Disclaimer: WEP owns Voltron and all its characters. I suppose all the characters from King Olen's time are mine though...
Beta: Dawn - Thanks!
This is the second installment in my "Chivalry" arc. 1. Chivalry, & 2. Lion House Restored (2a. LHR - Allura's POV)
Rating/Setting: Rating is T. Setting is DotU in flavor but is AU in some ways, well, maybe many ways.
Chapter 28
Both Keith and Allura were surprised at Naveena's announcement. Keith looked to Lance who had stepped to the front.
With a smile, Lance put an arm around Keith and another around Allura. "Let's go inside. We ALL have a lot to share." He could feel the tension in Allura's body, so he leaned over and softly said, "It's okay, Princess. She's really good." He heard her muttering, but ignored it.
They all made their way to the conference room. It was like Keith had never left; he immediately took control as they sat. "Who wants to report… Sven or Lance?" Seeing Lance raise his hand, Keith asked, "How long have we been gone?"
"It's been six weeks since the portal took you."
Keith looked to Allura as he said, "Allura and I were in the past for twelve weeks." He shook his head. "There's probably some reason for it. I'm sure they could have returned us sooner or later." Leaning back in his chair, he continued, "So tell us what has been going on in our absence."
"Well, after your disappearance, we contacted Sven and Romelle. Sven came as soon as he could, but that still left us a Lion short for Voltron." At this point, he cast a glance at Allura who he saw was blushing. "Coran and I contacted the Garrison later that day and submitted a request for a replacement pilot." Lance turned a thoughtful gaze to Keith. "It seems that you had already contacted them and asked them to begin the selection process."
"That's true. I wasn't sure how long… I'm still not sure how long I'll be gone on the other quests. We can't expect Sven to leave Pollux for long stretches of time. I thought that it would be best for the Garrison to start looking for someone to be a replacement." He turned his gaze to Allura for a moment. "Of course, I wasn't expecting Allura to come on the quest with me."
Allura looked at the hands in her lap. She could honestly admit that she hadn't considered the ramifications of leaving Arus without two Lions. Her thought had been only of Keith.
Lance took pity on the princess and continued, "Whatever the reason, Garrison was prepared when we contacted them. They sent us Naveena's records from the Academy. She did exceptionally well and is considered one of the top pilots in her graduating class. Two and a half weeks later, she was here." Lance turned to give a smile to Naveena. "And none too soon I might add. Two days later, she was thrown in the breech when Doom sent us a robeast."
"What configuration of pilots did you use?" Keith asked although he thought he knew what it would be.
"We decided to use Sven in Black and Naveena in Blue." Lance saw Keith nod and knew they had used the set-up that he would have used as well. "It was a little rough, but for her first time, it went well. She's been practicing daily. Currently she is cross-training in Red and Blue and is doing very well."
Keith turned his gaze to Naveena. "And what do you think, Lt. Flynn?" He noticed that she sat very straight and stayed focused during the meeting to this point.
"I have found the assignment to be very… unorthodox." She gave him a slight smile. "Of course, Lion Voltron and Vehicle Voltron are well known at the Academy. I was very honored to be granted this assignment as Voltron postings don't happen often. The Lions fly differently than anything I've flown before, but I believe that Lieutenants McClain and Holgersson have been pleased so far."
From the corner of his eye, Keith saw all the members of the Force nod. It was a good sign. It would be beneficial to have someone here at all times to take over in case of injury or in case he is whisked away to another quest. "I look forward to reading your file and the reports related to your training." Looking around to everyone else, he said, "Allura and I need to visit Dr. Gorma and get cleaned up. Let's meet in the rec room in say… two hours? We'll tell you all about our adventure then."
Sounds of agreement could be heard as everyone stood. Keith held out his hand to Allura and the two walked out hand in hand with Nanny right behind them. Coran and the rest of the Force remained standing as they watched them leave.
Lance saw Naveena watching the departing pair speculatively. "Yeah, they're a couple."
Startled she turned toward him, "Excuse me, Lieutenant?"
Smiling at her, he said, "They're together… dating… in other words, he's unavailable." With her complexion, blushes were hard to see, but he felt there was one there now. He had only flirted slightly with her during Keith's absence.
"It is of no concern to me, Lance. He's my commanding officer and it would be inappropriate."
Still smiling, Lance said, "Yeah, sure." He had seen the look in her eye as she took in Keith's appearance outside the castle. Even Lance had to admit that Keith had looked even more striking than usual. It wasn't everyday that you saw someone dressed in what could be considered medieval clothing, complete with boots, tunic, and an impressive sword belted at his side. Lance had definitely seen a spark of interest in the new recruit's eyes. Looking at her back as she exited the room, he thought with a smile, I think it's time she examined her other options.
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The afternoon was filled with medical exams and explaining all that had gone on during their three month stay in the past. After their first meal back, Keith and Allura both excused themselves from any further activities. Stopping outside of Allura's room, Keith laughed and said, "It will seem strange sleeping in a normal bed again."
Allura smiled up at him and reached a hand up to his cheek. "No. What will be strange is sleeping alone."
Reaching up to take her hand, he brought it to his lips and kissed it. Dropping their hands down, Keith continued to hold Allura's hand and make small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb.
Even though she was very aware of the patterns he was making on her hand, she kept her eyes affixed to his.
What should he say to her? He had set the ground rules for their relationship until the quests were done. He sighed and closed his eyes, breaking the connection. Slowly he released her hand and looked back into her eyes. "Good night, Eleanor."
With a sad smile, she returned, "Good night, Akira." Then she watched him turn and walk away. Sighing to herself, she went into her room.
Several hours later, Keith got up from his bed to answer his door. When the door silently glided open, he saw Allura in her gown and robe. He himself was just wearing his pajama pants.
"Can I come in, Keith?" she asked as she nervously played with the sash of her robe.
Stepping to the side, he allowed her in. "Can't sleep?" He asked with a smile.
"No. It's too quiet. The bed seems too soft… and you're not there." She spoke quietly and beseechingly.
Walking over to a dresser, Keith pulled out a tee shirt and put it on. There was no way he could handle her touching his bare chest or back while she was dressed in that flimsy gown. Once he pulled the tee shirt on, he moved to his bed and pulled back the sheets. He glanced back at her and smiled. "Are you waiting for an engraved invitation, Princess?"
Returning his smile, she moved to the bed. Removing her robe, she laid it on a chair and climbed into his bed. When he lay down beside her, she snuggled in against him as she had done on so many other nights.
Whispering softly, she said, "Thank you, Keith."
Moments later, he heard the steady breathing patterns that indicated that she had fallen asleep. As she lay in the circle of his arms, he considered what they would do. He didn't think they could do this every night, but it would be hard going back to the way things were before their trip to Altea of the past. And what would he do when the visions came again? He couldn't allow her to go with him again; it was just too dangerous. His chest rose and fell with the deep breath he took in and released. He wouldn't solve it all tonight. Right now, he would just enjoy one last night of being Eleanor and Akira. Tomorrow, he thought as he closed his eyes. Tomorrow he would think about decisions regarding Allura and Keith. Relaxing and giving into the feel of the woman pressed to his side, he joined her in slumber.
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Thanks for sticking with the story! I appreciate it very much! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought.
Next Installment of the story arc: Doomed Quest
