Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Surprise Communications"

Allura woke up early, unable to sleep any longer. She was both nervous and excited. Every day for the past month she had had a secret correspondence with an unknown person. She had initially been scanning the allied planets for any sign that they needed help. The only response was from a planet about an hour away. The person on the other side of the communication had said the view screen was damaged on their end so Allura never activated her screen either. Neither of them had given their names or planet of origin. They only knew three things. Allura knew she was conversing with a male, a fellow royal, and someone who was in her age range. In the previous conversation, the prince had informed her that his view screen had been repaired, and if she wanted, they could see each other the next day. She had immediately agreed. Today was the day she would be able to see who had given her invaluable advice on the repairs to her planet and upgrades to both the castle's weaponry and planet's defenses.

She got dressed in her usual pink dress and fixed her hair. She sat down at her personal terminal. She never used any other terminal to speak with her fellow royal. She took a deep breath and activated the terminal, but not the view screen. "Hello? Are you there, your highness?"

"Hello, Princess. I wasn't sure you would be on so early."

"I couldn't sleep any longer. I am just so anxious to see to whom I am talking."

"Is the secret of my identity causing you to lose sleep? My dear princess, that was not my intention."

"Of course not! I wasn't blaming you, my prince. I just enjoy talking to you. You have given me invaluable advice and understand that my heart belongs to another. I consider you a dear friend and fellow royal."

"I wonder if you'd feel the same once you know who I am."

Allura wondered why he said that so softly and in such a sad tone. "Well, let's find out. Turn on your view screen, and I'll do the same."

Allura turned on her view screen only to stare shockingly into the yellow eyes of Prince Lotor. Lotor was equally as surprised to see the blue eyes of the Arusian princess.

"Allura?"

"Lotor? Is this some kind of trick?"

"No, Princess! Please let me explain! I am no longer after your planet, your people, or the secrets of Voltron. My father found out and banished me from Planet Doom. I was shot down and crashed on a nearby planet. I had been repairing my ship when your message came through. Your daily communication has been the highlight of my day. I hope you believe me, Princess." Lotor bowed his head.

Allura was fell silent at Lotor's pronouncement. He was no longer after anything to do with her planet? Was that even true? Could she trust his word? Unbidden, her previous conversations with him came to her mind. He had given her invaluable advice that was helpful to her planet. Then, all her dealings with the other royal came to her mind. Her eyes hardened as she looked at him.

%%%

Lotor kept his head bowed. His surprise at finding Princess Allura on the other side of the transmission was genuine. It had never crossed his mind that he was talking to his beloved princess. She had stated that her heart belonged to someone else, and he finally understood that she could never give her heart to him. Her silence was deafening but not unexpected. Truthfully, he had expected the princess to end the transmission the second she saw him, so the fact that she was still in contact with him was surprising to him. He kept his gaze down. He didn't want to see the hatred he just knew was in her eyes. After what seemed like an eternity, he chanced a look at the princess. Her eyes were as hard as sapphires, and he flinched at the look.

"Prince Lotor, I want to believe you, but I find myself doubting your sincerity. However, there is one thing you can do to convince me."

"Name it, Princess."

"Turn yourself in to the Voltron Force."

Lotor knew that the condition could've been much worse. "Will you be there as well, my dear?"

Allura was surprised at his question. "Of course. Otherwise Lance would probably shoot you on sight."

"Very well. I will pilot my ship and land in front of your castle within an hour. Till then, Princess."

"Till then." Allura deactivated the terminal. She took a deep breath. Now, all she had to do was tell Keith if not the entire Voltron Force about her secret communications. She knew she would be scolded for being reckless and putting herself in a potentially dangerous situation, but she knew she had to do it for the safety of her planet if for no other reason.

She couldn't delay the conversation any longer. She had less than an hour to inform people what had just happened. She headed for Castle Control, hoping that the room wasn't crowded. She entered the room and to her delight, only Keith was present. The commander of the Voltron Force was seated in the control chair and appeared to be manning the cameras in an early morning visual patrol. She smiled as his back was still facing her. She knew she loved Keith with all her heart and was quite sure he returned her affection with as much love if not more. She resolved to ask Keith about his feelings before broaching the subject of her communication.

She walked up to the control console. "Hello, Keith."

"Good morning, Princess. All is peaceful this morning."

"Very good. I need to speak with you about a couple of very important issues."

"Of course. Where and when did you wish to speak with me?"

"Here and now is fine. Commander Keith Kogane, I need to know what your feelings are for me."

Keith was surprised at the forwardness of his princess. He turned in the chair to face her. His eyes locked with hers and he knew he had to be honest with her; he owed her that much. "Princess Allura, when the five of us space explorers landed on your planet, we pledged to help you protect it. At first, I viewed you as just a princess until I saw your fighting spirit, and now you're a part of our inseparable team. I know this is sudden, but I love you, Princess Allura."

Allura smiled. "I love you too, Keith."

Allura and Keith leaned forward and had their first kiss. It was short and rather chaste, but it still felt magical to the two pilots. Keith regained his breath and asked, "What was the second issue you wished to discuss?"

Allura hesitated slightly but decided to start at the beginning. "I have been scanning our allied planets for any sign that they may need help. The only transmission was from a slightly damaged ship that was on a planet about an hour away. The pilot was an exiled prince about my age. I have been communicating with him every day for a month now. I wasn't able to see him until today. Neither of us knew who we were talking to nor did we reveal anything distinctive. However, I now know I had been talking to Lotor." Seeing Keith was about to interrupt her, she held her hand up and said, "Please let me finish, my love. He said he had been banished from Planet Doom because Zarkon had found out that he no longer wishes to be at war with my planet. I am not sure of his sincerity, so I told him that if he turns himself in to us, I would give him a chance. He will be here in half an hour."

Keith was surprised at Allura's admission. "Princess, you don't need me to tell you how reckless it was to communicate with an unknown person, but fortunately, he didn't try to lure you away from the planet. I agree with your decision to test his sincerity. I would prefer if you let me and the guys handle him when he arrives."

Allura shook her head. "I promised him I would be there. If I'm not there, I'm sure Lance would shoot first and ask questions later."

Keith sat back in the control chair. "All right, Princess, but if he tries anything, I won't hesitate to take him down. Now, we need to call the guys so we can tell them. If you'll do the honors..."

Allura smiled and pressed the intercom button. "Voltron Force to Castle Control!"

Three pairs of boots were heard hitting the polished floor, the footsteps becoming louder as the trio neared their location.

"Princess, we came as quickly as we could." Lance seemed slightly out of breath.

"What's up?" Pidge asked.

"Who do we need to sic the lions on?" Hunk cracked his knuckles in anticipation of a fight.

"We will be having a visitor in less than half an hour, and we should prepare for his arrival." Allura was being vague on purpose to see their reactions.

Lance frowned, having caught his breath. "So, is it some stuck up royal after your hand in marriage, Princess?"

Allura knew the hotheaded pilot was thinking of the Prince Bokar incident. She shook her head. "No, Lance. This royal is not after my hand. However, it is not known whether he will come quietly."

"Huh?" The trio of pilots were confused.

Keith looked at his subordinates. "Don't confuse them, Princess. She managed to get Lotor to turn himself in to us, mostly her. We have it on good authority that he may have turned over a new leaf, but we have to be prepared that it may be a trick."

%%%

The sleek black fighter jet landed in front of the Castle of Lions and powered down its engines. The cockpit lid opened, and the pilot jumped down. He approached the assembled Voltron Force. He stopped a good ten feet from them. No one spoke, and the Force saw a difference in the ex-prince, not just his clothing but his composure. He was wearing his normal clothes but with marked differences. His helmet was missing as was the kilt and skull buckle. His white gloves were torn slightly and his boots were scuffed. His composure wasn't confident; he almost seemed defeated which lent credence to what they were told.

"Prince Lotor, for crimes against Planet Arus and her people, we place you under arrest," Allura stated.

Lotor bowed his head and placed his hands behind his back. "I understand."

Keith, Lance, and Allura approached the ex-prince. Lance searched him for weapons as Keith placed the shackles on his wrists. Allura placed a gentle hand on his arm, surprising him. He looked into her blue eyes and found a gentleness there that he didn't think he'd ever see. They guided the prisoner into the castle and down to the dungeons. Once he was secured in a cell, the shackles were removed. The male members of the Voltron Force left, leaving Allura behind to talk to the newest prisoner.

"You understand that this is necessary, Lotor. We have to be sure that you don't mean us any harm, and until we're positive, you'll be under constant watch no matter where you are."

"I understand completely, Princess. Thank you for giving me this chance." They were silent for a moment before Lotor asked, "Princess, may I ask a personal question?"

"You may but depending on how personal the question is, I may not answer."

"Fair enough. Is the person you are in love with the commander of the Voltron Force?"

"His name is Keith, and yes, I love him, and he loves me."

"I thought so. Tell him I said he is lucky to have the love of a beautiful princess."

"He already knows," Allura replied as she left the dungeons.

TBC

Chapter Text

"The Ex-Prince of Doom"

Allura visited Lotor every day to make sure he was being taken care of, and on the third day of his surrender, he told her, "I have information I think you should know."

"Really? What kind of information?"

"Why don't I just tell you the information, Princess, and you can determine whether the information is important?" Lotor waited for Allura's nod before continuing. "The person who took my place as Commander in Chief is Cossack. You met him before."

"Yes. I remember."

"The last robeast I knew about has an unusual weakness. It's power center is located in its chest and is protected by a hardened metal container."

"We haven't come across that one yet."

"Cossack is supposed to attack within the next two days, and he will try to separate the lions so you can't form Voltron."

"That's good to know." Allura stood up, and to Lotor's surprise, she opened the cell door. "For the valuable information you have provided, you have earned the right to be free, although you will still be watched by one of the Voltron Force."

Lotor stepped out of the cell. "I thank you, Princess."

Allura grabbed his arm. "Come with me. I will show you where the lounge is."

The princess led her fellow royal to the lounge, where the rest of the Voltron Force were relaxing. The four guys looked up as the door opened.

"Uh, Princess, why is he with you?" Hunk asked.

"He has voluntarily given me invaluable information on Planet Doom's activity, and I decided that he should be rewarded for sharing the information. We will still be watching him. One of us will be with him at all times."

"What about when we are in our lions?" Lance asked.

"If that's the case, Coran will be with him."

Keith nodded. "Sounds like you have given this situation some serious thought, Princess."

Allura smiled at the praise. She led Lotor over to the couch where Keith was sitting and gave the ex-prince a small yet gentle push, indicating that he should sit on the end of the couch. He did so, and she sat in the middle between Lotor and Keith. Allura could tell Keith wasn't entirely happy with her being that close to the exiled prince. She just hoped they could get along in the future.

Over the course of the next two days, Lotor was a silent figure in the control room when the Voltron Force were in their lions. He didn't want to give them a reason to throw him back in the dungeons, though he figured that the moment he so much as looked at Allura wrong, the Commander of the Voltron Force wouldn't hesitate to throw him back in his cell. However, he didn't anticipate to be given a little bit more freedom by the princess. He was allowed a couple hours a day to himself without supervision. He usually chose to be outside during this time. One of these times was when Planet Doom attacked.

Lotor saw everything as if it was happening in slow motion. The Black Lion was separated from the others and shot down. Keith was thrown from the lion and robot soldiers were converging on the barely conscious pilot. Fortunately, Lotor was riding a horse nearby and able to dismount quickly. He pulled out a spare blaster from the saddle and fired on the robots as he neared the commander. He managed to help Keith to his feet and jumped with him into the lion. Fortunately, Keith was still able to pilot the lion. Unfortunately, Lotor was spotted by the enemy. Commander Cossack recognized Lotor's coloring at once and knew he had to report this news to his king once the mission was over, whether it was a success or not.

%%%

Keith was able to form Voltron, but everyone could tell that the commander was fighting to stay conscious. Fortunately, the battle was over fairly quickly, but when the lions disbanded, Black Lion landed roughly, jostling both of his passengers. Keith lost consciousness right when the lion landed. Lotor was attempting to pull Keith out of the lion, when Lance came running. He scooped up his commander and carried him to the infirmary. He was unceremoniously kicked out of the infirmary as Doctor Gorma worked on the commander. He was further shooed out of the hallway when Allura had shown up. She was intent on making sure no one disturbed her boyfriend.

%%%

Keith was laying on the bed in the infirmary, a blanket pulled up to his chin, recovering from the concussion he received when he had been thrown from Black Lion. Allura wasn't letting anyone visit the commander, but Lance had lured the princess away, so a visitor could slip in and encourage the commander to wake up.

"You need to wake up. Allura isn't letting anyone in, but your lieutenant distracted her, so I could come in and talk to you. Speaking of Allura, you are hurting her by letting this head injury keep you down, and if you dare to let it beat you when I never could, I will make it my duty to ensure you do not rest in the afterlife, because your death will deeply hurt our dear princess. I will not stand for anyone hurting her, even you, whom she has chosen. Do you hear me, Commander?"

"Loud and clear," a slow and deliberate voice stated. Black eyes slowly opened.

"Keith!"

"Hello, Lotor. I appreciate your pep talk."

Lotor's exclamation caught Allura's attention. It alerted her to someone visiting her intended. She was slightly startled to learn Lotor had been alone with his rival. Hearing Lotor's exclamation, Allura had rushed into the room. Upon seeing Keith's black eyes open, Allura hurried over and gently hugged Keith. "Keith! I'm so glad you're all right!" She turned to Lotor. "What did you think you were doing sneaking in here?"

"Keith needed to know what was going on. I was just encouraging him to return to you," Lotor defended himself.

"It's true, Allura. From what I heard of his pep talk, he spoke of you and what would happen if I didn't make it." Keith sat up and pivoted so his feet were hanging off the bed.

"Whoa! Where do you think you're going, Commander?" Lotor asked.

"Castle Control, of course," was the reply. "Why?"

"You are recovering from a concussion!" Allura exclaimed.

"Voltron Force and Lotor, report to the control room!" Coran's voice was heard over the intercom.

Lotor and Allura looked at each other and then back at Keith, who was actually standing. "Let's go!"

"But, Keith," Allura started before she stopped and sighed, realizing the futility of this conversation. "At least, let us help you get there."

"Princess?" Lotor was confused at her change in attitude.

"He's going to go whether we tell him to not go or to stay. We might as well make sure he gets there safely. Ready, Keith?"

"Fine." He wrapped an arm around Allura's waist, and Allura wrapped an arm around Keith's shoulders. Lotor hesitated slightly before he wrapped an arm around Keith's shoulders as well. The Princess of Arus and ex-Prince of Doom escorted Keith to the control room, where they released their grip on him. 

"There's a message coming in from Planet Doom," Coran announced.

The Voltron Force and Lotor looked on as the message was displayed on the main view screen.

"Planet Doom is demanding that ex-Prince Lotor surrender or they will destroy Arus," Allura relayed.

"I'll do it," Lotor volunteered.

Everyone turned and looked at him in surprise.

"But you will be going to your death!" Allura pointed out.

"If that's the only way to save your planet, Princess, then so be it," Lotor countered.

Noticing that Allura was completely against that idea, Keith said, "That's a nice gesture, Lotor, but we won't give you up so easily. We have faced that threat before. There must be another way." Keith took a step towards Lotor and whispered, "I am only doing this for Allura's sake. She is fond of you, and I will not stand to see her upset."

Lotor whispered back, "Understood."

TBC

Chapter Text

"Fond Of You"

"Now let's get to the lions!"

Lotor watched as the five members of the Voltron Force ran to the chutes that took them to the lions and as the lions launched out of their dens. There was a large armada with multiple ships and robots attacking the citizens of Arus. The lions started evacuating the villages and towns as Lotor watched the carnage unfold. He couldn't let these people suffer for him. He backed out of castle control and dashed out of the castle. He waved his arms, trying to get the attention of one of the ships.

One of the ships did see him, but so did Keith, who growled, "Oh, no you don't!"

Black Lion shot a missile at the ship and scooped up Lotor in his mouth. When Lotor entered the cockpit, Keith was already piloting his lion back into battle.

"Why did you save me?"

"I told you that you that sacrificing yourself was not an option, especially since Allura is fond of you."

"I couldn't let the citizens of this planet suffer for me."

"Well, that's not up to you."

"As fun as it is to hear you two fight, why don't we form Voltron?" Lance quipped.

Keith blushed as he didn't realize the comms had been on. "Activate interlocks! Dynotherms connected! Infracells up! Megathrusters are go!"

"Let's go Voltron Force!"

"Form feet and legs! Form arms and body! And I'll form the head! All right, ignite lions torches!"

Red Lion shot flames from its mouth and incinerated a lot of the fighters.

"Ignite lower lion torches!"

Flames shot from the mouths of the Blue and Yellow Lions, roasting the robots still on the ground.

"Form blazing sword!"

The Red and Green Lions were brought together, and when they were pulled apart, a sword appeared as if drawn from Green's mouth as Red was holding it. Green Lion let out a roar before Voltron took off into the sky. The mighty robot sliced through the remaining ships, the command ship barely able to limp back to Doom.

"Good job, team. Now, let's get back to the castle. Deactivate interlocks and disengage."

Voltron split back into the five lions, which flew back to their dens. The pilots exited their lions and reappeared in castle control via the portal, Lotor accompanying Keith. Everyone headed to the lounge, but Allura grabbed Keith's wrist, stopping him.

"Why did you save him?"

Keith knew she was referring to Lotor. "Because you are fond of him."

"I bet if you got to know him, you'd be fond of him too."

"Doubtful." A quick look at his princess had Keith asking, "Is it an order, princess?"

"Do I need to make it one?"

"No."

"Good." Allura kissed Keith's cheek. "Now, go have fun, Commander."

Keith reverently touched the cheek she kissed, still not used the gesture, as he watched Allura walk down the hall away from him. It took him a moment to recover and head to the lounge himself. The door opened as he approached it, and he saw the team and the ex-prince sitting on the couches.

Keith strode over and grabbed Lotor's wrist. "You're coming with me."

The team watched as Keith practically dragged the ex-prince out of the room. Lance was the one who asked the all important question. "Should we be worried about those two being alone?"

"No," was the reply from Allura.

%%%

Lotor was slightly confused as to where Keith was taking him. He didn't think he had done anything to warrant the commander throwing him back in a cell, but where else would he be taking him? To his surprise, Keith took him to the gym.

"What are we doing here?"

"Sparring. You and me." Keith took off his uniform top and tossed it aside. "Come on."

Lotor hesitated slightly before he rushed at Keith. The two men grappled before Keith got the upper hand and threw Lotor, who recovered nicely and rushed at Keith again. The ex-prince locked hands with the commander, forcing him to his knees. Keith kicked out, catching Lotor in the chest and forcing him back. Keith got to his feet and locked hands with the Drule again.

"This isn't a ploy to steal Allura, is it?"

"No. She has explained that her heart belongs to another, and seeing you two together, it's obvious. You two were made for each other. Simply having her friendship is enough."

Keith pushed Lotor back but didn't pursue him. "You truly have changed."

"I have."

"I can't believe Allura was right."

"About what?"

"She said that if I got to know you that I would be fond of you too."

"So you're fond of me, Commander?" Lotor grinned, taking a chance at humor.

"Well, I don't hate your guts, if that's what you're saying." Keith grinned back.

%%%

Keith and Lotor stood outside Allura's private chambers, waiting for the princess to exit. Keith was standing with a foot planted against the wall and his arms crossed, while Lotor was standing with both feet on the floor and had his arms crossed. If someone entered the hallway containing the princess's private chambers, there were two pairs of eyes following their every move. No matter who it was; be it maid, guard, or persons unknown; the commander and ex-prince knew every move they made and where they went.

Lance entered the hallway and immediately had the two pairs of eyes on him. He approached the pair. "You know you two are scaring people, right?"

Lotor looked at Keith. "Are we scaring people?"

"No."

"I didn't think so."

All the sudden, the door to Allura's rooms opened, and she stepped into the hallway. Immediately, Keith and Lotor each fell onto a knee, chorusing, "Princess."

Allura looked at her boyfriend and her fellow royal. They were in the exact same position. She knew that Lotor and Keith had been trying to get along for her sake, and it seemed like they actually did get along. "Hello, boys."

Both Keith and Lotor rose to their feet and moved to both escort the princess. Keith was on her right, and Lotor was on her left. They had been escorting her in this way since they had accidentally overheard a conversation Allura had with Coran about if it was possible to have more than one husband. Everyone knew Keith was destined to be at Allura's side, and ever since that conversation (to which the answer was positive), Keith and Lotor had a very serious and very private conversation about what to do about Allura's decision. They agreed that Keith would be the first husband, but Lotor wanted to make sure that all three of them could talk to one another about anything. They had left the privacy of Keith's room and ran into the princess, who actually ushered them both back into the captain's room. They were slightly confused at her actions until she started talking about previous royals and their significant others.

"What I am trying to say is if you two are willing, I would like to wed both of you."

Lotor and Keith looked at each other, and Lotor nodded. Keith took a breath. "Allura, Lotor and I actually accidentally overheard the conversation you had with Coran. I had been intent on training with Lotor in the gym, but when we heard his name, it caught our attention. Please forgive us for eavesdropping."

"We didn't mean to listen in on your conversation. Forgive us." Lotor bowed his head as did Keith.

Allura leaned forward and lifted the guys' heads up with her hands. She looked them in the eyes before speaking. "I will admit this does make this easier as you two seem to have talked about it, but I do not appreciate you two listening in. I will forgive you though. Now, tell me what you two talked about."

"Since we know your intention is to wed both of us, we decided that Keith will be your first husband," Lotor started.

"As long as any decisions include all three of us. The lines of communications need to be kept open between all of us. No secrets," Keith finished.

Allura was surprised at their decisions. She was sure that they would argue either about both marrying her or about which one would be the first husband. She smiled at both of her husbands-to-be. This would take some getting used to, but Allura was confident that her decision was in Arus's best interest, something that she was in charge of as princess and future queen.

Fin