Chapter Text
There were days when Katie found it hard to believe that it had been a year since they found the Red Lion and obtained the proof they needed to lock Lotor away for good. A full year of training with Keithir, strengthening their bond into something unbreakable, and growing as a team until finally Voltron made his first appearance in ten-thousand years.
She tried to steady her breathing as gentle hands wove metal flowers into her hair, which she'd let grow out to her shoulders. There was someone else brushing makeup onto her face, carefully applying more until they were satisfied with her appearance.
Katie could hear someone sniffling and didn't need to open her eyes to know who it was. “Matt, you'd better not be crying, because if you are, then I'm going to start crying and then they'll have to redo all of this.” She gestured to her face and accidentally bumped the makeup artist, luckily not messing anything up. “Please don't make me late to my own wedding.”
That at least got a laugh from her brother. “Mom and dad are going to be so much worse when they get here. Which should be... any tick now?”
Hands finally left her hair alone and someone else, most likely Nilani, stepped up to make sure her dress was properly in place.
“Makeup's done.”
Katie finally opened her eyes, blinking against the light as the Altean servants backed away and stood nearby in case they were needed again. “How do I look?”
Matt made a show of contemplatively looking her up and down before smiling at her fondly. “Relax, Pidge. You look beautiful.”
“My face feels heavy and weird.”
“It's just for a few hours,” Matt reminded her. “Nilani, tell her she looks great.”
Nilani stepped into Katie's field of vision with all four hands on her hips. “It's the best work I've ever done! And you look very nice too.”
Katie couldn't help but grin at Nilani's brand of humor. The half-Altean had figured out months ago the best way to put Katie at ease and enjoyed using that to her advantage if it meant she didn't fidget as much.
“Are you ready to see?”
Katie's nerves returned, but she nodded anyway. She took Nilani's offered hand as she slowly turned, watching her feet to avoid stepping on the hem of her gown. She took a deep breath as she raised her head and looked at her reflection. “Oh...!”
The gown fit perfectly, snug against her skin without being too tight. The bodice covered her whole torso and tied in the back, while a lace overlay covered her from the neck down, but left her arms bare. Katie wasn't sure where Nilani found a subtly iridescent lace, but she loved the effect it gave of green turning to purple and then back, and set against plain white gave it an elegance she hadn't expected. It seemed fitting for her marriage to Keithir.
The front of her skirt fell to her ankles, giving her the peace of mind that she wouldn't step down on it as she walked, while the back was long enough to brush the floor. She didn't see herself doing much dancing in it, but Nilani assured her that there was a simple solution.
Katie reached up to try and adjust the fabric of the lace cape that attached to the front of her gown and draped back over her shoulders, but Nilani pushed her hand away and fixed it herself.
“Now, you are ready!” Nilani said, beaming at her.
She was ready.
Katie stood tall and proud as the door slid open behind her. She half turned to face her guests and tried not to start tearing up at the sight of her mom and dad. It was a battle she lost as her mom gasped and clutched Sam's arm.
“Oh, honey, you look beautiful!”
Katie hopped down from the podium, no longer caring that it would take extra time to re-fix everything. She had to hug them both and bask in the fact that her whole family had made it for the event.
Everything soon became a blur as her family was ushered to their seats. Katie's face was patted dry, her makeup surprisingly undisturbed. (“Tearproof,” one of the Alteans said with a grin.) Nilani fussed over the gown one last time and then she and the two Altean servants helped her through the halls.
Katie's heart raced as she stood in front of the ballroom doors, waiting for her cue to enter. Her mind was a whirlwind of thought as she tried to remember her vows and all of the tips she'd been given on how to keep her nerves at ease, but she couldn't recall a single one. She stood there for a moment, too paralyzed to move.
“Just breathe,” Nilani reminded her. “Focus on your prince and breathe. Nothing else matters.”
Katie breathed in deeply and slowly exhaled.
The double doors opened before her.
Nilani's advice was the furthest thing from her mind, but that didn't matter. The moment she saw Keithir standing at the other end of the room, his red armor pristine and his crown correctly affixed on his head for once, everything else faded away.
He was all that mattered.
Katie walked to him, her cape floating behind her, which probably meant she was going too fast, but she couldn't bring herself to care.
Keithir took her hands the moment she reached him and she beamed up at him, earning a small smile in return. Their affection and love flowed freely through their bond.
Everything was the way it was meant to be.