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Redemption and Destiny	By : alucardsangel1973 Category: +S to Z > Voltron Views: 2221 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Voltron and its characters are property of World Event Productions. I do not own the fandom. No profit is made from this. This is purely a fanfiction that includes original characters from my imagination. Characters from the series and comic are not mine.

Chapter List
- 12
- 13
- 14
Sorry it took so long for this chapter. Not much in the way of action, but Lotor and Allura continue to heal the wounds of their past and get closer. But trouble is looming over head for the two and their comrade Kaladan. Until Chapter 14.

Chapter
13: Getting Reaquainted

Leena
rushed to her bedroom and quickly got dressed into something more
appropriate than a nightgown. She felt waves of anxiety surge
through her as she moved. There was hope, at last there was hope
that she would see the father she was never given the chance to
know. She ran from her room and went to Genar's room first
knowing he would be the easiest to rouse from slumber. But when
she saw him standing outside of his room with a startled look
upon his face, she knew waking him would not be necessary.

"Genar...did
he?"

"Yes.
Grandfather spoke to me. He came to you too?"

"Yes.
He said the time has come to find the heir who will carry his
spirit into final battle against Zarkon."

"He
spoke to me too." Said a voice.

Leena
turned around and saw Kezrin standing outside his room. His
expression was very serious. "He spoke of the
prophecy."

"Yah,
he came to me too." Said Avian who walked sleepily from his
bedroom.

"Come
with me. There's much planning to be done and little time to do
it in." Leena replied.

**********************************************************

Allura
rode back to the stables feeling her spirits a little more lifted
than when she left. "It's so strange. I never imagined
for one moment that Lotor could ever lift my spirits, but he has.
He's so different now. I guess what he endured has truly changed
him for the better. But what would Keith and the others think? I
can't let them find out, at least not yet."

She
looked down at her escorts. "Do not tell Nanny or anyone
else I rode to the cave alone. They wouldn't understand."
She ordered.

"Princess,
we must..."

"Remember
I can always have you mopping floors instead of guarding the
palace you know." She said with a stern expression.

"Yes
princess." One guard conceeded.

Allura
might have been a gentle hearted soul, but she certainly was not
without her wiles, or stroke. She had to keep her new found
friendship with Lotor and Kaladan a secret for now. She still
couldn't fully believe that what she saw in Lotor was real, but
something inside of her told her it was. His change was true, and
she could believe in that.

"If
he hadn't truly changed, then father would never have come to us
both. There's a great deal more to this than either of us know.
Of that I'm certain." She thought.

After
she dismounted, Allura was escorted back to the castle. She
entered to find Keith and the others getting ready for training
excersizes.

"You
all right princess? How did your ride go?" Kieth asked.

"Oh,
it went fine. I didn't realize how much I needed to be outside
until I actually went." Allura answered.

"That's
good. The guys and I are getting ready for practice. You gonna be
ok?"

"Yes.
I'll be fine. It's good that you and the boys are keeping on
guard. I know I haven't been myself lately. I guess it came as
such a blow to be taken off the team for a while, but I know it's
what's best. I guess I was just being selfish." Allura said
looking down at the ground. "I'm sorry for the way I've
behaved."

Keith
walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders.
"There's nothing to be sorry for. We should have come to you
first and told you how we felt. We were wrong to replace you with
Sven without talking to you first. I guess, we all just felt with
Zarkon being in complete control of future attacks you'd be in
more danger being in the direct line of fire. You're a very dear
friend to all of us, Allura. We all look on you as a little
sister and want to keep you safe as much as we can. When the
worst threat has passed, you'll be back flying the blue lion. And
if Nanny and Coran want to put up a fuss, we'll have your back.
You can count on that."

"Thank
you Keith. You and the others should get ready for your manuvers.
I'm going to get something to eat. I forgot how hungry horse back
riding makes me." Allura replied giving him a friendly hug.

As
she walked past Keith and the others Nanny emerged from doing her
daily chores. "Princess, you're back. Did you enjoy your
ride?"

"Yes
I did Nanny. Could you make something to eat? I'm rather
hungry."

"Of
course. You get freshened up, and I'll have lunch waiting for
you. Hurry off now."

"Yes
nanny."

Keith
looked over at Lance. "It's good to see her smile again. I
was beginning to think she'd never get out of the depression she
was in."

"I
think she just needed time to clear her head and realize
everyone's just looking out for her." Lance replied.
"Come on, the lions aren't getting any younger."

"Neither
are we." Hunk chuckled

**********************************************************

That
evening Lotor and Kaladan settled down for the night. Skeletons
of fish were neatly piled up in one corner as the fire continued
to roar. The orange glow seemed to intensify the reddish orange
gleam of Kaladan's hair. He sat watching the fire. Lotor reclined
on a huge patch of moss as it was the most comfortable spot he
could find. His thoughts were only of Allura. The sound of her
voice played over and over in his head. At last a friendship was
beginning to blossom between them.

"You
seem a bit preoccupied." Kaladan said not turning his gaze
from the flames.

"I
guess I am." Lotor replied.

"Thinking
of your princess?" Kaladan asked.

"Yes.
There is finally a chance for us to heal the wounds of our past.
Today is the first time she ever came to me without fear or
anger. It makes me all the more determined to keep her
safe." Lotor answered.

"I
hope there is a chance for you both."

"What
about you? Was there ever anyone after Selena?"

"No.
I don't know that I could ever love anyone else. Sometimes I
still hear her screams in my nightmares. I hear my mother's cries
in those screams. Sometimes I can still see their faces
intertwined. The two most important women in my lives, and I saw
them both die. There was nothing I could do to save them. I don't
think I could stand to go through it again. A man like me is
better off alone."

Lotor
decided to leave the conversation at that. He turned over on his
side concentrating on his own thoughts. He closed his eyes
focusing on the image of Allura riding her silver mare Izabelle.
He imagined her and the mare racing across a grassy field with
her long hair whipping back as her steed galloped. He imagined
the smile on her face as she and her horse raced the wind. In
that place, she was happy. She was free from care and worry. That
was the future he wanted for her. A future free of fear and harm.
But it was one he knew she would never truly have as long as
Zarkon was in power. And if it was in his power to stop Zarkon
from taking that future away, he would find a way.

**********************************************************

Sylvana
sat at the controls of the small vessle Zarkon had graciously
given her. She looked coldly toward the view window and a cruel
smile curled upon her lips. It wasn't just the thought of the
reward Zarkon would bestow upon her if she was sucessful. She
lived for the chance to watch others writhe in pain. She was a
hardened sadist, and agony was her forte'. She had actually been
quite merciful with Alma when she killed her. Of course, merciful
meant that she ended her suffering realtively quick. And that was
only because she had pressing business with Zarkon. She regretted
not seeing Altus's final moments. It would have been rather
satisfying to see the little bastard squirm before the end. But
it was of no real concern to her. She had bigger and in her mind,
better things to look to. As bodyguard to the queen she would
have more status than she ever did as the personal assistant to a
pit owner.

She
was jostled from her train of thought when one of her team
informed her Zarkon wished to speak with her. The view screen
switched from that of empty space to the throne room of Castle
Doom.

"King
Zarkon, we will be approaching planet Arus within the next day.
What is your wish sire?"

"I
have changed plans for you Sylvana. I'm not going to wait for
Lotor and Kaladan to come to us. I want you to capture them and
bring them to me. Do it anyway you see fit, but I want them
alive. Understood?"

"As
you wish your majesty."

**********************************************************

The
next morning Allura woke up and hurriedly got dressed. She opted
for a hunter green jump suit instead of her usual pink one. The
princess was so utterly tired of pink. She pulled her hair back
into a pony tail and braided it herself. She secured the braid
with a gold ribbon tying it tightly. She put on the matching
hunter green jacket and gave herself a final once over in her
mirror. She left her bedroom knowing Nanny would straighten it up
for her. She went to the dinning room knowing breakfast would be
waiting for her.

"You're
up bright and early." Lance said walking into the dinning
room as well.

"I've
spent too much time in this castle. I need to get out. I'm going
riding again as soon as I eat." Allura said.

"Hey,
why don't I go with you? In fact why don't we all go for a ride?
Keith has us practicing so much we haven't had any real fun in
ages."

"Um...sure.
That would be very nice."

Allura
turned away gritting her teeth under her closed lips. "I
can't let my friends see me with Lotor. I'll have to find a way
to distract them so I can go see him, even if just for a few
moments."

Nanny
walked in carrying a huge covered platter. She set it on the
table.

"Nanny,
I'm going riding after breakfast. Keith and the others will be
coming with me." Allura said.

"Good.
I'll worry less knowing your friends are with you. Two escorts
are hardly enough. Five are much better. If anyone should try
anything you'll be well protected." Nanny stated.

"Yes,
of course." Allura replied trying to hold back her
frustration.

"The
others are coming. I'll have horses saddled up for each of
you."

After
breakfast Allura hurried off to her room. "I'll be right
back. I have to go to my room for a moment." She called to
Keith and the others.

The
men looked at each other but waited for Allura to return. Within
a few moments she returned. "Let's go. Our horses are being
saddled up for us."

"Are
you going to ride Flame?" Hunk asked.

"I
wish I could, but Nanny won't let me ever since the day he kicked
at her. She still doesn't understand he only acted the way he did
because he got spooked."

"Heh,
nanny could spook just about any animal." Lance joked.

**********************************************************

Lotor
and Kaladan were still resting in the cave when Allura rode by.
She didn't have time to speak with them so she rushed into the
cave's entrance and left a piece of paper. She rushed back out
before the boys got suspicious of what was taking her so long.
She said she was looking for a particular flower that only
bloomed in this spot. She would say she couldn't find it, and
leave it at that. Lotor was awoken from his light slumber hearing
footsteps leaving the cave. He quickly got up thinking it was
Allura coming to see him. He came to the cave's entrance but
found only the note Allura left.

"Lotor,

Keith
and the others are with me. Meet me at the castle at midnight.
We'll talk in my father's crypt."

Allura."

"She
does pick the most interesting spots for a chat." He said to
himself as he walked back to join Kaladan.

"What
is it?" The red haired drule asked.

"Allura
left me a message. Her friends are with her so she can't come
here. She wants me to meet her at the castle tonight so we can
talk some more."

"You'd
better take the amulet with you then."

**********************************************************

Allura
lay in her bed waiting for everyone else in the castle to go to
sleep. The princess was growing impatient as she knew Lotor would
be waiting for her soon. She could hear Nanny walking up and down
the halls making sure everyone was asleep. She turned off her
light and covered up so the governess would think she was
peacefully resting. She heard the door open. Her eyes were closed
and the covers pulled up to her head. Satisified that the
princess was resting, Nanny closed the door back and went about
her rounds. Allura opened her eyes and tossed the covers off her
body. She changed out of her nightgown into a burgandy pair of
pants and matching tunic. She slid a pair of black knee length
boots on and waited for Nanny to finish her rounds.

"If
I can make it to the crypt without being seen I can get out of
the castle and bring Lotor back to the crypt. But if Nanny
catches me I'm in a lot of trouble. I'll have to be as quiet as a
mouse."

As
she spoke she hears the tiny patters of little feet scurrying on
the floor. She looked down and saw her pet mice looking up at
her. "Cheezy, I'll need your help. I'll need the rest of you
as well. Can you be look outs for me so I can go to my father's
tomb?"

The
mice looked at her with questioning expressions on their little
faces.

"I
need to get to father's tomb. I have to get out of the castle so
I can talk with Lotor."

At
once the little mice got terrifed expressions on their faces and
started squeaking fearfully.

"No,
no it's all right. Lotor isn't like that anymore. He's changed. I
need to talk to him." Allura explained.

The
mice began chattering amongst themselves. Allura sighed and
decided the best way to win their help was through their
stomachs.

"If
you help me out, I'll make sure you get all the cheese you can
eat." She bargained.

Upon
hearing the magic 'c' word, the mice all nodded in agreement.
Slowly Allura opened the door and looked around. The little mice
scurried ahead of her and scouted the halls. Seeing no one was
around, they nodded their heads in a positive responce. Allura
quickly but quietly walked down the hall making sure not to
disturb all who slept. A little at a time the mice made sure the
paths were clear for Allura to walk down. Before long she made it
to the entrance to her father's tomb. She held out her hands and
scooped up her tiny pets.

"Thank
you my friends. I'll make sure you're all well rewarded."
She said with an appreciative smile.

She
set them down and let them go back to their hiding places while
she entered the tomb of her father. She walked down the stairway
into the crypt. She walked behind the large stone sarcaffagus
that held her father's remains. Behind it on the farthest wall
was a panel. She hurried to the wall and pressed down on the
panel to open a secret passage out of the castle. She rushed
through the passage way and found another panel that would open
the door to the tunnel's end. The door opened and she stepped
outside. All was dark except for the moon shining down.

"Lotor...Lotor
are you here?" She called in a hushed whisper.

She
saw him appear before her several feet away. She gazed at the
amulet hanging around his neck. He approached her as she stepped
back into the tunnle.

"I
was afraid you might not have been able to sneak out. How did you
get past everyone?" He asked.

"My
little mice helped me. They make excellent look outs. Come on. I
can't stay too long. I never know when Nanny may decide to check
up on me." She said leading him down the tunnle into the
crypt.

They
entered and walked into the massive tomb. Lotor looked around
seeing the torches gave a dim light to it. "You never get
nervous being here?" He asked.

"No.
I've never been afraid to come to my father's tomb. Coran and
Nanny always thought it wasn't a good idea for me to be here with
someone else, let alone by myself. But I've been here many times
on my own, and I've never felt frightend. It doesn't bother you
does it?"

"No."
Lotor answered.

"For
me, it's a sacred place. It's a place where I can be at peace and
close to my father's spirit. I feel comforted here when I can't
find comfort anywhere else." Allura replied.

"I
never really had any place like that. I never knew my mother, and
my father most certainly was of no comfort to me. I don't think
I've ever had such a feeling in my whole life."

"I
know this will probably sound like a foolish question, but what
was your life like when you were growing up?" Allura asked.

"Most
of my life was military training and being groomed to be the next
ruler of Planet Doom. My mother died after I was born. Father
never paid much attention to me until I turned ten, and that was
only to pack me off to the Drule military academy to begin my
training." Lotor answered.

"Is
that where you learned to fight?"

"Yes.
The greatest war masters taught me every move and skill I would
need in battle. But they were never kind when I messed up.
Mistakes were intolerable, and if I made one I was severely
disciplined. And discipline usually meant to repeat the move
until I did it sucessfully, and keep doing it until I was ready
to drop from exghaustion. And that usually came after I was
backhanded for my error."

"But
how can they expect perfection from a young boy?"

"Life
for a drule is harsh, Allura. We're bred and raised to be
conquorors. We're taught to accept nothing less than complete and
utter submission from those around us. And since I was a prince,
higher expecations were placed upon me."

"Did
you ever have any friends as a child?"

"I...I
don't think I ever had real friends. We were restricted from
getting too close to anyone. I was surrounded by my peers, but
there was never any real comradery. They were lower classman who
would eventually become soldiers and my subordinates. They would
be trained to fight, and in many cases die in the name of their
empire. They were also trained to kill without so much as one
ounce of mercy. The same was expected of me. Those trainees that
didn't fit up to academy standards had the dubious distinction of
becoming sparring partners for the higher ranking soldiers. Most
didn't make it out of those excersizes alive. If they were not
fit to serve their empire, they were not fit to live. Some of the
low rankers ended up dying at my hands. That's why we were never
allowed to develop friendships." Lotor answered grimly.

"I...I
never realized how harsh your upbringing was. I never realized
how harsh life for a drule is. My life...my life seems so simple
in comparison." Allura replied.

"I
was exposed to violence, brutality and death at a young age. The
first time I killed another man was...truamatic. I couldn't
believe I'd taken the life of another living being, and one of my
own race at that. I had nightmares for days about it. I kept
seeing the terrified look in his eyes when I ran him through on
my sword. But...I had to seperate myself from the trauma. This
was expected of me. If I flinched or showed any hesitation in
killing another, the price on me would be terrible. Granted, I
was exepmt from being killed. I was royalty and my father's only
living heir. But that didn't mean they couldn't make me wish I
was dead. I'd seen what happened to other princes who defied the
will of the war masters. They were beaten, and starved...with the
permission of their fathers. Most mothers could not bear to put
their sons through such brutality. I did not want that happening
to me. I knew my father would have no qualms in letting them
torture me into compliance. As afraid of the mental torment I
knew I would face from killing another man, I feared the physical
pain even more. When I returned to planet Doom, I started finding
any means of escape I could. Whether it was intoxicants or women,
I didn't care. And my father had no problem giving me a steady
supply of both. If it took away the pain, even if just for a
little while; that was all I cared about."

For a
moment Lotor paused. He looked away fixing his gaze upon one of
the lit torches flickering in the dim crypt. Then he looked back
at Allura.

"For
a while things were civil between my father and I. He felt I'd
proven myself ready to be a conquoror, so he sent me on a
campaign to take new territories for the Drule Empire. I took
many civilizations and slaves in his name when I returned. But
even then, there was no real family relation between us. He
didn't look upon me as a son who'd brought honor to his name. I
had proven my usefullness to him, and that was it. And that ended
when I made the decision to go to Arus. That's when I met you.
Any civil relationship between us went out the window. He berated
me constantly when plans went wrong. And most of the time the
plans went wrong because I couldn't bear to see you killed. And
that caused me to spiral down even more. When I ended up on
Carnos, I realized I had to stop running. I had no choice then.
There was no endless supply of alcohol and women for me to escape
in. I had to deal with harsh reality again, and this time there
was no running from it."

As
the conversation went on, Allura began to understand better why
Lotor was the way he was. While she couldn't not condone the
things he'd done up to this point, she could now understand why
he did them. While she'd grown up knowing love and compassion,
Lotor had grown up knowing only brutality and pain. She looked at
him trying to find something to say.

"I
know it's been hard for you to believe a word I've said. If I'd
been in your place I would be afraid to believe me too. I can't
and don't expect you to just welcome me in with open arms. That
you're even risking your friends disapproval by seeing me is
amazing. I find it amazing you're even sitting next to me."

"I
have to admit there's still a part of me that's a little afraid
of you. But I'm working to get past that fear. I know you've
changed and this change is for real. My father wouldn't have come
to us if the change in your heart wasn't true. The hardest part
is going to be convincing the others that you are a different man
now." Allura replied.

"Don't
worry about me Allura. I can handle myself. Right now I'm not
concerned what your friends think. I'm more concerned about
stopping my father and finding the answers your father's spirit
eluded to the other night. I realize now there is a great deal
about my family my father never told me about. I need to know
what he's been hiding from me all this time."

to be continued...
- 12
- 13
- 14
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Redemption and Destiny