Princess Allura sat in the rec room of the Castle of Lions and stared wistfully off into space. The scene in the garden the morning before refused to lay quietly in her mind. It played itself over and over. His touch, his kiss. She was ashamed for allowing herself to lust after him, to feel any attraction at all. His father had murdered her father. He was trying to capture her planet and enslave her people. Her rational mind knew she should hate him, but she found it hard to do so. Allura had gone to her garden this morning like she did every morning, and had tried to pretend as though nothing was different. She had stayed an extra hour busying herself with something that had already been done trying to delay her return to the castle. He had not come, and although she tried not to admit it she was disappointed. Her daydreaming was disturbed by loud, raucous voices. Her friends tumbled into the room, tripping and pushing.
"Hunk, get off of me! I can't breathe, you big oaf!" Pidge yelled.
"Whine, whine, whine! Are you SURE you're man enough to be on this team?" Hunk questioned jokingly.
"Ohhh, them's fighting words, Pidge!" Lance commented.
Back and forth the banter went until Keith raised his hands in the air and shouted. "OK! OK! ENOUGH! We all know Pidge is weak, Hunk is fat, and Lance is stupid. Let's get to work."
"WHAT??" the rest questioned, stunned, their eyes wide and mouths open.
Keith laughed and threw a couch pillow at his friends. "THAT got your attention!" he said. The others laughed and settled in on the couches around the room.
Allura looked at her friends lovingly and sized them up. They were so different from each other, yet they formed a cohesive fighting unit, and they got along famously. Keith was the leader of the group. He had thick, jet-black hair that touched his shoulders, and wide ebony eyes. All Allura's ladies-in-waiting thought Keith was dreamy. He was tall, lean, and muscular. He was only 21 years old, but sometimes seemed decades older. That was the other thing about him. Although he tried to be light-hearted, he often seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders. He took his duties seriously and often needed to be reminded to smile. When Keith had first come to Arus, Allura had developed a crush on him, and pursued a romance. They had even shared a nice kiss after the Winter Ball, but the longer they knew each other the more sense it made to be friends. They seemed now more like brother and sister and were as close as siblings could be.
Lance was day to Keith's night. He was quick with a wise-crack or joke, and sometimes the others had to remind him to be SERIOUS. He loved adventure and never stayed bored long. He was also a favorite with the ladies. He had auburn hair and coffee-colored eyes and an ever-ready lopsided grin. He was a little taller than Keith and a little leaner too. Lance was 20 year old.
Although Hunk and Pidge were individual people, you had to view them as a unit.
They were inseparable. They taunted and teased each other, but they were also quick to defend one another if someone dared to criticize. Hunk had an olive complexion and chestnut hair and eyes. He was a little heavier than the others, for he had an enormous appetite, but he was still very capable as a fighter. He was the oldest of the group at 23.
Pidge was the youngest at 16. He was small, but fast, and a whiz with anything electronic. He looked up to the others, and they respected his capabilities. Pidge had light brown hair and hazel eyes, hidden behind his glasses. He was still a boy, but was quick becoming a man.
Allura considered this motley bunch her family. They had been though a lot together. They had even saved each others lives.
"Allura, snap out of it! Are you dreaming of some handsome prince?" Lance teased.
Allura blushed at his suggestion, then put on a frown and pretended to be mad. "Lance, you are nothing but a uncivilized cur!" she huffed.
"Man, you're in trouble now," said Hunk. "No knighthood for you!"
"You'd better apologize," warned Pidge.
"Sorry, Princess! I was just kidding!" Lance apologized.
"Oh Lance. You're so easy to fool!" the princess said breaking into a wide grin.
"Gentlemen, and lady, of course," Keith said rising to his feet. "I know it's a pain, but we need to talk about defending this planet. Lotor hasn't attacked lately, but that makes me think he's just working on something big. You know he'll never give up, so let's work on some defense strategies."
So, they sat and suggested new maneuvers and discussed battle plans for nearly two hours before breaking for lunch. Allura had caught herself daydreaming several times during the meeting and the theme always seemed to be the same. His touch, his kiss.