Chapter Text
"Alright boys, what is it I needed to see so desperately that it couldn't wait?"
Allura was in her more casual attire, having been off for a visit to see her Aunt Orla. They had been enjoying a pleasant day in her castle's garden when she received a priority transmission from the Castle of Lions. She had been left confused by Coran's unwillingness to simply speak over the communicator. Especially given there didn't seem to be any active attack.
Her teammates and Coran were standing about the Control room, their faces uncertain as they all looked to the platform. Someone was occupying the chair, though all Allura could see was familiar looking boots as they rested against the control console, and an arm resting in a brace.
Where have I seen those boots- She began to wonder, then stopped. She knew exactly where. But what made even less sense was why they were here in her palace. And why hadn't her Guardian summoned the guards, or why weren't her friends standing at the ready to toss the scoundrel out?
She stomped over to Keith and hissed, "Why is Lotor in here?!"
Keith rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Which in of itself given the situation, was uncharacteristic. "W-Well, ah, P-Princess..."
Lance just chuckled and leaned back. He was still tense, but his normal amusement at most things seemed to be cutting through it finally. He seemed ready to try and say something, but a voice cut in before he could.
A hauntingly familiar, yet unfamiliar voice.
"You'll have to excuse them. It was quite the shock for them. As I'm sure it will be for you."
It wasn't Lotor's voice. Yet there was something familiar to it. It had that same arrogant and smug tone of his. Yet it was a woman's voice, with a lilt to it that reminded her a bit of her Mother. Or her Aunt Orla. Or...
No. Why would it sound like-
She got the answer as the chair spun around, and she saw something quite unexpected. Rather than the rugged scoundrel she was expecting, she gazed at a beautiful young Drule woman in royal attire rather similar to Lotor's. Familiar looking golden iris's, full of that same smug amusement, glimmered and sparkled at her. Yet rather than silver hair, it was flowing gold she saw. And rather than a belt bearing the skull of doom, she wore a belt with...
The Coat of Arms of House Lionheart. Her House.
The woman smirked, and the next words stole the breath from Allura.
"A pleasure to see you again, Mother."
Allura stood there, mouth agape, eyes wide at the woman before her. This only seemed to amuse the young Drule, whose fanged smirk reminded her far too much of that confounded warlord.
“I… I don’t have a daughter.” Allura managed once she found her voice. The Drule chuckled at that.
“You don’t. Not yet. Course, neither does my father.”
“Y-Your father…” Allura mumbled, and the woman nodded.
“Yes. King Lotor.” She hummed. “Well, I suppose he’s still a Prince now. Though we can easily fix that.” That damned smirk again, and it stirred a familiar anger in her heart.
“This… this is ridiculous!” Allura shouted, pointing a finger at the woman and looking to her teammates and her most trusted advisor. “This has to be another of Lotor’s and that witch Haggar’s schemes.” However, they all just shifted about uncomfortably.
Well, except for Lance, whose amusement seemed to be growing.
It was Coran who spoke up first. "Princess, we tested her DNA. Just to be sure of her claims. And… w-well…” He rubbed the back of his head and glanced away from her. “S-She is a genetic match for you, your Highness. We ah, cannot ascertain the claim of who her father is as we do not have Lotor’s genetics on file.”
Allura twitched at that. No. There… There was no way. She’d never even-
“Perhaps it's best if I give the same explanation I offered your comrades.” the woman replied, though she canted her head to the side before chuckling as she said, “Ah, though I’ve forgotten my manners. I should introduce myself.”
She tried to stand with a bit of a flourish, but almost stumbled. She let out a ‘tck’ sound and settled for a casual stance, and a light bow.
“I am Larithra Drak’Thul-Lionheart, Crown Princess of the Drule Empire and the United Kingdoms of Arus.” The arrogant smile on her face slowly faded as she straightened herself and was replaced with a tired and sad one.
“Or, rather, I suppose I should say, I was.”
-*-
"You know, it's a good thing Nanny's not here. She'd be having a fit." Hunk mumbled to Pidge as Allura and Coran talked amongst themselves. Pidge chortled at that while Lance harrumphed.
"Fifty credits say she'd faint first and be hurricane Nanny later."
They had moved to a nearby lounge, where Larithra repeated what she had told Coran and the others. That she was from the future, twenty years into the future to be precise. She had come here with the help of the Witch, Haggar. And that she wished to prevent a great tragedy that had occurred in said future.
She had arrived in an Arusian cruiser, which was why the planet’s defenses hadn’t responded. At least, not until one of the wings exploded and she had to make a crash landing. She suspected the ship hadn’t agreed with the temporal vortex she flew through. That at least explained the brace her arm was in.
Lance and Pidge had been the pilots on standby, so they were the first out to check and lend assistance. Until of course they realized Larithra was a Drule. They’d nearly sent out an alert, but Larithra had referred to Lance as “Uncle”, then asked if they could take her home to the Castle, so she could see her mother.
Then she passed out. Utter exhaustion from the magical stress of time travel, and a dislocated arm from the crash landing. Not sure what else to do, and with her not seeming to be any threat, they brought her to the castle infirmary and brought Coran and the team up to speed.
“Let’s suppose for a moment that we believe you.” Allura had finally asked. “Just what sort of ‘tragedy’ do you seek to prevent?”
The comfortable smirk that had returned to Larithra’s face slipped a bit. She waved a hand dismissively as she remarked,
“You don’t need to hear all the details. Besides, my presence alone should be more than enough to prevent it from happening.”
It was the kind of arrogant response they would have expected from Lotor. And to the surprise of none, it wasn’t enough for the Princess. Her eyes narrowed and grew frosty as she said,
“If you wish us to place any trust in what you’ve told us, we'll need more than that.”
Larithra had closed her eyes, took a deep breath in… And then shuddered as she whispered,
“Your death. Yours, and Fathers. And countless others. Please… Please do not ask for more.”
The pain in her voice, and in her gaze, caught them all short. It was not the sort of expected response from someone who bore so striking a resemblance to the Crown Prince of Doom. But it did remind them of someone else, as all eyes turned to the Princess.
The ice in Allura’s own eyes melted quickly, and she brought a hand up to cover her mouth. Allura was silent for a moment, before she got up and made her way over. She hovered beside the young woman for only a second before she knelt, and pulled Larithra in for a gentle embrace.
Larithra returned it instantly. Needily in fact. And while no sound escaped her lips, they could all see her shake as she buried her head into Allura’s shoulder.
“I… I still don’t understand all of this. It is a great deal to take in. Especially the very idea of me with that scoundrel. It is absolutely…”
“Preposterous?” Larithra offered weakly, which earned an amused snort and nod from the Princess, and chuckles from all save Coran.
“Very much so. But… I am willing to, for the moment, trust in what you have shared. And I can hear, and see, the grief you bear.”
Now it was Larithra’s turn to snort as she pulled back slowly, hesitantly, as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “You’ve no idea.”
The haunted look on the face of her ‘daughter’ helped to nip some of the curiosity she still felt in the bud. Though it didn’t vanish entirely. Especially when she saw how torn Larithra was as she gazed out the window. The nearby woodlands and mountains offered a beautiful view for any in the room to enjoy as the sun made the snow covered mountaintops sparkle and gleam.
Coran caught everyone’s attention with a polite cough. “Your Highness, may I have a moment? Keith, Lance, you as well?” He gestured to the door, and Keith nodded. Lance just shrugged and got up, following after the Commander.
Allura lingered a moment. For some reason, she found herself thinking that it didn’t look natural for this young woman to look so sad and distant. It reminded her of the days after her own father had died.
If she is telling the truth, she hasn’t just lost her father. Her mother as well. She tried not to think about the fact that said mother was, well, a future version of her. Who was married to Lotor. No, she very much didn’t want to think about that. Especially the fact that it meant they-
She stopped that thought right there. That was the last thing she needed her mind to imagine at this time! O-Or any time!
All the same, she gave Larithra’s hands a squeeze. The young woman squeezed back as her eyes turned to hers for a brief moment. They glowed briefly as she gave a fanged smile. Which if it had come from Lotor, would have sent fear down her spine. Instead, despite her wariness, it just filled Allura with a soft warmth.
“I’ll be fine. Besides, if you’re worried I might get up to something…” She wriggled her arm. “Kind of hard to cause much trouble with an injured limb.” She laughed, though it was a tired one, “Plus, Hunk and Pidge can keep an eye on me.”
“You can count on us, Princess!” Hunk declared as Pidge nodded. Allura smiled and inclined her head, then joined the others out in the corridor. Keith looked concerned, while Lance was his usual relaxed self now. The grim look Coran was sporting had lessened, but only just.
“Well, what do you think?” She asked them. “Do you believe her?”
“As far as schemes go, if this is one of Lotor’s, it's the most outlandish of the bunch.” Keith remarked. “And on top of that, she seems very much at ease amongst us.”
“Well I mean, if she’s telling the truth, why wouldn’t she be?” Lance inquired. “I mean, she called me her Uncle. And she seems to respect our fearless leader here.”
That made Keith grumble something under his breath as he rubbed the back of his head. Allura blinked as she saw his cheeks tint red. “Keith, is everything alright?” When he continued to be flustered, Lance just chuckled and elbowed him.
“He’s just embarrassed because your daughter was flirting with him while we waited. Stuff like, ‘I can see why Mom had feelings for ya, quite the looker, strong and determined to boot’”
Allura’s cheeks went bright red at this and she sputtered in protest. Keith just scowled and punched Lance’s arm, but Red Lion’s pilot just chortled even more. Coran was doing his best to look elsewhere, even though she could swear she saw the barest hint of a smile on his face.
“W-Well… T-That is, that I suppose is a point towards her being who she says she is…” That drew a bit of a sharp look from Coran, but Allura was quick to say, “Things between Keith and myself are professional. We both agreed that would be for the best. So don’t start with me.”
She tried not to think about the night they’d had said conversation.
“O-Of course, your Highness. In any case, while there is much about her that is similar to Lotor, I have picked up several hints that make me think of you, Princess.” Coran glanced at the door. “At the very least, I believe that she believes she is the child of you and Prince Lotor.”
“What about you, Princess?” Lance asked, and she gave him a flat look at the mischievous grin on his face. “Are you in the same boat as Coran?”
Allura rubbed at her arm. “I very much like the idea of this war between our planets ending. The thought of it doing so because Lotor and I wed though…” She shook her head, even as her heart skipped a beat at the mental image of her and that scoundrel walking down the aisle.
“That being said… her grief is real.” She felt her eyes growing damp. “I know that for certain. Don’t ask how, and don’t try saying it's some sort of Mother’s intuition.” Lance whistled innocently at that before her expression became downcast again.
“She’s in a lot of pain. Even if she is putting on a brave face.”
They were silent for a moment at that. Even Coran’s wariness faded somewhat as he closed his eyes. Lance was the one to break the silence as he kicked at the floor.
“I wager ya asked me out here since ya trust my thoughts on this?” He asked Coran, who nodded.
“Out of anyone in the castle, you seem to have the greatest knack for picking up our enemies' schemes” Lance nodded at that and threw his hands in his pockets. He rocked back and forth a moment before he sighed.
“Honestly? I believe her. One hundred percent.” He looked up to the Princess as he said,
“When I look into her eyes, I see that same spark that you have, Princess. She might have Lotor’s eyes, but she’s got that same fire you have inside her.”
Allura was left more than a little speechless at the sheer conviction with which he said such. There was no doubt in his mind that the young woman in the room behind them was her daughter from the future. A daughter whom she had had with Prince Lotor.
Once more, she pushed that aside to focus on the now. She looked between her advisor and her commander. Keith just sighed and shook his head. “Well, then that leaves just one question for us.”
Coran nodded, and looked to the Princess as he asked a question that she wasn’t sure she had a good answer for.
“What would you have us do, your Highness?”