Two Shadows Went 2

When he could finally manage to get out of bed and dress on his own, Lance had decided to pull on real cloths. The night shirt and soft cotton sleep pants he wore were nice, albeit not exactly princely. Though with the ache dissipating it took a surprising amount of time to simply pull on pants and a shirt. He managed boots but as he rummaged around he couldn't find his circlet anywhere. He decided to forgo it in the end as well as a jacket. He highly doubted he would manage to stumble into anything important anyway.

Making his way out of the bedroom, he finally took a moment to observe his new surroundings. Shiro's quarters were—very black. Charcoal furniture, black accents, black everything. And if not black, then a deep Galaxy purple. The over washing color he realized though was grey. It marked the black to stand out more, but it was what most of the walls and even the bed linens had been made up in.

Lance wasn't so sure how used to it he could get, his own rooms were all whites and creams splashed with his signature brilliant blue.

As he had expected there was a lot of rooms to Shiro's quarters. The entry sitting room was the hub of his quarters, it led directly through double doors to the largest room, the bedroom. It had the vast canopy bed with walk-in closets on either side for them both. Lance being as nosey as he was, looked in Shiro's first. The most concise description of Shiro's wardrobe was: More Black. It was all functional black as well, cloths for training or strict uniforms. Nothing that just was there to be there. In his own closet it looked as if about half of Lance's cloths had been brought over.

The bedroom from there was one more room deep leading to the large bathroom. All of it was polished black metal of course and cool grey marble.

Once back in the sitting room, there was a door on either side. The one on the right led to what looked like Shiro's office that could double as another sitting room, with a massive dark grey wood desk, imperial style it dominated the room. There was also a small group of chairs and a cozy love seat arranged around a fireplace. On the left led to a small parlor. The most striking feature of the room was the piano.

Right. This room must have been designated Lance’s. It wasn't like the others. The grey was gone in here, with mostly white surfaces all around. There was still plenty of black as well. But on a white coffee table sat a beautiful cobalt blue vase, a bouquet of moon flowers resting in it. Soft looking sofas were arranged and book cases lined around a massive window with wispy sheer linen treatments.

Well, at least Shiro had planned on giving Lance some of his own space. Lance could live with that.

Before he left the quarters he looked around the sitting room again. One thing did strike him this time, how little was decorating the quarters. There were no pictures on the wall. It was all very regal. But it was also--minimalist and in way Lance wasn't sure he could appreciate. It was too much bare marble for his tastes.

---

Before Lance ever made it to his former rooms to see if there was any of his belongings that had been left behind he ran into the one person he never wanted to see—

"Your highness!" Coran's quirky accent never did quite soothe Lance. "Your highness! I'm not so sure you should be out of bed!"

Oh god, if Lance stayed in bed one more minute he'd die of boredom! "I'm perfectly fine, Coran." Lance monotoned.

"No," Coran insisted. "No, I was given the strictest of edicts by the Black Paladin himself," Coran leaned in towards Lance, hand to the side of his mouth as if he were telling a secret, "your newest bond mate," Coran raised his eyebrows in a way Lance never wanted to see again. "That you, my prince, are to remain in your rooms till you have properly regained your strength."

Coran cleared his throat then. "And if I might say, I witnessed you bonding sir and I think it to be sound advice."

And Lance had almost forgotten the part about how literally everybody he had ever known had watched Lance writhe in pain as Shiro had bite his way into Lance's soul and sealed them together.

Lance just held out his arms though, gesturing to himself. "As you can see I have regained my strength!" He hopped from one foot to the other. "Look I can ever managed to walk all by my self." He twirled around already on the path back to his own room. "Relax Coran, I'm just fine."

Coran was already dancing back to Lances side though. "Please, our highness!" He exclaimed before taking Lances arm, "let me at least assist you!"

"Coran, I'm fine!" Lance groaned.

"No-no, I must insist!"

With a huff out of puffed up cheeks and a lowered brow, Lance gave in. "Fine."

Coran gently took one of Lance’s arms.

"I was headed to my bedroom."

"Of course, this way sir," Coran pivoted them and started leading Lance back to the Black Paladin’s quarters.

"Not my new ones!" Lance exclaimed. "///My bedroom."

Coran stopped for a moment. "Your highness, I—“

Lance caught on this time as he saw the advisors face. "I know, Coran." He huffed. "They're not mine any more." He intently tried to stare straight ahead. "I live with Shiro now. I get it. You don't need to break it to me."

"Of course, your highness."

Lance felt a bit too much like he was being humored all of a sudden and with a determined look he gestured off towards his old rooms.

"Come on," he gruffed, "I just wanna go make sure every thing I want was retrieved and sent to Shiro’s—er—the Black Paladin Quarters."

"Absolutely, Your Highness!" Coran already was striding forward, pulling Lance along by his arm. "I will lead the way."

---

It seemed Lances escapade came at a price. After going through his room with a group of servants at his beck and call, he'd been goaded by Coran into dinner—with his family. Lovely.

Lance couldn't say he minded all that much. He'd had a productive evening. He had all of his books sent over, doubled the wardrobe sent, (adding the more fashionable picks back in, might he add) had the small jewelry armoire sent with all its contents and picked out the trinkets and little things he wanted to keep. By the time he got back, he just might have managed to carve his own little niche into the Black Paladin quarters.

That's when Coran had sprung it on him, asking if Lance felt tired or light headed at all. Lance had quibbed, assuring Coran he was in perfect health!

Which was just marvelous because that meant he could go to dinner with his sister and father and the rest of the Paladins and courtiers! Wasn't that wonderful!

And that's how he managed to find himself trying to sneak into the grand dining room.

As he glanced around at the head table he noticed his fathers absence. It was becoming more common. But what struck him more was the absence of his new bond mate as well.

Allura was already midway through holding her own preemptive court. She laughed at a joke of the baron honorably seated next to her.

Lance gave a sigh of relief as he tried to scurry to his seat.

Only to be stopped by Coran.

"I believe your highness, your new place is up here." He already had Lance’s arm looped through his own as he guided Lance up to the raised head-table.

At the center of the table, the Kings chair sat empty, and to the left sat Allura, now looking at Lance with crystalline eyes. And on the right was the seat belonging to the Black Paladin—Well it had been Red Paladin when Lance’s father still held the title, the point was it was the first ranking Paladin’s seat. Only there were two chairs at the ready.

And Lance was quickly being guided into the second.

"Coran," Lance tried to protest. He even stopped, halting Coran as he tried to explain. "I don't think..."

He hadn't ever really sat at the head table. He was the Second Prince after all, he sat with the rest of the Paladins, next to Hunk at the left table and—

"Prince."

The deep voice, as always, played down Lance’s spine like a Xelaphone.

Lance turned just as Shiro stepped up to him.