Chapter 15

'It's been a long time, King Alfor'

A few things had shaken Alfor Raimon in his time .The day his father had chosen him as successor to the throne of Arus instead of his brother was one of them. The day his beloved Queen had delivered his first born, straining and crying in order to give birth to the life they had made was another one. The memory of growing faint as he was introduced to his child he would never forget. But above all, what had shaken the mighty king of Arus had been the death of his family. His wife's death had been excruciating to bear and the loss of his sons had nearly killed him. Each day he dragged himself out of bed was a feat that most admired as dedication to his duties. Dedication to the heavy crown of Arus, to the people of his homeland and beyond who had chosen their bloodline to rule.

But they did not know that it was for one person.

"Papa, wake up! Papa please!"

A drunk, groggy Alfor lay on the damp sand outside the once proud castle of Lions. A hazy image he could make out in the dark sounded suspiciously like his daughter.

'Impossible...i'm outside the bunker.' Alfor thought as he started to doze off as the cold crept into his bones.

"Papa, please!"

The terrified cry of his daughter brought Alfor back to consciousness quickly. He forced his heavy eyes open and focused on the image above him. His little girl, a teenager now, was shaking him feebly as she wept bitterly. It was freezing, he realised, as the water lapped at his feet. She's back. After three weeks she was back.

'Allura is back. Outside the bunker...' And so are the drules.

Alfor promised himself that his daughter would never see him in such a despicable state again. Losing her had almost destroyed him years ago after she had been grabbed whilst trying to save that child. Those weeks were hell. Pure hell. By some miracle she had come back, at the right time. Moments before he had committed to ending it all.

From his eye he could tell that she wasn't hurt physically, except for the suspicious binding around her head. She appeared to have been treated by their own staff, which calmed his racing heart. Exhaustion was apparently what seemed to be overtaking her. Her kneeling figure was slumped, leaning heavily to the side, supported by the man beside her. And that said man was absolutely still. Frighteningly still. Alfor could barely make out his breathing. His head was bowed down so he could not make out the face. The raging fury barely held back, that he could sense clearly.

"You had better act quickly ,sire. Or else, everything will be lost." Graham barely whispered.

"Never would have been too soon, Aidan.", Alfor responded, taking a seat in the cramped conference room they had been dragged to.

"Oh come now Alfor, even you expected my appearance at this heated stage of the war. You're a more calculating man than myself. For that I give you credit, its taken me almost twenty years to overthrow you. The House of Ariella is without a doubt formidable. "

The generals around the king were tense and sat stiffly in anger. Alfor was proud of these men, without their aid Arus would long have been gone. They were proud battle worn warriors that knew that Aidan had been bidding his time. For what, they weren't certain.

"Of course, even the Royal family wasn't spared in terms of casualties I believe." drawled on Aidan, cold eyes glinting maliciously as a small smile graced his lips. Everyone flinched, even Wade Wells.

"My children died fulfilling their duty. I am proud of them even in death, not that a man as disgusting as yourself would understand such a loss. We lost generations as a result of your greed Aidan." Spoke Alfor calmly.

"Ah, valid points my former king. All true. But I believe weakness should not be propagated. I fail to comprehend the meaning of such bonds. That is why I chose ambition over such unnecessary distractions. Look around you, everything you all fought for are remnants of an old world, under a weak, unworthy ruler! Ashes!"

At that the visuals of the last battlefield played for everyone to see. Allura openly gasped, Keith stared at the picture blankly, their judges stiffly refused to look at the screens. Sacrifice was necessary for a new world. Aidan however absorbed the images, committing them to memory as the glorious rebirth of his world.

"I think its time to put an end to a very old regime. Alfor Raimon, this trial is being held because of your incompetence, your illogical, emotional decisions that selfishly ruined this world's prosperous future." Wells spoke for the first time.

"I have no problem being tried. Neither does this brass. However, you will let my daughter leave. She is not privy to any military decisions that have been made."

"That's impossible, sire...I mean Alfor Raimon. Her value still stems from her being a chosen of the lions. She can never be left to her own devices." one member of the tribunal stated.

"This girl is probably the most dangerous person in this room! We have to get rid of her." Pointed the same member, hateful gaze directed toward the Princess.

"Oh, my lady, please enlighten this court on what you've found out about her royal highness. I think its quite intriguing for you to believe that. All I see is a weak young girl." Aidan responded, casting a gaze for the first time at the Princess. Allura herself looked from her father to the man on the screen. She was tired and her head was starting to throb, but she would not let them walk over her.

"The accusation is not made lightly. I do consider all of you cowards. And your lives less significant than those of the people you murdered. Especially yours, Lady Carpenter." Allura spat proudly. The other lady bristled and Aidan laughed in delight.

"She definitely is Alfor's daughter. What a temper you have child."

" She's uncontrollable I tell you." Lady Carpenter continued, bespectacled eyes squinting at the Princess. "She's been sneaking out of the bunker for years. Who she meets and why has always been under suspicion. Until now." The middle aged woman presented a picture on the screen that caused the blood to leave Allura's face. She was already pale from the headache she had, but she felt as if the blood in her veins had run ice cold. The man's white hair and blue tone skin were stark even in the grainy image. Allura's glorious blond hair stood out as well, cascading down her back as she wore her tattered combat uniform.

"This man, ladies and gentlemen, is none other than Prince Lotor, son of Zarkon, the man who has ruined our planet. And as you can see, he and the Princess are definitely familiar with each other." Carpenter finished smugly.

"I'm fine with you accusing me of any fabricated nonsense that your little council decides to create. Just never put my name next to that monster's! I have nothing to do with that man!" Allura screamed as a dizzy spell overtook her. She leaned heavily on the man next to her, her temper dying down as she weakened further, breathing heavily.

"Oh?" Aidan commented at the same time with a raised brow. The other members of the room gasped in shock, this definitely being news to them. Whispers be heard from every corner, hushed discussions and pointed stares directed at the Princess.

"I thought I told you to leave my daughter alone." Alfor's cold voice silenced their prosecution briefly.

"King Alfor, what exactly have you been hiding behind our backs about the princess. She's conniving with enemy and you kept quiet about this? How could we have ever trusted such a deluded king so blindly?" slammed another general accusingly.

"She is the Princess of Arus. Yet she was whoring herself out to a drule Prince? For what, a top position in his harem?" someone else asked.

"She's just a girl, I warned you before. How could we make an excuse of trusting a spoilt child with our safety." Another accusation rained from another dark corner. One after another, they pointed out Allura's faults. Her brushless, her disrespect, her lack of commitment to any man even though she was approached multiple times with marriage proposals. Aiden gleefully watched as his assembly prodded the girl, much to Alfor's grief, arguments between the captured brass and his own side escalating. The girl herself was starting to shake visibly, probably from anger since she was too weak to defend herself, which was of no consequence to him. The paleness of her skin only angered her accusers the more, as though they were hyenas that could sense dying prey. The flickering white light did not do her justice at all.

'Much to my entertainment. I never thought a scapegoat would be found so easily that would justify a quick power transition.' He thought to himself gleefully. This world is mine, finally. Opening the audio channels of the bunker for all the residents, staff and military personnel to hear, he let the accusations of whoring, secret rendezvous and possible military liaisons rain.

"King Alfor," Aiden began, ready to finally go in for the kill. "Since you insist you will answer for your daughter, let's hear it. Did your daughter leave this bunker without military consent?," Everyone hushed down to absolute silence, anticipating an answer. The people in their residences waited with baited breathe, hoping upon hope that their princess was not what she was being painted as. Their king's reply came after what felt like an eternity.

"She did. Multiple times."

The military officers in that room started shouting at the king, their words rolling from accusation to disbelief.

"What the hell!"

"Unbelievable!"

"What was he thinking? What were they thinking?"

Even Aidan was shocked by the response Alfor had given. He had expected blubbering justifications, not another nail in the coffin. The Princess at this point had bowed her head, long hair veiling her face in shame.

"She has met Prince Lotor, son of Zarkon?", a leading question, leading straight to the death of either father or daughter or both. A satisfying end, shame and disgrace for them and their cursed lineage.

"She has." Another short answer from the king. The tension was intense. To both men it felt as if they were playing a dangerous game of chess. The checkmate would end Alfor or the Princess. Aidan felt the last question would finish it all, but he would not ask it. Typing quickly like the masterful leader he was, Wade got the signal. The lights flickered in the room that the king and his men were in, at the same time flickering in the hall of the trial.

"By your own admission sire, you knew and kept secret that the Princess was leaving the bunker, putting all these people at risk, to go and meet a man? A man who is an enemy of her people? A drule man?" Wells asked, false sincerity carrying in this voice, leaning forward fir the kill.

We've won!

With a long drawn sigh, Alfor slowly answered calmly.

"Yes, Princess Allura would leave the bunker secretly, to meet a man. Not a drule man."

"But you just stated that she knows the Prince of Doom. Backtracking are we, sire?" Wells pointed out, eyes narrowing in suspicion. He already predicted that Alfor would not go down without a fight. The audience only made their case stronger, even though no one knew that he was leading this conversation.

Alfor prioritised his thoughts as their accusers shouted at him. He had to fulfil his duty as a father after he fulfilled his duty as a king. He had been analysing the man beside his daughter since they had entered the room. He had not lashed out at Aidan at all. It seemed he had also been analysing Alfor as well.

'He was still furious, Alfor thought to himself 'But at least he's not a mad fool.' His eyes met those of the silent man. He never backed down or lowered his head. He had a plan, Alfor realised. The lights flickered again in both locations. The man blinked and raised his brow in challenge.

"I never take back my words Wade. Even you know that. My daughter was meeting a man in secret. She was literally stolen from me before I knew it." Challenge accepted.

"Where is your proof? The least you could do is be honest with us Sire." Wells beseeching as he stood up dramatically.

"He's right there. Why don't you ask him yourself." Alfor responded smugly as he leaned back in his chair, arms folded on his stomach.

Wade chocked on his words, coughing uncontrollably as he choked back his ready reply. Aidan, now massively entertained by the whole fiasco, turned his attention to the dark haired man beside the princess. He had seen the dishevelled military uniform which was the alliances' but paid no mind to it. The man's dark head was bowed as he knelt beside the princess, quiet. He was too calm. 'As if he had been tried before', Aidan thought to himself. His instinct was warning him, but he chose to disregard it. He was out to play today.

"Young man, answer honestly as a soldier of the alliance and we may reduce your sentence since her highness' charges have undoubtably entered the realm of treason. Are you in any way involved with that woman?" Wade asked, his questioning obviously out to leave the princess without support. He saw the generals beside the former king stiffen, their jaws tight in anger.

'Hopeless fools. There's no way this kid will let himself burn along with the princess. There's nothing you can do.' He thought smugly.

"Which alliance are you talking about? The aliiance is dead." Keith drawled, casting his gaze on Wade briefly. Fuming, Wade signalled a soldier and he jabbed Keith quickly in the stomach. Allura collapsed beside him, suddenly losing her only support in her semi conscious state.

"I'm warning you, we won't tolerate insubordination from a mere foot soldier. Now answer the question!" Wade yelled furiously. Sitting back on his knees, Keith caught that the lights flickered again three times.

'They're ready.' He thought to himself.

Taking the opportunity to shake his hair out of his face, he finally met the eyes of the murderer of his people, the man who had made him an orphan.

"I said…"

"Who are you?" Aidan asked, senses on full alert, interrupting Wade. Confused by his boss' sudden change in attitude, Wade turned to look at him and realized that his boss was on high alert. Kill mode.

"I'm the one that got away. Can't you tell? You may have forgotten me but Its impossible for me to forget you. Even in death."

"I asked you, who the hell are you?", Aidan demanded voice lowering dangerously, mock court forgotten, the live connection severed, or so he thought.

"I'll answer your lackey's question first. Allura's my woman. She's my wife to be. Any man who tries to come near her will never walk again, if I hold myself back. And I repeat, the alliance is dead. You scorched the majority of them using Zarkon's weapons. Lastly, if you don't remember me Aidan that's alright. But you do remember my father, don't you?"

Aidan took in the man's words cautiously, but it was his face that he focused on. Jet black hair, early twenties, broad shouders, obsidian eyes…Obsidian eyes. The memory of a flashing child surfaced suddenly from the depths of his memories.

"Kiyoshi's son! KILL HIM! WADE!"

Before the soldiers could point their weapons on Keith and Allura, tonnes of water crashed through all the doors, from the ventilation system above and near the floor of the hall. Trying to swim to the highest surface they could find, they were suddenly plunged into darkness before they felt the vibrations of the explosion. All the while Aidan was yelling for them to capture their prisoners but no one could see anything. When the emergency lighting kicked in 5 minutes later, all that was left was a gapping cavernous hole where the floor had been. Where Keith and Allura had been.