Disclaimer: Voltron and its characters are owned by WEP. I make no claim to them. Other characters and the story belong to me.

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Chapter 4: Revelations

Allura walked to Keith's office with a fierce determination. She really needed his thoughts and advice on the Cedric situation. Stopping to catch her breath, she rang the chime. A muffled "Enter" could be heard from inside.

Allura walked through the door to find Keith sacked out on his couch. He was surrounded by papers which got knocked over as she blew through the door like a whirlwind. Keith looked up in shock. "Allura, are you ok? What's wrong?"

She blew a stray hair out of her face. "Nothing's wrong. I just need to talk to you. I need some advice. Can you take a break?" Her blue eyes pleaded with him.

"Sure. Give me a second to upload this report and we can go take a walk in the garden," he replied as he clicked on the send button. He stood up. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yes," Allura replied. "Let's go."

Allura and Keith walked in silence as they headed to the side door that led out to the castle gardens. Keith cast a sidelong glance at Allura as they walked. Is she nervous? Keith thought. She looks like she's sweating and she keeps wringing her hands. What is on her mind?

Several steps into the garden, Allura finally began to speak. "What did you think of my date with Cedric this afternoon? Do you think he had a good time?"

Keith paused, surprised by her question. "As an outside observer, he appeared to have a good time. You two seem to really enjoy each other's company," he responded tentatively.

"Yes, but do you think he likes me?" Allura implored with big eyes. Her face was so innocent and so full of wonder that before Keith could stop himself, he laughed out loud.

Allura looked crushed. "Why are you laughing at me?" She turned away in a pout.

"What? Are we twelve? 'Do you think he likes me?' Allura, please! Why don't you send him a note: 'Do you like me? Check yes or no!'" Keith chortled as he teased Allura. He laughed so hard that tears were beginning to run down his cheeks. Then he caught sight of the serious expression on Allura's face. He humbled himself quickly. "You're serious. Allura, I am sorry. What's really the matter? To answer your question: yes, I think he likes you. Why? Where is this coming from?"

"Well," she started slowly. "I ask because I am unsure of how I feel. I thought maybe you had witnessed a lack of sureness in him. That's what I wanted to talk to you about: my hesitation where Prince Cedric is concerned."

Keith stared at Allura. A lump formed in his throat, brought on by a reason Keith could not pinpoint. "Ok," he croaked.

"I know that Prince Cedric is amazing. He's handsome, he's funny, he's nice. He is respectful and sees me as a person when other princes see me as a prize and a brood mare. I should be jumping at the chance to marry him, but I am not and I don't understand why." Allura looked at Keith expectantly.

Keith swallowed hard. He thought for a moment before he replied. "It sounds like the spark is missing; the attraction that draws two people together." Keith swallowed again. "How did it feel when he kissed you?" He waited for the response with a strange sense of dread.

Allura giggled. "Like I was kissing Koran!" she smiled. "I agree with you. I don't think there is a spark between us. Here comes the next problem: do I marry him anyway for all the good things this marriage will do for me and Arus?"

Keith stopped walking and faced Allura. "That's a question only you can answer." He watched her profile as she mulled things over aloud.

"When I was a little girl, I always dreamed I would find my happily ever after. I always dreamed I would marry someone whom I loved and who loved me. As I have gotten older, I have come to realize that someone in my position may not have that luxury. But I don't want to settle. I want to be with someone who I enjoy talking to and being with. Someone who is the first person I want to see in the morning and the last person I want to see before I go to bed at night. Someone who is on my mind in those quiet moments during the day. Someone…" Allura stopped. Like you, she finished in her head. She turned toward Keith, realization dawning on her beautiful face.

The feeling hit them both like a bolt of lightning at the exact same moment. Keith stood transfixed as he gazed at Allura. Black eyes met blue as a wave of confusing emotions flowed through them. Their eyes communicated what their hearts were experiencing. A heartbeat passed, then two…

Beep, beep. Beep, beep. The sound of Keith's communicator yanked them from their reverie. "Kogane, here," Keith responded, still staring at Allura.

"Commander, it's Koran," came the voice over the communicator. "Can you stop by my office? There are a few things we need to discuss."

"Sure thing, Koran," Keith said as he ran his fingers through his hair and returned the communicator to his belt. He turned to Allura. "Can we continue this discussion later?" he asked in a whisper.

Allura blinked slowly and then looked up into his eyes, searching for what she thought she had seen there moments ago. All she saw was opaque blackness. "Definitely," she said, "find me later. After dinner. And thank you for listening. I knew I could count on you." She turned to leave.

"Allura, wait," Keith took a step forward and gave her a quick, chaste hug. "That's what friends are for, right?" He shrugged his shoulders and raised his eyebrows on the word friends.

"Yes," Allura said, "Of course." She smiled a little to herself as she turned away. Was that a question on the word friends?

Koran returned the communicator to his belt as he watched Allura and Keith go their separate ways. From his vantage point on the balcony, Koran had seen the entire exchange between Keith and the Princess. He shook his head and sighed. He wondered how he could have been so blind. Koran walked slowly toward his office. It was time to set the future straight.