Author's notes:

Main characters and Voltron are the sole property of World Events Productions from Voltron and Voltron The Third Dimension.

Story is based loosely on "The Law According to Love" By Adele & Moira, with some excerpts quoted from the original story.

Copyright 2008 by Marianne Sanderson

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Allura Rhiannon de la Rose sat on the edge of her bed in her chambers. Lion practice had been a bit more difficult this morning than it normally was. She knew the reason why. It seemed like eternity since it happened but in reality, only a few hours had passed. The scene kept replaying itself in her mind.

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"What! Keith!? What does one book..."

"One! One?!? What about this one or this one or these here!" He goes to his bed, reaching under his mattress and pulls yet another book. "This is my favorite...Ahem... Understanding the Contractual Marital Obligations of The Heir " He shows her the book and then flips open to a chapter that is obviously been place marked. He begins to read. "When studying Chapter 105 of the Constitution of Arus; Article 8, Section 19, Subsection (a) Marriages of Royal Person (s) [Cited as: 105 Arus; Artc. 8, 19(a)] one must also consider subsections (d) Failure to Provide an Heir Apparent Within One Year's Time; and subsection (g) Forfeiture of the Crown in the Event of an Unsuitable Matrimonious Arrangement; dissolutions notwithstanding. This very small, yet extremely important subsection discusses the inevitable forfeiture of the crown by any ruling Heir that makes an unsuitable matrimonial arrangement or agreement. For purposes of the Constitution and for this discussion, an unsuitable matrimonial arrangement or agreement is any matching of a Ruling Member of the Royal House of Arus (the "Heir") with a person deemed to be of lesser station, i.e. one who's lineage cannot be traced back through royal birth for the requisite ten (10) generations. For purposes of the Constitution, matrimonial arrangement or agreement includes, but is not limited to engagements, betrothals, and other promises of marriage."

"Keith...I honestly I had no idea about all this. I..." She looks around to all the books, walking up to the stack he placed on his desk, running her hand down their spines each about Arus's royal code. Each with many slips of paper hanging out of them with his scribbling all over them. She picks one up, taking note of all his bookmarks. "Keith? Why do you why are you reading all this?" She asks, setting it back down.

He paces around the room a bit, book still in hand. "Why? Why?" He stops but doesn't face her. "I've been trying to find a loophole! All right?"

She looks at him in utter disbelief. All this time he's been trying to trying to find a way that they "Keith? I...I don't know what to say, you mean that you really..."

He slowly turns to look at her. "Allura...stop." He takes a deep breath. "Look...all that this has proven to me is that there is just no way."

She takes a step towards him. "Keith, we could appeal. If the laws are that archaic..."

He drops his head fingering the book in hand. "No Allura. T here's just too many. It wouldn't work."

"Yes it would." She moves to him grabbing the book from him and tries to find his eyes. "They'd have to listen. It's only logical that you should be..." She keeps trying to read his eyes but he won't let her. She continues. "Unless...unless..."

He finally looks at her. "Unless...what?"

"Unless...you're really just afraid?" She studies him intently. " Afraid of being King?"

"What! What are you talking about? Afraid?" He tries to pull away, but her blue eyed gaze has him trapped.

"You are afraid of the responsibility aren't you?" she says to him, her gaze growing more piercing. "That's why you're finding all these..." She holds the book up in front of him. "These obstacles!"

Keith glares at her. "Allura! How dare you! Afraid...What are you talking about? Exactly what about being the King would be different than what I am doing now?" He begins to gesture wildly with his hands. "Am I not filling that role now? I'm I not now doing all the things that your King would do? Commanding Voltron, leading your people, negotiating treaties, managing the castle, and leading relief efforts? I'm not afraid of the job now." His hands come again to rest on his hips. "So, you tell me, Princess! What would I be afraid of? What would your King do that I'm not doing now?!"

She slowly looks up and meets his intense questioning eyes. "Love me..." she mutters.

"Again, I ask you. What would your King do that I'm not doing now?!"

Allura just looks at him dumbfounded. Was that a confession?

Keith shakes his head in utter frustration. "Allura, look...just forget it...I...I've got a report to write! We'll talk about this...some other time." He takes the book away from her, takes her arm, and escorts her to his door. He opens it and she steps outside.

"Keith! Don't you dare leave it like this! I will not talk about it, some other time! Do you hear me? Keith!"

Keith steps back from the door and into his quarters... and it starts to close...

"KEITH! I'm warning you! I need to know...Ugghahhh! That's it! When that door closes on me...this discussion over! For GOOD!!!"

The door slides closed, leaving Allura standing in front of it...

Allura bows her head, and prepares to turn and walk away when suddenly...

The sound of a swish fills her ears, as the door opens...and Keith comes out, takes her by the arm, and yanks her inside, with the door closing behind them. He quickly turns her around, pulls her up against him firmly, and kisses her full on the mouth... in a long, passionate kiss... one that makes Allura's body go totally limp in his arms and tingle from the top of her head, to the tips of her toes.

When he eventually breaks the kiss, he pulls back slightly leaving one hand holding her firmly to him at the curve of her lower back, the other lifting to touch her now swollen lips.

"Allura, I...I thought you knew." he whispers to her. "Listen to me. There is nothing my heart wants more than to be your king in every facet that job entails."

"Kei...Keith?" Allura strains to even speak.

"Shhhhh, let me finish. Allura, I love you. I always have I always will. I have always dreamed of our future, you and I, side by side, our children all around... I've imagined us growing old together, telling our grandchildren all about our great adventures. But that's all it is Allura...a dream...a silly pilot's dream. I'm sorry if I mislead you. It's its just I..." His eyes start to shimmer as he looks into hers. "I love you so much, my Princess." He moves in closer again. So close, he can almost taste her... "Forgive me for loving what I cannot have." He closes his eyes. "Forgive me" and steals another kiss. Their lips just brush, but the passion there is tangible.

He pulls back before he loses himself completely.

She looks back up to him with all the love she has for him, her eyes alive with ardor. She reaches up to wipe the streak of a tear from his cheek.

"How can I forgive you, when I am just as guilty? Keith I..." She is utterly transfixed, lost in all that's him, they then dissolve completely into one another.

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She wiped a tear from her eye as she relished in the memory. "There has to be a way." She said aloud. "There has to be a way."

A sudden knock at the door startled her. "Princess, it's Keith. May I enter?"

Allura straightened her gown as she turned to face the door. "Certainly. Come on in."

"Princess. About last night.." Keith started to say.

Allura turned away from him. "You could have waited a few more days before you tried to forget the memory of last night Keith."

"Allura, hear me out." The Voltron Force Commander asked.

When he didn't receive a response he continued. "Both of us were a bit off during lion practice today. We can't let what happened last night affect our job to defend Arus."

"Keith, I never said it would."

"I know. But I also know how stubborn you can be at times. Besides our relationship is more than just a delicate issue here. Galaxy Garrison usually frowns upon fraternization amongst the ranks."

"Keith, the team's assignment here on Arus is not exactly the typical Garrison assignment either." She replied turning back to face him.

"I'm still your commanding officer."

"And I am still the ruler of this planet. And if I recall that in itself supersedes all of the above if I so choose."

"Touche'" He replied.

A small smile crossed her face she turned and walked over to the window observing the lion monument where black lion rested. "Lotor has been awfully quiet as of late."

Keith nodded his head in agreement. *Too quiet* he thought to himself looking down at his watch. "I'm due to relieve Lance in Castle Control. We need to talk about this further."

"Yes we do. But right now we both have duties to attend to." The two exited the Princess' quarters and parted company.

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