Well, I wasn't planning on this chapter to be this long, but it kinda got away from me a bit. I had most of this written before my laptop went on the fritz, so this was just a bunch of editing to make sure what I wrote here meshed with what I had written a few chapters back. As always, thank you to those who have stuck with me and I do hope you continue to enjoy the story! Not done yet...I hope!
I make no claims to Voltron or any WEP characters.
Lance paced in the Control Room. "Damn it, where the hell are they? They should have been back already," he muttered.
Pidge arched an eyebrow over his contoured glasses as he sat at the main computer terminal. He was running diagnostics and working to find a way to keep Maahox from masking Drule signatures using Baltan technology again. "Relax, Lance. This is one hell of a typhoon. We know they landed and had to leave the Fractal behind probably to evade the Drules," he stated. "It's really bad out there."
"We still should have heard from them. And since we finally were able to scramble to run the Drules out of Altuna…"
"The elders said that they had taken off before the Drules and typhoon arrived," Allura stated, her arms crossed over her chest. "Though, they did say that the Drules did seem to attack a couple of the departing ships, but they didn't see if any were damaged, much less know which ship was theirs."
Lance glared at the holomonitors Pidge had up that were searching for signals. "We found Keith and Vessa's Fractal, Allura. There was damage to it. Those two have some bad luck when it comes to Drules."
"Humans and their superstitions about luck," Pidge muttered, shaking his head. "Once this storm lets up, Lance, we can go back out and see if we can find them. But, knowing Keith and Vessa, they'll be fine."
Lance grunted. "I just don't like them out there without backup if the Drules…"
"We know, Lance," Allura murmured, moving up to him and stopping his pacing. She laid one hand on his arm, the other on his back. "I just know they're all right."
Lance frowned, but nodded. "Yeah. It is Keith and Vessa…"
"Exactly," Allura stated with a firm nod. She looked around at the others. "Just keep us posted."
Pidge nodded. "Will do. I'm only covering for the normal guard right now. They're good at this radar stuff."
"Yeah. All right," Lance muttered. He glared at the images of the weather outside. "You two had better be all right or I swear I'll put a boot up your asses," he murmured softly.
Allura giggled and pulled Lance from the Control Room.
"So, we meet again," a voice whispered.
Keith turned to see a ghostly figure behind him, dressed much like the olden kings of Arus. He grimaced. "No offense, but who are you?"
"Hmm. You don't remember me?"
Keith frowned. "No, though you seem to know me, so I guess that is a start."
"Of course I know you. Commander Keith Kogane, Duke of Taranis," the man stated with a knowing nod. "You were fated to marry my sister."
"Fated to marry your sister?" Keith asked. He frowned, looking away from the man, thinking. He looked back at him, noting his pale hair and green eyes. "Allura?"
Alec laughed and shook his head. "Goodness, no! She is my great granddaughter. Well, add about five greats to that," the man stated. "Well, I suppose I should reintroduce myself, then. I am Alec, Duvessa's younger brother."
Keith shot him a disbelieving look. "Duvessa's brother?"
Alec shrugged. "She takes after our great-grandmother, the dark hair and blue eyes," Alec stated with a careless wave. He studied Keith intently. "I was absolutely thrilled when you finally asked her to marry you. I thought I could finally rest in peace, but then that same night you were infected with that damned virus. I can only imagine how Duvessa felt, to have her dream crushed so swiftly that night. And that virus certainly did a lot of damage up here in your head."
Keith rubbed his forehead, he felt confused and felt like he was getting a migraine. "None of this makes any sense," he muttered, shaking his head.
Alec nodded his ghostly head. "I know and I feel the need to apologize for that. The Black Crown Duvessa just placed on your head is trying its best to repair the damage the virus inflicted upon you. It's repaired your mind just enough to where I can communicate with you now. The process is going to be rather painful, I'm afraid," Alec stated, a sympathetic look on his face. "You'll probably be unconscious for most of the night, which should help with the pain."
Keith paused, Alec's words chilling him to the bone. "Duvessa…" He blinked and looked to Alec, worry in his eyes. "We were attacked by Drules earlier today. Will she be all right?"
"She's perfectly well at the moment. And I'm sure if the Drules are looking for you in this weather, they won't find you for a while and if they do, my sister is not exactly defenseless," Alec assured him. "She's a very capable warrior. Besides, she is more concerned about you at the moment. You gave her a good fright. Seemed that you were having a fit."
Confusion lit in Keith's eyes. "A fit?"
"What is it that you call those in your age?" Alec muttered, stroking his beard. "Oh, I believe they are called convulsions?"
Keith paled. "Am I all right?"
Alec laughed. "Of course you are, for the moment, anyway. I'm only here to give you a kind of anchor and distraction as the crown does its work. A lot of memories are going to be coming back to you at any time now. Usually I can't leave the Castle Proper, but this called for a bit of assistance."
"Thank you, I think," Keith muttered, still feeling very confused.
"You're welcome," Alec stated with a regal nod. "Ah, here come a few now," Alec stated and faded as images and lost memories began to trickle through Keith's mind.
He saw Voltron form, heard his own voice calling out different centers as they fought new robeasts. He saw Duvessa rise out of the Control Room floor, ice cold and soaking wet. Her working to repair Black Lion and decking Lance. It was like he was reliving everything he'd forgotten all over again.
Duvessa startled awake as a mighty crash of thunder rattled the inn. She looked over at Keith, who was still unconscious on the bed. She carefully got to her feet, adding more wood to the fading fire. She padded softly to the window, grimacing at the storm. She pulled the curtains closed before moving back to the fire. She checked her clothes and Keith's, turning a few pieces over to dry better.
She moved to the bed, checking his pulse again. She nodded, then tenderly moved a couple locks of his hair. "I hope this works for you, love. We all want you to have your memories back." She wandered back to her chair and dropped into it, rubbing her neck as thunder rumbled outside again. "Thank the gods we found this inn when we did," she whispered. "I would hate to still be out in this right now." She listened to the rain pounding on the glass and the thunder rumble more until she fell back to sleep.
Keith didn't panic, though he really wanted to. Where the Drule armada had come from, he had no idea, but they had managed to catch him and his passenger off guard. The planet loomed closer as more systems failed.
"Rerouting power," the familiar voice behind him stated. "It's still going to be a rough landing."
"I know. Just brace yourself," Keith stated, appreciating the knowledge of the woman behind him. He was shaken from what they couldn't remember on Sylanka, but right now, that was the least of their concerns. They were crashing on Arctica, there was no stopping it.
Keith watched the snow fly up over the viewports, wincing as he bounced around a bit. He held still for a moment, assessing if he had any injuries. He sat up. "You all right, Duvessa?"
"Yes, mostly. I – I hit my head, though. I'll be ok."
Duvessa jumped as the howling wind blew open the window. She hurried over to it and closed it, locking it back down. She panted, staring out into the storm for a few minutes before pulling the curtains shut again. She looked to the bed and the man still unconscious there. He hadn't moved. She rubbed her neck and added another couple logs to the fire. She moved to the far side of the bed. "Sorry, Keith, but I'm not going to sleep well in that chair any longer," she whispered, as she slid under the remaining blankets that he was laying upon. She quickly fell back to sleep.
"Will you marry me?" Keith whispered, looking up at Duvessa.
"Keith – gods – yes," she breathed.
He slid the ring, his grandmother's ring, onto her left hand, stood and kissed her softly before leading her out to the dance floor to dance with the rest of the bridal party. After the dance, he went to refill their drinks, to find her gone from the table. He contacted her telepathically, found her dancing with Prince Randall of Alpha Centauri, who led her outside and into a trap. He rushed out to save her, which he did, only to become infected and within days put into cryostasis…
"Now, wake and remember," Alec whispered.
Keith stirred, his eyes fluttering and then opening. The driving rain on the window drew his attention to the window for a moment, the howling wind, rumbles of thunder would have been deafening had they still been out in it. He glanced at the fireplace hearing the soft crackle of the fire. Slowly, he sat up, pulling the blanket off and looked around the room, momentarily disoriented. He rubbed his hands over his face, fingers bumping the crown on his head. Carefully, he pulled Duvessa's crown off his head and set it on the nightstand. "Vessa?" he asked softly, looking around the seemingly empty room.
Movement on the other side of the bed beside him made him turn his head to see her laying on the bed behind him on her side, her back to him. "Vess," he whispered. He fixed the top blanket, covering her with it, then slid off the bed only long enough to slide under the blankets with her, gently pulling her into his arms.
Duvessa moaned slightly, shifted, then settled back to sleep.
Keith smiled and closed his eyes, drifting to sleep with her.
Duvessa stirred, stretching carefully. She slowly opened her eyes, then she remembered where she was. She started to move, then froze, realizing that there was an arm around her waist that wasn't hers. She carefully looked over her shoulder at the man sleeping behind her.
Keith felt her move and opened his eyes. He smiled softly. "Good morning."
She blushed. "Good morning," she whispered. Her eyes went to his forehead noting that her crown was no longer on his head, then back to his eyes. "How are you feeling?"
"Physically, fine. Mentally, a slight headache, but…" he whispered and closed his eyes. I think the crown worked, he whispered in her mind.
She gasped, hearing him. She quickly rolled over and her hand went to his cheek. "I heard you," she whispered, shock in her eyes as she searched his face. "Your memories?"
He opened his eyes, his smile never wavering. "Back, as far as I can tell," he answered.
Tears sprang to her eyes a smile spreading across her lips. "I – I'm so happy for you," she whispered.
His smile slowly faded. "Vessa, I'm sorry you've felt awkward and uncomfortable around me since I awoke," he whispered. "I…"
She gently laid her fingers over his lips and shook her head. "Don't, please?"
He frowned, confusion in his eyes.
She moved her fingers. "You're back. That's what matters," she stated.
"But, I hurt you. I know I caused you grief," he murmured. He shook his head. "I can't ignore that, Vess."
"You're forgiven, if that is what you need to hear, but it isn't your fault."
He touched his forehead to hers, a small smile slowly spreading across his lips. "I love you, Vess."
She giggled softly, a tear escaping from her eye as she looked up into his eyes. "I love you, too, Keith."
He reached up and touched her cheek, slowly lowering his lips to hers, kissing her softly.
Duvessa melted into his kiss, her lips moving eagerly with his.
A loud, urgent sounding knock sounded on the door.
Keith broke the kiss and quickly slid from the bed, going to the door. He looked out the peephole and saw the owner, who was looking warily down the hall. He pulled open the door. "What is it?"
The owner looked at him. "Commander, you and the princess must leave. I can get you out the back, but there is a small contingent of Drules searching building to building. Please, hurry and dress." He handed Keith a bag of clothing. "These should help, but you must hurry. We only have minutes."
Duvessa scrambled from the bed as Keith closed the door. "You heard him, we have to move," he stated.
They quickly pulled on the dry clothes the inn owner had given them and Duvessa smiled at the boots and pants that were in the bag for her. She grabbed her crown and the bag that she'd been carrying from the Fractal.
Keith finished pulling on his boots, grabbing up his pack and their cloaks. He grabbed their wet clothes and shoved them into his pack. "Let's go," he ordered. He peeked outside again, seeing the owner waiting and pulled open the door.
The owner looked at them and nodded. "Come. My wife will hold them off as long as she can," he stated and led them down the hall to the rear stairs and the back of the inn where he received his deliveries. A young boy had two black stallions saddled and ready there. "Thank you, son. Now, go help your mother," the owner ordered, getting a nod from the boy who took off. He turned to Keith and Duvessa. "I knew who you were last night, I just didn't say anything, which in hindsight was wise, considering. If I had only known you were running I would have helped you sooner."
"It's all right," Duvessa stated. "Thank you so much for your help. I'll make sure you're compensated as soon as we get back to the castle."
"I don't require it, Your Highness, but I thank you. Now, please," he stated and helped her onto her horse as Keith mounted his. Once she was safely in the saddle he moved to the town wall and pulled open a hidden door. He pointed across the supply road. "Ride hard on that small trail for fifteen minutes. It will take you to the river and once you cross, you'll find a main road leading back to the Castle about ten minutes after that. It will still be a day or so to the Castle, but it is the straightest route."
Keith nodded. "All right. Thank you for everything," he stated and shook the owner's hand.
"You're welcome, Commander. Now, please, hurry. I must get back to my family," he stated. Once Keith and Duvessa were out, he closed the entrance and went back into his inn to his family.
Duvessa rode just behind Keith, who occasionally would glance back to make sure she was still with him. She was glad it was raining still, so he couldn't see the tears on her cheeks from the sacrifice the inn's owner was willing to make for them.
After fifteen minutes of hard riding, they came upon the river as they'd been told, carefully crossed it, and then rode on to the main road.
Keith halted the horses near the road, his eyes intense as he looked behind them and before them. "I don't know if we should take this since there are Drules behind us."
"I know," Duvessa answered, bringing her horse up alongside his. "But, there aren't any other paths back. This would be fastest. If we ride hard…"
"Yes, but if we run into trouble…"
She looked up at him. "We deal with it. Kill them and move on."
He looked at her, a dark look on his face. "Yeah."
She nodded. "We don't have a choice. Let's go."
He nodded back and chuckled. "Yes, ma'am," he stated and nudged his horse back into a run.
Duvessa nudged her horse, too, and they galloped off into the rain. "And unless you want me to call you Commander…"
Keith laughed. "I didn't call you princess, Vess."
"No, but it was close," she retorted as they vanished into the rain.
Pidge frowned at the holomonitor he was watching as the leading edge of the typhoon slowly made its way closer to the Castle. The storm was throwing off all readings and signals, making tracking Keith and Duvessa next to impossible. "I should be able to pick up something, you'd think…" His fingers danced across the controls, searching for any sign of their missing people.
Allura walked into Control and stood silently behind Pidge.
"Yes, Princess?" Pidge asked, his eyes never leaving the monitor before him.
"Anything?" Allura asked.
Pidge shook his head. "No. This isn't like Keith or Vessa. They always check in."
"I know," Allura whispered. She bowed her head. "Maybe their Voltcoms are low on power?"
"That is possible," Pidge agreed. "Or they have them on a low setting in order to keep from being detected and to save power." He frowned. "Which doesn't help US find them, either."
"We just have to have faith that they can handle whatever gets thrown at them," Allura stated.
Pidge nodded. "And we both know Keith can handle himself."
"Well, I think Duvessa has proven herself capable, as well," Allura murmured.
"That she has," Pidge agreed. He sighed and looked back over his shoulder at her. "I don't like it, but there isn't anything more we can do. The search radius would be huge and with this typhoon moving in? Even if we could take the Lions out, we'd probably miss them."
Allura looked at him, then the monitor he had up. "But, you're still trying to locate them."
Pidge grinned and looked back to his monitor. "I wouldn't be a good teammate if I didn't, would I?"
Allura smiled and gently patted him on the shoulder. "Thank you. I'll get out of your hair."
Pidge blinked. "You're not in my hair…"
Allura giggled. "Lance says it is a Terran figure of speech. Something about stop bothering you, I think."
"Oh. Well, then, all right," Pidge answered. "I'll let you know if I find anything and tell Lance that Terran sayings are weird."
Allura laughed. "I'd appreciate that, Pidge, and I'll tell him," she stated and left Control and Pidge got back to his scans.
"We will need to stop for the night," Keith stated hours later. "The horses are tired and hungry, not to mention we're soaked."
Duvessa nodded, shivering under her cloak. "Yes," she agreed. "Perhaps we should find a thick copse of trees to keep the horses dry and tied up."
"Yeah, and I think I know a place. There's even a steep cliff by there, so it should help cut down the wind," he stated. He reached over and took a hold of her horse's bridle. "Come on," he stated and the horses turned off into the trees on a very small deer trail.
They rode in silence for several minutes. "How do you know of this place?" Duvessa asked, breaking the unending silence between them.
"I used to ride a lot when I first got here when we weren't rebuilding or fighting Zarkon," Keith answered. He glanced back at her. "This, actually, was one of my favorite spots to go just to be alone for awhile."
"So, how far are we from the castle?"
"At least another six hours," Keith answered. "We don't need to be in this rain in the dark."
She nodded. "All right," she answered. She faintly heard a roar. "Is that water?"
"Waterfall," Keith answered. "As I said, a steep cliff face should help cut down on the wind for us," he stated as the dark trees began to thin and the last bit of light cut through the murky weather and they could see a cliff before them and the plummeting waterfall that pooled before them.
Duvessa blinked. "Cassia Falls," she whispered. She looked at him. "You used to come here?"
He nodded as he brought the horses to a stop. "Yeah. Didn't know they had a name, though." He climbed off his horse and looped the reins over a branch. He turned to her as she dismounted. He took the reins, looping them by his. "A lot of things were lost in those wars."
"Too much," Duvessa stated. "This was a place the royal family would go to on hot summer days. This creek feeds the lake Blue Lion sleeps in."
Keith nodded as he pulled out the emergency shelter. "Well, let's get this set up, and then we can try to rig up something for the horses to dry under."
She nodded back and began to help him with the shelters. Soon, they had their shelter up, and in one of the packs the inn owner's son had packed, a tarp for the horses to shelter under. She pulled a brush and began to brush the horses wet fur, getting most of the water and mud off them.
Keith pulled out the emergency blankets and put them on the horses. "That should at least help," he murmured.
Duvessa nodded and looked up at him as he finished. She turned to one of the saddles and pulled out a couple small bags of grain, handing one to him for his horse as she fed hers.
He placed his horse's feed bag on the ground, then took hers from her setting it down for her horse. "Come on. You need out of the cold and wet."
She blinked, staring up at him as he led her into the shelter. She stepped into the tent like shelter behind him as he pulled off his cloak. She followed his inside, pulling her boots off, and Keith took her cloak, taking it outside and draping it over the branch he had the horses tied to.
He walked back inside the shelter and pulled his boots off. "Well, our bedrolls are there on the ground. If you want to get them opened up and ready, I'll pull out our dinner."
"Of course," she stated and moved to where the bedrolls were beside their saddles. She spread them on the floor, even using the horse blankets since they were mostly dry from having been under their saddles.
Keith looked up as she spread the blankets over their bedrolls and smiled. "Good idea. It will help us stay warm."
She finished her work and faced him as he handed her a pouch of hot food. She blinked. "I wasn't expecting a hot meal…"
"Nor was I, honestly, but apparently the inn owner had some military style rations that could be heated before serving. And with it raining, I'm rather glad he sent them along with us," Keith murmured with a slight grin.
She smiled. "That inn keep is a very good man," she stated. "We will have to thank him somehow."
Keith nodded and moved towards the bedrolls, dropping down onto one. "Come on, Vess. You need to eat," he stated, patting a spot beside him.
She laughed and moved towards him, sitting beside him. "All right, I will," she stated. She smiled at him as he took his first bite, then she started on her own meal.
Outside their sheltered area, the storm raged on, winds howled, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed.
"Well, it seems that this storm is moving slow," Keith murmured. "It seems that we keep getting ahead of it."
Duvessa nodded, listening to the winds. "Yes, it is a strong storm, but it is slowing. I think it should dissipate in a day or so." She shivered slightly beside him. "It's been a long day on the road."
He looked at her. "Yeah, it has been. But, tomorrow we'll be back at the castle. Warm and safe."
She smiled at him. "I know." She finished her meal and slid the remnants into a bag. "I suppose we should get some sleep."
He put the trash from his meal into the bag she'd put hers in. "Yeah, we should," he agreed. He reached out and touched her cheek, turning her face towards him. "Are you all right?"
She blinked. "Of course, I'm all right. Why?"
"You seem…quiet."
She smiled and bowed her head. "I've been having to deal with you not knowing who I am, and now that you're back…it's a difficult transition." She looked back into his eyes. "And we've been pursued by Drules for the last two days. I think I have a few good reasons to be a bit quiet."
"Vess."
"Yes?"
He gently pulled her to him, kissing her softly, making her whimper. He smiled at the sound, deepening the kiss.
Duvessa's hands moved to his shoulders and neck, keeping him close.
He chuckled as he broke the kiss, his lips brushing hers as he spoke. "You've missed that."
She blushed, furiously. "What…what makes you say that?"
He kissed her again. "The way you react to me kissing you, the sweet sounds you make."
She panted as he released her lips again. She slowly nodded. "Yes. I have missed that."
He kept his lips a hairsbreadth from hers. "Let me make it up to you, Vess."
"You don't have to," she whispered.
"I know," he agreed, his lips teasing hers. "I want to."
She shivered beside him and nodded.
He smiled and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her and laid back on their bedrolls, pulling her along with him.
