Disclaimer: Voltron and its characters are owned by WEP. I make no claim to them. Other characters and the story belong to me.
Enjoy!
Chapter 3: Observation
Prince Cedric paced back and forth in his room following his outing with Princess Allura. He had had his suspicions before, but was never in a position to really observe the Princess and the Commander. After the afternoon spent in both of their company, Prince Cedric's suspicions were confirmed.
He had a decision to make. Does he ignore what he has witnessed and proceed with his courtship of Princess Allura or does he take heed of what he noticed? There was no doubt that Princess Allura would be an ideal match. She was beautiful, intelligent, compassionate, and loyal. Plus, the marriage would bring with it the wealth of Arus and the protection and prestige of Voltron.
But this was a matter of the heart. If it were him in that position, he would hope someone would do right by him. With that last thought, he headed out the door to find Koran.
Princess Allura woke from her nap following her afternoon at the Spring Carnival. She felt that the outing was a success. The principal, teachers, and students at the school were honored and amazed that their princess had come. Prince Cedric seemed to enjoy himself as they walked around and talked to the children, sampled the delectable food, and failed miserably at the games. Prince Cedric could not win her a stuffed lion she had her eye on even after several attempts at throwing the ball in the basket. The only reason the stuffed lion sat on the bed next to her was because Keith stepped in to take a turn. Keith, of course, sunk the basket on the first try.
She had had a great time. But the little feeling of doubt was back. She felt as unsure after the outing as she had before it had begun. It was time to find Keith and get his take on the whole situation.
"Enter," Koran called in response to the chime at the door.
"Good Afternoon, Sir Advisor," Prince Cedric called as he entered Koran's private study.
Koran looked up in excited surprise. "Good afternoon, Prince Cedric! To what do I owe this honor?"
"I have come to talk to you about my intentions regarding Princess Allura," Prince Cedric spoke solemnly. Koran raised his eyebrows expectantly. "I plan to withdraw my request to court her."
"What?" gasped Koran. "You two seemed to really hit it off. Why the sudden change of heart, if I could be so bold to ask? Has she done something that has brought shame to the Throne of Arus?"
"What? No, Koran, no! Not at all! Allura has been nothing but kind and gracious during my visit here. She is beautiful and intelligent; everything I would want in a wife. However, I don't think it is me she wants. I don't think I am the one who will make her happy," Cedric paused as Koran processed everything he had just said.
"I am not following you," Koran finally replied after several long moments.
Cedric sighed as he began to recount the events of the afternoon, "This afternoon, the commander accompanied us on our outing to the Spring Carnival. Though Keith walked behind us and always kept a respectable distance, it was always Keith that Allura turned to and Keith that Allura joked with. To be honest, I felt like I was the chaperone on their date rather than he the security for mine."
Koran was quiet for a moment. His mouth set in a firm line, finally he growled, "I have always warned those men that Allura was off limits. I will have to reprimand the Commander for this impropriety."
"Koran, hold on. Neither the commander nor the princess did anything inappropriate. There is just an ease, a closeness, between the two that I just don't think I could ever touch. To be honest, I don't think either is even aware of what is right in front of them. Please, Koran, with all the time that you have spent with them, you can't tell me that you never noticed," Prince Cedric stopped, exasperated.
Koran sighed in relief. "I guess I never thought about it," he began. "I know that the commander and the princess have a close friendship. I never thought that there could be more. The problem is there can't be more. There shouldn't be."
"Are you referring to the fact that he is not royalty? Please Koran. That is so old fashioned. Though I have actively sought out a royal spouse, I have made it clear to my council that I will only marry for love. If that presents itself in a commoner, so be it," Prince Cedric explained. He continued, "I think Allura deserves the same. It appears to me that Allura and her commander have some unresolved feelings that they need to explore. With that conclusion, I formally withdraw my request to court the princess until such a time comes that she requests it. I am tired of my role of suitor. I think it's time I take a break and return to Lumos for a while, whether the council likes it or not." Prince Cedric smiled as he nodded emphatically.
Koran sighed, "Very well, Prince Cedric. I have no choice but to accept your withdrawal. Would you like to tell Allura, or should I?"
"I think I will allow you to attend to that task," Cedric replied. "I wish to leave on a high. Please give Allura my best and bid a farewell to the rest of the Voltron Force and Nanny. I thank you for your graciousness and hospitality. I will take my leave now. I will inform my captain that we will leave before dinner."
"Farewell, Cedric. Until we meet again," Koran said quietly as he watched the younger man leave.