Before the Sun Rises
Just a bit of Shallura to start my year off , I hope it’s not too late
(This is from my notes app so ofcourse it doesn’t make sense)
The castle was quiet in the hour before dawn.
Allura stood on the balcony outside the strategy room, fingers resting on the cool stone railing as she watched the stars fade into a pale violet sky. Altea’s rebuilt capital still slept below her, lights dim and streets empty. This was her favorite time of day. A moment where the universe felt gentle again.
“Couldn’t sleep?” Shiro’s voice came from behind her, warm and familiar.
Allura smiled without turning. “I could ask you the same.”
Shiro stepped beside her, leaning his elbows on the railing. His prosthetic arm hummed softly, a sound she had long stopped noticing. He followed her gaze to the horizon, where light slowly spilled over the mountains.
“Big day,” he said. “The council meeting, the trade agreements, the ceremony tonight. You’ve been carrying a lot.”
She exhaled slowly. “So have you. You never stop protecting everyone.”
He glanced at her then, expression thoughtful. “Someone taught me how important that is.”
Allura laughed quietly. “I don’t recall giving lessons.”
“You didn’t need to,” Shiro said. “You lead by example.”
The words made her chest ache in a way that was not painful, but deep. For so long, leadership had felt lonely. Necessary, but isolating. With Shiro beside her, it felt shared.
A breeze lifted her hair, and before she could react, Shiro reached out, gently tucking a loose strand behind her ear. His hand lingered, unsure. Allura turned to face him fully, meeting his eyes.
“I used to think strength meant standing alone,” she said softly. “That if I depended on anyone, I would fail my people.”
“And now?” Shiro asked.
“And now I know strength can mean choosing someone to stand with you.”
Shiro swallowed. “Allura, I never want to be another burden on you.”
She shook her head immediately. “You are not a burden. You are a comfort. A constant. You remind me that this future we are building is worth believing in.”
The sky brightened, painting his face in gold and rose. Shiro smiled, the kind of smile that reached his eyes. “Then let me be here. Not as a paladin. Not as a symbol. Just as me.”
Allura reached for his hand, intertwining her fingers with his, metal and skin fitting together without effort. “I want that,” she said. “More than anything.”
They stood like that as the sun rose fully, casting light over the city and the world beyond. No battles waited in that moment. No expectations. Just two people choosing hope, choosing each other, and choosing to believe that peace was not only possible, but already beginning.
Shiro squeezed her hand gently. “Whatever comes next,” he said, “we face it together.”
Allura leaned her head against his shoulder. “Together,” she echoed.
And for the first time in a long while, the future felt warm.
