Hell Hath No Fury
Disclaimer: I do not own Voltron or any of its characters nor any of its alternate universe personas. So sad, I could become fond of a Lotor with green eyes…
Part 5 of the Chivalry story arc: 1. Chivalry; 2. Lion House Restored (& 2A. LHR – Allura's POV); 3. Doomed Quest; 4. Alternate Choices; and 5. Hell Hath No Fury. While some of the stories can be read as stand alone, this one must be read AFTER Alternate Choices for it to make sense.
Rating/Setting: Rating is T, bordering M. There are some topics that could be triggers for some people; I will try to post warnings for those chapters. However, I'm never graphic or explicit in any of my writing. If you've read Alternate Choices, you should know what the trigger topics are. Setting is DotU in flavor.
Chapter Eleven
~End of Day Three in the Mirror-verse~
Thirty minutes until dinner, Keith thought as he rubbed his temple. He was expected to present his findings on the security of the fortress at that time. Dr. Gorma, who was a regular Jack the Ripper in this mirror-verse, had given him some meds in the morning and treated his wounds. However, in the middle of the afternoon, Keith had had to visit the man for some more meds. The bloodletting procedure that Haggar had performed left him feeling extremely weak after several hours of exerting himself. He was still paying that price now. After typing in the last of the information, Keith sat back and thought about what he had learned during the day.
Immediately after breakfast, Allura Alt had left him with Naveena who begrudgingly gave him a data pad with the current security measures. She also assigned him a guard who would follow him around the castle as he checked security. He had made notes on a second data pad as he went over the plans. Naveena had been right. The security here had more holes than a sieve. Once he had his list, he went around with his guard to view the areas and make notes of suggested improvements. It took hours to cover them all and finish his notations. Knowing that people's lives hung in the balance, he walked a large portion of the fortress perimeter walls and noted a few changes that were needed. His suggestions hadn't been listed on the plan and weren't obvious unless you viewed the area in person. Those were the notes he had just finished.
Looking up as a knock sounded on the door, Keith saw his guard was back. Ari was his name. Keith had heard the man, muttering under his breath about "having to babysit the Queen's toy." Put-out would be a mild description of his attitude when they started, but as the day progressed, Ari had been more respectful to Keith's requests. It showed now.
"Sir. The Queen asks that you join her in the dining hall."
Standing and picking up both data pads, he walked to join Ari at the door. "I know the way there."
"I'm sorry, sir, but I've been ordered to escort you there."
Keith nodded. It seemed that Allura Alt didn't trust him enough to leave him alone yet, even with the arm band set to the dimensions of the fortress. When they reached their destination, Keith thanked Ari and turned to enter the room, but was stopped by the soldier.
"Sir?"
"Yes, Ari?"
"If you need any other assistance, please ask for me. I'll be glad to help."
Keith looked with curiosity at Ari. "Thank you, Sergeant." He thought that was the end of it, but Ari continued.
"Most of the guys think you're just a pretty face to amuse the queen." Ari noted that the Commander actually blushed. Everyone knew that the man didn't want to be the bond-mate of the Queen. "But I know now that you're much more than that."
"I'm not sure how to respond to that, Ari."
"You don't have to, sir, I just wanted you to know," and with a nod, Ari turned and left Keith in the open doorway.
Feeling the familiar tingle that indicated the Queen's irritation, Keith strode into the room directly to her chair and placed one of the data pads beside her plate. Seeing Naveena occupying the seat she had in the morning, he walked around and gave her the other data pad. Keith then quietly took his seat and waited.
Naveena scanned the detailed report and went to the bulleted points of concern. A frown marred her face as she recognized all the points she had made to the Queen. Every. Single. One. Then her eyes flew up from the data pad to meet those of Keith Kogane. He had noted five more areas. The additional areas all made sense, but it didn't make her happy. She dropped the data pad to the table.
Allura had only given the report a cursory glance. She knew she'd be able to tell if Keith succeeded by her general's response. A smile formed on her lips as she asked, "Well, General?"
Eyes still locked on Keith, she said, "He found them all."
Keith raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Plus five more areas." Naveena was irritated, and it showed in her tone and her body language.
With a lilt in her voice, Allura said, "There! I hope you are convinced now, General, that Commander Kogane has more to offer than just his body."
Naveena let her muscles relax and responded with a normal tone. "Indeed, the Commander is very knowledgeable. He could be very useful, or he could be very dangerous. I have no problems working with him, but I will be watching him very closely."
"I expected no less from you, General." Allura was satisfied with how things had turned out. Now to enjoy the meal before retiring.
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Allura/Eleanor was spent. The day had been both emotionally and physically draining. Seeing Jaden. Going over the plans. Her impromptu workout with alternate Lance. And after all that, she and Lance had visited the shuttle to check over the controls and the cargo. In addition, they had gone over procedures for landing on Ormond. Now they were back in their room in an effort to get some rest before the morning. Their hope was to leave at dawn for the six hour trip to Ormond. Once they arrived, they would secure lodgings and then scope out the mesa where they hoped to have the challenge fight. That evening, they would attempt to make contact with Allura Alt to set up the encounter. Tomorrow would be Keith's fourth day on Ormond. Allura closed her eyes in the shower and let the hot water run over her. She didn't even like thinking about Keith's three days; her imagination took her places she'd rather not go.
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After the meal, Keith and Allura Alt walked back to her room together. She had taken his arm and was running her hand up and down. Keith hated it. Allura loved it. She had loved how he radiated confidence at the meal when he gave Naveena the data pad. Together, she and Keith would make an unstoppable pair. But he still needed to learn his place and she would begin teaching him more about it tonight.
Keith sensed something was different as they entered the Queen's chambers. He saw that Allura Alt stopped just inside the room and began shedding her clothes. Soon she stood before him in nothing but her bra and panties. He just stood there as she walked over and began to pull his shirt from his pants. Soon her hands were between the shirt fabric and his skin. Oddly, he noticed the fact that whatever the lunatic Dr. Gorma had done for the burns and his bruises, he felt very little pain. And that was a bad thing.
"I told Dr. Gorma to work his own brand of magic on you and it seems to have worked. You seem rather fit and able-bodied tonight." She watched as he closed his eyes. It was the response of a man who knew he had no choice if she forced it on him. Angry, she pulled her hands from beneath the shirt. "I'll wait one more night. If your Allura contacts me by tomorrow night, I'll wait until after the challenge. If she doesn't contact me, well, you were lucky to get four days."
Keith watched as she moved across the room to the bath, and he heard the water running. Closing his eyes once more, he realized that he had dodged a bullet. He was actually surprised she had decided to wait. At dinner, he could almost feel the heat coming off of her as she looked at him. She was probably drawn by the power she felt at the advantage he would give her. After all, he had come up with more security options than her general. Allura Alt fed on power and she was definitely feeling powerful tonight. Opening his eyes, he moved quickly to change his clothes; after all, there was always the possibility that she could change her mind.