Hi!

Bell!  It's great to see you back…I'm glad you picked up on the passion of that scene.

RedLion2, Anony, Craze, R-Krulle, D.G. and everyone else ~ Thank you so much for you reviews!

Enjoy,

Failte

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{{  "I can't believe Koran would behave like that," Becca said.

"You can't really blame him," Keith explained.  "Allura was the last of her line and it had always been assumed that she would marry royalty.  As far as Koran knew, she just had a crush on me, he couldn't allow her to throw away hundreds of years of tradition for that."

"Don't defend him," Allura huffed.  "I knew what I felt and what I wanted, but everyone else thought I was too young to be able to think for myself."

"That's not true, we were just trying to figure out what was best for you and Arus."

Allura got on her knees and faced her husband, "You were just as bad as Koran!  You kept telling me we couldn't be together, you just gave up!"

"I didn't give up!" Keith sat up and turned to face her.  "I was just trying to do what was right, if we couldn't be together I didn't see why we had to torture ourselves by pretending otherwise."

"You should have known that if it was meant to be, we would find a way around the law, Lance knew that."

"Yeah, well, I was always more bold than Keith," Lance spoke up.  "And I never really stuck to the code of honor crap that he was into."

"I can vouch for that," Darcy mumbled.

"And I just got sick of the two of you whining and walking around complaining about how you can't be together," Lance added.

"But in the time that I've been here, I've gotten to know Koran and I just can't believe he would do that," Becca said.

"Well, he has mellowed with age," Keith told her.

Allura nodded, "And things have changed since then.  I officially became Queen, I tend to use my Prince Consort in an advisory position, and we do have a Cabinet now."

Becca covered her mouth as she yawned, "What happened?"

"Things were quiet for a while," Lance said.  "Kadmus arrived two days after Zarkon died to go over the castle…}}

Allura stood with Koran and Keith in Castle Control watching as Kadmus' ship entered Arusian airspace.  Koran's letter had reached the old wizard the day before and Kadmus had agreed to arrive as soon as possible.

An awkward silence hung around them as they watched the radar screen.  Every since she had spoken to Koran about the law, things had been different between them.  Allura wasn't quite sure how to behave around him, she was angry and hurt, but she knew that she still needed him. 

Koran made a point to stand between the Princess and the Captain.  He had spoken to Nanny and the two of them made sure that Keith and Allura were never alone for long.  It was wearing on the Captain, he noticed.  Keith had thrown himself entirely into his work, avoiding any free time with the Princess and his teammates.  Koran knew Keith had submitted a request for a transfer with the Garrison, but he hadn't told Allura.

The door slid open and Lance wandered in, "How's it going?"

"He should be landing any moment now," Keith told him.  "Where are Hunk and Pidge?"

"They're going over Blue."

Allura looked up at him, "Did they find the problem?"

Lance shook his head, "Hunk thinks it might just be a misfiring cylinder."

"Come along, Your Highness," Koran interrupted.  "Let's go meet him on the tarmac."

Allura gathered her skirt and quietly followed him from the room.


"So who is this guy?"  Lance whispered to Keith.

"He's a wizard who Allura thinks can help us find out how Haggar got into the castle and how we can stop her from doing it again," he explained.

"A wizard," Lance muttered.  "This all seems a little too weird."

"Hey," Keith grabbed his arm.  "Show some respect, he was a good friend of King Alfor's."

Lance scowled, "Give me some credit, Keith, I know how to behave."

The two men joined Allura and Koran on the side of the tarmac.  Allura instinctively took a step closer to Keith and away from Koran.  They had both started finding ways to unconsciously be closer, whether Keith was moving his chair closer to hers at the dinner table or Allura walking beside him rather than in front of him.  Neither of them had noticed these little idiosyncrasies, but everyone else sure had.

A small transport ship touched down and Allura stepped forward nervously as the door slid open and a walkway extended.  A small, stooped figure wearing a long, dark green hooded cloak and leaning heavily on a tall wooden staff shuffled down the walkway. 

Allura smiled and crossed the tarmac to curtsey before the man, "Kadmus, thank you so much for coming."

A gnarled brown hand slipped from beneath the sleeve of the cloak and clutched Allura's, "Your Highness, it is a pleasure.  I am so glad to be of service to you and your people."  His voice was high pitched and scratchy and while he didn't speak loudly, his words carried across the tarmac clearly.

Kadmus slipped his arm through Allura's and allowed her to lead him to the others.  "Kadmus, you remember Koran, my advisor."

Koran bowed deeply, "Kadmus, it is so good to see you again."

"And you, Koran."

Alllura turned to the other two men, "And this is Captain Keith Whitaker, Commander of the Voltron Force, and Lieutenant Lance Collier, Second-in-Command of the Voltron Force."

Keith bowed and took the brown hand Kadmus offered.  His grip was surprisingly strong and while his hand was cold, a strong warmth spread through Keith at their contact.  Kadmus lifted his head and Keith could see the creased brown face of the ancient man, his eyes were dark, but kind, and his expression was determined and strong.

"It's an honor, sir," Keith said.

"It is an honor for me, Captain," Kadmus smiled, his eyes completely disappearing in the wrinkles of his face.

Lance accepted the hand Kadmus offered, "Nice to meet you, sir."

"And you, Lieutenant."

"I can show you to your room, Kadmus," Allura offered.  "I'm sure you would like to rest."

"Actually, Your Highness, I would like to examine the castle now, get a feel for it."

"I understand, I will find an escort for you."

"That's unnecessary."

"With all due respect, sir, I think it would be easier if you had an escort, at least for now.  I wouldn't want you to be disturbed by guards who didn't recognize you."

Kadmus looked up at her with his eye disappearing smile, "I appreciate that, Your Highness."  He turned to Koran, "Maybe you would like to escort me?"

"Of course," Koran offered him his arm.

"So that's what a wizard looks like," Lance said as soon as the door closed behind Kadmus and Koran.

"Don't let his size fool you," Allura turned to face them.  "He is a very powerful wizard."

Keith and Lance exchanged a skeptical look.

"What, uh," Keith rubbed the back of his neck.  "What exactly are you hoping to get from this Allura?"

"Kadmus will examine the castle and he will be able to tell us where magic may have been, where Haggar might have entered.  Then, hopefully, he'll be able to help us secure the castle from any future break-ins."  She explained.

Lance shrugged, "I'll believe it when I see it."

Keith rolled his eyes, "Go man Castle Control, Lance."

With a quick salute, Lance sauntered back into the castle.

"How're you holding up?"  He asked Allura.

"I'm fine."

Her bruises were starting to fade into a yellowish-brown color and she hadn't allowed her headaches to keep her down.  Keith studied her worriedly, she seemed to be feeling better, but he also knew she would rather die than admit to any weakness.

She smiled at him, "Really, I'm fine."

"Your bruises are fading," he commenting, tracing his fingertip down her cheek.

"Good, I'll stop scaring the children."

He flashed a half-hearted smile, "You're beautiful."

Allura felt her knees go weak and was afraid she was going to collapse right there on the tarmac.

Keith shook his head, like he was waking from a deep sleep, "Sorry."

"Don't be."

"I'm not sorry I said it, I'm sorry that we're once again in an awkward situation and it's my fault."

"Yeah, well, I'm sick of these awkward situations," she took a step closer.

"So am I."

"We could just throw caution to the wind and be open with our feelings," she boldly leaned closer.

"And raise our hopes for something that can never be?"

Allura sighed deeply and took a step back, "Way to ruin the moment, Keith."

"We need to talk, Allura."

"I don't like the sound of this."

"I've been trying to come up with a good time to tell you this and I don't think Koran or Nanny is about to burst in on us."

A frightening chill raced down Allura's spine, "What is it, Keith?"

He let out a breath and looked around, seeing soldiers, pilots, and mechanics milling about.  "Let's go for a walk."

Keith waited until they had cleared the tarmac and were nearing the garden before he spoke.  "I've been doing a lot of thinking and I have come to a decision."

Allura kept silent, afraid to speak.

He clasped his hands behind his back as they meandered through the narrow path of the garden, "This is very hard for me, so I'll just come out and say it.  I put in for a transfer."

"What?"  Allura whispered.

He swallowed and found it hard to repeat himself.  "I, uh, I wrote to the Garrison and, um, I requested a transfer," his voice wavered.

Allura pursed her lips and turned from him.  She kept her back to him, but he could tell by the way her shoulders were heaving that she was taking deep breaths, trying to keep control.

"It'll be alright, Allura, I'm sure they'll move Lance up to Commander and he'll do a great job.  When I get my orders, I should have enough time to train him with Black.  And with Zarkon dead, the threat is not nearly as bad as it was…"  Keith stopped when she whirled to face him.

He had expected tears or sadness, what he got was anger.  Fury.  Rage.  He took a tentative step back.

"How could you!"  She yelled at him.  "How can you be so selfish?  So…so conceited?  How can you do this to Arus?  To the Force?  To…to me?  You are not the man I thought you were!"

"Allura…"

"We need you, Keith!"

"Allura, it's for the b…"

"I swear, Keith, if you say this is for the best or in my best interest, I will punch you!"

Keith ran his hand through his hair, feeling frustrated and ashamed.

"Why," her voice shook.  "Why are you doing this to me?"

"I have to," he whispered.

"No you don't.  Damn you!"  She whirled around and caught sight of the rose bushes.  When she spoke again, her voice was surprisingly steady.  "How could you do this to me?  You're here for nearly two years, we forge a deep friendship, I have come to rely on you both as a friend and for your advice in protecting my planet.  I have never…" She stopped and swallowed hard around the lump in her throat, "I have never tried to hide my feelings for you, I think you know exactly how I feel."

Keith laid his hand on her shoulder and forced her to turn and face him, "And I have tried to be honest with you and look where it has gotten us."

"I don't think I can do this without you," she admitted.

At a loss as to what to do or say, Keith did the one thing he knew was wrong.  He pulled her tight against him and wrapped his arms around her. 

"Yes you can," he whispered.  "You were doing it before I came and you will be able to do it after I'm gone."

"My planet was in ruins before you guys arrived," she mumbled into his chest.

"No, you had managed to keep your people together.  The rest of the Force will still be here and you will have Voltron.  You and Arus will be fine."  He felt her shake in his arms and it took every ounce of self control he had to control his own emotions.

"Arus might be, I don't know about me, though."

"Allura," he took her by the shoulders and pulled her back so he could look down at her.  "If I thought for one second that…that things could be different between us, I would stay.  All I know is that my being here is just too much for me.  I have taken your feelings into consideration, really I have, you're all I've been thinking about.  I need you to realize that this…this is killing me."

She pursed her lips and nodded slowly, "What if…what if we find a way around this law?"

"I don't see how."

Allura wiped her eyes on her sleeve, "I realize why you're doing this, I don't agree with it, but I understand.  I'm not ready to give up."

"I'm not giving up, Allura, I'm being reasonable."

"Well, maybe you need to stop being so reasonable."

Keith gently cupped her cheek and wiped a tear away with the pad of his thumb, "I'm at my wit's end, Allura."

"So am I."

"Princess!"

Allura closed her eyes and choked on a sob at the sound of Nanny's voice.

"Dammit," Keith whispered.

"What is going on here?"  Nanny demanded as she hurried towards them.

"Not now, Nanny," Allura replied.

"You will not talk to me like that, young lady."

"Captain, Lt. Collier is looking for you."

Keith gave Allura a weak smile and squeezed her shoulder, "I'll find you later."

Allura watched as Keith jogged back to the castle.

"Oh, Princess, you're crying, what happened?"  Nanny's voice softened.  "Did he upset you?"

Allura buried her face in her hands and sobbed, unable to respond.

"Oh, my poor baby, what is it?  What's wrong?  It's not like you to cry like this.  Come here," Nanny folded the young woman in her arms.  "Tell me what's wrong."

"H-he's l-leaving," Allura sobbed into her old governess' shoulder.

Nanny nodded sympathetically and patted her back, "It'll be alright, Princess, you will still have Voltron, Arus is safe."

Allura pushed Nanny away, "You don't understand!"

The older woman watched as the Princess sobbed uncontrollably into her hands.

"You really do love him, don't you?"  Nanny whispered.

Allura nodded.

"Does he love you?"

She nodded again.

"Then why is he leaving?"

Allura wiped her eyes with her hands, "There is an Arusian law that says if I marry a commoner I have to give up my throne and there is no one to rule in my place."

Nanny clucked her tongue and shook her head, "I can't believe that law is still in use."

With hope in her eyes, Allura looked up at Nanny, "You approve of him?"

"Well, I can't deny that I had hoped you would choose a Prince," Nanny told her.  "But the Captain is a good man and it is your happiness that's important."

"Oh thank you, Nanny," Allura hugged her tightly.  "I thought you didn't approve."

"I thought it was just a crush and that you would get over it when the right Prince came along.  But your feelings for each other are obvious.  He cares for you and has shown it many times over in the way he watches out for you.  He is smart and handsome, the only thing he is lacking is a title."

Allura felt like a huge weight was lifted off her chest.  With Nanny on her side, they might just beat this.

"Now, if you had chosen Lt. Collier, I would not approve."

A quick laugh escaped Allura's lips, "Lance is a good man, too."

"Maybe he is, but he's not good enough for you."  Nanny wrapped her arm around Allura's shoulders, "Come on, lets get you cleaned up.  I'm sure Kadmus will want to meet with you when he's done."

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"What is it, Lance?"  Keith asked when he entered Castle Control.

Lance looked up and saw the expression on Keith's face, "Whoa, are you alright, man?"

He ignored the question.  "Nanny said you wanted to see me, what is it?"

"I, uh, I just wanted to tell you that Hunk said it'll take longer to fix Blue than he thought, it's no big deal.  I didn't realize I was interrupting something.  What's wrong, Keith?"

"I guess you need to know to," Keith sighed.  "I put in for a transfer, I'm waiting to hear back from the Garrison."

Lance grabbed the edge of the console, feeling like he had just been punched in the stomach.  "You can't be serious."

"I am and it's not up for discussion.  I'm going to be in my study in case I am needed."

Lance watched Keith leave in shock.  This can not be happening, he thought.  But he realized how true it was when the door opened and Allura and Nanny walked in.  He took one look at Allura's tear stained face and knew exactly what he had interrupted.

"We're not going to let him go," Lance told her.  "This is his stupid sense of duty and code of honor.  I think it's time we let you in on what Pidge has been doing in the library."

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"Yes, the highest concentration of magical interference is here," Kadmus muttered.  He was standing beside a large window in Allura's study.  It was on the second floor of the castle over looking the meadow.

"You think they came in here?"  Koran asked.

"Mm hmm," Kadmus ran a hand over the window.  "Haggar is angry.  Zarkon's death has upset her greatly, there will be payback."

"What can we do?"

"There are wards I can put around windows and doorways that will make it difficult for her to enter."  Kadmus murmured under his breath and waved his hands over the window.  The glass glowed a bright blue before returning to normal.  "Tell me about the Captain."

"What?"  Koran asked, startled.

"The Captain," Kadmus turned and left the room, crossing to the door to Keith's office.  "The power is strong here too.  They were looking for the Princess when they entered the castle and when they didn't find her in her study, they immediately thought to check the Captain's.  Is he a good man?"

"Who?"  Koran was finding it hard to keep up with Kadmus' train of thought.


"The Captain," he pressed the button with his gnarled hand and watched the door to Keith's office slid open.  "Yes, they were here.  Is the Captain a good man?"

"Yes he is.  He is a good leader and has an amazing analytical mind when it comes to military tactics."

"So he does his job well, that wasn't my question.  I see Haggar is still quite full of anger, but I feel another anger in here, Lotor, the Prince, he is very upset.  He thinks he is in love with the Princess, well, he is in his own way, but he knows she doesn't love him.  He was here and he left behind feelings of anger, frustration and jealousy.  Is the Captain a good man?"

"What…yes, I suppose he is," Koran sighed.

"Lotor is jealous of the Captain, as much as he may love the Princess he hates the Captain even more."

"What are you doing?"

Kadmus stood in the center of the room and closed his eyes, "The Princess' study was full of feelings of frustration and obsession.  This room is full of anger and hatred.  Emotions and feelings stay in rooms, they are soaked into the walls and they will start to affect the people who live within those walls.  We need to purge the castle of the feelings left behind by Lotor and Haggar, if we don't they will serve as openings for them to walk right in."

Keith was not in the mood to see or talk to anyone at the moment and when he got to his study and found Kadmus and Koran, he felt a surge of irritation and anger.

"We are almost done here, Captain," Kadmus said without opening his eyes.

"What are you doing?"  Keith asked.

"We are retracing the steps Haggar took when she entered the castle."

"What have you discovered?"

"They entered through the Princess' study and came in here, I feel their presence."

Keith felt a chill at the thought of how close they had come to Allura.


"Don't worry, Captain, I am doing everything in my power to protect her."  Kadmus opened his eyes and turned to face Keith.  "I will be back with the necessary potions to cleanse your office."

Keith furrowed his brow in confusion, "What?"

Kadmus smiled, "Trust me.  Koran, show me where the Princess was taken."

"Of course, follow me," Koran started from the room.

Kadmus paused as he passed Keith, "Running away is never the answer, Captain.  You only win when you fight for what is right."

Keith watched as the old man shuffled slowly down the hall, fighting back the urge to call after him and ask him to explain himself.