The Arrangement

Relax Keith. Breathe. It may not be what it seems.

Thank goodness no one else was on the training deck. He never felt this winded, even after an hour of high-level training. But then again, he never felt as threatened by the sparring bot as he did by this.

It really was an accident that he'd even heard part of the conversation in the first place. If it weren't for the words piercing his skull he may have just walked past the partially open door without listening at all.

"Princess, you must consider this. It's for the future of the Altean people. They need a leader and a royal marriage will provide that."

To hell with that. Coran had entertained their relationship although Keith knew he didn't fully support them. Hearing him say those words only confirmed it.

Maybe he should have stayed to hear her response but he didn't feel that would have been fair. She would tell him if there was anything to be concerned about. He loved that about her, she was always honest with him. There was nothing to do now but wait.

"Hey Keith, I didn't know you were using the deck. You mind if I hang out until you're done?"

He'd been so lost in thought he hadn't even noticed Shiro. His friend was still looking ragged from his time on Doom and had lost a lot of muscle mass. Granted Keith wasn't about to offer to spar with the still larger man for fear of getting his ass handed to him.

"It's all yours, I was just leaving."

Shiro gave him that look. It was a look Keith knew all too well. He wasn't getting out of this easy.

"I'm guessing this has to do with Allura, right?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"It's a new look for you. I know a lot has happened while I was gone, so catch me up. You can trust that whatever you say stays with me."

"Not even Romelle can know, got it?"

Shiro had a horrible poker face. His faux expression of confusion made Keith chuckle. She'd been an ever-present fixture at Shiro's side since he returned. They had grown close not only because of their experiences but also because they had similar desires.

The former Black Paladin had decided not to return to the team as a pilot in order to treat his PTSD. He owed himself that and the team supported his decision. However, he wanted to support them however he could, just as Romelle had. Keith had offered him an advisory position which he took gratefully.

Now the advice needed had nothing to do with fighting. Hopefully.

After listening intently to Keith's quandary, he leaned back against the wall and stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"So, what do you think you should do?"

"I was going to wait to see if she said something to me first. I'll pretend I didn't hear anything."

"Keith, you're the worst liar I've ever met. If you do that she'll know in half a tick that you aren't being honest. Tell her what you heard. Clear the air. The longer you wait the more worked up you'll get."

If he were a betting man he'd have put all his chips on Shiro giving him that exact response. Unfortunately, he was hoping to be wrong this time. Confrontation never came easy when it was people he cared about.

"Thanks, I'll do that. And I'm serious, no pillow talk with Romelle."

Shiro almost never blushed, so Keith felt like he had gotten a bit of revenge by making him do it. Nonetheless he was genuinely happy for his friend.

Finding Allura took less time than he'd hoped if he was being honest. The look on her face told him that he'd probably not like what she was going to say.

"Keith, we need to talk."

"I know. Listen, I accidentally overheard part of your conversation with Coran and…"

"Oh. Well, so you know what my response was."

"Not really. I didn't want to pry."

Her eyes were fixed on his in a way that made him believe the rest of his life would be trying to find pieces of his heart scattered in the stars. He wanted to will her not to speak.

So, he kissed her. If her words were going to wound him then he'd parry the blow. She lingered on his lips a moment before pulling away to answer.

"I agreed only to speak with them. I owe them that at least."

It wasn't the answer he wanted but it was better than he expected.

The following week they arrived at the planet of Altean refugees. Keith cursed his mother for telling Coran about them, although he knew she did it for the right reasons.

This planet had the largest number of survivors by far. They had no established government like Pollux, however, and relied on a clan system with elders making most of the decisions. The leader of the largest had offered his son as a husband for Allura. His intention was to bring all the tribes together under one banner. A gathering was planned to discuss the possible union.

The Paladins of Voltron were decked out in their finest uniforms for the banquet. Allura and Romelle were dressed as was befitting women of royalty, although Keith would have preferred his Princess had worn a less attractive gown. Not that she didn't look amazing in everything, even his old t-shirt.

Now is not the time for this. Don't get distracted.

The team was making their way down to the elevator pod when he couldn't take it anymore. Grabbing Allura by the hand he stole into a nearby alcove. For a moment, they stood simply staring mournfully at each other, the stillness finally broken by Keith's lips lightly touching hers. He broke the kiss quickly, afraid that any more might tempt him to steal her away for good.

"Princess, I know you're doing this for your people. Just know that whatever you decide to do I'll always be here for you. Voltron is still my mission and my duty is to protect you. I will always be your paladin."

Allura didn't have an answer. She didn't need one. After all this time, he'd learned to read her eyes and he knew this was torture for her.

Before he stepped away he knelt before his Princess, bowing his head. He pulled her hand to his lips, a sign of his devotion to her. Then he stood and led her back into the hallway, towards her future and the future of the kingdom of Altea.

Coran landed the castle in a spot away from the village where they were met by a large ensemble of tribal elders and their guards. Most of them were elders but one man, possibly in his 20's, stepped forward when Allura exited the pod.

Keith surmised this was the potential future Altean prince. The man was tall, lean build, and wore a cloak of fine cloth. He was muscular but looked like he'd never stepped foot into battle.

The man stopped in front of the Princess, bowing slightly and reaching for her hand.

The hand Keith had just kissed moments before.

Luckily Hunk noticed Keith's expression and put a hand on his shoulder, offering a nod of understanding. It didn't make the anger dissipate though it did remind him to present a calm demeanor for Allura's sake.

Once the gala was in full swing the space explorers started to mingle with the locals. Hunk was checking out the food selection with Shay, while Lance and Pidge were looking cozy near a fireplace. Shiro and Romelle were acting as ambassadors, speaking with everyone of importance.

Nanny stepped away from Coran, whom she had just introduced to a handsome gentleman from a local township. She apparently enjoyed playing matchmaker, Keith thought.

As she approached he wondered if she was going to tell him this was the right thing to do. She'd worked in the castle and had known King Alfor for some time. Surely this made sense to her.

"Keith, you love her. She loves you. Are you really going to stand there and watch that slip away?"

She met his shocked features with a sweet smile.

"I've been watching that young man. He has barely spoken two words to her. Don't you find it odd?"

Now that she mentioned it he had been spending most of the evening talking to another young woman at the table. Keith had assumed she was his sister, but looking closer maybe his mother was on to something.

Just then the suitor excused himself from the table, the young woman following shortly after. Instincts kicking in, Keith followed them out of the room. He saw the young woman duck into a room further down the hallway, closing the door behind her.

Stepping back into the banquet room Keith walked over to where Pidge was sitting.

"Any chance you would let me borrow Rover?"

"Um, sure? Things seem secure here. What's going on?"

"Not really sure yet, but somethings bothering me so I want to check it out."

Pidge and Lance exchanged glances that indicated they knew what was bothering him. They just didn't know the whole story. Granted at this point neither did he.

He slipped back down the hallway to where the woman had disappeared. He could hear voices on the other side of the large wooden door, but they were too low to understand.

"Okay Rover, record mode on. Stay high and out of sight."

With that he slowly cracked open the door to let the security bot into the room. Since he didn't have his flight suit on he couldn't watch the feed so he left it slightly ajar. The sounds were familiar, and not exactly becoming a man who is supposed to be marrying someone else. After a few minutes the heavy panting stopped and the woman spoke.

"I don't care what your father wants. You can't marry her!"

"Hush, it's only temporary. After the wedding, Prince Lotor is going to kidnap her. He's promised to let me stay on as the King of New Altea if I give her to him. It's not like I want to marry her anyway and once she's gone we can rule together."

"He'll kill her!"

"No, he wants to marry her himself. If he gets that he'll be happy and he'll leave us alone. She'll be better for us with him than here drawing unwanted attention to our people."

That son of a bitch.

Just as Keith turned to move back down the hall he felt a shove and went tumbling into the room.

He looked up at the horrified faces of the couple who was plotting against his beloved. Nearby was a sentry who had managed to sneak up on him.

"I caught this man eavesdropping just outside. What do you want me to do with him?"

The man stepped toward Keith, squatting down to look him in the eye.

"This is the man who has the heart of the Princess. Lotor told me to watch out for him. Good thing dead men can't talk."

Allura, get out! Run!

The guard drew his sword but his hand was stayed by the other man.

"Not now, take him to the basement. Prince Lotor likely has a bounty for him. I'll find you down there after the banquet. In the meantime, tell the Princess that her Captain excused himself to go back to the castle."

The next thing Keith felt was the hilt of the sword to his head, then everything went black.