Chapter Four

"Lock the doors," Coran ordered. "Keep anything you hear confidential. What happens here is not to be leaked outside of this room."

Keith hardly heard the royal advisor. He stared into the face of the man he had hated for most of his life. Memories of his childhood, of fearing his father's fists, hurtled back and it took all he had in him to keep his mouth shut. He wanted to yell and scream, demand why his once loving "daddy" had turned around and become his worst nightmare. But instead, he stared at Niloc as Niloc stared back.

Gwen and Lance moved to stand on either side of him. They knew what Keith had gone through and hated Niloc almost as much as Keith did. Gwen put a hand on Keith's shoulder. Lance glared at Niloc. Sven fixed his observant eyes on Niloc, his face like granite. It was as if a switch had been flipped.

"You're Keith's father?" Romelle breathed. "Oh, no."

"I'm afraid so, Princess," Niloc said smoothly. "So everytime you look at my darling Keithie-boy, remember you're looking at my son. My blood flows in his veins."

"Last time I checked, Mom had some help in it," Keith said, just as smoothly. "I was wondering where you had disappeared to, but I never thought you would have sunk this low."

"Who's sinking? I'm a general with a fleet of my own. You have...well you don't even have your Princess with you."

Keith's trigger finger twitched underneath his bandages, but he only smiled. "That will be remedied soon enough."

"What do you want, Niloc?" Coran demanded.

"I want the Lions," Niloc said. "I thought you would have known that."

"Green Lion is damaged," Hunk told him.

"You can still have him if you want," Keith said. "As long as we get Allura back."

"So it's Allura is it?" Niloc purred. "I think she's been wanting to say hello."

Niloc signalled to someone they couldn't see and Allura was pushed into view. She stumbled and had to catch herself on Niloc's seat. She raised her head and there was a collective cry at the sight of her ruined face. Her hair hung about her face limply and her lips were chapped and bleeding. Blisters covered her hands and her face from the heat she was exposed to, but her fingers were discolored from a case of frostbite. Her blue eyes were dull and watery. She coughed, a racking sound that hinted at the seriousness of her condition.

Romelle cried out and rushed forward. Lance caught her in his arms and pressed her face against his shoulder so she couldn't see. He turned his head and felt his heart break at the sight of the Princess. He glanced at Keith and saw that the blood had drained from his friend's face. Coran had both hands over his mouth and his eyes were suspiciously moist. Gwen put a hand over her heart and bowed her head so they wouldn't see her own tears. Hunk's mouth dropped open, a knot twisting in his gut at the look of the Princess.

"Allura," Keith murmured.

"Don't give the Lions to him, Keith," she said, her voice hoarse and nearly unrecognizable. "They're more important than me. They'll protect my people."

Niloc grabbed a handful of her hair and lowered her down until they were cheek to cheek. Allura tried to pull herself away, but he only held on harder and the pain made her eyes water, though she didn't cry out. She kept her eyes on Keith, focusing on his being able to see her to keep her from breaking down right then and there. He looked right back at her, his midnight black eyes smoldering.

"Isn't she brave?" Niloc commented. "You know, the whole time we had her locked up, she didn't beg to be let out. When she wanted to let us know she wanted out, she yelled it. Demanded it really." He pulled harder at her hair until her heard was tilted upwards. "She's a little hell-cat."

"Stop it," Romelle said. "Don't hurt her anymore. As acting ruler of Arus, I am the commander-in-chief of the Arusian army. I'll give you the Lions for her safe return."

"NO!" Allura said, as strongly as her aching throat would let her. "Don't give him that power! If you give it to him, I'll die anyway as will the rest of you because he's going to use Voltron against us."

"Not with Green Lion damaged, right Keithie-boy?" Niloc said. "Your dear ol' Dad's not as dumb as you think he is."

"Dad?" Allura repeated. "Oh, Riaru. I was hoping for cousin. It's a shock that a man like Keith could come from a man like you."

Niloc smiled at Allura and before she could say anything, he slapped her cleanly across the face. Keith shot up from his seat.

"Don't you ever touch her again!" he exclaimed.

"Or what?" Niloc challenged. "You'll tear me limb from limb?"

"Yes," Keith spat.

"You can't do that from all the way over there, can you?" Niloc said. "Here's the deal, I get the Lions and you for Allura."

"That's Princess," she said, wiping a trickle of blood from her lip. "And we already made a deal."

"Looks like your people want a new one," he said. "Don't argue."

"We made a deal," she repeated. "You gave me your word that you would leave them alone."

He slapped her again and this time left a red handmark on her pallid skin. Coran covered his eyes. Gwen finally looked up and allowed them to see the teardrops cascading down her cheeks. Lance clutched at Romelle as she clutched at him, but both forced themselves to watch Allura's beating. Hunk couldn't anymore. He turned his head and closed his eyes. Every muscle in Keith's body was clenched and he couldn't bear to see him hit her anymore.

"Stop!" Romelle cried.

"Here's what I want you to do," Niloc said, ignoring her as he yanked Allura's hair even harder. "Keithie, climb into Black Lion, with the other Lions in tow--even Green Lion--and fly them over here. Once I have them and you in my possession, Allura may return. How's that for a deal?"

"That's an awful lot of things in exchange for one person," Lance said.

Niloc shrugged. "You want her and I've got her. It's up to you. Would you like time to decide?"

Keith looked at Romelle and she nodded. Coran could barely hold his head up, but he too showed his agreement. Keith met his father's eyes with a steely glare.

"I'll be there," he said.

"NOOOOOO!," Allura wailed. "Don't!"

"I'm coming, Allura," he said, with more emotion than he intended to convey.

Niloc picked it up and looked from his son to the Princess. "Oh...is this your little girlfriend, Keithie-boy?"

"That's Commander Porterfield, to you. My relationship with the Princess is purely one of a close friendship. Don't hurt her anymore because of me. I would do the same for any of the people in here, or even out there."

"I guess Keith got that from his mother, seeing as you're a traitorous bastard, huh Niloc?" Lance baited.

At that, Niloc's nonchalant facade shattered. His face darkened with rage and he let go of Allura as he got up to go closer to the viewscreen.

"Beth was the kindest, gentlest person I've ever known," he said to Lance. "Her death was the worst mistake Galaxy Garrison could have made and that child betrayed her memory by serving it."

"How did he betray it when he was only a little five-year-old boy?" Lance countered. "But, he still met with your violence every day until he was finally old enough to join the Academy."

"Because," Niloc said, grabbing the reins of his sanity and sitting back down with a cold smile, "he was there."

"How could you do that?" Allura demanded. "To your own son?"

Niloc raised his hand to slap her again, but Keith slammed his hands on the console.

"Don't touch her," he said, a note of warning in his voice. "I'm coming right now."

Niloc lowered his hand and smiled. "Good. But just in case you have heroic illusions, here's something to remember..."

He threw Allura on the floor and right before their eyes, smashed his foot hard on her back. They heard her bones break. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she passed out from the excruciating pain. Before they could react, Niloc cut the transmission. Keith bolted out of the room to the repair bay. Where the Lions were.

On board Lotor's flagship, he and Hagar watched the goings on in Castle Control

"Brilliant move on Niloc's part," Lotor said with grudging admiration. "I couldn't have done it better myself."

"So have you changed your mind about destroying him?" Hagar asked.

"Of course not," Lotor snorted. "I'm not soft-hearted, Old Witch."

"My mistake," Hagar said dryly.

"Things will go according to my plan," Lotor said, swirling his goblet of red wine. "Our little spy will be able to convince them to return to Pollux, thanks in part to the limpid-eyed loveliness of Romelle, and I will be there waiting for them. Niloc should be dead by then. It's a shame I'm not going to be the one to kill him. I wish that I could at least watch."

"Who's going to kill him then?" Hagar asked, rolling her eyes, expecting it to be herself.

"Commander Porterfield," he replied. "From the look on his face, he wanted Niloc's head on a platter. After all, the man hit his dear Princess Allura, who, according to our information, means a lot more to him than he lets on."

"That's just speculation on Sven's part," the witch pointed out. "It doesn't necessarily mean that something is going on."

"Sven is one of Porterfield's dearest friends," Lotor said. "He knows when something is going on. Just be sure to remember that little tidbit. It may be useful in time. Release him from your control now. They might get suspicious."

Hagar waved her staff and the imagery before them gradually faded. The last thing they saw was Romelle running into Sven's arms.