Author's Note: For those of you who are new to the crazy train, I should explain this now and get it over with: I love love. I love weddings, I love dresses (plus I tell you where to find 'em), I love sparkly jewelry, but most of all, I love love. So you'll see why I couldn't just skip over the wedding of Bandor and Emma. As per usual, I own nothing except my characters (though I wish I owned some of these dresses).
Larmina's dress is the Evie long dress in Spiced Wine (J. Crew), Allura's dress is the Limited Edition Flower Maxi Dress (Topshop), Romelle's dress is the Notte by Marchesa One-Sleeve Column Dress (Saks), Clarissa's dress is the $299 gown from H&M, and Emma's dress is the Nouvelle Amsale A-Line Ballgown (Nordstrom).
Also, Emma's engagement ring is the Stratford Antique-cut Genuine Diamond ring (Stauer), and the ring Lance receives from Planet Brann is the Garnet & Diamond ring in 14k White Gold (Blue Nile).
To Sally On - Poor Andrew. He got used and abused by both Len AND Morgan. Poor kid doesn't get a break. As for the crew on Doom, there are definitely reasons for no trust there, too many egos!
To Emie Mac - I'll see what I can do about everybody's backstories. I have a good idea of how and where I can weave David in, and of course I'll find somewhere to put Jeff in, just for you. I'm glad you're having as much fun on my vacation as I am!
To Wade Wells - Girl, you beat me to the punch! This was just a little teaser of Keith's intimacy issues. As you said, everyone has left him, so now he's afraid to love and let anyone in, because whoever else he lets in might leave him too. As for Allura...well, she might have a thing or two to say about this after he finds out about Christiane.
Title Song: "Her Diamonds" by Rob Thomas
Lance never flew with an entourage outside of the other Voltron lions. Anything - or anyone - he needed to bring with him either had to be stashed in Red Lion with him, or it didn't come with him at all. Daniel accepted that fact. Not that they needed much of anything in terms of supplies, anyway - all they needed was themselves and their official uniforms to form the alliance with Prince Luthcar and Planet Brann.
"This planet is freaky," Daniel mused as he gazed out the window at the fire-engulfed planet. The terrain looked like one big volcano; barren and rocky with lakes and streams of lava. The horizon was hazy and wavy, as though it was a thousand degrees outside. Lance guessed that it could very well be that hot out.
"Yeah, it is, Dan-man. You're not kidding."
Luthcar's castle, he knew, was looming ahead of them, wavy in the distance from the heat. The castle itself looked like it could have been the fraternal twin to Zarkon's old Castle Doom, except it was covered in solar panels, most likely to reflect the heat and keep the palace cool inside. A shudder trailed down Lance's spine. It was eerie.
They brought Red Lion down hovering around the castle, where Brann's castle control picked up. Even though Lance and Daniel had both met Prince Luthcar before, it was still jarring when his vision came onscreen before them. His flaming-red skin, golden eyes, and blond hair made quite an impression. "Welcome, Red Lion pilot. Please proceed to the underground chamber. You can leave your lion in there."
"You heard the man," Lance told Daniel. "Let's follow the prince's orders."
Daniel shrugged. "If nothing else, this should be interesting."
Lance waited until he saw a portal open up in the ground, and dove through it. He waited until it had fully closed overhead before he and Daniel exited the Lion.
"This is wild," Daniel whispered.
In the underground hangar, they were greeted by Luthcar and his attendants, all of whom had red skin and hair in varying shades of blond. Most of them were men, but a few were women, and the women were attractively dressed in conservative gowns in amber shades and flanked with jewelry.
"Sargeant McClain." Prince Luthcar approached Lance and offered his hand in greeting. "We have been expecting you. Come, I'd like you to meet my sister, Anadora." He looked over Lance's shoulder. "Oh, you brought one of your cadets with you? Wonderful! I look forward to showing you both around."
"We welcome the offer," Lance replied, keeping his sarcasm in check.
The temperature inside the palace was, as they had guessed, much cooler than outdoors. It was far more ornate than the Castle of Lions or even Castle Pollux, adorned with many gilded carvings and moldings. Luthcar escorted them to the throne room, where his sister, the crowned queen, sat.
Queen Anadora was quite a few years older than her brother, but she looked enchanting nonetheless. Her red skin was perfectly smooth, and her golden eyes flickered with amusement. Her white-blond hair was spun up into an elaborate twist, crowned with a tiara of garnets. Her amber-brown ballgown, made of raw silk with long sleeves, was age-appropriate and elegant.
"Sister," Luthcar greeted her, "I have brought the Voltron Force pilots."
"Wonderful." Anadora stood, eyeing both the pilot and the cadet. "It is a pleasure to have both of you here on Planet Brann. I trust your trip here was safe." She extended her arms in greeting. "I am Queen Anadora."
"Your Majesty. A pleasure." Lance, pouring on the charm in a way only he could, swept down before the queen in an elaborate bow, then took her right hand and placed a kiss on it. "The crown prince did not tell me had a sister, and certainly not a sister as lovely as you are."
Daniel snickered as the queen threw her head back and laughed. "My dear Sargeant McClain, I am far too old for you to be flirting with. However, I am not so old that I don't enjoy the attempt." She smiled at him. "Come, let us talk."
Lance extended his arm to the queen, and she took it. As she placed her hand on his upper arm, he noticed the ornate ring on her finger. It was a large, round garnet, set in a white metal, and flanked with a halo of sparkling petite diamonds. It was an intricate piece of jewelry, the craftsmanship of which he had not expected on such a fiery planet.
"Oh? You like my ring?"
"I do, Your Majesty." Lance took Anadora's hand to examine the ring more closely. "It is beautiful, and you can ask the cadet here, I'm not exactly a jewelry guy."
"It's true," Daniel piped up from behind them.
Anadora nodded. "Luthcar, escort the cadet and follow us to the Strategy Room. I would like to speak of meetings and alliances with the Planet Arus." She paused, looking directly into Lance's hazel eyes. "As a token of my goodwill - and of my earnest desire to create peaceful bonds with other planets in our solar system - I'd like to offer you this." She slid the ring off her finger and placed it in his palm.
"What? Your Majesty, no!" Lance's panicked eyes darted around the throne room. "I cannot accept this. It's too much, and we've only just met. Please."
"You can accept it, and you will." She raised her eyebrows flirtatiously at him. "It's a token of our new friendship. You may bring it back to Princess Allura as a gift from me, or you may feel free to bestow it upon whomever you wish." She smiled warmly. "But whoever you give it to, make sure she is worthy of it."
Lance nodded. "Thank you, Queen Anadora, I am honored," he finally responded. "Truly honored. Now, let's make our way over to your Strategy Room and talk."
She gazed at herself in the free-standing full-length mirror. Romelle had never worn purple before. She had never worn a gown with one sleeve, either. Now she was wearing both, along with a diamond-and-white-topaz tiara to crown her flowing blond hair. She was wearing what little royal jewelry her planet had left.
It was true that the Polluxian royal treasury did not have much in terms of jewelry; there hadn't been much to pick from in terms of an engagement ring and wedding bands for Emma and Bandor. Yet, the little that was left - what hadn't been stolen from them by the forces of Doom - was spectacular. She didn't know why Lotor hadn't run off with the items. She could only surmise that he didn't have enough room on the ship, or enough strength left in his arms.
"You look beautiful, Romelle."
Sven stood behind her in their bedroom, dressed in the traditional blue-and-white Polluxian military uniform - the same uniform he had been married in. She knew that Bandor would be wearing the same uniform for the ceremony, and she ached to see him before he became a married man and ascended the throne as king of Pollux.
"You don't look so bad yourself."
It was so nice to finally let go of her anger, of her need to break him over the fact that she saw a picture of him with his arms around another woman. The fact was, it took two to create the mess they were in, and it would take two to get them out. They were both trying to make their marriage work, and it was so much easier for her to let it go than to continue to find new ways to break her husband.
He smiled a lopsided grin. "Thank you." Looking her over once again, he continued, "I wanted to see you before Bandor and I make our way over to the chapel. He's nervous, but he wanted me to tell you that he's happy and he knows that he's doing the right thing."
Romelle smiled back at him. "Tell him that I'm proud of him, and that I think Emma is the loveliest girl I've ever met."
"I will."
She wanted to kiss him, and she could feel that he wanted to kiss her as well. It was just...difficult. A kiss was more intimate than any other act of love, more intimate than even lovemaking itself. She couldn't do it yet.
He seemed to understand. He kept his distance and inclined his head towards her, then left the room.
Romelle couldn't understand why, once Sven left the room, it was less painful for her to breathe.
The royal chapel on Pollux was not very large, and Larmina felt like she was suffocating in it. She was squished between her aunt and Prince Erimar. Keith sat on the other side of Allura, wearing the proper attire for a royal escort. The lady of Arus had heard the court gossip; now that Keith and her aunt were together, it was just a matter of time before there was a proposal and a royal wedding on Arus.
She shuddered to think about the dress - actually, dresses - she would have to wear to that event.
"It's so hard for me to think of Bandor as a man, almost twenty-six years old," Allura murmured to Keith. "I still remember him as that short, chubby-faced fifteen-year-old boy we first encountered all those years ago."
"Me too," Keith answered, lightly touching his girlfriend's knee. "I can't believe how much he's changed since then."
Larmina noted the former Blue Lion pilot standing beside the prince. "Sven looks good, too," she noted, almost sadly. Seeing Sven made her think about Len. She missed the Space Marshal; she was the only person who ever truly understood the cadet and her life. How could Sven want to be with her boring cousin Romelle over Lenora Stensson? What a disappointment.
Keith could tell what Larmina was thinking, and reached his hand across Allura's back to place his hand on her shoulder. "I miss Len too," he told her softly. "And your aunt does, as well. She's told me."
"She has?"
"Yes."
"You know, I wish you two would stop talking about me like I'm not sitting between you," Allura scolded them mildly. She was feeling a little warm in her cardigan. Trying to be properly attired, she'd thrown a purple cardigan over her pale lilac-colored gown. Although she appreciated its lack of sleeves and its gracious T-back, she was sure it wouldn't be appreciated at a royal wedding ceremony.
Keith smiled at her, flashing the charm in his turquoise eyes. "But it's fun to talk about you."
She looked over to Erimar helplessly for support. The prince merely shrugged. "Hey, I miss Len as well. The best vacation I've ever had was to New York. She made an excellent hostess, and Tyvel joined the Alliance at the same time."
As the music flared up, Keith looked over at Erimar. "You'll have to fill me in at the reception."
Since there was no mother of the bride - or groom - the procession began with Romelle walking down the aisle, carrying a squirming Erik in her arms. While Larmina marveled at the sultriness of the purple dress, Allura could not believe how big Erik had gotten. His sandy-blond hair hadn't changed in color, but his baby-blue eyes had changed into the same slate-blue color as his father's.
Queen Clarissa walked down the aisle next as the maid of honor. She wore a sleeveless, scoop-necked dress in the palest shade of grey, with a skirt that was tiers and tiers of ruffles. She carried a bouquet of pink roses in her arms, and she had adorable pink peep-toed heels on her feet.
They rose to their feet as Emma descended down the aisle, resplendent in her ivory-colored strapless ballgown. She floated down the aisle on her brother Stephane's arm, carrying a trailing bouquet of mixed white flowers - roses, peonies, calla lillies - and three pink roses to symbolize her parents and her grandfather. Her brown hair was worn in an elaborate updo, and she was dripping in diamonds - necklace, earrings, bracelet, tiara. Her diamonds were presumably borrowed from the Exxusian royal treasury, but a piece or two may have been gifted upon her.
Bandor's face lit up as he saw Emma.
It was hard for anyone, even Clarissa, to begrudge the two of them their love for each other. Sven looked on at both of them from his up-close vantage point. He was fond of both of them, and wished them nothing but happiness. He was also insanely jealous of them. He had not been that happy on his wedding day; he remembered an overwhelming sense of feeling like he was sinking into a cement pit, grieving the loss of his elskede.
He moved his glance from Bandor and Emma towards Romelle and Erik. She was not paying attention to the ceremony at all, which was a shame, considering it was her brother getting married. She was preoccupied with their son, which was good, but sad at the same time.
Somehow, he managed to find Keith in the crowd. As slate-blue eyes met turquoise ones, he knew that his old friend knew exactly what was going through his head at the moment, and Sven was grateful for it. Looking over at Larmina, who shared the same aquamarine eyes as the groom and his sister, she seemed to give him the same encouragement.
At the same time, he could read her thoughts as though they were written across her face. You should be with the Space Marshal.
He couldn't disagree with her.
Whenever the Explorer took off, there was always a crowd of onlookers and well-wishers. Of course, there was always a news crew or two, and a bunch of bystanders serving as the curiosity factor. And then there were the loved ones being left behind. That was the worst of it.
Commander Hawkins held his wife's hand in a death-grip, looking over at Captain Newley and replaying his words in his head. He looked down at her - she was so strong, and he was so impressed at how well she handled him leaving. Then, unable to look at her anymore, he painfully broke his gaze away and looked at the remaining crew and Vehicle Team members.
He wasn't the only one being affected. He watched Jeff shake hands with David, then hug and kiss Morgan good-bye. Once he'd done that, he drew Christiane into his arms and kissed her passionately. Looking away, he watched as Kelly Asimov gathered Cinda, her former roommate, in her arms and hugged her tightly. Cinda also hugged Kelly's boyfriend, Taye Benton, reluctant to get back on the ship.
Hawkins noticed Lisa and Aidan together. Lisa was crying. Perhaps not full-on sobbing, but a few tears slid down her face and plopped onto the floor. She clung to him as Cliff and Aidan said their good-byes to each other, then as Ginger hugged him good-bye.
There was something to this getting older bit. His team members who lived nomadic lives, the ones without families or significant others, the ones whose sole purpose in life was to be on the Explorer and the Voltron Force - well, they would be okay. But the ones who had forged deeper relationships outside of the Explorer were the ones Hawkins worried about. He knew that this was the beginning of the end for this particular team and crew. In a year, things would be different.
He would be part of the change. In fact, the change would most likely begin with him.
"Commander Hawkins," his wife addressed him formally, "I have to stress the fact that you must adhere to your allotted eight-week exploration time frame. Should you go even one day over, I will suspend the activities of the Explorer until further notice." She shot him a look.
"Of course, Space Marshal," he reassured her. "Once again, I apologize for my poor decision-making during the last mission."
"Good." She leaned in to kiss him. "Besides," she whispered in his ear, "I've been itching to go back to Paris, and I thought that perhaps once you came back from this mission, we could go."
"You want to relive the honeymoon so soon, hmm?"
She smiled her secret smile at him. "Is that a bad thing?"
"Never."
"Commander?" he heard a new voice speak up. "Would you mind terribly if we said good-bye to the Space Marshal?"
Looking over his wife's shoulders, Hawkins looked up to see the five of them. Jeff, Cliff, Ginger, Cinda, and Lisa. Of course. She was their friend, as well. They deserved a proper farewell.
"I'll miss you guys," Lenora told them, giving each one of her friends a hug and a kiss. "Be safe when you fly, and promise me you'll keep your commander in line."
They laughed, and Jeff looked over at Commander Hawkins. "Sir? Are we ready to leave?"
Slowly, Hawkins nodded. "Everyone on board the Explorer," he announced in his customary formal tone of voice. Then, looking down at his wife one last time, he drew her in to kiss her. She placed her hands on and cradled his face. "I love you, Jon. Be safe."
"I will be. And I love you." Kissing her forehead, he murmured, "Book the flight for Paris. But don't buy any lingerie. I'll buy you something in the city."
"You are so naughty, Jonathan James Hawkins."
As he withdrew from her arms, he called out, "I need something to get me through the next eight weeks, Mrs. Hawkins."
Then, with a final glance back at her, he stepped inside the ship, the hatchway closed behind him, and the Explorer was cleared for take-off.
As the ship began to move, her friends surrounded her. Aidan. Morgan. David. Kelly. Taye. Christiane. They were all watching as their loved ones took off on yet another mission. It was like holding their breaths, waiting for their hearts to drop as the Explorer left the planet.
"Well, that's that, then." Aidan was the first one to speak, exhaling deeply. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I could sure use a workout in Albegas right now. Anyone with me?"
Four heads nodded wordlessly.
"I'll go too," Kelly offered. "I'll watch and dictate."
"Space Marshal?" Aidan asked. "Are you coming with us, or are you heading back to your office?"
"I think I'll head back to my office," she answered slowly, feeling the wave of numbness take over her body. "I've got some paperwork to do, and some flights to book. Then I should probably hit up the package store and get some Extra Stout."
He nodded. "I'll be over between seven and eight."
"Seven hells, Dalloway," David cracked, "you do realize the doorman thinks there's something going on between the two of you, don't you?" He turned to look at the Albegas captain. "And you do realize her husband dislikes you enough as it is, no?"
Aidan shrugged. "Eh, whatever."