A/N: I do not own Voltron, its characters or settings. Lissa and the Legion of Light are mine, however.
Lissa woke with the dawn, filled with trepidation about seeing Lance again. She had decided to tell Fire Storm everything. Her Familiar deserved to know what was going on, and, more importantly, he would be far more cooperative if she didn't keep him out in the dark. Although she knew he wasn't going to like what she told him one bit. She dressed in her white uniform and grimaced as she caught a view of herself in the mirror. Once, these pristine raiments had meant so much to her. Now they symbolized eternal servitude to an institution she no longer wished to belong to.
She slowly made her way downstairs, her mind on troubling thoughts, when an alarmingly bright voice said, "Hey there, you must be one of the visitors Coran told me about, I'm Pidge, pilot of the Green Lion."
Lissa blinked as a small boy walked into view. He was about her height, but younger then her by a few years. He wore enormous glasses, had an uncontrolled mass of dark hair, and was dressed in green. Two mice were sitting on his shoulders, chattering away at one another, but he seemed to be oblivious to their presence. He was smiling at her in an expectant way, so she bowed her head and said, "I am Lissa of the White Riders. It is a pleasure to meet you, Pidge."
He grinned and said, "Wow, if I'd known you were going to be this pretty, I'd have tried to run into you earlier."
Lissa blinked at his owlish expression, not sure she'd heard him right, but the young boy impulsively grabbed her hand and said, "Come on, I'll introduce you to the rest of the team."
Before Lissa knew what he was about, Pidge had started dragging her down the hall to a nearby room. In it were all manners of electrical devices, furniture, the princess Prince Ower hoped to romance, and two strange men Lissa had not yet met. Allura's eyes widened as she watched Pidge pull Lissa into the rec room, her first instinct to get the other woman out of there as quickly as possible since she knew Lance wouldn't like Lissa meeting the rest of the team when he wasn't there yet. But before she could get up, Hunk turned around, took one look at the woman with Pidge, and got stars in his eyes.
"Well, hello! Who's this, Pidge?"
"This is Lissa, one of the guests Coran told us about. Lissa, meet Hunk. He's the pilot of the Yellow Lion. That grumpy looking loner over there is our captain, Keith. He pilots the Black Lion. And she's Princess Allura-"
"Yes, I know, we've met," Lissa gently interrupted the hyperactive young man, an amused look on her face.
Keith, blushing a bright shade of red at the unflattering portrayal Pidge had made of him, gallantly walked up to the young woman and said, "Welcome to Arus. Will you be staying long?"
Lissa smiled at him, thinking that he was very handsome indeed. Keith noticed her appreciation, and returned her look of admiration with open interest. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw the princess glaring at them, and in an instant realized someone besides her knew the meaning of complicated love. Allura had nothing to worry about, though. Lissa's heart belonged to Lance. She was just sharing a moment of physical attraction with Keith, which was something that always happened when two good-looking people met. It meant nothing; it was just sort of an acknowledgement and appreciation of one another's beauty.
"I have no idea how long I'll be here. My charge, Prince Ower, is seeking refuge here until the wars on Alcon are at an end. It could be days, or even weeks. I honestly can't say."
"Well, you're more then welcome to stay as long as you want," Hunk bellowed, his eyes besotted as he stared at the lovely young woman.
Lissa smiled back at him, thinking he reminded her of a teddy bear. "Thank you, Hunk. That is most kind."
The big man blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sure, no problem."
Pidge stared at his friend and then started laughing, which earned him a glare from the bigger man. Wise for his years, Pidge scrambled out of grabbing range, but Hunk gave pursuit, chasing him from the rec room. Allura, Keith and Lissa stared after them for a moment, and then the captain awkwardly cleared his throat and said, "You'll have to forgive them. They get a little carried away at times."
"It's quite alright, captain. I've worked with men before, and if there's one universal law in life, it's that boys will be boys," Lissa replied, deliberately making her statement vague enough so that it wasn't necessarily derisive.
Keith stared at her for a moment, judging her words, before giving a brief nod. Allura moved over to join them, and this time Lissa could see quite clearly the possessive look in the other woman's eyes. She wanted to laugh out loud, but decided against it. That would only create an embarrassing scene. But it was ironic the princess worried she might find Keith interesting. That was one thing Lissa knew would never happen. In her years with the Legion, she'd had many men attempt to win her hand through means both fair and foul. None had succeeded. She loved Lance with her entire being.
As if the cosmos read her mind, and perhaps it did for all she knew, Lance walked through the rec room doors, his face disgruntled. "What has gotten into the bear and the midget?" he grumbled, his hair mussed. "They just trampled me in the hall."
Keith shrugged, "I have no idea."
Lissa and Allura exchanged knowing glances and smiled.
Lance looked in their direction and went still when he saw Lissa. He scowled at the look the two women exchanged. Keith noticed his strange behavior and frowned.
"Have you met our guest, Lance?" Keith asked, wondering why his second in command was glaring at the beautiful young woman. Normally the pilot was quite the Casanova, going out of his way to charm the ladies. Keith had never seen him angry with one before.
"Yes," Lance answered him, not bothering to go into detail.
Despite Lance's brief answer, Keith sensed a wealth of history between his friend and the visitor. For the moment, he held his tongue and decided to simply watch and listen.
"Good morning, Lance," Allura said brightly, her expression amused.
Lance glared at her, knowing she was enjoying his discomfort. "Good Morning Princess, Lissa."
"Did you sleep well?" Lissa asked, her voice mildly concerned at his haggard appearance.
Lance looked at her in surprise, and his face was less harsh when he replied, "As well as can be expected under the circumstances."
Allura snorted in a most unlady like fashion, and Keith frowned, glancing at the other people in the room. Something was definitely going on here, and they all seemed to know about it, except for him. He'd have to have a word with Lance later, it seemed.
"Perhaps you could take a walk with me," Lissa said, smiling at him in a way that made Lance's blood race.
"When?" he countered, eager to get things out in the open between them, since he was not accustomed to displaying patience.
"Now, I think," she answered, holding her hand out to him.
With a sigh of relief, Lance took her hand and, sparing a quick glance for Keith and Allura, said, "I'll see you at practice."
Allura and Keith watched the two leave, electricity obviously flying between them, and Allura smiled at the romance of the moment. Whatever Lance's thoughts on the matter, the princess knew Lissa loved him. She had a feeling all would turn out well. Or, at least she hoped it would.
"What was that all about?" Keith asked the moment the door closed.
Allura blinked at him innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Keith. Lance went for a walk with Lissa."
Keith frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, and Allura nearly swooned at how handsome he looked. "Something's going on here, princess, and as Team Leader I think I have a right to know. It's my job to see to it that the team runs smoothly, and if that woman is going to interfere with Lance's duties-"
Allura held a hand up and said, "Please, Keith, be patient. You're right, something is going on, but I don't have the right to tell you about it. Ask Lance when he gets back, alright?"
Keith looked down at her for a moment and then nodded in agreement. It was obvious the princess knew what was going on, and though it bothered him that she wouldn't confide in him, he was proud of her for keeping Lance's secrets private. Although he was a bit jealous the other pilot had chosen to confide in the princess. He hadn't realized they were that close, and Keith didn't like it at all. He'd always been strangely possessive of the princess, though he refused to face that fact.
Next chapter, Lissa and Lance have a sweet little heart to heart…