Disclaimer: Voltron is a WEP creation. These tales are based on the WEP legend of Voltron.

The boys were in the recreation room playing table tennis.

Keith couldn't concentrate on his playing. His mind was elsewhere. He was missing Allura already. It was strange she wasn't there. She had never missed any activity with them before.

"Perhaps Nanny . . . but Allura is clever, she always finds a way to sneak away from Nanny . . . " thought, Keith.

"Hey Keith, watch out buddy. You missed a shot again." Hunk shouted aloud.

"Sorry guys," said Keith with one of his hands behind his neck (as he usually did when he was nervous).

Soon Lance came there breathless from running. (As he was coming back from the princess's room).

"Hey, Lance, where have you been? And why are you running like that?" asked Keith with a surprised look on his face.

"Yeah, like he has seen Nanny, Hee hee," said Hunk amusingly.

"I'm not afraid of Nanny, mind you Mr. Big Guy," said Lance folding his arms over his chest. By doing so, the mask fell out from the inside of his jacket onto the floor.

"Hey that was supposed to be mine," cried Pidge while picking up the mask. "Oh, Lance, you stole my mask. How could you do that!!!"

"Sorry, pal, I was thinking that while wearing this I would have super powers just like Jim Carrey in the movie, we saw last Sunday," said Lance in a funny tone.

"You are already a Jim Carrey without the mask, Lancy," remarked Keith, laughing with Hunk and Pidge. (Everybody calls Lance this when they are very happy)

"Oh, I wish that Allura was here with us. How much she would love all this!" said Keith without thinking.

Soon he heard some giggling sounds as the boys were hiding their smiles in a meaningful way. They all knew of their captain's crush on the princess and how he always tried so hard to keep his feelings a secret from everybody, even from the princess.

"Hey Keith, why don't you go and look for her," said Lance mischievously as he already knew that she was having a lecture from Nanny. "Perhaps she is too waiting for you to say some thing in private."

Then the giggles again . . .

"Lance, that was not I what I meant. Oh er I meant . . . " replied Keith in confusion not knowing what to say because Lance, Hunk and Pidge were in their full moods to tease the captain regarding his "secret love."

"Hey, it's fine. You want me to go and get her highness here," teased Lance loudly with a mischievous grin and ran away without waiting for Keith's reply and saying, "Will tell her that our captain is missing her."

"Oh no you don't, Lance, come back here!" With saying so, Keith ran after him.

"Hey Keith, wait for us too. Come on Pidge, let's follow them and have some fun," said Hunk showing his biggest smile to the youngest fellow.

"Yeah good idea, let's go," agreed Pidge with excitement.

Lance already knew that Nanny was in Princess's room, so he didn't go inside, and instead hid himself behind a big potted plant. When Keith reached there he saw Nanny coming out from the princess's room. So he quickly hid behind the same wall where Lance was hiding behind the pot.

"Ooops!!! Nanny's here. That means Lance did not go to Princess's room," Keith said to himself.

Soon Pidge and Hunk also reached there, but to their dismay they had been caught by Nanny. Thinking now what would happen to them next, "God knows." They both swallowed "Gulp!"

"Now vheere doo you theenk you two are goeeing? Ohhh, my God, and ruuning like that in front of princeeeces's room iz soo indecent," said Nanny in her accent, with annoyance in her voice.

"Ahhhh! Nanny we were looking for you." said Pidge, and elbowed Hunk in the stomach.

"But I thought we were looking for Kei . . . or errr . . . yes Nanny he's right. We were looking for you, honestly," said Hunk giving Nanny one of his goofy smiles .

"Lookeeing for mee, butt vhyy?" said Nanny with surprise.

"Well we thought that you might have needed some help in the kitchen for the preparation of you know, Valentine's Day," said Hunk finally thinking of a very clever idea, and besides the kitchen was a kind of a 'sanctuary' for him -- where all his dreams about food came true.

"Nanny do you have a Valentine too?" asked Pidge on seeing Nanny enjoying their conversation and thanking God that Hunk had saved the day.

"Ohhh yes, I waz leetle then . . . Ahem Ahem. . . , got to work now. You two come vith mee," said Nanny, quite happily since she had some extra helpers for the kitchen.

"It will be a great honor for us to help you," said Hunk and Pidge, and followed her.

When they were gone, Keith came out from his hiding place and was about to knock at the door when the lovely princess came out.

Both their hearts skipped a beat to find each other standing so close. They wasted the first two or three minutes just looking into each other eyes not knowing what to say.

It was Keith who broke the silence first, "Oh, hello Princess."

"Hello Keith," it was then that she realized how she'd been mesmerized by him. By his deep dark brown eyes with a hint of passion and love just for her. And by his so masculine aroma: that clean distinctive smell of whatever he used, that was uniquely Keith. Blushing with shame she quickly looked away, thinking about what if Lance had told Keith about her earlier incident in front of the mirror. That thought made her more nervous.

Oh my God, that sweet fragrance of her body always makes me crazy. Oh, how much I want to hold her delicate constitution in my arms, to feel her touch, to taste her lips, to whisper in her ear that I love her but damn that I . . . "Hey princess, what are you doing here? And why you didn't come to the recreation room?"

Both of them were unaware of the presence of Lance as he was hoping that Keith would say something romantic to her and kiss her. (Like in one of Fererik's art "The Kiss"). Lance was already imagining both of them kissing each other. But soon his imagination shattered into 10000000000000 pieces (like a glass) as Keith instead of asking something romantic he asked . . . Argh . . . that silly question . . . thought Lance making a face.

"Oh, Keith I was about to come but Nanny came here and started one of her lectures you know," answered Allura smiling. "I thought that I heard some voices of Pidge and Hunk."

"Yeah, poor souls are in kitchen, helping Nanny around for Valentine's Day," said Keith grinning.

"A Valentine's Day," said Allura excitingly. "I almost forgot about it." But suddenly the old memories made her sad. She spoke again with a deep sorrow in her voice, "It's been years since we had celebrated that day. I remember that I along with my father used to make beautiful bouquets for my mother on Valentine's Day. They were of red roses with golden color on the edges of the petals. A species which is very rare in the Universe." She stopped for a while, and tears came into her beautiful sapphire eyes as if she were lost in that time. "But after the brutal attacks of King Zarkon's evil forces all happiness, love, peace, and everything vanished -- as if it never existed anymore." Tears started to fall on her cheeks.

Keith could not resist seeing his dearest Allura crying. He came closer to her, and lifted her chin and wiped her cheeks with his finger tips. "Don't cry any more, Princess, soon every happiness, love, peace, and everything will exist again, I promise."

Allura nodded.

"Hey, come on let's see what's happening to our new cooks in the kitchen," said Keith cheering Allura up. This made Allura smile. And they both were on their way.

When they were gone Lance came out from his hiding place thinking of a plan to bring together this romantic couple to "romance."

On to "The Soul Mates" -- Part 3
Or
Back to the Zone

Comments? Feel free to e-mail me at frzn.usman@gmail.com