"Allura?... What are you doing here?" Long after everyone had gone to sleep, Keith found the princess on the bridge, staring out at the stars. She was in her night gown, sitting with her chin on her knees, arms folded around her legs. She didn't move as she heard Keith's question. She didn't respond at all. Keith didn't need her to. Himself also in his pajamas, sat to her left, close enough to feel the warmth of her body but not close enough to be touching…

"It's really late," Allura started after a few moments of silence, "You should be asleep."

"Can't." Keith heard Allura sigh but decided against looking at her. Suddenly, Allura's head was resting on his shoulder. He stiffened for a second before closing the gap between them so she could be more comfortable.

"Princess?" Keith asked after more moments of silence.

"Hm?"

"Will we be okay?" The question was hard for Allura. She had seen her people ask her father the same question. She had asked the question herself. When she was with her father the answer always seemed so obvious, always yes. But now her role was flipped. The paladins were looking to her for guidance. This fight with Zarkon, this war, was tiring. What if she said yes? We will be okay and win this war. Yes, we'll be okay tomorrow but not the next day? We will be okay when we deal with the internal conflicts soldiers deal with when they come home. Yes, even after this is all said and done, we will be okay…? She didn't know how to honestly answer. She had been emotionally drained for a long time and running on empty was getting harder with each passing day.

Keith was hoping that he'd get a positive reply. But the longer Allura took to answer, the more he knew that the answer was probably best left unsaid. He did his best to understand this war from Allura's perspective. And now, with the knowledge of his heritage being half Galra, the war had a new meaning for him as well. What were the secrets of his past? Why did his father keep the truth from him? His understanding of his own father left his personal world shooked. Was everything his father ever told him a lie? A small sniffle brought him out of his thoughts. A quiet hiccup from Allura and he knew she was crying. Keith struggled to find words of comfort and came up short. Nothing he could say would change anything.

"I'm tired, Keith," Allura said softly.

"I know," Keith said, moving his arm to wrap down her back, his hand resting on her waist. He pulled her closer into his side. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned into his chest. "I know," Keith whispered. He hugged her with both arms as she cried softly, her tears wetting his shirt. Keith held her tight, looking at the stars…

"You're not alone, Princess," Keith said after Allura had been quiet for some time. They still held onto each other. He pressed his cheek on the top of her head; her hair smelt like flowers. She took a shaky breath.

"I'm with you, Allura," he whispered. "Keep leaning on me."