The Greatest Gift Part Eight
AwakeningHome, Fan Fiction, The Greatest Gift, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
The Greatest Gift
A Voltron Adaptation by MoiraOriginal story by Philip Van Doren Stern
Story adaptation for the big screen by Frank Capra
Further adapted by me, borrowing from both the authors’ classic tails.
This is a stand alone tale, not pertaining to any other story I have done.Legal Stuff
Voltron, Defender of the Universe and its characters property of World Events Productions, Ltd. ‘The Greatest Gift’ originally written by Philip Van Doren Stern. Story adapted for the big screen by Frank Capra. This story is for entertainment purposes only. Original characters and storyline are property of the author, please do not use, reproduce, or repost without permission.Rating NC17
The NC17 rating due to sexual situations, violence, drug use, and strong language.
So, if you don’t care for that kind of stuff, stop now! You’ve been warned.
And yes, even with all that, is really is a Christmas tale.So, if you dare, grab a fresh box of Kleenex, a cup of cider, dim the lights, and dive in.
The Greatest Gift
A Voltron Christmas Tale
Part Eight
Awakening
In the deep dark places beneath the Castle of Lions, a shimmering form materializes in the royal tomb as the glowing form of the late King Alfor appears over his crypt. He holds out his cupped hands in front of him which are tightly clasped together. He closes his eyes and his image moves as if taking a deep breath. He then raises his hands in front of him. Opening his eyes he cracks his hands open. Suddenly a blindingly bright light fills the crypt as is bursts from his hands a pinpoint ball of light now dances before him. The King smiles at the light. “Go on now, go home.” The light makes a few passes around him and then disappears into the wall. King Alfor waves goodbye to the light then, grabbing his red cape he whips it around him and dissolves away.
In a darkened hospital room lays the tranquil form of the princess of the plant Arus. Her body is still, quiet, as if in sleep. The young man holding watch over her has fallen asleep, his head resting upon the bed on which she lies. The Green Lion pilot doesn’t see the bright ball enter the room the room momentarily filling it with light, then returning it to darkness as the light enters the body of the princess. For a moment nothing changes… but then… the body of Allura inhales a deep breath then softly expels the air and the faint sound of a muttering of a word escapes her lips. “Keith…”The young pilot stirs. Thinking his must have dreamt hearing it. He lifts his head to study the face of the princess. His eyes search her face for any change and that’s when he sees it. Her eyes! Her eyes are moving! They remain closed, but under her lids her eyes are searching…searching for… The word again comes from her lips, more air than anything but the word is unmistakable “Keith.”
“Allura! Allura!” Pidge calls out to her grabbing her hand in his. “Allura can you hear me?”
“Hmmm…P…Pidge?”
“Allura!” Pidge cries collapsing on top of her. “Allura…”
Soon the hospital room is full, everyone racing to Allura’s bedside. They all intently watch her as she occasionally stirs and, ever so often murmurs that one word. The one word none want to hear, the name of their captain, the name… Keith. Every time it escapes her lips each person wenches at the sound of it and of the thought of what they are going to have to tell her when she awakes, the fact that Keith… her captain and champion is gone. She ever so slowly begins to stir more and more. Romelle moves up to her head. “Allura? Allura are you there?” She strokes her cousin’s face. “Please wake up.”
And then it happens. Allura’s eyes flutter open and start scanning the room, seemingly unable to focus. “Where…where am I?”
Romelle’s face beams at her Cousin. “Your safe Ally, your in the castle.”
“The castle?”
“Yes.” Pidge moves up to her other side.
Allura turns to look at him still groggy. Her face lighting up when her eyes finally focus. “Hi, Pidge.” Her and then reaches out to touch his cheek. She then scans all the other smiling faces in the room. Sven, Hunk, Coran, Dr, Gorma, Queen Orla, Nanny, Lace, and Romelle... “Where’s Keith?” Every smile in the room fades and a heavy silence looms over them. Allura looks around again quickly growing more anxious. “Coran… Lance…Where is he?”
Sven finally breaks the silence, as they had all concluded earlier Allura would sense their hiding something and the sooner she finds out the easer it will be in the long run. He solemnly speaks. “Keith is gone.”
“Gone?” Allura still searches. “Gone where?”
Lance looks at Allura. “Princess…he…” His voice cracks and he spins away.
Hunk starts to choke. “We can’t find him, he… he… fell…in the lake.”
Allura look at him totally confused. “Keith? He wouldn’t fall in.”
Coran closes his eyes. “Princess, we think he purposely jumped in.”
“What! No, not Keith. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t. No, I…we need him. Where is he?”
Romelle puts a calming hand on Allura’s forehead. “Allura, Shhh. We saw the surveillance tapes. He didn’t look good, and well, he jumped in and never came out.”
Tears start to rain down Allura’s cheeks. “Where is he then? Take me to him. I want to see him.”
Lance moves in. “We can’t find him. We’ve been searching the lakebed but with all the ice and snow it’s been difficult.”
Romelle’s eyes shimmer. “Allura we all thought you were dying and well Keith snapped. He couldn’t take it…”
Sven turns away, unable to look at Allura. “We just didn’t know how badly he was doing. We never realized that Keith was in so much pain.”
Lance falls into a chair burring his head in his hands. “Blame us Allura. We should have noticed.”
Nanny who has uncharacteristically remained at the back of the group, unwilling to get any closer to Allura, suddenly spins and bolts out the room.
“Nanny?” Allura calls after her. “Nanny!”
Romelle tenderly strokes Allura’s hair. “I’m sorry Allura. I’m so sorry.”
Gorma approaches Allura’s bedside giving her a check over. Allura now seems to be gone again, still awake but her mind is elsewhere no longer aware of the people in the room. “Please, we should leave her be. Please, go back to bed and let her rest. I’ll call you if there is any change.”
“May I stay?” Orla asks. “I think I might be able to help calm her.”
Gorma looks at her then closes his eyes dropping his head knowing Orla has methods he does not. “Yes, Queen Orla. If you think you can. Her current pain is out of my hands now.”
The rest reluctantly file out of the room, heads held low, and wordlessly plod their way back to their beds.
Orla waits a moment before moving to sit beside Allura on the bed, watching the play of emotions move across Allura’s tear soaked face.
“Orla, why…Why would he?” Allura breaks and begins to sob uncontrollably, choking on each breath. “He can’t be gone…No…He can’t…I…I…” Allura raises her dripping face to Orla. “I love him.” Allura gasps for breath reaching out to her Aunt’s waiting arms. “I love him… he can’t be gone…” She buries herself into Orla clutching at her. “Why, Auntie why? How could he… How could Keith…?”
“Oh Allura” Orla cradles her niece in her arms, rocking her to and fro. “I wish I had the answers for you.” Orla’s own tears now mingling with Allura’s. She reaches down clutching either side of Allura’s face to look deeply into the depths of her eye’s. “He felt you die. He felt your soul leave his…he was suddenly alone. He…he loved you Allura… And to him, you were dead.”
“You were dead, Allura.”
“Doctor?” both Allura and Orla turn to the new voice in the room looking completely confused.
Doctor Gorma moves closer to sit on the opposite side of the bed. “Allura you were clinically dead. You were dead before your body arrived here. I can’t explain it. Allura, you shouldn’t be alive. Your brain was completely gone. I don’t know how you could have survived let alone awaken. No medicine could have healed you…It’s truly a miracle.” He takes her wrist in hers to take her vitals.
“Doctor Gorma? Are you saying you lied to us?” Orla looks to him. “You always said she would wake.”
“Yes, Queen Orla. I lied. I didn’t think it was the time to tell you the truth of Allura’s condition, but somehow Keith knew. He knew the truth.” He sets Allura’s hand back down. “Allura, don’t get me wrong, I am relived the you are alive, but you shouldn’t be.”
“It is a miracle.” Orla half smiles at Allura.
“No…” Allura drop down onto the bed grabbing at her pillow. “No…no…no…no…” Her cries becoming more and more muffled.
The doctor stands. “I will leave you now. Her healing now is out of my hands. There is nothing I can do for her.”
Orla nods placing her hand on Allura’s trembling head. “Goodnight doctor.” She whispers and then lays down next to Allura, both women soon drifting off into troubled sleep.
Keith? … Keith I hear you… Keith I feel you…where are you? Allura’s eyes slowly flutter open to darkness. She can hear the sound of steady breathing from behind her. She carefully turns to see in the dim lighting the sleeping form of her aunt lying alongside her. She carefully scoots herself away from her and of the bed finding her wobbly feet beneath her. She stands a moment holding onto the side of the bed until she finds her balance. “Keith?” She whispers. “I’m coming.”
The castle is dark. It is still the wee hours of the morning and most are sound asleep and no one sees the form of the princess, dressed only in her hospital gown, aimlessly wandering the halls searching… reaching out with her mind to her love. “I feel you… Where are you?… You’re here.” She keeps repeating on in a mumble to herself, her hands brushing along the walls as she walks. “Keith where are you? I know you’re here.” She continues on in her half daze. She suddenly stops, her hand resting on a door. She turns to face it. “Keith?” She waves a hand over the door controls and it obediently swishes open. Allura’s own darkened room greets her. “Keith?” Allura steps in and closes her eyes to the darkened room, the door closing behind her. “Keith?” He’s here! He’s here! She rushes to her bed throwing herself upon it. “Keith! Keith!” She rips the covers from the bed her eyes finally coming to focus in the darkness of the room. “Keith?” But, the bed is empty. Allura shakes her head in utter confusion. But? I felt him… I feel him! “Keith where are you?” Allura’s tears burst forth again and she collapses onto the bed grabbing a pillow in close to her, clinging to it as if it were him. “Keith …” She breathes and drifts off to sleep.
The dawn blazes into the large windows of Allura’s room meeting the sleeping form of Keith, still dressed in his clothes given to him the day before by Al. He pulls the pillow he has wrapped himself around even tighter to him. The light, annoying his eyes, makes him bury his face into the pillow denying the morning. He slowly sheds off the sleep becoming slowly more and more aware of his surroundings and the undeniable throbbing in his head. “What a dream.” He mutters. He pulls the pillow in tighter. “What a dream.”
“Here you are, my Lord.” A woman’s voice comes from behind him.
Keith’s eyes snap open as he fumbles with the pillow. He snaps up, flips over, and lands face to face with Allura. A scantily clad Allura, with drawn features and weary eyes but in spite of that she still smiles at him beautifully. Keith tries to speak but barley manages his words. “You? …Not…a dream?”
She smiles. “Dream, my lord? Were you dreaming? I’m sorry if I woke you. Here.” She extends her hand to him, in it is a glass with a pinkish liquid.
Keith recoils a bit eyeing the glass. “What are you giving me now?”
She smiles again. “My Lord, please. It will just clear your head you drank much last night. King Lotor likes me to…”
Keith grumbles, taking the glass from her, his tone gruffer than he would like. “Can we please not speak of him?”
“My Lord?”
“He did this to you.” He gestures to the marks all over her body. “Yet you speak of him like it was nothing! Agghhh!” Keith clutches at his throbbing head.
“Drink it.” She drops her eyes and moves away walking over to the windows and looking out over the landscape. Her clothing all but disappearing in the bright light of the sun.
Keith watches her for the longest time wondering what she is thinking just standing there. He lifts the glass to his lips and tentatively takes a sip. It tastes sweet, like some sort of juice, quite refreshing. What the heck! he downs the glass. Almost instantly he feels better, the throbbing in his head subsiding.
“Did you know today is Christmas Eve?” She asks still looking out.
Keith freezes mid sip. Christmas Eve? He swallows dropping his head. It would have to be… Why wouldn’t it…stupid Christmas… he looses himself in his thoughts.
She reaches up and touches the window. “I don’t suppose you would know about it. My world was so beautiful before. Out there, there was a forest, and it would have been all covered in a blanket of snow. And around the castle there was a huge lake, which would be shimmering in the sun. My mother loved this time of year. She would decorate the castle from head to toe with garlands and ribbons. It was beautiful. After she died I continued on her tradition of celebrating the holiday in honor of her memory. But now…now…along with my world…Christmas is dead.”
“You did it for your mother?” A soft voice comes up from behind her making her whole body shiver but he remains at a safe distance.
She to afraid to turn instead regards his reflection in the glass. “Yes. She loved Christmas and so did I. It seemed only right to continue with her tradition… her memory, even in war.” She tries to see into his eyes in the reflection but they remain downcast. “You know about Christmas?”
“I…” He slowly looks up and to her surprise she finds his eyes shimmering. “My… mother… she…” He turns away, walking back to the computer in the middle of the room and sits in front of it, staring at the screen, grabbing at either side of the desk, his body now racked with emotion, and trying to desperately to regain control.
“I’m sorry, my Lord. I will leave you now.” She whispers. She heads over to her cloak and pulls it on then makes her way to the door. She turns to look at him to find him now hunched over the terminal… sobbing. My Lord… You’re so… different. She bows and leaves the room.
“What do you mean you lost her? Find her!” Coran bellows to the com. He then keys com to all the Voltron force members and security guards. “The Princess is missing! I want a full search of the castle immediately!”Soon the castle is in a furry of activity, all hands searching everywhere for the princess, everyone but one who has other plans. He heads down below, to the hole in the wall he knows where to find the answers. “Cheddar, you there?” Pidge calls. “Cheddar, please it’s an emergency!”
Soon a little face pokes out of the hole. Looking half asleep, the mouse lets out a yawn.
“Wakeup would ya! The Princess is missing and you are going to find her.”
The mouse jumps to attention at his words squeaking frantically into the hole. Soon four more very worried faces appear. They exchanged some frantic shrieks and gestures and then bolt down the hall.
“Hey! Wait for me!” Pidge races after them.
The mice squeaking and sniffing their way soon are making a beeline for Allura’s bedroom, jumping up and down as the reach the door. Pidge soon caches up and keys it open. The door opens. He is momentarily blinded by the early morning rays of the sun. As Pidge’s eyes adjust he finds the room is empty. “She’s not here!” The mice race up onto the empty bed that has apparently been striped and leap off the far side. “Wha?” Pidge moves over to the bed. And then he sees her, huddled into the corner by her bed, clutching at the tangle of sheets and a pillow, dressed only in her hospital gown. “Princess? Princess are you okay?”
The mice frantically pull at her fingers and hair trying to get her attention but she is far away. Pidge drops to her side and puts his hands on hers only to find her body freezing cold. “Princess? He pulls some of the bedding around her and then keys his com. “Coran, She’s in her room. Send the doctor.”
“Her room? But we… Yes Pidge, on our way!”
He’s here I can feel him he’s here. Allura frantically searches for him with her mind. Keith where are you? I can feel you.
“Allura, Can you here me. Allura, come to my voice.”
Keith, is that you?
“Allura, come to my voice.”
Auntie?
“Allura, come to me.”
Allura’s eyes flutter open to a fuzzy world. “Auntie? What? Why?” Her eyes search around the room eventually focusing on many a worried face.
“Come Allura, let us take you back to your hospital room.” Orla strokes her face, and slowly helps her to her feet. The doctor moves in with a wheelchair to take her in. Orla aids a still dazed Allura into the chair. “There you are, Allura.”
The group starts to file out of Allura’s bedroom, Hunk now wheeling Allura, falls in behind.
No… Allura panics. “No!” She leaps from the chair before it is out the door. “No, I can’t leave him!” She throws herself onto her bed grabbing at the mattress. “He needs me!”
They all exchange worried looks. Coran finally looking to Orla and then at the doctor. The doctor nods and slowly approaches Allura. “Come now Allura, I need you to come with me.” He readies an injection behind his back.
“Stay away from me!” Allura shoots back, puling herself up into a knelling position on the bed.
“Boys.” Coran nods to the team.
Sven, Lance Hunk, and Pidge slowly approach, Pidge taking the lead. “Princess, please come with us. We want to help you.”
“Then leave me alone, you hear! I’m not leaving!”
Sven and Lance slowly make their way around the bed. They are all soon surrounding her. Hunk reaches out a hand to her. “Please, Princess? Come with me.”
“Stay away!” Allura barks, shoving the hand away. She spins on them all. “Stay away from me!”
Lance moves in. “Now Allura…” He reaches for her.
“No!” Allura screams, grabbing his wrist, and flings him over the bed and right into Hunk, using enough force to knock the big man down. Everyone freezes for a moment on shock for what they just saw as Lance and Hunk push and shove at one another to free themselves from each other.
“Allura?” Sven approaches.
She quickly turns on him. “You say back!” Allura brandishes her fists at him.
“Allura!” Pidge yells, giving Sven the distraction he needs. As Allura turns to Pidge, Sven leaps in from behind.
But, Just as he reaches her she ducks under him and comes up with a fist to his jaw. Then grabs him and flips him of the bed. She then lunges forward, grabs Pidge by the shirt, and lift’s him to her face. “Nice try.” She then leans backwards with enough momentum to fling Pidge over her, releasing him, he crashes against the wall by her bed. “Leave… me… Alone!” Allura snarls.
The four men slowly regroup, each nursing their bruises. Painfully now realizing how badly they had underestimated their opponent. And, only now realizing that all those private training sessions she had been having with their captain must have really been training sessions and not what they had all amused. No, this is not Princess Allura their fighting with… this is the Blue’s pilot, trained personally to fight by her captain, it is truly more like their fighting Keith himself. She has learned his tricks well indeed.
They all exchange a nod and all four leap at her at once pining her to the bed, each getting their share of Allura’s wrath. The struggle continues as they fight to control the princess, just barely able to keep the upper hand. The doctor seeing his chance moves in and tries to find a limb that is Allura’s and inject with the sedative. Finally, seeing his chance he grabs for an arm. But, somehow its mate swings out of nowhere and lands squarely against his jaw sending him backwards into Coran’s arms. The doctor shakes it off and goes in again towards the sprawling mass. He again targets a bear piece of flesh and quickly injects it. The throng soon settles. “I hope I got the right one.” He mutters under his breath. The men slowly peal away each clutching at a different injured body part, each shaking their head in disbelief. Hunk wearily bends down and picks up the now limp Allura and carries her to the wheelchair. The doctor, Orla, and Romelle rush to her side to make sure she’s okay.
Lance let’s out a grown as he rubs his arm, concern etched on his face. “Is she okay?”
The doctor looks up from Allura. “I don’t know.”
End of Part Eight
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