The Suitors
Part Eleven

Epilogue

The crowds slowly are beginning to thin. Both Keith and Allura are beginning to show signs of weariness. Every moment since she said yes to his question they have been bombarded by well-wishers. Everyone is wanting to speak to the couple and wish them happiness. Keith has not let Allura out of his sight, or out of his grasp for that matter. Now that he finally has her, he cannot bring himself to let go. Afraid if he does he might just wake up to find it was all just a cruel dream. He keeps his hand interlaced in hers as the people come to greet them.

He hasn’t seen Sven or Lance since they skipped out of the ballroom hours ago. That has him worried. He keeps remembering the pranks they used to play back at the academy. Whatever they are up to now can’t be good. The longer they are gone the more nervous he gets. But not as nervous as he feels from the scrutinizing gaze from someone else in the room. Sitting quietly at a side table is Queen Orla, Allura’s Aunt and her closest relative. She hasn’t taken her eyes off him since he entered the room. She has made no move to greet them which has him worried and with all the people waiting to speak to them they couldn’t go to her. What is she thinking over there? She doesn’t approve of her niece’s choice does she?

Nanny and Coran have been busy talking with guests. Hunk and Romelle have been helping with crowd control trying to keep the line moving. Pidge on the other hand has been distracted by his blind date that Lance set him up with. Obviously using the distraction in the room of the engagement to his advantage. Keith, occasionally catching glimpses of him with the girl mutters, “I never knew he was so smooth.”

“What did you say, Keith? Allura looks at him quizzically.

Keith smiles leaning over to Allura and whispers in her ear. “Ally, look at that.”

“What?”

“Over there, on the dance floor.”

Allura’s eyes travel across the floor where Pidge is slow dancing with his date, her head nestled into his shoulder, his hand in her hair. She smiles looking back up to her Captain. “I guess we’re not the only ones. She reaches a hand up to Keith’s jaw and he leans down to her and their lips softly meet. There is an audible gasp and a few sighs from the women around them, bringing a flush to both their faces. They hurriedly get back to greeting people, the redness slowly fading.

The room is thinning out noticeably now, as the people start to make their ways back home only a few stragglers remain to greet them. Allura’s Aunt Orla has not moved from her seat. Still intently watching. Now with hardly anyone left in the room it is impossible for Keith to block out her gaze. He begins to sweat. They finally greet the last people.

An older woman bows before them, one of the elders from a nearby village that Keith spent a large amount of time at, helping with the rebuilding. “This is the happiest day. Thank you Captain for bringing us such joy. King Alfor must be smiling tonight.” Keith extends his free hand to her and she takes it and gives it a squeeze. She winks at him. “Our princess is a lucky woman.” She smiles, looking into his eyes.

He drops his eyes from hers. “Thank you.” He is still finding it hard to hear praises of him.

“Goodnight you two. We wish you all the happiness.”

“Thank you.” Allura curtsies to the woman and the older woman makes her way out of the room.

Keith and Allura finally have a moment to themselves. They scan the room. Still no Sven or Lance. Pidge too has now disappeared. Nanny and Coran are sitting at a far table in some intense conversation. Hunk and Romelle, exhausted themselves, are sitting at another table with their feet propped up also conversing. Allura’s aunt is no longer at her table.

Keith pulls Allura into an embrace. “This has been the longest day of my life.” He leans his head on her shoulder.

Allura nestles her head into him, “And how is the mighty Voltron Captain holding up?”

“Truthfully?”

She pulls back cocking her head at him.

“I’m starving.”

She lets out a laugh.

“Well, I really didn’t eat breakfast and I sort of forgot about lunch, then we never had a free moment to go in for dinner…” his stomach lets out a groan for emphasis. They both laugh. The laughter suddenly stops as their eyes lock onto one another. Suddenly back in the trance of their love the room dissolves away. In their minds they are the only two that exist. The distance between them disappears and their lips meet. Their minds are off someplace else, each reveling in the taste of the other. Eventually they awake from their trance to find that they were dancing to the soft music being played, all alone on the dance floor. The few stragglers that were left in the room, Nanny, Coran, Romelle, and Hunk are all watching them intently, all wiping tears from their faces. The couple stands, interlacing their hands in each others. Keith whispers into her ear. “I love you, my Princess.”

“May I speak to you Captain? Alone.”

Keith freezes as a shuddering wave shoots through him. He slowly looks over to Queen Orla who is now standing next to them. He tightens his grip on Allura’s hands, suddenly feeling panicked. The woman now before him is Allura’s closest relative, Allura’s Mothers sister. What could she have to say to him that she cannot say in front of Allura?

“Majesty, I really don’t want to keep any secrets from Allura.”

“Please Captain, it will only be a moment. I’ll wait for you out on the patio.”

Allura squeezes back his now sweaty hands. “Go on.” She looks up into his nervous eyes. “You’ll be fine. I’m sure you’ll charm her. I’ll wait right over there with Hunk and Romelle.” She smiles up to him.

He leans down and whispers in her ear. “Are you ready to elope if we need to run?”

“Just give me the sign and I’ll warm up the Black.” She giggles back. “Now go will you.” She stretches up and gives him a kiss, one which he is to panicked to return. For the first time in hours, Allura lets go of him. He didn’t realize how much courage he was getting from her grasp. Now it is gone, he is feeling very vulnerable under the scrutinizing gaze of Orla. He drops his head and goes outside to meet her.

“Thank you for coming out here.” Orla smiles, noticing in his nervous demeanor. “Will you relax Captain?” She laughs.

“I…yes, your Majesty.”

“Keith, please. We are to be family soon, please call me Orla.”

“Family? … You… I mean, you… approve?”

“Don’t be silly Keith, I am honored that you would take Allura as your wife.”

“You? I though that…well the way you looked…Uh…Thank you.”

Orla smiles up at him. “She is lucky to have won the heart of such a great man as you. She is a lucky woman.”

Keith starts to flush and fidget dropping his eyes. “I…I think I’m the lucky one.”

Orla reaches up and strokes his cheek. “We are all lucky tonight.” She smiles at him. “Now for what I needed to talk to you about. I don’t know why I did it, I just had this premonition that something wonderful was going to happen tonight, so I brought this with me.” She holds up a small velvet pouch in front of her by its cords. “I brought this with me just by the off chance I might want to give it to someone tonight. Now I know what my premonition was all about. You are that someone and you must have it.”

“Orla please, I don’t need anything.”

“Please Keith take it. I want you to have it.”

Keith softly smiles and takes the pouch in his hand. “Thank you, Orla.” He starts to feel it between his fingers, his eyes going wide at the realization of what is in the pouch.

“Go on open it.”

“Orla, this is too much…”

“Shh. Now open it.”

Keith does as instructed opening the pouch, up-ending it into his hand. There drops the most exquisite diamond ring Keith has ever seen. On a simple band of gold are three large diamonds, the largest at its center. The stones are cut in such a way that they seem to glow from within. His face turns pale.

Orla reaches into his palm and reverently picks up the ring. “It belonged to Allura’s Grandmother, my mother. She willed it to me when she passed. And now, I give it to you.”

“Orla, I…I can’t. it’s way to much. You can’t give this up. It was meant for you.”

“Please Keith, I have no children of my own, this way it continues down the line. Please you must take it.” She reaches out grabbing his hand in hers and presses the ring into his palm, wrapping his fingers around it. “Now go, you know what to do with it.”

Keith is stunned speechless. In his lifetime he could never have afforded such a ring as the one that is now in his hand. “I…I…” His eyes start to shimmer. “Thank you Orla. I will repay you somehow, someway.”

“Silly man. You already have, a million times over. It is a pittance compared to what I owe you, what the planet owes you. Consider it a thank you gift.”

A tear runs down his cheek, he is completely overwhelmed by Orla’s gift.

She pulls him into a hug. “I couldn’t have wished for a better man for my niece. Her mother and father would have loved you. I can feel their love in the castle tonight. Please go with my blessing.”

They separate and he opens his hand to look upon the ring. As he holds it up he reads the inscription inside.

‘To Allura, the love of my life.’

His jaw drops as he looks at Orla’s smiling face. He tries to speak but there is only air.

“So, you didn’t know Allura was named for her grandmother?”

He shakes his head. Slowly he smiles and pulls Orla into a hug. “Thank you, Orla. Thank you so much.”

Nanny continues telling Coran of all the preparations that they will now need to make for the upcoming wedding. “I wonder when they will want to do it? I hope they give us enough time to prepare.”

“Nanny come on, you saw them. They aren’t going to want to wait.”

“They’ll have to. A royal wedding isn’t something that can happen without extensive planning.”

“Do you really thing they will want a royal wedding?”

“Coran, don’t even suggest such a thing.” Nanny looks over to Allura sitting with Romelle and Hunk. “My baby will have the most glorious wedding the galaxies have ever seen!”

Coran laughs. “I think you better ask her first.”

Nanny is still looking at Allura. Allura smiles brightly, as her gaze shifts from Romelle, who she was talking with, to the doorway to the garden. Nanny follows Allura’s eyes to see Keith entering the ballroom as he makes his way to Allura. He reaches her chair and squats down beside it, Allura’s hand finding his hair. The look on both of their faces is one of utter contentment and love. Nanny starts to flush. “Coran how in the world could we have missed seeing this for so long?”

“I don’t know Nanny. I truly don’t know.”

“Come on.” Keith pulls Allura off of the patio and into the gardens.

“Where are you taking me?”

“You’ll see soon enough.”

Allura grabs up her skirts in her free hand to get them out of her feet. “Keith?” She giggles. “What are you doing?”

“You’ll see, be patient.” He quickly leads her around the maze of garden paths.

They stop suddenly in the heart of the garden and Allura knows exactly where they are. “Keith?” She looks into his smiling eyes. They are in front of the statues of her parents.

He turns to face her. “Your Aunt Orla gave me something and now I want to give it to you.” He reaches out for her left hand. He takes the ring out with his other. “Ally my love, please take this ring, it is just a shadow of all that you are to me.” He slowly slips the ring onto her ring finger and it fits perfectly.

Allura is still for the longest time just staring at the ring. Suddenly realizing why it looks so familiar. “Is…is that… my Grandmothers ring?”

“Yes.” He looks from the ring up to her eyes. “Orla wanted you to have it.”

She holds the ring up to see it more closely. “It’s so beautiful.”

He looks into her eyes. “Yes, so beautiful.”

“Keith! The ring! The ring is beautiful.”

“Yes, that too.” He grins and turns to the statues of her parents. “Thank you, King Alfor. So… how did I do?”

“Keith?”

“Your mother and father there gave me a little pep talk, so to speak. They gave me that last push I needed to have the guts to walk in that room tonight.”

“Really?”

He turns and pulls her into his arms. “Really.” He runs a hand over her hair. “The rose was from them.”

The wind starts to slowly pick up around them. Allura nestles herself into him for warmth.

“I better get you inside, it’s getting cold out here.” He starts to unfasten his jacket to remove it.

“No I’m fine. Anyway I’d rather keep warm this way.” Her arms go in through his now open jacket and wrap around his back. He pulls his open jacket around her as much as he can and wraps his arms around her. Holding her tight both of their hands now roaming. They stand in the darkness of the garden feeling the warmth of each other’s bodies.

It’s almost midnight. The couple eventually make their way back inside and say their goodnights. They are mentally and physically exhausted from the events of the last twenty-four hours. They slowly make their way up to their rooms, planning to sleep for days. They stop outside Allura’s door, both avoiding looking at the other. Keith takes both of Allura’s hands in his still looking at the floor. “Ally I…” He swallows. “About last night…I…I mean well.” He bites his lip. “We were both so desperate that…well…” He squeezes her hands. “If you want to slow down and…” He keeps his eyes on the floor.

Allura pulls her hands from his and places them on either side of his jaw lifting his eyes to hers and just stares at him for the longest time. One side of her mouth starts to curl up into a slight smile as she steps forward and pulls his lips to hers and they are soon lost in each other, all the deep passions and unquenchable desires that they have been keeping in check all evening exploding into the kiss. Soon fighting for every taste, every touch. Lost in their fervor, they don’t hear Allura’s door open and two men step out.

“You see, Sven. Now that’s the kiss I was telling you about.” The couple freezes, burying their embarrassed faces in each other.

“Yes Lance, I do believe you were right.” Sven puts his arm around Lance’s shoulders and the two men walk away down the hall. “Keith has already won that prize.”

Keith and Allura remain frozen both burning red. Afraid to look at each other they instead slowly turn their gaze into the now open room and their jaws drop for, Lance and Sven have filled the room with flowers and set up an intimate candlelit table for two with dinner waiting. They cautiously enter and walk up to the table, the smell of the food eliciting another growl from Keith’s stomach. He spies a folded note on the table. He picks it up and steps behind Allura, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. He rests his head on her shoulder holding the note out with his other hand so they can both read it.

‘Keith and Ally,

We saw you never got a chance to eat tonight and figured you must be starving both for food and quiet.
You’ve made a lot of people happy today.
Love is everything. Now that you’ve acknowledged it don’t let it go.

Lance and Sven
P.S. Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do.’

Keith starts to laugh wrapping both arms tightly around her. “I hate to imagine exactly what those two wouldn’t do.”

Allura leans back into him and raises a finger to her mouth. “Hmm, well…”

Keith quickly loosens his grip. “Why am I suddenly afraid?”

“Because…” She turns around in his arms to face him. “You should be.”

Keith smiles and lets out a whimpering cry. “Help!”

The end of ‘The Suitors’

On to My Thoughts.

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