Very astute of you to catch that. The paladins decided to help the fledgling civilization instead of being sat on a shelf waiting to be revived. Their naturally long lifespans meant there was a good chance they'd outlive the war anyway. So, they started a family that eventually integrated into human society. Still they moved around a bit to prevent being an easy target. That's how they ended up with descendants in North America."

"I knew you were part Olkari, Pidge. You have a real green thumb"

"Wonder what smart-mouthed alien race you're related to, Hunk."

"Wait a minute" interrupted Lance "does that mean I'm possibly Altean? Do I have magic?"

"I don't know, can you make yourself disappear?" Keith shot Lance a serious look before cracking a smile. Lance responded with a pillow to Keith's head.

The Princess reveled in her team's comradery. They'd been through so much together and had thus grown closer. Still, she wanted to get past all of this to the important part.

"Nanny, tell us how you met Keith's father."

The team fell silent again and all eyes turned to the Black Paladin. His jaw tightened a bit but he held his gaze on his mother.

The governess' face softened with the memories of a better time in her life, when for a short while she wasn't on the run.

After being rescued from the Galra she'd made her way to Earth in a stolen jump ship to find the Blue Paladin. It took quite some time to narrow down the general location of the lion. She finally recruited an ex-military man who was trained in deciphering intelligence gathered from other nations. His skills were impressive and he quickly helped her find the caves where the lion had been hidden.

Sadly, she did not find the paladins, only the stories they'd left behind. Blue also would not respond to her so she decided to remain on the planet to protect it until Voltron was called back to the Castle of Lions. The man she'd hired to help in the search let her stay in his home. After some time they fell in love and eventually she gave birth to a baby boy.

Instinctively, Allura's hand found her lover's clenched fist. She ran her palm over his tight knuckles until they gave way, allowing her to lace her fingers with his. His grip was tight but his thumb swept the back of her hand in silent gratitude.

"So why did you leave us?" Keith's eyes were starting to look puffy from the threat of tears.

"Zarkon had Red, I feared it was only a matter of time before he found me again. I couldn't risk bringing his army to my precious son."

Allura watched as Keith leapt from his seat and threw his arms around his long absent mother. As the two of them wept the remaining paladins slipped out of the room. The Princess started to follow but was stopped by a hand grasping her wrist.

Looking back over her shoulder she saw Nanny's eyes meet hers. There was a sadness to them, an unspoken request. Allura nodded and stayed in the room, waiting for the moment between mother and son to pass.

Several minutes later Keith finally spoke, his voice shaking with sobs. "Please, don't leave me again. After Dad left I was alone for so long. I can't…"

The look on Nanny's face told Allura that she hadn't planned to stay, at least not permanently. Once again, the Princess took his hand to remind him that he was no longer alone. He had her, he needed to know that.

"Let's go get you something to eat, love. You must be hungry and it's getting late."

He nodded and turned to leave, his face raw from crying.

"Allura, may I speak with you alone for a moment?"

"Yes, Nanny. Keith, I'll be there in a minute."

Once the door had closed behind him she turned to her former caregiver. She was hoping the conversation wouldn't end with Nanny leaving again.

"Do you love him?"

"Keith? Of course, I do. He's an amazing man."

"As a princess, you know you'll be expected to marry someone of royal lineage. I don't want to see his heart be broken. He's had more than his fair share and it wouldn't be right."

"I have no planet, no people. I am a princess in title only. And he is the only man I wish to marry."

"I'm glad to hear that. Now, go be with him. I can see how much he needs you."

Allura hugged Nanny tightly before excusing herself from the room. She knew it was true that Coran wanted her to marry someone of status, and before it came to that she had some decisions to make.

Keith was waiting for her in the kitchen, his back to the doorway. She stood in the entry for a moment to appreciate the view. He may have come from humble beginnings but he carried himself in a manner that belied his upbringing. She would be proud to stand at his side, to call him her prince. The challenge now was to convince Coran to approve of such a union.

"I didn't come back with a tail, did I?" Keith spoke without turning around.

"Sorry, what?"

"You've been standing there for a while, just thought something was bothering you."

"No, just thinking."

"About what?"

She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his chest, pulling him in a tight embrace while gently kissing the back of his neck.

"About how nice this is. The team is back together, and you're back with me."

Keith reached back to pull her head to his shoulder, turning to kiss her cheek. "It's really starting to feel like home, isn't it?"

Her arms squeezed him even tighter. "Yes, my love, it is."