74Dreams to Reality
I originally wrote this story many years ago when I started re-watching the series I had loved as a child. As with many writers, practice makes you better (I am far from perfect). I've wanted to redo it for some time and finally got so sick of my "To Do" list getting longer and just did it.
Not only are some of the more problematic grammar issues adjusted, I have also slightly changed the plot. I think it is a better story now.
Thanks for stopping by to read, I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer- You know I don't own it ;)
Five lions soared past the castle in a tight formation causing a rush of air and a blur of color to hit those watching in awe from the ground.
"Ok team nice pass, now let's try another one- Princess you take the lead." The voice in the Black Lion said with a hint of pride at the team's accomplished training runs so far.
"Really Keith?" Allura's voice called out with a happy and excited tone. "Do you really think I can do it?"
"Roger that." Black Lion blasted forward and then flew to the back of the formation giving the princess and Blue Lion the lead. "Just remember the things we've practiced."
"Right." The Blue Lion roared and lead the team into the next series of turns and maneuvers.
"Lance, watch your vectors!" Keith barked out, and within a fraction of a second, Red Lion corrected course with ease.
"OK, now what Keith?" The woman in a pink and white flight suit asked as she took the crew upwards and into another roll. The four lions followed her lead, even without verbal commands, the team was in sync.
"You're in charge- you tell me." Keith replied to her through the com link. The smile on his face grew as he saw the concentration on her face; she was truly a natural with the flying once she got over her shyness and fear.
"Alright team. Let's try formation Blue 5- over the mountains," came her confident instruction. She knew this was going to be a challenge. Previous attempts were rusty at best, but she wanted to give it another try.
"Are you sure you can lead that one Princess?" Pidge asked from in the Green Lion. He didn't doubt her abilities, but they had issues with that one, all of them.
"She'll do fine- as long as everyone keeps their ships under control." Keith said over the com.
"Right." Hunk replied. Lance nodded and the five lions increased their speed. The Princess was the first to pull up and fly almost 90 degrees in the air to avoid the mountain followed by a series of deep dives and simulated bombing runs.
Pidge and Hunk were next, followed by Lance. And Keith took the maneuver like a skilled professional effortlessly. A cheer came up from within each lion as the maneuver was completed with success.
"Nice one team." Keith nodded approval as they blasted forward in separate directions before returning to formation.
After several more drills and runs the five pilots returned to the castle.
"You did well out there Princess." Hunk smiled at her as they retired to the rec room for a little relaxation before lunch was served.
The large man patted the woman now simply dressed in her all pink jump suit on the back before moving into the room and sitting on one of the long couches. Lance slumped down on the other side of the couch while Pidge was over in the corner next to Hunk. The younger lad had already picked up his last night's project with Hunk watching him tinker- the excited looks in their eyes made her smile.
Inside, Allura beamed with the compliments from the three men who were like brothers to her at this point. Their encouragement meant a great deal, however, she knew the words of the one man missing from the room meant much more.
Standing up from her place nearer the others, she walked to the door almost expecting the man on her mind to enter at any second with a smile for her.
Her sigh must have been loud enough for Lance to hear as the brown haired hotshot pilot of Red Lion smiled.
"He'll be a bit. Don't worry so much."
But she did worry. She always worried about her Commander, her champion, her protector… Her secret love, Keith Kogane.
It had only been four days since their last encounter with one blue skinned Prince of Doom. Keith and Lotor had one of their infamous bloody battles right before her eyes, and no matter how skilled Keith was, or how much she trusted and believed in him prevailing, she had to be honest that she had been terrified.
Lotor had cornered the team during a training exercise. Allura had been training in the Black Lion when the attack happened. It was one of the few times she had actually gotten the nerve to ask Keith to let her try flying Black. To her surprise he smiled and rested his hand on her shoulder as he relinquished the key to her.
With her in Black, meant that their captain was piloting Blue. Things were going fine enough, general commands to correct her course bearings from him came here and there, but nothing major.
That was when it all happened. Out of nowhere, once again undetected due to Haggar's handy work, Lotor's battle ship and several robeasts attacked. The group scrambled and fought them off.
Keith took several dangerous hits cursing that he didn't have the normal girth and power of Black. Before he could complain too much, the manoeuvrability of the Blue allowed him to score some impressive hits on the battleship.
Sadly it wasn't enough and soon both Blue Lion and the enemy were both dealing with flames and sparking damaged electronics. Much like the normal procedure followed by the Prince of Doom, Lotor followed the injured lion as it crashed to the ground.
Once realizing Keith was ok, the rest of the guys chuckled when Lotor screamed in anger realizing no such fair princess awaited him in the lion.
Both fighters immediately got to their feet and began a heated ground battle. As much as the others wanted to help, they had their hands full with the robeasts launched.
Keith and Lotor were both skilled fighters; however, Lotor was willing to fight dirty. While both laser swords were at odds, the Prince pulled out a blaster and shot Keith twice. Any normal person would have fallen to the ground defeated, but not the Voltron Force Commander.
Lotor, once again erring in his self-confidence thinking Keith would be incapacitated, let down his guard and was punished as Keith swung his sword into Lotor's unprotected midsection.
Lotor shrieked in pain as his side and lower stomach received a nasty slice from the sword. The wound instantly cauterized from the heat, but the pain must have been painful as Lotor's voice carried enough for Hagar to notice.
Her deadly beasts instantly covered her as she drove down from her safe vantage point to reach her master. The heir to the Doom Empire was rescued and whisked away before Keith could finish him off. The robeasts, left alone, without additional magic protection were destroyed with a re-focused effort from both the lions and castle bombardments.
Looking up into the clearing sky, Keith had passed out not long before the battle was finished and the lions on their way to get him.
"What could be taking Keith so long?" Allura asked Lance as she caught the curious eyes of the brown haired pilot looking at her near the door. She sighed and walked over to take a seat as well.
"I don't know." He shrugged. "What I want to know is why aren't we taking a break? Lotor will be out of commission for at least a week, if not more with that injury- it was pretty bad, and that witch used a lot of magic with that escape… so why can't we get out of a few lion practices?" He asked pointing his finger in the air as he said his peace.
"You know Keith wouldn't want us to get caught like that again. I mean 'Always be prepared and then some' is like his motto." Hunk commented from the corner.
"But if he's in that much pain, you would think Keith would at least take a few more days off to let those wounds heal." Pidge added. "I mean he's winced a couple of times during practice the last few days…"
"Keith can't stand doing nothing. Even at the academy he broke his leg once, but he limped to class the very next morning. He could have had at least a week off of classes." Lance sighed shrugging his shoulders.
"Yeah- I'm surprised Keith is going to the doctors at all. It must be really bothering him. You know how he hates MedTech." Hunk commented.
"Has he mentioned anything to you all? He keeps brushing me off when I ask about it." Allura asked more worried than ever with the news on her mysterious captain.
"When have you ever known him to complain about anything? Other than not enough military rules, practice drills and security measures." Lance added quickly to his own question only to receive a laugh from Pidge and Hunk.
"You need to add the times you do something stupid." Hunk added.
"Which is like every day…" Came the youngest of the group's voice.
Lance faked a pout before turning back to the woman still carrying a worried frown on her face.
"You gotta watch that one closely to figure out the little tell-tale signs… for example, when he is hiding some really bad pain, his eyebrow quirks up a lot more than usual." Lance demonstrated, Allura looked at him with some disbelief, she had not noticed that. "We've been here for a few years, I would have thought at least YOU would have found a few of his little quirks out by now." He shot her the look that told of his knowledge of the hidden feelings shared between his now two best friends.
"Well, I…I would like to get …closer…but." Allura blushed slightly. When it came to the handsome captain of the Voltron Force she was smitten. Lance's smile seemed to only feed her blush. 'Darn that Lance,' she thought. He always did like to rile her up on this topic.
"It's just that we're all friends and I want to... I mean it isn't... I worry about him… you all."
"Maybe some more than others… especially ones with longer dark hair and a body that you could..."
"Lance!" She cried flustered beyond words at this point.
Lance began to laugh seeing Allura stumble and try to keep herself from admitting openly her interest in their red suited captain. Allura's blush of innocence turned into a flush of anger as he kept prying.
The fair skinned princess didn't know what to do. All three men were looking at her with different looks. While Pidge and Hunk had a 'what is going on' kind of look, Lance was smirking like a Cheshire cat, or whatever that animal was called in the book Keith had lent her about white rabbits, playing cards and strange lands.
Staying here and being laughed at was not something she wanted to do anymore, when Lance got in his teasing mode it would only end with her leaving the room, or Keith putting a stop to it… Standing quickly, she walked away in a huff.
"Ok Lance, what's up?" Hunk asked not liking how the Princess had fled from the room. It didn't take a genius to know that something his teammate had said upset her.
"Gentlemen, I have all the proof needed to prove my theory correct, well except for verbal admissions, but close enough!" Lance smirked at the lost faces on his friends. "The reoccurring blushes, the hanging on his every word, her batting eye lashes, the over protectiveness of him to the point it makes me sick…."
"Come again there Casanova?" Hunk said confused at where Lance was going with his list of seemingly random occurrences.
"I'm not the Casanova this time." Lance replied smirking. "But some tall, black haired, long lashed, dark eyed Voltron Force alliance pilot is." Lance winked.
"Keith?" Pidge asked confused. "A casanova? Are we talking about the same person here?"
"It seems the fair Princess is the next victim to fall for Keith's secret charms."
"Secret charms?" Pidge interrupted him. "Lance, can you come back to Arus and explain what you are mumbling at?" Pidge looked at Hunk who looked similarly perplexed.
"It's simple kiddo, they're secret even to Keith!" Lance nodded liking his proof more and more. "He doesn't know what he does to the ladies. It's not fair. If I could affect women like that- man I'd use that gift." Lance chuckled at the thought.
Allura stormed out of the rec room. She felt the flush on her face and couldn't help go even redder with more embarrassment.
'Stupid!' She berated herself. 'You basically confessed your feelings for him… and to Lance! His best friend!' A long sigh escaped her lips as she kept walking away from the room.
'Why? Why do you have to have these feelings? What is it about that man… that tall, gentle, courageous…NO! Allura stop this. He's just a pilot…a…a ruffian. That's what Nanny calls them… but Keith? He's such a kind soul at heart… and those smiles, he can't be a ruffian. No, he's not that to me… to me he's a… knight, my knight….'
Over the past months she had felt a stronger connection growing day by day with the dashing commander. It was hard for her to admit it, but he was quickly becoming one of the many reasons she kept pushing for the rebuilding, completing her diplomat lessons and all the other things that made her days filled with pain and suffering.
While her mind was having an inner battle with her heart to figure out exactly what these feelings were… she soon found that her legs were now entering the battle. Coming to a complete stop, she blinked a few times and realized where she was - the Medical Wing.
'Well the least you could do is see how he's doing. He did save your planet again.' Collecting herself mentally, she walked into the Med Tech.
"Well now, I seem to have an unexpected guest today nurse." The older doctor smiled seeing a figure enter the main office area of the castle's medical wing. "Then again, seeing that you should STILL be here, I guess it isn't all that unexpected you came back. Pushing yourself will only lead to more damage and injury."
The black haired captain, who took the lecture and moved to sit on an examining table nodded silently not really allowing the professional opinion register too much in his mind. Taking off his shirt, he noticed the red stained bandages and sighed.
"I can deal with the pain- I'm use to that." He replied knowing that he couldn't afford a break now even if they thought Lotor was out of commission for a time.
"So you're telling me I'm going to have to make this an official order and get others involved to get you to take a break?" Doctor Groma tapped on one of areas he knew had to be still sore. This earned a cringe from Keith at the throbbing pain the contact caused.
Doctor Gorma, normally a patient and caring man just shook his head. Extreme measures were needed with his current patient.
As much as Keith tried not to show how much his latest wounds hurt, it was hard to hide both a painful walk and limited range of motion due to the matching blaster scar on his shoulder.
As the Doctor turned away from the other man to get a tube of slave, he could not stifle a smile at the stubborn Captain before him.
"What did I do in a past life to get so many stubborn patients under my care?" The doctor mumbled as he began applying the medicine.
"You know, a normal person would actually enjoy a break, but you? You are quite a mystery to us here on Arus, Captain."
"I wouldn't feel too bad there doc, the Garrison had their hands full with me too."
"I can imagine."
"Well I'm - AH! Watch it will you doc, if I didn't know better, you're hitting it on purpose to prove a point." Keith said knowing full well the older man was doing.
"Doing what Captain? I'm doing my job showing you that you're in need of rest!" The doctor looked straight into Keith's eyes being as stubborn as the other.
Silence enveloped the room as the doctor continued to wrap a fresh bandage over Keith's shoulder, adding a bit more pressure to the wound to prove a point. Keith let out an angered roar of pain as he yanked his shoulder away from the doctor.
From the corner of the room came a small gasp. Keith heard it right away and turned his attention off the doctor and to a shocked princess near the door.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to intrude but… Keith you're bleeding!" She cried as she saw a red blot soak through what had been pristine white bandages. She was at his side in seconds before either man could react.
"Dr. Gorma!" Allura looked worriedly at Keith as she took the bandages from the man's hand and began to unwind the now bloody ones.
"Well Princess, I was only..." the doctor tried to explain his course of persuasion, but was hushed by Allura as she handed the man the used bandages. The expression in her eyes told the doctor it was time to be quiet and back off.
"Princess, really…" Keith began, but was hushed by her gentle touch on his shoulder. The contact of her soft hand on his skin sent gentle shocks through his body. The woman before him had that power over him, and it drove him crazy. It only added to his troubles when the realization of the only explanation he could muster being the cause started to plague his mind.
He sat in silence as she gracefully moved about him, bandaging his shoulder. When the wrap was secured, Allura's bright blue eyes looked up at him.
"Th-thank you." Was all Keith could muster while he tried to pull himself back together.
Allura smiled when she noticed her hand still rested lightly on his chest. Quickly removing it, she hoped her blush didn't give her away.
"Well now." Groma said as he came back into the room with a plastic bottle of medicine, still looking at his clipboard. He seemed to not notice the moment that the two had just shared. "I will give you this and expect to see you back here in two days." Handing Keith a slip of paper and a bottle of pills, he smiled. Keith quickly read the slip.
"You can't be serious…"
"No arguments captain! You will not fly for at least two full days or I will contact the Garrison! You will also rest and stay off that leg - which I remind you I told you before you escaped from my care the last time." Keith was about to open his mouth to protest when a whirl of long blond hair and a waft of a floral scent cut him off.
"Is it that serious doctor?" Her eyes were back on him, pinning him with those worried pools of fathomless blue. "Keith… why didn't you say something?"
The frustration he had felt with Doctor Gorma had somehow faded and was replaced with sadness. She was really worried about him. Before he could try and down play the injury as he got off the bed, Allura was helping him. She took his arm and stood close to his injured leg, trying to act as a support. She had seen the boys do similar things before with injured people.
"Thank you doctor, I will make sure he gets some rest." Allura replied as she and Keith left Med Tech before Keith could get a word out.
The confused look on Keith's face must have been missed by the Princess at his side and all forms of protest quickly evaporated.
"Who do you remind me of?" The doctor asked no one in particular watching the pair leave. "Oh well, if anyone will get him to rest, it would have to be someone just as stubborn." A kind hearted smile on the doctor's lips brightened as the doors closed and the pair was gone.
Allura was trying her best to take some of Keith's weight off his injured leg as they walked back to his quarters. She was a bit frustrated knowing that due to her smaller size, she wasn't helping a lot. He was still walking normally, but at least he was allowing her to try, that meant something.
"Really Princess, I'm fine." Keith began once they had passed a few guards in the hallway. He knew what would come if certain people found out about this close contact- no matter how innocent it was- and harass him to no end. And if somehow he was lucky, Nanny would not hear of it either. A small shudder ran down his spine at the thought of the stout woman.
"Doc is just overreacting… I'm perfectly fine."
"Keith, you've been keeping this from us for days! When were you planning to tell us you were in this kind of pain? And why were we doing such serious drills in the Lions?" She stopped and looked at him with a fire in her eyes.
"I…" He sighed and ran his hand through his hair in defeat; he started them both walking again. Continuing their walk in silence, he was resigned to just let it go.
"You had us worried." She said in but a whisper, her eyes looking at the floor. By now they were outside Keith's room. "I… I was worried about you." She suddenly said as he keyed in the code and the door swished open.
If being this close to him and walking through the castle with him shirtless wasn't 'scandalous' enough, the thought of Allura entering his room would make Nanny's head pop off like a champagne cork. 'Tread carefully my friend,' his brain warned.
"Princess, I don't know what to say. I didn't want you or anyone to worry over me… I'm… sorry, I'm just not use to people fussing over me." Keith said trying to make her understand he was fine and turned to step into his room. 'Please, please leave it at that,' he thought but she would have nothing of it.
"I understand you didn't want us to worry," she began following him as he walked into his room, "but I do…er, we do. The boys, Coran, and even Nanny." She said as he finally sat on his bed. Allura stood before him trying to not look at his still nearly bare chest; while they were walking her view had been obstructed, but now…
"You need to be more careful… please be more careful." She pleaded. The silence between the two continued for a few moments as Keith looked at her face and she tried to look around at anything other than at him and those dark eyes.
"Princess…"
"I want you to get some rest… please Keith." She looked at him knowing he was about to protest, the look of worry and concern silenced whatever was going to come out of his mouth. He sighed and nodded.
Feeling a little uncomfortable with her there "tucking him into bed," Keith tried to relax as much as he could. He couldn't help but see her smile as she was allowed to help him even a little as he lay down. Kicking off his shoes he reached for his sheets.
Their hands met as she too tried to straighten out the light fabric to cover him.
Chuckling, Keith closed his eyes, not wanting to look at her and her deep orbs.
"What's so funny Captain?" Allura smiled, enjoying the more relaxed captain before her.
"It's just that no one has tucked me in since… well it's been a really long time. Lance would say I'm getting soft by giving up this easily…"
Allura could see the gears of thought turning in his mind as he opened his eyes once more. His brows furrowed which meant he was thinking about something serious. She smiled as she finally noticed a quirk Lance had talked about earlier.
"I guess for the rest of the day, I'll stay put. I should contact Hunk and tell him to switch patrol with me, but practice tomorrow…"
"I will tell the team to split the shifts up, and even I can help watch things in between my studies. And as for practice, well, you can sleep in tomorrow or watch from castle control with Coran." Her arms crossed in front of her chest taking a firm stance. "Doctor Gorma did say that in the event of an emergency, you could fly… but ONLY an emergency." She nodded with as much authority as she could muster. And before Keith could say another word, Allura turned and walked to the door. Turning off the lights she stopped and looked back at her silent Captain in his bed.
"I'll send some dinner up in a few hours- until then get some rest… please." Her pleading voice and eyes lingered in his mind long after she had vanished behind the door.
Keith was left alone in this room… wondering what exactly had just happened.
