Author's Note: There's another vacation looming in my near future. And you all know what that means...
Usual disclaimer applies: I own nothing except my characters and planets.
To bknbu - I am back, Baby! You know how I try to weave so many different elements together in a chapter. Believe me, I know it feels like it's moving slowly right now, but just wait until things start heating up. And keep your eyes open for a certain red beanbag chair...
To FroofyB - I love the Lance/Ginger combination so much that I'm surprised it hasn't turned canon yet. ;) Trust me, I can't wait for the ring exchange either, and just as a spoiler, I highly doubt that either one of them will say no.
To Smithy - Smithy! Good to hear from you! No, I believe Lotor has a one-track mind when it comes to Allura; he simply can't help but obsess about her. And in my stories anyway, it just might prove to be his undoing.
To Wade Wells - Ah, our girl on the balcony. We know Pidge likes her, and we know Daniel wants her. Hmm, so much drama. It's getting like a soap opera in here, eh? Man, you've been a bad influence on me, and I mean that in the best way possible!
Title Song: "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga (the best Gaga song, in my opinion)
The flight between Pollux and Arus was not a terribly long one, and Sven had no issues with navigating and piloting the small Polluxian cruiser. After all, it wasn't as though he'd never made the trip before.
As they were cleared for landing, he felt that familiar sense of dread and unease settle into the pit of his stomach. He wasn't sure why he was so uneasy about this trip to Arus,since it was for such a happy occasion. On the other hand, he knew that Lenora and Erimar would eventually be joining them. Perhaps that was what weighed on him - how was he ever going to make it through this wedding with his elskede and his wife's paramour there?
He didn't know why he was surprised, but he was not expecting the greeting party that awaited them when they stepped off their cruiser. Keith and Allura were there, of course, flanked by Lance and Larmina. Pidge and Hunk were there with Vince and Daniel. Coran stood in the background, watching as the scene in the hangar unfolded, while Nanny and the chambermaids Drea and Sofia rushed towards Romelle.
But not because they wanted to curtsy or help her with her luggage. No, they wanted the boy she held in her arms.
"Oh, there's my little man!" Nanny cooed, lifting a bewildered Erik to her bosom. She covered his face in kisses, and Allura couldn't help but feel nostalgic as she watched her former governess shower love upon the little prince. It hadn't been such a long time since Nanny was kissing her like that. Or Larmina. And perhaps someday soon, she thought with a secret smile, my own children as well.
Drea and Sofia each leaned in to give the little boy a kiss on his cheeks. Erik, for his part, took the attention the same way any other toddler would - he looked over at his parents for reassurance before flipping out.
"It's okay, my boy," Romelle told him soothingly, blowing him a kiss. "Nanny is a friend of Mama's and Dada's."
Turning back to the older woman, Erik lifted his slate-blue eyes and offered a disarming smile. "I am pleased to meet you, thank you," he offered, unbelievably advanced - and charming - for a two-year-old. It was obvious that Sven's lessons on courtesy and etiquette had taken a strong hold.
"My! Such a clever, clever little man!" Nanny was delighted, the smile on her face widening to mirror Erik's. She turned her attention back to Romelle. "Oh, I do hope that you'll allow him to stay with me in the nursery I've set up. That is, of course, unless your own nursemaid will be joining us...?"
Romelle and Sven exchanged a quick glance. "No, Rosalie isn't with us right now," she replied honestly. "I gave her a few days off, but she will be arriving with Bandor and Emma later in the week."
Nanny nodded. "That will be perfect. Now I can have the little man all to myself for a few days." She turned to head out of the hangar, still carrying the boy in her arms. "I'll bring him to the nursery now. Drea! Sofia! Come with me, please."
Sven shot an almost panicked expression towards Lance, who instantly calmed him down with a wave of his hand. "Relax, Viking. Nanny would sooner see something bad happen to me than hurt Erik."
"Well, that doesn't instill a lot of confidence," Sven grumbled. "I think most people would say the same thing."
The greeting party laughed at the comment, and Romelle took her cousin's arm. "Come, Allura, we have so much to discuss and so much to get ready. Let's get some tea first, and then we'll be on our way." She looked over at Allura's niece. "Larmina? Will you be joining us as well?"
The cadet shot a desperate glance at Daniel and Vince before replying. "Um...I think..."
"I think she has lion practice with us," Hunk came to her defense.
The Polluxian princess shrugged, but nodded her acceptance. "Some other time, then. Come, Allura. Let's get started."
Gathering Allura with one arm, Romelle followed Nanny's footsteps and left the hangar, leaving the rest of the crew to fend for themselves. And in a way, the bride-to-be was glad. Not that she wanted to rehash the wedding plans, of course, but it had to be better than discussing Keith's bachelor party.
The fanfare was much less when she arrived. Her greeting party consisted of only Keith, Lance, and Larmina, and she was pleased enough with that. As she exited her small cruiser, a smile spread over her face.
Her favorite cadet ran towards her and leapt into her arms. "Len! You made it back!" Larmina dropped her head against the Space Marshal's shoulder. "I've missed you so much!"
Lenora kissed the top of the cadet's head. Larmina was taller than she was, but she'd always made up for her short stature with high heels. "My Mina. I've missed you too, more than you know." She didn't let go of the embrace until Lance cleared his throat.
"Hey, do I get a hug too, or what?"
"Of course you do." Finally letting go of the cadet, Lenora gathered the Red Lion pilot in her arms. "Oh, Bro. It's good to see you." She nuzzled her face into his neck. She'd never felt a romantic pull towards him, but she always felt better when he was around.
"Sis. It's good to see you, too. Tell me, you didn't happen to bring me a bottle of Johnny Walker, did you?" He shot her a cheesy grin with a wink and a snap, and she immediately rolled her eyes.
"Geez, Lance, leave her alone. That's Jeff's job, not hers." Keith broke up their embrace and moved in for a hug of his own. "Len, how do you feel about getting started right away? I can have a porter bring your bags to your room, and we can begin looking at land parcels within the next half hour."
Larmina's face fell. "But I wanted her to see my dresses! Trust me, I need all the feedback I can get."
Keith nodded in understanding. "How about I take her today, and you can have her tomorrow?" he bargained.
Lenora looked over at Lance. "They act like I'm a dog or something," she cracked.
Larmina let out an exaggerated sigh. "Fine. Just as long as you promise I can have her all to myself tomorrow."
"Then it's settled. Now, come on, Len, let's get moving."
Waving back at Lance and Larmina, Lenora followed Keith out of the hangar. She wasn't sure where they were headed, but she had a feeling that she would undoubtedly find the right parcel of land for the next Space Academy.
It didn't matter that she'd just landed, nor did it matter that she'd barely unpacked. Keith was like a child with a new toy, and he dragged Lenora to the site he'd procured especially for the purpose of becoming the grounds for the Arusian Space Academy. Allura trailed behind them, amused by their excitement.
They'd ridden horses to the site. They could have taken a fancy hovervehicle, but Keith preferred to get dirty. He knew that Lenora wouldn't mind, and Allura - well, she'd just have to get used to the idea that the love of her life was an explorer.
"So how did you get rid of your cousin?" he asked the princess in a whisper, not wanting the Space Marshal to hear. "I thought for sure that you'd be stuck with her for the rest of the day and would miss out on this."
Allura exhaled, relieved. "She told me that it was time to feed Erik. Say whatever you want about their marriage, but Sven and Romelle are both wonderful parents." She stopped her horse to put even more distance between them and Lenora. "I gave them two hours with Erik, so come on, we'd better make this fast."
"It will be fast," Keith reassured her. He leaned over to kiss her. "This parcel we've picked out is perfect for the Space Academy."
She looked on as his horse picked up its pace to join the Space Marshal. Trotting together, Keith and Lenora looked and acted like the old friends that they were. Smiling, Allura followed, pleased that her beloved was happy, and hoping with all of her might that the next ten days would go smoothly.
The day had been a wash for him, but he'd been expecting that. He'd expected that Nanny and the chambermaids would fall all over Erik, just as he'd expected that Romelle would want to talk with her cousin about the wedding plans and dresses, as well as give her advice on married life.
Huh. As if she of all people should be giving advice on wedded bliss.
Sven had been unpacking their luggage trunks all afternoon. It was better that way. At least he'd be by himself and unable to cause trouble. That was a blessing; he could feel the infection creeping through his veins, and he knew that the slightest ill sentiment or careless wording would set it - and him - off. So he didn't mind the menial tasks he had in front of him. It was better than losing himself to the Haggarium.
"Viking."
There was only one person who would address him so casually, and he smiled despite himself. Without looking up from the steamer trunks, he responded, "Herregud, Lance. What do you want from me now?"
The Red Lion pilot leaned against the door frame, his arms crossed. "Hey, it's good to see you, man. It's been a while. The last time I saw you, you were headed to Earth on the Explorer." He made a face. "Judging from the fact that you came here with Romelle, I take it that my Sis turned you down."
Sven scowled. "Thank you so much for reminding me, Lance." He swore under his breath in Norwegian.
"Hey, man, you forget that I know the bad words in Norwegian, too. I use 'em myself from time to time." Lance entered the room, shutting the door behind him. "You probably never should've taught 'em to me at the Academy."
"I didn't. You picked them up."
"Not like you used them overly much or anything." Lance sat down on the bed and stared at his old roommate. "Seriously, it's not my fault that my Sis chose to stay with her husband over running off with you. It's too difficult, man. She's married, you're married, you have a kid. Dude, it's just too much."
Sven would have killed for a cigarette at that moment. "Why do you care?"
Lance looked down at the carpet as though weighing his options. Finally, he cleared his throat and spoke up. "Because she's here, and I don't want things to be weird."
His knees nearly gave way underneath him. "What do you mean, she's here?"
"Just what I said. My Sis - she's here in the castle already. She's been with Keith all day, scouting sites for the new Arusian Space Academy." He shrugged. "I know that Crankypants didn't want me to tell you, but hey, man, I love you. I thought you deserved to know that Len was already on Arus. I mean, we all saw what happened the last time you two were on Arus at the same time and we didn't say anything."
The ball. The backless black dress. Sven clutched his head with both hands and squeezed his eyes shut. "Åh, herregud. Min elskede."
Lance watched intently as his old roommate tortured himself. "So it's just as bad as I thought. You're still in love with her. Geez, Viking, you're predictable." His face fell blank. "This is worse than watching a movie. At least in the movie, I can fast-forward to the ending. With you, I already know how things ended: ugly."
"I love her, Lance. You know that I can't be merely a friend to her. I love her too much for that."
"Great." The Red Lion pilot closed his eyes and lifted his fingers to his lips, miming the motions of smoking. "Gods, I wish I had a cigarette right now. It would do the both of us some serious good."
Sven smiled wryly. "Maybe Jeff and the boys will bring you some."
Lance arched an eyebrow. "Forget the cigarettes, man. If Aki's bringing me anything at all from Earth, it had better be my friggin' beanbag chair."
Prince Erimar entered the main hall of the Castle of Lions alone. It was very late, and besides, he didn't want any fuss to be made over him; Allura had been his childhood friend, and this visit to Arus was all about her. Besides, he didn't want Romelle to know that he had arrived. He was still bitter and angry about not being chosen, that she had opted to stay with her brute of a husband instead.
Allura met him there alone. She wore her golden hair long and loose past her shoulders, radiating beauty as she smiled at him. "Erim," she greeted him with open arms, "I'm so happy you're here. It's good to see you again."
"Allie," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and kissing her temple, "I am so glad to be here. I am so happy for you. I know it's late, and I'm sure that your intended is asleep, but please let him know that I would like to congratulate him in person when he is available."
"I will, but I doubt he's sleeping. He's been with the Space Marshal all day, hashing out some business transactions. The two of them have been very busy day today."
At the mention of the Space Marshal, Erimar raised an eyebrow in interest. Things had suddenly taken a turn for the better. "Oh, I did not know that Space Marshal Stensson was already here, Allie. I would love to call on her when she's free."
"Of course. I'll let her know."
He grinned to himself as he thought about how things were falling into place. He would exact his revenge on Romelle, and at the same time, he would plunge the dagger into Sven's heart. When those two saw him with the Space Marshal, it would break both of them, and he relished the idea.
He might not have been able to convince either cousin to be his wife, but this would feel almost as good.