Once upon a time… c'mon, really guys? No one talks like this anymore. Yeah, don't care. We're doing this my way. Just shut up and trust me!

*Ahem*

This is the story of how I died. Well, almost. But don't worry, this is actually a very fun story and the truth is, it isn't entirely mine.

This is the story of a girl, named Allura. And it starts with the moon.

Keith couldn't believe his luck. Bad luck that is. He'd managed to bag the crown and clear the castle doors, but his escape from town was blocked at every turn. He ducked into a small alleyway to catch his breath, realizing too late there was no exit.

There were, however, several crates full of lanterns for the ceremony the following week. The story of the missing princess was a sad one, but her floating lights might save him just like her crown was going to save Shiro.

Hastily he grabbed some twine and tied several lamps together, lighting them as carefully as possible. Then he climbed to the highest box, which was just barely arms reach from the top of the curtain wall. With any good luck, he should clear the moat.

Once atop the wall he stopped to look over the side, his throat suddenly parched and tight. A single wrong move and he'd be dead.

"Well, here goes nothing," he mumbled before taking a running leap.

The lanterns held up pretty well under his weight surprisingly. What they couldn't manage was fending off the barrage of arrows that began slicing through them, one by one.

Keith was pretty sure he could still clear the outer wall unscathed when it hit him.

No, not an idea. An arrow. Right in the butt. A second arrow pierced his left shoulder. The pain seared through him and soon the weakness extended to his entire arm. Soon he let go, dropping the remaining distance into a clearing surrounded on all sides by rock walls, essentially hiding him from the king's guards.

"Maybe my luck is changing."

The bright moon sat high in the sky before she changed for bed. Allura had spent the day doing her usual thing, her pet chameleon by her side. Although she was growing bored of most activities she always enjoyed painting. First it was just small pictures, the moon in each of its phases. Then she expanded to the walls of the room, bejeweling them with stars and Juniberry flowers and strands of red ribbons. But always, in every innovative design, the moon featured prominently.

She considered herself an amateur astronomer. Tracking the movements and markings of the moon inspired her. Sometimes she believed if she ever escaped her tower she could actually travel there. If only Mother Haggar would let her go, she was old enough to take of herself now for certain.

The muffled thuds from outside shook her back from her musings. Mother Haggar wasn't due back for days and even most animals seemed unaware of the secluded tower in the woods. Quickly she made her way to the window, straining at the shadows below to make out a small shape near the ground.

Thunk.

Thunk.

Okay the less smallish shape now farther from the ground and closer to her. It almost looked like—

"Pidge, is that someone climbing the wall?"

Her lizard friend looked down then back at her, large eyes blinking slowly. Okay, so apparently neither of them could believe what they were seeing.

Allura's heart began to race as she pondered what to do. She'd long been told that people, especially men, were out to take advantage of her and her magic hair. She grabbed an iron frying pan and waited in the shadows.

"It's only one person," she mused. "I should be able to fend for myself."

Keith came to with a splitting headache. Last thing he remembered was that he'd finally reached the window of the tower, then climbing through into a darkened room. Then…

BAM!

Keith came to with a splitting headache. Last thing he remembered was coming to—

Okay, what the hell? And what was up with the frog on his shoulder? And why was his ear wet?

"Ew!" A shiver ran up his spine as the realization set in. "What are you? And how did something as small as you manage to tie me up with, what is this any way? Wait, is this hair?"

Yep, it was hair. Lot and lots of silvery hair. It wrapped around him from his shoulders to his feet, across the room, up the rafters, and to…a girl?

"Hey, lady, you know kidnapping is illegal, right?"

"So is breaking and entering, I might add. Now, tell me who you are and how you found me."

"I didn't find you. Well, I kinda did, but I didn't want to," Keith grumbled. "Could you at least come down so I can see the witch that's going to turn me into a frog like you did this poor fellow."

"That's Pidge, he's a she, and she's a chameleon. Now, tell me your name," she demanded as she stepped into the small sliver of moonlight gracing the room.

"Name's Keith, Moonbeam, and you don't look like a witch. Is that some magic spell to make me think you're a beautiful woman so you can tempt me into doing something evil?"

"My name is Allura, and I am not a witch," she complained, crossing her arms to accentuate her point.

Still the young woman blushed at the compliment, which the young thief found charming. Maybe she really was just a young woman after all. An extremely attractive young woman, with luscious dark skin and sparkling blue eyes. A young woman wearing a red silk gown that clung to her in all the right places…

This could get interesting.

"So, Keith, why have you come here if it wasn't to kidnap me?"

"I stole a crown from the palace to pay the ransom for my friend Shiro. He was taken prisoner by the Galra during the war and they're demanding a high price for his freedom. And I don't steal from the poor, so this was my next best option. Anyway, the guards shot at me, so I'm hiding out here until they give up and leave."

He studied her face to see if she believed him or not. Finally, her shoulders relaxed and she offered him a timid smile.

"So, Moonbeam, can I ask you something now?"

She nodded in agreement, "I suppose that's fair."

"Why am I naked?"

"You're a man, right?"

"That's true. Do you strip every man you meet or should I assume that I am special?"

"Considering you're the first man I've ever met then just assume it's neither," she countered, bristling at his overconfidence.

This man was certainly handsome (she presumed) but a bit conceited too. Still, she supposed an explanation was required.

"Mother Haggar has taught me for years that men are dangerous, that they have fangs and claws and they eat girls alive."

His face went slack, his jaw flopped open as it to respond but lacking any sort of sound.

"After I knocked you out I checked and you seem to have neither, so I determined to find out what actually set men and women apart."

Now his mouth closed into a sly grin, his eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"And did you figure out what that difference was by any chance?"

For some reason she grew nervous, fidgeting her fingers while looking everywhere but at him.

"Yes. Maybe. There's that…thing. What is it? Is that some secret weapon or something?"

Allura was quite unsure at this point why she sounded like an uneducated clout. Reading was something she'd done since childhood; how could she know so little about this?

Well, who better to learn from than an expert, right?

"It's not a weapon, per se, but it can be used to one's advantage," he smoothed. The way he looked at her sent shivers all over her body.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"Your hair just, um, squeezed me?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"Don't apologize. It actually kinda felt pretty good."

He wasn't lying, her soft tresses wrapped around him felt amazing. Every inch of his body that touched it felt like it was being cradled by the wind, softly moving, brushing the faint hairs of his skin. Still he winced when it brushed over his bloody gashes left by the arrows.

She seemed to take notice of his pain, kneeling before him with a look of concern. Soon she began singing, the tune unfamiliar and haunting. Slowly her white locks began to glow silver, beginning at the crown of her head before gradually reaching him. A faint tickle spread wherever her locks touched. The dull pain of his wounds subsided as he sat astonished.

"You are a witch after all." This time his tone was less accusatory and more awestruck, but Allura still recoiled at the statement.

"No," she retorted, "they just have healing powers. Your wounds are completely gone." She glared at him for a moment, waiting for a reply.

"I believe you owe me," she huffed after he sat unflinching in his chair.

Sure, he owed her; he knew he did. And he was afraid of what that might cost him so he was a bit hesitant to speak. Eventually the silence wore him down, however, and he decided to try his luck. Again.

"What would Princess Moonbeam ask of me in return," he drawled, tilting his head slightly in mock consideration.

Allura stood in front of him, bending at the waist to bring her face eye-level to his.

"I want you to show me how that works," she ordered, pointing to his crotch. "If men can use those to their advantage I want to know how to counter an attack."

Her hair began to go slack, somewhat to his disappointment, and she reached over to pull the long mane from his chest. As she did so her fingernails scraped lazily across his skin, and for a moment he pondered stopping her before she realized his "weapon" had taken on a somewhat different size and form than before.

"You know, Princess, I'll be happy to show you how it works but I can't until you show me how yours works."

There, that'll stop her. Not that he wanted to stop her, he just didn't want to take advantage of her naivete.

"Show you how what works?"

He in turn nodded in the appropriate direction, trying desperately not to blush at the thought of how badly he wanted it.

"But I don't have one of those, remember?"

She was looking at him like he was some poor fool and their dialogue was becoming somewhat amusing at this point.

"Well, you kinda do, but the opposite." Gods, did that even make sense?

"Opposite?"

"Well, men have these and, ugh, this is not working," he lamented.

Allura reached to place her hand on his bare shoulder. The warmth of it burned him in the most pleasant way. Her eyes locked onto his, and his composure melted away into pure want.

"Show me."

"First let me kiss you."

"Why do you need kiss me?"

"Because, uh, you know. That's how it works. Usually. Probably."

Shit. So maybe Keith only knew a little more about the subject than her. She didn't need to know that, right? If she thought he wasn't an expert she might drop it all together.

All of the hair had finally been removed and she reached out her hand to pull him to stand. He hadn't realized how tall she was until now; they were the same height which meant everything lined up just right. Easy, right?

"So now what?"

"Now close your eyes."

She might say it was against her better judgement but at the moment her judgement was telling her it was okay to trust him. Allura let her eyes slide shut, not too tight but enough that she could no longer see his form.

For a moment, nothing happened. His warmth still radiated near her so she knew he hadn't left, and Pidge would have warned her if he tried anything funny. A slight movement of air fluttered around her hands, up her arms and over her shoulders. Then two large, strong hands landed gently on her cheeks, his thumb lightly tracing the lines of her pink eye markings.

"Is this kissing?"

"Not yet. This is kissing," he whispered, his breath blowing a warm, wet breeze that tickled her lips.

It was quick. His mouth was on hers for a mere second, but in that second, she felt the air in her lungs leave and she was left wanting more. Opening her eyes, she found him staring wide-eyed at her, his hands still cradling her face. The smile she gave him was genuine, a sign that he'd not crossed any boundaries unfairly.

"Is- is that all there is to it?"

His hands flew from her face as if they were burned. He took a step backwards and started to turn to walk away.

"Yeah. Now that you know, when you leave here you won't have to be scared of men anymore, right? So… I'll get going before your mom gets back, thanks for the hair thing."

"You're leaving now? Just like that?"

"Look, I did what you asked, now can you give me my clothes back so I can leave?" The anger in his voice shook her a bit, yet steeled her resolve.

"No, you didn't."

"How so?"

"I asked you to show me how that thing works. You didn't do that, did you?"

His face turned red as he sputtered, "Sorry, but I haven't actually used it for that before. Maybe you should find someone else to ask."

"Have you ever kissed before?"

"No," he answered, his shoulders slumping as his head dropped further towards his chest.

"I liked it though. Could we maybe do that again?"

Keith swiveled his head to face her, his eyes slightly unsure. "Really? I mean, sure, if you want."

Allura closed the distance, her eyes locking onto his. If she had to tie him up again he wasn't getting away tonight.

"Oh, I most certainly do."