Proper Behavior
Perhaps she should visit that Barok fellow, Allura thought . Her brisk walk challenged the fabric of her skirt, and the thing seemed intent on tripping her. She sighed, for she remembered that when she mentioned that problem to Nanny, the governess just said "it would not happen if you kept a pace suitably dignified for a young woman of your rank."
Lotor's collapse was not really surprising to her. The drule was so intent on showing only strength that he pushed himself beyond his limits. She knew his crazed longing contained a core of love so fierce it was frightening. Considering how obsessed he was with her, she could only guess the pain of letting go. The upgrading project kept his mind busy and the spirits' possession must have pushed away his pain.
She tried to imagine herself in his predicament, having to give up on her own dark eyed Commander to free him for another woman, and just thinking of it constricted her throat painfully. In truth, she knew she would be capable of it, but was infinitely glad she did not have to. It would tear her apart.
To doomites, ambition was a prized trait, and in his constant pursuing of her, Lotor had confused his wishes, his feelings and his goals. That did not excuse him, nor did it did not lessen his guilt on his murderous intents on her teammates, but Allura was impressed at how genuinely he now tried to play by their rules, even if he did not understand them. Not yet anyhow. Perhaps in time...
It broke her heart to see him puzzled by kind gestures, as if he'd never been the recipient of such freely given kindness. His childlike enjoyment of any plant life was almost endearing, too. The others had described to her his forays in the forest with Rose, saying he became transformed, young and unguarded. Doom had been sterile and barren; was it any wonder Lotor regarded trees, insects and flowers as marvels?
It was probably a good thing she never witnessed this wide-eyed fascination... Lotor was very handsome after all, even with the half mask. But of course, she would never admit it to him. That would send mixed signals, and while she admired his strength in dire circumstances, she did not return his feelings and didn't want to give him any false hope.
She slowed upon entering the educational section of the castle. The few stragglers in the corridors stared at the Princess all the way to the principal's office.
The prim, severe woman stopped fiddling with her paperwork and her eyes widened at her unannounced guest. She hastily rose and curtsied, and Allura motioned to her to be at ease. The principal was following the semi Victorian dress code of the Arisian upper crust, harboring a dark, severe dress buttoned all the way to her long neck. She appeared daunting, but Allura detected gentleness in her. She offered a seat and a coffee. Allura took the chair, declined the coffee and asked for Miss Kohana Soubise.
"Our little Rose? She is home tutored now. We haven't seen her for a couple of weeks."
"Really?" Asked Allura in a slightly dangerous tone.
"The Count requested it," answered the principal a bit defensively. "It is his right to do so. I don't understand, though, she was doing well enough in spite of her penchant for skipping class and her constant spying on the teachers... Her grades could use improvement, but we are persuaded she is highly intelligent. Just bored to tears in class, and quite a handful I assure you!" said the thin woman with a fond smile. "I miss her, actually. She used to end up in my office quite often!"
"I'm not surprised," Allura commented, smiling. "I guess I'll have to go directly to the Count, then. Thank you."
Allura rose to leave the office.
"You're welcome, Your Majesty. If you can convince the Count to give us another chance with the imp, we would be happy to have her back," said the principal as she rose as well and curtsied again, looking hopeful. "Her lack of protocol is refreshing, I must say."
Allura smiled and told she would do her best.
***** ***** *****
"Sheesh, Campanule," said Lance with a disgusted pout, holding a cup of pills. "Just take 'em, ok? I don't want to force the whole thing down your throat, but Al blackmailed me."
"What with, human?" Lotor asked, almost amused.
"Not tellin', blueberry, not stupid..."
The pilot was blushing; Lotor concluded he must have had interesting encounters while away. He took the offered glass and downed the impressive amount of pills, idly wondering if Hausmann wanted to slowly poison him. Still, if one of those could stop the congestion it might be worth it...
"There, red boy. Can I get up now?"
"Afraid not. We drew straws, you know?"
"Drew what?"
"Straws. Human custom. Whoever draws the shortest inherits a generally unpleasant task. In this case, tell you the bad news..." Lance braced himself before continuing : "you're not getting out of this room for a week."
"W... what?", cried Lotor, eyes narrowing to slits.
"Hey," threw Lance defensively, "Take it up to Hausmann, it's his call."
Lotor growled and snarled.
"How am I supposed to take my mind off her, then? I'll go insane!"
"Maybe we could negotiate a pleasant spot in the garden, ne? A warm place in the sun. Plants do fascinate you."
Lotor blinked.
"Would you do this? Ask Hausmann?"
"Ask Hausmann what?" Inquired the doctor as he entered the room.
"Talk of the devil," Lance quipped good naturedly.
The next hour was spent in hard negotiating, and it was decided that as long as Lotor stayed off his legs except for precise exercises and short walks, and that he dutifully took his pills, he could rest just as well outside if weather permitted.
***** ***** *****
Allura went all the way to the noble's part of the castle, by far the most lavish. When the castle had assumed its fortress mode, most of the ancient decoration and accoutrements were lost. But this part was well within the protected areas and most works of arts were a bit cramped on both sides of the large corridors. Allura did not dare put the bronze statues back outside for fear they would be destroyed. Not much was left from the wars.
Still, it annoyed her that this wings were so lavishly ornamented, since the nobles seemed to think it was solely for their benefit : the art was not there for its protection, but for the acknowledgment of their station.
Allura wished she could put it everywhere in the castle, but she didn't want her staff and soldiers tripping on the stuff during emergencies. The other halls were kept pretty much barren.
The Count had one of the smallest suites, a fact that chaffed at his pride. He had tried to explain to Allura that the others assumed it meant he wasn't favored by her, but Allura had argued many times against giving a large suite to someone who had a fair amount of lands and a Manor.
Since this particular manor had been used by the drules as quarters for officers during the occupation, it had not been destroyed like so many others, and it was now empty. The Count was free to live there, he just chose not too.
To this he said he could do a better job of directing the spies directly from the castle, but the Princess had pointed out that historically, many spymasters had lived outside of the castle perimeter. Still, Soubise would not budge. He figured Kohana could net a better catch if they gravitated inside the nobility's nest right here in the heart of Aris.
Allura sighed and rang the golden, elaborate doorbell. She was even more irritated when nobody answered. She spotted a regular servant and asked her. It appeared Count Soubise had gone back to his own lands after all. No matter, she would go to the generous suite of the Baroness Virona. The woman was fond of Kohana and the worst gossip in the court.
***** ***** *****
Baroness Virona was indeed a fountain of information. She insisted that Allura sit for a tea and refreshment in exchange for the crispy details, as she put it.
Allura learned the nobles were surprised that Soubise had returned to his manor. It was far up north, well away from the castle.
When he had come to live in the castle with his slanted eyed daughter, some whispered that he couldn't bear to be in the place where his beloved wife had lived. Too many memories.
Her death, explained Baroness Virona, had transformed the Count profoundly. While she was there, he did not care about what the nobles' clique thought, his bubble of happiness was all powerful. So his wife was an outsider? It did not matter. He was still a Count and a force to reckon with.
But now his beloved was gone, and only the shunning remained. He had tried to regain the consideration of his peers and failed. He was deeply hurt that Kohana was considered something of a wild, illegitimate child. Soubise became obsessed with providing a golden future for his daughter, in which she would be acknowledged as a true Arisian.
To achieve this, he had accepted a small suite in the castle and the position of spymaster, a job that would not require him to travel. His avowed goal was to rebuild his status and marry off Kohana to elevate her to a title no one would dare turn their nose up on.
That he had now returned to his manor could mean many things, but Virona surmised that it meant the Count had found what he was looking for : a high ranked person that would take his daughter's hand in marriage.
She assumed her eternal rival, the Baron Morney, had accepted Soubise's proposition, whatever it was.
"Surely there was some money involved," the noblewoman stated as she helped herself to a platter of petits fours. "Morney never does a single thing that fails to add to his fortune."
Allura left with her belly full of over sweet cakes and her mind filled with fury. What an imbecile, thinking it would bring Rose happiness to be curtsied to.
She was confused, though. Soubise had enormous but mostly uninhabited lands. His tax income was undoubtedly low, and the allocation he received from her was not extravagant. Surely there was something else. She decided to enlist Pidge's help. A little hacking was in order. As a ruler, she had a right to poke in the finances of her own council, after all. She also decided to give the Count a call.
***** ***** *****
Allura stared. Her little flower had answered herself. Kohana appeared on the command room's screen, and if it hadn't been for her rather unique features here on Aris, she would have been unrecognizable. Her hair was done up in an elegant bun, she had a perfectly nice butter yellow dress, one Nanny would have gushed upon, and her posture was perfectly straight and formal.
"Rose?"
"Yes, your Majesty?" She inquired in a bland voice.
"Are you quite all right? You seem different."
"I just learned proper behavior, Your Majesty. It is necessary for a Baroness to have a modicum of manners, don't you think?"
"Just who are you and what have you done with Rose?"
"Rose is gone, I'm afraid. It was necessary, I was told."
That was delivered in the same bland, peasant tone, with a diplomatic smile.
"I wish to speak with your father," stated Allura, in full regal mode.
"He is hunting with Baron Morney. He will not be back until late, I'm afraid, Your Highness. But I can tell him you wish to speak with him, he shall be honored to return your call..."
Allura was stunned and nodded before ending the communication. What had happened to their lively ferret?
She put in another call.
"Dr. Gorma?"
***** ***** *****
"There," said Pidge. "That should be the last one of them. If journalists want some footage, they'll have to actually send someone for it. Security should be able to handle that, I suppose."
Pidge was putting away the last retrieved spy cam in a special storage room in the lab. They could prove useful later on. It was Pidge's private haven, where he stashed away all the interesting gizmos he had accumulated over the years.
He felt a bit strange, but figured it was just the Lion spirit being fidgety. While puttering around chatting amiably with his partner he became concerned by his lack of response. He understood upon seeing the sudden glow of his hands.
"Hunk?"
The Yellow Lion pilot was staring straight ahead, and Pidge instantly recognized the haze of color surrounding him. The spirits were at it again.
He addressed the thin air : "Lotor isn't finished with his part, and Lance just pulled the strings that will bring the material, so what's your hurry?"
*There are a number of things the Builder can already work on while the other is at rest. We will be careful,* the spirits intoned.
Hunk was already in his own part pf the lab, busily scanning Lotor's schematics. He looked much more alert then the drule had been. Pidge supposed that since the Lions were inside of them, the possession was less invasive.
This part of the work also required much more movement then the tapping of fingers on a keyboard. Pidge's assumption proved correct when Hunk looked at him and smiled, signaling he was ok. Then, as any builder does, he started to take notes, going to this or that part of the lab, and called technicians to get materials.
Pidge, reassured, asked if he could help and Hunk put him to calculus.
The spirits were bubblingly happy, and their enthusiasm made the work pleasant.
***** ***** *****
Dr. Gorma was Allura's personal physician. His practice included most of the soldiers, the nobles, the pilots, Nanny, Coran and Rose, among others. His schedule was cramped and the last few years he had been hiring new recruits. Dr. Hausmann was one of his finer catch.
It was pure luck they had a cybernetics expert and Hausmann was the obvious choice to take on Lotor's case. Gorma had been happy to lend his expertise on drule physiology but cybernetic limbs were not his forte. His star recruit had proven an excellent choice for the fallen prince.
As a patient, Allura was very mindful of her responsibilities and maintained a good health, but she was also stubborn about toughing it out when she was hurt. It was rare that she called him. Generally, she was dragged against her will either by Nanny or the pilots. It was with surprise he received her call.
She told him of Rose's complete change of personality.
"well, what do you think?" Asked Allura.
"there are a number of medications that could have altered Rose's behavior. As I said, I stopped being her physician when she moved. I transferred her medical file to her new doctor. I could contact him and ask about this radical change."
"Please do. Seeing her like this creeped me out."
"Language, princess... I'll look into it"
"Thank you."
***** ***** *****
The next day saw Lotor was in Allura's garden, ensconced in the lavish garden furniture that had been installed for him. Soon bored with his reading, he got up and carefully made his way to an artificial pond. It had colored fish, a form of life he had rarely seen from this close. There was a bench nearby. He gratefully sat, his legs hurting as usual, but even if the garden was empty and no one could see him, pride and ingrained behavior made him take an unconsciously regal pose.
The playful fish swam lazily, and Lotor observed them a moment before sighing, contemplating the last months.
He was so deep on thought that he didn't react immediately when he heard a rustle. Either they had a new, clumsy spy, or someone was trying to sneak up on him. Or three... he could hear it coming from different sources.
Alarmed, he realized he was unarmed and quite vulnerable. He didn't change his position, so they wouldn't know immediately he was on to them. He heard a strange noise all around him, and then, the would-be spies or attackers simply ran away giggling. He though he heard "Got him!"
He didn't feel any different. No darts, no deadly rays or poisonous gas... What was that about?
***** ***** *****
He got his answer the next day : the current biggest 3D info publisher had on its home page a complete hologram of him seated on Allura's elegant white metal bench.
It had only a few frames, the only movement being his locks of white hair and the silks he was wearing gently lifted by a breeze. With Barok's splendid robe and Lotor's sad but proud bearing, the twelve inches high hologram was sculptural.
It rapidly became a viral as people downloaded it onto their portable 3D platforms. The prince smirked, thinking of all the mini holograms of him adorning mantlepieces and desks in the quadrant, turning slowly on their tiny platforms. Now wouldn't that make the fossil furious?
Lance teased him about it, and Lotor just shrugged. Pidge admired the technology, using only three points to get such a splendid result...
Hunk was still swamped over with the building of extraordinarily complex mechanic, completely oblivious and near ecstatic. They did not bother him.
Allura was furious journalists actually succeeded making it to the perimeter of the castle, before Coran reminded her that the press had been given such privileges years ago for a documentary on Aris' history and that she never revoked it, a genuine press pass gave them access. So she could not really sue them. Then she was furious at herself for having forgotten.
Keith was more preoccupied with the security issues. Who else besides the press had those passes? The prince was once more ordered in his rooms for the next days, for his own safety. The Commander was also worried about the article that accompanied the hologram. It talked again of how the refugees had a association of sorts, its avowed goal was to establish themselves on a new world. Lotor was mentioned as a possible leader.
The prince, in spite of the half mask, or perhaps because of it, cut an impressive figure on this hologram. The drule was once again becoming a player on the intergalactic field, whether he liked it or not.
Lotor failed to take this seriously : there wasn't a chance he was going to become an Emperor, King, or what-not. He didn't even want it anymore. He just wanted his chosen peace at the end of this year. Then he would no longer be bound by Sacred Duty. He would be free to decide, and he had not changed his mind, especially now that Allura was safely in the Commander's arms.
He figured that if he ignored the new popularity of the sob stories published about drule refugees, and the speculation that he was their 'savior', the hype would pass and they would find a new subject to chew on.
He wouldn't waste his time even thinking about it. What with his father concentrating his conquests near the earth, they would soon have other news to tackle besides scattered packs of refugees.
If he knew his father well, and he did, all the near quadrant of the Alliance would soon have other preoccupations. For Lotor was sure : no attacks here meant Zarkon had his sight elsewhere.
His most successful strategy so far had been to take the Alliance from within. Lotor had no doubts he would soon reap the seeds he had sown everywhere in their government for years. And then, as the Red Lion pilot was fond to say, s*** would really hit the fan.
***** ***** *****
The day after, Allura received the awaited call for Dr. Gorma. He was ranting at top speed.
"He says she has a disorder? Rose?"
"ADHD to be exact, and he prescribed something exaggeratedly strong. It would make zombified kittens out of enraged lions... Why, it would even tame Lance!"
Gorma was furious. He protested, but could not prove that the ferret was within normal boundaries. Her physician pointed out she presented most of the symptoms : poor grades, hyperactivity, babbling, temper tantrums... The count was enchanted with the results, saying she had become much more attentive and pleasant.
Gorma knew it was all a matter of interpretation. He could not overrule another physician's diagnostic without directly attacking his competence, and it would take months to settle that kind of dispute. Time that Rose did not have : the marriage with the Baron was arranged, no date specified.
In her present state, she would likely agree pleasantly if someone asked her to walk on coals, and smile on the way.
It seemed they had finally found the way to force the little flower into 'proper behavior.'
***** ***** *****
Author's notes:
ADHA : Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Many kids behaving like ping pong balls are diagnosed with this disorder. Some trully have it. They need the medication, it trully helps. Others are just lively, bored, and spectacular. I'm not an expert on the subject, and the medication they gave Rose is pure invention.
Rose having bad grades is in part based on one of my brothers, terribly intelligent, but who was bored at school and didn't pay attention. He turned out an engineer, in the end. So Rose's intellect is seen only in that which interests her, spying, observation, stealth, profiling, other cultures, that kind of stuff.
I have a writing block the size of a province. It's been choking me since the beginning of the year. I haven't abandoned though! What spurred me to squeeze this chapter? Someone added Sworn Duty to their favorite stories list! Yey! Thanks to the dark rose maiden.
Bridging this part with the last leg of the story is a painful process, really, since the 10 or so chapters that finish this fic are already written. Its a lot of logistics and details to write in and I don't know yet how certain facts will come about. For example, we'll go to Balto soon. We'll have visit from Earth too, that will please Keith a lot. (Nonono, not a woman come to woo him away from Allura! Poor Lotor... But Pidge will be pleasantly surprised as well.)
I agonize over details. My brother suggested a convenient " A few years later..." but that would be cheating. Action is coming, slowly but steadily.
So don't be too hard on me! I'm suffering here! ;-)