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The Emperor's ship was moored to the Castle's cargo bay. Lotor waited patiently for the connecting locks to be opened. His personal guards were lined up at the exit, escorting their master out.
"Good night, Your Imperial Majesty!" Voices boomed discordantly.
"Good night," Lotor echoed, and hurried down the ramp, down the docking passageway, and into the Castle.
When he and Allura became one family, when they not only united their own lives, but also the lives of the planets under their control, they made the Castle of the Lions their residence. They had only slightly altered one part of it, where Lotor's private ship was now moored. He made the necessary visits and sorties on it. Allura sometimes when she was needed went with him, leaving the Castle in the care of the councillors, guards, and servants.
Lotor liked the contrast between the dark purple colors of his ship and the light colors of the Castle. And in a strange way, he always felt at home when the airlock closed behind him and his foot stepped on the white floor with the blue light.
The Castle was silent. Now was the time to rest. So the Emperor walked through the empty corridors, only occasionally bumping into patrolling guards. They immediately picked themselves up, straightened up, and shouted greetings, while Lotor nodded and walked past. He was impatient to get to his chambers and finally embrace his wife, whom he had not seen for almost five quintants — the diplomatic meeting had been very long.
The Emperor reached the royal apartments and involuntarily tried to walk more quietly. His and Allura's room was at the end of the corridor. He was moving cautiously on, when he rather felt than heard movement behind him. Lotor turned quickly, and his lips immediately broke into a smile, and the crease between his eyebrows instantly smoothed out. Sleepy and barefoot, his daughter, Honor, ran after him. Her long white hair was unbound, and there was a juniberry flower in it. She liked these flowers so much that she would not part with them at night. They were everywhere in her bedroom. And the flower in her hair had never wilted, thanks to Allura, who had revived it every night, unnoticed by Honor, as she tucked her daughter into bed. A pink nightgown of the most delicate fabric covered her round knees.
When Lotor stopped, the girl froze, too. He crouched down and held out his hands to her.
"Come to me, honey."
And the little girl, moving her legs very quickly, ran up to her father and jumped into his arms. Lotor pulled her close and stood up, burying his nose in her hair and inhaling the warm and gentle scent of his daughter. She laid her cheek trustingly against his chest, and for the thousandth time Lotor found himself almost choking with the love he felt for his little girl
Honor wasn't even five decafoebs. But all the time that Allura had carried her under her heart and that he had been a father, Lotor could not help but be amazed at the intense adoration he felt for his daughter.
The Emperor would never forget how Allura had told him that he was going to be a father. He will not forget the wave of happiness when he picked up his wife in his arms and, circling, kissed her to her laughter and requests to put her down on the floor. Nor will he forget the unpleasant sensation when, at the same time, joy was sucked into the pit of his stomach and fear squeezed his heart. The Emperor of the United Galra Empire should not be afraid of anything. But he couldn't shake off his anxiety.
Lotor knew that he would give his life for his wife and unborn child. And he knew they were safe. He was afraid of himself. He was afraid of the scars he'd inherited from his father. He was afraid that he would become him. The Emperor spent many nights without sleep, thinking deeply about the past and the future. More than once, Allura had found him sitting in the vast library, staring into space. Lotor tried to distract himself with his work, but usually his uneasy thoughts took hold of him faster than he could get carried away with reading.
It turned out, being a father is more difficult than running an entire empire. But with the help of Allura, her natural gentleness, he managed to survive the hard days.
Lotor was now cradling in his arms the greatest treasure the universe had given him. He stroked his daughter's long, snow-white hair and thought about what an honor it was to be the father of this wonderful child.
"Why aren't you sleeping, sweetheart?"
"I was asleep," Honor murmured against his chest. "And then, for some reason, I woke up. I wanted to go to Mommy…"
"Do you mind if we don't go to Mommy, but go to your room and go to bed? I'm sure Mommy is as tired as I am, and she needs to rest."
"Will you lie with me?" Honor opened her large violet eyes and looked at him.
"Yes, honey. I'll sing you a song and you'll fall asleep quickly," Lotor promised, and carried his daughter to her bedroom. He chuckled when he saw the governess snoring peacefully in the front room, who was not aware of her ward's night walks.
"My favorite?"
"Your favorite," Lotor smiled, kissing the top of his daughter's head.
They entered the bedroom, and he carefully lowered his treasure onto the beautiful four-poster bed with the stars painted on it. As if there weren't enough of them outside the Castle.
He and Allura have not yet managed to settle anywhere. They moved here and there, signing peace agreements, breaking unnecessary ties, and putting the Empire in proper order. The Castle became their home, residence, and ship when they needed to be on the other side of the galaxy quickly. As it was, it drifted freely somewhere in the middle of the infinite cosmos. Lotor promised himself that when things were calmer, they could settle down on some quiet planet. But there were always some difficulties.
Lotor lay down next to his daughter on her bed, cursing himself for the travel suit that didn't match the crisp white sheets. Honor stared at him in silence, waiting for the promised song. The Emperor once again passed a snow-white lock of his daughter's hair between his fingers, and adjusted the flower behind her ear. And after a moment, his voice filled the silence of the room. He sang softly, sometimes looking at his little girl, sometimes absently looking somewhere in the corner of the room.
The night is covered with a black blanket,
Warming itself in the light of the stars,
And weaves the past and the non-story
From the land of magical dreams.
The night shows the fairy tales
And legends of the old days:
To the naughty — in gray colors,
To the cute — pink dreams.
Lotor stroked his daughter's hair, listening to her soft breathing. He could see her eyelids fluttering in a half-doze. More than anything, he wanted to protect her from all harm. He wanted to see her happy. In the dimness of the room, lit by a few nightlights, the marks of the chosen ones on her plump cheeks flickered, reminding him of the stars he had sung about.
Close your eyes, my Princess,
Sleep well, my little angel.
Someday the Prince from the fairy tale
Will come for you.
A gilded carriage
Will take you to your dream
To meet the morning dawn,
To the clear morning star.
In a strange way, Honor loved this particular lullaby. She said it was a song about Daddy and Mommy, and Lotor chuckled as he recalled his first meeting with Allura. It wasn't like in a fairy tale at all. He may have been a prince, but he wasn't like the one in the children's books. What he had to go through for thousands of years… he wouldn't wish it on the enemy. He might never recover from his previous injuries, but with Allura around, it almost seemed like a dream come true.
Troubadours and kings
Come to life in old books,
And boys are always looking for
Something at the ends of the earth.
And in the world, princes wander
Through villages and forests,
And find their love,
Because they believe in miracles.
Lotor turned his head in the direction of the door, and saw Allura standing there, leaning her head against the opening. She looked at them with a smile. Lotor nodded to her, pressing a finger to his lips and continuing to sing.
Close your eyes, my Princess,
Sleep well, my little angel.
Someday the Prince from the fairy tale
Will come for you.
A gilded carriage
Will take you to your dream
To meet the morning dawn,
To the clear morning star.
Lotor got up slowly, careful not to wake his daughter. He covered her shoulders with a blanket, paused for a moment, watching how sweetly she was sleeping, and went to his wife.
"Allura, why aren't you sleeping?"
"I've heard you are coming," She put her arms around his neck and offered him a welcoming kiss. "I missed you," Allura said afterward.
"I missed you too. Let's go, or we'll wake up our daughter," Lotor led his wife into their room.
"How did it go?" Allura asked, climbing back into bed.
"Not really good, " Lotor sighed, pulling off his traveling suit. "The ruler of the planet Getania does not want to be part of the United Empire. He said that I am "neither fish nor fowl" and not trustworthy," the Emperor chuckled, finally getting rid of his clothes and throwing on a silk robe.
"Did he really say that?" Allura laughed. "He's lucky you're you and not -" she broke off.
"Not Zarkon? You don't have to be afraid to say it out loud," he lay down next to his wife on the bed. "Shall I sing you a lullaby, too?"
"Aren't you going to bed?"
"First the bath."
"Oh, right," Allura said with a smile. And how could she forget about her husband's habit of tidying up after any of the long trips? "Then sing it."
Lotor smiled, pulling his wife to him and softly humming a few lines from the same lullaby he had sung for their daughter a few doboshes earlier. Allura froze, closing her eyes. Her long lashes cast shadows on her cheeks, and the marks flickered faintly, as did Honor's, a sure sign that the Empress was in high spirits. Lotor wondered what that had to do with it. Was it just because he'd come home?
When he had finished singing, he gave his wife a quick kiss and was about to rise, but Allura held his hand.
"We liked it," she said softly.
"We?"
Allura slowly moved her husband's hand to her stomach and opened her eyes.
"You-"
She stared straight into his eyes for a long time, enjoying the way surprise turned to joy, and the faint marks on his cheekbones brightened under the onslaught of emotion. Finally Allura answered,
"I think we're going to have a boy this time…"