Princess Allura threw off the covers and swung her legs off her bed in one lithe movement. She reached for her dressing gown hanging on the headboard and shrugged into it, tying it closed securely around her waist. She rubbed her eyes and peeked at the alarm clock at her bedside table. It was just a little after midnight – she had woken up right on schedule. She felt around her room’s carpeted floor for her slippers, put them on as she allowed herself a luxurious stretch, and stood up coming fully awake quickly.
After a quick look at the mirror and running a brush twice through her mussed hair, she darted out of her room and quietly made her way down the deserted corridor to her personal reading room and lounge. She had a rendezvous to keep.
At her command, the automatic steel doors swished open to reveal the room cozily lit by the reading lamp on her huge desk, its light dimmed by the piles of books and folders that surrounded it. She stepped inside the room, closing the door behind her. A smile slowly bloomed upon her face when she found that everything was set for tonight.
Five lit wicks floating on oil in delicate glass containers provided additional light, sitting on top of the low coffee table that was surrounded by two comfortable armchairs, a large inviting couch, and several throw pillows scattered artfully on the floor. Two crystal goblets also sat on the glass tabletop, just waiting to be filled.
Allura threw herself on the couch in a sprawl, hugging one of the throw pillows under her, her full lips curved into an expectant smile as she waited for her date to arrive with the wine.
After a few minutes, the automatic doors slid open, and the Princess looked up at the person entering with glowing eyes and a wide, welcoming grin.
“I cannot believe I actually allowed you to talk me into this,” Samantha Evans said, clucking her tongue as she approached the table holding a metal bucket filled with ice and water. The neck of the tall, chilled bottle of the golden honey nectar stuck out of the bucket conspicuously.
Sam rolled her eyes as she gingerly set the bucket down on the carpet and settled down on it. She leaned back on the couch, craning her neck so she could meet Allura’s amused eyes. “And to think that when Lance told me about that time you made him sneak off with you to a village fair, I all but blistered his ears with my lecture,” she said in voice filled with self-disgust. “Looks like I have as much sense as he does – which amounts to practically nothing.”
“Aw, Sammy, this isn’t as bad as that – Nanny will never find out. She never keeps track of the wine, what with all the dignitaries who drink coming in and out of the Castle,” the Princess assured her.
She pulled herself up into a sitting position and slid down to the floor beside Samantha, taking her pillow with her. Her face was still lit by a self-satisfied smile. “I’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to feel tipsy, but it’s one of those things that ‘a royal princess should not do.’” She lowered her voice and injected Nanny’s thick accent into it, one hand on her hip and one wagging a finger at Sam.
“You do that so well!” Sam laughed as she began pouring the chilled honey nectar into the goblets.
“Do you want to see my Coran impression, too?” Allura asked, eyes twinkling. Without waiting for Sam to agree, she began stroking an imaginary mustache and her face looked stiff and admonishing. Her voice was lowered to match Coran’s cultured rumble. “’Young lady, if your father could see you know, he would be turning over in his grave. You are the royal Princess of Arus, and this is not appropriate behavior for a princess at all.”
Sam handed Allura a half-filled goblet with an admiring grin. “You should’ve been an actress instead of a princess,” she said shaking her head.
Allura’s eyes suddenly turned wistful as she met Sam’s. “Sometimes, I wish I had been born anything else but a princess,” she admitted softly. She took the glass Sam offered and waited for the other girl to pick hers up. “Would you like to be the one to propose the first toast?” she offered.
Sam bit her lip thoughtfully, looking from the golden liquid swirling at the bottom of the glass to Allura’s pensive gaze. “To not being caught by meddling guardians, friends, and fiancé,” she intoned as she raised her glass, wanting to bring back the Princess’ laughing, reckless mood.
“Yes, I’ll definitely drink to that,” Allura said, chuckling. The twinkle in her eyes was back. She raised her glass towards Sam with a wicked grin. “To not being caught.”
They both took a long sip of their wine.
Sam downed hers manfully, but Allura began to choke on hers, her face turning a mottled shade of pink. Sam patted her friend’s back in alarm, but Allura waved her away, shaking her head to tell Sam she was fine. Nonetheless, Sam’s face remained clouded with worry until Allura raised her teary eyes and smiled reassuringly at her.
“That was… a lot stronger… than I remembered,” Allura gasped out, tapping her chest and shooting an astonished glance at the goblet in her other hand. Half the wine Sam had first poured in it was gone. She grimaced. “That hurt.”
“You drank half of the glass,” Sam said with a frown, following Allura’s gaze with some consternation. She shot a suspicious glance at the Princess. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to drink that much in such a short time. How much did you say you’re used to drinking?”
“Actually, I only sip from Lance’s glass every now and then,” the Princess admitted, a telltale flush creeping up her neck and her cheeks. “Nanny never serves me wine – I always get non-alcoholic honey nectar.” She took another sip from her goblet, swallowed, and grinned at Sam. “That was much, much better,” she declared with a nod, leaning back on the sofa and hugging her knees to her chest with her free hand.
It was Sam’s turn to choke on her wine at Allura’s careless reply.
Allura turned to her in concern and saw Sam’s gray eyes gazing at her in horror.
“You sip?” Sam croaked in between coughs. “You’re used to having only sips – and you downed half of that glass in one gulp? Oh, God.” She slapped her hand to her forehead in self-reproach, shaking her head. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this – Nanny and Coran are going to ban me from ever coming to visit again,” she muttered under her breath, covering her eyes with her free hand.
Allura patted Sam’s back reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I won’t let them,” she announced rather imperiously. The Princess gave Sam a puzzled frown as she sipped from her goblet again, much to the other girl’s dismay. “Besides, what are you so worried about? I don’t feel anything happening to me.”
“Yet,” Sam added with a despondent sigh as she eyed Allura’s almost-empty glass. “I deserve to be shot just for considering to help you do this.”
“It’ll be our little secret,” Allura said with a grin. Her eyes grew wistful again. “You have no idea how much this means to me. I seldom have any freedom to do anything like this – what with Nanny and Coran always watching over me. They watch what I do so closely, sometimes I feel more like… like a prisoner in my own castle.”
Allura’s face twisted into a grimace as she stared into her glass. “There are so many shoulds and shouldn’ts ruling my life that I can’t even choose…” she trailed off with a sigh, smiling sheepishly at Sam. “I’m sorry, I’m whining again. I should be used to it by now, considering that it’s the way I’ve lived all of my life, but these days… it’s harder to keep on nodding my head in agreement to all their rules when… when they don’t feel right to me at all.”
“Don’t be silly. You know you can talk to me about anything.” Sam laid her hand on Allura’s, her eyes sympathetic. “To think I used to dream of being a royal princess,” she added with a grin.
“You?” Allura raised her eyebrows at Sam skeptically. “Lance told me you were a tomboy when you were kids – so much of a tomboy you were worse than he was. You actually wanted to be a princess?”
“It was my deep dark secret. I loved playing all those boys games with Lance, but secretly I always loved all the idea of wearing all those gowns, dancing at grand parties with a handsome prince, and living happily ever after.” Sam laughed and poured more honey nectar into her glass. “Of course at the time Lance would’ve sent me packing at the slightest hint of my being a girl, so I never told him about it. Especially when my handsome prince started wearing his face.”
Allura laughed at Sam’s grimace as she raised her glass for a refill. Sam hesitated for a moment then, at Allura’s pleading look, filled half of the glass with the drink. “Allura, are you sure you’re up to this? This isn’t your usual non-alcoholic stuff.”
“I’ll be fine, Sam,” Allura replied taking a sip from the glass. There was a hint of defiance in her face as she did so. “Is it just me or has the room grown warmer?” she asked, loosening the ties of her dressing gown with a frown. She began to fan herself with one hand, but she met Sam’s concerned eyes with clear blue ones.
“It’s the honey nectar, Ally,” Sam replied, knowing that her friend was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol even if her head was still clear – at the moment. At the rate the Princess was going, it wouldn’t be long before she got what she wanted. Sam could already feel the effects of the small amount of honey nectar as well – and to think she was used to drinking. The liquor was mild, smooth, and left subtle warmth as it flowed down her throat, but apparently it was pretty potent stuff.
Allura was coming to the same conclusion about the honey nectar as Samantha. She could feel heat creeping up her face and suffusing her entire body. It was funny, but she was… numb in certain areas. She looked away from Sam and rested her chin on her knees, hoping Sam didn’t notice the flush on her face in the dim light. She stared into the small flame of one of the floating candles in front of her.
“You guys must have had a lot fun back at the Academy,” Allura said with a pensive smile. “I overhear the boys talk about it all the time.” She turned to Sam, watched as she took another sip of her wine, and followed suit.
“It wasn’t one big party, but we had our share of good times,” Sam said with a reminiscent grin. “Our instructors were slave drivers, and we were all very competitive – but we played as hard as we worked.” She shook her head, chuckling softly. “I bet they haven’t told you half the trouble they were into back then.”
Allura stared at Sam, fascinated. “Like what?”
“Parties almost every weekend… after-hours room raids… attempting to take pictures of naked batchmates in the shower…”
“Attempting to what? Even Keith?”
“And Sven,” Sam said, shaking her head. She grimaced
as she poured some more wine into her glass. “With Lance for their roommate,
it shouldn’t be a surprise. He used to be a poster boy for the seven deadly
sins – and tried his best to make sure that his best friends kept up.”
“Well… did they keep up?” Allura asked reluctantly
after a minute of reflective silence.
“Their pasts never got as shady as Lance’s, although I know they’ve both had their share of all-night parties and that they dated around,” Sam replied thoughtfully.
“I’ve always been meaning to ask you this,” Allura began, swirling the remaining liquid in her glass for a few moments before taking another sip. The wine took a smoother course down her throat now, its warmth comforting. “Lance told me that you and Keith used to date back on Earth…”
Sam nodded, refilling her glass and gazing at Allura thoughtfully. “Only a few times, Ally,” she said, sipping from the glass then leaning her head against the couch and closing her eyes.
“Did he ever… well… kiss you?”
“What?” Sam eyes snapped open at that, the huge gray pools taking in Allura’s pensive features. After a few moments of studying Allura’s expression, she giggled. “Did Keith ever… Oh, Ally, you’re jealous!”
Allura blushed furiously and took another gulp of her drink. “Of course not! I… I’m just curious, that’s all,” she countered, hugging the pillow to her like a shield. She glared at the still-giggling Sam. “So, did he?”
“I don’t kiss and tell,” Sam replied primly. She shook her head a little to clear it. She squinted at Allura. “That is, unless there’s good reason to.”
“So he has kissed you,” Allura accused, bopping Sam lightly with her pillow.
“You really are jealous,” Sam laughed in astonishment, earning another bop from Allura. She suddenly frowned. “Ally, maybe you should stop drinking this stuff. I’m beginning to feel a bit woozy – I’m sure you are, too.”
“Am not!” Allura declared. She slid down the couch and settled herself beside Sam, falling against her, balance already shot. She placed her goblet on the glass tabletop and let out a high-pitched giggle. “Why, Sammy… I am woozy! There’s this buzzing in my ear… and… I think… I think I’m jealous, too.” She tipped her head to one side. “How do I know if I’m jealous?”
“You just do, Ally. But if you are, you don’t need to be. It was along time ago – and he’s never kissed me,” Sam assured her with a wide grin. She leaned back on the couch again. “Keith and I, we hit it off from the very beginning, but we were never… attracted to each other in that way.”
“Why not?” Allura hugged her knees to her chest and placed her cheek on it, giving Sam the full force of her curious blue gaze. “I mean Keith is… he’s so… he’s…” Her head sprang up from her knees, and she gestured with her hands, at a loss for words.
“Incredibly handsome, accomplished, intelligent, and kind?” Sam supplied, chuckling at Allura’s heightened blush. “I noticed all of that about him – I’m sure you do, too… don’t deny it.”
“Well… yes,” Allura admitted reluctantly. She averted her gaze and laid her chin back on her knees, staring at the candles on the table. “So, why not?”
“Aside from the fact that I was already in love with Lance at the time?” Sam asked. She paused, finishing off the last of the wine in her glass. “Well – I guess I wasn’t that comfortable with going into a relationship with someone so… so… well, perfect.”
Allura let out a loud shout of laughter at that. “Keith?” she choked out between gasps. “Perfect?” She swayed back and forth, giggling uncontrollably and slapping the carpet beside her. “Keith perfect?” Her chuckles gave way to small snorts as she shook her head.
Sam stared at Allura’s shaking shoulders worriedly. “Um, Ally, are you okay? Maybe you should lie down on the couch or something.” She bit her lip thoughtfully. “Or maybe not. You should work that buzz off first.” She patted Allura’s shoulders. “Ally?”
“I’m sorry, Sam,” Allura gasped, struggling to control herself. It wasn’t easy, not with that pleasant buzz interfering with her thoughts. “I thought I heard you say Keith was perfect.” She erupted into another slew of giggles.
Sam looked puzzled. “Well, isn’t he?”
“That man is flawed as the universe is old!” Allura exclaimed with another loud giggle. She ticked off his faults with her fingers. “He can’t function if he doesn’t stick to his schedule, he’s overprotective, overcautious – and he’s stone-faced, duty-bound, and slave-driving to boot.” She sighed and refilled her glass, unsteady hands sloshing some of the golden liquid on the tabletop. She held out the bottle to Sam, who held out her glass doubtfully.
Allura sipped again before she continued; “He’s a strict teacher, he screams at me when I scare him, he has a slight temper, and he paces when he’s nervous…” She turned to Sam who was stifling her own giggles. She tipped her head and gave Sam a lopsided grin. “Do you want me to go on?”
“No, you’ve convinced me,” Sam laughed. “Although you’re definitely reaching when you mention his pacing. Lance’s character is just as riddled with holes – but I love him anyway.”
“Me, too,” Allura sighed candidly, stretching out her legs in front of her.
“You mean you love Lance, too?” Sam peered at Allura, grinning wisely.
“No, of course not… I meant…” Allura shook her head and frowned. “I don’t know what I meant.”
Sam shrugged and let the comment pass. She raised her glass to Allura, feeling a little numb herself. “To perfectly flawed men,” she toasted with a wide grin.
Allura clinked her glass against Sam’s. “To perfectly flawed men,” she agreed. She sipped then giggled again. “Keith has another fault that really, really bothers me, Sam,” she said thoughtfully.
“What’s that?”
“Sometimes he’s too much of a gentleman,” Allura declared with a wide grin. Her eyes turned slightly wistful.
Sam let out a horrified giggle of her own and shook her head to clear it. She swished the wine around her glass. “This is going to be our last glass, Ally,” she said firmly.
“Okay.” Allura sipped from her glass again and sighed as she leaned back against the couch. She stared at the ceiling, silent for a few moments. “Sammy, is it just me or is the ceiling spinning?”
Sam frowned, attempted to stand, and fell back on her rump. She looked thoughtfully at the ceiling. “Why, Ally – you’re right!” she exclaimed giddily with a small giggle that Allura seconded. Trying to get a grip, she closed her eyes and groaned, fanning herself with her free hand. “Know what, Ally?”
“What?”
“We are both in big trouble,” Sam said with a
wide grin. “But since we’re stuck here – wanna hear about the time we got
back at Sven for raiding our underwear closets?”
Lance padded through the Castle corridors, his footfalls barely echoing in the halls. He stifled a yawn. He hated doing border patrol during the graveyard shift. It was already a couple of hours past midnight – and Sam was sure to be asleep.
He quickened his pace. The sooner he could check on her, the sooner he could go to bed himself – all the way at the other side of the Castle. Nanny had given Sam a bedroom in the Princess’ wing of the Castle – Probably to keep her as far from me as possible, he thought wryly. Nanny was such a stickler for propriety. Nonetheless, the distance and the fact that she was sleeping wouldn’t keep him from giving her a good night kiss – whether Sam knew so or not.
Lance shook his head with a sheepish grin, appalled by his sentimentality. This wasn’t the Lance that he used to be.
A soft blipping from his pocket distracted him from his thoughts. He drew out his transmitter with a grimace. He was due for another report to Castle Control, and his fussy friend on duty wasn’t going to let him get by without giving it – even if he was already inside the Castle.
“Hey, Skipper, you called?” Lance said into his transmitter. “I thought I told you I was back in the Castle already. I’m just going to check up on Sam, then I’m turning in myself.”
“Don’t kid yourself – I sent out an automatic
signal to all transmitters in operation,” Keith replied. “All security
personnel are due for a report. Your transmitter just happened to be on.”
“Don’t deny it – you knew I was going to be in
the Princess’ wing,” Lance quipped back. “What are you still doing there
anyway? Are you running for sainthood? Your shift was supposed to be over
an hour ago.”
“In a few minutes,” Keith replied with a small chuckle. “I can still hold up – Coran needs more sleep than I do right now; he’s still recovering from that cold. All’s quiet in that wing of the Castle?”
“No signs of anyone keeping a rendezvous with Allura, if that’s what you’re asking,” Lance replied.
“Ha ha ha. Very funny.”
“Of course – I kill you. Hey, Keith, I’m signing off, okay? Don’t want you blipping at me for a report while I’m with Sam. Good night – and get some sleep, will you? I don’t want to have a cranky Captain screaming at me during flight training later.”
“You wouldn’t have a cranky Captain screaming at you if you stuck to the flight patterns more often,” Keith replied wryly. “Don’t worry, Coran’s on his way up – he just radioed to tell me he was getting dressed. And, Lance?”
“What?”
“Have fun but don’t get too tired,” Keith said with a chuckle. “Castle Control, over and out.”
“Very funny.” Lance chuckled softly as he turned off his transmitter then stopped as a high-pitched tittering noise got his attention. It sounded eerily like… giggling women. At this time of the night? Hawke, you really need some sleep. He paused for a moment to listen, but the sound was quickly gone. He shrugged to himself, all set to scratch the noise off as a figment of his exhausted imagination, when he heard the faint laughter again.
Lance frowned and tried to zero in on the source – somewhere farther down the corridor, nearer the area of Princess Allura’s and Samantha’s chambers. He paused at each of the doors he passed, pressing his ear to each one.
The giggles erupted again, much nearer this time. He glanced at the next door on the hall. Now that he looked hard enough, he could see a faint yellow glow from under it. He could hear familiar voices coming from within the room – and more laughter. He mentally counted doors from what he knew to be the Princess’ bedchamber door and realized which room this was. It was one room he wouldn’t be able to open without any help. He turned his transmitter back on and hoped Coran hadn’t gone on duty at Castle Control just yet.
“Hey, Keith,” Lance whispered into his transmitter. “Still there?”
“Lance. I thought you were signing off,” Keith replied. “Anything wrong?”
“Well… I don’t think so – at least, not yet. Could you type in the automatic access override to the Princess’study?”
“Allura’s study? Are you sure everything is fine? Would like me to send some back up?” Keith’s worry was transmitting itself over the signal.
“No, no. Just trust me on this one, okay?” Lance said. He pressed his ear on the door and heard more loud giggles. “Key in the override, Skipper.”
In the space of a few moments, the door swished open. Lance peered into the darkened room, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dimness. He stepped in cautiously and heard the door behind him swish closed. His gaze was drawn towards the sources of light in the room, beginning with the lit lamp on the sturdy desk and ending on five small points of light coming from the farther end of the room. He blinked twice at the sight he saw in that area of the room.
“So how do worms move, Sam?”
“What kinda ques-chun zat, Ally? They crawl, acourse.”
“But that doesn’t make sense, Sam!”
“Why not?”
“Cause worms don’t have any knees.”
Even if he couldn’t trust his eyesight just then, his ears certainly needed no adjusting. There was no mistaking those voices – slurred and giddy as they were. His eyes, finally adapting to the darkness, focused first on the tall crystal bottle of honey nectar on the low glass tabletop that was only half-full then on the two flushed women in dressing gowns leaning against the couch and one another, both giggling uncontrollably – and spotting him.
“Look, Sammy! It’s Lance! He’s come to join our party!”
“Why sho ‘tis! Lance, honey, come ‘ere an’ tell us why worms don’ ‘ave knees!”
They each raised almost-empty goblets towards him in welcome and emptied them at the same time.
Lance groaned at the sight and slapped a hand towards his eyes. His transmitter blipped in his other hand.
“Lance? I’ve coded in the override. If you don’t give me an update within the next minute, I’m going to send some security - ”
“No! No security!” Lance fairly shouted into the transmitter, earning puzzled frowns from the two troublemakers sprawled on the carpet. “Everything is fine – sort of.”
“So what did you need me to code in the override to Allura’s study for?”
“Looks like I was wrong about the rendezvous,” Lance muttered to himself, holding back a laugh as he watched Sam attempt to stand – only to fall back onto the couch with an ignominious flop. These two were going to need some serious rescuing – and he wasn’t going to be able to handle it on his own. “I’ll tell you later,” he told Keith. “Just make sure you get here as soon as you’re relieved by Coran.”
“I have this feeling you aren’t telling me everything,” Keith said suspiciously. “I’ll have to place this incident in the log –“
“Whatever you do, don’t do that,” Lance quickly admonished, choking on a chuckle as he saw Allura follow Sam’s example – the flop on the couch included. “Don’t let anyone know about the override. I’ll do you better than tell you everything – I’ll show you.”
“Is that giggling I’m hearing? What’s going on?”
“Just get here, Keith. Over and out.” Lance turned off the transmitter and turned his attention back to the two women draped over the couch. Both of them were looking at him with wide apprehensive eyes. “You two are in a big mess.”
Sam stuck her chin up defiantly. “We weren’t planning on being caught,” she said, enunciating each word very carefully – and succeeding. “We would’ve been in bed by now – only both Ally and I can’t seem to stand straight for a minute.”
“Something’s wrong with our knees, Lance,” Allura added with a helpful smile. She frowned, brought a hand to her face, and tweaked her own nose. “And my face, too – I’m numb.” She suddenly giggled again. “Is Keith coming to the party, too?” she asked, a hopeful look on her expressive face.
“Yes, he is.” Lance took his seat on the carpet and eyed the two culprits with amusement. He lifted the honey nectar from the table, sniffed at it, and shook his head. “We’re going to rescue you.”
“We don’t need re-rescuin’!” Sam sniffed indignantly, forgetting to enunciate. “We can take ‘are of ourselves, can’t we, Ally?”
“That’s right!” Allura pushed herself into a sitting position – only to have her head loll back on the couch’s backrest. “We can take good care of ourselves just fine.”
The automatic doors slid open, and Keith strode into the room, his body tensed for battle. He looked prepared for anything – until his eyes fell on Sam and Allura on the couch. Lance had to hold back another laugh at Keith’s saucer-wide eyes and slackened jaw.
“The reinforcements have arrived,” Lance muttered. He looked up at the astonished Keith with a wide grin. “Close your mouth, Skipper, something might get in it.”
“I was thinking maybe if I gaped hard enough, I’ll wake up.”
“I felt the same way. I hate to tell you this, but this is the real thing. They got into Nanny’s wine cellar, and now we have to get them out of trouble.” Lance frowned thoughtfully. “How did you get in without anyone coding in override?”
“Allura gave me the password a few months back,” Keith mumbled absently, running his hand through his hair and shaking his head. He was too occupied in taking in the scene to notice Lance’s speculative look. Keith’s gaze jumped from the two vacant faces in front of him to the honey nectar bottle – and he groaned. “That bad?”
Lance nodded. “That bad.”
“If Nanny or Coran ever found out about this…”
At the mention of Nanny and Coran, the royal broom handle shot up Allura’s back. She fixed Keith with a withering glare. “I order you not to tell Nanny or Coran anything,” she commanded imperiously. In a lighting-swift change of moods, she suddenly batted her eyelashes at him and smiled – a most vacuous expression on her face. “Please, Keith?”
Keith was impressed by the clarity of Allura’s diction – considering the amount of wine she and Sam had shared between them. Sam was still lucid… for a drunk person… but her speech was definitely down the tubes.
“This entire scenario smacks of your scheming,” he told the Princess in mild reproach. “Sam wouldn’t have come up with this kind of idea on her own.”
Sam straightened at that. “Acourse I can!” she protested.
“We won’t have to tell Nanny or Coran anything, Keith,” Lance said matter-of-factly, trying to stare down his defiant girlfriend and failing miserably. He settled for plucking the empty goblet from her hand and placing it on the table. “Not with the kind of hangover these two are going to have tomorrow morning.” With that, he stooped down and scooped a flailing Sam into his arms. “Evans, you are going to bed right now.”
“But Ally an’ I –“
“’Ally’ is going to bed now as well,” Lance said firmly. He turned to Keith who reluctantly nodded confirmation. “You two have had enough.” He tightened his grip on Sam, who was struggling for all she was worth. “If you don’t stop that, I am going to drop you, I swear it.”
“You’re a monster, Lance ‘Sander ‘awke!” she shrieked, but she stopped squirming, contenting herself with glowering at him. “I dunno what I ever saw in you.”
“You’ll remember it all tomorrow morning – and then some,” Lance said remorselessly. “Now unless you want to wake up the entire Castle, I would advise you to keep quiet. Nanny’s room is just down the hall, you know. Say good night to Sam, Princess”
“But Sammy can’t go yet, Lance!” Allura protested, trying to stand but failing miserably. “What about our party? We still haven’t finished the bottle.”
Keith and Lance shared a horrified glance at that.
“Heaven forbid you do that,” Keith muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “Half the bottle is more than enough.” He stepped aside to give way to Lance and out of the way of Sam’s feet. “Good night, you guys.”
“Good night, Lance, Sammy,” Allura waved at them from the couch.
The automatic doors swished open, and Lance strode out of the room with a subdued Sam in his arms. The doors swished closed behind them, leaving only Keith and the Princess in the room.
He dropped to his haunches in front of her and took the goblet from her hand, his smile wry. “Can you stand?” he asked, even if he already knew what her answer would be to his question.
“I could try,” she replied gamely, nodding her head. She sounded extremely lucid for someone so drunk, but he had seen the evidence and knew better than to believe otherwise. She looked into his face, her blue eyes wide and wary. “Are Sam and I really in trouble?”
“Way in over your heads,” Keith confirmed, his grin widening as he pushed a stray lock of hair from her flushed face and stood up. He looked down at her with an apologetic expression on his face. “I know it isn’t proper, but it looks like I’m going to have to be the one to tuck you in. Do you mind?”
She shook her head. “You’ve done it before, remember? The night we raided the kitchen for Nanny’s ice cream – that night we almost kissed.” She grinned up at him. “I wanted you to kiss me,” she confessed, raising her arms up to him.
He was caught between amusement and embarrassment by her revelation – but the artless look on her face combined with her goofy grin made him lean more towards laughter. That and the thought that with the amount of alcohol she had consumed tonight, she wasn’t going to remember much about this in the morning.
“Well, I wanted to kiss you, too,” he confessed with a wink, bending down and scooping her into his arms. She clung to his neck for dear life and leaned against his shoulder, squealing and giggling as he swept her up against him. He held her close against him and strode towards the door. As the door swished open, he paused to look thoughtfully at the evidence the two delinquents had left behind. He would take care of everything later. Right now, the important thing was to get this particular troublemaker into bed.
“You can kiss me now, if you want,” Allura suddenly offered magnanimously from below him, tipping her face up towards him as he made his way down the hallway towards her room. “I wouldn’t mind.”
The offer gave him pause, and he looked down at her a long moment as if to consider it. Then as he resumed walking, he bent down and kissed her nose playfully. “If I ever kissed you, I’d like to kiss you at when you’ll remember it,” he told her.
“But I’ll remember,” Allura promised earnestly. “I really will. Okay?”
He had reached the door of her room and stepped in range of the sensors, waiting for the doors to swish open. He regarded her flushed, earnest face, wishing he could take her up on her offer more than she realized. The door swished open and he strode into her room, heading straight for the bed. The covers were already turned down. He bent and gently laid her down in the middle of the bed, placing his knee on the edge for leverage.
Although he usually had an excellent sense of balance, Allura’s tight grip on his neck caused him to lunge forward as he placed her weight entirely on the bed. He ended up half-sprawled on top of her, his arms the only support that kept him from falling against her entirely. Her arms were still around his neck, and she stared up at him in bemusement, lips slightly parted. He could smell the heady combination of honey nectar and something undeniably Allura with her every breath, her fathomless blue eyes locked with his.
Out of his own volition, he felt himself tip his head towards hers, closer and closer. Her eyes drifted closed and she angled herself almost imperceptibly from the pillow. Just the lightest touch of his lips on hers… just one kiss that she won’t even remember.
The insistent blipping of his transmitter brought him crashing quickly back to reality.
Keith shook his head and abruptly levered up and away from her with his arms. What in the world was he doing? He gently unwound her arms from around his neck, and she reluctantly let go, a bereft look replacing the dreamy one that was there earlier. He sat on the edge of the bed and reached into his pocket for his transmitter.
“Keith here.”
“Skipper? All clear on your end? Sam was out like a light soon as her head hit the pillow.”
Keith looked down at Allura’s puzzled, wide-awake eyes staring up at him. “Well, I’m just about done tucking the Princess in.” He reached down and pulled up the blanket to her chin, leaving her dressing gown on. He drew the line at removing her dressing gown. “The floating candles are still lit and the bottle and the goblets are still there. I’ll meet you at the study so we can enter without having to ask for override - ”
“Give him the password,” Allura told Keith, tugging at his sleeve. He looked down at her inquiringly. “Please – I’d like you to stay with me until I fall asleep.” Her blue eyes were pleading – and, to him, irresistible.
“Keith, you still there? I’m already at the study door. Keith?”
Keith took a few moments to decide what to do, but from the beginning it was no contest. Against his better judgement, Keith leaned back against the headboard and swung his legs on top of the bedcover. Allura scooted over slightly to give him more room. With a sigh, he gave Lance the password.
“Do you mind taking care of everything yourself?” Keith asked. He cleared his throat self-consciously. “Allura kind of wants me to – um – stay a while.”
“The study door’s open – that’s all I needed you for anyway,” Lance joked. “I’m taking these things to the kitchen and turning in.”
“Thanks.”
“And, Keith?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t get too tired, okay? Hawke, over and out.” Lance’s voice faded out on a chuckle.
Keith shook his head, pocketed his transmitter, and steeled himself to meet Allura’s blue gaze again. “Are you okay now?” he asked softly. “Room still spinning?”
“Only when I move my head now,” she admitted just as quietly. “Thanks for staying.” She covered his hand with hers. “Am I really drunk? Am I really going to forget all of this?”
Keith brushed off the hair from her forehead with one hand, feeling the warmth there. “I think so,” he said with a grin. “You’ll be too busy hosting a blacksmith’s convention inside your head to remember everything that happened tonight.”
Her forehead creased into a troubled frown at that. “But I want to remember.” She looked up at him with a soft smile. “I want to remember that you stayed and tucked me in – and almost kissed me again.”
“Sweet Ally,” he said with a small chuckle, using her nickname as an endearment. “Almost kisses aren’t worth remembering. Only the real ones are supposed to count.”
“They’re worth remembering because it’s you.”
“Ditto,” he said huskily after a long moment. He gave in to the impulse and bent down to lightly kiss her forehead. “Go to sleep, Princess,” he ordered, gently stroking her hand. “It’s been a long night.”
“Good night, my Knight,” she said on a yawn. Her eyes were beginning to grow heavy. “You are, you know. My knight.” She turned her head slightly towards him, a half-smile on her face.
“Keith?”
“Hmmm?”
“Since you aren’t going to kiss me, can I ask you to do something for me before I go sleep?”
“What is it?”
“Can you tell me how worms crawl if they don’t have any knees?”
He laughed at that and smoothed the puzzled frown from her forehead. “They just do,” he said between chuckles. “Good night, Allura.”
He watched as her eyelids softly drifted closed, watched as her sooty lashes finally rested on her flushed cheeks. She’s going to be one miserable woman tomorrow morning, he thought as he released her hand and stood from the bed. He reached down and tucked her blankets securely around her. After stroking her head for a few more moments as he watched her sleep, he whispered a kiss on the tip of her nose and silently left her room.
He didn’t see her contented smile.
“I don’t understand it,” Nanny huffed at the breakfast table. “Where would those two have gotten that kind of virus? Certainly not from my kitchen – and the virus is not even going around at the village.”
Dr. Gorma cleared his throat. “With viruses, Nanny, you can never tell,” he said firmly. “However, nothing is wrong with Sam and Her Highness that a day’s bed rest wouldn’t cure. They’ll be fine by tomorrow morning.” He shot a covertly disapproving glance at the two pale young women lying on adjacent beds, who both smiled at him gratefully.
“Very well,” Nanny said. She turned to the two women. “Poor, poor babies,” she clucked. “I’ll leave the both of you to Alan’s capable hands. You don’t worry yourselves about a thing and concentrate on getting well.”
“Yes, Nanny,” Allura nodded meekly, the motion setting off the hammers in her head. She raised her hand to Nanny for a feeble wave. “See you later.”
“Thanks, Nanny,” Sam added. Her complexion had a greenish cast to it. “Can you tell Lance to come over and see me later?”
“He’s already outside – and so are the rest of the boys,” Nanny said. “Are you sure you’re both up to seeing them? I could tell them to come back later.”
Dr. Gorma cleared his throat again. “Well, Nanny, I must insist on those two having no visitors – no sense in having the virus infect the rest of the team,” he advised, silencing Allura’s and Sam’s outraged gasps with another look. He took gentle hold of Nanny’s elbow and ushered her out of the infirmary. “And you as well, Nanny – so it’s best that you go.” Shooting one last glare at the admonished pair, he guided her out of the room.
“No visitors!” Sam wailed, laying her head back on her pillow with a groan.
Allura sighed, rubbing her temples with her hands. “It’s his way for punishing us for making him lie to Nanny and Coran,” she said.
“We deserve it,” Sam said, she turned her head towards Allura with a wan grin. “I have just been painfully reminded why I always volunteered to be the designated driver back on Earth.”
“I’m sorry I got you into trouble.”
Sam laughed. “Don’t be – I had fun,” she assured the Princess. “So, did you find being drunk all you thought it would be?”
At that Allura managed a small but heartfelt grin. “Except for this hangover, it actually wasn’t so bad,” she said, lying back on her own pillow with a sigh. She closed her eyes. “But I definitely won’t take so much next time.”
“Same here.”
“Oh, Sam – before I forget… if Keith ever gets around asking you, tell him I don’t remember anything about last night, okay?”
“Oh… okay.” After a few minutes of speculative silence, curiosity won out over discretion. Sam levered herself up and looked over at her. “Ally, what is there to remember anyway?”
But Allura was already back asleep, a half-smile
hovering over her lips.