The Visit
"Let me sleep a bit longer! I'm tired and my stomach hurts badly. I think I'm sick."
"Allura, it's time to wake up. You've got to finish your studies today, my baby girl."
"Mother, could you please stop calling me that? I'm not a baby anymore," the Princess grumbled as she buried herself in the covers.
Her mother was moving around the room, pulling out clothes for her to wear that day. Usually Nanny would do that for her, but she hadn't seen her caregiver for a while. And she certainly wasn't going to complain, spending time with her mother was always a treat.
Truth was she did feel sick, but her mother would work through all sorts of ailments without complaint so Allura was determined to do so as well.
"What am I studying today, mother?"
The Queen turned to her with a serious expression, making Allura feel somewhat uncomfortable. Her face wasn't angry, just rigid. Her mother always had a softer visage so seeing her like this confused the young princess.
She responded coldly, "How to fight. How to survive. How to win."
Ouch!
There was that pain again, followed by a wave of nausea.
"Mother, I…I don't think I can do it. I need to rest some more. Please," Allura begged, feeling weaker by the moment.
"Allura, I died trying to protect you. Now you have to live to save my grandson."
"What do you mean? Mother, what's going on—"
The Princess felt panic work its way from her chest to her throat, the tightness threatening her ability to breathe. Her fingers clenched onto her bedsheets as the lights of the room took on a reddish hue and the room grew chilly; her body shuddered involuntarily at the sudden drop in temperature.
"What's happening Mother?"
Allura turned her head to the direction where the Queen had been standing, only now there was a white lion. She tried to scream but the only thing to escape her was a small squeak. Her legs were heavy and refused to move her to safety, her arms useless to protect her.
And that pain. That horrible, stabbing pain.
The lion opened its jaws, revealing teeth that could slice her in half. Her eyes widened in terror as the creature closed in on her.
Keith, help me!
Wait, who was she crying out to? Why wasn't she calling for her father, or a castle guard? Surely someone would have come to check on her by now. Where was everyone?
Nothing seemed normal now; nothing seemed real.
Just then the white lion roared, and as it did so a light radiated from its mouth. Cracks formed on the walls of her room sending bits of debris raining down around her. Within the fissures was a familiar yellow radiance.
"Quintessence," she whispered.
She hesitantly reached for one of the breaches, brushing her fingers over the opening. The warm tingling feeling it emitted was soothing, and soon she felt the pain in her abdomen subside. Quietly the lion approached her, placing its head on the bed near her belly while letting out a gentle purr. Allura ran her fingers through the mane, the strands feeling familiar to the touch.
Like mother's hair.
For a moment Allura felt drawn back into sleep, the nostalgic warmth and comfort tempting her to close her eyes. But a rapping soon began to pound in her head- tap tap tap- three even beats then a rest. The repetitiveness was grating, the sound growing progressively louder.
It was knocking.
"Go away! I'm exhausted, let me rest!"
Whoever it was could wait until later. She was comfortable there, her mother next to her. No, the lion next to her. Her mother had left her alone. Alone with a lion in an icy, crumbling room. Allura was alone and wondered where everyone had gone.
Why was she having trouble remembering? What was that needling thought that something was amiss?
"Mother come back!" She screamed this but there was no sound.
Only the rapping.
Three knocks, then a rest.
"Allura! Can you hear me?"
That voice. A man's voice. Not her father's deep timbre, no, although familiar. Definitely concerned.
She wanted to reply, to comfort whoever was on the other side of the door.
I'm okay. We're okay.
Wait, we? Who else besides her mother she supposed, but her mother wasn't here.
No, someone else. Didn't her mother say something? What was it? Who was it?
"Allura, please! Open the hatch, I need to get you out of here," the voice plead even louder than before.
He's desperate.
Now every atom in her was begging her to open the door, to let herself be saved. To let them both be saved? The room looked normal again, so it wasn't a risk to her, and the lion was sleeping soundly. Surely the danger had passed.
An explosion from the hallway shook the room violently, flipping her over and nearly knocking her out of the bed. As she felt around for the lamp on the nightstand Allura noticed a flashing button. Without thinking she reached over and pressed it; a loud hissing noise drew her attention to the door as it started to open.
The figure in the doorway moved quickly to her side, still indiscernible features lurking in the far corner of her eye. She blinked in an attempt to draw them into focus.
"Team I'm in; she's unconscious but okay," the voice called to the abyss.
Strong arms lifted her towards the phantom, cradling her like a small, helpless baby.
Grandson, that was what she said. Daniel!
Gods, how did she forget that? What mother forgets her own child?
What wife forgets her own husband?
Finally, she could see him. The cold from his armor seeped through her gloves to her fingers- which meant he'd been floating in space longer than was safe- yet he looked at her with the warmth of a thousand stars.
"Keith, you found us," she murmured, her voice cracking with relief.
"You led me to you," he replied, smiling.
As reality began to reform around her she squirmed from his arms to face the scene before them. Five lions zooming around the cube, firing while dodging return fire at the same time. This battle was going to prove difficult.
"What do we do," she pondered before the understanding kicked in. "Wait, who's piloting Black?"
"Shiro and Romelle, I'm your co-pilot for the day," he said, bowing deeply. "What is your command?"
Still in a sleep fog Allura struggled to respond, unsure what to do next.
"We need to form Voltron, but then what?"
"Let's see what happens then make a decision, sound good?"
The Princess nodded, hoping the White Lion would know what to do instinctively.
"Okay team, it's time to form Voltron!"
"Princess, you're okay," cheered Shay, the other paladins chiming in with excitement.
Upon hearing the Balmeran's voice Allura shot a curious glance over to Keith, who shrugged as he laughed. She'd just have to go with it this time.
Soon the lions were flying in formation, a familiar rainbow trailing them as the five moved to become one. Taking their respective seats, the two eagerly raced to join the others. They watched in wonder as the White Lion was pulled towards Black, arms and legs drawing up to situate itself between the wings, tail wrapping around the right shoulder like a strap.
"Um, why does Voltron have a backpack?"
"Lance, I think it's a quiver," Pidge responded. "The Princess' bayard is a bow, remember?"
"Does that mean you'll always have our back?" quipped Hunk, laughing at his own terrible joke.
"How are we supposed to do anything from here," Allura pondered. "This is no help at all!"
Just then the orbs that straddled the co-pilots chair began to beam yellow, not unlike the quintessence in her dream.
Shiro's voice broke the silence. "Is everyone seeing this?"
"You mean the glowy thingies, right?" Pidge answered uncharacteristically.
Soon the White Lion's dash lifted to expose the slot for Allura's bayard.
"Paladins, I think I know what it needs us to do," she called as she inserted it.
Immediately their window blacked out, replaced by the screen from the Black Lion's cockpit. They had a perfect view of Red, which was now holding a crossbow.
"Everyone, hands on! This won't be easy, and we'll likely get only one shot, so let's make it count," the Princess commanded. On her order, the copilots placed their palms on the orbs; the giant robot began to vibrate, then an arrow of golden light appeared in the crossbow.
"Target locked," responded Nanny.
"Fire!" Allura held her breath as she watched the arrow race to its target.
Seconds later the cube was struck by the arrow, sending blazing yellow streams around and through it. In a shower of golden sparks the giant block broke into tens of smaller boxes, then into hundreds, then thousands, until only the most basic atomic structures existed, invisible to the naked eye. Now the only thing remaining was a blindingly bright silhouette, which looked to be something between a ghost and an angel.
"Is that… Haggar?"
Allura looked to Keith, wanting to give him an answer but unsure she knew it herself.
"Let's move in closer to see," she suggested.
Keith shook his head. "Not if she's still a danger to us. Let me take a closer look."
As he moved to exit the cockpit Allura reached for his hand. "You've been out there long enough, my love."
"Captain," Nanny's voice echoed over the radio, "permission to take a spacewalk, sir."
Allura tightened her grip on his wrist. She knew she couldn't make him stay any more than he could her, still she had to try.
"Please, I need to see her. Let me say goodbye," Keith implored, his eyes wet with tears. Then he paused, reconsidering. "No, let me say hello."
For better or for worse the witch was his grandmother. If these were her last moments Allura would be loath to keep him from her.
Finally, she released her grasp, offering a small nod so he would know she was okay letting him go.
Moments later she watched as Keith and Nanny flew towards the witch, approaching her cautiously and stopping slightly further than an arm's reach away. Keith had switched channels to prevent anyone else from hearing the conversation as this was strictly between family. All the Princess could do at this point was to observe the proceedings from a distance and race to help them should their safety be threatened.
The paladins watched as the Captain and his mother remained near the apparition, only leaving once her spirit had faded into nothing more than a memory. Voltron dismantled into the six lions once again to return to the castle and leave the area. Chances were good that Zarkon would be coming for his most trusted advisor soon enough. Another battle could have proven disastrous for the exhausted teammates.
As soon as they had exited the lion and discarded their armor, Keith scooped Allura up and started to make his way down the hall to the medical bay.
"I can walk, thank you."
"Like hell you will. You need to learn when to ask for help, you know."
"You're one to talk," she grumbled under her breath.
Frustrated but unable to wrestle free, she decided to give him the silent treatment the rest of the way. Not that it seemed to bother him, his steely glare focusing straight down the hall.
Allura's frustration began to wane as his warmth radiated over her, reminding her how chilled he felt from the vacuum of space. He had every right to be angry with her and it broke her heart thinking how he felt watching her vanish through a wormhole. How frightened he must have been not knowing where she was.
She herself had been scared. Terrified to be honest. She was far from the team, far from the castle.
Far from him.
The checkup showed that everything was fine.
It shouldn't have been. The White Lion had taken a direct hit from the cube, pure negative quintessence that should have killed her. The pain she felt was the baby struggling as Allura's body was beginning to shut down.
Vitals recorded by her suit indicated that the Princess was as good as dead.
"I can't explain it. It's like your body somehow repaired itself. Really this defies all logic," Coran explained, twirling his moustache as he pondered the implications.
"Mother saved me," Allura replied.
She knew it sounded incomprehensible. She wasn't even sure she believed her own assertion. Judging the looks she was getting from Keith and Coran, neither of them thought she was speaking coherently.
"And you think that because…" Keith cocked his head to the side as he tried to steer her towards an explanation.
"I had a vision. Mother was there. There was a white lion, then the walls were oozing quintessence. Then—" She stopped short, recalling exactly what woke her from her dreamscape.
"Then what?" Keith's tone softened as his eyes met hers, likely knowing what she'd say next.
"Then I heard you knocking," she replied softly, her heart beating faster at the memory. "You brought me back."
"I always will," he promised, placing a chaste kiss on her lips.
Of course he would, she was foolish to ever doubt it. This was a man who would move the heavens to find her. This was a man she would move the heavens to find.
She couldn't picture one of them without the other. She never wanted to.
Keith reached to brush an errant swatch of hair from her face. "Let's get you to bed, you must be exhausted."
"Will you be joining me? You know I have a tough time sleeping alone."
"I'll stay with you until you fall asleep. Then we're going back to the prison. I need to have a talk with Lotor."
"Are you going to tell me what happened out there? With Haggar?"
The expression on his face told her he didn't want to talk about it yet, but she also knew time was of the essence.
"I'll tell you the whole story later, but let's just say that we may be able to get Commander Holt back with Lotor's help."
"How will we do that?"
"By giving him what he wants."
Allura shot him a look, "Not everything, I hope."
"Not you," he chuckled. "Until death do us part, remember?"