########################################################################
A Change in the Winds
Arus
arus-dot-geo-at-yahoo-dot-com
Voltron and its characters are owned by World Event's Productions.
########################################################################
----------------
Chapter 2
----------------
----- Planet Doom ------
Princess Zeya stood in the doorway as she watched Lotor speak with one of the Doom soldiers. He was handed a piece of paper and he then dimissed the young soldier.
"What is it?" she asked as she entered the room.
"There is a report that Planet Minas has been attacked," he stated. "The Drule Empire are deploying whatever free forces they have to see what has happened."
Zeya nodded slowly. "Do you think that what Anala stated has come true?" she asked.
"Its too early to say," he stated. "But her guess on this was nearly on target."
"What is father planning to do?" she asked.
"He is sending what forces we have, but only a small garrison," he stated. "He wants to keep as much out of it as possible."
Zeya nodded. "Well, I hope that won't dampen the mood on the news Im about to relate."
"What is it?"
"News from Vallis," she stated. "Anala gave birth earlier today. Baby boy."
"Is she alright?"
Zeya nodded. "I've already arranged with the contact that you will be arriving shortly." She stated. "He instructed that you arrive in on Vallis' dark side, and fly low until you reach the destination."
Lotor nodded. "Thank you," he stated. "I'll return later today."
She watched as he walked pass her. "I'll be sure to cover for you if father asks."
She then smiled to herself as he disappeared through the door she came through.
-----/-----/-----/-----/------/------/------/------/-----/-----/-------/------/------/------/------/------/-----/------/------/------/------/------/----- Planet Arus ------
"Cousin?"
Neive smiled as Shane wore a surprised expression. They were all gathered in the small Rec Room as Orla sat quietly in a corner with Lance as the four members of the Beta Team confronted Neive on his newly discovered secret.
"You mean to say, that you are Allura's cousin?" Teri asked. "How come you never told us?"
Neive only shook his head. "Would it really have mattered?" he asked.
Katherine could only laugh. "Well, we all know which royal is the coolest of the two," she quipped.
"Hey!" Neive stated.
"So, Queen Orla, you are Queen Marlena's sister?"
Orla nodded. "I married a young lord from Helena, while Allura's mother, who was at first betrothed to Prince Enrian of Mythrias, married King Alfor of Altaire instead. Alfor and my sister had Allura. My husband and I had Neive."
"But all this time, we were lead to believe that you never married or had any children," LiAnne stated. "Why?"
Orla smiled. "It was to protect the sanctity of the Arusian royalty." She stated. "And to protect Neive."
"Who was Prince Enrian?" Katherine asked. "Mythrias?"
Lance stood from his chair and turned on the video monitor.
"Mythrias was Arus' third kingdom, before it was totally destroyed, in the first attack by King Zarkon," Lance stated as he brought up a picture from the archives. "All the royalty from that family were..."
"They did not survice the attack," Orla stated. "Out of the three kingdoms, Mythrias was the least protected. Alfor sent in the Lion Knights to do what he could, but it wasn't enough to save Mythrias.
"Enrian was killed in the attack, along with his father and mother, King Neason and Queen Sharone," Orla stated. "Their daughter went missing."
"So, if she's missing, she could be alive right?" Shane asked.
Orla slowly shook her head. "Princess Karone was found ten years later, aboard a Doom slave ship that crashed here on Arus, dying from lazon poisoning. We couldn't save her."
"How sad," Shane stated. "Did she ever state what happened to her?"
Orla shook her head. "The poisoning was too advanced, she was barely coherent when they found her. The kingdom of Mythrias died with her."
"And you want to give up your birthright?" Katherine asked as she turned to Neive.
"Not really give it up," Neive stated. "Just play a very small---tiny-miniscule part in how Arus should be ruled."
"So basically, you don't want any involvement in over what Allura decides to do?"
Neive shrugged. "We are both not of age to make any real decisions," he stated. "Arus' coronation age is 23, Arusian years."
"And you're 18 right?"
Neive nodded. "Allura is 21."
"That's why we have the council to help oversee the decisions that have been made," Lance stated.
Katherine slowly nodded. "Just to think, we have real life prince on our team," she said with a smile. "Well, now that we got that out of the way, we still have a schedule to keep."
The team let out a groan which brought a smile to Lance. Then, the communicator he was wearing beeped. He quickly pulled it from his belt and answered it.
"Lance here."
Sir, we are receiving a message from Vallis, requesting to speak with Commander Hayashi
"Did you let them know that he is on Planet Ebb attending a conference?"
Yes, sir, so they asked to speak with you.
"I'll be down in 2 minutes," lance stated. He then turned to everyone in the room. "Well, if you guys don't need me, I have a message to answer. So, follow your schedule; I'll expect a report from each of you prior to dinner tonite."
Katherine nodded and the team watched as he left the small room. "So, let's get to our duties. The earlier we finish the more free time we have for ourselves."
Everyone nodded as they stood. Katherine thanked Queen Orla and escorted everyone out of the room but nodded to Neive as he walked over to his mother. She smiled to herself before the door slid close behind her.
-----/-----/-----/-----/------/------/------/------/-----/-----/-------/------/------/------/------/------/-----/------/------/------/------/------/----- Planet Vallis ------
Anala smiled as she was lying in her bed, as Graig moved about her room tidying things up for her.
"You know, you really do not have to do that," she said with a laugh.
The young man smiled in her direction before placing the pile of blankets he was carrying on a nearby chair.
"You know, for someone who manages to rule an entire planet, you surely can't keep your room straight," he stated. He then came over to her bed and sat on the edge of it. "So, 14 hours huh?"
Anala groaned as she grabbed her pillow. "Was it really that long?" she asked.
Graig smiled. "Don't worry, my sister was in labor for nearly 36 hours," he stated. "My little niece just gave her so much trouble. No wonder the little cherub is a handful."
Anala smiled. Graig was her childhood friend, who grew up as the son of one of the servants that served under Kellar's rule. They did everything together while she grew up in the palace, and he was the closest friend she had. She trusted him more than anyone else on Vallis, and knew that he would agree to help her in her situation. That he would agree to play the part she needed to protect her own secret.
He then stood and walked over the cradle in the corner to check on the sleeping child.
"So what did you name him?" he asked.
"Reece," she stated.
Anala slowly swung her legs over the edge of her bed and stood. She grabbed her robe and slipped it on as she walked over to the cradle.
"He's beautiful," Graig stated.
Anala nodded as she joined him. "Graig, I want to thank you," she stated.
He turned to her, placing his arm around her. "You know that I will do anything for you," he stated. "I promised that I would help you, and I intend to keep that promise."
"You've been doing a great job so far," she stated. "At least until it's the right time to reveal the truth."
Graig nodded. "In time," he stated. He then kissed the side of cheek. "Until then, I don't mind serving as his surrogate father."
Anala nodded. "In time, I hope that things will be a little different."
Graig nodded. He then looked up. "I agree," he said. "Which is why I'll leave the three of you alone."
"Three of us?" Anala asked.
Graig looked past her and she followed his gaze. Anala breathed in deeply as she stared at the dark figure who stood in the frame of her open window.
"Thank you Graig," she stated.
Graig nodded as he turned, and gathered his coat. He then moved near her.
"Just be yourself," he stated. "And next time, warn me about having any cute guests."
Anala lightly hit him before he left her room, locking the door behind him. She then turned to the figure who now entered her room.
"Lotor," Anala stated.
Lotor removed the helmet he wore as he approached her. "I came as soon as I received word," he stated.
Anala nodded as she stepped aside.
"He's doing well," she stated. "We have been waiting for you."
-----/-----/-----/-----/------/------/------/------/-----/-----/-------/------/------/------/------/------/-----/------/------/------/------/------/
----- Planet Arus ------
Neive breathed in deeply as he stepped out of the shower, toweling his hair dry.
He then wrapped the towel around himself as he walked over to his desk, looking over the small diary that was open before him.
He quickly flipped through the pages, going over his notes that he was making, in his translations, making sure that he was making them as accurate as possible.
Grabbing a pair of his pj slacks, he slipped them on before picking up the small diary from his desk. As he turned the pages, a small piece of paper fell out from between the last few pages.
He bent down and picked it up off the floor before placing the diary back on his desk. As he picked up the small paper, he unfolded it seeing that it was a quickly drawn sketch. Flipping it over, he realized that it was a rough map, drawn quickly indicating passageways below the Castle of Lions. He remembered seeing some of the small tunnels built below the Castle when he was a child.
Grabbing his top, he took the small piece of paper and left his bedroom. He walked down the hall and stopped before a door and pressed a button on the side of it.
Katherine appeared at the door as it slid open. Neive smiled as he saw that she was dressed in just a small tank top and sweat pants.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Well, I found something in one of the Queen's diaries, and I want to go and check it out."
Katherine looked at him. "Can't this wait till morning?" she asked. "I was just about to snuggle under the covers and fall asleep."
He leaned against the frame of her door and smiled. "Well, dressed like that, I can understand the snuggle part."
Katherine let out a groan. "Should I let your mother know about the bad things that you have done?" she asked.
"Should I tell Keith about the bad things you've done?"
"What did you find?"
He laughed to himself. "A map," he stated as he showed her the slip of paper. "I recognize it as the tunnels that go beneath the Castle. I remember playing in them with Allura when we were young."
Katherine stepped toward him and looked down at the paper.
"What does it lead to?" she asked.
"Don't know," he stated. "Want to find out?"
She looked up at him. "I'll grab the flashlight," she stated. "I remember Lance stating that the old tunnels might not have electricity since they were trying to renovate them."
Neive watched as she walked back into her room and grab a small jacket. She pulled her hair through a small band and then met him in the hallway.
"So, where do we start?"
-----/-----/-----/-----/------/------/------/------/-----/-----/-------/------/------/------/------/------/-----/------/------/------/------/------/
Neive shined the light on one of the old walls as they entered the hallway that would take them down to the old tunnels.
"Wow, when were these built?"
"Before I was born," Neive stated as he moved passed her. "Alfor wanted to be sure that his family would be evacuated safely along with the castle servants and honor guards."
"Were they ever used?"
Neive nodded slowly. "Only one time that I can remember," he said. "That was the day Zarkon attacked and Haggar destroyed Voltron."
"Where she split the lions apart?"
Neive nodded as he turned to her. "We lost a lot of soldiers that day," he said. "Including Allura's mother."
Katherine slowly nodded. "This war has taken its share of casualties."
Katherine then walked passed him as they headed down the tunnel.
"Uh, Kit, slow-"
Neive's warning came a bit late as he watched her trip then fall to the ground before him. He smiled to himself as he walked up to her and knelt down.
"I forgot about that little dip in the walkway," he said as he placed the flashlight down next to him.
"Is there anything else you want to warn me before we go further down this tunnel?"
He slowly shook his head as he helped her to her feet. "That's why I have the flashlight," he stated as he bent down to pick it up.
Katherine shook her head as she dusted the dirt from her pants. "How in the world did I ever put up with you when you were at the academy?" she asked.
Neive smiled as he shown the light down the tunnel. "Don't know," he said. "You were the one who wanted to date me back then."
"Excuse me?" she asked. "As -I- remember it, you were the one who was trying to take bets on how long it would take you to get into my pants."
"That wasn't me," he stated. "However, I did lose that bet."
Katherine crossed her arms as she stared at him. "So who put up that bet?" she asked.
"Oh, no, Im not going there," he said as they continued their trek.
"How much did you lose?
"Enough," he stated. "Enough to realize that your friendship was worth more than any bet I could make." He then turned to her. "How come we never became more serious than we did?"
Kit shrugged her shoulders then met his gaze. "As I remember it, you had to return to Arus for some reason," she stated. "You finished your last year here."
Neive slowly nodded. "Funny how things come together in the end, huh?"
Kit slowly nodded. "Yeah," she stated. She then smiled. "If it means anything to you, I did miss you that last year."
"Oh, I'm touched," he said. "But now we're here, so that makes up for that."
"So how much farther we have to travel?"
"Just a few yards," Neive stated. "We should hit the foyer that leads to the chambers. The map is showing something that is just after the main chambers."
"What can be hidden down here?"
"Don't know," he said. "But it was hidden in Queen Marlena's diary, so it must have been something important to her."
Kit nodded as she followed closely behind Neive as they made their way down the tunnel. They came up to an intersecting hallway and turned left, following it to the end before taking a right down another hallway.
"We should be coming up on it," Neive stated.
As they walked down the hall, they saw that they were coming up to a solid granite wall. Kit let out her breath seeing that it was a dead end.
"Are you sure we took the right turn?" she asked.
Neive nodded. "This is the where the map is directing us to," he stated.
He walked up to the wall and looked it over. He placed his hands on one of the stone bricks, feeling along the wall for some kind of sign.
"What are you looking for?"
"Alfor was good at hiding secret rooms," he stated. "If he can hide a whole castle, Im sure he can hide a small room."
Kit followed him as they felt along the wall, hoping that the stone wall before them would lead to some sort of secret.
"Man, this is so not working," she stated. "I mean, its not like something out of 1001 Arabian Nights."
"What?" Neive asked.
"Old Earth story," she stated. "Character in it, who wanted to find a secret cave, would say a magic phrase and the wall that hid the cave would disappear."
"What magic phrase?"
"Open Sesame."
Suddenly the wall before them shook as Neive took a step back and shone the light on it. Slowly the stone bricks peeled away revealing the small room it hid behind it.
"Didn't King Alfor have a fondness for old Earth fables?" Kit asked.
"I guess he did," Neive stated. "Let's see what was hiding here."
Kit and Neive slowly entered the hidden room. It was empty, save for a small stone pillar that stood in the center.
"What's there?" Kit asked.
They approached the small pillar and noticed a small box that was atop it.
"What do you think it is?" Kit asked.
"Don't know," Neive stated.
Neive stood before it, and as he reached for it, the box reacted, suddenly opening before them. Inside, there was a silver metal band that was lying upon a maroon colored cushion.
"What is that?" Katherine asked.
"I don't know," he said. He brought the flashlight over the box and shined it over the unknown item.
"What is etched on it?" she asked.
Neive leaned in closer to see that there was a faint design etched in the metal.
"Odd," he said. "That's the royal symbol for Helena."
"Helena?" Katherine asked. "Um, do you think we should go and get Lance?"
"What if something happens to it?" he asked.
"I don't think we should touch it," she said.
Neive looked at her. "What can it do?"
"What can it not do?" she asked.
Neive slowly nodded as he reached toward the box to try and close it.
"Careful."
But when he tried to touch the lid of the small box, the silver band then disappeared from the cushion, and then reappeared on his right arm. Neive then let out a deafening scream as he fell to the ground, grabbing a hold of his arm as a sudden pain shot through him.
"Neive!" Katherine yelled as she rounded the small pillar and kneeled by him.
"Get it off!" he yelled.
As Katherine touched him, she jumped back as a sudden shock was sent through her. Neive then let out another scream, before falling unconscious. Katherine then crawled over to him, taking him into her arms as she looked down at the band that now covered his right wrist. When her hands went to touch it, the band reacted, sending another shock toward her.
She then pulled the communicator her jacket pocket and radioed the main control room.
--Kit?-Lance's voice came over the com. -Where the heck are you?-
"Can you follow my signal?" she asked. "Neive's been hurt."
--What?-
"Please, hurry," she stated. "We're in the old tunnels."
--I have your position,-- Lance stated. -Shane and Terri are on your way.-
"Thanks, Lance," she stated.
Katherine then pulled Neive into her arms as she cradled him. She wondered what that band was for, and why it would react the way it did.