A Crown of Flowers
Chapter 2: Regaining Innocence
A Fanfiction by Nishikaze
Keith didn't come to breakfast the next morning.
"Where's Keith? He's usually the first one up," Pidge asked.
"Maybe he was sicker than we thought." Hunk said as he rubbed his eyes and let out a loud yawn.
"Why don't you guys go ahead and eat breakfast and I'll see if he's up," Allura left the room to look for Keith. She couldn't explain it but she was really worried about him. It was a weird feeling she had deep in her gut, but she couldn't help but hope it was all her imagination. When she arrived at the door of his room she knocked, but got no answer.
She knocked again, louder this time, and still there was no answer. She tried the knob. It was unlocked so she opened it carefully. Normally she wouldn't even think to enter his rooms, Nanny would have a field day about her lack of propriety, but she just couldn't shake that feeling.
"Keith? Are you awake? Keith?" Still there was no answer. She glanced about the room. The bed looked as if it had been used, the covers were strewn about the bed, but no one was sleeping there. Maybe he's in the shower, she thought but a quick glance at the open door of the bathroom proved her wrong. He could have gotten an early start in the engineering bay and just forgot about breakfast, or maybe he was in an early conference with Koran. As she began to close the door she heard a soft noise under the bed.
"Itchy, Cheddar? Did you sneak into here?" She moved towards the bed, "Come on out guys its time to go." She called.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a little voice from under the bed say, "I don' wanna!"
She ripped back the cover of the bed and looked under it, "What did you say?" She wasn't expecting what she saw there. A little boy was hiding under the bed, looking up at her with defiant eyes. He looked to be about six, with thick black hair and wide intelligent black eyes. He wore a blue night shirt that looked to be about ten sizes too big for him, like he was playing dress up in Daddy's clothes.
"I said I don' wanna," Said the little boy under the bed.
Allura was shocked, but she hid it, "Why don't you want to come out?"
"'Cause I was playing," Said the little boy.
"What were you playing?" Allura smiled as she asked, hiding her surprise in order to gain the boy's confidence.
"I was pretending I was like the mice I saw in the hall." He said, "They're funny. I've never seen a blue and pink mouse before." The little boy smiled.
"I'll bet!" She moved away as he slid out from under the bed.
He sat down next to her on the floor, "What's your name?" He asked as he looked up into her eyes. Wow he's got such lovely eyes. They look just like.... She shook the thought from her head, "My name is Allura. What's your name?"
"Keith."
~`@'~
"Would the Voltron Force please come immediately to the Med. Bay."
"What's up Koran?" Lance asked as he entered the room. Pidge and Hunk followed him. Koran and Allura were both already there. Lance noticed Allura was looking at the bed, but he couldn't see who she was looking at because Dr. Gorma was in the way, "Hey Allura did you find Keith?"
She looked up, the worried look on her face giving him a fright, "In a way...," Dr. Gorma moved away from the bed where a little boy with black hair and eyes sat. He was wearing Keith's pajama top, his legs swinging over the side of the gurney, "Lance, meet Keith."
"What?!"
"Princess what is going on?" Pidge looked from the boy to Allura and back again, "I thought I heard you introduce that little boy as Keith."
"He's Keith?!" Hunk asked.
"Apparently," Allura sighed.
"Dr. Gorma will you please explain." Koran addressed the doctor who was now standing on the other side of the bed.
"Well... I ran some simple tests already, and as far as I can tell this young man is Keith. His blood type matches and Keith has the oddest blood type I have ever seen. I'm in the process of running a D.N.A. check now. As soon as I get those results we will know for sure, however I'm almost certain that they will confirm what I've already discovered," Doctor Gorma looked confused, "I don't know how it's possible but Keith's physical development has reversed."
"What?" Hunk scratched his head.
"Keith has actually gotten younger rather that older." Dr. Gorma answered.
"Do you think it might be Haggar's work?" Pidge asked.
The doctor looked at Pidge, "I'm not so sure it is her work this time, but I will have to run a number of tests to find the cause."
"Thank you doctor, I'm sure you'll find something. In the meantime I think we should leave Keith in the care of Nanny. She is the most qualified to look after him." Koran looked the boy over, all the while the adults were talking he watched them as if... Amazing... he seems to know what we're talking about, Koran marveled.
"It gets stranger Koran."
"Tell me doctor."
"He doesn't seem to remember much of his past, he knows his name but he can't remember his parents' names or where he's from."
"Poor guy," Hunk walked over to the bed, "Hi there, my name's Hunk."
"Hi Hunk," The boy seemed to find Hunk a little strange, but after deciding he was harmless he asked, "Who's Nanny?"
Allura smiled, "Nanny is the woman who looked after me when I was a little girl."
"Is she nice?"
"Ummmm..."
Allura glared at Hunk, "Yes she is."
"O.K." The little boy made a face as his stomach growled, "I'm hungry."
Allura returned her attention to Keith, "That's right you haven't eaten yet today! Well I'll tell you what... I'll take you to the kitchen and have the cooks make something extra special for you, while I look for Nanny."
"Won't you stay and eat with me?" The boy looked up at her with hopeful eyes.
Allura looked surprised, but then smiled, "O.K. I'm kinda hungry too. Pidge, will you go find Nanny for me?"
"Sure princess!" Pidge left the room.
"Lance, Hunk, why don't you two see how the repairs are going. I will send Pidge down too as soon as he summons Nanny." Koran then turned to the doctor, "Notify me as soon as you find something."
~`@'~
"Well that was the weirdest thing I think we've ever come across." Lance mumbled. He and Hunk were walking along the catwalk that led to the elevator. The engineering bay was located far beneath the castle. There were two elevators and a special door that was big enough to allow the Lion's to enter. It could hold all five Lion's at once which was ideal because all five needed repairs.
"Yeah, poor guy," Hunk smiled, "Who'da thunk Keith made such a cute kid?"
"Yeah... I definitely noticed the way he rapped the princess around his little finger." Lance laughed. Suddenly he stopped. His smile faded.
Hunk turned to look at him, "What's wrong?"
Lance's face got pale, "Who's going to pilot Black Lion?"
~`@'~
Keith happily swung his dangling feet as he ate his blueberry pancakes with a contented hum. He was barely tall enough to reach over the table, but that didn't seem to bother him at all. He had blueberry juice around his mouth and he was still wearing the oversized pajama top. He was very polite to the kitchen maids, when they talked to him. Allura couldn't believe it. He actually looked cuter than before. She smiled.
The princess also noticed that she was not the only one to fall for the little boy's charms. The kitchen maids were practically beside themselves, cooing and giggling over the little boy every action. He didn't seem to notice the extra attention.
"These are really good!" He announced between mouthfuls.
"They are!" She smiled as she ate her own pancakes, "Keith, why did you ask me to join you?"
Keith took a drink from his milk before replying, "'Cause your nice." He looked down at his food. His smile faded. "'Lurra I'm scared."
"Why?"
"They're gonna do all sorts of things to me like poking and prodding. I don' wanna do that." He looked Alurra straight in the eyes, "What's wrong with me?" He looked about ready to burst into tears.
Allura's heart broke. "I don't know. That's what Dr. Gorma wants to find out. If it will make you feel better I'll stay with you during all of the tests, O.K.?"
Keith gave her a little smile, "K."
"There you are!" Nanny entered the room, "I heard what happened and I... Ach, it is true!" She gasped when she saw Keith sitting at the table, with blueberry juice on his face in a shirt ten sizes too big, "What on Arus is he wearing? Never mind, I think it is obvious that he is going to need clothes. And a bath. Well young man?"
"Well what?" He asked between bites.
"Well lets go, we need to find you clothes. You can't just sit there wearing that in front of the princess, now can you?"
"Princess? What princess?" He finished his pancakes and reached for the rest of his milk.
"Why princess Allura, of course!" She looked at him as if he was dense.
He looked at Allura with wide eyes, "You're a princess?!"
Allura smiled, "Yes I am," The poor boy's eyes got even wider.
"Oh Wow!" He exclaimed, then, remembering his manners he stood up on his chair seat and bowed properly. The kitchen maids nearly fainted. "Your Majesty."
This seemed to impress Nanny who addressed the little boy a little less sternly, "Come on young man. Finish your milk and let us go."
The princess watched as the boy finished his milk and meekly followed Nanny out the door. She smiled. "Will the Voltron Force please report to Castle Control." Allura quickly ran out of the room and through the halls to the control room of the Castle of Lions. As she entered the room she noticed that Koran and the others were all ready there. All except Keith. Suddenly it hit her. Keith couldn't be there, he was too young to be a Voltron Force member! He probably didn't even remember being a Voltron Force member, let alone a member of Galaxy Garrison. The realization swept through her body like burst of cold air.
From the look that was on her face Koran knew she realized why he called them all there. "Princess, we have a problem."
"I know. You were wondering who is going to pilot Black Lion." She looked at the others. Their faces were solemn.
"Yes. With Keith is in his current state it is obvious that he can not pilot or even command the Voltron Force. We don't even know what is wrong with him and I think we should assume that what ever it is, it is permanent. Keith may grow up some day, but until then he is lost to the Voltron Force."
"Koran, I think that is a hasty judgment don't you? You yourself said we don't know what is wrong with Keith, and until we do we don't know if it is permanent. I suggest you call Sven on planet Pollux. He can pilot Blue Lion."
"Princess I know what you are thinking and I don't like it," Koran responded.
"Do you have a better idea Koran? We all know that Keith was training me to use Black Lion and that I have piloted Black Lion in battle before. I am the only one standing here that can say that." She stood tall with her chin lifted and she spoke her "princess" voice. A voice that the others knew quite well. It said my mind is made up, don't challenge me.
Koran was about to protest when Lance spoke up, "I agree with her Koran."
"Lance you can't possibly be suggesting..." Koran began.
"I don't like it either Koran but she's right. She is the one most qualified to pilot Black Lion, and I don't feel its right to write Keith off yet."
Koran sighed, "Does everyone here agree?"
Pidge and Hunk both nodded their heads in agreement.
Koran walked over to the seat at the main controls and sat down, "Well if that is settled I have something else to ask of you all."
"What is it Koran?" Pidge asked him.
"Dr. Gorma wanted to know if any of you noticed anything strange with Keith lately. You were all together yesterday so you should have noticed something."
"Um, Koran," Koran turned towards the princess, "I don't know if this means anything but I noticed that Keith seemed sick last night. We all noticed." The others all nodded.
Pidge piped up, "Yeah, he was sneezing and he said he felt all 'achy' and Lance said he hadn't used that word since he was a little... Oh!"
"Do you think that maybe he was starting to become younger last night then?" Koran asked. "Can anyone tell me anything significant about yesterday, a definite time when his sickness and bizarre behavior began?"
Allura thought for a moment, "Koran, I may know what started it."
"What princess? Tell us."
"Well..."
"Stay away from me!"
~`@'~
What possibly could be going on now? Chapter 3 and 4 are on there way.
This story was first posted 5 years ago under the persona of Ssaturne, but it is still mine. Voltron however is not. Feel free to let me know what you think. Ja!