Allura didn't bother to lift her head when she heard the door open. She didn't know how long she had been shackled to the wall. At first, Lotor made sure she had water and some kind of oatmeal type gruel. As she continued to be insolent, he took away the food and then the water. She no longer had feeling in her arms or shoulders, her back ached terribly, and her knees sagged under her weight. Her head throbbed and dizziness made the room swim around her.

Every so often, Lotor would come in to taunt and tease her. This time he came in to tell her that they had not heard from the Voltron Force, they had given her up for dead.

Allura dragged her dry tongue across her dry lips, feeling them scrap painfully together. "I don't believe you," her voice was barely a dry whisper.

Lotor caressed her cheek, noticing how she no longer flinched at his touch. "I don't care if you believe me or not, your precious Captain Keith has no idea where you are, he is not coming."

Allura raised her eyes to glare at him.

"Oh, I've heard you cry out for him in your sleep. Even if I could not have you, I would never let a worthless pilot have you."

"He is ten times the man you are," she whispered.

She grunted as his fist came in contact with her stomach.

"Don't make me do that, Princess. I've tried to be nice to you, I've treated you with respect, but that got me nowhere. I will break you, you will be mine."

"I would sooner die."

Lotor grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her head painfully back, "Be careful what you wish for."

Reaching deep into her waning strength, Allura curled her lip in disgust, "You sicken me."

"Do I?" He gripped her chin in with his hand, mashing his lips against hers. With his other hand, Lotor ran his hand down her side and then up over her breasts. The look of fear and revulsion in her eyes only deepened his desire for her. Right now, he could take her in every way he ever dreamed. This could be it, his turn, he could have her. The excitement had him licking his lips and raking his gaze up and down her body, ignoring the dirty, torn flight suit and the various bruises she had sustained. In his mind's eye, she was clean and beautiful, wanting him as much as he wanted her.

Allura felt the bile rise in her throat and she fought to keep it down.

He dropped her chin and used both hands to stroke her body. His fingers felt her firm body and imagined she was enjoying this as much as he was.

Lotor jumped back as Allura heaved painfully and watery vomit shot from her mouth. He watched, disgusted, as the Princess dry heaved. "Is this what you want, Princess? To be chained to the wall, sick and filthy? I can have you cleaned and feeling better within moments."

Allura let her head lull to the side. She felt terrible and disgusting. All she wanted was a long hot bath, to get out and wrap herself in her thick robe, and curl up in her bed. For a moment, she considered Lotor's offer, but she also knew he would take it to mean something more. Keith would come for her. But did she really want Keith to see her like this? She shook her head.

"No?" Lotor sounded surprised. "You are more stubborn than I had thought. Well, think about it. I can have you cleaned up and healed, fed and watered, and given clean clothing. A warm, dry bed. You have been her for almost four days, Princess, did you realize that?"

Allura didn't respond.

"Four days, in all the time that the Voltron Force has been on Arus, has it ever taken them this long to find you? No? Because they've given you up for dead."

Allura took in what he said. Was he right? She had no way of telling how much time had passed. Where were they? She was so tired and dizzy and weak. Maybe…maybe it would be a good idea to let Lotor take her down. Maybe she would be able to find a way to contact Castle Control.

Without a sound, Allura slowly nodded her head.

"Does that mean you want to get out of here?"

She nodded again.

"So be it," Lotor spun around and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Keith stood in the shower, his arms braced against the wall, hot water rained down over his skin. It had been four days and they still hadn't found her. He was slowly going out of his mind with worry. Where was she? They were keeping up a constant watch over the board, waiting for any signal from her. The Garrison had been sending patrols out to search, but they hadn't found anything. There had been a couple of false leads, but nothing that helped.

He lifted his head up, the water rushing over his face. Over the past four days, he had had a total of about five hours of sleep, caught in snatches and naps. He was surviving solely on coffee and a bite here or there of the sandwiches that Nanny forced on him. It all seemed to get in the way, sleeping, eating, everything else was getting in the way of finding her.

Wrenching the knob to the right, Keith stepped out of the shower and began to dry off. He brushed his hair back, noticing his need to shave, when his communicator went off.

"Whitaker."

"We got a signal, Keith!" Pidge shouted excitedly.

"Where?"

"It's coming from the Walerin Galaxy."

Keith pulled his shirt over his head, "I'll be right there."

When he reached Castle Control, Pidge and Koran stood over the console. The only sound was the faint beeping coming from the radar.

"What have you found?"

Pidge looked up at the Captain and smiled softly, "It's faint, but it's a signal from Blue."

"You're sure?"

"Positive."

"Walerin, that's, uh, nearly two days away."

Pidge nodded.

"What are we waiting for? Sound the alarms, I want us in the air within five minutes!"

"Yes, sir."

As he had expected, Sven ran into Castle Control with the others. Keith hurried over to him, "Sven I have a huge favor to ask you."

"Vhat can I do?"

"I need you to go with us. I don't know if Allura will be up to flying Blue and we need to get her back."

Sven nodded.

"Go ahead and tell Romelle, but come right back, we're going to be in the air in four minutes."

"No problem, Keit."

Two guards entered Allura's cell and removed the shackles from her wrists. She immediately pitched forward, too weak to support her own weight. One of the men carefully lifted her and carried her into a beautifully decorated room and laid her on a plush four-poster bed. She was in and out of consciousness, too weak and tired at this point to care what happened.

Women, probably from Lotor's harem, came in to bathe and dress her. Her wounds were cleaned and bandaged, her dislocated shoulder was set, and she was tucked into the bed.

Hours later, Allura woke with a start, startled by her surroundings. A light was on low and she took in the room around her. It was done all in deep maroons and golds, giving it a warm, homey feel. Using her uninjured arm, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, the room spinning around her as dizziness swept over her. She hadn't had a thing to eat or drink in days and it left her weak.

A shuffling noise caught her attention and she turned her head to discover the source. "Who's there?" Her voice was dry.

"You're awake," came the reply. A small woman, not much older than Allura herself, stepped over from where she had been sitting on a small seat in the corner. "His Excellency told me to stay with you and alert him when you woke."

"What's going on?" Allura brought her hand up to her throbbing head and tried to force down the feelings of nausea that arose.

"His Excellency ordered you brought here, to be cleaned up."

Allura looked down at the gown she wore, it was a warm, cotton night gown that covered her from throat to ankles. "Who…"

"We did, Ma'am. Don't worry, His Excellency didn't want to honor you with his presence until you were feeling better."

"Honor?" Allura asked sarcastically.

The young woman nodded. She was smaller than Allura, maybe even younger, her hair was dark brown and hung limply around her face. Her eyes were a dull brown as she studied the Princess and her stance was one of submission. She wrung her hands and kept her head low, only raising her eyes.

"Would you like something to eat or drink, Ma'am?"

Allura was going to turn her down, but her stomach rumbled loudly.

"I will bring you broth and tea. It's important for you to build up your strength." The girl shuffled from the room.

As soon as the door slid shut, Allura pushed the covers back and got to her feet. Her entire body was sore and tired. Her right arm was in a sling to immobilize her shoulder and her head throbbed and spun. Pushing all that aside, she crept to the door. There was no handle and she felt the smooth metal, trying to find a latch. Finally, she found a keypad, but it continually denied her access. With a groan of frustration, she shuffled around the room, looking for more lights to turn on and to try and familiarize herself with her surroundings.

It was a small, single room with the elaborate bed, a small bedside table, and the chair the girl had been sitting on. That was it. No window and only one door. Allura sat on the edge of the bed and bit her lip to stop it from trembling. Where was Keith? Lotor had said it had been four days, and that was before she had fallen asleep. How long had she been here? Where was here? Where was Keith? What if he didn't come? What if Lotor was right? Did they really think she was dead? In two years, the longest that Lotor had ever had her was eight hours. What was taking so long now?

The door slid open and the girl walked in, carrying a tray, followed by two guards. There went Allura's fleeting thought of over taking the girl.

"You shouldn't be up," the girl said, setting the tray on the table. "Lay down, you're still weak."

Allura complied, too tired and scared to so anything else. She sat up against the headboard, supported by the pillows.

"This is just broth and tea, it isn't much, but when you're feeling better, we'll bring you more food."

Allura looked down at the stone bowl of golden liquid and the cup of greenish tea. Her stomach rumbled and her mouth watered. She craved nourishment.

The girl watched eagerly as Allura devoured the sparse meal.

"Now rest. If you need anything, the guards will be just outside the door," the girl cleared away the tray. "I will be back to check on you."

"Wait," Allura yawned. "You're leaving me alone?"

"You're safe."

"Who are you?"

"Nadia."

Allura nodded slowly and felt her eyelids grow heavier, "Where am I."

"You're safe," the girl repeated.

"How far out are we?" Keith asked, checking his navigation computer.

"About twenty hours," Pidge replied.

"What's the plan?" Lance asked.

"We get Allura back. I don't care what we have to do, just get her out alive."

"The signal is getting stronger," Hunk commented.

"Are ve sure she is still vith Blue?" Sven asked.

Keith shrugged, "It's all we have to go on, right now, Sven. Let's hope so. Are you sure you're up for flying?"

"Vhatever it takes to get her back, Keit."

Allura sighed and smiled softly. A hand gently stroked her cheek, it was a loving touch and she reveled in it. "Keith," she murmured.

Her eyes flew open as the once loving hand came in contact with her cheek in a stinging slap.

"Lotor."

"That's the name I want to hear." The Doomian Prince smiled sweetly and went back to caressing her face.

"Don't touch me," she muttered. Her head was clouded in a thick fog and when she tried to slap his hand away from her, she realized she couldn't move. "You tied me down."

"No, my dear Princess, you are totally free," his finger traced her check and down her throat.

She blinked and found it hard to keep her eyes open, "You drugged me," she slurred.

"That is such a nasty way to put it," he purred. "I prefer to think of it as calming you down."

"Please don't" she pleaded quietly.

"Don't what?" His finger traced the throat of her nightgown.

"Don't touch me."

"Are telling me your Captain hasn't touched you?" When she didn't answer, he continued, "I find that hard to believe. You're a very beautiful woman. Maybe he has touched you, you just didn't mind as long as it was him."

A silent tear slid from her eye and into her golden hair, "Please, Lotor, don't."

"I had hoped," he said as he pushed the blanket off her still body. "That the first time I had you, you would be a more active participant."

Allura tried to push him away, but her body felt like lead. She couldn't lift her arms, kick her legs, or even turn her head. "You will pay for this."

"What? When your precious Voltron Force arrives? They don't know where you are. It has been six days, they have left you for dead. You are mine now." He lowered his face to hers, kissing her limp lips and down her cheek.

The tears flowed more freely.

He either didn't notice or didn't care that she was crying or that her arm was in a sling, or the way he was carelessly bumping her cuts and bruises.

"I originally wanted to save this for our wedding night," he continued as he slowly undid the tiny pearl buttons of her gown. "But I would come in here while you slept, you slept for a whole day, between your exhaustion and the drug, you just didn't wake. I would come in here and watch you sleep and I would think about what it would be like to sleep with you every night and wake with you every morning. And then I realized that I needed you, just to touch you."

Allura closed her eyes and tried to pretend it was Keith lovingly caressing her, unbuttoning her gown.

"Open your eyes."

When she didn't, he slapped her again, hard. "I said, open your eyes. I want you to see me."

With tears flowing, she fluttered her eyes open.

Lotor stopped undoing the buttons just above her breasts, "I've had many women. Do you know who my favorite was? Your cousin. What was her name, um, Ronnie, Romi, whatever, it's not important. Did you know she was a gift from my father? Her father had given her to us and my father gave her to me, hoping she would take my mind off you so we could concentrate on the task at hand, getting Voltron. Any way, I would call her Allura, she hated that. At first she cried, but as time went by, she stopped crying. I lost some interest in her then, I don't really know why, I guess I just liked watching her cry, call me weird, but it turned me on." He dipped his finger under her nightgown, feeling the gentle swell of her breast.

"I don't know what happened to her, she was always insolent, and then she stopped exciting me, so I had father get rid of her. I assume she's dead now."

The thought that Lotor didn't know Sven and Romelle were alive entered into Allura's foggy mind. They're safe, she thought, he doesn't know.

"Keep your eyes open," Lotor snapped again.

"I can't," she whispered.

"I told Haggar not to use too much of the drug, I wanted you awake, alert."

Allura closed her eyes, hoping he would take the hint and leave. He didn't. She could feel his fingers brush against her skin as he slowly unbuttoned her nightgown.

Please no, she thought. Make him stop, please. "Keith help me."

When Lotor heard her whisper, he slapped her face again, harder than before. "You will forget him," he hissed, slapping her again.

Lotor looked up when he heard the sounds of running feet. A hand pounded on the door.

"What is it?" He shouted.

"Please, Your Excellence, there are ships approaching," a timid voice replied.

Lotor stood and stopped briefly to look down at the half-naked woman lying on the bed, "I'll be back."

A small sigh of relief escaped Allura's mouth. She wanted to reach up and close the gown, but her arms were still useless. "Come on," she whispered. "I can do this, its mind over matter, I can do this." Using as much strength as she could muster, she was able to lift her thumb. Tears of frustration filled her eyes and slid into her hair.

"We've followed the signal to this planet," Pidge called.

"I see something," Lance shouted excitedly. "Over there, an old stone building."

"There are ships," Hunk pointed out.

Keith nodded grimly, "Let's go get her."

"What's going on?" Lotor asked Haggar.

"They've come."

"Who?"

"Voltron you fool."

Lotor snarled, "Shoot them down!"

"With what? We aren't on Doom, we don't have the weapons here that we have there. You were so confident in your hiding place that you didn't plan for attack," the witch hissed.

"What about your magic? Can't you do something?"

"I have done what I can, the rest is up to you."

Lotor whirled to the guard behind him, "Gather the men, we are about to be invaded by four men…"

"Five," Hagger interrupted.

"Fine, five men. We can defeat them. Shoot on sight and keep them away from the Princess."

From the air, the Lions shot and destroyed the ships Lotor had parked around the building. Guards fired harmlessly at the Lions, watching their lasers bounce off the giant metal cats.

"Sven, I think you should stay here with the Lions." Keith instructed as he touched down.

"I can fight, Keit."

"We can't chance you being injured again."

"How vill I get Blue?"

Keith sighed, "Fine, stay low and behind us."

While they discussed this, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge had already left their Lions and were busy fighting back the soldiers who had come to fight.

"We've got you covered, Cap!" Hunk shouted, surprised at the small number of Doom soldiers they were fighting.

Keeping low, Keith and Sven ran toward the crumbling castle. His year and a half away, did not seem to have an effect on Sven's marksmanship. He shot down three soldiers as they ran.

They found a door guarded by only two soldiers. Once inside, the two men hurried down the hall, surprising three more guards. Keith shot them down, but not before Sven was grazed on the leg and he was shot in the arm.

"Vhere do ve find her?" Sven panted.

"I don't know," Keith shot a soldier in the leg and ran over to him, training the gun on his head. "Where is the Princess?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," the guard groaned.

"Yes you do," he pressed the muzzle against his head. "Where is she?"

"My loyalties are with His Excellency and Doom."

Keith used the butt of the gun to knock the man unconscious before turning to Sven, "What do we do?"

Allura lay silently and listened to the shuffling outside. There were shots fired and men yelling.

"I'm in here," she said, her voice low. She was so tired.

"Allura!"

"Keith," she whispered. Hope sprang inside her. Was he really here?

More shots were fired, but she couldn't muster the energy to get up or respond. She slipped quietly into unconsciousness.

AN: Evil, aren't I? Well, the fact is, I am going to be out of town for the next four days, so I will not be able to update. Sorry. I will update as soon as possible, Sunday night at the earliest, Monday at the very latest.

Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews! I really do appreciate it and they really do motivate me. Thanks!

Failte