Lost Time

Five

Allura played with Lance's still baby-soft hair, brushing it away from the tiny silver circlet that Father had given him just that day. Lance chattered away beside her, taking the stems of juniberry leaves and showing her how to tie them into a crown. "Where did you learn this, Lance?" she asked him.

"The Black Paladin!" her baby brother boasted.

"Zarkon?"

"Yeah! He was playing with me when you and Papa were in that big meeting with that other queen lady."

"And... you got him to make you a juniberry flower crown?" Lance nodded again, falling quiet as he focused on the crown. They sat together quietly for a moment before he spoke again.

"Why did you send me away, 'Lura?"

"What do you mean? You're right here with me, Lance." The ring of flowers in his hands wilted before he looked up.

"You let Papa put me in that pod, and now we'll never be together again! Did you even look for my sparkly things? I got you so many juniberries."

"Lance, I-"

"How do we get them out?" A strange voice asked.

"I thought you loved me, 'Lura, why did you send me away?"

"I think we should just..."

"I do love you! I- I'll ask Father to cancel your trip right now. Father? Fa-"

*

"Father," Allura breathed, stumbling out of the pod and into the arms of a stranger. They held her steady as she regained her footing, for which she was grateful. "Who are you? Where- where am I?"

"Um, the name's Lance! And... you're on my arm." The stranger's eyes were the same deep blue she'd just been looking at in the juniberry field.

"Your ears...."

"What's wrong with my ears?"

"They're hideous." Lance spluttered indignantly, dropping his hands from her side.

"Wow, look, lady, I didn't come here in a magic blue space lion for you to insult me! And they're fine, they heard just what you said about them!" Allura glared at the boy for a moment before a thought struck her.

Another pod hissed, but Allura ignored it and stalked through the small group of foreigners. "Good morning, Princess! Good morning-" Coran made a choked sound behind her, and when she looked, he was staring at the tall one as though he were a ghost.

"Coran?" Allura prompted, shaking her father's advisor from the stunned silence.

"Intruders in the castle!" Her father's advisor screeched, jumping into action. His hands were gripping the opening of Lance's coat, face twisted in something like hurt and anger.

"Whoa, whoa, hey, everybody calm down," the one in black demanded, his voice radiating the same kind of authority she had grown to expect from the leaders of other races. "Sir, could you please release Lance, he hasn't done anything but help Miss--uh, Miss Princess?"

"My name is Princess Allura of Altea," Allura corrected, drawing herself to her full height. The man in black nodded his understanding before she continued. "This is my castle, and you've trespassed. We are in the middle of a war, I don't have time to- oh, Father! Coran, where is my father? I need to send for-"

"Princess, we've been asleep for a... a very long time," Coran started cautiously, ignoring the aliens now that he'd been scolded by one.

"Which is precisely why we should hurry!" She whirled to face the aliens. "If you are not of Zarkon's side, you may stay in the castle for the time being. I must locate my fami-"