"We better tell Keith," Pidge told Lance that night after the Ball. They were in the corridors right outside their chambers. Everyone else had retired for the night, but Pidge and Lance had agreed to meet after the party to pool together everything that they knew about Balcos so far. Hunk was too in love with his beauty sleep to join them – besides, Hunk was so dense that he didn’t even realize that anything weird was going on.
"Keith won’t do anything about it, especially since we’re working on suspicion. He’s too darn honorable," Lance said, snorting in disgust. "Besides, he doesn’t really think he has the right to love her – I think he doesn’t even want to – but only blind people –"
"Only blind people what?" Keith asked, coming out of the shadows behind the two of them. "Tell me what?"
Pidge and Lance spun around, flushing guiltily.
"I can’t believe you two," Keith said wryly, guiding the two of them into the shelter of his room. "It’s like they never taught us any espionage techniques at the Academy. You were so noisy, you reminded me of circus parades from back home." He sat down on the edge of his bed and waited for his two friends to spill their guts. "This better be good for the two of you to be lurking around here at two in the morning."
Lance and Pidge took turns in telling Keith what they now knew about Balcos and his relationship with Kayla. At the end of it, both turned to Keith, who lay still on his bed.
"You know – it doesn’t really prove anything," Keith began. "Except maybe that Balcos is a total jerk for dumping Kayla with no notice." Pidge and Lance snorted at the same time, and Lance sent Pidge one of his I-told-you-so looks. Keith caught it and couldn’t hold back a grin. "Don’t think you can get a degree in psychology for analyzing me yet, Lance – although I’m glad you think so highly of my sense of honor." Lance flushed at that.
"Is that all you have to say? Don’t you find it weird that Balcos was smooching with Kayla just last week, and now after being lost in the woods for two days he wants to marry our princess? And don’t you find it strange that Balcos keeps on saying how desperate the situation is on Falkor but Zarkon’s ships haven’t even fired a single shot at them?" Lance asked.
"Besides," Pidge said, "what is he doing here, asking for a wedding, when he should be back home defending Falkor? For all he knows, Falkor could be obliterated by now."
"There is something fishy going on, I’ll grant you that," Keith said, raking his fingers through his unruly black hair in frustration. "Tagor pretty much told Coran and me of the situation in Falkor earlier this evening. Even he was rather puzzled about why Zarkon wasn’t attacking. He was reluctant about taking the entire Falkorian fleet to Arus, but Balcos had insisted. If Zarkon chose to attack Falkor now, they wouldn’t stand a chance."
"And Balcos isn’t even worried?" Lance exclaimed. "That’s almost enough proof right there!"
"It’s suspicious, Lance, but even so, It’s not enough evidence to point a finger at Balcos and tell him he’s a fake – not when he has all the valid credentials, as well as the backing of Galaxy Garrison. Besides, I don’t have the right to –"
"Don’t give me crap about being a mere space explorer or I’m liable to punch your lights out even if you’re the better fighter between the two of us," muttered Lance.
Keith shot a surprised glance at Lance then sighed. "Okay, okay, I won’t say anything more about that." He paused thoughtfully. "I do call my right to reserve judgment about Balcos, alright? I agree with you that the situation is rather strange, but I will not dishonor myself nor the princess by accusing him without proof. And until we have proof, we have an obligation to treat Balcos as a guest of the castle."
"That’s it? That’s all you’re going to do?" Lance asked.
Keith managed a wry grin at his friends. "Look, I promise to think of something, okay – but it’s been a long day… we all need rest. So clear out, and we’ll talk about this in the morning."
Pidge and Lance both snorted again. Sometimes
they just couldn’t understand how Keith could be so rational about
the most important things.
"I belong, Nanny, where I can best protect my people from Zarkon," Allura argued. "And if that means flying the Blue Lion for the rest of my life, then I would gladly do so."
Nanny gently brushed out Allura’s long golden tresses. "It’s not like you have much choice in the matter, child," Nanny reproached her. "If your father had pledged you, then you must marry the prince."
"I know!" Allura replied petulantly. "I guess I’m hoping that something will happen to stop the wedding form happening, but I do know that I cannot break my father’s word. But, Nanny, I can’t imagine him doing something like this, I really can’t."
"Maybe he wanted to make sure that someone would take care of you," Nanny soothed, seeing that the princess’ eyes were beginning to fill with tears of frustration. "Would it really be so bad, child? Balcos is young, handsome, and charming. He is a prince and a great warrior, as well. What more could you ask for? He is everything Coran and I have ever wished for you."
"He may be a prince – but I don’t love him, Nanny," Allura replied, standing up and looking out the window. "And I was always so certain that royal status would not be so important to Father when time came for me to choose a husband. I thought I would be allowed to make my own fate, but now this situation is being forced on me by everyone."
Nanny sighed. "Be sensible, child. Balcos is a good catch; he is a good match for you. Besides that, you already said it yourself – you don’t really have a choice in the matter. Inform Balcos of your decision as soon as possible. We will set the date for three days from now, so I’ll have time to make the necessary arrangements for a grand royal wedding. Now go to sleep."
Allura, gazing at the Black Lion on top of the
Lion Monument, did not reply.
He could not find anything suspicious in Balcos’ records that the computers of Galaxy Garrison had sent to Castle Control. From what he read, Balcos was a paragon, an outstanding student, and a respected leader. Neither was there any suspicious activity going on among Balcos’ soldiers within the castle. Besides, Keith trusted old Admiral Tagor. He would not participate in any treacherous activity – Tagor would be an honorable adversary, if the time ever came. At the moment, though, he couldn’t seem to say the same about Balcos.
At the thought, Keith lightly tapped his forehead with a fisted hand and sighed. His emotions were clouding his judgment again. His instincts were screaming that there was something wrong with the picture somewhere, he just couldn’t seem to put a finger on it…
It was as if a light went off inside his head.
He suddenly began typing a series of commands into the castle computers,
relaying those commands to sensors in orbit around Arus. The computers
began sending him information so fast he could hardly read it all, but
what he saw caused his face to pale as more pieces of the puzzle fell into
place.
Lotor had been once more given command of the large fleet of Doom attack ships hovering just out of sight of the people of Arus. Zarkon and Haggar had planned it so that they could take advantage of Balcos’ arrival to build a substantially large force ready to attack Arus at a moment’s notice without catching the attention of the meddling space explorers.
"Don’t worry, sire, they don’t even know that you’re here," Haggar cackled, speaking within his mind. "All you need to do is wait for our plan to come full circle – and victory shall be yours."
Mine indeed, Lotor thought with a snarl. Of course, though, the credit would still go to his father – who didn’t do anything to secure it. Oh it would be so easy to attack now, and crush the mighty Voltron while they were all asleep in their beds – and they had enough firepower enough to do so, given that Voltron was taken out of the equation – but Zarkon and Haggar wanted Voltron intact so that they would be able to use him for their own foul deeds. He could go against the plan… order the attack right now…
"Patience, sire," Haggar warned, startling Lotor out of ordering his fleet to advance. "Let’s do this my way. Any moment now. It will be some time soon."
Allura's Wedding -- Heart's Faith