The Treaty

The Princess was shocked out of her stupor. The hum of voices had lulled her into a daydream where Keith had come to whisk her away from all of this. His voice was so clear, much more vibrant than the typical musings her brain could conjure. He was telling her to run, not with him but… away from him?

Suddenly she felt a strong hand on her shoulder. It was too much to hope it belonged to her lover. No, it was rougher, more forceful than his touch. She looked up to meet the cold gaze of her Altean suitor. His face caused her to shudder involuntarily.

Something about him disgusted her. Maybe even frightened her a bit.

"Princess Allura, we should make an announcement soon. Are you ready to address the people?"

Her eyes darted around the room. Keith was nowhere to be seen. She looked to the corner where the team was huddled, backs to her, talking about something intently. If he were in the room he'd certainly have been in the middle of that. Nanny was with Coran but they were both too distracted for her to get their attention.

A young soldier approached the table, speaking briefly to the elder seated nearby then turning his attention to her.

"Your Highness, I have been asked to relay a message from the Captain of the Voltron Force. He has excused himself to return to your ship and has asked the forgiveness of the elders for his absence."

Allura attempted to show no emotion in response. She thanked the man then turned to her host.

"I'm ready to speak now."

As she rose there was a loud knocking on wood that would silence the crowd. Everyone turned to face her, anxious to know if she'd accepted the offer of marriage. Well, almost everyone. The groom-to-be was looking away, as were her paladins. Suddenly she felt alone in a packed room.

"First, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to our host and his family. You have been incredibly hospitable to us and have made us feel most welcome. Second, I would like to thank the townspeople for inviting us to help the planet grow stronger. We look forward to working to achieve your goal of one New Altea, under the flag of our home planet."

Everyone stood to applaud the idea of a unified planet.

Except the paladins. They were now facing her and had looks of what might be…apprehension? Maybe they thought they were going to have to make their homes here? Or that she might replace them as her pilots?

She took a deep breath before continuing. This was not going to end well.

"Your elders have turned to me for guidance, and have requested that I become ruler to New Altea. As a condition of our treaty I have been offered one of your noblemen as a husband. Unfortunately, I must respectfully decline."

For the first time the man who would be the Princess' betrothed looked directly at her. His face contorted into a look of relief and then contempt. Gasps filled the room followed by hushed whispers.

Before she could continue a breathless Lance came running up to her.

"Allura, I'm sorry to interrupt but we have a situation. Keith is missing."

"He went back to the castle, didn't he?"

Lance shook his head in a way she knew he was dead serious.

"He took off with Rover to investigate something and never came back. Pidge is tracking them now."

At this point the elder stood and demanded answers. He did not care to be humiliated in front of his village.

"Sir, I promise you if he is missing something has happened to him. Please, help us find him." Allura could only hope he would agree.

"Fine. Gather the guards to assist in the search. Paladins, please take the lead."

Allura slumped back down in her chair before noticing how much paler the young man sitting beside her looked. Even her speech hadn't done that. She was going to have to keep a close eye on him.

It took a very short time before Keith was returned to the party. Allura raced to his side as soon as she saw he was walking somewhat shakily, leaning on Hunk for support. She quickly looked him over for injuries. He had a bruise near his temple and was rubbing his wrists. So, he hadn't left of his own accord after all.

She looked first to the jilted groom, then to the guard who'd lied to her. Both men were sweating profusely and looked ready to run.

Allura had seen enough. "Guards, detain these men!"

"Princess, what is going on here?" demanded the older host.

"I'm not sure yet, but we're going to find out."

After hearing the story from Keith of the plot against the Princess, Pidge pulled up the security footage from Rover and showed it to the clan leaders. They all apologized profusely for the treachery. The elder whose son was the treasonous mastermind begged mercy for his child.

"Good sir, my castle is not an appropriate place to hold him, he may stay here under your guard. You may choose to punish him as you see fit."

The elders huddled to discuss their next move, then approached Allura.

"We have other fine young nobles for you to wed, you may have your pick of any you choose. Just please don't leave us at the mercy of the Galra!"

Allura smiled graciously.

"I have no intention of abandoning my people. However, any treaty we may enact will be designed to be beneficial for everyone, including me and the man I will one day wed. A marriage to me will not be required of any of your families. You have my promise of protection from the Alliance. It is my desire to see my people prosper once again."

With those words a cheer erupted that shook the walls. The clan leaders nodded agreement and bowed respectfully before their new guardian.

After the room had once again calmed and the crowd dispersed, Allura took Keith aside to once again check to see that he was okay. She hadn't seen much more than a smile from him during her speech and worried he was still cross with her.

"I am so sorry this happened to you. When you left, I thought it was because you were angry with me. It makes more sense that you were protecting me. You always have, and you kept your promise to continue."

Keith once again took her hand and placed his lips gently against her fingers. This time his gaze never wavered and she knew exactly what message he was trying to convey. Sadly, it would have to wait, they had a treaty to hammer out.

The treaty took a few hours to complete and it was very late by the time they all sat down to sign it. Coran had joined them to offer his expertise as the King's former advisor.

Allura knew that Lotor would be enraged on learning that his plot had fallen through so, for now, they would let him believe that a wedding was going to take place in six months. This would allow time to prepare for a possible attack by Zarkon's forces. Princess Romelle would oversee the process of bringing all the tribes to a central region for protection. Prince Bandor would send troops and ships, and the Olkari would help build defense systems and underground bunkers.

In return New Altea would welcome refugees from planet Pollux. This would help bolster the population and allow them to thrive.

The elders had happily agreed to the terms. Each of them once again thanked the Princess and her team for giving them another chance. After they left the banquet hall to return to the ship, Allura noticed that Coran was trailing farther behind the rest of the group.

She slowed her pace, allowing him to catch up to her. He had not been aware of what her plan had been regarding the marriage. If she was being honest it may not have been entirely a plan since she originally intended to give the arrangement some consideration. But her heart had told her she would regret giving Keith up.

"Coran, I hope you're not upset with me."

He looked up at her with apologetic eyes.

"No Princess. If anything, you should be angry with me. I was trying to do the right thing, but leaving your feelings out of the equation was unfair. You are a strong leader and I am so proud of you. Part of me feared that Keith would pull you away from your duties, but in all honestly you have taken them more seriously. You two are a perfect balance. Does he make you happy?"

"More than anything, Coran."

"Then if you love him and want to marry him, I will give my permission."

Allura's head snapped to look at him, only to see a mischievous grin creep up under his oversized moustache.

"Oh, you will, will you? Then I suppose that handsome gentleman you were chatting with might need to gain my approval before becoming a regular visitor to the castle."

Coran almost tripped over his own feet, stammering for a response.

"O-of course! I wouldn't invite him if you didn't approve first."

Allura almost doubled over with laughter. Even in the dark she could see his red face clashed with his orange hair.

"You know, Coran, we'll be here for a few days. How about I give you a two day leave of absence, starting now?"

Coran bowed to the Princess to thank her, then turned and started to quickly make his way back to the village.

"What was that all about?"

Allura started, not realizing Keith had backtracked to check on them.

"Oh, you know. Young love."

"Do I now?"

"You'd better."

Keith answered by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to him. She responded with her lips smashing into his, the kiss almost violent in its intensity. They didn't separate until their bodies insisted on air.

"Promise me you won't entertain any more marriage proposals, okay Allura?"

"Not even one from a handsome Captain?"

"Not even-oh. Yeah, okay you can entertain one. Specifically, from a certain Black Paladin."

"So Shiro?"

Allura had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Teasing Keith was always so easy, and usually it ended favorably for them both.

"Current Black Paladin, who happens to know your favorite moves and is happy to provide them on a nightly basis, if you so wish."

"Soooo, not Shiro then?"

The expression on Keith's face meant she was going to pay for this. And she was very much looking forward to it.