"Has she lost her mind," Lance hissed as they were walking towards the formal dining room.

He and Keith were hanging behind the rest of the group, giving Lance ample opportunity to speak his mind. For his part, Keith was silent as his mind wrapped itself around the possiblities of having Lotor at such close quarters. He'd already called Hunk and made sure security was discreetly stepped up in that general area. The rest of the Voltron Force would be inside the dining room to watch over Allura and Coran, but who knew what Lotor had up his sleeve.

For despite the tearjerker of a story that Lotor told them, Keith still wasn't sure that he was entirely trustworthy and he knew that Lance wholly agreed with him. He had to admit that he was almost floored by the story because Lotor was very convincing, but something told him that they were underestimating the Prince. Something wasn't quite right, so he would keep his eye on Lotor.

"Why the hell would she invite him to dinner?" Lance was still saying. "Does she want to die? He's way too close to Castle Control for my liking...too close to the Lions for that matter."

"Relax, Lance. We'll watch him. He's surrounded and I don't think he's as stupid as he makes himself out to be."

"I don't doubt that, but that doesn't mean he won't do anything. Surrounded sure, but he could do something idiotic and blow himself up with everybody else."

"We ran a scan on him. He's clean."

"You never know with these guys. He's got a witch on his side for godsake. He could be hiding a bomb in his long, luscious locks for all we know."

Keith's lips quirked. "Luscious?"

"Is this a Drule thing? Why the hell is his hair so damn long? It's as long as Allura's and I think it's even better kept."

At that, Keith laughed straight out.

Ahead of them, Alderain and Allura were chatting with Lotor about something or other and they looked back to see what was so funny. Lance only shrugged as if Keith had gone nuts and was laughing at nothing. Keith's laughter died down and he felt a pang of jealousy, thinking that when the two one day married, they would look just like this when entertaining their guests. Alderain stayed close to the Princess' side, her hand resting in the crook of his elbow.

Perfectly perfect, Keith reflected bitterly.

"Ease up, Amigo," Lance said, following Keith's eyes. "If you put your mind to it, he'd be out of the picture."

"Zip it, Lance. This is neither the time nor the place."

"You say that about everything."

"Only when it applies."

"Well, when is the right time and place?"

Keith's jaw worked. "I'll let you know when I figure that out."

"She needs you, you know," Lance said. "And I'm not just saying that, Keith. She's been disjointed lately and aimless. Well...as aimless as Allura gets anyway. You guided her through everything and since you guys started fighting, she is acting a little like a fish out of water. Now with Alderain here, and Lotor...she won't admit it, but she needs help. Namely, your help."

That made Keith pause. "Does she really?"

"Yes. I'm surprised you didn't notice. And with your disagreeing with her over everything, she can barely keep her head straight. She's one gigantic knot."

"Oh."

"So if you're not going to do anything about your feelings for her, at least help her out. Thousands....well actually with this whole Lotor situation, millions of people are depending on her and she needs you. You guys made a great team."

"Alright, Lance. I guess we should patch things up."

"If not for you, for everyone else. We can't take it."

Only Hunk noticed Nanny's hands shaking slightly as she served dinner because the dish she was holding had caught his attention. She kept glancing at Lotor from the corner of her eye, trying not to imagine him pulling out a blaster and shooting Allura to high heaven. Everyone else was watching him as well, partly because of Keith's orders, but mostly because they all believed he was dangerous as hell. The glint in his eye certainly didn't help matters any. It was something of a "cat-that-ate-the-canary" glint. Though the Prince of Doom was certainly a charming man, he still exuded a dangerous air that no one missed. They just tried to ignore it.

Dinner crawled by, despite Alderain's attempts to lighten the atmosphere. He nudged Allura several times to try to get her to brighten up, believing that it was her duty as the Princess and head of the Arusian Royal Household to make the guest more comfortable--although as he lounged in his seat, Lotor looked anything but. The nudging wasn't lost on Keith, who smiled smugly when Allura shot Alderain a look of pure ice and he stopped, reddening. The Prince glanced around quickly to make sure no one had noticed and Keith quickly averted his eyes. But he couldn't quite get the satisfied expression off his face.

The byplay wasn't lost on Lotor either, who had been studying each and every person at the table with disguised care. However, he continued talking as if he hadn't noticed a thing. Hunk had engaged him in a conversation about Doom technology and even as Lotor patiently answered his questions, his mind was elsewhere. Namely, with what his next move would be. He took careful note of the obvious feelings between the Princess and the Commander. He had a feeling it would be useful in the future.

"Don't ever do that again," Allura said, jabbing a finger in Alderain's chest. "I don't like being put on the spot."

Alderain blinked. He'd taken the Princess outside to the gardens, meaning it to be a romantic stroll, and he didn't expect to be yelled at. Surprise then gave way to irritation, but he choked back his strong words to appease the angry Princess.

"I was only trying to help you," he explained calmly. "I don't understand why you must be so upset."

"Wouldn't you be upset if I tried to tell you what to do in your own kingdom?"

His jaw clenched. "I thought that at this point in our relationship..."

"I didn't know we were keeping track of points."

"...we would be able to share our thoughts without being afraid of the other person's reaction," he finished, ignoring her.

"Telling me what to do at the dinner that may decide the fate of this war and telling me that you think I look fat in this dress are two completely different things!"

"In your opinion."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Alderain retorted, his voice rising. "I took you out here so that we could relax and maybe talk about the future, but I can't talk to you while you're like this."

"Like what?" Allura challenged, her jaw set stubbornly.

"Like that. Goodnight, Allura."

"Goodnight, Alderain."

He left the garden and went straight to his room, but Allura stayed, sitting herself down on a stone bench. She realized then that she was getting sick of the garden. It was the garden her mother had tended, then Keith.

And now the gardener, she thought ruefully.

Keith hadn't been to the garden in some time. Looking around, she saw the trees and flowers that she had helped him plant---even the mark on a tree trunk that she'd made by launching a trowel at it. It was hard to believe that they planted everything only two years before...

Sighing, Allura stood. The garden had lost its magic for her and she knew she needed some rest. Tomorrow was definitely going to be a busy day.

"Leaving already, Your Highness?"

Her hand immediately made for her blaster, but it was intercepted by a larger and stronger one. She curled her fist and moved to strike, but stopped in midair when she recognized the cat-like eyes gazing at her amusedly.

"Prince Lotor," she said, stepping away from him. "I didn't hear you."

"Force of habit, I'm afraid. I hope I didn't startle you too badly."

"No," she answered. "But I was on my way to bed. So if you'll excuse me..."

"Actually, I don't excuse you."

She froze in midstride. "Excuse me?"

"I would like some company, if you don't mind. I haven't had the mind for female company in a long time. Not since..."

"Kyra," Allura murmured. "I understand."

Lotor let out a relieved breath. He'd forgotten the name of his fictional lover and silently thanked whatever God was up there for letting Allura believe his hesitation was due to strong emotions.

Allura sat back down, but Lotor opted to stay standing, leaning on a tree, and trying to look as troubled as possible.

"You're doing a noble thing by coming to us," Allura said awkwardly. "Very brave of you."

"It doesn't feel noble or brave. It feels like...a reckoning. I owe it to all the people I've hurt."

"Kyra did a lot of good for you."

"Yes...she did."

A comfortable silence settled over them and it was like this did Keith find them. He was startled to find Allura and Lotor together, but he quickly covered his surprise with a genial smile.

"Good evening, Your Highnesses," he said with a slight bow. "Nice night, isn't it?"

Lotor looked around as if noticing where he was for the first time. A light breeze ruffled the leaves of the plants and insects sang around them. The night sky was dotted by a million stars and the moon provided the only light. It was a nice night...and it made him sick. Silently, he wished for a stormcloud.

"It's beautiful," Allura agreed easily, though she was watching Keith warily.

Pretending like he didn't notice, Keith took a seat next to her, his shoulder brushing hers. She moved to accomodate him, but he put a hand on her arm.

"Relax, Princess," he said.

"A-alright," she stuttered, frowning. She noticed then that there was definitely something different about Keith. He seemed more...open. She relaxed a little.

"This is a beautiful planet," Lotor commented. "I saw the destruction my father rained here, and now it's a land of rolling green hills with wildflowers and forests that stretch further than my eye can see."

"We worked hard," Keith said, glancing at Allura from the corner of his eye.

"Yes, we did," she agreed, glancing back at him.

"You two are close?" Lotor asked innocently.

They both hesitated.

"We're good friends," Allura said and at the same time, Keith replied, "We're here for each other."

Lotor smiled. "I see."

"He supported and helped me when we were rebuilding," Allura said. "I couldn't have done it without him."

"Yes, you would have," Keith said quietly. "You're a lot stronger than you think, Allura."

She nudged him lightly with her elbow. "Don't belittle yourself. You know you were important."

"Were?"

Allura's eyes widened slightly at his gentle flirting, but she grinned, her sky blue eyes lightening. "Fishing?" she teased.

He grinned back and opened his mouth to respond when he suddenly remembered Lotor standing nearby. Allura seemed to have the same thought and she trained her gaze on the Prince. He smiled at them and moved to go.

"I'll be going to my ship. It's been a long day," he said. "Goodnight to you both."

"Goodnight, Prince Lotor," Allura said, standing.

"Would you like an escort?" Keith asked, sobering.

"Yes, I would. Thank you, Commander."

"Stay here, Allura," Keith said, leaning down and whispered in her ear.

She nodded and he left with Lotor.