The last chapter…a moment of sadness in that it is over, yet happiness because then I can move onto the next story. I owe many thanks to the wonderful people that helped me with this story. Wade Wells, Xia Cheyenne and CMS…many thanks for the edits, the shoves to get a move on to finish it and all the other encouragement I've received over the last two years of our friendship.

Many thanks to the reviewers, even the ones that didn't care for the story. It is the writer's right to do with a story what they will, but also a reader's right to decide they don't like it. Obviously…I like the reviews of those who like it more. ;) LOL!

I also owe a thank you to Miss Harmony Winters…who helped me with some of the medical knowledge about burns and treatments. Thanks girl!

Until next time…

Mertz

I make no claims to Voltron or any WEP characters.

Chapter 18:

Six months later:

Romelle smiles as she finishes zipping up Allura's dress for her. The princess turns around to face her with a smile on her face to ask, "So how do I look?"

Letting her eyes drift over Allura's figure, Romelle takes in the emerald sundress she is wearing. With three-quarter length sleeves that cover most of her scarred arm, the dress dips lower in front, highlighting her bosom and drawing the eyes there instead of to the slight scarring that is visible on her neck and cheek. Her hair is up in its traditional style of braids holding back the front while the rest flows down her back to her waist.

A sweet smile crosses Romelle's face as she replies, "You look beautiful and you know it."

Allura smiles back then twirls around in the dress before her laughing. She stops to face Romelle again, "So where is Keith taking me?"

Laughing, the princess shakes her head, "I don't know…he wouldn't even give me a clue. He just asked that I help you dress and be ready to go."

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Out in the hallway, Keith listens as Dr. Orion finishes giving him instructions, "Keep her out of direct sunlight as much as possible. Hot water will be very uncomfortable as well." He hands the commander a slip of paper with instructions on it, "Also keep her skin hydrated as much as possible."

Keith nods and thanks the doctor before opening the door to walk into the room. His eyes light up when he sees the smile on Allura's face as she turns to face him. Holding his arms out, Allura runs into them and he holds her close to him.

Smiling at the couple, Romelle clears her throat to gain their attention. As her cousin pulls far enough away to turn her head, she says with a wink, "I'll just leave you two alone…" As she walks to the door, Romelle adds, "Have fun." and walks away.

Turning back to her fiancé, Allura leans up to kiss him. Sighing, he enjoys the moment but then Keith reluctantly pulls back, "We won't get out of here at all at this rate…" Taking her elbow, he leads her out of the room. As they walk along the hallway, she leans her head against his shoulder as she asks, "Where are you taking me?"

Smiling to himself, Keith replies, "It is a surprise…"

The princess sighs disappointedly and Keith keeps himself from laughing at her as he leads her out of the castle to where Black lion is waiting. Pausing in her step, Allura looks up at the big black cat and shudders slightly. He watches her as she looks Black lion over and a sudden mewling sound leaves the big cat.

Shocked, Allura turns to look at Keith, who smiles softly at her, "He's trying to say he is sorry."

Turning back to the lion, Allura looks back up at the big metallic cat before turning back to him, "Where are we going?"

Keith reaches for her cheek and caresses it before pulling Allura to him to hug her as he whispers into her ear, "We are going for a ride in Black…to a place of fond memories." Pulling back slightly, he looks deeply into her sapphire blue gaze before asking, "Think you can handle it?"

Looking away from him and back up at the lion, Allura hesitantly nods her head. Keith smiles at her then pulls her along into the lion's cockpit. As he takes his seat in the command chair, the princess looks around the lion, spying a picnic basket and two blankets. The lion makes another mewling sound and she turns back to Keith, who smiles at her solemnly, "He is asking for forgiveness Allura."

Tentatively, the princess reaches for the dash and touches it lightly with her scarred right hand. Black lion makes a purring sound as Allura whispers, "It's okay boy…"

Wiping tears from her eyes, she turns back to Keith, moving over to sit down in his lap and burys her face into his shoulder as she continues to cry. Wrapping his arms tightly around her, Keith turns his head to kiss the side of her head and quietly says her name. He keeps his lips near her head as he repeats it, "Allura…"

She slowly pulls her face away from his shoulder to look into his eyes. As his fingers wipe the tears away from her cheeks, he quietly asks, "Are you all right? Do you want to get out?"

Shaking her head, Allura takes his hand from her cheek and kisses it. Curling back into his chest, she whispers, "Fly…"

Keith leans forward and places the key into the control. As Black stands with a resounding roar, Allura tightens her grip on him as he whispers to her, "It will be all right…"

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Landing Black lion at Alissera Falls, Keith pauses to take in the beauty on the monitor before turning back to Allura. Rubbing her back, he whispers her name to gain her attention. She pulls away from him to look out the monitors then looks back at Keith in askance, "Fond memories?"

His eyes darkening slightly, he leans toward her and kisses her, his tongue lightly running along her lips before he pulls back, "I have extremely fond memories of that cave under the falls…"

Flushing, Allura remembers their last trip here with the team. Chuckling, Keith stands up, her body sliding down along his as he sets her back down. As her flush deepens, he smiles at her, kisses her lightly then pulls away from her to go pick up the picnic basket and blankets.

Turning around, he gestures to the side hatch, "Shall we?"

Nodding, Allura turns to the side and steps out on the lift with Keith. As it lowers to the ground, she looks around and notices that he had landed Black right next to the pool's edge. Stepping onto the ground, she looks at Keith, "Why is Black so close?"

Smiling at her, he gestures her to follow him underneath the lion. Stepping into the shadowed area, he sets down the basket then spreads one of the blankets out on the ground. Holding out his hand to her, Keith finally replies, "Dr. Orion said to keep your exposure to direct sunlight to a minimum love."

Allura takes his hand and steps into his arms. Aligning her body along his, she lets out a sigh when she feels him kiss the top of her hand. Then, she feels Keith move her hair aside. Hearing the zipper going down along the back of her dress and feeling the cool air along her skin has Allura turning her face into the crook of his neck, kissing him gently.

He groans softly as she nips then licks the area near his ear making him pull away from her. Allura reaches for him but Keith grabs her hands to stop her, "Don't be in such a rush love…we have all afternoon together."

"But…" a finger to her lips stops her retort as he continues, "I want you naked Allura…but I'm not ready to make love to you yet." She looks up at him in askance but Keith only chuckles at her. Leaning forward he kisses her lightly on the lips and whispers, "Patience love…trust me."

His hands move up along her arms, pulling the sleeves of her dress down. She steps out of it and Keith folds it carefully and sets it aside. Smiling down at her, he reaches for her hair and gently pulls it out of its braids.

Once her hair forms a golden curtain around her, Keith's eyes meet hers as he states, "I've always wanted to do that…" He glances down her body then spots her underwear, "Can't have that…" He pulls them down along her legs and sets them on top of her dress, leaving her gloriously naked. Standing up, he looks her over as he states, "All you would need to be Lady Godiva is a horse to ride…"

Curious, Allura asks, "Who is Lady Godiva?"

Smiling, Keith gestures to her to sit down on the blanket. Once she is seated, he begins to pull off his own clothing as he tells her, "Lady Godiva is an English lore from Earth. The tale goes that she was married to a cruel man who imposed oppressive taxes on his peasants." Allura's mouth becomes dry as his shirt comes off, exposing his muscular chest, and he bends over to remove his boots as he continues to talk, "She begged him to be more lenient and his reply was he would repeal the taxes when she rode through the local village naked."

Allura's eyes move from Keith's body, to his face as she looks up at him in horror, "Her own husband wanted her to go riding naked through the streets?"

He smiles at her as he unbuttons then pulls the pants down, leaving him only in his underwear, "Yes, she agreed to do it too. However, she asked the villagers to remain in their homes and not look as she rode through."

Still horror stuck by the thought, Allura continues to ignore the fact that he is slowly removing the last bit of his clothing as she asks, "Did they do as asked?"

A sardonic smile crosses his face when he realizes Allura is so taken with the story that she has yet to notice that he is naked and sitting down beside her, he replies, "Well, the story goes that all, except a young man named Tom, respected her wishes. He peeked through some holes in the shutters of his home. Some say he was stuck blind when he did so, but that is where the term Peeping Tom came about on Earth."

Smiling, Allura recalls, "You called Lance that once…I always wondered what it meant." Keith smiles at her but before he can reply, she asks, "So did her husband keep to his side of the bargain?"

A laugh escapes Keith as he replies, "The legends say that he was so shocked that she actually did it, that yes…he repealed some of the taxes…"

Allura nods her head then finally looks over at Keith. He can tell when she notices his nakedness with her eyes darkening and she moves over to curl into him. Smiling, Keith reaches for her, but instead of pulling her closer, he urges her to lie down on the blanket, "Not yet love…roll over onto your stomach."

He almost laughs at the look of frustration on her face as she rolls on her belly as asked and props her face onto her arms. He gently pushes her hair to one side of her then reaching into the basket, Keith pulls out a bottle of body oil. He pours some onto his hands then rubbing them together, he warms the oil before massaging it into her back.

Moving from her buttocks up to her shoulders, Keith kneads his palms into the muscles of her back and listens to the satisfied groan that leaves Allura as he feels her begin to relax. Grabbing the bottle once again, Keith adds more oil to his hand, and then moves along each of her legs before rubbing the soles of her feet.

Her eyes closed, Allura sighs deeply as he works his way back up her body, stopping along her buttocks to massage them more thoroughly than he had the rest. Half-asleep with her eyes closed, she is pulled from her sleepy state when he tells her, "Turn over…"

Groaning in irritation, Allura turns over onto her back and gazes into Keith's dark eyes as he works both of her arms over, his fingers teasing any tension out of her before he moves to her chest. As his fingers move between her breasts, rubbing the sweet smelling oil into her flesh, Allura finally closes her eyes and lets sleep claim her.

Noticing that he is losing her, Keith leans over her and kisses her until she opens her eyes. Sleepy sapphire eyes gaze up at him as he whispers, "If you go to sleep love…you will miss out on the rest."

"Rest?" Her hands reach up to touch his face as she replies drowsily, "What rest?"

Keith pulls away from her to pull some fruit out of the basket. Taking a sweet strawberry, he bites the tip off then leaning back over Allura, he rubs the berry along her nipples. She watches him closely as he leans down and first licks, then sucks on the nipple, drawing the flavor off it.

Arching her back, she murmurs, "Keith…" moving her fingers into his hair and holding him to her. Lifting himself up, Keith takes the berry again, rubbing it along her lips, turning them a vibrant red. He then places the berry between his lips as he lowers his mouth to hers.

Allura's tongue snatches the berry from his mouth and she chews it as his tongue licks the remaining flavoring from her lips. Opening her mouth once finished, his tongue darts in, warring with hers for control of the kiss.

Breaking the kiss, Keith whispers, "You taste sweet…"

Smiling, Allura pushes on his shoulders to get him to sit up. He sits cross-legged as she crawls onto his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist. He smiles at her as he teases her by asking, "What do you want?"

Allura leans forward and wraps her hands around his neck as she whispers against his lips, "You inside of me…" and kisses him. Her lips stay near his as she adds, "Stop teasing me Keith…" before she presses them against his once more as her hand drifts between them to stroke his hardened shaft.

A soft moan escapes Keith as he pulls back to whisper, "Your wish is my command, milady…" and cups her bottom as he lifts her slightly. Seating her upon his erection, he slips his tongue back inside of her mouth as he pulls her down until he completely fills her. Allura sighs against his lips as he tugs on her hips to set the rhythm, slow and sensuous. Arching forward, she cries out as her sensitive nipples rub against the hardness of his chest with each movement.

Losing her sense of time and space, Allura continues to move against him. Listening to his groans of pleasure, she moves her hands down his back to cup his firm backside as she breaks the kiss to suck on his earlobe. Unable to take the limits of the position any longer, Keith flips them over so that he lies on top of her and increases the pace and depth of his thrusts.

She throws her head back and arches her body up into him as she grips onto his shoulders in ecstasy. Crying out his name as she nears orgasm, Allura thrusts her hips up at him as he grinds himself down into her. She looks up to find Keith staring intently at her as he thrusts hard into her once more. They come together, each crying out into the ear of the other as he falls against her. Feeling a bit like a limp rag doll, Allura barely notices him flipping them over a few moments later so that she is lying on his chest. She feels him brush a kiss against her hair before she lifts her head to stare into his eyes. He smiles at her, running his fingers along her cheek as he asks, "Are you all right?"

Managing a, "Mmmhmm", Allura puts her head back down on Keith's chest and feeling his hands stroking her hair, falls asleep.

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Allura awakens some time later to find herself alone on the blanket, a second blanket covering her. Sitting up, she hears a splash of water and looks out over the water to find Keith swimming the length of the pool. Her eyes stay on his firm muscular buttocks as he moves in the water. Deciding to join him, she stands up then moves to dive into the water only to hear his voice calling out, "No Allura! No diving!"

She stills as he swims over to her and holds out his hand to help her gently down into the water. Keith hugs her close to him as he whispers into her ear, "You have to be careful love...anything that puts too much pressure on your skin..."

A deep sigh escapes Allura as she feels Keith's lips near her ear. Pulling back to look into his dark eyes, she replies, "I know...I wasn't thinking..."

Keith smiles down into her face before lowering his mouth to hers. Kissing her passionately, his tongue dances sensually with her as his fingers slide under her hair, caressing the soft skin of her back before sliding down to grasp her buttocks and pulling her tight against his hardened groin.

Gasping against his mouth, Allura releases a groan as his shaft brushes against her lower abdomen. Stepping back to create some space between them, she reaches for him, her fingers sliding up and down the pulsing member, causing him to shudder with pleasure.

"Keith...lift me..."

Her soft, eager request fills his ears, delighting him as Keith picks her up as commanded. She wraps her long legs around his waist as he pushes into her. Pausing briefly to enjoy the feel of her body surrounding him, he releases a chuckle as she lets out a sound of impatience and grasps his shoulders to try to move against him.

"Allura...love..." Keith stops as her blazing eyes meet his and she whispers, "Now..."

Nodding, he arches his back and using his hips, thrusts himself in and out of her eager body as Allura groans with pleasure. He holds her effortlessly, his pounding pushing her closer and closer to the edge. After raining kisses along her neck and chest, Keith pulls a rosy nipple into his mouth, sucking hard on it. Allura sobs out her pleasure, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she grinds her hips down hard against the next up thrust, pushing him deeper within her.

As she nears completion, she whimpers into his ear, "More...I need more..."

Groaning, he grips Allura's buttocks firmly as he grinds his hips against her, pushing in as deep as he can until he has nothing left. As her cry of ecstasy echoes into his ears, Keith lets himself go, shuddering with joy as he releases himself into her body.

With the princess going limp in his arms, Keith pulls out of her and gently lowers her back into the water, his arms around her to keep her close to him as he whispers, "I love you..."

Recovering slowly, Allura pulls back to look up into his eyes as she smiles at him then leans up to kiss him. Breaking the kiss, she lays her head under his neck as she whispers, "I can't wait until tomorrow..." Looking back up at him as he arches a brow at her, Allura finishes, "You will be mine, forever."

Returning her smile, Keith kisses her briefly before replying, "I hate to inform you of this, my love...but I've always been yours." He kisses passionately again before adding, "A marriage certificate isn't going to make a difference where that is concerned."

"Yes it does..." Allura argues with him as she reaches up with a hand to caress his cheek, "Legally, you will be mine and they will never be able to take you from me ever again." The intensity in Keith's eyes increases as he dips his head down to take possession of her mouth. With his arms like steel bands, holding her tight to him, Allura releases a sigh of contentedness.

Keith closes his eyes as he holds her close to him, thinking, 'It's going to be a long time before she gets over that fear of me being taken away...' His lips move into her hair, kissing it softly before he opens his eyes and whispers, "We better start back..."

As Allura pulls away to look up into his face, he adds, "Nanny needs to finish fitting you for your gown and you need to rest tonight."

Her hands tighten on his arms as she states, "You are sleeping with me..."

Smiling, he nods, "It's the only place I want to be..."

Relaxing, Allura allows Keith to lift her up out of the water. Her eyes stay on him as he pulls himself out then picks up a towel to gently start wiping her dry. As he finishes, Keith notes the look in her eyes and groans, "No more Allura..."

His gently kisses her once more then pushes her over to her clothing, "Get dressed love."

Keeping himself from laughing at the disgruntled look on her face, Keith wipes himself dry then steps up behind her to help her zip the dress back up. He pulls her so her back is against his chest then whispers into her ear, "After tomorrow...we have the rest of our lives to make love."

After placing a kiss near her ear, Keith releases her to pick up his clothing. Allura sighs as she watches him start to dress. Resigning herself to leaving, she moves to pick up the remains of their picnic lunch and then letting Keith pick up the basket, follows him back into the lion.

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The next afternoon, Coran smiles as he watches Allura walk up to him with Nanny just behind, holding up the train to her dress. As she stops before him, the advisor takes in the dress, the veil and the beautiful woman inside of it before saying, "Your father would be proud of you Allura. You have gone from being a willful young girl in charge of a ruined planet to a beautiful woman who is bringing her planet back to life."

She reaches out with a hand to touch his cheek and smiles at him before responding, "Thank you Coran…for always being there."

Leaning forward, he places a kiss on her forehead and fights back the tears in his eyes before continuing, "Let's get you in there…a certain gentleman is eagerly awaiting your appearance."

Nanny finishes arranging her train and veil then smiles at her, "My baby…all grown up." Allura smiles at her as the governess leans up on her toes to kiss her cheek then disappears into the church.

As the music begins, the doors in front of them open and Allura takes Coran's elbow as they begin their walk down the aisle to the love of her life. Her eyes briefly take in the decorations and the people in the pews before her gaze finds him.

He is standing at the front of the church, dressed in black formal attire. His hair is tamed back and Allura briefly takes in how his muscular form fills out the clothing before she is close enough to look into Keith's face.

His eyes are shining brightly and the smile on his face is for her alone. Allura smiles back at him as she thinks, 'He sees me…the real me…not the dress or the veil…or the scars on my face...' She stops in front of him as Coran gives her hand to Keith, who raises it to his lips to press a kiss on it while looking deeply into her eyes.

Allura smiles as he lowers her hand and whispers, "Hello beautiful…"

Taking a step closer to him, Allura leans up and whispers by his lips, "Hello handsome…" then kisses him. As they engage in the kiss, a sudden throat clearing is heard behind Keith followed by Sven's voice, "You haven't reached that part yet my friends…"

The sound of Romelle's quiet laughter echoes behind Allura as Keith reluctantly pulls away from her to turn her to the awaiting bishop. As they walk the last few remaining steps, Keith's deep quiet voice fills her, "Let's get our life together started my love…"

A smile as bright as the sun crosses Allura's face as they stop before the bishop and she thinks, 'Yes…our life together…it's about time.'