The warm spring morning drew the cadets out in droves. Young men and women in the blue and gray uniform of the Academy strolled along the tree-shrouded brick paths that twisted through the campus.
Allura watched them wistfully and, not for the first time, nor the last, she envied them. Butterflies are free, what about me? She asked herself plaintively, remembering a line in a book that she had once read.
"Are you okay?" Keith's voice was low, meant only for her ears.
"Of course," Allura whispered back, forcing a bright smile onto her face. She turned to face the speaker again.
He touched her cheek with lean, careful fingers and tilted her face up to his, studying the wan complexion that she artfully disguised with makeup. "Are you sure?"
Her gaze flickered up to meet his and a long moment passed in silence. Keith was captivated by the emotions that he saw swirling in her expressive eyes.
Allura blushed and looked away to avoid the intense scrutiny. "I'm okay, Keith." She forced her eyes to up to his and managed a reassuring smile. "I really am."
Keith's eyes narrowed just a little as he considered her words. He looped one long arm over the back of her seat and turned to face the speaker again. "You'd better be."
Allura tried to focus her attention on the speaker again, but it was a difficult. The welcome speeches and presentations were as long-winded and self-serving as she had expected, and she was hard-pressed to keep up her pretense of interest.
Keith watched her out of the corner of his eye. Her expression was as cool and poised as ever, but she had been surreptitiously examining her surroundings for the last five minutes.
He urged her closer and began to whisper stories in Allura's ear. "Do you see that gray-haired general over there?"
Allura nodded.
"That's General Quodast. He used to be the Academy Commandant when we were there. Lance, Jeff and I couldn't stand him. He used to use binoculars to inspect the uniforms of the cadet officers as we walked around and he'd give us demerits if there was a single speck of lint on our clothes."
"That wasn't very nice of him," Allura whispered back.
Keith grinned mischievously at her, "Yeah, that's what we thought. Anyway, once we became upperclassmen, we decided to get even. We gathered up some chickens and stuffed them into his closet. He had feathers on his uniforms for months!"
Suddenly, a commanding voice broke into their whispered conversation. "Captain Blackwell, since you seem to enjoy instructing so much, perhaps you will enjoy lecturing to the cadets of the Advanced Leadership Program at 1330 hours today. I am sure your experience leading the Voltron Force would be of interest to the cadets."
Keith's eyes widened. He knew that voice. He snapped to attention and turned to face Space Marshal Graham. "Yes Sir. I would be honored to do so."
"That's good. I'm sure the cadets will enjoy having you instruct them," Marshal Graham nodded with a hint of amusement glinting in his eyes. "I know from experience how much you... benefited... from the wisdom of your own instructors."
"Now we're really going to be stuck here for the rest of the day," Keith sighed, as he and Allura entered the lounge that had been assigned to the Voltron Force for the duration of their stay at the Academy. "I can't believe that I have to lecture the upstart twits in the Advanced Leadership Program!"
"It can't be that bad," Allura reminded him gently, "You told me yourself that that was the training ground of the most promising cadets, remember? Besides, everyone likes hearing about the adventures of Voltron and —"
"Allura! Keith! Over here!" Ginger waved at them frantically from the table at the corner of the room where she sat with Cliff, Cinda and Lisa.
Allura smiled a greeting at everyone and took a seat next to Ginger. Keith elected to remain standing, hoping he could pace off some of his frustration.
"Congratulations!" Ginger squealed. "I'm so happy for you! Your announcement took us completely by surprise. I would never have guessed that you were a couple when we saw you last."
Catching sight of Keith's visible wince at Ginger's high-pitched squeal, Allura pinched his arm in warning before turning to the blonde lieutenant. "We didn't feel very comfortable letting other people know about our relationship yet, which is probably why you didn't expect it."
Keith rubbed his arm and glanced around their surroundings curiously. The lounge was surprisingly deserted. "Where is everyone else? Pidge asked me to give something to Chip."
"They're attending a lecture somewhere," Lisa replied. "Luckily, the four of us were exempted from it because we attended a similar one when we were studying."
"Did Jeff give you our gift? Hope you liked it." Cinda asked.
"Oh, I did," Keith said. "The little Vehicle Voltron toy Chip made was amazingly authentic. I wasn't able to use it though. Lance and the others were too busy playing with it and didn't want to let me have my turn."
"I'm not surprised. You'd probably use it to develop a few new battle maneuvers." Cliff teased as he reached across the table for some french fries. "Oh, by the way, heard about your teaching assignment, mate. All I have to say is that I'm glad it's you and not me."
Keith rolled his eyes, "Thanks old man. I knew I could count on you for support."
"I don't understand," Allura broke into the conversation. "I would have thought you would have jumped at this opportunity. It's not as though you're not accustomed to lecturing already."
"Ally, stubborn princesses don't count. I wouldn't have to lecture if you listened to what I said in the first place." Keith teased her gently, grinning as Allura wrinkled her nose and made a face at him.
He tried to explain his odd reluctance, "I know how these cadets are — I used to be one of them. Whenever someone lectured us, we couldn't take anything at face value. We had to question everything."
"It's a very interesting experience," Cliff turned to Allura, "I went through the academy a year after Keith and I heard all the stories about how he used to make the guest lecturers very uncomfortable with all the questions he asked during those sessions. Rumor has it that he reduced one lecturer to tears in his senior year at the academy."
"I did no such thing," Keith exclaimed indignantly. "Jeff framed me. He found out that Colonel Rahser was allergic to the pine scent used in toilet cleansers and he sprayed it all around the podium in the auditorium. Rahser left the auditorium without answering my question because he was sneezing too hard!"
"Sure. Fine. Whatever." Ginger said blandly as she buffed her nails against her sleeve.
"Look at the bright-side, It's not that bad, mate. All you're giving up is one day, mate. You'll be on your way home in a few days. We're going to be here for the rest of the week!" Cliff said.
Keith grunted with irritation. "Guys, I think I have to remind you that Ally and I are supposed to be on vacation. We ARE on our honeymoon, you know. We just passed by the Academy to say hello to you guys and attend a few meetings. We're NOT supposed to be on active duty!"
"Conduct your duty bravely and to the best of your ability, Captain," Ginger said, hiding the mischievous gleam in her eyes behind demurely down swept lashes as she idly examined her nails.
Keith shot her a glare that promised revenge, which Ginger returned with a bland smile. He turned to Allura, "Did you want to do anything special this afternoon?"
"Umm... yes... this is going to sound silly," Allura admitted with a small blush coloring her cheeks, "but I had hoped that we could do something that I'd always dreamed of doing since I was a little girl..."
Keith quirked an eyebrow at her, "Shoot."
"I... I... um... want to go shopping!" Allura confessed, in the hushed tones one normally used to confess to a heinous crime.
"Shopping?!" Cliff grimaced. "Ugh. Why would you want to go shopping? You're a princess. What would you need?"
Allura smiled apologetically, "Well, to begin with, I don't have anything to wear for the reception this evening."
Keith's eyebrow arched upwards in disbelief. "How can you not have anything to wear? You have four closets of gowns on Arus!"
"On Arus," Allura said with a smile, gently making her point. "Not here. Besides, I didn't want to bring a lot of clothes."
"But we brought five suitcases!" Keith protested.
"Two of those cases are yours, you know," Allura's eyes sparkled with humor as she teased her husband. "The one you brought and the one that Nanny packed for you."
Keith groaned. "Nanny packed for both of us? No wonder those cases were so heavy. I wouldn't put it past her to pack my dress uniform, my sword and the rest of my regalia."
"She did," Allura smiled ruefully. "She packed a lot of my stuff too. My only problem is that the gown that she packed is much too formal for the reception later. We were so busy with the wedding preparations that I wasn't able to supervise the packing of my things."
"Horrors. What a sadist. I pity you both for having to live in such deprivation," Lisa laughed, half-enviously.
The humor in Allura's eyes died as she glanced at Lisa. "It has a high price, though. Your lives are your own. Mine belongs to an entire planet." she said quietly. "You don't know how much I envy you guys your freedom. This is probably the first time in my entire life that I've ever been anywhere without someone telling me what to do."
"So, I don't tell her what to do?" Keith muttered under his breath, trying to bring the laughter back to Allura's eyes. "I'm almost insulted. At the very least, I would have expected to be ranked up there with Coran and Nanny."
His mock-tirade was interrupted by a gentle touch on his arm.
"Please, Keith," she pleaded earnestly. "You don't know how much this means to me. I've always dreamed of being ordinary, and now, even for just a few days, I am! I can do the normal things that you guys take for granted." Allura gazed into his dark eyes with her own blue gaze, "I don't know if I'll ever be able to do this again."
Keith closed his eyes and weighed his options. He didn't want to let her go out without him, but he knew how much this outing meant to her. He sighed as he realized that there was no way that he could turn her down. He just hoped he wouldn't end up regretting it.
Realizing what that sigh meant, Allura's eyes sparkled with delight and she suddenly leapt at him, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. "Oh Keith, thank you!"
His arms encircled her waist in reflexive response. He chuckled and shook his head wryly.
Cinda asked wonderingly, "Allura, you've never gone shopping before?" Shopping was a favorite recreational activity for the female Academy cadets. In fact, they lived for it. Buying clothes reminded them of their femininity, something that they were always in danger of forgetting because of their rigorous military training.
Allura turned in the circle of Keith's embrace to face her friend. A becoming blush colored her cheeks. "I've NEVER bought anything. Everything I own is a hand-me-down from some distant ancestor or was custom designed for me by Nanny and the castle seamstresses."
The girls all nodded sympathetically, much to Keith's bemusement. "Go ahead and enjoy yourself, Princess. After I make arrangements for your outing, I'm going to lock myself up and prepare for my lecture."
He chuckled at the guilty look that Allura shot him and tapped her cheek affectionately. "No, it's alright. I'm just joking. You'd be bored if you stayed behind." He reached into his pocket and handed Allura a small plastic card. "Here, take this."
"Thank you," Allura replied automatically as she accepted the card. She glanced at it quizzically. "Um, what is it?"
Keith bit back the laughter that threatened to erupt. Allura blended in so well with everyone that he forgot that she was a sheltered princess who had never been to Terra before.
He smiled ruefully and began to explain, "It's a debit card. You'll need this to pay for your purchases later." Keith paused as a sudden thought occurred to him. He threw her a wary glance before reaching for some chips on the table, "You DO know that when you go shopping, you have to pay for the things you take, right?"
Allura rolled her eyes when Keith's back was turned. She smiled innocently and said in the most puzzled voice she could muster, "Pay? You mean you don't just get things from the stores?"
Keith reacted predictably. He launched into what Lance called his Academy instructor mode and began to deliver an impromptu lecture about the market structure of Terran economy and the modes of payment used in consumer retail shops.
He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the satisfied smirk on Allura's face and the amused looks on the faces of the people surrounding them.
"Gee, Keith, I don't think you need much preparation for your lecture," Lisa teased him lightly. "It seems like you can begin lecturing just like that." She snapped her fingers to emphasize her point.
Cliff couldn't resist adding his two cents as well, "Never underestimate a blonde, Captain. Sometimes, we're a lot sneakier and smarter than we let on."
Keith smiled in wry acknowledgement and decided to change the topic to a safer one, "Seriously though, I know that we're not on Arus and no one will recognize you, but I can't take any chances with your safety."
Allura's blue eyes darkened with mutiny. She was about to object vehemently when he chucked her under her chin to forestall any possible protest she might have.
"But, because we're not on Arus, I won't insist that a full squadron of troops escort you, IF you promise me that you'll behave. If you do that, I'll assign Ginger, Lisa and Cinda to be your bodyguards for the day."
Allura nodded and Keith smiled at her in approval before turning to Lisa, "Got that Lieutenant? You're in charge. Make sure that my princess comes back to me in one piece."
Allura looked around in silent wonder. The large mall fascinated her with its various small specialty shops and large department stores. There were more clothes than she had ever seen before.
Ginger, Lisa and Cinda hurriedly ushered her into a small specialty shop, glancing around cautiously. Allura rolled her eyes in exasperation. They had obviously taken Keith's warning to heart.
But she couldn't really take them to task. She wasn't really capable of taking care of herself today, not when she was hopelessly distracted by all that she saw around her — the colors and soft materials that had her staring and touching in frank admiration. She expected racks of clothing with shoppers bustling around — not this quiet haven of beauty and elegance.
The store was decorated in burnished silver and soft blue with lots of subdued lighting so as not to detract from the merchandise, which was prominently displayed on the long-waisted, arrogant looking mannequins scattered around the store.
She turned to her friends and bodyguards-for-the-day. "While you're helping me find a gown for the reception tonight, Keith and I would like each of you to select something for yourselves." Allura said warmly, "Unless, of course, you already have something to wear."
Lisa, Ginger and Cinda exchanged thrilled looks. They had secretly been bemoaning the fact that they had nothing formal enough to wear to the reception except for their dress uniforms — which weren't feminine at all.
"Well, I don't know about you, ladies, but I never turn down gifts from friends." Ginger declared, rubbing her hands together with anticipation. "Oh we're going to have so much fun!"
Ginger's words echoed in Allura's ears hours later.
Her belief that shopping expeditions were leisurely and relaxed was slowly changing to the contrary. After two hours shopping, she began to feel as though she had spent half a day in a flight simulator — tired and dizzy.
While Allura gazed around her, the girls examined the clothes critically, going from display to display, occasionally requesting for an item and setting it aside.
Short and strappy cocktail dresses, evening gowns that shimmered and flowed. The girls made Allura try all of these on and model what she was wearing before them, approving and vetoing each selection.
To be perfectly honest, she was grateful that they were with her today. She couldn't imagine how she would have managed to pick something out if she had been alone. The sheer variety of clothes in the shop was overwhelming.
The girls hadn't been content just to select the gown that Allura was to wear to the reception. They picked out an entire wardrobe – including lingerie that made Allura's cheeks burn just looking at them! – for her, soliciting the help of the store's owner, a friendly woman named Justine.
Justine was only too happy to help the girls in their quest after seeing the name on the e-cash card Allura handed her. She ruthlessly ransacked her inventory, bringing out blouses, pants, jeans, skirts and dresses for Allura to try on and shoe, belts and handbags to accessorize her outfits with.
The purchases began to mount into an alarming mountain.
"I don't think Keith meant for me to buy all this. I only told him that I'd buy a gown," Allura objected, looking uneasily at the stacks of boxes and bags. "We're not going to be here for long — those are enough clothes to last a month!"
"Yes, for most people," Ginger murmured absently as she examined a display of negligees. "But you're a special case. You have an image to maintain."
"You mean because of my title?" Allura asked. "Ginge, you've visited Arus. Life is slower and fashion is more conservative there. To be perfectly honest, I doubt I'll be able to wear even half of these clothes without causing a small scandal."
"No, silly, " Cinda shook her head and laughed, "She means that even if you weren't the Princess Royal of Arus, you're married to Keith Blackwell and the Blackwells have an image that needs to be maintained."
"Which means?" Allura prompted.
"That you're the lucky girl who managed to capture the heart of one of the most eligible bachelors on the planet. Keith's family background and money make him the near-equivalent of Terran royalty," Lisa continued.
Cinda nodded agreement, "And when you add all that he has accomplished to the equation, well, knowing Keith as we do, he probably didn't tell you that he was the youngest person ever to be made captain in the entire history of the Garrison."
"And he did it all on his own, without family influence easing the way." Ginger added as she fingered a long sweeping negligee that seemed too fragile to be real. "You know, a lot of people believed that Keith was going to be Space Marshal of Galaxy Garrison someday, just like his grand-father was, but well, I guess fate had other plans for him."
"We're glad he married you though," Lisa smiled. "We were so worried that he was going to fall for one of brainless bimbos who were all over him. I don't know why, but it seemed all the girls he went out with had such strange names – Fifi, Bambi, Strawberry, Velvet…"
Allura considered the words of her friends as she returned to the dressing room and tried on yet another dress. Even after four years, there was still so much that she didn't know about the mysterious man who was her husband.
She gasped as she caught sight of herself in the full-length mirror. She didn't know the young woman who looked back at her — she looked nothing like the person who had entered the store a few hours ago.
The conservative pink suit that she had worn to the welcome ceremonies — one of the many that Nanny had designed for her — had been replaced by a simple dress in a blue so pale that it was almost the color of an eggshell.
The silky material felt strange but it was wondrously soft. She enjoyed the way that it clung to the curves of her body. She felt feminine, young and free.
"Well?" Ginger demanded impatiently, knocking on the door to the dressing room. "What do you think? Do you like it?!"
Allura opened the door and let her friends in. She turned back to the mirror and examined herself critically. "I love the style..."
Cinda clapped her hands and grinned in triumph. "I knew that dress was you the minute I saw it! You look lovely, Princess."
"...but I don't think I can ever wear this," Allura continued as if Cinda had never interrupted, tugging at the hem of her skirt. "It's much too... short."
"Your skirt is shorter than you're used too, but it still is a perfectly respectable length," Lisa said sympathetically and pointed at Ginger, "In fact, compared to the skirts that SHE wears, your skirt is downright conservative!"
Allura smiled uncertainly, "Are you sure?"
Three heads nodded in unison.
"And you think Keith will like it? Really?"
"You mean Sir Galahad? Of course he'll like it. He's the parfait, gentil knight but he's still human," Ginger laughed, "Or at least we think he is."
"Thanks," Allura threw her friend a grateful smile. "I've always wondered though, why do you call him Sir Galahad? I've heard Lance call him that too."
"It was his call sign in the flight school," Cinda explained. "Tradition dictates that each class has to pick a name for themselves after completing advanced flight training and that their call signs are related to the class name."
The lovely Drule girl shrugged her slim shoulders, "Their class chose to be known as the Black Knights. That's why Keith, Lance and Jeff have a small black sword insignia on their dress uniforms."
"That's also how Lance-a-lot got his name." Ginger told Allura as she rolled her eyes in disgust. "I swear, that man honestly thinks that he's god's gift to women."
"Well, you thought so too for a while, didn't you, Ginger?" Cinda teased. "I distinctly remember you mooning over Lance when he was your instructor in Flight Training," she laughed at the memory. "I've never seen a more inept pupil in my entire life."
"We were just friends," Ginger retorted primly. "He was nice enough to help me out when I had a difficult time adjusting to the controls of the simulator."
"Okay. If you say so." Lisa and Cinda exchanged glances with each other and burst out laughing.
"You weren't there when Keith and Jeff learned that you were on the list of possible candidates for the Voltron Force. I've never seen them so... discomfited — they thought that the world was coming to an end if YOU managed to make the roster." Lisa managed to gasp out, in between giggles.
"I thought that you were all in the Academy together," Allura said, with a puzzled frown on her pretty face.
Cinda nodded, "Most of us were. Sven and Commander Hawkins were upper classmen when Keith, Lance and Jeff got in. So they weren't around when we started at the Academy. We only met them during the Voltron Training Camp."
"We ran into the others at the Academy," Lisa explained, "even though we weren't all in the same batch. When we got in, Keith, Lance and Jeff were upperclassmen, unfortunately for us."
"A lot of instructing duties are delegated to upperclassmen," Ginger said. "It's part of the tradition. The seniors have to teach the freshmen the fundamentals of military life."
"That's why Ginger takes so much joy in irritating Keith," Cinda explained delicately. Ever the peacemaker, she was worried about Allura's reaction to Ginger's constant baiting of Keith, "As upperclassmen, their job was to make our lives hell and they succeeded admirably."
"Can you imagine the nerve of that man?" Ginger demanded. "He'd sound reveille at 4 o'clock in the morning and expect us to be at the flight line at 4:15. I had to appear in public without make-up!"
Allura laughed sympathetically. Having been through Keith's infamous morning drills, she could understand Ginger's outrage. "I know what you mean, I learned how to stick my hair in a bun while running to Castle Control for the 4 o'clock lion practice."
Mischievous humor danced in Allura's eyes as she joined her friends in laughter. For one brief, shining moment, she felt like the carefree, normal person that she had always wanted to be.
"Traditionally, the Drule Empire does not embark on alliances with anyone. A major exception to this was the joint exercise that they held with Zarkon, who is, as you all know, is a tolerated outlaw of the Drule Empire."
Keith's voice was well modulated and clear enough that it carried to the back of the room even without the small microphone embedded in the podium. He took a small sip of water from a glass on the podium.
"Alright, let's look at the star map again. Planet Arus, where my team is based, is located in the Far Universe, while the Vehicle Team patrols the Near Universe. During the Fleet of Doom episode, both Voltron Forces had to get to Planet Acura." Keith turned to point to the coordinates, missing the stir among the male cadets as four women entered the rear of the room.
"The Vehicle Team, as you may know, is based on the SS Explorer, which is capable of warp speed. The Lion Force however is a primarily a defense force. To get to the Acura, we utilized a revolutionary invention of the late King Alfor of Arus — the Flying Fortress — "
Keith halted as he turned and got his first look of Allura standing quietly in the back of the room, waiting to take her seat. His eyes widened admiringly at the length of leg exposed by her short skirt, and for a second, he lost his train of thought.
He swallowed and took a sip of water from the glass on the podium and began to lecture again, drawing the attention of the room to him. "The Fleet of Doom episode brought to home the fact that there were subtle differences between the two Voltrons."
Allura took a seat and settled down to watch Keith in action, feeling her heart swell with love and longing as she regarded the dashing figure he made in the navy blue uniform of a Galaxy Garrison Command Officer.
"For example, a major difference between the two Voltrons is that the Vehicle Team can only form Voltron for a short length of time while my team can stay as Voltron for an almost indefinite period of time."
At the back of the room, Ginger rolled her eyes. Lisa elbowed her in the ribs and whispered sternly, "Behave Lieutenant!"
"As a result, each Voltron Force has developed different tactics for dealing with their respective enemies. The Fleet of Doom episode highlighted the differences between the two teams and demonstrated that cooperation and coordination between the different Voltron teams is imperative to success in combat," Keith continued.
Cinda took one look at the mischievous gleam in Ginger's eyes and pleaded, "Ginger, please, don't do anything."
Ginger turned to her friends and shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry, I just have to. We're back in the Academy, listening to another lecture — and it's by Keith, of all people! I can't resist!"
"In recognition of that fact, Garrison Command has embarked on an innovative program of cross-posting. As we speak now, Commander Jeffrey Wyatt, the Vehicle Voltron Commander is on Arus, commanding my team while I meet with the Vehicle Voltron Force to discuss —"
"Excuse me, Captain."
Keith nodded. "Yes?" He would have known that distinctive high voice anywhere. He looked towards the back of the room, where Ginger sat with Lisa, Cinda and Allura.
His eyes narrowed as he noticed the way that several cadets had begun to cast interested looks at Allura. He glanced up at Ginger. "Stand up, please Lieutenant, so that the rest of the class can see you."
Ginger stood up at attention and saluted in reflex. As Keith expected, the eyes of the male cadets in the room immediately focused on her, attracted by her vibrant good looks and natural air of confidence.
"Sir, correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that you were here on your honeymoon."
Keith chuckled wryly, knowing what Ginger was trying to do. He refused to let her baiting get to him. "A good officer knows how to manage his time effectively, Lieutenant. My wife hasn't complained yet."
The class laughed.
Keith's dark eyes flashed mischievously. "Cadets. I'd like you to meet Lt. Geraldine Gregory of the Vehicle Voltron Air Team. Lt. Gregory is an Academy graduate who specialized in Military History and Tactics. I have arranged for her to take over this lecture to share with you her insights on the Fleet of Doom episode and the differences between the strategies developed by each Voltron Force."
Ginger's eyes shot daggers at him.
Keith returned her glare with a bland smile of his own. He strode up towards her and handed her the laser pointer. "Lieutenant, conduct your duty bravely and to the best of your ability."
Allura watched the exchange between her husband and her friend with laughing eyes, unaware of the lecherous scrutiny that the male cadets near her were subjecting her to.
"And I'm sure that that's what the Captain's going to do. His wife is one hot mama. Curves in all the right places and a great set of hooters to match!" A male cadet whispered to his seatmate, eyeing Allura from head to toe with lustful eyes.
"Mmmhmm," the other cadet agreed, licking his lips. "There must be something seriously wrong with him. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't be here. I'd be down for the count playing hide the salami."
The brief conversation between the cadets did not go unnoticed. Lisa and Cinda exchanged outraged looks and worriedly glanced at Allura, hoping that the princess would not understand the crude implications. To their relief, she was waiting for Keith by the door, safely out of hearing range.
Unfortunately though, Keith's sharp ears heard everything. His fists were clenched at his sides and he looked ready to fly into action. Lisa and Cinda immediately stood up, came to attention and snapped crisp salutes, purposely blocking Keith's paths to the cadets.
"Keith, do NOT make a scene." Lisa warned him in a low undertone, angling her salute to disguise her moving lips. "Go home and we'll see you later at the reception," she ordered, grateful that the attention of the class was directed at Ginger and not at Keith.
Keith nodded grudgingly and settled for leveling a murderous stare at the offending students, noticing with satisfaction how they hastily averted their eyes and pretended to write in their notebooks.
He turned to Cinda and declared in harsh whisper, "Lt. Kariyat, the two cadets in seats 76 Charlie and Delta are in violation of the following sections of the Code of Conduct — 422 dash 12, 17 and 23. Their actions are a disgrace to the other officers and cadets of the academy. Make sure Academy Commandant Wuiblan deals with them accordingly."
Keith waited until the door closed swished closed behind them, before turning to look at his wife. Allura endured his inspection, her nervous gaze running over his face to try to penetrate the expressionless mask he wore.
Finally, she couldn't bear his silent scrutiny any longer. "Well," she demanded, "What do you think?"
Keith continued to regard her solemnly and Allura felt her heart wrench. "Oh no," she whispered sadly, "you don't like it." She closed her eyes and tried to fight the tears that threatened to fall.
Her eyes flew open when Keith suddenly started laughing. "Don't look so worried... You know you look beautiful," he said gruffly, briefly letting his fingers tangle in the golden ends of her hair.
She stared at him in bemusement; blue eyes round with confusion, stunned by the affectionate gesture, and the undisguised admiration in his eyes.
"Well, that's something I should remember," Keith remarked wryly, "when I argue with you, you come back at me with both fists swinging, but if I pay you a compliment, you become speechless."
Allura blushed and lowered her gaze, "I'm sorry, that was very rude." She raised her eyes to meet his dark ones, "Thank you very much. I'm glad you like it... it ... it means a lot to me."
Keith smiled and smoothed a stray lock of hair away from her face. "Don't see why it should. God knows, Lotor tells you that you're beautiful often enough."
His breath came out in a huff, as Allura punched him gently on the stomach. His retaliation was instant. He poked Allura in what he knew was a particularly ticklish spot and received a satisfying squeal in response.
Their shared laughter echoed out over the quad, even as the ancient carillon bells trilled out the hour in a time-honored Academy tradition.