Part One

Allura let out a violent sneeze that threatened to throw her off the armchair she was slumped in. Keith winced in sympathy when she closed her eyes and leaned her head back tiredly. They were in her study, supposedly going over their attack plan concerning Galaxy Garrison, but Keith couldn't get a word in edgewise as she sneezed and sniffled and blew her nose. The stress they were both going through had them skipping mealtimes and in the process, health was the last things on their mind. And Allura was paying for it.

"Did you go to Doctor Gorma?" he asked.

"No," she said defiantly, her stuffy nose making her nearly unintelligible. "And I'm dot going to either."

"Why not?"

"Because he'll probably make me take sob bedicine dat will bake be drowsy and den Nanny will hold me prisoner in by chambers and I'll dever get anything done."

"You're not getting anything done now," he pointed out.

She glared at him as best she could with poofy eyes and a raw red nose. He only shrugged.

"Don't you have some ribbon cutting ceremony later?" he asked.

She let out a dismayed cry and slapped her forehead with her palm. "Yes! I cobpletely forgot. I have to open a dew museum in de eastern quadrant."

"You do know it's the dead of winter, don't you?"

"Shut up, Keith. You're dot making this any better."

She sneezed again and he handed her a tissue. She took it and blew her nose loudly.

"Could you keep it down?" Lance said, poking his head through the doorway. "Morgan is trying to take her afternoon nap."

"She's too far away to hear be!"

"That's what you think."

Keith chuckled. Lance fought more with Allura than he did with his own sister. He always had to fight the urge to send them to opposite corners when they started.

"I guess I better look for a nice thick jacket," Allura sighed, getting up.

"Why?" Lance asked.

"Oh I don't know. I just thought it would look good with by pants," she retorted.

"She's opening a new museum today," Keith said before Lance could reply.

"Aren't you a little too sick for that?" Lance said.

"Just a little," Keith replied.

"I can't back out of it," she said. "I already said I was cobing and it's too late to cancel. I neglect dem enough as it is."

"You won't make a good impression if you pass out in front of them," Keith said.

"Den I won't."

She swept by them and went out the door. Keith shook his head. She was going to get deathly ill if she was really going to go ahead with it. He made a mental note to block the door when she was ready to leave.

"Hey, Keith, I've got a question for you," Lance began.

A thump down the corridor made him stop and they both looked out to see Allura's crumpled form. Keith reached her first and he picked her up in his arms. He took her back to the study and laid her down on the couch. Lance left to fetch the doctor. Keith found a pulse in her neck and began to lightly slap her face when she didn't wake up to his calling her name.

Doctor Gorma and Lance arrived, both out of breath. Keith got out of the doctor's way as he placed some smelling salts underneath Allura's nose. She woke up with a start and sat up only to immediately fall back down when a wave of dizziness hit her. She groaned loudly.

"Your Highness, if you had come to me yesterday, you would have been feeling better today," Gorma said with a sorry shake of his head. "Now your illness has reached the point of no return and I'm afraid you're going to be in bed for at least two days."

"But I have a cerebody do go to...."

"That's is out of the question," he said with a wave of his hand. "The only place you're going to is bed. I'm sure Commander Porterfield will be inclined to escort you there."

"It'll be my pleasure," Keith said with an I-told-you-so expression on his face.

She sighed and sat up slowly. Doctor Gorma gave her a shot in the arm and then Keith held out a hand to help her up which she grudgingly took. He offered her an arm and she took it as he led her to her chambers. On their way there, Sven and Romelle were just coming in from the garden, both covered with snow and their cheeks rosy red from the cold. Romelle was looking a little worse for wear, but her eyes were lit with a serene light. She had just had Lotor's child aborted a week earlier, but it was if her soul was rebuilding itself. She looked peaceful now, calm, as if she had finally put her past behind her, but the shadows under her eyes told of how hard it was to do. She smiled at Allura and Keith. Allura took one look at her cousin and her eyes widened. Her hand tightened on Keith's arm. He looked at her questioningly.

"She cad go for be!" Allura cried, pointing at Romelle.

Romelle looked at her as if she had just lost her mind. "What was that?"

"She said dat you could go for her," Sven said.

"Go where?"

"To de cerebody!"

"Cerebody?" Romelle repeated, befuddled.

"She's scheduled to go to a museum opening in about an hour," Keith said. "But she can't go because of her current state."

"You want me to go for you?" Romelle asked.

"No....I want you do go as be."

The other three looked at her.

"I think the drugs are kicking in," Keith said to Romelle and Sven.

"I'b serious! I have do be dere. I cand put off ady bore appointmends."

"You do look alike..." Sven put in.

"Her hair and eyes are lighter than mine...AND my voice is deeper," Romelle said. "Do you really want me to do this?"

"Yes!"

"Then I guess I will," Romelle said with a shrug. "We have one hour. I need to lighten my hair and my eyes."

"I can get Pidge to make a voice modifier," Keith said, taking out his comm link.

"You guys are actually goig do help be?" Allura said disbelievingly.

"Looks like," Keith said with a wry smile. "Let me get you to your chambers first."

"Robelle, cob wid be," she said, gesturing. "I'll debrief you end get Nanny to fix you up."

Romelle followed dutifully and Keith left the two women in Nanny's hands. As the older woman fussed over Romelle, Allura sat in her bed and recited everything Romelle needed to know. Allura didn't go into etiquette because she knew her cousin knew more about that than she did. After all, Romelle had entertained guests while a Princess in Pollux.

Romelle was a little bit more filled out than Allura so Nanny quickly altered a gown for her to wear. Allura eyed it speculatively.

"Do you really think I would wear that?"

Romelle looked at it. "No."

"Stick her in dat dark blue ouad," Allura said, pointing.

"It's too dark," Romelle said, wrinkling her nose.

"No such thig," Allura argued.

Romelle shrugged and took the dress out of the closet. She shimmied into it and Nanny let out some of the stitching so that she could at least zip it up. Allura watched with a small smile.

"Nanny's cooking is just too hard to pass up," Romelle said with a shrug and an embarrassed smile.

"You're not de least bit overweight, Cousin. I'b seriously underweight."

They laughed chummily.