Fortunately for Planet Arus, first light did not reveal the hulking masses of Doom armadas that usually liked to cast a shadow over the daybreak's shining splendor. As the sky brightened, the dancing sunbeams were allowed to freely splash their sparkling traces of light mixed with vibrant color over the fresh canvas of snow that had been stretched over the land during the night.

The light reached into and through the nooks and crannies of every man-made edifice in Arusia to rouse the people who lived in them. Inside the fortified walls of the Castle, however, some inhabitants had already awakened without the benefit of sunshine.

A disciplined Captain Keith, awakening after a scant three and a half hour's sleep, immediately got up to shower, shave and dress in his Voltron uniform. He moved with hurried efficiency, while uncharacteristically grumbling under his breath about the transactions he had to perform that would keep him a full hour from his first sight of the Princess, even though he had risen early. Granted, his reunion with her would be in an official capacity at lion practice, but he didn't care. He had had so many things on his mind when he had finally gone to bed, and he had awoken still thinking about them, and of her, and how good and right it had felt to hold and kiss her.

Today was Christmas Eve. As he went about the business of setting his quarters to rights, the Captain pondered on the issue of Allura being able to realize how much today meant to him- to all of them. Quite possibly she did, or else why would she have been looking up the meaning of Christmas on the computer? Her curiosity and eager interest in his culture was a good omen, wasn't it? She hadn't said anything specific about it, but he felt sure her research of Terran religious customs indicated empathy for his spiritual beliefs.

Never before had he felt comfortable enough to broach the subject of religion with her, but as far as religious differences went, it had always been apparent to him that Allura's faith in a Supreme Being was at least equal to his, although they celebrated those beliefs in different ways. She probably would be very sympathetic to a request for a small celebration marking the holiday; still, it was hard for him to ask her for anything, even for something as humble as a nativity scene, because it was just not his way to ask for favors.

Anyway, even if there were no trappings of the season around him, the things that mattered most were love, faith and joy in the ultimate Gift, not the manmade folderol that came along with celebrating it. It would be refreshing to experience the holiday without all the glitz for once, and hopefully the focus would be put squarely on the reason that this holiday was celebrated. Keith smiled a little as he remembered the previous night's conversation in the lounge. They all could take a page from Pidge's book of life lessons; the Baltonian definitely had the proper perspective on what was important.

He frowned as another notion crossed his mind. Despite his good intentions, he still felt the crux of any spiritual celebration was sharing it with loved ones, who unfortunately were light years away from sharing anything but an electronic subspace transmission. He might not miss the commercialism of Christmas, it was true, but he would long for the touch of his family.

Gradually the Captain ceased doing his daily chores as his thoughts drifted back to the events of the previous day.

He had sat in front of his PC for several hours last night, sharing page after page of his thoughts about the Princess in a letter to his older sister, who still lived in their childhood home near Juneau, Alaska. He had absolutely no intention of sending this particular letter, but candidly writing down and explaining all his conflicting emotions to his childhood confidant had helped ease his mind and had made him feel a bit closer to Sarah as well.

And yet... something inside his heart still jabbed at him, insistently prodding him to tell his sibling the whole truth, not just some of it.

Keying in his romantic confessions had unearthed and laid bare profound feelings he held about Allura that he couldn't neatly categorize and jot down; ethereal impulses such as the protective desire that he had felt toward her from the start, the immense hatred he held in check every time Lotor spoke to her, and the admiration he held for the compassion she exuded that deeply touched anyone who came in contact with her. He also reflected upon the passionate conviction he had secretly held that he truly belonged at her side, even if it was only in the capacity of a friend. He contemplated his single-minded resolution to give up his life if that what was needed for her to survive.

As he mulled over the body of evidence for his devotion to the beautiful Arusian monarch, Keith at last had to admit to himself that he was, and probably always had been, unconditionally in love with her. With this admission came the knowledge that he had been suppressing his feelings ever since he had gladly taken the lead in kneeling, kissing her hand and swearing an impromptu oath of allegiance to her and her embattled planet. And now here he sat, just over a year after that vow, waiting for the angst to build within him at the thought of being in love with a princess.

Oddly, instead of apprehension and fear, a sensation of peaceable tenderness spread warmly within him, a feeling, he found to his great surprise, that gave him great fulfillment. It was even more exhilarating than the desire generated by the heated kisses they had exchanged; those were mere flashes of bliss in comparison, while this emotion was eternal and profoundly uplifting as well. He leaned back in his chair with a dreamy expression in his soft, dark eyes as he thought more about the woman who held his heart in her gentle hands.

It amazed him that she didn't realize how gorgeous she was. It amazed him how stalwart and courageous she was, when many around her had crumbled and given in to despair. It amazed him how optimistic she always was, though her compassionate heart had been broken countless times by the horrific things she had seen during the course of this war. It even amazed him that she still knew how to have fun! Was there anyone he would rather be in the company of on Christmas Eve than Allura, Crown Princess of Arus? His melancholy spirits lifted at the thought; he grinned and mentally answered his own question with a forceful, 'no way, not a chance'! Feeling inspired, he closed the half finished letter, and opened up another secret file, typing away with renewed fervor.

He now found himself greatly wanting to tell the Princess, instead of Sarah, that every Christmas from now on would be a special day for him for so many reasons, not the least of which because it was the day that he had realized his heart eternally belonged to a very remarkable woman.

Inevitably, as the minutes slipped by, his elation at his discovery was soon replaced by frustration that he couldn't do anything about it immediately; the frustration was then supplanted by the apprehension that she might not feel as deeply as he. It was plain that she was physically attracted to him, but that was all he had to go on so far. In the past few months she had, by necessity, become just as adept at hiding her feelings as he had. Even if she felt the same as he did, she was no longer the naive, headstrong young woman he had met in the regal ruins of a great civilization. Allura had grown up suffering many devastatingly personal losses, so trusting herself to love someone who also might be snatched away from her by a war or military machinations might make her too wary to take the risk.

No, this was no time to go barreling in with trumpets blaring and his heart on his sleeve. This situation called for some delicate recognizance.

First, he needed to get her alone, so he could find out what had made her disappear so abruptly the night before and if regrets toward what they had shared the day before had anything to do with it. Then he needed to kiss her again just to make sure that she would respond when not under the influence of shared danger or alcohol. Then-

At that point, his eyes had fallen upon his sweater, lying on the top of the bed, with the smear of her make up still prominently displayed on the front. His eyes closed briefly as he remembered how it had felt to finally hold her the way he now knew he had always wanted to, but in the past had been too inhibited to do so. Even now he was afraid that she wouldn't be ready for the physical demands he knew he was sure to make on her in a relationship. If acknowledged by her, his emotions would run unrestrainedly hot and deep, and would probably shock her.

The Black Lion pilot sighed heavily, his blunt fingers stopping their tapping motions for a moment as he pondered. He had to give her time, avoid rushing them into things with the brashness he so often displayed in battle. He sighed. It was going to be such torture to hold back; as Sven had told him after meeting Romelle, love was simply an unstoppable force, conquering everything, including good judgment and common sense.

Pushing his qualms aside, he had finally finished his 'project', proofread it with a fine tooth comb, and then printed it out on his best stationary, after which he had gotten up, walked over and collapsed onto his bed, his energy more sapped from writing than it was after a grueling tae kwon do session with Lance.

Keith jerked in surprise as his thoughts returned to the present and he realized he had been standing in the middle of his quarters, daydreaming, for a good ten minutes. He stretched, and then rubbed his neck, absently massaging the tension away from the taut muscles.

Was this the way love always felt, this heart pounding, yearning, fantasy-like, quietly churning mass of desire, agony and protectiveness all rolled up into one being? In any case it was certainly a new occurrence for him to be so distracted by emotion! He had enjoyed the company of many women on a cerebral basis, and one he thought he had loved, on a physical basis, but none had fully engaged both his mind and his body the way Allura had. Would he become hopelessly absentminded and befuddled now that he found true love?

Restlessly he turned to look at himself in the full-length mirror next to built-in armoire. The love-struck expression etched on his features made him groan.

~Get it together, Mister, head-over-heels or not, you still have a job to do!~ He told his reflection sternly. It seemed to nod an affirmation. He straightened his posture, and meditated, taking slow, deep breaths as his body began to relax. Yes, that was better; his pulse was even at a normal rate. He could now proceed with the day's business.

However, as his eyes turned away from the mirror they fell on the sweater, now draped on the back of a chair, and the giddy, churning sensation quickly started anew.

~Dammit, another distraction! Huh, so much for meditation and calm.~

Keith strode over to pick up the offending garment and returned to the dresser to thrust it into an open drawer, which he then shut with more force than necessary. He'd figure out how to remove the spot later.

Gathering up his flight plan specs and his scattered composure, the Voltron Captain headed out the door of his quarters and down to the Lion ship shuttle launch area, keeping his excitement at seeing her bottled up, and a sphinx-like expression set firmly in place.

Two hours and forty minutes later, an extremely perturbed Keith stood silently seething as he waited with the rest his team for the Princess to show up in Castle Control. Where the hell was she?

The Arusian officer in charge of Ops turned and handed a message to him. Keith read it and clenched his jaw in frustration.

First she had avoided him last night, then she had missed breakfast, and now she was going to be late for practice. Was this the way things were going to be run if they were romantically involved- always on her terms with no respect for his position? Did she think he wouldn't say anything about her noncompliance with the rules since they had kissed each other? Allura had a lot to learn about the military way of doing things, romance or no romance. She might outrank him in matters of state, but he was still her commanding officer when it came to the VF, and he was going to make damn sure she realized it!

She was late- so very, very late.

Allura sprinted down the corridor to Castle Control, flustered and dismayed. If her Cheddar and Cheesy hadn't come in to waken her by tugging on her braid, she would have completely missed the final rehearsal for the party. Nanny's displeasure was all too obvious when the Princess had blown into the festively decorated lounge almost twenty minutes late. Coran had just shook his head and looked sadly disappointed, which was far more troubling to her than Nanny's ire. She could imagine her Guardian's thoughts at that moment, which probably ran along the lines of: 'just when I thought she had grown up, she regresses to her childhood habits'. In his mind, she was far too old to expect that Nanny should wake her. The Princess had almost hung her head in shame, but stopped herself just in time.

Instead, she tried to make up for her faux paux by being extra cooperative and cheerful in accepting their suggestions regarding the presentation, even if she didn't agree with them as being authentically Terran. Unfortunately the effort to appease her guardians had taken a great deal of extra time; time she did not have to spare. After endless minutes of questions and complaining about her part in the festivities, Nanny had finally given her leave for Allura to go change into her uniform.

Now she was terribly late for lion practice, and her happy anticipation at seeing Keith again was now tempered by her anxiety at arousing his ire. The fastidious Captain hated his troops to be tardy, and an offense for which he assigned disciplinary measures. She had communicated a message regarding her delayed arrival to the Control center officer, in the hopes that the boys had left for the ships without her and she could just catch up to them in Blue Lion with no repercussions.

Her stomach fluttered when she heard the deep murmur of male voices as she approached Castle Control, and despite her anxiety, she couldn't help the smile that curved her lips when she picked out Keith's smooth, confident tones. They had waited for her...and she would get the chance to look into those melting brown eyes sooner than she thought, provided he wasn't too ticked off at being kept waiting by a unruly Princess.

His back was to her as she entered the control room, giving her time to collect her composure. The launch chutes had already been deployed, obviously the boys were ready to go as soon as she showed up. Allura soundlessly tiptoed forward and stopped at the back of the group, but Lance and Hunk, standing directly behind the earnestly chatting Keith and Pidge, saw her enter and turned simultaneously to impishly give her the universal 'shame, shame' gesture with their fingers.

"You're really going to get it; the Fearless One has a thing about being on time, you know!" Lance said to her, sotto voice.

Hunk nodded emphatically.

"Couldn't be helped, it was official business. I'll just have to throw myself upon his mercy," she hissed back, and then did her best to give them an exaggerated dose of what Lance termed her 'sad puppy eyes'. Her teammates immediately started to titter.

Buoyed by her successful attempt at humor, the Princess impulsively clasped her hands to her chest with a woe-is-me look, batted her eyelashes in an exaggerated manner, and then put her forearm to her head as if in great distress; as she did so the snickers escalated to outright laughter.

Keith whirled at the sound and his penetrating gaze pinned the absurdly pantomiming female with deadly accuracy.

"Uh-oh, looks like someone's super p.o'd," Lance observed unnecessarily, between chuckles.

Allura froze in the middle of her 'performance', her head tipped back, her arm still pressed to her forehead and her eyes going wide as they looked askance at the commander. She blushed furiously. Now she really did look like a 'damsel in distress'.

Lance and Hunk giggled.

Pidge laughed delightedly at the sight of the Princess' dramatics. "Oh dear, poor Nell! Snidely Nanny must be up to her old tricks again!" he exclaimed. Lance and Hunk roared with laughter, and Allura joined in, albeit a little uncomfortably.

Keith was not amused. His eyes steadily met Allura's, and all she saw in their depths was the glimmer of cool displeasure. She dropped her arm immediately, straightened her posture and wiped the amusement from her face as he walked up to her, not stopping until he towered above her petite frame. He put his hands on his hips and glared down at her.

"You're late," he pointed out, curtly.

She fought off the impulse to step back. "I know, did you get my message? I was unavoid-"

He cut her off with uncharacteristic rudeness. "I got it."

Pidge, Lance and Hunk stopped laughing so that they could hear the tense exchange between the two leaders, wondering if Keith would actually have the temerity to dress down Her Highness. After all, pilot or no, she was the Princess for gosh sakes!

Allura chafed under the controlled, dispassionate demeanor Keith was displaying. He had shown this same professionalism ever since she started to fly Blue Lion, and it had never bothered her one iota, but now that it was solely directed at her, it was harder to bear. Had she really dared to kiss this inflexible man? Did he really have to make such a major issue out of this?

She finally spoke, in a sharp tone intended to hide the hurt that sliced through her at his coolness towards her. "Why didn't you just go ahead and start without me like I told you to in the message? I could've caught up to you!"

He sucked in a breath and his expression turned stormy at her impertinence. "We waited for you, Princess, because we're a team, and we take practice together. We waited because when a person or persons makes a commitment to defend and protect something, such as a certain Princess' life, they stick with it. And what's more, we waited because when it comes to the Voltron Force, I decide what we'll be doing and when we do it!" Keith bit out, a thread of steel running through his words. "In case you didn't notice, let me point out that the rest of us take these rehearsals seriously, so seriously in fact that we are working to better defend your world on a very special day on which most Terrans are given time off to be with family."

She winced, but Keith wasn't finished.

"It's very disappointing to me you don't share our dedication to duty, Your Majesty; you wouldn't be joking around about being tardy if you did." He added cuttingly.

Allura visibly blanched at being put in her place with such ruthlessness. Her mouth opened, then closed, her soft lips folding into a tight line. It was obvious she was fighting back tears, but to her credit, not one of them fell.

A gravely voice jumped into the pit of silence that fell after the Captain's harsh lecture.

"Aw Keith, do you really think that's being fair? Remember our promise about today? I mean, Princess wouldn't pur-" Hunk broke off as flashing dark eyes skewered him with a look of dire warning. "Sorry, Skipper. I'll shut up." The Yellow Lion pilot's warm brown eyes sent his pale teammate a look of silent sympathy before lowering to study his boots.

Allura swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. She felt cold and shaken. Nevertheless, she raised her chin and stared straight ahead, drawing her body to attention. Keith was right, she had overstepped her bounds and there was no excuse, no matter how worthwhile, that could change that fact. She had misjudged and mishandled the situation.

She squared her shoulders and spoke in a low, but steady voice.

"I am very sorry that I was late, Captain. I do care deeply about my role on this team. It was incredibly thoughtless of me to keep you waiting and it won't happen again."

A reluctant gleam of admiration appeared in the Captain's eyes, unseen by the chastened Princess who had fixed her gaze on the Ops control panel as if were her duty to memorize the sequence of switches on its console.

She was taking the scolding very well, he thought admiringly. A wave of pride welled up in him and he firmly tamped it down; he couldn't go soft now.

"Good. Since it is a first offense, a reprimand and a small punishment will suffice this time." He informed her sternly, but stepping back and letting his arms drop.

"Thank you, Captain." She crisply replied, her countenance now abnormally blank. That expression bothered Keith immensely, especially since he was the cause of it. He fervently hoped never to see it again. Just for a moment his eyes softened as they scanned her set features.

He then turned to address the rest of his wide-eyed, open-mouthed team. "Okay, let's get this show in the air. You three go ahead, the Princess and I will be there soon."

Without a word, the pilots of Yellow, Green and Red lions whirled around and sprinted for their respective tubes. Each of them felt as if they were abandoning their gentle Allura to the tender mercies of a rogue lion, but didn't want to take a chance on making it worse for her by protesting any punishment the Captain was choosing to dish out.

Keith waited until they all had zipped out of sight, and then faced the Princess, who still hadn't moved a muscle. He silently surveyed the perfect profile for a moment before speaking.

"Allura, I hope you realize that I have to maintain discipline on my team, no matter who it is, or how I may feel about them."

She finally turned her head to look at him, and her eyes shimmered with an emotion he could swear was akin to shame.

"I understand, Captain. I hope you believe me when I say that I am sorry for my lapse of good sense as well as for being so late." She replied softly. "I am willing to take whatever punishment you deem fit."

Keith felt his gut twist into knots at her subdued tone. He forced himself to follow through with the procedure, hating himself for doing so. "The locker rooms need to be scrubbed and disinfected. You can report at five a.m. tomorrow."

She nodded briskly.

He hesitated, then said. "That's all, you can go now."

She turned and walked to her chute, her regal posture serving her well in this moment. The Captain didn't move, but his eyes followed her every step of the way, filled with a naked longing to kiss her until everything was all better. Suddenly she stopped at the entrance and looked over her shoulder, her blue eyes serene and smiling as they calmly met his suddenly confused gaze. "Keith? May I say something personal?" She asked huskily.

He gaped at her. "Yeah? I mean, yes, go ahead."

"I just wanted to tell you- Merry Christmas." She said, with unaffected sincerity. A lovely smile lit up her fair face. "I believe that it the correct salutation, is it not?"

He nodded wordlessly, his eyes wide with surprise. Before he could collect himself enough to return the wish, she quickly launched herself into the tube and coasted out of sight.

The practice went better than expected, considering its inauspicious beginning. Although nothing was said, Allura felt gratified at the way Lance, Pidge, and Hunk offered extra encouragement and praise as she tried to master each new maneuver.

Keith, all traces of his previous irritation wiped away, was in full instructor mode, frequently complimenting the Princess on her improved piloting skills. Hearing his quiet words of praise greatly soothed her raw feelings. Still, there was none of the light- hearted banter that usually accompanied this type of practice. The awkward scene in the control room had definitely cast a pall over what should have been the happiest of mornings.

Everyone was relieved when the Captain ordered them to head back to the castle. The Lion ships split formation, each feline headed for its resting place.

Blue Lion skimmed over the forests that stretched all the way to the lake where it made its home. Allura cast a practiced eye over the landscape as she prepared for descent, appreciating the way the green of the numerous evergreens stood out against the pure white snow.

A sudden flash of light caught her attention. The Princess stared at the clearing from whence it came, and the flash came again, this time in a sequential pattern, as if someone were trying to signal her. She punched in the coordinates and waited for her scanning systems to do their job. Everything seemed fine, there was no indication that an enemy craft had landed. She immediately cut back on her thrusters and circled the area as she radioed her Captain.

"I've stopped what appears to be a distress signal in the northeast quadrant of the Itasca Forest, Keith. Someone may have gotten lost and could need assistance." She reported. "Request permission to check it out."

His voice crackled back to her. "I read you, Princess. I'll be there in a minute to back you up. Go ahead, land, but sit tight in Blue Lion until I get there. Lance, you, Pidge and Hunk head back to the castle just in case this is a trick and one of Zarkon's lovelies happens to show up."

A chorus of affirmatives followed his instructions.

Allura landed Blue Lion in the clearing and waited, her eyes scanning the surrounding landscape for any signs of life- or trouble.

She almost cried out when an all too familiar white haired, blue-skinned figure emerged from a nearby copse of trees and waved enthusiastically.

Feelings of fear and revulsion welled within her, but a morbid curiosity soon joined them as Crown Prince Lotor of Doom promptly indicated to her that he was unarmed, before carefully advancing into the clearing. She noted with incredulity the absence of his usual swagger and the plain green jerkin and leggings of an Arusian commoner that had replaced his usual attire of battle armor and bat winged helmet. She cynically wondered which of her citizens had been forced to donate them to the Evil One.

She tensed as he cautiously approached her position, holding his hands up to show her he meant her no harm, a sincere looking smile pasted on his cold features.

It would be so easy to end it now. Her forefinger poised itself over the switch that would launch her ion darts, ready to blow her tormentor away.

She couldn't do it.

For the first time Allura cursed the conscience and sense of honor that wouldn't let her flip the switch that would kill an unarmed man, no matter how evil he was.

She decided to wait for Keith. She was safe where she was, after all, and besides Lotor's behavior was so out of character, she found herself actually wanting to see what the notoriously manipulative Prince would do next.

When he was a few yards from her ship Lotor dropped to his knees in the snow, and calmly stared up at the lion as he held his arms aloft in an unmistakable sign of submission. He then bowed his head as he waited for her response. Apparently, he would accept whatever her decision was, be it death or tolerance; his life was unmistakably hers to do with as she pleased.

Allura blinked in astonishment. What on Arus was going on here? Quickly she opened he emergency secured channel and contacted Black Lion.

"Keith, I found the source of the signal- it's Lotor! H-He's alone and unarmed... and I think, I mean, i-it appears that he's surrendering!"

To be continued....:)