Chapter Four
You have to calm down, Allura, Allura thought to herself as she stood flanked by her most trusted bodyguards in the audience chamber of the Ruins north of the Castle of Lions. They were simply known as the Ruins as they were from a society long dead before any human found Arus. She had played here as a child but now it was the most logical location for the meeting she had planned.
Coran had been hard to convince that this was the best course. The treaty could not be accepted as Lotor had submitted it and Allura didn’t want what she considered her private business aired in front of the committee. She didn’t need her humiliation in the periodicals if she could avoid it. All the public needed to know was what she sacrificed, not how she did it.
The audience chamber of the ruins was the only part of the old complex still standing complete with walls but the ceiling didn’t last the passing of ages. The old stone table that had been used so long ago still stood and it would be her bargaining table, if the negotiations even got that far.
Coran had wisely suggested that Allura use her body double for this situation as Lotor had a habit of trying to whisk her away. So Allura stood in the black guard uniform with helmet over her face and hair matching her bodyguards and her decoy stood in a signature pink gown, her long blond hair cascading down her back.
Allura had originally scoffed at the idea of a decoy but now as the hour drew near she was thankful for Emilee. Allura and Emilee’s alikeness was uncanny. Although they were in no way related, once Emilee colored her hair to match Allura almost no one could tell them apart. They had to be standing side by side to be able to pick out the difference. Now that Allura hid behind a shaded mask and Emilee was wearing her royal garb, no one was the wiser. Only Coran, Emilee, and Allura really knew. Emilee had even stood in on a couple committee meetings and Allura’s Aunt Orla didn’t even notice.
If Lotor did try to kidnap Allura, he’d end up with a well trained martial artist in his grasp instead of Allura, who’s training in close quarter combat was minimal thanks to Nanny. Allura smirked at the very idea of Emilee bringing Lotor to his knees without a single weapon at her disposal; her fists were ammunition enough.
“One person is approaching from the north,” one of the guards whispered to the small party. All chatter ceased as they waited; all eyes watched the north entrance. Eons had passed before a large shadow emerged from the stone archway.
Allura felt exposed even though Emilee stood before her in her royal garb and she wore the formless black leather of the other three guards about her. Her helmet covered her golden hair and the visor covered all but her mouth and chin.
The shadow stood in the doorway for a moment, apparently surveying the scene before him. Then he stepped forward, the light from the full moon cascade down his ghostly white locks and broad cloaked shoulders. Allura had almost forgotten how forbidding he looked and it was amplified in the near darkness, the hard lines of his angular face made more stark in the moonlight. She could never lie to herself and say that he wasn’t handsome. His alien features were intriguing and exotic but his human-like features gave him an appeal that no other Drulian could claim.
His gaze was locked on Emilee as he approached, the stone negotiation table between them. He seemed to be analyzing her, looking her over, inch by inch.
He scowled.
“I thought that I was supposed to be meeting with Princess Allura,” Lotor said as he looked at the three bodyguards and then Allura. She knew that more guards were just outside with Coran, she was safe. Even still, she watched as Lotor glared at each bodyguard in turn and then his gaze rested on her. “What trick is this, Allura?” he demanded, looking directly at her, ignoring Emilee.
“Look at me when you address me,” Emilee interjected, attempting to pull Lotor’s attention from Allura. She even sounded like Allura. Her mannerisms carefully rehearsed and identical.
“You are an imposter,” Lotor stated. “The real Allura is beside you.”
How could he know? Allura thought, letting our a breath she didn’t know that she held. She reached up and pulled off her helmet with a frown.
“And the transmission we would negotiate alone,” Lotor grumbled, his entire body ridged.
“It said for you to come alone,” Allura corrected. She could have sworn that she saw his mouth twitch.
“So it is your plan to ambush me?” he demanded.
“Of course not,” Allura replied, standing tall as he tried to stare her down. “You have a track record of being impatient and impetuous.” She watched his scowl. “A lady need to protect her virtue, after all.”
They stared at each other for a long moment until finally Lotor took a seat on the stone bench at the table and motioned for her to do the same. He calmly folded his arms across his chest, waiting for her.
It was unnerving. He was calm despite her insults. He seemed to be hyper focused on the task at hand. He didn’t show that much irritation at her body guards or the decoy. Not at the level that he had in the past. Who was this man before her?
Allura handed her helmet to Emilee and sat down across from Lotor, concerned by his unusual behavior. He seemed on the verge of saying several different things before he finally settled on: “Let the negotiations begin.”
Allura motioned for the digital pads; one was placed before Lotor and the other given to Allura. He immediately activated his and started to look over the changes that she had made to the contract. Allura quickly motioned her guard out the room as she saw his eye brow quirk up sharply.
“This entire bargain is contingent on a marriage between us, Allura,” he commented, as he started to mettle with the wording of the document before him on the digital pad. As Allura watched her own pad, she saw the changes he was making. She had hoped to place loops holes within the wording to give her any way out of the pending nuptials. She watched in irritation as he quickly caught each clause she had placed. To her irritation, he seemed rather amused by her ploy.
“I do also believe that the ceremony should be immediate,” he mused, noting she had tried to push the event two years back. She watched as the contract changed to a date the very next day.
“One cannot go from crawling to running, Lotor,” Allura said as she pressed the screen on her digital pad and changed the date to one year out. “I will not be an instant bride.” He smirked then, a wicked thing, and she was glad that she couldn’t read his mind. She was about to get a crash course in the Lotor persona so she wanted to keep her personal time as long as she could.
“Interesting thought,” he mused, making another change. “Although, I think that your people would benefit from aid sooner then later. You see, I will not release sanctions on Arus until you are my wife.” Allura watched as he changed the date once again to the next day.
“This isn’t how to negotiate, Lotor!” Allura gasped, as she fought a sinking feeling in her stomach. “Can you not compromise? Otherwise this is a waste of my time.” She kept her head high and stuck her chin forward, stubbornly.
He regarded her then, for a long moment. His face was unreadable.
“I can give you one week,” Lotor finally conceded, it actually looked like speaking the words made him wince. “One week to prepare for our wedding and I will release sanctions tomorrow as well as provide food and medical supplies to your staff.”
The suffering of her people could end tomorrow! Allura nearly sighed. Her sacrifice would mean little compared to the lives of the thousands of people she’d be saving. She fixated on that thought, that she’d be saving lives. She’d be saving children, and families, and other women like herself.
She forced herself to return her attention to the contract on the digital pad. The changes that they spoke of were already changed. She quickly noted that Lotor stipulated that she spend two hours alone in his presence every evening before the ceremony. He also stipulated that their wedding would be consummated the night after the ceremony and she was to sleep in his bed every night.
Allura reread that section. She hadn’t really thought about the wedding night. In fact, she hadn’t thought about life after this bargain was struck. Sure, she knew what married people did but as far as really thinking about the mechanics, she never mulled them over. She looked up and was startled to see that Lotor was staring at her intently. She realized that he was getting everything he wanted in the bargain, no matter the particulars.
What did she want? She wondered. She couldn’t answer that question. She knew what was expected of her and she knew what she had to do to keep her people safe. She wanted those things but they weren’t for her alone.
“Even as my husband, you will not be the ruler of Altair,” Allura heard herself. Lotor looked surprised at her statement. “The laws of Altair only allow a natural born citizen to rule as regent. You would only be King Consort with no power over the government in Altair.”
“That will not deter me, Allura,” Lotor replied, not taking the bait to overreact like she had hoped. Truly, she had thought that all Lotor craved was power and her hand in marraige. How could she have misjudged him so much. Here he was, acknowledging that he’d only be king by title but with no power.
“I will not live on Doom,” Allura began. “I will not even set another foot step on that dark soil…” He waived a hand to silence her.
“I am the crown prince of planet Korrinoth,” he interrupted her. “But I am certain that my father never maintained any level of celibacy in his life. There are other usurpers to his power and eventually one of those will gain his favor, leaving me in a precarious position. Drulian succession is not as cut and dry as it is in your human realms, Allura. We will live here and raise our children here, away from Korrinoth.”
“Our children?” Allura echoed, not really sure what she thought of the prospect of children. She was only twenty years old, she wanted a little more of life under her belt before she started a family. She shook her head to clear it. She was getting distracted from her goal. She returned her attention to the digital tablet in her hands. Everything looked decent. She only had to be this man’s wife to save her world. “I can do this,” she whispered to herself.
She heard Lotor sigh.
“Everything looks to be in order,” Allura said. “Tomorrow the shipments will resume, any interference in our weather patterns will cease, your men will be providing my people with medical supplies and food rations. In one week, the marriage ceremony will commence, at which point you will take residence in the royal suite. You will be King Consort upon my coronation as Queen on my twenty-first birthday,” Allura felt numb as she went over the details. She almost felt like she wasn’t even there, that her body was an automaton; going through to motions with no feeling what so ever. “Any children resulting from this union will be able to rule Altair or… Korrinoth,” she stumbled over the word as she had never used it before. “However, it will be at their discretion to pursue such a position.” It was the least she could do for her children. Everyone deserved a choice.
Lotor looked over the contract, apparently pleased with the outcome.
“There is one other matter to discuss, though,” Lotor said. “The matter of Voltron.”
Allura looked up in surprise.
“As Queen Regent of Altair,” Lotor began. “It would be irresponsible for you to place yourself in harms way as a pilot in the Voltron crew. Especially since there will need to be an heir to the thrown provided. It simply will not do for you to pilot the blue lion any longer.”
“I’ve heard this speech before from Nanny,” Allura said boldly. “And I will continue to pilot the lion. End of discussion.”
“Very well,” Lotor said and he stood. “I hope that you enjoy telling your people that your pride is the reason that they are starving to death.”
Allura gasped.
Allura watched as Lotor set his tablet down on the table and started to walk away. Surely she was being baited but this could be her only chance to save her people from starvation and illness. He was already to the door.
“Lotor, wait!” she called after him as she stood. He turned then, his features hidden in shadow.
“I can be as stubborn as you. On this point I will not waiver either,” he stated, not returning to the table. “These are the terms, Allura. Accept them or I will return to my ship.”
He was baiting her. He boxed her in until she had no choice but what he wanted. Just another thing that she had no control over. Maybe that’s why she liked flying the lion so much. She could control that. Now she had to give it up.
For her people.
“Fine,” Allura almost squeaked. “I will not fly the lion but neither will you.” That was the least she could do. If she couldn’t fly it, neither would he.
“Agreed,” his voice boomed through the stone room. He strode back to the table, retrieving his digital tablet. He used the touch screen the change the last items and signed it with his thumb print. Allura looked at her pad, it was blinking for her to sign it too. She read it at least twice over to make sure she hadn’t missed the smallest detail and to her surprise, Lotor was perfectly still while she took her time. Once again she wondered at his changes, that he was not gloating or rushing her.
With resolve, she pressed her thumb to the data pad and listen as it chimed when finished.
Lotor smiled and Allura couldn’t help but wonder at his expression. He looked genuinely happy, as if every other smile she had ever seen on his face was rehearsed. It didn’t last long though, as he caught her staring up at him. Once again his mask of snide confidence took over.
“I do believe that we are now engaged,” he said. “As your culture calls it. This, then, belongs to you.” From his pocket he pulled a small felt covered box and placed it on the table in front of her. With out another word, he turned and strode out of the stone conference room.
Allura sat down, confronted with the odd little box. For the moment, she was alone but soon Coran would be in to see her. Soon, Lotor’s ship would land near the Castle of Lions and she would be spending her evenings with him. Soon, she would be his bride and subject to his bed. For now though, she was just Allura.
She reached out and picked up the small unassuming box. It was burgundy, she noted. She opened the lid and couldn’t help but gasp. Inside was a large pink princess cut diamond set in a delicate gold band. The diamond glistened even in the faint moonlight and she could see that it’s clarity was like none she’d ever seen before. She pulled the ring from the box and placed it on her finger, surprised by the precise fit.
The ring was unexpected.
And perfectly Allura.
