Despite the lateness of the hour, within minutes, everyone in the Castle knew that the Princess and the Captain were having another discussion. Dr. Gorma's orderly noticed the expressions on their faces as they left the medical facility and guessed that a domestic storm was brewing.
The castle grapevine immediately came alive with speculation as to why their leaders were arguing. Their interest was piqued even further when the Princess summoned a steward and ordered coffee and sandwiches. The lucky steward found himself at the center of attention when he placed the order in the Castle kitchen.
Apparently, the Princess had cried a great many tears on the Captain's strong shoulder, the steward explained to the fascinated kitchen maids as he waited for the order to be prepared. It must be serious, he added, because while he was there, the Captain had summoned the rest of the Voltron Force...
Lance, Pidge and Hunk strode into the study in response to Keith's summons. The exhausted expressions on their faces showed that the excitement of the day and the lateness of the hour had caught up with them.
"Food!" Hunk's spirits lightened as he noticed the coffee and snacks that Allura had ordered from the castle kitchen. "Great. I was getting hungry." He forgot his exhaustion at the prospect of eating again.
Pidge perched onto the arm of the sofa. "Tell me something I don't know. I could hear your stomach rumbling all the way here," he stretched and stifled a yawn. "Didn't you have enough to eat at dinner?"
"That was before Coran had his attack. You know how hungry I get when I get worried." Hunk snapped.
"And when you get sleepy and when you get tired... Hunk, you might as well admit it, everything makes you hungry," Pidge retorted with a tired snicker.
Lance ignored the friendly bickering and sank into an armchair with a sigh. "We heard that Coran's going to be fine," he said, as he accepted a cup of coffee from the princess.
Allura passed a plate of snacks to Hunk and sought out Keith's eyes. He responded to her silent entreaty with a brief nod and a small reassuring smile.
"But that's not why you called us," Lance stated as he sensed the silent exchange between his two friends. "Something's up."
"We wanted you to be the first to know." Keith crossed from his position by the window to sit down next to Allura, reaching for her hand and twining her fingers with his own.
Lance shot an incredulous glance towards their linked hands and controlled the urge to remark on their unusual behavior. He knew his friends too well, if he sidetracked them, he would never find out why Keith had called a meeting. "What?"
"We're getting married," Keith announced. He leaned back and watched with interest while the Voltron Force absorbed the news and dealt with in their own unique fashion.
Lance broke out into a fit of coughing and choking. His head swiveled back and forth from Keith to Allura, staring at them in disbelief. Beside him, Pidge, normally the most agile and graceful of them all, lost his balance and fell to the floor, where he lay gaping at them with his mouth open. Hunk sat up and set aside his plate of food untouched.
"Did you just—?"
"Since when have you —"
"WHAT THE F—"
Keith held up his hands to fend off the barrage of questions and waited for the commotion to die down.
"Coran was worried. With his health and the Zarkon situation, he decided that us getting married was the best way to keep the Princess safe. We decided that you guys should know the real reason, but as far as everyone else knows Allura and I fell in love."
"It will be a traditional wedding, we've decided that much, since we doubted that Nanny would allow us to do otherwise," Allura continued. "The ceremony will be held in the cathedral and the reception here. We should be able arrange everything in a month."
"We can't wait that long." Keith reminded her. "Coran is so worried about you that it's affecting his recovery. It didn't take you that long to arrange the last ball we had, did it?"
"Well, we had two weeks to prepare but —"
"Look, Nanny probably started planning your wedding even before you turned twelve. She may not be happy about the suddenness, but I'm willing to bet you a month of desserts that she'll get the job done with her usual flair for the dramatic," Keith said wryly.
Allura's protest died on her lips. She would have preferred a small intimate wedding considering the circumstances, but tradition had to be observed. Besides, she knew from experience that the more time that they had to prepare, the more grandiose the affair would be. She decided to sit back and conserve her energies for what lay ahead.