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"Hunk, are you sure those mushrooms you were talking about are this way?""Like I keep telling you," Hunk said, and he huffed a bit at the hint of exasperation in his tone, "-it's just a little bit farther."Hoisting his lantern over his head, Lance squinted. All these trees just looked the same to him. He didn't see how Hunk was able to tell them apart. Maybe he couldn't, and they actually were lost, just like he thought they were."Yeah, but you've been telling me that for like, the past ten minutes now!" Lance pointed out. "I still say we took a wrong turn.""Trust me, we're going the right way." Hunk promised.Lance just grumbled. He didn't see why they had to harvest these stupid mushrooms by the light of the full moon anyways. Hunk had given him some kind of explanation, but frankly, he'd kind of tuned it all out. It had all been a bunch of magical mumbo-jumbo anyways. For all he knew, Hunk could have been making like, half of it up."All I'm saying is that maybe we should double back, retrace our steps." Lance said. "Maybe retrace them all the way back to the village, meet a few girls instead? Anything that's not trooping around in a dark forest in the middle of the night. Aren't you supposed to be scared of this stuff?""Lance, I know these woods like the back of my hand." Hunk assured him. "These woods aren't scary."Groaning, Lance hung his head. Look, he loved Hunk and all, but there were better things to be doing tonight than trying to find some supposedly magical mushrooms."What do these things even do anyways?" Lance asked.Hunk looked back at him, and even with only the faint light of his lantern to guide him, he could still make out Hunk's squint. "Lance, I already told you what they do.""Okay, but let's pretend I wasn't listening." Lance told him.Hunk groaned. "If you brew the caps, they make a potent fever cure.""But only if you pick them under the light of the full moon?" Lance finished."Right." Hunk told him. "Or well, they'll have that effect anyways, regardless of the full moon or not. The full moon just makes the effect even more potent.""So... moonlight makes them better?" Lance asked. "Right. Got it. Still, did we really have to pick this full moon? They've got the harvest festival and everything tonight!""The harvest festival goes on for three days, Lance." Hunk pointed out. "And the first day is always the slowest. Trust me, you're not going to miss much.""Well yeah, but there will be other full moons, Hunk!" Lance protested."Yeah, but not for another month." Hunk told him. "And by then, the frost will have set in, and all of the mushrooms will be dead. Plus, once the pass closes for the winter, we'll have no way to get medicine. I don't want to take that chance."Lance groaned, hanging his head. He hated to admit it, but Hunk had a point. He and his family were the closest thing their village had to a permanent healer, so if they weren't able to stock up on the supplies they needed before the winter freeze, that could spell trouble if people started to get sick."Fine," Lance grumbled, "-let's just get those mushrooms and go home already.""Hey, who knows?" Hunk shrugged. "Maybe we'll be able to get back in time for the bonfire.""Yeah, I guess." Lance said.Holding the lantern out in front of him, he navigated the dark forest with Hunk. It wasn't so bad, he guessed. The full moon shone through the gaps in the canopy, helping to light their way. And as much as it felt like they had been wandering around in circles for the past several minutes, he trusted that Hunk actually did know where he was going.At least, he hoped."It's just up ahead." Hunk finally told, after what felt like hours.He lead them both into a clearing, the light of the full moon brightly illuminating the area. Grateful, Lance lowered his lantern, setting it aside on a nearby rock."So where are these mushrooms of yours?" Lance asked.Scanning the area, Hunk frowned. "They should be right... ah, here they are!" He said, shuffling over to a patch where thick blue and white mushrooms grew. "I told you I knew where I was going.""Yeah, yeah, let's just gather them all up and get out of here." Lance yawned. "How many do you need?""Well we shouldn't take all of them." Hunk said, stooping down by the mushroom patch. "Maybe about like half.""Half. Got it." Lance said, making his way over towards him.Crouching down by the patch, he watched as Hunk set aside the basket that he had brought with him, carefully pulling up the mushrooms by their roots and placing them inside. He frowned, lightly poking one of the mushrooms, before he mimicked the method Hunk used for digging them up. Ripping them out of the ground seemed like it would be a lot faster, but Hunk was the expert on medicinal plants, not him."So... if the caps can get rid of fevers, what do the stems do?" Lance asked, peering at them."Oh, nothing. They just taste good." Hunk told him. Catching his squint, he frowned. "What?"Lance just hung his head, fighting the urge to groan. Right. He should have known. Not only was Hunk an expert on medicinal plants, he was also an expert on edible ones too. And while he wasn't exactly complaining about being best friends with one of the best cooks in the village, sometimes he wished it didn't lead to outings like this one.But then, life didn't exactly get very exciting around here. Sure, their tiny village was on the border of one of the most prosperous kingdoms in the land, but that was still a full day's ride away- and that was through the mountains. Once the pass closed during the winter, it would take a full month's journey just to get around them.The harvest festival was about the most exciting thing that happened around here. And he was missing it.Sure, there were the occasional adventurers who dared to try and breech the deep forest that lay on the borders of their village, opposite the mountains- but none of them ever came back. There was a reason that they all grew up being told to stay out of that section of the forest. The woods that dotted the path toward the mountains were fine, but anything beyond that? If they went in, they might never come back.And he didn't want excitement that badly.Still, he wouldn't mind having just a little more excitement in his life than just picking mushrooms with his best friend under the cover of darkness."Hm?" Hunk frowned, gazing up towards the sky. "Oh hey, Lance, check it out. Shooting stars!"Blinking, Lance gazed skyward. It took a second, but Hunk was right- there really were shooting stars. Some of them almost looked like they were passing right in front of the full moon, before darting off past the mountains. He wasn't usually much of one for stargazing, but he had to admit, it was kind of nice."You think maybe it's some kind of omen?" Lance asked, once the last of the shooting stars had fizzled out, disappearing beyond the horizon. "Who knows? Maybe I'll meet a cute girl a the harvest festival or something.""Right, right." Hunk nodded. "And she'll take a shine to you, and together you'll have like, twenty babies."Glaring at his friend, Lance huffed. "Hey, you never know! It could happen!"Hunk squinted at him. "I mean... I was joking about the twenty babies part, but-""I didn't mean that." Lance rolled his eyes. "I just meant that you know... maybe I could meet someone this year. Luis met his wife at the harvest festival.""Hm, true." Hunk admitted. "Too bad Veronica can't make it back for this year's festival."Lance rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it. All this because the crown princess decided to just run away.""I feel so bad for the queen." Hunk said. "First her husband and son vanish into thin air, and now her daughter runs away? That has to be rough."He knew what Hunk was referring to- you'd be hard pressed to find someone who didn't. King Samuel Holt had taken his son and the captain of the royal guard out on an expedition meant only to last a few days, and had just vanished."Yeah, but it's not like there's anything we can do about it." Lance said. "Come on, let's just finish collecting these mushrooms and get back to the village. The bonfire, remember?"It wasn't that he didn't feel bad about it, he did. The crown princess was what, fourteen? But they weren't even technically a part of the Garrison kingdom. Way here out on the fringes of no man's land, their village didn't belong to any country. Nobody ever came here, unless it was for trade or for the festival.Or because they were a foolish adventurer with a death wish. That too.Hunk blinked, and Lance inwardly groaned, realizing that he had forgotten. "Oh, right, yeah. We should still be able to make it.""Great." Lance said. "Because the bonfire is the best part of the first night and I am not going to miss it for a bunch of fever reducing mushrooms."By the time they made it back to the village, it was already bustling with activity, its usual dark paths all lit up with lanterns. Lance doused his own, its added light no longer needed, already feeling a spring to his step. Hunk was right- the first day of the harvest festival was typically the slowest. It was mostly just locals, and a few people from the surrounding villages that had arrived early for the festivities, mostly stall keepers and traders.But even at its slowest, the harvest festival was still more activity than the village typically saw. It was impossible not to get excited."So what's the plan, Hunk?" Lance asked. "Maybe head to the village square? Oh, or maybe we swing by the tavern, pick up some of Miss Lia's signature goodies?""Well first, I was planning on bringing these back home." Hunk said, lifting his basket to indicate the mushrooms. "After that... yeah, heading over to the tavern sounds nice."Lance frowned. He wanted to get into the festivities as soon as possible, but he guessed Hunk had a point. Hauling a basket full of mushrooms around the festival didn't exactly sound like his idea of fun."I mean... you can go on ahead, if you want." Hunk told him. "You don't have to wait for me."Lance scoffed. "And what, abandon my best friend? I don't think so.""Aw, Lance!" Hunk beamed. "Thanks, buddy! Don't worry, I'll finish this up quick so we can go and enjoy the festival.""Besides," Lance said, swinging his lantern, "-I don't want to carry this around the whole festival either.""Lance, I don't think you should be swinging that around." Hunk warned. "You could hit someone."Lance just rolled his eyes, continuing to swing his lantern. "Oh come on, I'm not going to-"
"Ow!"
Lance froze, his words dying in his mouth. Slowly peeking behind him, he made out a small cloaked figure, their hands pressed against their forehead where he could just barely make out a bruise that was already starting to form- a very lantern-shaped bruise."...hit anyone." Lance dumbly finished."Yeah, well you just did!" The person he'd struck snapped, amber eyes glaring up at him. They had dropped their hands from their forehead, crossing them in front of their chest with a pretty fearsome glower, when one took into account their small size. "So watch it!"Lance opened his mouth to say something, before he snapped it shut. Whoever this was, he didn't recognize them, which meant he had likely beaned someone who had come for the harvest festival on the head. And judging from the way they were dressed, he was willing to bet anything that they were of noble descent.Great job Lance, he thought to himself, that's definitely going to give them a great impression of the village."I am so sorry." Lance said, once he managed to find his words again. "Will you be alright? Do you need a healer? Hunk?""I can take a look at it." Hunk said. "That is, if you want me to, uh..."Sensing that he was fishing for a name, the traveler frowned. "Pidge. Pidge Gunderson."Gunderson? Were there even any noble families with that name? He didn't think so. Maybe they weren't noble, then- maybe they were just merchant class with a predilection for fine fabrics. Because that was exactly what gave them away- the fabric. They looked sort of like they were trying to hide it, given how otherwise plain their choice in clothing was, but there was no way that anyone could fool his eye.Still, they looked a little young to be traveling on their own. There was no way they were older than thirteen, Lance thought, looking them up and down. They barely even reached his shoulders!"Pidge." Hunk finished. "I'm Hunk, that's Lance. Do you want me to take a look at your uh-?""My forehead?" Pidge finished, huffing slightly. "I'll be fine. It doesn't even hurt anymore. Just... be more careful, maybe.""Still, it'll probably bruise." Hunk told them. "I've got an ointment that can help with that.""Hunk and his family are the local experts on medicinal plants." Lance provided. "But I'd say no to the ointment if I were you. It reeks."Hunk just frowned. "Oh come on, Lance, it doesn't smell that bad.""You just say that because you've grown up around all that stuff, Hunk." Lance told him. "You're used to it! But trust me, the stuff absolutely stinks."Unexpectedly, Pidge snorted. "Some ointment would be nice. I'd rather not have a huge bruise in the middle of my forehead."Lance frowned, before shrugging his shoulders. That was a fair point, he was willing to admit- he'd rather avoid having a huge bruise right there too. It wouldn't completely ruin his good looks, but it probably wouldn't do them any favors."Right, so," Hunk said, shifting his basket of mushrooms a bit so that he could carry it easier, "-do you want to come back to my place? That's kind of where we were headed anyways."Pidge hesitated. "Actually, I was trying to maybe find an inn?"Lance snorted. "Yeah, that's not going to be something you'll find around here.""Lance, buddy, be nice. Pidge here is clearly not from around these parts." Hunk shot him a look. "But he is right. There isn't exactly an inn around here."Pidge frowned, their brows knotting together. "Then where do all the people coming for the festival stay?""Rent rooms from the townsfolk, mostly." Lance shrugged. "There might be space above the tavern still, if you don't mind dealing with the sounds of rowdy drunkards.""I'd offer you our spare room, but we've already got one of the festival merchants staying there." Hunk apologized. "And there's never any space at Lance's place."Lance snorted. That was one way of putting it. His family was one of the biggest in the whole village- between him, his four older siblings, his eldest brother's wife and their two kids, and his parents, there was barely any space for family, nevermind travelers. Even with Veronica having left to go work for the royal guard, there still wasn't a whole lot of space available.Pidge winced. "What's the alternative?""Camping." Lance said with a shrug. Somehow he got the feeling they weren't going to be wild about that answer."No," Pidge said quickly, "-no camping. Where's this tavern again?""I can show you the way, if you want." Lance said. He couldn't even blame them. He wasn't exactly wild about being one with nature either. "Hunk, buddy, how about you grab that ointment and meet us there?""Can do." Hunk said. "Hopefully Miss Lia saved a room or two.""Please, you know she's picky about who she lets room at the tavern." Lance rolled his eyes. "She's bound to have at least a few rooms that are still open.""Mm, yeah, true." Hunk admitted. "Welp, I'll take these mushrooms back home and grab that ointment.""Take this too." Lance told him, shoving the lantern in his direction. Pidge squinted at it, ducking half a step back as if they were afraid they'd swing it in their face again."Gee, thanks." Hunk said dryly, accepting the lantern."You're welcome." Lance chirped. Hunk just shook his head, giving a quick farewell before he headed down the branching path that lead towards his family home. He watched him until he couldn't see him any longer, and then turned back to Pidge. "Come on. I promise you won't be disappointed by anything at Miss Lia's tavern."In response, Pidge's stomach growled. They flushed, before giving him a weak smile. "I think I might just take you up on that offer."Chuckling, Lance motioned for them to follow, heading down the lantern lit path. Sometimes he wished it could always be like this- it could get pretty dark around here at night, especially when the moon wasn't out. But realistically, he knew it was just a waste of oil, and that aside from the harvest festival, not a lot of people ventured out after dark. Heck, he'd been afraid to until he was like, twelve, when he realized that all those scary stories Marco had told him were just made up.Like there were really any yellow-eyed monsters out there who ate children. Please. Even Hunk didn't believe in those stories."So... what brings you to the village, Pidge?" Lance asked. "Here for the festival?""Something like that." Pidge said.Arching a brow, he glanced down towards them. That seemed... vague.He brushed it off. It wasn't like a kid this small was going to do something stupid like try and go into the deep forest. They were probably just a runaway or something, like the princess was. At that thought, he paused, glancing down at them- before quickly dismissing the possibility.Nah. Whoever this kid was, he didn't think they were a princess. He'd heard that Princess Katherine Holt had long, flowing hair, but Pidge? Their hair was shortly cropped, and besides that, they wore glasses- which yeah, the princess' missing brother, Matthew Holt had, but his sister didn't.Besides, he was pretty sure Pidge was a boy anyways. So much for meeting a cute girl.The tavern was just a short walk away, and was already bustling with activity when they got there. It was busy enough that it took him a second to even find Miss Lia, before he picked out her head of pitch black hair out of the crowd. She had been bent over- probably the only reason he hadn't been able to find her, seeing as she was actually pretty tall.Heck, she was probably hands down the tallest woman in the village.She spotted him, quirking a brow. She crossed the room, her gaze briefly flickering down towards Pidge. "Replacing Hunk?""Please, you know there's no replacement for Hunk." Lance grinned, placing a hand on Pidge's head, who fumed at the contact, which he ignored. "This is Pidge. He's looking for a place to stay."Miss Lia hummed, casting an assessing gaze towards Pidge. He couldn't exactly tell, what with the cloak and all, but he was pretty sure the kid had broken out into a cold sweat- which yeah, couldn't say he blamed him. Miss Lia could be pretty intimidating- maybe it was the intense gaze, or the way she seemed to loom even when she wasn't trying.Or maybe it was the knife at her hip. That too."Sure," Miss Lia said finally, "-I have room."Pidge let out a deep breath, his shoulders slumping. "Thanks. How much-?""It's free." Miss Lia said, a bit curt. "Comes with breakfast and dinner.""I think he'll take you up on that dinner." Lance said, recalling the way Pidge's stomach had growled earlier.Her gaze darting down towards Pidge, she waited until he nodded before she turned on her heel, assessing the state of the tavern within an instant. Looking back towards them, she wordlessly held up a finger, before she disappeared back into the throng of people. There were a few cries of protest as a few patrons were forcibly relocated, but when she came back, she had produced an empty table and two chairs for them."Actually, Hunk's going to be joining us soon." Lance added.Miss Lia huffed slightly, before yanking a chair out from under the closest drunkard, shoving it under their table instead. "Table for three.""Great, thanks." Lance told her, already taking a seat. "Think Hunk and I could get some grub too? I don't know about Hunk, but he's had me trooping around in the woods all evening looking for mushrooms, so I'm starving.""I saw you leave the village." Miss Lia cooly observed. "You were only gone for an hour.""And it was a very long hour!" Lance protested.Miss Lia simply huffed, shrugging her shoulders. "Fine. But you have to pay."With that, she disappeared back into the throng of people. Lance grumbled, folding his arms in front of him. Why did she always make him pay? She never made Hunk pay!Pidge, who had been watching the entire scene play out like he was frozen to the ground, shook off his daze. Hastily taking one of the three seats, he nervously glanced towards Lance, speaking in hushed tones. "Is she always like this?""Yup." Lance said, leaning back in his chair. "She came here... what, five years ago? We think she's from the east. Or maybe somewhere up north. Somewhere intense like that."Pidge eyed her as she forcibly removed the aforementioned drunkard by dragging him by the collar, dumping him outside of the tavern on his rear. "Intense.""Makes great food though." Lance observed. "Way more exotic stuff than you think you'd find in a dead end village like this.""Dead end?" Pidge asked, arching his brows."We're on the border of no man's land." Lance told him. "Can't get more dead end than that."Before the topic had a chance to go any further, Hunk joined them, slightly out of breath as he pulled out the last remaining chair. "Hey, sorry for the wait. Got the ointment.""It's fine." Pidge was quick to assure him. "We just got here.""So, were you able to get a room?" Hunk asked."One room, and three meals for the each of us." Lance reported, crinkling his nose as he watched Hunk dig out the ointment. "Are you really going to crack that open here?"Pidge just shrugged, lowering his hood- but only after nervously glancing around the room, like he expected someone to spot him and raise a fuss. "I don't mind."Lance just groaned, crinkling his nose further as Hunk uncapped the ointment. Sure enough, it stunk just as badly as he remembered, but somehow Pidge managed to keep a straight face as Hunk applied it to his forehead."There," Hunk said, fixing the cap back on the ointment jar, "-that should do it."Pidge offered him a faint smile. "Thanks.""Hey, it's the least I can do since Lance is the one who bonked you on the head with a lantern." Hunk told him."Hey, I said I was sorry!" Lance protested."Nobody's saying you didn't." Hunk said. "Just that maybe you should be a little more careful in the future. What if Pidge had been taller? You could have broken his nose."Pidge grumbled a bit in response, but otherwise finally seemed to relax. He set down the bag he had brought with him, pushing it with his feet so that it was securely under the table, and out of the way of anyone who might have less than savory designs on it. He didn't have the heart to tell him that nobody would dare to steal anything within the confines of Miss Lia's tavern- she didn't take to it too kindly. That knife wasn't just for show.(It was also why it was always Miss Lia, and never just Lia.)"So, you here for the harvest festival?" Hunk asked.Lance just rolled his eyes. "I already asked him that. Didn't give me a clear answer.""I mean, I didn't come here for the festival." Pidge admitted. "But I should be staying here for a few days, so I guess I might as well check it out while I'm here."Lance frowned. That was way more information than he had gotten out of him. What was it about Hunk that just made people open up around him?"Hey, that's great!" Hunk beamed. "You should come with us later tonight. Most of the major events aren't until tomorrow or the day after, but there's a bonfire tonight you could come check out.""Kinda stinks that the full moon is tonight, and not tomorrow." Lance remarked. "Rachel was fuming about it earlier. Says we should have moved the festival up just so she could have her procession under the full moon. Like we can just move the harvest festival up.""Oh yeah, she's playing the role of the moon maiden this year, isn't she?" Hunk asked.Pidge blinked. "The moon maiden?"Hunk nodded. "You know, like the legend!"A look of understanding dawned across Pidge's face at his words. He seemed almost kind of excited at the subject. "You mean the one from the prophecy?""That's the one!" Hunk said. "Guess you know your stuff."Pidge just grinned, adjusting his glasses. "I've been known to dabble in folklore. That's what brings me here, actually.""Wait, hold on," Lance cut in, "-what prophecy?"Hunk stared blankly at him from across the table. "Lance, both of your sisters have played the moon maiden. How can you not know about the prophecy?"Lance frowned. He hated to admit it, but that was a fair point- it was just that he sort of had the tendency to drown that kind of thing out. It wasn't as if he was completely unfamiliar with the legend surrounding the moon maiden, it was just that he had always thought it was just some silly old story. I mean, come on- did anyone really expect him to believe that there were people living on the moon?Or had been anyways. Apparently, all the magical moon people were dead now or something. Not to mention that they had all stopped actually living on the moon a long time before that happened."I'm a man of action, Hunk." Lance told him. "I don't need prophecies. Besides, all that stuff's fake anyways.""Actually, my research leads me to believe it's all real." Pidge interjected, adjusting his glasses. "The moon maiden, the prophecy... even the Galra.""Okay, so you're crazy. Got it." Lance said, pushing his chair back. He wasn't about to waste his precious festival time on the ramblings of some crazy runaway noble kid.Pidge glared at him, a surprising amount of ferocity in those big eyes of his. "I'm not crazy. The Galra are the reason that the king's expedition disappeared."Lance just snorted. "Right, and Emperor Zarkon lives under my bed. Come on Hunk, let's see if they've got that bonfire set up.""That is not a name for you to use so casually."He nearly jumped at the sound of Miss Lia's voice, pivoting on his heel to face her. When the heck had she even gotten behind him?"I was just-""Just leaving." Miss Lia cut him off, staring down at him coldly. "These are ill-omened times. You are better off not rushing fate by speaking ill-omened names."Holding up a hand, Hunk glanced up towards her. "Uh, am I kicked out too?"Miss Lia spared him a glance. "No. You are fine, Hunk."Hunk heaved a sigh of relief, and he couldn't help but glare at him. How come he got kicked out and Hunk got to stay? He was starting to get the sneaking suspicion that Miss Lia was playing favorites."Uh, am I...?" Pidge began weakly, all but wilting as Miss Lia turned her sharp gaze on him. He didn't blame him- there was just something in those deep violet eyes that was downright intimidating."You can stay." Miss Lia said. "But I would advise that you tread with caution."With that, she disappeared back into the throng of patrons. Glancing back down at the table, Lance noticed that somehow, she had even managed to leave Pidge's dinner behind all without them actually noticing. There was even a basket of freshly baked bread for Hunk, and yet somehow, nothing at all for him. It was almost like she knew.One day he was going to figure out how she did that. It was downright creepy."Right." Lance said. "Guess I'm leaving. Hunk, you coming?""Uh..." Hunk trailed off, hesitantly glancing towards Pidge.Pidge just shrugged. "It's fine. I probably won't be going anywhere until after the harvest festival anyways.""Right, got it." Hunk said, picking up the basket of goodies and getting to his feet. "You can still come swing by the bonfire later if you want."Pidge just gave him a weak smile. "I'll think about it. Thanks."Lance just huffed, but said nothing- at least not until after they had left the tavern. "Did you seriously just invite him to join us at the bonfire?"Hunk shrugged. "Why not? He seems nice.""He seems crazy." Lance rolled his eyes. "I mean come on, the Galra? Those are just stories. There's no way they actually exist."Hunk just shuffled on his feet. "I mean... something has to be causing those adventurers to never come back, right? Maybe... maybe there are Galra out there.""Oh please." Lance huffed. "If there actually were Galra, someone would have seen them by now. They're like seven foot tall purple monsters, right? Sounds like the kind of thing that would stand out.""True, but..." Hunk trailed off."But nothing." Lance said curtly. "Come on. Let's go snag a space in the village square and dig into some of those goodies. I'm starved."Hunk moved to shield the basket from him. "No way. Miss Lia gave these goodies to me. You find your own.""Wha- Hunk!"Turned out, the bonfire wasn't ready yet, and wouldn't be for another hour or so. Grumbling, Lance sunk back onto the nearest bench with Hunk, prepared to wait.He didn't remain there for long- he'd forgotten Luis was helping to build the bonfire this year. He had barely been sitting for five minutes before he caught sight of him and dragged him off to help, leaving Hunk alone with his basket of goodies.Not that he stayed alone for long- after polishing off one of Miss Lia's signature spiced rolls, Hunk came to join them, offering a hand. It made the work at least a little more bearable, but as it was, he still grumbled his way through it.At least it would get done faster this way, he guessed.At some point, the village square started to fill up. There were a lot of familiar faces in the crowd- most of them locals, either from this village or one of the smaller, neighboring villages. A few of them were traders who passed through here regularly, but there were other faces he was less familiar with- and one of them... one of them was Pidge.He fought the urge to groan."Aw, c'mon," Hunk said, "-I don't think he's so bad.""He was trying to convince us the king's expedition was kidnapped by the Galra." Lance pointed out. "Remember that?"Sure, it was still a better theory than the captain of the royal guard selling them out to an enemy kingdom in exchange for a noble title or a land deed- or whatever nonsense people were trying to say about Captain Shirogane lately. He'd kind of stopped paying attention to it all- the guy had practically been his hero since he had gotten the chance to go with Veronica to the capital three years ago.He'd heard of the Captain before then, of course he had. Who hadn't? He was the youngest captain of the royal guard ever. But living in such a remote village meant that he didn't exactly get a chance to put faces to names, and Captain Shirogane was absolutely something that had to be seen to be believed. He was just lucky that he'd been taking part in a tournament while he was there, because the sight had been unforgettable.He wished he could move like that. But sword fighting had never exactly been his forte- that was more of Veronica's thing. He was better with a bow and arrow.Not as good as Hunk, but still- he wasn't a bad shot."I don't know, maybe he's on to something." Hunk shrugged. "I mean... the Galra are supposed to use like, weird magic or something right?"Lance just rolled his eyes, unable to believe they were even talking about this. "Those are the druids. I'm pretty sure they aren't regular Galra.""Yeah, but they're still Galra, right?" Hunk asked. "And the king's expedition did sort of vanish without a trace."He grunted, helping Hunk fix another log in place. That much was true. They had found their camp- right down to their packs and their horses. Everything was right where it should be- nothing looked like it had been disturbed.It was just... no one was there. Not the king, not the crown prince, and not Captain Shirogane. They were just gone."Still, there's no way." Lance said. "Weren't they checking something out in the Lion's Forest? That's like on the other end of the kingdom. How would the Galra have even gotten that far?""Mm, true." Hunk admitted. "Honestly, I'd rather it not be true myself. I mean... the Galra were terrifying enough when I thought they were fictional. I don't think I could handle it if they were actually real.""Don't worry, Hunk." Lance joked, patting him on the shoulder. "If the Galra ever show up here, I'm sure Miss Lia's glare would scare them all away."Hunk cracked a smile at that. "Okay, yeah, that's fair."They worked in silence for awhile after that, Lance keeping an eye on Pidge. He was hovering by the edge of the village square, watching them put together the bonfire. At one point, their eyes met, and the kid jerked his head away.He winced. Maybe he had gone a little too far calling him crazy. This whole Galra thing did seem kind of important to him. He probably should apologize.It didn't mean he didn't think he wasn't crazy- he did. He just shouldn't have been so blunt about it. But he'd worry about it after the bonfire.Finally, the last log was set in place, and everyone stepped back to observe their work. Luis circled around it, studying it carefully, before he declared that it was ready to be lit.In spite of himself, Lance grinned. Looked like his night was back on the right path.Or at least, it was.It wasn't like he hadn't noticed the slight commotion coming from the edge of the village. He'd just been opting to ignore it. But the closer it started to come towards them, the harder that got- and soon enough, the buzz had picked up. By the time he had sneaked back to the basket of Miss Lia's goodies to steal a spiced roll, it was in full buzz.Someone had come back.At first, he didn't get all the fuss. He just thought someone had come back from like... being away or something. Maybe Veronica had been able to make it after all?He was halfway through the roll when he realized that wasn't what they meant. And by that time, the person in question had come all but staggering into the village square, impossible to miss even if he hadn't been paying attention. They looked... worn out, for lack of a better word- ragged, exhausted.Definitely exhausted, since they stumbled forward by one step, and almost immediately fell over. And if he knew Hunk...Yep, there he went. Half inhaling the rest of the roll, Lance scrambled to catch up with him. For a big guy, he could be pretty fast when he wanted to!Up close, it only became more obvious just how ragged this person was. The dark cloak they wore was torn, nearly slashed to pieces towards the bottom. As Hunk carefully rolled him over, it became apparent that his clothes weren't much better off- they barely looked better than prison rags. There was a deep scar across the bridge of his nose, and equally deep bags underneath his eyes, like he hadn't slept since who knew when.Then his cloak fell back, and all at once, everyone who had gathered around the stranger backed away.But Lance wasn't looking at his right arm- which wasn't to say that he didn't notice that it was purple, fuzzy, and clawed, it was just that to him, it wasn't nearly the most important element. No, to him, what mattered most was the face- even with the white tuft of hair, he still knew it. There was no way he was about to forget someone who had made such an impression on him anytime soon.He opened his mouth, about to let the man's name slip out of it, but Pidge proved faster."Shiro?"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Shiro?"Shaking off his stupor, Hunk looked up towards Pidge with wide eyes. "Wait, Shiro? As in, Captain Shirogane? Former captain of the royal guard?""What other Shiro could he possibly mean?" Lance asked.His tone probably came across as a bit harsher than intended, but he was still trying to process all of this. Captain Shirogane had been missing with the rest of the royal expedition for nearly a year now- so how the hell had he ended up here, this far away from the Lion's Forest where they had all disappeared?And what the heck was up with his arm?They had drawn a sizable amount of attention by now- though aside from the three of them, everyone else seemed to be keeping their distance. They were eying his right arm warily, and he could just make out faint whispers of Galra and came from the forest. Neither of those things sounded all that great.His arm... definitely did bring to mind those old stories about the Galra. Marco had always described them as being monstrous beasts covered from head to toe with purple fur, whose glowing yellow eyes could see perfectly in the dark as they tracked their prey- which, in Marco's stories, had always been small, naughty children who didn't do what they were told and wandered out late at night or into the forest."Right," Hunk said, "-well, good news is that he's got a pulse still. It's weak, but he's alive."He swore that Pidge exhaled, his shoulders sagging in relief. Squinting up at him, he pursed his lips. Not only did he seem to know the Captain, but he was on familiar enough terms with him to call him by a nickname. "How do you know Captain Shirogane?"Pidge visibly flinched. "My family works with the royal guard sometimes."That sounded... vague. Actually, everything this kid told them about himself was pretty vague. That settled it- this kid was definitely some kind of a runaway."Sorry to interrupt," Hunk began, drawing their attention back towards him, "-but I don't think it really matters just how Pidge knows Captain Shirogane. I'm pretty sure getting him some medical assistance is more important.""Hunk is right."All three of them nearly jumped out of their skins, though that high pitched yelp had definitely come from Pidge, not him, and he'd stand by that. He hadn't even noticed Miss Lia's arrival, but there was no way to miss her now, the pale skinned tavern keeper stooped over Captain Shirogane's unconscious body, hand extended to check his pulse herself.Miss Lia looked up, briefly meeting his eyes. For a second, it looked like her eyes were almost glowing, but he quickly chalked it up to just a trick of the light. "We can take him back to the tavern. He'll be safe there."He wanted to ask from what, but instinct kicked in and forced him to hold his tongue. Instead, he watched as Miss Lia scooped the Captain up as if he weighed nothing, carrying him nearly bridal style in her arms. All the while, he didn't stir- only the rising and falling of his chest letting him know he was still alive.She turned towards Hunk, leveling violet eyes on him. "Find your parents. Their assistance will be required.""Uh..." Hunk trailed off, still sounding a bit dazed by her sudden appearance. "Right, I'll- I'll get them."Miss Lia's eyes narrowed. "Now."Flinching, Hunk leapt to his feet, giving Miss Lia a hasty salute before he made his retreat. For a second, he debated going after him, before he caught the hard edge of Miss Lia's gaze out of the corner of his eye and hastily decided against it."Lance, Pidge," Miss Lia instructed, "-you two come with me."She left little room for protest, and after exchanging a quick glance with the other, both he and Pidge fell in line behind her. The crowd that had formed parted to give them room- but whether that was because of Captain Shirogane's weird purple arm or just the fact that it was Miss Lia who was carrying him, he had no idea. It didn't stop the onlookers from trailing behind them, understandably curious about exactly what was going on here.He'd like to know that himself.They made it to the tavern without issue, which came to a dead stop as they entered. Miss Lia didn't say a word, only making a motion for them to wait at the bottom of the steps as she carried the Captain up them and deposited him in a room. Once she had done so, she came back down, unsheathed her knife, and sunk its blade deep into the main counter of the establishment, all while somehow maintaining eye contact with the entire crowd."Service is over for the night." Miss Lia said firmly. "Leave."Nobody disputed her. One by one, the tavern's patrons filed out, some of them less gracefully than others, but all left without a word. Once the last of them were gone, she yanked her knife from the counter, sheathing it back at her waist."The two of you stand watch outside." She instructed them, making for the staircase that lead to the upper level of the tavern. "When Hunk's parents arrive, bring them upstairs. I'll watch over the Captain."She paused, turning mid-step to glance back at the both of them. "Let no one else in."They both swallowed, nodding their heads almost in unison. Apparently satisfied with that, Miss Lia disappeared upstairs, leaving the two of them alone."So," Pidge began, after a moment of undeniably awkward silence, "-still think I'm crazy?"Hunk's parents arrived with haste, their son apparently having stressed the urgency of the situation to them. Although there was still a sizable throng of onlookers gathered outside the tavern, none had dared to take a step inside even when the doors opened- probably too afraid that its owner would turn her knife on them if they dared.Just as they had been told to, Lance and Pidge brought the couple upstairs, to where Miss Lia had laid up Captain Shirogane. She had stripped him of his ragged cloak and boots, but had otherwise left him untouched. He was still unconscious, but it had barely even been half an hour since he had collapsed in the village square, so he didn't exactly expect him to be awake yet.The only window had been drawn shut, its curtains fixed in place. If he squinted, he could make out a dark stain against the glass, but it was probably just dirt.Although they had a moment of pause at the sight of his arm, Hunk's parents rapidly set to work, beginning their examination. They were both only healers, not proper doctors, but both were equally skilled in their trade. There was a reason that their remote border village could rest easy, even after the mountain path closed off for the winter."In terms of his overall health, he's showing all the classic signs of exhaustion. With time and rest, he should recover." Hunk's mother told them, once she had finished her exam. "I brought along an herbal tea blend that should be able to help. Give it to him when he wakes, and it should take an edge off the fatigue.""And make sure he eats." Hunk's father grunted. "He looks like he's been fed just enough to stave off outright starvation.""That can be arranged." Miss Lia said."As for his arm..." Hunk's mother trailed off, clearly at a loss for words. "That's a bit out of my depth.""And mine." Her husband agreed. "All I can tell you is that the cut's clean, and it responds normally to stimuli. It... should work."Narrowing her eyes, Miss Lia uncrossed her arms. She had been watching the examination like a hawk, and Lance was starting to get the feeling that she had a vested interest in the whole affair herself. Digging into one of the pouches she wore at her waist, she produced two gold coins, pressing them in the hands of Hunk's parents. Lance couldn't help but gawk. He'd never seen gold even once in his entire life. Even Veronica only got paid in silver, and she was employed by the royal guard!"For your troubles." She told them, in a tone indicating that they were not allowed to refuse. "Speak of this to no one."Hunk's parents exchanged a glance, before accepting the pair of coins. "There's already a large crowd gathered outside. What should we tell them?""Tell them he is under my care." Miss Lia stated. "And to keep the bonfire burning through the night, if they do not have it burning already. It will ward off shadows.""So what should we do?" Hunk asked, after seeing his parents off. He almost looked like he kind of wanted to go with them, but Miss Lia had caught his eye, and he'd opted instead to remain behind. "You kind of seem like you need us for something.""Stay, until dawn breaks." Miss Lia instructed. "The three of you are not to take a single step outside of this tavern."Exchanging a glance with Hunk, Lance frowned. Pidge aside, they had just gotten mixed up with this due to happenstance- or at least, that's what he thought. But something about the way Miss Lia was acting made him question if that was really the case.It was almost like she'd known this would happen.They weren't the only ones to notice either. Pidge had sat himself by the foot of the Captain's bed ever since they had brought Hunk's parents up- he'd barely even stirred during the entire exam. But now he looked up, eyes narrowed as he critically examined the tavern keeper, looking for... Lance didn't know what, exactly. Just that he was.Whatever it was, she didn't betray it."When you say shadows," Pidge began, "-what do you mean, exactly?"Miss Lia only narrowed her eyes. "You would be wise not to ask questions.""Well forgive me for being curious," Pidge told her, "-especially since you seem to be awfully prepared for all of this."Lance flinched. Sure, yeah, he'd noticed that too, but what was Pidge thinking, saying it out loud? What if she made Miss Lia angry? Nothing good came from making Miss Lia angry.Not one to be intimidated, especially not by someone less than half her size, Miss Lia merely held Pidge's gaze. "When dawn breaks, we will be free to speak. Wait until then."For all that the woman had intimidated him earlier, Pidge actually held Miss Lia's gaze this time. Then finally he tore it away, narrowing his eyes. "Fine."Satisfied with that, Miss Lia made to leave. She paused, lingering by the door, resting her hand on the frame, the sleeve of her blouse slipping just enough so that he could make out a bandage around her wrist.Had that been there before?"If he wakes," Miss Lia said, "-call for me."Once he was sure she was gone, Lance heaved a breath of relief. He thought he was used to how intense she could be, but this was definitely something else."Okay," Hunk began, "-so is anyone else freaking out right now, or is it just me?""It's not just you." Lance said. Sure, he'd said that he wanted a little more excitement in his life, but he didn't mean like this. He was thinking more along the lines of meeting a cute girl or something, not having a long lost royal guard wander into their village from the forest that people weren't supposed to come back from. "I have no idea what's going on. Heck, I'm not even sure if I want to.""It's the Galra," Pidge said firmly, "-this is their doing."Lance groaned, hanging his head. "The Galra again?""I mean... his arm does seem pretty Galra-like." Hunk said. "And he did come from the direction of the forest, so..."Huffing, Lance collapsed in a nearby chair. He hated to admit it, but Hunk did have a point. It was pretty hard to deny what was right in front of him- and believe him, he'd been trying."Okay, so let's say that the Galra abducted the king's expedition, just like Pidge said." Lance stated, pointedly ignoring Pidge's glare. "Why would they even do that in the first place? And how the heck did Captain Shirogane end up here, with an arm that definitely isn't his?""Shiro," Pidge corrected, "-he prefers being called Shiro.""Okay then," Lance said, "-how did Shiro end up here?""That's the part I'm still working out." Pidge admitted. "Maybe he escaped?""Without the king and the crown prince?" Hunk asked. "I thought it was his job to like, guard them. Why would he leave them behind?"Pidge flinched, his face falling as he turned away, staring at his feet. "Maybe... maybe he didn't have a choice."Lance frowned at that. It sounded an awful lot like Pidge was trying to convince himself of that. He wasn't sure if he liked it. There was no way that the Takashi Shirogane he had seen at that tournament would ever be the kind of guy to willingly abandon his duties like that. There had to be some other explanation as to why he was alone.The room fell into a hushed silence, broken only by the steady sound of Shiro's breathing. It sounded better now- probably had something to do with the weird incense that Miss Lia had left burning in the room. It didn't seem to have any actual scent, at least, not one that he could discern."So," Hunk cautiously began, "-you said something about a prophecy before?"Lifting his head, Pidge looked over towards him. "Yeah. Do you know it?"Hunk nodded. "I mean, we do live in a village that basically worships the moon maiden. Of course I know it.""Yeah, well, I don't." Lance interjected. "So if we're going to start discussing more cryptic bullshit, how about we take a second and make sure we're all on the same page first?""I still can't believe you don't know the prophecy." Hunk said. "Your sisters-""-have both played the moon maiden." Lance finished. "Yeah, I get it. I should have paid attention. I'm just used to not having to care about that stuff. How was I supposed to know it would all suddenly become relevant?""Hm, fair point." Hunk admitted. "Still..."Lance just groaned, shooting his old friend a glare. "Look, can we just cut to the part where you tell me the prophecy already?""Yeah, yeah, we can do that." Hunk said, holding up his hands. "No need to get testy. So, should I tell it, or should Pidge?""Why don't you tell it?" Pidge asked. "Part of the reason I came out all this way was to hear the version of the prophecy that was told in this town.""Yeah?" Lance asked. "What was the other part?"Pidge just looked away. "Just... recite the prophecy, Hunk.""Uh." Hunk's gaze darted over towards him, to which he just shrugged- if Pidge wanted to keep secrets, then fine, what did he care? That seemed to be the theme for this evening anyways."Okay, so fair warning, it's been awhile since I've heard it too, so my recollection may be a bit fuzzy in places." Hunk admitted, before he took a deep breath, reciting the prophecy.
"When the full moon is high in the sky,
and the heavens crash down to Earth,
evil once sealed will break its boundaries.
Five paladins shall be chosen by the stars,
who shall wreathe themselves in the vessels of the ancients,
guided by the moon's hand."
Lance squinted, half expecting there to be more. "Wait, that's it? You didn't even mention the moon maiden!"Pidge stared at him blankly. "He literally mentioned the moon twice.""Yeah, but not the-" Lance stopped himself short, internally groaning, "-right, okay, I get it. That refers to the moon maiden, doesn't it?""Yup." Pidge told him, absently popping the p. "It refers to the revival of the moon maiden.""And the Galra." Hunk nervously added."Yes, and the Galra." Pidge said, adjusting his glasses. "Specifically, it refers to the revival of the moon maiden in response to the Galra breaking their seal.""Okay, that I get." Lance said. "But what's the part with five paladins or whatever being chosen by the stars about? What does wreathe themselves in the vessels of the ancients even mean?""That's the part I'm a little less clear about." Pidge confessed. "I think it might refer to the five weapons sealed away by the lunar king, but I'm not one hundred percent sure.""You mean the ones that he used to defeat... well, you know." Hunk said, nervously glancing towards the door. They hadn't exactly forgotten how harshly Miss Lia had taken to the mention of the name earlier. Given the mood she was in now, nobody was about to risk saying it again.They didn't have to. Even he knew who Emperor Zarkon was. He was the corrupt king who reigned over the Galra, and lead them into battle against the lunar king. He'd tried to conquer the world, and nearly would have succeeded if not for the efforts of the lunar king. He had forced them back into the deep forest, sealing them into what would later become no man's land- or at least, that was how the story went."Exactly." Pidge said. "The lunar king knew that someday, his seal would break. That's why he sealed away his own daughter. It stands to reason that she's meant to serve as some kind of guide to the five weapons.""Okay, so... what are these weapons exactly?" Lance asked.Pidge shook his head. "No one knows for sure. All records have been lost to time. But d- the king was looking into it just before he disappeared."Lance arched a brow, not entirely missing the slip, but otherwise not paying too much attention to it. "So, what? Did he think there was one in the Lion's Forest?"Pidge chewed on his lip for a second, before nodding his head. "Have you ever noticed how many places in this country have lion in their name?"Lance frowned, exchanging a glance with Hunk. Now that he mentioned it... yeah, there were kind of a lot of places with lion in their name. Heck, the mountains that bordered their village, on the opposite side of the deep forest were collectively known as the Lion's Mountains."Huh," Hunk frowned, "-you're right. There's like... what, six places with lion in their name? Weird.""Six, huh?" Lance asked. "That's like, one more than five.""Wow," Pidge said, arching his brows, "-you can do basic math."Lance squinted. "You know, I don't exactly appreciate your sarcasm.""Yeah well, I didn't exactly appreciate being called crazy either." Pidge shot back."Okay you two," Hunk cut in, "-let's not fight."Lance grumbled a bit, but otherwise stayed silent. Fine- maybe Pidge was right. Maybe he did owe him that apology after all."Look, I'm sorry for calling you crazy." Lance said. "It's just this? This is crazy.""Yeah, I kind of have to agree with Lance on that one." Hunk said. "I mean... if what you're saying is true, doesn't that mean the Galra are real?""Oh, they're real alright." Pidge said, his expression grave. "But it gets worse. The disappearance of the king's expedition proves that not only have some of them broken the seal, but that they have eyes and ears within the royal council itself. Nobody should have known the destination of the expedition.""Maybe it was just a coincidence?" Hunk asked nervously."Yeah, who the heck would even help the Galra?" Lance asked. "I'm pretty sure everyone knows they're the bad guys.""Maybe they forced someone to help?" Hunk offered."Maybe." Pidge said. "Or maybe they're using magic."Exchanging a glance with Hunk, they both swallowed. Maybe he didn't know about the prophecy, but he knew about the Galra's magic. It was part of what had made Marco's stories about them so spooky as a kid- the fact that they weren't just mindless beasts. They could use magic- real magic, not just the potions and concoctions that healers and witches blended together, which were the closest things humans had to magic.But Galra magic was dark magic. Blood magic, full of curses and hexes and wicked spells- and sacrifices. Lots of sacrifices.Among the stories that Marco had told him as a child, there had been an especially memorable one that involved a Galra luring an unsuspecting child to the edge of the deep forest, and then killing them when they came close. He shuddered just to remember it- Marco had spared no detail in describing the way the Galra had used blood magic to take the child's skin and wear it as their own, taking their life and their memories with it. They had then returned to the child's mother as if nothing had ever happened, sacrificing their true form for a chance to escape the seal.He'd thought it was just a scary story- but what if they could actually do it?Turning a wary eye towards Shiro, he swallowed, gaze falling on his right arm. Suddenly, he didn't feel so safe anymore.He woke to someone jostling his shoulder.Groaning, Lance slowly drifted awake, for a second unable to place exactly where he was and why his back felt so stiff. He wasn't as concerned as to why Hunk was here- they were childhood friends, it was pretty common for him to barge into his room to wake him up. Not vice versa though, if only because he was almost never awake before Hunk.He also usually didn't have this bad a case of bedhead, though."Hunk?" Lance blinked. "Wha-"Memories of last night flooded back, and his eyes snapped open, now wide awake. "Shiro!""Ssh," Pidge hushed him from his post by Shiro's bed- it didn't look like he had gotten a wink of sleep all night, "-he's starting to wake up. Can one of you get Miss Lia?""Hunk should probably go. She likes him best." Lance said.Hunk grumbled, clearly not liking the idea of being the one dumped with the task. "Alright, fine.""Good luck, buddy." Lance said, patting him on the shoulder. "Maybe she won't bite your head off.""I don't think she's going to bite my head off, Lance." Hunk said, only to add, "-will she?""She probably will if we don't do what we're told." Pidge pointed out."Okay, fair point." Hunk admitted. "I'll be right back."Watching Hunk leave, Lance frowned, turning back towards the bed where Shiro lay. True to what Pidge said, he was starting to stir- just not peacefully. He was moaning, that Galra-like right arm of his digging into the sheets, claws ripping the fabric. Nervously glancing down towards Pidge, he couldn't help but picture just how easy it would be for Shiro to overpower him- if that really was Shiro, and not just some Galra that had done a crappy job of wearing his skin.Since hey! Apparently that was a thing now!(Okay sure, so maybe Marco's stories weren't the best thing to base his theories on. But they had to come from somewhere, right?)"Maybe you shouldn't be sitting so close to him?" Lance asked nervously.Pidge glared at him. "Shiro wouldn't hurt me."Lance could only bite his lip, again wondering what exactly their relationship was. Pidge had said that his family worked with the royal guard sometimes, but he was pretty sure that had been a lie. Maybe he really was a runaway noble, just like he thought.A runaway noble with a deep vested interest in the missing king's expedition.Frowning, he took a closer look at Pidge. Maybe they really were... but no. They'd been calling them a boy all this time, and they hadn't corrected them even once. He was pretty sure they'd have done that by now if they were actually the missing princess.Right? Right.(Besides, Pidge was a runt. Princesses were supposed to be like, super pretty and stuff right? Granted, he'd never seen a princess before, but he was pretty sure he was right.)Shiro's eyes suddenly snapped open, and all questions Lance had about Pidge suddenly fell to the wayside. He let out a strangled cry, jolting up from bed as if he had just woken from the throes of a nightmare- probably had, judging by how he had been acting just prior to waking up. He pressed a hand- his human hand- against his face, his breath coming out in short, shallow gasps, sweat clinging to the back of his neck.At least he didn't lash out, which was probably a good sign. At least, he hoped."Shiro?" Pidge cautiously asked.Shiro groaned, slowly turning his head towards Pidge, almost seeming to squint. "...Matt?"Pidge just shook his head. "No, I'm Pidge. Do you... do you know where you are?"Shiro slowly blinked, studying Pidge as a slow look of understanding dawned across his features. Turning his head, Shiro's gaze swept across the room, falling on Lance last. He froze underneath his gaze- those were the same steely gray eyes that he remembered, at least, in color. Before they been those of a man determined to carry out his duty faithfully, but now they looked like the eyes of a man who had seen far too much, and just wanted to forget."I... I was captured." Shiro said slowly. "By the Galra. We all- we all were.""You were." Pidge confirmed. "But you're safe now. You're in a village on the border of the deep forest. Do you remember anything from last night?"Slowly, Shiro shook his head. He was gradually starting to become a bit more composed, as if Pidge's promises of safety were starting to sink in. "Just bits and pieces. I remember I escaped. I think someone helped me, but we were separated, and then...""Nothing." Shiro said. "Not until I crossed the tree line. I'm pretty sure I remember collapsing.""That part definitely happened." Pidge told him. "You're in a room just above the local tavern. You were carried here by-""-me." Miss Lia finished for her. "You can call me Lia."Shiro stared up at her, his eyes scanning her face as if he were searching for something. "I'm guessing this isn't a dream.""No." Miss Lia said rather factually. "I brought food. You need to eat."In response, Shiro's stomach growled- and loudly, at that. He managed a faint chuckle, resting his human hand over his stomach- his Galra one still rested limply by his side. "You're probably right about that.""I usually am." Miss Lia said simply, crossing the room and depositing the tray of food on Shiro's lap. "Don't eat too quickly. You'll risk making yourself sick."Ugh. Lance's stomach was starting to growl a bit now too. He hadn't had anything to eat since that spiced roll last night, and his insides were punishing him for it now. They must have been louder than he thought, because Miss Lia lifted her head, glancing back at the two of them."There is food for you as well, in the adjacent room." Miss Lia told him. "Your friend is already there."Pidge frowned, narrowing his eyes. "I don't want to leave Shiro alone.""I will stay with him." Miss Lia told him. "Go, eat. Your bodies will need it."Lance desperately wanted to ask for what, but wisely chose to hold his tongue. Usually he was the first to blurt that kind of stuff out, but around Miss Lia, he tended to be a little smarter about that sort of thing- if only because he didn't want to risk getting on her bad side.You know, provided he wasn't already."But-" Pidge protested."I'll be fine." Shiro assured him, giving him a weak smile. "I promise."Shoulders slumping, Pidge made a huff of defeat. "Okay. But I'll be back as soon as I'm done eating.""I'll be here." Shiro assured him.Pidge gave him one last forlorn look, before he made his way out, pausing to grab him by the arm and haul him along. He could only sputter and try to keep up- for someone who was so tiny, he had an impressive amount of grip strength."Hey, uh," Lance began, glancing down at him, "-you okay?""I'll be fine." Pidge said. "Let's just eat."Somehow, he wasn't sure if he believed that either.She didn't have to look back to know that the shadows she had sent out had returned. She could feel their weight as they melded back into her own, which flickered in the dim candlelight- the only light in the otherwise dark room. There was very little light this deep within the forest, but she had lived here for centuries, sealed away with the rest, and so she had since adapted to life without it."Did you find him?"One of the shadows writhed and twisted about her, escaping from her own form. It grew a partial shape, taking on an eyeless form with a lipless mouth whose blackened teeth nevertheless managed to stand out from the otherwise inky blackness of its being. If she gave it enough of her blood, it would be able to split off from her entirely, but sending her shadows outside of the barrier was still a strenuous effort for her, so she chose not to. Her magic was strong, but Alfor's barrier was not yet that weak.Soon it would be. With each passing new moon, it grew weaker and weaker- and her lord grew all the stronger. It was only a matter of time before it crumbled completely- and then she would not need to depend on her shadows anymore.But until then, they had to bide their time."He made it past the barrier." The shadow whispered in his ear. "To the human village, the one closest to the mountains."Haggar narrowed her eyes, which glowed dimly even in the dark. "And?""We could not go beyond the village's outskirts." The shadow informed her. "They were burning fires. We could not enter."She frowned. She didn't think the humans had what it took to keep out her shadows, not this close to the barrier. Someone must have given them that knowledge."So the traitors are not quite done taking action." Haggar mused, turning on her heel, pacing the length of the room. The shadows trailed behind her- both her own, and the one that danced along the lengths of the walls, its shape becoming distorted with it. She came to a halt, just outside the range of the candle's light.She might have grown used to the darkness, but there was a part of her that still longed for the sunlight. She had been a creature of it once, long ago, and she had yet to entirely forget the sensation of its warm rays against her skin.At least she was not alone in her suffering. She had seen to that much herself.The shadow only drew close again when it had something to say. "We can try again this night. The moon will begin to wane, and our power will grow.""Not enough to be of any use." Haggar remarked. "I have a different mission for you. Send word to our spy in the southernmost garrison. The humans will cave to his authority. He will bring the Champion back to us- and whatever traitor is hiding him from our eyes with him.""Yes, high priestess," the shadow nearly seemed to bow, or perhaps it was just a stray flicker of the candle that caused its shape to change, "-we will see that it is done.""Good," Haggar said, "-I wish to have good news to report to our lord once he awakens next."The escape of the Champion was merely a minor setback. Their plans remained unchanged. They had spent centuries concocting them, and they would hardly allow a handful of long cursed traitors to undo the work that they had done.The humans may have all since forgotten, but this world had once belonged to the Galra.And so it would again.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Anything to report?"The private on watch startled at the sound of his voice, almost jumping out of his skin. "C-commander!"He narrowed his eyes, knowing instinctively that the private had been slacking off. His senses may have been dulled in this skin, but he did not need his natural hearing to know that much. Normally, he would have punished the soldier quite severely, but these were not the deep forests of Daibazaal, but rather the human realm, so he stifled his instinctive urges."Report." He said coldly instead.The private saluted, and he could almost smell the sweat trickling down the back of his neck. "Y-yes sir! There have been no abnormal movements to report!"He simply stood there, starting at the man for longer than he knew was comfortable. The private's salute faltered, but he did not release it, out of fear that he would be reprimanded even further. He let him sweat- there were precious few things around here that he found entertaining, and at times he loathed having taken up this post. He knew how critical it was to his emperor, but playacting as a human proved tedious at times."Good," he finally said, "-continue your watch."Turning away from the private, his hearing was just sharp enough to hear him exhale. Turning back to look at him, he arched his brows, grateful that the human whose skin he had taken had grown tall enough to be intimidating, a far cry from the lowly ranking perimeter scout he had been when he'd first stripped it from him to take as his own. He had worked to make it his own, slowly but surely, so as to not arouse suspicion- or superstition.And the humans of this outpost were very superstitious.But for all their superstition, they knew very little about effective warding. There were some places in the fort that were troublesome to him, but they were old, and not many went there- easy enough for him to avoid. The human skin protected him from the worst of his bindings- silver only tingled unpleasantly against his fingertips, and the bright light of the sun only made him feel mildly annoyed."Make sure to actually watch this time, private." He instructed- and took pleasure in the jerky way the private returned to his salute, at the fear he could smell from him. He wished he could do more, but he had an image to keep, and a role to fulfill.This was the last human military outpost before the forests of Daibazaal, bordering the Lion's Mountains. He shot them a glare from where he could just make them out from the small window slit the private was positioned at. He knew that somewhere within them, lay the sealed princess, though even with his human skin, he was not able to venture deep into them.There was magic there, magic that repelled him. Repelled all, save for the chosen paladins.Stalking away from the soldier, he strode down the halls of the fort. Soon enough, this place would become the first outpost of the Galra Empire. The high priestess would see to that.Once they were free of their forests, he could discarded this accursed skin. Whatever advantages it granted him, however much freedom it gave him, it was not worth being reduced to the senses and strength of a mere human. There had been times when he had been overcome by the urge to tear it off and be free, truly free- but Haggar was the one who had worked the spell, and he could not remove it on his own.None of them could.He came to a halt, suddenly realizing that there was an extra set of footsteps behind him. While that would have evoked fear in most of the soldiers under his command, he merely smiled."What news does the high priestess send?""The Champion has escaped." The shadow whispered, writhing about his feet but never quite touching him, out of fear that the spell cast on his borrowed flesh would send it back to its own rotten husk of a body. "He is hidden from us, in a human village. They burn fires, and we cannot get close.""How did he escape?" He asked, narrowing his eyes."A traitor, hidden among our own. He freed him." The shadow informed him. "The high priestess wishes for you to bring him back."He hummed, idly stroking his beard in thought. Growing one had been his first order of business when he had obtained this form- facial hair was the closest approximation he could get to having fur when he was so trapped in human flesh. He still kept it trimmed and well ordered, for humans frowned on anything less than a well-kept beard."The fools that work here will recognize him." He pointed out. "We are not so far removed that they would not recognize the Captain of the Royal Guard.""They recognize your authority." The shadow observed, almost seeming to laugh at it. "Your men will carry out your orders faithfully, even against the Captain."He did laugh, a low chuckle of amusement. As superstitious as they were, the humans who worked in the fort had never recognized that they were lead by what was ultimately only the approximation of a man. He looked forward to the coming day where he would be able to discard this flesh, and reveal to them the truth."They will." He agreed. "Tell the high priestess that Sendak will see the Champion returned."The shadow flickered in response, but clung close to that of his own. It did not dare touch the bright sunlight that filtered in through the slit window before him- the morning sun was not as dangerous as when the sun was at its peak, but it would bind the shadow back to its rancid flesh until it managed to recover its strength.It was a fate worse than even death, something which all those who became shadows had already experienced at least once. The spell that called their misbegotten souls from death preserved their flesh, though only in the vaguest sense of the word. Haggar would bind those who disobeyed her back into their rotting corpses and force them to work, until they were begging for her mercy, pledging their utmost loyalty to her and the Empire.Those who had been shadows as long as this one had, had likely forgotten they were ever once human. It, like all the others, had likely been promised a new body of their own once the seal had been broken, and the Galra were once again free to walk the Earth."Vrepit sa." The shadow whispered, before vanishing, leaving him truly alone in the hallway.Sendak smiled, even as his borrowed skin tightened around him. It always did, the few times his true name was spoken- like a reminder that the flesh he wore was not his own. It would last only a short while, he knew, and there was too much to do to let it get in the way of his work. Ignoring the pinching of now ill-fitting flesh as he moved, Sendak returned to the lookout, where the private was now visibly more engaged in his watch."Private," Sendak commanded, startling the man once again, "-run and fetch me the lieutenant. I have received disturbing news from the south."At once, the private was on full alert- but he didn't miss the way he paled. Trouble from the south could only mean one thing."Commander!" The private saluted, his back stiff as a board. "What shall I tell him?""There is a Galra wearing the flesh of a man that is being hidden there by the villagers." Sendak informed him, not betraying any of the amusement he felt. "We are to take it into custody."The private faltered, making a warding sign against his chest. It was ineffective, doing nothing worse than making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. "Yes sir!"Sendak watched as he dashed off, narrowing his eyes slightly as he vanished around the corner. Whoever it was that was hiding the Champion within the human village clearly did know the correct warding techniques- the type that others like him had worked for generations to obfuscate knowledge of. He would have to be careful.As much as he reveled in the idea of tearing this false flesh away, he would rather it be of his own choosing. As soon as it was torn away from him, he would lose the ability to walk underneath the sun, and for all the inconveniences of this flesh, the freedom it gave him was something that he reveled in.It still was not worth the loss of his own natural self, but he would only have to wait a little longer before that form too, was free to go where it pleased. Soon, the seal would be broken- and with it, their emperor would work the clouds himself, covering up the accursed sun that bound them to the forest as much as Alfor's magic did.It would only be the beginning. Once he regained the black lion, he would be able to do so much more.Once again, the Earth would belong to the Galra.He was surprised at how much of an appetite he had, given the circumstances.By the time his stomach felt pleasantly full, half an hour had passed. They had heard nothing from the room Miss Lia and Shiro were in, though Pidge kept anxiously glancing back in that direction. He ate so fast that it was a miracle he didn't just choke on his food, tearing through three pieces of buttered bread and a surprising amount of cooked sausage before he left without another word, in a hurry to get back to Shiro.He and Hunk ate at a more leisurely pace. Miss Lia's tone had been pressing, but not urgent. He, for one, wanted to at least have the time to swallow his food before he took the next bite, since he was pretty sure Pidge hadn't."So... what do you think?" Lance cautiously asked once Pidge was gone."About the food?" Hunk replied innocently enough."No, not the food." Lance said, rolling his eyes. "The- this! This whole Galra thing!"Hunk swallowed, staring down at his muffin like it would somehow provide him with answers. "I don't know. I don't think Pidge is lying to us, but..."He shook his head. "I really don't want the Galra to actually be real.""Right there with you, buddy." Lance said. "This is nuts. I mean... the Galra? I thought they were just tall tales designed to scare people! That's what Marco always made them sound like!""Obviously not." Hunk muttered, his eyes darting towards the door. "So... what do you think the deal with Captain Shirogane's arm is?""I have no idea." Lance said. "Honestly, I have no idea what's going on at all. I just know that whatever it is, it's bad.""We could leave." Hunk hurriedly said. "I mean... Miss Lia said we only had to stay until dawn, right?""I'm not sure if that's such a good idea." Lance frowned, glancing towards the window. Sure enough, he could make out the morning sun peeking out from behind the curtains. Squinting, he made out a dark stain across the dead center of it, and swallowing his sausage, he got up and crossed the room to take a closer look at it.It almost looked like blood."Are you finished?"Yelping, Lance pivoted on his heel, looking almost guiltily towards Miss Lia. She loomed in the doorway, watching him like a hawk."Oh, uh," Lance exchanged a glance with Hunk, who just sank into his seat, trying to look small, "-y-yeah. Yeah, I guess we are."Hunk shot him a slight glare, and he shrugged at him helplessly. He knew how much Miss Lia intimidated him on a normal day, and today was definitely not a normal day."I was," Hunk began, sounding a bit uncertain, "-I was actually hoping to maybe go home? I mean, I didn't exactly plan to spend the night here, so my parents are probably worried."Miss Lia frowned, before she heaved a slight sigh. "If you wish to go, I cannot stop you. It may even be for the best."As if to illustrate the point, she stepped back, leaving room in the doorway for them to pass. Once again, Lance caught sight of the bandage wrapped around her wrist, fresher than the one from last night. Something was trying to put itself together in his head, but just wasn't clicking, so he tried not to think too hard about it.All he wanted to do was go home. To enjoy the harvest festival, not worry about the Galra."I guess we're going, then." Lance said, exchanging a glance with Hunk, who nodded and rose to his feet- but not before stealing another muffin. "Thanks for uh... thanks for the food, I guess?"Miss Lia merely watched them without comment, her gaze seeming distant. She was staring out the window, at the faint sunlight that poured in from it, illuminating the smeared bloodstain otherwise hidden behind the curtain. Part of him felt it didn't look quite right. Something about the color was off.He shook it off, trying not to think about it. He just wanted to get back home.She didn't move to stop them as they left the room. They paused outside the room Shiro was in, just barely making out the sound of Pidge and the Captain discussing something in hushed tones, and for a moment they almost wanted to duck in and tell them they were leaving. But something compelled them to change their minds, and instead they both made their way down to the first floor of the tavern.By the time they left, Hunk had polished off his muffin. It was probably around mid-morning, Lance realized, but the streets were vacant of their usual harvest festival traffic. Or any traffic at all, if he was going to be honest. There were a few people anxiously milling about, casting nervous glances towards the tavern- and towards them, muttering in hushed tones under their breath."Okay," Lance arched his brows, "-this is kind of creepy.""Un-huh." Hunk slowly nodded. "I think- I think we should just head home."By the time they were halfway home, they decided that rumor of someone coming out of the deep forest with a clawed, purple arm must have spread, because people kept looking at them and whispering. In the town square, they could make out the still-moldering remains of the bonfire, a team of men dragging in new logs to be burned even though it was only supposed to be burnt during the first night of the festival."This is weird." Hunk muttered. "There's like... no one here."Hunk was right- there wasn't. Other than the men and their trees, the town square was practically empty. It would normally be bustling around this time of day, harvest festival or no harvest festival, but today it seemed like nearly everyone was staying indoors. There were no merchants hawking their wares, no wives chattering, no children playing... nothing."Guess the Captain really got them all spooked, huh?" Hunk asked.Lance slowly nodded, walking a little quicker. Hunk picked up the pace too, and soon their houses were in sight. No sooner than had they climbed up the slight hill they were both set on, the door to his house burst open and his mother rushed out, scooping him up in a crushing embrace that he didn't know she had in her."Oh, Lance, you're safe!" She exclaimed. "I was so worried when you did not come home last night.""I'm fine, mama." Lance promised her, glancing over towards Hunk, who was getting a similar treatment from his own mother. "I spent the night in the tavern.""Yes, yes, we were told." His mother continued to fuss over him for a minute longer, before she heaved a sigh, apparently satisfied that he was in one piece. "But you gave us such a scare! We could see things out in the dark, and we didn't know...""Wait," Lance cut her off, his brow crinkling, "-things? What things?"His mother shook her head, a grim expression set on her face. "I don't know. Things that I do not think we should speak about. Shadows. From here on the hill, we could see all of it. They tried to come into the town, but were repelled back by the fire."Shadows. Lance looked up at Hunk, recalling Miss Lia's words of warning.
"Keep the bonfire burning through the night, if they do not have it burning already. It will ward off shadows."
Is this what she had meant? Suddenly, Lance was almost regretting his choice to leave. If he went back to the tavern, then maybe he could start getting some answers. Suddenly they felt important.And yet, at the same time, his feet still guided him inside, following the gentle yet firm prompting of his mother. His whole family was there save for Veronica, and suddenly he felt extremely grateful that she was hundreds of miles away in the capital. He didn't know why, he just had the awful feeling that if he didn't stop to see his family now, he'd never get another chance.He really hoped he was wrong."Did she fall asleep?"Shiro lifted his head, surprised by how gentle the woman's voice was. He was even more surprised by the blanket she had in her hands, that she was tucking over Katie- no, Pidge's- shoulders, an expression on her face that could almost be described as fond. Somehow it didn't surprise him that she had seen right through her lies that she was a boy. He wasn't sure why she was posing as one, or why she was this far away from the royal palace, presumably alone, but he was starting to get the feeling he'd been away for much longer than he'd thought."I think she stayed up all night." Shiro said, keeping his voice low. "She must be exhausted."He nearly reached out to touch her hair with his right hand, before he stopped himself. He'd hoped that the arm was just the product of a bad dream, but as he watched his clawed fingers curl in on themselves, and felt the sensation of them pressing against the surprisingly soft pads of his palm, he knew it wasn't. Uncurling his fingers, he stared down at it, almost transfixed, the fingers of his left hand trailing up the length of it until fur abruptly turned into normal human flesh.Not that his right arm felt strange to him. It felt right, like it was just as much a part of him as his other arm.The woman- Lia- said nothing. She merely placed a basket down next to him. A quick glance towards it told him that it contained clothes- clothes and a lengthy roll of bandages, with a glove large enough to fit his new right hand. She cast him an expectant look, before leaving the room, giving him some privacy.Carefully, so as to not wake the sleeping princess, he slid out of bed. He was a bit unsteady on his feet for the first few seconds, but he soon found his balance. Glancing towards the only mirror in the room, he grimaced- he looked worse than he thought, covered in a thick layer of soot and grime. There was a wash basin that had been set aside for him in one corner, which he helped himself to without hesitation, the stark white washcloth turning brown and muddied by the time he was done cleaning just his upper half.He left it there, not even touching his right arm. He had no idea how he was supposed to care for fur, or even what had happened to his real arm in the first place. He felt like he should know, but just like much else about his year as a captive, he drew a blank.Tugging on the clothes that Lia had provided him with, he was surprised by how well they had fit. Peeking in the mirror, he was relieved to find that he looked a bit more presentable than he had before, though he definitely wouldn't be suited for court anytime soon, not with a right arm that looked like it had been ripped straight off of a Galra.He felt a cold chill run up the length of his spine at the thought. He tried to reassure himself that he was on the other side of the barrier now, that they couldn't chase after him... but the Galra had been out as far as the Lion's Forest. Whatever it was that chained them to the forest, it was starting to weaken.He was halfway through wrapping his right arm in the bandages when Lia entered, not even bothering to knock. She merely cast a glance towards him, the privacy screen not protecting him from this angle, before she strode over towards the window, taking a peek out of the curtain. She narrowed her eyes against the bright sunlight, before she drew back away.She sat then, watching him wind the length of bandage up his arm, tying it off in a knot with his teeth. But then, he didn't exactly expect much conversation- except for a few curt replies, she had said almost nothing during breakfast, merely sat there and watched him eat. Tugging the glove on over his right hand, he flexed his fingers, impressed at how well it managed to conceal the fact that he had claws.That was going to take some getting used to."Do you really remember nothing?"Shiro looked up, caught off guard by the abrupt question. "There's bits and pieces here and there, but a lot of it's a blur."Lia frowned, narrowing her eyes. She seemed to mutter something under her breath, rising to her feet and stalking to the window once more. Frowning, Shiro tried to peer out from behind her, wondering what it was that she was expecting.Or dreading. Dreading sounded like the right word for it."Who exactly are you?" Shiro asked. "How did you know I was coming?""I Saw you," Lia cryptically stated, drawing back from the window, "-stumbling out of the forest. I just didn't know when."Shiro stared at her, something finally clicking to place in his head. "You're a Seer.""Of a sorts." Lia said. "Though probably not the type you're thinking of."She was right, and she probably didn't need any type of sight to know it. There were very few living Seers, most of them living on a secluded island in the middle of Lion's Lake, far towards the north. He'd never even seen one before, but he knew from their reputation that they were all willowy, pale, and delicate- and Lia clearly only fit one of those descriptors."What else did you See?" Shiro asked. "You keep checking out the window."Lia narrowed her eyes, gazing out across the distance. "Trouble.""Commander!"Sendak barely spared a glance back towards his lieutenant, disinterested in anything save their progress. They were making good time, though not good enough for his tastes. He yearned to press the horses harder, but he couldn't risk it. The animal he rode barely wished to obey his orders at all, sensing what he was under his human skin better than any of the men around him."Report." Sendak said."We should arrive at the village by early afternoon." His lieutenant informed him. "What are your orders for when we do?""We find out from the villagers what they know." Sendak stated simply. "I'm sure they will be quite eager to guide us to whoever it is that's hiding a Galra in their midst."The lieutenant hesitated for a moment, shifting on his feet. "Do you... do you really think it's a Galra, sir?""I have no reason to doubt the information that I received." Sendak stated flatly, concealing his internal amusement at the apprehensive mutter that spread out throughout the unit.He would likely be able to capture the Champion in his weakened state alone, so the contingency of officers were more for show than anything else. It would impress the villagers, and make them more amiable to cooperating with him over the once-Captain of the Royal Guard. Not everyone believed the rumors that they had worked to spread, that the Captain had been the instrument behind the disappearance of the King and Crown Prince. Better to have some leverage.Once captured, he would send the Champion back to Haggar, but not before killing a few of the men in his unit first, to make it look like he had escaped. Word would spread quickly, and before long, there would be few who would believe that the Champion was the true Captain Shirogane, and not just an imposter badly wearing his skin. Even if he managed to escape from them again, he would soon find himself without any allies.Save perhaps for those mutinous Blades and their Seer-Witch. They must have been the ones who had helped the Champion escape- perhaps it had even been the Seer-Witch's halfbreed son who had enabled it. He was talented at both wearing and making skins, and was able to wield fire as no other Galra could, as most of them loathed it. He had quickly proved to be just as much a thorn in their sides as his mother."Listen up," Sendak barked, his voice carrying over the cluster of soldiers, "-we attack while the sun is still high in the sky. It will make the Galra weak and easy to capture!"His words seemed to hearten those under his command- and he had to duck his head to conceal his own private smile of amusement. The fools had no idea that they were simply being used to do the dirty work of the Galra, and that by assisting him in capturing the Champion, they would effectively be sealing their own fates.Once the Champion was returned, and Haggar's ritual complete, Emperor Zarkon would once more be free to leave the confines of the forest. The seals that Alfor had placed on him would be broken, and he would once again seize the black lion for his own, and lay waste to the humans.The Blades could struggle all they wished, but all they would succeed at was to live long enough to witness the consequences of their treachery.There was movement in the forest.It was too far in for human eyes to see, but close enough to the border that the occasional ray of sunlight filtered in. Here in the deep forest, its effects were almost null, but the pair of Galra scouts still made a show of edging around the sunbeam, putting a safe distance between it and then, as if they expected it to leap out and attack them."Did you find him?""No. He must have gone the other way."The pair of scouts stood there for a few minutes longer, discussing things between them. Maybe the one they were looking for had already crossed the barrier- his kind could do that. The same bonds that had imprisoned them in the forest for so long meant nothing to the Blade of Marmora, traitors of the worst kind to those of Galra blood. Alfor had spared them, and them alone, from the seal that bound the rest of them to it.They were meant to be free of all the other seals as well, but Haggar had seen to that.They had no idea that the one they were looking for was watching them, peering down at them from high up in the branches of one of the massive trees. He held his breath, careful not to make any noise until the pair of scouts split up once more, each heading in another direction to search for him. He should have been outside of the barrier, but he'd stupidly forgot that he had still been wearing his borrowed skin when he'd made his first attempt, and had been forced back because of it.Using the skin of a Galra sworn to Zarkon was all well and good for infiltrating his castle, but it forced bonds on him that didn't apply to him otherwise.He'd spent the next hour or so untangling himself from the frayed skin, and by the time he was done, the area had been swarming with soldiers and scouts. He'd had no choice but to abandon his plans of crossing over, and had scrambled up the nearest tree, high up enough so that nobody could pick up on his scent. Luckily, the wind was in his favor.He huffed, crossing his legs, leaning back against the trunk of the massive tree. He was hungry, but he ignored it. He'd stupidly left all of his rations behind, along with the fake skin, to throw his pursuers off his trail. His mother would scold him for sure if she learned how careless he'd been.Unless she already knew. She couldn't exactly risk crossing into the forest to get him, so he was on his own until nightfall.Looking out towards the direction of the human village, he narrowed his eyes. The sunlight that filtered through the trees called out to him, but he knew that was a trap. His human blood might blunt some of Haggar's curse, but sunlight would hurt him just as it would any other Blade.It was ironic- his mother had wished that was a fate he could be spared from, but that same desperate wish might have very well been what doomed him. Haggar's blood curse did not spare their children, but she had hoped that his human blood would be enough to counteract it. She'd even given him a human name in hopes of bypassing the curse- Keith.It wasn't used much. The Blades all called him Yorak. It was protection, in the same way his mother had abandoned her own name long ago, taking up the name of Krolia instead.Just as well, he figured. His human appearance was purely superficial. He couldn't even walk in daylight without the protection of his armor and mask. Which meant as tempting as it was to dash towards the sunlight, he knew he couldn't. The burns on his right hand were proof enough of that.It also meant that he would have to wait here until nightfall, and then try and cross the barrier into the human village. He took some comfort in the knowledge that Shiro had successfully made it across, just like his mother had Seen. She could take care of him there, keep him safe until night fell, at which point he could join them.That was another irony. His mother's long borrowed skin- to the point that it wasn't really borrowed anymore- allowed her to walk in daylight. She could embrace what he, by his birthright, should be able to- but couldn't. He was long past feeling bitter about it, having resigned himself to his fate. He wasn't sure the humans would want someone with Galra blood around anyways.Crossing his arms, he stared in the direction of the village. Looking towards the sunlight hurt, but he could handle that much. He didn't feel like putting his mask up anyways. He'd adjusted to the armor well enough, but he never liked the sensation of the false face his mask was meant to serve as.Regris always poked fun at him because of it. You use skins, he'd say. How can something like that bother you?To which he never had any retort, and he didn't have one now either. Heaving a sigh, Keith closed his eyes. He'd already warded himself from Haggar's shadows, and he knew the witch couldn't come out this far herself. If he wanted to sleep for a spell...He nearly lost his balance, a vision gripping him hard. Somehow he managed to hold on to the tree branch with his hands, clutching it so hard that he was almost glad for his dragon scale armor, otherwise he was bound to get a hundred different splinters stuck in the palms of his hands at the very least. Gasping for air, he came back to himself, his brain scrambling to do two things at once- remember where he actually was, and recall what the flash of vision had been about.The first part was easy. The last part was harder.He had Seer's blood in him, but it was borrowed blood. He shouldn't have it in the first place. He was capable of having visions, he just couldn't choose the when and where, or even the what. Sometimes he didn't even remember what they were about at all. Sometimes they weren't even relevant.This time, however, he remembered.Narrowing his eyes, Keith rose to his feet. Glaring hard in the direction of the village, he hesitated for a second- before he raced forward along the length of the tree branch, leaping from it to the one across from it, drawing closer to the edge of the forest. Once he was close enough that the sunlight became more than just patches, he came to a halt, not daring to draw any closer.The vision had been brief- one of a man who was not a man, and Shiro, a blade pressed against his throat. Haggar must have sent out one of her spies to capture him.But if he'd Seen it, then so had his mother. He yearned to do something, but he stopped himself. His mother had been alive for thousands of years, so he was confident that she had a plan. So he begrudgingly sank down into a seated position again, his gaze fixed on the village, all thoughts of sleep long behind him.He knew he should- they had a treacherous journey ahead of them. He had walked the path to the Lion's Castle once before, when he had Seen his own destiny, but he had been unable to enter, not without the other four paladins. It had taken years for him to See them. Even his mother hadn't been able to, though she had tried. If they could wake the lions, they might be able to finish what it was that Alfor had started. Finding the paladins was their best chance.They also knew that if Zarkon found them first, he would have them killed- or worse. It was why it had been absolutely necessary to rescue Shiro, though it had been imperative even before his vision had shown them his destiny. If Zarkon had his way, he would use him as a sacrifice to break the last of his seals, the ones that kept him chained to his castle.They couldn't let that happen. If Zarkon were allowed to leave his castle before the black lion was bonded to a new paladin... then it would be over. He would be able to seize its power back, even from a vast distance, and with it, he could destroy the other four lions and the still slumbering princess.Everything that they had done- that King Alfor had done- to stop him would be in vain. Then they would be the ones shackled to this forest, while Zarkon and his ilk walked the Earth once more to wreak devastation on the human world. That was exactly what the Blade of Marmora had been formed to stop.It was the life he had been born into.The sunlight crept a bit closer to his hiding spot. Keith raised his hood, determined not to move from his spot. His mother should have things well in hand, but if anything happened, he'd be ready.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Lance, didn't you say Captain Shirogane was recuperating at the tavern?"Glancing behind him at his sister, Lance frowned. "Yeah, why?""You might want to come take a look at this." Rachel told him.Lance frowned, exchanging a glance with Hunk. A few hours had passed since they had both returned home from Miss Lia's tavern, and it was now well into the afternoon. Hunk had spent the rest of the morning at home with his parents, but after lunch he'd shown up at his front door, seemingly desperate to hang out. He got the feeling it was for the same reason he was feeling antsy- which was to say that he couldn't get either Shiro or the Galra off his mind.He had tried to ignore it, tried to rationalize that it had nothing to do with him. He'd just been in the wrong place at the right time. Or maybe the right place at the wrong time? Ugh, he didn't know. The point was, whatever it was that was going on with the Galra, it couldn't possibly involve him. He had helped bring Captain Shirogane to Miss Lia's tavern, and that was it- that was the end of his role.Maybe if he kept telling himself that, he'd actually believe it.Even so, when Rachel said that, he couldn't stop himself from getting up and following her out the door. Hunk trailed behind him, anxiously wringing his hands."What's up?" Lance asked. "Don't tell me there's an angry mob or something in front of the tavern?""Worse." Rachel told him. "Soldiers."Lance froze for a second- before he quickened his pace, half running to the small plateau that overlooked the whole village. There was a great view of both the village square and the tavern from it, the sort of place that would have been the perfect spot for a little romance- you know, if he ever found himself that girlfriend he wanted.But there was no romance going on right now. Sure enough, Rachel was right. There were soldiers surrounding the tavern- a whole squadron of them at that. Judging by the white and blue flag they flew, they had to be from the Southern Fort."They sure got here fast." Hunk observed.All Lance could do was nod. The Southern Fort was half a day's ride from here, much closer to the Lion's Mountains than their little village was. Since most of the soldiers were foot soldiers, they would have had to move at a slower pace, meaning that the latest they could have gotten the news about Shiro- or at least, someone stumbling out of the deep forest- was early this morning.It wasn't impossible. The village did have a single messenger hawk that could have made the trip easily. But something about this still didn't seem right to him.It was the number of soldiers, he realized. Even for someone that had stumbled out of the deep forest, that was way too many soldiers, especially when one factored in the fact that Shiro had barely even been conscious when he'd arrived. Just a few would have been plenty."Hunk, buddy," Lance began, "-is it just me, or do these guys look awfully unfriendly?""That is an awful lot of soldiers for one man." Hunk agreed. "Do you think they know it's Captain Shirogane?"Lance shook his head. "I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about this."Behind them, Rachel heaved a sigh. "Why did I have a feeling you'd say that?"Lance frowned, shooting her a look. "You don't need to sound so upset about it.""I'm not upset." Rachel insisted. "It's not like my one chance to play the moon maiden is slipping through my fingers or anything."Oh, right. With all the talk about the strange shadows that had been seen during the night, there had been whispers that the harvest festival would be canceled this year. His father had left to go to a town council meeting, and hadn't come back yet. Straining his eyes, he tried to make him out in the small crowd that had gathered some distance away from the tavern- onlookers, not soldiers. But he was too far away to see anyone clearly, much less his father."Look, why don't Hunk and I go down and take a look?" Lance offered. "Maybe you'll still get the chance to play the moon maiden tonight."Rachel frowned, looking unconvinced. "I thought dad told you he wanted you to stay here.""Yeah, my parents said that as well." Hunk added."Yeah, but aren't you worried?" Lance asked. "I mean, Pidge is in there, and I'm pretty sure they're there for the Captain.""And Miss Lia." Rachel added.Lance just snorted. "Please. Miss Lia can handle herself.""Exactly." Hunk said. "Miss Lia can handle this.""Normally I would agree with you, but she's still just one person." Lance said. "I just... I don't like the idea of just sitting here and doing nothing, Hunk."There it was, out in the open. The sentiment that he had been trying to keep down all this time. It was true that this whole Galra business, while terrifying, had nothing to do with him- but that didn't change the fact that he just couldn't leave it alone. It was more than just being worried about the safety of the village, it was... he couldn't explain it, even. It was like there was a strange pull, like something was trying to guide him back to the tavern.Judging from the look on Hunk's face, he felt it too.Hunk sighed, holding up his hands in defeat. "Alright, okay. We'll go down and take a look."Lance smiled. "Thanks, buddy. I knew I could count on you.""Just for the record," Rachel chimed in, "if dad asks, I didn't know about this.""Deal." Lance told her, and then, to Hunk, "do you think we should get our bows?""Yeah, yeah, I think that might be a good idea." Hunk agreed, looking nervously down towards the soldiers. "And fast."Glancing down towards the tavern, Lance couldn't agree more. The soldiers hadn't made a move to charge inside yet, but that could change at any time.Scrambling back inside, he hurried into the room that he shared with Marco. Fetching his crossbow off the wall, Lance grabbed his quiver, grateful that he had just filled it with arrows the other day. Slinging the quiver over his shoulder, he hesitated long enough to dig out the present Veronica had given him for his last birthday- a slender dagger with a blue stone set in its pommel, part of a matching set. It was supposed to go with the sword that she had received upon becoming a Lieutenant, but she used it so rarely that she had passed it on to him instead.Tucking it into his boot, Lance hurried out the door. Hunk was already waiting for him, his long bow slung over his shoulder, alongside a quiver full of arrows."You sure about this?" Hunk asked."No." Lance admitted. "But I get the feeling we'll regret it if we don't.""Yeah, I'm right there with you, buddy." Hunk told him. "Let's go make this count.""Let's hope we don't have to." Lance said.The walk down into the village was tense, to say the least. The afternoon had brought with it a surprising amount of heat for being this close to the first real frost of the season. Sweat trickled down the back of Lance's neck, and he had to pause halfway down the hill to wipe it from his brow. There was already a small sweat stain starting to form around Hunk's signature bandana.Aside from those gathered around the tavern, the streets were practically empty. He exchanged a nervous glance with Hunk as they made their way through the village square, pausing long enough to notice that the men from earlier had finished putting together the new bonfire. It wasn't yet lit, the embers from the previous night's still smoldering, creating a thin stream of smoke.As they drew closer to the tavern, they began to make out noise. At first it was just the faint whinny of the few horses the soldiers had brought with them, until a man's booming voice echoed down the empty streets, shaking Lance to his core."I am Commander Linwood, of the Southern Fort!" The man declared. "We have word that you have given refuge to man who emerged from the deep forest. Surrender him, and we shall have no quarrel."Lance swore underneath his breath, his gaze darting towards Hunk. The soldiers were bad enough, but even the Commander was here? This was not good.Signaling to Hunk, Lance silently conveyed that they should split up and flank the soldiers. He wasn't sure what good two bowmen would do against a whole squadron, and he really didn't want to have to fire on a bunch of soldiers unless he had to, but something about this situation stunk.Hunk nodded, signaling back, gesturing with his thumb towards the rooftop he had in mind. Lance nodded back, indicating one that looked good to him. Splitting up, Lance crept silently through the empty streets, peeking out from behind the blacksmith's house to peer at the soldiers. When he was certain no one was looking, he quickly dashed across the street, his heart pounding wildly in his chest as he made it to the other side.Only once he had taken a deep breath did he dare check to see if anyone had spotted him. Thankfully, no one had.Slinging his crossbow over his shoulder, Lance climbed up on the roof. Up until a month ago, it had been occupied by the village tailor, but he had been killed by bandits on his way back from doing business in the bustling port city of Baku. Now it was just empty- his wife and child had decided to pack up and leave, moving to the capital.Crawling towards the edge of the roof, he peeked over it. Across the way, he could just barely make out Hunk, who had also climbed the roof of the village temple, where the mock moon maiden's procession through the village always ended. He thought about the moon maiden, not for the first time since he'd heard the prophecy from Hunk, wondering if both she, and the prophecy, were actually real.One thing was clear, at least- the Galra were on the move."I repeat," the commander bellowed, "-surrender this man, and no harm shall come to you."From this close, Lance was able to get a better look at him. All things considered, he was fairly plain- the only thing worth looking at was his well-trimmed beard. He stood tall, taller than most of his men, but not the same kind of imposing tall that Miss Lia did. He wore the red-lined armor that was expected of his rank, his hand resting on the hilt of a sword whose pommel likely had a red stone set in it- the mark of a commander.He turned his head somewhat, giving Lance a better view of his face- and the nasty scar over his right eye. It was the sort of thing that should have blinded him, but didn't look as if it had. He frowned, removing his crossbow and his quiver from his shoulder, setting the latter down in front of him.He wouldn't fire unless he absolutely had to. There was still a chance that this was all just one big misunderstanding.But if he had to......something in this kingdom stunk. Ever since the king's expedition has vanished, everyone had known that. They just didn't know why- or who.But Pidge had. His crackpot theory was actually right. Something in this kingdom stunk, and it had Galra written all over it. After seeing Shiro's arm, hearing what he had to say, he couldn't exactly deny it any longer, no matter how desperately he wanted to. And if there really were skin-wearing Galra spies within the kingdom, then he wanted to do something to take them down.He just hoped what he could do would be enough.The first thing Sendak had noticed about the tavern in question was that it was heavily warded.The barrier was invisible to the human eye- indeed, even if he were in his own form, he would still be unable to see it. But faint though it was, he could pick up on that familiar scent of iron- not from metal, but from blood. Its lingering odor, nearly undetectable to his human senses, was the surefire confirmation that blood magic had been used here. When he had inquired with the village's elder, he had confirmed that the building itself was new- the woman who owned it had constructed it herself, five years prior.When he had inquired further, he had identified her as Lia- a traveler who hailed from the distant north, past the great mountain range that separated this pitiful human country from their northern neighbors, the aptly named Northern Tribes. At least, that was how she had identified herself when she had asked for permission to build, but the truth was that no one knew much about her. She kept to herself, and cut an intimidating presence.Sendak suspected he likely knew her by another name.The building itself was the barrier, Sendak realized. Blood and bone alike had been built into the very foundations, and reinforced time and time again. It was a feat of blood magic that could only be accomplished by one of the same caliber as the high priestess. Since she was unlikely to have had a hand in the building's construction, there was only one other who could have managed such a feat- the Blade's Seer-Witch.She went where the future took her, sometimes disappearing for decades at a time. For him to meet her here was an ill omen, but one that he refused to let deter him. The Seer-Witch was powerful, but there was no charm, no ritual that he knew of that she could use to expose him that would not also expose herself.And he had the greater numbers.Warded as the building was, it would not protect it from a charge from his army. It would be a simple matter to command his men to drag the occupants outside- even the Seer-Witch would be loathe to turn her blade against unwitting humans. Her fondness for the pitiful creatures was her greatest weakness, to the extent that she had taken one as a mate, going so far as to produce a child with them.Stepping forward, Sendak rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. He itched to order the charge, but for the sake of appearances, he supposed at least one additional warning was in order. Opening his mouth to speak, he quickly shut it, the doors to the tavern slowly creaking open to reveal a single woman.The Seer-Witch.Krolia.She was clad in the silvery-blue robes of a proper Seer, those who carried on the bloodline of their greatest enemy. It had become diluted over generations, while the Galran bloodline had remained strong- save for a few misbegotten halfbreeds.Though the blood that gave the Seers their gift was diluted, their future sight had still proven problematic on numerous occasions. They had made numerous attempts to wipe them out, to put an end to the accursed Altean bloodline once and for all, but to little avail. Generations ago, they had secluded themselves on an island in the middle of the blue lion's lake, inaccessible to any who swore allegiance to Zarkon.Already behind him, he could hear a faint murmur ripple through the crowd. The traditional attire of a Seer was easily recognizable, though he doubted any here had actually seen one before. Her robes were not the only thing that marked her as a Seer- there was also the crown of silver vines that adorned her brow, and the belt of silver that cinched her waist, a single white stone set in the center.Leave it to the Seer-Witch to wear silver without fear.The knife she wore at her back less so. It marked her as a Blade, a traitor who had refused Zarkon's rule and had fought against him, alongside Alfor and the Alteans.Krolia stood there, rooted in front of the doors. In the instant she locked eyes with him, Sendak became keenly aware that she knew what he was, if not who he was.He smirked. Good. That put them on equal footing. Krolia was only her use name, she had long since abandoned her real one."You come seeking that which I refuse to give you." Krolia spoke, her gaze not leaving his face, watching him as if she were a hawk. "Leave."Sendak took a single step forward. Krolia did not so much as flinch, but he didn't think she would. She was a fearsome fighter, or so he had heard. He'd never had the privilege to fight her himself, and he could feel his blood boil with anticipation. He had to fight it back, knowing how it would look for him to lunge at what, by all appearances, was a Seer. Normally he would disregard such a thing, but his mission took precedence.He would play by human rules- for now."We have orders from Her Majesty herself to take the one you are currently sheltering into our custody." Sendak lied. They had no such orders. The Queen had proven annoyingly clever, impervious to the rumors that they had so painstakingly spread, not unlike her daughter. She would never order such an action be taken against the Captain."If you have orders, as you claim," Krolia began, "-then I am certain you would not take issue with sending a messenger hawk to verify them."Sendak narrowed his eyes. "No."She had called his bluff, but he would call hers in return. However this conflict ended, it would end long before any messenger hawk reached the capital.Krolia merely hummed, not giving her own bluff away. She didn't move away from the door, effectively blocking the only entrance. He had left a few soldiers stationed at the exits to the village, so if the Champion tried to slip by while he was otherwise distracted, he would know about it. Thus far no signal flares had been fired, so he was confident that he was still inside. All he needed to do was to deal with Krolia, and then he could be on his way.Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as the soldiers he had brought with him seemed to hesitate. Her choice in attire was deliberate, then- she was attempting to counteract his authority and unnerve his soldiers. There was also some superstitious nonsense about it being bad luck to kill a Seer, but it was nothing more than a bunch of hogwash. But she would find it would take more than that to break the loyalty- and the fear- that he commanded them with.He took another step forward, drawing his sword slightly from its sheath, just enough so that a hint of iron could be seen. "Stand aside.""I refuse." Krolia said simply.Sendak took another step forward, ignoring the hushed whispers of his troops. "I said, stand aside.""No." Krolia replied. She hadn't broken eye contact with him even once. "If you wish to enter, you will have to go through me."She took half a step back, so that she stood immediately in the open doorway. The scent of iron briefly increased, and he froze in place. His human-skin meant that there were many barriers that he could cross, but somehow he didn't think this was one of them. Even worse, the Seer-Witch knew it."Commander," the single perimeter scout he had brought with him spoke, "-maybe we should listen to her. If a Seer says that there is a reason for her actions-"Sendak merely scoffed. "She is no Seer. She lacks the marks."Krolia merely lifted a hand, wiping it under her right eye. A thin slash of purple emerged, a trick, Sendak knew- but trick enough to fool the humans, too ignorant to know what the marks actually looked like."I apologize for concealing my true identity," Krolia said simply, even though she was still lying through her teeth about who she truly was, "-but the future I have seen urged me to take action. If you take this man, you and your kin will be lead down a path of darkness, from which you will not be able to return."There was a crack of prophecy to her voice, well-practiced. Sendak's hand did not stray from his blade. Perhaps it was a true prophecy- in which case, it meant that should he be able to seize the Champion from his hiding place, and drag him back into the forest, then the Galra Empire's victory would be assured.Zarkon would be revived, and the Earth would once more be their own.Out of the corner of his eye he spotted the distant tree line, gauging the distance between here and the forest. The Champion would be in a weakened state, unarmed and unable to put up much of a fight. It would be a simple matter to overpower him and drag him back himself, even if it meant exposing his own so-called treachery. The only obstacles were Krolia and her barrier.If he slew her where she stood, the barrier that she had crafted would lose all power. Killing her would be a critical blow to the Blade of Marmora, and her choice of attire meant that he was armored, while she was not. They were both in weakened human bodies, but when it came to power, he was confident he had the advantage. He was a trained soldier- she was nothing more than a weak and fragile Seer.Perhaps it was no longer time to play by human rules."Vrepit sa." Sendak muttered underneath his breath, drawing his sword even as he lunged.The situation exploded into chaos faster than Lance had anticipated.He was still trying to process the idea of Miss Lia being a Seer when Commander Linwood suddenly drew his sword, lunging towards her. In that same instant, she drew her own knife, deflecting the blow with what could only be described as practiced ease. In spite of the fact that the commander was both heavier and more well-muscled than she was, she didn't even seem to break a sweat as she shoved his sword away.Lance sat there, frozen in shock, trying to process what was going on. All his earlier resolve had flown out the window, too stunned that this was actually happening. His shock extended to the soldiers and villagers alike, unable to comprehend the fact that the commander had just drawn his sword on a Seer. Wasn't that like, bad luck or something?The moment passed, and one of the horse soldiers seemingly shook off his shock, issuing a rallying cry, his sword raised in the air, the blue stone of a lieutenant gleaming on its pommel. Even then, the soldiers hesitated, jumping as their commander barked out an order to charge.Lance swore underneath his breath, loading an arrow into his crossbow. Before he even had the chance to fire, another arrow cut through the air, piercing the ground right in front of the lieutenant that had tried to rally the soldiers. Looking out across the rooftops, he grinned, just spotting Hunk ducking back down into his hiding place.It wasn't intended to hit, but served as a warning shot instead. We have archers, it said. Pressing the trigger on his crossbow, Lance enforced the message with a warning shot of his own, forming an x in the dirt where Hunk's arrow already had lodged itself in.The lieutenant hesitated, nervously looking both ways. Any potential charge lost its momentum, caught between the threat of archers and the confusion of their own commander so ruthlessly attacking a Seer.Commander Linwood nearly seemed to growl. "She is no Seer, but a witch! An ally of the Galra!""A fine claim for a Galra to make." Lia spat out, readying her knife in the event of another attack. "Come, and I'll cut your stolen skin right off you."At Miss Lia's declaration, Lance felt his grip on his crossbow tighten. Sure, the possibility had been thrown around before, and heck, he'd even been considering it, but actually hearing it? That was something else entirely. He shuddered, vividly recalling the story Marco had told him about the Galra stealing the skins of children, desperately wishing that it had stayed as just a story.The commander lunged towards Miss Lia again, apparently heedless of the presence of archers. Lance trained his crossbow on him, his finger hovering over the trigger. He still wasn't sure what to think about this whole Galra business, but there was one thing he did know- and that was that he trusted Miss Lia. Sure, she scared the crap out of him, but she'd never given him any reason not to trust her.So if she said that the commander was actually a Galra... then he believed her.Readying his next shot, Lance waited for his chance. He kept an eye on the soldiers, but they were all frozen to the spot, stunned by what Miss Lia's accusation. Some had reached for their swords, but no one moved forward to advance- not even the lieutenant who had tried to rally the troops earlier. They all watched the pair exchanged blows, Miss Lia parrying every thrust and lunge the commander made.Hell, she probably had this situation entirely under control herself.Still, when Lance saw his chance, he took it. Firing his crossbow, he watched as his arrow cut through the air, smirking as it struck his target dead-on. "Bullseye."The crossbow bolt sank into the commander's sword arm, wedged in between a gap in his armor. His smirk faded when this didn't even slow him down, or even make him drop his sword- instead, he just reached for the bolt with his free hand, ripping it from his arm without so much as changing expression.Swearing underneath his breath, Lance went pale. He had not seen that coming, holy shit.But his actions weren't as useless as he initially thought. In the few seconds that the commander's guard was dropped, Miss Lia surged forward in a flurry of motion, angling her knife at his throat. It would have been a killing blow, had the commander not avoided it in the last possible second, but he didn't do it well enough. Changing her angle of approach, Miss Lia sliced upwards with her knife, gouging a deep line across his face.In the instant that the knife connected, Lance sword he saw something flash on the blade, but it was gone just as quickly. What was easier to notice was the way the commander's skin now hung loosely from his face, but instead of a gory scene of exposed muscle and bone, what was revealed was instead was...Was that- was that fur?"Now all see you for what you truly are," Miss Lia declared, and he swore that she smirked, "-Sendak."If Lance thought things had exploded into chaos before, then it was nothing compared to the frenzy of activity Miss Lia's statement spurred now. All at once, the few villagers who had remained to observe the outcome of the fight fell back, scrambling to get away. Some of the soldiers went with them, including, Lance noticed, the lieutenant who had tried to lead the charge earlier.The rest, swords now fully drawn, formed a tight circle around Commander Linwood- or around Sendak, he guessed, since that was his real name or something. He didn't know how Miss Lia had figured that out, but eh, it was probably some sort of Seer thing.(He still couldn't believe Miss Lia was a Seer. Weren't they supposed to be all fragile and delicate or something? That so wasn't her.)Sendak narrowed his eyes, clearly gauging his options. For a second, Lance thought he would run- before he gripped his blade tighter, shifting his weight to his other foot as he lunged towards Miss Lia. He brought the sword down in an overhead blow, which Miss Lia blocked with her knife, digging the heels of her boots into the ground."Victory," Sendak bellowed, slamming his knee into the pit of Miss Lia's stomach, hard enough to break the stalemate and force her to stumble back, "-or death!"As Sendak raised his sword for another blow, Lance jumped to his feet, readying his crossbow to fire. Across the way, he saw Hunk doing very much the same with his long bow, poised to release one of his yellow feather fletched arrows.Neither of them got the chance to fire.He first caught it as a bright glimmer in the corner of his eye, before it flared even brighter. He nearly thought it was the sun reflecting off of something, before it surged forward like an arc, curving upwards to avoid the ring of soldiers before slamming at full force into Sendak, sending him flying past the ring, past even the last few straggling villagers. It flickered in the bright afternoon sun, blazing red even as it coiled back, back to its source, deftly avoiding any obstacles in its path.Coil was the optimal word for it, for the creature that was retreating back to the village square was none other than a snake. Just one that was massive and made out of fire, right down to the tongue that periodically flicked outwards, resembling a candle's flame. From his vantage point on the roof, he could see that it was coiled around the bonfire, the once smoldering embers having flared suddenly to life, feeding into the fire snake."Holy shit." Lance whispered, it suddenly dawning on him that it was a summon. A bona fide summon, not one of the hoaxes that traveling performers like to put on.The flaming snake bowed its head, at which point Lance took notice of the dark clad figure standing on one of the nearby lantern posts. Unafraid of the flames, they rested a hand on its head, before the snake disappeared into a burst of flames, leaving nothing behind but the smoldering embers of the nearly put out bonfire.The summoner- because that was who they had to be, no question- turned, but he couldn't make out their face. It was obscured by a mask, just as dark as the rest of their armor, with purple slits for their eyes that he swore almost seemed to glow. He must have caught him looking, because he gestured with his hand in the direction that Sendak had flown.Snapping back to reality, Lance pivoted on his heel, searching for the fake commander. But Sendak was gone, leaving behind only a scorched helmet and his sword. Everyone else seemed to realize this too, nervously looking around like they expected him to come crawling out of some dark corner- either that, or for some other absurd, jaw drooping creature to appear. It had been a hell of a day.But nothing did. Not Sendak, or anything else, for that matter."He fled back to the forest." Miss Lia spoke, seemingly the only one unaffected by the appearance of the massive fire snake. "But he will likely return again tonight. We have much to prepare. Who among you is in charge?"There was a mutter of debate amongst the soldiers, before a young woman with dark skin and glasses stepped forward. She carried a sword with a yellow stone set in the pommel, that marked her as a perimeter scout, as much as her yellow-trimmed armor did."I guess that would be me?" She said, hesitant. "I'm not with the Southern Fort, but I am the ranking sub-lieutenant of the perimeter scouts in this area. I happened to be in the area when Commander Linwood," she paused, crinkling her nose and quickly correcting herself, "-when Sendak received word that there was a Galra loose.""But," she frowned, tilting her head slightly, "-I'm guessing there's no Galra, is there?""No."Blinking at the sound of the somewhat familiar voice, Lance craned his neck for a better view. Miss Lia stepped aside, allowing a much cleaner and much better dressed Shiro to exit the tavern. His right arm was thoroughly bandaged, not even a hint of purple fur visible."No Galra." Shiro said, giving them all a wry smile. "Just me."The woman's eyes went wide in recognition. "Captain Shirogane!""Cadet." Shiro saluted her, clearly recognizing the woman. "Or I guess I should say lieutenant now. Guess you bunch didn't need me to finish your training after all."The woman shook her head, then lifted her arm in a jerky, startled salute. "Lieutenant Nadia Rizavi, ready for service, Captain.""Glad to hear it." Shiro smiled. "Have someone send a message back to the Southern Fort. Let's hope that our other Lieutenant friend doesn't just seal it up tight behind him, since I'm guessing that's where he fled to. We're going to need its defenses.""Sir...?" Nadia frowned, her brows knitting together."This isn't the last advance the Galra will try to make." Miss Lia said. "We need to evacuate every village from here to the Lion's Mountains before the new moon."Evacuate. Lance's heart plummeted into his chest, thinking of his family. He hadn't thought... up until now, even with Shiro, and everything else, he'd thought... he'd thought they would be safe. In hindsight, it was a stupid assumption- if the Galra were real, and the seal on the Galra broke, it would only make sense that his village would be at the forefront of any invasion."Every village?" Nadia asked. "There must be a half dozen along the perimeter. Even if we can evacuate them all in time, where would they all go? We can't fit them all in the Southern Fort.""The port village can evacuate by sea." Miss Lia said simply. "The rest can cross the mountains using the pass. We can discuss the rest inside."Nadia opened her mouth up to say something more, but Miss Lia sidestepped her, looking directly up towards his hiding place. Not that it was much of one anymore, now that he was just standing around like some kind of statue, fully exposed. He gave her a slight wave, but she only arched her brow in response."Lance," she called his name, then turned her head, her gaze flicking Hunk's way, "-Hunk. Join us."It wasn't a request, he sensed. Numbly picking up his quiver, he paused to glance in the direction of the village square. Whoever that masked weirdo had been, they were gone now.Slinging his crossbow over his shoulder, he made his way down from the roof. The crowd of soldiers was already starting to disperse, gone to ward the perimeter on Nadia's command. He smiled at Hunk as he trailed in behind him, even as he couldn't help but wonder what Miss Lia wanted from them.Was it just to thank them for their help? Maybe, but that didn't sound right.Pidge was already waiting for them inside, his gaze flickering nervously towards Nadia. She squinted at him, but turned her attention away as Shiro cleared his throat, motioning towards where she should sit, even going so far as pulling out her chair.Lance took the seat next to her, unasked. She didn't look that much older than he did- maybe in her early twenties."So you're the one who made that shot, huh?" Nadia asked. "Pretty good aim.""Thanks," Lance winked, "-I practice.""Is that everyone?" Shiro asked."No," Miss Lia shook her head, a secretive smile on her lips, "-there's one more coming."Lance was about to ask, when he had his question answered for him. In strode the masked summoner from before, looking for all the world like they belonged here. Up close it really did look like the eye holes of his mask were glowing, creating an eerie effect. He couldn't even say if they looked human or not- every inch of skin was covered by some kind of weird armor. The plates were normal enough, aside from the glowing marks on the chest plate, but the undersuit was made up of what looked to be pitch-black scales, intricately linked together. Even their hair was hidden, covered up by a dark-colored hood.Miss Lia looked at them as if they meant the world to her.Huh. He'd never seen her look that soft before. It was so brief that he nearly thought he'd imagined it, and probably would have if not for the gentle manner in which she placed her hand on their shoulder.They exchanged a few words in low tones, unheard by himself or anyone else, for that matter. After a few moments, Miss Lia drew her hand away, and went to shut the tavern doors. She yanked the curtains closed as well, plunging the tavern into near darkness, save for the light provided by the few lanterns scattered about the interior.The masked stranger reached up, pulling off their hood. Their mask shimmered a bit as they pulled it off, revealing a pale but human face, with a familiar pair of purple eyes. The light glinted strangely off of them as he fixed his mask to his belt, raising his head to look at those gathered in the tavern with a slight scowl."So," Lance began, sensing that no one else dared to ask, "-who are you supposed to be?""I'm a paladin."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The cool darkness of the deep forest did little to assuage the pain of his burns. Sendak growled, ripping off what remained of his human skin, useless now that it had been largely burned away by the abhorrent magic of the Seer-Witch's son. He had not seen him, but there was no human capable of performing magic that powerful, and he was the only Galra he knew of that could bear fire, much less wield it in the form of a summon.Fire was the bane of all Galra, for it had been the element King Alfor had once wielded. When he had cursed them to be confined to the forest, he had taken both fire and sunlight away from them, forcing them to live out their lives in darkness."You failed."Sendak's head jerked up, whirling around. In the near pitch black of the forest, Haggar's shadow servant had nearly tripled in size, twisting around the trunk of a great tree to stare down at him. Though it didn't quite have eyes, Sendak could sense disapproval in its stare.He sensed it was not the shadow he was speaking with."High priestess." Sendak said, bowing his head and kneeling in salute. His body was still racked with pain, but he pushed it aside. "My apologies. I did not expect-""Silence." Haggar snapped, the shadow now speaking with her voice as opposed to its own. "I am in no mood to hear excuses. Because of your failure, the humans now know of our presence."Sendak bowed his head further, narrowing his eyes. "What can I do to make up for it?""We will strike the village again tonight." Haggar stated. "You will lead the charge."Sendak frowned. "But the fires-""The fires will not be a problem." Haggar told him. "I have taken steps to ensure that my shadows will be well prepared for any countermeasures that the humans may take.""The Seer-Witch is there." Sendak said. "Along with her son.""Mere obstacles." Haggar said. "The Seer-Witch's magic is diluted by her own borrowed blood. She stands no chance against me.""And her son?" Sendak asked."If her son is who I think he is, then we must deal with him sooner, rather than later." Haggar said. "He must be eliminated before he can gather the other paladins."Sendak lifted his head, staring at the shadow in surprise. "The halfbreed is a paladin?""Alfor's successor, no less." Haggar scoffed. "How ironic. He may have power over fire, but my blood curse still effects him."Sendak narrowed his eyes. If the Seer-Witch's son, whose use name he recalled was Yorak, was truly a paladin, then Haggar was correct. He did need to be eliminated, and quickly. Already, there was another paladin close to him- the same one who had the audacity to succeed his Emperor as the black paladin. It was what made the Champion the perfect sacrifice, doubling the power their emperor had over the wind and sky all without even needing to set foot inside the temple of the black lion.Fittingly enough, it was the one furthest out of their reach, hidden away on the distant northern mountain range. Alfor was nothing if not annoyingly clever.The paladins must be stopped, at all costs. Once they were slaughtered, any hope humanity had of fighting back against them would be lost, their prophecy broken. King Alfor's daughter would sleep eternally in her castle, unaware that her time had long since passed."I will see to it that he is slain." Sendak vowed. "You have my word.""Good." Haggar said. "I will send you new armor soon. It will protect you from both the human's bonfires and the red paladin's magic.""Vrepit sa." Sendak bowed his head.When he looked back up again, the shadow was gone. Staggering to his feet, he turned to glower in the direction of the human village. He had no doubt that they were making preparations of their own, but they wouldn't be enough- he would ensure that they felt the full force of his fury at having backed him into such an unfavorable position, when he was one who had once been honored as Emperor Zarkon's right hand.He would kill the red paladin himself if necessary, and drag the Champion back into the forest to complete the ritual.Victory would be theirs."I'm a paladin."The masked stranger's declaration was at first met with silence, which the person himself seemed largely indifferent too. He grabbed a chair, pulling it away from the table and sat backwards in it, positioning it in a location from which he could watch them all- save for Miss Lia, who apparently, he knew."A paladin," someone finally said, and to Lance's surprise, he realized it was him, "-like, from the prophecy?"The stranger- the paladin- arched a brow. "You don't believe me.""I didn't say that." Lance said. "It sure as heck would explain that flashy magic spell of yours. I didn't even think humans could use magic like that."The paladin just snorted. "They can up north."Shiro lifted his head, blinking slightly in surprise. "You're from the North?""Yorak is my son." Miss Lia explained, taking a step forward to stand behind the paladin's- Yorak's- chair. "His father was a member of the Northern Tribes.""Wait, your name's Yorak?" Lance asked, arching a brow.Yorak frowned, glowering at him. "Something wrong with that?""No, no, nothing's wrong with that!" Lance quickly said. Geez, talk about making it obvious that they were related. That glare was exactly the same as his mother's, right down to the weird purple color of their eyes.Purple. He frowned slightly at that, recalling the color of the fur that had been hidden under Commander Lin- Sendak's skin. He shivered a little at the thought. Talk about grotesque. But what else would you expect from blood magic?"I knew it." Pidge said, almost giddy. "I knew the prophecy was real."Yorak frowned, eying him strangely. "You realize this means the Galra are going to break free, right? That's part of the prophecy too.""Well, yeah," Pidge said, "-but the paladins will stop it, right? You and the other four?"Yorak's frown deepened, glancing over towards Miss Lia. "You haven't told them?"Miss Lia merely shrugged. "The chance didn't come up before Sendak and his forces arrived.""Wait, tell us what?" Hunk asked. "Am I missing something here? Because it sounds like I'm missing something here."Yorak heaved a sigh, crossing his arms in front of his chest. For the first time, Lance noticed that he almost looked like he had claws- or at least, his armor did. He still couldn't place what it was made out of- all he knew was that it didn't look comfortable. Maybe it was fancy paladin equipment or something? But somehow he'd pictured the paladins to look, well... different, he guessed. More heroic. Black just made him think of the bad guys.Then again, maybe Yorak was just like that. He definitely gave off a an aloof, mysterious vibe that his ugly hairstyle only marginally managed to ruin."I don't have the gift as strong as my mother does, but I can sometimes see the future." Yorak began. "Years ago I had a vision of myself standing in front of a red lion. That's how I found out I was a paladin.""A lion?" Shiro asked."That's what the weapons are." Yorak said. "Sort of. It's complicated.""Name one thing about this situation that isn't complicated." Lance said, rolling his eyes. "I mean, we just dealt with a bloodthirsty Galra wearing a dead person's skin so they could pose as him. That's both super complicated and super gross."Yorak flinched, his gaze darting downwards. "Right. Gross."Miss Lia heaved a sigh, before looking out across those gathered. "Five years ago, Yorak had another glimpse into the future, but this time it featured all five paladins. I came here because I knew I would find two of them here, and that the other two would soon follow.""Wait," Lance said slowly, "-that sounds a lot like you're talking about-""-us." Hunk finished, exchanging a glance with Lance. "You're talking about us, aren't you?"Miss Lia nodded. "Yes. Lance, Hunk, Pidge, Shiro... you four are the chosen paladins."Silence hung over the room, that was only broke by Nadia's low whistle. "Wow. Griffin's going to lose it when he finds out I was around for the birth of the legendary warriors and he wasn't.""Wait, okay, hold on." Hunk said, standing up. "Look, Shiro I can understand, but me? There's no way I could be a paladin. I don't even like fighting!""Yeah, and how can Pidge be a paladin?" Lance asked. "I mean, he's like two feet tall."Pidge shot him a glare, before he looked up towards Miss Lia. "Are you sure? I only came here to look for the king's expedition. I didn't come here to be a paladin.""I'm sure." Yorak said. "That's why the Galra want Shiro. They plan on using him as a sacrifice in order to weaken the bonds that seal away their Emperor."Lance paled, and for that matter, so did Shiro. "I think... I think I remember something about that. There was some kind of witch..."He trailed off, digging his right hand into his white forelock. "I'm sorry. I can't remember anything else.""Haggar." Miss Lia supplied. "She's a witch in the service of the Emperor. We have reason to believe that while he sleeps, she's been the one holding the Galra together.""So she's the one responsible for kidnapping m- kidnapping the king's expedition?" Pidge asked."We have every reason to think so." Miss Lia said.Pidge narrowed his eyes, like he'd just locked a goal into place in his head. Whatever his deal with the king's expedition was, Lance was guessing it was pretty personal. Who knew? Maybe he was dating the princess or something, since he looked way too young to be dating the prince. He hadn't heard anything about the princess being engaged, but eh- it wasn't like much court gossip made it's way all the way out here.He was about to lament life being boring here again, before he quickly realized that the past two days had been anything but boring. And honestly? He was starting to prefer boring. Dealing with the Galra was one thing, but being told that he was some kind of chosen savior, destined to save the world from darkness? That was on a whole different scale.Although... if he helped save the world, then every household in the kingdom would know the name Lance McClain. Not only did that make him think about how handsomely the queen would reward him for his valiant efforts, but it also made him think about all the ladies he might have chasing after him. His days of being a backwater bachelor would finally be over.Huh. Maybe this whole paladin thing wasn't so bad."Do you know what happened to them?" Pidge asked. "You have visions, you must have-"Miss Lia merely shook her head. "No. I haven't seen them yet. Only Shiro."Pidge visibly deflated, to the point where he almost felt a little sorry for the guy.He missed the way Nadia looked towards Pidge with a slight frown on her face, or the way Hunk followed her gaze. Instead, he looked towards Shiro, who was taking in a long, somewhat shaky breath, trying to steady himself."So we're paladins." He finally said. "What does that mean, exactly?""A lot of things." Yorak said. "But we don't have time to discuss them right now. The Galra are going to come back, and I don't know if just the bonfire is going to be enough to hold them back this time. Is there any way we could evacuate the village by sundown?""Wha- evacuate the village right now?" Lance asked."It's not safe here." Yorak said. "Even if we get through tonight, when the Galra break the seal, the first place they'll attack is this village. The only choice is to leave.""Yeah, but... leave our home?" Hunk asked."It's either that or death." Yorak said bluntly."He's right." Shiro said. "We need to evacuate not just this village, but every village between here and the Lion's Mountains. And we need to do it fast."Nadia frowned. "I thought you said they needed the Captain to break the seal.""They need him to break the seal on their Emperor." Yorak said, shaking his head. "One way or another, the seal on the forest is going to break, and when that happens, the Galra are going to overrun this entire area. There won't be any safe places left.""Can't we stop it?" Pidge asked. "Reseal the seal or something?""No." Miss Lia said frankly. "King Alfor was the only one powerful enough to cast a spell that elaborate, but even his magic has begun to wane over time.""But even if we do get everyone across the mountains in time, won't they just be able to cross through the pass themselves?" Nadia asked. "I have a hard time picturing the Galra being afraid of a little snow.""That's where the five of you come in." Miss Lia said. "You will ascend to the highest peak of the Lion's Mountains, and wake the moon maiden."Lance perked up at that. He'd almost managed to forget about the moon maiden, but now he couldn't stop thinking about her. In the legends she was always described as an ethereal beauty, which definitely made her sound like the kind of person that he wanted to meet."Wait," Hunk said, "-climb the mountains? You know, the mountains that people can only get across using the one path? Those mountains?""Yorak will be with you." Miss Lia said. "He has scaled the mountains many times.""The only reason they're so hard to navigate in the first place is because of magic." Yorak said. "It keeps everyone but the chosen paladins from finding the Lion's Castle.""Wha- there's a castle up there?" Lance asked. "How am I just now finding out about this?""Like I said, it wasn't something that King Alfor wanted people to find." Yorak said with a frown, a knot forming between his eyes. "That's why it was hidden.""I do remember seeing something about a castle in my research..." Pidge mumbled, mostly to himself. "So, what? If we get to this Castle, can we renew the barrier or something?""No, but we can create a new one." Miss Lia said. "Though it will be far less powerful.""But strong enough to prevent the Galra from invading the kingdom proper?" Nadia asked."For a time." Miss Lia said. "Hopefully long enough to awaken all five lions.""Right." Nadia said, getting to her feet. "Well, that's all I need to hear. I can have a messenger hawk sent out to the perimeter scouts. They can start coordinating evacuation efforts."She paused, a slight frown on her lips. "Unless you think there's secret Galra among our ranks too?""Do you think there are?" Miss Lia asked.Nadia seemed to consider it, before shaking her head. "If there are, we'll root them out soon enough. We don't exactly have the time for a witch hunt."With that, Nadia left. Out of the corner of his eye, Lance noticed the way Yorak twitched up his hood as she opened the door, like he was trying to protect himself from the sudden burst of sunlight that filtered into the otherwise dark room. Frowning, he narrowed his eyes, unable to help but find that just a little suspicious.He certainly was pale enough to look like he'd never been in the sun before. His skin was so pale, in fact, that it almost looked white, giving him an almost deathly pallor.He caught Lance looking, and hurriedly pulled his hood back down, his eyes darting off in another direction, towards Shiro. Lance squinted at him, taking a second for his eyes to readjust to the darkness. He looked human enough, but then again, so had Sendak. And he had reacted pretty weirdly to his earlier statement about the skin-wearers...But no. He was pretty sure Miss Lia would know if her own son had been replaced by a Galra. Maybe that was just what Northerners looked like. It wasn't like he'd ever met one before or anything. According to Veronica, the few that did stray out of their snowbound lands didn't stray far past the border.Shiro caught Yorak's gaze, giving him a faint smile. "Yorak, right? I guess I should thank you for your help back there."Yorak blinked. "Back-?""With Sendak." Shiro clarified. "We might not have been able to chase him off as quickly if it hadn't been for you.""Oh." Yorak frowned, almost looking disappointed. "Right. I probably should have killed him though.""Wait, hold on," Hunk butted in, "-does this whole paladin thing mean we'll have to kill people? Because I am not okay with that."Lance rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure it just means killing Galra, Hunk. They aren't exactly people."Miss Lia sharply cleared her throat, putting a swift end to their conversation. "The five of you have a long journey ahead of you. You should take this time to prepare.""So... we're excused?" Hunk asked."For now." Miss Lia said. "Gather your things, and meet back here in an hour. We don't have much time.""What about our families?" Lance asked. "What are we supposed to tell them?""To prepare to leave." Miss Lia said, making it sound so simple. "We must make haste if we wish to reach the Southern Fort before nightfall."Lance bit his lip. As exciting as this whole paladin business was starting to sound, he still wasn't sure if he liked the idea of leaving his home. And from the sound of it, he'd be leaving his family too- maybe he hadn't gotten a whole lot of detail, but he was willing to bet that these five lions they were supposed to awaken were hidden away in the locations with lion in their name- and all of those were pretty far from each other.What if... what if he never got to see his family again? What if this secondary seal they were supposed to have the moon maiden make broke while he was gone? What if-?He tried to quell his own thoughts. Sure, there was a chance that might happen. But from the sound of it, if he did nothing, then it would definitely happen. At least now he had a choice.In the end, it wasn't the lure of being hailed as a hero, or the temptation of meeting a pretty girl that convinced him that stepping up and becoming this paladin he was supposedly destined to be was the right thing to do. It was just... it was the right thing to do. That was it. That was all the reason he really needed. Everything else was just a bonus."Okay," Lance said, rising to his feet, "-I'm in.""Shiro, wait!"Shiro came to a halt, glancing behind him towards Pidge. Lia had offered to find him some armor that might fit him, an offer which he had been keen to take her up on. He didn't feel whole without his armor, all the more so if they were going to plunge headfirst into a precarious situation.Glancing back towards Lia, the woman merely shrugged, giving the two of them some space. He had spoken with her extensively earlier while Pidge slept. Though she had been cagey with some of her answers, he saw no reason not to trust the woman- or her son, for that matter. Yorak had disappeared upstairs even before Lance and Hunk had left, and he hadn't seen him since.He seemed... oddly familiar, somehow, like this wasn't the first time they'd met. Perhaps it was just the strong resemblance he bore to his mother."Pidge," Shiro began, "-something wrong?""Not wrong, but..." Pidge trailed off, shifting awkwardly on her feet. "Just- just wait there a second."She darted off after saying that, not leaving much room for questions. Shiro merely frowned, watching as she ducked into the room Lia had lent her. He guessed maybe Yorak had a room of his own in the tavern, considering the fact that its owner was his mother. Glancing over towards Lia, he once again studied the robes she wore- he'd never seen a Seer himself, but they matched what he knew from plays. These were made out of real silk, however, unlike the shoddier material used by theater troupes.Most of what they had discussed were the logistics of evacuating potentially hundreds of people within such a small timeframe. She hadn't mentioned anything about him being a paladin- or Pidge, for that matter. The most he had gotten from her was acknowledgement that she knew who Pidge really was, but had promised to keep it a secret.She was definitely still holding out on them, Shiro thought. And while normally that should make him wary, she'd given no reason thus far for him to not trust her. She seemed genuinely concerned for the fate of the villagers, instead of being focused on her own survival. She could have just told them about the prophecy and sent them off into the mountains, leaving everyone that lived here to their fate. It definitely would have been a lot easier than trying to plan a mass evacuation.But she hadn't. And as far as Shiro was concerned, that was good enough."Found it!" Pidge declared, emerging from her room with a wrapped bundle clutched to her chest. Thrusting it towards him, she beamed. "I think this belongs to you."Shiro blinked, taking the bundle from her. Carefully unwrapping it, he recognized the item right away- it was his sword.There were only three others like it within the entire kingdom, with a black stone set in the pommel to signify his rank as the Captain of the Royal Guard. The other two belonged to Admiral Sanda, the leader of the navy, and General Iverson, who commanded their armies. King Samuel had gifted him with the sword himself when he'd earned the rank- the youngest Captain in the history of the Guard.He'd thought the sword lost."Where did you get this?" Shiro asked, staring at the weapon in near disbelief."When they went to investigate the disappearance of the expedition, they managed to find your things." Pidge said. "I took your sword with me when I left, in case I found you.""You brought it all this way?" Shiro asked, stunned. "You didn't even know for sure if you'd find me."Pidge shrugged. "Call it a good luck charm. Seems to have worked, anyways.""But your father, and Matt-" Shiro began."I brought Matt's dagger." Pidge said, pulling back her cloak to reveal the dagger in question, worn at her side. Its hilt, with the green stone set in its pommel marking it as a weapon that belonged to a member of the royal family, was wrapped. "It was all I could manage to sneak out of his room. And there's no way I could have taken dad's stuff from mom. Your sword was the easiest."Shiro frowned, not knowing what to think of that. It wasn't like he had any next of kin, not exactly- his parents had been lost in a landslide a few years after he'd joined the Royal Guard- but at the very least, his effects should have been passed on to Adam, to whom he was formally engaged.Then again, if Adam had wanted to move on after his disappearance... well, he couldn't exactly blame him. Especially not when from the sound of it, there were people who thought of him as some kind of traitor."Shiro?" Pidge's voice snapped him back to reality. "Is everything okay?""I- fine." Shiro lied. He knew he could ask her, but after everything she had been through, it didn't feel right. "Thank you, Katie.""Pidge." Pidge corrected, eying Lia with a frown. She merely pretended she hadn't heard anything. "It's Pidge. And you're welcome.""Pidge." Shiro repeated. "Right."He wanted to point out that she couldn't continue to lie to the others forever, especially if what Yorak had said about them all being paladins was true. He didn't see any reason to doubt it, and it certainly explained why the Galra seemed so desperate to take him back, but if he had to be honest, it was still a little hard to believe.All of this was, actually. The Galra being real, being captured by them and escaping, his arm... it was all like a bad dream. A dream, that if possible, he hoped he could wake up from.But it wasn't. Not only were they living in prophesied times, they were also right in the middle of it all."Well," Lia spoke up, "-now that we have the matter of your sword settled, let us take a look at some armor, shall we?""Speaking of armor," Pidge cut in, "-what's Yorak's made out of? I've never seen anything like it before."Shiro had to agree. His position with the Royal Guard meant that he'd seen no shortage of armor in his days, but he'd never seen anything quite like Yorak's. It was nothing like he was accustomed to seeing people from the North wear, on the few occasions he had accompanied the King to the border between their two lands for various negotiations. They typically wore a combination of leather and fur- which Yorak's armor clearly wasn't."Perhaps you should ask him yourself." Lia said simply- but also conclusively. They might get an answer, but not from her.Pidge frowned a bit at her response, opening her mouth to push the subject- but a light hand on her shoulder from him was enough to silence her. She huffed a little, but got the message."I don't suppose you have any armor that might fit Pidge." Shiro said, turning back to Lia. Somehow he didn't think the traveler's tunic and breeches she was wearing would do all that much to protect her from an enemy attack. He was just amazed that she had managed to get this far, especially with the bandit problem they'd been having recently.(Unless they had dealt with that in the year he had been gone. He wasn't sure.)"We might." Lia said. "Perhaps not full plates, but I'm sure I have some gauntlets and the like that might fit.""I don't really think I need-""Trust me," Shiro cut in, "-you're going to need armor."Pidge huffed slightly, but begrudgingly accepted it. She trailed behind the two of them, as Lia lead the way down the hall. At the end of it was a locked door, to which she produced a key. Unlocking it, she hung the ring on her belt, right next to the knife she had used to ward off Sendak. He glanced at it curiously- just like he wasn't familiar with the material used to make Yorak's armor, he also wasn't familiar with the material that had been used to make his mother's knife. He appeared to have one of his own, though he hadn't exactly had a chance to get a good look at it yet.He was tempted to ask, but given her response earlier... it would probably be better if he didn't.Lia ducked inside, and he followed shortly behind her. It was surprisingly dark, as the room had no windows, and he could see another door just up ahead, presumably also locked. Lia lit a lantern, setting it down on a table in the middle of the room, before she turned to look back towards them."Take anything you like."There was, to his surprise, a fair amount of variety. Nothing like he'd seen Yorak wear, but there was some surprisingly high-quality armor stored here. He'd expected a more modest collection, perhaps a side business of sorts. While it wasn't anywhere near as extensive as the armory back at the palace, it was still sizable. He looked towards Lia, but she simply busied herself looking for armor for Pidge.Right. Should have known.Still, despite Lia's elusiveness, he managed to find some armor that fit. True to her word, Lia was able to find Pidge a pair of leather vambraces and greaves that largely fit her, though her petite size made it difficult for her to find anything else. Some of the armor here seemed to be made for exceptionally tall people, but then again, given Lia's height, he supposed that didn't surprise him.(If anything, he was surprised by how short Yorak was in comparison to his mother. Doubly so since Northerners were generally known to be tall.)"Thank you." Shiro told her. "I'll be sure to return it when I can.""Keep it." Lia told him. "I would rather have it go to use."Shiro frowned, tempted to insist, but something told him not to push his luck. Hooking his sword to his new sword belt, Shiro flexed his right arm. The feeling of fur brushing against armor was a strange one, but he guessed he would just have to get used to it. He'd managed to conceal it well enough- nobody would be able to tell it was abnormal at first glance. If they looked too closely, they might notice a slight size discrepancy between it and his left arm, but hopefully no one would be looking at him that closely."So... do you know what's up with Shiro's arm?" Pidge asked."No." Lia said shortly. "But perhaps in time, he'll remember on his own."Shiro frowned a little, unable to help shake the feeling that she did know. But honestly, even if she did? He wasn't sure if he wanted to find out. Maybe he should consider losing his memories a blessing in disguise. Clenching his fist, Shiro exhaled, turning back towards Pidge with a faint smile."It's fine." Shiro said. "As long as I can hide it, it shouldn't attract too much attention."Pidge frowned, looking unconvinced. "If you say so."She didn't sound like she doubted him. Or at least, she didn't sound like she doubted he was who he said- and thought- he was. He didn't think so either, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't afraid to find out the truth about his arm because of that very possibility. After what he'd seen with Sendak...He shook the thought off. He was Takashi Shirogane, no one else. Why would the Galra be going to such lengths to capture him if he wasn't who he thought he was? Besides, Sendak had looked human from head to tie, right up until Lia had flayed a section of his skin off. His human skin, he thought with a small shudder- he guessed the real Commander Linwood was dead somewhere, ending his life as a skinless corpse.That was no way to die."So," Pidge began, looking towards Lia, "-where's your son?""Yorak is preparing for the journey ahead." Lia said simply. "As should the two of you."That was a dismissal, as clear as he'd ever heard one. Exchanging a glance with Pidge, he shrugged. He couldn't deny that she had a point- they did need to start getting ready. Not that he even had anything to get ready. Guess he was traveling light this time.Still, he could probably give Pidge a hand. And if her unpacking habits hadn't changed any in the past year, she would probably need it."Well," he began, "-you heard the lady. Let's get ready."Once Shiro and Pidge left, the door to the adjacent room cracked open, a single purple eye peeking out. Catching sight of it, his mother merely heaved a sigh."You don't have to hide." Krolia said."I wasn't hiding." Keith mumbled, swinging the door open all the way and stepping outside. "It just didn't seem like the right time to come out."Krolia merely arched a brow, folding her arms in front of her. He cast a quick glance at her robes- he hadn't seen her wear them in ages, not since his father had died. She must have caught him looking, because her lips quirked into a slight smile."Come with me. I have something for you too." Krolia said.Tilting his head, Keith nevertheless obediently followed behind his mother, curious as to what it was that she had for him. She lead him into the hall, but took a sharp turn to the right, unlocking the door to her own room. He knew from experience that there weren't any windows in it, but he still found himself instinctively reaching for his mask.There were no windows in the room he'd been in either. It had been built to house members of the Blade who were passing through, almost all of whom suffered from the same blood curse he did. Their armor protected them, but it was still a miserable way to live.Following Krolia inside, his eyes quickly fell on the trunk shoved in one corner of the room. It was old- she'd had it ever since he was born, and it was old even then. It wasn't ornate- just a plain wooden trunk, the kind you'd find anywhere. The only difference was that this one was spelled, so that anything put in it remained as fresh and pristine as the day it was put in. His mother had cast the magic herself, long before even his father was born.He had a spelled trunk too, though the spells on his were different. Fingering the pouch he had tucked it away in, he dimly recalled the exact spell to bring it back to its actual size, instead of the miniature size it was currently. It made traveling a breeze, and he smiled a little recounting how Regris had grumbled about the unfairness of it all.Krolia stooped down over her trunk, unlocking it. He watched as she first pulled out her own Marmoran armor- the same kind of dragon scale armor he wore, but with less spells cast on it. She didn't need the same protection from sunlight that other Blades did, himself included.It wasn't something they talked about.But that wasn't what she wanted to give him, he knew, watching as she pulled out something that was just as familiar to him, even if he hadn't seen it since... well, since he'd last seen her in her Seer's robes. He still recognized it right away- it was armor. Not made out of dragon scales and spelled to serve as a second skin, but armor of dark leather and thick fur, the kind his father used to wear."Your father had it made for you, before his death." Krolia told him. "I've kept it all this time."Keith frowned. "You know I can't wear that.""Maybe not now." Krolia said. "But if you bond with the red lion-""We don't even know if that will work or not." Keith snapped, before quickly regretting it. He knew what a sore spot his curse was for his mother. She would have gladly discarded her own borrowed skin if it meant being on equal footing with him, but she still had a role to play.
"I mean, we just dealt with a bloodthirsty Galra wearing a dead person's skin so they could pose as him. That's both super complicated
and
super gross."
Keith narrowed his eyes, clenching his fists. He knew he was supposed to work with these people, with these humans, but he could do without the reminder about what the rest of the world thought about his people. Maybe Zarkon's ilk were like that, but the Blade of Marmora wasn't. They had stayed true to the old ways.It was just that the old ways had been thought of as disturbing even back then, by human and Altean alike. It was part of the reason why Zarkon had been able to swell his numbers like he had."You shouldn't worry about what Lance says." Krolia said, all but reading his mind. "There's no shame in our magic.""He called you-""He doesn't know." Krolia said. "And it's not the same."Keith heaved a sigh, his shoulders slumping. He knew it wasn't. His mother was wearing a skin, just the same as Sendak was, but the one she wore had been given willingly. Having flayed both Galra and animal alike for their skins, he couldn't even imagine it, but he had no reason to doubt his mother's tale.For some though, no amount of justification would be enough."Three bloodlines becoming one." Keith half-recited part of the prophecy his mother and Kolivan had been given long ago. "I know."Krolia smiled at him. "You should still take the armor with you. It may work."Shifting on his feet, Keith chewed on his lip. "Did you see-?""You know I cannot see the lions." Krolia shook her head. "But the red lion was King Alfor's. Surely if anything can break the curse, it can."Frowning, Keith stared down at his feet. He would like nothing more for that to be true. Just once, he wanted to experience what it was like to be a normal human- to walk in the sunlight freely, without the aid of enchanted armor. But the only way he knew to break the curse was to kill Haggar, and that had proved to be impossible."I just don't want to get my hopes up." Keith said."Then don't." Krolia told him. "But take the armor with you anyways."Chewing on his lip some more, Keith finally heaved a sigh. "Fine.""Good." Krolia said, leaning down to lightly kiss his brow. "Your father would be proud of you."Keith just nodded, gathering up the armor. His own might serve to protect him from the sun, but it didn't leave him with a lot of sensation. For most Galra, it wasn't a problem, but the human part of him craved touch- something which he had been wholly denied ever since he'd decided to put the armor on.Seeming to sense that, Krolia ruffled his hair, causing it to stick up every which way. He huffed slightly, but didn't pretend to do anything but enjoy it."Now," Krolia said, "-go on. Help yourself to whatever you like in the kitchen, since I'm certain you forgot your rations somewhere."Keith flushed. "I didn't-""Don't lie." Krolia said. "I don't even need to be able to see the future to know that. I just need to listen to your stomach."His blush deepening, Keith ducked his head. "I panicked. I didn't expect the barrier to reject me."It never had before. He'd been worried that it meant he'd be bound to the forest forever, until he realized it was just because of his borrowed skin. With it shed, he had been able to cross the barrier with no problems."Anyways," Keith quickly said, "-the important thing is that I got Shiro through."Krolia merely hummed. "Go and eat. You will have to guide them to the castle."Nodding, Keith turned to leave. His mother shut the door behind him, presumably to change into her own armor. The Seer's robes had been useful for dealing with Sendak the first time, but he had no doubt that dealing with him for a second time would require something a little more sturdy.And he knew there would be a second time. It was just a matter of when."Lance!"He'd barely gotten in the front door before his mom drew him into a bone crushing hug. Doing a quick headcount, he was relieved to see that everyone was present and accounted for, save for the already expected absence of Veronica. Judging from the state of the house, they were also all starting to get ready for the journey ahead."Hey, mom." Lance smiled at her. "Sorry if I worried you.""You did more than that!" His mom said. "Your father said there was a Galra in the village!""Wearing a human skin too." Marco grimaced. "Honestly, I was kind of hoping that one was just a story.""Me too." Lance admitted. "But it's all true. Or well, at least, most of it. I don't know if it's all true or not, but-"Cutting himself off, Lance heaved a sigh. "What is true is that we have to leave.""So much for playing the moon maiden." Rachel muttered."Hey, you never know." Lance said. "Maybe they'll make an exception for you next year."If there even was a next year. For the first time, it dawned on him that that may very well rest on him.No pressure. Just the fate of the world on his shoulders. And well, on the shoulders of like, four other people- which was reassuring, because if he was going to be honest, he wasn't exactly known for his strong shoulders. Strong jawline maybe, but nobody ever said anything like the fate of the world rested on someone's jaw.Rachel just huffed, resuming packing. It seemed kind of silly to be worried about something like her role in the harvest festival in the wake of their world as they knew it crashing down, but he guessed it did kind of make sense. Rachel playing the moon maiden in tonight's procession was what was supposed to be happening- not everyone in the village packing in a frenzy, so they could make it out on the road in time to reach the Southern Fort before it got dark.He wished she could play the moon maiden too."I should probably go pack." Lance said.Reluctantly separating himself from his mother, Lance made his way to his room. It had always seemed so small in the past- too small for his ambitious dreams, but now he didn't want to leave it. He guessed the difference was that now he didn't have any choice.Glancing back over his shoulder, he frowned. He should probably tell his family about the whole paladin thing, but he couldn't bring himself too. If being a paladin meant having to separate from them, then he almost didn't want to.He'd tell them when they got to the Southern Fort, Lance decided. Yeah, that sounded like a plan. No need to tell them before then. He could be Lance McClain, ordinary villager, for just a little longer.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It had taken some doing, but eventually they got everyone in the village ready to move out. Though judging from the way he kept catching Miss Lia checking the position of the sun, it wasn't nearly fast enough for her tastes. It made Lance more than a little nervous, and he found himself constantly checking behind him, looking towards the forest.He wasn't the only one.They were all gathered in the village square- not just the villagers, but the merchants who had come for the harvest festival too, the ones who hadn't already left at the first sign of things turning south. Nadia had made a reappearance, and was standing with the village elder, who periodically glanced their way. He wondered what she was telling him, though whatever it was, it seemed to be enough to convince him of the need for urgency.Shiro and Pidge were standing off to the side with Miss Lia. The tavern keeper was now clad in armor similar to that of her son's, though hers had an extra cloth wrap around one shoulder that his didn't. She wasn't wearing a mask, but he could see one hanging off her belt. The design was again similar to her son's, but not exactly the same.Hunk and his family were with him, waiting near the center of the crowd. Unlike the eerie silence of that morning, the village square was now filled with noise, but it was all hushed whispers, as if people were too afraid to raise their voices in the event the Galra might hear them. It seemed kind of silly, but Lance found himself whispering all the same.He nearly missed Yorak, in spite of how badly his dark armor clashed with the bright blue skies. He was standing atop a roof, his arms crossed tightly in front of him. At first, Lance thought he was looking towards the forest, before he realized his masked gaze was actually directed towards the sky. It was only then that he noticed there were small clouds starting to gather just over the horizon. Yorak clearly didn't like it, and neither did he.Not when they were coming from the forest.As soon as it was determined that everyone was accounted for, the village elder stepped forward. Someone had procured a horse for him, one of the few they had in the village, otherwise Lance was fairly sure he wouldn't be able to make the journey. He was still in fairly good health, but his bones weren't what they used to be. He walked with a cane now, though he'd been fine without one in Lance's youth.He only half-listened to the man's speech. He already knew what he was going to say. Instead, he glanced over towards Hunk. They hadn't had much time to really talk about the whole paladin thing, and he wasn't sure if Hunk had told his folks yet or not. He knew they were just as close knit a family as his own, and that there were no secrets between them, so maybe he had already told them.Thinking that made him feel a little guilty for not telling his own. But he would! Just... just not yet. When they got to the fort, maybe. He'd tell them then. Settling on that, he turned his attention back towards the elder.Sensing the need for urgency, the old man kept his speech brief. His grandson helped him mount his horse, and then slowly, they began to move out.As they followed the path away from the village, Lance kept glancing back. Not at the forest- but at his house. He didn't know when he would see it next, or if it would even still be standing if they ever got to come back. He could still see the hill it sat on, and probably would be able to until they entered the stretch of woods up ahead. It felt like ages since he had gone into them to find some fever-reducing mushrooms with Hunk, but it had barely even been a day ago.Glancing over towards his friend, he sensed Hunk was feeling the same way."We're moving pretty slow." Hunk whispered. "Do you think we'll make it before sunset?"Glancing back up towards the clouds off towards the horizon, Lance narrowed his eyes. If he didn't know any better, it felt like they were starting to get darker- much darker.And closer. But maybe he was just imagining things."Let's hope."He wasn't imagining things. The clouds were moving closer.By now, everyone had noticed. What had started out as a slow crawl began to pick up in speed. Now there were actually people running, hoping to outrace the clouds that everyone had realized weren't natural. Not when they had gotten close enough for people to notice that there were strange shapes moving within the clouds, like black shadows that stretched back along the horizon, as ominous and foreboding as the storm clouds that they followed.And someone- or something- was at their head."Keep up the pace!" Nadia shouted. "Only a half mile more to the Southern Fort!"She had started the trip out in front, with the village elder, but had now gravitated towards the back. She kept a tight rein on her horse, who surely would have bolted otherwise. The village elder's had about half an hour ago, but thankfully the same grandson who had helped him onto it had been able to catch him before he'd ended up crushed by its hooves. He was now being carried on his grandson's back, the bulky carpenter keeping pace with the villagers even with the extra weight.He wasn't the only one being carried. Luis had scooped up his youngest, leaving Marco to carry his other child, who did so without an ounce of complaint. By now, most parents were carrying their children- anyone who couldn't run was being carried by someone, burly merchants who had nothing to do with the villagers and had just been there for the festival picking up some of the slack for those who didn't have any other family. A few of them were likely regretting leaving behind their slow moving carts and oxen, but it spoke to how much everyone feared the Galra that they would be so willing to leave their source of income behind. Aside from a few hunting dogs and the odd cat, most of the village's animals had been set loose, figuring that they had better odds of surviving that way.If they had more time, they could have organized better, but as it was, most families were reduced to bringing only what they could carry on their backs with them. And if those clouds were any indication, they had left just in the nick of time.He wanted to fall back, to ask Miss Lia what was going on, but he couldn't. His mother had his wrist in a death grip, as if she was afraid the second she let go, he'd run off into danger. Which... he guessed she was right, but he really wished she'd let go. He could shrug her off, but he couldn't bring himself to do so.(So maybe he didn't really wish she'd let go.)With every passing minute, it felt like the clouds- and the creatures they brought with them- were closing in. Off in the distance, Lance swore he could hear howling, not from any natural creature, but from something else. He really didn't want to find out what."Lance! Hunk!" Pidge's voice caught their ear, the small boy racing to catch up with them."Pidge!" Lance shouted, having to in order to be heard over the sounds of the crowd. "What's going on? What are those things?""I don't know." Pidge admitted, shaking his head. "But Miss Lia says we need to get the Southern Fort as quickly as possible.""They look like what we saw last night!" Rachel called out from up ahead."Well whatever they are, they're bad news!" Lance said. "And honestly, Pidge, not to question Miss Lia, but I'm not seeing how hiding inside a fort's going to help protect us from those things.""It was kind of rushed, but she said something about wards?" Pidge said, sounding unsure himself. "All I know is that the Southern Fort is really old in some places. Maybe back when it was built, they built in wards against evil.""Sounds good enough for me!" Hunk said, to which Lance could only nod. "But somehow I don't get the impression they'll just give up.""They won't." Shiro said as he jogged into view, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "Lia says that she and Yorak will deal with them and take care of the cloud cover that's protecting them.""And then what?" Lance asked. "We just wait until nightfall when the Galra can send out even more creepy creatures?""Yeah, I get that the clouds are protecting them from the sun," Hunk said, "-but what's stopping them from sending out more when it just gets dark on its own?""She says not to worry about that. This magic is powerful enough that it should drain its caster for several days." Shiro shook his head, his eyes darting back. It was clear from his body language that he wanted to stay and help, but he'd probably been refuted."So basically if they stop them here, we won't have to worry about the Galra for a few days?" Hunk asked, sounding hopeful."I don't know if we won't have to worry about them at all," Shiro said, "-but at the very least, they won't be able to send out another force like this again."Lance nodded. Good. In a few days, they could get to this Castle place and awaken the moon maiden. Then they might be able to keep his family- and everyone else, for that matter- safe from the Galra for maybe at least another few months while they went to find these lions that Yorak had mentioned. After that, it would be smooth sailing.(At least, he hoped.)"Are you sure they'll be able to handle those things by themselves, though?" Hunk asked."Please," Lance rolled his eyes, huffing slightly, "-Yorak has that like, crazy paladin magic and Miss Lia is super strong. They'll be fine."Because if he didn't believe that, then he might actually have to accept just how dire a situation they were in. He couldn't imagine how much worse it would have been if they had all still been in the village- at least this way, they'd had at least an hour's head start, and even if the clouds had started to move faster, it wasn't like they were racing. Whatever weird, creepy magic had been used to summon them, there were obviously limits to what it could do.Something brown entered the edge of his vision, and seconds later, Nadia rode into view. She looked down at Pidge, reducing her horse's speed to a steady gallop as she extended a hand to the boy. "Miss Lia says we should go ahead to the fort and make sure the gates are open. We'll have a big problem if they refuse to let us in!"Pidge frowned a bit at that, his brows drawing together. "Why me?""You know why." Nadia said firmly, but didn't elaborate.Pidge's frown deepened, her gaze darting over towards Shiro. The captain merely nodded his head, something unspoken transpiring between the two of them. Defeated, Pidge heaved a sigh, grabbing Nadia's hand and allowing her to haul him up onto the back of her horse.Arching a brow, for once in his life, Lance managed to bite back his questions. Now kind of wasn't the time, he couldn't help but think, eyes darting behind him. Now he was all but positive that there was someone leading the charge of the creepy crawlies, though all he could make out from this distance was a vivid red color that was either blood or more likely armor the color of it.Maybe he was new to this whole Galra business, but he was willing to bet anything that was Sendak. The real Sendak."Guess I'm going ahead." Pidge said."Guess so." Lance said. "Stay safe out there.""I should be the one telling you guys that." Pidge pointed out."Don't worry about them." Shiro said, somehow managing to sound mirthful even in this awful situation. "I'll look after the kids."Lance opened his mouth to protest that Pidge was even younger than him, but Nadia's horse raced off ahead before he got the chance. It must have sensed the danger, because it had no issue with running ahead and away from it like it had when she'd tried to get it to fall back to speak with Miss Lia.It was kind of strange, a lieutenant in the perimeter scouts and even the Captain of the Royal Guard taking orders from a mere tavernkeeper. Except as Lance was finding out, there was no mere about Miss Lia. Not that he'd ever thought that, but man, had he severely underestimated her. He hadn't even known she was a mother, much less a Seer!Eyes darting back behind him, they fell on not the encroaching clouds, but on the tavernkeeper slash Seer in question. For a second, he almost missed her. He expected her to still be running behind them, but she'd come to a complete stop, the woman now holding a sword that he didn't quite remember her having. Yorak had appeared from seemingly nowhere to stand by her, a sword in one hand, and an odd looking vial in another, from which flames seemed to leap forth.He was still masked and hooded, no inch of his skin left exposed to the sunlight. Lance's brow crinkled at the sight, something tugging at him, before he forced himself to look away. Whatever their deal was, he had to hope they'd be enough.Because right now, they kind of didn't have anything else.Keith didn't turn to look back towards the fleeing villagers. He didn't have the time to, which was ironic, given that what was currently occupying him was trying to keep them all safe. While it wasn't hard to guess that this was yet another attempt by Haggar to capture Shiro, he didn't exactly have any illusions as to what would happen if they didn't get to safety before the clouds- and more importantly, from those taking sanctuary under their sunless skies- reached them.Mercy was not the way of the Galra Empire.Instead, he bit down on his thumb, blood seeping through a tiny crack in his armor. He let it drip on the sigil of his knife, awakening it in a brilliant flash that would have made him wince if he had more sensitive eyes. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see his mother do the same, the woman standing at the ready for anything Sendak and the witch might throw at them.The Galra commander had discarded his human skin, and was now sporting a new armor. The material was different, but it was the same design he was used to seeing on those with higher rank. He'd worn similar armor before, during the times when he had been tasked with infiltrating the Empire itself, which given his skin wearing talent, was fairly often. His mother was just as skilled as he was, but she couldn't put on a new one without taking off her old one."Leave Sendak to me." Krolia instructed. "You take care of the shadows."Keith gave her a curt nod, not protesting. Reaching into one of his belt pouches, he uncorked a vial, a flame that he had stored within it beforehand leaping out, growing stronger and larger as it did so, until it was encircling his body like a protective snake. It did no harm to him, not even singing the fabric of his hood.He was the guardian of fire, after all.From where he stood, Sendak smirked, raising his voice to bellow across the field. "So, if it isn't the Seer-Witch and her halfbreed spawn! Come to protect your puny human charges?"Keith opened his mouth to retort, but his mother shook her head. One of these days, he was going to figure out how she could tell even when he had his mask on."We've come to put a stop to your plans." Krolia said resolutely. "Turn back, and maybe we will spare your life.""Turn back?" Sendak laughed. "You would ask the one who has stood by our Emperor's side for millennia to turn back? I knew your kind were traitors, but I did not know how foolish you were!""He's not our Emperor." Keith snapped, glowering at Sendak from behind his mask.Sendak scoffed, confidently striding forward in the darkness provided by the storm clouds overhead. It wouldn't be long before they reached them. No matter what, they had to stop them here. There was too much riding on this for them to fail.He just wished there had been time to call for reinforcements. Krolia had sent word, but he didn't know if anyone would get here in time. Even just having one additional Blade on their side would be useful, providing his mother with the cover that she needed in order to destroy Haggar's weather working spell. As it stood, they would just have to take out Sendak and the shadows one by one if they hoped to stop them.They could have asked Shiro, or the perimeter scout lieutenant for aid, but that would force them to reveal themselves for what they truly were. He doubted he could keep his Galra blood a secret forever, but they weren't quite ready for the world to know about them just yet. Despite the strong presence the Blade of Marmora had in this country, they kept to the shadows, hiding their machinations from both human and Galra alike. It was necessary, seeing as they didn't always know who to trust.In the North, his homeland, it was different. But here, Haggar's spies were plentiful."I will only make this offer once." Sendak began, coming to a halt a short distance away from them. The gap between the cloud borne darkness and the bright sunlight was now so slight, he could have almost reached out and touched it. "Renounce your traitorous ways, and join us. Emperor Zarkon is still willing to hear your pledges of fealty."Keith growled, tightening his grip on his sword as the flames around him grew brighter. He would never swear allegiance to that monster.Krolia's gaze flicked his way, before returning to Sendak. Readying her sword, she braced herself for the fight to come. "There you have it."Sendak narrowed his eyes, glowering at them in disdain. "Then you will perish."Baring his teeth, Keith used his free arm to motion towards Sendak, his flame summon leaping forward in response. It surged towards the commander, taking on a more snake-like form as it did so, unhinging its jaw as if to swallow him whole. But rather than try and defend himself from it, Sendak simply stood there, a smirk on his face as his armor glowed, causing the fire snake to burst apart the second it made contact."A gift, from the high priestess." Sendak casually remarked. "You may have control over fire, paladin, but it is meaningless in the face of true power."Keith narrowed his eyes. So they knew."Don't let your temper get the better of you." Krolia warned. "Concentrate on the shadows."Gritting his teeth, Keith nodded. If Haggar had warded Sendak's armor against flame, he was willing to bet that she had done the same for her shadows. That made things more difficult- usually his flame magic was his trump card against the Galra. If he couldn't use it, then this battle would drag out for much longer.But then again, if Haggar knew he was a paladin, it wasn't surprising that she would pull out all the stops to ensure he was killed. They needed all five paladins present to unlock the Castle of Lions and wake the princess, so even killing one would ensure the Galra Empire's victory.He wasn't going to let that happen.As the last few inches of sunlight gave way to darkness, the shadows let out a horrible howl. In the midst of the deafening noise, Sendak drew his massive sword, surging forward with a burst of speed that proved he wasn't just brute strength. There was a reason that he had stood by Zarkon's side for so long, and right now, that reason was sending him hurtling back as Sendak bypassed his mother to attack him."Yorak!" Krolia called out. Before she got the chance to intervene, a shadow surged towards her, abandoning its usual almost humanoid shape to assume the form of a massive lizard- if a lizard had as many limbs as a spider and a jaw that could split apart. Cursing under her breath, Krolia deflected its attack with her sword, briefly forcing it back before being beset by another."Your opponent is me, paladin." Sendak sneered. "I have orders to see to your death."Gritting his teeth, Keith leapt backwards, putting a small amount of distance between them. Removing his mask, his shoved it on his belt, before resting both hands on the hilt of his sword. In his true form, Sendak was at least twice as strong as him, his human blood diluting the strength his Galran ancestry provided him with.Sendak didn't waste any time coming after him, giving him mere seconds to avoid his next blow. He was strong enough to hold him in a stalemate if he had to, but he'd rather not have to. But while he was quicker on his feet than one would expect from someone of his size, Keith had the advantage of being even faster- what strength his human blood lost him, he made up for in being quick and agile.It helped that there was more power in his frame than anyone- Galra or human alike- expected. He was slight compared to other Galra, having still not reached his adult height after all these years- if he ever would. He was starting to doubt it.But now was hardly the time to think about things like his height, not with Sendak out for his blood. His mother had her hands full with the shadows, so he would just have to deal with him himself. He avoided Sendak's next strike, the massive sword the Galra commander used leaving a scar in the Earth. Sendak laughed, turning to face him."And here I thought a paladin might actually be a challenge." Sendak mocked. "Can you do anything other then dodge?"Keith twitched, biting down on his lip to keep Sendak's taunt from getting to him. He was just trying to rile him up, that was all. He wouldn't let him.All of that was thrown out the window the next time Sendak spoke."Your mother must have fallen even further than I thought to even think about coupling with a human." Sendak taunted. "It's a shame that I couldn't be the one to end his pathetic life."Baring his teeth, a growl ripped from his throat. Surging forward, Keith was momentarily blinded by his anger, not thinking as he slashed at Sendak. The Galra commander easily deflected his blow, using so much force in doing so that he sent him flying. Groaning, Keith moved to stand up, to counterattack, but instead he just barely avoided a shadow that had broken away from the ones his mother was fighting to come to Sendak's aid.He might have dodged the shadow, but it left him wide open to Sendak's next attack. Sendak's sword fell on his leg, and though his armor turned the edge of the sword blunt, preventing it from being severed, he still felt the bones shatter. Only his training kept him from yowling in pain, though he still unconsciously clutched the leg.Sendak smirked. "If all the paladins are this weak, we won't even require Emperor Zarkon's power to finish the lot of you off."Gritting his teeth, Keith pulled out one of his flame vials, uncorking it with his free hand. At the sight of the vial, Sendak let out a bark of laughter, angling his sword so that it was mere inches away from his chin."Did you not learn anything from your first attempt, child?" Sendak taunted. "Or has the pain already gotten to your head?"Oh, it was painful alright, but it hadn't gotten to his head. Keith dropped his sword, and in the same instant, swept his hand outwards. The flames leapt from the vial, spreading out in an arc around him, alighting the grass. It hadn't rained in the past few days, so it burned well, exactly as he expected.Sendak merely scoffed. "You think burning grass is going to save you?""No," Keith bared his teeth in a challenging grin, "-but I think the smoke will."Before Sendak could react, he increased the intensity of the fire, and with it, the smoke. It quickly clogged the Galra's nostrils, causing him to reflexively protect himself from breathing in anymore. Grabbing his sword, Keith ignored how badly his left leg protested standing up, using Sendak's briefly dropped guard to his advantage.His luxite blade pierced his abdomen, straight through his armor. Gaping, Sendak brought a hand up to it, just as Keith pulled his sword out, blood spattering his armor as he did so. It would be gone soon enough anyways, absorbed to reinforce the enchantments laid on it.Sendak growled, seized by a powerful rage, but Keith couldn't help but feel a little smug. All it meant was that he had won, and that Sendak could see his life slipping away before his eyes. Even as the Galran commander brandished his sword anew at him, Keith forced his broken leg to move, avoiding his now admittedly clumsy sword strike.Of course, that was exactly when his leg decided to give out."Victory," Sendak nearly howled, angling his blade at him, intent on taking him with him, "-or death!"Keith braced himself, but it wasn't Sendak's blade he ended up having to avoid- it was his body. The Galra commander's head fell like a lump to the ground, the rest of his massive body crumpling soon after. He had to roll to avoid being crushed by it, but when he looked up, his mother was standing there, Sendak's blood dripping off her sword.The shadows were gone."I thought I told you to leave Sendak to me." Krolia quipped.Keith huffed, returning his sword to sleep. Sheathing his knife, he took his mother's outstretched hand, letting her haul him back onto his feet. He could barely put any weight on his left leg, and the entire thing felt as if it were on fire- an odd analogy considering his own immunity to the element, but a fitting one."You should probably clean that up." Krolia observed, indicating with her head the still burning grass. Keith grimaced, retrieving an empty vial from his belt pouch, the one he had used to contain the flames lost in the grass. With a whistle, he directed the flames back into it, leaving no trace of the fire behind beyond the burnt grass and the lingering odor of smoke."How's your leg?" Krolia asked."Bad." Keith admitted. "The shadows?""Taken care of." Krolia told him. "The clouds will be gone soon too."Keith nodded, knowing what she meant by that. His mother helped balance him as reached for his mask, unhooking it from his belt. He stared at it for a few seconds, before he fixed it to his face, the innate magic within bonding it to him. A few seconds later, he blinked, drawing in a long breath."We should probably get to the fort.""Probably." Krolia said, glancing down on his leg. "That will be a problem."Keith winced. He knew she didn't just mean that it would make the trek to the fort a problem, but that it would make his later journey to the Castle of Lions a problem. The Galra had no healing spells, and his mixed blood meant that he couldn't use any such spells usually associated with the magic of humans or Alteans.A pureblooded Altean would probably be able to heal him, but there was only one place to find one of those, and it involved climbing a mountain."I'll work something out." Keith said."You'll have to." Krolia said. "But for now-"He bit back a squeak as his mother suddenly scooped him up by the legs, grateful for the fact that his mask hid his flustered face."-you'll let me carry you." Krolia finished, in a tone that brokered no argument.Burying his head in her shoulder, he who had just avoided it contemplated death.Haggar's yowl of pain echoed through the darkened chamber as the single candle she had been using for light grew bright before exploding, sending hot wax flying everywhere. Raising her arms to protect her face, she hissed as the burning wax coated her bare arms, hot enough to burn the bandages she had tightly wound around them. Hastily loosening them, she dunked them in her water basin for as long as she dared, until fresh blood began to flow freely from her already healing cuts.Once the wax was gone, and the stinging of the burns lessened, Haggar composed herself. Stemming the flow of her own blood, she carefully wrapped her arms in bandages once more. Only then did she turn to face the remains of the candle, having become so used to the darkness that she could make out what little remained of it without the need for a light.So Sendak had failed.Creating a weather working spell of the magnitude had taken a fair bit of her magic from her. It would take time for it to recover, not to mention the blood she had used to ensure the passage of Sendak and her shadows. It would have been easy had the humans remained in their village, but as usual, the blasted Seer Witch was one step ahead of her. She hadn't expected her to empty the village completely, but she supposed she and her kind always did have a weak spot for the humans.Weak enough to mate with one, she thought.Turning on her heel, Haggar fought the wooziness that accompanied the loss of blood. She would be unable to send any kind of pursuit after the Champion until she recovered. But she needn't panic. There would be other chances. They only had two paladins, not the required five. They would not be able to enter the Castle of Lions, nor wake the princess.Still, there were measures she could take. Exiting her chamber, she turned to look up at the Galra that she had placed outside with firm instructions for her not to be disturbed. She didn't recall his name, but it mattered not, for he was nothing more than a mere foot soldier, and was unlikely to rise to a position of prestige any time soon."Send word to the falconers." Haggar instructed. "Have them spread word to our allies in the human's kingdom. Tell them the Champion has escaped, and has allied himself with the Seer-Witch and her paladin son. Find them."Unimportant as he was, the foot solider still faithfully raised his hand in salute, resting it over his heart. "What shall I say is to be done to them if found?""Bring us the Champion, alive." Haggar said. "You can kill the traitors."The soldier bowed his head. "Vrepit sa."Watching him go, Haggar narrowed her eyes. It was unlike the Blade of Marmora to move so openly. Either the Seer-Witch was acting on her own accord, or there was a larger plan at work. From here, trapped inside the confines of the forest, she had no way to know.But Sendak was not their only spy living amongst the humans. There were others. They would ensure the job was done.Zarkon would reign again.Her husband would reign again, and she would be at his side once more. The Earth would be theirs, as it was always meant to be. No more living in darkness. She would feel the sun on her skin once more, breathe something other than the dank air of the sunless forest.They would be free.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When they arrived, the gates of the Southern Fort were firmly shut.Leaping off Lieutenant Rizavi's horse, Pidge glowered up at the watchtower. She could see people in it, but they were very obviously trying to ignore them. As ominous and foreboding as the clouds just off to the distance were, she doubted they were so focused on them that they hadn't noticed them at all."Hey there!" Rizavi called up. "Remember me?"The soldiers on duty flinched, looking down at the young lieutenant and what to them probably looked like a common village boy. It was an image that she had been careful to cultivate, in hopes of evading anyone that her mother had sent to search for her. Not only would she be in a heap of trouble if she was found, she'd also doubtlessly end up dragged back to the palace- and that had been the last thing she had wanted.Until she'd gotten some answers, she'd had no plans of going back home.Well, she'd gotten those answers now- or at least, some of them. She'd also gotten an entirely unexpected destiny flung at her- for all that she had read and studied the prophecy countless times since the disappearance of her father and Matt, she never once stopped to think if it could be about her. She'd always thought that her role in life would be to one day become her brother's personal advisor, seeing as she had zero intentions of marrying into another family, diplomatic relations be damned."Lieutenant Rizavi!" One of the soldiers awkwardly saluted. "First Lieutenant Benedict didn't say you would be returning!"He looked kind of young, Pidge thought- older than her, but still young. They both did, she noted, glancing over towards the other guard, the one that remained staunchly silent. Maybe new recruits?Rizavi's nose crinkled at the mention of the First Lieutenant's name. It wasn't hard to guess that he was the guy who had turned tail and ran as soon as it was revealed that Commander Linwood was actually Sendak, a Galra imposter and skin-wearer sent across the boundary to spy on them. Unfortunately, if he was First Lieutenant, then it also meant that he was the one in charge of the Southern Fort in the absence of its commanding officer.Great. So a coward was in charge. Maybe Miss Lia had been right to ask her to come with the lieutenant."Well, I'm back." Rizavi said. "And I'm not alone. We've got several dozen refugees looking for sanctuary- and fast. Trouble's on its way.""Trouble, Lieutenant?" The guard asked anxiously, glancing nervously back towards the dark clouds. "Is it... is it, you know...?""Galra trouble?" Pidge finished for him, sensing that he was dancing around the subject.As soon as the word Galra left her lips, both guards flinched. Pidge huffed. So not only had the First Lieutenant presumably sealed the gates, but he'd also put a pair of rookie cowards in charge of the watchtower. That made things infinitely more difficult."Ssh," the guard hushed her, almost comically frantic, "-what if you bring them here?""It's broad daylight." Pidge rolled her eyes, pointedly ignoring the presence of the dark clouds off to the distance. It definitely wasn't daylight there, and there were definitely Galra forces taking sanctuary in them, but the guards definitely didn't need to know that."The Galra are on their way." Rizavi said, apparently having an entirely different estimation of the guards than she did. "That's exactly why we need to get those gates open. The lives of innocent people are at stake."The guards exchanged a glance, before the one that had been silent up until now finally spoke up. "We can't do that. First Lieutenant's orders. Nobody is to come in.""Your commanding officer would have innocent lives put in danger?" Rizavi asked.The guards shifted uncomfortably, clearly not okay with that. "But if Commander Linwood was... you know, then whose to say that these innocent people are all human?"Pidge bristled, narrowing her eyes. "So you would just let them all die?!"The pair flinched, exchanging a glance. "Well... no. But the First Lieutenant's orders-""Forget the First Lieutenant's orders!" Pidge yelled, loud enough to make them flinch. "I order you to open these gates!"The guards merely exchanged a befuddled look, prompting Pidge to sigh and roll her eyes. Grabbing her hood, she yanked it down, brushing aside her cloak to display the green jewel set on the hilt of Matt's dagger that she wore at her waist. Taking off Matt's glasses, she reached into one of her traveler's pouches, pulling out a green gem emblazoned with the Holt family crest on it. It was the one thing that she had brought with her to prove her identity- everything else she had left behind at the palace. Holding it aloft, she let the sun shine on it."In the name of Katherine Holt, first princess of Garrison kingdom, I command you to open these gates."For a few seconds, all the guards did was stare- before they burst into a flurry of activity. She might have cut her hair in an attempt to not be recognized, but there was no denying the Holt family crest, or the green stone set on her brother's dagger. They were all signs that she was royalty, dressed as a peasant though she might be.She heard the sound of the gates being opened before she actually saw them move. Satisfied, she tucked the crest stone away, putting Matt's glasses back on. She wasn't keen on revealing her true identity, but it had been the fastest way to open the gates."Hah," Rizavi had the audacity to laugh, and the further audacity to smirk, "-I knew it. You are the princess.""Well don't go telling the whole world about it." Pidge grumbled. "I'm incognito.""And you're doing a great job at it." Rizavi said, in a tone that left her unable to decipher if she was being sarcastic or not. "You might want to keep that crest handy. I don't imagine the First Lieutenant's going to be too happy about the sudden influx of people into his base.""I could always order you to be put in charge." Pidge suggested."Oh, that would really make him mad." Rizavi said, grinning like an imp- and for the first time, Pidge got the feeling she might actually like her. "But no. Believe it or not, I actually like the perimeter scouts.""Wow. That makes exactly one of you." Pidge remarked- the perimeter scouts were well known for being an unpopular position in the military. There were no good assignments- you either scouted the area around the Deep Forest, where the weather was typically decent, but carried the threat of Galra, or you were positioned on one of the other two land borders. The climate to the north was cold as balls year round, and to the east, they either had to deal with the massive rift that divided part of their country from their neighbors, or the vast desert that didn't seem to know how not to be hot.Basically, nobody wanted to be a perimeter scout."Hey, what can I say?" Rizavi shrugged. "It lets you meet interesting people. Like paladins."Pidge just snorted, biting back a comment that she sure didn't feel like a paladin. Sure, she could hold her own in a fight if she absolutely had to, but her? A legendary hero? All she wanted to do was find her family, not fight the Galra. She'd never even been in a real fight in her entire life, just sparring sessions with her tutors back at the palace.At least she had Shiro with her. She might have some doubts about being a paladin, but Shiro? He was perfect for the part."Come on," Rizavi said, "-let's go make sure those gates stay open."By the time they arrived at the Southern Fort, the gates were wide open. He and the rest of his family were escorted inside the fort by soldiers, but instead of depositing them just inside the gates, they were lead deeper into the fort itself. It looked like older construction- they must have been the warded areas that Miss Lia had told Pidge about. It didn't look that different from the rest of the fort to him, but hey, he wasn't the one with magical Seer powers.Speaking of Pidge, he couldn't find him anywhere- or Nadia, for that matter. He'd expected them to be with the other villagers, but he guessed maybe they were still dealing with some important business or something like that. Still, it was nice to see so many people that he recognized- he knew that there were still some stragglers, but otherwise almost everyone was accounted for at this point. For the first time since he had learned they were going to evacuate the village, Lance felt himself actually relax a little. Even the clouds, once so dark and ominous, looked like they were starting to fade.He had to promise his mother that he wasn't going to go anywhere before she let him go, but eventually, she did. Seeking out Hunk, Lance spotted him with his parents, sharing a loaf of bread between them. It smelled so good that his stomach announced his presence long before he could call out his friend's name."Want some?" Hunk asked, offering a piece of the loaf to him."Please." Lance said, taking a seat next to his friend. Taking a bite, an expression of bliss crossed his face. Miss Lia's cooking might have an exotic flare that made it irresistible, but there was something to be said for the classic, homey cooking style of Hunk and his parents. Even now, after having fled their homes, it still somehow managed to taste like it."Hunk, pal," Lance began, swallowing his food, "-you're the best.""I try." Hunk said. "So how's your family holding up?""As well as anyone, I guess." Lance frowned, glancing over in their direction. "Luis' kids are starting to get kind of fussy. I think it's finally dawned on them that we're not going back home. Dad's trying to explain that we're all going to see Veronica, but...""...but they're not that stupid, huh?" Hunk asked."Nope." Lance said. "I mean, yeah, that's probably where they'll end up, with Veronica, but the kids know better than to think that's the reason why we're all leaving.""Mm, yeah." Hunk said. "Guess that would be pretty hard to explain."They were all gathered in one big room, large enough to contain a sizable chunk of the village's population. There were windows cut into the walls, from which bright sunlight filtered in, and a single staircase on the far end that led up to the roof. He glanced in its direction, tempted to go up and check the status of the clouds for himself, but for the moment he remained where he was, enjoying what might be the last piece of home-cooked food he'd be able to enjoy for awhile.Hunk caught his look, frowning. "So... do you think Miss Lia and Yorak are okay?""I mean... those shadow things haven't come to attack the fort yet, so I guess?" Lance shrugged."Good point." Hunk admitted. "Did you see Captain Shirogane?""He stayed by the gates." Lance said. "Said he wanted to wait and make sure everything was clear before he joined us. I'm assuming he'll come back when Miss Lia and Yorak do.""Guess he really doesn't like not being part of the action." Hunk said."Guess not." Lance said.He wasn't sure how he felt about it. Part of him felt bad about sitting here and doing nothing, but the rest of him sort of knew that there was nothing he could do. Maybe he was a paladin, like they said, but that didn't mean he knew any magic or could conjure any spirits or anything like that. All he could do was fire a bow, and somehow he didn't think that would be very useful against a bunch of formless shadows, no matter how good of a shot he was.And part of him... part of him just didn't want to leave his family. Leaving his home was one thing, but his family? Lance had never been apart from them. Even when he'd visited the capital, he'd been with Veronica almost the entire time. He'd never been by himself before, and he wasn't so sure if he even wanted to be.Lance's gaze flickered towards Hunk's parents, again wondering what he had told them. Eventually he gave into temptation, leaning closer to Hunk and dropping his voice down to a whisper. "So, uh... did you tell your parents?""You mean about the whole paladin thing?" Hunk asked, glancing over towards his parents. "I mean... yeah, of course I did. Didn't you tell yours?"Lance winced. Honestly, the conversational tone with which Hunk had chosen to answer his hushed question should have been answer enough, but it kind of stung to know that he was the only one who had lied to his parents. Except he hadn't actually lied to them, he was quick to correct himself. He just... he just hadn't told them everything yet, that was all."Not yet?" Lance said weakly."Lance," Hunk said carefully, "-buddy. You need to tell them.""I know, I know!" Lance said. "I just- not yet. But I'll tell them."Hunk frowned, but didn't press the issue. Biting back a sigh of relief, Lance glanced guiltily over towards his family. He knew Hunk was right, and that he should tell them sooner than later, but... he just couldn't stop thinking about the way his mom had held his wrist like she was afraid he might disappear.She wasn't exactly wrong.Chewing on his lip, Lance stared down at his half-eaten slice of bread. It wasn't like he'd never be coming back, right? He just had to do this paladin thing first. And it wasn't like he'd be alone! Hunk would be with him, and sure, maybe his first impression of Pidge hadn't been great, but he was starting to kind of like the guy. And Captain Shirogane! He'd be working with one of his heroes!But who knew how long defeating the Galra would take. What if he couldn't do it? What if he died, hundreds of miles away from his family, without them ever knowing? What then?"Hey." Hunk gave him a pat on the back, giving him a reassuring smile. "You know worrying's my job, right?"That got a laugh out of him, which he suspected was Hunk's intention. "It's just a lot to take in.""No, I hear you." Hunk said. "I mean, me? A paladin? I'm not about to question a Seer, but I'm the type who runs away from fights, not towards them.""Hey, you'd be a great paladin." Lance reassured him. "And besides, you didn't run away back in the village with Sendak.""Well yeah, but all I did was hide on the roof and shoot arrows at the ground." Hunk said. "You're the one who actually shot Sendak."Lance just snorted. "Yeah, for all the good that it did. I think all I managed to do was just make him angrier.""Hey, at least you did something." Hunk insisted. "I was too scared to even move.""Don't be so hard on yourself, Hunk." Lance said. "I know better than anyone that you can be brave where it counts."Hunk gave him a faint smile in reply, though Lance couldn't shake that he hadn't taken his words to heart. Instead of pushing, Lance just squeezed his shoulder, before glancing over towards one of the windows. He sure hoped everything was going okay out there, because he'd rather not have to find out the hard way whether or not they were actually cut out to be paladins.Shiro watched the sky with the expression of an impatient man, his hand hovering over the hilt of his sword nearly the entire time. It was only once the clouds started to slowly break up that he allowed some of the tension he'd been holding to leave him, but even then, he held onto it until Lia and Yorak were both in sight. Yorak was leaning on his mother for support, half-dragging his left leg behind him, but otherwise they both appeared to have emerged from the ordeal relatively unharmed.Against those odds, he'd expected worse.Striding forward to meet them, Shiro extended a hand to help take some of Yorak's weight off of his mother. She merely held up a hand, shaking her head, so he just as quickly withdrew his offer. Up close, the leg injury looked painful, but he wasn't about to force them to accept his help. He'd already started to get the impression that these two were pretty stubborn.(Could he say any different of himself? Not if the prince and princess had anything to say about it, he couldn't.)"I heard from the village elder's son." Shiro said instead. "Everyone's present and accounted for, including the merchants."Lia gave him a curt nod of her head. "Good. Help me get Yorak inside.""Should I ask for a doctor?" Shiro asked, glancing down towards his leg."No." Yorak hastily said, through grit teeth. "No doctor. I can take care of this on my own."Glancing up towards Lia, she merely shook her head. Biting his lip, Shiro had to admit he didn't like the idea of leaving his leg untreated, but that wasn't his call. Instead, he just paved the way for the pair, just in case anyone decided to prevent them from entering the safety of the fort. He didn't miss the apprehensive looks the soldiers cast towards Yorak, and he had to admit that with his strange armor and masked appearance, he did look kind of suspicious. He held his tongue, unsure of how much they wanted to share with the general populace of the fort."Shiro!" Pidge called out to them, spotting them from across the way. Taking one look at Yorak, she excused herself from Nadia, who was talking to what looked to be the Southern Fort's Second Lieutenant. He didn't have to ask what had happened to the first- he'd already heard the chatter. Apparently he'd been removed of his position henceforth, leaving the mantle of leadership to fall to the third in command.The gates might have been open when he'd arrived with the villagers, but apparently they hadn't always been that way. He'd be surprised if the man went without punishment, but somehow he got the feeling that the queen would be far more interested in the fact that someone claiming to be her daughter had been the one to order the removal.He cringed a bit at the thought. He knew he still needed to report back to Colleen. Nadia had sent a messenger falcon to the capital to inform her of recent events, but he wasn't sure how much she had told her about him and the princess. He could only imagine that she would have a regiment of soldiers marching out here posthaste if she heard about Katie being here.He didn't even have to ask to know that she was probably worried sick about her daughter. With her husband and son missing, Pidge was all she had left. It was a testament to how strong she was that she'd managed to hold it all together."Pidge," Shiro greeted her, "-any chance you can find us somewhere Yorak can lay down?""That shouldn't be a problem." Pidge said, glancing down at Yorak's leg, then up at the now clear blue skies. "So what happened with the weird shadow things?""They're gone." Yorak said curtly. "And the witch who sent them won't be able to send anything else like that for awhile. We should be safe.""You should still tell the soldiers to burn bonfires tonight as a precaution." Lia added, that part mostly directed towards him."Understood." Shiro nodded. "So about that room...?""Without windows, if possible." Lia quickly added.Pidge cocked a brow at the addition, but still turned to look in the direction of the Second Lieutenant. They had been speaking loudly enough for them to overhear, so the man gave them a curt nod of his head, summoning a soldier to show them the way. Yorak grunted a little as they changed direction, but he otherwise didn't complain."Should I get a doctor?" Pidge asked. "Because that looks pretty bad.""It's fine." Yorak said. "I can treat it myself."Pidge glanced up towards him. It was all Shiro could do to shrug his shoulders. There was clearly something going on here, but whatever it was, it was also true that at every turn, Lia and Yorak had saved them. If it hadn't been for them, he might have already been recaptured by the Galra, and they might be well on the way to breaking not only the seal that kept them in the Deep Forest, but also breaking the seal on their Emperor.Whoever- whatever- they might be, it was obvious they were allies.Thankfully the trek to the room wasn't a long one. The soldier who had guided them said something about fetching a bedroll, but Yorak gave him a firm shake of his head, carefully lying down on the hard floor without complaint. Judging from the fine layer of dust, he was going to guess the room hadn't been used in awhile- understandable, given the fact that it was so dark in here. Although the soldier quickly moved to light a trio of dusty lanterns, it only lent so much light to the room.Mother and son, he noted, seemed completely unbothered by the lack of light. It made some sense- he'd heard tales of there being places up in the north where it stayed dark for months on end. The lands there were apparently sacred to many of the Northern Tribes, forbidden to outsiders. The souls of ancient warriors gathered there, waiting for the next big war.Exhaling, Yorak removed his mask, hooking it on his belt. He was once again struck by just how pale the Northerner was. It made his already dark hair look even darker by comparison. Catching him looking, Yorak narrowed his eyes, which managed to look visibly purple even in the near dark."Something on my face?" He asked."No, it's just..." Shiro trailed off, uncertain. "Have we... have we met before?"He might have been the one to ask the question, but he still found himself caught off guard by it. It was true that Yorak didn't look familiar to him at all, but there was something about him that felt familiar, he just wasn't sure what."No." Yorak said curtly. "We haven't."Shiro frowned, for some reason having a hard time believing that, if only just because he rarely doubted his own intuition. Still, he couldn't say where he would have met Yorak- there was only one time period he had a tough time recalling, and that was when he had been captured by the Galra. A human like Yorak would have stuck out like a sore thumb, and he somehow doubted that he was a fellow prisoner, so suffice to say, it couldn't have been where he'd met him."If you don't mind," Lia spoke up, "-we would like some privacy."Exchanging a glance with Pidge, who had just been watching the pair silently, all Shiro could do was shrug again. "You heard the lady.""Sure, I guess." Pidge frowned. "If you need anything-""We will be sure to let you know." Lia finished.Pidge just shrugged, already turning on her heel to leave. He hesitated for just a second, before he bowed his head, hurrying behind his princess. The soldier that had shown them to the room had already left, leaving the mother and son pair alone in the room."Is it just me," Pidge began, once they were out of earshot, "-or does Yorak seem like he's trying to avoid the sun?""I'm sure he has a good reason." Shiro said, not too shocked that she'd picked up on it. He already knew how clever she was."Well, yeah, but... don't you think it's strange?" Pidge asked, coming to a stop and glancing behind her. "I mean, I thought aversion to sunlight was a Galra thing.""I think we would know if Yorak was Galra." Shiro pointed out. "Besides, we all saw Sendak walk in sunlight before he lost his skin.""True." Pidge admitted, before glancing at his right arm. "So how is...?""It's fine." Shiro said, a little more curtly than he meant to. Heaving a sigh, he gave her an apologetic glance. "It stings a little under direct sunlight, but the bandages keep it pretty well hidden. I don't think it'll be a problem."Pidge nodded, chewing on her lip. "I just don't like thinking about what they did to you. What if dad and Matt-?""I'm sure His Highness and the prince are fine." Shiro reassured her, resting his left hand on her shoulder. "They're both fighters, just like you.""Please," Pidge rolled her eyes, but she still cracked a smile, "-dad couldn't fight his way out of a group of blind children.""You know what I mean." Shiro told her, arching a brow at her choice of expression."I do." Pidge said. "And thanks. It's good to have you back.""Believe me, it's good to be back." Shiro told her. "Now come on. We should check on the others.""Are they gone?""They're gone." Krolia said, sitting down next to him. "How's your leg?""It's been better." Keith remarked, grimacing as he tried to move it. Definitely broken. "Thanks for putting me down, by the way."Krolia just huffed, the edges of her lips twitching upwards in amusement. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Mothers carry their children all the time.""Yeah, but not their adult children." Keith pointed out.Krolia merely scoffed. "You are barely over two hundred. Still a child."Keith's lips twisted into a frown. "I've been through the rites of adulthood.""The human rites, yes." Krolia agreed."And the trials." Keith added."Perhaps." Krolia agreed. "Now let me see your leg."Keith grumbled at the change of subject, but still relented. He tried not to wince as Krolia ran her hands over it, so feather-light that he could barely feel their touch, and yet it was more than enough to send a spike of pain through the broken limb. Now that he was away from the heat of battle, he had to admit that it actually was kind of painful."I can set and splint the limb." Krolia told him, rather matter-of-factly. "Alfor's daughter should be able to heal it.""Just have to get up there first, huh?" Keith asked."You could have someone carry you." Krolia suggested, the edge of a smirk on her lips."No thanks." Keith said firmly. He couldn't imagine asking either Shirogane or the big one to carry him. There was little chance the beanpole and the human princess would even be able to. "I'll just use a summon.""A fire summon on a snowy mountain?" Krolia asked, arching her brows. "Just try not to set the whole thing on fire.""Please," folding his arms in front of him, Keith rolled his eyes, "-I have more control than that."Krolia merely hummed, carefully tracing the broken bone through his armor. There was no attempt to remove it, as a human doctor might have tried to do. "Tell that to Antok."Keith flinched, and not just because of the pain this time. "That was different. I was still learning then.""Hm." Krolia said, resting her hands against his leg in preparation for setting it. "You're just lucky he took the armor, or you might have actually done some damage."Keith huffed, looking away. He'd definitely admit that controlling his fire magic had taken some time, but he'd mastered it since then. He'd gained the power after his first attempt to visit the Castle of Lions- he hadn't been able to get in, but he hadn't walked away empty-handed either. He could only imagine that once he bonded with his lion, his power would grow even more."Do you think they'll be able to handle it?" Keith asked."The paladins?" Krolia asked, her gaze briefly flickering up towards him even as she expertly set the broken bone back in place. "Perhaps. It may take them time, however."Grunting, Keith clenched his teeth, trying to ignore the sharp spike of pain that shot through his leg. Once it was set, it felt a little better, but Krolia was right- it probably would need to be splinted, at least until he could get Alfor's daughter to heal it. He hated to think how long it would take to heal naturally- he might heal faster than a human, but he was still much slower than a full-blooded Galra.Any time spent recuperating was lost time. They'd already lost enough of it as it was because of his blunder at the barrier."I don't know if we have time." Keith said. "Haggar and the Galra are getting restless. Kidnapping the king's expedition was just the start.""So we are all aware. The weakening barrier has given them cause to chafe at their chains more than ever." Krolia observed, rising to her feet. "But we also don't have much of a choice."Keith grunted, unable to say anything to that."Stay here." Krolia said. "I'll find something to splint your leg with."Keith just nodded, watching his mother leave. Once he was gone, he turned his attention back to his leg, grimacing as he rested a hand on his knee. Without his armor to protect him, it could have been much worse, something which he was keenly aware of. Thinking on that, he lifted his arm, staring at the gauntlet it was encased in. He ran two fingers over the length of it, checking on the overall status of his armor's enchantment. It needed to be renewed periodically, especially after taking damage, but everything seemed to be in order. The blood it absorbed from Sendak must have helped.Good. The less blood magic he did around humans, the better.
"I'm pretty sure it just means killing Galra, Hunk. They aren't exactly
people
."
Narrowing his eyes at the recollection, Keith clenched his fist. He just had to keep reminding himself that they didn't know that there were Galra who fought against Zarkon, then and now. It wasn't common knowledge here, like it was up in the North, where Haggar's spies were few and the Blade of Marmora could operate freely. But here, in this kingdom? She'd done everything she could to erase the true history of the great war, reducing it to mere legend. Much like the Blade, she knew the value of knowledge, and had turned it into a weapon.But it still chafed at him to hear the magic that was his heritage spoken about with such disgust. And he'd have to fight alongside these people?But Krolia was right- they didn't have much of a choice. The lions had chosen them, and there were no substitutes.He would just have to make do.He was still talking with Hunk when Pidge and Shiro came back, but he noticed them come in right away. The captain cut a hard to miss figure, even more so with that white patch of hair and the scar on the bridge of his nose. Pidge was easier to miss- he was so small, he almost didn't see him standing next to Shiro. Flagging them both down, Lance called out to them."Pidge! Captain Shirogane! Over here!"Shiro caught his eye and smiled. "Lance. Hunk. Good to see the two of you made it okay.""I'll admit, it was pretty touch and go for awhile there." Lance said. "But I'm guessing that since you're here, things are fine now.""They should be." Shiro nodded. "The clouds are gone, and the shadows with them. Lia and Yorak made it back too.""Yeah?" Lance asked, glancing behind the captain, half-expecting to see either the tavernkeeper or the masked paladin there. "They didn't come with you?""Yorak injured his leg, so they're treating that right now." Shiro said."Injured?" Hunk asked. "Is it bad? Because if it's bad, my parents can-""He said no doctors." Pidge cut him off, a tight frown on his face."Huh," Lance frowned, "-guess it must not be that bad then."Shiro looked like he wanted to say something, but decided to hold his tongue instead. "So, the two of you ready to trek up the mountain? I was thinking we should head out first thing tomorrow morning, with the sun. That might have been the last big assault the Galra will be able to muster for awhile, but there could still be a few lurking around past the barrier."Lance flinched. He knew he'd have to separate from his family soon, but he hadn't expected it to be so soon. The sun was already starting to set, so if he subtracted the time he would spend sleeping, that didn't leave him with an awful lot of time to say his goodbyes.Shiro must have caught it, because he frowned, looking down at him. "Something wrong?""I- uh," Lance began, unsure of what to say. He didn't want to tell his hero that he had been too afraid to tell his family that he was a paladin yet. "I haven't-""Lance hasn't told his family that he's a paladin yet." Hunk blurted out."Hunk!" Lance glowered at his friend. "I was going to tell-!""Lance?" His mother's voice was so soft, that he nearly missed it. "What did Hunk just say?"Pivoting on his heel, Lance gaped at his mother. She was right behind him, shock visible on her features- and in the corner of her eyes, he could see a tinge of fear. He hadn't even heard her approach."Mom, I-" Lance began before faltering, glancing behind him towards the other three. They all inched back, even Shiro, though whether it was out of consideration or just because they didn't want to get involved in this conversation, he couldn't tell.Guess he was on his own.Swallowing, Lance looked back at his mother. That was fine. He'd always planned on telling her, he just... he just thought he'd have a little more time, that was all."Mom, I'm sorry, but I can't go to the capital with you." Lance finally got out."What are you talking about?" His mother asked. "Don't you remember? We were going to stay with your sister.""I know, mom." Lance said. "And I would love nothing more than to go with you and everyone, but I can't. You know that whole prophecy thing? Turns out I'm one of the chosen paladins.""I am too, by the way." Hunk chimed in.His mother stared up at him, disbelief clear in her features. "But you're just a child. My child. You should be sticking with your family, not putting your life at risk.""I know." Lance told her. "But I think... I think this is what I'm meant to do."He'd just said that to reassure his mother, but something about it sounded so right to him that he couldn't help but believe it.His mother stared up at him for a few seconds more, before setting her lips in a hard line. "As your mother, I don't want you to go.""I have to-""No, let me finish." His mother cut him off, holding up a hand. "I don't want you to go, it's true. You are my baby, and I want to see you safe, not throwing yourself in harm's way.""But," his mother continued, cupping his cheek affectionately with one hand, "-I have also always known that you were destined for great things. I'd just always hoped that those great things wouldn't take my baby from me."He couldn't help but be profoundly moved by his mother's faith in him. "Mom, I-""Just promise me, Lance." His mother said, taking him into an embrace. "Promise me that you will come back to us."Lance didn't hesitate to return the embrace, feeling tears prick at the corner of his eyes. "I promise. I'll come back home, no matter what. And I'll make sure- I'll make sure we can all go back home. To our real home.""Oh Lance," his mother said, "-anywhere we can be together is already our real home. But even apart, we will always be a family."And that was it. He couldn't hold it back anymore. Recounting the story, he wouldn't be the least bit embarrassed to admit that he'd cried. Who wouldn't? He was leaving his family behind.But that was okay. He wasn't leaving his family forever. He'd be back one day.And that was what mattered the most.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
He hadn't slept.In his defense, he had tried. By the time night fell, he'd even been exhausted. His body still hadn't fully recovered from his time as a Galra prisoner, and the excitement of the day hadn't helped much. He would have liked nothing more than to fall asleep for a few hours, and dream of nothing.Unfortunately, he hadn't.Dreamt of nothing, that was.Pulling the cloak one of the soldiers had generously given him tighter around him, Shiro tried to shake off the chill that had seeped into his bones. He couldn't actually remember the content of his nightmares- all he knew was that every time he tried to sleep, they were waiting for him.He'd eventually just given up.Instead, he'd settled for watching the princess' quarters most of the night, only relieving himself an hour before dawn. He doubted any danger would come to her here, but Sendak had left him uneasy. If there had been one disguised Galra here, who was to say there weren't more?The expedition- well, now he knew how the Galra had found them.Exhaling, he pushed open the door that lead to the inner wall. The pre-dawn chill caused him to shiver, but it was a relief from the self-induced chills of his night terrors. Stepping out onto the wall, he took in a deep breath of cold air, its scent clearing away some of his anxieties. There wasn't much he remembered from his time as a Galra prisoner, but the smell?He remembered the smell."You're up early."Shiro flinched, having fully expected to be alone on the wall. There were a few soldiers still patrolling, though they were mostly sticking to the outer wall. Most of the fort was asleep, trying to get whatever rest they could before what was sure to be a long day. There would be other refugees making their way here, seeking passage through the Lion's Mountains. According to Second Lieutenant Rizavi, those stationed here had decided to stay until they could be sure they'd gotten as many villagers through as possible.Even if that meant being here when the barrier broke."Couldn't sleep." Shiro said truthfully. "What about you?"Yorak narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms in front of him. His face was paler than yesterday, which was saying something."Yeah," he said, "-me too."Shiro hummed, leaning against the rampart. He made sure to give Yorak his fair share of distance- he seemed like the type who valued his personal space."How's your leg?""Better," Yorak said, his hand darting down towards it in a way that made Shiro think it wasn't better at all, "-how's-?""My arm?" Shiro finished, lifting up the limb in question. It was the only part of him that wasn't cold. "It's been better."He swore Yorak's lips twitched upwards, but he quickly ducked his head before he could confirm it. There was something almost oddly familiar about all this, but he bit back yesterday's question. He definitely would remember if he'd met someone like Yorak before. Northerners weren't exactly this common this far from the border."So," Shiro said instead, turning to look towards the Lion's Mountains, "-guess we're climbing those today, huh?""Guess so." Yorak said. "We should probably wake the others soon. The sooner we get started, the faster we can get that new barrier up.""And you're positive this... moon maiden can do that?" Shiro asked.Yorak nodded. "Positive.""Good." Shiro nodded. "I don't need my memories of the past half year to know that the last thing we want is for the Galra to be able to roam freely over the kingdom."Something in Yorak's gaze flickered, but it was gone before he could place it. He took a step back, keeping all of his weight on his right leg. "I should probably get ready."Shiro frowned, wondering if he'd said something wrong. "Do you need help? I could-""I'm fine," Yorak cut him off, "-but... um, thanks.""Alright," Shiro's frown only deepened, trying not to stare at his injured leg too hard, "-if you're sure.""I'm sure." Yorak said. "It's not as bad as it looks."He wasn't sure he believed that, but he sensed it was better not to argue. Yorak didn't look much older than Lance and Hunk, but something told him that he was a world away from the two of them in terms of experience. He wondered what kind of childhood he'd had- if he'd had any at all. He seemed pretty involved in all of this.If the Galra had their way, a few missed childhoods would be the least of their problems."In that case, I'll-" Shiro began, only to abruptly cut himself off, realizing that he was talking to empty air. He hadn't even heard Yorak leave.Huh.Huffing slightly, Shiro turned his gaze back towards the mountains. He could just barely make out their silhouette in the darkness, distant and looming. Turning to look behind him, he tried to see the Deep Forest that he knew was behind them, but it was too far away for him to see.He didn't need to see it, not when part of him swore he could feel it.Turning away, Shiro closed his eyes, letting out a long breath. The chill was back, but something told him it wasn't the kind the morning sun would be able to chase away.Dawn.The sun had just crested above the horizon, causing the snowcapped mountains to glitter as if they were gems. And if it weren't so damn early, Lance might have actually appreciated it.But it was, in fact, too damn early.Even worse, the culprit who had dragged them all out of bed wasn't even here. There wasn't any sign of the paladin. The only people out here were him, Hunk, Pidge, and Shiro."Are you sure this is where we were supposed to meet?" Hunk asked, shifting nervously on his feet. "Maybe he said somewhere else.""I'm pretty sure he said to wait outside of the fort." Pidge said, even as he glanced behind him as if to double check."Yeah, but maybe he meant the other side?" Hunk asked."Why would he mean the other side?" Pidge asked, arching a brow. "The mountains are on this side, and that's kind of where we're headed.""I'm sure he'll be here in a little while." Shiro said. "He did hurt his leg.""Didn't stop him from dragging us all out of bed before dawn." Lance countered- even if, yeah, there was no denying that Yorak had been limping pretty badly at the time. He'd heard from Shiro that he'd injured his leg during the fight with... well, whatever those things had been, but he assumed it hadn't been that bad since he'd asked for no doctors. But judging from the way it had been splinted...Nope. Nun-uh. He was not going to show concern for the jerk who had woken him up before dawn and denied him his last few hours with his family. He'd tried to go back to sleep, and he probably would still be asleep if it hadn't been for Shiro. While he would gladly ignore Yorak, Captain Shirogane was a different story.At least he'd said all his goodbyes yesterday. His mother and Marco had woken briefly, awakened by all the noise, but he'd told them to go back to sleep. They had a long journey ahead of them too, and they needed to get all the rest they could get. He got the feeling that his mother really did want to get up and say her final goodbyes to him outside the fort, but the exhaustion of the previous day had eventually won out.(Hunk's parents had briefly woken too, and they'd exchanged an embrace before reluctantly letting him go.Pidge and Shiro had no one.)"The earlier a start we get, the better." Shiro said, turning his gaze towards the mountains. "The last thing you want is to be caught on a mountain when night falls.""Especially when there might be Galra around." Pidge added.Lance shivered, pulling his cloak tighter. As much as he wanted to pretend that it was due to the early morning chill, he knew better.Yesterday had been terrifying."You don't think there will be any, right?" Hunk asked. "Galra, I mean.""You don't have to worry about that."He definitely didn't jump at the sound of Yorak's voice. Turning on his heel, Lance glared at the paladin, his features once again obscured underneath an expressionless mask. He was still favoring his left leg, all his weight shifted onto his right.Miss Lia was nowhere to be found."Are you sure about that?" Hunk asked. "I mean, I didn't even think there were any Galra before yesterday, and now-""Even if there are Galra on the mountain, they won't be able to follow us." Yorak explained. "Only those chosen by the lions of Voltron can reach the Castle of Lions.""Okay, that's-""There may be bears, though," Yorak added."-good." Hunk finished. "Except for the bears. That's less good.""Relax," Yorak limped past them, dragging his left leg behind him, "-we should get to the Castle before sunset.""Are you sure you're fine to walk?" Shiro asked, his concern obvious on his face. "Your leg looks pretty bad.""I'll be fine." Yorak shrugged off his concern. "I won't be walking anyways."Frowning, Lance exchanged a glance with Hunk, who just shrugged."So how do you plan on getting there if you're not walking?" Pidge asked. "Fly?"Yorak turned back to look at them- and somehow, he was almost positive he was smiling behind that mask. He wordlessly retrieved something from one of his belt pouches, before crouching closer to the earth. Leaning to one side so that he could get a better look at whatever it was, he just barely caught the shape of what appeared to be a dog figure. Tilting his mask slightly forward, Yorak blew on it before burying the figure in the earth."...and that did what, exactly?" Lance asked, arching a brow.Yorak simply hummed, lowering his mask and taking a step back.Exchanging a look with both Hunk and Pidge this time, they each simply shook their heads. Lance's frown deepened as he shifted on his feet, wondering what exactly they were supposed to be waiting for--and got his answer in the form of a wolf.It didn't come from out of the trees, like one would normally expect. Instead it grew out of the earth, slowly taking shape. Its eyes glowed an eerie yellow, and its fur was so dark that it glinted almost blue in the early dawn sunlight. It stood taller than Yorak, almost as tall as Shiro, looming over the rest of them in a way that was, frankly, terrifying.Yorak calmly pet its snout and called it a good boy."What," Lance said, "-is that?""It's a familiar."Turning to look at Shiro, Lance frowned. "What's a familiar?""I used to hear rumors from the perimeter scouts about them." Shiro said, his eyes wide- almost in awe, Lance thought. "They said that Northern magicians could create animals from the earth. I just... didn't think it was true.""They're not exactly made from the earth." Yorak remarked, turning to look their way. "They're just a manifestation of my magic given physical form.""So uh, quick question," Hunk said, "-does this whole paladin thing mean we'll be able to summon one of those?""Pretty sure Shiro just said its Northern magic, not paladin stuff." Pidge said."No, I know." Hunk said. "But still-""I could teach you how to make one, if you want." Yorak offered. "But it takes a lot of magic power to do it. You should probably just focus on developing your own first.""Wait, okay, hold up," Lance said, holding up his hands, "-what do you mean, our magic?"For a second, Yorak didn't respond, instead whistling to his huge ass magic wolf, which responded by lowering itself to the ground. Yorak mounted it, which answered the question of how he planned on getting up a mountain with a broken leg while also highlighting just how terrifyingly large the wolf actually was. Only then did Yorak look back down at them, cocking his head slightly."Didn't I tell you?" Yorak asked. "Paladins can use magic.""No!" Lance exclaimed. "You most definitely did not tell us that!""Oh," he could have sworn that Yorak frowned under his mask, "-is that a problem?""More like the opposite of a problem." Lance said, adjusting his pack with a newfound sparkle in his eye. "What are we doing waiting around here? We've got a castle to find!"Yorak hummed, before shrugging. With a whistle, his wolf stood up, heading towards the beginning of the path that lead to the Lion's mountains. Lance followed behind him, everyone else slowly rousing out of their stupors to follow. Compared to how he had felt just a few minutes ago, now he was practically brimming with excitement.Magic! Real, actual magic, not just potions and stuff! He'd be able to-"Lance!""Hunk!"Freezing in their tracks, he and Hunk met each others eyes, before turning to look behind them. There, gathered together on the wall of the fort, were their families, waving at them. Even his niece and nephew were there, still sleepy as their parents held them with one arm and waved with the other. Feeling a surge of emotion at the sight, Lance had to fight back his tears, instead lifting his hand to wave back. Hunk didn't even try, letting his tears fall freely as he waved frantically back towards his parents."We'll be waiting for you both at the capital!" Rachel called out. "Come and see us when you can!""We will!" Lance called back without thinking, not knowing if he'd even be able to fulfill that promise. "I promise!""Take care of yourselves!" Hunk's mother called out. "Be careful!""We will!" Hunk called back. "Tell Uncle Filo to have a big feast ready for us!"Lance sniffed, only tearing his gaze away from his family when he felt a hand on his shoulder. There was an understanding expression on Shiro's face as he gave his shoulder a light squeeze, silently telling him that they had to go. Wiping the stray tear that had leaked out in spite of his efforts to hold them back, Lance took one last good look at his family, before he turned back towards the mountains.They had to go.He wasn't sure how long they stayed on that wall, watching them make their way towards the Lion's Mountains. Maybe they stayed until they were out of sight, and maybe for awhile after that still. He didn't dare look back to check- he knew that if he did, he'd change his mind for sure.He had to go.As they stepped onto the mountain path, Keith spared one last glance back towards the Southern Fort. He didn't need to search to find his mother- he could feel the pull of her magic, tracing it back to the roof of one of the fort's watchtowers. To anyone else, she would be little more than a black dot on the horizon, but while his eyes weren't as good as a full blooded Galra, they were still sharp.She saluted him as a Blade.He saluted back.She watched until she couldn't see him anymore.Closing her eyes, Krolia turned sharply on her heel. This was far from the first time that she had parted ways with her son, but one of the things that had surprised her so much about parenthood was that it never really got any easier. It had been bad enough when he'd been sent to infiltrate Zarkon's ranks on his own, but now he was off to face the destiny that had been his birthright since before he had even been born.When he'd left before, she at least had the reassurance of his visions having not yet come to fruition, but now she did not even have that.And she could not see the lions herself.Making her way down the watchtower, she stepped out into the courtyard. Lance and Hunk's families hadn't moved from the outer wall, even though she knew they had lost sight of their children long before she had. She stared up at them for a long moment, before looking away, knowing that the fear they held in their hearts must be twice as great as hers. To them, their children were off to fight monsters out of legend- beings that they knew little about, other than myth and rumor.It had to be terrifying.The least she could do was make sure they got across the pass safely. She doubted that Haggar had any further traps at the ready, but caution was always prudent. Once they were across, and the barrier had been raised, she would part from these people and seek out her own. Kolivan was likely waiting for her report.She didn't intend to keep him waiting much longer."So, just for the record," Lance began, "-you do actually know where you're going, right?""Yes."Keith didn't even bother looking back in Lance's direction. Thus far he'd seemed intent on trying to get under his skin for once reason or another, but he refused to let him.(Even if it was tempting.)"Are you sure?" Lance asked. "Because I'm pretty sure we've been walking for like an hour, and all I can see is snow. There's no sign of any castles."'Yes, I'm sure." Keith said, gritting his teeth. His familiar picked up on his irritation, but he quickly calmed the both of them. "I said we'd get there before sunset, not that we'd get there in an hour. We still have another four before we make it to the summit.""Wha- four hours?!" Lance blurted out, as if he'd just now figured out this wasn't a casual little stroll. "Isn't there like a secret paladin path we can take or something?""This is the secret paladin path." Keith actually did peer over his shoulder this time, cocking a brow behind his mask. "But if you'd prefer, we could take the long route. It should only take us about eight hours from this point."Lance visibly blanched, holding up his hand. "Nope. Four hours is fine, thanks.""Actually," Hunk began, looking a little winded, "-is there any chance we could take a break? Catch our breath a little?"Keith frowned, glancing back at Hunk. He wasn't the only one who looked out of breath- Pidge looked pretty winded too. Shiro was faring better, but it was still obvious that he hadn't completely recovered from the effects of his imprisonment. Lance, in spite of all of his bluster, looked pretty worn out too.Right. These were humans. He'd spent so much time with Galra lately, that he'd forgotten what they were like.Heaving a sigh, he gave a low whistle to his familiar, asking him to stop. "Fifteen minutes. Then we're back to walking.""Not that you're doing any actual walking," he caught Lance mutter underneath his breath. He chose to ignore it. If it weren't for his leg, he would be.Still, the group seemed to otherwise relax at his words. Hunk wasted no time in brushing snow off a nearby rock, groaning as he took a seat. Pidge flopped next to him, squeezing into the extra space he'd left, totally missing the faint way Lance frowned at her. He half expected him to make a fuss, but instead he just brushed the snow off a nearby log and took a seat himself. Shiro remained standing, leaning against a tree. He relaxed a little, but Keith could tell he was still keeping a wary eye out.Huffing slightly, he settled for staying back, lightly rubbing one of his wolf's ears. It was better for him to put some distance between himself and the humans. He hadn't exactly come here to be friends with them.(He wasn't sure if he even could.)"Oh yeah," Hunk said, "-that's better.""Tell me about it." Pidge said, taking off her pack and setting it aside. "I'm pretty used to walking at this point, but going up a mountain is hard.""Walk?" Shiro blinked. "You didn't take a horse when you left?""I did," Pidge frowned, "-but it ran off after getting spooked during a storm and I couldn't find it afterwards. I didn't want to attract attention by buying a new one, so I've mostly just been walking or hitching rides on wagons ever since."Shiro frowned, looking visibly displeased by this information. "I don't know if your mother would approve of you hitching rides.""I don't think she'd approve of me running away either." Pidge pointed out. "Besides, what she doesn't know can't hurt her.""Still-""I'm not stupid, Shiro." Pidge rolled her eyes. "I didn't travel with just anyone. Just people who looked trustworthy."He didn't miss the faint way her gaze flickered in his direction as she said that. He bit his lip, digging a hand into his familiar's fur. He wasn't naive enough to believe that he hadn't done anything to earn suspicion, but he hadn't expected it to be from the princess.Then again, she wasn't exactly shaping up like he'd expected."I know you're not stupid," Shiro said, "-but appearances-""-can be deceiving?" Pidge finished, her hand hovering over something hidden inside of her cloak. "That's why I kept the dagger."Yeah. This princess was definitely different than his expectations."So," Lance cut in, breaking what was otherwise a tense silence, "-how is it that you and Captain Shirogane know each other again?"Pidge flinched, abruptly realizing that she'd probably given too much away. Apparently she was keeping the whole princess thing a secret, which- fine by him. He wasn't about to lecture anyone for being close lipped."Like I said," Pidge began, "-my family works with the royal guard sometimes."Shiro frowned, clearly disapproving, but he didn't say anything to the contrary."So you're what?" Lance asked. "A noble? Some merchant's son? No way you're a village kid like me and Hunk.""What makes you think I'm not?" Pidge asked."You mean aside your family working with the royal guard?" Lance asked."...yeah," Pidge said, seemingly realizing her mistake, "-aside from that.""Your clothes." Lance gestured to her shirt. "The material's way too fine."Pidge frowned, picking at her shirt. "Really? I thought this was normal.""I wish that were normal." Lance said. "I would kill for a shirt like that."Pidge hummed, before once more glancing in his direction. He instinctively tensed, silently watching as her gaze tracked over his dragon scale armor."Speaking of unusual materials," she began, "-what's with that armor?"He'd liked it better when he hadn't been a part of this conversation, he quickly decided."Yeah, and what's with that weird mask?" Lance asked. "You wear it like all the time."Turning his head away, he stared at the ground. "It's complicated."He knew that he'd eventually have to tell them the truth, but he wanted to at least get to the Castle first. He might have seen all of them gathered there in his vision, but that didn't necessarily mean that future was set in stone. His gift could be erratic, as expected as one taken from borrowed blood.If they learned he was part Galra..."See, that just sounds suspicious." Lance said."I'm sure Yorak has a good reason," Shiro interjected, "-just like I'm also sure our break is almost over.""Aw, already?" Lance whined, the prospect of more walking blessedly seeming to distract him from his suspicions. "Can't we relax for like, five more minutes?""Yeah, I'm good with that." Hunk said."No," Keith said curtly, "-we need to get to the Castle as soon as possible.""Yorak's right." Shiro said. "The sooner we get to this Castle, the sooner we can have the moon maiden put up the second barrier."There was some grumbling about that, but one by one, everyone got back on their feet. Keith glanced over towards Shiro, vaguely relieved. He'd been worried when he learned he'd lost any memories related to his imprisonment, but even if he'd forgotten him, the person he'd gotten to know hadn't changed. Just knowing that he was one of the paladins was a huge weight off his back.(Though even if he did remember, he still probably wouldn't recognize him- he'd been wearing a different skin then.)With a sharp whistle, his familiar rose to his feet. Lightly rubbing the base of his ears, Keith allowed himself a faint smile before he whistled again, asking it to walk forward. Glancing behind him, he confirmed that the other four were following, and that the break actually seemed to have done them some good.And if Pidge eyed him with unmasked suspicion, then he chose to ignore it.All he had to do was get them to the Castle. All he had to do was fulfill his destiny. He didn't need to be friends.Complicated.If it weren't for the rough terrain, she would have made sure to keep her eyes on Yorak the entire time. Shiro might have defended him, but she wasn't so sure she was ready to fully trust him yet. He was definitely hiding something from them- and she planned on finding out what.If it made her a hypocrite, then so be it. She wasn't about to give out her trust so easily.Look how her father's trust had turned out. Someone had to have betrayed him. It was the only explanation as to why the Galra had known where their expedition was really headed. And now that she knew the legends she'd heard about the Galra's blood magic were actually true......well, a little hypocrisy might be the only thing keeping her safe."So... does it have a name?"Yorak didn't look back at them, but Hunk could tell he'd heard him. Since he spent so much time wearing a mask, he'd switched to using other indicators of how the paladin might be feeling- like, for this instance, a faint twitch of his fingers indicated that he'd definitely heard his question, even if he wasn't responding."...no," Yorak said finally, long after Hunk just assumed he wasn't going to answer."Oh," Hunk frowned, "-uh, why not?""Why do you care?" Yorak asked.Hunk flinched. There wasn't anything actually accusatory in his tone, but even with all the other visual cues, the lack of facial expressions was throwing him off. Plus, if he was being honest... Yorak was kind of intimidating.That just meant he had to get to know him better though, right?"Geez, he was just asking a question." Lance said. "No need to snap at him.""I wasn't-" Yorak began, before cutting himself off. "He just hasn't told me yet.""Oh," Hunk frowned, "-um, I hope he tells you soon?"There was a long pause, and again, Hunk thought that maybe Yorak was ignoring him."...thanks," he said so quietly, that he almost didn't hear him.Huh. Maybe he wasn't that intimidating after all.Shiro was the first one to spot the castle.(It might have been Yorak, but who knew what that weirdo was thinking.)Shiro stopped dead in his tracks, staring upwards. Lance barely avoided walking right into his back, only to be shoved into it anyways, since Hunk wasn't as lucky in avoiding him. He was just about to open his mouth to complain before he caught sight of one of the glimmering white spires himself, his jaw dropping open, expression mirroring that of Shiro's."That's-""-the Castle of Lions." Yorak finished. "We should reach it soon."He barely heard the paladin, too enraptured by the sight before him. When he'd said castle, he'd envisioned something like the center of Garrison City, where the royal palace was located. And while certainly, the building that loomed before them was just as majestic, it was nothing like the palace.In fact, it was nothing like anything he'd ever seen before. The castle was composed of four smaller spires set in a circle around a far more massive fifth spire, stretching up into the horizon. It was constructed of pure white stone, the likes of which he'd never seen, impossibly large gemstones set in each of the spires that reflected the blue of the sky. It almost blended into the background, and suddenly he understood why no one had ever noticed it before.It was breathtaking."Oh man," Lance said, "-the royal palace has nothing on this place."Behind him, Pidge grunted in agreement."I've never seen architecture like this." Shiro observed. "It must be thousands of years old.""Did the moon people build it?" Hunk asked."They're not moon people, they're Alteans," Yorak began, "-and yes. The royal family used to live here before the war.""Well excuse us for not being versed on ancient mythology." Lance rolled his eyes."It's not mythology." Yorak snapped."Okay, you two," Shiro interjected, holding up his hands, "-why don't we just focus on getting to this Castle? We can talk semantics after we get there."Lance frowned, but huffed in acknowledgement. Yorak didn't even do that, just looking away and guiding his wolf forward. He was really starting to not like this guy.Shiro just gave him a sympathetic smile, before he followed after Yorak. Heaving a sigh, Lance adjusted his pack, eager for a chance to just take the thing off and maybe sit down for like, several hours- maybe even take a nap, or at least relax with a nice juice or something. Anything but more mountain climbing.At least their goal was in sight now.(He wondered if his family was having as rough a time crossing the pass. He hoped not.)"Do you think they'll have food?" Hunk asked. "Because all this mountain climbing has me dying for a hot meal.""If the legends are true, then this castle's probably at least ten thousand years old," Pidge said, "-so I'm not sure I'd trust anything lying around in its kitchen.""Yeah, but these moon people-""Alteans," Hunk lightly corrected."-right, Alteans," Lance corrected himself, "-could use some crazy magic, right? Maybe they have a way to preserve food for ten thousand years. I mean, their king obviously had a way to preserve people if his daughter's really locked away in there.""Who knows, she could be a ten thousand year old hag." Pidge teased."No way." Lance said. "I mean, she's a princess, right? She has to be beautiful. That's kind of their thing."Up ahead, he swore Shiro snorted."You haven't met many princesses, have you?" Pidge asked, arching a brow."As a matter of fact, I have not." Lance said."Yeah, I thought not." Pidge grinned.Frowning, Lance squinted at him, but the little imp said nothing further, only picking up the pace to catch up with Shiro. Glancing over towards Hunk, he shrugged his shoulders- while also suspiciously avoiding eye contact. If he knew his friend- and he did- that meant he knew something he didn't.Hmm. Maybe Pidge really was dating the princess.Well, good for him. At least someone around here had a love life. Forget being able to meet a cute girl at the harvest festival, there hadn't even been a harvest festival at all!And now he just sounded like Rachel. Ugh, he'd been walking too long.At least it wouldn't be for much longer now. He swore the closer they got, the more he could sense the Castle, but that was just ridiculous. You couldn't sense castles. It was probably just because it had more of a presence now that he could actually see it- not to mention the closer they got, the bigger it seemed. It really did seem like it could have once been home to a royal family of mystical moon people.It also seemed lonely, somehow."So what do you think she's like?" Hunk asked."Huh?" Lance blinked, startled out of his reverie."The moon maiden," Hunk clarified, "-do you think she's nice? I hope she's nice.""She's a princess, of course she's nice." Lance said. "I mean, that's how they always are in the plays, right? They're always kind, beautiful damsels in distress, waiting for a dashing knight to show up and save them.""Yeah, I'm not so sure that's how it works in real life." Hunk deadpanned. "You're just hoping she'll take a shine to you, aren't you?"Lance flushed. "And what's wrong with that?""Nothing, nothing." Hunk said. "Just... we don't know what these Alteans are even like.""I mean, we have some idea." Pidge said. He'd quickly lost pace with Shiro, falling back towards where he and Hunk brought up the rear. "Seers are descended from them, so they have to at least be somewhat humanoid.""Oh yeah," Hunk said, "-now that you mention it, I remember that.""Wait, so does that mean Yorak has Altean blood?" Lance asked, arching a brow. "I mean, his mom's a Seer, right?"Huh. Maybe that was why he got so snappy about the name thing. Which... okay, his bad. He'd admit it. Maybe not to Yorak's face, but he'd admit it."It's still so weird that Miss Lia's a Seer." Hunk remarked. "I thought they were always... you know, all pale and willowy and stuff. Miss Lia's stronger than most of the village men.""It's not like we know much about Seers," Pidge shrugged, "-I've only ever met one once.""Wait," Lance frowned, squinting at Pidge, "-you've met a Seer? Like a non-Miss Lia one? I thought they barely ever left their island!""I-" Pidge began, his eyes nervously darting away, "-that is-""We're here."Pidge shut his mouth, looking visibly relieved to have been interrupted. Lance squinted at him in suspicion for a second longer, before he turned his attention towards the more pressing issue- the Castle.And boy, was it ever a castle.This close, it practically loomed overhead, seeming almost impossibly high. Just the gates alone were taller than all of them combined. He could understand why Yorak hadn't been able to get into the Castle the first time he'd come here- heck, he didn't see how they would open the gates now."So... how are we supposed to get in?" Hunk asked."I don't know," Yorak admitted, his wolf lowering him to the ground, "-I never saw that part.""Well that's real helpful." Lance rolled his eyes. "I thought you were supposed to be a Seer.""I'm only part Seer." Yorak said. "My gift doesn't work that way.""I'm sure we can figure it out if we just put our heads together." Shiro said. "Pidge? Any ideas?"Pidge frowned, tilting his head to the side as he observed the gates, before casting a look towards Yorak. "You said that the last time you came here, it wouldn't let you in, right?""Pretty much." Yorak said, idly stroking his wolf's neck. "All I know is that we need all five paladins to get in. I just... kind of thought it would open once we got here.""Well, there's five of us here." Lance said. "Well, six, if you count the wolf.""An astute observation." Yorak remarked."Maybe... maybe we're not the right group?" Hunk asked, shifting nervously on his feet. "I mean, I'm not really much of a warrior, so maybe- maybe you made a mistake."Something churned in Lance's gut at the thought. If Hunk wasn't a warrior, then he wasn't either. Maybe he really wasn't-"I know what I saw." Yorak said firmly."Yeah, have some more confidence, buddy." Lance said, nudging Hunk in the arm, trying to mask his own doubts. "I mean, you're a way better archer than I am.""Aw, shucks." Hunk shuffled on his feet, shooting him a grateful smile. "Thanks, Lance. You're pretty good yourself.""Well, I have been called a sharpshooter before." Lance remarked.He swore he heard Yorak snort, but before he could turn to glare at him, the paladin had already turned around. Stroking his wolf's fur, he slowly exhaled. The wolf closed its eyes before abruptly dissolving, turning back into a stone figure. Yorak caught it, almost gently rubbing his fingers over the figure before he tucked it back away, turning to look back up at the gate. Reaching out, he placed a hand on it, irritatingly silent--and then he saw.Five lions, asleep and waiting, all impossibly old. He could feel them, like a wave crashing over him, bringing a sharp chill to his bones.And then it was gone."What," Lance blurted out, "-was that?""They're lions," Pidge said, "-the artifacts, they really are lions.""Wait," Yorak tilted his head, "-you saw that too?""If by that, you mean five sleeping lions, then yes." Hunk said. "I totally just saw that.""I did too." Shiro said. "What was that?""That's your proof." Yorak said. "The last time I was here, I only saw my own lion."Proof. Placing his hand over his heart, Lance swore he could still feel the rush he'd gotten from the vision, though it felt more like a gentle rain now than it did a crashing wave. But that wave was all it had taken to wash away his doubts- and anything that lingered, the rain seemed to be taking care of.He was a paladin.This was real."Well, that's great and all, but the gate's still closed." Pidge observed. "I thought we were supposed to wake the moon maiden and get her to create a new barrier, not go after the artifacts-""-the lions," Hunk corrected."-the lions right away." Pidge finished."We are." Yorak said. "We just... need to figure out a way inside."Lance shrugged, strolling up to the Castle gates. "Maybe we just need to knock?""That wouldn't-"Ignoring him, Lance did exactly that anyways. Sure, he doubted it would work too, but it was the principle of the thing, okay? For someone who didn't even know how to open the damn gate, he was acting awfully--the gate budged.Not remotely enough to qualify as being opened, but it had definitely reacted to his touch."Oh," Yorak said, "-maybe that does work.""See?" Lance quickly masked his own surprise with a smug smile. "Maybe you should listen to me more.""Why don't we all just try touching the gate at the same time?" Shiro suggested, not so subtly standing between the two of them. "But good thinking, Lance.""Oh, uh- thanks." Lance said, desperately trying to control his heartbeat. He had only just been praised by his hero. No big deal or anything. Nope. Nun-uh. Totally cool.(Totally.)"Sounds as good an idea as any." Pidge remarked, stepping forward. "I'll just be happy when we can get out of the cold. Whose idea was it to do this in the fall?""Could be worse," Hunk stepped up, "-could be winter.""Up here, I'm not sure there's much of a difference." Pidge said."It's not that cold." Yorak remarked."Yeah, I'm not sure I want to hear that from someone from the North." Pidge shot back.Clearing his throat, Shiro drew their attention back towards him. Arching a brow, he lifted his human hand, hovering it just above the gate. Pidge flushed slightly, before he too lifted his hand, Yorak following suit. Exchanging a glance with Hunk, he smiled at his friend, lifting his hand in unison with him."On three," Shiro said, "-one-"The gate hummed."-two-"The gate pulsed."-three."At their touch, the gate glowed.Deep in the Castle, something stirred.Four things, actually.Their master was gone from this world, they sensed, but his final orders- his final magic- still remained in them. New paladins were here, needing to be guided. The princess and the advisor needed to be woken. Lions needed to be found.They would be very, very busy.(Maybe once they were done, then they could mourn.)The gate came down with a crash, sinking into the earth without warning.Lance was definitely going to pretend he hadn't jumped. But if he had... well hey, at least he hadn't been alone. Hunk and Pidge totally jumped too.(Yorak and Shiro didn't even flinch. Somehow one was more annoying than the other.)"Okay," Pidge managed, "-didn't see that coming.""Yeah, I just thought it would open like, normally." Hunk said. "But hey, at least we got it open, right?""Let's just hurry up and get inside." Lance said, definitely not trying to smooth over his less than ideal reaction, since it hadn't happened, "-it's freezing out here."(Although weirdly enough, he actually didn't feel as cold as he had before. Which probably was all the more reason to get inside.)"Ugh," Pidge pulled his cloak closer to him, crinkling his nose, "-agreed."Yorak was one step ahead of them, already in the Castle, though Shiro had lingered outside, waiting for them. He caught their eyes, offering them a smile that was strangely hard to read, before he followed Yorak inside. Pidge was a step behind him, and just like they had on the mountain, he and Hunk took up the rear. Inside, the Castle was dark, though the wind had stopped, causing Pidge to cling less fiercely to his cloak.Then all of a sudden, the gate slammed shut behind them, throwing them into complete darkness.This time, Lance wasn't even going to pretend that he hadn't yelped."Oh no, we're trapped!" Hunk exclaimed, clinging to his arm. "The Galra got here before us! We're-"All at once, the light returned."-doom- oh." Hunk said, releasing his arm. "Nevermind, then."Rubbing his freed arm, Lance studied the area. It looked like they had come into some kind of a main hall, or at least a really large reception area, with a grand staircase at the other end of it. The entire room looked as if it were carved out of the same strange white stone that the exterior of the Castle was made out of, and the light he'd mentioned?Glowing orbs of blue fire.Yeah, he definitely wasn't in his little village anymore."This place is amazing." Pidge said, doing a full turn as he looked around in awe. "It almost looks like everything here was made out of a single stone.""It is pretty neat." Lance admitted. "So what now? We find this princess or whatever?""Pretty much." Yorak said, removing his mask and hooking it on his belt, before pulling down his hood. In the weird blue lighting, his eyes looked even more purple than they had in Miss Lia's tavern. "She should be sleeping in one of the central chambers.""Great!" Lance said. "Any chance you know where to find it?""I-""Guys, what are those?"Squinting, Lance looked in the direction Hunk had pointed. Perched on top of the grand staircase were- wait, were those...?"Are those mice?" Pidge asked."No," Yorak almost seemed to grin, "-they're familiars.""How can you tell?" Shiro asked."Yeah, they just look like mice to me." Lance said, tilting his head and squinting at the creatures. There were four of them, brownish in color- or at least, in so far as he could tell from this distance. Two were normal sized mice, while the other two couldn't be more opposite of each other on the spectrum- one very large, and one very small.And they were watching them.Which... okay, yeah, that was pretty weird. He was pretty sure normal mice would have run away by now. Plus, he was pretty sure normal mice would be like, dead by now. It had been ten thousand years since this place had been sealed up, right? Maybe Yorak was on to something."It's how they feel." Yorak said. "They're radiating magical energy."Lance arched a brow, turning his focus back towards the mice. He couldn't feel anything like that from them, but then before yesterday he'd never actually seen real magic before. He'd... just take his word for it.The mice squeaked in unison, before turning in a circle and squeaking again. The largest one almost seemed to point in the direction of the hallway behind them, its whole body going rigid."I think maybe they want us to follow them?" Hunk said.The mice squeaked again, presumably in agreement.Glancing towards Shiro, the former Captain of the Guard just shrugged. "In that case, I say we follow them."Right. Follow a bunch of magical mice through a magical castle. That totally made sense.(It didn't, but apparently this was his life now.)"I guess we're doing that, then." Pidge said.The mice turned in a circle again, before scurrying towards the hall. They waited just outside, presumably so that they could catch up. Lance sighed, before trudging forward, following after Yorak and Shiro, the former using the guardrail to help him balance, his mouth set in a tight grimace as he tried to use his left leg as little as possible.Lance looked away, feeling a twinge of guilt. Guess his leg was actually still bothering him. With his mask on, it had been easy to ignore."Are you sure you don't need a hand?" Shiro asked."I'm sure." Yorak said curtly.Shiro frowned, almost looking like he wanted to push, before reluctantly letting it go. He still stayed a step behind Yorak, presumably to catch him if he slipped. Lance's lips twitched slightly upwards at the sight. Everything he'd seen thus far of Captain Shirogane only made it more clear that he was exactly the kind of man he thought he was.It also made the fact that some people actually believed he'd betrayed the King's Expedition even more absurd.Once they all got up the stairs, the mice raced forward into the hallway. They followed after, the darkened passage gradually illuminating with each step they took. The further they went into the Castle, the more grateful he was that they had some kind of guide. All of the hallways looked the same, and with all the twists and turns the mice were leading them through, he was positive they would have gotten lost on their own.Finally the mice lead them to a massive chamber, almost as big if not bigger than the entrance hall they'd started out in. The chamber was circular, with massive columns arranged in a ring around a smaller inner ring, where several massive blue crystals almost seemed to float, suspended in midair.No. Not just seemingly. They were actually floating."Is this," Hunk nervously looked around, staying half a step behind him, "-is this where the moon maiden is?""It should be." Yorak remarked, stepping into the inner circle. "I think-""Wait, are those people?"Lance turned at Pidge's question, following his gaze towards a pair of the floating crystals. Unlike the others, these two seemed to contain darkened silhouettes, that upon closer examination......yeah. Those were people.The mice gathered around one in particular. Their squeaks almost sounded expectant, but before anyone could ask what they needed to do next, the crystal began to glow. For a brief second, he swore he felt the presence of something, before the crystal began to slowly dissolve from the bottom up, revealing the person sealed inside.The moon maiden.She was even more beautiful than he could have imagined.Long, flowing snow white hair served as a stark contrast against her dark skin. She looked almost human, save for the strange pink marks under her eyes and her pointed ears. Her gown shimmered in the light, the tiara set on her brow almost seeming to glow in the same fashion the crystal she'd emerged from had. For several seconds, she simply hung there, suspended in midair--and then her eyes snapped open, and she let out a gasp."Father!"Whatever magic suspended her in the air broke, and before he could think about it, he found himself racing over, catching her before she fell. She felt surprisingly solid in his arms- part of him expected her to feel weightless, as if she were something otherworldly. She looked up, and the instant their eyes met, he was struck by just how blue her eyes were, a vision of the sea he'd never seen floating in his head.
"Maybe I'll meet a cute girl a the harvest festival or something."
Oh. Oh."Who are you?" She asked, her voice just as lovely as her face. "Where am I?""I'm Lance," he said, "-and you're right here in my arms."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"I'm Lance, and you're right here in my arms."For a long moment, all Allura could do was stare blankly at the intruder who held her- before she snapped out of it and immediately pinned them to the ground."Who are you?" She demanded. "And what are you doing in my castle?""Hey, whoa, hold on," the intruder had the gall to sputter, "-we were the ones who were told to come here!""Told?" Allura asked. "Told by who?""Me."Allura's gaze jerked up towards the source of the voice, falling on an unfamiliar face. But while the face might be unfamiliar, the armor, however, she knew."...the Blade of Marmora?"The dark-haired intruder slowly nodded his head. He did not look very Galra, nor did she sense any traces of their magic clinging to his skin- only his armor, but she knew that he must be. Unless things had changed, she knew that the Blade only accepted Galra within their ranks."The Blade of what now?" The smallest of the intruders asked. "I thought you said you were a paladin."A paladin. Allura's breath caught in her throat, and all at once, her scattered memories returned to her- and with it, an understanding as to who these people were, and why they had gathered here....and the knowledge that if they were here, then it could only mean her people had fallen, and her father's barrier was on the verge of breaking. She slowly stood up, allowing the lanky intruder she had pinned down to escape her grasp. He scampered away from her, almost hiding behind the bulkiest of the group."Then it has come to pass," Allura said slowly, "-the vision that my father saw."The Blade inclined his head. "I'm afraid so."Slowly exhaling, Allura squared her shoulders. She could mourn later. There was much that needed to be done first.The sound of several familiar squeaks reached her ears, prompting her to turn and look. The sight of her father's familiars perched on the central control pillar warmed her heart, as much as it wrenched it. Now that she focused on it, she could feel that they were connected to her now- her father must have passed them on before his death.One last gift for his daughter.And if she wasn't mistaken, according to what they had to say...Sweeping past the not-so intruders, she placed a hand on the central pillar. It glowed in response, one of the other floating crystals slowly lowering itself to the ground. It broke apart, and her heart surged at the familiar man who emerged, hurriedly rushing to his side to support him as he shook off the last traces of the magic that had kept them asleep for so long."...Princess?" He said weakly."Coran," Allura smiled, "-it is so good to see your face.""And yours as well," Coran said, before his expression turned more grave, "-but something tells me this is not a happy a reunion."She merely shook her head, helping him stand up straight as they both turned to face their observers. The three who stood in a cluster just looked lost, while the Blade had merely turned his head away, as if to give them a smidgen of privacy. As for the last...Allura's stomach churned. She could sense Galra magic clinging to his skin, concentrated in his right arm. It all but radiated off of it, as if no attempt to mask it had been made.She allowed that feeling to relax her. She couldn't sense Galra magic on the Blade's skin- but she could sense magic from him. He likely would have picked up on the same. If it were a threat, he would have already dealt with it- unless the Blade of Marmora had turned to Zarkon's side while she'd slept, something which she seriously doubted."Apologies," she began, "-I suppose you are all looking for a bit of an explanation.""Yeah, kinda," the lanky one said."We have some idea of what's going on," the one who had Galra magic clinging to his arm said, "-but if it's all the same to you, princess, I think it would be a good idea for you to get that second barrier up first. You can do that, right?"Allura gave him a curt nod of her head. Clearly the situation was more urgent than she'd first thought."I can," she said, "-if you'll follow me, I can do that now, and explain afterwards."The group of three exchanged a look with one another, before they looked towards the one she'd spoken to. He merely nodded his head, and in turn, they looked back towards her, and returned the gesture. She made a motion for them to follow her, leading them towards the center of the castle, where its magic was the strongest.The Blade, she noted, was limping."Are you injured?" She asked."Broke it in a conflict with one of Zarkon's commanders," the Blade remarked, "-it may require healing.""I can provide you with that, as soon as I am done setting up the barrier." Allura said. "But you've already fought one of Zarkon's commanders?""He's dead," the Blade said curtly.Ah. Definitely Galra, then.Mixed, she assumed. Clearly with human, though he was considerably paler than the others that had gathered here. And though it was faint, she could sense the just a touch of Altean magic from him, though it felt... disconnected in a way his Galran magic did not.She did not dwell on it. She was certain she'd learn the answers in time.Once they arrived at the center of the castle, Allura wasted no time in making her way to the central platform. She could still feel plenty of magic emanating from the castle's crystal, softly glowing with the blue energy of Altean magic even after all these years. She closed her eyes, summoning the central pillars that served as the control conduit for the castle's magic. They rose from the ground, warm to the touch as she placed her hands over them.The spell was already waiting for her to cast it.She felt a sad smile touch her lips. Her father had laid the groundwork for her. She could feel his magic in the castle, though she knew the man himself was long dead. For just a moment, it brushed up against her, and she could feel his hand at her back......and then it was gone, and she was alone. The castle's magic was hers now.Exhaling, she reached out with her own magic. Even from here, she could sense that her father's barrier was weakening. Within another week or two, it would surely collapse. Then the Galra would be free, and the humans that now populated this land would be unprotected.She could not allow that to happen.The castle responded to her wishes.At the edge of her hearing, she could hear a gasp slip from the lips of those who were with her. The castle's center practically glowed with Altean magic, gathering together in the crystal- before she sent it outwards. It flowed like a ripple across the mountains, rising up like a glowing wall to protect the domain of humans, before it faded from sight.Still there, but invisible to those who did not possess magic of their own.Slowly opening her eyes, she drew her hands away from the pillars. She felt light-headed as she took a step back, but Coran was there to steady her, giving the kind of proud smile she was certain her father would, were he here."Whoa," she heard the lanky not-intruder whisper, "-well that was incredible."Allura gave him a faint smile. "Thank you. And... apologies for my rough treatment of you earlier. I was not yet fully awake.""Yeah, I kind of figured," he shrugged, "-so I take it the barrier's up now?""It is," Allura nodded, "-just as I am to understand the five of you are the paladins.""That's what Yorak told us," the smallest of the bunch said, gesturing to the Blade with his head, "-and the castle did open up to let us all in, so I guess maybe he was onto something?"Yorak. A name to a face- or nearly. It had been tradition in her day, for Galra who had the gift of magic to adopt use names. Given that the Blade of Marmora were regarded as staunch traditionalists even back then, she doubted that had changed."In that case, I suppose I have to thank you," she told Yorak with a smile, "-I am grateful that the Blade of Marmora has survived all these years. That said, I don't suppose you know...?"Yorak hummed, sensing her question. "It's been ten thousand years."Beside her, she could hear Coran suck in his breath.Ten thousand years. That was far longer than she had expected."Okay, question," the lankiest of the paladins raised his hand, "-first off, I'm Lance. But also, what's this Blade of Marmora you keep talking about?"She swore Yorak winced. Casting a questioning glance his way, he gave her the faintest shake of his head. She would have thought that the Blade of Marmora would have been common knowledge- after all, they had fought alongside both her father's Altean forces and the humans alike. Yet this... Lance seemed to act as if he had never heard of them before.And not just him- the small one had expressed the same confusion earlier, she recalled."They don't...?""Haggar's spies have basically erased us from history." Yorak said with a shrug. "I haven't exactly had time to debrief them on anything more than the paladin stuff.""Oh," Allura frowned, her brows knitting together, "-that is... distressing.""Wait, what do you mean, Haggar's spies?" The small one asked, then after a moment of thought, added, "-also, I'm Pidge, by the way. Since Lance just introduced himself.""I would like to know that as well," Allura agreed, "...though I can hazard a guess."Yorak sighed. "It's exactly what it sounds like. Sendak wasn't the only one. Haggar's been using her spies to infiltrate human society for centuries, especially in this country. Her information control is why basically none of you know the first thing about magic."Allura grimaced. Yes. That was what she was worried about."Well, that's disturbing." The bulkiest one said. "Also, hi. I'm Hunk.""That would definitely explain how the Galra knew about the King's expedition, though." The last of the five mused, before offering her a faint smile. "And I'm Shiro, since we're all introducing ourselves.""Well met, though I wish it could be under better circumstances." Allura said. "I am Princess Allura, and this man is Coran, one of my father's most trusted advisors.""We're Alteans, in case Haggar has erased that from your history as well!" Coran remarked."Oh, she did." Yorak huffed. "They just call you moon people now."Allura scrunched up her nose in distaste. "But we're not even from the moon.""Wait," Lance stared at her, "-you're not?""No," Allura shook her head, "-we only moved there later in our history, to make way for your fledgling race. Only the Galra remained behind to help guide you.""Wait, hold up," Pidge arched a brow, "-guide us? They're trying to kill us.""Yes, that may be true now," Allura said, "-but a long time ago, before Zarkon fell into corruption, the Galra and humans lived together in peace.""Well that's definitely changed." Lance huffed.Allura frowned, meeting Yorak's eyes. He just gave her a long look that said volumes- before very slowly inclining his head."Not entirely," Allura said, "-Yorak's presence here is evidence enough of that."For a long moment, there was silence on the bridge.Then all at once, it exploded into noise."Wait," Lance said, "-are you saying Yorak's Galra!?"Yorak just heaved a long sigh, folding his arms in front of him "Part Galra, actually. My dad was human.""Wait, your dad?" Hunk asked, his eyes going wide. "Isn't your mom- I thought you said your mom was Miss Lia. I thought she said that. But she's-""She's doing the same thing Sendak was, isn't she?" Pidge asked, narrowing his eyes. "She's using someone else's skin."The three of them visibly blanched. Shiro alone remained merely thoughtful."That's why the Blade of Marmora were erased from our history," Shiro said, "-so we wouldn't learn that there were Galra on our side."Yorak nodded, ignoring the other three in favor of paying attention to Shiro. "Pretty much. It was her attempt to isolate us from any potential allies. We've still got a stronghold in the North, though."Shiro's brow furrowed in thought, his right hand briefly straying towards his chin- before he made the rather conscious choice to swap it out for his left. "That would explain why the Northern Tribes were always so closed off to our country.""Wait, nope, I'm interrupting this," Lance bulldozed into the conversation, "-are we just ignoring the whole thing about Miss Lia wearing someone else's skin? That's the same thing Sendak did!""It's not the same!" Yorak snapped, his eyes momentarily flashing yellow as he glared at them. "Hers was freely given. Sendak's was stolen. Don't you dare compare the two.""Yeah, sorry if we don't see the difference." Lance crinkled his nose- though Allura didn't miss the way he'd taken two steps back. "Either way, it's gross.""There's nothing gross about our magic," Yorak hissed, "-and in case you've forgotten, she saved all of your lives."Allura opened her mouth to interject, but Shiro got there first, stepping in between the two groups. "Enough. We can't bicker like this. What matters the most is that they're on our side- and frankly, based off what little I remember from my time as a Galra prisoner, we're going to need all the help we can get.""But-!""Besides," Shiro held up his right arm, "-how am I any different?"Lance snapped his mouth shut, looking at the floor. Hunk just looked uneasy. Pidge looked more... considerate, Allura supposed. Like he was actually mulling it over."That's different," Lance muttered after a moment, "-you didn't have a choice.""We don't know Lia's circumstances either." Shiro said firmly. "And Yorak's right. She saved all of our lives. I think we owe both her and him a little trust."Lance didn't have anything to say to that, instead just turning away. Yorak looked... grateful, Allura supposed. As if he hadn't anticipated that anyone would stick their neck out for him.She sighed. It would seem that she had a lot of work ahead of her.Coran put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a faint smile before turning his attention towards the already fractured group of paladins."I can sense that we're all a little on edge here," he said, "-so why don't we all take a break for the moment. I can give the four of you a tour of the Castle while Allura heals Yorak's leg. Sound good?"Lance, Hunk, and Pidge all exchanged a look with one another, before slowly nodding their heads."If it's all the same to you, Coran, I'd rather stay here." Shiro said. "Assuming that's fine with the princess and Yorak."Yorak only shrugged. For her part, Allura simply nodded. She'd like to have the chance to ask him some questions as well."Right then!" Coran said. "Looks like it'll just be us four on the tour. Come on now, young paladins. It's a big castle, and there's much to see, especially since it will doubtlessly be your home for the foreseeable future. Wouldn't want you to get lost and end up in the compactor!"Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hunk blanch.In spite of himself, Keith exhaled as the others left. That hadn't exactly gone well.It definitely could have gone worse, though. In fact, it had gone pretty much as he'd expected it to go. Lance hadn't exactly made a secret of what he thought about Galran magic."You okay?"Blinking, Keith looked over at Shiro. He was giving him a faint smile, one that he could tell was sincere. His defense had been... more unexpected. Then again, he'd trusted him when he'd helped him escape from his imprisonment, when he'd been wearing a stolen skin that made him look far more Galra. He was starting to suspect that he was just kind of unusual.(He tried not to let his gaze drop to his right arm. More than just kind of.)"Yeah, I'm fine." Keith said- letting his gaze drop instead to the man's left arm, and the way he was rubbing his wrist. "Are you?"Shiro blinked, glancing down at his wrist, as if he hadn't even noticed he was doing it. There was a soft furrow to his brows as he drew it away."Yeah," he lied, "-fine.""I... apologize," Allura said, "-if I had known telling them would make things this tense, I wouldn't have said anything."Keith just shook his head. "It's not your fault, princess. It was always going to have to come out at some point. I'd only really planned to keep it quiet until we reached here anyways."Otherwise they wouldn't have trusted him enough to come here, Keith thought. Guess his instinct had been right."I'm sure they'll come around," Shiro said, "-they just need time."Keith nodded, willing himself to believe that. If the lore he had studied had any truth to it, then they would need to have a solid bond of trust between them if they were to ever have any hope of defeating Zarkon. He'd hate to think that he'd caused them to lose their only chance just because of his bloodline."Well, what's done is done," Allura sighed, "-in the meantime, I would be happy to heal that leg of yours. It must have been rather difficult to make the trek up the mountains like that."A faint edge of a smile touched Keith's lips. "Oh, I managed.""Yorak can summon a familiar too, apparently." Shiro shrugged, his eyes on the mice near Allura's feet.There was something terribly sad in her gaze as she stooped down to lightly ruffle the fur of her familiars. It probably had something to do with the way the magic that made them up wasn't entirely her own. Perhaps they hadn't been hers originally.(His father's familiar was mere stone now, but his mother still held onto it anyways.)She didn't let her gaze linger on them long, however, turning it back towards him instead. "I thought I sensed magic in you. Can you use it from both sides, then?"Keith gave her a curt nod. "Humanity's magic still thrives in the north.""That is a relief to hear." Allura admitted. "I am... unfamiliar with humanity's magic. It will be good to have someone to teach it to the other paladins."Keith just huffed. "If they'll let me."Allura merely grimaced. "Yes. I suppose Haggar has done more damage while I slept than my father could have ever anticipated. We should have known the barrier would not seal her magic completely.""Is she that powerful?" Shiro asked."Very," Allura said, "-she is also Altean."Shiro blinked in surprise. "Altean?"Allura gave him a wry smile. "She was Zarkon's wife, once. Apologies, but it is a rather long story, and one I feel would be best told to you all at once, so as not to repeat it."Shiro nodded in understanding. "In that case, I won't press any further.""Thank you," Allura said, before casting her gaze back in Keith's direction, "-now. Your leg?"He hummed in response, slowly limping towards her. She sat with a great degree of grace, allowing him to stretch his injured leg out next to her. Running a hand over it, her brow furrowed in thought."Your armor," she said, "-it is... bonded to you.""Protects me from the sun," Keith said, "-my human blood wasn't enough to save me from Haggar's curse.""I suppose I should not be surprised," Allura's frown deepened, "-my father sought to spare your kin, so it is unfortunate to hear his efforts were in vain."Keith just shrugged. "Not your fault.""I'm guessing that's why you didn't want a doctor to look at your leg." Shiro observed.Keith hummed in agreement. The plates were easily removed, but the scaled under layer was not- the same magic that enabled it to protect them from the sun bonded it to them, turning it into a second skin. It was certainly possible- his mother had removed hers, when she'd taken on her skin. But if you did that, one would have to reapply the enchantment all over again, scale by scale. It was an exhausting effort that frankly wasn't worth it.He'd only ever taken it off once himself, when he had attended his father's funeral. It was the one and only time he had worn the armor of his father's people.Allura for her part had turned quiet, doubtlessly studying the enchantment. He let her fingers ghost along the length of his leg, until she was seemingly satisfied. Placing her hands over the limb, she closed her eyes, slowly drawing in a breath. He could feel the magic pulse within her, her body taking on a brilliant blue glow that gradually began to seep into his injured limb. He could feel it repairing itself, bones snapping into place as if they had never been damaged.When she was done, it was as good as new.Keith exhaled, testing it out. The pain was gone, and he could move it freely now. Good.Allura opened her eyes, the glow fading from her body. For a moment she looked exhausted, before she shook it off, rising to her feet in an equally graceful movement.She turned to look directly at Shiro.He caught her gaze, silently understanding the question in it. He clenched and unclenched his right fist, before slowly exhaling, offering the limb up to the princess without a word."May I?" She asked, gesturing at the wrappings.Shiro gave her a curt nod.Allura set to work, first removing his glove, then slowly untwining the bandages from around his arm. Her gaze was nearly impenetrable as she ran a hand along Shiro's right arm, starting where human flesh met purple fur, before gradually making her way down to his palm. That she held in both hands, gently flexing his clawed fingers, lightly prodding the palm of his hand as if she were testing for stimuli.Shiro looked vaguely uncomfortable during the entire process, but did not say a word."Has it always been like this?" Allura questioned."No," Shiro shook his head, "-I was kidnapped by the Galra alongside two others a year ago. It must have happened sometime during my captivity. I just... don't remember how. A lot of my memories of that time are shaky."Allura hummed, briefly entwining her hand with Shiro's own. Lightning fast, there was a flash of realization in her eyes, but it was gone likely before Shiro even realized it.He hadn't missed it. He also hadn't missed the way she looked over towards him.Yeah. He figured she would notice."Well, I am afraid there is not much I can do about it," Allura released his hand, "-but I should be able to help you conceal it a bit better, provided you do not mind waiting a day or so. I've already used up a fair bit of magic.""Thanks," Shiro gave her a weak smile, "-I'd appreciate it."Allura simply smiled, handing him back both the glove and the bandages. Shiro only pulled on the former, flexing his right hand as he did so. A small shudder ran down his spine as he dropped it by his side, before casting a glance in his direction."Guess we have something in common." Shiro remarked.Keith just huffed at the unspoken pun. "Guess so.""Well then!" Allura clapped. "What say I show the both of you around, now that we are done here? I am quite certain you would all like the chance to get a bit of rest before we dive into the next step."Shiro just shrugged. "Sounds good to me."Keith only nodded. He'd like to get into the next step right away, but everyone else would probably need some time to recover. Rising to his feet, he briefly caught Allura's eye. Her gaze flickered towards Shiro, and then back towards him.He merely looked back towards Shiro, who did not notice- and then back to the princess. She held his gaze for a moment longer- before slowly releasing it, plastering a smile on her face and gesturing towards the doors with a sweep of her arm."Now then," she said, "-if you will just follow me-"Keith half tuned her out, falling into step behind Shiro and the princess. They'd definitely need to talk. Just... not while Shiro was in earshot.Not when what they had to talk about involved him."And this is the- are you listening?""Huh?" Lance blinked, glancing over towards Coran, realizing he was the one he was talking to. "Sorry. Kind of zoned out there.""Ah well, no harm to it!" Coran said. "The three of you have been through quite a lot, from the sound of it! I imagine you're all rather tired."Lance just huffed. Yeah, that was one way to put it. After all, it turned out that there had been a skin-wearing Galra living in his village for the past five years, and nobody have even noticed. So much for Miss Lia being a Seer.Guess he hadn't been imagining the bloodstains on the windows."I still can't believe Miss Lia was Galra," Hunk said what he was thinking out loud, "-I mean, I never would have guessed.""Tell me about it." Lance frowned, crossing his arms in front of him. "And what as that crap about her skin or whatever being freely given? That has to be a bunch of bullshit, right? Who would just hand over their skin? It makes my skin crawl just thinking about it."He didn't care what Yorak said. That was gross."I mean," Pidge began, looking hesitant, "-at least she and Yorak are on our side, right?""Yeah, there's that." Hunk admitted. "Plus I don't think anyone who can bake that well can like, actually be evil. You have to put love into it to get that kind of flavor."Lance just stared at the ground. That part was probably true. Well, the on their side part. He didn't really get what Hunk was talking about so much. It was just really hard to wrap his head around. A few days ago, he'd thought the Galra were just some children's story that older brothers told to their siblings to scare them at night, and now he was having to confront the fact that they were very real- and had apparently been living among them in secret for a long time.That creeped him out more than anything.If anyone could be a Galra... who were they even supposed to trust? After all, even the supposedly good Galra were apparently doing it."It's still messed up," Lance muttered."Now, now," Coran cut in, "-I can understand where you're coming from, but you shouldn't be so quick to judge. Galran magic has a long history! In fact, some scholars say that they developed their magic long before us Alteans did.""Yeah, but it's totally freaky." Lance said. "It's like, blood magic, right? The stuff Allura did earlier is miles better.""Oh blood magic is a part of it, alright." Coran said. "But there's also flesh and bone as well. And hair! You see Galran magic comes from the body, the physical form, whereas Altean magic comes from one's soul. Two very different root sources!""Of course," Coran continued on, "-since you're humans, you have the potential to learn both kinds, if you wish! Plus your own people's magic, of course.""Wait," Pidge tilted his head, "-we can learn that stuff?""Sure!" Coran said, tapping his head. "The source of your magic is in your mind. It makes you the most flexible out of all of us. Why, an Altean could never learn Galran blood magic!""...well," Coran's smile dropped in to a frown, "-at least not conventionally.""Yeah, hard pass on that." Lance said, "-although learning Altean magic sounds cool."Better to have Allura teach them, as opposed to Yorak.Coran just hummed. "Suit yourself. Galran magic has many uses, though!"Lance shifted a bit on his feet. It felt kind of weird to hear Coran sing its praises- hadn't his people been wiped out by the Galra? Presumably they'd used their freaky magic to help do that.Or maybe it wasn't that simple."Personally, I'd just like to take a nap." Hunk said. "It's been a long day. It's been a long couple of days, actually.""Honestly," Pidge said, "-same. I don't think I'll ever scale another mountain by choice."Coran nodded in understanding. "Yes, you humans have always been a bit on the physically frail side.""Hey!" Lance protested. "I'm not frail!""I think he just means like, in comparison to the Galra." Hunk said. "Which... yeah. Probably.""Exactly! No harm meant, Number Three." Coran said, doubtlessly catching his confused expression at the sudden nickname. "I've got you all ranked by height.""Do you just like fun nicknaming schemes, or are you just bad at learning names?" Hunk asked, arching a brow."What, no, no, of course not!" Coran laughed, before very promptly turning on his heel. "Now then, since you're all a bit exhausted, why don't I show you to the residential area? The rooms might be a tad dusty since they haven't been used in the past ten thousand years, but that's nothing a quick cleaning can't solve!"Hunk cast a glance in his direction, stooping down to whisper. "He can't remember our names, can he?""Yeah buddy," Lance agreed, "-I think you might be on to something there.""Wait, does that make me Number Five?" Pidge furiously whispered."Mm, afraid so." Hunk whispered back. "Sorry, Pidge."Pidge grumbled. Lance had to bite back a laugh- he was kind of sure the guy would bite his head off if he did. Instead he just trailed behind the three of them, turning things over in his head. He'd sort of been doing that the entire time Coran had been showing them around the castle, but he still hadn't come to any actual conclusions yet....he wasn't having much luck with that now, either.Eventually he just huffed. Whatever. He'd just cross that bridge when he came to it. Mulling stuff over like this wasn't like him anyways. He guessed what Hunk and Pidge were saying was right- the most important thing was that Yorak and Miss Lia were on their side.(It didn't make the idea of sharing space with someone who used blood magic any more comfortable.)Allura exhaled.It had taken some doing, but she and Coran had gotten all of the paladins settled in. Night had fallen over the mountain, but she couldn't sleep. Instead her feet had led her to the observation room, almost instinctively finding the deep forest even in the dark.She didn't think they had to worry about the Galra attacking, but she couldn't help but worry regardless. Between Shiro and Yorak, she had gotten a detailed explanation of everything that had happened since the former had stumbled out of the deep forest. Haggar's powers were strong, but it would take her some time to recover after a weather working spell of that magnitude.She knew she should sleep. She had a long day ahead of her tomorrow. They all did. She hadn't even checked the quintessence of her the paladins yet, though even from her faint impressions of them, she was already starting to get an inkling in regards to which lions they were connected to. Still, the only one she knew for sure was-"Can't sleep?"Glancing over her shoulder at Yorak, she gave him a faint smile. "I am afraid not. Does your sleep cycle lean more towards your mother's?""About halfway," Yorak shrugged, "-I tend to be nocturnal anyways."There was a somber note to that. Allura's smile fell, casting a glance at his armor. It seemed cruel, to deny one with human blood the sun. It was no wonder then, that he was so unusually pale.She chose not to comment on it, instead turning her gaze back towards the great window. She was almost certain Yorak had a better view of the deep forest than her.Perhaps he would not be the only one."...you want to talk about Shiro."Allura frowned, looking over her shoulder once more- not towards Yorak this time, but towards the door. She knew the man in question was likely asleep, but she still could not help but feel a touch guilty at the idea of talking about him behind his back.But it was also a conversation that could not be avoided."Does he know?" Allura asked.Yorak only wordlessly shook his head.Silence fell between the two of them, Allura letting her thoughts sit with her. Finally, she slowly let out a breath, squaring her shoulders. The truth at times could be a horrible burden to bear, but she would bear it with him."Tell me everything."