Sven wiped his sweaty forehead with the sleeve of his blue flightsuit. He had been toiling in the sun for a good part of the day and he felt his neck beginning to burn. Around him, dozens of men and women, even a few children, worked as they built the foundations of a new village. He shaded his eyes with his hand and looked up. Keith piloted Voltron alone, he didn't need the rest of them during a construction job, and helped put the finishing touches to the roof of the town hall. They were building Voltronia, a town only a stone's throw away from the newly finished Castle of Lions. The castle gleamed in all its whiteness in the center of a lake created with some help from the climate controller GG sent and Sven smiled when he saw it.

He and the rest of the team had helped build it after clearing the rubble that remained after the old castle was destroyed. Their work was lessened with the equipment that the Alliance provided at the team's request. Coran had produced the plans for the castle that King Alfor had been planning to build and they followed them with a few modifications. Pidge turned out to be a pretty good architect on top of everything else and with the leadership of Keith and Sven, as well as the backbreaking work Lance and Hunk endured, it was finally finished. It had been nearly a year since they defeated Lotor's fleet and they had yet to clear out the other Arusian continent, but things had been going better than any of them had hoped. There had only been a few attacks since Lotor's defeat, but Keith was suspicious about it. He knew something was up, as all of them did, but they took advantage of the few months of peace.

The new castle and Voltronia were the results, as well as the new green land that replaced the burnt landscape. The soil was not yet cultivatable for edible plants, but grass now covered everything and with some coaxing, trees took to it as well. Even a few flowers began sprouting after Pidge spread some seeds with some help from Green Lion. He flew over the area they had fixed and the seeds had taken to the soil. Keith had explained it was some special blend and it grew nearly anywhere, but Allura didn't care. She was just excited to see colors again. Unbeknownst to anyone, Sven also knew that Keith was behind most of the greenery being sent to Arus. He didn't know his friend had such extensive knowledge concerning foliage. The pilot of the Black Lion was heard saying that plants could change even the ugliest landscape and after flying over the castle to take a look at what they had accomplished, he was proven right. Even the air was clearer. Ten months was not a long time, but it was long enough to make the changes necessary to rebuild a society.

"Need a drink?" Hunk asked, coming up behind Sven.

Sven turned and smiled. He put his shovel down and took the glass of water his friend offered. He had been digging out the beginnings of a foundation and his hands were beginning to ache. Calluses had formed on his palms a long time before. He unzipped the top half of his suit, revealing a white undershirt, and removed his arms from their prison. He tied the sleeves around his waist. Lance did the same with his red flightsuit. When they weren't in their dress uniforms, or their Voltron uniforms, the team prefered to work in flightsuits that coordinated with their respective Lions. Allura had even taken to wearing a black one at times. It hid her body armor better.

"Keith's lucky the Black is air conditioned," Lance said, wiping his face with a cloth. He took a swig from the canteen he carried on his shoulder.

"Vell, just tink of de muscles you've built up in the past week dat he hasn't," Sven said, poking Lance's wiry arm.

"Thanks for that," Lance said sarcastically. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Sven."

"I do vat I can."

"Idle hands make for the devil's playthings," Hunk said, pointing to their shovels.

"Oh shut up."

Lance and Sven went back to their digging and Hunk went back to his lifting. Up in the castle, Pidge and Allura were in Castle Control. The youngest member of the Voltron Force was teaching the Princess how to use his adjustments on the main panel. She listened attentively for as long as she could, but the blue skies outside tempted her. Pidge followed where her eyes were focused and smiled to himself.

"Do you want to go outside, Princess?" he asked.

She blinked and snapped out of her reverie. "Huh? No, Pidge. I need to learn how to use this stuff so that Keith won't have to work double time."

"I'm sure he enjoys it."

She let out a short laugh. "You think so?"

"He's a workaholic. He loves it."

"I'm sure he does," she said dryly. She patted Pidge's shoulder. "We do need a break, though, Pidge. I don't think I can listen for much longer."

Pidge grinned. "I didn't think you could listen for as long as you did."

They went to the kitchen to raid the fridge. Pidge stuck his head in the fridge while Allura looked out for Nanny. Her old nursemaid threw a hissy fit each time they snacked between meals and they had all learned to work together against her. Six months of close contact had softened Allura towards the team, though not so much towards Lance. They fought nearly everyday, much to the amusement of whoever witnessed it. She favored Keith above the rest which meant she talked to him more than she did the others, but that didn't mean they were above argument.

They ate their snack quickly and went back to work. Allura did not want to waste anytime. She felt like the clock was ticking against her and she readied herself for the sound of the alarms. She knew Lotor was up to something. He wouldn't have waited this long to attack if he wasn't. Every single day was like torture because she expected the castle to be destroyed again, Voltron defeated, and her people slaughtered. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. It felt like her head was going to split open.

Pidge put a hand on her shoulder.

"I think we should call it a day, Princess," he said. "I'll go outside and see what I can do. I think you need some rest."

"I'm fine..."

Before she could stop him, he pushed a button on the control panel.

"NO!"

He only grinned and left the room. She sat back down with a huff and rested her face on her hand. She counted silently to ten and as if on cue, the doors slid open at one. She heard Nanny's quick steps make its way towards her and her chair was swung around violently.

"Vat iz dis I hear about you needing rest?" Nanny inquired, her hands on her hips.

"I don't know," Allura replied tartly. "You tell me."

"Don't take dat tone of voice vid me, young lady! I wiped your bottom before you efen knew vat planet you were on."

Allura rolled her eyes. She hardly ever won a battle against Nanny without losing something important in return. Most of the time it was lunch and her desert for a month. That didn't really bother her, but the teasing she got from the boys irked her beyond her own comprehension. With a resolute expression, she stood and allowed Nanny to lead her to her chambers. It was sparse for she hardly spent any time in it, though Nanny insisted on the canopy bed. She had to admit that getting under the covers felt very nice. Nanny tucked her in and Allura's eyelids felt like they weighed a ton. She was asleep before her nurse left the room.