Sven hurried down the hall feeling embarrassed and foolish.  There was no reason for him to feel either way.  Everyone knew he and Romelle were together, he was more embarrassed about blushing than being caught with her.  He always walked Romelle to her room at night and sometimes, like tonight, they would spend fifteen minutes or so saying good night to each other.  A small smile flitted across his face as he thought of Romelle.  He never imagined he would meet a woman like her or that she would love him. 

Sven knew Lance was still up in Castle Control trying to figure everything out, so he decided to swing by the hospital wing and see how Keith was doing.  He was sure his old friend was going out of his mind with boredom.  Sven had just turned the corner when he heard what sounded like a blaster shot.  Grabbing his communicator, he dialed up Lance as he ran back down the hall.

"Lance!  I just heard a blaster shot, I tink it came from de Princess' room!"  Sven yelled when Lance answered.

"We're on our way, be careful, Sven."

He nodded and clipped his communicator to his belt, pulling his blaster from its holster.

"Sven?"

He looked up to see Romelle standing in her doorway.  "Stay dere!"

Of course she ignored him.  With his weapon in hand, he approached Allura's door.  "Allura?  Are you alright?  Can you hear me?"

There was no answer.

"Allura!"

Nothing.

"Stand back, Romelle," he commanded.

The door was not locked so Sven was able to slide it open, he aimed his weapon ahead of him and did a quick visual sweep of the room.  It was quite cold, the lights were on and Allura was on her knees beside the bed, clutching her head, her blaster lying on the floor beside her.

"Allura, vhat happened?"  Sven asked, entering the room and checking the bathroom and closet.  All he found was a smoking hole in a white nightgown that went through the bathroom door it was hanging on.

"Allura?"  Romelle went to her cousin, kneeling beside her.  "What happened?"

Footsteps pounded on the marble floor as Lance and Hunk raced down the hall and into the Princess' room.  They stopped in the doorway and listened to Allura speak

"I…I came in here…and it was so…so cold," her voice shook.  "I felt a, uh, a breeze run over me and, I uh, I saw a movement and I…I fired, but it was, it was just my nightgown, it, uh, I saw it move.  My head, it's…it's killing me.  Oh, it hurts."  Her hands were fisted in her hair.

Romelle soothingly rubbed her back while the guys finished sweeping the room.

"The thermostat says sixty-five degrees," Hunk told Lance.  "I don't know why it's so cold in here."

"Come on, Allura, let's get you to Dr. Gorma.  You can sleep in the hospital tonight, we'll fix the temp control in here tomorrow."  Lance offered her a hand.


As quickly as it had come, the pain was gone.  Allura looked up and saw her friends watching her worriedly and she felt like a fool.  "I'm fine," she said, her tone clipped.

"No you're not," Lance insisted.

She stood, shaking Romelle's hand from her shoulder.  "No, I'm fine.  Just feeling a little silly."

"You have nothing to feel silly about," Hunk assured her.  "You're under a lot of stress and you're tired, it's understandable that you'd be a little jumpy.  I don't understand the problem with the temp control, though."

"I tink you should go see Dr. Gorma, you can't stay in here tonight," Sven spoke up.

She shook her head, "I'm fine.  I just want to get some sleep."

"Why don't you stay in Keith's room tonight," Lance suggested.  "He isn't going to be in there for a while, the temperature will be more comfortable, and you'll be closer to us if anything should happen."

Allura looked around her room, chewing on her bottom lip.  He was right, but she hated being chased from her own room.

Hunk lifted the nightgown that was hanging on the back of the bathroom door and studied the hole, "That's some pretty fancy shooting, Princess."

She sighed, "Fine, but just for tonight."

"I'll help you," Romelle whispered.

Together they gathered another nightgown and a few toiletries.  When they left the bathroom, Sven was the only one left in the bedroom.


"Lance vent to talk to de guards, he's going to have von posted outside your door.  Hunk is going to look into fixing your temp control."  He explained.  "I'll escort you to Keit's room."

Allura nodded and followed him out the door.  Her head no longer ached, but she was feeling rather woozy.  She shook her head, chalking the feeling up to exhaustion.

"Are you okay?"  Romelle asked.

She nodded.

The three of them marched quietly down the hall into the Voltron Force wing.  Keith's room was the first one in the hall and while Allura had been there a few times over the years to speak with him, she had never been in there without him and she had certainly never slept in there.

The walls were painted white and the only things hanging on the wall were a calendar and a clock.  He had a televiewer, a desk with a computer on it, shelves stocked with manuals and books, and a large, comfy looking bed.  A big, overstuffed chair sat beside the window with a floor lamp beside it.  To most people it would look rather barren, but this room was used primarily to sleep in, he spent most of his time in his study and that was where most of his pictures and knick knacks were.

"Do you vant me stay?"  Sven asked as Allura sat on the edge of the bed.

"No, Sven, that's alright.  Thank you."

He nodded to her and winked at Romelle before taking his leave.

"Do you want me to stay?"  Romelle asked tentatively.

Allura nodded, "I don't really feel like being alone right now."

Romelle sat on the bed beside her, tucking her legs under her.  "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I feel like I'm falling apart," the Princess whispered.  "So much has been going on.  I don't know what just happened in my room, it was all…all so fast, so strange."

"What do you mean?"

"It was cold and I felt a strong draft, then the headache hit me hard and fast.  But then, it went away, I feel alright now.  I thought there was someone else in the room, I actually believed it."

"Did the draft feel like someone walking past you?"

"No, it was like a strong wind blew over me."

Romelle furrowed her brow, concerned.  "Hunk was right.  You are under a lot of stress right now, it's getting to you, it's understandable.  Maybe you should talk to Dr. Gorma."

"No, I feel fine."

"Well, then I think you should talk to someone about your strange feelings, someone may have been in your room.  Tell Keith."

Allura shook her head, "I don't want to worry him about nothing."

"Then tell Lance."

"They all have enough to tend to right now, they don't need to worry about something I imagined."

Romelle sighed, "You're being stubborn, Allura, they would want to know.  How can they protect you if…"

"Well, maybe I'm sick of being protected all the time!"  She exploded.  "I can't leave my castle, I can't sleep in my own room tonight, I'm sick of it!"  She fell back on the bed and closed her eyes.

"They care about you, Allura, they are doing what they need to do to keep you safe."

"I know.  I don't blame the guys, I blame Lotor."

Romelle sat quietly, playing with the skirt of her gown. 

"I'm sorry, Romelle, you must think I'm a horrible, selfish person…"

"No, Allura, I…"

"No, after everything you've been through, I have nothing to complain about."

Romelle blushed slightly and shrugged her shoulders, "You have the ability to fight back, and you are.  I admire you, Allura, for everything you've done and you've still come out strong."

Allura sat up and hugged her cousin, "You amaze me, Romelle."

"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?"

"No, thank you," Allura looked around the room and smiled slyly.  "It's my first time sleeping in here."

Romelle nodded slowly, a knowing smile on her lips, "Too bad Keith isn't here too."

"You are so bad," Allura laughed.  "So, uh, have you and, uh, Sven, you know?"

Romelle's face turned a brilliant shade of red, but she shook her head, "No, I'm not ready."

"And he's fine with that?"

"Oh, yes, he is the most wonderful guy.  He would never push me to do anything I wasn't comfortable doing.  Why?  Is Keith trying to force you?"

"Oh no!  Of course not.  It's just that, well, some of the princes I had met before tried to push me into doing things after I had only known them a short time, but Keith hasn't.  He's such a gentleman."

"You sound a little disappointed," Romelle teased.

"Not at all.  I don't think I'm ready yet either, but well," she stopped, her face red.

"What is it?"

"I don't know, whenever we're together I just want to touch him, you know?  Even when it's totally inappropriate, like when we're in meetings, I have the urge to grab his hand or brush the hair off his forehead."

"I know exactly what you mean."

"Do you think they feel the same way?  I mean, when we're in practice or battle, Keith treats me just like everyone else, not that I want it any other way, but underneath his tough, commander exterior, does he want to touch me too?"

Romelle looked thoughtful for a moment, "I think he does, but if he were to ever allow his feelings to get in the way of his work, it could be disastrous.  Just like if you were to allow your feelings to get in the way of your responsibilities to rule and rebuild Arus."

"I know, it's just hard sometimes.  I would love to just have a normal relationship."

"I don't think that's possible for us."

Allura laughed quietly, "True.  Has there ever been anything normal about our lives?"

Romelle tapped her finger against her lips, "Hmm, to be honest, being a princess, being sent to be a slave to one of the most horrible men alive, being tossed into a pit and then rescued by a really cute space explorer, and then being reunited with my long lost cousin is pretty normal to me."

"Okay, point proven," Allura yawned.

"I'm going to head off to bed," Romelle stood, stretching her arms above her head.  "You know where to find me if you need me."

"Thank you, Romelle.  Good night."

"Good night."

Allura stood and surveyed Keith's room.  A jacket was hanging over the back of his desk chair, that appeared to be the only thing out of place.  Her finger itched to open the desk drawers, she was curious about what he had hidden away, but she knew it was wrong.  She changed into her nightgown and turned down the bed.  His scent clung to the sheets and she turned her nose into the pillow.  Exhaustion washed over her and she curled up in a tight ball, feeling safe in his bed.

Less than an hour later, she woke, shivering.  The cold seeped into her bones and had her fingers numb.  Allura stumbled tiredly to Keith's closet and pulled it open, she found an old Tampa Bay Buccaneers sweatshirt and pulled it over her head.  It fell to her knees and her hands were hidden in the long thick sleeves.  She turned back to the bed and curled up in a tight ball, cold, but too tired to care.

***************************************************************

"Princess."

Allura looked up to see Haggar standing in front of her.  "What do you want, witch?  How did you get in?"

"I am more powerful than you give me credit for, Princess, as for what I want, I think you know."

Allura stood, "I will never marry Lotor."

The witch cackled, "Oh get over yourself!  Lotor is so blinded by you he doesn't see the real prize."

"What are you talking about?"

"Voltron, Princess, I want Voltron."

"No!"

"Oh, I don't think you have a choice."

"You would have to get through me as well as the other Voltron pilots, you haven't got a chance."

"I don't have to do anything, you'll be doing it for me."

"What?"

"You will get me Voltron."

"Never!"

"You don't have a choice."

"Allura!  Are you alright!"

Lance's voice interrupted the Princess' argument with the witch.  Allura looked around.  She was standing in Castle Control, not knowing how she got there.


"Haggar, where's Haggar?"

Lance studied her, "What are you talking about?"

"Haggar was just here!"  Her voice rose as she whirled around, looking for the witch.  "I was just talking to her!  She was here!  She said she was going to get Voltron!"

"Allura, calm down," Lance put his hands on her shoulders and forced her to look at him.  Her hair was sticking out around her pale face and she looked impossibly small in one of Keith's sweatshirts over her nightgown.  "Calm down, you were probably dreaming, it's alright, Haggar is not here."

She looked up at him, tears of frustration and confusion filling her eyes, "I don't know how I got here, Lance."

"You just walked in, you were mumbling to yourself and at first I thought you were sleep walking, but you were awake."

"I don't remember any of that.  I went to bed and now I'm in here.  What's wrong with me?"

Lance looked over his shoulder to where Pidge was talking to a guard.  He caught the Green pilot's eye and nodded his head toward the door, Pidge nodded in response.

"Come on, Allura, I'll take you back.  You're exhausted and stressed out, things are starting to get to all of us.  It's alright."

She leaned heavily against him, "I'm so tired."

"I can ask Dr. Gorma for something to help you sleep."

"I don't want to be drugged."

He nodded to the guard outside Keith's door who saluted in response.  "Get back into bed."  He couldn't help but notice the way the bed sheets were tangled and thrown as though she had thrashed around the bed.  "Are you sure you don't want something, I'm sure it won't have any bad side effects."

"I'm sure," she mumbled, crawling back into the bed and pulling the comforter up.

"Do you want me to get someone to stay with you?"

"No, I'll be fine.  Sorry to have bothered you."

"You didn't bother me, Allura, if you need anything, you know how to get a hold of me."

She nodded.

It didn't take long for her to slide back into sleep.  As soon as he heard her breathing even out, Lance went to speak to the guard.  "When did the Princess leave?"

"About five minutes ago, sir."

"Did you try to stop her?"

The guard looked uncomfortable, "I asked her where she was going and she sort of waved me off.  She seemed to be deep in thought, so I let her go.  I was told to keep people from entering, I didn't think I needed to stop her from leaving."

Lance sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "That's fine, Private, you didn't do anything wrong.  But from now on if she leaves in the middle of the night again, I want you to contact either me, or Lieutenants Audric or Landers.  Pass that on to whoever relieves you and make sure they pass it on as well.  I will speak to Pidge and Hunk."

The Private saluted, "Yes, sir."

Lance returned the salute half-heartedly before turning and heading back to Castle Control.  "What is going on?"  He mumbled under his breath.