A Ray of Hope:
A Bonds of Love Prequel
By KittyLynne
(Please insert the I don't own Voltron and never will dang it all, unless I win the lottery disclaimer right here.)
Chapter Three: Discovery
"Princess, what in the world are you doing in here?"
The Captain of Voltron moved toward the Princess of Arus with slow, measured steps. His deep brown eyes were riveted on her face and what she liked to think of as his 'defender of the helpless' expression was in full evidence on his handsome face.
Allura's right hand lifted to toy with the strands of hair that had slipped over her shoulder as she tried to formulate a reply to his question. Her heart was still jumping within her breast, partly in relief, partly in reaction to the pilots' sudden appearance and partly at being in Keith's company without the stern presence and watchful gaze of her guardian, Coran. She felt and then quickly dismissed the absurd impulse to flee from the advancing Terran. It wasn't that she was afraid of him exactly; it was just his overwhelming masculinity that unnerved her, that was all. Remain calm, Allura. He's not interested in you as a woman; he's only duty in protecting the health and well being of a planet's leader, that's all.
But even as she repeated the familiar mantra, her subconscious was still noting the grace with which he moved and his well proportioned body. He was tall by Arusian standards, with wide shoulders tapering to a flat abdomen and lean hips. His thighs were muscular and firm looking. All in all, he had a beautiful body, built for endurance and making-what was she doing? Suddenly very aware of the risque direction her subconscious had taken, the Princess jerked her wandering glance back up to Keith's face in time to see his eyes widen in surprise. She stopped twisting her hair and crossed her arms protectively across her waist, somehow managing to not to blush while calmly meeting his inquiring gaze, her tranquil features masking the turmoil swirling within her.
She had never felt comfortable around the remarkable Captain; in fact, she often retreated behind the cloak of her title to get up the nerve to speak to him. Even the consistently chivalrous manner with which he treated her had done nothing to put her at ease, although she greatly appreciated his courtesy. When it came to matters of defense, she had no problem seeking Keith out to converse with him; if it were a personal matter, she found herself confiding in Sven or Lance. Why that was, she couldn't say, for Keith had more than proven his loyalty to Arus, and to the crown as well- not to mention the numerous kindnesses he had shown her people. Keith had done nothing whatsoever to put her on edge like this, absolutely nothing, yet she was unnaturally stilted in her behavior toward him. It wasn't his fault; it was hers. She just couldn't relax in his company, for reasons that remained a mystery to her.
He puzzled her. He fascinated her. There was something very special about him.
What is it about this man that affects me so deeply? Why can't I treat him like the others?
One thing she did know for sure; in spite of her nervousness, Allura took secret pleasure in the rare times she had Keith's undivided attention. She also liked the Terran brashness with which he addressed her and the directness of his gaze. Ripples of awareness always spread to every part of her body in reaction to the intensity in his expression whenever he looked at her.
Like now.
Her bemused gaze darted to Lieutenant Rolvaag, who remained at the open door in deference to his leader. Sven was so handsome and kind, and she always felt secure in his company. Even now, he was giving her his quick, engaging smile as if to encourage her in some way. She quickly smiled back at him, before the Captain's red-clad shoulders and chest blocked her view of his companion. She glanced up at Keith and all thoughts of the Lieutenant flew to the back of her mind. Her heart skipped a beat, and her innards quivered. He was so very close, barely two hands' widths away. If she took but a half step forward, she would be pressed up against his incredible body. She hastily lowered her gaze and stared at the Garrison insignia below his left shoulder, shyness overcoming decorum.
The Captain looked steadily down at the top of her head, arms at his sides, ebony-colored eyebrows lowered over a very solemn expression.
"How did you get in here, Princess? You do understand it's too dangerous for you to walk around the Castle, alone and unprotected, don't you? Does Coran know you're here?" His stern tone made Allura flinch, but she remained mute, her eyes lifting to look intently into his.
Keith stared into the darkening blue pools of emotion and swallowed hard.
He cursed himself for his gruffness. He had spoken without thinking, spurred on by worry-based adrenaline, and his personal feelings. The Princess was damned appealing; what guy in his right mind wouldn't be enamored of her? Why did she have to have such incredible eyes, anyway? Why did her mouth have to look so kissable? And why in the name of all that was fair and just, did she have to be a princess?
Now that he was this close to her, he was amazed at how small she truly was; he guessed her regal bearing had made her seem taller to him, in actuality, the top of her head barely reached his chin. He found he rather liked that fact, and a distant corner of his mind took note that she was the perfect height to fit into the curve of his shoulder. That fact, coupled with the view of her delicate frame sent a surge of protectiveness mixed with admiration rocketing through him. She was exquisite and fragile looking, but stronger in spirit than any woman he had ever known.
Gradually Keith became aware of the warmth of her body, and realized he was standing much closer to Allura than good manners allowed. Their eyes locked and he had to stifle a groan of frustration at the sensual thoughts that raced through his mind. If he had any sense at all, he'd back off right now and let Sven handle this matter with levelheaded Norske charm. He fiercely willed his feet to move out of the realm of temptation.
Nothing happened. Evidently, his body had lost connection with his brain, because he remained where he was and so did the Princess, both of them acutely aware of the strange undercurrents that flowed between them.
Allura stared at Keith, and noticed for the first time that his nostrils tended to flare when he was troubled. Her head slowly tipped back and her lips parted slightly as if to speak, but the words would not come. He looks like there's something on his mind, no- I can feel it; his conflict and worry...
It was strange; for a moment Allura was sure she had connected with Keith and could sense his emotional state, that her innate inner sight had succeeded in perceiving an immense but unresolved passion beneath the stoic facade of the Alliance pilot. Her expression softened at the discovery and her eyes sparkled with a strange luminosity as her gaze roamed over Keith's darkly handsome features. The urge to reach up and tenderly stroke one of the two glossy tendrils of hair that lay in front of his ears grew stronger, and she interlaced her fingers to deny herself the forbidden treat. However, her expression revealed all as she watched him.
One of his black eyebrows quirked upwards, and a small smile touched the Captain's lips. He looked as if he was experiencing something that pleased him immensely. "Princess?"
His voice had softened, and his expression now held unexpected warmth. His glowing dark eyes were rapidly melting her resolve to stay aloof.
"Yes Keith?" she said on a breath, her hands quickly unclasping in response to the warmth and preparing to reach out to him-
"Ahem, I'm still here," A male voice interjected from the open doorway.
The spell was broken. Keith hastily dropped his arms to his sides and stepped backwards, prudently putting some extra breathing space between him and temptation.
"Although I'd be happy to leave, if anyone asks," Sven continued daringly, though he was certain that no one was listening. Judging by the enraptured looks the Princess and Captain we exchanging, he supposed he had better get used to that feeling.
"Uh... Princess, are you, um, going to answer me?" Keith forced himself to drop his soft smile in favor of a carefully guarded expression.
Allura was jolted back to reality, to the fact that she had been brazenly gawking at Keith, practically inviting him to take her in his arms. She had almost made a fool of herself, all because of some silly attraction she had to the Black Lion pilot. She absolutely had to get control of herself and her hormones before he noticed the effect he had on her.
It's way too late …with the way you've been staring at him, he has to have sensed that you're attracted! An inner voice berated her. Allura blushed, and the tip of her tongue came out to moisten her lips.
Keith's eyes followed the nervous movement for a moment, his expression bland, but with a flicker of untamed emotion in the depths of his eyes. He was fighting a battle with his principles and barely holding his own. When the Princess had looked into his eyes, he had seen the truth of what Sven had been trying to tell him shining in their azure depths. She was attracted to him! The amazing discovery had sparked the wild impulse to grab her and lay a huge one on her luscious lips, regardless of the cost to his peace of mind.
This lapse of discipline did not bode well for any future encounters with the beautiful, virginal Princess.
I can't let it distract me from our mission. He reasoned. Saving Arus comes before my personal life. Besides, it's against regulations, and the Garrison would have fits. Allura must be thinking the same way...yes, I can see her tensing up; she's got to be realizing what almost happened and hopefully, why it shouldn't.
He should have been relieved that he was making the appropriate decision; instead, he felt incredibly cheated so he allowed himself one sweeping perusal of her body. He noticed with mild surprise that the normally well kept pink pantsuit had numerous splotches of dirt and that there were numerous scuffs on her white boots. From the bedroom's appearance and her own, it looked like she had been spending some major time on her hands and knees, doing clean-up duty. Funny how he hadn't noticed her disheveled appearance before...
His eyes traveled back up to the anxious blue eyes and slightly parted lips, and it dawned on him that they had given her a bad fright. He should have at least asked how she was; what was wrong with him? All he could think of when he first saw her was that she shouldn't be there, that there had been no one around to protect her, and if something had happened to her, he'd never forgive himself!
In that moment, he'd made a silent vow to himself that he'd always keep her protected, even if it meant having to see to her security personally. Even so, she did need to realize that although she could count on the Voltron Force to defend her, she shouldn't be taking needless risks and he opened his mouth to tell her just that.
"I came through the hidden passageway," the Princess said suddenly, sidetracking him from the intended lecture.
"Hidden passageway?" He echoed in bewilderment.
"Ja da, of course! That's not a surprise, really; when you think about it, every castle in history has had its secrets, " Sven spoke, while coming forward.
He walked straight past Keith and Allura, to the spot adjacent to the marble fireplace. He studied the area for a moment, and then pushed on what appeared to be a solid rock wall to the left of the mantelpiece. A narrow door, just big enough for one person to slip through, noiselessly swung inward, revealing a darkened portal. The light from the room penetrated the dark, and the top of a stone staircase could be seen.
"Wow," Keith breathed, impressed. He followed the Princess over to where Sven was standing.
"This was put in for security; in case Mother and Father needed to escape an intruder or an attack of some sort," Allura informed them, "it leads down to the shelter in the cellar, and also to the crypt where my Father now rests."
"They wouldn't have to take the risk of exiting through the hallway, and if an intruder did get this far, it would look like the room was empty," Sven stated, and the Princess nodded in agreement.
Keith studied the opening and then remarked thoughtfully, "So this is how you got into the wing without us noticing you." His eyes turned to her for a response.
She nodded again. "Yes, Coran knows about the passageway, but he doesn't know I am here, right now. Or for that matter, that I have continued to visit this place for purely sentimental reasons after he forbade me to."
A guilty flush appeared on her cheeks, as she visibly braced herself for a well-deserved sermon on reckless behavior. She chanced a look at Keith, and was taken aback to see that his face had relaxed, and his eyes held only warmth and compassion.
"I'm impressed, Princess. You've done a great job - especially if it looked anything close to the other rooms we saw in this wing!"
He gave her a shy grin, which prompted an answering smile from her that was filled with relief and exultation. He's not going to scold me! He understands! "It's taken me a good month, actually. Coran helped me to begin with, but only in regards to the things we removed that were of strategic or monetary value." Her smile slowly faded away as she added, "I couldn't bear to see a part of my parent's lives reduced to dust like everything else around us. I decided to clean it as a way to show them my resolve to make certain that, like this room, Arus will rise from the ruins, stronger and even more beautiful than before!"
She turned away from the two men, not wanting them to see the tears that all too easily welled in her eyes, lest they think of her as weak and overly sentimental.
Both pilots were quick to move to her side. Sven boldly reached out to take her hand in both of his. His hands were gentle and comforting, and she sent him a swimming but hopeful gaze, grateful for the gracious expression of sympathy. "Princess, we will help you attain this goal. Zarkon will never prevail!" He gave her hand a warm squeeze before releasing it.
"Sven's right- we're with you all the way, Princess! We're here to help, for as long as you and Arus need us!" Keith vowed, determination shining in his eyes. He hadn't put a protective arm around her, but the compassion and warmth of his words had exactly the same effect.
She smiled tremulously at both men. "Thank you, you don't know how good it is to know that someone understands how I feel and that I'm not all alone anymore."
Keith was quick to respond. "You are definitely not alone, Allura, and you never will be again if I have anything to say about it!" Too late he realized his slip, and he could feel his cheeks burning as he stared helplessly at the Princess. Mercifully she seemed not to have caught on to the hidden feeling driving his rash words, and merely bestowed a radiant smile upon him.
"Thank you, you are very kind."
Keith shrugged as he gave her a quick, embarrassed smile- and then reluctantly met Sven's shrewd gaze over the top of the Princess' golden head. He wasn't at all surprised to see the telltale sparkle of mischief in his friend's clear blue eyes. Of course the double meaning in his statement would not have escaped the notice of the worldly Lieutenant as it had the innocent Princess –well…at least it had for now! Allura had proven on several occasions to have a well developed intuition. Couple that with her excellent grasp of what made people tick, and add the time necessary to mull over his remark, it was very likely she would begin to realize that he cared far more about her as a person than a soldier- for -hire should-
"So what's the story behind the tapestry over there?" He blurted into the silence, hoping to divert her attention to a less treacherous topic.
"It's a family heirloom; one that's very dear to me," she replied, gazing fondly at the vibrantly colored hanging that stood out like a beacon against the dingy stone wall.
"Seems to me there are a lot of things in here that you'd like to have-" Keith broke off as his sharp sense of hearing detected Sven's soft chuckle. He shot a fiery-eyed glare at his friend, and then continued, "I think it's fantastic you have restored their room like this, but I also think they'd prefer you take the objects that mean most to you to a place where you can enjoy them in safety. They wouldn't want you risking your life for the past. The future- that's a different story."
"I agree, Princess. It's your memories of them that are important, not material things." Sven said gently.
The two pilots held their breaths. Had they overstepped their boundaries? This was an intensely personal matter, even if it did involve the Princess' security, which technically did fall into their territory.
Keith spoke again, throwing caution to the wind. "I think restoring this room was a type of therapy for you, a way to show yourself you could do it alone, against all odds. Now that we are here to assist you, and we are working together, I'll- I mean, we'll need you with us more than ever. If you put as much of your determination into reaching out to your people as you have this room, we've got it made!"
Sven looked at his friend in astonishment. If he didn't know better, he'd swear his leader had studied the art of diplomacy- or the psychology of a woman's mind, because what he had said had hit the bulls-eye.
Allura had squared her shoulders and was looking at Keith with something akin to joy. "You're right Commander. Absolutely right! Would you help me choose just a few small mementos?"
"We'd be very glad to help!" Keith told her in a hearty voice. "Wouldn't we, Sven?"
"Ja, of course we would!"
The Princess grinned at the two Lion pilots. "Thank you." Her grin took on a rueful edge. "Just be prepared to get dirty- I didn't have a ladder so I couldn't give the higher shelves a decent dusting."
The Norwegian grinned back. "Lance is much better at getting dirty than I am, but I promise I'll do my-UFF DA!" Sven bellowed in pain as Keith purposely trod upon his foot-the one the Captain knew very well Sven had severely bruised in their last battle.
"I'm sorry, guess I wasn't paying attention." Keith said. His tone was apologetic but his eyes snapped a warning.
"No problem." The Lieutenant grimaced as he flexed the abused foot. "Guess I should thank you for demonstrating what happens when I don't 'watch my step'."
Allura giggled. Keith gave a nonchalant snort of amusement, but Sven still didn't miss the burning intensity in his friend's gaze as it lingered upon the Princess' face and then lowered to sweep over her sweetly curved form.
Sven sighed in exasperation, and then grinned to himself as an idea suddenly popped into his mind. "I am going to find a container- you two can start packing." He blithely informed his companions, and then limped toward the door, enjoying the sensation of furious dark eyes boring a hole into his back. You glare at me now, but you'll thank me later, my friend.
After Sven had made his exit, the Captain continued to fret. Just who does he think is in charge? That's twice in ten minutes he's shanghaied my authority!
"Captain? Is something wrong?"
Keith turned to look at Allura and his indignation dissolved under her warm-eyed regard. "Oh no, nothing's wrong. I was just thinking." He forced an unconcerned smile, which quickly faded as it finally dawned on him what his friend had just done to him.
Sven wasn't trying to usurp authority- he was trying to play cupid!
Thanks to the crafty Norseman, Keith was now alone with the girl of his dreams.
With no steely eyed guardian in attendance.
In a bedroom fit for a king.
With an oversized, fully functional bed.
God help him.
To be continued….