Chapter eighteen: Celebration Of A Lifetime!

Allura had insisted on all of her friends be sat at her imperial table; where many royals and nobles would usually sit. But seeing as how the Altean hierarchy had not yet been put back into order, there was no need for it. Plus the new Empress, had assured them that they were, in fact, her family and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"I have to say your, majesty.." Kimberly began, breaking the short silence, following a hearty laugh at one of Hunk's jokes. "Your castle is amazing."

"Please, there is no need for that." Allura humbly responded. "You don't have to address me by my title; after all we are family. But thank you, Coran did a stunning job at recreating the Castle of Lions that was once the Altean symbol of grace and diplomacy."

"And now, Empress Allura, it will be again." Coran told her, placing a hand on hers.

"Let it be known, that whoever sits at this table will be regarded as family in any way, and that they are among my most trusted allies.. and friends." Allura declared regally.

"I think you're really gonna be good at this Queen thing." Romelle commented from Lance's other side.

"I hope so." Allura sighed hopefully. "Though, my father always did make it look easy."

"Allura you were born for this." Shiro assured her. "I believe that you've been preparing for this your whole life. And now it'll finally pay off. We have all seen, first hand, that you can handle such a task. And if you ever need us for anything at all. We're just a wormhole away."

"Thank you Shiro. I'll..try and remember that." The Empress breathed, a small weight of doubt having been lifted off her.

"The meal is almost over. But the celebration has only just begun." Coran stated, simply. "And I don't think we'll be able to stop celebrating for deca-pheobs to come."

"You said it." Lance agreed, taking Allura's hand with a smile. After returning a smile, Allura couldn't help but catch a glimpse of Shiro once more. But his expression had faded, like an old portrait faded by age. He seemed only slightly off, and it got her thinking; wondering what he was thinking about.

XXXX

Pidge and Hunk danced the robot simultaneously on the dance floor; to which the Alteans, curious as they were, watched closely in hopes of learning the dance themselves. Lance and Allura danced their own kind of jig together side by side. And Keith just stood back insisting that he didn't dance; despite even Krolia encouraging him to join in. Shiro however, just stood there. Leaning against the wall, he seemed to be in a daze as he watched Kimberly's flowing golden hair wisp around her shoulders, with every graceful movement. It seemed to him that, the more he stood there the harder it became to move. And the more he struggled to stop staring; her beauty seeming to have him under a spell in a way. But yet his deeply, heartfelt passion for her, seemed to be obstructed by a lingering thought that he simply couldn't get out of his mind. A thought he felt he'd never purge until it was dealt with.

"Shiro?" The admiral looked up quickly to find Allura standing there. "You seem distracted by something..." the Empress implied. "Is everything alright?"

"Uh- yeah, I'm fine." Shiro shrugged after a slight hesitation. "It's just that-.." He took out a small box, and, concealing it in his hand, looked out towards the dance floor.

"You want to ask her." The Altean guessed, essentially finishing his statement. "So.. what's stopping you?" She asked a short time later.

"I'm not sure." Shiro admitted with a sighing breath.

"I don't know much about your relationship, but I can tell she feels the same about you." Allura pointed out. "And I think all she needs, is for you to take that first step." Shiro's troubled eyes looked over to meet hers. "It's only natural to feel hesitant." The Empress continued. "But feel in my heart that what's truly worth it in life,.. can often be some of the most scariest things we could ever do... until you actually do it." Shiro dropped his gaze thoughtfully, and glanced out at the sea of dancing people once more.

XXXX

"Phew! Ha, haven't danced like that in years it seems!" Kimberly breathed, finally coming off the dance floor.

"I remember, you used to have dance parties with you friends sometimes during our free periods at the Garrison." Shiro recollected with a chuckle.

"Hey, you wanna go get some fresh air? Like... away from the crowd?" Kimberly asked. Her eyes searching his thoughtfully.

"Uh- sure." Shiro shrugged. Slipping her hand into his, they headed for the door.

Allura caught this, however, and tapped Lance on the shoulder. "I think you'll wanna see this." The Paladins and Holts looked at each other as Allura strode off. They silently followed, keeping at safe distance to avoid detection. They soon realized who they were following as Coran, Romelle, Kolivan, and Krolia, joined them. Shiro and Kimberly stood before the Allura statue. Kimberly's arms wrapped around his arm and her head leaned on his shoulder; as they both stared up at it. The sun painting the sky all shades of pink, purple, and orange.

"What a beautiful place to be." Kimberly swooned, marveling at its beauty.

"And even more beautiful, is the one I get to share it with." Shiro added, making Kimberly look over at him. He turned his body to her, to grasp both her hands in his. "Look, I know it's been.. years since we'd last seen each other.. until now. But I feel like we have something that isn't like what we had before. I feel like-.. we have something better, than before. And that- we're limiting ourselves for no reason." Shiro then knelt down to one knee. Kimberly's hand went to her mouth instantly; holding back a gasp of surprise. As soon as Shiro did this, Pidge's face lit up and she attempted to contain the excitement that was now bubbling up inside her. Ready to burst at any second. Keith was surprised yet proud nonetheless. Kimberly though, taken aback by this, knew what this was immediately and felt of flutter of emotions as Shiro revealed the box and opened it.

"I don't wanna be apart from you any longer. I don't wanna wait for something we don't have to wait for anymore." Shiro continued. "Kimberly Brookes... will you marry me?" Tears welled up in her eyes, and flooded down her cheeks; her hand still covering her mouth. Her blue eyes sparkled, as she nodded her head and dropped down to hug him. He held her in his arms, as they stood up again. Her arms wrapping around his neck and her head resting in his shoulder. Her tears and sobs being of nothing but joy and happiness. The pleasant surprise had become more than he ever had imagined. The sunlight glowed in all its glory, as they finally came together for their long awaited kiss. At that moment, as if in cue, Altean fireflies took to the skies created the perfect atmosphere for their moment of pure bliss, which now became one of the most special moments of both their lives. The ring fit Kimberly to a 'T', and glistened even brighter than the sun itself. Unable to contain it any longer Pidge and the rest of the group let out a triumphant and prideful cheer. The two looked over in response; surprised, but then softened when realizing what was happening. When the team finally reached them, Pidge couldn't hold back from hugging Shiro's waist as tightly as she could. The group gave hugs and congratulations all around. Keith and Shiro locked hands and pulled each other into a firm embrace of their own.

"I'm really happy for you Shiro." Keith murmured into his brother's ear.

"Thank you." Shiro responded, as they released each other. "But don't let me go through this alone. I'm gonna need my best man here with me on this."

"You got it." Keith smiled back. "Whatever you need."

"Well, I guess a congratulations are in order for you as well, Shiro." Sam said, grinning knowingly at him.

"Yeah, way to go Shiro." Matt cheered, half teasingly. The two shook hands and pulled each other into a hug as well. Kimberly received a waist-hug from Pidge, and another embrace from Allura.

"Well then... I guess you have a wedding to plan." Sam grinned.

"Wouldn't dream of doing it alone, Sam." Shiro grinned, back knowingly.

"I'm sure.." Sam half chuckled. "And I imagine Colleen and Katie will be all over it with you." Pidge eagerly nodded in agreement.

"We'll be here to help in any way we can." Colleen confirmed, leaning in to her husband.

"Thank you." Shiro beamed. "And I'm sure you won't be the only ones excited to help out. I bet her parents Mark and Evelyn Brookes'll be all in as well."

"I'll call them and tell them as soon as we get back to earth." Kimberly confirmed, leaning her head on Shiro's shoulder; wrapping her arms around his chest tenderly.

"And this wedding will be perfect." Sam grinned.

"We're really proud of you, Shiro." Keith smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "And we can't wait to get started."

"I thought you weren't the wedding-planner type." Shiro joked, nudging Keith playfully.

"Well.. you don't really think I would miss out on my brother's special day do you?" Keith returned mildly, smirking. Shiro's face lit up and softened tenderly.

"I'm proud of you Keith." He told him. "You've really grown up since the day we met."

"Well, I never thought that that day would lead here." Keith returned simply.

"Neither did I." Shiro agreed. "But I wouldn't have it any other way." The admiral finished with a hand on Keith's shoulder.

"This calls for more celebration!!" Coran declared, thrusting a finger up into the air excitedly.

"You guys go ahead." Shiro smiled. "I'll catch up in a second." Everyone began to leave and Allura stepped over to him.

"Are you sure everything's alright?" The Empress questioned gently; her soft eyes searching his.

"I'm not worried about what I just did, if that's what you're thinking." Shiro replied in an off tone.

"Hardly. You did what you felt was right." Allura returned sensitively. "And we're all extremely happy for you. But I sense that there is something else that is bothering you."

"I-..." Shiro searched the ground as if looking for the right words. "..I keep having these dreams that- that Wayde showed up to attack me in my mind."

"I can assure you that it was not a dream." Allura told him. "But merely a reminder of what has already been. That did, in fact, happen. But it's over now, and you have a wedding to prepare for."

"I'm not exactly sure it's that simple." Shiro responded, concern hinting in his tone. "No one has seen Wayde since he attacked me back on earth."

"Well.." Allura thought, dropping her gaze. "If it makes you feel better, I would go tell someone about it. We can always go discuss this with the other Paladins."

"Maybe." Shiro thought. "But not tonight." He followed up, getting her attention. He smiled warmly at her. "Tonight is all about celebrating you and your coronation." A smile bent Allura's lips up thankfully.

"And you for making that happen." She added. "And your engagement to Kimberly."

"Well then, let's go continue the celebration." Shiro decided, offering her his arm, to walk her back into the castle. Allura beamed brightly, graciously accepting it and they headed back into the New Castle of Lions to keep the party alive once more.

~A New Legend Begins~

Well everyone... that's it. The final chapter. This story ran long! Can't believe how much time went into this story!! But I'm soooooo glad you guys liked it! There is a sequel(which I don't know when I'll start working on/posting). That I hope with be just as good, as it continues the short from essentially where it leaves off here. But I guess only time will tell how well it does. ;)

Also I wanna thank all of you for your support of this story, and all the lovely comments about it! And if you have not done it already, go on over to my profile and check out the rest of my Voltron fics. Hopefully you'll find something that is to your liking. The title for my sequel is How A Wedding Bell Toils(or something like that). And with that, I'll leave you to decided on whether or not you wanna check it out when I start posting it. Til then though... enjoy!! Thx!!!