Again, my apologies for my absence. I hope you are still interested. I love this story. I'm working slowly on it, but I'm committed to finishing it. Enjoy the latest installment.
Snyperlady: I'm so glad you are enjoying the story. And, thank you for being so patient. I know I should be updating more often, but I've been so busy at work…But thank you again for your support.
GoPinkLion: I'm so happy that you like Hope. I've actually tailored her to be like her father Sven. You'll see a little more of her later on. And Sam, well, he's so desperately in love with Allura…I feel bad for him.
LibAkilah: Interesting question…hopefully you'll stick around to find out ;) And your theories are…very interesting. Again, stick around! Thank you for reading.
Mertz: NEVER! LOL!
FroobyB: I'm so glad you are enjoying the book. Thank you for reading.
CTD0703: I'm so glad you are enjoying the book. Thank you. I'll will try to update more often.
Playlist
The Verve-Lucky Man
M83-My Tears are Becoming a Sea
Nine Inch Nails—Hurt
Chapter 22
"I'm starting to regret this," Romelle huffed as she heard Lance laugh.
"No, you're not," he answered with a smile as he kept looking ahead.
Lance picked her up at her apartment, but before entering the car gave her a blindfold and asked her to put it on. When she looked at him dubiously, he told her to trust him. Sighing, Romelle got in the car and placed the blindfold over her eyes before he turned on the ignition and drove away.
Looking now at her, he continued, "You know you love this."
Romelle shook her head, but couldn't contain the smile that emerged from her lips. Lance hadn't seen that smile in so long, it warmed his heart.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked. "Lance, I hardly see the need to put on a blindfold. I know Arus as much as you do."
"Not this place," he answered. "Besides, if I told you, you would kill the suspense. And I promised you that you wouldn't regret this night, Elle."
She smiled again. He was the only one who ever called her 'Elle' and she loved it. There was so much that she loved about him. Part of her couldn't believe that she was there with him. So many years.
"Are we at least close?"
"Finding a parking spot as we speak," Lance replied with excitement.
It took only a few minutes, but Romelle suddenly felt the car slow down and gradually stop. She then felt Lance get out of the car and within seconds open her passenger door. Gently taking her hand, he guided her out, "Okay, now you have to let me guide you, okay?"
"Do I have a choice?" she laughed.
"Not really," he answered and Romelle could feel the smile he had on his face.
As they walked together, Romelle could smell the sea air and the crashing of the waves, "Are we at the beach?"
"Well, I knew I couldn't keep that part secret for too long," he replied as he continued guiding her, "But yes. Now, there are some steps ahead so I need to you to listen to me very carefully as I guide you ahead." Romelle listened to directions and found herself taking steps to a certain location she at the moment was not too sure about. One thing she could tell though, they were stepping to a higher area than they were previously.
"Last step," she suddenly heard Lance tell her. "Okay. Now stay still, I'm going to take off your blindfold." Romelle couldn't contain her excitement and found herself smiling broadly. A wonderful feeling entered Lance as he watched that smile emerge from her.
Gently taking the blindfold away from her, Lance heard her gasp in surprise.
"Oh, wow!" she whispered. "Lance. You remembered?" Romelle looked at the young man in surprise and wonder.
Lance took her hand and guided her toward the scene in front of her. "Twenty years ago you wished a picnic under the stars over the ocean, in this very spot. I am keeping that promise tonight, Elle."
Twenty years ago, she and Lance stood on what is now Cabo's Peak. Back then, it was nothing other than a tall sea cliff that fringed the beach below. It was a solitary area that no one frequented, only Romelle found it to be a beautiful place where she could be alone with her thoughts…
On one occasion, Lance noticed that every so often when it was relatively safe to leave the castle, Romelle would go off and disappear, coming back a few hours later. Curious, he followed her one night, finding the young woman sitting by a relatively safe edge of the cliff, looking at the ocean….
"You followed me?" she asked without turning back.
"I wanted to make sure you were okay," Lance answered as he walked toward her before sitting down at her side.
Looking at Lance the young Romelle asked, "You think I'm not safe out here?"
He shook his head, "As long as the Drules are out there, none of us are, Elle."
"Elle?"
He laughed, "You don't like it?"
She giggled, "Yes. I do. It's just that no one has ever called me that."
"Well, from now on, I will," he answered. "So, you must like it here."
"I love it!" she responded. "It's so tranquil and beautiful. There's very little beautiful on Arus at the moment. I like coming here because it reminds me of the beauty that Arus still holds. To think one day it could be beautiful once again."
"It will be," Lance replied with a smile. "I know we'll make it happen."
"I believe you," she sighed. "Promise me one thing."
"What?"
Romelle took his hand and squeezed it lightly, "That once we are free, we'll have a picnic. With all our friends." Her eyes widened with excitement, "An evening picnic under the stars!"
Smiling and laughing a little, enjoying her excitement, Lance nodded, "Absolutely Elle. I promise."
Looking at the view in front of her, Romelle nodded. It wasn't quite a picnic. There was a table for two with silverware and wine glasses all set immaculately around a centerpiece full of red roses, her favorite. A waiter stood on the wider corner of the cliff they now stood on, ready with a fully loaded cart of what she believed was the food they would soon dine.
"It's perfect," she replied turning to him, "It's just perfect!"
Elated with joy, Lance took her hand, "Well, beautiful. Let our evening begin."
XXXXXXXXXX
At the repair bay, a floor below the lion's lair where the lion cylinders lowered the lions when repairs were needed. Hunk and Darrell worked feverishly on their tasks trying to make sure they either finished or ended significantly ahead of the game before ending their day.
All lions, except for Black (which had been worked on earlier) were lowered for updates and repairs. Darrell noticed Hunk working quietly. Something quite rare for the big man because while he worked, Hunk talked. Not only that, there wasn't any music playing at repair bay which was also strange since Hunk liked to blast his favorite tunes while he worked.
"Hey, what's going on?"
"Nothing, why?" Hunk answered, not bothering to look from his work.
"Well," Darrell snorted, "No music, no talking, not you buddy."
Sighing as he kept on working, Hunk shook his head, "I just have to finish this as quickly as possible. I promised Lucy I'd take her out tonight and I'm already running late as it is."
"So just go now."
"No, I can't," he replied, "I promised Keith that this would get done tonight. Besides, I'm almost done with all the lion updates and repairs. Yours is the only one left and I should be done soon."
Nodding, Darrell thought about what he was about to tell Hunk. He couldn't find the right words, so he just blurted them out, "I think I'm back with Hope."
That made Hunk stop and look up, "You think? Are you serious? She took you back?"
"Well," he said uneasily, "Sort of."
At this Hunk laughed, "Sort of? Well, I guess Hope finally wised up."
"What do you mean by that?"
"What I mean is that Hope isn't going to take any more of your crap and indecisions. Make sure you don't screw it up this time, Shorty," Hunk shook his head before going back to work, "I don't think Hope is playing your games anymore."
Hearing the truth, was painful, but Darrell knew Hunk was right. Hope wasn't playing any more games and if he truly loved her, he couldn't either.
XXXXXXXXXX
There wasn't anything special about the evening dinner. Allura ordered take out from a local Arusian restaurant and picked it up before heading over to Sam's apartment. She knew they needed to continue their previous conversation and his sudden leave that surprised her.
When she arrived to the door, Allura began looking for the keycard, when it suddenly opened. Sam stood there looking serious yet calm and collected, "Hello Allura." He gestured for her to come in.
Nodding her thanks, she walked in as he took the food package, "Thanks. I couldn't find my keycard."
"The security system alerted me you were at the door," he shrugged. "Saw you were having a little trouble there. I've already set the table. Why don't you freshen up and I'll serve." The coolness of attitude surprised her, but Allura found herself following his suggestion as he turned and headed to the dining room.
After freshening up, Allura walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later and found that Sam sitting at the table waiting for her. She sat down at a chair next to him and as she took her napkin, she asked, "Would you like to have dinner first or would you like to talk?"
"In regards to our previous conversation," he began, "I don't think there's much else to talk about Allura. Fact is that you need to realize what or who you want."
She was about to answer when he shook his head, "I don't want to argue anymore. I'm tired. I've always known who I've wanted and that is you. You know that I've always loved you, but I honestly, don't know what to do anymore. We need some time apart to really understand our feelings for this situation we are in."
"Is that why you're leaving?"
He nodded, "Partly. The other is that I really want that assignment on Korrinth. Coran thinks that the mission he put me to lead will provide me a better perspective of field work. Not that it is going to be anything like Korrinth, but it's something."
"Where are you going?"
"Mira," he replied and he began to eat. "It's a ten day mission. Nothing big, but enough for me to understand the concept of field work."
Allura nodded as she too began eating her meal, but understood that this trip was more for Sam to get away than for him to learn fieldwork. Mira was nothing close to what he'd experience in Korrinth. Coran must have understood that as well. In the end, Sam needed to get away from her. The thought hurt her, but she couldn't blame him. The last couple of weeks she had not been the model girlfriend and last night…well, if it would have been the other way around, she would have probably acted exactly like he did or even worse.
"Sam," she finally looked at the man she had spent the last ten years with, "You have to know that I do love you. I do."
Smiling sadly, Sam took her hand, "I know you do."
XXXXXXXXXX
As Mosley began contacting the rest of the team by Keith's orders, she grew nervous. It had come as a surprise that Lotor would show up. Shaking her head, she turned when she heard the doors of the area open. Coran quickly ran to her, "How did he get in?"
"I'm not sure, Advisor," she replied as she began working controls. "I'm contacting the rest of the team."
The two became quiet as they listened in on the conversation.
"What game is he referring to?" Coran whispered to himself, but found Mosley answering the question.
"I'm not sure. But it can't be good."
XXXXXXXXXX
Hunk had almost finished with his work when his comm. unit alerted him of an incoming call. Pressing the button, he immediately saw an image of Lucy emerge, "I'm pretty much done sweetheart."
"Oh, okay," she nodded. "I made reservations. They'll expect us in an hour."
"Should be home in twenty," he smiled. "Can't wait to see you."
She smiled a little, "Me too. See you soon."
Severing the call, Hunk put the finishing touches on Green Lion, "And I am done!"
"I'm just about too," Darrell yelled from the other side of repair bay. Hunk walked over to Darrell as the young man worked feverishly on the computer console.
Looking at the screen, Hunk asked, "All those updates necessary?"
"Well, guess you found your voice," Darrell laughed.
"And you found your sarcasm," Hunk huffed.
"Yeah, I'm already closing down. With what I've done so far, I think it's enough for Keith to stay off my back."
"He riding you hard?" Hunk asked.
Darrell snorted.
"Well, your fault for always being behind on your stuff," the older man shrugged.
"Whatever. I might be slow at times, but my work is flawless," Darrell responded with an air of superiority that made Hunk shake his head.
"For once, I think I'll side with Keith on this one," he answered as his com. alerted him of an incoming message.
At the same time, Darrell's unit went off and he too began to look at the message.
Within seconds the two looked at each other.
"Damn it!" Darrell quickly logged off the console as Hunk began to disengage the connections from the console to the lions and activating the code to take the lions back up to the Lair for possible launch.
They worked as quickly as possible before running out of bay and heading to the Lion's lair
"Ready?" Hunk yelled.
"Let's go!"
XXXXXXXXXX
They continued their dinner in silence, neither knowing what to say. From time to time there was awkward casual conversation, but nothing neither could prolong.
"You won't be back for the ball," was all Allura could come up with after a long pause of silence.
Sam only nodded before he finally said, "I know. Will you be okay with that?"
He was testing her, she knew it. "I'll be fine. I would have preferred you being there, but it is what it is. Besides, Romelle wants the team there to boost of the morale of the people."
He nodded again. She wasn't sure if he believed her.
"Sam, I want to believe we can get past this," she sighed.
"I hope so, Allura," Sam replied as he finished his meal. "But, like I said, we need some time apart to think about…us."
She was about to continue when her com. Unit went off. Looking at her wrist, she read the message. He face showed shock and worry.
"What's wrong?" Sam suddenly asked seen her drastic change.
"Lotor," she looked at him. "He's here." Immediately standing up, Allura about to leave was followed by Sam.
"I'm going with you."
XXXXXXXXXX
Romelle couldn't stop laughing. The evening has been wonderful, Lance had really come through. He was charming, funny, and so attentive. Romelle was falling even more in love with him. It was a dangerous game, but she felt she needed to just enjoy the night. The night breezes were soft and gentle and the pounding of the sea waters against the rocks of the mountain provided a relaxing yet magical setting for a date that proved to be Romelle's best ever.
"Your dad was going to kill me that night," he said laughing as he retold Romelle of the night he and Darrell sneaked out of the castle to collect some berries that Allura said could be made into some type of Arusian liquor. Because of all the attacks taking place back then, Coran had ordered a curfew and no one was allowed to leave their homes unless specified. Lance, missing his days of chugging at the bar on the base decided to find a way to gather enough berries to make some drinks for Hunk's birthday party which was a few days away. Darrell decided to join the excursion. After all, he would later consider it Hunk's birthday gift.
"Oh, he was livid," Romelle remembered. "And you took Darrell with you which didn't make your case any easier."
"Oh, come on!" Lance said as he poured the last of the wine into his and Romelle's glasses, "Darrell was already flying, I still can't believe he accused me of putting a minor in danger."
"He was still a kid back then!"
"Oh please, that kid has never really been a kid," Lance snorted.
"My dad wasn't the only one who want to kill you," she responded jokingly. "I seem to remember that Keith put you on night duty for a week."
At that Lance laughed, "Oh yeah! I had forgotten about that. Every night he made me walk the entire castle and I had to make sure that I made lion practice on time. If not, he'd add an extra week of patrolling duties for tardiness. Damn bastard got me good."
The two laughed at the memory but Romelle gradually noticed a sudden sadness that entered Lance's features despite the laughter that he exteriorly showed.
"You miss him, don't you?"
Lance looked up, "I miss the man he was."
"What if," she was careful with her words, "He were still that man?"
This time Lance laughed sarcastically, "Come on, do you really believe that?"
"I'd like to think so," she nodded. "I'd like to think that deep inside each of us our true selves slumber and one day, maybe soon they'll emerge from each of us."
'Can I ask you a question?"
Curious to how he asked, Romelle nodded as she whispered, "Sure."
He sighed, trying to find the words to begin, "Elle you watched...just like everyone else in that courtroom when Keith killed Sven. You watched every detail and yet, you seem so calm about this situation. It's as if it doesn't bother you that Keith's around, that he still possesses these gifts. Does it not bother you at all? How can you not be angry at him like the rest of us?"
Romelle looked down for a moment trying to think of her answer. She should have been angry, she should have been bothered, but she wasn't.
"Romelle, he killed Sven. My friend, my brother…your husband."
The woman sighed and shook her head, "Lance–"
Suddenly, his comm. unit went off and he read the message, "Romelle, I have to go." His tone had completely changed. Romelle literally watched him go into military mode.
Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.
"Are we under attack again?"
"Maybe," he said standing up from his chair, "Lotor entered the planet."
Her eyes widened.
"I'm needed back at base."
"I'm going with you," she said, but was suddenly stopped by him.
"Where's Hope?"
"Home," she answered. "She said she had some reports she needed to finish for her company back on Earth."
He nodded, "Call her. We'll pick her up on our way back to base."
XXXXXXXXXX
Land areas, like the one Keith laid Black Lion on, were rare in Arus. As the planet developed into a metropolis, forests areas were pretty scarce. So it wasn't hard to find the area where Lotor made himself comfortable as he waited for Keith.
Once he disembarked the mechanical beast, Keith had no trouble finding the Drule. Lotor stood in the middle of a circular green plain landscape surrounded with pines.
"Thank you for meeting me here, Captain," the prince smiled confidently as he walked casually to the Voltron pilot. Extending his hand, he mocked, "I believe it is customary for humans to greet each other by shaking hands?"
"What do you want, Lotor?" Keith ignored the handshake, the mockery, the word play and the fake courtesy the prince displayed and directly asked for the purpose for the visit.
Retrieving his hand, the prince smiled sardonically, "I told you, a game. Well, more like a demonstration. I'd like to test our fighting abilities against each other. Now, I don't want us to kill each other, at least not tonight. But, it would be interesting to preview what is in store for us in the very near future."
"You're insane."
At this, Lotor laughed, "Oh come on, Captain. Humor me. Really, there will be no killing. And just to reassure you I'm serious, if you are willing to play the game, I'll order my fighters out of the planet."
XXXXXXXXXX
Allura and Sam rushed in to the room just as Coran ordered Hunk and Darrell, "Evacuations have taken place in sectors B and C. Hunk I need your presence in sectors J and H. Darrell, sector A is has been locked down, you'll need to help the technicians override lockdown systems." Turning around, he began barking orders, "Allura, I need you down at A, Lance will be with you shortly. Now."
Without word, she ran to her lion, leaving Sam behind.
Looking at the screen, Sam walked up to Coran, "What's happening? How did he get in?"
"I don't know," Coran shook his head looking at the screens ahead while Kirian continued manning the screens ahead and calling out information from the team. "It was a surprise to us. Right now, I can't deal with the why's. I need Keith to get this madman off my planet!"
Continuing to look at the screen, Sam noticed the Drule prince and the Captain speaking, their voices filtering through the command center as Black's microphone transferred the communication back to them. They all suddenly stopped working when Lotor replied, 'Oh come on, Captain. Humor me. Really, there will be no killing. And just to reassure you I'm serious, if you are willing to play the game, I'll order my fighters out of the planet.'
"What's he planning?" Sam asked.
"I'm not sure," Coran shook his head.
XXXXXXXXXX
Keith looked at the maniac with calculating eyes as Lotor turned around and called one of his officers who held a large rectangular box. Opening the box that his soldier held, Lotor retrieved two silver swords.
"These are special," Lotor began as he held a sword in each hand. "A gift from Haggar from long ago. I used these when I began learning how to fight." He handed one of his swords to Keith who reluctantly took it. "They feel real, don't they?"
"They do," Keith nodded. "What's so special about them?"
Lotor took his sword and slammed it against his chest. The sword went through him without any harm, "Magical. They are completely real until they come in contact with the body. Go on, try it Captain."
Keith took his sword and stabbed his hand with it. True with what Lotor said, the sword went through. Seeing that Lotor was being truthful, he asked, "Okay, so you propose we fight with these?"
The prince shrugged, "Not really a fight, Captain. More of a demonstration of our skills. It will help us both better understand what we are up against. Our final fight will be truly special. And, you'll die knowing that it was a fair fight."
"How comforting."
XXXXXXXXXX
From their lions, each of the other Voltron pilots watched the exchange taking place between the Prince of Korrinth and their commander.
"Is this really happening?" Hunk asked as he looked at his screen.
"I think it is," Allura answered. "I hope this isn't a trick."
"Coran," Darrell suddenly asked. "Has Lance arrived?"
"I'm already here," his voice suddenly came in. "Coran assigned me the sector's close to where Keith and the maniac are stationed. Just in case."
"Are you seeing what's going on?" Darrell asked.
"Yeah," Lance replied worriedly. "Let's just hope Keith knows what he's doing."
XXXXXXXXX
Once Lance arrived with Romelle and Hope in tow, Coran immediately assigned him to sectors close to Keith's vicinity in case his assistance was needed. Surprised, but relieved to see his daughter and granddaughter, Coran took one quick look at them before getting back to work.
Romelle noticed and took the first opportunity she saw to explain their entrance at the command center.
"Is Allura okay?" She walked over to Sam.
He nodded worriedly, "As best as she can be," he answered as he turned to her, "Were the two of you working in the ballroom when you heard?"
"No," Romelle replied without emotion. "Hope and I were on our way to dinner when we ran into Lance at the downtown area. He brought us here."
Hope looked at her mother from the table that she sat by, but didn't say a word.
Nodding, Sam looked back at the screen. Casually, Romelle looked at her father. Coran continued to look intently at the conversation between Lotor and Keith, but Romelle knew he still managed to listen to everything taking place around him.
XXXXXXXXXX
"So how about that match Captain?"
"Dismiss your fighters first," Keith answered, knowing he had no other choice in the matter. He'd have to fight the prince.
With a smile, Lotor turned to his officers. In true Drule language, he ordered them to tell his fighters to leave the plant. Within a few minutes, Keith heard Coran's voice from his comm. unit. Keith, Drule ships are leaving the planet.
Looking at Lotor, Keith lifted his sword and place himself in position, "Okay, let's see what you got."