Chapter 6

"Well?"

Hagar scoffed quietly at the Prince and his excessive queries. Patience was definitely not one of his

strongest virtues and his impatience was hindering her focus.

"My Prince, matching the ancient texts to the locations of the beasts may take time. At the moment I

am working with incomplete records left before our incarceration into the abyss. Results may take

time."

The scowl of disgust on the usually handsome face of the Prince was enough to express his utter

displeasure at her words.

"Don't play with me, Hagar. You are the one that always told me about the folklore of our people and

over the years we've both realized that these are more than just fairy tales. My grandfather was a fool,

but he was a traditionalist, through and through. He would not lie about the Umbra, old witch." Lotor

fumed from beside her, blood boiling from the fury he felt at the witch's incompetence. He had been

waiting lifetimes for the opportunity to destroy their enemy and return to space to concur other worlds

and expand his domain.

"Are you still of use to me at all, Hagar, or is the air you now breathe wasted on a copse such as

yourself?" the prince asked dangerously. Hagar felt the atmosphere of the dim, candle lit, stoned walled

lab she called home grow increasingly heavy. Her cat hissed from the shelf of preserved carcasses, a

warning of immediate danger.

"Sire," she placated, "I do not doubt that the research on the Umbra is correct. Not at all. Your

grandfather's belief in the them is valid and supported beyond questionable doubt. King Rekon, your

ancestor and the greatest Emperor and warlord of our people dominated the Umbra and conquered

Arus before. This is your destiny, my prince. To resurrect the darkness of Arus and live his legacy to the

fullest. You will prevail where others have failed, my prince. All the galaxies will bow before your might,

my prince. I guarantee it with my life."

Lotor watched as the old woman bowed before him carefully for a few minutes. She was obviously

trying to save her head at the moment, and he was going to humor her.

'Your words are going to lose meaning soon old witch if you fail to deliver. If you dare betray me that

worthless life won't be worth a grain a dust. She wouldn't dare betray me." Lotor thought to himself.

"Explain yourself, then. And dare to leave out anything…"

"Thank you, Sire." She said hastily, cutting him off. " Thrack and Cossack returned with data matching

the possible locations as derived from stories and charts left behind. As you know, our race has never

acknowledged the value of keeping important documentation, only trophies, hence the problem at

hand. The data itself has pinpointed 210 different locations as being the place where King Rekon's body

fell after the defeat by Arus' first queen, Ariella. The Umbra themselves have been narrowed down to 54

locations if I take into account their size as stated in the records."

"If I were to go digging in all these locations I would be certified mad. Since you've narrowed down the

locations your magic would be enough to detect the actual location, is it not." Lotor stated matter of

factly.

"It would take a tonne of magic, which I do not have at my disposal. Which is why I relied on

conventional methods, sire." She added quickly when she saw that Lotor was going to start shouting

again.

"The fall of the second kingdom is significant because it has affected the flow of magic within the planet.

Arus' continual destruction is gradually weakening the barriers protecting the locations of the Umbra

themselves."

"I don't want to wait for the entire empire to challenge me for my right to the Umbra, witch. I cannot

wait until Arus has completely fallen to finally be emperor." Lotor retorted.

"That is why I have concentrated all efforts on finding your ancestor's body. Only a descendant of his

blood will be able to implant the nebula into his own heart and control the Umbra. For that we need all

the ancient Arusian documents you can lay your hands on, sire."

"Pollux did not yield anything except for that princess. Which leaves the Arusian castle which is under

siege by my father and the old generals at the emperor's command. They will not let me get thousands

of miles near the place." Lotor shouted angrily, kicking the old witch's workbench over.

"I may have a solution for your problem, my prince." A new voice said, halting Lotor's tantrum cold.

….

A phantom made its way inconspicuously through the shadows of the corridor of the now deserted

hallway. The cloaked figure was cautiously stepped in the blind areas of the cameras that are

continuously recording. Except for tonight. Convincing his friend to create blind spots in the security grid

was a law that he himself would have punished anyone of his subordinates for. But this was beyond

reasoning. It needed to be done. Passing through to the landing bay, he carefully stepped up to the two

patrol guards before quickly karate chopping both of them in the neck. As he threw his bag into the

open shuttle, he paused as he smelt the distinct scent of tobacco. A specific one that he grew up

smelling.

"Aki is going to be furious about that." Edward Graham said, pointing nonchalantly to the two

unconscious figures as he continued to smoke his cigar peacefully.

"And what's new about that. He's always furious with me." The cloaked figure said quietly as it

continued to prepare for departure.

"What? Is the infamous Keith Graham whining? Unbelievable. And I thought I'd brought up a man."

Graham replied sarcastically.

The cloaked figure didn't reply but instead turned around for a moment to look at his adoptive father.

Graham was no fool. He knew that something had been wrong with the boy for months now. Insomnia

aside, the haunted look that passed his obsidian eyes when he thought no one was looking told him the

truth. The man he'd raised was brilliant, courageous, a genius amongst his pears and a leader, if not a

rogue at times. He butted heads with his superiors more times than he could remember, but he had

won over the loyalty of men and women in the bunker although once he had been an outsider. His

military prowness and strategic genius had saved so many soldiers on the ground and the scars he had

proved his loyalty to them. Keith was not the head one of their elite fighting forces, the Crimson Guard,

for nothing.

'The scars on his body are nothing compared to the scars on his heart, though.'Graham thought to

himself as he caught the haunted look in his ward's eyes. Keith had never been one to open up and

share his emotions with anyone, a trait that both saved and gave Graham headaches at times. If he

needed anything Keith would come to him on his own. Or otherwise handle it on his own.

'Selfish brat.'

"I have to go. And I'm not sure when I'll be back." Keith said after a moment. His eyes were back to their

usual unreadable self. The ghost haunting him had disappeared and in its place was the fighter.

'Good.' Graham thought in relief.

"Strange. It seems as if you're telling me. Your Commanding Officer." Graham stated, emphasizing the

title.

"I am. "

"Hmm, I thought you'd passed puberty already, because I still remember your rebellious stage quite

vividly. Terrible times."

"Why did you have to bring me back?! It's early out!" fourteen year old Keith shouted at his 'father' as

they walked back to the bunker residential quarters. His little ward was fuming. And Graham couldn't

care less.

"Because what happens at those festivals after midnight isn't for your little eyes. You're still young and

those genes of yours are trouble."

"I'm fourteen! Its old enough to do whatever I want!"

"Like hell it is!" Graham shouted back, finally losing his cool with the preteen.

"I'M NOT READY TO BE A GRANDFATHER, NOR WILL I EVER BE!"

"It's only old men that reminisce about the teen years of their kids. Really, old, men." Keith said, turning

to the shuttle, finishing the coordinates.

"Don't let them come after me. I need to do this on my own, or rather, if I'm right, there's nothing they

can do. Tell them everything if you have to. I'm tired of hiding either way and if I continue to stay

down…" Keith let the statement hang in the air between them. Graham didn't need any explanations.

"Don't insult me." Graham said sternly. "I'm not an idiot. I knew this day was coming. I know you better

than you might think, Akira Kogane and don't forget that. The one lesson that neither your father nor I

ever taught you was to say goodbye. And I won't start now." Straightening his posture to that of the

General he was, Graham barked out sternly:

"Good luck, soldier."

Somewhere else, in a desolate kingdom, deep in the shadows of the caverns underneath the desolate

earth, golden eyes flashed in anticipation.

And somewhere else, deep beneath the charred rotting earth, sinister, evil red eyes flashed in

awakening.

….

The Princess of Arus had always been the epitome of poise and grace in the eyes of her people. Why

they thought she was flawless was beyond her. She knew that she had inherited her mother's passion

and her father's temper. Those, she was working on and she honestly admitted that she still needed

work. In all her life surrounded by men, never once had she been intimidated by them. Or outwardly

shown her fear. That was her, or had been until two days ago.

Two days ago…

Having been settled into their quarters, the princess and her company were escorted through the multi-

level bunker, meeting the people of the province wholeheartedly. Joy emanated from everyone who

had never met her highness and the people were enthralled. The elderly blessed her and the young

children jumped up and down trying to capture her attention, others climbing onto the shoulders of

their parents to see her. The young men blushed when they caught the eye of their monarch, her beauty

enchanting them all. Much to the annoyance of some young women.

"I didn't think the outer provinces still had such fun loving people." Lance said after another dance with

another beauty girl. Lance, Pidge and Hunk were almost as popular as the princess, earning them the

attention of much of the female population there. Their meet and greet had turned into a festival before

they knew it.

"Or beautiful women, Lance?" Allura asked lightly.

"Especially the women!"

"And the food!" Hunk mumbled between bites, earning some brownie points with the cooks and

laughter from those around him.

"Everyone tries to make the best of the situation. You see, almost half of our population was lost

roughly eight years ago after the fall of the desert province." Lady Serena told Allura.

"I'm so sorry about what happened. No one could have predicted it at all. " Allura responded gently.

"It's alright my dear. All we could do was take in the survivors. We weren't hit badly because some

insisted on early entry before the others. "

"It was a wise decision on your part. Hunk's home in the desert lost over 89% of their population. When

you last came to the Castle four years ago, everyone felt like it was the end of the world. It still is

actually." Allura said quietly, sadness permeating her sweet voice.

"Allura child. I know a great burden has been placed on your shoulders as the Blue Lion, but you cannot

take it all. You can only do what you can and leave the rest for others. Tread the path that should be

yours and only yours and you will always find the truth. No one can tell you otherwise."

"But these people" Allura said, looking sadly at the overcrowded hall they were in, " They expect me to

save them, to give them the answers they need, the peace they yearn for, yet, I don't think I can. I try to

be strong, I really do, but it's getting harder to bear. How we're going to save this world with the lions, I

don't know. This sacrifice…It's all too much."

Lady Serena felt the pain and sadness that the young lady before her carried. It wasn't fair for such a

young thing to experience, let alone carry the hopes of an entire planet. She realized that maybe this is

why Alfor had sent his daughter to her. To take her away from such a large burden.

"That's it. Come with me." She said firmly.

Gesturing to the three men that Allura would be alright with her, she led the young lady through the

corridors of the bunker until she reached the door of her chambers. Inside, she went through another

hidden door through the wall and enters a vault-like room of enormous size. Inside was priceless

artwork, books, furniture, material, tools, toys, all indigenous to the province of Clarion.

"What is this?" Allura asked, enthralled by the massive collection.

"Our legacy. This is what everyone in Clarion chooses to leave behind for all those coming after us."

"Everyone?" Allura asked, gently picking up a handmade plush girl doll from the massive collection.

Overwhelming feelings rushed through her as she thought about her own childhood and her favorite

doll, Fluffy. For a child to give this up…

"Many people died after the first attack, and that day, we all realized how volatile we were. Even if we

fought, what future would we leave behind for those after us. Technology, industry, wealth, fashion

weren't the only things we were losing. Those could be replaced. They are probably going to be first in

line. But what about the toys children loved, the recipes we love, the music we dance to, the art, it

won't be replaced. That's why everyone placed what they loved here, not because of regret, but

because they have hope that they'll be needed again in earnest. These are people's hopes, Allura. This is

what they are asking you to carry."

By this time Allura was sobbing in earnest, clutching the doll for dear life.

….

"You know, when is said that this wasn't your burden alone I meant it in a different way as well." Lady

Serena said mischievously.

"Please don't make me cry again, Aunt. I don't think I could take another session of that." Allura sniffed

lightly, smiling slightly behind her tears as she followed Lady Serena out into the hallway.

"This one is light-hearted, I assure me…is there a man in your life?"

"Wha..Uh..a man…Aunty!" Allura stammered at what Lady Serena had asked, a slight blush gracing her

cheeks.

"I see there isn't." Lady Serena laughed at Allura's discomfort.

"With good reason! Nanny throws any Lord, Sir, Count, Duke, and any as close to either of the above

titles in my way!"

"I see Gretchen hasn't changed one bit. And your father says what about this?"

"Daddy runs away!"

At that Lady Serena bursts out laughing as she imagines Alfor getting a stern talking to from Nanny

about the importance of lace and sewing as important for a lady of the court.

"She hasn't changed one bit. She's dreamt of planning your wedding since you were a few hours old.

Your father has never stood a chance." Lady Serena said, trying to pacify the young woman in front of

her.

"Your father arranged for you to marry the prince of Altair, but he passed with the massacre of his clan.

But there is still another that you are destined to be with."

Allura paused and looked at Lady Serena suspiciously.

"Who?" she asked quietly.

Lady Serena readied herself for the outburst she knew was coming. Inevitably, she stated clearly:

"To the chosen of the Alpha Lion."

Allura almost laughed at the absurd idea of the possibility, the minute possibility that she would be

married off to one of her teammates. She would have laughed if not for the serious look on the older

woman's face.

"No." she said firmly, feeling frigid coldness wash over her from head to toe.

"Have you ever asked why you were arranged to marry the heir of Altair, or is it you thought that since

he was dead it didn't matter." Lady Serena asked her.

"I was told it was because they were a good family, that the previous Lord Kogane was on good terms

with father, Lance's father and most of the nobility honored the man."

"That is true. Hunter was actually the boy's godfather. He came to the Castle of lions in the first months

of your birth to celebrate. As gorgeous as his father too."

"Aunt, not you…" Allura asked in surprise at the older lady's comments.

"You've never met a Kogane, darling. If you had, you'd understand and wouldn't be complaining about

him, either. Anyway, the boy was said to have been chosen by the Black lion. And the reason why he

and you were set to get married was because the Black lion and the Blue lion are mated."

"MATED?!"

"Allura, ladies don't shout dear. Yes, mated. What that entails, I'm not sure since it's between the two

lions, but I know that since the lions were still beasts they were mates, and that they mated for life

before and after they chose vessels, yourselves as half of their souls. Your ancestor Ariella was widowed

when she was chosen by the Blue lion and her heart yearned for her husband and she never remarried

or had a relationship with the Kogane of that time."

"Why wasn't I told?" Allura asked, clearly upset at being left out of the loop.

"I assume its because you fiancé was no more and your father wanted you to choose on your own. It

also explains why he lets Nanny introduce you to different men as possibilities before the chosen of the

Black lion appears. He's putting your happiness first."

"Daddy" Allura said quietly, thanking her father in her heart for having so much love for her. She never

felt alone because she knew he was always watching out for her.

"You communicate with your lion and ask her about this. She will answer all your questions and more.

For now, let's go back to the party so you can dance with a few gorgeous men."

As they made their way back to everyone, they passed a group of men in the corridor huddled together

in serious discussion.

"Oh good. Talking about handsome men, come meet my nephew Sven. No amount of dance, music and

etiquette lessons could turn him into a proper gentleman. I blame his Holgersson blood."

Turning to the group that had now noticed their presence, Allura smiled politely at them waiting for

proper introductions. That was, until she saw him.

Her gaze halted as it scanned the one man that had taken her breathe away. Never in her life had a man

brought her thoughts to a screeching halt until now. Tousled midnight black hair crowned his head in

the most rebellious way, with a mind of its own covering his eyes from her keen, searching gaze and

landing softly around his strong neck. The front of her consciousness picked up he was dressed in a

standard black t-shirt, black cargo pants tucked into standard black leather boots, but the woman in her

wondered how that t-shirt managed to look so good on his muscular arms, chest, abs and shoulders. She

didn't know how he filled out those dark pants and made them look so good. As she lifted her gaze to

his face, she observed a sharp jaw, well defined cheeks, lips and nose under the golden hue of an

obvious tan from being outside.

A soldier.

But it was his deep, dark eyes that never left her that captivated her. They were darker than a starless

night, unyielding as they took in her own, the deepest obsidian that threatened to swallow her entire

existence up but promised the truth in their deep dark depths. She was drowning in them, and she

wanted to stay swallowed up by their promises. Allura's heart threatened to beat itself out of her chest

every second she kept looking inside those eyes.

That's why she didn't even notice that the floor had disappeared from beneath her feet, nor did she

hear the panicked voices that called out to her as her world went completely dark.

….

Now as she came out of the memory of her demise in the presence of the seductively hot man two days before, she wondered what she was going to do as the shuttle

started to move out of the landing bay to who knows where, with her hiding under behind the emergency blankets and kits, not knowing who she was going with.