Here's the new chapter (finally).  Enjoy.

-------------------------

Chapter 10



"Hey, Jeff!" Lance called, rounding the corner to see the air team
captain leaning against a wall, looking annoyed.  "How are things?"



Jeff smiled half-heartedly.  "About as well as can be expected,
considering everything that's happened in the past few days."



Lance laughed.  "Yeah, I know what you mean.  I've just been through a
whirlwind royal wedding!  And a few days ago, I still thought I had a
shot at the Princess myself."  He paused.  "Speaking of that, have you
seen Ginger anywhere?"



Jeff rolled his eyes.  "No, I haven't.  I'll tell her you're looking for
her, though... once I'm done giving her a lecture about interfering in
my personal affairs."



Lance gave him a sly grin.  "Oh?  And just what, prey tell, did she do
to you?  Does it happen to have something to do with that lipstick stain
that was on your uniform last night?  And who's lipstick was it, anyway-
there aren't very many girls on your ship.  I'm pretty sure it wasn't
Ginger's... and it DEFINITELY wasn't Cinda's."



Jeff rolled his eyes.  "Does everyone know about that, already?
Sheesh...."



"Just those of us who saw you when you came in, last night," Lance
answered.  "And anyone who might have gossipped about it... oh, yeah,
and then there was the security camera footage... and you never know if
King Alfor is there to see what's going on, him being a ghost and all...
and possibly-"



"Enough, already!" Jeff growled, clenching his fists.  "A word of
warning, Lance- I'm not really as forgiving as Keith is, remember.  If
the teasing gets out of hand, I WILL strike back... and given everything
that happened between you and Ginger in our Academy days, I've got
plenty of ammunition to back up that threat."



Lance grinned.  "Hey, we weren't shy about it.  It was kinda hard to be,
after Keith caught us that one time and Ginger had to streak the whole
compound."



"As embarrassing as that was, it WAS worth it," Ginger's voice said from
behind Lance.  She playfully slapped him on the butt as she passed,
watching him blush out of the corner of her eye.  She spun around to
face him.  "Long time no see, stranger.  So, what does one do for
breakfast around here?"



"Uh, um... well, heh," Lance said incomprehensibly.



Ginger sighed theatrically.  "Lancey, Lancey, Lancey... I'd think you
could string two words together around me by now.  Why don't you just
show me, huh?" she said, fluttering her lashes at him.



Jeff wondered if Lance would start drooling when the girl slipped her
hand into the crook of the lion pilot's arm, and rolled his eyes.  Well,
he wouldn't ruin Lance's reunion right now, but Ginger was DEFINITELY
getting a talking to next chance he got.



*          *          *          *          *



Chip and Pidge both bent over to check the computer readout at the same
time.  Their heads collided with an audible bang.



"Ow!" Chip said rubbing his head, wincing.



"I know you two brothers like to put your heads together sometimes, but
I doubt that's really the best way to do it," a demurely feminine voice
said from the doorway.



Chip turned in the direction of the voice, blinked once in mild
surprise, and then shrugged it off.  Pidge, on the other hand, could do
little more than gape.  Standing just inside the cafeteria appeared
what, to him, seemed to be an absolute goddess.  And, since it wasn't
the princess, it was entirely possible she wasn't taken.



Lisa smiled at them.  She was wearing the outfit Nanny had given her- a
dress suitable for daily life in a royal court, but still reasonably
comfortable and just a little bit sexy.  It was a strapless,
short-sleeved maroon outfit with a vest decorated in gold accents.
Obviously, it was something the matronly caregiver would never have
allowed her princess to wear, since it wasn't formal enough and showed
off too much of her skin, but it was still quite suitable for knocking
the socks off of a certain someone she had her eye on.  Not that she
needed it, but it was nice to have, anyway.



"I agree," Chip said simply.  "Pidge's head is much too hard."



Pidge couldn't even make a comeback as entranced as he was by the girl
who had entered their impromptu workshop.  "Uh, hi," he said, his voice
cracking slightly.



Lisa blinked at him, wondering what was wrong.  Deciding it wasn't too
important, she looked at Chip.  "Say, have you, uh, seen Jeff anywhere?"



"Yeah," Chip replied.  "He'd stopped by earlier, looking for Ginger.  He
wasn't exactly his normal, semi-competant self, though.  He was still
wearing his uniform from yesterday... lipstick stains and all."



That shattered Pidge's fantasy.  Of COURSE the second-most attractive
woman he had ever seen (after the Princess- er, Queen- of course) was
taken by someone... and of course that someone had to be a Voltron
captain.  Well, there weren't too many more Voltron captains to go, were
there?



Lisa blushed.  "Oops.  Uh, knowing him, he probably already asked this,
but could you not mention that to anyone?"



"We won't," Chip replied, grinning.  "But if you're planning to wear
THAT around him, we won't need to- anyone'll be able to see what's going
on."



That was a pretty big flaw in her plan, wasn't it?  Oh, well- too late
now.  "If we're lucky, no-one will see us," Lisa answered.  "If not...
well, we'll deal with whatever consequences as they happen."  She
sighed.  "Anyway, thanks.  See you two later.  Have fun."



Pidge watched her go with a heavy sigh.  Chip started to turn back to
the work when he noticed his brother's odd mood.



"Hey, Paul," he said, using his given name.  "Is something bothering
you?"



Pidge was silent for a moment, staring at the empty doorway.  Finally,
he said, "How long until we're grown up enough to win girls like our
respective captains get, huh?  I had the biggest crush on the Princess,
and guess who gets her?  My oh-so-proper captain, Keith.  Then I see a d
ream like Lisa, and who's she going after?  YOUR captain, Jeff.  It's
not fair."



Chip laughed.  "If it makes you feel any better, there are a few girls
aboard the Explorer I think you might find are more your type.  None of
the Voltron team, but some of our science team's laboratory assistants
are VERY nice-looking, and are still fairly young.  A few are your age-
though, since they aren't from Balto like we are, they look a little
older."



Pidge sighed.  "That's one thing I really HATE about my ancestry- why
did I have to look like a 12 year old when I was 18?"



"It might help if you quit acting like such a kid, you know.  At any
rate, aren't you due for the growth spurt soon, bro?" Chip said.
"You're almost 20, now, right?  Isn't that when the 'gene therapy'
treatments we had to recieve to survive in Balto's atmosphere as kids
wear off, and we start growing like hell?"



"Yeah," Pidge admitted ruefully.  "And, as much as I hate looking like a
kid, I'm almost dreading the 'maturation process.'  I'm going to be
undergoing eight years worth of human growth in eight weeks- and I've
heard it can be VERY painful.  You're only a couple of years away from
it, yourself."



"Look at it this way.  At least, after you've gone through all that
pain, you'll be able to start picking up girls without getting wierd
looks, right?"



Pidge laughed.  "Yeah.  Come on, let's get back to work."



*          *          *          *          *



Allura watched her husband, wearing a draped over his shoulder and his
fingers twitching against some of his burn wounds as if they wanted to
scratch, pace around their hospital room furiously.



"You're going to ruin all of Dr. Gorma's work at this rate," she noted
in concern.



Keith blinked.  "Huh?  Oh, sorry.  I'm just thinking."  He sat back down
on his hospital bed and sighed.  "I feel so helpless, right now."  He
looked over at her still lying in her own bed.  "And I let you get hurt,
dammit."



Allura laughed slightly.  "LET me get hurt?  Hardly, dear.  And I most
assuredly did NOT get the worst out of this last encounter.  And while
we may not be at 100%, I don't believe we are helpless by far.  The
Vehicle team is staying with us, and I have a feeling they won't turn
against us after that show of defiance Jeff led.  And then there's the
castle defenses, which are still at full strength, and the Explorer,
which can pack quite a punch even as badly damaged as it is."



"Not right now, it can't," came a voice from the doorway.  Allura and
Keith both looked to see Jeff coming in through the door.  "Mind if I
come in?  I figure you won't be able to relax today until we've had a
chance to discuss the military situation, Keith."



"Darned straight," Keith replied.  "How are we?  And why can't the
Explorer fight?"



"No crew," Jeff explained.  "Life support systems gave out a few hours
ago.  It's not even safe to work in the atmosphere until we at least get
the ventilation systems re-established, or else the air will grow
poisonous.  Repair crews will be working on it with portable air
supplies, but it'll still be a while before it's livable again."



"Hell," Keith snapped.  "That robeast did quite a number on all of us,
didn't it?"



Jeff nodded.  "Black Lion is crippled.  Coran told me that it'll take at
least a week to get it back even into flying shape, and much longer than
that to get it fully functional.  Blue has some minor damage, but after
your repair crews worked on it last night it could go back into battle
right now, if necessary.  The other Lions, like your castle, were
untouched."



"And your Voltron?"



"Better off than yours," Jeff snorted.  "Minor damage to all vehicles.
Most of it was repaired last night, but there are still a few things
like monitors blown out and some ugly-looking scratches to the paint job
to be done.  Repair crews are concentrating on the Explorer, now,
though."



"Good.  Tell Pidge, though, that if he needs manpower for his special
project, he can pull it off of Black Lion's repair team.  His project
has priority, got that?"



Jeff blinked.  "Well, sure.  But what IS Pidge's 'special project,'
anyway?"



"Hopefully, the key to keeping this whole Doom campaign as short as
possible."



Jeff blinked.  "Well, what is THAT?"



"Hey, Jeff?" another voice, this one distinctly feminine, inquired.



Jeff knew who it was right away.  He couldn't keep a self-conscious grin
off his face as he turned around to see Lisa standing just inside the
room, leaning against the wall and grinning through her lashes at him.



"Lisa?" he said, nearly choking when he saw how she was dressed.  He had
a hard time remembering her in civilian clothes at all- much less in an
outfit like that.  "Uh, hi."



Lisa smiled broadly.  Some of the notions that first Ginger, and now
Nanny, had put into her head were convincing her to make some...
interesting plans for that morning.  That kiss they'd had right before
the battle had definitely helped.  "Have you had breakfast yet?" she
asked coyly.



"No," Jeff replied shakily.  "But I was at the cafeteria earlier
tonight.  It looks like it might get crowded in there."  Everyone in the
room knew that what he really meant was that the cafeteria was not a
very private place.



"I noticed.  I was going to see if I could arrange for something outside
of the cafeteria- an indoor picnic-like thing, maybe- for breakfast.
Care to join me?"



Jeff swallowed and nodded.  Lisa offered her arm, which he (very
gingerly) took, and the pair made their way out of the hospital suite.



Kieth watched them go and sighed.  "I suppose I'll have to let Pidge
know, myself.  I wonder how long that's been going on?"



Allura laughed.  "I don't know.  They do look cute together, though."



"I know," Kieth replied.  "I used to date Lisa back in our Academy days-
don't worry, though, you have nothing to worry about, it didn't last
long."  He grinned at her as she struggled to keep the jealousy off her
face before continuing.  "Actually, I knew after the first date that it
wouldn't work out- she was too much like me!  I couldn't put up with
someone who had the same discipline and work ethic I did.  I figured
she'd be great for Jeff, though, considering he had enough passion and
emotion to balance her out.  But I never thought it would actually
happen- they didn't go on a single date during the entire six years I
knew the two of them."



"I never thought we'd happen at times," Allura sighed.  "But a female
you -- that's a scary concept."



"Tell me about it," Keith grinned.  "So, you're being released today,
huh?"



Allura nodded.  "In just a few minutes.  I'm coming back here tonight,
though, unless Dr. Gorma says my bed here is needed for some reason."



"How about you give Pidge my message for me?"



A nurse came in, and looked at Allura's chart.  With a smile at her
queen, she said, "Well, everything checks out.  We'll have someone send
in a change of clothes for you, and then you can go."



"Thank you," Allura said, smiling slightly.  "I'll let Pidge know,
Kieth."



"And you, your majesty," the nurse continued, turning to her king.
"Will likely be free to go in the morning... as long as you promise not
to do anything too strenuous.  But only if you quit pacing all over the
place."



Kieth blinked.  "You... saw me?"



"Half the hospital staff has seen you up and walking at least once since
you've been in here," she informed him.  "Now, are you going to relax,
or are we going to have to strap you down?"



Kieth raised an eyebrow.  "Now, I don't really know what to think of
this being a king business, but surely I could refuse to let you do
that, couldn't I?"



The nurse smiled slightly.  "Well, we might need the Queen's permission
for that..."



"I think you'd better listen to them, Kieth," Allura noted.  "I've been
thinking about strapping you down, myself, watching you pace like that."



Kieth's right eye twitched at that as a rather peculiar image of a
scantily clad Allura tying him down onto a hospital bed flickered in his
head.  It might be interesting... but he should at least wait until he
was healthy for something like that.  Besides, who knew what she would
think if she realized he might actually WANT her to tie him up some day?
"Uh, no, I think I can stop pacing for now."



The nurse blinked at Kieth's sudden change of attitude, until she
realized just what he was thinking.  Chuckling, she noted, "Well, I hope
so.  Although we'll be sure to sent for the Queen if you don't."



An orderly arrived with Allura's change of clothes, and Kieth sighed.
"Well, guess it's time for you to go, Allura."



Allura grabbed the gown, kissed him quickly on the lips, and headed off
to the bathroom to change.  "If you're feeling lonely, just call.  I'll
come by if I can, so don't cause a ruckus here just to get my attention,
okay?" she said over her shoulder.  "And if I have to come and tie you
down, you aren't leaving that bed for days.  Even if I have to sit on
you to make sure."



Allura grinned, catching his blush in the bathroom mirror before closing
the door behind her.  She may have been an 'innocent' before her
marraige, but that didn't mean she hadn't learned how to tease a man.



*          *          *          *          *



Jeff just couldn't take his eyes off of Lisa as they walked down the
castle's maze of hallways.  He almost couldn't believe that this was the
same woman he had seen coming back from a battle just the previous night
with singed hair, dirt and oil smudges on her cheeks and nose, and a
cruddy uniform.  How had she undergone the transformation from that --
which he found pretty darn attractive anyway -- to this goddess in one
night?



"So, what do you think?" Lisa asked, noticing him checking her out.



"Huh?" Jeff said, startled out of his thought.  Then he realized just
what she was asking, and blushed slightly when he realized with
certainty that he had been caught staring.  "Um, well... all I can say
is... wow!"



"Thanks," Lisa said.  "The woman everyone around here seems to only know
as 'Nanny' woke me up this morning and declared that every girl who came
to this castle deserved a royal treatment, and then she helped clean me
up and found me this dress."



Jeff's eyes focused for a moment, and he shook his head.  "Incredible
dress... I'm a bit surprised they have something like that in here.
While it looks perfectly classy, and damned attractive on you, it seems
just a bit too provocative for the type of dress royalty or nobility
would typically wear around here."



"Don't ask me where she found it," Lisa said.  "I'm not only surprised
at that, but that she was able to find something like this that FIT!
And how in the world did she do this to my hair?"



Jeff noticed her hair for the first time.  He remembered, suddenly, that
when he'd seen her after the battle he was afraid she'd have to cut her
hair short.  The fire had singed it pretty badly, but now it almost
looked longer than it had before.  No, on second thought, it just looked
at is it had never been damaged at all.  Which he was grateful for, as
he loved her hair just as it had been.  "I hadn't even noticed, thanks
to the dress.  And I hope you take this as a compliment, but your hair
doesn't look any different at all, despite the battle."



"Thanks.  They have some pretty miraculous things on this planet," Lisa
noted.  "Who knew a treatment for burnt hair was one of them?"



"So," Jeff said.  "What do you want to do today, anyway?"



"Well, I think we've got a few things we really need to talk about,"
Lisa suggested.  "Then... well, it's up to you, I think.  What is there
to do in this castle, anyways?"



"Well, I'm not sure.  Whadya say we find out?"



"Sure thing... after our little talk," Lisa cautioned.  "I mean, we've
kissed and all, but... what are we going to do now?"



Jeff shrugged.  "Well, what do you think we're going to do?  We're going
to try and see where this relationship will take us.  I don't think
there's really much to decide this early in the game, except perhaps
when we're going to go out next and where to go when we do."



Lisa shifted uncomfortably.  "Shouldn't we set some ground rules first
or something?"



Jeff shrugged.  "Why?  I believe in taking things as they come.
Obviously, we shouldn't do anything that'll effect how we work, we maybe
should keep the public displays to a minimum to keep the rumor mill
down, and we shouldn't force each other to do something we're
uncomfortable with.  Beyond that, I don't believe in rules to govern our
love lives."



"What I mean," Lisa said, looking even more disconcerted then before.
"Is, well, are we in a committed relationship, or what?"



"Too soon to tell," Jeff said candidly.  "If so, it's in it's infancy,
at best.  I don't know if this is the start of something which could
lead to the walk down the aisle, or if this is just a summer-fling type
of relationship.  I won't know for a while yet.  Until we do, let's just
enjoy what we've got and see where it takes us."



Lisa nodded, relaxing slightly even if she felt slightly disappointed.
"I guess that's a good enough plan for now.  Let's start by going with
our first plan, and finding out what there is to do around this
castle...."



*          *          *          *          *



"I understand, Ambassador Yendor," Allura said to the tentacled being on
her monitor.  She could see him in every detail, now, as the
interference blocking transmissions cleared up almost immediately after
Space Marshal Graham's transmission had gone through.  Seeing the beings
of this race, however, always creeped her out for reasons she couldn't
explain.  They were usually a good ally to call upon when her planet
needed help, so she was used to dealing with it, but in this case they
were forced to let her down.



"I am truly sorry, your highness." Yendor apologized.  "If you are still
in need of finding a refuge for these people when we've dealt with this
plague, let us know and we'll be more than willing to aid you.  It could
speed things up if we were to receive medical assistance...."



"We're a little short right now, in anticipation of the Alliance
armada's arrival," Allura explained.  "But I imagine some of the best
medical minds in the universe will be on those transports.  I'll see if
any of them will be willing to deal with your situation.  They may ask
for a temporary home for themselves and their families on your world
while they help you, however..."



"A few scattered families might be safely managable, despite the current
crisis," Yendor agreed.  "Especially if they're helping to end said
crisis.  I don't think we could manage more than a few dozen people,
though."



"Again, Ambassador Yendor, I completely understand," Allura said.  "But
any little bit helps.  Thank you."



"You're welcome, your highness."



"It is 'your majesty' now, Ambassador," Koran noted, walking up behind
his queen.  "Or hadn't you heard?"



"No, what has happened?" Yendor asked.  Koran and he had been friends
since the early days of Voltron -- in fact, Yendor had been part of an
international team sent in to watch a demonstration of Voltron during
its early stages of flight testing, and had stayed behind for several
years to help tweak things out a bit on the mighty robot.  During the
period, he and Koran had worked closely together.  Yendor had managed to
maintain contact with Koran, even during the dark period when Voltron
had been disabled, and so was perhaps the first planet to re-open
diplomatic relations with Arus once it had been recovered.



"Our little princess has grown up and gotten married.  She's now Queen
Allura of Arus, and you'll never guess who she married!" Koran said,
bantering about with the ambassador in a decidely unformal way.



"Let me guess -- the captain of your team?  What was his name... Kieth?"



Koran looked a little surprised at that.  "How did you guess?"



"Oh," Yendor laughed.  "I'm surprised you didn't see it coming like the
rest of us.  Didn't you realize the betting on how long it would take
for them to get hitched had reached inter-galactic proportions?  Whoever
won the pool is going to be a trillionare, many times over."



Allura outright gaped at Yendor's declaration.  "Were we that obvious?"
she asked.



"Your majesty," Yendor explained gently.  "Obvious is a relative term.
But you forget that there are many races in the galaxy which can read
minds... or at least have some minor empathic sense with which they can
feel your emotions.  My race, alas, is not among them... but I know many
which are.  And even to those of us who don't, there were always little
clues... like how, in formal meetings with ambassadors, you'd refer to
all of the other Voltron force members by their ranks or their last
names, but their captain you constantly called 'Kieth.'  Your skin
pigment has always changed slightly whenever you mention him, as well --
and that is something my people are able to see.  Not to mention a rumor
I heard on Pollux that someone had seen you two embracing after a
hard-fought victory -- essentially, a combination of evidence which,
while it had spread across much of the known universe, was carefully
kept from ears which may have leaked it back to you."



"Well, I... I mean, we... we, well," Allura stuttered, at a complete
loss for words.



"Your majesty," Koran interrupted.  "I am afraid we must move on.  We
still have a dozen worlds for you to contact... and I just came to tell
you that Pollux has sent word that Space Marshal Graham and Prince
Bandor will be arriving some time tomorrow afternoon.  So we must
prepare for that as well, and..."



"And your queen needs saving from an awkward conversation," Yendor
laughed.  "Don't worry, old friend, I'm through embarrassing her.  And
our business is essentially concluded -- I won't keep you much longer.
You, on the other hand -- when DO you plan to send me your next move,
anyway?"



"Oh, I've been meaning to for a while," Koran answered unflappably.
"I've just been too busy.  Rook to Queen's Bishop 1."



Yendor raised an eyebrow.  "A bold move, bringing out such heavy
weaponry from your arsenal.  I'll check the board and let you know my
move next chance we get to talk.  Good day, your majesty, Koran."



"Good day, Yendor," Koran said, smiling slightly.



"Farewell, Ambassador," Allura said more formally before cutting the
transmission.  "Well, that was interesting.  And all we got out of it
was a few dozen people moved out -- all of them medical specialists and
their families.  I sincerely hope our luck improves."



"Don't worry, your majesty," Koran said.  "We've successfully negotiated
for enough worlds to help us that we can manage this crisis.  It'll be a
tough fit, but we'll manage.  It would help if we could get a few more
worlds on our side, however, so we should still make those remaining
calls before it's too late..."



"Of course, Koran," Allura agreed, changing the settings on the
communications platform to send to the next planet on her list.



"So, why hadn't you told Yendor about your marraige and coronation
before I came in, your majesty?" Koran asked, his expression neutral.



"Probably not for the reason you think," Allura noted, still fiddling
with the controls.  "I refused to mention it so that he would still
respect me."



"I hardly think he'd stop respecting you because you got married," Koran
huffed.  He didn't particularly like the thought of her thinking her
marraige was a weakness -- even if Kieth wasn't the blood blood which
Nanny and many other nobles felt she should have married into.



"Oh, I don't believe for a second that he would," Allura agreed.  "But
he might if he realized that I was queen, as well."



Koran was confused by that.  Why would someone lose respect for another
because they ascended the throne?  Usually, that made people respect
others more.  "I'm afraid you've lost me, your majesty."



Allura laughed.  "I'm not surprised.  I was wondering, though, when
you'd realize that my coronation to queen didn't increase my power -- it
weakened it.  For the first time in history, perhaps, becoming a queen
is actually a demotion."



"I'm afraid I still don't understand."



"Simple," Allura huffed, getting frustrated with the finicky
communications unit and giving up for the time being.  "As princess, I
was the absolute ruler of Arus.  Nothing I said or did, technically,
could be stopped or overturned.  Now, you and I and everyone else in
this castle knows that in fact, you ran the day-to-day operations and
both you and Nanny overrode a number of my decisions before they became
public.  However, as far as foriegn powers are concerned... my word, on
Arus, was law.  Now, however... my main power is in my veto.  I still
have some minor budgetary control, can propose some laws, and can stop
anyone from doing anything I don't want them to do... but if I, for
example, wanted to sign a trade treaty, I'll forever more have to go
through the beauracracy.  And that beauracracy can now say 'no.'"



It suddenly dawned on Koran what she was getting at.  "Substantively
true, your majesty, but not completely accurate.  With the approval of
the prime minister -- yours truly -- any treaty you sign which does not
violate Arussian territorial soveriegnty cannot be voted down.  In other
words, you cannot surrender the planet or sell off parts of it, but
outside of that you can do mostly anything if I agree with you. Most
ambassadors are unlikely to know that, it's true.  If they don't,
however, they're almost certainly also have failed to grasp what your
promotion to queen means in those terms.  If they know enough about our
laws to know that as queen, you lose the power Galaxy Garrison had given
us, they should also know enough about our laws to know what powers we
have as well.  Surely you realize this."



"I do, in a sense.  But, there's another reason as well..." Allura
hesitated.



"Go on," Koran encouraged.



"Whenever the subject of my marraige has come up in the past," Allura
began, unable to look him in the eyes.  "It seemed as if there was this
great plan.  I would get married, my new husband would take over the
piloting duties for Blue Lion, and I... would essentially become nothing
more than a babymaking machine, churning out a new royal family to take
over the throne in the event of my husband's death.  I'm... afraid that
now that I have actually married, the rest of the universe will act just
that way -- as if I'm no longer really the person with power, that power
actually belongs to my husband.  The king.  For even if he had no noble
blood before our marriage, he is, after all, a male... and while he may
be needed for the 'process' involved in making a baby, having babies
should be my number one priority."  She finally glanced at him, fires
burning in her eyes.  "I shouldn't lose my status just because I fell in
love and got married.  But I fear I have, so I don't want these people
to know... at least, not until we are through with this critical
juncture."  She grinned slightly.  "Then, at least I will have
established that I'm still an active participant in the administration
of my kingdom, even if I have married and lost some of my powers."



Koran smiled at her passionate words, but inside felt disheartened.  He
knew that he had helped nanny encourage those feeling of inadequacy in
the then-princess by pushing too hard with that one disastrous suitor in
a previous attempt at marrying Allura off.  And by arguing so hard to
keep her from flying the blue lion.  And by... well, the list went on.



"Allura," he said, surprising he with her given name.  "Forgive us.  I
hadn't even realized I'd been causing you to feel that way with my past
actions, even though I was only trying to protect you.  I doubt that
anyone who has ever had to deal with you in a professional capacity
expects you to just fade away, now that you are queen.  And I so want
you to be proud of your marraige...."



"I am proud of my marriage," Allura said wistfully.  "As far as how you
made me feel... well, I'll be honest.  At the time, it hurt, but I knew
why you were doing it.  And I loved both you and Nanny for it, even if I
was extremely annoyed.  Nevertheless, what you were doing was a truly
revealing set of reactions from the both of you... and for that reason,
I have come to realize that others may hold those same beliefs as well.
For that reason, I will not explain my marraige to anyone who doesn't
already know about it.  I'm not keeping it a secret -- that is
impossible -- but I am hoping that others will not have noticed just
yet."



Koran bowed his head.  "Again, I am sorry, your majesty, but I... well,
I....  If you want me to resign, then I understand."



"Don't apologize," Allura said.  "Instead, help me avoid the problem in
the future.  I'll still need an advisor and prime minister, and in the
future I will need a regent when Kieth and I leave to fight the Drules.
You've obviously learned from your mistakes, Koran -- I don't think
you've complained about me flying Blue Lion in quite some time, and you
were so helpful with my marraige to Kieth....  I really don't want to
have to break in a new prime minister, you know?"



Now, Koran was grinning.  "I understand, your majesty.  And thank you."



"Now, can you come over here and help me out?  I can't seem to figure
out how to open a frequency to planet Ra'algon...."

-------------------------
David A. Tatum
http://davecon.anifics.com
desaix@anifics.com



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