There has to be an After for Us ~ (shadam / klance)

Chapter 30 - The Lion, the Ancient One, and the Crown

Allura's whip clashed against her mother's trident as they traded blows.

"I remember my coronation like it was yesterday," said Melenor, her voice hoarse from the battle. "Alfor went before me and challenged his father. The king then was an Alchemist too, happy to step down and let his son take the crown. To say he went easy on Alfor was an understatement. They traded a few blows for show before the king took a fall and relented."

Melenor's talking seemed to give her more power rather than distract her and Allura found herself being forced back. Still, this was the infinite space of the astral plane so there was no ground to lose.

"I challenged Alfor's mother next. The queen was of warrior stock. Grew up in Altea's moulvan forest, practically raised by klanmuirls. Our battle raged for seventeen vergas before I pulled this crown from her bloodied head. She had to spend two phoebs in the healing pods and even then she still walked with a limp for the rest of her life." Melenor grinned viciously like the memory of doing permanent harm to her mother-in-law brought her great pleasure.

"So I take it," said Allura, cracking her whip again only to have it blocked by her mother's trident, "you won't go easy on me."

"Never," said Melenor, "And here's the start of it..."

Melenor let out her battle cry and charged Allura. Allura cracked her whip, but Melenor dodged and let the whip wrap around her trident instead. Melenor yanked hard on the trident, the whip going taut and the force causing Allura to lose her footing and get thrown. Allura hit the ground hard, face down, her whip still in her hand.

"This is the first reason why you'll fail," said Melenor, kicking her daughter in the stomach so that Allura rolled onto her back. Then Melenor was straddling her, her trident raised. Allura tried to pull back her whip in order to crack it, but on her back there was nowhere for her arm to recoil. "You can't attack me at close range with that thing."

Her mother was right. Melenor drew back her trident, ready to deliver a killing blow, to bury that trident in Allura's chest. Allura knew in that moment her mother would not show mercy, even though she'd been warned, Allura had held onto that assumption, had held back herself because of it. But now the truth of it struck her, she would perish and Altea would have no leader, have no one to search for the members of the colony. Allura couldn't allow that, she had to be that leader.

Allura stopped bracing herself for death and began yearning for life. She saw the trident coming down as she felt warmth from her Bayard. She closed her eyes for impact, but none came, she opened her eyes again and saw in her hand... "An Altean broadsword," Allura gasped. It had materialized from her Bayard and blocked her mother's trident.

Now they were locked in a battle of strength, but the difference was Allura had the ground to brace her while her mother could be made unsteady. Allura bent her knee and used her leg to twist and push her hips, rolling her mother off her, pushing with her sword to keep her back as she popped up to her feet, her sword at the ready.

Her mother took a knee and Allura used that moment to marvel at the broadsword in her hand. She'd been able to call her father's sword while using the Blue Bayard!

"Congratulations," said Melenor and for a moment Allura believed this was what her mother had wanted. That pinning her had merely been a lesson. But then Melenor added, "You've managed to be as good as your father, a swashbuckling wannabe knight who chummed around with his friends, fighting battles they had no business being in. Who was could win inside his giant robot when he was on the offensive, but crumbled without Voltron when he was on the defensive." Allura felt sick hearing her father, who she'd always looked up to described this way.