I make no claims to Voltron or any WEP characters.

Origins: A Legend Unfolds: Chapter 20

Yawning broadly, Allura ignores the knocking on her bedroom door. Instead, she rolls over in her bed, pushing her head under her pillow. The sound of the knocking stays persistent however, and she finally sits up, her agitation obvious as she yells out, "YES?"

The door opens to reveal the commander walking in then pausing when he finds her sitting up in her bed. He arches an eyebrow at her in question, "Thought you wanted to train with us?"

"I do…" she responds, her expression full of confusion as she turns to glance at the time. Turning back, her gaze is incredulous, "You work out at six in the morning?"

Keith tries to stifle the smile he feels coming, but can't. "Yes Princess, military life doesn't allow for sleeping in…"

"But at six in the morning?" Allura questions again, unable to get over her incredulity.

Trying hard not to laugh at her, he replies, "We start early to get our workout in before breakfast then will go out on patrol in the lions. I thought you knew our schedule…"

Nodding, the princess releases a sigh. "The patrol time yes…not the workout time," then throws back the blankets and starts to rise from the bed. Noticing the short, sleeveless top and clinging pajama bottoms outlining her body, the smile quickly leaves Keith's face. He drops his gaze to the floor as he says, "We are in the gym…hurry." Not waiting for her reply, he turns around and walks out of the room.

Allura looks over at the closing door curiously then shrugs. She quickly makes her way to her dresser to pull out her workout clothes.

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Fifteen minutes later, the princess walks into the gym to find the men running laps around the room. Arching her eyebrows at them, she waits until they near her then hears Keith say, "Well, come on…" gesturing her to follow them as they continue running. Shaking her head, Allura takes off after them, catching up to run alongside the commander.

Fifteen minutes and one and a half miles later, Allura stops and bends over while trying to pull in her air. Keith gestures for Sven and Pidge to keep going then says, "Come on Princess, we have three and a half miles left to go."

"You run…five miles…a day!" she sputters out in between deep breaths.

"About that," he replies, sounding completely normal and not the least bit out of breath.

Allura shakes her head at him and says, "I cannot…not today," while trying to stand upright and ignoring the stitch in her side.

"All right, tomorrow you will run two miles. We will slowly build you up to five," replies Keith then points to the equipment. As he leads her over to it, Allura asks, "Why must I be able to run five miles?"

"It comes down to endurance, Princess. In a fight, it isn't always the strongest man that wins," points out the commander as he stops by a weight machine. Setting it to a lower weight limit, he directs her to get onto it. Lying back against the bench, Allura braces her hands on the bar then pushes it up. Groaning at the weight and struggling not to let the bar fall back against her as she sets it back on the shelf, she shakes her head at him, "Too much…"

Nodding, Keith resets the weight then says, "Again."

Still heavy, but able to at least handle it, Allura manages ten reps then stops, her arms already burning with the effort. She listens to the commander sigh then he says, "You are in worse shape than I thought…"

Standing up from the equipment, the princess glares at him, "I am not out of shape!"

"I didn't say you were out of shape, Princess, just not where I want you to be. You need to be able to lift at least one hundred to one hundred and fifty pounds, even more than that with your legs." He smiles at her while arching an eyebrow, "You want me to help you become a better fighter? You need to be able to do more than slap someone."

Sighing in defeat, Allura nods then says, "What next?"

His smile growing, Keith replies, "Sit ups…"

Thirty minutes later and ready to return to her bed, Allura accepts a water bottle from Sven with a smile of gratitude. The other two men had joined them at the weight machines after finishing their run. Sitting on the gym mat with her legs stretched out in front of her, she watches Keith lifting weights, almost four times more than she could. Shaking her head, Allura looks back up at Sven, "How does he do it?"

"Do what?" he asks then glances over at the commander, pushing the weight bar up into the air and back down, not seeming to tire at all. Smiling, Sven looks back at the princess, "He's more dedicated than the rest of us. I wouldn't want to come up against him in an actual fight. Keith would wipe the floor with me."

Nodding, Allura continues to watch the commander exercise. Her eyes lock on his shiny muscular chest, slick with sweat, as the muscles move with each movement. Feeling her body responding, she forces her gaze away only to find Sven studying her closely. Flushing brightly at having been caught staring at Keith, she asks, "Now what?"

"Finish stretching or you will be extremely sore later," he replies then gestures to the water, "Drink plenty of that as well.

Setting the bottle down, she does as commanded and moves through the various stretches that he had shown her earlier. When she finishes a few minutes later, Allura finds Keith standing in front of her. Looking up at him, she asks, "So when do we work on actual fighting?"

Resisting the urge to smile at her, he replies, "In a couple of days, after you've built a bit more endurance." At the mulish expression that forms on her face, Keith adds, "I want you to be able to work with me for a full hour without needing breaks every ten minutes, Princess. Go take a shower and perhaps a nap." Swallowing down the laughter threatening to escape from the insulted look she gives him, he finishes, "You will get there Princess…this is a process." Waving at her, he takes off and starts running around the gym.

Shaking her head at him, Allura rises and stares after him for a moment. Exhausted and frustrated, she turns away and walks out of the gym. Out of the corner of his eyes, Keith notes her departure and smiles to himself once more as he continues his run.

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Walking down the hallway toward the Earth Kingdom dining room, Hunk half listens to Lance talking while the other half of his attention goes over his time with Princess Kaya the night before. He smiles to himself then stops when he hears, "Are you even listening to me, or am I talking just to listen to the sound of my own voice?"

"Just to listen to yourself…" retorts the big man as he walks past a disgruntled Lance and into the dining room. They find the three princesses and Prince Audric already seated at the table. Kaya sits at the end of the table with her son to her only available side. She smiles warmly at him from across the table as he moves around the room. He sits down next to Princess Maia only to earn a glare from Lance as he sits on the other side next to Sophia.

"We were just discussing our departure," the princess states then looks at her son, "Audric, your fork is there for a reason."

The young prince groans but picks up his fork and begins using it instead of his fingers. Ignoring him, Kaya looks back at Hunk, "After breakfast there is one or two more things I need to attend to then we can depart."

At Hunk's nod, she turns her attention back to Maia, "I have a favor to ask."

The Fire Kingdom princess sets down her glass of juice to turn her attention to the other woman, "Yes?"

"I understand…" she clears her throat uncomfortably as she continues, "that not only have you mastered your own magic, you are now teaching Princess Allura of Storm Kingdom."

"Yes?" replies Maia, her tone a little defensive.

Glancing at her sister to find her gazing at her curiously, Kaya sighs but decides to get it all out, "I need someone to help Audric, the last remaining mage here refuses to teach him…"

"I am not surprised," Maia interrupts her, "That is why my father chose to teach Malik and I himself. He knew the mages would refuse to educate me because they consider women unworthy of magic." She smiles softly so as not to offend, "I can imagine that they would consider your son's background to be similar." She notices Kaya turning slightly red in the face and quickly answers her, "I would be honored to teach your son."

"Teach me what?"

Maia turns to the young prince to answer him, "How to use magic."

His eyes light up with excitement, "Really?"

"Yes," she replies but quickly adds, "There are rules when it comes to magic. You will have to learn those before I will teach you something that could be dangerous to others." As the boy continues to look excited, Maia looks at the other two, "I am willing to teach you both as well, if you are willing to learn."

Sophia and Kaya look at each other but before they can answer, Audric breaks up the silence, "Whoa…I did not think women were allowed to do magic."

Smiling at the young boy, Maia holds up her hand and ignites it with fire. As his eyes grow large with wonder, she tells him, "At one time women of Arus were not allowed to use magic. But that time is gone." The fire within her hand extinguishes, "I will teach anyone who wishes to learn."

"It is something I will have to think about…"

Maia turns to find Sophia studying her closely as she adds, "It is simply something that goes against everything we have ever been taught thus far." Maia nods to her then looks over to find Lance staring at her intently. She looks away from him to pick up her juice and once again sips it.

Her mind flowing with the problems that will be fixed and the possibilities she never before contemplated, Kaya looks across the table to find Hunk once again smiling at her. He winks then picks up his fork and starts eating.

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Waking from her mid-morning nap, Allura yawns and rubs at her eyes. Sitting up, she grimaces at the soreness in her muscles. Glancing in the mirror to find her hair in a tangled mess about her head, she grimaces and rises from the bed, making her way to the bathroom. She comes out thirty minutes later with a towel wrapped around her, her wet hair hanging down her back. A knock at the door has her looking toward it, "Yes?"

The door opens to reveal the commander, who stops mid-step then turns around to give her his back, "Princess, why did you ask me to come in when you aren't properly clothed?"

Rolling her eyes at him, she picks up her robe off her bed and slips it on. Tying the sash, Allura states, "Very well, I am properly covered. What do you need?"

Keith turns around to look at her then sighs when he sees the robe. "Didn't Coran ever teach you about modesty?"

She walks over to her dressing table, picks up her brush and starts working on the tangles in her hair as she smartly retorts, "No, there was not time between 'Politics 101' and 'How to rule a country'. What do you need Commander?"

Resisting the urge to smile at her tone, he informs her, "Lance just reported in, they anticipate leaving within the next hour and should be here in time for lunch."

A bright smile crosses Allura's face as she pauses in the brushing, "That is good news. I shall be sure to greet them properly and speak with the kitchen staff about the meal."

Nodding to her, he asks his next question, "How do you feel?"

"I am fine."

He watches her closely for a moment then asks, "No soreness then?"

Allura smiles at him, "A little when I first woke up, but I feel much better after my shower."

"Well, stretch a little bit more and drink plenty of water…"

"Yes, Sven filled me in before I left the gym," she interjects.

"Good," Keith replies as then adds, "I'll leave you to dress then. See you at lunch."

"See you at lunch," Allura replies as she watches him leave the room. She moves over to her dresser to pull out some clothing. An amused smile slowly crosses her face as she thinks about the commander and his prudishness.

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An hour later, Maia picks up her overnight bag and moves to the door. Opening it, she jumps back with her hand to her chest as Lance stands there with his hand raised, poised to knock. He lowers it slowly as he neutrally asks, "Ready to go?"

She nods shortly to him then tries to move forward, however, he does not clear the doorway. Stopping, Maia looks back at him, her eyebrow raised in question.

Lance sighs as he says, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you last night for something you apparently aren't ready for."

Surprised, Maia starts to open her mouth only for him to reach forward, "I'll take your bag…" She hands it to him then watches as he turns around and walks out of the door. Still a bit surprised, she follows him.

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Hunk stands beside his lion checking over a panel on the chest, but looks over as Lance and Maia come out of the compound, moving toward him. The lieutenant holds both his overnight bag and the princess' in his hands as he approaches the big man, "Ready to go?"

"Yes, just waiting for Princess Kaya and Prince Audric."

Lance glances back at the doors to the compound and sighs, "Hope they come out soon." He glances at Maia then states, "I'll just put these in the lion…"

As he walks away, Maia studies his firm backside with each step. She jumps a bit as Hunk says, "It was nice of you to agree to teach Audric magic. Princess Kaya told me last night how the mage refused to teach him."

"So you put that idea into her head…" guesses Maia as she turns to look at him. As he flushes a bright red with embarrassment, the princess laughs, "It is all right. I am glad she asked. I tire of the old men and their views that women are worth naught but the children they can produce."

Hunk nods to her then looks over to the door suddenly. Maia glances over to find Princess Kaya and her son walking toward them, followed by two men carrying bags. She looks back at the big man to find his eyes alight with happiness and a smile on his face as he looks over at the princess. Smiling to herself, Maia looks back at Kaya just as she finishes approaching them to ask, "Are you ready to leave?"

"Yes," she replies then smiles up at Hunk, "Who do we ride with?"

"With me," the big man replies as Lance walks up, not giving him a chance to intercede.

"Great!" Audric states as he looks excitedly over at the Yellow lion.

Kaya smiles down at her son then looks back at Hunk, "Well, if you will but lead the way."

Clearing his throat, Lance steps forward, "Let me help you with the bags…" He takes two bags from one of the men, leaving Hunk to take the last one. He holds it in his hand then sticks out his elbow to Kaya, "We are on our way then."

The smile stays on her face as she takes the proffered arm then takes Audric's hand as they walk toward the lion. Standing behind them, Maia watches the three of them walking together with a smile on her face. She barely notices Lance rejoining her as he asks, "What are you smiling about?"

Maia glances at him then gestures to the threesome as they climb their way up into the lion. "I think Kaya has found someone to make the bad memories go away."

Looking over to find Hunk pulling up Kaya by her waist into the lion, both of them blushing, Lance turns back to Maia, "Perhaps. What will make your bad memories go away?"

The smile falls off her face as she glares at him then turns away to walk over to Red lion. Sighing, Lance follows her.

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Waiting in the entrance of the underground lion's den, Allura tries to stand still as Coran quietly tells her what he knows about the background of Princess Kaya and Earth Kingdom. He smiles to himself when she fidgets then abruptly stops and stands still once more. Chuckling he says, "You never could stand still for very long…"

He hears the softly expelled snort of derision then she retorts, "I see no reason to stand still when I have many things to do and not enough time in a day to do them all as it is."

"Yes, but to fidget when in front of a possible enemy is to show weakness," the advisor carefully tells her.

Allura turns her head to stare at him in irritation, "Do you honestly expect me to believe that Princess Kaya will be an enemy?"

"No, but there will come a time when you will stand in front of an enemy, whether a dangerous one or political one. On that day, I do not want you at a disadvantage simply because you could not rein in your impatience and appear calm." Coran smiles at her then crosses his arms behind him. "Princess, you have learned much, but you still have more to learn."

"So you like to keep reminding me," retorts Allura as she crosses her arms in front of her chest.

Coran opens his mouth to respond but stops when he notices the others arriving. He nods to the commander and his remaining men in greeting then listens as Keith states, "They should be arriving soon. Lance radioed in that they were leaving."

"That is good," replies the advisor then notices the furtive glance Keith sends toward the princess.

Noting Allura looks fine and shows no signs of pain from their morning workout, Keith looks back at the advisor only for the older man to arch an eyebrow at him in question. Feeling himself blushing, the commander clears his throat then moves farther into the lion's den.

They hear the echoing sound of the cavern doors opening then a moment later both lions appear. Soon, the lions are in lying positions in the crowded cavern and each man escorts out a princess. Allura smiles at Maia in greeting and then turns her attention onto the new arrivals. Her eyes widen slightly at the sight of the young boy holding the Earth Kingdom princess' hand as they move toward them, but she shows no reaction to him as she gives her greeting, "Princess Kaya, I am so glad you consented to help us." She gestures to the men around her, who nod to the princess in turn as they are introduced, "This is my advisor, Coran Montrane. Commander Keith Kogane of Galaxy Garrison, his second-in-command, Lieutenant-Commander Sven Holgersson and Private Pidge Stoker."

Kaya nods to the men then notices the princess looking down at her son curiously. "Please, just call me Kaya," she says to the group then smiles as she directs the attention to the boy at her side, "This is Prince Audric, my son."

She watches the Storm Kingdom princess study her son for a moment more then look directly into her eyes as she states, "You are both most welcome," without a hint of rancor. A warm smile is on her face a moment later as Allura continues, "We have prepared a luncheon, unless you would like to be shown to your rooms to refresh yourselves first?"

"Mother, I am hungry…"

The men surrounding them laugh as Kaya gives her son an embarrassed look. Allura shares an amused glance with Maia then clears her throat to gain the other princess' attention, "Well, I am sure we can see to Audric's hunger."

Kaya smiles her thanks then follows the younger woman and Princess Maia from the cavern. She glances back to find Hunk walking behind her and smiles at the reassuring sight of him. He returns the smile then she faces forward again as they walk into the Storm Kingdom compound.

From behind, Keith notices the smile the princess gives Hunk and feels a smile crossing his own face as he notices Hunk straighten his posture as he walks. Shaking his head, he glances over at Lance then Sven. Both men share rueful smiles with him, having noticed the interaction between the private and the princess. Keith gestures for them to slow their step and as the others enter the compound, then quietly asks Lance, "What is the story with the princess and her son?"

Lance sighs then tells the other two men the story the princess had told them. He finishes, "She loves the boy…doesn't blame him for the circumstances of his birth. That is more than most women in her position would feel."

"Yes, a lot of them would either have abortions or abandon the child after birth," interjects Sven.

"I know…" sighs the commander. He gestures to them, "We better catch up before we missed."

Nodding to him, Lance turns to walk into the compound with the other two men following behind him.

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After lunch, Kaya holds her son's hand as they follow Allura down to a conference room. They sit around the table as the commander moves to stand near the head. He leans over a chair as he states, "Well, we now have three out of five offspring of the kings of Arus." Kaya watches him smile at her and Audric then he looks back over at the others, "Onto the next phase, visiting Wind Kingdom."

Kaya sits quietly as they begin discussing who would go. She listens as Pidge is nominated, simply because he is the pilot of the Green lion. She looks up when Allura finally says, "I should stay behind." The princess smiles as she adds, "I should not leave my guests."

The commander nods then looks over at the last princess, "Maia, if you don't mind going out again?"

"Not in the least," she responds but looks a bit concerned, "I do not know anyone in Wind Kingdom however."

Resisting the urge to speak, Kaya looks over as Lance states, "Well, looks like it will be Pidge, Maia and I…"

Kaya resists the urge to laugh as the other princess rolls her eyes while making a face. She glances over to find Princess Allura smothering her own smile then asks, "Well, when do you plan to leave?"

"As soon as possible…" Keith starts to say only for Maia to override him, "Tomorrow morning. I need to return to my home and make sure everything is going well in my absence."

She watches the commander's face redden slightly and his lips thin in irritation before he replies, "Very well. I want all of you to leave for Wind Kingdom early. We need to finish this so we can repair Voltron's spirit before Doom attacks again."

"Very well." She glances over at Allura to say, "I shall come early and we can have a lesson before I leave." At her nod, Maia stands up and looks over at Lance and Pidge, "I will see you both by the lions in the morning then." She disappears in a flash of light a moment later, leaving Kaya resisting the urge to let her mouth drop open. She knew that Maia had mastered her magic, but did not realize the woman knew how to vanish as well.

She looks over as Allura stands then gestures toward her guests with a smile on her face, "Seems I better show you two where you will be sleeping so Audric can finish his nap."

Looking down to find her son asleep at the table, with his head resting on his arms, Kaya blushes as she looks back at the other woman. Allura is trying not to laugh as she states, "I know, lunch was very good and sleep inducing apparently."

Finding herself smiling back, Kaya leans over her son to shake him awake only for Hunk to touch her arm to stop her, "I will carry him."

Moving back, she watches as the big man easily picks up Audric, settles him against his shoulder then looks over at Allura, "Where are they staying?"

"I spoke to one of the maids during lunch, she readied their rooms. I shall show you the way."

Kaya stands up and follows the other two out of the room.

Once the door closes behind them, Keith looks over at the rest, "Let's go over the visit to Wind Kingdom and what you found out about Earth Kingdom's resources." Lance groans for a moment then leans back in the chair as the discussions begin.

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Reaching their assigned rooms, Allura presses the button to open the door then steps back as Hunk walks in with Audric. Kaya smiles her thanks as she follows them in. Allura steps in behind them and watches the big man lower the boy onto the bed as Kaya pulls the blankets up over him. They all walk back out of the room a moment later. Once the door closes, Allura informs her, "Your room is right next door. I do not know if you noticed, but there is an adjoining door between the two."

"Thank you," Kaya replies then looks over at Hunk for a moment.

He smiles at her then looks up to find Allura watching him closely. Flushing, he clears his throat then says, "I had best get back in case Keith wants to meet about something else." His eyes linger over Kaya a moment more before he adds, "See you at dinner," then walks away.

Allura smiles as Kaya watches him walk away before turning her attention back to her. She watches a slight flush crawl up the other woman's cheeks as Allura notes, "I see that you and Hunk have become friends already."

Refusing to comment, Kaya simply nods then asks, "Would I be able to get a tour? I would like to better know my way around."

"Of course," replies the Storm Kingdom princess. She starts down the hallway as she says, "After the tour, you can rest if you like or perhaps we can speak more at length. I am afraid I know very little about Earth Kingdom."

Smiling, Kaya nods to her, "And I know very little of Storm Kingdom."

"Well, we both have much to share then," states Allura as she takes the other princess by the arm then leads her down the hallway.