Crestfallen

Allura

The princess watched carefully as the knights trained in the yard below. The Garrison Guard was filled with strong, young men and Allura had always been fond of their charming tendencies. She was not one to fall for a knight though. While other women swooned at their presence, she found that the closer she got to the man inside the armor, the more she didn't like what she saw. They were never willing to have an actual in depth conversation. She couldn't decide if they just didn't want to or if they were incapable of doing so. It didn't help that, as a woman, she was constantly referred to as weak. She was far from weak. They never cared about her smarts or her determination, they only saw her as a way to wealth and power and she despised them for it.

Recently though, a new trainee had climbed the ranks. He had defeated generals and captains alike but refused rewards and titles. He was at the top of his class and he was very handy with a sword but what amazed Allura the most was that he was missing a limb. One of his appendages was cut just above the elbow. She figured he had lost it in the previous war but when such an injury occurred, you would usually never see that man on a battle field again. Yet here was a handsome knight, prepared beyond belief to take on their enemies.

She had fallen into habit of staring at him while he trained, intrigued and interested in his story. It wasn't until today that he returned the gaze, passionate fire burning in his eyes. She was taken aback by his determined look, jumping slightly when there came a knock at her door. "Allura?" Someone spoke. The princess immediately identified him as her adviser. He opened the door slowly, smiling. "What do you want, Coran?"

"I figured it was time to talk about your duties as the new ruler."

"I told you to take care of it yourself." Allura snapped, moving to her wardrobe. She opened the large, wooden doors and began shuffling through her many dresses. Coran sighed, following after her.

"Princess-"

"No, Coran. You know more about my father's work than anyone else. If you want to, you can take my title. I do not wish to be queen. I'm far too young to be leading an entire kingdom." She pulled out a baby blue gown with pink and gold etchings dancing on the fabric. It was the dress her father had given to her before he went off in the war. Allura set it down gently, laying it out on her bed.

"I know it's scary." Coran said, "You had many years ahead of you before you were meant to take this responsibility but not everything comes out the way it was intended to. You're the smartest and bravest young lady I've ever met and you're more than ready to rule. You've been training for this ever since you were born." Allura ignored him, grabbing her blue heels and her favorite jewelry set. "Allura, your people need you. We are about to head into battle once again." He tried to reason with the girl but she wanted nothing to do with him. Purple earrings dangling from her ears, she pushed past Coran to stand behind a folding screen.

"I've already told you my perspective on the war. We don't have enough man power. With whatever...magic the Daibazaalians posses to spawn warriors and throw men like my father to the ground in one blow, they will be able to destroy this castle. Brick by brick, Altea will crumble and these people will fall into the hands of Zarkon." Allura spoke, anger dripping from her voice. She slipped her night gown off and pulled the dress over her head. "We can't win."

Coran looked at her skeptically when she came out. She scoffed, walking over to her dresser and grabbing her brush. Silence filled the room and Allura's face turned red with embarrassment. She wasn't one to act in such ways but she couldn't stop herself. The anger and bitterness she gave off was just a wall to cover up her extreme grief and sadness.

"I've given you space because this has all happened so suddenly but I think now is the time to tell you what your father asked of me." Coran said, moving to sit on the bed. "You see, Alfor foresaw that something like this would happen. He was once friends with King Zarkon after all. He knew how strong that man was."

He turned to Allura. She was combing through her long, white hair, listening intently. "Your father did his best to protect the kingdom without harming his companion in the process. So, in the possibility that he couldn't convince Zarkon to stop his madness, he entrusted me with something important to our survival."

"Yes. I know he entrusted you with quite a few things but that's to be expected. You were his right hand man."

"Well, Princess. Let's just say this is particularly special." Allura stopped, a confused look on her face. She had no clue what he was talking about. Coran stood suddenly, grabbing the girl's hand and dashing out the door.

"Coran? Where are we going?" She yelped, surprised at the gesture.

"It'll be easier to explain if I just show you." They ran through the castle, making their way up the stairs. Allura had never been to the northwest side of the castle. That was her father's private study and yet, here she was, inches away from the door. Coran slowly turned the handle before walking inside, Allura close behind. "I've never been in here before." She whispered, trying to peer through the darkness. Coran shuffled over to a small table, lighting a candle. He then used that flame to light the rest of them, the room looking eerie and uninviting.

Allura shivered as Coran turned to face the far wall. He stared at it for a moment before pushing in one of the stones. The wall slid out of the way and revealed a secret room. It was bright and vibrant, colors bouncing off the ceiling and reflecting onto the white floor. Allura stood still, mouth agape as she looked around. There was a giant, multicolored, glass ball in the middle, light radiating onto it's pedestal. Allura stared at the giant sphere. "It's beautiful." She whispered. "What is it?"

"That is just the prophecy. What's really important about that sphere is what it's holding." Coran took in a deep breath before he continued. "Inside this ball is magic. My magic." He said, laughing a bit. Allura looked at him skeptically.

"You must be mad." She said, rolling her eyes.

"No no. Quite the opposite. You see...your father chose me as his second because...I am a sorcerer." Allura paused, unsure of what to say. She walked over to the ball, eyes narrowing slightly. "A sorcerer?" She asked, eyes pinned on the orange-haired man. Coran nodded.

"Here. Let me show you." He reached out and tapped the glass. Black, blue, red, green, yellow, and pink smoke leaked out of the sides, dropping to the floor and creating a fog. Suddenly, six figures appeared in the gas, each one contained in a separate color. "The prophecy states that a woman who has lost everything but her kingdom, will be sent on a quest, searching for five brave and skilled warriors. They will all be gifted with the power to defeat the world's evil. If they can unlock their potential then they'll destroy the darkness and save the lost kingdoms." Coran turned to Allura. "I was given this prophecy when I was an apprentice. The story I just told you is the shortened version. It has been passed down from generation to generation. When Alfor and I met, I had no clue that his kingdom would be the one that was foretold in the prophecy. I never would have thought you were the woman."

"Even if I did believe this, what makes you think I'm the woman?" Allura asked. She replayed every word Coran had said over and over in her head. 'Magic? I was merely joking when I brought that up earlier. He can't be serious.' She thought, staring at the smoke. She was curious though. 'Five brave and skilled warriors that must be worthy of a power. That could be anyone!'

"Over one thousand years worth of sorcerer's magic has been sucked into this sphere. After a keeper of this glass ball has passed, their entity is pulled into the artifact and will forever reside there until the prophecy is fulfilled." The fog slowly began to fade back into it's vessel. Coran stepped back and led the princess into the chamber, the wall closing behind them. 

"So...when do I start on this supposed journey?" Allura questioned. She still wasn't fully on board but she decided to let Coran prove this grand accusation. "If you wish to have any chance in defeating Zarkon then I suggest you start now." Coran replied.

"Oh. Who are we looking for?"

"That I don't know. The prophecy is the only clue I have to these events and as all prophecies are, it is incredibly vauge. I'm not even sure what powers these warriors will posses. We need those with a strong heart, body and mind." He walked out of the room, stopping to face Allura. "Perhaps we can start with the guard." The princess began to disagree but took the chance to think about the knights she knew of. She smiled, looking at Coran with excitement in her eyes. She'd finally get the chance to meet him.

"I think I have someone in mind."