The Stars Between -- (VLD)

[20] Some company would be nice

           

Allura lay curled under her blankets, buried out of sight. She stared at the wall opposite her bed, unmoving. A wisp of hair fell over her eyes, but she didn't attempt to move it away.

"Princess," Coran said softly, standing by the door. He didn't come in any further, keeping his distance as he spoke to her. "Princess, I know losing the connection to the Blue Lion is... worrying, but we cannot lose hope."

Allura didn't reply, pulling her blanket closer to her chin. She was fully aware she was sulking like a child, but the blow of losing a Lion of Voltron was great, and affected her deeply.

"Besides, we still have to find the Black Lion and Shiro."

This time, she did turn her head, peering over her shoulder to Coran.

Had the wrinkles around his eyes always been that deep? Coran looked more tired than Allura had ever seen him, and she started to fear he was stretching himself thin.

"Y-yes..." she mumbled, "I suppose we do." Her heart wasn't in her words, hiding itself deep in her chest.

Blue had always been the most trusting of the Lions. She was the easiest to sense, and Allura was struggling to guess reasons as to why the connection was severed.

The worst scenario could only be the destruction of the Blue Lion. She refused to believe this to be the answer, but the dark though planted itself in her mind and refused to be tugged out.

"We'll all be waiting for you on the bridge when you're ready, Princess." Coran said, turning on his heel and retreating down the corridor. Allura closed her eyes and listened as his steps faded.

His steps sounded so much like Lance's.

Allura felt tears burn in the corners of her eyes and blinked, shaking them loose. One trapped itself in her eyelashes, the other slipping down her nose. She wiped at her face using her blankets, pulling her knees closer to her chest.

Something small crawled onto her shoulder, and Allura gasped quietly. "O-oh. It's just you..." she said, weakly lifting a hand so she could pet the mouse. The other three popped up from the hiding spots, and she braved a smile for them.

"Some company would be nice." She admitted, letting Chuchule nuzzle up to her cheek.

"I just don't know what to do. Shiro and Lance are both out there-" she refused to believe Lance was dead. He was strong and determined, and wouldn't let a situation like this get him down
"-and I know what the universe needs right now is Voltron, but how do we deal with missing Paladins and Lions?"

She let out a breath as Chulatt slid down her arm and sat next to Chuchule, both looking up at her expectantly.

"I mean, as much as it pains me to say, it would be much easier if we still had the Lions. Sure, it would be hard to find new paladins to bond with the Lions, but it's not impossible."

Allura realised she was talking to mice, but she needed to let the words spill out of her, as if extracting poison. "The Black Lion is our priority, but I fear for the fate of the Blue Lion. What if it has fallen into Zarkon's hands? What if he has both, but he felt he only needed the Black Lion and destroyed the Blue?"

Platt squeaked, tapping Allura's nose. She closed her eyes and counted her breaths, calming herself as best she could.

"I know I should not worry about them – I'm sure that Shiro and Lance can handle themselves."

The mice chattered, scattering as Allura sat up and ran a hand through her hair. She grimaced at the tangles, tugging a few out before setting her feet on the floor. She shivered as her bare feet touched the cold floor, standing on her toes as she moved quickly to where her slippers lay.

The mice squeaked again, and Allura looked back to her bed. They were standing on the edge, waving wildly at her. "Oh, you want to come as well?" she asked, making her way back over and holding out a hand. They scampered up her arm, coming to rest on her shoulders. Plachu squeaked pointing them onwards and Allura let out a quiet laugh.

It sounded dead on her ears, and the laughter petered out as quickly as it had begun. The mice looked at her in concern, and she smiled. "It's nothing. I'm just caught in my own thoughts, that's all."

Allura left her bed unmade – something she hadn't done since she was a child, long before the ten-thousand year reign of Zarkon and the Galra Empire had begun – and made her way slowly to the bridge. She didn't care if she was still in her nightgown, or that her hair was a mess. It was Allura, showing who she was.

Besides, it was hardly like the Paladins looked any better. They were all worn through from this; tired, but unable to sleep.

The door slid open and Allura stepped onto the bridge, noting how frail everyone seemed. Pidge rested her chin in her hand, eyes drooping shut every so often. Coran tapped at his control panel, turning systems off an on again to no effect. Hunk paced back and forth, speaking to himself.

Keith was nowhere to be seen, and Allura realised he must have been on the training deck again. A small burst of sympathy tugged at her heartstrings. Of all the Paladins, he had taken their loss of Shiro and Lance the hardest.

Allura suspected he blamed himself for it. And deep down, she also felt the same. If she hadn't insisted on infiltrating that Galra supply ship, she wouldn't have been captured. The rest of the team wouldn't have come to save her.

They would still be together.

Allura made her presence known, walking to the centre of the room. "I know it is difficult for us, with the loss of the Blue Lion..." she began, fidgeting slightly as everyone turned to look at her. "But we must keep our aim in sight – we are Voltron, and we must continue our fight."

She raised her chin ever-so-slightly.

"We must not give up hope."