Fics By Elle

To say that he was in a foul mood would be an understatement and Lotor knew it. The evening before had been quite nice with Allura but now that the night hours had passed in a fitful sleep he knew that anyone that crossed his path would be in trouble, innocent or not.

Lotor sat in his darkened chamber even though it was several hours into the daylight out of his ship. He sat drinking his hardest liquor trying to quell the rage that was building inside him. Even day dreams of Allura didn’t seem to make a difference in his temperament. He knew what he needed but he wanted to be able to spend as much time with Allura while sedate as possible.

He looked at his console and moaned as it was time to try on his tuxedo. Grieg had been quick to find out that it was and some other traditions common among the predominant human cultures. Most of them rang true with what his mother had day dreamed about. Although he was very young when he lost her, his memory of her was strong.

Lotor took a moment to take a few deep meditative breathes before leaving his room. Greig was waiting for him outside his chamber door.

“I get a tux too,” Greig smiled. “Allura is only having one attendant so that means you get one too. Mines called “Best Man”. I think I like that title.”

Lotor just nodded, not able to take any comfort in Greig’s amusement. Drules didn’t have marriages in the sense that humans did. A marriage was another type of contract but had nothing to do with loving each other or even living together as a family. It was a contract to produce a child. Once fulfilled, the marriage was void and the participants were able to find comfort in another’s arm. Sometimes the child took no time to create, sometimes it took years. Sometimes, it didn’t take a marriage at all, just a harem slave who happened to conceive, like his mother had been.

The two of them marched down his ship ramp into the noonday sun. To Lotor’s surprise, Allura and her body double were waiting for them on the landing.

“Prince Lotor,” Allura greeted with a nod. “This is Emily, my maid of honor.”

Emily, the spitting image of Allura and the woman that tried to pass herself off as Allura in that fateful meeting smiled and extended her hand. Lotor took her hand and shook it, noting that Emily’s mannerisms were very different from Allura’s when the woman wasn’t trying to emulate the princess.

“Good to meet you,” Emily smiled but her gaze was on Greig.

“This is my first in command,” Lotor introduced when he released Emily’s hand. “Greig.”

Emily shook Greig’s hand and lingered there, the two staring at each other rather intently.

Allura’s brows shot up in surprise but she didn’t dare comment.

“The wedding planner is waiting for us,” Allura said as she took the crook of Lotor’s arm and lead him toward the castle. It was nice to feel her touch on his arm, even if it was through a course silk shirt. She seemed relaxed even though she was dressed more formally than he’d seen her in a while. The full length dress that she wore was her signature pink and although it was conservative in cut, it was very alluring. She didn’t realize how the sheer fabric hugged her curves.

Lotor averted his eyes and focused on the castle. Once inside, he focused on the farthest wall he could see. The nagging hunger for his potion was abated for the moment, replaced by another desire altogether.

“Lotor, this is the wedding planner, Wendy,” Allura said bringing him out of his walking daze. They were in a round room with racks of black garments hanging and a large floor to ceiling. The woman he was being introduced was not that much older than Allura and dressed in a skirted suit. She wore her dark hair in a tight bun and looked very surprised by the sight of Allura with a Drule on her arm.

“Your majesty,” the woman, Wendy, curtsied. “These are my assistants.” The woman motioned to a couple men and a woman behind her, looking rather weary as well. “Princess, if you and your maid would follow me into the other room for your gown fitting. We can leave the men to their formal wear.”

Allura nodded to the woman and pulled her arm free of Lotor’s. Emily followed the princess through another door to what looked like another fitting room similar to the one he stood in now. Lotor wanted to follow Allura but knew of the human tradition about wedding gowns. The door between the rooms was closed by one of the attendants, leaving Lotor and Grieg with the two rather effeminate men Wendy has as assistants.

“We’ve picked out several styles that will fit your large frame,” the first assistant said, his voice betraying his unease even though he strove to stand tall and confident. He motioned toward a rack of black jackets in the style that Grieg had said were tuxedos. Lotor had to admit that they were more flattering than the ceremonial robes favored in Drule marriage ceremonies.

Despite his wretched mood, Lotor knew that he had to get this task out of the way. He rifled through the jackets, pulling out several that he liked and handed them the closest attendant.

“Excellent choice,” the man said looking over the jackets Lotor handed him, an insipid smile on his face. Lotor glanced at Grieg to see that the other attendant was using a measuring tape to take Grieg’s measurements. The first attendant approached Lotor with his own measuring tape. “Now if I could take your measurements…”

Lotor was used to tailors since all of his clothing was custom fit his large frame but the rigmarole of the fitting and the annoyance of the current attendants didn’t help. Lotor raised his arms for the man to take his measurements while choking down his temper. It was all so pointless when his own tailors would be able to make his wedding clothed had they the proper notice.

“Watch yourself,” Lotor growled when the man took his inseam measurement. The attendant paled but quickly finished his work. Lotor took the first jacket that was offered to him and slipped it on, looking himself over in the mirror. He discarded it and tried a second, then a third.

The fourth jacket looked suitable enough, with clean straight lines, like the military jackets he was used to wearing. It even had the upright collar.

“This one,” Lotor said, while Grieg was presented with another jacket of the same cut. The two attendants made marks on the jackets with white chalk and took the jackets away. “Are we done here?”

“Yes, your highness,” replied the first attendant as if he had been yelled at. Lotor supposed he could have been yelling at the man, his fuse was short. He was certain that he was beginning to see red outlining his vision, never a good sign.

“Do you hear something?” Grieg commented, then Lotor heard it too. A hissing sound that was only made by one thing. Lotor bolted through the dividing door, startling the women in their state of half dress. Grieg was right behind him as he tried to hone in on the sound.

“What’s going on?” Emily demanded, stepping before the princess as she stood on a pedestal in a long ruffly white slip and corset. Allura spun around in surprise, crossing her arms over her chest even though the corset covered her adequately.

“It’s on an exterior wall,” Grieg hissed as he approached the outer wall, his head cocking to the side. Lotor pushed Emily aside and pulled a very confused Allura down from the pedestal and away from wall that Grieg was listening too. “Get down!” Grieg spun and dove for Emily.

Lotor spun Allura behind him before the explosion his, the force pushing them both back and to the ground. Miraculously, he was able to keep Allura tucking firmly in his grasp and keep her from getting injured as they fell. Rubble crashed all around them, debris from the wooden cabinets and glass from the mirrors rained down on them and Lotor didn’t care, he could feel Allura clinging to him in the chaos and it actually soothed him.

The dust was beginning to settle and he looked down, Allura’s eyes still squeezed shut and her fingers twisted into fists in his shirt. He let his arms hold her tight against him until he heard the other stiring.

“Allura?!” Emily shouted. The sound of her guards shout caused Allura to open her eyes and look around, Lotor being the first thing that she saw. She looked very shaken.

“Are you alright?” Lotor whispered to her as she just stared at him wide eyed. She nodded after a moment then shook her head as if to clear it.

“What happened?” Allura asked as she slowly started to look around her at the shambles of the room. Lotor pushed up from the floor they had landed from the blast and pulled Allura up with him. As much as Lotor enjoyed holding Allura in his arms, the situation demanded his attention.

“A bomb,” Grieg replied as he approached with Emily right beside them. Allura looked around confused.

“Who would… Zarkon?” she asked.

“I don’t think so,” Lotor commented, looking around at the damage. The bomb had been crude, most likely made from common household materials. Remnants of plastic bottles and strange labels were left behind after the explosion. “Where are your dress makers?” There were no other people in the room when the bomb detonated. Allura looked around too.

“They were getting my dress…” she commented, realization dawning on her face. “They had been gone for a while.”

By now, the castle guard had responded to the explosion, securing the area and sectioning it off. By-standers were also gathering, gawking at the whole in the wall created by the bomb and the two ladies in their undergarments.

“Lets get you two to a secure location,” Lotor said, ushering Allura into the other changing room where the two male tailors had been. It was evident that they had fled into the castle when the explosion hit. “Where is the captain of the guard?” Lotor growled, startling Allura with his tone.

Emily sprinted past them to a console in the wall, using the touch screen to alert the entire guard to the situation. She started to talk into the microphone next to the console to give the description of the dress makers with orders to arrest on sight.

Lotor looked down on Allura and she had her arms crossed over her chest again, uncomfortable in her undergarments even though they no longer had an audience. Before he even registered what he was doing, he pulled his own shirt over his head and handed it to her. She seemed surprised at his gesture but didn’t hesitate to pull it over herself. Lotor smirked at the sight of her swallowed up in his shirt but didn’t have time to dwell on it.

“Allura?” called a voice from the hall and in burst her advisor, Coran, with the infernal nanny close behind him.

“I’m fine, Coran.” Allura replied.

“My baby!” the nanny shouted as she waddled past the advisor and pulled a startled Allura into her arms. She was blubbering about the explosion and the danger of it all. Lotor didn’t miss the nasty look that the servant shot his way, Allura oblivious to her nanny’s enmity but trying to free herself from the unwanted embrace.

“I’m fine Nanny,” Allura said again. Lotor watched Emily roll her eyes as Nanny kept on about the explosion.

“You’ve put my baby in danger,” Nanny accused, trying to pull Allura behind her.

Allura would not have it and pulled free finally, rather forcefully.

“It was the dressmakers,” Allura stated. “Or they knew about it.” Lotor was surprised that Allura was handling the situation as well as she was, he was certain she wasn’t used to a threat to her life like he was.

The bombing could have been prevented if the right people had been doing their jobs correctly. Lotor grumbled and went back to the scene of the crime, Greig close on his heels. Lotor spotted his target in an instant, the man in charge of security.

“Captain!” Lotor called, his temper flaring. This man’s incompetence nearly injured Allura. The man looked up from his group of officers and his brows shot up in surprise. All Lotor saw was red and his fist make contact with the captain’s face. “You are incompetent!” Lotor spat, watching the man’s feet fly up and his body hit the ground.

Lotor could feel Grieg grappling him from behind, binding his arms in a grip Lotor couldn’t get out of. Still, Lotor wanted to see blood. The sorry excuse for a guard captain should have been able to intercept the attackers. If Lotor were on Korrinoth, he would have have slew the man outright.

“Lotor,” Grieg shouted to get his attention. Then softer he said: “This isn’t the right course of action. You haven’t secured your position here.”

That snapped Lotor from his red haze. He stopped fighting Grieg and looked back, noting Allura and Emily standing in the doorway glaring at them.

“Don’t do anything that cannot be undone,” Grieg whispered just before he released Lotor. Grieg was right. This sort of behavior wasn’t acceptable on Arus and he knew by the look on Allura’s face she wouldn’t accept it either.

Lotor shook himself and looked down at the man on the ground. He begrudgingly offered the man his hand to pull him up but the fool shook his head and scrambled away.

“Get to the bottom of this, Grieg,” Lotor growled as he stormed off. “I’ll be in my room.”

“Yes sir,” Grieg nodded. “I’ll also provide some damage control.”