Prince and princess walked directly westwards. Their feet moved with graceful speed over the rough terrain. Allura had more stamina than Lotor had expected. Yesterday, she had easily tired but today it seemed like a fire burned within her spirit.

A passion of his own was still raging inside of him. Lotor sensed a closeness steadily growing in the air the closer dawn approached and the further they trekked. A rushing sound like wind was emanating in the distance. He suspected they were nearing a valley or cliff of sorts. The foliage morphed from tall, dry conifers to thick, bushy shrubs and gallant oaks. The air was warming as the sun rode, idling slowly to the tops of the mountains.

As he ducked under a low hanging branch, Lotor noticed a large chunk of the mountain projecting into the forest. It stretched further westwards, sloping gradually down into a dense valley; just as Lotor had suspected. The dark grey stone sat silent and cold, moss and dark green vines dressed the formation. It looked altogether unremarkable, a mere section of the mountain's craggy face.

Allura let out a breath. "I think this is it," she said, closing her eyes. "I feel it."

Lotor's gaze flipped from the princess and back to the rock. He attempted to focus his own spirit on what Allura was obviously tapping into. This time, he felt not even a faint stirring. A scowl crossed his face, but he quickly dowsed the emotion.

A glaring flicker peeked through the vibrant trees. Lotor looked up to see the sun finally mounting over the peaks. "Dawn," he said simply.

Allura's lids fluttered open and she pointed her eyes to the face of rock. Lotor followed her gaze, studying the stone and waiting for any sign of Altean magic.

A flitting wave of stark rays moved over the rough stone. It reminded him of searching hands as it moved over the expanse of wall. The oak's leaves shivered as a breeze leapt from the valley, shaking the light show over the rocks in a dazzling display.

The princess gasped when she caught something he did not. "There." She stepped over a low bush and fought her way through the foliage to the wall.

Lotor watched her intensely as her hands moved with the sunlight over the grey stone. He still couldn't see anything – A glint of silver shimmered to life. His brows rose as the glimmer changed to a line and then an outline of a large entrance. His breath caught as a set of gold runes also came to life in an arch over the way. He carefully moved to Allura's side, mindful of where he stepped

His amber gaze slid over to the princess. She was closing her eyes again with her palms resting flat against the doorway's outline. A frown stretched over her face and her brow creased with concentration. He watched her and the door for several long seconds before she finally pulled away and lowered her head. Fatigue was evident in her eyes, but it was faint.

"The door requires a password," she finally said sounding almost guilty.

Lotor took in the outline once again. His brow knit in frustration while his mind recalled the verse that had led them here. "It must be on the box," he reasoned.

Allura nodded, gaining her confidence back. "But what have we not used already... frost?" She offered after a moment of deliberating. Deciding to give it a shot, she turned to the door and spoke in a commanding tone, "Frost."

Nothing happened.

She hadn't expected anything to happen. After all, she had just spoken a random word. Why would any Altean choose such a modest, bizarre password? Her shoulders dropped, and her tone took on a pleading note. "Cold?" Nothing. A flash of irritation bolted through the princess.

"Ice? Chill? Winter?" She crossed her arms. All of this trek and the password could be anything. More than a little exasperation and disappointment filled her tired mind.

Lotor placed a hand on his chin. "Snow."

A click sounded from the door. Lotor flashed a brilliant smirk. A low rumbling issued forth and the stone began to inch open. Judging by the plume of dust that billowed outward, the door had not been used for years. A deep, mouldy scent emanated from the mossy weeds that snapped when the solid entrance swung outwards.

"Yes!" Allura could have hugged him. Actually, that didn't sound too bad. She restrained herself, however. Instead, she let her shoulders relax and couldn't help but grin.

He flourished for her to take the first steps into the cavern. She quickly pulled off her pack and retrieved a light-stick. The light revealed a large tunnel where two could walk abreast easily. It didn't seem to have any immediate bend. As Lotor moved into the space beside the princess, he noted that there was a decent angle to the floor, as if the tunnel led deep downwards. He shared a glance with Allura before turning his attention to the walls.

Her light-stick gave more than enough light for him to notice that the stone was bare, dark and rough. The terrain was uneven and uncared for, dusty. Their boots crunched loudly on the floor, making Lotor want to cringe for the impairment to all attempts at stealth. While Lotor was far from a professional spelunker, to his untrained eye, the passageway appeared completely natural.

Even Allura noticed, as she commented after a handful of minutes, "This place is strange. It doesn't look like anyone used it."

Lotor nodded before realising she couldn't see the movement. "I agree. It is old and appears unaltered. It is almost raw in its nature. Whoever used it, did not take any liberties in making it more useable."

"I can't imagine Altean's living here," she said. Uncertainty tainted her dubious whisper.

"It felt right," he said. It was not a question. He let his faith in this manifest itself in his voice. He believed her. It was a rare thing for him to put his trust in another so completely, even about such trivial things like this mission, but over the course of their time here, he believed her. And he let her see it. Because if she didn't see that, she would lose hope.

The foreign notion was slippery, and he fought to keep a grip on the trust when she locked gazes with him across the meagre green light of the torch. Years of training, backstabbing, betrayal, and pain screamed at him, urging him, pleading him to turn back. She must have noticed the flicker of confliction in his eyes because her eyes softened. His spirit plunged into instinctive defence. No, not this again. His heart picked up pace. A tidal wave of anxiety poured into him, filling his chest. A million voices invaded his senses as he wrested for freedom. A thousand memories faded in and out. Something fearful shadowed those perfect sapphire irises he was drowning in.

Don't give in –

Stop! His internal defence overrode everything, slamming down and swathing him in ice, protecting him, isolating him. Failure. He immediately felt the regret stab daggers through his heart.

Allura, noticing the sudden disconnection, frowned. Concern passed across her gentle features. When his impassive voice repeated what he had said earlier, she knew he had lost whatever battle had been roaring within him.