Love Is Stronger Than Death
Chapter 2: Uncertain Smile
By Purrsia Kat
Allura's senses slowly came back to her. Her head ached and she felt slightly nauseous and light-headed but noted she was otherwise okay. Ironically, the more she came to her senses the less her surroundings made any sense at all. She sat upright on the bed, her eyes scanning the unfamiliar room frantically for any clues as to where she could be while wracking her brain trying to figure out how she got to such a place. The mild nausea increased ten fold as she realized that something was horribly wrong. She was certain she was nowhere on Arus, and when her eyes fell on a framed oil painting on the opposite wall her heart skipped a beat. She did not recognize the figure, but she recognized the race – Drule. Put together with the surroundings that were so dark and foreign to her, there was only one conclusion to draw: she was on Doom.
She slid off the silky coverlets on the bed and ran to the window on the other side of the room. To her dismay, she could see she was up far too high to jump, and the castle walls were not conducive to scaling. The landscape was rocky and foggy farther out, but lights shone up from below the castle, and Allura could make out that there was some kind of stadium below, although anyone in it looked like tiny dots from her vantage point. Not far below the window were some of the most hideous looking vultures she'd ever seen. They circled endlessly, biding their time for any scrap of carrion they could spot.
Allura shook her head furiously and smacked her palms against the panes of glass.
"No!" she cried, unwilling to accept her fate. She still could not remember how this could be true. Her last memory involved getting off a boat on a sunny early autumn afternoon near the Castle of Lions, and enjoying smiles and laughs with the other members of the Voltron Force. There was no danger of Zarkon or Lotor, and she remembered they were all so happy and relaxed. To find herself in this awful place now confounded Allura.
She blinked back tears and stepped away from the window. She had to keep her head if she had any hope of getting home. The others, she knew, would be trying to rescue her of course but she wasn't going to simply sit idly by waiting for it. No, she had to act.
Whirling around, she gasped to see two figures standing near the bed she'd vacated moments before. She hadn't even heard Lotor or the witch Haggar come in, so preoccupied as she was with her predicament.
She stood there gaping at the pair with wide eyes, words defying her. When Lotor took a step toward her she instinctively backed up until the window was at her back.
"Allura," he said cautiously, extending his gloved hand. She didn't care for the devilish twinkle in his eye. "Don't be afraid."
"Stay back," she warned, pressing herself harder against the window. Her heart was pounding so furiously she feared it might leap out of her chest.
Lotor took another step toward her. "Believe me, if I'd wanted to harm you I could have done so while you were helpless. Come to me, Allura." The fingers on his extended hand curled toward him, beckoning her to come to him.
"N-no, stay away," she pleaded. Allura turned and placed a hand upon the latch holding the window shut.
Haggar snickered in her gruff, sinister way. "There's no doubt she's wide awake now."
Lotor shot Haggar an unappreciative glare. "Silence, hag."
He turned his attention back to Allura, quickly changing his expression from irritated to what Allura assumed was his attempt to appear inviting and reassuring. But the only way he appeared to Allura was smug and dangerous. He took two more steps in her direction causing her body to tense fiercely. She gripped the latch on the window, trying her best to get it to release.
"Don't come any closer," she rasped, still working at the latch with trembling fingers.
She glanced at Lotor, who seemed unconcerned. "There's nowhere to go. You'll fall to your death from that window."
Allura heaved on the latch and cried out in surprise and pain when it gave, for she'd sliced a gash in her hand in the process. She regained her resolve and cast Lotor a determined look. "I'll do just that if you don't stay back."
She could tell the implication that she'd rather die than suffer his touch stung Lotor, and a bit of pity stabbed at her heart for saying something so cruel to someone, as apparently, even Lotor had feelings that could be wounded. Of course, she did not wish to die either, but if she could use the threat of taking her own life to get him to back off and buy herself time it was worth a try.
She pushed the window open, the hinges groaning in protest when the heavy panes swung outward like a pair of French doors. Wind rushed into the room with a howl, and Allura could barely hear the plaintive cry of the vultures above it. She pushed her wind-blown golden locks out of her face and eyed Lotor warily. His mouth was moving but she could not hear his words above the din, although he did look genuinely alarmed. To make things look good, she hoisted herself up on the low sill and crouched there, teetering precariously. The wind gusts were furious at this height and Allura questioned the wisdom of her plan while forcing herself not to look down.
"Leave me alone," she shouted in Lotor's direction, her voice strained with fear.
To her relief, he backed off and began to return to Haggar's side rather than complete his advance toward her. She didn't like her perch any more than he did, and was about to put her slippered feet back on the floor when one of the vultures swung by close knocking her off-balance. Allura's eyes flew open wide and she screamed. She flailed for an agonizing moment on the sill, unable to grab the frame adequately, before toppling over the edge. The next thing she knew, she had an aerial view of the arena far below and nothing to clutch onto.
The terror that filled her mind was unfathomable as she began to fall. It had her mind in such a steely grip that she didn't comprehend at first when her descent was abruptly stopped until she swung in and hit the Castle wall with a painful thump, pain ripping through her shoulder. She looked up to find Lotor leaning out the window with one of his strong hands tightly gripping her slight wrist.
"You don't mind my touch so much now, do you?" Lotor asked as the winds died down momentarily, hurt still burning in his yellow eyes. For a brief second, she wondered if he was simply tormenting her and would let her drop. But he responded to the pleading look in her eyes and slowly pulled her up to him.
Once he had her safely back inside, she was glad to be gathered into his muscled arms if for a moment, for her fear of falling to a horrific death overrode her fear of the dark Prince. Never mind that her reaction was giving away the fact that her threat against herself was a ruse all along. Allura was shaken out of the moment when Haggar's magic brought the window shut with a bang and sealed it decisively.
"Problem solved," the old witch announced with a soft cackle.
Allura backed out of Lotor's embrace and he allowed it without protest. She thought about at least thanking him for saving her but the shock of her situation – and Lotor being so near - kept her from forming the words. Instead, she stood there cradling her injured hand near her heart and kept her eyes downcast. What fate had in store for her, she could not guess. She only hoped the team would get there sooner rather than later.
"Now do you believe I would hurt you?" Lotor asked her in a somewhat demanding tone. When she failed to answer, he changed tacks. "You're hurt," he observed, reaching out to her. "Let me help you."
"You can help me by letting me go home," Allura said softly while turning away slightly from his offered hand.
Lotor reached out and caressed her injured hand anyway. "I can't do that."
Allura looked up at him, her eyes flashing and rimmed with fresh tears. "You can't or you won't?"
Lotor's expression hardened briefly as he let go of her. "You left me no choice. You wouldn't give me the time of day before, Allura. This was the only way. The only way I could hope for you to give me a chance. I love you Allura, and in time you will accept it as the truth."
Her jaw went slack as she realized he believed what he was saying. He really believed kidnapping her would somehow win her over. Of course she wouldn't ever consider his love, as he liked to call it. He was a monster that had tried on more than one occasion to destroy Arus, enslave its citizens and been guilty of a thousand other crimes against humanity throughout the galaxy. Indeed she had no interest in getting to know the man behind such horrific deeds, decrees of love for her notwithstanding. From where she stood, the only thing she was sure Lotor loved was himself.
"You won't get away with this," she blurted, her voice shaking with emotion.
"I already have," he retorted with an air of smugness that grated on Allura.
"The Voltron Force will see to it that it won't be for long."
Haggar's rippling laughter sent a chill through Allura. At first, Allura thought perhaps she wasn't the only one who had been victimized given recall of her capture was still so vague in her mind. "What have you done to them?" she demanded.
"Don't worry your pretty head," Haggar assured Allura. "They're fine, if a little heartbroken."
Allura looked from Haggar to Lotor and back again for clues to what the old witch was driving at.
"They think you're dead," Lotor said bluntly, filling in the blanks for Allura. "They won't come for you because they don't know you're here. You might as well start considering Castle Doom home like it – or me – or not."
Allura's features contorted with her grief as bitter tears spilled over onto her cheeks. The news was crushing, and the hopelessness that filled her heart was nearly unbearable. The only time in her life she'd ever felt such overwhelming anguish was when Zarkon's attack took her parents from her, many of her people, and almost leveled the Castle with her and Coran still in it. But worse than her own fate, however, was the thought of what they planned to do to her friends and her planet in her absence. With nobody to fly the Blue Lion, Arus was easily at the mercy of Zarkon's next attack.
She found the courage to look into Lotor's strange eyes, fully aware that she didn't have much to barter with but her affection that he seemed to desire. "Please," she implored. "If you truly love me as you say you do, hear me. My people have been through enough. Spare them. I'll do anything."
His brow arched slightly as he eyed her with suspicion. "That is out of my hands, Allura. The war with Arus was going on long before I came back home. That fight is my father's, and you know that. So don't worry – you won't have to whore yourself out to me to save them."
Allura sank to her knees, still holding her hand to her chest, and uncaring of the blood she was getting on her gown. She sobbed, knowing full well without her in Blue Lion her world was about to face more devastating times, perhaps worse than ever before. And she was powerless to help them or even warn them.
She heard Lotor's footsteps retreating, her emotion eliciting his anger. He paused briefly. "Oh and you're welcome for saving your life," he added before leaving her alone inside the room.
Yes, he had. But to what ends? Allura felt his fascination with her was a fantasy built on lust more than genuine love. She had to wonder about when the reality of her didn't measure up – or when she got old or he became otherwise bored with her – if he wouldn't just amend that good deed. Everything was disposable in Lotor's world, and Allura didn't think she was above it.
Keith settled into the seat in the Castle of Lions Control Room and opened the channel. Prince Bandor, young Prince of Pollux, greeted him as a larger than life image looming on the telescreen before Keith.
"Prince Bandor, you needed to speak with me?"
"Yes," Bandor replied. "But first let me extend my deepest condolences on behalf of Pollux for the loss of your Princess Allura. I regret I could not attend the funeral."
Keith nodded, knowing Bandor could see it and waited for the Prince to continue.
"I'll keep this brief. I know you've got plenty of things to attend to in light of the sudden death of Allura. But I fear you'll have even more to deal with sooner than you thought."
Keith's brow furrowed. "Zarkon?"
"Yeah," Bandor confirmed. "I know you've probably been expecting him to hear about Allura as well and take advantage of a lack of a pilot for Blue Lion."
Keith nodded again.
Bandor's visage grew regretful. "But a mole I have on Doom trying to gain information on my sister's whereabouts noticed there's some kind of excitement on the planet and a sharp build-up of arms. I think they may already know and are planning to move much quicker than anticipated. I thought you might like a bit of a warning so you can try to be prepared."
Already? Keith thought. Aloud, he said, "Galaxy Garrison has a replacement pilot en route. Do you have any indication of how soon this attack could happen?"
Bandor looked increasingly grim. "I'm afraid it looks imminent and massive. A matter of days if not hours."
Keith tensed, knowing they would not have the pilot there much less trained in that short a time. But then he supposed, Allura being the ruler of such a focal planet in the Denubian Galaxy, word of her death was bound to travel faster than anyone else who met an untimely death. Thinking on it, he really wasn't that surprised after all at this bit of unsettling news. They'd have to hope the four Lions and any other back-up they could muster could hold off Zarkon.
"Thank you for the warning, Bandor. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry about what happened to Romelle, too."
"I know. We still hold out hope of bringing her home," Bandor replied. "But if you need any help against Zarkon, just let me know. What Arus has done for us we can't ever repay, and I know Romelle would agree. Besides, I really owe Zarkon and Lotor."
"Will do. I'll relay your message to Galaxy Garrison."
Lotor looked upon the robeast inside Haggar's laboratory, unable to mask his disinterest. He was still fuming about Allura.
Haggar rapped her staff on the floor impatiently. "Young Prince, you must pry your thoughts from the fair lady a moment and pay attention. Zarkon wants us to strike Arus as soon as inhumanely possible and that requires you to be familiar with my latest toy's capabilities."
Lotor sighed. The old witch had a point, and he found it highly ironic that he finally had Allura as his captive audience but was still so dissatisfied. No, he hadn't expected the Princess to be thrilled about her predicament, but Lotor was an impatient soul and he simply wanted to enjoy her. He tried to convince himself that time was all he needed to sway her and ignore the fact that her spirited nature was part of what attracted him to her even though now he was finding it a nuisance. Her feistiness was one reason he would not allow Haggar to intervene with magic, though he may consider it if it persisted too much. But on the other hand, his ego wanted her to come to him willingly, to admit her judgment on him was wrong and that he had conquered her on every level himself. So he cheated a little to get her in such a position to begin with. He had to do something fast or be forced to marry that wretched Koral.
"I know," he conceded. "But I'm sorry to say that Arus doesn't interest me. The only thing I wanted from that planet, I have." True, he'd wanted to lash out at Arus when he anger had flared earlier, and he'd still love to take Keith out of commission personally, but his temper came and went, and with it went the desire to do much other than focus on winning over Allura.
"You may not have that for long if you don't concern yourself with your father's wishes. If you blow this, Lotor, he may take it out on Allura to punish you. Have you thought of that?"
Lotor grimaced as his resentment of his Father and the power he held flared. "If he wants Arus so bad, he should go conquer it himself! Although, there is one thing I'd like to do personally," he added with a sly smile, his thoughts turning to Keith again. Allura could not pine for the affections of a dead man.
"As usual, you don't think far enough ahead, Lotor. If you conquer Arus, you'll be regaled throughout the Drule Empire and your sphere of power and influence will grow to surpass Zarkon's. That, coupled with a union with Allura, and you will be primed to become King," Haggar suggested slyly.
"I like how you think, Haggar," Lotor agreed, seeing now the wisdom of focusing on Arus. The fact that leading the attack would likely alienate Allura farther did give him pause, but as he originally surmised, she'd have little choice in the matter regardless. She was his now, and though he would prefer that she came to his bed willing, she would eventually warm it one way or another. Perhaps putting down the Voltron Force and conquering Arus would break her spirit enough so that she would just submit to him once and for all. That still may be considered forcing her hand, but at least it was due to force he exerted and not Haggar's magic doing so.
"Like it enough to hear what I'd like for compensation – my gnarled hand was instrumental in making your greatest wish come true, after all," Haggar pressed.
Lotor supposed he could put it off no longer. "What do you want?" He found it interesting she was bold enough to set the terms herself, but he had to admit he was curious about what she would demand.
"Rather than the usual promise of a new supply of brooms and crystal balls," she sad dryly, "I'd like to propose that when you become King that I share the throne."
Lotor eyed her closely. "You know I'm to marry Allura."
Haggar laughed heartily. "Fool, I wouldn't wish for matrimony between us for any price. I mean to share the power of the throne along with you and your Queen of course. Not to simply serve below you as I am now."
Before Lotor could respond, guards ushered in a slight and frightened looking human. "Sorry to interrupt sire, but we caught this one sneaking around the Castle. He's from Pollux."
Lotor looked upon the man with contempt. "Pollux, eh? So little Bandor is sticking his nose in. How much of his family do I have to slaughter before he takes the hint?" Lotor unsheathed his laser sword and held it menacingly close to the captive's throat. "What have you told him?"
"N-nothing," the man sputtered.
Lotor pressed the searing blade into the flesh of the man's cheek, the stench of burned flesh mingling in the air with the man's ear piercing cries of agony. "I don't care for that answer," Lotor growled. "Try again. Last chance."
"I—I reported to him it seemed you were ready to attack Arus to take advantage of Allura's death sooner than thought. He was to relay the message to Castle Control," the spy admitted. "Along with news about Romelle."
Lotor was glad to hear him mention Allura's "death", as it meant his secret was still under wraps. As for Bandor, he had a little ace in the hole – literally – for that brat. But first, the little lackey he sent was going to pay for his snooping. Ignoring pleas from the man for mercy, Lotor took obscene pleasure in running his blade clean through the spy's chest. That was one spy that had relayed his last message.
That evening in the Castle's lounge room the Voltron Force was gathered, waiting while last minute preparations were being made for Queen Orla's coronation. Nanny had not been herself, and so the rest of the staff scrambled to get things in order. It made everyone appreciate just what kind or work the governess had always done, even as overbearing as she could be at times. Coran had also been a scarce presence, although Keith suspected the man had perhaps the worst hangover of his life and was in no mood besides to deal with the hectic atmosphere inside the castle.
Keith had at least cleaned himself up better. The shower he took earlier was cleansing in more ways than one and it cleared his head enough to ponder Bandor's earlier message more deeply, having shared the information with the rest of the team.
"I'd still like to know what Zarkon is up to. I mean, really up to," Hunk muttered.
"It's low to kick someone when they're down, but what did we expect?" Lance responded, while picking absently at some greenery that was on the table beside his chair. "We'll just have to hope the high alert status pays off and the four Lions can handle whatever he throws at us. At least, until that new pilot arrives."
Pidge slowly nodded. "Yeah. We've beat him back without Voltron before. We could do it again."
Hunk sighed. "We're going to have to warn the new guy about the Curse of the Blue Lion. First Sven got hurt, now this."
Keith listened to his teammates, but remained quiet. He was trying not to think too much about how badly Allura's absence weighed on his mood. She had always sat in on their meetings like this, helping add a little warmth to the room. He looked up to the light globes hanging from the ceiling and noted the Space Mice weren't on their usual perch. They too seem to be too grief stricken to get back to any semblance of normalcy. However, the rest of the team wasn't going to have that luxury, if one wanted to call wallowing in loss luxurious. Keith sighed and his eyes moved to the clock on the wall. They still had quite a bit of idle time to burn. Time seemed to move too slowly anymore, he noted.
Lance suddenly stood up and gave the potted plant he'd been picking at a harsh shove with his booted foot off the table, where it shattered on the steel floor below.
"What was that all about?" Keith asked, wondering what caused such an outburst.
"Nothing," Lance snapped, although it was clear the Red Lion pilot was bothered by something.
"Come on," chided Pidge. "Don't let an innocent house plant die in vain. Tell us."
Lance glared over at Pidge, and just when it seemed he was going to simply remain mum, he spoke. "I'm pissed off."
"We can see that," Hunk interrupted.
Lance looked away, and Keith feared the interruption was going to silence the rest of his reply. Keith rose and walked toward Lance, his intentions to try to calm his friend down from whatever was suddenly making him boil over, when to his surprise he found himself blocking a punch thrown by Lance with his hand.
"Hey!" Hunk shouted, rising to his feet and moving as if to get in between the two but Keith waved him off with his free hand.
Though Lance kept his face down and eyes averted, Keith could see his cheeks were wet with tears. Keith lowered Lance's clenched fist until it fell harmless at the brooding man's side, and waited quietly to see if Lance cared to explain himself. None of them were themselves and it only seemed to anger Lance to push him to confess.
When he finally did speak, it was barely above a whisper at first. "If she had died in battle and we lost her to Zarkon…." He began, trailing off to stifle the hitch of a sob. "At least—at least I'd have been prepared for that. And I'd have something to strike out at, somewhere to put all this hurt and anger."
Keith swallowed hard, not knowing what to do and feeling rather awkward. He'd felt a similar frustration and didn't know how to find a good outlet for it either. The one person who probably would have known exactly what to say was Allura. It was a rather ironic thought.
Just when the ensuing silence was getting unbearable, Pidge looked up at them over the top of his glasses and said, "Well, I could get you a stuffed lizard to punch the stuffing out of if it'll make you feel better."
Lance held his glower at first, but couldn't help but break into a shaky, uncertain smile in spite of himself, even laughing a little.
A little smile played upon Keith's lips as well as he thought that maybe Allura wasn't the only one who knew what to say.
Deep below Castle Doom in the dungeons where Romelle languished, she caught wind of a rumor that astonished her. Allura had been captured and was inside the Castle somewhere! She hadn't heard how that came to be, but there seemed to be little reason to doubt it. Romelle wouldn't wish the advances of Lotor on anybody, much less her own cousin, and vowed to get out of that cell somehow and help her. It gave her renewed fight, after Lotor had nearly broken her spirit.
"You won't win yet, you beast," she muttered into the dank, miserable cell.
A moment later she could have cursed the oath to his face, for the door came open and in walked Lotor. She squinted at the flood of light that came in from the hall, and could only make out his outline at first. But there was no mistaking that silhouette. Her heart quickened and Romelle got a sick and twisted feeling in her gut. What could that animal possibly want from her now, especially since he now had his most prized possession of all?
Her female cellmates shrunk back from the dark Prince as he advanced into the room, but not Romelle. She stood her ground staring him down with measured defiance. He'd almost broken her, but not quite.
"Romelle, you look a fright," Lotor said with some amusement, taking in her tattered appearance in from head to toe.
"What do you want?" she snapped.
Lotor arched a brow. "But still sassy." With bone chilling quickness, all amusement drained from his face and Romelle couldn't fight the fear it stoked within her. He reached out and grabbed one of her arms just above the elbow roughly and drew her close to him. "We're going on a little trip. I'm sure you heard the rumors even down here by now. I have Allura."
Romelle gasped and her eyes went wide. It really was true.
"I no longer need your look-alike services," he went on, "but instead of simply tossing you in the Pit of Skulls, there's one more use for you yet. You'll help me keep your pip squeak brother in line if he dares try to help Planet Arus from the fate about to befall it."
"No!" she screamed, struggling mightily enough to break free of his grasped.
It did her little good for he backhanded her hard, sending her painfully to the uneven rocky ground below. The next thing she knew, he was ripping the long skirts of her gown off and she thought for sure he was going to have his way with her. But instead, he took the strip of fabric and used it as a makeshift gag.
"You, however, don't need to talk on this vacation from your cell," Lotor explained while yanking her upright by her hair.
Keith slowly became aware of the steady pounding of rain on the window pane. His eyes gradually opened as the weight of sleep lifted. Instead of being greeted by the light of a new day, he was startled to find it dark save for the dim orange hue the exterior lights of the castle provided. Glancing at the clock at his bedside, he realized it was not simply that he awoke during the night, but it was already into the evening the next day.
He remembered the coronation the night before. Orla looked stunning and poised, with all the familiar grace and beauty that was part of the bloodline. The Voltron Force stood by dressed in formal attire for the occasion and looking down, he noted he was still dressed in said finery. Keith sighed, wondering why those in the Castle let him sleep so long and so late. There was much to be done with Zarkon poised to attack.
And yet he lingered there in bed, listening to the driving rhythm of the rain and thinking. He thought about how Orla was so different from Allura in a lot of ways, good looks and poise seemingly where their similarities ended. He thought of how the team members each bowed before Orla, kissing her hand and pledging their allegiance to her. He'd been struck at the time by memories of how he'd done the same for Allura, although in a much less formal setting. Yes, as the reigning monarch of all the kingdoms of Arus, Keith would serve under Orla loyally and had nothing against the woman who seemed righteous and pleasant enough. But there was no replacing Allura, not in his mind. And he couldn't help but feel he did not have the same intensity driving him under Orla's rule that he'd felt when he'd made that vow to Allura amid the ruins of the old castle. In a lot of ways, it was Allura's memory that kept him there, willing him to continue the fight more that anything else.
Climbing out of bed, Keith made his way over to the window and made an effort to think toward the future instead of dwelling on the past. But it was difficult, and he found his thoughts repeatedly drifting back to Allura. Even the good memories caused tears to spring up in his eyes.
Just as he forced himself to clear his head enough to ponder a plan of action should Zarkon's forces arrive, alarms blared throughout the Castle. Time for wondering and planning were over, he realized, and made a dash for the door.
that the time on the clock was the time I usually retired
to the place where I cleared my head of you;
but just for today, I think I'll lie here and dream of you.
I've got
you under my skin where the rain can't get in,
but if the sweat
pours out, just shout I'll try to swim and pull you out.
A
howling wind blows the litter as the rain flows,
As street lamps
pour orange colored shapes through your window,
a broken soul
stares from a pair of watering eyes,
uncertain emotions force an
uncertain smile...
I've got you under my skin where the rain
can't get in,
but if the sweat pours out, just shout I'll try to
swim and pull you out.