Disclaimer: WEP owns Voltron and all its characters. I suppose all the characters from King Olen's time are mine though...

Beta: Dawn - Thanks!

This is the second installment in my "Chivalry" arc. 1. Chivalry, 2. Lion House Restored

Rating/Setting: Rating is T. Setting is DotU in flavor but is AU in some ways.

Chapter 27

Keith woke up to find Allura snuggled against his side. It had been two weeks since the end of the games where he was crowned champion. A huge celebration that lasted two days was thrown in his honor. All incredibly awkward for him, but Allura seemed to love it. He had been nervous about her not being near him most of the time. He wasn't sure how the return portal would work. As he lay there, the concerns washed over him again. Will the portal take both of us even if we aren't touching? Will I have a warning? What happens if we need to be touching and we can't? Feeling her hand on his face, he turned to face her.

"I know you too well. I can feel the tension in your body. Stop worrying. It will be what it will be." She gazed into the dark pools of his eyes and saw the worry that was still there. Rising from the bed, she asked, "How long have we been in Altea?"

Keith's eyes followed her as she crossed the room to select her clothing for the day. She moved with such grace. "What? Did you ask something?"

Giving him a saucy look over shoulder, she asked again, "How long have we been in Altea?"

For a moment he watched as she pulled her gown over her head, leaving her in just her underwear. Groaning slightly, he turned to face the wall as he responded, "I think we've been here around ten weeks."

"You think, huh? I'm pretty sure you have it down to the hour." She buttoned up her light blue shirt as she turned to face the bed. She smiled as she saw that he had turned away from her.

"Okay, we've been here ten weeks, two days, and approximately nineteen hours. Happy?"

Pulling her pants up and belting them, she walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. When he rolled onto his back to look up at her, she smiled down at him. "I'm happy wherever you are, my love." Leaning done, she placed a soft kiss on his lips. He surprised her when he reached around her and pulled her down on his chest and kissed her again.

Keith relaxed his arms from around her and groaned.

Allura smiled as she stood and said, "I know. You're sorry. You shouldn't have done it. You can only give me friendship. And NO kissing." Winking at the scowl he was giving her, she said, "It's okay for you to break the rules, Commander, as long as it's with me." She thought how odd it felt to call him Commander. She hadn't done that since their first day in Altea. Turning for the door, she called back, "I'm heading to breakfast. Hurry up slug-a-bed."

As the door closed behind her, he quickly got out of the bed. She was out of his sight. He needed to hurry…

Two more weeks passed. Keith and Allura continued with their training of Lion House, and they even made a couple of trips to Eagle House to assist with training. Those remaining at Eagle House were open to him and were pleasant and social now that the overbearing presence of Wesley and his cronies was gone. All in all, Eagle House had lost twenty-five members. As Keith and Allura were returning to Lion Hall from Eagle Hall one afternoon, Keith stopped.

"What is it, Keith?" She asked as she took his hand.

"I don't know. I just had a feeling." He stood very still, closed his eyes, and gripped her hand tightly. When he opened his eyes, they were black. In a couple of minutes, they returned to their normal color.

"Was it a vision, Keith? Your eyes turned black." She looked at him apprehensively. Would he go directly to the next quest or would they be allowed to return to the present? She was heartened when he turned to her with a smile.

"We need to pack our bags and head out tomorrow." Picking her up and swinging her around, he said, "We're going home, Allura!"

The next morning, all of Lion House turned out to see them off. Lord Kurt thanked them for all that they had done and invited them to return at any time.

When Doren came up, he hugged Akira tightly and whispered in his ear, "You have made my dreams come true. I pray that yours do as well. Go safely as I know that you won't pass this way again."

Keith tightened his hold on the youth who was now engaged to the Princess Sophia. They wouldn't wed for two years, but Doren said that they didn't care as they could now see each other often. "You will be a wise ruler along with Sophia. I know that Altea will flourish with you as king." With a final squeeze, they released.

Mounting up and with a final wave, Keith and Allura headed back down the road that they traveled that first day. Nearing the spot where the ambush occurred, Keith drew a deep breath and stopped. He reached out and took Allura's hand as the wind blew around the horse's hooves. The horses stood completely still as the wind swirled around them blocking out everything, and then it was gone. The pair found themselves still on their horses with their belongings. Ahead of them through the breaks in the trees, they could glimpse the Castle of Lions. It was their gleaming, silver castle. Huge grins spread across their faces.

"Yah!" Keith yelled as he spurred his horse forward. He heard Allura's tinkling laughter behind him as she spurred her horse to chase him. Pulling up their horses in front of the surprised castle guards, they dismounted and hugged while they laughed.

In just moments, the doors to the castle erupted with a flurry of activity as people raced out to embrace them. Coran and Nanny headed to Allura while the Force and Sven crowded around Keith. Keith promised to tell them everything once they were inside when the sound of a feminine voice being cleared was heard.

The Force parted as a woman about Allura's height walked up to Keith and extended her hand. "Hello, Commander, my name is Naveena Flynn." She was quite striking with warm brown skin. Long, straight, dark brown hair, almost as dark as Keith's, was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of her neck, and green eyes looked back into his.

Tilting his head slightly, Keith smiled as he asked, "Indian and Irish?"

A warm smile lit up Naveena's face. "Indeed, Commander, my mother is originally from India and my father from Ireland. They teach at UC Berkley and sometimes at the Academy."

"The Academy?" Allura asked.

Naveena turned and bowed to Allura, "Forgive me, Princess Allura. I am Lt. Naveena Flynn. I'm your new replacement pilot."