Chapter Twenty-Eight

Allura flew into her bedroom, wishing she had a real door, one that opened and closed on a hinge so she could slam it shut. She wiped at her eyes, hating that she was crying over this because what she needed to figure out what how to get through to Keith was there was nothing to be arguing about it. He was being ridiculous, she'd really thought they were making headway but then suddenly they miles apart again but the threatening to throw Lance off the team?

Impossible. That was impossible, it couldn't happen, there was no one who could take over for him, there was no other pilot. It was insanity and Allura didn't understand it at all. Her door chimed and she heard Romelle on the intercom.

"Allura?"

Allura took in a few breathes, thankful Romelle had followed her, maybe Romelle could help her find the right words to calm Keith down, make things better. She didn't want Keith and Lance fighting anymore than she wanting her and Keith fighting. She opened the door, guilt washing over her as she took in her soaking wet cousin. "You're soaking, I'm sorry," Allura said, ushering inside and running off toward her bathroom for dry towels and her extra robe.

"I could say the same about you, plus an extra layer of tears," Romelle said, taking the towels thankfully.

Allura quickly via her rooms communicator informed the staff to bring Romelle's things to her room quickly, rather than the guest quarters they'd be making up for her tonight. "I shouldn't be crying, not when what I need to do is fix this. I can't have Keith threatening Lance, for no reason either."

"What happened? You went off somewhere with Lance last night?"

"It was important Arus business," Allura said, unzipping her wet dress.

Romelle gave Allura a confused glance, as she stepped out of her own dress and wrapped herself into the fluffy white robe, Allura had given her. "Explain?"

Allura sighed, it was all so complicated, why was it so complicated. It had seemed so simple to her when Lance had told her what Lara had informed him about. Why he wanted to check it out, and it had felt so vital that she see it all herself, be there and take it all in with her own eyes and her intuition had been correct; the Seers had been why, they were what she was supposed to see. The was the most important piece of a very messy political puzzle in those caverns. She wished to go back, yet her intuition screamed at her to wait, to listen to the young woman in the cloak who had told them now wasn't the time. Allura planned to use the time to research, find the history she was never shown about this blackspot of Arusian History, she was going to find out everything she could, including her own father's opinion on it.

Right now however wasn't the time, right now was getting people to get over why she left the Castle and just to trust her. "Romelle, do you trust me?"

"Of course," Romelle said, stepping closer. "What does that have to do with where you went?"

"I know I'm young, I know I have a million things to learn, and that I need to open my eyes to a lot of things I am still naive about. I realize all of this, but I trust my own instincts Romelle. I trust my intuition, and Lance had something come to his attention that he told me about, because it was about Arus. I asked him to take me with him when he checked it out. He agreed, because he doesn't treat me like I'm a paper-doll that might tear, like everyone else..." Allura trailed off and walked to her windows, looking out at the pouring rain.

"Meaning Keith?"

"Nanny and Coran," Allura supplied.

"Okay, but mostly Keith?"

"I thought, I thought when we started dating, he'd back off a bit, see more as his equal. If anything I think he's worse, we need to talk about his fiancee."

"His fiancee?" Romelle questioned, surprised.

"He was engaged, on Earth, before they came here. Long time ago, she died before the wedding, it was a random accident. She was hit by a car crossing the street, he saw the whole thing, something stalled him from crossing the street with her. A phone call, I think."

"That's tragic, Allura. It does explain why he's always been so protective of you, however."

"I tell myself that, but he can't keep me insulated. And he can't threaten Lance like that."

"Did Lance put you in danger?"

"No," Allura said, turning to face Romelle. "I wasn't in danger, no more than he was, it wasn't safe per se, but we are both trained soldiers, Romelle. I was armed, I was with him, no one knew who we were which helped to keep us safe. Lance's idea. We were safe. If anything Lara was the one in danger, which is why he sent her home."

"Lara?"

"His girlfriend."

"Oh, okay?" Romelle said. "Allura, where did you go?"

Allura sighed. "Where we went shouldn't matter."

Romelle sighed and took Allura's hand. "I think it matters to Keith. He's protective, he's had a terrifying loss, we are in the middle of a horrible and dangerous war. And Allura, you did just say it, you are young, you do have things to learn..."

Allura closed her eyes, she heard Romelle's words, she understood, and she knew Romelle had a point, that she was right but she couldn't give away her secret. "I can't tell where I was, I've asked Lance to keep it secret. I need time to take what I learned and learn more, Romelle. I won't be able to learn what I need if Coran is watching me, and I know Keith. He won't agree to not tell Coran, I know. Like he won't back down on the fact that Lance took me somewhere that held some form of danger, and he shouldn't have. Because why? You know I just passed Garrison Evaluations, Evaluations made for them? For Keith, Lance, Hunk and Pidge. I passed them, they are elite soldiers, I fought off soldiers, with the tools Keith gave me by teaching me martial arts. He was proud of me, I like that, I like it when he looks at me and sees a strong woman who he loves and trusts. Because of him, I can fight, I can fly. I can take care of myself out there when we fight Doom. I've grown up in the last two years, an extraordinary amount. I would like the acknowledgement and not the constant overprotection. Sometimes, I swear Lance is the only one who treats me like I am a person. I have reasons for not saying where we went, he understands that and he won't tell. No matter how ridiculous Keith acts, why can't Keith give me the same respect?"

There was a long beat and then suddenly Romelle was hugging Allura tightly in her arms and whispering in her ear. "You've grown up so much since I last saw you."

Allura clung back, feeling so much better and stronger. "Thank you, do you have any advice?"

"Not a word," Romelle said. "I, well, I think you're right you need to talk to Keith about his fiancee, that loss, I think it factors a lot in regards to his issues with protecting you. And you two have just started dating, he's the Commander and he's always taken Coran's edict to protect you as the Princess of Arus very much to heart."

Allura nodded. "I know."

"It may take some time, for you to get him to remember to stop thinking about you as the Princess, especially since Coran has so many rules for the two of you."

"I hate those rules, I only agreed to them to date him, I'm beginning to regret doing that but then I wouldn't get to be with Keith," Allura sighed.

Romelle squeezed her shoulders as they were still pretty much hugging. "I have one more question."

"Yes?"

"When did you get so close to Lance?"

Allura rolled her eyes. "It just happened, over time, he's easy to talk too and he doesn't treat me like a Princess, he treats me like a woman."

Romelle raised her eyebrows.

Allura blushed and lightly smacked Romelle. "Not like that, Lance is..." Allura trailed off trying to try to explain her friendship with Lance; she'd come to the conclusion it would have happened in time, no matter the circumstances they'd just had a push by being pulled into the future and stuck there for three months. Three months alone, with only each other to talk too had given them a jump on a friendship that would have probably happened a bit more slowly here in its own time but it would've happened anyway. Allura already knew he didn't treat her like she might break in his training sessions with her, hand to hand or flying. She already knew if she wanted a straight answer on anything, ask Lance. They would've become who they are, but how did she explain it all to Romelle. "Lance is easy to talk too," she repeated, lamely, thinking that really did no justice to her friendship with him at all.

"Okay," Romelle asked. "How did you figure that out?"

"Well, I found myself talking to him, Romelle. Easily," Allura winked.

Romella laughed.

Allura grinned and heard her door chime. "Oh, good your clothes."

"Thank goodness," Romelle said and the two of them started for the door, but Romelle suddenly stumbled, Allura felt her cousins hand grip onto her upper arm and stopped.

"Romelle?" Allura asked, just as Romelle eyes rolled up and she collapsed on the floor. "Romelle!"

~~.~~

"You're soaking wet," Lara said, standing in her doorframe.

Lance shrugged.

"Why are you here?"

"Want to come to a Castle dinner?" Lance asked.

Lara rolled her eyes. "You walked over here in a wind and rain storm, to ask me to the Castle for dinner?"

"My big bosses are leaving tomorrow, big Castle dinner. Plus Sven and Princess Romelle are in town. And uh, look, Keith's pissed about last night and possible jealous of my friendship with Allura..." Lance trailed off and rolled his own eyes at himself. "Look, just come to the Castle with me will you?"

"Well, didn't you and Allura tell him where you went and why?" Lara asked.

"No, and you can't either, Allura wants it quiet."

"What?"

"She needs to research without her advisors eyes on her, Lara, can we leave it at that?"

Lara nodded, her arms crossed. "Coran knows everything going down there doesn't he?"

Lance raised his hand, his finger wagging. "Don't do a damn thing with that information, Lara."

Lara seethed. "I won't, I can't anyway, what can I do but run my big mouth anyway."

Lance laughed. "Big mouths can do damage," he said.

"Come inside, stand by the fire," Lara said, leading into her family home and pulling him into the kitchen to the fire that blazing there in the small fire place.

"How should I dress."

"Fairly formal, something long," he said.

"Great, can I carry and change there?"

"Yeah, of course. You walked right?"

"Yeah, sorry, I didn't know I'd end up here."

"Good, glad this wasn't premeditated, part of big plan to propose and make me marry you."

"Yeah, so Jude, huh?"

"He's a good guy, and he's cute," Lara said with a wink, before dashing out of the kitchen.

Lance shivered, and moved closer to the fire and put his hands out, rubbing them over the flames - fleetingly wondering if that really did any good - and trying to figure out how the hell he could make this situation better and not worse. The problem was, Keith was pissed Lance was friends Allura at this point. Lance was pretty damned if he did and damned if he didn't. He wasn't about to stop being friends with Allura, the woman didn't have many people she could really talk too. Romelle was one, he was the other, Keith the third. Keith really should be the first, Lance told himself, he sighed. Three people, three people she could really talk too. He supposed she could talk to Hunk and Pidge, they were great people, great friends, great soldiers but they weren't the type of people Allura would turn too about the things going on in her head. Pidge was too young, and Hunk could be insightful and down to earth but Allura's thought processes were too up and down, and sideways for Hunk to follow. Lance was frankly kept surprising himself with the way he kept up, then again he'd been told his thought processes made no sense either.

He laughed, he was completely using Lara here. He wanted to remind Keith he had a girlfriend - if he could really count her as one. She refused to date only him, she was dating Jude, and who knew who else. She was being Lara, he should just give up the ghost and stop trying to get her to go with his plan of dating him exclusively so they could fall in love and think about having a family.

A family, so what if he'd seen and liked the idea of having a family in the future, he'd known before he went there he wasn't going to have that in his future. He wasn't going to have it now, either. That future he and Allura had seen, had been some strange fluke of one, they'd saved the planet, that was all that mattered. Prophecies in Alfor's tomb, didn't mean much in the face of Allura's heart.

Allura wanted Keith, would always want Keith. Not that that bothered him, it didn't, he understood it. She was amazing, the best person he knew next to Keith. Together they made perfect sense, the two best people he knew. Keith and Allura, he wasn't close to good enough for anyway. Whatver the future was going to be, it'd be different than the on he and Allura saw. Her heart was set, even if Keith was being a complete dumbass.

Lance rolled his eyes at himself, for even thinking of trying to get Lara to fall for him, the thing was she was the only possible choice on Arus for him, that he knew of anyway. He could give up the plan, let things go back to normal with her and start acting more normal himself. Date whoever else he damn well pleased... The thought made his stomach turn unpleasantly.

"Oh, oh, Lance, I wasn't expecting you," Lara's mother said.

Lance smiled at Mrs. Wyeth, he liked her and didn't find her nearly as awful as Lara made her out to be. Unlike Nanny she didn't get in his face about his shortcomings as a gentleman, even if she may think it, Lance at least didn't hear it from her. He appreciated it, and as far as he could she really loved her two daughter, even if she no longer loved her husband. At least according to Lara. "What brings you by in such a storm?" she asked.

"Fancy dinner party tonight at the Castle, I thought Lara, might like to go."

"Oh, such a sweet boy. I'm rooting for you out of the main three," she said. "I keep telling her, you are the best catch. Steady job, you'll stay in teh military after the war is over, won't you? You could stay posted on Arus?"

Stay posted on Arus? One question and it hit him, when they won this war they'd be expected to leave Arus. Leave Arus, the idea made the hair on his arms and neck stand on end. He shivered and he knew it wasn't from being damp. He'd never even thought about leaving Arus, leave Arus seemed insane to him. "I, uh, never really thought that far ahead, ma'am," he said.

"That is what Lara keeps telling me, but I keep saying a man who says he wants a family is thinking longterm whether he knows it or not. She says you're following something you know you can't catch for a reason. But I like you best. That Jude boy is just strange, and the other one, I can't recall his name he's only come here once. Once. Says he's serious about my daughter but can't be bothered to pick her up at her own home, more than once? Pfft."

"Right," Lance said to be polite, he was still thinking on the idea he'd be expected to leave Arus, which felt foreign and bizarre to him. Arus was home, he didn't miss Earth, if missed something from Earth he ordered it and it came in a package and he had it here. Anything else, air, ocean, desert, seasons, Arus had them all. Books, movies, music, it wasn't all that different and it'd always felt more like home to him than anywhere on Earth. Crap, would the Garrison force him somewhere else?

"Mom, what did you say to him?"

"Nothing," Mrs. Wyeth said.

"He looks like someone gave him poison," Lara snapped. "Why are you so pale."

"Uh," Lance looked up at Lara, who was wearing a fitted black raincoat with the hood up, and holding a huge umbrella, she had a garment back with her. "Here, carry."

He took it.

"I just asked him about his plans for after the war, if the his military would allow him to stay stationed here?"

"Oh, God, mother, I told you I'm never getting married."

"And you also used to say you'd never wear dresses or like boys."

"Whatever," Lara said, Lance felt himself being pushed outside, the rain wasn't as steady as it had been. "Sorry about that, like when the war is over you'd want to stay on Arus."

"I would," Lance said.

"What?"

"I mean, I never even thought, I've never thought about leaving Arus. Ever. I mean it's home, this is home. I mean not legally, I don't..." Lance sighed, his entire being felt all out of whack. "I like it here."

"Right, on a war torn planet, trying to rebuild while the fight is still going on, you've found a place where you belong," Lara laughed. "Sounds like something from a feel good movie."

"Lara it's not that simple, it's just that..." Lance sighed, his mind wandering, to how easily he'd felt right at home on Arus, in the Castle which was coming into view. "I've never felt all that at home anywhere else."

"And you do there," Lara asked, pointing to the Castle.

"Yeah, go figure, but it's not just the Castle, I really love this planet and the people. You're all really strong, resilient." Lance laughed.

"You did go to the Underground last night, right?"

"Even there, Lara, even there is resilience, it's just a different kind and more than you probably realize," he said, thinking about the Seers.

"I knew you were strange, but lucky for you're pretty."

Lance eyed her and shook his head. "So who is this guy who never picks you up at home?"

"None of your business," Lara said.

Lance sighed, thinking Lara better not be dating someone who wasn't good enough for her, he'd kill him if he wasn't. Jude was okay, he wasn't even jealous. Which was another issue he didn't want to think about, because he could keep telling himself he didn't want a family but he knew it was bullshit, and now that the idea had been put into his head all he could think was they'd be dragging him off of this planet over his damn dead body as he looked around at the trees, the path under his feet, the lake, and cloudy sky knowing every star, all the moons and the planets he would be seeing if it was a clear night.

Arus was his... Rather Arus was his home.

~~.~~

Sven sat on the bed in the room they'd set up for him, he'd been listening to Keith rant for last hour and he thought he was rather caught up on everything, even if he didn't quite understand it all. Pidge and Hunk, had joined them, because they'd come in to say hello but had heard their Commander ranting about kicking Lance off the team and ended up staying to find out what they missed.

It turned out dating the Princess of Arus, and one of your fellow pilots was quite tricky, Sven thought, as he watched Keith finally stop pacing like a trapped lion and look out the window at the rain. Pidge and Hunk both looked at Sven, meaning it was all up to him now. He had to say the words to make this better, to calm down Keith, to keep Lance safe on the team and to help the Princess and Keith make up.

"Romelle and I fight all the time," Sven said. "She's willful, stubborn and the bravest, strongest most amazing woman I know. I've come to realize that as much as I wish to keep her behind me when danger is in front of us, she's feeling the exact thing about me. We've decided to work together as equals, it quite hard. I was raised to be someone who doesn't let women fight, Pollox isn't all that embracing of her taking on such a warrior-like role, saying that is for men. But she says she was a prisoner of war and she is going to fight to free slaves too. I can't argue her point, plus to be honest when Romelle is mad, she scares me."

"I believe it," Pidge said. "I've seen her furious, Bandor says the same thing."

"Allura can be scary too when she's furious, I've seen her features go all regal and her eyes go steel. She did a few times with Graham and Fox this past week. She was great, Keith, right?" Hunk said.

"Fox was here?" Sven said. "How'd that go?"

"Keith and Princess didn't let him get away with anything, and neither did Graham. And Lance, Lance used him to take down Lotor, it was awesome," Pidge said.

"Take down, Lotor?"

"I don't want to hear about Lance being awesome right now," Keith said.

"I'll tell you later," Pidge said and he and Hunk exchanged awkward glances.

"Keith, I think you need to take a bit of a step back, aren't you being a bit unfair to Lance, in this situation?" Sven said, carefully from where he was and glanced at Pidge and Hunk.

Pidge and Hunk mouthed 'Good Luck,' then announced in unison that they had to get changed for dinner and took off. Sven shook his head and sighed, Keith remained at the window.

"Keith?"

"I heard you."

"I understand wanting to protect Allura, I feel it all the time with Romelle, but I have to remember she is strong, strongest woman I know after all she has been through at the hands of Lotor and Zarkon," Sven's hissed out the last two names. "I want vengeance for what they did to her, she wants freedom for all the slaves that live like her and I did for so long. As much as my darker thoughts go to revenge, I have to admit her way is better."

"I agree with her, I'm glad you have her, Sven," Keith said, turning away. "He took her out there, in the middle of the night, Sven. It was dangerous."

"They came back unharmed?"

"Yes. She got hurt today in evaluations, which I didn't want her to do but she wanted too and I couldn't stop her, didn't even try."

"So you do know to pick your battles?"

Keith sighed.

"He and she are oddly close, Sven. It's weird, it happened to fast."

"You said that a few times in your rant. I'll watch them tonight, let you know what I think but she is dating you is she not?"

"Yes."

"She wants to be with you?"

"Of course," Keith said.

"Then what is the issue?"

"She isn't being honest with me? She's keeping secrets with Lance."

"About where they went last night, where nothing went wrong and she came back safely."

Keith groaned. "They were out, before evaluations, at night, away from the Castle, out of contact."

"Pidge, said Lance had a radio on him set to go off if the Castle alarm went off, did he not?"

"Yeah, yeah, Lance covered his bases, what if he hadn't?"

Sven rolled his eyes. "Keith, Lance is reckless with himself, never with other people, unless he's really not thinking clearly. And it sounds like he was thinking rather clearly. Why did Allura say she went with him?"

"It was about Arus, important to her people."

Sven walked over to Keith and touched his shoulder. "I've found when Bandor and Romelle talk about Pollux unless they want my opinion, I should stay quiet. It's their planet, their world and as much as I have found a home there and love it... It's them who must make the decisions of how to rule."

"So, I should what pretend I'm fine with something I'm not fine with? He shouldn't have done what he did. Whatever this was, he should have brought to me or Coran. Not Allura."

"Well he brought it to the Princess. Which, really, Keith you can't fault for him for, even if you rather he hadn't."

Keith sighed. "She's getting more and more courageous, Sven. The more she knows, understands, the more brave she gets. It scares me."

Sven looked at Keith until Keith met his gaze. "Is this about Tara?"

Keith flinched, as if Sven had punched him but he kept Sven's gaze. "No? No...That was an accident, it was a crazy teenager showing off behind a wheel of a car."

"It was out of your control," Sven said.

Keith turned around, he sighed. "She's the Princess, Sven. No matter what her life is fundamentally more important than ours. Lance doesn't seem to get that, half the time he doesn't even seem to treat her like she's the Princess."

Sven sighed himself, Keith was ignoring his point, he wouldn't push it because it wasn't his place. He did understand Keith on this point however, he knew the importance of protecting of royalty. He'd sworn an oath to Arus and then to Pollux as life had led him there instead, with Romelle. He would risk his life for Romelle and Bandor in a moment. He had more than once, and always was yelled at for it, yet it was how it had to be, he was the outsider, he wasn't of Pollux, and they were the Royalty. The Prince who would be King and the Princess.

"I think Lance knows she's the Princess, Keith."

"Watch him with her tonight, Sven. Tell me if he treats her like a Princess."

Sven shook his head. "Yu sound jealous, Keith of Lance. Are you listening to yourself. It's Allura, she's had a crush on you since we got here. You and her have grown closer day by day. Now you are dating, she went to Coran because she wanted to be with you, Keith. Whatever friendship they have, it's nothing to worry about."

Keith looked at Sven. "Something isn't right, they got too close to fast. Watch them, you haven't been here. You'll see. I've got to go get dressed for dinner, do you have something with you, you can wear?"

"Yes. Romelle's head maid makes us pack for all possibilities. Even when i tell her we aren't going to parties. She'll be thrilled, I'll got to use one of my good suits."

Keith smiled at that, Sven decided to hope that was a good sign.