Chapter Text
Prologue:
Keith had never asked to be a prince. In fact, he hadn’t even known that he was a prince for the first ten or so years of his life. His older brother, Lotor, was a prince- that was obvious. He was constantly being dragged around their massive castle grounds. He was attending meetings. So many meetings; there were meetings on how Lotor must behave, on how Lotor must lead, on how Lotor must manage the economy, how Lotor must this and Lotor must that and how he had absolutely no time to spend with his younger brother, who was not attending meetings for behavior nor meetings to learn how to lead, nor meetings to discuss the economy, nor any meetings at all. Rather than walk with his back straight, Keith ran around the grounds, climbing the trees and fighting his attendant, a slave from a distant land just a few years than he, with the dark red sticks fallen from the nearby forest. The brothers did not get to spend much time together and, naturally, they grew apart. Or rather, they were never given the chance to get close in the first place. Lotor grew to despise his younger brother, jealous of Keith’s freedom and ability to blend into the crowd. Keith’s loving adoration for his brother quickly turned to a justified despise, constantly wishing he didn’t have to live in his brother’s shadow. It would also help if his brother would stop being a grade A asshole, but he’d take what he could get.
Then, their father decided that it was time for one of his sons to marry, coincidentally at the same time they were beginning to forge a new treaty after war with Altea.
What a coincidence it was indeed.
Chapter One: Back in Control
The treaty was supposed to be a victory for Galra.
It didn’t feel like one.
Twelve years. For twelve years the Galra had been at war with Altea. For twelve years the two superpowers had fought, throughout hundreds of galaxies, costing the universe more lives than any Galra nor Altean could even comprehend. And in three hours, it would officially be over. It didn’t feel real to Keith. At nineteen, Keith could only remember bits and pieces of his life before the war. He wasn’t quite sure that it had been entirely different from his life now.
The party from Altea would be arriving at any moment. Keith wished they would hurry. He didn’t like waiting. In fact, it might have been his least favorite thing. Now, he waited beside his father with Shiro, a constant presence, in the shadows behind his right shoulder. Turning his head to the left would bring his eyes to meet his brother’s over their father’s throne. That wasn’t going to happen. The less he had to look at his brother, the better. Avoiding Lotor was practically Keith’s hobby. The pair were only brothers by title; they were nearly strangers. Keith had never wanted it to be that way, but Lotor certainly did. The biting words, the looks of pure hatred that flashed on his stupidly pretty face told Keith all that he needed to know about how his brother felt about him. To say it was dislike would be an understatement. If someone were to ask Keith what exactly it was that ruined their relationship he wouldn’t have been able to answer. Whatever it was, he stopped hoping it could be fixed long ago.
Behind him, the darker haired prince could hear the soft tapping of Shiro’s foot on the marble floors. Even Shiro was getting impatient. Maybe they had been waiting for even longer than it felt. And it felt like hours.
The Alteans (probably) weren’t trying to be rude on purpose. However, talks for the treaty were supposed to start in three hours, with the Alteans having arrived an hour or so (Keith was guessing at this point) before now so that they could settle in. Naturally, the negotiations would take some time. The war had lasted twelve years and they had a lot of put on the table. There’d even been rumors of a marriage floating around the castle- what better way to ensure that both sides keep the peace by joining them in marriage? No wonder Lotor had been even more moody than normal since the armistice. Lotor was already against the treaty in the first place, it would be a miracle if they could get him to agree to marry an Altean. He’d rather burn down the planet. At least Gallow, their capital city, anyways.
The seconds ticked on. Keith zoned out. The last two weeks blurred in his mind. The end of the war came with an Altean surrender at Gallipoli. It was a shock to everyone. Under Lotor’s order, the Galra forces had effectively blockaded the primary bases on thirteen Altean occupied planets, going for their throats at the home planet itself. The plan had been to starve them either out to certain death or to simply starve them to death in their homes. No one had been suspecting a surrender after twelve years of brutal and bloody combat. Maybe it should have been expected, Keith considered now, two weeks later. The Alteans were a weak species. Perhaps the true surprise lay in the length of the war. Keith had memories of being seven years old when the war began. No one thought it would be a long war. Months at most, they said.
Of course, that was twelve years ago. They were wiser now. Lotor had taken control of the forces just three years ago when their father began to fall to his age. Now, as everyone knew, the king was a mere figurehead. Lotor was the man who was really in charge of the country, with Keith as his right hand man. All that was left was to make the transfer of the crown official. That was in sixth months time when Lotor would turn twenty three, the age of ascension on Galra. Unless their father happened to drop dead before that day, anyways. With the war coming to an end, that seemed less likely. What a shame, Keith thought, just a little bitterly. The thought was rooted in sarcasm, but he couldn’t help but wish that Lotor would claim the throne as soon as he possibly could. Then he would be even busier and Keith would see him even less. It was an ideal scenario. Not to mention, when Lotor rose to the position of Emperor, Keith would assume his own position, taking Lotor’s position as head of the Armed Forces. Lotor would run the empire while Keith ran their military. It was perfect- if Keith ignored that he would be reporting to his older brother.
God, why couldn’t he have just been born four years earlier? That would have saved him so much trouble.
Horns suddenly blared, pulling him out of his daze. The only thing keeping him from starting in surprise was the ingrained control he had over his body after so many years of training to hide his reactions. The prince was suddenly incredibly thankful for those years of lessons. Acting like a fool in front of the Alteans was not something he was looking forward to.
The horns quieted quickly and a herald, clearly very nervous and very Altean, rushed into the Great Hall. He looked so small and out of place, surrounded on both sides by tall columns of various shades of dark purples. The sun streaming in through the glass roofs reflected bronze in the man’s red hair, making his pale skin seem almost like it was glowing. He was rather pretty, Keith noted, watching the nervous wreck with his wide, yellow eyes.
The man coughed once to clear his throat, then spoke with a voice so powerful that Keith could hardly believe it was actually coming from a man of such small stature. “I would like to announce Queen Allura and Prince Lance to the court,” he said, the high toned voice practically bouncing off the walls.
As soon as he spoke, the entrance doors flew open in the typical dramatic Galra style, welcoming their two guests into the monster of a hall. One, Keith recognized immediately. Princess- no, Queen Allura of Altea. She had only recently taking the throne just two years prior following the death of her father, King Alford. There was a week of truce while the Galra allowed her time to mourn before resuming their conflict. She had much skill as a military leader, proved by many a win. Sadly, for her at least, she cared too much about her subjects, surrendering to ensure their safety from starvation.
Keith saw it as admirable. Lotor saw it as weak.
Before the war, Lotor and the Queen had been childhood friends. Now, the sight of them standing in the same room made Keith’s stomach turn.
Then there was the other body entering the room. Unlike his counterpart, this man looked…. Cheerful? How strange, Keith mused, finding himself intrigued by the lopsided smile that played on the newcomers lips. Who, in their situation, could find it in themselves to smile? This man, apparently.
Who had he been announced as? Prince Lance? Right, it was Prince Lance. While this Prince was not actually a Prince, being Allura’s cousin, Altea had given him the title regardless. He had a bit of a reputation for being a flirt, Keith remembered, even in battle. Again, he thought, how strange. At least he might be interesting to be around for the next couple of weeks, if nothing else. Not to mention, he was incredibly good looking, as much as Keith hated to admit it. Sure, by nature, Alteans were typically beautiful, but this prince seemed to be all of that and more. As he drew closer Keith could make out the high cheekbones and bright eyes that accompanied the lanky (yet somehow graceful- Keith couldn’t help but be jealous) stature. His skin was lighter than Allura’s, but just as glow-y, for lack of a better word on Keith’s part.
As they drew nearer, the King stood up, using the arms of the throne to subtly prop himself up. He was weak, but the less the Alteans suspected, the better. Lotor would take his place soon enough, anyways.
“Your Highness,” Queen Allura greeted, dipping into a brief curtsey before the court, “Thank you for having us.”
“Thank you for surrendering to us,” Shiro muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Keith to hear. Keith couldn’t help but snort in response. He didn’t look to see, but he was sure that Lotor was shooting him a glare of aggravation at the sound. He could see that the Altean Prince was watching him, too. Keith raised an eyebrow at him. Why was he looking at Keith? Their eyes were locked, but Prince Lance made no move to acknowledge that he’d seen the slight lift of Keith’s brow. It was actually a bit aggravating. Keith wasn’t sure what he was expecting from the man, but it wasn’t being ignored all together.
He looked away.
Allura was still speaking, but he honestly couldn’t care less about what she was saying. Her words were kind, but her tone of voice was biting, as it should be. After all, she’d just surrendered to her enemy of twelve years merely two weeks ago. It was a miracle she didn’t come with a gun. The idea alone made Keith’s hands twitch with the urge to grab the knife at his side. He had a feeling the sensations of war weren’t going to leave him any time soon.
“....We’re sorry that our royal advisor could not make it. He tends to get rather ill traveling. And, of course, I’d like to introduce my cousin, Lance,” the Queen finished, as if they hadn’t been announced properly upon arrival. It was a subtle insult to the Galra. They were very particular about identities and introductions.
A grin found its way onto the Altean’s face. Keith had heard of smiles being blinding before, but he hadn’t quite believed it was possible until now. The Prince just seemed to radiate cheer and light.
The fuck?
Lance (Keith was having a hard time thinking of him as a prince) stooped into a bow that was far to overdramatic. Keith had to physcially stop himself from rolling his eyes. Behind him, Shiro muttered, this time saying, “He looks like your type- seems to be acting like it, too.”
Keith had to try very hard to not turn around and smack Shiro.
Lance’s voice felt like razors to Keith’s ears. Dripping with an overly sweet Altean accent, laced with hidden anger, the first sign of real emotions that he displayed. “Emperor Zarkon,” he greeted, flashing his annoyingly large grin at the emperor, “How wonderful it is to see you without the dangers of battle. I trust we find you in good health?”
Keith tensed. He heard a sharp intake of breath from Lotor to his left. The question sounded innocent enough, but… They couldn’t risk their guests coming to the conclusion that the current holder of the planet’s crown was dying just a little more each day. They just had to keep the secret for six more months. It was the only thing that the brothers could agree on.
Luckily for them, their father was dying, not an idiot.
The Emperor just chuckled lightly, startling both his sons. Since when did their father chuckle? It was more than a little strange. “Prince Lance, thank you. I am doing quite well, thank you.”
“Unlike your planet.” Keith was starting to wonder when exactly his attendant had become such a smartass. It wasn’t not like Shiro, exactly, but it wasn’t quite normal, either. Maybe seeing Alteans again was stressing him out. He made a mental note to ask him about it later.
“Shall my servants show you to your rooms? Your journey was long, I must insist you rest before we begin this evening.”
“That would be most delightful, thank you,” Allura said, bowing her head in appreciation. The look of sorrow that Keith caught in her eyes almost made Keith pity her for a moment. Almost.
“Actually,” Lotor said, his melodious voice making Keith’s teeth grind it aggravation, “If it was alright with the queen, I would be honored to escort her to her lodgings myself.”
A double edged sword. Was Lotor suddenly reminiscing the days that the pair were childhood friends? It was hard to tell. His tone of voice was charming enough.
Allura looked pained, but she nodded in agreement. “I would… appreciate that very much.”
Next to her, Lance (Prince Lance, as Keith realized he should probably be referring to him as) looked at Keith almost expectantly, as if he thought that the younger prince would follow in his brother’s footsteps and offer his services. He did not.
An uncomfortable moment of silence passed as Lotor stepped down from his position beside the throne and made his way to the Queen, holding out an arm for her to take. As they left, Lance looked back at Keith once more, this time with an unreadable expression. Then, much to Keith’s surprise, the Altean grinned again and winked across the hall. He turned, leaving Keith to stare after him.
After a long moment had passed, Keith turned to Shiro, frowning ever so slightly. “Come on,” he said, turning swiftly on his heel, “Let’s go.”
That was Keith Kogane’s first encounter with the Prince of Altea.