I do not own Voltron or anything even remotely associated with it. Heaven knows if I did, I would still have the toys. Points to anyone who recognizes the joke about Lance's phrases. :)

Garden Rendezvous

Preoccupied with his thoughts, Keith didn't realize the path his feet had chosen until he was already outside the castle and striding along the long bridge where he had paced more times than he cared to count during his original five year stint on Arus. Arms folded, he came to an abrupt stop halfway between the palace and the Black Lion's perch and let out a sigh that did nothing to relieve him of his worries. Above him the night sky glittered with stars while Arus's single moon remained hidden behind a cover of clouds. For a moment Keith simply stared at the sky overhead, willing himself to become lost in the vastness of the universe and failing miserably. Mockingly his own words of a week before came back to haunt him, so confidently stated to Sam in the halls of Galaxy Garrison, "She won't be pining after me. She'll be deliriously happy." He was not vain enough to think Allura was pining after him but she wasn't deliriously happy either. What would have been worse, he wasn't certain; finding her as she was now or perfectly happy with Liran and her son. It was not so much that she was unhappy that troubled him, it was his own feeling of having invaded on something that should have been left private, and would have been if not for his presence and that of his companions. There was no possible way he could have known Galaxy Garrison was a subject best left alone when in the presence of Liran and Cael he well knew, but he still felt that his coming had somehow brought it to the front of Cael's mind again. Perhaps he should have asked the others more about the boy during their journey. He had had his reasons and they had understood them, but it had been foolish on his part to assume the boy's fascination with Voltron did not extend to flying. Even more unsettling was Liran's apparent aversion to flying...space travel had become such a way of life, one hardly heard of anyone objecting to it any more. There were still rare cases, of course, but usually not in the nobility who used space travel on a fairly regular basis. Now that he thought of it, however, he realized that Liran and Allura hardly appeared at any of the political functions held throughout the galaxy. The few times he had seen their names he had found excuses not to attend himself, but until now he hadn't realized exactly how infrequent that occurrence had been. What could account for it? From what he remembered, Liran's home planet was more than a week's journey from Arus and Allura had not been the first princess he had paid suit to. In fact, she had been one of the last stops on his courtship...perhaps the man's dislike of flying had arisen from that journey.

Unbeknownst to himself, Keith had begun pacing, his gaze determinedly avoiding the flickering windows of the palace. He was tense, understandably, and secretly hoped that the movement would help to calm some of his rattled nerves. Liran didn't unnerve him. He couldn't quite even bring himself to dislike the man...yet. Liran was not a man Keith would have chosen for a friend under any circumstances but as a colleague, Keith knew they could work together and work well. Whatever was going on between him and Allura was none of his business, despite the scene he had just witnessed. Things were far from pleasant, but he would have been hard-pressed to say that the royal couple was estranged. More often than not, the two of them had displayed an almost disturbing understanding of each other during the brief time he had already spent in their company and that fact alone was enough to make him scowl. If the two of them were at odds over anything, it was Cael and he could only speculate on the reason for it. Shrewdly he supposed Liran wanted his son to be one thing and refused to accept that he was another. And of course, unthinkingly, he had aided and abetted Cael by telling him the truth about GG's acceptance policy. Had the boy not taken his father seriously and looked into the matter himself, he would have soon found Liran had played him false but Cael hadn't and Keith had just made an already unpleasant situation worse. Neither Liran or Allura would blame him, he was quite certain, but he blamed himself all the same. What a time for him to have come back. But he had had no control over the circumstances that had brought him here...none of them had.

Coming to a stop for a second time, Keith found himself staring at the back of the Black Lion, barely distinguishable in the darkness, but its presence could still be felt. In his later years at Arus, sanctuary within the palace had been hard to find and he had developed the habit of spending time on the platform beneath the Black. There was another way of reaching the chute that transported him to the Black other than using the main entrance in the palace. A hidden door was built into the walls of the platform that led to an elevator that took him to the same point beneath the ground as the castle's shuttle. Whether or not Coran knew of it, Keith had never asked, nor had the older man seemed to know of his frequent visits to the Lion's platform. He never took the key with him...it had been enough to sit underneath the ship or sometimes on the ship itself and he accorded that to Coran's careful ignoration of his habit. Had he once entered the Lion or taken it on an unauthorized flight, he was certain he would have been reprimanded. Looking at the back of the Black as the starlight flickered against it, the temptation to renew his old habit quickly seized him only to fade away with its improbability. He was no longer the Captain of the Voltron Force, even if everyone continued to address him by the title, and he had no more right to spend time on the Black's platform than the average Arusian. Still...it was tempting to revisit the spot where he had found so much solace in the past...but not tonight. As much as he wanted his reunion with the Black to be a private one, he knew it was something best not done under the cover of darkness or in secret. For the time being, he would have to find a different means of dispelling his inner turmoil.

Turning away from the Black, Keith heaved another sigh and decided to return to the palace by way of the gardens. If he found it as difficult to sleep as he suspected he would this evening, he could easily spend the time relearning the layout of the castle. Anyone familiar with his old habits would think nothing of it and he was too easily slipping back into them for it to seem unnatural even to himself. Besides, he wasn't certain how long he was going to stay and his current unfamiliarity with the castle put him at a disadvantage he wasn't comfortable with. Had he known of it, Lance certainly would have told him such measures were unnecessary. The time of Zarkon and Lotor had passed and so had the danger they had brought with them. Keith smiled imagining Lance's incredulous expression if he were to tell him of his plan. Lance would never really change and he was glad of it.

Strolling through the gardens, which thankfully hadn't changed, Keith tried to empty his mind, something he had done often in the old days as well. It was frightening how each minute he spent on Arus seemed to be transforming him back into what he had once been. He had thought he could never be that man of twenty-five again, but it seemed as if he hadn't lost him, only buried him and now he was once again rising to the surface. He had tried to forget, he'd even thought he'd succeeded, a little, but he had been mistaken. He hadn't forgotten...he never would and that was something else he would have to face. Perhaps, deep down, he really had missed it and had been afraid to admit it, even to himself. His work at GG was satisfying however; he enjoyed working with the students and watching their struggles to become just like him and his teammates even though their open admiration embarrassed him. Glibly he had told Liran his adventuring days were over, but now that he found himself in the midst of one again, it was not as unpleasant as he would have himself believe. Lance was right; he was a man of action and he always would be. He had been foolish to convince himself otherwise.

"That certainly was a display. For someone who dislikes airing his dirty laundry, Liran did a poor job of keeping it in check tonight. I've never seen him less in control of himself. Your Captain must have unsettled him."

Keith stopped short at the voice, recognizing it for Calinda's and disappointingly certain who she was speaking to. His suspicions were confirmed when Lance spoke a moment later, forcing Keith into the role of eavesdropper.

"Keith's still an enigma to him, but he wasn't the reason good old Liran wasn't quite himself this evening."

"You'd know, seeing as you devoted yourself completely to annoying him and nothing else."

"I can't annoy Liran anymore, he's immune to all my tricks."

"Still you spent all of dinner distracting him. Do you think you succeeded?"

"Liran notices everybody and everything; I couldn't keep him from noticing something even if I tried."

"But you were trying. He'll have noticed that, too. Your determination to do so will have only alerted him to whatever you were trying to hide. That is your argument, isn't it?"

"My paying attention to you has nothing to do with this, Cali. Neither one of us can afford to appear chummy."

"When have we ever appeared 'chummy?'"

"Damn it, Cali, I have enough on my mind without you adding this."

"And what is 'this' exactly? Or would it appear 'chummy' for you to confide in me?"

"Don't."

The pair fell silent and the already guilt-ridden Keith contemplated retreat only to find his feet rooted to the ground as his name was mentioned again.

"When are you going to introduce me to your Captain? He certainly lives up to his reputation, though I didn't expect him to be so handsome."

"Don't waste your time trying to charm Keith."

"You don't think I'll succeed?"

"I don't think Keith gives a damn about women."

"What a pity. If he won't be charmed, how am I to collect my share of the evidence?"

"Evidence of what?"

"Now that all of you are reunited, Arus may finally know the answer to the question that's sparked rampant debate over the past ten years. Which one of the Voltron Force stole the heart of the Princess."

"For the love of Zarkon..."

"After all, it's only natural that she should have fallen in love with one of you. She led such a sheltered life in the palace with only Coran, her father's ghost, and that battleaxe of a nanny for company. And then in waltz the five of you, completely different from everything she's ever known, not to mention young and handsome, how could she not? Hunk and Pidge are ruled out simply by age and there's never been any question of where Sven's heart lies. The real debate is whether or not it was the daredevil second in command, who still visits her frequently and whose close relationship with her is a sore point with her husband or the enigmatic Captain who disappeared for ten years only to return in her hour of need. For years you've been the favorite."

"Zarkon's breath!"

"Don't tell me you haven't heard any of this before? I thought you prided yourself on..."

"Of course I have. I didn't think anyone believed it...especially you."

"You come to see her, even if you claim it's a diplomatic mission."

"Because she needs a friend and I understand her better than most people. I wish the two of you..."

"I've tried, she's tried, and somehow or other Liran always manages to prevent it. He doesn't want her having friends."

"I know. You're not going to go spreading this around, are you? This whole mumbo jumbo concerning me, Keith, and Allura?"

"Mumbo jumbo? Next you'll be asking me to get all icky sticky..."

"I'm serious."

"I won't, but that doesn't mean it won't be talked about."

"Try to discourage it when you can. As a favor to me."

"I'll try."

"Thanks."

Forcing himself into a retreat, Keith tried to keep his own temper in check when he considered Calinda's words. It didn't surprise him that Arus had speculated on the relationship between their Princess and the five space explorers; it made sense, though he disliked the terms Calinda used. Natural and yet it irritated him that strangers were debating over his personal affairs and watching him with interest to see if their suspicions were correct. Had he been in their shoes, he probably would have succumbed to temptation as well, but not for ten years. Were things really as bad as that with Liran? Allura's relationship with him was something he didn't want to speculate on and he focused his mind on more mundane matters, such as finding his way back to the palace without crossing either Lance or Calinda's path in order to avoid it. For the second time this day, his bed seemed more attractive than anything else and his new objective was to reach it without any further incident. Fate decreed it an impossible thing before sitting back and laughing at him. On the tenth landing of the main stairwell, he ran into Allura.

Brows drawn together, Allura hardly seemed to see him, or any of her surroundings as she descended the stairs, still wearing the flowing lavender gown from dinner. Her hair was now pulled back, however, and her lips were pressed together in something disturbingly like a frown. Fleetingly the temptation to let her pass without acknowledging her seized Keith, but before he could fully contemplate it, her eyes found his figure. Hesitantly she smiled and came to a stop, one hand resting against the gleaming metallic wall. Habit took over and Keith found himself bowing to her before he could stop himself and missed the fading of her smile..

"I trust the Prince is feeling better?"

"Yes. It was his first official dinner...it was asking a lot of him."

"Did he have his dessert?"

Allura actually flushed and cast a guilty look over her shoulder before nodding. Keith smiled but she did not return it.

"I fear we haven't represented ourselves well this evening. I apologize, for all of us, especially Liran. He wasn't himself."

"So it seems. I won't form a permanent opinion this evening, Princess. These are unusual times for all of us."

"Yes, but my husband...behaved badly."

"He seems to have an unhealthy fear of flying."

Allura half-laughed and her hand left the wall as she folded her arms and shrugged self-consciously.

"He doesn't fear it, he simply doesn't care for it and refuses to understand why anyone else does. When we were first married, it was different. He'd spent the better part of a year on ships, visiting one planet or another courting princesses and as soon as he was king, he put himself through the Lion training. He was insistent that he know as well as I how to defend this planet should the need arise." Allura paused, her gaze dropping his, and Keith suddenly understood.

"The Lions rejected him."

"All five. He tried the Black first, of course...he didn't even make it to the cockpit. It simply wouldn't accept him. He went through them all...for awhile it seemed like the Yellow might...but Liran never would have suffered the indignity of being a leg and he couldn't get it off the ground. He understands the mechanical side of flying the Lions but he'll never sit behind the controls."

"Cael wants to learn to fly the Lions?"

"Every boy born on Arus the past ten years wants to fly the Lions. He's no different."

"Will the Lions accept him?"

"He's been with me in the Blue. Once. When Liran was away for a council...he was furious when he found out I'd taken him with me, not to mention that I'd flown the Lion again. Cael was only five then...he barely remembers it. Don't be surprised if he petitions you to let him fly with you while you're here."

"I'm going to fly the Black?"

"You'll have to."

His brows arched and she promptly dropped his gaze, hugging her arms all the more tightly about herself. Forcing himself to smile, Keith deliberately lightened his tone and said,

"Isn't that something we're supposed to discuss tomorrow?"

"Yes. Your message concerning the time and details of the meeting should be in your room when you arrive. Do you know if anyone joined my husband after dinner?"

"I didn't stay long enough to know. Princess...if Cael really wants to fly, he'll find a way to do so, with or without His Majesty's approval."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because he reminds me very much of someone else."

For the first time since they had spoken, Allura broke into a true smile and Keith couldn't help but return it. She was troubled, incredibly troubled, both by her husband and her son and more than anything he wished that it wasn't so. This wasn't what he had wanted for her when he had left ten years ago. From what she said, things always hadn't been this way either...it was unfortunate that he had come now when things were so unbelievably rocky. Perhaps, if he had come during the past two years when she had invited him he would have seen what he thought he wanted to. Perhaps. Arms falling to her sides, Allura tentatively stepped forward, her smile lingering as she said,

"I'm beginning to understand why you were so frustrated with me. I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time of it."

"It wasn't always unpleasant."

She laughed and moved past him on the stairs, turning back for a look over her shoulder.

"Ever the gentleman. That at least hasn't changed. Good night, Captain."

"Good night, Princess."

He bowed again, surprised and pleased by the sudden change in her manner. For a moment she had seemed like the Allura he remembered and not the grown woman overburdened with the troubles of family and kingdom. Briefly the pair smiled at each other and then, with a swishing of silk, Allura resumed her descent of the stairs. Hearing once more the call of his bed, Keith took a step upwards only to hear her voice again.

"Keith?"

Fluidly he turned, his mouth opening to inquire of her need when the look on her face stopped him short. Fidgeting with her fingertips, Allura simply looked at him for several moments, her gaze searching his before she said quietly,

"I'm glad you came back."

She smiled at him fleetingly and disappeared amongst a trail of lavender silk, leaving him slightly flabbergasted on the stairs. More than anything Keith wished he could feel the same.