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 5: Permission

Keith walked hurriedly through the side door. Once the door had closed safely behind him, he stopped in his tracks. What was that? What had just happened? He looked around for somewhere to sit down so he could gather his thoughts and slow his racing heart. Spotting a bench halfway down the hall, Keith strode toward it.

He sat down hard and put his head in his hands. Allura was a princess. She was royalty, the heir to the Throne of Arus. She was his subordinate on the Voltron Force. She was his friend. He could not believe what had just happened. When had his feelings of friendship become something more? All of a sudden, the nagging feeling he had been feeling in his heart made sense.

He had to get this out of his head. There was no way something could come of this. The mere fact that she was a princess and he was a pilot should have been enough. But how did she feel? Did she have the same realization just moments ago? He thought back to that moment when his black eyes met her blue. Something was stirring in the blue fathomless depths of her eyes. Something that had stopped her in her tracks.

He shook his head. He had to focus. He still had to face Koran! He had almost forgotten about the summons that had brought him barreling back to reality. He and Allura had promised to talk later. He tried to push his confusion and raging emotions to the back of his mind as he stood up to face Allura's strict advisor and guardian. Sighing heavily, Keith resumed his walk to Koran's office.

Allura had never felt so wired. She was wound tighter than a spring. She had just left Keith moments ago, but yet she found that she already missed him. She thought about seeing him again later and her heart leapt in her chest.

All of a sudden, everything was clear. Everything made sense. Keith was what she had been dreaming of. Keith is whom she wanted to be with. Keith was the reason none of those princes stole her heart. It was because her heart was already taken. By Keith…her Captain, her protector, her friend. She shook her head in amazement at what had been under her nose the entire time. And she was pretty sure she held his heart, too, based on the electricity that passed between them and the feeling that she saw in his eyes.

Looking sadly at the clock, Allura thought of the hours that stood between her and seeing Keith again. She needed to release some energy and waste some time. Usually exercise was something she did only when it was required for her training. Today, she would make an exception. Pulling her hair into a high ponytail, she grabbed her workout clothes and running shoes and headed down to the gym.

Keith stopped cautiously outside of Koran's office door. He put a mask of nonchalance on his face. With a deep sigh, Keith knocked on the door. "Enter," he heard Koran call from inside.

"Hello, Koran," Keith greeted the royal advisor cheerfully as he entered the office. "You wished to see me." Keith smiled as Koran turned around in his chair.

"Ah, yes, Keith! Hello, Commander. Thank you for coming so quickly," Koran smiled knowingly as Keith settled in the plush comfortable chair in front of his desk. Koran continued, "I wanted to chat with you about your outing this afternoon at the Spring Carnival. Prince Cedric was by to see me and he had some very interesting things to say."

A feeling of dread surged over Keith and a lump formed in his throat. "What did the Prince say?" he asked curtly.

"Well," started the advisor, seeing Keith's discomfort, "it seems that Prince Cedric had a very nice time. He enjoyed Allura's company. He finds her beautiful and thinks she will make a fine wife and Queen one day." Koran pauses.

"Uh huh," Keith whispered quietly.

Koran's eyes glanced at Keith's face. The younger man was obviously fighting to maintain his composure. Koran chuckled to himself and decided not to torture the young man any longer. "Despite that," he proceeded slowly. "Prince Cedric has decided to withdraw his request to court Princess Allura."

Keith sat up. He let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. His heart leapt in his chest. Fighting to maintain a neutral look and tone, Keith responded, "Why did the Prince do that? He always seemed so fond of Princess."

Koran smiled at the commander. "Well, it seems he noticed something that he felt like he couldn't compete with."

"What was that?" Keith sat up and looked quizzically at the royal advisor.

Koran decided to not mince words. "Keith, I need to ask you something and I need you to be honest with me. Is there something going on between you and Allura?"

Keith stood up suddenly, nearly knocking the chair backward. "What? Koran, no!" he was almost yelling. "Allura is my friend. I have never pursued anything other than friendship. Neither has she. I swear. Where is this coming from?"

Koran smiled as a way to try and communicate that he wasn't angry or upset. "Keith," he said. "Calm down. I am not accusing you of anything. I simply asked a question." He watched as Keith sat back down in the chair. "I ask because Prince Cedric noticed what he thought was something more than friendship between you and the Princess. His exact words were, 'I felt like I was the chaperone on their date rather than he the security for mine.'" Koran chuckled despite himself.

Keith ran a hand roughly through his unruly black hair. He got up and strode toward the window. Several moments passed before Keith turned to look at Koran. "I don't really know what's going on with Allura and me," he admitted. "Until an hour ago, she was one of my best friends. Something happened while we were talking. It was like a lightning bolt hit us both at the same time." Keith sunk back into the chair and put his head in his hands. Looking up at Koran, he stated, "I think I'm in love with her, Koran. I just didn't realize it until today."

Koran nodded thoughtfully as he gazed at Keith. "And how does she feel about you?" he asked.

Keith laughed. "Not one hundred percent sure because we were interrupted a moment after it happened. I was summoned here by the pain in the butt royal advisor," he joked, casting a sidelong glance at Koran's serious face. Straightening his expression, he continued, "We are supposed to talk later."

"I see," said Koran. "You know, Commander, Arus law states that the Princess is supposed to marry royalty. A romance between the princess and a commoner would be frowned upon by the council."

"I know," Keith sighed. "I am aware of…."

"However," Koran held up a hand to stop Keith. Keith paused and waited for Koran to continue. "An exception can be made if the commoner is deemed worthy. After all you have done in defense of this planet and of Allura, I don't think there is one person on this planet who would argue that you are not worthy."

Keith looked at Koran, not really understanding what he was saying. "Wait," he said. "Are you saying you would be ok if Allura and I became romantically involved? You would be ok if we pursued a future together?" He stared at Koran in utter amazement.

Koran walked over to pat Keith awkwardly on the shoulder. "Commander," he sighed. "You know I love Allura like a daughter. There is no one in this universe I would rather see Allura end up with. I just never thought about it as a possibility until Prince Cedric brought it up." Koran smiled grandly.

Keith's head was spinning. So much had happened today. He went from serving as security detail on Allura's date, resigned to the fact that it was only a matter of time before Cedric proposed. Afterwards, Allura admitted that she didn't feel that way about Prince Cedric. Then, they had their moment in the garden. Now, he had been told that it was all ok. Keith just looked at Koran, slack jawed.

Koran looked at Keith formally. "Keith, in the name of Alfor, King of Arus, and father of her Royal Highness, Princess Allura, I give you my blessing to court Allura," he stated. "May God bless you as you see where this journey will take you both. I wish you nothing but love and happiness. You are dismissed, Commander. I think you have much to think about."

Keith nodded, wordlessly. He stood and just looked again at Koran before breaking into a genuine smile. His heart was beating a million miles a minute. He walked over to the royal advisor and offered his hand. Koran shook it gladly, and slapped Keith on the back good-naturedly. After another shared smile, Keith turned and walked determinedly out of the room.

As the door closed behind Keith, Koran sat down in his desk chair, "Alfor, my friend," he spoke to the empty room. "I know you would have approved."