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 7

After leaving the observation deck, Keith had checked every nook and cranny he could think of, but had found no sign of Allura until the kitchen where he'd found the same maid who'd served their dessert. His concern had only grown when, after inquiring about the Princess's whereabouts, the maid had told him she had no idea where the monarch had gone, only that she seemed very upset when she'd left.

These words were still ringing in his ears when he reached Allura's personal gardens. He knew this was a place of solitude and comfort for her; knew it was a place where she often went to reflect and be alone.

Stepping out into the chilly night air, he made the decision that if she wasn't here he would have the castle turned upside down until someone found her. He cast a quick look around and to his dismay found no one. But, not one to give up easily, he decided to double check the darkened area once more before heading back in. And that's when he heard a sniffle.

"Princess, is that you?" He already knew the answer once he saw her golden tresses shimmer in the moonlight.

"No. Go away."

"If you aren't the Princess I need to know who you are and why you're in her garden." His tone was light, almost jovial.

"Tonight I'm just Allura." Her voice was so soft that he would have missed her words if he hadn't moved to stand right in front of her. "Now, please, go away, Keith."

"I can't go away." He ran a hand through his dark locks; she wasn't going to make this easy. "I'm looking for my friend, she's quite upset and I believe she may need me. Have you seen her?"

The silence seemed so thick and ever-lasting that he didn't think she would respond. But after a few minutes, she looked up at him with red-rimmed blue eyes and tear-stained cheeks. His heart broke into a thousand shards, knowing he shared a part in causing her this pain.

She smiled sadly. "I may have seen her, but only if she's just your friend Allura tonight. Not 'the Princess' of anything."

Without hesitation he nodded and sat down next to her. "Well then, Allura, please tell me what's bothering you?"

Taking a deep breath, she turned to search his face. There she found concern etching his features and eyes that were warm and open. Maybe tonight there would be no walls between them.

The night seemed to bring itself to a stop, gently though, as so it didn't wake its dreamers. For uncountable, precious minutes, the lovely maiden and her proud protector sat silent, lost in one another's eyes. And yet, with her wish finally granted, the man she loved before her vulnerable and open, she couldn't find her voice.

"Allura..." A soft smile played at the corners of his lips, her name like honey on his tongue.

She felt something deep within her soul stir in response. The way he looked at her with such longing, the way he said her name with such adoration, their very closeness, they all left her helpless and at his tender mercy.

Reaching up and brushing the tears from her cheeks, Keith spoke in a soft voice. "Allura, don't you know how it breaks my heart to see you cry? I ache to comfort you when you're hurting. Talk to me, tell me what troubles you. Please, tell me what's in your heart tonight."

Never had she seen this part of Keith. Never had she thought to hear him speak such sweet words. And she quickly said a prayer in hopes that this wouldn't be the only time. Suddenly she felt terribly guilty over her earlier presumptions. It was foolish to believe her dearest friends would suddenly turn their backs on her for no real reason. She felt the heat of her shame cover her cheeks in a deep blush and wanted no more than to turn away from this man, her angel, before he read her mind. But she found it impossible to pull herself away from the adoration in his eyes.

Because she could think of nothing else to say, yet only her words might break the spell he had cast over her, she finally said, "It's my own silliness."

"Anything that's hurt you couldn't be 'silliness.'"

Allura watched him closely; amazement filling her at the realization that he honestly cared for her. She knew Keith, and he wouldn't give up until she emptied her heart to him. So, she began, telling him of her suspicions regarding their recent behavior, and how she had tried to trick them. She also explained her fear of losing them just as she'd lost so many others that she loved.

"I was afraid that you didn't want me around any more."

Keith gave her a smile that was both kind and reassuring. "Well, we have been keeping something from you. But, it's not what you're thinking. It's a surprise. And I won't tell you another word about it. In fact I've already said too much." His smile became jovial as he continued, "And we knew exactly what you were doing with the cheesecake."

"You did?" She actually sounded astonished.

He laughed at her surprise. "Of course we did."

Finally he reached out and took her hand, his features growing serious. "You brighten all of our lives. There will never be a day when we don't want you around."

"Even yours?" Her voice was no more than a whisper as she tilted her head back, bringing their lips just inches apart.

His eyes moved over her beautiful face, at last dropping to her slightly parted lips. They looked so soft and inviting, how could he resist?

"Especially mine," he murmured as he closed his eyes and brushed his lips against hers.

The tumult of emotion they both experienced was shocking, a liquid electricity coursing through their veins, and with no more than that gentle touch of their lips as its cause. His eyes opened briefly and scanned her face. There he found both innocence and passion. At once he wanted to ravish her and protect her, to both be the one who took her virginity and the one who forever kept her pure.

Her eyes fluttered open and he felt, rather than heard, as she signed his name against his own lips. That was when he finally lost the battle he'd been fighting for months now.

Keith pulled Allura into his embrace and claimed her sweet lips in victory - or was it defeat? He would never discern, his only knowledge was of his hunger for her. His lips set a course over to the point where ear and jaw met, burning her skin with the heat of his sweet kisses. She arched her head back and offered him the length of her long, graceful throat and he took her gift, continuing on a downward journey. When his lips caressed the hollow of her throat, she worked her fingers into his hair and held him to her. She moaned his name and he felt his body respond, felt an ache in his loins that almost couldn't be ignored.

With great effort, he broke away, knowing things could not progress, but not really sure he cared. Her burned for her, ached for her, and now that he had tasted her, he knew there would never be another. He knew now and forever he would belong to Allura. Only Allura. Just Allura.

He allowed himself a brief moment to look into her beautiful face and his heart ached at what he saw. She watched him with wide eyes, her emotions unmistakable. Allura was just as madly in love with him as he was with her. It was at this point he realized this couldn't go any further and that he would have to be the one to stop it. She was, after all, far too precious for someone as unworthy as he. He was no more than a soldier, and she the ruler of an entire world.

"I think I should walk you back to your room now." His voice was thick was unbridled passion.

So shocked by the events of this night, she couldn't bring herself to argue.

"Okay," her voice was small.

He stood and took her hand, helping her to stand and they walked in complete silence until reaching the doors to her room. When they arrived, she realized she was still clinging to his hand and a blush crept up her neck and spread over her cheeks. It only made her even more becoming, if that were possible. Before she could untangle her fingers from his, he brought her hand up and pressed his lips against it.

"Good night, Pri-" His eyes met hers, "Allura."

With that he turned and disappeared down the hall.

:)

:)

Allura sat at her vanity table brushing the tangles from her long hair. It was a nightly ritual, one that had started when she was a small child. Each evening, her mother would sit at her own vanity table and work the silver handled brush through her tresses; Allura would watch in awe of her mother's beauty. Years later, it had become the perfect means for the Princess to end her day, allowing her time to sort through events and relax before bed. But tonight she found all events overshadowed by a few brief minutes spent in her garden.

Her fingers lifted to her face, gently touching her still-swollen lips. All she could think about was Keith's mouth on hers, kissing her until she felt light-headed, her entire body aquiver. There had been so much tenderness etched in his features, such depth of emotion in his eyes. She now knew that he felt more for her than he had ever let on. Sighing deeply, she sunk down even further into her seat.

Some time ago, Allura had realized that she was madly in love with Keith. So the question became, did he love her? After tonight she had no doubt that he found her attractive and for a while now, she'd suspected he had amorous feelings for her. But that didn't constitute love.

So, what was she going to do?

Her brow furrowed as she considered the matter. She was going to have to find a way to get Keith to admit his true feelings to her. ~'Of course,'~ she grinned at herself in the large mirror, ~'if he doesn't, I'll just have to find a way to help him out with that.'~

Her decision-making done for the night, she slipped into her favorite nightgown and crawled into bed. It didn't take long for sleep to claim her and, when it did, almost instantly her dreams were filled with visions of a darkly handsome man and all the promises made with just one kiss.

:)

:)

Silently, Keith made his way through the castle's corridors. His mind raced in an attempt to answer the kinds of questions that only seemed to lead to even more confusion. Each time he thought he had a resolution, each time he thought he understood why he'd kissed Allura, something more nagged at the corners of his mind. Whatever it was remained adamant that he hadn't even begun to solve this puzzle.

The biggest complication had been her reaction. Instead of pulling away, she'd encouraged him. And when he'd finally broken away, the look on her face had made words completely unnecessary. She thought she was in love with him. He sighed and unconsciously ran a hand through his dark hair.

He couldn't afford to let things go any further. If he did, they would both end up with broken hearts - eventually, Coran and Nanny would see to it that she married a prince. The thought made him burn with anger, but he knew that it would be the best thing for Allura.

After all, she was a princess and deserved someone of the same social order, someone who wasn't just a pilot. What could he offer her? His first duty was to Galaxy Garrison, he went where they sent him and lived by their laws. His life was one of stress and strife, and she deserved so much more than that. But no matter how many points against further romantic involvement with Allura his mind threw at him, his heart soared with the memory of her lips against his. Those few fleeting moments were something he would always treasure and he smiled in spite of himself.

So caught up in his musings, the noble Captain didn't noticed the figure stepping out of a side corridor, nor did he heard the boots clicking on the floor behind him. In fact, Keith was so completely caught unaware that when he felt a hand resting on his shoulder, he spun around, pulled his laser-gun out and took aim.

After no more than a second, his look of shock turned into a scowl of recognition. He quickly re-holstered his weapon and gave his companion the once over before speaking.

"Where'd you come from?"

Lance eyed his commander with a look of nonchalance. "The observation deck."

"What were you doing, spying on me?" Keith eyed his brother suspiciously.

"Spying on you? I'm hurt. I would never sink so low as-"

"Remember who you're talking to. I know you better than anybody, so cut the innocent act."

"Hey man! I wasn't spying on you!"

"You'd better not be." It was obvious that the Captain of the Voltron Force remained unconvinced.

"What? Did you have some secret date with some hot babe that you don't want the rest of us to know about?"

"Mind your own business, Lance." Keith's voice had become tight with anger.

"Hey, man, take it easy. I was only kiddin' around." Lance shrugged. "I wanted to make sure you found the Princess and that everything's okay. I stopped by your room but you weren't there, so I thought I'd see if you were in the observation deck, but you weren't there either. I was just going to Castle Control when I ran in to you out here. So, take it easy. I don't know what's got you so tense, but if you need to get it off your chest, I'm here for you, man."

Keith seemed semi-appeased. "Don't worry about me. Sorry I jumped down your throat."

"S'alright. Did you find Allura? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, I found her. She's all right, now."

"Now? What was wrong?" Lance asked.

"She thought we didn't want to be her friends anymore."

"Where'd she get an idea like that?" The pilot of Red Lion's tone implied he thought it was one of the craziest things he'd ever heard.

"Because we've all been avoiding her." Keith shook his head.

"Well at least you were there to set her straight." Lance's words were spoken just as the duo came to a stop at the door to Keith's room. There was a somewhat uncomfortable pause in the conversation, as if Keith wanted to say more but wasn't sure he should. Lance clamped a hand on the other man's shoulder before he turned to go. "Guess I'll see ya in the morning."

"G'nite," Keith replied as he opened his door and entered his room. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, knowing full well that he'd be lucky to sleep at all. But he was wrong, and after a short amount of tossing and turning, he drifted into a blissful dream about a golden-haired angel.