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 11: Summons
Allura sat anxiously at her vanity table. She and Keith hadn't decided where and when they would meet. She figured they would have a quiet minute at dinner, but she had been mistaken. To avoid suspicion, she just decided to head to her room and see what happened.
A sudden knock at the door snapped her to attention. "Come in!" she called. She tried to hide her disappointment when one of her chamber maids came in.
"Hello, Camille," Allura greeted the young woman. "What can I do for you?"
"Excuse me, your Majesty," she said with a curtsy. "But the Commander asked me to deliver this to you." She handed her a silver envelope.
Allura's heart surged in her chest. She tried to keep her face neutral as she said, "Thank you, Camille! That will be all."
Camille cocked an eyebrow and said simply, "Highness." With a final curtsy, she turned and walked out the way she had come.
Allura wasted no time tearing the envelope open. A note written in Keith's elegant script appeared in her hand.
Allura,
Meet me in my office.
Keith
Ditching the demure white shirt, Allura checked out her reflection. Eat your heart out, Keith, she thought to herself. This was it. With anticipation aching in every step, Allura set out for Keith's office.
Keith finished straightening his office. He looked around the room. It was small, but comfortable. Keith's oak desk stood in front of the large picture window that overlooked the beautiful Arussian countryside. Cleaned of its usual mess of papers and reports, the desk held a touchpad computer and a few framed photos. Two plain wooden chairs faced the desk for when Keith conducted official business. Perpendicular to the desk, standing proud and true, was Keith's old brown suede couch. It had made the trip with him from earth and gave him a subtle reminder of home. No matter how many times Nanny tried to get rid of the old thing, Keith stood firm. Strewn across the back of the couch was Keith's old Galaxy Garrison throw from his days at the academy. There had been many times that the office had become a place of sanctuary and rest during worrisome or troubling times.
Now it would become the place where Keith would bare his soul to Allura. He chose the office for their rendezvous because he figured no one would look for Allura here. He took a deep, calming breath. He never imagined he would be this nervous. Glancing around the room again, he gave a satisfied grunt. The office looked warm and inviting, a perfect setting for a first "date". Before a quick tidying up, he had retrieved some lilies from the garden and placed them in some crystal vases on the desk and table. He knew Allura loved lilies. He had turned off the overhead fluorescent and lit a few candles to give the room a romantic glow. A bottle of wine chilled in a decanter along with some milk chocolates and dark chocolates. Lance would be so proud. If I didn't know better, I would think this was a room set for seduction. Keith groaned inwardly at the direction his thoughts were taking.
Tonight is about talking. Only about talking, he reminded himself. Oh, who was he fooling? He knew he was looking forward to spending time alone with the princess to do a lot more than just talk. He just knew things couldn't go too far. He didn't want to lose Koran's blessing after having just received it.
He decided to finish that paperwork anyway while he waited impatiently for the princess to arrive.
Allura was flushed and breathing heavily from her quick and covert walk from her room. She had managed to avoid running into anyone on the way to Keith's office. Allura's chambers were located in the northeast wing of the castle. The members of the Voltron Force had been given the seldom used guest quarters in the southeast corner of the castle. Allura had had to walk past the common areas and the control room to get here. The only sign of life she had encountered was the joking and cursing she had heard coming from the rec room at the entrance to the southeast wing. The rest of the way had been free and clear.
She stood outside Keith's office door and patted the wrinkles from the skirt of her dress. She ran a hand over her hair to smooth down any stray hairs. With a final sigh, she rang the chime.