Just Allura

by (Kitty)Shannon

Disclaimers: Voltron and all associated characters are owned and copyrighted by WEP. Original/new characters belong to the author.

Rating: PG - Mild Language and Innuendo

Chapter 3

Lance had been wandering through the Castle of Lions in what seemed to be a somewhat random and leisurely stroll. However, as usual, he was a man with a plan and knew exactly what it was he was looking for as he made his rounds. If he was going to hatch his latest scheme, he would need accomplices. Keith and Allura were both out of the question - Keith constantly refused to allow Lance to drag him into anything, and Allura wasn't so good at keeping secrets like the one he was planning right now.

~'Besides,'~ he thought with a grin, ~'you can't let your targets know you're aiming for them! Where's the fun in that?'~

That left his two favorite buddies. Hunk and Pidge. He was sure he could talk them into helping him. And if he couldn't, at least he knew they'd keep quiet - or at least he knew that he could find something on each of them to keep them quiet. Heh.

On his way to find his friends, he'd stopped by the hanger bay where he'd been invited to join in a poker game with some of the castle guards later that week. Next up, he went to the barracks and stopped by everyone's rooms but found Keith's door locked, and both Hunk and Pidge no where to be seen. When he had traipsed through Castle Control, Coran had eyed him suspiciously before asking, "Lance, is there something I can help you with?" At which point Lance had made a hasty exit before the advisor could put him to work doing some menial task.

As he was heading in the direction of the rec room, he sprinted past the corridor that lead to the kitchens. He came to a sudden stop, backed up and changed course. Sauntering down the hall, he met up with a sweet Arussian girl named Sophie. She was Princess Allura's cute little personal maid.

"Hey there," Lance gave her a charming smile.

"Hey there, yourself." Sophie smiled and batted her eyes at the handsome space explorer. "Where have you been hiding?"

"Me? Hiding?" Lance chuckled. "The only thing I ever hide from is Nanny-"

"Then you had better go hide now, you tomcat!" A shrill voice called from behind them, startling Lance. "You leave my maids alone! No, go before I take my wooden spoon to your backside!"

Lance turned to see a red-faced Nanny hurrying down the hall, threatened-weapon held high and ready for afore-promised action!

"Crap!" Lance looked at Sophie with wide eyes. "Gotta go!"

"Come see me when I'm off work!" Sophie said with a giggle as she watched Nanny chase Lance down the hall, threatening all kinds of violence with that wooden spoon if he was to return.

When Lance reached the rec room door, he quickly ducked inside. Leaning over, he placed his hands on his knees and took a few deep breaths.

"Lance? You okay?" Hunk sounded concerned.

Looking across the room, Lance decided today was a good day after all. "Yeah, Hunk, I'm fine."

"Then why are you breathing so hard?" Pidge asked.

"Nanny caught me talking to one of the maids and threatened to beat me with-"

"All right, we get it Casanova." Hunk shook his head and returned his attention to the game of cards he was playing with Pidge.

Lance crossed the room, pulled up a chair and joined his pals. Pidge was a great kid, a real genius. Hunk was the exact opposite, well at least physically! People didn't give the Big Guy enough credit - he was a brilliant mechanic, smart as they come! Where Pidge was short and wiry, Hunk was tall and thick. Pidge had a mop of wild and unruly reddish curls; Hunk had sandy-brown hair he kept neatly cut and pushed back by a headband. Pidge's eyes were a brilliant shamrock-green while Hunk's eyes were a soft golden-hazel color. And they were inseparable - the best of friends from the day they met.

When Lance had sat there silently for what Hunk considered just a little too long, he finally gave in and just asked.

"Alright, whadda you want?"

"I'm glad you asked." The lanky young man gave his friends a conspiratorial look then leaned over the table. After a quick glance over his shoulder to ensure no one else was listening, (which was really just for show because no one else was in the room!) he began. "I've been thinking…"

"Great," Hunk said sarcastically, but Lance just ignored him.

"We all know that there's some kinda spark between Keith and the Princess, right?"

Hunk and Pidge looked at each other, as if having some unspoken conversation. Finally they both turned to Lance and nodded, even though their faces shone with suspicion.

"Well," Lance said, making his sales pitch. "Maybe we could help them out. You know, give them a push in the right direction."

"I don't know, Lance," the youthful pilot of Green Lion said doubtfully.

"Yeah, I don't wanna get on Keith's bad side, if you know what I mean?" Hunk looked pointedly at Lance's hair.

Pidge snickered as he recalled the last time the would-be schemer had thought he was pulling something over on Keith. The guy who prided himself on his gorgeous hair had spent several weeks wearing a cap while his hair grew back in. You just didn't want to push their Captain's buttons.

Lance ran a hand protectively over his hair and gave his friends a nasty look. "Just listen to my idea first!"

After relating what he'd witnessed that morning and explaining the short version of the brilliant idea it had inspired, he looked from Hunk to Pidge then back to Hunk. After a moment, he saw understanding growing in their eyes.

"Ya know," the Big Guy grinned, "that just might work."

:)

:)

As Keith made his way through the maze of castle corridors, he couldn't help but reflect on the past hour; a precious time spent with the Princess. He had followed her about her garden, being handed one flower after another as she snipped some of the most beautiful blooms as a gift for her governess.

It had been a wonderful opportunity for him to observe her without it being obvious, and he took full advantage. She was a stunningly beautiful woman, there was no doubt concerning that. But there was something endearing about the way she went about her work, listening to and laughing at his terrible jokes. Over and over again, he found he loved the way her brilliant blue eyes sparkled when she giggled.

Before he knew it, he found himself outside the rec room. He forced himself to return his thoughts to the day ahead, pausing just long enough to take a deep breath and clear his mind of the enticing images of the fair Allura. Keith stepped forward and when the door to the rec room slid open, it revealed a scene that looked suspiciously like his friends caught with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar.

"Gentlemen. I didn't realize there was a meeting this morning. Would someone like to explain to me what I've missed?"

Lance, as always, was the first to recover. "Hey, Keith. Nothing important. We were just talking about how nice it would be to get a break once in a while."

The Captain of the Voltron Force turned a questioning look onto the other two conspirators. Both Hunk and Pidge looked up at him, smiled and nodded. "Well, I wish we could have a break too, but Zarkon and Lotor don't take breaks, so neither can we. Sorry boys."

"What if we can think of something that won't take us out of the castle, maybe we can have just a short break? What do you think, Chief?" Lance asked hopefully.

The black haired Captain eyed his friend suspiciously. Crossing his arms over his chest, he countered, "It depends on what you have in mind, Lance, and I'm not so sure I really want to know."

"We were just talking about how much fun it'd be to have a party. It would lift everyone's spirit, especially the Princess. She's always doing things for us, for her people, for everyone else. Wouldn't it be nice to do something for her, and if we could have fun at the same time," Lance shrugged. He caught the brief flicker in Keith's eyes at the mention of Allura and Lance knew he'd already won his Captain over.

"I don't know-" Dark eyes flickered with emotion as he ran a hand through his unruly hair.

"Oh, come on. One party couldn't be that bad, could it?" Hunk interrupted.

"Yeah. Please, Keith?" Pidge pleaded.

"Think about how much the Princess would enjoy it." Lance threw in.

And that was the deciding factor. Allura would enjoy a party. Immensely. Keith regarded his friends, took a deep breath and hoped he didn't regret his decision. "Okay, but first you'll have to talk to Nanny and Coran and get their blessing."

He was greeted by three grins.

"And I want to be informed of all your plans, before you put them into motion." He looked pointedly at Lance before breaking into a smile himself. It had been a long time since he'd been to a party.

"I'll run everything by you, Captain!" Lance shot up and gave Keith a snappy salute with one hand while being sure to keep his fingers crossed on the other.

"Just make sure you talk to Nanny and Coran first. If they say no, that's it!"

"I'm on way to talk to Coran right now," Lance said, grinning at his friends as he went over the list of preparations he'd been making out in his head all morning long.

"I have some things to do, so I'll leave you to your planning." Keith gave Lance one last look of warning before he crossed the room and headed back out into the hall. He was so distracted that he was half way back to Castle Control when he realized he'd forgotten to find out if Lance had finished any of his assigned tasks.

Keith shook his head and wondered just what he'd gotten himself into.