Allura spent the next two days avoiding Keith as well as she could. That was easier said than done. After morning practice, she retired to her study under the guise of work. On the third day there was a knock at her door. Allura sat quietly, debating whether or not to ignore it.
"Allura, I know you're in there."
It was Romelle.
Allura opened the door, pulled her cousin in and shut the door again.
"Allura, what is going on with you? Since Keith has come back you have both been acting strangely."
Allura sat on the small loveseat opposite the overstuffed chair she and Keith had cuddled in the night he returned. She couldn't bring herself to sit in that chair since.
"Oh Romelle, everything has changed." Allura bit her lip, trying to fight back tears.
"What happened?" Romelle sat beside her cousin and pulled her into a hug.
Allura let the tears come, crying into Romelle's shoulder. When she finished, she realized she did need to talk to someone. Her face burned with embarrassment as she told Romelle everything.
"I don't know him anymore. He came back a different person." Allura finished her story.
"What are you going to do?" Romelle asked.
"I don't know. I think back on the past year, it has been the greatest year of my life. I have been my happiest with Keith but now I don't know if I want to marry him anymore." She admitted.
Romelle sat quietly. She didn't know Keith a well as the others, but Sven talked about him with such respect and admiration. They had been like brothers. What she did know about him made her notice his strange behavior and had her worried for her cousin.
"What should I do Romelle? How can I marry him after what happened the other night? I dread the thought of him touching me." Her last admission had fresh tears filling Allura's eyes.
"If his behavior is causing you this much pain, you can't marry him. We have to find out what is going on with him. Do you want me to have Sven talk to him?"
"Yes, maybe that would help. Maybe he'll tell Sven things he won't tell me."
The two women sat in silence. Allura felt a little better after talking to someone.
"I have imagined marrying Keith for years," She whispered. "We were going to rule Arus together, have a houseful of children. We would defeat Lotor and rebuild my planet. And our children would play together."
Romelle smiled, "That may all still happen. We will get to the bottom of Keith's behavior."
"Thank you, Romelle, I really needed to talk to someone."
"Allura, you know you can always come to me. I want to help you. I want you to find the same happiness I found with Sven."
Allura pulled her cousin into a tight hug, "You have no idea how much that means to me and how much I needed to hear that."
"Where is Keith now?" Romelle asked.
"I don't know," Allura bit her trembling lip again. "I told him the other night that I had my period and he hasn't been to my room since."
"Do you want to go with me to talk to Sven?"
"Let's call him here," Allura went to her desk to pick up her transmitter. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the picture frame on her desk. She reached over and set face down.
Sven knocked on the door a few minutes later.
"Is everyting alright?" He asked, looking from his wife to Allura and back again.
"No," Romelle crossed to Sven and pulled him over to the chair. "We want to talk to you."
"About Keit?"
"Yes," Allura leaned against her desk. "Do you know what is going on with him?"
"No, but ve have all noticed it. Dere vere a few times back at de Academy vhen he acted aloof like he does now."
"What do mean?" Allura asked.
"Vell, vhen his father passed avay he locked himself into his room and hardly said a vord to anyvon for a veek. Vhenever Lance or I tried to talk to him, he vould blow us off."
"Do you know if he received some bad news from Terra?" Allura asked him.
"That's a possibility. Ve found out about his father from his advisor, not him, who had hoped we could talk to him."
"And that brought him out of it?"
"No, he came out of it himself. Vhen he is in a mood like dis it is best to leave him alone and let him get over it."
"But I have never seen him like this." Allura said.
Sven nodded, "He is a strong man. He uses his duties as an excuse not to let his moods come to the surface."
"So you think we should just let it go?"
"I don't know, Princess. He vas very short vith you guys during practice dis morning, you can't have a strong team vhen your leader behaves like dat."
"What if we all sat down with him and try to get him to talk to us." Romelle suggested.
"Like an intervention?" Sven asked.
Allura shook her head, "Wouldn't he think we were ganging up on him?"
Sven shook his head, "He vouldn't be able to escape it if we forced him to tell us vhat is going on."
"And if it doesn't work?" Allura asked.
"Den ve call his mother on Terra."
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They had all agreed to meet in the rec room at 3:00 that afternoon. As far as Keith knew, it was a routine meeting on the maintenance of the lions.
At 2:50 Allura was pacing her study, trying to prepare for what could be a messy confrontation. Maybe we're jumping to conclusions, she thought. He has been under so much pressure, he may have just reached his breaking point.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, "Yes?"
"It's me," Lance called through the door.
Allura crossed the room and opened the door.
"I thought you could use some moral support."
"Are we doing the right thing, Lance?"
He offered her a reassuring smile, "Something is going on with Keith and we have to get to the bottom of it."
"Do you think he'll be angry that we're ganging up on him?"
"It's for his own good. In the long run he'll appreciate it." Lance offered his arm to the princess.
"Thank you for coming to get me. To be perfectly honest, I was trying to come up with an excuse not to go."
"Well, now, Your Highness, it would have been rude for you to call a meeting and then not show up."
"I'm just nervous."
Lance patted the hand that rested in the crook of his arm, "You're not facing this alone. We're here for you."
The two of them approached the rec room. Sven and Romelle sat together on the couch facing the chairs occupied by Nanny and Koran. Hunk and Pidge were standing behind Koran's chair, waiting.
"Where's Keith?" Allura asked.
"He hasn't arrived yet," Romelle said as she and Sven shifted over, making room for Allura.
"Maybe someone should go find him." Allura sat stiffly beside her cousin.
"I'll go," Lance volunteered.
"Where are you going? I thought we were all called to a meeting?"
They all turned to see Keith standing in the doorway.
Allura shivered, involuntarily, and grasped the hand Romelle offered her.
"What's this about?" Keith asked.
Lance pulled a chair over from the table in the corner, "Have a seat, Keith."
Keith looked around warily before taking the seat.
"We came together to talk to you Keith." Allura began.
"What about?" He asked.
"You're recent behavior." Sven spoke up.
Keith raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.
"Ve have all seen a change in you since you came back from de meetings."
"Yeah, you've been a real jerk." Lance muttered.
"Lance!" Allura said sharply before turning to Keith. "We're worried. We are your friends and we love you. You can talk to us about anything. What happened on Wit'ach?"
Keith lowered his head and studied the floor.
"Son," Koran got up and walked over to Keith, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Please, tell us what happened."
Keith raised his head and turned tired eyes to Allura. "I don't know where to begin…"
He was interrupted by the castle alarms.
"Oh not now!" Allura cried as they all jumped to their feet.
"What is it?" Koran asked as they entered Castle Control.
"It's a Doom ship, sir." The guard on duty said.
"Just one?"
"Yes, sir. It's small, looks like a single person transport ship."
"Have they made any contact?" Allura asked.
"Yes, Your Highness, but I couldn't make out what he was trying to say. He's sending a distress signal."
Allura went to the communication console and attempted to contact the ship. "You have entered Arusian airspace. State your business or we will be forced to fire on you."
Static filled the speakers
*Crackle* …is that….*crackle*…Allura…*crackle*…stop him…*crackle*
Allura looked up at Lance who had come to stand beside her.
"You're breaking up," Allura spoke a little louder. "What is your business?"
*crackle*…Allura…*crackle* …me, Keith…*crackle*
Allura and Lance turned to look at Keith. Hunk had him by the arm.
"He tried to leave," Hunk shrugged.
"What's going on Keith?" Allura asked him.
Pidge worked with the communications console, trying to get a clearer signal.
Keith shrugged, "I have no idea. Apparently some Doom soldier thinks I know him."
"Who do you know on Doom?" Sven asked.
Keith turned to him, angry. "No one!"
"Princess, I think you better hear this!" Pidge called out excitedly.
"This is the Princess of Arus. State your name and business." She called into the microphone.
"…*crackle*…"