Kova, my only friend.

1.

Allura and Lotor were in Lotor's chambers at the time, Lotor hanging his head low. In front of the emporer was a messege from one of the far outposts of the empire. It was from Axcu. Her voice had struck the room powerfully, yet you could still hear the quiver in her voice.

"I found her behind a scrapted pod. She was already dead. I'm sorry Sir." Axcu disappeared from the screen, Lotor slowly dropping the screen in his hand, his knees falling out behind him. Allura then came in, seeing the man in his current position.

Lotor shook slightly, making Allura worry imencly as she went to his side. She put a hand on his shoulder, peering downwards as she wrapped her other hand around his. Lotor smiled down at her hand, using his unocupied one to wipe a tear from his cheek.

"Do not fret love, I am fine. Just, preturbed." Lotor kissed Allura's hand softly, trying to distract himself from the newest events.

"Lotor, please tell me what happened. Preturbed does not begin to describe the look on your face. Why won't you share your pain with me?" Allura asked, leaning her head on Lotor's shoulder s she spoke, trying her hardest to get his to open up.

Lotor hesitated, pulling away from Allura, standing with his arms cross. He took in a deep breath, feeling Allura's eyes on the back of his neck.

"She was my mothers cat. Kova. She had lived through the full reing of my father, and was the only thing left from my childhood. I know that others have lost everything of their past, yet they at least have one thing. Yet now I know, that everything from then is truely gone." Lotor spoke roughly, skipping over unnessisary words.

Allura walked back to his side, pushing his hair away from his face to reveal the man's tear stricken face. She brougth her arms around Lotor's shoudlers, hugging him, not knowing whatelse to do.

"And here I sit, talking about have nothing left, to the Princess of a planet destroyed by my own father. Your Father's dead, your planets dead, what have I really lost? Nothing compared to you. I do not deserve to shed tears at the thought of losing someone. Not when you've lost so much." But Lotor's tears still fell, dripping off his chin as they fell. Allura touched her forehead to his, pulling him closer.

"Lotor, you should not have to worry about any of that right now. That is in the past, and in no way your fault. Your father did terrible things. he stopped you from having a childhood, destorying things before they could even happen. That is ten times worse than ever losing anything. To have something like that ripped from you? You more than any soldier in this war. You had to end your father, and you had to watch your mother creep into madness. That is more than any child should be put through." Allura said as she wrapped her arms around Lotor's frame, messing with his hair benevolently.

Lotor nudged his head in Allura's hand, letting her pet his widows peek. He also let his arms rest around the pure altean as his tears slowed to small sniffels and stiffels.

It was a few minutes of silence. The two didn't need to speak, but Lotor did know of one thign he wanted to say, for the first, and hopfully only time.

He cleared his throat as his soothing voice filled the silent room. "Allura?" He saw her eyes flicker we intrest, now looking straight into his. He leaned in, taking her into a kiss. It wasn't quick, but small still. Though, it served as an honest understanding that the two had both needed.

Lotor stopped, looking back at Allura as she closed her eyes, letting her lean on his chest. "Don't do that again, okay?" Allura said, staying close. Lotor hummed, closing his eyes, not keeping the comment in his mind.

"Allura, why will still not marry me?" Lotor asked, thinking back to all the years ago, the deciding time between peace and war, where one princess chose war.

Allura frowned, sighing before she spoke. "My father presured me to marry a prince, expecially you. But I knew what that meant for my people. It meant that we would be put under one ruler. I couldn't sacrafice my people for love. And now I have more than my people, but the universe to look after." Allura sighed, messing with a small peice of white hair. "That doesn't mean my feelings still haven't changed. I will marry you, just not right now." Lotor smiled softly as Allura pulled his hair slightly.

"I still do not see the problem with marrige now. The war is over, and peace has been in affect for a year now. There is no herald towards the end of this golden era. And why not bring in the last sign of peace with the marrige of the last two breeding Alteans?" Allura smirked at the last comment.

"We really are the last two, huh? I never thought I would have to decide between the prince of my fathers longest compaion and the death of my blood line." Lotor smirked back, feeling her try to get up, failing. "Lotor, let me go." Allura said, looking up at his still patically sad face.

"But why, you do not have to meet your squire for another varga. For all we know this could be the last time I ever see you, please love, stay in my arms a moment more." Lotor batted his long eye lashes, smiled as Allura rolled her eyes.

"Fine, five doboshes and I'm gone." Allura said, snuggling up so her head was level with Lotor's. Lotor let out a releaved breath, relaxing as Allura pulled her legs up into his lap.

"I still feel as though I am deceaving the paladins while being in your company. We are not courted and have not even been betrothed to one another. Does it not seem odd for us to do so in secret?" Lotor was still worried about the two's relationship, being a secret and all.

"The paladins told me about this amazing thing that humans do on earth, it's called dating. You participate in the action with another person in order to see if you would actually like to marry them. It seemed complicated, but I think Keith talked about a few people he had dated in secret. Shiro did seem tempered by the fact though." Allura unfolded her legs, still hodling onto Lotor's chest though.

"Does that mean we should be telling people of what we are doing? Or would it be better to keep it a secret?" Lotor asked, trying to understand the weird human custom.

"Well, uh, I don't think I can asnwer that. I still don't know everything of the human customs. Maybe it would be better is we just decided our betrothal?" Allura tried thinking of anything she had heard about the custom, trying to figure out an answer.

"But, love, if we are betrothed then we must marry soon after, are you sure you would not want to think over the sphere." Lotor was bafeled by Allura's now strong passion in the betrothal.

"No, if i disscuse it, I will only take longer. My father had always told me to follow what my heart desired. You are what my heart now desires. I do not wish another minute without your embrace in my memory." Allura said, her eyes filled with amour. She pulled Lotor up as she stood, wrapping her arms tightly around him. "Please let me have thing in this universe that I know will not die or be lost. Let me love you Lotor. Let me love you."

Lotor wrapped his arms around Allura, letting his head fall to her level as he tilted her chin up. "I'll never leave you, no matter what you decide. Don't let that be the only facter. I will always be here with you, husband or not." Lotor soothed Allura, coving his hand around her ear. "But if you are ready, nothing in this universe would ever let me be happier than i would be in that moment."

The two stood in their embrace for a few minutes, only to have a messege board come up from Axcu.

"Sir, the Squire is here, and I'm off of duty, please send the princess down." Axcu's voice showed only annoyance at the couple as the screen flashed off.

Lotor let go of Allura, watching as she excused herself. "Do you want anything prepared for your return?" Lotor said as she touched the door. She took a second, looking back at him.

"When I return, tell me a story of your childhood. A happy one." She quickly fled the room, the door shutting quickly behind her as she raced down the hall.