The Thief Who Stole My Heart

One

Lance McClain struggled to keep up with the princess, her books cradled in his arms and her bag slung over a shoulder as they moved quickly throughout the museum.

"Altea was founded upon the great Mount Balmera, whose energy has sustained our people throughout the ages," the guide was explaining.

Princess Allura finally came to a stop behind the small crowd of teenagers gathered where the guide stood. Lance bumped into her accidentally as he struggled to stop as well. This earned him a glare from her, to which he uttered a soft apology. He would pay for that later.

"But the Balmera's strength is not given without sacrifice." The guide continued, waving her arm at the model depicting Mount Balmera. Below it, the form of the monster Voltron glowed. "Every other generation, the first princess of Altea willingly gives her life in exchange for the Balmera's energy. If she failed to do so, the Balmera would not protect our great country, and the terrible monster Voltron would awake from his slumber and destroy us all."

Lance didn't have to look away from the model to know that the guide and several members of the crowd had their eyes on Princess Allura. It was no secret that the beautiful young woman was the next in line to be sacrificed to the Balmera. Even so, it didn't matter. If Lord Zarkon had his way, there wouldn't be a sacrificial ritual.

The Alteans, Galrans, and the humans were all at war with one another, an unfortunate problem that had persisted for years. Lord Zarkon, king of the Galrans, had made threats that he would have the princess killed before the ritual could be completed, leaving the Alteans at the mercy of the great beast.

But Lance wasn't all that concerned. The royal guard at the palace was thorough. He doubted an Galra soldier could get through their defenses.

"Lance," Allura snapped, nudging him with her shoulder, "Did you hear what I said?"

He shook himself from his thoughts, his eyes widening as he realized that the presentation had ended and the Altean princess was looking at him. He blinked in surprise as he looked into her eyes. They could have been twins, if his hair were white. They had the same tan skin, similar slender build - although Lance didn't have a chest, obviously - and angular Altean features. Additionally, his Altean markings were blue, while hers were pink. He had once wondered if they were related, but once he got to know her, he was glad they weren't.

"You imbecile," Allura continued, her eyes narrowed, "Look where you're going next time!"

"Sorry," Lance muttered, not truly bothered. It didn't really matter what Allura thought about him, because he knew why she was always so rude. She'd known she was going to die at a young age her whole life. It wasn't fair, and he knew it. He thought that perhaps that was why she was unkind. But there was no way for him to know if that was true or not.

Allura rolled her eyes and started moving towards the exit, "Come on, we must get back to the castle before Father becomes worried."

The castle was a large white thing, pale blue draped from the terraces. Sunlight shined upon it, making it glow in the setting sun.

"The preparations for the ball are nearly complete," Allura murmured softly, her eyelids half-lowered. According to tradition, there was a ball to be held for the princess's twentieth birthday. Two full moons following would mark the night of the ritual.

"Come along then," she hissed, leading the way inside the grand castle. Lance had long since grown accustomed to the spacious rooms well-traveled by guards and staff alike.

He'd been a servant to the royal family for nearly five years now, so his knowledge of the castle was barely limited. He didn't overly mind that the princess was unkind to him, he still relatively enjoyed the work. Even so, as the day wore on, he grew tired. The narrow cot he fell on at the end of the night welcomed him with a sweet good night's kiss.