The Unilu Black Market was crowded and loud. It smelled of dung and sweat. As Zarkon's forces had slowly been engulfing the Altean empire, Nayni had been forced to pick more seedy locations for her and Allura to hide in. She hated to be taking shelter in a den full of space pirates but it seemed to be the best choice. Dealing with the scum of the universe didn't seem like Zarkon's number one priority. They'd been bunking in a shady flophouse for the past few days. Nayni had barely been sleeping. She spent most of the night keeping watch.

She didn't think anyone would recognize them with their disguises but she wasn't going to take any chances. The annoying part was they had to wear them all the time. They always had to keep their ears and faces covered. Any of these scoundrels would love to collect the bounty that Zarkon had put out for any Alteans. It was a situation that was nonstop stress. She was constantly paranoid about everyone around them and always on the lookout. Nayni didn't know if they'd ever truly feel safe again.

Coran's strange behavior had been weighing heavily on her too. Their correspondence had become so strange. Sometimes his messages were very short. She took his lack of communication as yet another sign that things weren't going well. The more dire this situation got, the less time he'd have to send her his silly letters. But then he'd started to send her these lengthy messages that were full of such emotion. Those troubled her just as much. Coran wasn't standing right in front of her but she could just tell from the tone of his letters that he was going through some kind of conflict.

Nayni wouldn't ask. She knew he couldn't answer. She kept that secret datapad with her always now. It was tucked in the same pocket that she kept that stupid pamphlet and those old photos. She should've tossed those pathetic trinkets away on the very first day that she and Allura had departed from Altea. But Nayni had clung to them. They'd brought her comfort during her darkest moments and there was no way she was going to let go of them now.

A particularly smelly, large alien with fat rolls spilling over his trousers walked by the rickety noodle stand where Nayni and Allura were having their lunch. The foul cloud that he left in his wake was so overwhelming that Nayni lost her appetite. She shoved the chipped bowl away from her. Allura had been eating rather slowly. She slurped up the orange noodles with little enthusiasm. The Princess had gotten used to consuming less than desirable food by now. But her spirits were so low that she'd barely found the will to eat or drink. If Nayni hadn't been nagging her incessantly to eat the girl probably would've starved to death by now.

Nayni wanted to tear the goggles and mask from her face. They made her sweat profusely and her nose was itching terribly. She pulled up the thick scratchy bandana that covered her mouth. That would at least mask the awful stench that hung in this dingy place. Allura's massive iridescent blue goggles made her look like some kind of insectoid alien. The only thing that indicated otherwise was her delicate exposed mouth that was currently slurping up another thick noodle.

Nayni felt the datapad in her pocket vibrate. She'd just received a message. Nayni looked around her surroundings. Aside from the grumpy alien running the noodle stand, everyone in the crowd seemed too busy to even notice her presence. Nayni clandestinely slipped the datapad from her pocket. She hunched over and cupped it in her hands. The metal of it had become a tad scuffed up over the course of their journey. The display flickered most of the time now and the light wasn't as bright as it had been.

She typed in the various passwords as quickly as she could. This wasn't the best place to be looking at her messages but there wasn't really a better one here. If she was quick about it she should be safe. Unless there was an expert hacker walking around in this den of scum there wasn't too much of a risk. She opened up her inbox on the orange display. Her eyes flickered over the white text at a quick pace.

Captain Nordontu,

The time has come for your mission to be completed. I will forever be thankful for the great lengths you have gone to in order to keep my daughter safe. I don't know if it is possible to fully repay the debt that this family now owes to you. I'd had hoped that when it came time to give this order that it would be under much different circumstances.

You are to escort Allura back to the Castle. Coran is already making the arrangements for your transportation. The Castle is where I intend for Allura to stay for the duration of the war. You will be stationed elsewhere. After great deliberation, I have decided that it would be best for you to go to the Ark. I know how greatly this will upset you. I do hope that with time you will come to forgive me for this decision.

Upon your arrival, you may have a few days to say your goodbyes before your departure. I'm afraid time is too short to allow for much more than that. I again thank you for a lifetime of service. You will always remain family to Allura and I. No matter what happens, you will always be in our hearts.

Your King and Your Friend,

Alfor

Nayni's hands shook. She almost dropped the datapad on the dusty ground. She powered it down and stuffed it back into her pocket. She was grateful for this disguise now. It would make it easier to mask the sudden flood of emotions from Allura. Nayni had only heard the vaguest details about the Ark from Coran. It was enough to know what this meant. They were going to stuff her in a hibernation chamber and she'd be trapped in a deep slumber while the war raged on. The fact that this order had even come down had shaken her. Things weren't going well but they couldn't be that hopeless, could they?

She looked over to Allura. The Princess was still poking at the thick noodles idly with her spork. The girl was dirty and tired. She knew that Allura would be elated to be reunited with her father. But the idea of telling Allura that she had to leave made Nayni feel like she was being split in half. How was she supposed to look the girl in the eye?

Nayni had spent most of her life caring for the Princess. She'd woken up every day to serve this girl. She'd lived every moment for her. She'd watch that sweet, feisty little girl grow up into the strong and fearless young woman sitting next to her. Those chubby little hands had clung to Nayni's legs. Her squeaky little giggles had brought a smile to Nayni's face. This girl, this Princess, had saved Nayni's life. She'd had no purpose or direction until Allura had come into her life.

Nayni felt the tears already welling up in her eyes. She watched Allura wipe the greasy remnants of the noodles from her lips and slip back on the air filtration system that had been covering her mouth. Nayni's hands were shaking. She could not fall apart. She couldn't break down in front of the Princess. This was the first time that she had ever truly considered disobeying an order.

She'd daydreamed about running back to Coran with Allura but she'd never actually considered it. As much as it was agony to be away from him and to be away from her home, she never seriously thought about betraying the King like that. But she was going to part ways with Allura. She was going to be torn away from that girl and it was possible that they may never meet again. She would never see that sweet smile. They'd never dance around in her room to bad pop music again. All of these memories that she cherished with all her heart might be all that she'd have left.

And Coran? Nayni couldn't even begin to decipher how she felt about that. The idea of facing him and seizing this final opportunity was too overwhelming. What point would there be? Would she confess her love to him and be met with rejection? And if he didn't reject her it would still be heartbreak. It would bring her nothing but pain to see him. Nayni tossed some credits to the alien running the noodle stand. She nodded to Allura and they calmly departed.

They weaved through the crowd back towards their flophouse. Nayni would tell the Princess she was going to see her father again. She'd wallow in that moment of joy. She wouldn't allow it to be tainted with anything else. All she wanted was to see the elation on Allura's face again. That's what she wanted to hold onto before she left. She didn't want her last memories of Allura to be filled with tears and despair. Nayni wasn't going to tell her. Saying goodbye to Allura would be as torturous as flaying Nayni alive.

They had gathered in the lounge again. Allura watched Coran bring up a display in the center of the room. He was already typing into the computer interface and bringing up the information they'd gathered on the Queen. Allura had been to so many of these meetings. She used to watch her father at them and witnessed how he consulted with his allies. He used their combined wisdom to choose the best course of action. His methods had paid off for Allura as well.

Lotor and Pidge seemed rather inpatient and ready to begin. Allura knew Pidge was just curious. She assumed Lotor just wanted it to be done with. They hadn't exactly been listening to his ideas very much. Even though it had gotten them captured, his strategy had worked. If the Queen's militia hadn't clashed with Zarkon's main fleet, they might not have been able to free their friends. They'd struck at her when she'd been weakened and now she must be in an even more fragile state.

Lance still looked exhausted. He didn't appear to be ready to give his testimony but they didn't want to wait too much longer. They needed to analyze whatever information he could provide as soon as possible. Shiro was sitting near to Nanny. She looked like she wanted to be anywhere else. Shiro had been hovering around Nanny and Lance since they'd gotten back. He knew first hand what it was like to be held captive and tortured by an enemy. Allura was grateful to have him here. It comforted her to know that there was someone around to look after them who had been through something similar.

Hunk and Keith were still keeping an eye on Lotor. Hunk especially still seemed to be harboring an immense distrust for the Galra Prince. Matt sat down next to Pidge after Coran finished uploading the data that he had downloaded from the Other Castle during the mission. Everyone was here. This was going to be a difficult debriefing to get through but putting it off wasn't going to make it any easier. Coran stepped back from the computer interface. Allura wasn't surprised to see him take his place next to Nanny. Allura wasn't even sure how to start this off.

The awkward silence was interrupted rather quickly by Lotor.

"Shall we begin with Tomyko?" Lotor proposed.

His golden eyes had narrowed and he did not look pleased.

"Our most reliable source of information on The Queen is gone thanks to your little babysitter," Lotor snapped.

Nanny's nostrils flared. Shiro held out his cybernetic arm to keep Nanny from leaping at Lotor. Allura didn't like the way Lotor had brought up this topic but it was something that needed to be discussed. Lance was fuming too. He was giving Lotor a rather nasty look.

"Back off, man, it doesn't matter. She's gone. Let's just figure out what to do next," Lance said.

Lotor scrunched up his face in disgust.

"No, I want to know what was so important that we had to leave behind such a valuable asset," Lotor pressed. "It better have been worth it because I fail to see how it benefits us now. Why don't you explain to us what exactly your unfinished business was? I would like to know why that outweighed our need to escape with our full party."

Allura didn't realize that things were going to erupt this early in the conversation. She knew this was going to be tense but this was already more explosive than she'd imagined. Lance got to his feet. The Blue Paladin was about to start for Lotor. His tan skin was already reddening from anger.

"I am about five seconds away from beating the crap out of you," Lance seethed.

Shiro grabbed Lance by the arm and pulled him back onto the couch.

"No one's beating up anybody," Shiro said firmly. "Why don't we just start from the beginning?"

The Black Paladin was very gifted at averting disaster. For a moment there Allura thought she'd be busting out her chainwhip so Lotor couldn't lay his hands on Lance. The Blue Paladin kept glaring at the Galra Prince. Shiro's eyes kept darting between the two of them. He was waiting for either of them to make a move before he continued.

"Okay-" Shiro said. "Why don't you tell us what happened once they brought you on board the Other Castle."

Lance took some deep breaths to collect himself.

"They disabled Red somehow," Lance said. "I don't know what voodoo magic they used but there was no way we were blasting our way out of there."

The Queen must've expended quite a bit of quintessence to pull that one off. Allura didn't even know if she was capable of such a thing. But she'd been doing quite a bit lately that she'd never thought she possessed the ability to. Lotor just leaned against the sleek white wall. He seemed to be done with talking after his outburst had been shut down. Lance looked to Nanny. The Guard Captain hesitated for a moment before she spoke.

"They knocked us out," Nanny explained. "It looked just like the standard taser that my Guardsmen used to use. When I came to-"

Nanny grabbed Coran's hand and squeezed it tightly.

"I was alone," Nanny said.

She didn't seem ready to say more. Lance tore his gaze away from Coran and Nanny.

"My memory is kind of fuzzy," Lance said. "But I remember that Advisor guy."

Lance shuddered. He bit down on his bottom lip and started to jiggle his leg.

"I mean, I wasn't awake, but he was in my head," Lance said. "I don't know how the hell he did it but he was in there and it felt-"

Lance gritted his teeth. Shiro rested his hand on Lance's shoulder. This relieved the Blue Paladin's tension a bit.

"I just remember Nanny pulling me out of that pod. I don't know how she got there but she did," Lance said. "And then you guys all turned up."

Nanny shifted in her seat. It was already her turn to talk again and it was very clear to Allura that her old guardian wasn't ready to. Coran whispered something into Nanny's ear and she nodded. Her pointed ears drooped.

"The Advisor held me in his personal chambers," Nanny said.

Hunk recoiled.

"Wait-whoa-he didn't-" Hunk stammered.

"No," Nanny said. "He'd be dead by now if he'd tried anything like that."

But Allura could tell by the look in Nanny's eye that she wished she'd killed him anyway. Nanny kept her gaze locked to Allura. The Princess felt like it was just a private conversation between the two of them. Maybe Nanny needed it to feel that way. Allura couldn't blame her for that.

"He melded minds with me," Nanny said. "He'd done it with everyone they captured."

Nanny's gaze flickered over to Lotor for a moment.

"He showed me something about you, Lotor," Nanny said. "You had the opportunity to end my life once and you didn't."

Allura turned to face the Galra Prince. All eyes were on him now. If this was true Allura didn't know how to feel about it. She needed to know more. Lotor just smirked and shrugged.

"How else do you think I knew where that Ark was?" Lotor said. "Yes, I went there and yes I left that pod intact. I didn't know who was in it. I didn't care. It was just in the most secured area of that vessel so I knew it had to be an important occupant."

He flashed Allura a smirk. Nanny was here today because Lotor had decided not to destroy her pod. He had the chance to smash it to pieces and end her life but he'd stayed his hand. His motives were most definitely not pure. But because of his actions, Allura had Nanny back. Coran had Nanny back. Keith shook his head.

"You just have to hold onto whatever bargaining chip you come across, don't you?" Keith said.

Lotor just sighed.

"You can feel however you want about it," Lotor said. "We all got something we wanted because of what I did."

Allura didn't know if she wanted to slap him or hug him. Coran looked at Nanny and smiled softly. He actually chuckled a little.

"I never thought I would be saying this but thank you, Lotor," Coran said.

Lotor took a great deal of pleasure from Coran's comment.

"You are most welcome," Lotor said. "It's so nice to finally be appreciated."

Pidge snickered and Matt elbowed her in the side to silence her. It wasn't the best moment to be laughing. Nanny's eyes had glazed over a while ago. She'd been staring off into space. Allura didn't like the look on her face. She didn't like the worry lines spread out across that olive skin.

"He showed me everything," Nanny said.

The look on Nanny's face compelled Allura to reach for her. The Princess knelt down in front of the Guard Captain. She didn't care if it embarrassed Nanny. She rested her slender hand on Nanny's thick knee. Pidge found this a tad awkward. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Everything?" Pidge asked.

Allura looked into Nanny's tired violet eyes.

"I saw their Altea burn," Nanny said. "I watched thousands of other worlds burn as their empire rose to power. They took everything they could and if anything remained they turned it to ash. The things that he did, Lurie, the lengths he was willing to go to to get what he wanted. He betrayed-"

Allura couldn't let this go on. She'd never seen Nanny like this. She'd never seen this tough woman so disturbed in her entire life. Allura didn't think she even wanted to know what Nanny had endured any more. Lance didn't seem to remember much, maybe that was a blessing.

"We're done," Allura said.

Lotor rolled his eyes. He was fed up with them but Allura didn't care.

"As soon as the old woman gets a little teary eyed you decide to stop?" Lotor hissed. "I still want to know why Tomyko died. I want to know why we had to sacrifice all of that knowledge."

Allura got to her feet. She was ready to punch Lotor in the face. He'd proven to be a powerful ally but he was such an insufferably cold and selfish creature. They were going to need him to beat The Queen and they were definitely going to need him to take out Zarkon. Allura's temper was on the rise but she couldn't lose control right now.

"You showed her mercy once," Allura said. "Maybe you can find it within yourself to do it again."

Lotor just smirked.

"Fine, but we will find out what happened," Lotor pressed.

Allura watched the Galra Prince storm out. This hadn't gone well at all. The only thing they'd gotten out of this debriefing was just a vague inkling of what their comrades had suffered through. Maybe she was being too overprotective of Nanny but she couldn't help it. Keith sighed and Allura braced herself for whatever comment he was about to make. She knew it wasn't going to be good.

"We really need to just get this over with," Keith said. "If we keep waiting around then The Queen's just going to attack another system. Are we really going to keep going in circles like this?"

Allura clenched her fists. She appreciated his bluntness. Sometimes it wasn't appropriate. This was one of those times. Shiro shifted in his seat so he could look at Keith. Shiro and Keith seemed to share this unspoken language. The Black Paladin's gaze was enough to get Keith to back off. Keith was brooding in the corner as if he'd just been scolded by a parent. Shiro sighed. He seemed frustrated too but he of all people could understand how hard it was to dig up a painful experience like this.

"Let's just meet up later," Shiro said. "We'll figure something out. We always do."

Allura lingered behind while the others split off. Lance didn't seem terribly interested in running off either. Coran and Nanny started to head for the exit. Shiro hovered near Allura as they watched the two of them. The Black Paladin looked very concerned. His brow was furrowed and he was clenching his cybernetic fist. He leaned in near Allura and whispered to her.

"Maybe you should talk to her in private," Shiro said.

Allura nodded. It might be for the best.

"Later," Allura said. "She needs time."

Shiro forced a smile. Allura watched Coran escort Nanny through the doorway. Allura knew as long as Coran was by her side, that Nanny was in good hands. Maybe she'd open up to him. If that's what would be easier, Allura didn't care.

"I hate to say it but, I don't know how long we can wait," Shiro said.

His words reminded Allura of something else that had been on her mind. It wasn't exactly a pressing matter but it had still been nagging her in the back of her mind. She glanced at Lance who was still sitting on the couch. Allura sighed and shook her head.

"Nanny will do her duty, Shiro, I promise you that," Allura said.

Shiro seemed satisfied enough. Allura knew he wouldn't push too much on this. This situation was far too familiar to him for the Black Paladin not to empathize. After Shiro departed, Allura was left alone with Lance. He was dragging his feet. She imagined that hearing Nanny's testimony had an effect on him. He'd been on the Other Castle too. He'd been toyed with by The Advisor too, he just didn't remember it as vividly as Nanny did. Lance was staring at the palms of his hands.

He looked like he was concentrating with such intensity. He must've been searching within himself for something. It wasn't the best time. But they were all painfully aware of how little time they had now. And after everything that had happened, Allura didn't want to waste any more time. The Queen had destroyed an entire planet and she'd nearly stolen away a good portion of Allura's family.

Allura sat down next to Lance. He seemed rather surprised by her presence. He'd been there for her countless times before now and she knew why. She needed him to know why she wanted to be by his side too. She wasn't scared of this. She knew how he felt. What scared her was how this might change things. The dynamic that she had with the Paladins now was working. They'd accomplished so much. But she'd watched Coran and Nanny put duty before their own happiness her entire life. They both had advised her that this was a massive mistake.

Allura reached for Lance's hand. She laced her slender brown fingers between his. When she squeezed his hand it felt so natural. Nothing felt wrong. Lance was so wrapped up in the aftermath of all this chaos that he didn't seem to know how to react. Allura smiled. She knew this was going to be a lot to spring on him right now but she hoped it would comfort him too.

"This last mission made me realize some things," Allura said.

Lance looked down at her hand. He flexed his fingers. She could tell he was trying to hold back. He wanted to stroke her hand.

"I think we can all say that," Lance said.

He could be an overzealous flirt and flashy but that was all a front. It was obvious to all of them by now. But what Allura appreciated was how he knew just when to turn that part of himself off. He'd flirted with her from the get-go and hadn't let up yet now that she was holding his hand and sitting so close to him he didn't seem to have the slightest idea what was about to happen.

"I know," Allura said. "But I'm speaking specifically about you-and me."

Lance's eyes widened and a flush spread out across his tan skin. He looked like he was about to implode.

"I have an answer for you finally," Allura said.

His face turned even redder. It was rather adorable. He was always so confident with every random girl they'd come across. He'd been rather charismatic and confident with her too but she'd caught him blushing and smiling when he thought she wasn't looking. She'd always known he had some feelings for her. And he'd been brave enough to make those feelings clear to her. She respected him quite a bit for finally addressing the situation in such a mature manner.

"I care about you," Allura said. "Everyday we're up against some new horrible enemy. We're always charging off into situations that could potentially kill us. We have no idea how much time we have and I don't want to waste it. I want to give this a shot, Lance."

A smile crept across Lance's face. He looked down at her hand. He finally ran his finger across the surface of her soft skin. He was clutching her hand as if it was some precious treasure from an ancient ruin.

"So I just want to make sure we're on the same page," Lance said. "I just got rescued from a Demon Castle by a badass magic Princess and she wants to date me?"

He flashed that devilish grin that she'd slowly grown fond of. Even though he still looked exhausted he had that twinkle in his eye again. Allura giggled.

"Yes," Allura said.

It felt good to say it. Lance just kept nodding. He seemed rather surprised by her admission but he was so content. Seeing his mood take such a drastic turn made Allura feel so satisfied. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer. They'd hugged each other many times before but this time was different. She felt more connected to him now. Feeling his warmth against her body was so comforting. She could hear the sound of his heart racing in his chest. He couldn't stop laughing. The Blue Paladin still seemed to be in a state of disbelief.

"We're a thing," Lance said. "Holy crap, we're a thing."

Allura reached up and cupped his face in her hands. He melted and it made her smile.

"Yes, we are," Allura said. "And I'm here for you because you've always been there for me."

Lance's eyes possessed so much light. Allura had never seen him like this. It was rather nice to have someone looking at her like that. Lance grinned and ran his thumb along the curve of her cheek.

"I should get kidnapped more often if this is what's going to happen," Lance teased.

Allura sighed and shook her head.

"Please don't," Allura said.