Allura touched the smooth fabric of the uniform as she sat in her room. She remembered how it felt to be lifted in her father's arms when he wore it and how much she wished that she could wear it one day. Now, she may have her chance. With no pilot for the Blue Lion and a temporary pilot still unavailable, she was ready to don the uniform and take her rightful place in the Voltron Force.

A member of the Royal House always flew one of the Lions, man or woman. The pilot was usually trained from the age of seven until he or she was ready. She was about to begin her training when her father died and when they went underground, she no longer had a Lion to fly. But now the Blue needed a pilot and she was going to be it whether they liked it or not. She guessed that it would be more the latter than the former.

She went to her desk where a computer panel sat and opened a link to Keith's communicator. She knew he was working on the orphanage in Voltronia, but she couldn't wait until later to discuss this with him. She'd made up her mind and she knew it would take some work to get him to agree with her. He'd been difficult to talk to as of late and they hadn't had much contact since the incident in the chapel. She had a feeling he was embarrassed about it and was avoiding her. She had to admit that she felt the same way. She wasn't one to show too much emotion and what she did for him was completely out of character, but as a friend, she knew she needed to be there for him.

"Keith," she said. "I need to talk to you."

His face appeared on the small screen. His face was nearly healed as was his arm so he could fly the Black. He had finally gotten his hair cut and she was glad to see that he was looking healthier, but the look on his face worried her. He had gotten some semblance of his normal life back, but there was something missing in the way he talked and moved. There was something important missing in his eyes that Allura and the others could not put their finger on. He told no one of what was running through his head.

"Can it wait, Allura?" he asked distractedly. "I'm in the middle of something."

She froze at the tone of his voice and glared.

"Should I make an appointment with your secretary?"

"Sure," he replied, still distracted. "Lance is getting ready to set the foundation down, but I'm sure he can jot down a good time for you."

He cut the connection and left her fuming. She shot up from her seat with a disgusted sound and went outside. She could see Keith's black clad form from where she was and headed straight for him. He seemed to sense her approach and turned around. He raised an eyebrow in question. The two-inch scar on his jaw was white against his tan and drew her gaze immediately. In the corner of her mind, she wondered why he didn't have it removed.

"I thought you were going to contact my secretary," he asked, breaking her free of her thoughts.

Her fingers tingled as she fought the urge to yell in the face. He was being difficult and she had a shorter temper than usual. He stared at her, knowing that he was pushing it.

"What is it, Princess?" he sighed, running a hand through his cropped hair. "Looks like I've got time now."

She mirrored his motion and regarded him with a lazy glance, succeeding in calming herself down.

"I'm flying the Blue Lion," she said nonchalantly. "That's all."

She turned on her heel and headed back to the castle. Keith stared at her back in a stunned silence before shaking his head and taking off after her. He grabbed her arm and she shook out of his grasp with a protest on her lips, but he cut her off.

"What do you mean, you're flying the Blue?" he demanded, a spark of annoyance in his dark eyes. It was the first hint of emotion she'd seen out of him and felt proud of herself.

She looked at him as if he was stupid.

"Are you having a slow day?" she asked sarcastically. "What is there not to understand. Pretty self-explanatory, I think."

"Allura, do you know what you're talking about?"

"When do I not?" she retorted.

He was at a loss for words. Behind him, the workers were calling his name. They needed him to direct them to where everything needed to go. Lance had stopped what he was doing and was coming their way. Keith lifted a hand to stop him and turned back to Allura.

"We're definitely going to talk about this later," he said in a low undertone. "Have you talked to Coran about this?"

"Not yet."

"Good. Have him meet us in the Conference room at seventeen hundred hours."

"Fine."

"Fine."

She turned and went back inside. He turned and went back to watching the construction going on in front of him. He shook his head in disbelief at what he just heard. Lance jogged over to where he stood.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"Nothing, I hope," was the cryptic reply.