"Don't go, Allan! It's too dangerous!" Allura pleaded, her eyes filled with tears.
The castle shook as a missile hit the castle. She lost her balance and found herself being supported in the arms of the young prince before her.
"I have to, Allura." Allan said determinedly. With one hand, he gently cupped her chin and tilted it up to see her ocean-blue eyes, similar to his own. "I can't stay here doing nothing. I must go back to Amaget and find out for myself what has happened there, and to my parents."
"But what if they're gone, too, Allan?" Allura choked-out, her tears flowing down uncontrollably. "What if Zarkon took their lives the same way he took my parents'?"
"Then I am needed on Amaget more." He replied, as bravely as he can. "It is my home. My people will need a leader. I am the only one they will have left." He cupped her face with both his hands and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. "Please stop crying, Allura."
She pushed herself away from his hold and turned around. "What if something happens to you? What if..."
"Then so be it." Was all he could say. He took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him again. "I know you would do the same thing if you were in my place."
Allura looked-up and met his eyes. Allan was afraid, but he tried to be brave. He didn't think of himself. Only of his planet and of his people. She admired him for that.
"Promise me you'll come back." she said, throwing her arms around him, still sobbing uncontrollably. "Promise me that." She hoarsely whispered as she buried her face in his chest, all the while tightening her embrace.
Allan wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "Only when I'm sure that I can." He planted a kiss on her honey-gold hair. Slowly, he loosened his grip, inching himself away from her, but she refused to let him go. Once again, he reached-out to cup her chin in his hand to meet her eyes. "Allura, I want you to make a promise as well." He said quietly. "Promise me that you won't risk your life," he hushed her with his look, "not if there are alternatives to choose from. Whatever happens, keep yourself alive."
She simply nodded. He kissed her affectionately on the forehead before completely pulling himself away. With a heavy heart he headed for the one-man space shuttle parked in the castle docking bay, and climbed into the cockpit.
"Remember your promise, you fervid crybaby." He called over his shoulder, a grin lighting-up his face. The hatch closed and the bay's doors opened. A few moments later, the ship was airborne, and gone.
Allura offered a silent prayer for his safe journey. She hoped that the enemy didn't notice his craft leaving the castle. She wiped away the tears on her cheeks and watched as the doors slid close.
"And don't forget yours, you discourteous nincompoop." She whispered to herself, wishing with all her heart that it didn't have to be that way.
*-*-*-*-*
Keith glanced at his watch. It was almost time for him to relieve Lance of his shift. It was past midnight, and he couldn't wait to get behind the console of castle control.
He was lost in thought again, staring out the Arussian landscape, when an audible swoosh of the observation deck doors from behind him told him that Lance had already come for him. Keith checked his watch again. "Aren't you a bit early?" he asked.
"As a matter of fact, Keith, I think I'm right on time."
Keith whirled around and met the princess' gaze.
"Allura? Why are you still up?"
She silently approached him, her head bent. When she had come beside him, she spoke, "I wanted to talk to you about something."
"Couldn't it wait until morning? You should be sleeping by now."
Allura smiled a bit. 'Always concerned about the well-being of others.' "No, Keith, I'm afraid it can't wait." She turned to face him and met his eyes. "It's about my flying the blue lion." She paused. "I've decided not to anymore."
He remained quiet. The expression in his eyes urging her to go on.
"I've realized the risk that I put myself in when I'm up there in that lion. I now understand what Nanny and Coran have been trying to tell me for the past two years. It's my responsibility to keep myself alive for my people." She took a deep breath before tearing her gaze away from him.
"Keith, don't get me wrong. You know that I love flying the blue lion. It's just that, Allan..." she stopped, noticing the slight twitch in his face when he heard the prince's name. "Allan made me promise not to make unnecessary risks a long time ago, and I think it's about time that I kept it." Looking back at him, she placed a hand on his arm. "You do understand, don't you, Keith?"
"It's about time you realized that, princess." He replied, refusing to meet her eyes. "And, of course, princess, I understand. You don't have to explain anything to me."
Allura put her hand down and shifted her gaze to the evening sky. "There's one more thing, Keith. About my replacement. I don't think it would be fair to ask Sven to return here when he's so happy on Pollux..." she trailed-off, trying to find the right thing to say.
Keith swallowed hard. He felt his heart tighten, and his stomach churn. "You would like me to train Prince Allan to fly blue lion." He managed to say quietly.
Allura remained quiet. The promise she gave four years ago makes sense, now that she thought about it more. She doesn't need to stick her neck out on a limb. She had the Voltron Force to defend her and Arus. Nanny and Coran will be pleased by her choice.
She looked at the person standing right beside her. She felt her heart beat faster when he turned his attention to her, his intense dark eyes staring at her, regarding her carefully. Her heart tightened with regret at the decision she had come to, but there was no backing-out now. 'Lion practice is one of the times I get to spend with him. By keeping my promise to Allan, I deny my heart's desire to be with Keith as often as I can. If only he would refuse. If only he would ask me to stay... then I would know that he wants me; that he needs me.'
"If that is what you want, princess." he simply said.
"No, Keith, that's not what I want." She said, tears forming in her eyes. She looked away again, closing her eyes, trying to hide the disappointment and the sorrow in them. "But, it's what must be done."
Keith slowly nodded. For the past two years he had been racking his brains to find a way to keep her from harm's way. All that time, he had been silently supporting Coran and Nanny and their disputes with the princess to dissuade her from flying the blue lion. And now that she personally offered to step-down from the position, he didn't want her to. Atleast, not like that; 'not when the one who would take your place is your consort...' he thought, bitterly.
"Keith, I..." Allura stammered, wanting to break the awkward silence that hung between them.
Both averted their attention to the doors behind them as they swooshed open.
"Uh, am I interrupting anything?" Lance asked, with a questioning eyebrow arched, shifting his gaze from the princess to the captain.
Allura looked down at her feet. "No, Lance, our discussion is over." With that, she slowly headed for the door, where Lance still stood. "Good night, Keith. Lance." She said, still looking down as the doors slid close behind her.
"Good night, princess." Keith replied softly, loud enough for Lance to hear the sorrow in his greeting. Keith turned his back on Lance, and once again stared out at the beautiful moonlit countryside before him.
Lance cautiously approached his comrade, and stopped a few feet behind him.
"What happened?"
"She's decided to stop flying the blue lion and not take any more risks."
"Isn't that what you wanted?"
"She asked me to train the prince to take her place."
Lance was dismayed. "You said 'yes'?"
"Of course I have."
He didn't have to see his face to know that Keith was not the least bit delighted about the request. That was the final straw. He had to know now.
"You're in love with her, aren't you?"
"Where did you get that idea?"
"Ever since she's been flying with us, it's 'princess, be careful,' or 'princess, you're staying here, it's too dangerous.' You know that Hunk, Pidge, and I would throw ourselves in front of her to save her life the same way you would, but not even the three of us combined could match the severity of your devotion to her."
"It's not what you're thinking. You know how duty-bound I tend to get."
Lance chuckled. "That's what WE say. But, if it's only about duty, as you claim it is, then why do you look like you're carrying all the world's problems on your shoulders after she said that she was leaving the team, AND passing-on her responsibility to the prince?"
Keith remained silent. And Lance got his answer.
Lance thrust his hands in his jacket pockets, and smiled. "It's not like she's announced that they're going to get married," his tone a mixture of haughtiness and reassurance. "Look at it on the bright side, you're not going to end-up worrying about her anymore." He pointed-out, stepping beside his troubled companion.
"I'm surprised she didn't ask me to train him in Black Lion." He muttered, the sadness never leaving his voice.
Lance would've laughed at how pathetic Keith sounded, but he knew that it wasn't the time to tease him about it. 'The guy's really hurting.' "Listen, Keith, it's been four years since they've last seen each other. Many things have happened since his highness last visited Arus. People change." 'Besides, the princess met YOU', he added silently. He hesitated for a while before continuing, "We don't even know if they were in love in the first place. When Coran said that they had always thought that the two of them would get married, it sounded more of wishful thinking than a fact."
"It still isn't right, Lance." Keith said, no longer denying what he felt. "She's a princess. I have nothing to offer her. I don't deserve someone like her. I don't even have the right to love her."
Lance shook his head. "I think that's for her to decide."
"She already has, Lance."
Lance shot a questioning look at Keith.
Keith met Lance's gaze with his poignant one.
"She chose Allan."