Allura was starting to worry that Keith had been gone for too long. The crown was missing and there was a very real chance he'd taken off without her. She would have given it back to him if he'd kept his promise. Maybe he thought last night was enough? Or had he simply played her for a fool?

The sound of crunching steps and the shape of a man in the fog started to put her mind at ease. Keith was finally coming back to her.

"Hello, pretty lady."

The voice was not Keith's. It was deeper, dripping with sinister intent. The sound of it made Allura's heart turn to ice, dread seeping into her skin. She instinctively stepped backwards, tripping over a log. Her legs kicked frantically in an attempt to fend off an attack, her eyes scanning the ground for her iron pan.

"I hear you're lookin' for a man to show you a good time," he continued, his hand moving suggestively to his groin.

Allura gulped heavy air as she braced for his assault. This was not what she wanted, nor was it how she wanted it. It most certainly was not who she wanted it with.

Then it happened. Just two steps shy of her a bolt of light struck the man and knocked him unconscious. As he collapsed to the ground Allura noticed a familiar form behind him.

"Mother!" she cried in relief. Even though she knew Haggar would be angry with her, she couldn't help but the thankful to have been caught.

"Allura, I'm so glad I got here in time," cried the witch, pulling Allura into a hug. "There was another who tried to attack me, so I knew I had to find you!"

The tension that had built up suddenly released into a fit of sobs and shaking muscles.

"How-" Allura started, interrupted by a hiccup she could not suppress. "How did you do that?"

"Mother's can do anything when their children are in danger," Haggar responded, pulling Allura in tighter. "If that good-for-nothing criminal hadn't abandoned you and run off with the crown you wouldn't have been in danger."

Allura's heart sank at the accusation. Surely Keith had met up with the two large men and been overpowered by them. She felt certain that was the cause for his long absence this time.

As if sensing Allura's denial, Haggar turned her daughter's face toward the bay. A boat was sailing toward the castle, Keith at the helm. The sight felt like a punch to the gut, any hope she had of staying with him now shattered.

"Let's go home," Mother Haggar plead, pulling her in the direction of the tower.

The walk was torturous. Silence hung heavy in the space between the women, such that even the sporadic creak of a limb under the weight of a night owl could not pierce it. Allura noticed how hunched over her mother was and straightened herself as she walked. Though she felt like she was a prisoner walking to her execution, Allura was going to exude confidence. Only, her heart wasn't in it. It was miles away, in the hands of the man she loved, even if he didn't love her in return.

Upon reaching the tower, Allura trudged weakly up the staircase that, until today, had remained hidden from her. She'd always felt like a bird in a cage, high above the treeline in her own world. Now that she had tasted a bit of freedom it felt more like a dungeon. Any warmth she'd once felt for it now bled out into the cool of the forest breeze.

Mother Haggar herded Allura to her room, setting her on the bed to unplait her hair. The tresses struggled to remain together, the brush crackling against the strands. She imagined it sounded how her heart felt. Cracks had begun to form and could at any moment split it into a hundred pieces.

"There, it's like you never left," Mother Haggar stated, as if by saying the words somehow every memory of the last two days would simply disappear.

After the elder woman left the room felt calmer. Allura laid back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, every inch covered with pictures inspired by her dreams. Now there was a different kind of familiarity with them, though. Something new, still fresh in her thoughts.

Absently she reached into her bodice, pulling out the small Altean flag that Keith had given her. The crescent moon looked eerily similar to designs scattered around the room. Every new painting she had created somehow managed to incorporate the crescent shape in one way or another.

A dancing girl. A castle. A pair of butterflies. A crown.

The crown.

Suddenly memories came flooding back. A crib with a mobile made of the moon in its many phases. Loving parents with the same silvery white hair- adorned with jeweled crowns- looking fondly at her.

I'm the lost princess.

Heart pumping wildly, Allura jumped out of bed and stumbled to the door, her vision locking on the woman who had called herself "mother" for the last eighteen years. The woman who had kept her locked away from the world and had lied about its dangers for so long. The woman who used her to stay alive.

"Oh, Allura, you're still awake? I thought you'd have cried yourself to sleep by now," Haggar said coldly.

"I'm the lost Princess of Altea, aren't I?"

"What gave you such an absurd idea? Do you think you could be royalty?" Haggar sneered. "You don't even have the common sense to not fall in love with a man on death row."

"Mother- or should I say Haggar- he's not on-" Allura started, her voice choking as the words echoed in her head. "Wait, what did you do to him?"

"Nothing he didn't deserve my darling," the witch laughed. "Now that he's taken care of we can go back to the way things were. To the way they should be."

Allura felt the rage boiling up inside her and turned to storm down the stairs. She hadn't taken two steps when she felt a sharp pain on the back of her head. Then everything went dark.

When she came to, the room was beginning to fill with sunlight. In a panic Allura tried to get to her feet but was pulled back to the floor by chains that had been clamped to bindings on her wrists. She struggled against them to no avail. If she couldn't make it out of there soon Keith would be executed. Summoning up all of her strength she made one last attempt, the metal bracelets threatening to separate her hands from her arms.

Not that she cared. Without Keith her hands were pointless. Everything was pointless.

Just as she was beginning to lose hope she heard a sound from outside. It was getting louder and louder, which meant that something, or someone, was climbing the wall of the tower. Finally the sunlight was blocked by a human form climbing through the window.

"Moonbeam!" he exclaimed. Keith was alive!

"Look out!" she shouted. Or she tried to at least. No sound came from her.

Haggar had sealed her voice with magic, preventing Allura from warning him that the witch was waiting in the shadows. The bolt of magic that struck him pierced his chest, leaving a gaping wound that glowed a strange purple color. He dropped to his knees, his hand reaching for Allura as he fell face first onto the floor.

"That was a stupid move," Haggar bellowed. "You obviously won your freedom, and yet you threw it away for nothing."

"Not for nothing," he replied as he pushed up onto his arms. "Allura is everything to me. And if I have to die for her to be free from you, it's the smartest thing I can do."

Ignoring his pledge, the witch moved to grab Allura and flee the tower. As Haggar unfastened the chain from the wall, Allura lunged forward to reach Keith. The witch pulled her backwards so hard that Allura's arms nearly dislocated from their sockets as she folded backwards.

"You are coming with me!" Haggar shouted. "Now stop fighting me!"

Allura squeezed her eyes shut, concentrating on breaking the spell that locked away her voice. A surge of electricity glowed in her chest and then climbed to her throat. The words that emerged from her lips were angry and harsh, but in her mind far less than the woman deserved.

"I will fight you, every hour, every day," Allura swore. "I will hate you with every fiber of my being, and your name will never leave my mouth except to curse you."

Haggar stared in shock at Allura, surprised by the venom in her tone.

"However," the princess continued, "if you let me save him, I will come willingly. You will never worry about me leaving again."

Haggar took only a moment to agree, removing the cuffs from Allura's wrists in order to fasten them to Keith's. Allura pulled herself across the stone floor to cradle Keith in her arms, her hands flying to cover his wound with her hair.

"No, you can't," Keith plead, his voice weak with pain. "I can't lose you to her. You'll be alone forever, as will I."

"It's okay. If you die how would I live anyway? Freedom means nothing if I can't be with the one I choose."

Keith started to respond, instead choosing to run his fingers through her hair one last time.

"It's beautiful," he mused, a smile curling on his lips. "You're beautiful."

And with that he pulled a knife from his pocket and sliced through the thick mane, leaving Allura's hair short with jagged edges. The silver hair turned dark, like the new moon, as did the clipped locks.

Mother Haggar howled in agony, her skin aging and her hair turning grey. As she clamored for the length of hair on the floor she tripped and fell from the open window, her body turning to dust before it hit the ground.

Allura turned her attention back to Keith, who was gradually losing consciousness. Panicked, she tried singing her song but to no avail. As he breathed his last she leaned over to kiss him one last time, hoping to chase the warmth on his lips before it escaped her forever. She pretended that his lack of response was that he was teasing her; admitting he was gone forever was not something she was ready to do.

Mere seconds had gone by and yet it seemed like a year. As she swept her tongue across his lips one last time she felt a twitch. It was small but it was there. Soon the violet glow that emitted from his wound changed to white, brightening as the kiss lingered.

And then it happened.

Keith's eyes snapped open, seemingly surprised at his reversal of fate. His hand moved to Alluras waist, pulling her onto his chest to deepen the kiss. Shocked, Allura pushed up on her hands for fear of hurting him again. Her eyes searched his for any signs of pain, instead only finding purple irises twinkling happily in the daylight.

"You're alive," she whispered, her hand rising to caress his cheek before ghosting over the spot where his wound had been. His shirt had a hole where the bolt had shot through leaving his skin exposed. A crescent shaped scar was the only other indication that he had been hurt. Allura moved her legs to straddle his, sliding down his body to allow her tongue to trace the mark.

"You know, Princess, I lost the crown," Keith lamented. "That is, it was taken from me by the palace guards."

"Is that so?" Allura hummed in response, tilting her head up to peer at him. "To think I trusted you, and yet you still haven't kept up your end of the bargain."

Keith's hips moved under her in response to the accusation. Allura was pretty sure she knew what the hardened bulge in his pants meant, pulling back up so that her mouth was once again on his. She felt his hands tug at her skirt until the lace hem tickled her thighs, then move under the fabric to run up her legs to her hips, his fingers leaving a trail of electricity in their wake.

"Moonbeam, you sure this is okay?" he asked. "There's only one first time, you know."

Allura pushed up as she paused a moment to answer. "First, second, third, and every other time. They will only be with you."

Keith needed no other prompting. He sat up quickly, his mouth locking onto hers once again. His left hand slid into her panties as his right reached to unlace her bodice, allowing him to leave a trail of kisses from her neck down to her newly exposed breasts. A pleased gasp escaped her as his lips circled her nipple, his teeth lightly tugging on it. His tongue then began to flick and tease it, completely distracting her from the first finger he pushed gently into her slit.

The second finger, however…

Allura couldn't contain the sharp gasp as he slid another finger into her, stretching her even further. It hurt for a second, but quickly her body adjusted and she moved to push them in further. He moved to her other breast, causing her to once again feel lightheaded as her body reacted to his touch. Once she regained her senses she decided to make her move.

Deftly her fingers found the fastener on his trousers, easily undoing it to give her access to his manhood. As her fingers encircled the hardened member she felt Keith freeze for a moment before slightly moving in and out of her grasp. She mused how soft and warm the skin there felt, as opposed to his rough hands.

"I want to feel you inside me," she breathed in his ear, gripping him a little tighter to drive home her point. "Please, you promised."

Keith searched her eyes for any hint of doubt. "Are you sure, Allura?"

The princess smiled as she nodded, "I am if you are."

With her approval he slowly pulled his fingers out and hooked them under her upper thighs, lifting her slightly. Allura loosened her grip on him as she moved him into position under her. As his rigid cock pushed into her soft core she winced once again, breathing deeply to adjust to the new feeling. Keith place his hand behind her to lay her on the floor, allowing him better access.

He kissed her lovingly as he slid in and out of her at an even pace. The slow rhythm nearly drove her mad with want, her toes curling as she pushed her knees out to their limit. Finally she bit into his muscular shoulder in a desperate attempt to discharge the energy flowing through her, which in turn caused Keith to move faster and thrust harder.

From that point forward there were no words between them, only the grunts and sighs of bliss as they together formed one creature. With every rise and fall of his body Allura could feel Keith sink further into her, growing even harder with every thrust. She dragged her fingernails down his back to his ass, digging them into the soft flesh there.

The friction between them aroused her most sensitive area and soon Allura felt herself rise to a height she had never known before. She could feel her muscles tighten around Keith and in turn he pressed his body into hers as he released his wet heat inside her. Allura could feel herself slowly come down from its high; even though he hadn't pulled out, her mind now centered on the feel of his skin on hers and revelled in the scent that lingered. Her fingers combed through his soft hair, twirling it around into small curls to look like hers.

Like hers.

"My hair!"

Keith looked up, confused. He rolled to the side and peered around the room at the remnants of her hair, which was now pitch black.

"I'm- I'm sorry I cut it," he started, his face somber. "But it was worth it to free you from her."

"But it looks so, so... different," Allura lamented, tugging at a strand as she tried to get a better look.

Taking the lock in his fingers Keith grinned. "I think it's pretty sexy. It reminds me of a moonless night, of starting over."

Allura's heart revelled in his words and pulled her lover into a tight embrace. "Then start over with me. Come with me to the castle, and be my prince."

It may have sounded like a demand but to her it was a prayer. Everything that happened between them the last two days should have torn them apart yet here they were, very much together.

She could have lived and died in that tower without anyone knowing she was a princess. He could have lived and died in the dungeon without anyone realizing he was a hero. Once their paths crossed they would no longer be denied their truths.

They would finally have their "Happily Ever After".