For an instant, Lotor was flying among the stars, the aroma of chocolate overwhelming his senses.

His bed seemed to lurch wildly, and he awoke with a start. He grabbed at the headboard as the clock on the table gave a loud buzzing sound. He sat up and gazed dumbly about the bedchamber, and thunder sounded like muted laser overhead.

"What a strange dream,’ he whispered. He smoothed back his hair, then kneaded his bloodshot eyes. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stared down at himself. He was still wearing his blue uniform. He rose slowly, aware of a dull hammering in his head. He drew a deep breath to steady himself and made his way carefully to the bathroom. He leaned over the sink for a few minutes, splashing warm water over his face. He eventually looked to the mirror, but his white hair and cerulean skin remained blurred by condensation. After drying off, he left for Hagar’s laboratory.

The door automatically, opened, and Lotor entered to find the witch reading a black book on her desk.

"Good morning, sire," she said, her raspy voice obnoxiously cheerful. "How delightful to see you this early."

He gazed at her, not speaking.

She glanced up at him. "You must have been partying till the wee hours of the morning that you didn’t have time to change into a clean uniform," she said, seemingly blind to his discomfort.

"Where’s the robeast that I ordered?"

She returned to her book. "It’s ready, Milord. Do you still want to use it?"

"Of course!" he snapped, shoving instinctively his hand into his pocket. "I wouldn’t be here if-"

"If what?" she asked, turning the pages.

He took out his hand, and saw a golden coin. ~Where did this come from?~ he thought wildly, as his face went pale.

Hagar regarded him with deep interest. "Are you all right, Lotor?"

The Prince gazed down at her a moment, a confused expression in his eyes. "I thought it was a dream," he said softly.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice filled with pride as well as amusement.

He swallowed convulsively, and for a moment could not trust himself to speak. He clasped the coin in his hand. "Nothing."

"Have you changed your campaign plans, sire?"

Hagar’s question hung unanswered for a few minutes. "Yes, no," he whispered, his face draining of color. The witch had played a cruel jest upon him, but he couldn’t let her know how much it affected him.

"We’ll wait," he said firmly. "I want to be sure all conditions are right."

She merely smiled at him and leaned against the table. "Then off with you, timid prince, I have much to do."

There was a suddenly silence, broken only by the sound of his retreating footsteps, amazingly crisp and controlled despite his great weight. The moment the door closed behind him, he released a sigh of relief. "Allura gave me the golden coins, even though I have done something wrong. You can be good if you want to, she said. Well, I’m going to try."

And with a smile on his face, Prince Lotor went to the throne room to face his father, and into a new and better life.

THE END