Chapter 9:

Coran closed the door after the princess, then summoned for Nanny to return
to the conference room. He sat down at the table and awaited her arrival.
"Good evening, Nanny," he said as she stepped in.
"Yah, yah, yah. So? Vhen are you going to..."
"Nanny, sit down."
"I von't shtand for zat..."
"Nanny..."
"He is a vild..."
"Nanny..."
"Uncivilized..."
"Nanny..."
"Wretched..."
"Nanny, please calm down, and take a seat." Coran watched as Nanny huffed,
then dramatically sat in the chair opposite of him. "Nanny," he started, "I
just had a talk with the princess."
"Oh good! Zen she has come to her senses!"
"She told he kissed her."
"Yah! Can you believe zat monshter? If I vasn't looking for her, he..."
"That he ONLY kissed her. Nothing more."
"Isn't zat enough?"
"Nanny, when you came in here earlier, you told me he was grabbing at her."
"Vell, he..."
"Tearing her dress off."
"Uh, vell..."
"And even threatened to kill you?"
"His handz glowed!"
Coran put his hand on his forehead. "Princess Allura told me you punched
him in the jaw."
Nanny turned pale. "Uh...yah...but..."

* * *

Lotor sat in the grass, just outside the castle. He hugged his knees to
his chest and stared out over the moat towards the woods. The cool breeze
blew his hair over his shoulder, and he reached to push it back. He needed
time to think. "They all hate me here," he mumbled. He rested his chin,
now fully healed, on his knees in thought. "Why? Why? Why? What did I
do to them?" It was so frustrating! He couldn't remember. And he couldn't
make himself re-learn; to turn to the book's chapter entitled "Lotor, the
Dark Prince of Doom." He was just afraid to read the pages of his life, of
the person who made his dearest Allura so terrified.
Those memories...half of his life fading from him. Only small clips
remained. A few strange monsters. A few harsh words. But, who was
speaking them? Was it his father? He couldn't tell. The older man's face
was disappearing. Then, he was in a room, looking for something. He found
a door and beyond that, a smaller room. Inside was a creature talking to a
wall. Lotor pulled out the glowing sword and...and what? What?
"Why do they hate me? Why? What am I?" He tried to understand. He tried
so hard to understand them. But, they shunned him, like he was some sort of
monster. WHY?! He didn't even know their NAMES until they told him!
All except for Allura. Allura! "Oh, Allura," he moaned, "Why do they want
us apart?" He lay back on the grass and looked up at the stars. "Well, do
you have any idea?" he asked the stars. When they didn't answer, he closed
his eyes and sighed. "Does everyone hate me?" he wondered.
"I don't hate you," came a voice from the woods.
Lotor opened his eyes. "Aunt Mari?"

End of Part Three

-Kat