Romelle touched Sven's arm as he turned toward the entry tube to the Blue Lion. "Be careful."
He smiled down at her and placed his hand on her stomach, "Alvays." He stole a quick kiss and raced toward his lion.
She watched her husband run towards combat, her in heart in her throat. It was inevitable that Sven would eventually return to battle and it always worried her. But now that they were married and starting a family, there was so much more on the line.
Koran stood over the monitor, watching as the Doom ships approached and the Lions soared into the air.
"Are you going to contact Keith?" Romelle asked him.
"I don't know what the point would be." He responded.
"But he specifically asked to be contacted if there was an attack."
The royal advisor turned to the young woman who looked so much like his princess. "There are so few ships; this seems more like a scouting mission than an attack. I don't want to worry him when he can't do anything about it."
"Does Lotor usually send scout ships?"
"No, he knows his way around here pretty well. This isn't normal."
Romelle watched as the lions approached the invaders, "Isn't that even more reason to contact him."
Koran sighed, "We'll let the Princess do it when she returns."
Up in the lions the five pilots watched as the Doom ships hovered, but made no attempt to attack.
"Just give the word, Princess, and we'll annihilate these creeps." Lance said.
"No, we defend, not attack." Allura replied. "Let them make the first move."
The Five Lions formed a large semi-circle and waited.
Allura opened a transmission and tried to contact the alien ships. "This is Princess Allura. You are trespassing in Arusian air space. What is your business?"
There was no response.
"This is Princess Allura of Arus." She announced again. "State your business or we will be forced to fire upon you."
Again there was no response, but before she could give them one last try, all six ships pulled back and left.
The Voltron team circled around and waited until Koran gave them the all clear before returning to Castle Control.
"Okay, something weird is going on here." Lance announced when everyone had returned.
"It seems to me that it may have been a scouting mission." Koran spoke up.
"Should we contact Keith?" Pidge asked.
"Lance is right, something veird is going on here." Sven said. "I tink you need to call Keit, he should be made avare."
The Princess looked to the others in the room and they nodded their agreement.
"Alright, I'll try, but he might be in a meeting."
"Leave a message, he can call back later." Lance said
They were able to reach the secretary of General Bryant.
"I'm sorry Princess, unless it is an emergency I cannot interrupt the meeting."
"Well, it's not an emergency. Could you please ask him to contact me as soon as he has time?" Allura asked.
"Of course your highness."
Allura turned to her friends, "I guess it's back to work until he calls."
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Keith wasn't able to return her call until after dinner.
"I'm sorry Allura, I just got the message. Is everything alright?"
She smiled, feeling a tightness around her heart at the sight of him.
"That's okay, Keith. I actually didn't want to bother you with this; I didn't think it was all that big a deal." She went on to explain to him everything that had transpired that day.
"Hmm," Keith furrowed his forehead and thought for a moment. "I think Koran is right. As strange as it sounds, I think Lotor sent a scouting mission. He might have been checking to see if I was there or if he knew I was gone, he was checking to see if you had all five lions. All I can say is keep on your toes, but don't take any unnecessary chances. I'll be home as soon as I can tomorrow. We have a breakfast meeting, but it shouldn't take too long, so I should be home by early evening."
"Aye, aye Captain." Allura saluted the screen.
Keith smiled, "I miss you."
"I miss you too. But the boys have been entertaining me."
He rolled his eyes, "Great. I can only imagine what you all have been doing. Did Lance talk you into taking the lions racing?"
"No, that was my idea."
Keith raised his eyebrows, "Oh really?"
"And they've been telling Romelle and me all about your days in the Academy. Lance told the funniest stories last night."
"Okay, I'm going to see if I can get out of this breakfast meeting and head home tonight. I have the feeling that I need to defend my reputation."
"Nah, they're waiting for you to return before they tell me the good stuff. But I heard an interesting little tale concerning you and a certain Admiral's terrier."
Keith blushed slightly, "We were young."
"And drunk." Allura laughed.
"Don't let the stories they tell you change your mind about marrying me."
"That won't happen. For some reason they make me love you more." She assured him.
"You're a strange woman, beautiful, but strange."
"All the more reason for you to love me." She teased.
"Absolutely." Keith turned when a young cadet came up behind him. They exchanged a few words before he turned back to the screen. "I hate to do this, Allura, but I have to go. We're having a late dinner with the General."
"I understand. I love you."
He grinned, "I love you too, Allura. Good night."
"Good night. Oh, Keith?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't moon anyone at this dinner party." Allura winked at him.
Keith's mouth fell open, "Stay away from Lance!"
"Good night, my love." Allura closed the connection and left Castle Control, laughing.
"Vere you able to get in touch vith Keit?" Sven asked.
Lance was on duty in Castle Control, but the others had congregated in the rec room. Sven was stretched out on the couch, his head on Romelle's lap, watching a movie. Romelle was attempting to knit something, what it was no one was sure, but it was a pale blue and baby sized. Hunk and Pidge were sitting at the table playing some board game they had brought with them from Terra.
"Yes. He agreed with Koran, he thinks it was a scouting mission to see if he was here. Or if Lotor knew Keith was gone, he may have wanted to see if we had all five lions protecting the planet."
"What was his advice?" Hunk asked.
"He just said to keep on our toes and not to take any chances. He's planning on being back by tomorrow evening. He has a breakfast meeting and then he's heading straight out." Allura explained.
"I just don't get it," Sven said. "Lotor has been behaving very strangely."
"When hasn't he?" Pidge muttered.
Sven sat up, very stiffly, and cringed. "No, tink about it. He has never been afraid to just attack, he has alvays been cocky enough to tink he could vin. Now he is taking all kinds of precautions. Do you tink he is trying to lure us into some sense of false security? He vants us to tink he is starting to doubt himself."
"I think he is finally coming to the realization that he isn't going win this one. He isn't going to get the Princess." Hunk said.
"No, he won't give in that easily," Romelle set aside her knitting. "He's ruthless. He's planning something."
Sven put his arm around her and pulled her to him.
Allura sat on the arm of the sofa and took Romelle's hand. When she looked at her cousin, she saw a happily married woman with the universe at her feet. It was so easy to forget the horrible time she spent at the hands of Lotor.
"He won't win," Allura said, determinedly. "We have Voltron and he can never defeat us."