The Pride of Arus
Arus
arus-dot-geo-at-yahoo-dot-com
Voltron and its characters are owned by World Event's Productions.
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Chapter 7
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Zeya breathed in deeply as she stared at herself in the mirror, her back reflected in it. She slowly looked over the many lines that scarred her back, some fading into the light hue of her skin, others red and purple stood out, signaling the torture she had endured, while her father watched.
She then closed her eyes as she turned to face the mirror, pulling up the top she wore, slowly tying the ties together. She opened her eyes to stare at the reflection of herself, then hit the reflective surface with her fist. She then quickly tied her hair back and grabbing the shears that was lying on the sink before her, she took it to her long locks and slowly cut what she could.
Her white hair fell in clumps, to the ground around her feet. She continued cutting until she was determined to cut away all the hurt she had experienced lately. She breathed in deeply as she then placed the shears back down on the sink and slowly untied the binding around what was left of her hair. She breathed in deeply as she opened her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror.
Gone, was the long white locks, she had so long loved and worn. Gone, was the hurt she felt. Gone.
She quickly pulled the rest of her clothes on, running her hand through her hair, shaking loose any strands that were left behind.
"Zeya?"
The voice caught her by surprise as she quickly turned around and saw LiAnne standing at the door to her bathroom. The girl's expression changed when she saw the former Doom Princess standing there, sans her long white hair.
"What...what did you do?"
Zeya smiled to herself as smiled at the Force member. "Making a change," she said. "A much needed one."
LiAnne slowly nodded as she smiled. "If you want, I can fix that up for you," she said. "But, that's after we go over what we have planned."
Zeya slowly nodded. "Yes," she said. "That would be nice."
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Kaden breathed in deeply as he stared at the robeast monster who stood before him. He was hunched over, recovering from a hit, that sent him flying across the small arena they were fighting in. Haggar watched from afar, as the boy tried to fend off the monster, but nothing was having an effect.
She watched as he started a run toward the monster again, this time taking a different approach to attacking it. He leapt into the air just before he reached him, but the monster was ready as it roared and reached out, grabbing the boy by his ankle and roughly threw him to the ground.
Kaden let out a groan as he hit the steel floor, the taste of copper filling his mouth as the monster towered over him. The robeast then laughed as he slowly raised its leg and brought it down over him.
Kaden reacted quickly by moving away, but the monster just grabbed him by his arm and flung him to the ground again, stars filling his vision as his head hit the floor. He then felt a weight come down on his chest as he felt himself being pushed heavily into the steel floor.
'"Just remember this Kaden, if they get their hands on you, they will see that you will never gain the full potential you have. They will take away all that you have worked for, even that power you possess. Especially that Captain. He will want to stop you from seeing you reach your full potential. Even it means to kill you."'
The words echoed in his mind as he stared up into the face of the monster above him. He gritted his teeth together as he breathed in deeply. He then grabbed ahold of the leg that was pushing him into the floor.
Haggar stepped forward as she watched as the monster reacted to the grab, and then breathed in deeply when she watched as the monster was then quickly thrown off balance. She then became aware of the stillness of the air around her, and suddenly she was thrown back against the wall behind her. As she recovered, she quickly stood to see Kaden standing, as two sets of wings now adorned his back. She gasped when the robeast monster then attacked the boy, and was suddenly thrown back.
The robeast charged toward him again, and she watched as the boy just turned in its direction. She breathed in deeply as she watched as some type of energy field came up around him and as the robeast approached, it quickly extended beyond him. The robeast then suddenly stopped its advancement and the energy that she felt in the room was gone. She slowly took a step forward as she watched as the two wings on Kaden's back slowly disappeared, and the boy then fell to his knees before collapsing to the ground. The robeast that was standing there, let out a deafening roar, and then suddenly it fell into pieces to the floor.
Haggar slowly approached the unconscious boy, as he laid unmoving. She waved her hand and two Triasian guards came up to her, and slowly lifted Kaden.
"Take him back to my laboratory," she said. "I will be there shortly."
The guards nodded as they carried the boy out of the small arena. Hagger then slowly approached the remnants of the robeast he just fought, and with her cane, she nudged one of the pieces. It disintegrated to ash before her.
"So this is the power you wanted?"
Haggar slowly nodded as she turned around. "He is capable of doing more," she said. "He is only able to use what you saw when he is an uncontrollable emotional state. But, as you can see, it is very powerful if it can be controlled."
Rolsin smiled as he approached her. "And you think this, power, if controlled can defeat the Voltron Force?" he asked.
Haggar turned to him. "To defeat any and all of your enemies," she said. "But, yes for now, if he is able to control this power, he can defeat the Voltron Force."
"Keep up the good work, Haggar," he said suddenly as he turned to leave. "I'll be sure to keep watch over your progress."
Haggar bowed slightly as he left.
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Evening came quickly to the Castle of Lions. Lance was going over last minute instructions with Katherine and Neive in the Control room, and the rest of both teams took this time to take a much needed rest. Siaras, under the watchful eye of Hunk and her father, worked to modify the ship she had come to Arus with with a tracking beacon and change the programming to the self-destruct system.
Allura had just finished her meeting with Captain Ellis so that he could start his training as a backup to the Beta Team. She knew that he would serve his position as the pilot of Red Lion faithfully. It was only moments later that she found herself walking down the cold halls of the hallways that lead to the three main conference rooms that she found herself standing before the room that Keith and Lance would use as their study. Lately, Neive had been using it to do his research. She wondered why they would all cram into this one room, when there were four other vacant ones on this level. She breathed in deeply as she ran her hand over the door access panel, which caused the metal partition to slide open. As she entered, she then realized why.
It had the best view of Arus, from the whole Castle.
The Black Lion Monument stood against the stary sky. Further, the forest that surrounded the Castle seemed to go on forever, as the Arus moon shown brightly in the sky above. It was definitely a room that would inspire someone, or give solace to others.
"Lance wore the same expression when he first came into this room."
The voice caught her off guard as she quickly turned around. She smiled when she saw that Keith was sitting at the now cluttered desk before him, evidence of the research that Neive was conducting. He was reading through a leather bound book, with an obscured Arusian title.
"Which is probably why I can't get him to go to another room to do his own reports," he added as he sat up in the chair he was in. "And now Neive is doing something on his own. My desk is just a mess."
Allura slowly walked over to him seeing the book he had just closed and placed on the side of the desk he was at. She looked it over.
"These aren't my mother's journals," she said as she looked at the book.
"No, Neive's been done with that for a while now," he said as his eyes scanned over the top of the cluttered desk. "These books are on Arusian laws."
"Arusian laws?" Allura asked. She then let out a sigh. "It could mean that his Uncle is giving him a hard time again."
Keith looked up to her, seeing the concern flash in her blue eyes. "I thought your Aunt was going to get him to lay off on that for a while?"
Allura let out a sigh. "There's only so much my aunt can do," she said. "Neive has been under a lot of pressure since he was a child. His uncle felt that with my father's death, the rule should have shifted over to Helena for the time being, since Aunt Orla still had a husband, that is until he too passed away."
"And since Neive was the only male royalty born on Arus.."
Allura slowly nodded. "I hope that this doesn't drive him to do something drastic," she said as she looked over the books again. "I know that he's been speaking with Shane's Uncle over the last few weeks."
"The one that helped your father author many of these laws?"
Allura picked up one of the books and nodded. "I wonder which laws he's been researching," she said. She quickly flipped through the book recognizing some of the passages, and not knowing others. Oh, Coran would have her head if he knew that she didn't know half of what she was now reading.
"Something about betrothment laws," Keith said as he turned away from her for a moment and searched the top of his desk for another book.
Allura stopped flipping through the pages as she felt the blood drain from her. She breathed in deeply as she slowly placed the book she held back on the desk as he turned back to her and handed her a smaller book.
"Do you think he's trying to get out of some kind arranged marriage set up by his Uncle?" Keith asked as he looked up at her and noticed the blank expression she wore. "Ally?"
Allura was lost in thought as she looked at the book she held, wondering if Neive was doing more than the innocent research that he did in private. Her thoughts then brought her the incident in the infirmary only a few short months ago. Had Neive been there when she...
"Ally?"
She closed her eyes and shook her head before meeting Keith's dark gaze.
"Anything wrong?" he asked.
"No, nothing," she managed to say as she put the book she was holding down on the desk. She then realized that he had asked her a question. "No, it could be from an incident with Neive a while back," she quickly recovered. "When he came back to Arus after the Academy, to finish his last year here."
"What happened?"
"Let's just say that his Uncle was not happy about his relationship with one of the Helena's Guard's daughter," she said. "Since his Uncle is the head of Helena's army, he transferred the guard in question and his daugther to serve with the Galaxy Alliance, in the Cerulean Quadrant. By the time my Aunt learned of her brother-in-law's deception, it was too late. The transport ship that they were aboard was attacked by a Drule fleet. No one survived."
Keith slowly nodded. "Which is why Neive doesn't follow his Uncle's suggestions when given?"
Allura smiled weakly. "He never forgave his uncle for doing that, and I think Neive was angered by the fact that his uncle still lives whole heartedly by the old laws, as written," she said. "My father was working to change many of the old laws, since he felt they were antiquated. The laws concerning marriage amongst the royalty of the three kingdoms, was one of his main concerns. I dont think he was able to finish what he started."
She then turned away from his scrutiny. If Neive was doing reasearch concerning what she had done, she knew that she would have to talk to him. That his search would only end up in misery, for the both of them. Her father could not change the laws when he was alive, and without a King in power to do so now, she was bound to them as they were written, and so was he.
"Well, Shane's uncle must have put some life back into his reasearch," Keith said as he stood from his chair. "There were only three books on this desk this morning, today all of these."
"Neive's heart is in the right place," she said. "But I only hope that he isn't disappointed by the answer he may find."
"So what brings you here tonight?" he asked.
Allura realized that she had come here to speak to him about what they had planned for the next day. That Siaras would return to the Triasian command ship with Keith in tow as a prisoner, and hopefully, return back with the reports they needed from that ship. She wanted to give him something that was given to all Lion Knights who served under King Alfor, in case they were put into a situation where the enemy could use them as leverage to gain what they needed. She slowly pulled out a small vial from her pocket and handed it to him.
"My father had this made for all his close personal guards who served under him," she said quietly. "The original Voltron Force team also carried this with them while they served under my father. Only Dr. Gorma, Coran and I know that it exists."
"What is it?"
"A poison," she said as she carefully watched his reaction. "It works quickly, putting you into an induced coma. If you are given the antidote within 16 hours of first ingestion, you can recover from it. Otherwise, it will cause your body to shut down completely, and you will die.
"My father knew that if our enemies were able to capture anyone that was close to him or under him, they would do everything in their power to probably coerce, leverage, use as ransom, or torture the individual to obtain our planet's secrets," she went on. She slowly raised her hand to her head and pulled the small tiara she always wore, and popped one of the jewels on it off, removing a similar small vial from the hidden spot. "I've carried a dosage of it since I was young and prayed that I would never have a reason to use it."
"In case Im not able to come back," Keith said. "In case something goes wrong?"
Allura slowly nodded. "Its odorless, and tasteless," she said. She then met his gaze. "We've already seen what Rolsin will do if he has a prisoner, and he may go even farther than what he did with Princess Zeya. If you are unable to escape..."
She then gasped when he took her hand into his own and pulled her into his embrace. She felt his hand cover her head as he held her against him.
"I promise, that I will do everything in my power to leave that ship alive," he said to her. "You know me better than anyone else, but I understand the importance of protecting Arus and your people, and your father's legacy."
Allura breathed in deeply as she leaned her head against his shoulder, holding tight as if he was the only thing that could hold her up. She closed her eyes, knowing that she could trust anything he would do.
"Please be careful," she said as she pulled away from him. "His interest in you is a dangerous one. And you still dont know who that boy was who confronted you at the rebel camp. I dont think Rolsin will be playing any more games when it concerns you."
Keith slowly nodded, realizing that he hadn't told anyone of Anala's realization as to who the boy was. He would already be under enough pressure to complete this task they were about to take, and he had to keep to their plan, even if it meant leaving the boy behind until they were able to retrieve him later.
"My concern is to pull this mission off successfully," he said. "Even if I have to send Siaras back alone, you will get the plans needed."
She nodded. "Lance is going over the last minute details with Katherine and Neive," she said. "I'll be giving my final report to Coran. You should get some rest."
"I will," he said with a smile. "As soon as I find my desk under all this clutter."
She smiled weakly before turning to leave the room. "Be careful."
As she watched him nod, she breathed in deeply before leaving the room.
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Zeya slowly lifted her covers of her bed and slipped out of it. She went to her door and as it slid open, she looked out into the dark hallway. She quietly made her way down to the next level and before entering the small hallway, she spied the guard that stood just outside of the bedroom she needed to go to. She slowly kneeled as she placed her hands together and uttered a silent incantation. She watched as the guard then sway a bit before falling asleep as he fell to the floor before him.
She quietly made her way to the door in question, and grabbing the passkey from the slumbering guard, she slid it into the door panel and the door slid open.
She walked into the dark room, making her way to the silent form sleeping on the bed. She breathed in deeply as she approached the bed and sat on its edge.
The movement woke the person who was sleeping and Zeya immediately covered her mouth with her hand.
"Im sorry, Siaras, but I must do this," Zeya whispered as she placed her other hand to cover the young woman's forehead."
Siaras only stared at the the princess before she felt herself grow tired and her eyes grew heavy. As soon as Zeya saw that she had succumbed to her spell, she removed her hand from the young woman's mouth and placed both to cover the girls head. She then closed her eyes as she whispered another incantation.
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Rolsin stared at the screen before him as he sat quietly in his quarters. As his brother Relins entered, he took a drink from the wine glass near him, reading the reports that were just handed to him.
"Risen has overseen the upgrades to a quarter of our squadron," Relins said. "The outfitting should be completed in a couple of days. We are going ahead on upgrading our armoring devices with our new schematics. The Elites will be given the new devices first then we will outfit the rest of our forces with them."
Rolsin nodded. "Now that we know what its capable of withstanding, we do not have to waste our robot fighters when attacking Arus," Rolsin stated. "However, we should now concentrate on their outlying areas, since we already have an idea on how well they protect their castle."
"May I suggest that we start a campaign against their 2nd kingdom?" Relins asked. "Its not as well defended as their Castle of Lions, and I believe we can gain some leverage against Princess Allura if we do."
Rolsin nodded as he brought up the map of Helena on the screen before him. "Smaller castle, but many more villages and towns inhabit this area," he said. "Then we'll do just that. Prepare two squadrons and we will mount an attack against Helena in the morning."
Relins nodded. "I suggest that we also take one of Haggar's robeasts just in case the Voltron Force shows up," he said. "Her last three seemed pretty formidable."
Rolsin nodded. "Hope that she has researched all she needed on that white lion ship," he said.
A chime rang from Rolsin's door and as it slid open, the two brothers turned as a soldier entered and bowed.
"Sir, we are receiving a signal from a wayward Triasian fighter."
Rolsin turned to his brother as he stood. "Wayward?"
The soldier nodded. "It seems to be coming from the ship that Siaras took when she went to Arus," he reported. "The signal indicates a request to land and that she is coming back with a gift."
"Siaras?" Relins asked as he turned to his brother. "How dare she even try to..."
Rolsin raised his hand to silence his brother and smiled to himself. "Allow her to land in the main docking bay," Rolsin said. "Let's just see what this gift is."
"Rolsin, if she was able to meet up with her father, this could be a trap," Relins said.
"I will take that chance, and we will have the guards there should anything happen," Rolsin said. "Siaras does have a lot to explain for, if not, she will be dealt with accordingly."
"I will relay your message to her," the soldier stated. "Her ship should be arriving in a few minutes."
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Neive lightly knocked on the door of the room that Zeya occupied. She was already late for their team meetings and Allura had sent him to find out why she had now shown up. When he got no answer, he knocked again.
With a sigh, he pulled out his access card and slid it over the door panel. The metal door slid open, and the light in the room came on. She was not there. As he walked in, he felt as if something was wrong. He then heard a slight muffled sound come form the room's closet and he quickly made his way to it.
Opening the door, he gasped as he bent down and caught the bundled form before it hit the ground. He slowly unwrapped the blankets from around the form and saw that it was Siaras.
"Siaras?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"
"The Doom Princess," she said as she pulled herself to her feet, unwrapping herself from the blankets she had been wrapped in. "She came to my room late last night and knocked me out. I woke up here, in this closet."
"But we saw you leave with Captain Hayashi this morning," he said, then his eyes widened. "You mean.."
"Where is your princess, we have to let her know."
Neive nodded as he took her by her hand and led her out of the room.
'This is bad,' he thought to himself. 'If Zeya went to the Command ship in Siaras' place..'
The thought of what would happen crossed his mind several times as the two reached the conference room that the two teams were in. As the door slid open, Lance stood when he saw that he was with Siaras instead of Zeya.
"What's going on here?" Allura asked. "Siaras, what are you doing here?"
"I never left, Princess," Siaras said as she walked into the room. "Princess Zeya has taken my place to infiltrate the Command ship. Somehow, she was able to take what I know, so that she would be able to complete the task."
"We'll have to go after them," Lance said as he stood.
Allura could only shake her head. "To do so would put Arus in danger," she said as she watched as the door to the conference room open again, as Coran entered.
"Princess," he said as he walked toward her. "We are receiving reports of several towns being attacked in Helena."
"Helena?" Allura asked.
"Robot fighters, a few at a time," he said. "We just completed a scan of the area an we were able to pick up a squadron of enemy ships heading toward your aunt's kingdom."
"We'll have to worry about Zeya and her actions later," Allura stated. "Katherine, you will be taking your team out to help defend Helena against the oncoming attack. Neive, you will stay behind with me. We will take the white Lion should the need arise, but I hope that we will not have to. Zeya was the only one familiar with it to take it into battle."
"We will let you know if we need help," Katherine stated. "Iliana?"
The young girl looked up at Katherine. "Teri, I will have to ask you to remain on the Beta Team until we are able to train Anala in your lion," she said. "Iliana, please work with Teri when you are in battle. Follow everything he says. I trust that you will be able to do your best."
Iliana slowly nodded. "I'll be sure to do my best, Princess," she said.
"It seems that Lord Rolsin has stepped up his plans to attack Arus, and this time, he is targeting those that would spread our forces thin," Allura said. "The Voltron Force will serve to protect those that are hardest hit, and the Arusian Fighters will serve as backup, providing protection in areas that are not being attacked. Please stick to what we have planned. No hot dogging, no special attacks, just keep it simple and straightforward. Katherine, you may take your team now."
Katherine nodded as she stood from the chair she was sitting in. With a signal, her teammates did the same and they quickly left the conference room. Allura turned to Lance.
"See if you can track the homing signal on Siaras' ship," Allura said. "Gorin, I trust that if you wish for this plan to succeed that we must return Zeya to Arus. Are you willing to head a party to infiltrate the Command ship?"
Gorin stepped forward and nodded. "I will need a small team, your best men if you can allow," he said. "If Zeya knows where the plans are secured, she will be heading there when the time is right. We can provide a diversion so that she is able to collect that information."
Allura nodded. "Lance, you and Pidge will accompany Gorin for this rescue mission. Find one other man to go with you. We will keep in contact with your team until you reach the command ship."
"I already have a man in mind, Princess," Lance said.
"When you are ready, Gorin, please leave as soon as you can," Allura said. She then turned to her cousin, knowing that he would feel left out of protecting his home region. "Neive, please contact your mother to see if there is any additional help we can provide. Im sure she is aware of the attacks in her area, and if they squadron is coming, that she would need help to evacuate. I want you to be sure that everyone can be evacuated safely and quickly."
"There are many underground caverns in Helena," he said. "Hopefully the are still in good condition to be used."
"Take a small team of guards with you in one of our transport ships," Allura said. "If you have to, bring some of the evacuees here to Altaire. We have room to handle anyone who may be in immediate danger."
"I will," Neive said. "Thanks Allura."
"Go, Im sure that there is much needed to be done."
Allura watched as the small conference room slowly cleared and she breathed in deeply. She rested her chin on her hands as she stared at the table before her. She wondered if this was exactly how her father had felt during the years that he had fought against King Zarkons and the Drule forces he commanded. She felt exhausted. And if things continued the way the were, she knew that she would have more on her hands to deal with. She had grown so close to everyone, yet she had to find away to distance herself so that she could assess everyone on what they could do and if they were able to accomplish the task they were assigned. Setting aside her own emotions and feelings, knowing that any decision she would make, it could mean the cost of someone's life.
Was this why Keith was sometimes distant from everyone?
Even now, she found herself thinking about him. She closed her eyes as she breathed deeply again. She understood now, that the things he did, even it seemed so cold and distant was done to protect everyone as well as himself from disappointment, that he was preparing himself always for the worst, even though the situation would not lend to such. Mistakes could happen, and that's why he remained the revered person he was considered. He knew how to command, and to place his trust in his friends and teammates. He knew their weaknesses and strengths. Now she felt a little guilty for ever fighting with him over the orders he gave. Everything he did was with a reason, she now realized that.
Someone clearing their throat woke her out of her reverie and she saw that it was Shane's Uncle, Loren who stood at the far end of the conference room. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he met her gaze.
"Your father did the same thing everytime he held a meeting," he said as he approached her. He then took a seat next to her at the table and smiled at her. "He would remain behind, for a while after, just sitting, contemplating, wondering if he did the right thing. He was a bright man, Allura; he could approach each situation with every possibility in mind, and decide in an instant what would be the best action to take."
He then turned to her.
"Not something you're used to doing, I see," he said.
"As much as I loved my father, Loren," she said. "Im nothing like him. All that I've come to know is due in part to what I've learned from everyone around me. I dont know my teammates as well as I would like to, but I know that they will do what they can the best that they can."
Loren smiled. "Unlike your Captain?" he inquired. He smiled when he saw her reaction and slowly pulled out a rolled up piece of paper, tied with small strand of red string. "I've been here for only a few months, and it brought back so much of my memories here. Your father and I really didn't get off to a good start, but we grew to be very close friends over the years. Seeing you here, after all that you've been through, the least I expect him to ever want is for you to do this all on your own. "
"Loren, whatever Neive has told you.." Allura started.
The older man raised his hand to quiet her. "I did it for Neive, since he inquired about the laws," he said. "There is a certain woman he has grown to care for. After what his uncle had done to him, he felt that it wouldn't be right if it ever happened to another person...namely you.
"And since I worked with Alfor personally, I knew that there were a lot of drafted laws that weren't able to get his approval before his death," he continued. "So, on the urging of my nephew and your cousin, I went to look through his old paperwork to find something that would benefit your kingdom as well as Helena."
Loren slowly untied the string that held the parchment rolled up and unfurled it before her. Allura's eyes quickly scanned over the parchment as her eyes then traveled to the bottom where her father's signature as well as seal was prominently written.
"He knew that the three kingdoms were already threatened by their own quarreling, and if the laws were to remain as they were, there would be no peace among them," Loren stated. "He drafted this law just before his last battle with King Zarkon's forces, and signed it."
"What does this mean, Loren?" she asked almost scared of the answer she would receive.
"That you Princess Allura, of Arus and your cousin Prince Neive of Helena, are free to chose whomever you wish to marry, so as long as the people of Arus have no objections over your choice of suitor or intended," he said with a smile. "Prince, commoner, officer, guard, high lord, stableboy, or farmer; you are free to marry and love whomever you want."
"How...how were you..."
Loren placed a hand over her own. "Your father broke tradition when he chose to marry your mother instead of Princess Karone of Mythrias," he said. "Because she chose to love someone else. He knew the laws were too old to follow, so he wanted to change what he always had felt was wrong with them. I wrote up the first draft long before you were born, and he approved the final draft just before his death. He did it for you, Allura since he did not want to see you go through the pain that would have befallen all three kingdoms should he have been forced to marry Karone. That no one should control your freedom to choose whom to love."
"But...what about the kingdoms? The title?"
He smiled. "Alfor thought of that was well," he said as he gave her another rolled up parchment. "As I said, Allura, your father was a bright young man. As long as the...your intended has become a Lion Knight, he is able to take on the title afforded by your station. He can become King by your side, after your own cornation, that is."
Tears edged at Allura's eyes as she stared down at the two pieces of paper she held. "Thank you," she said in barely a whisper. She threw her arms around him and held him tight.
"Thank your father, Allura," he said as he held her. "He did it for you. He did it for you and Neive."
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