Chapter Sixteen

Allura wanted to believe that Lotor loved her in his own twisted way. He sure sounded forlorn when she wanted to be left alone. She could feel his desire for her emanating from him, it wasn’t a sexual desire she felt either. She glanced at him sidelong and thought that she saw a genuine look of concern on his face, not the perfect mask he wore most of the time. His composure as of late was lacking its usual cockiness. He was ever confident but there was a strange sense of sincerity in his words when he said he couldn’t let her go.

Emilee was very engrossed in a conversation with Greig. No one else seemed to notice the two as Lotor was bearing most of the enmity in the room. The two looked like they could fall in love at any moment and it made Allura sigh. She couldn’t kid herself by telling her that she didn’t want to fall in love. She felt cheated since her marriage was the very next day and she didn’t have her grand romance.

Allura turned to Lotor who was pushing the food around on his plate. He hadn’t touched his wine at all. She supposed that he too were having wedding jitters, although for different reasons than her. She thought it alarming that the idea of jumping from the balcony held a small amount of appeal. She shook herself and looked at her husband-to-be; a man who would be a catch if he weren’t her enemy.

Allura looked at her plate and knew that she couldn’t eat anymore but didn’t have the sense to make it look like she was eating like Lotor was. Emilee’s plate was neglected as well. Everyone else had an appetite of some sort, even Nanny and Coran.

“Allura,” Emilee sighed a moment later, pulling Allura out of her daze. She looked around and noted that more than a moment had passed. Most of the guys had left the table leaving Lotor, Grieg, Coran, Pidge, Nanny and Emilee. “We have a party to get going to.”

Allura recalled Emilee saying something about a bachelorette party but wasn’t really sure what such a party meant. Since all she had ever heard of was a bridal shower, Allura didn’t know what to expect. It was something that she wasn’t going to be able to get out of though. Emilee was adamant that Allura have this last hurrah, as Emilee has said once.

Lotor seemed to perk up at the word party, looking between the girls questioningly.

“Don’t you two have a bachelor party to go to?” Emilee asked as she stood, smiling at Greig.

The two Drules looked confused at the word.

“You know, go to a strip club or something?” Emilee asked, her face completely stoic as she asked. Nanny seemed to sputter at the mere mention of a strip club. Allura knew that Nanny thought that they were nothing more then a den of sin. Coran had enough thought to usher Nanny off the veranda before the conversation progressed. The woman would only make matters worse.

Allura didn’t like the idea of Lotor going to a strip club in the least.

“Why would we go to a strip club when I am getting married tomorrow?” Lotor asked, not really seeming to grasp the concept.

“You know,” Emilee smirked. “Because tomorrow you will be tying the knot.”

Lotor stared at her blankly.

“You do know that human marriage as monogamous, right?” Emilee joked, looking between Lotor and Grieg. Her laugh seemed to fade quickly. “You do know that, right?”

“Of course,” Lotor snapped, indignant. “But what does that have to do with going to some strip club the day before the wedding?”

“I think that it’s a human tradition,” Greig explained. “Like one last night of debauchery before taking the ultimate vows.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say debauchery,” Allura whispered, sure that she couldn’t be heard, but Lotor looked at her all the same.

“It’s one last night of being free,” Emilee said. “To go have fun, drink, do all the things you can’t once you are married.”

“Interesting custom,” Greig commented, looking back and Lotor then at Allura. She hoped that he couldn’t tell that the whole conversation made her uneasy. He seemed more interested in Lotor’s reaction, and Lotor in turn was studying her.

“Allura,” he whispered to her. “It is a Drule tradition to spend the night before a wedding in solace, to meditate on the union. That is what I shall do.”

Allura looked up at him and saw honesty and respect in his eyes. She could scarcely believe that Lotor was giving up a chance to behave badly just to keep her happy. She was glad all the same but tried to hide it. In fact, she wanted to trade places with him and would rather spend the evening in silence in her room. She didn’t think that Emilee would let her do that though.

“Okay,” Emilee said with a shrug. “Suit yourselves. We shall see you tomorrow.” Emilee grabbed Allura’s hand and pulled her from her chair. Allura had to right herself quickly or she would have landed on the floor. Emilee pulled Allura down the hall and away from the prying eyes of the two Drules and was all smiles.

“Wild times are coming tonight!” she said, pumping a fist into the air. Allura hadn’t seen Emilee this excited ever. “Too bad we can’t go out on the town but that doesn’t mean the entertainment can’t come to us.”

“I do hope that you didn’t hire strippers,” Allura gasped, her princess sensibilities kicking in.

“You know I did!” Emilee retorted, watching Allura’s eyes go wide. “There are somethings that you shouldn’t have to forgo because you are a princess and I think that this is one of them.”

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Lotor watched Allura get drug off into the castle with Emilee. Grieg and Lotor just sat there for a long moment in the sudden silence mulling over what had just happened. Allura and Emilee were off for a night of partying and fun while Lotor was going to be chaste and meditate the entire evening. He hadn’t been joking when he said it was a wedding tradition but more for the husband who wasn’t looking forward to his bridal suite. Lotor looked forward to it but judging by how red Allura turned when the strippers were mentioned, she was still too sheltered to expect a wild night when they were finally husband and wife.

He was able to smile at the irony in the situation, the juxtaposition that he and Allura were in. Normally it would be him out on the town and she would probably be in her room for a quiet evening.

He smiled to himself.

“What are you smirking about?” Grieg commented, looking at the prince with a single raised brow. “We aren’t going to go out and have some fun on the one night that we can get away with it? So not fair…”

“Life isn’t fair, Grieg,” Lotor almost laughed. “But tomorrow, it’s not going to suck as much.”

Grieg made a sour face but Lotor didn’t care to punish him for it.

Allura would be his tomorrow!