Fics By Elle

Allura gazed over the countryside, letting the warm breeze play with her long unbound hair. She sat on the top of a hill overlooking her favorite glade in Altair, deep in the forest that surrounded the castle. No one else knew of this place, it was her favorite refuge. It was hard to find and difficult to get to if you didn’t know the precise place to go.

The Arusian sun was slowly setting, she probably only had a couple more hours of light before it would become too dark to make it back to the castle. She had already spend four hours hiding from the world. She had told no one where she was going, in fact she had instructed her maids that she was not to be disturbed all evening. She knew that would never be the case, but it was all she could do to allow her enough time to hide where she was.

Lotor was probably looking for her. She was overdue to spend time with him but she just didn’t care to keep her part of the bargain. Everything was starting to feel numb and she needed to feel like herself for just a while. There was too much politics and self sacrifice in her life for her to truly be at peace.

Allura took a deep breath of the sweet forest breeze and let it out slowly. Nothing compared to an evening alone with nothing to truly weigh on her conscious. She felt like she could almost face her fate.

That’s when she heard something she hadn’t expected.

“I’ve found her,” said a familiar masculine voice. Allura turned to see Lotor striding out of the forest with a communicator in his hand. “I’ll bring her in when she’s ready.”

Allura didn’t feel the need to justify herself to him. She turned her back to him and tried to return to her informal meditation on the beauty that surrounded her. She was too distracted now. Lotor had sat himself beside her, closer that she would have liked but nothing she could really object to with out being ridiculous. He stared over the countryside like she had the first time she found this oasis, his alien eyes able to appreciate the unspoiled beauty of the wild flowers and foliage.

Allura was actually thankful that he hadn’t spoken yet, that she hadn’t gotten a reprimand from him like she would have gotten from Nanny or Coran. He hadn’t made a demand yet or any sort of accusation. Could she truly relax with him so near?

“Arus is so vastly different than Korrinoth,” Lotor commented softly after a long while. “Not even the most lavish garden there can compare to the natural magnificence of this place.”

“I was hiding from you, you know,” Allura probed, not really interested in listening to Lotor reminisce about his home planet.

“I know,” he replied, no hint of anger or annoyance in his voice. His expression was calm and collected. “I cherish my solitude too.”

Allura let the conversation die there. She was certain that if he ever really wanted his solitude, he’d get it. Allura had to steal her moments when she could. Even when there was no duty for her to preform, Nanny or some other maid servant was with her. She always had a chaperon of some sort.

Allura watched the sun set with Lotor by her side. He was quiet, kept his hands to himself, and seemed to understand her mood even though she didn’t quite understand it herself. With the fading of the last of the bright light from the sun, she stood and brushed the grass from her favorite denim pants.

Lotor didn’t seem all that interested in leaving with her.

“The light will be gone soon,” Allura cautioned as she waited for him to rise and follow her. “We should get back before we get stuck out here all night.”

Lotor looked up at her then with a little bit of smugness in his expression.

“I can see just fine with out light,” he stated, motioning her to retake her seat next to him. “I can lead us out when you really want to leave.” She had forgotten that Drules had better night vision than her human brethren. Allura had to admit that she didn’t want to go back to the castle just yet and Lotor was proving to be amiable enough. It was almost as if he were a completely different person than the Lotor that she was used to dealing with.

Allura sat back down and watched all the colors of the sunset get pulled from the sky and she watched the stars come out. She had never been able to stay this late in her glade and she looked forward to watching the moon rise, even though it was almost an hour away.

“Are you getting cold?” Lotor asked. Allura hadn’t noticed that she had pulled her legs up and was shivering slightly. The sun had pulled with it the last of the warmth the day had to offer and she was left in a v-neck shirt. Lotor moved to put his arm around her and she jumped. “Allura,” he sighed letting his arm drop back to his side. “We are to be wed in less than three days. It would be easier on us both if you were used to my touch.”

Allura’s heart raced at the thought of his touch and it terrified her. She didn’t want to admit to herself that she was attracted to Lotor but he was a very handsome man. She looked at him now, his features barely visible in the starlight. She could see his strong broad shoulders and the strong line of his jaw in silhouette. He held his arms open to her, inviting her to cling to him for warm as the chill of the night set in.

She hoped that he could see her blush at the thought of being so close to him. She also thought herself a traitor for wanting to be close to him. She was only marrying him to save her nation and her planet, not to be fall in love or enjoy the comforts of a dashing husband.

Unfortunately though, he did have a point. The wedding night was close and he would do more than hold her. She didn’t want to be jumping out of her skin at his every move. She didn’t want to feel as inexperienced at love as she was.

Allura finally nodded and leaned into his arms. She was quickly maneuvered in between his legs and pulled close to his chest where his strong arms held her tight. She felt the warmth of his body right away and the firm muscles that covered his entire chest and arms. She was enveloped in his embrace. He was firm but she could feel that if she wanted to, she could easily pull away.

It took her a long moment to relax but once she was convinced that all he was interested in was holding her, she let her muscles ease. She had forgotten how much she adored being touched. As the princess, she was kept from dating and from many friendships. Her nanny and Coran rarely touched her unless Nanny felt the need to discipline her. She would dare say that she was starved for affection.

Affection that Lotor wanted to give her. A dangerous coincidence.

Allura shoved the thought from her mind and watched the sky. With Lotor keeping her warm, she was able to watch the full moon rise in silence. She was gently rocked but Lotor’s breathing and it had a lulling effect. The fatigue of the day seemed to wash over her then. It was an odd feeling to be in the arms of her enemy and so relaxed. She feared at any moment that she would awaken and find that it was all a dream.

Continue to Chapter Eleven