Alrighty! First of all, please let me say: Thank you to all you lovely people who reviewed/faved/added to story alert-ed this fan fic! This chapter is dedicated to you guys, seriously you were my motivation to work hard to finifsh this thing. :)

Second: I do apologize for making you wait over a week, I had this thing written a couple days ago but I felt like I wanted to tweak it a little still. And~ In appreciation to your kind reviews and your patience in waiting for an update please enjoy an (extremely) long chapter! yay.

Third: Disclaimer: Not I do NOT own Sym-Bionic Titan. Never have never will. I only own my writing and the idea for this crazy fiction. (:

And now, I GIVE YOU: CHAPTER 2!

"Arranged"- Chapter 2:

Celebrations

It only took about an hour for the group to reach the castle- or at least what was left of it. In the excitement of the moment, it hadn't really dawned on Ilana how ruined their home truly was. Every corner was covered in destruction; and worse- death.

Something that both Ilana and Lance could not have completely comprehended from their isolation on Earth. Being so far from the fighting and the chaos had somewhat numbed them; while they had faced their fair share of Mutradi beasts, that was nothing in comparison. Galaluna was demolished.

This once glorious castle now stood fallen- an empty husk of what it once was. While more than half of Galaluna's army was devoted on reconstruction of both the castle as well as the city below, there was still a lot to be done. Time was all it would need. Time to rebuild; time to heal. But for now, Ilana was just glad to be home.

"So this is your room?" Lance asked, raising one eyebrow as he opened the double doors leading into the princess's quarters. Bits and pieces of the castle had been untouched- including Ilana's bedroom. The entire room was covered in a light lavender color- the bed, the walls, the various pieces of furniture.

"Yeah," Ilana sighed dreamily, "God I've missed this." She said as she stepped down a few steps to reach the main level of her room; it was actually pretty large. There was a small living area, including a fireplace, an area for her bed, a small library, and of course a section completely for trying on all of her clothes complete with a very large, regal looking vanity. It was so fitting.

Lance glanced around the room quickly, returning to look at Ilana's reaction. Her eyes were closed, and a small smile was visible on her face. He smiled down at her for a split second, and then snapped his attention back to the room before him.

The small princess did a quick spin before running and jumping onto her bed. She let out a set of giggles as she did so. She stretched out all her limbs as she nested comfily into the comforter on her large bed. For just a few minutes, she could pretend like things were just as they were; as though she never left.

She shot up almost as quickly as she had jumped there, sitting upright on her royal bed. A bed fit for a princess. She smiled at Lance then motioned for him to come and sit next to her. Lance hesitated- there were rules they had to follow now, this wasn't Earth. He smiled halfheartedly at her and gave a small wave of his hand, politely declining her offer.

"Come on, Lance! Loosen up a little. We're home remember?" Ilana smiled brightly, unable to contain her sheer delight any longer. Lance looked at his feet awkwardly.

"Ilana-" he started. She frowned. "-I mean princess." That was going to be a hard habit to break. "I think it would be better if I just retired to the Guest Quarters."

"Why are you doing this?" Ilana asked.

Lance shrugged, "Doing what?"

"You're avoiding me. I thought we had moved past that." She frowned, maybe she was misreading his signals- on Earth she could have sworn they were more than friends.

"I am not."

"Okay, well did I do something wrong?- Wait is this about me not getting you a birthday present? Because I told Octus-"

"What? No. Ilana, I just- it's been a long day. Okay?" Ilana nodded slowly. "Okay, I'll see you at dinner then."

"Okay.." Her smile had fallen and her eyebrows furrowed, causing her freckled nose to wrinkle. "But what about later?"

"What about it?"

Ilana looked at him, her eyes begging.

"Ilana. I can't." He rolled his eyes; she wasn't supposed to need him now. The blonde haired girl frowned deeper in response.

"Lance." She slid off of the bed and walked slowly over to him. He stood paralyzed; unsure of how to react- his mind told him this was wrong, yet something else told him this was right. Caught up in his own thoughts, he hadn't noticed how close she had actually gotten to him. She lightly brushed his arm; her gentle touch sending chills up his spine. She smiled as she watched his reaction. He frowned and quickly grabbed her hand.

"No." He demanded with closed eyes. With that, the young soldier left the princess's bedroom; leaving Ilana to her thoughts. An innocent moment had turned intimate, something she promised never to happen again.

She decided that it was probably best if she just let Lance be; she had learned that whenever he got like this he closed up and refused to let her in. Besides- he was going to leave soon anyways. She was a princess and he was a Corporal, well Captain as of tomorrow, but either way she knew they each had their own duties to uphold. And there was no questioning that.

…

After only a few hours of sleep, Ilana felt refreshed and renewed. When she had first awoken, she was worried this was just another all too real dream, something she hoped she'd never have to feel again. She shook her head, ridding her mind of any more fears, after all: the next few days were going to be complete celebration. A celebration for Lance, she also shook her head at that. No more thoughts of her ex-body guard. She plastered a smile on her face as she walked into her large closet to get ready for the celebration dinner.

Meanwhile, down the hall the Corporal had been pacing his room for what seemed like an eternity, spitting out bit and pieces of sentences to his Robot friend nearby. He had come back from Ilana's room earlier in a very foul mood. The King had been kind enough to place the two 'heroes' in the guest wing, in one of the many guest rooms. Octus had watched Lance walk around the room endlessly for possibly over an hour.

"Lance, are you sure that nothing is bothering you?" Octus asked warily, he had taken notice to the boy's hormone readings. All day they had been unusually high, as was his grumpy behavior. Perhaps the two had something in common. Lance merely grumbled in response. The large robot tried again. "Lance?"

This time his focus broke, turning his attention to Octus. "It's nothing." He finally spoke.

"It's Ilana." Octus said, half asking a question half making a statement. Lance searched his friend's 'face' to see any kind of emotion; but seeing as he was in his actual form, he wasn't given the opportunity.

"It's confusing."

"Talk to her."

"There is no talking to her."

Octus breathed a low sigh, accustomed to helping the two teens on Earth work through their problems. "Lance, I am ninety percent sure she would be more than willing to talk with you."

"Octus, it's different now. We're different now." He said matter-of-factly. He had stopped pacing. "Come on, we should be heading to dinner soon, anyways." Octus knew the boy was trying to evade his questions; perhaps he could get it out of him later.

"Dressed like that?" Lane held the doorknob in his hand before turning to look dumbly at Octus.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Oh nothing."

"Octus!" Lance barked, quite confused. It was just a dinner, right?

The robot stood up from his small chair and walked into the closet emerging with a classical Galalunaian suit. "It would appear as though the King has supplied you with some new clothes." Lance rolled his eyes.

"But my uniform-" Lance started before Octus spoke again.

"Your uniform can wait until tomorrow, Lance. Tonight we are royal guests." If he hadn't been in his true form Lance was sure a smile would have been evident on his small face. Lance begrudgingly accepted the 'monkey suit' as earthlings would have called it, and walked into the large closet.

It wasn't long until he emerged, dressed in a dark, formal suit. The front was lined with bright brass buttons, contrasting the dark color of the suit. He had on socks that reached just under his knee, and he kept his dark boots on over top; then stood waiting for Octus's final opinion.

"It's a little big on you, but it does look rather nice." Lance's features remained emotionless. "Oh, and for the finishing touch-"Octus pulled a small white garment from out of the nearby dresser. "Here, a neckerchief in the custom fashion for the young upper class gentlemen." Lance rolled his eyes as Octus proceeded to tighten his neckwear.

"I look stupid." Lance announced, partially embarrassed. He hadn't dressed up since he was a child; and it was clear that he was truly uncomfortable.

"You look gentleman-ly." Octus replied happily. "Just wait until Ilana gets a look at you."

Lance blushed ever so slightly and mumbled under his breath as the duo decided to walk to Ilana's room to escort her to the dinner. And, after a few minutes of wandering through various hallways, they found Ilana's room. Octus knocked loudly.

In a matter of seconds, the door flew open and Ilana came forth, dressed in her golden attire. She smiled brightly at Octus, who complimented her graciously. "You look fantastic." He spoke robotically.

Lance stood there and with his head turned away, an uncomfortable smile drawn on his face. "Yeah, nice." He added. She crossed her arms; she did not want to deal with him right now.

"You look dashing as well, Corporal." She added with as little emotion as possible. Octus nudged him in the ribs, and Lance extended his arm for the princess to entwine her arm in his. Octus clumsily grabbed Ilana's other arm and the three headed off to the dining hall. Half of the large room had been demolished in the war, but after recent reconstructions most of the room was useable.

The largest feature was the long, wooden table that stretched across the room. Lance would have guessed that it could hold nearly 70 people. It looked as though the room was filled with at least 50, though. He looked over at Ilana to see her reaction. She seemed pleasantly un-phased as they continued to the head of the table where her father sat. She let go of both of their hands and took the seat closest to her fathers.

She stood, waiting for Lance to pull out her chair for her. She cleared her throat loudly and shot him a frustrated glare when he didn't. Octus elbowed him again, and he suddenly snapped up to withdraw her chair. She kept a small smile as she did so, never forgetting to remain poised in front of all of her guests.

"If you need me, princess, I will be in the next room over." Octus said quietly before leaving the room. (Why would a robot stay for dinner?) He nudged Lance slightly as he did so: reminding him to 'be on his best behavior'. He rolled his eyes before sitting up straight in his own chair, next to Ilana.

Just then the loud chatting that filled the room stopped and the doors burst open as the King's large figure walked in. A majority of the crowd scurried to sit down at the table. The King was smiling brightly as he threw his hands up and greeted everyone loudly, his voice echoing in the great room. Ilana beamed.

"Welcome everyone!" He boomed, and continued to praise all of his guests. Lance learned that most of them were war heroes and such. "It is an honor to have you here within my..." Lance's attention slipped as the speech continued. Instead, he took interest in the various guests seated near him. Some were old; others looked not much older than himself.

He nudged Ilana, who seemed absorbed in her father's words. She shot him a dirty look before continuing to listen to the King. He nudged her again. "Ilana," He started.

"What." She replied angrily, didn't he know it was rude to talk while the King was speaking.

"Who's that seat for?" He asked curiously. The seat directly across from Ilana remained empty.

"Shhh!" She silenced him, not even listening to his question.

"And with that, let us dine!" The king finished loudly. The room was filled with applause as the King slowly took his place at the head of the table. He winked at his daughter, who returned it with a bubbly smile. The first course was brought out shortly, which had startled Lance greatly. (He had never been served dinner at a royal banquet before). The next few courses came and went swiftly, and before long the fine feast was announced over.

And, after much direction by Ilana, Lance made it through the dinner with nearly painless. Hell, it wasn't half bad. He was far from perfect, as Ilana had told him; but at least he wasn't too embarrassing.

…

After the dinner, the guests had gathered in both the great hall and one of the large living areas. There were men in uniforms holding out trays of various desserts, and others with assorted drinks.

Lance began to tire of all the commotion, parties weren't really his thing. He smiled at this as he left Ilana's side for a moment, it's not like she would notice. On this planet everyone wanted to talk to her, or even just be in her presence; the exact opposite of Earth. She was practically glowing she was so ecstatic in the midst of all of her party guests. No, she wouldn't notice.

Lance made his way stealthily over to one of few drink trays, quickly grabbing brilliant red one in a small glass cup. He did turn 18 today, so on Galaluna he was technically legal. He smiled slyly and walked casually back to the Princess.

Yep- she hadn't noticed for a second. He stood tall as he took a sip of his drink. He flinched slightly, the drink was quite strong. Not that he cared really; tonight he was a 'gentleman' as Octus had called him. And as such, he was allowed to have a little fun, right? He smiled as he took another swig, allowing the acidic drink to burn his throat. It wasn't pleasant, but he drank it all anyways.

Ilana looked up at him suddenly very suspicious, but with a shrug of his shoulders and a 'puppy eyes' look, the young blonde rolled her eyes at the commanding officer and continued smiling and nodding as a fellow soldier continued their story. She smiled sweetly as she watched Lance out of the corner of her eye.

"What?" He asked, hiding the empty glass behind his back.

Ilana pardoned herself from her conversation to give Lance the eye, "What's that behind your back, Corporal?"

"Nothing…" He shrugged. "I'll be right back." He smiled at her, comfortingly. She arched a brow as she watched his figure disappear through the crowd.

One minute he cared too much, the next he acted like he didn't care at all. Lance had his ups and downs, but today- today was worse than normal. "He's worse than a teenage Earth girl." She sighed; perhaps she would never understand his feelings or true intentions.

…

Lance had successfully made his way back to the man carrying the assorted drinks. And, like before, he grabbed another red one. The first had left his mouth feeling dry, so he was glad to down another. "These aren't so bad." He mused somewhat happily. He wasn't sure if he actually liked the drink, or just the idea that he could escape Ilana for a little while.

Okay, that was a lie. He didn't not want see Ilana, he just assumed it would be easier for the both of them if he just moved on.

He grabbed yet another, and disregarded the butler's wary look as he started to take another sip. He only had one night to be someone he's not, and it was his birthday after all. His head turned as he could hear his name being called. "Lance." He put the drink back on the tray (much to the butler's disgust.)

He watched as a royal guard approached him. "The king wishes to speak to you, Corporal." Lance nodded and followed the guard out of the room and into the Main hall. He led him down the long dark hallway and into a small room. The guard opened the door allowing Lance to step in. The King was inside sitting on a beige couch, staring at a fireplace. He only looked up when he heard Lance's footsteps as he entered the room.

"Your majesty," Lance greeted him with a bow, and quickly rose to look him in the eye. "You wished to see me?" The old man nodded, a sad smile was on his face. Right away Lance knew something was wrong. "Is Ilana alright? Is there something wrong?" He thought for a second. "Was there something I did?" He asked, almost worriedly. He respected Ilana's father; and that was probably one of the only adults he did respect.

A few moments passed and the King asked Lance to take a seat next to him. Lance began to worry that something truly was wrong. "Your majesty?"

He waved his hand, dismissing his question; then, looked solemnly at the boy sitting directly across from him. "Lance. You know I can't thank you enough for all you have done for both me and Ilana." He paused, unsure of how to word what he wanted to say. Lance nodded. "But, I have another favor to ask. Not as your King, but as a friend. A friend to you and," he hesitated swallowing hard. "Your father." He watched as Lance's gaze dropped to the floor.

"Yes?" Lance asked.

"I- I. I don't know who to turn to." He shook his head. "Ilana, as I'm sure you know, will be turning 18 soon. And as Galalunaian custom," He swallowed again. "She is to be married if she wishes to take the thrown. And, I'm also sure you know how- hardheaded she can be about things…" Lance nodded, knowing Ilana all too well.

"And why am I involved?" Lance questioned. Oh god, he wasn't asking him to marry her was he? "Oh God." He muttered under his breath, too quiet for the King to hear.

The king laughed. "Impatient, just like Edward always was." Lance tried to smile; this was a compliment he was used to hearing from the King. "I'm sorry. The point I was getting at was that I don't trust anyone with Ilana, not after this war. That much is clear. I wanted to ask if you would take the honor of becoming Ilana's personal elite royal guard." He smiled somewhat, searching Lance's face for any kind of reaction. "You will of course keep your new title as Captain, and all the privileges that come with it. I just wanted to know if you would be willing to watch over my daughter a little while longer."

Lance sat in silence for a moment, letting the information sink in. "I would be honored."

"There's more…" The king added, looking away again; focusing on the flames from the fire in front of them. "General Modula…" He struggled, "He's not dead. Not yet. He was wounded, bad, Lance. But he- he survived. No one knows his whereabouts, and I currently have most of what's left of our army on duty within and around the castle. I don't want to worry Ilana, but he could still pose a threat." Lance gave him a look of sheer trust.

"Of course, your majesty. I will protect her with my life." Lance replied, as a good soldier should.

"And like I said, it's only until we've found and destroyed the General." He told the boy. "Or until she is properly married."

"Is this already arranged?" Lance asked, already knowing the answer. He knew, and he knew the King knew he knew.

The king nodded solemnly. "Yes. She's arranged to marry a boy not much older than you; which is good- I suppose." He shrugged. Lance knew that the King loved Ilana, more than he could ever love his kingdom. And all in all, he knew it was her happiness he ultimately wanted. He frowned. "And it's for the good of our kingdom. I know Ilana will take the news with a smile." The old man looked like he was about to cry.

But Lance knew he was too strong for that. "She's always been proud to serve her planet, sir."

He smiled another sad smile. "I know."

A few moments of silence passed, only the sound of the crackling fire before them. "When are you going to tell her?"

"Tell her about what, the marriage? Or Modula?" The King asked.

"I guess both."

"I plan on telling her about her betrothed as soon as he comes into town." Lance made a face, even the word sounded bad. Betrothed. Ugh. A few more minutes in silence passed, and Lance decided it would probably be best to leave the King to his thoughts. Lance squirmed in his suit.

"You know, between you and me: I would have much rather betrothed my daughter to you." He smiled. "You care greatly for her."

Lance shrugged, hiding the blush that was quickly spreading across his face, "It's my duty."

The King laughed. "Just like your father." Lance finally stood.

"I think I'd better go and find Ilana. It's getting late." The king nodded.

"So it is. So it is."

Once he left the room, he nodded to the guard and continued down the hallway to return to the party.

"Damn. I need a drink."

…

The next day came all too quick for Ilana. She sighed as she stretched her whole body in her nice, warm bed. She rubbed her eyes gently, ridding them of sleep.

"Hmm." She stretched again as she pushed her covers off and swung her legs over the bed. Her eyes flashed over to the figure on the other side of the room.

"Lance?" She called out instinctively. The figure's head shot up. "Mm. What are you doing here? Why aren't you in the guest room? And what about Octus?" She began firing questions left and right.

He smiled, "Ilana, I escorted you back here last night. You were a little wiped out from all the activities." He shrugged, "And I'm still your royal guard." She looked confused. "I can stand outside if you'd like. Octus is out there, right now." He informed her.

Her mouth formed a small 'O', "Oh." She stood up and began to make her way to her bathroom. She was used to Lance always being close by. "Are you two ready for the award ceremony?" She called from the bathroom. She couldn't hear his response as she turned on the bath. The sound of a heavy water flow drowned out his voice. She didn't really care for a response, though. It was his last day as her body guard after all. She placed a finger into the bathtub to test the waters.

Once filled to the top, she undressed and bathed quickly. Today was an important day, and she had no time to lose. After she had finished cleaning herself, she grabbed a white robe and wrapped her hair up in a fresh towel. Clad in her matching slippers she stepped out of the bathroom making her way to her closet.

She glanced over to the couch where Lance had been sitting earlier, watching her sleep. He had left, as she figured he would have. Once seeing that he was no longer in the room, she dropped her robe and began re-dressing herself.

Just outside the door Lance and Octus waited patiently. They had hardly spoken; Lance was too distraught for words and Octus could easily read that. Instead of pestering him, Octus had let him be. He had just turned 18 after all, and that qualified him as a man on Galaluna.

Lance had allowed her 20 minutes before knocking on the door, "Princess?" He called. She clicked the lock and pushed the door open.

"Come on, you two! You wouldn't want to miss your own promotional ceremony." She beamed. Lance hoped she could remain happy even after the breaking news. He hadn't been told exactly when her 'betrothed' was to arrive, but he knew it was soon. Octus looked over at Lance, knowing that he was hiding something from both himself and Ilana. Yet Lance's eyes warned him that here and now was not the right place.

"What about breakfast?" Octus beeped.

"We can eat later, Octus. A princess is never late!" She told him warningly, "And neither should a Captain." She added smiling; she was becoming more herself again.

…

It wasn't long until the festivities began. Ilana's father had already taken his seat atop the huge platform on which they were to receive their awards. Ilana had taken a seat beside him, and behind her were 3 elite guards. She looked back at them, their faces empty. They would never be anything like Lance, but that was to be expected. She sighed before turning around.

Suddenly, like a loud thunder, the crowd began cheering loudly; roaring with excitement! Ilana smiled as the band nearby began playing their national anthem. The King's daughter tapped her foot lightly to the beat, smiling all the while.

A few speeches were made, mostly by commanders, generals, and captains of the army. And after each speaker, the people all erupted with pleasure screaming and clapping happily. Confetti filled the air and the ground as it was released after every speaker.

After a few hours, they finally reached the last few honored members. The King rose to make the final speech, congratulating the 'main' heroes. First came a group of elite soldiers, who were awarded medals for their work and sacrifice on the battlefield within their Manus fighters. Ilana smiled, knowing that Lance could best any of them, but she clapped for them nonetheless.

Next came a group of older soldiers, Ilana didn't really pay attention to their significance. She was more focused on her two friends that were standing behind, ready to go up next. After the applause had died down, she heard her father's voice announce both Lance and Octus to her people, telling them their great stories and praising them endlessly for their commitment.

And, as promised the King spoke of Octus's promotion into one of the head security officers, and handed him a medal of honor. Next was Lance, who stood so tall with his helmet at his side. He thanked the King graciously and smiled as he pinned the medal to his military sash.

A roar of claps and cheers filled Ilana's ears and she stood up from her seat to applaud her friends. She smiled when they both looked back at her, knowing their mission was finally over. She was so happy, she nearly started to cry. But, before she allowed any tears to spring forth from her eyes, she breathed deeply and blinked her eyes. 'A princess never cries publically.' She reminded herself. 'It shows that you are weak.' She smiled brighter, god she was starting to sound like Lance.

Only a few more people were recognized after Octus and Lance, all more generals. Ilana listened halfheartedly. That is, until she heard her own name in her father's speech.

Her head shot up instinctively.

"And last but, surely far from least: Baron Von Buran: a faithful war hero, who has come to be wed to my daughter, Ilana-" The rest of the speech didn't matter. His words hung in the air.

She refused to let his words make sense in her head. This wasn't happening. No- this was some kind of sick joke, right? She began breathing heavily before standing to leave. But before she could even successfully stand on her own, Ilana's legs collapsed from underneath her and she fainted right there on the spot. The three royal guards jumped to catch her, and come to her aid. Her father had stopped what he was saying to run and turn to her side.

Okay, so maybe this wasn't the best way of breaking the news to her.

Okay sooooo whatcha think of this chapter? hmmm.

A couple of you guys guessed this was going to be a Baron/Ilana/Lance story. AND HELL YEAH YOU GUYS WERE RIGHT. WOO. 3(and yes, we will all get to see Lance's reaction NEXT chapter. muahahah.)

Reviews would be nice, perhaps at least 8? Do you guys think you can do it? haha. Hmm, as soon as you reach my goal I shall post another chapter!

So hurry! And review away! :V