Keith had attempted to keep the tour as brief as possible, but she kept urging him to show her more. But how could he blame her? The castle was a pretty magical place, especially when you first stepped inside. More than just a structure, it was a sensation, an inexplicable vibe, and Keith imagined that it must be pretty amazing for an Arusian citizen to be able to tread its hallowed walls.

“Well, I think you’ve seen it all, Allea - the ballroom, conference room, rec room, gymnasium, kitchen, lounge…even the royal garden. I’d say we’ve pretty much exhausted the royal tour.”

She anticipated that he wouldn’t just waltz her into the Control Center, but it was worth a shot. “That’s it? But where do you go to get into your lions?”

Keith was hardly surprised by the question. “That would be Castle Control, but that’s off limits to everyone but headquarters personnel.”

Still latched onto his arm, she played the innocent as much as possible without seeming too obvious. “But, aren’t you headquarters personnel?”

“I’m sorry, Allea. Those are the rules. And besides, you’ve been walking on that cast all night. Dr. Gorma would have my head if he knew I’d allowed you to do that.” Her wide, expectant eyes were filled with disappointment. He wanted to take her, but he had to follow the rules just like everyone else. “I’ll tell you what - I’ll take you somewhere else - somewhere even better than Castle Control.”

This was going nowhere. It was doubtful Haggar would get into Control with any help. She would have to go it alone. Her magic could get her through the doors, but could she keep the alarms from going off? And she didn’t even know if the keys were accessible from the control panel or not. Maybe the Voltron Force carried the keys in their pockets. She didn’t know, and it would do no good to just barge in and risk blowing her cover prematurely. No, she had to find out where the keys were first, without being conspicuous. She would have to be patient and acutely observant.

“Better than Castle Control? Sure, I’d love to see it.”

Again, he insisted she be carried since this place was too much of a distance to be walked in her current condition. Haggar still found being held by him a bit unnerving, but she was growing accustomed to it. It had even crossed her mind that he should be getting tired from lugging her around all day, but he didn’t seem fatigued in the least. Even at the current moment, he was moving along at a fast pace and carrying on the pleasantries of conversation without the slightest sign of struggled breath. But she probably shouldn’t be surprised. After all, he would have to be in good shape since he seemed the only fighter in the galaxy who could pose a serious threat to Lotor in a head to head confrontation, and Lotor was known as one of the greatest fighters in the galaxy.

“Are you keeping your eyes closed?”

“Yes.” She wasn’t. “Why do I have to keep them closed? It doesn’t take a genius to know we’re outside.” They were under the lion monument.

“What is it with you and these questions? Patience. And keep those eyes closed! I can see you peeking.”

“Fine.” She closed her eyes. This couldn’t get any more perfect. They were going up to the lion. Now, she was starting to get somewhere.

They ceased conversation all the way up the elevator until she felt them step out into the open air again.

“Okay, you can open your eyes now.”

The light of full moon reflecting off of the white metal of the gigantic Black Lion instantly bombarded her, and she had to catch herself from reeling back.

“I know,” he said. “She’s pretty big up close.”

He hadn’t misread her reaction, but still, she would have to watch herself. “Yes, she is. Sorry I jumped; it’s just that everything today has been so overwhelming, and now I’m looking straight up at the Black Lion. My friends will never, ever believe this.”

Keith smiled. The expression of awe on her face was much like that of his own when he first sat inside the amazing cockpit of the Black Lion. It was overwhelming…exciting…magical. Then again, there was something very special about the lions that one never really noticed unless you were up close to one of them - especially the Black Lion. She had a certain “aura” about her that was inexplicable.

“Well, I didn’t bring you all the way out here just to see my lion. Come over here.” He took her hand and led her to the far edge of the lion’s platform.

Haggar finally saw what he had wanted her to see, and she had to admit, it was pretty amazing. One could see for miles in almost every direction from this height. It was nearly midnight, but the full moon lit up the surrounding countryside in patterns of light and dark shadows which gave the entire scene an organic quality. In the distance, she could make out a scatter of small illuminations, no doubt lamplight arising from the small dwellings of a nearby village. This was all set under a heavy blanket of stars…so many stars. It was impossible to see anything from the surface of Doom which lay under a constant, thick blanket of gaseous vapors.

“Well, what do you think?”

This was utterly ridiculous. She couldn’t allow herself to be distracted. “It’s nice. Do you come up here a lot?”

Turning her attention to him, she noticed he, too, seemed lost in the spectacle before them. “When I get the chance,” he said. His gaze fixed somewhere in the distance, a slight smile formed across his usually expressionless face. “So…not a lot.”

“But if you’re up here, you could get right into your lion if Arus was attacked. Right? Or would you need to go back inside for the key?”

He broke his reverie to regard her curiously. “There are those questions again.”

There was a long silence. She had been too forceful. He must be doubting her now if he hadn’t been already. Her impatience had given her away. She would have to go back and tell Zarkon of yet another failure.

“Actually, Allea…we don’t need the keys to operate the lions.”

“The lions run without keys?” She had too keep from jumping right out of her skin. This would be easier than she ever dreamt possible.

“We don’t need the keys. If anyone other than the six of us attempts to operate the lions, then the keys are needed. Don’t ask me to explain it because I can’t. Things like this have just been happening lately.”

“Things like this?”

She waited for him to respond while he continued to stare into the distant countryside. “All I know is that these lions have minds of their own…literally, and we just don’t need the keys to operate them anymore. We don’t even carry them anymore.”

She swallowed against her dry palate. “Put away for safe keeping?”

He only nodded.

Drat! Things had just gotten much, much harder. Now, she was more confused than anything else, and it was doubtful she would be able to get a hold of a key with any kind of ease. But now, in knowing what she did about the lions, her appetite only increased for that ultimate knowledge. More than anything, she needed to possess the secret of the lions. Whatever power it held, it was much stronger than initially thought. Things were complicated, but she would eventually prevail. She had to.

“Allea?”

She startled.

“Are you alright?”

“Oh, uh…of course. I was just thinking.”

He seemed satisfied with her answer as he took back to the view. “Do you know what I like best about being up here?” He closed his eyes. “The silence. It’s so absolutely…quiet.”

She closed her eyes but could hear nothing but her own manic thoughts. Then they came to her - the wind, the rustle of the leaves, the distant sound of small lake waves hitting the shore below. It was just as he had said - perfectly quiet.

They stood in the natural silence for endless minutes before she finally opened her eyes to find a dark stare boring down upon her. For some reason, she didn’t startle from it. She only found herself trying to read his masked expression, a task, she was just beginning to realize, that was as impossible as any. He was so different than those who she was used to cavorting with - calm, controlled, meticulous with his actions and words.

“Commander, you’re really not what I pictured you to be.”

“And what did you expect?”

“Well,” she chose her words carefully, “you have a reputation of being a little…stiff.”

His expression remained unmoved, but she caught a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Only when I have to be.”

“And how often is that?”

He looked to his feet, then back to her, a new earnestness in his eyes. “Until this war is over.”

At that moment, she felt something unspoken pass between them. What it was, she’d never know for sure. He probably took it to be something that told of their shared common struggle, but she knew it to be something very different. They were two players on opposite sides of the same contest. Enemies engaged in a conflict of which neither of them had asked to be involved. Similar in that way, but different in so many others. The moment was brief, but she wouldn’t shake the memory of it for a very long time.

An unexpected yawn escaped her lips.

That’s when his tone changed, taking on a more familiar, serious context. “Forgive me; I seem to have forgotten my manners. You probably expected a brief tour, and I’ve kept you up half the night.”

“No, it’s quite alright. I was the one who kept dragging you everywhere.”

“Well,” he began, “Nanny is going to give me hell if I don’t have you tucked in soon.”

They both headed for the elevator. It was as if each of them wanted to escape that last moment that was still hanging heavy in the air around them. Not entirely unpleasant, but uncomfortable in some way. Uncomfortable in many ways.

When she was finally back in her room, Haggar quickly undressed and crawled in to bed. No doubt that Zarkon was anxiously awaiting her check in for she was already late in contacting him. But she was tired and would call him tomorrow. She switched off the light and concentrated on falling asleep. This was one day she wished had never happened.

Earlier that night…

Allura hardly noticed the majestic Arusian countryside splayed before her from her chair opposite the gigantic observation deck window. Four hours had passed since dinner, and he hadn’t come back yet. She knew because he always came to bid her goodnight just before lights out. Wherever she happened to be, inside or outside the castle, he would always find her.

At least she knew where he was. After fighting a battle with herself, she had gone to Castle Control to monitor his position from his implanted homing beacon. She knew they were intended for emergencies, but she had to know where he was. After all, no one really knew this girl. She could be an infiltrator. Allura chastised herself for almost hoping that that was the case.

She ran a finger around the brim of her room temperature hot cocoa mug. Why hadn’t he returned yet? Was he alone at the monument? In her reverie, she almost didn’t hear the sliding doors open behind her.

Lance. She could see his reflection in the window. He struck the usual pose - head lowered slightly, hands tucked into the worn pockets of his trusty leather jacket.

“Hey, you’re the pilot of the Blue Lion. Can I have your autograph?”

“Hi, Lance. What are you still doing up?”

He took a few steps inside and stopped. “The same thing you’re doing up. Waiting for Keith.”

She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “What makes you think I’m waiting for anyone?”

Lance strode over to take the seat next to hers. Observing the cup in her hands, he turned his attention to the stars. “When I was a boy, I used to dream that I would one day fly among the stars.” He fell silent for a moment, seemingly lost in a thought. “It was all I ever wanted to do. I wanted to lead a battalion of star cruisers for the Alliance in some famous battle, writing my name with all the other great warriors that I had read about.”

“Your dream seems to be coming true,” she replied. “You are indeed a great warrior, and I believe that one day, people will tell of your adventures.”

He pondered her words as he remained fixated on the night sky. “You know what, Allura? I really don’t think that’s what I want anymore.”

Allura glanced over to find him regarding at her with a rare earnestness in his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know,” he said, chuckling uncomfortably. “Before I came here, all I wanted was excitement…adventure. I thought once I graduated from the academy and went on assignment, I would be living the life I’d always dreamed.”

“That’s not true?”

He paused. “Yes…and no. I was young then. I guess we’re all just a little older now…and a lot wiser. Maybe I don’t even know what I’m trying to say. I mean - don’t get me wrong - right now, I wouldn’t want any other life. I’m exactly where I want to be, despite the war.” He relaxed into the deep back of his chair. “I don’t know about you, Allura, but something in my gut tells me that we’ll eventually come out of this war victorious. After that, life will move in another direction. What then?”

The fact that he sincerely believed they would defeat Zarkon gave her an inexplicable peace in her soul. She was glad he felt that way. She wished she felt that same premonition.

“Allura, sometimes I wonder what life will be like for you after the war. I mean, you’ve never known a peaceful existence.”

She struggled for something to say, but the sentiment behind his words rendered her speechless.

“Nanny and Coran will probably try to marry you off to some rich prince from some distant planet. Then I’ll have to find a job out there, and…” He trailed off, mumbling something about not wanting to move. She always loved how he could make her laugh.

“Oh Lance, what would I ever do without you?”

The smile on his face faded as he turned back to the endless stars. “Allura, do me a favor.”

“Anything.”

“Don’t ever marry someone who doesn’t love you for who you are. Not you the princess, or the politician, or the dynamite knock-out, but the generous, giving, soulful person we all know you to be.”

Allura took a sip from her cold cocoa. “Thank you, Lance. I promise.”

The two sat in silence for another comfortable minute before Lance stood to leave. “I’ll hail him if he’s not back in ten minutes.”

She nodded. He kissed her on the cheek and headed for the door.

“Lance?”

“Yes, Princess?”

“You really are something else. You know that?”

“Well,” he said, his trademark grin now firmly in place, “when you got it, you got it.” He then turned as if to leave but stopped abruptly. “Princess, you know I’d marry you myself, but Keith would kick my ass.” The door slid shut behind him.

An unexpected yawn slipped past her lips. It was late, and they did have a practice scheduled for the early morning. She pushed up from her chair, feeling a little better than when she had first sat down. She knew she was being silly, and yet, sleep didn’t come until she heard her chamber door open and close later that night.