Author's Note: This takes place in the DotU universe, not Voltron Force. So, Sven's never been infected with haggarium. There's a lull in the fighting, so he and Romelle have come to visit their friends. I don't own anybody. . .

Bright Goddess, how did we get so lucky? They have forgotten Romelle and I are watching them, lost in their dance of sword and dagger, and what a sight they are. My Keith, and his brother Sven, so alike, and yet so different. Dark and darker, both stripped to the waist, muscles rippling as they attack and counterattack each other. They fight each other in a way I've never seen them do with anyone else; Keith has told me the others aren't skilled enough with the sword and dagger for this kind of no holds barred fighting. He even told me he and Sven were injured more than once fighting this way at the Academy! But it is a release they both sorely need, and so Romelle and I watch, chewing formerly perfect princess nails, as our men try to kill each other. Despite the situation, neither of us can help admiring the view.

Keith is smaller than Sven, not as strong, but Sven cannot match my Keith's deadly grace. Hair tied back, black pants riding low on his hips, showing off tight abs. . . .Nanny would spank me for the thoughts I'm having, but . . . he looks good enough to eat. The only things marring his perfection are the scars across his right shoulder and across his chest. Strangely, though, they only add to his attractiveness. His dark eyes hold an intense light as he watches Sven, countering his every movement. They look like dancers, mirroring each other, though I would never let either of them hear me say that.

Sven. .. .Sven scares me. I understand why Romelle loves him, and know, in my mind at least, that he would never, ever, even think of harming me. But. . .there has always been a darkness to him, since he first came to Arus. That darkness has only intensified with what he's been through, and, Goddess forgive me, he isn't entirely sane anymore. Still, he is handsome; Romelle calls him her Black Viking prince. Dark hair, a bit longer than he wore it when I first met him, piercing deep blue eyes, a powerful build that, if I did not love Keith and he did not love Romelle. . . .things could get interesting between us. And Dear Goddess, that accent! He melts me with the slightest word; I can only imagine the effect he has on my cousin.

Both of them are swearing now; Sven in Norwegian, Keith in Japanese. Keith sliced Sven's bicep open, and Sven got under Keith's guard, and reopened the scar on his chest. Not the worst injury either of them has had, but. . . Romelle and I go running to them. "Keith!"

He's dropped his blades and grabbed a towel, pressing it to his chest; Sven's doing the same with his arm. "I'm OK, Princess. We told you this happens." Unbelievably, he grins at Sven. "Damn, you've gotten better, brother. Or I've gotten old."

Sven gives him a rare grin. "If you tink I'm answering dat, Kogane. . ." He looks down at Romelle, who's taken the towel and is fussing over him. "Ve had better get to MedTech; you know Gorma vill vant to put stitches in bot of us."

"Yeah, probably," Keith sighs, taking my hand as we all head for the door. "And he'll give us hell for fighting like he always does." The towel he's holding is starting to soak through; I grab a clean one as we leave the gym and hand it to him. "Thank you, Princess." He leans over and kisses my cheek as we head down the hall.

"I still don't know why you two do this," Romelle says in her low voice. I look over at her; she's upset, but not crying yet.

"Because, elske, ve haf to," Sven says patiently. "Vhen you are a sword fighter, every now and den you haf to practice as ve just did, at full strengt and speed, vit live blades. You lose de ability to gauge your strikes otervise."

"And the others can't match mine and Sven's skill," Keith puts in. Something's not right with his voice; I look up and he's whiter than the now red towel used to be. Sven swears in Norwegian and grabs for him, just as his eyes roll up and he crumples to the floor. Romelle runs for the COM on the wall and pages MedTech; Sven uses his own towel to apply pressure to Keith's chest, keeping up what is surely a profane commentary in his native language.

After what feels like an eternity, Dr. Gorma and his team arrive and whisk the boys away, despite Sven's protests that he can walk just fine. Twenty minutes later, they're both sewn up, and Keith has a fresh unit of blood in his veins. Sven's not hurt badly enough for the doctor to keep him, and so he and Romelle leave after promising to check on Keith in the morning. Keith wakes up, barely, and catches me watching him worriedly.

"Tol' you. . .OK," he says groggily, holding a hand to me. "Come… lie down. Can't slee' wi' out you. . ." I lie down on his right side and he puts his arm around me, wedding band flashing as he puts his left hand on my barely showing belly. "Shhh, sweethear'. . . rest. Not goo' for baby. . .upset." I carefully snuggle into his shoulder, mindful of the new bandages and stitches, and he kisses the side of my head. "Love you, 'Lura. . ..night."

He's asleep in a minute, courtesy of the blood loss and pain pills, and despite everything, I have to smile. Yes, I think it's stupid, the way he and Sven fight. But ... I also see the purpose of it. They'll be all right, they've done this before hundreds of times. And, awful as it is. . . they looked amazing fighting that way. Princes of the Universe.