Her mouth tasted like blood. Allura hadn't been expecting to be alive, but if she could taste blood...

Gusto ergo sum.

I taste therefore I am.

Allura concentrated on opening her eyes. Her eyelids were heavy, possibly swollen, but slowly she willed them open. She saw spots. No wait... those were the stars above and they were blue and red.

Allura remembered thinking they were for her and Lance, the Blue and Red Lions... No... Hold on... Lance and Keith... She'd been foolish, but none of that mattered anymore. She wasn't finished what needed to be done.

Allura rolled to her side. There was blood underneath her. She wondered what from, but not for too long. The blood loss hadn't killed her so finding the major source could wait. She pushed up on her hands, feeling the tiny cuts from the star shards when she'd exploded her mother's trident.

'How did that work?' she wondered. If she was just her soul then why did physical injuries feel real? Why was there blood? It must all be a metaphor for something. Allura let out a laugh as she rocked back to sit on her heals. Questioning it now felt ridiculous. Why question a spark in the aftermath of a forest fire?

It took Allura three attempts before she managed to stand. Even then she regretted it. She wanted to fall back to the ground, let herself rest, let her soul drift away... How nice oblivion would feel...

But no. Allura walked. Every step shot pain through her body. Every movement felt designed to make her regret continuing to exist. Eventually her boot came in contact with something solid. She looked down to see she'd kicked her mother in the side.

Melenor was not moving, eyes closed. Allura wondered for a moment if she'd killed her, but didn't have the energy to panic about it in the moment. Luckily she remembered quickly that if her mother was dead, she'd be nothing. If there was a body, there was life.

Allura kneelt done beside her mother. She touched her mother's face with her hand, stroking her cheek. Melenor's eyes fluttered, but failed to open. "Allura...," she muttered. Allura felt her mother's arms creeping up her arms.

Allura slide her hand up over her mother's cheek and up to the crown on her head. Melenor's arms suddenly gripped tightly, working to stop her.

Allura sighed. She knew it was never going to be easy. And that's why she lifted a leg and knelt on her mother's windpipe. That's why she pushed hard until those gripping hands lost their strength and slipped away. When her mother was still, Allura pulled the crown from her mother's head.

Allura stood up, ignoring the little voice inside her that wanted to cry over what she'd just done. Allura turned towards the light of the After. It was so bright it made her eyes water. She could barely make out the outlines of the thousands of dead Alteans watching her at a distance. She raised the crown up and with two hands she gently lowered it onto her head.

For a moment nothing was different and the victory felt hollow as Allura focused on her breath rather than feeling the pain of her injuries, but then, one by one the dead Alteans dropped to their knees and bowed before their new Queen.

Allura felt drips of something on her forehead originating from the crown. They moved like water, but felt like cold silk against her skin. It covered her eyes, rendering her blind and flowed into her open mouth. The flavour was creamy, but light like the taste of alchemy in the moonlight...

Gusto ergo sum.

She felt it pouring down from the crown now, covering her body with chilled silk. It flowed down her throat, choking off her breath, making her insides deathly cold. It had the bite of ocean water, refreshing, but terrifying like when you get pulled under by the current and forget which direction is up. When breathing feels like a distant memory. When sounds feels like something you dreamt up.

Allura swallowed hard, drinking it back, sucking it down. Feeling the cool riches pooling inside her belly just as it pooled at her feet. And then it stopped and her lungs sucked in air once more. She went to wipe her eyes clean, but there was nothing on her face. Allura opened her eyes and found her cut hands healed...

She looked forward to the light of After and could see clearly all the faces of the kneeling Alteans. She knew each of them, knew their story though she couldn't explain how. They were just... hers.

"Allura!"