I'm back! Nyo!
~~~~~~
NaTal pushed open the door to her father's throne room, an easy enough task for her. Inside, she found him in the middle of a discussion with his court.
"Sorry," she squeaked, starting to back out of the room. "I'll come back later."
"Ah, NaTal, I was just about to tell these gentlemen that you'd finally returned from that dismal Alliance academy for good!" Zarkon announced.
The men inched away from the young woman in the red dress. NaTal couldn't help but smile to herself at their reaction to her presence. They still remembered her. Things were gonna be just fine.
"It is good to see you all again," she said, faking honesty and eagerness to being present.
The men each nod their heads nervously, bidding welcome to the king's second child.
"Father, I need to speak with you for a moment," Natal said, backing out of the room a few steps.
"Gentlemen, we'll continue this later," Zarkon said, following his daughter out of the room.
The 'delegates' were left to themselves to discus one of their favorite topic, the so-called 'princess'.
"I'm telling you, there is something off about that girl, I just don't like her," one of the men stated.
"I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the old witch was the girl's own mother!" another one of them laughed.
"Quiet down, both of you," the eldest man present said softly. They could still be within earshot! And anyway, I wouldn't be surprised either, but for a different reason. None of you are old enough to remember what anything was like before Zarkon began trying to concur Arus."
"This I've got to hear!"
"The old witch, or should I be saying bitch, was once very pleasing to look at." He listened to a gwafa from another young man. "Don't laugh! Zarkon even used her as an assassin. The girl bears more than a passing resemblance to the woman in her younger days." He then chuckled to himself. "It would seem as though our king sired his own new hit-woman."
"Now, what is it you needed to talk to me about?" Zarkon asked his only daughter.
"How well are things going in recruiting a crew for me to lead?"
"Not very well, I'm afraid. You have no idea how hard it is to find personnel who can pilot a ship and be trusted with a woman for a captain. But that's not why you needed to speak with me about, is it?"
"No, it's not."
"Then why?"
"There were a number of individuals back at the academy that I would trust with my life, with the minor problem of how they're with the Alliance and all," she said, rubbing her neck. "There was even a man there that I could trust," she added toying with something around her neck. "I believe that if I were to have the chance to speak with them once again, I might be able to convince them to come with me. After all, you've always said that I have a gift with words."
"Unfortunately, not everyone is as easily swayed by a pretty face and a few kind words as I am."
"Are you implying that I've been lied to my whole life?"
"Not at all, simply that you may need to use a few of your better tricks for such things as these. But until then, I have a job for you."
"What sort of job?"
"There is a member of the Garesion board that I need taken care of, that is, of coarse if you are willing to go all the way over there again."
"Not a problem!" She waved off.
"Then if you also don't mind, I'd like for you to leave right after you and your brother have your sitting."
"Do we have to go through that again every year?"
"Until one of you gets married, you're going to do this every year. The only other way you two are getting out of this is literally over my dead body!"
"You realize that can be arrainged," she said resting a hand on her hip.
"But I know you well enough not to worry about that."
NaTal smirked to herself and turned away from her father.
"I'll see you at the sitting then?" she asked coyly.
"Until then, dear daughter."
Zarkon turned and walked back to his thrown room. NaTal began walking away slowly, fiddling with the thing around her neck.
"Well father, I may have to help my brother rectify this situation," she mused to herself. "After all," she added, holding up the ring that hung suspended from her neck to eyelevel, "You'll never approve of my fiancé, my dearest one."
Lance walked up behind his brooding friend and startled him with a slap on the back.
"Hey, Keith! You're not still mad at me are you, buddy?" He asked.
"What do you think?" Keith spat sourly.
"What? I was just telling the truth!" Lance said, holding his hands in front of his face as if defending himself.
"But you didn't bother to mention how you met her, you do realize that, don't you?"
Lance took a seat next to his buddy and reclined.
"I didn't think it was necessary, that's all."
"Dork!"
"Hey, come on. You wouldn't be able to live with me if I wasn't like this!"
"We can barely live with you as it is!"
"You don't really mean that, do you?"
"Wanna bet?"
"Keith, you wound me!"
Allura walked into the repair hanger, finding Hunk and Pidge tinkering with the Lions.
"Hey, guys!" She called up.
Hunk and Pidge both move to look at the princess. Hunk smacked his head on the hood he was tinkering under.
"Whatcha need, Princess?" Hunk asked, rubbing his head.
"I was wondering if you guys could tell me anything about that girl, NaTal. What was she like and how did Lance meet her?"
"Well, the last one is pretty easy. Detention," Pidge chirped.
"Keith said about that before."
"She released a herd of jackalopes into the staff building," Hunk added, "It's amazing what you can do with ducktape."
"And Lance?"
"He'd super-glued the door to the dean's office shut."
"While the dean was still in there!"
"Oh, my god!" Allura laughed.
NaTal stepped out of the transport ship, casting a sideways glance into the polished metal on the side of the hull. She had to give herself credit for pulling this one off. Not only had she changed her appearance to look more human, but she had also managed to disguise he voice. One other little thing she had to pride herself on was the fact that she had left enough of her 'alien' features present to give the dear man fair warning if he chose to notice them. She chuckled to herself before walking into the crowded space-station.
NaTal pushed open the door to her father's throne room, an easy enough task for her. Inside, she found him in the middle of a discussion with his court.
"Sorry," she squeaked, starting to back out of the room. "I'll come back later."
"Ah, NaTal, I was just about to tell these gentlemen that you'd finally returned from that dismal Alliance academy for good!" Zarkon announced.
The men inched away from the young woman in the red dress. NaTal couldn't help but smile to herself at their reaction to her presence. They still remembered her. Things were gonna be just fine.
"It is good to see you all again," she said, faking honesty and eagerness to being present.
The men each nod their heads nervously, bidding welcome to the king's second child.
"Father, I need to speak with you for a moment," Natal said, backing out of the room a few steps.
"Gentlemen, we'll continue this later," Zarkon said, following his daughter out of the room.
The 'delegates' were left to themselves to discus one of their favorite topic, the so-called 'princess'.
"I'm telling you, there is something off about that girl, I just don't like her," one of the men stated.
"I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the old witch was the girl's own mother!" another one of them laughed.
"Quiet down, both of you," the eldest man present said softly. They could still be within earshot! And anyway, I wouldn't be surprised either, but for a different reason. None of you are old enough to remember what anything was like before Zarkon began trying to concur Arus."
"This I've got to hear!"
"The old witch, or should I be saying bitch, was once very pleasing to look at." He listened to a gwafa from another young man. "Don't laugh! Zarkon even used her as an assassin. The girl bears more than a passing resemblance to the woman in her younger days." He then chuckled to himself. "It would seem as though our king sired his own new hit-woman."
"Now, what is it you needed to talk to me about?" Zarkon asked his only daughter.
"How well are things going in recruiting a crew for me to lead?"
"Not very well, I'm afraid. You have no idea how hard it is to find personnel who can pilot a ship and be trusted with a woman for a captain. But that's not why you needed to speak with me about, is it?"
"No, it's not."
"Then why?"
"There were a number of individuals back at the academy that I would trust with my life, with the minor problem of how they're with the Alliance and all," she said, rubbing her neck. "There was even a man there that I could trust," she added toying with something around her neck. "I believe that if I were to have the chance to speak with them once again, I might be able to convince them to come with me. After all, you've always said that I have a gift with words."
"Unfortunately, not everyone is as easily swayed by a pretty face and a few kind words as I am."
"Are you implying that I've been lied to my whole life?"
"Not at all, simply that you may need to use a few of your better tricks for such things as these. But until then, I have a job for you."
"What sort of job?"
"There is a member of the Garesion board that I need taken care of, that is, of coarse if you are willing to go all the way over there again."
"Not a problem!" She waved off.
"Then if you also don't mind, I'd like for you to leave right after you and your brother have your sitting."
"Do we have to go through that again every year?"
"Until one of you gets married, you're going to do this every year. The only other way you two are getting out of this is literally over my dead body!"
"You realize that can be arrainged," she said resting a hand on her hip.
"But I know you well enough not to worry about that."
NaTal smirked to herself and turned away from her father.
"I'll see you at the sitting then?" she asked coyly.
"Until then, dear daughter."
Zarkon turned and walked back to his thrown room. NaTal began walking away slowly, fiddling with the thing around her neck.
"Well father, I may have to help my brother rectify this situation," she mused to herself. "After all," she added, holding up the ring that hung suspended from her neck to eyelevel, "You'll never approve of my fiancé, my dearest one."
Lance walked up behind his brooding friend and startled him with a slap on the back.
"Hey, Keith! You're not still mad at me are you, buddy?" He asked.
"What do you think?" Keith spat sourly.
"What? I was just telling the truth!" Lance said, holding his hands in front of his face as if defending himself.
"But you didn't bother to mention how you met her, you do realize that, don't you?"
Lance took a seat next to his buddy and reclined.
"I didn't think it was necessary, that's all."
"Dork!"
"Hey, come on. You wouldn't be able to live with me if I wasn't like this!"
"We can barely live with you as it is!"
"You don't really mean that, do you?"
"Wanna bet?"
"Keith, you wound me!"
Allura walked into the repair hanger, finding Hunk and Pidge tinkering with the Lions.
"Hey, guys!" She called up.
Hunk and Pidge both move to look at the princess. Hunk smacked his head on the hood he was tinkering under.
"Whatcha need, Princess?" Hunk asked, rubbing his head.
"I was wondering if you guys could tell me anything about that girl, NaTal. What was she like and how did Lance meet her?"
"Well, the last one is pretty easy. Detention," Pidge chirped.
"Keith said about that before."
"She released a herd of jackalopes into the staff building," Hunk added, "It's amazing what you can do with ducktape."
"And Lance?"
"He'd super-glued the door to the dean's office shut."
"While the dean was still in there!"
"Oh, my god!" Allura laughed.
NaTal stepped out of the transport ship, casting a sideways glance into the polished metal on the side of the hull. She had to give herself credit for pulling this one off. Not only had she changed her appearance to look more human, but she had also managed to disguise he voice. One other little thing she had to pride herself on was the fact that she had left enough of her 'alien' features present to give the dear man fair warning if he chose to notice them. She chuckled to herself before walking into the crowded space-station.