Battles

The lions flew in formation, approaching their target at amazing speeds. Without any outward command, the five ships broke formation and maneuvered into position around the monstrous creature. The robeast eyed the felines warily, taking a defensive position against the five ships.

Then the monster struck. Spinning around in a blink of the eye, the monster swung at the blue lion. The enormous arm crashed into the lion's side, sending the metallic feline smashing into the Arusian soil. A muffled groan crackled over the communication system.

"Princess, are you okay?" the captain demanded, his worried voice filling the cockpit.

Groaning some more, the battered pilot picked herself up. Allura immediately noticed the pulsing pain in her left thigh. A jagged piece of bone jutted from the red pool of blood on her ivory uniform.

"Princess? Can you hear me?" Keith's voice grew in concern with each additional word.

She forced back a wave of nausea. Even in her medical ignorance, she knew the fracture was dangerous. Yet, she had to continue with the battle. Too much was at stake for failure.

Struggling into an awkward position in which no weight was put on the injured leg, she reached the com button. Fighting down an irrational sense of triumph, she opened the com-link.

"This is Allura. I'll be back up in the air in a few minutes."

"Everything okay?" Lance's face appeared instead of Keith's. His usual smirk of arrogance had disappeared.

"Yes," she lied. "Just give me a few minutes and I'll be back up there."

"Better hurry," Hunk said, as the green lion crashed into a hillside. "We need you up here."

She turned off the com link. "I know," she whispered.

* * * * *

Allura was filled with a sense of pride and relief as the robeast exploded. Suddenly the waves of pain that she had pressed to the back of her mind during the battle sprang forward. Biting hard on her lower lip, the princess focused on flying her lion back to the castle with some semblance of normalcy.

"Man," said Lance over the com-link, "you'd think that Lotor and Hagar would run out of robeasts one of these days."

"You're telling me!" cried Pidge angrily. "That robeast hit me hard enough to do some real damage to the electrical equipment. It's going to take me and the whole staff of technicians days to get the green lion back to normal."

"Keith," Allura began, trying to keep her voice steady and normal, "can you give me a hand with a few problems when we get back to the castle?"

"Sure, Princess, but wouldn't Pidge be the better guy?"

"Well, Pidge will have his hands full with the repairs on the green lion and my problems aren't that bad. They're really some minor glitches." The thought, what a liar, echoed in her mind.

"Sure thing, Princess. Well, since the rest of us are going to be involved with repairs, why don't Lance and Hunk take duty in the Control Room? They can give the initial report to Coran."

"Sure thing, Cap," Lance said.

"Roger that," replied Hunk.

The Castle of Lions appeared before the pilots in its white splendor. Within seconds, the lions were safely docked in the hanger for inspection and repairs. Without further discussion, Lance and Hunk headed to the Control Room to report to Coran. Pidge assembled a fleet of technicians to begin the repairs of the green lion. Satisfied with his team's efficiency, Keith took off his helmet and entered the blue lion.

"Princess?"

He noticed the princess had her head pressed hard against the seat. Circling to her side, he saw her pained face, her eyes squeezed tightly shut. She was biting her bottom lip so hard, he wondered if she was drawing blood.

"Princess?" he repeated with more concern.

Her eyes flew open and then focused on him. She visibly relaxed and released her lower lip to smile weakly at him. She gently repositioned herself into a better angle to face him.

"What's the problem, Princess?"

"There's nothing wrong with the ship, Keith. Can you get Dr. Gorma for me? I think I'm hurt."

She gestured to the injured left leg. Keith immediately knelt beside her seat, studying the leg closely. Cursing under his breath, he noticed that the wound was still bleeding and already considerably swollen.

"What didn't you say something, Princess?" His dark brown eyes were fierce as they locked with her blue ones. Unable to look away, she blushed.

"We were right in the middle of the battle, Captain." Her voice was crisp with regal authority. "That is not exactly a good time to be short one lion. Besides, we won and I'm fine."

Her haughty look disappeared in a wave of pain as Keith gently touched her injured thigh.

"That is not the point, Princess." His voice was cold, a tone that Allura had heard before but had never liked. "You could have seriously injured yourself more than you already have. And, this wound is bad enough as it is. Dear God, Allura, you are the only ruler this planet has! When will you realize that?"

Allura's temper flared, causing her to sit straighter in her seat. "I don't need you to remind me of my position, Captain! You and Coran seem to make a point of reminding me that I am a princess. I'm greatly aware of this, and despite what you and Coran think, most of my decisions are based on that one fact."

In her anger, Allura rose to stand and continue her tirade against Keith. The injured leg made her yelp in pain and collapse back into the flight seat. Keith immediately forgot his anger and hung his head in weary resignation.

"I'd better get Dr. Gorma." His face betrayed no emotion, signaling how angry he was with the princess.

"Thank you, Keith, and I'm sorry for what I just said."

"Don't worry about it, Princess." His tone was a bit more friendly. "And I'll contact Sven and see if he can fill in for a time while you recover."

Allura nodded. Already he was making plans to fix the situation. "Good." She paused, dreading her next request of the captain. "Keith?"

"Yeah, Princess?"

"Don't tell Coran and Nanny just yet, okay?"

He studied her for a moment, then smiled in understanding. "Sure, Princess."

* * * * *

"I've set the fracture. I think we've eliminated most of the risk of infection. However, it will be a few weeks before the princess can resume her full duties as a member of the Voltron Force. In fact, it will be a while before she can bear any weight on her injured leg. Princess, you'll have a long road of physical therapy ahead of you. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some other patients to attend to."

"Thank you, Dr. Gorma," Allura replied.

"Yes, Doctor, thank you." Coran followed the doctor out the door of Allura's chambers. As soon as the door clicked closed behind the two men, Nanny turned and focused her attention on the princess.

"Young lady, what did you think you were doing up there! I knew that this Voltron business was no place for a princess, and here's my proof. You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"Nanny," Allura began, trying to placate her former nurse, "we all knew of the potential dangers when this all began. Besides, if I were to die, I couldn't think of a better death than fighting to save Arus."

Allura cast a glance at Keith, hoping for some support. However he watched the showdown impassively. The princess wondered what he was thinking.

"That is my point!" Nanny exclaimed, with her hands on her hips and one foot tapping against the floor in agitation. "No decent young princess should be thinking of death! They should think of ball gowns and princes and getting married. They should not think of weapon upgrades and diplomatic tactics! It's not right!!"

"Nanny," Allura sighed, already noticing the beginnings of a headache, "we all know I'm not nor ever will be the traditional, proper princess. I and Arus can't allow it."

Nanny opened her mouth to speak, but saw the exhaustion on the young woman's face. Instead, she turned her attention to the young captain, who stood silently at the princess's bedside. She wondered what he thought of the situation.

"I presume that you have some business to discuss with the princess."

Yes, I do," Keith replied evenly.

Nanny gave an angry sniff. "See that it does not take too long. The princess looks tired."

"Yes, ma'am." Keith gave a short bow to the retreating figure as it left the room.

Allura collapsed against the pillows, rubbing her temples. Then remembering the man that was still in her room, she opened her eyes and studied him. Giving up on reading anything on his mask of a face, she sighed wearily.

"I guess you want to continue the lecture?"

"I thought about," he admitted, breaking into a grin, "but Nanny summed it up pretty well."

"You would take her side."

eith chuckled, drawing a smile from Allura. "Seriously, I do have some business to discuss with you, Princess. I contact Sven and Romelle. Romelle said that she can spare Sven while you recover on one condition."

"On what condition?"

"She said that she can spare Sven as long as you promise, and these are her words, 'to stop being so stubborn and follow doctor's orders.' She also sends her love."

"Leave it to Romelle to kick someone while they're down."

"Actually, Princess, your cousin has some good advice. Sven will help us out while you get better."

"When will Sven arrive?"

"Sometime tomorrow."

"That is good news." She smiled at Keith A pause fell between them. Finally, Allura's curiosity got the better of her.

"So, how bad did Coran and Nanny take the news?"

Keith gave a shudder, causing the princess to laugh. "Next time, Princess, you will have to deliver your own bad news."

"That bad?" Allura asked between giggles.

"Worse. Nanny became a wild animal, ready to kill to get to you, and poor Coran was torn between concern for you and calming Nanny before she did anyone harm."

Allura shook with laughter.

His smile faded. "But really, Princess, you had us all worried. Please, don't ever do something like that again. Promise?"

The concern in his voice and the expression on his face killed any sarcastic remark. She nodded and whispered solemnly, "I promise."

Keith nodded. "Good. Well, you need your rest. The rest of the team and I will visit you tomorrow." He bent down and gently brushed some hair from her forehead. Giving her one last smile, he headed for the door.

"Keith?"

He turned around, a questioning look in his eyes. "Yes, Princess?"

"Thank you. Thanks for everything."

He smiled. "Sure, Princess."


Battles The lions flew in formation, approaching their target at amazing speeds. Without any outward command, the five ships broke formation and maneuvered into position around the monstrous creature. The robeast eyed the felines warily, taking a defensive position against the five ships. Then the monster struck. Spinning around in a blink of the eye, the monster swung at the blue lion. The enormous arm crashed into the lion's side, sending the metallic feline smashing into the Arusian soil. A muffled groan crackled over the communication system. "Princess, are you okay?" the captain demanded, his worried voice filling the cockpit. Groaning some more, the battered pilot picked herself up. Allura immediately noticed the pulsing pain in her left thigh. A jagged piece of bone jutted from the red pool of blood on her ivory uniform. "Princess? Can you hear me?" Keith's voice grew in concern with each additional word. She forced back a wave of nausea. Even in her medical ignorance, she knew the fracture was dangerous. Yet, she had to continue with the battle. Too much was at stake for failure. Struggling into an awkward position in which no weight was put on the injured leg, she reached the com button. Fighting down an irrational sense of triumph, she opened the com-link. "This is Allura. I'll be back up in the air in a few minutes." "Everything okay?" Lance's face appeared instead of Keith's. His usual smirk of arrogance had disappeared. "Yes," she lied. "Just give me a few minutes and I'll be back up there." "Better hurry," Hunk said, as the green lion crashed into a hillside. "We need you up here." She turned off the com link. "I know," she whispered. * * * * * Allura was filled with a sense of pride and relief as the robeast exploded. Suddenly the waves of pain that she had pressed to the back of her mind during the battle sprang forward. Biting hard on her lower lip, the princess focused on flying her lion back to the castle with some semblance of normalcy. "Man," said Lance over the com-link, "you'd think that Lotor and Hagar would run out of robeasts one of these days." "You're telling me!" cried Pidge angrily. "That robeast hit me hard enough to do some real damage to the electrical equipment. It's going to take me and the whole staff of technicians days to get the green lion back to normal." "Keith," Allura began, trying to keep her voice steady and normal, "can you give me a hand with a few problems when we get back to the castle?" "Sure, Princess, but wouldn't Pidge be the better guy?" "Well, Pidge will have his hands full with the repairs on the green lion and my problems aren't that bad. They're really some minor glitches." The thought, what a liar, echoed in her mind. "Sure thing, Princess. Well, since the rest of us are going to be involved with repairs, why don't Lance and Hunk take duty in the Control Room? They can give the initial report to Coran." "Sure thing, Cap," Lance said. "Roger that," replied Hunk. The Castle of Lions appeared before the pilots in its white splendor. Within seconds, the lions were safely docked in the hanger for inspection and repairs. Without further discussion, Lance and Hunk headed to the Control Room to report to Coran. Pidge assembled a fleet of technicians to begin the repairs of the green lion. Satisfied with his team's efficiency, Keith took off his helmet and entered the blue lion. "Princess?" He noticed the princess had her head pressed hard against the seat. Circling to her side, he saw her pained face, her eyes squeezed tightly shut. She was biting her bottom lip so hard, he wondered if she was drawing blood. "Princess?" he repeated with more concern. Her eyes flew open and then focused on him. She visibly relaxed and released her lower lip to smile weakly at him. She gently repositioned herself into a better angle to face him. "What's the problem, Princess?" "There's nothing wrong with the ship, Keith. Can you get Dr. Gorma for me? I think I'm hurt." She gestured to the injured left leg. Keith immediately knelt beside her seat, studying the leg closely. Cursing under his breath, he noticed that the wound was still bleeding and already considerably swollen. "What didn't you say something, Princess?" His dark brown eyes were fierce as they locked with her blue ones. Unable to look away, she blushed. "We were right in the middle of the battle, Captain." Her voice was crisp with regal authority. "That is not exactly a good time to be short one lion. Besides, we won and I'm fine." Her haughty look disappeared in a wave of pain as Keith gently touched her injured thigh. "That is not the point, Princess." His voice was cold, a tone that Allura had heard before but had never liked. "You could have seriously injured yourself more than you already have. And, this wound is bad enough as it is. Dear God, Allura, you are the only ruler this planet has! When will you realize that?" Allura's temper flared, causing her to sit straighter in her seat. "I don't need you to remind me of my position, Captain! You and Coran seem to make a point of reminding me that I am a princess. I'm greatly aware of this, and despite what you and Coran think, most of my decisions are based on that one fact." In her anger, Allura rose to stand and continue her tirade against Keith. The injured leg made her yelp in pain and collapse back into the flight seat. Keith immediately forgot his anger and hung his head in weary resignation. "I'd better get Dr. Gorma." His face betrayed no emotion, signaling how angry he was with the princess. "Thank you, Keith, and I'm sorry for what I just said." "Don't worry about it, Princess." His tone was a bit more friendly. "And I'll contact Sven and see if he can fill in for a time while you recover." Allura nodded. Already he was making plans to fix the situation. "Good." She paused, dreading her next request of the captain. "Keith?" "Yeah, Princess?" "Don't tell Coran and Nanny just yet, okay?" He studied her for a moment, then smiled in understanding. "Sure, Princess." * * * * * "I've set the fracture. I think we've eliminated most of the risk of infection. However, it will be a few weeks before the princess can resume her full duties as a member of the Voltron Force. In fact, it will be a while before she can bear any weight on her injured leg. Princess, you'll have a long road of physical therapy ahead of you. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some other patients to attend to." "Thank you, Dr. Gorma," Allura replied. "Yes, Doctor, thank you." Coran followed the doctor out the door of Allura's chambers. As soon as the door clicked closed behind the two men, Nanny turned and focused her attention on the princess. "Young lady, what did you think you were doing up there! I knew that this Voltron business was no place for a princess, and here's my proof. You could have gotten yourself killed!" "Nanny," Allura began, trying to placate her former nurse, "we all knew of the potential dangers when this all began. Besides, if I were to die, I couldn't think of a better death than fighting to save Arus." Allura cast a glance at Keith, hoping for some support. However he watched the showdown impassively. The princess wondered what he was thinking. "That is my point!" Nanny exclaimed, with her hands on her hips and one foot tapping against the floor in agitation. "No decent young princess should be thinking of death! They should think of ball gowns and princes and getting married. They should not think of weapon upgrades and diplomatic tactics! It's not right!!" "Nanny," Allura sighed, already noticing the beginnings of a headache, "we all know I'm not nor ever will be the traditional, proper princess. I and Arus can't allow it." Nanny opened her mouth to speak, but saw the exhaustion on the young woman's face. Instead, she turned her attention to the young captain, who stood silently at the princess's bedside. She wondered what he thought of the situation. "I presume that you have some business to discuss with the princess." Yes, I do," Keith replied evenly. Nanny gave an angry sniff. "See that it does not take too long. The princess looks tired." "Yes, ma'am." Keith gave a short bow to the retreating figure as it left the room. Allura collapsed against the pillows, rubbing her temples. Then remembering the man that was still in her room, she opened her eyes and studied him. Giving up on reading anything on his mask of a face, she sighed wearily. "I guess you want to continue the lecture?" "I thought about," he admitted, breaking into a grin, "but Nanny summed it up pretty well." "You would take her side." eith chuckled, drawing a smile from Allura. "Seriously, I do have some business to discuss with you, Princess. I contact Sven and Romelle. Romelle said that she can spare Sven while you recover on one condition." "On what condition?" "She said that she can spare Sven as long as you promise, and these are her words, 'to stop being so stubborn and follow doctor's orders.' She also sends her love." "Leave it to Romelle to kick someone while they're down." "Actually, Princess, your cousin has some good advice. Sven will help us out while you get better." "When will Sven arrive?" "Sometime tomorrow." "That is good news." She smiled at Keith A pause fell between them. Finally, Allura's curiosity got the better of her. "So, how bad did Coran and Nanny take the news?" Keith gave a shudder, causing the princess to laugh. "Next time, Princess, you will have to deliver your own bad news." "That bad?" Allura asked between giggles. "Worse. Nanny became a wild animal, ready to kill to get to you, and poor Coran was torn between concern for you and calming Nanny before she did anyone harm." Allura shook with laughter. His smile faded. "But really, Princess, you had us all worried. Please, don't ever do something like that again. Promise?" The concern in his voice and the expression on his face killed any sarcastic remark. She nodded and whispered solemnly, "I promise." Keith nodded. "Good. Well, you need your rest. The rest of the team and I will visit you tomorrow." He bent down and gently brushed some hair from her forehead. Giving her one last smile, he headed for the door. "Keith?" He turned around, a questioning look in his eyes. "Yes, Princess?" "Thank you. Thanks for everything." He smiled. "Sure, Princess."


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