No Secrets Here
"Princess? Princess! Ach! Where is that child?"
Lance, Hunk, and Pidge found themselves looking at a very aggravated Nanny.
"Have you seen the princess?" she asked them, stepping inside the rec room.
"Nope." "No sign of her."
Lance and Pidge replied at the same time, looking away, sounding as innocent as possible.
Nanny shook her head in disbelief. "I've been looking for her for hours! She's nowhere inside the castle or outside at that. I've checked with Coran, and the lions are all in their dens…" A look of alarm replaced the rankled one on her face. "What if she's been kidnapped by that horrible monster?" A vision of the blue-skinned, white-haired Prince of Doom formed in her mind, his sinister laugh and piercing yellow eyes sent shivers down her spine as she watched Allura screaming and struggling from his iron grip.
"Oh my poor baby!" she choked-out, tears threatening to fall. "I must tell Coran!" she lifted her skirts and was about to step-out of the room when a muffled snicker erupted from behind her.
"I don't believe it! Our princess is in the hands of that, that evil man, and you boys are guffawing!"
"Don't worry, Nanny, the princess is…"
"What Hunk is trying to say, Nanny," Lance interrupted, afraid that he might slip, shooting his big companion a silencing look, "is that the princess is far from harm."
"I thought you said that you didn't know where she was?" Nanny glared at the boys, her hands on her hips.
"We don't." Pidge said defensively, "But we can guarantee that she's in good hands." He said, a huge grin on his face.
Nanny regarded them carefully. She didn't like the idea about not knowing where her ward was, but she trusted the young space explorers… even if she didn't really show it. She nodded her head once. "Alright, if you say so." She was about to leave, when she whirled around and raised her index finger at them. "But, if anything happens to her…"
"Then it wouldn't be our fault." Lance said, smugly, a grin plastered on his face as well. "Don't worry, Nanny." He reassured her. "As Pidge said, `she's in good hands.'"
She shot a glance at Hunk and found him nodding in agreement. "Yeah. Nothing bad will happen to her. Not while she's… OW!"
Pidge, who was seated beside him on the sofa, jabbed him in the stomach to hush him.
Nanny nodded and stepped out of the room, looking a bit more relaxed than when they first saw her.
The three heaved a sigh of relief.
"Hunk! You almost gave them away!" Pidge said, shaking his finger at his best friend.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it." Hunk replied, meekly hanging his head.
Lance just chuckled, as he watched Pidge torment Hunk about what he almost divulged.
Hunk looked-up and glanced at his two friends. "Do you really think they're… you know…?"
Lance shrugged. "What else could it be?"
*-*-*-*-*-*
Allura squealed with delight as she ran through the Arussian meadows, allowing the breeze raise her long, flaxen tresses. The field was full of wild flowers, in all shades of colors, and she allowed herself to stop, just for a while, to stoop and to smell the bright, yellow one right beside her. She closed her eyes and breathed- in deeply, allowing its scent to fill her lungs. Her eyes flew open when she realized that her companion had already caught up with her, and was just a few feet away from her.
"Bet you can't catch me!" She cried-out, breaking into a run, a hint of challenge in her statement.
"Oh, really?" She heard her escort respond from behind her, his voice a mixture of amusement and outrage.
Allura shrieked when she felt herself getting lifted-off the ground, her body in a horizontal position. She shrieked even louder when her captor spun around in circles.
"Stop!" she screamed, closing her eyes "Put me down!" Her hands found their way around his neck and they clung together behind it.
"What were you saying about me not being able to catch you?"
Allura slowly opened her eyes. Her vision slowly adjusted and realized that they were no longer spinning. She focused on the face that mischievously smiled down at her.
She felt her lips twitch upward as she continued to stare into his eyes, loving the way the wind toyed with his already disheveled jet-black hair.
Keith lost himself at the ardent, blue gaze of the woman he held in his arms. Her brilliant smile seemed to outshine the sun. Breaking from his trance, he slowly put her down.
Not breaking her gaze away, she unclasped her hands and used one to brush away the locks of hair that were flying towards his face; the other she kept behind his neck.
She sighed as she felt his hand reach-out and hold hers and kiss it gently, his own gaze not breaking away. They could have been standing on the same spot for minutes, but neither minded. They were only aware of each other.
Allura was the first to look away, dropping her hand from behind his neck. She squeezed his hand with the one he held as a silent invitation to walk. He nodded and they walked side-by-side, fingers entwined.
Soon, they reached the shade of the tree where they had tied his stallion. Before their game, they had already laid the mat on the ground, and their picnic basket set to one side of it.
Keith untwined his fingers from hers and sat down in front of the tree, leaning against it. He sheepishly looked-up and met Allura's eyes. Allura felt herself turn crimson when she realized what he was asking her to do; but she was more than willing to do it.
She slowly approached him and positioned herself right in front of him. Turning so that he would be facing her back, she slowly sat down between his parted legs, and allowed herself to lean back and relax against him. A pleasing sensation engulfed her whole body when his arms moved around her slender waist and locked her in his embrace.
Allura sighed and tilted her head to her left. She smiled as she watched her beloved breathe in and out, his eyes closed, and his head rested against the trunk of the tree, a small smile on his lips.
"What are you thinking about?"
Keith opened his eyes and found her looking at him; her sapphire eyes twinkling.
"Why do you want to know?" He asked her, the mischievous smile he gave her earlier returning to his lips.
Allura was caught off-guard. She didn't expect him to ask her a question in response to hers. She looked away.
Keith shook his head in amusement. "You haven't answered my question." He tightened his squeeze, so as to discourage her from even thinking about getting out of this one.
Allura blinked several times when she felt his arms firmly holding her in place. She wasn't used to this kind on display of affection, but she was enjoying it. She snuggled even closer to him, sighing again.
"Well?" He prodded her.
"I just wanted to know." She absently said, her eyes closed, and her face now buried at the crook of his neck.
He felt his heart beat faster and his body warm-up when her breath touched his neck. It felt so good to hold her like that. He gently laid his cheek on top of her head.
"You."
Allura moved her head from under his and looked up at him, her eyes wide open in surprise. "I beg your pardon?"
"I said, `you.' I was thinking about you."
She relaxed a bit and lifted her hand to trace the strong lines of his jaw. "Why were you thinking about me?"
He gave her a sly smile. "Why? Would you rather I think about someone else?"
Allura gasped. Her eyes suddenly narrowed into slits. She straightened her back and tried to get up, but his arms still held her in place.
Keith laughed out loud. "I was just teasing." He said, giving her a reassuring squeeze.
"You'd better be." She muttered under her breath, which he heard.
He chuckled again, before laying his forehead on her bare shoulder.
"Why didn't you change into your jumpsuit?" he asked after a few moments of silence.
Allura smoothed some wrinkles on her skirt. She was wearing her pink dress --- the one Nanny had insisted that she wear for the day. "Nanny had other plans for me today. She had me cornered in my room and if it wasn't for that call from Coran, she wouldn't have left me. I had no choice but to run out of the room looking like this."
"Hey, I'm not complaining." Keith said, finally lifting his head up.
Allura shook her head before setting it back on his shoulder. Again, there was a comfortable silence that went between them.
"Keith?"
"Hmmm?"
"I was kind of wondering," Allura started, pausing for a while, choosing her words carefully, "do you mind at all when I kiss the other boys?"
She felt him tense a bit at the straightforward question. But it didn't take him too long to give her his answer.
"No."
Allura was surprised. Just a few weeks ago, she had felt this uneasy feeling in her stomach and this uncomfortable strain in her heart when Keith had received a birthday gift from a `secret admirer' --- which, turned-out as a deadly plot from Merla to do away with him and the rest of the Voltron Force. She was downright jealous; and, now, she would find-out that he doesn't mind at all whenever she kisses the other boys; not that it meant anything but `thank you', ofcourse. But still…
"You mean you're not jealous?"
"Jealous? Why should I be jealous?"
"I have kissed them more often than I have you; especially Lance." Putting a little emphasis on the name.
"Yeah, but Lance isn't the one holding you right now, is he?"
"True." She thought for a while to make a counter-response to his confident one. "But, you know what? Now that I think about it, I don't recall having kissed you at all!"
There was a hesitation from him, before he spoke-up. "I was going to talk to you about that."
'Now we're getting somewhere…'
Allura carefully controlled the expression on her face; she tried to look as serious and as uninterested as possible. She wanted this discussion to seem unplanned. She had wanted to talk to him about this, now that they were taking their relationship a step further, but she didn't know how to bring it up.
"I have been feeling left-out ever since you started rewarding THEM with kisses."
'Yes!'
"I've had more near-death encounters than a cat has lives, thanks to Lotor, and I don't even get a `hug of thanks' from you."
She couldn't help but giggle at the exasperated expression on his face.
Keith ran a hand through his hair. He couldn't believe he was actually going through this. He had wanted to confront her about this ever since they have admitted their feelings for one another, but he didn't want to rush her.
"It isn't always easy to express your feelings to someone you know you're in love with."
Keith blinked. He looked at her with an overwhelmed look.
Allura felt herself blush, no longer having control. "It's not that I didn't want to kiss you, in fact, it was the exact opposite." She felt her cheeks warming-up even more, and she looked away. "I just couldn't bring myself to, because, I felt so nervous about going near you. I was afraid that if I did, I would no longer be able to control the feelings that I have been keeping inside me for so long." She averted her gaze back to his. "I was afraid, Keith. I never felt this way before."
Keith silently agreed and brought her closer to him, resting his chin on top of her head. A dazed smiled played on his lips as he recalled the moment when he found himself in the castle catacombs, watching his princess talk to the spirit of her father. Surprisingly, the king acknowledged him for saving the kingdom… and what a great team he and Allura made. After the apparition, time seemed to have slowed-down when he had stepped-forward and held her hands in his own two. That was when it happened.
It was probably the praise that King Alfor had given him that gave him the boldness to tell her that he would do anything for her, because it was no longer just duty that held him to his promise to protect her and the planet. The moment his confession slipped, he felt like he wanted the ground to swallow him up. Who was he to profess his love to the Princess of Arus? But, when he looked at her, he knew that that was the best slip-up he ever made in his whole life. She didn't say anything, but her smile, her touch, and her eyes said it all. She had accepted his love. As simple as that.
"Keith? You're thinking again."
"Huh?" Keith blinked again, and looked-down at his beloved.
"We still haven't decided on what we're supposed to do about… you know." Allura blushed again. Boy, she was getting aggressive.
Keith chuckled. Once Allura had her mind set on something, she wasn't going to drop it until she got what she wanted.
"What do you want me to do about it?"
Allura swallowed hard. There was no backing-out now. "Maybe you should be the one to kiss me."
A euphoric smile lit his handsome features. "I think that's a great idea, princess."
"And, one more thing, when are you going to stop calling me `princess'?" her tone tinted with displeasure.
"Never." He replied, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I like calling you `princess.'"
She could have melted in his arms with the tone of affection that he used. Keith had this way of making her feel giddy all over --- and she loved it. Her title would never be the same again.
"Now about that kiss…" Keith whispered in her ear, giving her goosebumps all over.
She tilted her head up and met his affectionate gaze, her eyes enticing him…
His head drew nearer, slowly, his gaze shifted, from her beautiful eyes, to her soft, full lips…
… her heart beat faster, her eyelids grew heavy…
…slowly, he closed his eyes…
… she could feel his breath on her face…
And, finally, their lips met --- his warm, firm ones gently coaxing hers. Instinctively, her lips parted under his, allowing his tongue to explore the sweetness that her mouth had to offer. The warmth of her body increased ten-fold as his tongue gently touched the tip of hers. A moan escaped from her throat, after he had angled his head in a way that deepened the kiss.
They drew apart breathless, after long moments of shameless ecstasy.
"Still feeling left-out?" she panted, reaching-out to trace his cheek with her finger.
"Nope." He replied huskily, dropping his gaze from her sparkling eyes to her now swollen lips.
Allura parted her waiting lips as she watched him move closer and closer, his eyes slowly closing, his lips parting… when, suddenly, a beeping sound from his pocket broke the stupor they were both in.
Keith abruptly opened his eyes and sighed. "This'd better be good." He mumbled, earning him an amused giggle from his love.
"Keith here."
"Uh, hi, Keith!" Hunk's cheerful, but nervous voice rang-out in the communicator. "We, I mean, I was just checking on you."
Keith and Allura exchanged smiles. They could hear murmuring from the comm, which meant Hunk was not alone.
"Is there something wrong, Hunk?" Keith asked, sounding as natural as possible.
"No. Nothing's wrong here."
"Tell him about Nanny." Hissed someone from behind him, and if he heard right, was Pidge.
"Nanny came by the rec room and asked about the princess."
"What did you tell her?"
"Nothing."
"That's because we managed to stop you from slipping." Lance said, his voice loud and clear. He obviously wasn't trying to hide.
"I wasn't going to tell her that Keith and the princess were on a picnic."
"But you were going to tell her that the princess was WITH Keith." Pidge pointed-out, also coming-out into the open.
Allura started laughing uncontrollably, which echoed through the speakers of the control room, where the three were making the call.
"Oh, sure, princess. Laugh while you can. While you and Romeo are out there enjoying yourselves, the three of us had to cover-up for you. We're sticking our necks out on a limb here!"
Keith soon joined-in. The three explorers exchanged puzzled looks.
"What's so funny?" Hunk asked.
"Why didn't you just tell Nanny that I was with Allura?" Keith asked, still laughing.
"Huh?" Pidge asked incredulously, scratching his head.
"Nanny knows about Keith and me." Allura said, her voice already composed, but still with the hint of amusement. "So does Coran."
"They what?" Lance asked, surprised.
"They know about Keith and me." She repeated. "Father has already given Keith his approval."
"Then why did you two sneak out in the first place?" Pidge asked, still confused.
"Because Nanny had other plans set for me today. Keith and I have been planning this picnic for quite some time now. We decided to sneak-out so that Nanny couldn't discourage us from changing our plans."
"No wonder she didn't put up a fight when we refused to tell her where you were." Lance said, the recognizable haughtiness present in his voice.
A few moments of silence before Lance spoke-up again.
"Sooo, should I be preparing my tuxedo anytime soon?"
"Don't you have anything better to do?" Keith asked, his voice suddenly becoming serious.
"Can I be ring bearer?" Hunk asked, his voice hopeful.
Pidge snickered in the background.
"I've always wanted to be ring bearer." Hunk argued.
"When do we start handing-out the invitations?" Lance asked.
"And the food. What about the food?"
"Why am I not surprised that food is the first thing you'll think about?"
"Hey, the food is as important as the invitations."
"Oh, really?"
Keith rolled his eyes and Allura started to giggle again as the two listened to their friends. It was always a comfort and a joy to know that they could always count on them and that they would always be there to keep their spirits high.
"Is there anything else?" Keith's impatient voice broke the three out of their playful bickering.
Silence again.
"Yeah, there is one thing." Lance said.
"What is it?" Keith asked, bracing himself for whatever Lance was going to say.
"Don't stay out too long alone together. Something might happen." He said, as-a-matter-of-factually.
A good piece of advice when you think about it. Zarkon and Lotor could decide to attack anytime soon…
But there was something about the way he said it that caused Allura to blush furiously, and Keith to get a queasy feeling in his stomach. The fact that Hunk and Pidge were laughing uproariously definitely meant that Lance had other things in mind rather than their safety.
Keith turned his unit off and leaned on the trunk of the tree again.
"Can you believe those guys?" he asked, shaking his head, a smile on his lips.
Allura had leaned back on his chest again, and he could feel her breathe against him.
"Things just won't be the same without them." She said, still amused at what their friends had done.
He once again tightened his embrace around her and she sighed before once again burying her face between his shoulders and his neck.
"I love you." He told her furtively, planting an affectionate kiss on her head.
"Hmmm. I love you, too." She replied as quietly, wrapping her arms around his, feeling safe and warm in his embrace.
The two stayed in each other's arms and soon fell into a blissful, relaxing sleep…
*-*-*-*-*-*
In the castle control room monitor, the three friends' faces lit up with genuine smiles as they watched their captain and their princess enjoy their time-out together.
"Alright, Hunk. Turn it off. We know where they are." Lance said.
"Awww. Can't we watch a little longer?" Hunk begged.
"Not if we want to stay alive. Keith'll kill us if he finds out we're spying on them."
"But we're not `spying on them.' We're `watching over them." Hunk reasoned-out.
"He'll still kill us." Lance said, watching Keith in his sleep, snuggle even closer to the princess. "It's enough we know where they are. If anything happens while they're out there, we can easily come to their rescue. They'll be alright."
Hunk nodded his head in defeat and shut-off the monitor.
"So, who's in for a game of poker?" Pidge asked, to get his friend to stop worrying about their comrades.
"I'm in." "Me, too."
"From the looks of things, I'd say it'll be down to the three of us from now on." Hunk said, an evident sadness in his remark.
"Nah. Keith will still find time for us." Pidge said, his faith in his captain unwavering.
"Pidge's right. Keith'll always have time for us." Lance said. He knew that whatever happened, Keith would always be their leader and their friend. He smiled when he realized that soon, after winning the war they were in, he would also be their king.
That day, on the other hand, was set aside for them to rest.
"C'mon, you two." Lance said, placing himself in between his two friends, "let's get that poker game going."
The End.